by Maddie Wade
I shake his hand, telling him there will be one at the bar for him as usual. Nitro is only six months old. It’s fast becoming ‘The’ place to be seen when in London. Dark floors, one hi-gloss black bar which is complemented by sea-blue glass panels along the front of it, with matching sea-blue glass covering the ceiling, give the whole place that feeling of being under water. This effect is further enhanced by the floor to ceiling waterfall that takes up the entire wall to the rear.
I thread my way through the throngs of people, a lot of who I don’t know until I see my group of friends in their usual spot by the end of the bar. I’m halfway there when a woman stumbles into me, stamping on my foot in the process.
I turn to say something, I mean they are brand new shoes. When she looks at me I’m momentarily taken aback. She has blonde rainbow hair which is flipped over one shoulder, showing a back that is all smooth, honey golden skin, except for the mandala flower design tattoo that goes from the back of her neck to the middle of her back. On closer inspection I notice a tiny Tinkerbell fairy tattooed behind her ear. Her legs go all the way up from silver heels into the short cream jumpsuit she is wearing.
I take all of her in. It causes the strangest reaction, a reaction that I don’t normally have. Instant longing hits, I’m semi-hard and I nearly lose my tongue when she turns around, a face so beautiful I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so stunning. An apology comes from her soft pink lips.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry,” she exclaims, as her hand reaches out to touch my arm. Red-hot electricity shots through my body at her touch. She looks at me strangely as I realise I’m just staring at her mouth agape. “Are you okay?” she asks.
I break from my trance. “Yes, yes I’m fine. No problem.” I take one more look and try to regain some dignity as I walk away from her, but that doesn’t stop me looking back one more time over my shoulder at her.
I swiftly head to the bar for a stiff drink before I say hello to the guys. Leaning over the bar I order a Vodka and coke.
The back of my neck prickles as I feel someone close to me, I tip my head to the side, Tinkerbell is standing next to me in all her stunning rainbow glory.
As my eyes travel over her body, I see the rose tattoo on her arm and find it quite pretty, which is strange because I hate tattoos especially on women. There is something about her though that I just can’t put my finger on.
She intrigues me, and I can’t stop looking at her. She smiles, and her smile lights up the whole room. Fuck, I’m gonna start spouting poetry next.
“Hey again,” she says.
“Hey,” I say.
“I’m really sorry about earlier,” she says.
I return her smile. “No problem, I should look where I’m going.”
“I see you’re out with your friends,” she says and motions to the guys waving at me.
“Yeah,” I say and turn to look at the guys. I turn back to her and catch a funny look on her face, which she instantly wipes away.
The club is loud, so we are kind of shouting, leaning into each other. Her body is to die for. She has curves in all the right places.
I lean closer. “Nice tits,” I say, as I move closer to her ear.
“Excuse me?” she says and leans back aghast.
Oh, my God, I say it out loud. I fucking said nice tits out loud.
“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry, I meant nice tattoos, nice tattoos, not nice tits, I don’t think that at all. I mean well I do but, I mean oh fuck I wasn’t looking at them until now. Not that I’m looking now. I’m just gonna shut the fuck up,” I say, and look to see her nearly crying with laughter.
“You're adorable,” she says and laughs.
“Yeah that’s what they all say.” I laugh as well. My drink is served, but before I turn to join the boys, I put out my hand. “Jackson,” I say.
“Ashley. Nice to meet you, Jackson.” She slips her velvet soft hand into mine. Again, I feel that frisson of electricity shoot, through my body.
“I best get over there,” I say and let go of her hand to grab my drink.
“Yeah, catch you later, Jackson,” she says with a smile.
I reach my friends at the end of the bar, and luckily they are none the wiser to my little moment of idiocy.
I receive claps on the back from Alastair and Chris. We haven’t been out for ages between work and life in general. It’s good to see them. My brother slings his arm around my neck.
“Bro!” he shouts as he ruffles my hair as if I was still fifteen. He is always overly affectionate when he has had a few and it’s clear I’m on catch up.
