Two Hearts One Love (2 page)

She
opened her mouth to try to take in a breath but nothing went in.
Her stomach turned and shock set in. "Rick, what a…"

"What a
surprise," he said and started to make his way toward
her.

He tried to hug her, but she blocked him by putting the tray
up between them.
Surprise was not the word
I was thinking of. More like misfortune,
she thought to herself.

"I'll go
check on those wings for you," she said and hurried away from the
table. She wanted to be as far away from Rick as possible. The man
made her want to gag.

"Your
order's ready," Bill, the bartender, told her when she got back to
the bar.

“
Thanks.”

"Was
that who I think it was?" he asked as he leaned in toward
her.

"Yeah it
was. How unfortunate." She retrieved her tray and pushed the heavy
black door that led into the kitchen to grab the order of wings.
The place was filled with different smells, from barbeque sauce to
warm cheese. French fries sizzled in the deep fryer and hamburger
patties cooked on the grill. Her stomach rumbled from all the tasty
aromas that were in the air, but after seeing her ex, she’d lost
her appetite.

Ralf,
the cook in the back, worked feverishly to complete an order. She
watched as he flipped the patties and tossed another order of wings
into the basket before lowering them into the hot oil.

"Sorry
for the delay, I'm kind of swamped tonight, as you can see," he
said as he wiped his hands on his apron. His black hair, which had
been neatly tucked away, was now a little messy and stuck out from
the side of his hair net.

He
looked like he could really use her help. She’d done it a few times
before and didn't mind pitching in from time to time. When she
helped out in the back, she got paid what the cooks did, so that
was great for her. Her job at the bar was flexible since she’d
learned everything from bartending, waitressing and helping to
prepare food with the cooks.

"Anything I can help you with?" Sarah said as she grabbed the
basket of wings from the metal table.

"No.
I'll manage. Thanks for the offer. Bud should be here any moment.
If he doesn't show, I'll take you up on that offer," he said before
he went over to remove the other order of wings.

Bud was
another cook who worked part-time at the bar and picked up extra
shifts if someone called off sick.

With her
order in hand, she grabbed a fistful of napkins and headed back
toward Rick’s table.

"You
look like you could use a break right about now," a voice said as
she walked past the bar. Her thoughts were elsewhere—mainly on how
she would make it past her ex this time around—and she hadn't paid
any attention to the patrons sitting at the bar.

Turning,
she saw Blake standing a few steps away from her with a drink in
hand. He was a pleasant surprise this evening. One glance at him
and she’d forgotten about running into Rick.

The
night was getting a lot more interesting now that he’d shown up
here. She’d thought about him since running out of the cab but
hadn't expected to run into him again, especially at
work.

After
the cab ride he was just another memory, since he was obviously
taken.

Glancing
at the table where her ex was standing, she could see the unhappy
look on his face as he observed her from a distance. No shock since
Rick was the jealous type; but she couldn't care less. The
controlling liar and cheater was no longer a part of her life.
Hadn't been for the last two years. Good riddance.

"Give me
a moment. I'll drop this order off and I'll be right back," she
smiled.

Her
heart skipped a beat and butterflies filled her stomach as she
walked away from him. Of all the places he could be, he’d showed up
here at the bar. Even though she knew this was a chance meeting and
nothing more, she was still happy to see him. He was probably here
meeting his girlfriend.

Still
she couldn't help herself. The man made her feel all warm and
tingly inside with just one glance from his mesmerizing, green
eyes. She hadn’t felt that way in a while. A very long
while.

The guys
at the table cheered at her appearance with their order. They
wasted no time after the arrival of their food. Fingers quickly
delved into the basket of wings. Everyone began eating, except
Rick.

"Sarah,
I've missed you," he reached for her hand.

She
quickly pulled it away from him and grasped the tray. Damn, he
wasted no time.

"What do
you want, Rick?" she asked, displeased with his poor attempt at
trying to worm himself back into her life.

"I was thinking maybe we could make it like old times. You
and me. A little fun after you
’
re done with your
shift."

Was he
for real? Seriously, had he been hit on the head? What on earth
would make him think she would give him a second of her
time?

"In your
dreams, Rick." She tried to leave, but the second she turned, he
reached for her arm, tugged her towards him and forced himself on
her lips. He wasted no time trying to shove his tongue into her
mouth.

Sarah
tried to pull away, but he held on tightly.

With the
tray still in her hands, she lifted her leg up and with all her
energy, she went straight for his crotch.

Rick
quickly released her as pain became evident on his face.

By now,
the patrons around the bar had started to focus their attention on
the scene taking place at the table.

"What
the hell, Sarah?" he managed to cough out while his hands covered
his manhood.

"Don't
you ever do that to me again! Don't touch me, you asshole. You hear
me? Or the next time I knee you in the balls, you’ll end up on the
floor and your friends will have to carry you out of here," she
said before she turned around and pushed through the
crowd.

Dropping
her tray on the bar, she rushed past everyone and made her way out
the back for a breath of fresh air.

The
second the door swung open with a loud squeak, the evening air hit
her. A cold chill crawled down her skin and goose flesh suddenly
appeared. The rain had stopped and brought damp
coolness.

She took
a deep breath, letting oxygen fill her lungs. Her heart beat
rapidly and the rush of adrenaline still coursed through her body.
She’d just kneed Rick in front of a full bar of
customers.

