Save Me From Myself (Nashville Nights)

by Stacey Mosteller

  As I slowly look up, I take in the plain back t-shirt covering the hard muscles hiding beneath, the strong jaw, the full lips curved into a sensual smile, and the laughing golden eyes. My face flames, and I swear I almost faint. He puts his hands on my shoulders to steady me, and when he speaks, I feel his spearmint scented breath caress my face.

  “Whoa there princess,” David drawls. “You need to watch where you’re going or you’re going to get hurt.”

  Am I always going to look like an idiot when I’m around this man? Whenever he’s near, my common sense flies out the window. There’s just something about him that pushes all my buttons, and I haven’t even known him twenty-four hours! So, the only thing I can think to say is, “I’m sorry.”

  “Hey, don’t sweat it. Bumping into a beautiful woman has been the best part of my day so far.” David grins down at me, and my belly flutters. When he smiles, there’s a dimple in his left cheek and it makes him look even more attractive. I’m so mortified that I ran into him, that I say nothing further. I just gaze at the floor, wishing I could go back five minutes and pay a little more attention to where I was going.

  David doesn’t let me stare at the floor for very long though. Putting one long finger under my chin, he tilts my head up towards him, ensuring I’m looking into his eyes. “Princess, really, it’s okay. You can run into me anytime. There’s no need to be embarrassed. I promise I won’t hold it against you.” At his words, I feel my face flame, again. He’s going to think I have some sort of skin condition if this keeps up. He grins at me, lifting his hand to my cheek, and stroking his thumb across my cheekbone. “That is so cute.” He says softly, and I melt inside. “Where are you sitting?”

  When I gesture towards where Anna is sitting, he places his hand on the small of my back, and leads me back to the table. Once we reach it, he pulls my chair out for me and sits beside me. “Hey Hottie Bartender” Anna says playfully while smirking at me.

  “I have a name you know.” He doesn’t sound mad, more like amused that she calls him that.

  Anna laughs, “Yeah, I know. But Hottie Bartender just fits you so much better.” David just shakes his head, like he already knows that arguing with Anna is pointless. He leans back extending his arm across the back of my chair. “So, what are you ladies doing here at Ruby’s? Do you work close by?”

  I nod, “Yes, we work around the corner at Nashville Nights.”

  He smiles at me, “The entertainment magazine?”

  Before I can say anything, Anna jumps in. “Yep, she’s going to be reviewing bands performing locally.” When she says that, David’s grin widens, and he winks at me. “Really? Well, you guys should come check out Twisted Destiny next Friday night. You’ll like Tyler and the guys.” I turn to Anna, and she nods. Knowing I’m going to see him next weekend warms me. There is something about him that puts me instantly at ease.

  We sit at the table for a few more minutes. Anna and David are discussing local bands, while I enjoy listening to his voice. It’s deep and husky, with a slight Southern accent. Just listening to him talk gives me butterflies. It doesn’t help that he’s moved his hand from the back of my chair and is now drawing small circles on my shoulder as he talks with Anna; almost as if he just can’t stop touching me. His touch is scrambling my brain and making me squirm in my seat. Every few seconds, he looks at me and smiles like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. I shouldn’t be feeling like this. I didn’t move to Nashville to have a relationship, and I haven’t even been attracted to anyone since Matt. I’d been beginning to worry that after what happened with him, I was completely broken. It’s not like being cheated on is a confidence booster.

  I’m so deep in thought, that I jump when David pulls me closer to him. “Where’d you go? Are we boring you that much?” Frowning, I tell him “No, not at all. It’s just been a really long day at work.” Speaking of which, it’s probably time to get back to work. Pulling my phone out of my purse, I look at the time. “Holy crap Anna! We have five minutes to get back!” I hate being late to anything and being late coming back from lunch on my first day is not the best way to show dedication to my new grouchy boss.

  Anna rolls her eyes at me, “Relax Lyr, Bastian won’t even notice if we’re a few minutes late. He probably didn’t even see us leave to know that we are.” David starts to laugh, trying to cover it with a cough. “Sebastian Murphy? I’m sure he knows exactly when you left, and he’s probably even set a timer for when you’re supposed to be back so that he can complain about you being late.”

  Glaring at him, Anna replies “Sounds like you know Bastian well.” She doesn’t sound happy about that development, and I can’t help but wonder why. I’ll have to ask her about it later. Right now, I’m too worried about being late. David snorts at her words. “You could say that. We went to high school together. I know him well enough that I can guarantee you calling him ‘Bastian’ drives him completely over the edge. He loathes nicknames.”

  “Well, you’ll have to tell me the story behind that one day,” Anna remarks with an evil look. Oh no, I know that look. She’s hoping for some dirt she can use against our boss. Quickly, I say “Please, don’t ever tell her why he hates them. She’ll just use it against him in order to get her way.” David laughs, pulling money out of his wallet and placing it on the bill the waitress dropped off earlier.

