by Marchman, AC
“Will do, Alley Cat. Take care of yourself and come home soon! Oh, and by the way, I would kick your ass if you failed. Love ya, sis!” he says and hangs up. I immediately dial my mom’s work number.
“Hi, sweetie! How are you?” she answers the phone.
“Good, mom, glad you have caller ID at work because that might have been awkward if it had been your boss,” I say, giggling.
My mom laughs and says, “Yes, I’m sure he would not have appreciated that! Anyways, how were your finals, baby?”
“They are done and over with now, thank God! I think I did really well, mom.” I beam, not able to hold my cheesy grin back. “Livey and I are going out to celebrate tonight, I’m thinking Peachtree Tavern.”
“Okay, sweetie, but take a cab, will you? For my sake!” mom says with concern etched in her voice.
I sigh. “Mom, I promise not to drive, okay?”
“Good girl! Well, honey, I hate to cut this short, but I have so much work to get done. Call me later, okay?” Mom says, sounding a bit exasperated.
“Sure, mama. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Bye” I hang up, feeling a bit better after having talked to my brother and mom. I wish I could call my dad.
I shake my head, gather my thoughts and go to the bathroom to take a shower. I undress and let the water run until it’s hot enough for my liking. I glance in the mirror, thinking once again about the beautiful man I knocked down today. I see the flush creep up on my cheeks. Why do I keep thinking about him? “Marshall, get a grip! You are not going to see him again,” my subconscious rears her ugly head. I sigh. “Well, I can at least think about him,” I sneer back at her. I step in the shower and let the hot water fall on my back. It is so soothing. I look down at my pale skin. I really need to get some sun this summer. I won’t have another summer off for some time after this year. I finish washing, get out, and vow to get a tan this time around. I wrap the towel around me and look in the mirror again. I brush out my hair and throw it in a bun. The humidity down in Atlanta is just dreadful, and my hair does not cooperate. I walk into my room to pick out what I am going to wear tonight. I think to myself, “I will have fun! I will not think about the delectable man again.”
Livey is finally home from work, taking her shower. I decided that we would party the night away at the Peachtree Tavern. I have spent the last four hours thinking about Mr. Dark and Mysterious, even though I willed myself not to. I think about how no one has ever made me feel this way, not even the only boyfriend I ever had. I think of how his hair would feel through my fingers and what was under that navy pinstripe suit. “No matter,” I think out loud to myself. “I am going to have a good time tonight!” I peer into my closet to see which outfit I should wear this evening. I choose a plain scoop neck royal blue mini dress with my favorite strappy silver heels. Damn, I can pass for downright hot tonight. I smirk in the mirror at my vanity. I decide to wear my hair down and wavy only because my straightening iron decided to die on me. Sweet Livey helps with my makeup. I always love to be her canvas. She settles on a natural look for me: a touch of blush, a bit of mascara, and some pale pink lip gloss. I frown as I think about Mr. Hotness. Too bad he couldn’t see me like this, instead of sprawled on the ground, looking like a fool. Who knows? Maybe he will show up tonight. I know it won’t happen, but it sure is nice to think about. The only problem is when I think about him, I feel like I need to change my panties. It makes me feel alive with desire.
Livey interrupts my erotic daydream. “Hey! Earth to Allie!” she teases. I shake my head and look at her.
“Sorry,” I mutter, “I was just thinking about someone…thing, something,” Shit, didn’t mean to let that slip.
“Oh, girl! You still thinking about that hottie you bumped into this morning?” I had to tell Livey, she knows almost everything about me. I told her how I looked like such an ass knocking him to the ground and how he didn’t get angry with me for doing so. “Allie, you are a total catch! You know that, right?” Livey exclaims to me. “You have killer legs, a beautiful body and face, and your mind is as big as your heart!”
“Yeah, but I stumble and trip over these “killer legs’ all the time,” I say to her. “Why couldn’t I have been born with grace?”
Livey cocks her head at me, grins and says, “Sugar, we all can’t be perfect, so don’t go tryin’ to be.”
I smile warmly at my best friend. “You’re right, ‘Suga.’” I try to imitate her accent. “Now, go get dressed! I’m ready to have a good time!”
