Taking Chances (The Chances and Choices Duology - Book 1 of 2 - Contemporary Romance) (2 page)

The next morning, when I stumbled into my
bathroom I found a message scrawled in pretty, light pink lipstick on my
mirror. “Say ‘Hi!’ to a cute guy today.” The words were followed by a huge,
winking smiley face with long eyelashes.

Oh,
Courtney
,
I thought,
I just came to the conclusion
that I don’t need a man
. I left the message on my mirror, though, as a
reminder to have fun and not take things so seriously.

Since I had the whole day off, with no special
plans, I decided to go for a workout in the park. After a quick shower, I
donned my
capri
yoga pants
and a sports tank, then I coated my exposed skin with sunscreen. I knew my
mother was smiling down on me for that. She had always insisted on moisturizing
and protecting. I pulled my thick, brown hair back into a simple ponytail,
skipped makeup (other than cherry
Chapstick
, of
course) and tied my tennis shoes.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I
decided that I was a solid six with my glossy, chestnut hair and big brown
eyes. I wasn’t going to win any beauty contests, but with make-up and a sexy
dress, I could pass for a six-and-a-half, maybe a seven. At least I wouldn’t
scare anyone off. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said to no one in particular,
since Courtney likely wouldn’t roll out of bed until it was time for the lunch
shift at Joe’s.

Buster, one of Courtney’s strays that she was
constantly taking in, shifted his head along the floor to watch me go. I told
myself that it would be a much better workout without him, but the spotted basset
hound had such sweet, sad eyes that I couldn’t resist him.

“Do you want to go?” ‘Go’ must have been the
magic word because he thumped his tail twice and started to maneuver his squat
little legs in an attempt to gain enough traction to stand up on the hardwood
floor. It was such an operation that I was tempted to go help him, but instead
I grabbed the leash and waited for him to join me at the door. Looking at his
pudgy little body, I decided that a lack of food was definitely not the problem
from Buster’s life before Courtney rescued him.

I set my iPod to play “Brown Eyed Girl,” which
was the song my Dad used to sing to me. As I walked, I relished the memory of
him using a toothbrush for a microphone as he serenaded me. Buster and I made
our way to the park at Buster’s pace. I found that I liked being forced to slow
down a little. It felt like I was always rushing somewhere, even though I
didn’t know why I was hurrying. Habit, I guess.

Almost everyone we passed smiled at Buster. I
could see why Courtney had fallen for him so quickly and taken him in. He was
cute in a droopy kind of way. Unlike that awful yellow cat, Tabitha, who
skittered off or had a
hissing
fit any time I came
near. I think Courtney believed, at first, that I was mean to Tab behind her
back. Now that we had become so close, Courtney knew that I would never
intentionally harm an animal. That cat just didn’t like me for some reason. She
probably just wanted Court all to herself.

As Buster and I walked along, I lifted my face
to the sun and enjoyed the light breeze off the water. It was a truly glorious
day. I heard him before I saw him. “Buddy, come!” he yelled. Just then a big,
golden retriever barreled towards him with an orange Frisbee in its mouth. I
was walking up behind them, so couldn’t see if he was a ‘cute guy’ but his
broad shoulders and great ass suggested that he probably was.

When the dog reached him and he bent down to
lovingly ruffle its ears as he took the Frisbee, I made a snap decision to say
“Hi” to him. It was completely out of character and to-the-moon-and-back out of
my comfort zone to walk up and speak to a stranger. I kept reminding myself that
it was only one word as I forced myself to walk towards him.

When Buster and I got to within a few feet of
him, his dog gave a quick “Woof!” in greeting. He turned, and I was met with
one of the most gorgeous men I had ever laid eyes on. His dark hair was just a
smidge too long, and he used an elegant hand to swoop it back off his forehead.
And those eyes – they were the most amazing green eyes I’d ever seen.
They may not have been the eyes from my naughty dream, but they were fantastic
and draped by long, dark lashes that most women couldn’t dream of having, even
with the help of mascara. He took my breath away.

I felt completely tongue-tied, and we were too
close for me to just walk away like I hadn’t intended to speak to him. “
Ummm
,” I stalled.
Jeez!
What is wrong with me?
My breath was coming fast and I could feel my face
flushing. I had to do something. After what seemed like an eternity, but was
probably only a few seconds, I finally got the word out. “Hi,” I mumbled,
crossing my arms awkwardly and intending to make a quick exit.

“Hi!” he responded and flashed me with a grin
that just about bowled me over. He was way out of my league, and I just wanted
to get away from him before I embarrassed myself further. Of course, Buster
chose that moment to plop his butt on the ground and sit for a spell. I coaxed
him with a “Come on Buster, lets go get a treat!” I whistled and tugged at him,
but the damn dog refused to budge.

Handsome man and his happy, energetic dog stood
there watching the whole exchange. Both of them had big grins on their faces,
looking extremely amused at my predicament. Taking mercy on me, the man finally
said, “It doesn’t look like you are going anywhere for a while. I’m Seth. Seth
Davis.” He extended a hand to shake with mine.

