The Three Sisters Series: Book One
Ringside
By
Stephanie Williams
&
LaVerne Thompson
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Ringside by Stephanie Williams & LaVerne Thompson
Red Rose™ Publishing
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Red Rose™ Publishing
Copyright© 2009 Stephanie Williams & LaVerne Thompson
ISBN: 978-1-60435-352-5
Cover Artist: Shirley Burnett
Content Editor: Lara Parker
Line Editor: Zena Gainer
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Ringside
By
Stephanie Williams
&
LaVerne Thompson
Chapter One
Atlanta had been driving all day to reach Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Tired and hungry, she got off the highway and followed the main road, intending to pull over at the first place she came to. She found herself turning into a restaurant parking lot. The name of the place, Ringside Bar and Grill, caught her eye. That and the fact her stomach started grumbling at the rest of the sign: Seafood, Steak, and Cocktails.
Sounded good to her. She pulled into the graveled lot and found one of the few parking spots left. Perfect, that meant the place was popular so the food was probably good. Grabbing her purse and her new best friend, her self-help book on life, she got out of the car. The book was the reason she was there. “What Women Don’t Need” by Hannah Grimes was her Holy Grail. It was also the reason she’d quit her job, one in a long line, to come in search of the woman who wrote it. The woman whose words spoke to the emptiness of her life and started her on this, she hoped, final journey of self-discovery.
At twenty-five, no one would think she had an identity crisis. But she did — a big time one.
She was the youngest of three sisters — all named after cities her military parents were stationed in. Brit and Sydney had found their way in life. Their passions. Both had great jobs and fulfilling lives. And Brit may even have found a boyfriend. Atlanta was still stuck in the same old rut. Never finished college. Had the nerve to go to two of the most prestigious ones, Harvard and Princeton, and left after one year at each. But she hadn’t been happy at either place.
Boy did her parents flip. Her sisters, to their credit, understood. They just hoped she knew what she was doing. Hell no, she still didn’t know what she was doing. That’s why she was sitting in the parking lot of a bar and grill in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, holding a book by a hippy granny! The back cover showed a picture of a woman with long gray hair, in bohemian clothes, right down to the beads hanging to her waist and her Birkenstock sandals. Even her eyes told a story, they looked liked they twinkled with knowledge right off the back cover.
She wanted to talk to this woman.
Every page, every paragraph, every sentence, Atlanta could relate to. Some things hit a raw nerve and made her cry. Others gave her hope and inspiration, while others made her want to throw caution to the wind.
Finally, getting out of the car, she approached the building and studied the mud colored box-shaped exterior. It reminded her of architecture she’d seen in Spain. But around here it was typically known as Southwestern style. She pushed through the double doors and the sound of sizzling steaks greeted her a scant second before the aroma, causing her stomach muscles to clench in hunger.
The lighting in the foyer was dim but gave enough illumination so she could see the place. The walls were various shades of orange, yellow and green. It had a nice cozy feel to it. There were people sitting and standing around the large foyer. She walked up to the hostess behind a stand. “How long a wait for a table for one?”
“At least forty-five minutes to an hour. But there’s still room available at the bar. You can order from there. It’s the same menu.”
“That’s fine. Thank you.”
Atlanta headed in the direction the woman pointed. Sure enough, there were still a few seats left at the bar. She made her way to one at the far end, away from most of the foot traffic and the entrance. Because of the way the bar was shaped, although the stool next to hers was occupied, it wasn’t too close to her and the person in it was turned away talking to his friends. She settled herself and tried to get one of the bartender’s attentions. That’s when she noticed the boxing gloves hanging from the ceiling in front of the mirror. She laughed. Her kind of place.
One of the two bartenders came over. “What can I get you?” the woman asked, a friendly smile on her face as she wiped the area in front of Atlanta.
“A menu please, and whatever you have that’s cold and on tap, and a bottled water.”
“Coming right up.”
The woman pulled a menu from an area under the bar and handed it to Atlanta.
She scanned the choices. Too many to count. She turned back to the appetizer section and found her fav, calamari. A small platter of lightly fried calamari with house dipping sauce served with a salad of exotic greens to start things off, followed by a nice juicy burger. She didn’t normally eat a lot of red meat, but the smell of steak in the place was calling her name.
“Are you ready to order?” the bartender asked as she put a large frosty mug in front of her along with a bottle of water. She placed her order and the woman gathered the menu and left.
Atlanta took a long sip of her beer and placed it on the napkin in front of her. Taking her book out of her bag, she began to read as she waited for her food. She was on the section, Don’t Settle for Less than you Deserve, for the third time. Right on! Atlanta’s men issues were no different than the other stuff going on in her life. She’d yet to meet one she wanted to keep.
