by Anthology
Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past seven years.
Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and a very spoiled cat. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.
Website: http://shaylablack.com/
Newsletter: http://shayla.link/nwsltr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShaylaBlackAuthor
BLIND CHANCE ~ REBECCA BROOKE
CHAPTER 1
Paige
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
Slowly, I pulled the liner across the top of my eye, praying to the makeup gods that both eyes were even. Realistically, I had about a one in ten chance. It didn’t help that my hands were shaking. I had a better chance of going to a costume as a clown than getting any of it right.
“You can’t hide from the world forever.”
“I’m not hiding from the world. I’ve just been super busy with work lately.”
Sighing, I dropped the eyeliner back into the makeup bag. It was the best I could do. Frankly, I didn’t care anymore. The sooner I got there, the sooner I could go home and relax.
“You have to stop using work as a way to avoid life.”
“And you think a blind date is the answer to all of my problems?”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Any type of date would be the answer to your problems, except you’ve managed to avoid or put off any man who seemed even the slightest bit interested.”
“I have not,” I argued and stormed over to the closet to pick out something to wear.
Allie scoffed. “The only reason you are going tonight is because I set it up before I told you, and I know you’re too polite to cancel once plans are made.”
“You’re using my manners against me,” I yelled from inside the closet. “From now on I’m going to be bitchy to everyone.” It had been a while since I got any and on top of that, I was stuck going on a blind date with a guy who most likely was looking for a relationship. Something I was no longer interested in. I’d be better off looking for a quick hookup, no strings attached.
The short blue dress hugged each of my curves and was probably a bit more revealing than I’d planned on. I stepped from the closet and faced Allie.
“You look gorgeous. He’s going to drool all over himself looking at you.”
“Who did you set me up with, a dog?” One of my brows rose. I knew it was low, but the sarcasm rolled from my lips.
“Don’t you already spend enough time with them as it is? Tomorrow you’re going to thank me for this.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” I muttered, searching the closet for my shoes.
“What are you so afraid of?”
That was the question of the century. Although she had been there for everything, she made it clear over and over again, she thought it would be easy to jump right back into the saddle. The problem was I never expected myself to be in the dating pool again. I’d dated three guys my entire life. The sleaze from college only lasted a week when I found out that I was only part of a bet to see how many girls they could sleep with in a month, my high school sweetheart, and Jared. The ex-husband from hell.
When I’d met Jared near the end of my senior year of college, I thought he was my forever. We were at one of the many functions that colleges expect you to attend with graduation on the horizon. That one happened to be for the students graduating with honors in the sciences. The moment I saw him, I was lucky to keep my jaw off the floor. Tall, with a lean muscular frame that could be seen beneath the fabric of his dress shirt and khakis. His green eyes were a piercing contrast to his midnight black hair.
We left the function and spent all night talking at a diner not far from campus. Two science majors, we had a lot in common. My goal was to be a veterinarian while he was leaving for Dentistry school in the fall. Our luck, both schools were in the same area. From there our relationship progressed. The night he asked me to be his wife had been one of the happiest days of my life. We agreed to wait until after we graduated to get married. That July we said ‘I do.’ He’d gotten a job working with an office in the area, and I decided to open my own practice. The hours were long, but Jared always said he didn’t mind, that we were securing our future.
One night I came home early as a surprise for our three-year anniversary only to find him screwing some blonde in our bed. He gave me some sob story about how lonely he was without me there all of the time. All he had to do was tell me and I would have found a way. I trusted him and he threw it in my face. He begged me to stay, told me he loved me and how much he needed me in his life. It seemed pretty obvious that he only needed me financially. I’d had scholarships for school. He didn’t. I kicked his ass out that night. Once a cheater, always a cheater. Last I heard the asshole was engaged to the blonde.
Good riddance. Better to know before we had kids. Still, he stole my confidence and trust. Something I had yet to get back.
“You really have to ask what I’m afraid of?”
Allie threw her hands in the air. “It’s been a year and a half, Paige. Why are you still letting that asshole get to you?”
I stormed out of the closet and braced my hands on my hips. “How the hell am I supposed to move on when I don’t trust any man and I don’t plan on trusting them again?”
“You can’t live your life waiting for something bad to happen.”
“Waiting for something bad to happen? Something bad already happened. And look where it left me. Afraid to give myself to anyone again, because the only thing I can think of on a date is how many ways he can hurt me. I’d rather spend time with the animals. They love unconditionally.”
“You did not just compare pets to men.”
“I think I like the pets better,” I called over my shoulder on my way back to grab the other shoe.