“Abigail Brown, nice to meet you,” I said,
shaking his hand gently.
Nice
to meet you
??
My thoughts screamed at me.
How clever.
I tried to push the negative self-talk out of my mind,
but it seemed to be just as stubborn as Buster, who was panting and lolling on
the ground as if he intended to stay there indefinitely. “Come on Buster. We
need to go,” I tried again.

Buster finally
harumphed
and started the process of standing up. Sumptuous Seth, as I had decided to
call him silently in my head, surprised me by saying, “Wait.”

This gave me an excuse to pause and look
directly at him. He was a sight – all tall, dark and handsome, but that
standard description didn’t do him justice. He was all of those things, but he
was also one of the most ruggedly good-looking men I had ever seen. His jeans
and tee shirt were snug enough to give a hint of the tight, tan body that they
covered. I licked my lips and realized that his full attention was focused on
me. It was almost as if he was waiting for me to say something.
Oh no! Did he ask me a question?

“Huh?” I asked.
Oh, way to dazzle him with your witty repartee, Ab.

He didn’t seem to be phased by my inner turmoil.
“I said that Buddy and I were just getting ready to head to Treats, the bakery
on Beach Street. Would you like to join us?”

I knew the place he was talking about. It was a
local favorite. They had a few alfresco tables that overlooked the water.
People took their dogs there all the time. The bakery even offered specialty
dog treats, and they kept water bowls outside for their canine visitors.

I didn’t have to think about it. “I’d love to,”
I answered instantly, and the four of us set off.

That is when it happened. He was so handsome,
and I was so nervous that my diarrhea of the mouth set in. I started chattering
non-stop and couldn’t seem to stop myself.

It only took a few minutes to walk to the
bakery, but by the time we arrived, I had already told him about my job,
Courtney and that I was divorced. The only things I knew about him were that
his name was Seth Davis, he was super-hot and he had a dog, named Buddy.

When we arrived, I finally took a breath, so
Seth took that moment to say, “If you want to stay with the dogs and grab us a
table, I’ll go in and order. What would you like?”

“English
Breakfast
tea
with cream and sugar, please.”

“Coming right up, ma’am,” he said before
flashing his amazing smile at me and dashing inside. As I flopped down in an
available chair, I shook my head in disbelief at my incredible fortune and the
way my non-stop rambling was likely ruining it.

“I’m glad you’re here, Buddy,” I said to the
dog. He thumped his tail upon hearing his name. “I have acted like such an ass
that I’m quite certain he would sneak out the side door, if he didn’t need to
get you back.”

It took quite a while for Sumptuous Seth to come
back. I almost had myself convinced that he had left out the back entrance and
would come back later to collect his dog. I took a deep breath and vowed not to
beat myself up like this. If he was gone, I wasn’t any worse off than I was
when I started my walk, I rationalized; and if he was still here, I needed to
slow down and let him do some of the talking.

My breath hitched a little when I saw him
opening the door to come out to our table. He was so damn good looking, and I
couldn’t believe he was here with me. I clearly wasn’t the only one who noticed
how handsome he was. Every woman and a man or two gawked as he walked past.
Seth didn’t even seem aware of all the attention he drew.

He had his hands full with two cups, a pink box
and a white bag filled with bakery goodies, so I started to get up to take
something from him. In that moment, Buster lunged faster than I’d ever seen him
move. He managed to tangle his leash with Buddy’s, which caused Buddy to try to
dart around me to get out of the way. My legs got tangled in the leashes just
as I was taking a step toward Seth, and I started to fall forward. I fell face-first
into Seth’s chest. He caught me by wrapping both of his strong arms around me,
and it felt like heaven.

My humiliation quickly crept in, as he helped me
get untangled and back to my chair. “I’m such a
clutz
,”
I muttered, shaking my head. “And you caught me and managed to keep ahold of
all the stuff in your hands,” I said as I blew on my tea.

Seth brought a warm blueberry donut out of the classic
pink bakery box and set it on a napkin in front of me. “It could have happened
to anyone,” he reassured me kindly. Then he chuckled, “I’ve never seen a basset
hound move that fast.”

“I know, right? I wonder what he was after.”

“Well, I hate to reward him for almost knocking
us both down, but I did enjoy catching you.” His eyes twinkled as he grinned at
me.
 
He lifted two dog treats out of
the white bakery bag. “Do you think he’d prefer peanut butter or chicken?”

“From the way he licks our jars clean when we
are done with them, I know he’s a fan of peanut butter.”

As Seth leaned down to give the dogs their
bone-shaped cookies, I took a deep breath to calm myself. Then I shifted the
conversation and started asking him some questions. I learned that he was a
boat builder, that he loved nature and that he wasn’t just handsome. He was
also funny, smart and sweet.

Mr. Finley, the grandfatherly bakery owner,
stopped by our table to see if we needed anything. When he leaned over Seth’s
shoulder to refill the hot water in our tea mugs, he caught my eye and waggled
his bushy eyebrows, making me smile.

