Sensing he wanted to hang around and chat, she shook her head. After a long week at work, and the disappointed anticipation of a not-date with Greg from Acquisitions, she wasn’t in the mood. All she wanted to do was commune with her drink, get happily buzzed, and head on home to seek consolation in the tub of ice-cream she kept on reserve at the back of the freezer.
Looking up after the bartender moved off, she caught sight of herself in the mirror behind the bar. The wrong side of thirty, her shift-dress covered a figure with a few more curves than she would have liked. Whatever she did, no amount of sweating it out in the gym or starving herself would get those last few stubborn pounds to move, so she’d given up.
Her hair was short and sleek, a neat bob that framed her face, the dark color natural. Thank God. She couldn’t do the whole once a month ordeal some women at the office went through to stay blonde, or black, or whatever color they’d decided they wanted to be.
Her face was made up, but in the subtle style she preferred. A slick of lippy, a quick flick of eyeliner, some mascara, and she was done. No false lashes here, thank you very much. She’d tried them once, and ended up with the bloody things stuck to her cheek like damn caterpillars. Never again.
Bored with her reflection—after all, it was nothing new—she took a healthy sip of her drink and savoured the burn as it went down. Damn, that was good vodka. No watering down here, that was for sure, which was a bloody good job with these prices. She cast a baleful look at the wine list by her elbow. She earned good money, but these prices were ludicrous.
The door at the front of the bar crashed open, and loud male voices announced the arrival of a large group. The bar staff froze for a second before the one nearest to her, the one who had tried to engage her in conversation, groaned.
“Great, the Sharks. Molly, I’m heading out on my break.” And with that he was gone, leaving the girl at the other end of the bar shooting a glare full of daggers after him.
Fern studied the chaos at the front of the bar through the mirror. The Strathstow Sharks were famous for their abilities on the pitch, the favoured sons of the town when they’d stormed to victory in the premiership and won the cup, and infamous for their somewhat exuberant nights out in the local bars. They were loud, brash, and could be a pain in the backside when celebrating.
If she’d know they were playing today, she might have thought twice about coming out tonight—date with Greg or not. A night in might have worked a lot better. Couple of vodkas and a chance to scratch the itch that had been bugging her for months… Christ, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex. Long days at work and exhaustion had limited her options for meeting prospective partners. Thank God for vibrators. Without them, she’d have gone nuts.
The crowd moved closer to the bar, filling the empty space next to her as they all tried shouting their orders to the poor, harassed-looking Molly all at the same time. Fern huffed and shook her head, burying her nose back into her glass. When would they learn that they’d get their drinks quicker if they organised themselves, and one person ordered?
“SHUT THE HELL UP!”
A voice roared above the melee, and silence fell. Interested, she looked over as a man fought his way to the front of the group. Like the rest, he was suited and booted, but in his case, the smart jacket barely contained a powerful physique. Shorter than the rest, he had a set of shoulders on him as big as a barn, and a vicious bruise decorated one cheekbone.
Despite that, it was obvious he was the man in charge. Quickly, he collected orders and relayed them to Molly behind the bar in a low voice Fern couldn’t make out over the baying of the others as they pushed and jostled.
Shaking her head, she took another swallow from her drink and tried to ignore them. As soon as she was done, she was out of here in search of a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and a DVD. Something with explosions and car chases should do it…
* * *
Tom Sexton took his drink with a sigh of relief and turned to check that the rest of the lads were settled. He loved nights out with the squad, especially after a tough game like today, but it could be bloody hard work at times. On the pitch, they worked like a well-oiled machine, chewing up and spitting out any team that dared oppose them, but off it and out on the town, it was like herding ferrets—ones with ADHD and Tourette’s.
But miracle of miracles, now that they all had a pint or other libation of choice in hand, they appeared to be behaving. Casting an experienced eye over the known trouble-makers to ensure they were all well apart, Tom allowed himself to relax a little and took a drink.
The aged bourbon left a trail of fire as it slid down to his stomach. He sucked a breath in around it. Good stuff. Proper whiskey, just as he liked it, which was the reason that he’d insisted they come here. Some of the lads picked right dives, which was alright if you were into cheap beer and cheaper women.
Talking of women, his gaze slid past the two blondes Carson was trying to chat up, and to the brunette at the end of the bar. Petite, the figure under the black dress full of the sort of curves he preferred. Even now, he itched to run his hands along her waist and out over the cello curve of her hips. A shudder of heat rolled through him as he surveyed her over the rim of his glass, plotting his approach.
