The Rhythm of My Heart

by Velvet Reed

  “You are in soooo much trouble, Grace Rivers!” Ashley says, in mock anger.

  I open the door for her and follow her back into the office. “And exactly why am I in trouble?” I enquire as she places the beautiful arrangement on my desk. She looks up, eyes bright with excitement. The grin is still plastered on her face.

  “When may I ask, were you going to tell me that you have an unbelievably gorgeous piece of ass by the name of Cole after you?” Wow, just…Wow! Cole sent me flowers, my favorite flowers.

  I give her a sly smirk over my shoulder as I lean in to inhale the divine scent drifting off the roses. “Well, considering I have only seen him twice, once on Monday when Rubes went to the ER where I met him. Then again, this morning when he dropped his car off. I didn’t think it was a big deal. However, since we have a lunch date tomorrow, I would have told you about him when I saw you tonight… I guess he beat me to it,” I sigh. “These are absolutely amazing! Did he choose this himself or did you help him?”

  “Yeah, they are amazing. He couldn’t decide what to get and when he said who he wanted them delivered to, I may have suggested that yellow roses were your favorite; so he decided to impress you,” Ashley replies coyly. Then she asks, “So you met him at the hospital? Wait… Why was Rubes in the ER and why didn’t you call me?”

  My fingers are gently caressing the gorgeous rose petals as I respond to her question. “Cole was actually the doctor who treated Rubes in the ER. She broke her arm when she fell off a chair at home, but she’s fine. So then Cole called yesterday and I just happened to squeeze his car in today,” I chuckle.

  “Wait, he’s a doctor! Jesus, Grace, he’s gorgeous. He seems like a really nice guy and he’s obviously very interested! You may have hit the jackpot with this one!” Ash exclaims. “And of course, I’m glad Rubes is fine,” she says, quickly.

  I try to hide the excitement that’s bubbling inside me. “Yes, he’s a doctor, Ash, a very sexy doctor, and he’s amazing with Rubes. I really want to get to know him better,” I say, smiling shyly. God, I want to get to know him better.

  “Well then, I expect all the details of tomorrow’s date as soon as you get home. In the meantime, I’ll pick you up at 6:30 and you better have your sexy on… tonight could be your last night as a single woman for a while,” she says, laughing, just as Charlie walks through the door.

  “Hey there, Ash. Shit, who bought out the florist?” he remarks sarcastically.

  Ashley, sensing Charlie’s obvious enjoyment of the situation, answers before I get a chance, “An extremely sexy doctor seems to have taken a liking to our Gracie here.” I shoot her an annoyed look and she giggles. These two are going to have a great time at my expense with this whole business with Cole.

  Charlie moves to the vase of flowers. “Well, he didn’t hold back did he? Two dozen yellow roses. Impressive,” he says, as he leans in close to the vase. “Awe, there’s even a note! Let’s see what it says.” He chortles as he takes a small envelope from the flowers.

  I move quickly and snatch it out of his hands. “God, Charlie, could you be any more immature?” I snap. Then I turn my glaring eyes to Ashley. “You could have told me there was a note! Luckily, I got it from nosey here before he read it!”

  Ashley and Charlie start laughing at me, so I lose my patience. “Right, that’s it, get out! Both of you, out!” They just stand there and continue to laugh, so I try to ignore them.

  Ashley sighs heavily and heads for the door. “Fine, I’m going. 6:30 Gracie, make sure you’re ready! See you round, Charlie boy!” And she’s gone.

  I turn to Charlie, who has calmed down and is watching me. “What?”

  He gives a small shake of his head. “Nothing, Gracie. I’ve just never seen you react that way over a bunch of flowers; actually, I’ve never seen you get flowers. Just take it slowly, okay?” I’ve never gotten flowers before, and I probably do have a new look on my face because I’ve never been this excited about a man before.

  I give my protective big brother a smile, and try to downplay what I’m feeling. “They’re just flowers, Charlie. There’s nothing to take slow yet. So don’t worry, big brother.” I walk to him and place a small kiss on his cheek. “But thanks for caring.”

  Charlie rolls his eyes, muttering, “Right, Gracie, there’s nothing to worry about at all.” Then he smiles, and heads back to the workshop.