“Welcome to Ringside. Are you finding everything to your liking?”
Atlanta moved the book from her face and looked into the light blue eyes of a striking looking man. He was tall, a little over six feet, and very well built. That was evident in the way his black shirt seemed painted on his body. His biceps screamed to get out, but it didn’t look cheesy.
His face looked like it was sculpted from the finest marble; the only thing keeping it from being too perfect was a little bump in the middle of his slender nose, like it may have been broken at some point in his life. But it only added to his overall appeal. The color of his hair drew her attention next; it was blacker than anything she’d ever seen. Thick and wavy, it hung just to his collar. She wanted to run her fingers through it and see if it felt as soft and silky as it looked.
This man was a walking orgasm! She might have to
keep this one for awhile.
His mouth moved. God what a mouth. “Huh…” Wait, did he say something?
“Oh, sorry, did you order? I can get….”
“No, I mean yes, I did order, thank you…”
“Oh, forgive me. I’m Hank Gaines. I’m the owner.” He raised his hand to shake hers. As soon as her palm was encased in his, her stomach muscles clenched again, but not from hunger. At least not that kind of hunger. Something sparked between them. She would hang on to this one for a good long while.
“Ah, well, thank you. Thank you very much. So far so good, just waiting for my meal.” But I didn’t see your name on the menu. She blinked to try to get a handle on her erotic thoughts.
“What did you order?”
“The calamari, for starters, and a burger.”
“Excellent choices. The batter used in the calamari is a family secret.”
“Secret, huh?”
“Oh yes. Let me know how you like it.”
Huh, what was he talking about? She liked the view just fine.
He smiled, showing straight white teeth. “I see you’re trying to catch up on some reading.” He cocked his head to get a better look at the book.
She tried to casually set it beside her. “Yeah, just a little light reading.”
“Light? Her books can put the Dalai Lama to shame.”
“Yo…you’re familiar with her books?”
Before Hank could answer, the server came with her food. “Sir.”
“Oh, of course.” Hank moved aside while he watched the server place her dishes.
“Mmmm, this looks sinfully delicious.”
After the server left, Atlanta thought Hank would immediately move off, but was pleased when he didn’t. He turned his attention back to her. “I’ll let you enjoy your meal. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thank you and nice meeting you.” Boy, was it nice meeting him. What would he have done if she’d said she’d needed him.
Chapter Two
Hank returned to the other end of the bar. He listened to one of his regulars, with only half of his mind; the other half was at the other end of the bar. His eyes kept returning time and again to the young woman there.
Can you say scrumptious?
She was definitely new in town. It was a small town and sooner or later almost everyone came to Ringside. He knew almost all of the regulars by name, and the rest from around the neighborhood. It was nice to have new scenery. He wondered if she was just passing through, or staying at the new spa and would be there for awhile. He hoped she’d be around for a little while so they could become better acquainted. It’d been a good long while since he’d been this interested in any woman.
She was short, but not petite. In fact, she had a body that wouldn’t quit. He had spotted her the moment she walked past him and took her seat at the bar. He had to wait for a lull in his section before he could approach her. He signaled Kate, his other bartender to switch sides.
The woman had curves, curves, and more curves. Luscious thighs, round ass and full breasts. Yeah, she was just the right height and size to put his hands around. He started to become hard at the thought of it. He shifted his stance, grateful he stood behind the bar protected from any eyes. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself enough to glance at her again.
Her face was sweet and angelic. Heart shaped with a cute nose and large wide expressive eyes. They were smoky brown and framed by long natural lashes. He really noticed them when she blinked in surprise and asked him if he was familiar with the author of her book.
Yeah, he was familiar. He wrote the damn thing!
“Excuse me?”
“Huh?” Hank turned to the man. “Oh, sorry Brian, you say something?”
“Yeah, ten minutes ago.” He chuckled.
“Sorry, you want another?” He pointed to Brian’s empty glass.
“Yep.”
“Coming up.”
Hank looked over at the woman again. She was so engrossed in her book, she didn’t even notice when the waitress set down her burger. Oh, his mistake. She did notice. She put the book down and put ketchup and mustard on the burger before taking a bite and picking up her book again.
He was curious. What was she doing here in Santa Rosa and reading his book? Oh God. It hit him. The new bio mentioned that the author lived in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Was she in search of the author? She got really excited when he mentioned he knew her work. Mmm, he would like to get her excited in other ways.