An hour later, we are stepping out to meet our friends Cindy and Jasmine. Cindy and Jasmine are a couple of darling girls. I met them through Livey, and they are just as Southern as she is.
Cindy has dark chocolate brown eyes with hair to match. She is long and lean, keeping toned by hitting the gym every day. Jasmine has beautiful caramel skin, her kinky black curls laying on her shoulders. Her eyes are a beautiful shade of green I have never seen on another person. She is about an inch taller than Livey.
“Hey there, Dr. Marshall!” Cindy shouts as we get close to her Range Rover.
I giggle, “I‘m not going to be a doctor! Close enough though.” The girls run up to us and give us both a big bear hug, like they haven’t seen us in years.
“Damn, girl! Look at you!” Jasmine says, her light green eyes twinkling. “You clean up pretty good! Now, are you ready to hit the town?”
“You have no idea how much I need a good time tonight,” I say with a laugh.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Cindy rings out. She opens the driver’s side door and smoothes her canary yellow maxi dress down. “Let’s get this party started, ladies!” We squeal like teenagers as we head down Peachtree Road.
The line is long at Peachtree Tavern, but moves fast. A trio of guys are staring us down already.
“Those guys are totally checking you out, Livey!” I exclaim to her. “Whatever, it’s you they are looking at!” Livey pokes back. I roll my eyes at the thought. In all honesty, I’m not interested. My mind is still on the wonderful specimen of a man from this morning. I can’t understand why I’m still thinking about him. It was a split second meeting, for goodness sake! Yet, I imagine the blue eyes staring at me, and I start to get hot and bothered right there in line. I know it’s silly to think, but my heart hopes he just happens to show up tonight. I am vaguely aware that we are at the head of the line now. We walk in and the place is lively and packed! I think this is just the thing to get Mr. Hotness off my mind.
All of us head straight to the bar. The bartender winks at us and asks us what our passion is.
Cindy gets a vodka and cranberry. Jasmine decides on a Miller Lite, as does Livey. I am feeling the need to get wasted, so I ask for a Long Island Iced Tea. The bartender gets our drinks, and we pay in cash. We weave our way through the crowd and find a table that doesn’t have any glasses on it. We sit and clink our glasses together. “Cheers, to my baby girl, Allie!” Livey shouts over the people and the music. We tip our glasses up at the same time. The cold alcohol feels so good going down my throat. I don’t normally drink, but after a day like this one, I think I deserve it. We finish our drinks in five minutes tops. Jasmine stands and says, “Next round is on me!” As she walks her way back to the bar, the three of us start to people watch.
Livey points out a random guy. “He’s kinda cute, I think I’m gonna ask him to dance!” Livey stands and makes her way over to the guy. She never ceases to amaze me with how blunt and straightforward she is. As I watch Livey stroll over to the guy with his cowboy hat tipped down, I can’t help but wonder about the sexy stranger. I had never seen him around school before. I wonder why he was there. Students don’t wear suits. Shit, I’m lucky if I throw on jeans to go to class! Cindy sees some of her girlfriends from work and makes her way over to talk to them.
Now I’m alone. I really hope no creepy dude decides to come sit down and talk me up. Jasmine walks back with the same drinks we got before. As I start to down my sec
ond Long Island, I feel the alcohol take effect. I am enjoying myself, just watching my friends have a good time.
Jasmine excuses herself to go over to Cindy’s group. I wave her off and smile at her. “I’ll catch you in a bit,” Jasmine yells. I give her the thumbs up sign as she skips to the group of girls and hugs each one. Livey is getting down on the dance floor with a different guy than before. I giggle and think that the first dude looked better from far away. I close my eyes and listen to the music, bopping my head to the pulsating song. When I open them, I am looking right into the sculpted face of the man of my dreams.
Oh my goodness! My eyes fly open in surprise. One of his eyebrows cocks up at me. I am trying to process what is happening here. That beautiful man I almost ran over this morning is standing right in front of me now. He is even sexier than I remember. His eyes are a brilliant shade of baby blue, and his irises are rimmed with a darker hue. His dark brown hair hangs over his forehead and his ears. He is wearing a gray V-neck fitted shirt tucked into a pair of black distressed jeans. His skin is gently tanned, and I notice there is no ring on his left hand. Oh, thank God. His forearms and biceps look very defined. I drink him in for what seems like hours.
