by Kizzie Hayes
I felt disappointed but happy to have seen her sweet set of teeth that glowed like a diamond being displayed in sunlight.
I hopped into my car and drove off but kept taking a furtive look at her through the rearview mirror until I couldn’t see her anymore. It was surprising that seeing the sexy girl blotted out the entire pale feelings that my marriage breakup caused. At that point, all I could think about was the sexy mantrap that looked so seductive in that sexy bartender’s pant that made her look like a fair goddess.
I couldn’t believe that my thoughts about the girl metamorphosed into obsession characterized by abject laziness and utter withdrawal from firefighting duties.
On that Wednesday that I was in my office and thinking about the sexy girl that took my attention, Blake T entered my office and saw how dispirited I was, which made him come close and knocked twice on the desk.
“Derek, Sir, I’ve noticed that you’ve been going through a lot these days,” Blake said and called back my attention, “Can you share?”
I gave an impish grin and heaved a deep sigh, “I really don’t have much to share,”
“At least you can tell me that you’re not being bothered by the recent marriage separation,” he said observantly, “I’ve told you that you should stop thinking about…”
“It’s not about the divorce anymore,” I interjected.
“Then what is it about?” he inquired inquisitively, “Remember I’m always here to listen,”
“That girl we met at the Bar likes you,” I pointed out without mincing words, “I noticed the way she looked at you when the entire people were applauding our efforts,”
“You mean Alex, the bartender?” he asked which got me bewildered because I never knew that Blake T was already in acquaintance with her.
“Have you met her before?” I curiously asked with much eagerness to hear the answers.
“She was one-time winner of the most beautiful girl in Georgia but she decided to establish a bar instead of going deep into the supermodel’s world,” he answered and drew the chair opposite him and sat on it, “she’s not just the bartender but the owner of the bar,”
“I can’t believe that,” I said with much bewilderment, “tell me more,”
“She’s a humble girl but a very rich one who has made much wealth by establishing bars all over Georgia,” he said informatively.
I was really bemused hearing that about her especially being a girl of about her early thirties, “I want to meet her,” I confessed, “but I currently dislike anything that has to do with women because of my experience with Isabel,”
“Keep the experience-induced reservation aside and go after what you need,” Blake T encouraged, “She likes slim guys with nice chest and thick abs,”
“Hmmm, what are you trying to say, boo?” I asked with smiles written all over my lips.
“You already know your physique, Sir,” Blake said and started going towards the door, “keep me posted because I sometimes love a surprising gossip,” he said and rested his hand on the knob and opened the door to exit, “Go for it, boss. Go for it”
He closed the door behind him and left me thinking as the tapping sounds of his shoes announced his exit.
Blake’s words were like a big fillip to me which made me take the decision to go for the girl and make her mine.
Amid my resolution to woo the sexy femme fatale, the greatest hurdle that lurks in the shadows of my success is my nature; I always find it hard to keep a discussion with a girl for long. I can simply say that I wasn’t the adventurous guy because I found it hard to confront a pretty lady without faltering in my speeches. I knew I was going to get over it with time because that hurdle was really a big one for me.
I had to hit the nail on the head by going after Alex even though I knew I could be walking into a more heinous trap, stronger than the heartbreak I felt in the hands of Isabel.
***Facing my fears***
One of the habits I couldn’t form was drinking, especially at the bars because Isabel convinced me that responsible men don’t go to bars to drink, especially when they’re angry. The only reason why I decided to go to the bar that evening was that I hate to think that anything that comes from Isabel could be good, hence the need to go to bar against what she made me believe in the past.
On that festive weekend during the July fourth, the celebration of independence really got the streets busy but that happiness that filled the minds of everyone eluded me because the only source of my happiness was there at Peachtree Street selling drinks to her customers. It was time to take the bull by the horn.
I knew I hadn’t the best car that could attract a girl’s attention but at least I always did my best to get my Ford Truck well fixed to be road-worthy.
I drove straight to Peachtree Street to have a glimpse of sexy Alex at the Reality Bar. I entered the parking lot and parked. Seeing the same spot where the fire outbreak took place I parted my lips into a smile. I took a second, third and fourth look at the mirror of my car to be sure that I was well dressed and attractive to make her notice me at all, let alone falling for me.
“Hi girl, I’m sure we’ve met somewhere but I’ll love to be your friend,” I rehearsed but that didn’t sound like the perfect wooing words so I dropped it and tried another and another until I felt I was getting it right so I alighted from the car.
To be sure I still had my confidence in check; I used the car mirror to check out my figure-hugging jersey and jean one more time. I knew I was cool enough to have her attention especially observing how thick and evident my abs was.
On getting to the bar, all eyes were on me and I couldn’t say why but I knew I was well-dressed to the nines that the girls couldn’t just look at me and look away. I felt so proud of myself that very moment which made me walk with sedate steps to a corner meant for VIP’s. I was really ready to spend more money at the bar just to get her attention even though I was fully assured that a rich girl like her may not be moved by that feigned show of wealth.
