Face to Face Read Free Page A

usual haunt,
but he said he hadn’t been going there for a while.
    She
watched a number of people enter the bar. None were Ash. Stop
it! You have to get Ash out of your head.
    Reaching
for her purse on the passenger seat, she jumped when someone knocked on her
side window. There stood Dan with a wide grin. She smiled back as he opened her
door and offered her his hand to help her out of the vehicle.
    “Hi, Dan.”
    “Hey,
Jess. When y ou said ‘see you in a few minutes,’ you
weren’t kidding.” He laughed as he led her into The Raven House. They were
going to see a local group perform Fiddler on the Roof, one of her favorite musicals.
    After
they took their seats, Dan regaled her with how l ong
he’d worked with Aeronautics and how he was building quite a nest egg for
himself and that special someone. “And if you play your cards right you could
very well be that special lady.”
    Is this joker serious? He can’t possibly get any more cliché if he tried .
    When
the lights went down in the theater and went up on stage, Dan’s hand landed on
her knee. Terrific.
    The
play was very good, the actors were definitely talented, and did a great job of helping her forget her troubles for a bit . That is until D an inched his
hand farther up her thigh. Dropping her hand on top of his, she whispered, “That’s far enough,
Dan. We don’t know each other well enough for that.”
    “Party pooper.” His quiet chuckle grated on her nerves.
    He
flipped his hand over and entwined their fingers. His
sweaty palms were revolting, but as long as she kept ahold of him, his hand
couldn’t wander.
    The
intermission was a chore. As they walked to the lobby, his hand rested on the
upper curve of her butt. “Dan, do I need to re mind you we don’ t
know each other that well again ?”
    “I’m
just having a little fun. Don’t be such a prude.”
    She
rolled her eyes as his irritating laugh rang in her ears all the way back to
their seats.
    Dan
seemed to straighten up and actually enjoy the rest of the play. St ill, this would definitely be their one and on ly date. She’d had enough of him .
    As
the play ended and the audience filed out, Dan was all gentleman while he guided her through the lobby.
    Jess
was pleasantly surprised with the local talent. “Wasn’t the play wonderful? They did such a good job.”
    Dan
pushed the door open, ushering her outside. “I’m glad you enjo yed the show. It was good .” His hand wandered low on her hip.
    “Dan,
you need to move your hand.”
    He
pawed at her as soon as they got ar ound the corn er of the building
and into the shadows. “Stop it, Dan. Go home. This isn’t happening, not tonight,
not ever. Am I being clear enough for you ?”
    She
he ard people leaving the
bar next door and hoped the
interruption would make Dan give up. Apparently, he was n’t bothered by the possibility of being caught assaulting someone. He
continued to push her, trying to get under her jacket.
    “You
don’t mean that, doll. We clicked, didn’t we? We just need some privacy to get
to know each other better.”
    She
pushed at him, trying to shove him away. “Knock it
off, you asshole. I said no and that’s what I meant.”
    “Hey,
buddy, the lady said no. Back off!”
    The
deep voice booming from behind Dan was all too familiar. Oh
shit! Just the person I didn’t want to run into. Jess had to
think fast, she had to find a way to get out of the situation unseen.
    “ Mind your own business!”
    “The
lady said no. You need to move on or I’ll make you move on.”
    “Buddy,
you need to leave us alone. We don’t need you butting in where you aren’t wante d.”
    “I
think we need to let the lady decide what she wants. Ma’am, now’s the time to leave if you’re going to.”
    Ash
walked toward them, and Dan dropped his hold. Jess took advantage of Ash’s
interference and backed a fe w steps deeper into the shadows .
    Keep ing her voice a little gruff, she hoped he wouldn’t realize
who she