“Hey, Jake,” I say with a laugh. “What’s got you so happy?”
“Celebrating bro,” he says with a slight slur. God he must have had a shit ton to drink already.
“Yeah, what we celebrating?” I ask.
“Gonna be a dad again, Jacky,” he says using my boyhood name. I beam at the news. He and Sadie are wonderful parents.
I turn more fully to him. “Really?” I ask, and he nods, his grin is as big as the moon.
I throw my arms around him, hugging him properly, giving him several slaps on the back.
“Man, I’m so happy for you guys, that is the best news ever. Have you told mum?” I ask. Mum would hate it if she was not the first to know about this.
“Yeah, we went to see her this afternoon.”
“Right, we need to get some more drinks in,” I say and turn back to the bar. I catch Tinkerbell watching me across the club and I smile at her. The distance has given me some of my mojo back.
I return to our table with a tray of Jaeger Bombs and spend the next two hours pretending not to watch Tinkerbell. This is what I’ve christened her in my head and it suits her. She is the life and soul, flitting from one person to the next spreading her fairy magic.
Around half eleven I see her go to the bar, and before I know it, I find myself walking to the bar. Standing next to her with my back to her, I watch her in the mirrored glass above the optics. I remain with my back to her, so she doesn’t think I’m a weird nutter, also so I don’t start going on like a fourteen-year-old boy who has never spoken to a beautiful woman before. Somehow, she renders me stupid.
The thought is hilarious, considering what I do for a job. Nobody would believe it was me. Cool, suave Jackson Byrne who can charm the underwear from a nun, can’t even speak to a rainbow-haired minx at the bar.
She is chatting with her friend, laughing like a loon and I can’t help but smile. She goes to pay the barman putting her phone on the bar. Without rhyme or reason, I slip the phone towards me, quickly sliding it open. Luck is on my side, there’s no pin. I quickly enter her number into my phone. Before she has the chance to notice, I slide it back watching as she puts it back in her bag.
I watch as she leaves the bar and goes back to her seat near the dance floor. I pull up my contacts on my phone and bring up a text thread for Tinkerbell.
Jackson: Hey Tinkerbell, can I confess something?
I wait a few minutes and watch surreptitiously as she takes out her phone then reads it. Her lips crease into a smile and it hits me in the balls.
Tinkerbell: Who is this?
Jackson: ‘The Man with the Child in his Eyes.’
I see her smile grow bigger and her fingers move over the keys.
Tinkerbell: Did you quote a Kate Bush song at me?
Jackson: Haha. Yes, I did. Want to hear more? Okay what about ‘Take My Breath Away.’
Tinkerbell: Oh please, Berlin. Try harder lol.
Jackson: Okay this next one is harder. ‘Love Hangover.’
I watch as the little dots tell me she is writing a response and I haven’t felt this much excitement in forever.
Tinkerbell: The one and only Diana Ross.
Jackson: ‘You've Lost that Lovin Feelin.’
Tinkerbell: Righteous Brothers! Okay, my turn. ‘When a Man Loves a Woman.’
I smile when I read it and thank God for the hours of romantic shit
my mum made me listen too with her.
Jackson: Percy Sledge lol.
Tinkerbell: Damn you're good.
Jackson: I think you’re the most stunningly beautiful woman I have ever seen.
Tinkerbell???
Tinkerbell: I don’t know that one.
Jackson: That one was all my own ;)
I see my Tinkerbell start to reply but then she looks up smiling, my eyes travel to where she is looking, a tall blond man sits next to her and by the familiar way he leans in to kiss her, I know she is his.
Tinkerbell: That’s so sweet. Goodnight, and thanks for the music lesson.
That’s it, just like that she has blown me off. She has a boyfriend. I was a fool to think a woman like her would be single. Any man would break his back to be with her.
I continue my night with the lads, it doesn’t stop me looking over at Tinkerbell every now and again. I keep telling myself that I need to move past her, she’s taken and there’s nothing I can do about it, yet somehow, she’s still on my mind when I leave the club.