He clears his throat and stares at me. I look up at him, my mouth partly open. “May I join you?” he asks. As my brain is still trying to find the ability to speak again, I nod my head. He smiles and sits in the chair closest to me. “Excuse me, I know this is sudden, but would you like to dance with me?” he asks. I gape at him, but his eyes are busy scanning the dance floor, darting back and forth.
“Uh, okay,” I finally manage. He turns back towards me, his blue eyes glimmering. He stands and holds his right hand out for me. I feel a tremor as I place my hand in his. He smiles at me, showing perfectly straight white teeth. I can’t help but return his grin, although I’m sure I look more like an idiot. I stand, straighten my dress over my hips, and follow this god out to the floor. I catch a glimpse of Livey, and her face says it all. Her jaw drops open, and she stands completely still, even though the song “Womanizer” pounds out of the speakers. The guy she is dancing with continues to rub his crotch on her backside, either oblivious or drunk. I mouth to her “Oh my God!” Livey shakes her head with this silly smirk on her face. She turns her attention back to her dance partner.
We end up in the middle of the floor. The upbeat tempo has stopped as if my prayers have been answered, and a slow melody pours out. I am so grateful because my clumsiness does not stop with walking. I also can’t dance without looking like I am having a seizure. The slow dance; however, I can do this. “God Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts fills my ears. My Adonis turns back to me and slides his hands over my hips bones. My pulse immediately starts racing as the proximity of his sexiness overwhelms me. I put my hands on his shoulders and notice that they feel so toned.
“By the way, my name is Donovan,” he says into my ear as he pulls my body closer to his. I feel a shockwave roll through me, and my breathing stops. Well, my Mr. Hotness has a name.
I remember to get air into my lungs and tell him “I’m Allie Marshall.” My arms wrap around the nape of his neck. In response, he moves his hands from my hips to the small of my back.
Goosebumps form on my arms as surges I have never felt before ripple through me. My head instinctively leans into his chest. I feel the flex of his muscles as his hands travel across my back. He stands about four inches taller than me with my heels on. It’s weird, but I sense his grin rather than see it. I think his breathing stops a beat, then he pulls me in as close as our bodies will allow. We start to sway to the music. He bends down to my ear and whispers, “You can thank me later.”
I pull away to glare at him, my surges of lust replaced by pangs of anger. Who does he think he is? That he is God’s gift to women, and I should feel privileged to be in his arms? I actually do feel like a prayer has been answered, but I won’t let him know that. “What the hell is that suppose to mean?” I shout, the alcohol has made me a bit braver.
Donovan pulls me back with this cocky ass smirk on his face. “Don’t take offense, but see that asshole in the corner? I was standing by him and I heard him say, ‘I wanna fuck that sweet ass until dawn.’ All the while he was pointing to you. It offended me, and I cut him off at the pass when he was starting to your table, so he wouldn’t hit on you.”
My jaw drops open. I gaze up at his gorgeous face and see his blue eyes angry, staring into the near distance. I slowly turn my head to see what his eyes are glaring at. The hulk of a man is standing back about twenty feet from us, and the look he is giving us sent chills up my spine.
He is wearing an Atlanta Falcons jersey and khaki shorts. His left hand is holding a beer with the other hand clenching a fist by his side. He is incredibly huge with biceps as thick as my thigh. I shudder and whirl back to Donovan, suddenly feeling protected and safe while in his arms, even if I had only officially met him five minutes ago. “Don’t worry about him. Let him see us together and be mad,” Donovan says as his attention is directed at me again. His hands are roaming again, down my back and up again. I sigh as my insides clench. His skilled fingers reignite the lust I was feeling before. He passes one last look at the linebacker and cocks up that one eyebrow at him again, silently saying “Back off.” Donovan looks back at me, his eyes suddenly blazing into my green ones.
“Okay, okay. I see what you mean. Thank you.” I cock my head to the side with my lips curving into the most seductive smile I can muster.