I knew there was no way of getting out of the night, but I had to hold out hope that it would be an early night. Maybe he’d get bored and come up with a reason to leave. Makeup done. Dressed. Purse and phone in hand. I couldn’t stall any longer, and I walked out to face whoever waited for me at the restaurant.
“I’m going, but you better promise me that you will never do this shit to me again.”
“You look super hot. I’m telling you, he’s gonna pass out when he sees you.”
“It would help if I knew his name.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Jack didn’t tell me. Just that he put the reservation under his name so you’d both get to the right table.”
“Unbelievable.” I crossed my arms over my chest and waited.
“Fine, I promise. No more blind dates.”
I tapped my toes and waited some more.
“Fine, no dates, period,” she grumbled.
“That’s better,” I said and walked toward the door.
“Promise to at least call me tomorrow with all of the details.”
“I’m not promising you anything right now. You’re lucky I’m still talking to you.”
Without giving her another chance to beg for information, I walked out the door. I wanted to be the first one at the restaurant. That way I could watch him come in, not the other way around. At least that way, I had the first chance to see what I was dealing with before he saw me. The hostess led me to the table, and I made sure to pick the chair that faced the door.
The place he picked was nice, more expensive than I would consider going on my own. Thankfully, the waiter stopped by to take my drink order while I waited. I’d need the alcohol to keep myself cal
m over all of this. Allie had to know I wasn’t going to call her. Not when she’d gotten me into the mess in the first place. The waiter dropped off my Chardonnay, and I focused on the door. Waiting for the man who’d also agreed to the insanity of it all.
The door opened and in walked a family followed by a woman looking around for someone. When she located her boyfriend, she went and took a seat next to him, and I refocused on the door. A few minutes later and it opened once again. A man stepped through and he seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place from where exactly. At least until he walked up to the table.
“Hello, Paige.”
His face might have matured through the years, but I’d recognize that voice anywhere.
Scott.
My high school sweetheart.
CHAPTER 2
Scott
When Jack asked me to go on a blind date with a friend of the woman he was seeing, I almost told him to go fuck himself. Thankfully curiosity got the better of me and I asked the woman’s name.
Paige Daniels.
The one name I never expected to hear again. The one name that tortured me my first few years of college. Paige and I had been high school sweethearts, heading in opposite directions for college. I’d been sweet, trying to convince her we’d see each other on breaks and as many weekends as we could manage. But sweet hadn’t been what she was looking for. About a week before we were supposed to leave, she broke it off. She claimed college would be a new experience for us both, that neither of us wanted to have regrets. If we were meant to be we’d find our way back together someday.
Pathetic as it was, I waited two long years for her to come back. I was the nice guy. Even as an eighteen-year-old I treated her the way she deserved. It wasn’t enough. That boy disappeared junior year when I realized that women don’t want sweet, they want commanding. They want a strong man who could take care of them. I worked my ass off the last two years of school, graduated with honors, and finished law school a year early.
The minute Jack told me who it was, I said yes. I always promised myself that if I ever saw her again, I’d make sure she knew what she missed out on when she left. I never imagined it would be on a date. Maybe I could get a good fuck out of it at the end of the night.
“Sc-Scott?” she stuttered, fumbling with her glass of wine.
“It’s good to see you didn’t forget my name.”
“Um…okay…I’m here…here on a date.”
She looked around the restaurant like she was trying to find her date. It made me a dick, but her nerves gave me a small thrill. I was glad for the first time in my life, she was the one on edge around me.
“I know. Your date is with me.” I didn’t wait for a response. Instead, I pulled out the chair and took a seat.
“With…with you.”
“Yes, and a hello would go a lot further than your continued stuttering.” I picked up the wine list and glanced at the options, but not before I saw her mouth drop open. The waiter came over, and she continued to stare at me.
I leaned back in my seat and regarded her with fake interest. The only hard part so far was that she’d grown more beautiful than the last time I saw her. Time had been good to her.
“What are you doing here?” She finally managed to push past her lips.
“That’s all you have to say to me? No reminiscing about the past or telling me how much you missed me over the years?”
“Scott…”
The waiter stopped by the table to take my order. I ordered a bottle, figuring by the end of the night one of us was going to need it. Maybe it would get her in my bed or me in hers. If not, I could drink away the incessant stuttering that seemed to be commonplace since I walked up to the table.
“So my name, that’s it.”
One thing that hadn’t changed was her nervous gestures. I knew she was extremely uncomfortable when she reached up and tried to push a non-existent stray hair behind her ear.
“Honestly, I never thought I’d see you again.”
There was a part of me that enjoyed watching her squirm. “Ah, so the truth of that night comes out. It wasn’t we’ll work our way back to each other. You really meant that you hoped we’d never see each other again.”
