Reprisal Read Free Page B

wouldn’t even know what to say without tripping over my own lips. Let’s go, the show’s over and I need to hit the bed. Been a long day.” I say as I stand up and re-position my bag on my shoulder, which has since slid down my arm.
    “Chicken.” Les teases.
    “Yep, that’s me. Let’s go.”
    I stand to move and Leslie falls in behind me, making me lead the way. I know what she’s doing and I try to brush it off, making my way towards the door. I catch one more glance of the bouncer as we reach the door, but I make my exit in front of Leslie and the door shuts behind me.
    Blue lights light up the street, no doubt with a drunk goon in each one. Leslie and I stand on the sidewalk while we contemplate our next move. Les lives close, so she can walk but I have to hail a cab. I live on the Upper East Side and she lives in Midtown. As a yellow taxi pulls up, I hug Les and tell her I’ll call her tomorrow and of course, “Be careful walking home. This ain’t the suburbs girl.”
    “You too, sleep tight.” She says as I close the door to the taxi.
    It takes about fifteen minutes to get me to the door to the apartment I sublet from a friend of my mothers. It’s a corner penthouse and totally out of my league, but I love it. As I unlock the door, my favorite scents of lavender and mint fill my nose and I take a deep breath. In my line of work, relaxation is a must during down time. You can’t let the stresses of the day get to you or you’ll go mad. This is my down time and I do what’s needed to relieve the stress.
    I drop my purse on the sofa and head to my bedroom, which is my oasis. Warm earth tones cover the large king size bed and dark furniture. It’s warm and cozy and totally me. Since I live alone I was able to decorate just like I wanted. With a hectic schedule I knew I needed calm and comfortable at home. Simple decorations and a homey feeling.
    I snap my iPhone in the docking station and turn it on to the jazz station as music fills the room. It’s only ten thirty, so I fill the tub with hot water and chamomile and sink my tired, aching body down in to the bubbles. Thoughts of the bouncer fill my mind and I silently wonder if I should have introduced myself. I shake off that thought quickly, but I can’t get his dark ‘bedroom’ eyes out of my mind. His eyes were seductive and sexy, just begging to be hovering over a willing female body. Or male, for all I know. Yeah, that’s it. He’s probably gay and I would never stand a chance. That’s what I’ll keep telling myself so I don’t think about him anymore.
    Les was right though, I am chicken shit. My tormented past prohibits me from making casual conversation with men, especially gorgeous men. I know I’ve probably missed out on a whole lot of fun in my younger days, but I stayed away from anything that could remotely be trouble. I’ve had enough of that in my life and now I focus on helping others get out of trouble. Maybe it’s the wrong way to be, but it’s me and I have to accept that.

Chapter 3
    Gabe
     
    “Man, did you see that woman and her friend that just left?” I ask Mark, the manager here.
    “Nah man, women come and go through here like tornados, I hardly notice anymore. Why, what was so different about her?”
    “Her eyes, dark and mysterious. You had to have seen her, cause she was stunning. I watched her for a bit from the back bar and just her mannerisms were hypnotic. Long dark straight hair and those dark eyes, like she holds many a secret.” I tell him as I stare towards the table where she sat with her friend. “After I broke up the fight, I planned to go to her table, but she and her friend disappeared out of the blue, almost like she was never here at all.”
    “Gabe, man. Snap out of it dude. You look like you’ve just lost your puppy. It’s a bar, the women are a dime a dozen. Give it a few, another hottie will walk in shortly and you’ll forget all about her.” Mark says as he slaps me on the shoulder and