  “You don’t need to pay for our lunch,” I tell him, although I’m finding it hard to hide my grin. He really is quite the gentleman! David just waves off my protest, “It’s my pleasure. I got to spend time with two stunning women. Paying for your lunch is the least I can do. But, if you really want to thank me, you’ll let me see your phone.” I look at him searchingly. He grabs the phone out of my hand before I can ask him why. He messes with it for a minute and hands it back to me.

  He leans down to whisper in my ear, “I figured if I asked you for your number, you’d just shoot me down, so I gave you mine.” Standing up, he winks and holds out his hand to help me up. When I take it and stand, he places his hand on my back again to walk me out towards the door.

  Once we’re outside in the cold February air, he runs the back of his fingers along my cheek, and then leans down to place his lips where his fingers just were. Waving at Anna, he bids goodbye to me, turning to walk the opposite way. Anna gives me a knowing look as we start walking back to work.

  ***

  I’ve been in a complete daze since we returned from lunch. I honestly couldn’t have told you anything I’ve done this afternoon if you had asked me. Evidently, Anna can’t take my silence anymore, because she walks up to my desk and snaps her fingers in front of my face, startling me. “Are you ever going to tell me why he wanted your phone back at the cafe?”

  “He put his number in it. He said he figured I would just tell him no if he asked for mine,” I tell her reluctantly.

  She says nothing, so I look up and find her gaping at me. “He gave you his number?” she squeals, snatching the phone out of my hand. Looking through my contact list she finds his name. “David Pearson” she reads aloud. “Wow, he gave you first AND last name. Aren’t you special!”

  “Are you done yet?” I ask her, not knowing where she’s going with this. Giving me an ‘are you crazy, of course not’ look, she says “Have you called to thank him again for buying us lunch?”

  I shake my head not saying anything, hoping she’ll leave me alone, but knowing her, it’s not going to happen.

  “You haven’t sent a text or anything?” She looks incredulous. Huffing out a breath, she starts tapping the touchscreen with a determined look on her face.

  “Um, Anna? What are you doing?”

  Snorting, she replies “What you should have done hours ago! Texting him to say thank you.” She taps one final button and hands me back the phone. Looking at the screen, it says

  Thank you for lunch today. I really enjoyed seeing you again!

  There’s an almost instant reply

  This isn’t Lyric is it?
r />   Snorting, I reply back.

  Sorry, it was Anna. She hijacked my cell phone.

  The glowing screen quickly shows his response

  Well, I’m glad she did. Now I have your number :)

  Yes, you do. What are you planning to do with it?

  Oh. My. God. Did I really just ask him that?

  Hmm. Are you sure this isn’t still Anna?

  I can’t help but laugh as I type my reply.

  I might be wrong, but the last time I checked, I wasn’t ;)

  Not sure I believe you. I think I need proof

  What kind of proof?

  I can’t remember ever enjoying texting so much.

  Good question. Naked pictures?

  Wait. What? I don’t respond. I have no idea what to say.

  Kidding. Unless you’re taking one. Then, I was being serious

  Laughing, I type back

  Sorry, no naked pictures here. I can google some if you’d like.

  That’s okay. I don’t want to see some random naked girl

  Are you sure you’re a guy? Don’t you all always want to see naked girls?

  Want to see proof?

  My eyes widen at the thought of seeing David naked, even if just in a picture. I must have taken too long to reply, because he sends another message

  Kidding again. I’ll show you mine when you show me yours. ;)

  When? Does that mean he’s planning to see me naked? A shiver runs down my spine just thinking about him and me together - naked.

  Are you still there?

  Oh crap! I was so caught up in thinking about him without clothes, I forgot to respond!

  Still here, sorry

  You were thinking about me naked weren’t you? It’s okay, I do look pretty good naked.

  Pretty good? If he looks half as good naked as he did in that black t-shirt he was wearing today, I may combust if I ever get to see him like that!

  Don’t be conceited

  Not conceited. I prefer confident

  Of course you do.

  LOL I need to get back to work. Distributor orders won’t fill themselves. Text me when you get home so I know you’re safe?

  Why wouldn’t I be safe?

  Not saying you wouldn’t, I’d just feel better knowing you are.

  I melt.

  Ok. I’ll text you when we get home

  Good. Feel free to text me an address.

  Planning to stalk me?

  Princess, I won’t need to stalk you

  There you go again, being conceited. Someone really needs to knock your ego down a notch.

  Confident, not conceited. We’ve been through this. You’re pretty adorable in text princess. You didn’t talk nearly this much at Ruby’s, princess. I like it

  You’re kind of intimidating in person.

  You mean distracting?

  Intimidating, distracting. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

  Dreaming of you helps me sleep at night

  Does that line really work for you?

  I am enjoying this way more than I should.

  Don’t know. Never told a girl I dreamed about her.

  Whatever

  Seriously. Never have. But, I dreamt about you last night. In my dream, you were dancing with me, not the guy you were with last night.

  Oh my.

  Jealous?

  His response is quick

  You have no idea! Now, let me get to work. And, don’t forget to text me when you get home!

  Yes sir!

