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*
She locked eyes with him as the band began their second set. He didn't know it yet, but he was going home with her. She'd been watching him play for several weeks now, a different bar or club each weekend. Why him? Didn't really matter, but he was easy on the eyes and she liked how he made his guitar sing. One might say he had talented fingers, but she wasn't one for clichΓ©s. He also wasn't shy, and joked with the audience between songs, giving her a glimpse of who he was offstage.
By the third song, Pete could hardly keep his eyes off of her, the leggy brunette in the second row. Her body swayed to the music, her hips hinting at a more primal rhythm. She wasn't a knock-out, but there was something about her that captivated him. He felt drawn to her, and he decided to introduce himself after the set.
She was ordering a Skinny Bitch (vodka and diet coke) when he tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned her head, her hair tickled his nose with the scent of flowers. Not the fragrance he'd expected, but it was a nice surprise in a smoky room. He tossed a five on the bar.
"It's on me."
"Not yet, it's not," she replied, looking him squarely in the eyes.
Pete wasn't entirely sure how to take that, but he suspected that more than one guy had ended up with a drink poured over his head after pissing her off. He had never had a drink dumped on him before, and he wasn't about to let that happen tonight.
"Perhaps we've started off on the wrong foot," he said, flashing her a boyish grin. "I'm Pete."
"Catherine."
"Nice to meet you, Cathy. My friends call me Smo."
"It's Catherine," she said firmly, and turned away.
Pete stood there for a second, not quite sure what had just gone wrong, but suspecting whatever it was, it was his fault. "Perhaps this night wasn't going to go well after all," he thought, tossing back the rest of his beer before heading back to the stage.
+ + +
Pete looked for her during the third set but couldn't find her. He was surprised that he felt disappointed. He usually didn't care much one way or the other, because he had Megan waiting at home. "Had" being the operative word, you see. She moved out last weekend, saying she "needed a break" which really translated into "breaking up" in Megan-speak. Pete thought "taking a break" meant "taking a break but coming back," but definitions weren't the only thing they didn't agree on, apparently. So while he was newly single and still smarting somewhat from the seemingly-sudden demise of his first live-in relationship, he also wasn't one for cheap tawdry sex or rolls in the hay with strangers, either. He'd found he really preferred some sort of emotional connection, some sort of friendship in place, before bedding a woman. Besides that, it was certainly safer. Like his mom used to say, "Don't put that in your mouth β you don't know where it's been!"
So why was he disappointed that Catherine wasn't there for the third set, when she'd seemed so obviously interested? Hard to say, really. Pete thought she was cute, of course, and she seemed interested in him, which was certainly good for the old ego. He had hoped to at least ask her to grab a bite to eat with him at the all-night diner next door once he'd helped load up all the band gear. He just didn't feel like drinking any more tonight and a little company β especially from someone who was easy on the eyes β would have been nice. No matter, really. He'd still go get a slinger and then head home and hit the rack. Tomorrow afternoon he had tickets to a double-header against the Cubs, which required twice the amount of beer at the ballpark.
+ + +
She couldn't believe he had the audacity to call her Cathy. What was with guys thinking every girl had to end her name in a βy? Well, he'd learn pretty quickly that it was Catherine, and she wouldn't tolerate anything else...with a few exceptions, but that was better explained later, after she'd fucked him a few times.
In the meantime, she was sitting in a booth near the door of the Southside Diner, sipping a diet coke, waiting for him to arrive. He didn't know she was waiting, of course. It would be purely coincidence that she was there. But she knew him better than he knew himself.
He was quite surprised when he walked in the door and saw her sitting in a booth, her back to him, perusing the menu. Had she known he would be here? Highly unlikely, because he usually headed back to Eric's house after a show to unwind and this wasn't one of their usual venues.
Pete slid into the booth across from her, brushing her knees with his. "Mind if I join you?"
She glanced up from the menu. "Would it matter if I said yes?"
He grinned. "Not really, because I'm hungry and this place is packed. If I waited for my own table, I might never get to eat."
+ + +
She pushed him up against the alley wall with her body, kissing him hard, her hands tugging at his shirt as she strained to feel skin against skin. She was pure heat and he wasn't anxious to put out the fire raging underneath that white T-shirt and jeans. As the surprise turned to desire, he was tempted to wrap her legs around his waist and take her right there in the alley, but that might mean there wouldn't be any sex later, and he was a twice-a-night kind of guy.
All he had intended to do was walk her back to her car, maybe get her phone number, and give her a peck on the cheek if she seemed receptive. She had suggested the shortcut through the alley, and then β WHAMMO β she was on him. This was waaay too easy...wasn't it? Then again, maybe being single again wasn't too bad. Maybe he still had the old mojo after all....SMOJO!
He pushed her away with his hips, grabbing her hands at the same time. "Whoa, slow down, tiger. We've got plenty of time, Catherine," he whispered in her ear. "My car is just around the corner. Your place or mine?"