ROMANCE: Romantic Comedy: Love in 30 Days - The Best Plans Don't Always Work! (Plus 19 FREE Books Book 13) (6 page)

Afterwards, as the two of them lay together on the couch, Matthew said, “You were wearing very fancy underwear by the way. Do you always wear things like that or were you hoping to get lucky tonight?”

              “Actually, I don’t normally wear things like that and I never thought I’d get laid tonight. But they make me feel more confident even when nobody can see them but myself. Actually, the day I bought this very pair was when I bumped into you at the shops. I had just gone into the change room to put them on when we saw each other.”

              “You mean to tell me that you were wearing THIS when we were having coffee that day?”

              “Yeah, and you kept telling me that I looked different and I wanted so badly to tell you about the underwear. But I figured that would’ve seemed a bit weird.”

              “You mean, it would’ve seemed like flirting and you were adamant not to flirt with me.”

              “Yeah, that was before I thought you were perfect.”

              “And now?”

              “Take around. Look at the mess that you live in. What kind of girl would want to live with a man so messy?”

              “Uh…
you
hopefully?”

              “Yes. Me. You’re sure lucky to have met me then.”

              “I am. Melissa, I have something I want to say to you.”

              “This sounds serious.”

              “It is. Look, I really like you. I liked you from the first time I saw you – both online and in person. I fell for you big time that first night and I was confused when you didn’t seem to like me back. Then I bumped into you and fell for you all over again during coffee. I think I was on my third coffee when I thought to myself, ‘this girl could be the one for me.’ I’m not sure how you feel about me now. I mean, you did sleep with me, so I’m hoping that you like me. But well… what I’m trying to ask you… in the most awkward way… is whether you’re going to carry on with your 30 day challenge?”

              “Yeah, I have another date tomorrow in fact.”

              Matthew sat up. “Seriously? With who?”

              “With you.”

              “What?” He looked confused.

              Melissa laughed. “So the plan was not to go out with a new guy every day for 30 days. The plan was to find one in 30 days. And I think I did it. I’m so good at this whole organizational stuff that I found mine on day 1.”

              “So your date is with me?”

              “If you’d have me?”

              “Where’s your list?” he asked.

              Melissa took out the list and handed it to him. He looked over it and then tore it up.

              “I just thought of an idea for your book.”

              “Yeah?” Melissa asked, always eager for ideas.

              “How to meet a man in 1 day.”

              “How to meet the perfect man in 1 day.” She corrected.

              “I thought I wasn’t perfect?” he asked and gestured to the mess around them.

              “You’re perfect to me.”

*** THE END ***

Back to Contents

Book Two

Back to Contents

A STRANGER’S KISS

By: Jane Keeler

Marietta hated living in a small town. She had come to Merrillville because her parents had believed that she was headed down a path of depravity. For the most part, she was a good girl, though she did have her needs, desires and fantasies. Enter Jamie, the tall brooding stranger from out of town. At first the townsfolk liked him, until he got romantically involved with Marietta.              Some of Her old conquests felt that he should leave town. Marietta was having none of it and she didn’t care at all if people talked, so she arranged a dirty sex game with Jamie and another girl, partly for pleasure and partly to tell the townsfolk to leave here alone. She didn’t care what anyone but Jamie thought. With a Jealous ex thetas now a cop as well as the boyfriend of the girl that they seduce, trouble ensues. Jamie takes off after being harassed by the cop leaving Marietta alone at her house. Will he come back for here? Will he be her night in shining armor? She longs to escape from small town life but she also longs for love.

The first time that I noticed him, he was standing outside of Taylor’s department store leaning up against the wall. In a town as small as mine, one notices new people pretty damn quickly. He was vastly different from virtually every other guy in town, most of whom had already tried to hit on me at least once. He had a sort of dark brooding appearance as well as a kind of deep sadness. The combination of these two things made him not only attractive but also pretty interesting too.

              That, and there was the fact that he was pretty amazing looking also. I guessed that he was about 25 or so, maybe 6 foot tall and quite trim with a shock of brown hair that looked like it really need a cut.  He was clean shaven except for a tiny goatee. His face looked a bit like one of those busts that you see in museums, but the single diamond in his left ear kind of played against that regal look His appearance was tough and rugged, but at the same time caring and gentle. He could have been an athlete or a mercenary or even an explorer.

              I didn’t give it all that much thought, aside from the fact that there seemed to be a new guy in town. I had exhausted all possibilities in Merrillville some years earlier, before I had even left high school. I had ambitions much bigger than 99% of the guys in town and as much as I loved sex, romance was out of the question with the majority of them. The other 1% were either already married or uninterested in me. After all, what really fantastic guy would be interested in a 24 year old working at a coffee shop, no matter how hot I was.