Despite his appearance, and he was the first to admit that stuffed into this bloody jacket, his broad shoulders and heavy chest gave him the appearance of a thug, he was a thinker. The first to spot and call plays on the pitch, he directed the front row with the ruthlessness of a war-general, smashing the opposition's defence and creating opportunities for the back row to storm to victory. And any victory, on or off the pitch, depended on the right approach.
His quarry turned on the stool, the turn of a slender ankle captivating him for a heartbeat before he realised she’d gathered her bag and was preparing to leave.
Oh, no sweetheart, we’re not having any of that. I haven’t gotten to know you yet. And I intend to get to know you a lot better. Like the Shark he wore on his shirt, he slid through the group around him and cut off her retreat before she’d taken a step away from the stool.
“Hey.”
She stumbled mid-step and trod on his toe, obviously not expecting anyone to be so close. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
A hint of perfume reached his nose, delicate and haunting. He’d thought she’d be pretty. He was wrong.
She was stunning.
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Paisley’s Corner
Favorite recipes from our heroine!
Cherry Breakfast Cookies
– from Joy the Baker
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons dry millet
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup real maple syrup
heaping 1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
Directions:
Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, millet, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil, maple syrup, shredded carrots, dried cherries, and ginger. Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients. Fold together until thoroughly incorporated. Let dough stand for 5 minutes before spooning by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until just slightly browned and cooked through. I like these cookies a bit underdone. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at ro
om temperature for up to 4 days. The fresher the cookies are, the better the are… obviously.
~~~
Paleo Vegan Pizza Margherita
– from Stacey @There's A Cook In My Kitchen
Recipe type: pizza, grain-free, dairy-free
Cuisine: Italian, comfort food
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4
This grain-free, dairy-free pizza will make everyone happy! Yes, even people who won't think they will like it, will like it... it's that good!
Ingredients:
• 1 Cappello's Naked Pizza Crust (or grain-free crust of your choice)
• about ⅓ of a cup of your favorite pizza sauce or marinara sauce
• a big handfull of fresh basil leaves
• about ½ cup of sliced vegan cheese
• 2 fresh Roma tomatoes, sliced
• fresh hot peppers, sliced (optional)
• dried hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle on top
Directions:
1 Preheat your oven as per the crust's instructions.
2 Spread the sauce on top of your crust (don't use too much).
3 Slice up some of the basil leaves and sprinkle the slices over the crust.
4 Arrange the cheese and tomatoes over the crust.
5 Bake until crispy and gooey.
6 Remove from the oven and arrange some fresh basil leaves on top.
7 Add fresh hot pepper slices and/or dried red pepper flakes if you like.
Slice and enjoy!
~~~
Strawberry Cream Stuffed Chocolate Truffles (ice cube tray chocolates)
– from damyhealth.com
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Yield: Makes 14 Truffles
Chocolate Ingredients:
1 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Natural Cocoa Powder
1/4 Cup Natural Maple Syrup (or Agave, to make these sugar free you can also use liquid stevia to taste)
Strawberry Cream Ingredients:
*You will have lots of this left over. Store it in your refrigerator and use it as a spread.
1/2 Cup Natural Cashew Butter
1 1/4 Cup Strawberries (Fresh or Thawed)
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/4 Tsp Salt
5-10 Drops Liquid Stevia (or 3 Tbsp Agave, Maple Syrup or Honey)
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions:
1 Blend Strawberry Cream ingredients until smooth in your food processor and set aside.
2 In a separate food processor bowl blend Chocolate ingredients until smooth.
3 Spray a pre-chilled, clean ice cube tray with a healthy oil.
4 Using a spoon pour the chocolate into each ice cube mold.
5 Coat the bottom and the sides of each ice cube mold using your spoon.
6 Tip – I picked up the ice cube tray and kind of tilted it around to make sure all the angles were covered. Make sure the molds are completely coated.
7 Fill each ice cube mold with Strawberry Cream filling.
8 Top with a layer of chocolate coating.
9 Place in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
10 Remove from freezer and set on the counter for a minute or two.
11 Gently twisting the ice cube tray, as you would to remove ice cubes, remove each truffle and place on a plate.
Enjoy!
~~~
Banana With Dark Chocolate-Honey Sauce
– from Fitness Magazine
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
small pinch of salt
1 small banana, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon chopped toasted walnuts
Directions:
In a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate with the honey, butter and salt, stirring frequently. Serve the chocolate sauce and walnuts in bowls for dipping, accompanied by the banana chunks.
Nutrition Information: Servings Per Recipe: 1
PER SERVING: 265 cal., 13 g total fat (7 g sat. fat), 41 g carb. (4 g fiber), 3 g pro.
Coal (Regulators MC Book 3) Page 19
