83FYI—I just want to warn you in case you don't like to read things that aren't resolved at the end…this is just a three shot, and it's going to end with a cliffhanger, so read on at your own risk. It's AU, and a bit OOC for Rose. I do, however, picture Dimitri to be this smooth. LOL
Thanks for reading!
RPOV
Staring up at the over sized, green neon sign on the red brick building that read O'Farrell's, I took a deep breath and wiped my sweaty palms on my faded jeans. I'd never done anything like this before, and I shouldn't be doing it now. A one night stand wasn't my style; I'd only ever been with one man in my whole entire life.
And in two days…I'd be married to him. To the nicest man on the planet. He was nice to me, he was nice to my family…he was nice to everyone.
And he was nice in bed. Adequate. He'd never set my body ablaze the way some of my friends claimed their husbands did, but he did his best. And that had always been enough for me…until now. The thought of average sex looming endlessly in front of me was suddenly too much to handle. I needed—just one time—to know what all the fuss was about.
And with any luck…in just a few hours…I would.
I was tired of being the person everyone wanted me to be. Once, just this once, I was going to be who I wanted to be. Consequences be damned.
DPOV
I needed another beer, but the bartender was busy with a booth packed full of drunken men who'd been harassing her all evening. In truth, I didn't need another beer. I should be back in my hotel room, settled in for the evening.
My best friend and his wife would be arriving in town tomorrow morning to attend the wedding of one of his college buddies. I was supposed to pick them up from the airport bright and early. Portland, Maine, where my buddy's wife had grown up, was only a four hour drive from the town we'd lived in. I didn't get to see them often, so when they'd told me they were going to be in town and asked if I'd meet up with them I hadn't been able to resist. His wife was cute as a button and could be pretty damn persuasive. Just the thought if her brought a grin to my lips. He'd really struck gold with that one.
I glanced quickly at the waitress to see if she was still being hassled; she wasn't. But only because something near the front had captured the attention of every man at the table. I turned my head to see what it was. Or rather, who.
She'd never been inside a place like this before—that much was evident from the second she stepped through the front door of the little pub. She tried to hide it with her faded jeans and too tight shirt, but it was blatantly obvious.
The big, burly man who'd been sitting with the men pestering the waitress caught my eye as he stood, his eyes glued to the newcomer. My skin crawled as he looked her up and down, licking his lips. The man looked like trouble with a capital T, and I wasn't sure he'd let her go once he reached her.
Before I could think twice, I slid off my bar stool and strode swiftly towards her. "Can I buy you a drink?" I asked, raising my voice so she could hear me over the noise of the jukebox.
She nervously licked her lips—it had the exact opposite effect from when ol' burly over there had done the same thing—and nodded her head. "That sounds great."
I studied her face while I waited for her to tell me what she wanted to drink; she didn't appear to be wearing any makeup except for whatever was on her lashes. And she didn't need to. She was beautiful without it. Her dark brown eyes took in the room, and from the frown on her face, I wasn't sure she'd even been inside a bar before.
"Oh!" she said as she snapped her head around to look at me as if she'd suddenly realized what I was waiting for. "I'll have a screwdriver."
RPOV
For God's sake, Rose, get a hold of yourself! I tried coaching myself. This was quite possibly the seediest place I'd ever stepped foot in. When I'd seen the brawny man in the back staring at me, I'd nearly turned and fled.
Then, out of nowhere, this tall and handsome man (who I suspected was a dead ringer for what the Greek Gods must have looked like) appeared in front of me and offered to buy me a drink. My heart had skipped a beat—something an engaged woman's heart shouldn't do for anyone but her fiancé—and I'd hastily agreed.
His hand, resting at the small of my back, guided me to a pair of empty stools at the bar and he pulled one out for me. I flashed him what I hoped was a sexy smile and sat down.
"I'm DImitri," he said as he took the stool next to me; we were so close together that our knees brushed as we turned to faced each other.
"Rose," I returned.
"Rose. It's nice to meet you...Roza."
His voice was like a caress, and the way he said my name in his sexy Russian accent sent a shiver down my spine. I took the opportunity to study him as he got the bartender's attention. The blue and white striped button down he wore over his white t-shirt couldn't hide his broad shoulders, and like mine, the distress his light blue jeans showed was clearly manufactured as opposed to being gained by years of wear. His brown hair just brushed his shoulders…I'd always been a sucker for a man with long hair. On another man, it might have been a bit eccentric, but on him…it was just plain sexy.
His chocolate brown eyes turned back to me and his lips lifted in a grin at my perusal. "Like what you see?" he asked in a teasing tone.
"Yes," I answered.
With a chuckle, he lifted his bottle of beer off the bar and took a swig; his piercing gaze never left my face.
DPOV
Her candor took me by surprise; for someone who'd been as skittish as she'd been when she first walked through the door, she was doing pretty damn good now. "What are you doing in a place like this?" I asked, unable to stop the question.
She smiled at the bartender as her drink was placed in front of her and then returned her gaze to mine. "I have an agenda," she answered, a grin playing at the corners of her lush lips they surrounded her straw.
"And that is…?" I prompted.
She took a long sip from her drink, making me wait for her answer. "I'm hoping to get lucky."
Her reply made me choke on my beer, and I had to cover my mouth with the back of my hand to keep from coughing on her. When I pulled my hand away, I was chuckling. "Timid little thing, aren't you?" I asked.
"Timid…hasn't…actually worked for me in the past," she admitted with a grin, and a slight blush crept up her cheeks; this wasn't as easy for her as she was trying to lead me to believe.
I nodded my head slowly. "Good to know."
She cleared her throat. "So…what do you say?" she asked. "Do you want to get out of here?"
I arched a brow at her. "You don't want to finish your drink first?" I asked.
She shook her head as she laughed softly. "No. I don't…drink much…and…I'm gonna want to remember this."
I felt one corner of my lips lift in a grin. "Then I guess it's my job to make it worth remembering."