  The second Charlie is out the door, I rip open the little envelope I’m holding in a death-like grip. My heart swells as I read the elegant script that is Cole’s handwriting.

  Grace,

  I hope these brighten your day, as much as seeing your smile has brightened mine.

  It’s a smile I definitely hope to see a lot more of.

  Cole.

  Swoon! Could he be any sweeter? Honestly, I just have this feeling about Cole. He makes me feel calm and comfortable when I’m near him, but at the same time, it feels like there is this electric energy sparking between us. And I’ve only been near him twice!

  When he asked me to have dinner with him, I felt like breaking out into song and dance. I was ecstatic that he was interested in me. I knew I had plans with Ash tonight and we hadn’t spent time together in a while; so I didn’t want to break them, even though I know Ash would have understood. Coming up with the lunch date for tomorrow was a quick and desperate idea. I just didn’t want to miss an opportunity to get to know Cole better and I couldn’t be more excited that he agreed.

  Lunch will keep things casual to start with; I hope it will prove that Cole Tierney is as perfect as he seems.

  Ashley and I arrive at Pitch and Tone at 6:45, with plenty of time for Ash to sign up to sing. I’m not one for public performances even though I have a pretty good voice, so I leave the performing to Ashley. She’s great and the audience loves her. I take our usual seats and glance around the club, it’s early but getting busy already. Many regulars perform, but one face stands out as he saunters over to me.

  “Hey there, beautiful; how are you tonight?” I stand and give Tony (the ‘Tone’ in Pitch and Tone) a hug.

  “I’m great, Tone. It’s getting busy already; looks like it’s going to be a big night,” I reply.

  “Sure does. Where’s your side kick; signing up already?” he asks.

  I shrug and grin. “You know, Ash, there’s no way you could stop her from getting on stage.”

  Tone chuckles. “That’s true. We’ll get you up there one day Grace, I guarantee it,” he promises, but I’m shaking my head at him.

  “Never, ever going to happen, Tone!”

  Tone just smiles and waves to someone across the room. “We’ll see, but for now you have a great night.”

  I nod. “We always do.” And with that, Tone walks away.

  A few minutes pass and Ash makes her way to the table with two Cosmos in hand. She looks amazing as usual in a loose, sparkly silver halter top, fitted short black skirt, four-inch silver heels, and her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She makes all heads turn as she walks by. I took her advice and tried to get ‘my sexy on’ as Ash puts it. I’m wearing a short, strapless yellow dress which is fitted and shows off every curve while still managing to cover my ample cleavage. Shiny black peep-toe heels cover my feet. My auburn hair is hanging in loose waves down my back. I look HOT, even if I do say so myself.

  Ashley sets our drinks on the table and slides into her seat. “So, I’m signed in and ready to go. I’ve already had some asshole grabbing my ass at the bar, trying to buy me a drink. Seriously, it’s only seven o‘clock and the guy is already tanked—as if I’m interested in that,” she says, and then downs half her Cosmo. Ash always has guys coming on to her, whether they’re drunk off their nuts or completely sober. She’s the sweetest girl I’ve ever met, but she doesn’t take kindly to men touching her without permission. Her responses to them are always entertaining. I smirk and have to ask, “Sooo, what did you do this time?” I pick up my Cosmo to take a mouthful.

  Ashley smiles sweetly,
and then replies in a serious tone, “I grabbed hold of his dick, twisted and squeezed it hard, and told him if he ever touched me again I would rip it off.” Spitting my mouthful of Cosmo straight across the table, I stare at her in disbelief.

  Quickly, I try to compose myself; I sit up straight in my seat and wipe my bottom lip. “Oh, God, you didn’t? What did he do?”

  “Of course, I did!” Ash responds. “Who does he think he is, grabbing my ass like that? He certainly didn’t appreciate it when I returned the favor! He pushed my hand away, called me a bitch, and stomped away.” God, I love this girl!

  “You’re amazing, Ash. You know that, right?” I chuckle.

  Ashley gives me a wide smile “Yep, I know!” she replies. “And right now I’m going to amaze this crowd with my singing. I have the perfect song picked out.” She downs the rest of her drink and heads for the stage were Tone is introducing her.