Guys had
hit on her at the bar before. They'd tried pretty much everything
and she was prepared for anything. But none of them forced
themselves on her like that sleazebag. This was just disgusting and
unacceptable. He had gone too far.

It had
crossed her mind that he might try to pull something tonight, but
not forcing his tongue into her mouth. She wasn't putting up with
his garbage and if the evening involved her kneeing him in the
crotch, she wasn't afraid to do it in front of a full house. She
would do it again if she needed to. Even if it ended up costing her
a job. Violence was never the answer, but Rick was an ass who
didn't understand the meaning of no.

Not too long after she stepped outside, the back door opened
once more with a loud screeching squeak. She
’
d
been so focused on her thoughts, it startled her. Her body tensed
and went into defense mode, just in case Rick decided to come out
after her. He would be stupid to do it, but with him, anything was
possible.

"Sarah."

She
turned to see Blake stepping out, letting the door close behind
him.

She
didn't say a word. All she could do was take deep breaths and let
her heart slow down so the tension and nerves could
settle.

"Are you
Ok?" he said as he came up to her.

"Yeah,
I'm fine. The jerk deserved it."

"I would
say so. The whole bar would agree."

It was
nice of him to come out here after her. Such a gentleman. Once
again, coming to her rescue. First the taxi, now here.

"I've
never done that before, but he needed to be knocked off his high
horse."

She
leaned against the cold brick wall next to the bar entrance. After
what she’d just done, this would probably be her last night
employed at the Blue Zone, and she really didn't feel like going
back in to face everyone or being forced to apologize to a rat like
Rick.

"You
don't have to explain," he came and stood in front of
her.

She
gazed up at him. The way he looked at her with care and concern
made her smile and brought back the butterflies she’d experienced
earlier. Every part of her wanted to jump into his arms. Feel his
hands wrap around her and make her feel better. But that would
never happen.

"Blake, you can go back inside. I
’
ll be
fine." She placed her arms around her chest as her body began to
tremble. Tonight was filled with too many emotions. She’d had more
than enough for one night.

"I don't
want to go back inside." He lifted his hand and cupped her
cheek.

“
But...”

"You're
shivering." He removed his jacket and placed it around
her.

"Blake..."

"I've
wanted to do this all night," he said, before he leaned in and
placed a soft kiss on her lips.

His
mouth was delectable and delicately sweet. Warm and inviting.
Everything she’d imagined it would be and more. When he pulled
away, she gazed at him. His green eyes sparkled.

“
Blake, I can't do this." She stepped away from him and
sadness filled her heart. Even though everything inside her told
her to go for it, her mind tore her away. She wasn't going to do
this. Not with him.

"I've
been thinking about you all day. You ran out of the cab so fast I
couldn't get your number. Then when I saw you again tonight, I knew
it was fate."

“
Blake, you have a girlfriend. I can't do this. I won't do
this. I won't be the other woman and let you break some poor
girl
’
s heart."

"Girlfriend? What are you talking about?"

"Your
girlfriend. The one who called you while you were in the cab." She
focused her gaze on the ground. She couldn't look up at him, or the
tears she held back would begin to fall.

"I don't
have a girlfriend," he protested.

He
reached for her hand and wrapped his fingers around
hers.

"But
what about the phone call in the cab?"

"That
wasn't my girlfriend. That was my niece, Alyson. She was calling to
tell me about the spelling bee she had in school. I'm her only
uncle and she loves calling me."

"Your
niece?"

"Yes, my
niece. I helped her study for the bee and she called to tell me
she'd gotten a perfect score."

Sarah
tore her gaze away from the ground. "I feel so stupid."

"You
shouldn't. A simple mistake."

She
sighed. "I was going to ask you out for coffee and after you got
that call... I…"

"I ran
after you into the building, but by the time I reached the door,
you were gone. I wanted to ask you out to dinner."

"You
did?"

"Yeah. I
did. I had such an amazing time talking to you in the taxi. I
wanted to know more about you. The wet beauty who captivated me.
I’ve never stopped to pick up anyone in the rain before, but when I
saw you, I knew I had to."

The
sound of the back door slamming against the wall startled them
both, and they turned toward the sound.

"Sarah,
the boss wants to see you," Jane, one of the other waitresses said
as she stepped out.

Sarah
pulled her hand away from his."I better get going."

"This
time I won't let you get away without getting your number," he told
her.

Sarah
reached into her apron and pulled out her notepad. She scribbled
down her number, tore the page out and placed it in his
hand.

The last
thing she saw before she vanished inside was his sexy smile. Even
if she were to receive her walking papers in the next few moments,
everything would be all right. At least the night wasn't a total
disaster. She’d gotten the guy who’d stolen her heart.

CHAPTER TWO

One year
later...

The
Take Me To Mars
show had to be one of the hardest concerts to get
a pair of tickets for. They
’
d sold out within
minutes of hitting the ticketing site. Sarah remembered how much
time she
’
d spent trying to get her hands
on them, and how the server had crashed just as she was getting
ready to check out. Her search on other ticket sites came up a bust
when the asking prices were nearing a thousand dollars or more,
depending on the seating. She considered herself a huge fan, but
not enough to spend most of her secretarial paycheck on tickets for
one show.