Seeing the sexy blonde as she served her customers diligently, my heart was gladdened with joy but fear accompanied the feelings forthwith, making me lose the last words and moves that I rehearsed; my fretful nature just returned to me and that was really the wrong time because all I wanted was to be bold and daring.
As if she knew I was coming for her, she came immediately to me with smiles wiggling her curvy hip as she advanced closer to me. The closer she came, the harder my heart pounded.
“Hi, what do you need?” she asked and smiled.
I was surprised that she came to me because she doesn’t usually leave her desk but customers come to her to make their orders. Maybe I was just lucky to make her come out to meet me.
“I…I just need a good drink that will make me remember that I should be happy today,” I said haltingly and forced a smile.
“Today is really a great day,” she said with a seductive smile that made me notice the glowing blue eyes of hers, “I know what you need,”
“Yes, you’re right,” I said and smiled back trying to get my lost confidence back, “I love fourth July,” I said smilingly and crossed my legs to make her take a closer look at me, even though it was under the dim LED DJ lights.
“That’s the reason why I should make Silver Oak wine available for you to relax your nerves,” she said humbly and waited for my approval as her smiles stormed into my heart.
“That sounds cool and I’m sure I’ll like it just like I like the person standing before me,” I said with humor even without knowing when I said that. “Sorry, can you still remember who I am?” I asked trying to start a talk that could lead to asking for her phone number.
“You should have introduced yourself first,” she said and left immediately even without giving me the chance to correct my manners or tell her the first time I saw her.
I was daunted by that reminder of my manners but I just had to wait for her to come back before introducing myself properly.
As I wa
ited for her to come back, I saw my good friend in college even though I wasn’t really close to him then because of his lifestyle; he used to spearhead the Red Skulls, which was a brotherhood that worked against the school authority once they introduce policies that were not favorable to the students. Louis Brown used to be the tough guy which was the major reason why I avoided him then. Of course, I was the bookworm then.
Seeing Louis Brown, I tried to pretend that I was busy with my phone just to make him pass but with the tail end of my eye, I noticed that he was coming right to my side and I couldn’t run away from him as I used to do in those days as a sophomore.
“Don’t tell me you’re Derek Churchill,” he said hilariously and patted my back gently to have my attention.
“Wow, are you not the famous Louis Brown?” I said as he pulled me up into a hug.
“It’s been a long time, bro,” he said and observed me closely, “you’re always looking handsome. I thought your handsomeness must have faded a bit but that’s far from the truth.”
“I’m flattered, Louis,” I said and pulled myself back to observe his facial expression.
“I used to avoid you in college because of your bookworm nature,” he jested which made us start laughing aloud to the point that people around noticed our presence.
“I thought you’d have stopped being funny,” I said and offered him a seat.
We sat together and exchanged pleasantries while I still waited for the sexy bartender to serve the wine. I took a sweeping look around to make sure that she was still coming but noticed she wasn’t coming yet but busy serving others. I was grimaced but I didn’t want my old friend sitting next to me to notice it.
I shrugged away my sadness and smiled back at Louis even though my attention wasn’t with him anymore but with the girl that I was expecting. Meanwhile, I wanted to be alone so that I could have the temerity to talk to the girl. Louis’s presence would simply jeopardize my chances and I wasn’t ready to miss the opportunity to talk to Alex.
“I can see you’re uneasy as if you’re waiting for someone,” Louis asked observantly which got me feeling more fidgety because of his presence, “I used to feel this way when there is a new hard-to-get girl turning my head around,”
“Yes…No…I just remembered something,” I lied.
“Let’s drink up, it’s our Independence Day celebration,” He proposed and got up to meet the bartender who kept me waiting.
I was surprised with the way Louis held her and planted a deep kiss on her lips. I was shocked to observe that she could be his lover or even his wife.
At that point, all I wanted to say to the girl got blotted out even to the last word. I became fretful and worked up. All I wanted that very moment was to get up and disappear from the bar but my ass remained stuck on the couch as if I couldn’t just get up and make a sly move out of there. I forced myself to stand but my attention that remained glued at the love birds before me made me remain still to know how the story was going to end.
At a point, I summoned the courage and got up to leave. As I was about to take the first step out of the bar, I heard her sexy voice as she said: “Sorry, dear. I kept you waiting because I had some things to take care of.”
I turned and looked at her absently and feigned a smile though I’d lost my mood for any friendly talk with her especially seeing that Louis accompanied her back to my position.
“Baby,” Louis called out to Alex and pulled me close, “meet my good friend back then in college. He’s Derek Churchill,” and to me, he said, “Derek, meet my girl, Alex Newman.”
“Oh, Alex, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said with a fake smile and shook hands with her.
“I’m glad to meet you too,” she said, “Your wine is ready but it seems you want to go out or something,”
“No…Not really,” I said stutteringly and sat back to my position, “I wanted to check something in my car but I just changed my mind,”
“We need more wines,” Louis said and sat. He poured out the wine in two glasses and we began to drink while the girl continued attending to her numerous customers.
