The neon sign outside said
The Back Room
, or at least it was supposed to. Three of the letters had burned out and never been replaced, so what it actually said was
The Broom
, and that's what it was called by its degenerate patrons. It could generously be called a bar, but in truth it was a hole in the wall. The pool tables were scratched to hell, and used less for billiard games than for sexual ones. There were more burned out neon signs inside advertising 'orna,' 'Mill,' and 'udweis.' A small stage stood in the corner, though it rarely saw a live band, taking a back seat to the ancient Juke Box, which most nights made about as much money as the toothless bartender.
The Broom
's degenerate patrons were mostly red of neck and blue of collar. The few white collars thrown in for good measure paid more attention to the crossed legs of their female companions than to the rings on their fingers. Sleeves were seldom seen and midriffs seldom covered, no matter what the temperature outside. Insults were thrown more often than darts.
Despite its shortcomings, The Broom had a steady clientele thanks to its one saving grace--it was the only bar in the small town of Hill Valley. This last bit was what had led 22 year old Rayanne Lennox to The Broom this particular Friday night. That and the fight she'd had with her roommate Kim, not to mention the fact that she was pretty sure her car needed a new transmission, and the rough day she'd had at her job waiting tables was just the icing on the cake. One could only get pinched on the ass so much before it began to take its toll. Although, Rayanne didn't mind that last bit all that much--truth be told in the past six months it had been all the action she'd gotten. Such a pity it was from drunken business men old enough to be her father and not rich enough to make it worthwhile. So once her horrendous shift had mercifully ended, Rayanne let her long brown hair out of its pony tail, slipped off her work clothes and slipped on a blue jean mini skirt and a red blouse that would have fit fine if not for her tits.
The bartender brought Rayanne a beer, and smiled his toothless grin.
"All alone tonight, little lady?" he asked with a chuckle and a hint of a Texan accent. Rayanne smiled awkwardly, then downed her beer so she wouldn't have to reply. He laughed and brought her another. Rayanne nursed the second beer and contemplated unbuttoning another button on the already low cut blouse. Then she decided against it. The shirt showed off more than enough of her double D chest, and she wasn't really interested in being picked up anyway. Not by the kooks in this dive anyway.
Rayanne had only been to
The Broom
one other time to pick up her roommate who'd had fight with her boyfriend and was much to drunk to drive home. Kim was in
The Broom
at least three times a week, though Rayanne couldn't see why. It wasn't as if it was the Algonquin crowd. The pool players probably had a combined weight of a ton and a combined I.Q of five, which was more than could be said for the drunken skanks standing nearby. The most intelligent conversation you could have would be which is better, Bud Lite or Miller Lite?
Rayanne finished her beer, and was thinking about heading home, when she heard," Excuse me, do you know CPR, cause you took my breath away."
Oh, Lord
, she thought. That was all she needed--to be hit on by Joe Sixtooth. Rayanne turned incredulously with a biting remark poised on her lips, expecting to see some ignorant hick. What she saw made her wish she did know CPR.
He stood about six three with blond hair that hung down his back. His intense green eyes happened to match the green striped shirt he was wearing buttoned about half way, barely fitting over his massive chest. Rayanne half consciously ran her tongue over her bottom lip as she wondered what it would be like to run her tongue over that chest, then remembered she was supposed to be indignant.
"'Do you know CPR cause you took my breath away?'" she repeated. "Is that the best you could do?"
Especially when you look like that.
"Well, it's not like they offer Lame Come Ons 101 at Hill Valley College," he said with a laugh. "Would you prefer 'There's something wrong with my eyes. I can't take them off you'?"
Rayanne rolled her eyes and smiled a half smile. "I don't know, I always liked, 'Do you have map because I keep getting lost in your eyes.'"
"How about, 'Is that a mirror in your pocket because I can see myself in your pants.'"
"'If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.'"
"'You must be from Pearl Harbor because you are the bomb.'"
Rayanne stopped for a moment. "Now that is a new one on me," she said laughing.
"I'm Chase," the blond stranger said holding out his hand. Rayanne hesitated, then shook his proffered hand.
"Rayanne." He had a strong grip, and Rayanne flushed as she wondered what it would be like to have those hands touching her everywhere.
"So what's a beautiful girl like you doing in a dive like this?" Chase asked, jarring her from her erotic thoughts.
"Are we back to doing lines, or are you actually asking a question?" Rayanne wanted to know.
"Genuinely curious," Chase said taking the seat next to her. "I mean, this place is pretty much a cesspool."
"Well, trust me, I feel like shit," Rayanne replied bitterly.
"You don't look like shit."
"If you're trying to pick me up, I have to warn you, I haven't had enough alcohol to go home with anyone just yet."
"Hey, Bruce, two more beers," Chase signaled to the bartender. "And so you know, if I was trying to pick you up, I wouldn't bother with drinks, I'd just flat out ask you to have sex in the bathroom."
"Noted." The bartender set the beer in front of Rayanne. She stared at it thoughtfully for a moment.
"You're not under any obligation to drink that," Chase said.
"My mother raised me never to say no to a free drink." With that she took a swig and started get a good buzz going.
"Your mom is a smart woman," Chase observed.
Rayanne shrugged. "I guess."
"So you never answered my question. What brings you to The Broom? Aside from it being the bar in town."
"Oh. That. Um, well, lots of things. My roommate, mostly. Kind of hard to get a good buzz going when someone keeps screaming at the top of her lungs."
"Yeah, my ex-girlfriend was like that."
"Ex, huh? So you're single. Usually guys that hit on me already have girlfriends, who somehow think it's my fault that their boyfriends are hitting on me."
"Well, it is," Chase stated simply.
"Excuse me?" Rayanne huffed, raising one eyebrow.
"Well, look at you, what man, single or taken, could resist/" Rayanne blushed and looked down at her beer.
"Yeah, well. You should see me first thing in the morning."
"Here's hoping," Chase said with a wink.
Rayanne smiled and rolled her eyes. "You better stop or I'm gonna get a swelled head."
"Ditto."
"Damnit, knock it off." She tried to say it seriously, but ended up laughing, and Chase thought she was gorgeous when she smiled.
"So, Rayanne, what do you do for a living?" Chase asked and signaled for another round.
"Well, I wait tables, I wouldn't say it's a living. More like an exercise in patience and stamina."
"Hey that's all life is."
"I guess. Huh, I never really thought about it like that. What about you, how do you exercise your patience and stamina?"
Chase shot her a devilish grin. "Come with me to the bathroom and I'll show you."
"You are relentless."
"That's how you have to be in my line of work, which happens to be sales."
"What do you sell?"