Okay, Hank, cool it. You need to think rationally. Even if she was there to find the author, she had no idea she already did. And only a few folks in the bar knew about his writing. Kate and Joe were two of those folks, but Hank knew he could trust them. No one would tell her anything if she started asking questions.
Lifting the tap, Hank handed over Brian’s beer and excused himself from the bar. “Take over for me, Jimmy,” he said to one of the floor waiters who had just come in. The guy nodded and took his place behind the bar.
Hank made his way over to the woman who was munching with gusto and still reading. Her calamari platter was clean, and she was almost done with her burger and fries.
“I see you like the secret recipe.” He smiled, liking her appetite.
“Oh!” She jumped a bit. “Hello. Yes, it was delish, as is the burger. But the sauce was really excellent. Did I detect a hint of cilantro, lime, and ginger?”
He was surprised; most people didn’t pick up on the ginger. She had a sharp palate. “Glad you like it. And I’ll never tell.”
She grinned. “Ginger. I bet that’s the secret. But don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“Ginger is a very good guess. One not many people pick up.”
“Well, I’ve traveled all over the world. First with my military parents and then on my own, to countries that use it as a main spice, so I am very familiar with the flavor.”
“I see.” He found her more intriguing by the second. “So are you something of a gypsy?”
“Not really. Just looking for the right place.”
“I can relate to that.” And he could, which brought him back to what he wanted to ask her. “By the way, do you think I can take your attention away from that book a moment more to ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Uh…did you know the author lives here? In Santa Rosa?”
“Yes. That’s the reason I drove from Dallas.”
Damn! “You drove all the way from Dallas? By yourself?” He didn’t know what bothered him most. The thought of her driving all that way just to look for him, or the thought of her driving so far all by herself. What if something had happened to her before she’d arrived safely where he could find her?
“Sure.”
A woman after his own heart. Impulsive and adventurous. But it was also what he was afraid of. She was here to find the author — Hannah Grimes. The old lady with sage wisdom for women of every age and stage of their lives.
His grandmother. Whose picture and name he used because his editor was convinced that a dude writing get-in-touch-with-your-inner-self books for women would never sell to women.
“Chicks like to read this stuff from other chicks.” He wanted to punch Elliott in the nose, but refrained. Not because he felt like being a gentleman or thought his editor was on point, but because his hands were declared a lethal weapon. After all, he was an ex-boxer, with a championship middleweight win under his belt.
Okay, maybe his editor did have a point. But damn it! Men go through identity crisis too. Sometimes all their lives. He could testify to that one. He had always been in one fight after another, so it was easy for him to get into boxing. But a fighter had never been who he really was. It was a job, what he did. And he had been good at it.
“Do you by any chance happen to know the author?”
Her question brought his attention back to her. How did he respond to that? Before he could she continued.
“If you do, I woul
d so appreciate it if you could…I don’t know introduce me to her. I know I just met you and have no right….but…”
“Whoa, whoa! Slow down,” he said raising his hands.
“I’m so sorry.” She looked a little sheepish.
“Hey, it’s okay.”
“Oh, I’m Atlanta Reese.”
He took her hand again and held it a little longer. It was soft…and trembling. He put his other hand over it. “Atlanta from Dallas, now in Santa Rosa.” He wanted to find out if she was soft all over. If her skin tone was that warm brown all over her body or if she had any tan lines. The thought was making him hard, again.
He turned away from her and looked around the restaurant. It was busy, but his staff handled it well. He had a deep need to be alone with her. If only to find out why she was looking for Hannah Grimes. “Are you done? If not, you can take…”
“I’m done. I’ve been driving non-stop for a good while and was starving, but I’m pretty full now.” She looked a little embarrassed.
“Hey, it’s all good. Then if you don’t mind, would you come with me to the back office, we can talk there. I’ll make sure the waitress brings you another beer.”
“O…okay. But no more beer. I’m driving. One’s my limit, but I could use a tall glass of unsweetened ice tea.”
He waved the waitress over and gave the order. Atlanta grabbed her purse and held her book in a tight grip. That book must really mean something to her.
He helped her up from the barstool, but he was stumped. The book was about finding out who you were and a guide to help you stop making bad choices in life. All his books were. She looked like she had it all together. Well, kinda, she seemed nervous around him. He didn’t know whether to be flattered or concerned.
“It’s okay, really.”
He guided her to the back of his restaurant, past the kitchen entrance and to a door that led to his office. He opened the door and allowed her in first. “Have a seat.” He closed the door and took a seat behind his desk.
Three Sisters Series: Ringside Page 1