Alex wasn’t the only bartender at the bar but had numerous workers around. Amid the superfluity of bartenders lurking in the bar, I noticed that people love to be served by Alex and I couldn’t say why. Maybe it was because of her beauty and smooth way of talking to her customers to make them feel so welcomed.
“So, what do you do for a living?” Louis asked in order to keep the ball rolling but he wasn’t just the reason why I was there, so I wasn’t so disposed for some chitchats with him. My entire attention was glued to any direction that the sexy girl was.
“Well, I am a firefighter,” I answered bluntly and took a sip of the alcoholic wine before me.
“That’s good but I really hate fire so much that I won’t like to come close to it,” he said with a loud grin, “I’ve had a bitter experience with fire in the past, that’s why I have these burns and scars on my arm,” he said sadly and raised the long sleeve of his shirt to show me some scars.
“That’s really serious,” I exclaimed with sympathy and observed his arms closely, “So sorry for that,”
“Thanks, bro,” he said and chuckled, “I really hate fire,” he reiterated.
“That’s the good reason why you should avoid hell fire by all means,” I humored.
Ha-ha,” He laughed out loud and nodded, “Well, I’m yet to believe that such place exists,”
“So, what about you?” I asked, “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a lumberjack,” he said and smiled, “I always like to do hard things,”
“I hope you’re no more as stubborn as you used to be back then in school,” I said and looked at him furtively with smiles.
“No…not anymore,” he replied humbly, “those days, I used to think that being a man requires physical strength but when I took my time to study your nature back then in school, I realized that being one of the most intelligent college students wasn’t because you were the hitman but because you took your time to study and make good grades. You inspired me in those days but you never noticed,”
I was wowed hearing that because it was then I realized why Louis used to make some efforts to come closer to me back then but I kept avoiding him due to his boisterous nature.
“I feel so flattered right now,” I said and chuckled, “thanks for making me feel proud of myself,”
I began to feel more relaxed around him because he seemed to have changed for real, even though he wasn’t really bad those days in school but fighting for his right from unorthodox ways.
“Alex has been my girlfriend for about two years,” he began, in a bid to tell me his love story; “she’d always inspired me which is the reason why I took up the job as a lumberjack to make myself humble. She’s a rich girl but she prefers to be my friend because she saw a part of me that is romantic. But the truth remains that I don’t really think I am the romantic guy but just playing along to make her think that I am. I love to do crazy things sometimes but she seems so soft to allow me to explore my real nature.”
“Hmmm, that sounds cool but you must not be kinky, especially if she doesn’t need it that way,” I advised.
“But it’s usually fun to do it that way,” he added and chortled.
As we were discussing, the talk of the devil just showed up looking so sweet and cool. She relinquished her duties to one of her workers just to come and join us. I was both glad and jealous that particular time but I’d to balance the two to avoid being noticed.
“Hey, guys,” Alex greeted and sat close to Louis and crossed her arms over his shoulder. This really got me uncomfortable but I tried my best to pretend that I wasn’t moved by that.
“Pretty girl, you’re welcome,” I said as I welcomed her to the table of men, “You’re really diligent and hardworking, I’ve noticed” I complimented her in order to get her attention but she just rolled her eyes and smiled uninterestedly.
“Thanks
,” she said and crossed her legs, exposing that sexy leopard–skinned high-heeled, “I just have to be hardworking because it’s in my nature.”
“She’s a workaholic and I keep advising her to ensure some leisure sometimes not just working all through,” Louis said and pulled her closer and they exchanged a French kiss before me.
I was really covetous and wishing that I’d be in Louis’s shoes at that moment. Seeing them kiss got me horny instantly but I crossed my legs to avoid allowing the bulge in my trousers to be evident. I looked at Alex lasciviously, though on the sly so that she wouldn’t notice my lust.
“Hmm,” I hummed and cleared my throat to bring the lovebirds back from the kissing world, “I’m still here,” I humored.
“Don’t mind us,” Louis said apologetically and smiled, “I miss her a lot all the time.”
“That’s cool and I love it,” I said forcefully but in actual sense, what I meant was “why not give me a chance with her even for a second?”
The chilly air conditioner in the bar wasn’t helping at all because it got me chilled, thereby triggering that lewdness of my mind to the point that I became restive around them.
“So, tell me what you do for a living,” Alex asked looking directly into my eyes which got me jumpy.
I tried my best to have that battle of looks with her but I couldn’t just stand it. I usually feel mousy whenever I am around a girl I love which was the weakness I tried so much to overcome but I couldn’t.
“I’m a firefighter,” I answered meekly and got myself busy with the wine in my glass just to conjure some confidence in answering her questions.
Her question made me understand that she never noticed my presence as the leader of the firefighting team even though I thought she saw me that very day that we came to perform our duties.
“Hmmm, that sounds adventurous and disaster-managing,” she said and took my glass of wine and sipped.