I kept looking for the fatal flaw that must be
present in Seth, but I sure didn’t see one. With this level of perfection,
women must be throwing themselves at him all the time. It didn’t make sense for
him to be spending time with me, and seeming to enjoy himself. I almost had
myself convinced that he must be gay, when he asked if he could see me again.

I made a valiant attempt to control the
excitement in my voice as I responded that I could probably work him into my
busy schedule, texted him my cell phone number and told him goodbye. Then I
proceeded to float on cloud nine all the way home, thinking what a fantastic
day this had turned out to be.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I said,
grabbing Courtney and hugging her, as soon as she walked downstairs.

“Umm, you’re welcome,” she said, hugging me
back. “What’d I do that was so great?”

“You suggested that I say ‘hi’ to him, and he is
so handsome, but I didn’t know how handsome until he turned around. He’s so
dreamy that it nearly took my breath away, but it’s not just his looks. He’s
also kind and funny and down-to-earth, and he has a golden retriever,” I
gushed, breathless.

I knew the golden retriever part would win her
over. “Well, any guy who has a great dog like that has to be somewhat okay, but
slow down. Who is this guy and what do you know about him?”

I took a moment to enjoy how protective she was
of me, and then I started about telling her all about Sumptuous Seth. Courtney
liked my nickname for him, but decided that SS was much easier to say.

“SS does sound great,” Courtney admitted. “Just
be safe and only meet him in public places at first. You never know. He could
be an ax murderer or some other kind of freak.”

“We’re coming to Joe’s on Friday night, so you
can check him out for yourself and see if you think he has dead bodies buried
in his basement.”

We both snickered, but then Court turned
serious. “I mean it. You haven’t been out in the dating world for a while, and
it’s a jungle out there.”

“Technically, I’ve never been in the dating
world, other than that fiasco of a blind date that Annie sent me on.” I had
been so awkward with my pimples and braces in high school that boys had barely
glanced at me. Larry and I had met during my first week of college. I
remembered the thrilling feeling of realizing that he was actually flirting
with me.

Larry wasn’t Sumptuous Seth handsome, but he
certainly wasn’t unattractive; and in the initial stages of our relationship he
had been attentive and sweet. He had completely swept me off my feet. We dated
the entire time I was in college. During that time, we had some serious
make-out sessions. I regularly gave him hand-jobs and had even sucked him off a
few times; but I was determined to remain a virgin until marriage, even if I
was only a technical-virgin.

The summer after I graduated from the University
of Michigan, we got married. That was when I learned about my inability to
orgasm. I loved that Courtney was so willing to blame it all on Larry, but deep
down, I knew the truth was that in those initial months of our marriage, Larry
had truly tried to pleasure me. When he had his fingers or dick inside me, it
felt good (sometimes really good), but it never quite sent me over the edge.

We had experimented with different positions and
lubricants and nipple stimulation and watching porn and watching ourselves, but
nothing worked. We decided to try different locations to spice things up. We
fucked in the car, on the floor, on the counter, outside, on his office desk,
in the shower, in a restaurant men’s room, at a good friend’s party. Whatever
we could think of, we tried.

The final straw came when we rented a sleazy
motel room and agreed to meet there. Feeling naughty, I had greeted him wearing
a trench coat with nothing underneath. He had ripped it off me and we spent the
entire night going at it hard. Our sweat-slicked bodies made smacking sounds as
he pounded into me from behind. Suddenly, he surprised me by slowing, then
stopping. “You could at least fake it, you know,” he growled in my ear before
shoving out of me and slamming the bathroom door.

I felt like I’d been slapped. I couldn’t believe
that he would even suggest that I fake it. How would that make anyone feel
better? From that night on, our sex life consisted of a weekly missionary-style
session of him grunting and ramming into me, while I counted the ceiling tiles
and waited for it to be over.

“You still in there?” Courtney was waving her
hand in front of my face.

“Sorry, I guess I got caught up thinking about
the past for a minute. I do have a question for you.”

“Shoot.” Courtney encouraged me when I didn’t
immediately continue.

“Well, as you mentioned, I haven’t dated in a
while. So, I wasn’t sure what the current protocol is. I mean, I was wondering,
um.”

When I paused again, Courtney gave me a curious
look. “Spit it out.”

“When should we do it?” I asked her, squeezing
my eyes closed in embarrassment. I opened one eye to gauge her reaction. She wasn’t
laughing, so I continued. “I won’t be expected to put out on the first date,
will I?”

“Probably not,” she reassured me. “If all goes
well, a kiss with a little tongue would be appropriate. Maybe even a little
outside the shirt booby action. If all goes fantastic, and you want to bang his
brains out, I doubt he would complain, though,” she laughed.

I could handle kissing. It was good to know he
wouldn’t learn of my sexual failings on the first date. When Courtney started
to leave the kitchen, I called out to her. “Wait. What should I wear?”

Courtney smiled as she put her arm around me and
said, “You have asked the right person. Lets go find you a cute outfit that
shows off your perfect ta-
tas.
” I shook my head as I
followed her.