Rykhan (Book 1 of Mate Search Series) (8 page)

Cautiously taking the full wine glass from
Pam’s fingers, Leah turned away from the bar maneuvering slowly
through the pack of women directly behind her, a move made more
difficult by the damn high heels she wore as well as her
thoughts.

Yes, being at Talking Stick Resort and Casino
for their monthly speed-dating event was on the list she and Pam
had concocted last summer when Leah had finally admitted that she
needed a transformation. A change in not only her appearance, but
also her outlook since she was done, completely done, with mourning
Tony’s absence. Tony, the man she’d thought was the love of her
life, her college sweetheart, and the one she’d wasted four long
years on before finding out what a total rat-bastard he was.
Alternatively, R.B., for short.

She’d made many changes in just the few months
following his departure. Some of those that were noticeable like
swapping out her glasses for contacts and choosing clothes, which
actually fit after she’d lost weight. Who knew grieving the loss of
a relationship would turn out to be the best diet for her? Cutting
her waist-length hair and adding layers had been another big step,
allowing the chestnut brown waves to do their own thing. Leah had
to admit the style was a good look for her.

It was the internal changes Leah had found the
most difficult. Of going out and interacting with people. To set
foot outside her apartment door and do things other than go to work
or shop for groceries. Pam had been great in helping her find new
experiences; things to do that were interesting and fun.

Although now only moments away from
participating in the speed dating thingy, Leah wasn’t sure the idea
was one of Pam’s better ones. It had been easier to sign up for the
internet dating sites. At least when she’d entered her information
on the computer, Leah had time to think of her answers in advance
as she’d concocted her profile. Face-to-face meetings didn’t give a
girl time to plan or to delete and re-do. It was live and
in-person. All her fumblings, mutterings, and mistakes would be in
plain view for the seven minutes she was stuck with each potential
partner.

Pam’s fingers gripped Leah’s elbow as she
steered them through the crowd until they were off to one side of
the group. “Okay. So. You’ve got the list of rules, right?” Blonde
curls bobbed in emphasis as Pam looked up at her.

“Right here,” Leah mumbled holding up her small
purse before tipping her head to her glass. “I know we can’t ask
for last names, phone numbers, where they work or live.”

“And you know to mark your sheet with the men
you would like to meet again?”

Leah couldn’t help her eye-roll at Pam’s
question. As if she was going to meet someone interesting or, more
telling, interested in her at one of these things. “Oh yeah. I’ll
be making lots of little checks on the paper, Mommy.”

“Sheesh, you’re a pain when you’re nervous!”
Pam fluffed her hair with a manicured hand and took a large gulp of
her wine. Moves Leah knew signaled her friend’s own brand of
trepidation at what was to come.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…” Leah
started but Pam immediately interrupted.

“Oh no, you don’t. I paid forty bucks for my
ticket and that’s just too much to walk away from!” Pam grabbed
Leah’s forearm. “And if I’m staying, then you are too!”

The double doors at the other end of the bar
opened which caused all conversations in the room to cease. A
handsome man dressed in a tuxedo filled the doorway and glanced
around the group of what Leah thought amounted to about twenty or
so women. “Welcome, ladies. My name is Michael and I’ll be your
host for this evening. Thank you for coming and may I say how
lovely you all look.”

A bevy of butterflies took flight in Leah’s
stomach and she found herself trembling in spite of the man’s
obvious practiced greeting.

“In a moment, we will begin seating you at the
tables. As the rule sheet indicated, you will remain in your seat
and have the opportunity to spend seven minutes with each of your
dates as they rotate around the room. Time that you are encouraged
to use wisely to determine if he might be a man, one you would like
to get to know better. At the end of the evening, you will then
turn in your selection sheets and can expect an email tomorrow with
the list of men that are anxious to see you again.”

Leah quickly did the math and realized with
twenty men making the rotation for seven minutes each, she was
going to be stuck in her chair for more than a couple of
hours.

“We will have two breaks to allow you to grab
another drink or to use the restrooms but in order to stay within
the time constraints, we ask that you return from your breaks as
quickly as possible.” Although Michael’s face held a dazzling smile
the entire time he spoke, it never quite reached his eyes. “Are
there any questions?”

“Are you one of the participants?” A flirty
voice called from the back of the group, causing a chorus of
giggles that broke some of the tension Michael’s speech had
incurred.

“Sadly, no,” the man responded with a small
shake of his head. His professional smile never faltered. While
good-looking, Leah found him a little too smooth for her taste. “If
there are no other questions, you may now enter and choose your
table.”

After half-beat of stillness the stampede of
women crowded the doorway, their heads swiveling back and forth
trying to find the ‘best’ table before making a beeline for it. It
was like a Black Friday sale with everyone shoving and moving
quickly in order to get exactly where they wanted and at the
soonest possible moment! Leah and Pam were the last handful of
women who entered. Only two empty tables remained and the friends
swiftly snagged them.

As they made themselves comfortable, another
set of doors opened directly across from the ones the women had
used. A short, buxom redhead with a blindingly white smile entered
first and waved the men forward. The line of guys strode through
the aisles, their assessing eyes darted over the tables before
stopping behind an open chair.

“Remember gentlemen, you are to move to the
next wonderful lady as soon as the bell sounds.” The woman’s voice
was a throaty purr and just a shade too sexy, too intimate for the
mixed company setting.

It seemed the host and hostess were to
tantalize rather than calm the attendees. Leah snuck a glance at
Pam to gauge her reaction. However, her friend wasn’t paying any
attention to the room at large or even the petite but well-endowed
hostess who’d accompanied the men.