Color leaked into her cheeks. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
I raised a brow. A little fire. “And how would I know what you meant? I haven’t seen you in more than twelve years.”
“I might be a little less trusting after the divorce, but I’m still the same person.”
I scoffed. “The woman I knew disappeared long before she told me to fuck off that last night.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I didn’t have a chance to answer before the waiter returned with the bottle and to take our order. Once the wine was poured and our food chosen, I picked up my glass and took a sip before responding to her question. “It means the girl I knew wouldn’t have given up on us to fuck around her college campus. Although, who knows what the woman sitting in front of me would do. Especially if she’s getting divorced. He wasn’t enough either?”
She stood and threw her napkin on the table. “Fuck you, Scott. This is why I didn’t want to deal with a date, much less a blind one. I’ve dealt with enough shit for a lifetime. Enjoy your dinner.”
Fuck.
I’d gone too far. No matter my goal for the night…revenge or a quick fuck. Her leaving wouldn’t accomplish either. The time had come to back off. I reached out as she passed the table and took hold of her wrist. She stopped but didn’t look at me. “Don’t go. I’ll try not to be a complete asshole.”
CHAPTER 3
Paige
The warm feel of his hands shut down everything in my brain. I’d forgotten how much Scott had the ability to make me feel. Not that I was interested in forgiving him for calling me a whore, but maybe Allie was right, it had been a year and a half. There were definitely benefits to staying. I didn’t have to like him or the things that came out of his mouth. Part of it I understood, I hurt him when I left all those years ago, at least until he practically called me a whore. Then again, Scott was the one guy I never forgot. Even after meeting Jared I couldn’t push him from my mind. Decision made.
I looked down. “I’ll stay, but one more asshole comment and I’m gone.”
He nodded and gestured toward the seat in front of me. I sat down and took a moment to really look at the man Scott Harper had become. He was cute when we were in high school, in a sweet sort of way. Now, the man sent my hormones into overdrive. In one simple touch, fire sparked in my blood and for the first time in over a year, I wanted someone to fuck me. I didn’t want to make love or fall in love. I wanted an orgasm or two. Something that would knock my boots off and make me forget my name. By the looks of Scott, he was the man to do that.
Broad shoulders, chiseled jaw, the years had been good to him. It was one of those flukes where a guy got sexier the older he got. I thought about what I looked like when I left the house. Did he have the same reaction when he saw me? Did he see me or the girl who left him at his car that night? Memories of the look on his face when I turned away flashed through my mind. Years may have passed, but I never forgot that moment.
Had I made the right choice?
Deep down, I knew I had. Neither of us was ready for the path we were on. Scott had been my everything in high school, and I never imagined a moment without him. At least until the time for college came. Something told me we’d both regret staying together. Maybe the time had come to apologize.
“I’m sorry I hurt you that night,” I said, watching him closely.
He picked up his glass and took a sip, his eyes never leaving mine. It was a bit unnerving. He hadn’t accepted my apology, but at least he hadn’t accused me of sleeping with the whole campus again. After a few moments, he asked, “Do you regret it?”
“I could say yes because it would have saved me from my ex, but it
wouldn’t be the truth. I don’t like what I did to you. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right choice. We were both too young for any type of serious relationship.”
“Maybe you were too young. I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“Really? You expect me to believe you pined after me all these years?” I really hoped that wasn’t the case. It was bad enough I married an asshole that had no regard for my feelings, but to find out that I’d done something similar to someone else would kill me. I never wanted to hurt him, but I knew that trying to keep a long distance relationship would only hurt us both.
He scoffed. “No. At first, I hoped you would change your mind. Eventually, I realized that women only cared about themselves. Better to sleep with them and leave than make time to care about them.”
“Nice attitude. So what are you here for then? A quick fuck?” My fingernails dug into the palm of my hand. It didn’t matter that I decided tonight I wanted a quick roll between the sheets, the asshole only came here for sex.
“No. I came here tonight to rub in your face exactly what you threw away all those years ago. I don’t need a blind date to get a piece of ass. I can hit any bar in town and I’ll be able to take a woman home with me.”
“Charming. I can’t imagine how any woman is able to resist you.”
“You know, sarcasm is the lowest form of humor.”
“Maybe, but right now it’s fitting.”
I grabbed my glass and drained the contents. Scott reached for the bottle and poured me another.
“Thank you.” I sipped and savored the heavy grape flavor. Whatever it was, it beat the glass I’d ordered on my own.
The silence stretched on. I waited for him to say something else, except he simply sat there sipping his wine. The waiter brought our food, which was a relief from the tension that had built up over the last few minutes.