“You can thank me by not leaving my side tonight.” Oh, how that one sentence could can hold so much promise. I hold my gaze on him and breathe, “Absolutely.” The song has ended, and we are still in each other’s arms. Donovan releases first and suggests we get a drink. I nod, as he links his fingers into mine.
We make our way to the bar. Donovan asks, “What’s your pleasure?” I blush as I think whether or not to tell him the truth to that question. His accent is surely Georgian, and I could listen to him speak all night.
“I’ll have a cranberry and Absolute, please.” He nods and waves over a bartender.
“What will you…“ the busty redhead barkeep stops as she blatantly stares at my knight in shining armor. His look is impassive as he asks for my drink and a Heineken for himself. The redhead bats her eyelashes and licks her upper lip. I suppose I’m not the only one affected by his beauty. As she starts pouring my cocktail, he turns to me, “I remember you from this morning,” he remarks with amusement.
I feel the burn in my cheeks as I remember knocking him over. “I am so embarrassed! I am so sorry about that. I was rushing to get to my Ethics exam,” I ramble.
He laughs. My heart skips a beat at the sound. Angels in Heaven must have leapt for joy when he was created. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s fine, no harm done,” he says with a chuckle. The redhead places our drinks on the bar. Donovan pulls out his wallet and hands her a twenty and tells her to keep the change. The bartender’s eyes light up. She gives him bedroom eyes as she takes the money from his hand, her fingers lingering a little too long for my taste. He waves her off and turns back to me. I see her face darken as she looks at me. My lips twitch into a “fuck you” grin, and she stomps off to help the next customer.
Donovan’s beautiful eyes bore into me, his eyes hooded with an unknown emotion. I wish I could tell what he was thinking. He shakes his head, closes his eyes for a heartbeat, and opens them again, with whatever feeling he just had gone. I feel a bit disappointed, I kind of liked that look.
“So, ethics, huh?” he casually asks.
“Yeah. It was my last class. I graduate this coming up weekend. I plan on becoming a Physician Assistant.” I tell him.
“What is your GPA?” Donovan asks as he starts on his beer.
“Uh..a 4.0,” I reply, sheepishly. I don’t like bragging, but I am extremely proud of my hard work.
Donovan almost spits out his beer and chokes. “Holy fuck, a 4.0? That’s insane!” he blurts out as he wipes
his chin.
“I studied really hard. I want to pursue my dreams.” I mumble, a bit hurt by his reaction. Is he surprised that I’m smart?
“Wow, I am impressed! I graduated college at Emory with a 3.7, and I busted my ass for that. It even got me into medical school. A 4.0 in college is pretty damn good.” Donovan exclaims. Oh, Dr. Donovan, is he?
“I didn’t know you were a doctor,” I say, as my green eyes mock his reaction, raised in surprise.
“Well, how could you know? We’ve known each other five minutes,” he jokes, as he pokes my side. His expression suddenly changes as he touches me to something that seems almost sexual. He steps closer to me and touches my face. My breathing is rapid already. “Of course, I would like to know you better. Much better,” he whispers hoarsely, and before I have a chance to react, his lips are on mine, possessing them as his own. I am in shock, but it just feels too damn good to stop him. I part my mouth for him to invade me, and he does just that. His kiss deepens with his tongue swirling around mine. I kiss him back with a passion I have never felt before. My hands reach for his hair, and I entangle my fingers in it, pulling and tugging. It feels like I imagined, like pure silk. His hands move from my cheek to my back, pulling me in close.
I cannot believe this is happening so fast. He pulls his mouth from mine, and I feel a tug of disappointment; I flash my eyes to his.
“Wow! What was that?” I ask, breathless.
Donovan runs his hands through his hair. “Shit, I’m sorry. I just lost control. It won’t happen again,” he apologizes. Well, I want it to happen again. Donovan glances back at the angry linebacker, giving him a look that says “she’s with me, punk.”
“Come on, let’s go,“ Donovan wraps his arm around my waist and leads me back to our table. I see that my friends are sitting there, gawking at me as we walk up.
“Hi,” I say with a small wave. All of them turn towards Donovan at the same time. I introduce Livey, Cindy, and Jasmine. “Hi ladies,” Donovan says politely.