Pam’s eyes didn’t stray from whoever stood
behind the chair directly in front of her and Leah’s gaze couldn’t
help but follow the same path. Large hands rested lightly on the
top back and she witnessed thick arms covered by both a dress shirt
and jacket. No tie but his open collar exposed a strong tanned neck
hooded by shoulder-length brown wavy hair. Leah’s eyes continued up
towards his face.

However, her trance broke when the man standing
in front of her own table availed himself of the chair.

“Hi, I’m Ted.” The man across from her smiled
on his overloud announcement and shoved out his hand, only missing
the single lit candle by millimeters.

“Leah,” she mumbled and pressed her palm to
his. She schooled her features at the moist touch of his skin on
hers.

Maybe he’s just as nervous as you are, she
scolded herself and dropped her hand back into her lap to wipe it
on her traitorously short skirt.

“I’m a homebody who enjoys model trains, just
about all sports and have two adorable cats.” Ted drummed his
fingers on the tabletop which was just a minor annoyance compared
to the sound of his tenor voice. “What about you?”

She hated to do it but both she and Pam had
decided that the best way for them to ‘cull the herd’ (so to speak)
was to ensure that they described themselves as the exact opposite
of what their potential partner relayed about their
interests.

“Wow, we couldn’t be more different!” Leah
tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice and to stop mumbling
but it was an effort. “I like to go and do and try new things. I
don’t know about trains, but I’m not into sports.” She offered a
smile and hoped it only felt faked before adding, “And I’m horribly
allergic to cats.”

Ted’s smile faded and he wiggled in his seat
before casting an eye over his shoulder. “So no love at first sight
for us, huh?”

The smile that lit Leah’s face was one of the
true varieties and she shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like it. But we
still have five minutes left.”

“Ever been to one of these things before?” Ted
looked a lot better after he relaxed although he still wasn’t the
kind of man Leah would consider for herself.

“Nope. You?” She hoped they could fill the time
remaining with inane albeit socially acceptable chatter before he
moved on.

“Yeah,” he admitted with a rueful shake of his
head, causing the overhead lights to catch on his receding
hairline. “They’re okay, I guess. You get to meet a lot of new
people. And sometimes those people show up at some of the other
single events here in town.”

“There are other places for singles, too?” Her
interest piqued at the idea of other activities where unattached
men and women in the twenty-one to thirty-five age group got
together.

“Sure! They’re all over the valley.” The wink
accompanying his words had Leah shifting in her own chair. “You
need a tour guide, DeeDee?”

“Uhm, it’s Leah,” she corrected, while managing
not to roll her eyes at how quickly Ted had forgotten her name.
“Are they listed on the internet?”

He raised a hand and swished it through the
air. “Some are, some aren’t.” He dropped his voice both in volume
and in timbre as he leaned closer. “And some, Dana, are by
invitation only.”

‘Yuck’ her mind yelped and she quickly raised a
hand to her nose to prevent him from seeing how she’d involuntarily
scrunched it in derision at his obvious come-on. “Looks like I’ll
be doing some research!”

His mouth formed small moue of disappointment
but if that was Ted’s opening gambit when meeting a woman, Leah
figured he was going to be extremely frustrated by the time the
night had finished. The tinkling of a bell-sound saw him up and out
of his chair so fast that he had to rescue it from tumbling onto
its back before he quickly moved to Pam’s table.

Leah turned her head to glance at her friend
when the table underneath her forearms rocked, signaling her next
partner had arrived. Pasting on a small grin before looking at the
newest man, she had a fleeting thought, a prayer that Ted would be
the worst she would encounter.

However, she was wrong and knew it the second
the man started speaking.

“Damn. You’re tall,” he grumped with a frown.
“I can tell. Just by looking at how long your forearm is, I can
tell you’re close to six feet. I don’t date tall women.”

Momentarily nonplussed, she blinked before
replying. “Yes, I am. And I’m guessing by your reaction that you
aren’t.” Sure, it was a shitty response but Leah figured she had
nothing to lose. “So what do you want to do for the next six and a
half minutes?”

“Do you mind if we just sit here? I’ve been on
my feet all day and my dogs are barking.” The gentleman, if he
called himself one in the loosest of terms, twisted and turned in
his chair, checking out the other women at the surrounding tables.
“I don’t wanna be rude or nothing but I’m tired of coming to these
things.”

“So why are you here then? I mean, if you’re
tired and everything.” It was a valid question, especially in light
of how Leah felt about the experience so far.

“It’s my ma. She’s always after me to find a
nice girl and move to a place of my own. She just don’t get it,
though. Says I’m too picky and that everybody’s the same height
when in bed.” Leah took in the round face and sparse hair, the
hunched shoulders and hands that gesticulated as he spoke. Yep, he
had the look of a man already well set in his ways. “Says it’s not
normal for a man of forty…ah, I mean thirty-five…to still be living
at home.”

Leah cocked her head as she studied him and
decided to go for the truth. “She might have a point.”

For the first time, the man looked straight at
her. There was a beat or two of silence before she heard him
whisper, “Bitch” and the bell again sounded. He, like Ted, moved
out of his chair like a shot anxious to get away from her. This was
more than okay.

And so it went.

One after another, they came, they sat, and
they talked. Some tried their version of charm or used their form
of humor in order to present themselves in the best possible light.
Leah tried to respond in kind and hoped she didn’t fail as badly at
the forced camaraderie as the men did.

“I don’t think I’m being choosy,” she explained
to Pam as they stood elbow to elbow at the ladies room sink,
reapplying their lipstick and finger combing their hair during the
break. “But I haven’t been impressed so far.”

“I thought Ted was nice.” Pam finished with her
hair and took out a small bottle of perfume for a quick
spritz.

“He was slimy, with all that business about ‘by
invitation only’ garbage. Ick, Pam!”