  I’m watching Ash and can’t help but laugh aloud as the music for “U + Ur Hand” by Pink starts to play. Ash dives enthusiastically into the lyrics while glaring across the room; so I follow her line of sight and see a very unhappy guy sitting in the corner covering his groin, and I’m laughing again. The crowd is really getting into her performance with a few people standing to dance and cheer Ash on. My eyes are roaming the room and skim past the front door, but quickly return to it when an utterly mouthwatering sight enters the club. My breath catches as my gaze takes in fitted dark blue jeans, a white V-neck t-shirt that sits snuggly across a well-defined chest, and a black dress jacket. As I stare into a pair of amazing blue eyes, my heart starts to race and a shiver travels down my spine. His beaming smile is bright and infectious, causing my tongue to involuntarily slide out and slowly lick my lips; I take a deep breath and feel a sensual smile overtake my mouth in response to his. He’s here… Cole Tierney… Yum!

  Chapter 6

  Cole….

  As we get out of the car at Pitch and Tone, Sam, my best friend, looks at me and shakes his head. “This is the place?” he questions with a look of disbelief on his face.

  “Yep, this is the place,” I confirm and head off toward the entrance.

  “This must be some chick if you’re coming to a karaoke bar to see her, Cole,” Sam says, as he falls into step beside me.

  “You’ll understand when you meet her, trust me,” I reply. As I push the door open, my ears are immediately assaulted with the chorus of Pink’s “U + Ur Hand.” We step further inside and I quickly scan the room. My gaze lands on the most amazing set of big brown eyes I have ever seen. The music is drowned out; I can’t help the smile that takes over my face, the increase in my heart rate, or the fluttering in my stomach as our eyes lock on each other.

  When Grace licks her luscious pink lips with a slow deliberate sweep of her tongue, I vow right there and then, that it will be my tongue tracing that path in the very near future.

  “Have a go at this Pink wanna be. Damn, I’m going to laugh my ass off tonight,” says Sam, motioning toward the stage and breaking through my tongue fantasy.

  I take a glance at the singer, realize it’s Ashley, and she actually has the crowd in the palm of her hand. The girl can actually sing. “That’s the best friend. So keep a lid on the laughing and play nice. And anyway, she’s really good, are you tone deaf?” I respond as I make my way toward Grace.

  Her smile grows brighter when I come to a stop beside her. I can’t help but feel ecstatic that she seems so happy too. “Hey, Grace.”

  “Cole, hi,” she replies, her voice a few octaves higher than when we’ve previously spoken. “What are you doing here?”

  I bite my lip and smirk. “Ummm, a friend actually told me about this place so we thought we’d check it out. Do you mind if we join you?”

  Sam’s hand shoots out past me to Grace. “Hi, I’m Sam. Better introduce myself since someone seems to have forgotten his manners,” he says, with his classic smile that melts women’s panties off.

  Grace reaches for his hand with a chuckle and they shake. “Hi Sam, I’m Grace, It’s great to meet you and of course you’re both welcome to join us.”

  As I take my place beside Grace, Ashley comes bounding over to the table full of energy. “Cole, you made it,” she announces with excitement.

  “You invited him?” Grace asks her.

  Ashley’s smile is huge as she proudly informs Grace. “Sure, I did. I told him where we were going earlier today when he bought the flowers.” She then turns to Sam. “Hi, I’m Ashley and you are?”

  Sam stands and shakes her hand. “Sam,” he says, and smirks. “So, you’re a Pink fan I take it?”

  “I am. But that performance was solely aimed at the asshole in the corner over there who thought he could lay his hands on me earlier. Unfortunately, his hand won’t be getting much action tonight, after I squeezed the shit out of his dick,” Ashley states in a completely serious tone.

  Sam and my eyes bulge wide as Grace laughs beside me. “E... excuse me?” Sam splutters.

  Still giggling, Grace replies, “Just don’t go groping her without permission… Trust me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Sam scoffs as he rises from his seat. “I’m in need of alcohol. Who wants a drink?”

  “I’ll come with you. I know what Grace will have and we’ll get served faster,” Ashley informs him and turns leading Sam to the bar.