Chapter 2
Ashley
Running down the stairs from my apartment to my shop, I think how lucky I am to be living my dream. Living above the business is so much easier for me. I come down at six in the morning, make all the orders for the day, then come back upstairs, shower and get ready. Taylor my best friend owns the shop with me, and she comes in at nine to open up, then I join her at ten, but today I’m down at nine as I have an order which is being picked up this evening, so I’ll be busy with that. It’s an engagement party and the couple want to give out boxes of Champagne Truffles to the guests, that’s sixty boxes of six truffles, so a long day is ahead of me.
Taylor and I have been friends for so long, that I can’t even think of a time she wasn’t with me. My mum and her mum have been best friends since University, now they live on the same street. She studied business management and I studied the art of chocolate, so we came up with the perfect plan. Open our own exclusive chocolate shop. I bake, and she does the business side of it all. Three years later we have the best chocolate shop in London. We have everything from truffles, to freshly made chocolate bars.
Hanging my bag up, I grab my pink and white polka dot apron, and head to the front of the shop to double check everything again.
“Why haven’t we started the music?” I ask Taylor. I can’t work without music, I need to dance around the shop, plus I love the smile on the customer’s faces when they walk in and see me and Taylor singing or dancing to the song.
“Why are you so happy?” Taylor asks and points to me. “And don’t say you’re not, I know you are, I can smell it coming off you.” She points at me again and gives me a suspicious look.
I burst out laughing. “You can smell it?” I ask walking over to the speakers and connecting my iPod. We grew up together, I bet she can smell it.
I take my phone out of my pocket as it beeps, there's a message from my Mystery Man. I have no idea who this stranger is, I was praying it was the sexy guy that I bumped into; Jackson, but every time I replied last night, I would look up surreptitiously and he wasn’t using his phone when the replies came. He was so hot, he had these sexy blue eyes that I just wanted to stare into, a sexy dimple on his right cheek and he dressed to impress. I mean I know I have a boyfriend, but I don’t get the warm, tingly feeling in my stomach, or the excitement to see him, that I did from just one conversation with Jackson. I mean we’ve been together a month, and it’s still not there. But when I saw Jackson last night, it was like a switch was thrown. The butterflies in my stomach, the electric shock when he touched me. Oh, how badly I wanted my mystery man to be Jackson.
My fantasy of us came crashing down when I saw him hugging a guy, and it wasn't a guy pat on the back either, it was a full hug and kiss on the cheek. They were close, and I kept looking over at him to make sure that it was just a one-off, but no, the other guy had his arm over his shoulder pulling him closer a lot during the night. The sexy, gorgeous guy is gay.
So, who is this mystery man texting me? I have no idea, but I’ve named him Sexy Singer. He knows a lot about music, so there is a part of me that is hoping he is this sexy rocker.
Sexy Singer: Did you Dream A Little Dream of Me last night?
I smile to myself.
“See you’re smiling again.” Taylor runs over to me. “Is it the mystery man messaging again?” she asks, snatching my phone from me. “You know I still think it’s the hot guy at the bar.” Taylor gives me my phone back after having a good nosey.
Ashley: How can I dream a little dream of you when I don’t know what you look like?
Sexy Singer: Who knows I might be Right in Front of You.
I peer out the shop window to see if I can see anyone, this guy even knows Celine Dion. I turn around as Taylor is laughing really hard behind me.
“What are you laughing at?” I ask her, hitting play on the nineties playlist, smiling as the Spice Girls come on.
“I’m laughing thinking that your mysterious guy could end up this old man, that can’t even get it up,” she says through laughter. I cross my arms over my chest. “Come on, he might even be a she, and you’re her lesbian fantasy.” Taylor gives me a cheeky wink and looks at the door as a customer comes in.
“Good morning, how can I help you?” I ask the women walking over to the counter. She looks around the shop that Taylor and I had spent months designing.
Being based in London we had to have the decor just right, we both knew that the taste of our chocolate, as awesome as it is, wasn’t going to be enough, the store had to look amazing too. We went with a pink theme, with white counters.