  I like you obedient ;)

  I blush again

  Bye David

  Later princess

  I send him a text when I get home, letting him know that I am, in fact, safe. I don’t see his response back until I check my phone the next morning. We spend the rest of the week flirting via text message. He’s charming, smart and makes me laugh like I haven’t in a very long time.

  Friday night comes quickly, and I have to meet Ben at the Kings of Leon concert. Knowing Ben, there will be lots of jokes, and embarrassing comments made at my expense, so I’m not exactly looking forward to tonight.

  When I arrive at the arena, he’s waiting for me with a smile on his face. As per usual, he’s vibrating with energy, which reminds me of Anna. When I reach him, he pulls me into a hug.

  “Hey girl! You ready to do this thing?” He’s grinning from ear to ear, and it’s impossible not to grin back.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply.

  He hands me my press pass, and leads me over to security where they inspect our credentials before allowing us backstage. We walk around and Ben points out different people. Some are from the opening acts, and some are just people he knows that work for the tour. Having been doing this gig for awhile, he has lots of contacts. Ben leads me over to the seating area, and then goes off to interview the band.

  I haven’t been sitting there long when I hear a familiar voice. Looking up, I see David standing across the room with a group of people. He’s talking to a member of the opening act which shouldn’t surprise me. He does work in a bar that has live music. I just wasn’t expecting to see him tonight. It’s Friday, and that’s a busy night in any bar. Since he hasn’t seen me, I’m free to look at him as much as I want. And boy, do I want to!

  Tonight, he’s wearing another snug t-shirt. This one is grey with some kind of black design on it that’s hard to see from this far. It’s stretched tight across his chest, and I’m not the only woman in the room admiring the muscles being showcased by that shirt. He’s also wearing a pair of jeans that are so worn, there are holes in a few places. He’s standing in a way that gives me a perfect view of his rear end, and it’s one of the nicest asses I’ve ever seen!

  As I watch him, I notice a few people who look vaguely familiar nearby. One is the guy that was sitting at the bar when I went to pay my tab last Sunday.

  He’s about the same height as David, but he’s not as built. He’s lankier, with short dark hair and unlike David who is clean-shaven, he has a little scruff on his jaw. The blonde who bumped into me in front of Drench, is here too, along with the dark haired girl she was with. I wonder how they know David, because they seem a lot younger than him and his friend.

  The guy he’s talking to is a few inches shorter than him, and has spiky black hair. From here, I can’t tell what color his eyes are, but his face is strikingly beautiful. Almost too beautiful to be a guy. He’s got a wide grin on his face when he claps David on the back. Then, David calls the blonde over to him, and putting his arm around her shoulders, introduces her to the guy he was speaking to, then motions to the other girl and she waves with a small grin on her face. I’m watching them so intently, I don’t notice Ben’s returned until he places his hands on my shoulders from behind and whispers in my ear, “I’d tap any of those asses,” making me gasp and jump about a mile.

  Twisting around, I say, “Benjamin! Seriously? That’s just…ugh!”

  He doubles over with laughter over the look on my face, saying, “Oh my GOD L! You should see your face right now. I wish I had my camera out!”

  He’s not making any effort to keep his voice down, and I’m praying David doesn’t hear him talking and look over here. Holding my breath, I look back towards David, but he’s still engrossed in the conversation. I relax, and Ben follows my eyes.

  “Mmmm,” he moans, “I really wish Tyler batted for my team. He’s just too pretty for words.” He mimes wiping the drool from his chin, and I can’t help but laugh.

  The name sounds familiar though, and I can’t help myself from asking, “Tyler?”

  “Yeah, he’s the lead singer and guitarist for Twisted Destiny. They’re one of the openers tonight.”

  Oh, right. Now I know where I’ve heard the name. They’re playing at Drench next weekend and David said he knew them when we saw him at lunch earlier this week.

  “Come on L. Let’s go watch the band. Kings of Leon is getting ready to go on.” He grabs me by the hand dragging me out of the b
ackstage area, and over to the side of the stage. There aren’t any seats over here, but the majority of the press people are in this section watching the show. When the band comes on stage, the screams are deafening, and as the music starts, they get even louder. Ben may be one of the loudest, as he’s screaming, shouting and jumping up and down with excitement.

  I’m not sure how much reviewing Ben is going to be able to do, because he’s doing more dancing than anything else.

  By the time the band is halfway through their set, my feet are aching from dancing so much. Ben’s not the type to let you stay in the background, which is where I’m most comfortable.

  ***

  When the concert’s over, we go backstage again so that Ben can ask any last minute questions, and get some “after the show” pictures. As I head back to the seating area, I’m hoping that he won’t take too long. I’m ready to go home! I haven’t seen David since earlier tonight, before we went out to watch the show, so hearing his voice say, “Lyric?” from right behind me causes me to jump.

  I turn around slowly, and find him looking at me with a grin on his handsome face.

  “Oh, hey David.” I greet him, not wanting him to know that I saw him earlier. Then he’ll want to know why I didn’t go say hello.