  I look at Grace and she smiles at me. She looks gorgeous in a yellow dress which shows the perfect swell of her breasts, bare shoulders, and arms. I’m guessing she really loves the color yellow.

  “So you couldn’t wait until tomorrow, huh?”

  I can’t help but grin at her. “Busted, right? But there’s no way I would miss an opportunity to spend more time with you and get to know you better.”

  A rosy red hue creeps across her cheeks and she lowers her eyes to the table. The action is sweet and conveys a certain amount of shyness to her. It enraptures me.

  “Grace,” I whisper as I lean in close and catch the brief fragrance of something sweet and fruity. She slowly lifts her face to look at me. I reach out and carefully push some hair behind her ear, then let my fingers trail a path along her jaw line. “I really want to get to know you better.”

  Her eyes light up and with a small nod of her head, she says, “I really want to get to know you better too, Cole.” My heart soars with delight that she feels the same way. God, she’s beautiful. Her hair flowing over her shoulders, the sparkle in her eyes. She’s exquisite.

  We continue staring at each other and it feels like we are connecting without words. This is real; the attraction and silent communication which is flowing between us is unmistakable. It’s obvious we both want to explore what is building here. With my hand still skimming her jaw, our bubble is broken when Sam and Ashley return with the drinks.

  “So, do you girls come here often?” Sam asks, and then chuckles. “No, that wasn’t the lamest pick up line in history either.”

  “We’re friends with the owners, so we come a few times a month. Mostly Fridays for the open mic and dancing,” Ashley tells him.

  Sam snorts. “Isn’t it just karaoke?”

  I watch Ashley scowl at him and remember her passionate reply when I asked the same thing earlier today. I chuckle to myself waiting for her to pounce.

  “No, it’s not just karaoke, wise guy. You have to sign up to perform, and you can bring your own music, instruments, and whatever. Not just any old drunk can get up and perform. This isn’t one of those crappy little karaoke joints you obviously think it is,” Ashley spits venomously at Sam.

  “Whoa, calm down. There’s no need to jump down my throat,” Sam shoots back. Damn, this isn’t going well with these two.

  “Its fine, Sam. Ashley is just protective of the guys who own this place and is very passionate about singing,” Grace tries to soothe.

  Sam’s lips forms a hard line when he replies, “Yeah, well I get that, but there’s no need for her to attack like a pit bull.” Oh, sweet Jesus.


  Ashley gasps and I shake my head at my idiot best friend. “Did you just call me a dog?” she screeches. I can see the daggers flying from her eyes in Sam’s direction.

  “No, that’s not what I meant,” Sam says, with a heavy sigh. “I apologize for the comparison. I’ve just never seen someone so bent out of shape over the word karaoke before. It’s not like the next rock God is going to be discovered performing here, is it?”

  “You never know, Sam. Plenty of the guys and girls who perform here have talent,” Ashley replies. I swear it’s like watching a tennis match with these two going back and forth at each other.

  “Girls can’t rock for shit,” Sam scoffs. And by the look on Ashley’s face, I think this statement has been received way worse than the pit bull one.

  “What planet do you live on? Girls can’t rock for shit, my ass! Have you never heard of Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, or Deborah Harry? They’re rock legends and don’t even get me started on Pink!” Ashley spits out. “You just wait, wise guy. I’ll show you that girls can rock for shit!”

  Sam’s chuckling to himself as he gets up and heads back to the bar; Ashley is mumbling to herself about kicking his ass for being a dumb bastard, and Grace and I try our best to ignore them both and focus on each other.

  The four of us continue drinking, watching people perform, and chatting about our jobs and such through the rest of the night. It’s not really the best environment to get to know each other better, but just sitting beside Grace, our bodies brushing every so often and talking about nothing of great importance, has me feeling utterly relaxed and content. It’s easy and comfortable. Sam and Ashley seem to have called a truce after their little spat.

  With the open mic part of the night finished, the room has been turned into a club scene with the lights low and a DJ playing the music a lot louder than the performers. The dance floor is packed with people moving and grinding together. I realize it’s been quite a while since I’ve been to a club like this. At twenty-eight and with an ER doctor’s schedule, this isn’t our usual scene as Sam said earlier. However, to spend time with Grace, I’d do anything. And that doesn’t sound desperate at all, Cole.