              So I went about my business, bidding my time and saving money to eventually move somewhere else. Sure I satiated my desires when I needed to and as a result got branded as a bit of a slut. It wasn't like I went out screwing dozens of different guys, but in a small town people talk.

A week later, I was at work, making coffees for the masses. We were the first and
only
place town that made decent cappuccino, espresso and lattes. It had taken a while to catch on but was now the place as more popular than any other cafe in town. Lunch and coffee breaks were chaos, and I lived for the moment that it would slow down when I could sneak out for my own coffee and a cigarette. I didn’t smoke regularly and it was my one guilty habit, that 1 smoke a day. I was out back, reading a book as I often did, inhaling the strong flavor of the tobacco.

              “Those will kill you” came a voice from behind me. It was deep and baritone. and It totally startled me.

              “
I
will kill you if you sneak up on me like that” I replied, spinning around to see who it was. It was the stranger from the week prior. His camouflage jacket hung loosely on his shoulders, too warm for the day.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” he replied and looked at the ground.

I studied the lines on his face to see if I could get any clue to what he was all about, but he gave away nothing.

“It’s ok” I said “nice to have some company.” I took the last drag off my smoke and stubbed it out.

“I’m Jamie” he said and held out his hand. They were calloused and looked powerful. I fantasized that maybe he was a hitman but figured that he must really be a construction worker or something similar. He looked strong.

“Marietta” I replied. His handshake was powerful.

              “Italian?” He asked, “that would explain the big brown eyes, sexy long hair, olive skin and perfect backside.” Coming from any other guy, I would have thought it a bit of a rude come on, but from him it was both genuine and cute.

“Thanks” I said, “my dad is Italian, how we wound up in this shit small town I’ll never know.” I actually did know but didn’t care to go in to detail.

“What’s wrong with this town?” he asked. I was grateful that we had changed the subject because I could feel myself blushing.

“Well, I suppose if you don’t live here, maybe it’s ok” I replied “but seriously nothing ever happens here.”

“I kinda like it” he said, flashing a broad smile. It was the first time that I had seen any emotion other than pensive. “I think that I might wanna live here.”

There went my fantasy of some strong dark stranger taking me away from this godforsaken place. It was stupid and I knew it, but still I somehow felt let down

“Where are you from then Jamie? What’s your story?” I was trying to change the course of the conversation as it was depressing me a little.

His face suddenly changed, it was as if a dark looked passed over it and his eyes closed just a little like he was in pain, but then the smile was back so I could have imagined it,

“Let’s not talk about me” he said “I am sure that you are way more interesting.”

“Not really” I replied. I could have told him then and there that we had moved her when I was 15 from San Francisco because my grades had gotten really bad and then to top that off,  I got caught in a state of half undress smoking a joint with another girl from my class. We were just experimenting, as kids do. We hadn’t actually done anything, though we probably would have. I was not headed down a path of depravity, but my parents had thought so. Hence the exile. I finished school here, then a crappy community college and now I worked at Rise n Grind, the only decent coffee shop within 100 miles.

“Ok. well how about what your goals or dreams are? Surely you don’t wanna stay here forever.” He was actually genuinely interested, not just talking shit. This was the most captivating conversation that I’d had with a male in ages except maybe my dad, and he didn’t count.

I looked at him again, this time with a bit more interest.

“I really want to get out of this town someday” I said, “see the world and experience things.”

“I have seen a lot of it” he replied “and experienced maybe too much. It’s not all that great out there. He didn’t elaborate but he did look kind of sad. I wondered what drove this stranger. He looked a little broken and I wanted to see his smile again.

“Experienced what? I asked. I wasn’t trying to pry, I just wanted to know more about, well, what life was like outside of Merrillville.

“I’d really rather not discuss it” he said, “maybe someday.” He looked at the ground, that same look of what could almost be called pain crossing his face. Then he smiled again.

“Let’s say you and I get something to eat later” he went on, “there must be somewhere decent to eat, right?”

“You haven’t been in town long, have you?” I asked “Maybe if we drive over to Watson. It’s a few miles west. You got a car?

“Motorcycle” he replied “got an extra helmet too, so no problem, what do ya say? Is it a date?

“Like a date? Like a real date?” I hadn’t been on a real date in, well, ages. I had of course gone out and gotten laid when I needed to but that was just because I needed some cock. It got me in so much hot water with the local boys that thought I was a bit of a slut so as of late my only companion had been a vibrator that I ordered online.