“I’m looking for Ashley,” the women stopped, by the glass counter looking at the macaroons.
“I’m Ashley,” I tell her, as she walks over to the wall, I glance at Taylor as the woman looks at the hot chocolate.
“This shop is beautiful, I’ve heard great things and thought I would give it a try.” She turns around with a smile. “I have some friends coming over for some afternoon tea, about six people what would you recommend?” she asks, walking back over to the counter.
“The rose macarons are really popular and the lemon ones,” I say pulling out the trays from the display counter. “You can have a sample if you’d like.” I put one of each on a small plate, and hand it to her. I turn to Taylor who is looking at my phone, and she smiles at me.
“These are delicious, I’ll take a box of each please,” she says looking at the cakes, “and the red velvet cake please.” She gives me a smile and I get the boxes ready.
Taylor walks over to me. “Your lesbian lover is texting you,” she whispers. I shake my head at her, a small smile touching my lips, I walk back to box up the macaroons.
“Would you like anything else?” Taylor asks, as I ribbon up the boxes for her.
“No, that will be all for today,” she replies.
I put the boxes in a bag. “Thank you so much for shopping with us,” I say,” with a smile.
As she leaves I look at my phone.
Sexy Singer: Are you bored with me?
Ashley: I’m at work, by the looks of it, you're not.
Sexy Singer: I’m working, I’ll let you work :)
I put my phone away as I do need to work, I have that big order of truffles to make for delivery this evening.
“So, if you turn into a lesbian, are you going to be the one in the dress or the suit at your wedding?” Taylor asks following me to the back of the store.
“I’m not turning into a lesbian, stop talking like I am.” I look at her. “This person is a sexy man, that looks like Matt Bomer and kisses like a God.” I tell her walking around getting everything together to start the truffles.
“Yeah, because Matt Bomer is now straight and looking for a rainbow-haired blonde girl.” She turns around and walks back to the front of the store. “When you wake up and want to come out as a lesbian remember I will still love you,” she says as she closes the
door behind her with a dirty giggle.
I shake my head at her crazy thinking. Only Taylor would think like that, but I guess that's why I love her so much.
*~*~*
I leave the shop early, Taylor is going to lock up for me and we’ll meet up at the bar later tonight. Saturday night is for dancing and I need to let my feet dance away the cares of the day. Dropping the boxes of treats at the party, I smile seeing that the couple are so happy with them, which in turn makes me happy. The hours I spend making them is all worth it when the couple say they like them.
As I leave the party, I wander around the street for a bit, I’ve been locked in the kitchen all day, the fresh air is nice. Grabbing a coffee I walk out of Starbucks. I look at my phone my mystery texter has been quiet since this morning. As I walk I hit someone. “I’m so sorry,” I say and look up and can’t help but smile.
“I think you have a problem with my feet,” Jackson laughs.
That's twice I’ve stepped on his feet. “Sorry, I was checking my phone.” I move to the side to let others walk past us.
“Waiting for a special message?” he asks, I look up at his blue eyes, and the only thing I can think is, why are you gay?
“No, just not had time to check it today, work’s been busy.” I start walking and Jackson walks along with me. “Are you headed this way? You were walking the other way,” I ask him, taking a sip of my coffee.
“I can get to the park this way too. I'm meeting someone. Where are you heading?” he asks.
I tilt my head over to look at him for a moment. “Home, sleep for a little bit then meeting my friend at the bar. You have plans tonight?” I stop at the park gate, he looks over and smiles. I look and see the same guy from last night.
“No, chilling with the family. Well don’t go stepping on anyone's feet tonight.” He gives me a wink then walks through the gate.
I turn around, and watch Jackson talking to the other guy, he smiles wrapping his arms him. Jackson pulls away, cups his face, and leans his forehead on the guy. Yep he's gay, all the good looking guys are gay. Jackson looks down and picks up a beautiful little girl who is giggling at him, and he has a family. Double punch to the stomach, he’s good looking and has a beautiful little girl.
