Sara–Sugarplum! I’ll drop my location. The bar is called Maloney’s… you know how much I love me an Irish bar.
Lucy–An Irish bar or an Irish man?
Sara– Do I have to pick?
Giggling to myself, I open the map and follow it along to where she is. Luckily, it only takes a few minutes to get there. It’s one of those bars that you can hear before it even comes into view. The large folding doors are open wide, with the patrons spilling out onto the street, singing along to the current band that’s playing. The kind of bar where everyone is having a good time. I make my way through the busy crowd on the hunt for Sara, to find her sitting at the bar with two men on either side. One I vaguely remember from a house party back in college days. The other one I have definitely never met before, because with a face like that, there is no way I could forget it.
He has a Jason Momoa vibe, dressed casually with messy, tousled curls tied back off his face. This shows off his strong jawline and deep brown eyes. He’s the kind of man I would never approach. I feel way too inadequate to evenattempt chatting him up. The three of them haven’t noticed me until I call out. “Sara!”
“Lucy!” She shouts back as soon as she sees me. Her full face brightens even more when she spots me. “God, I have missed you. We can never, ever, go this long without each other again! It has been torture.” She complains, before hopping off her barstool and enveloping me in a tight hug.
“I know. You’re not allowed to leave me to fend for myself. You’re going to have to move in with me up north.” I joke, knowing she would never do such a thing.
Last time she came to see me, she told me how cute it is around Bewdley. But also, how boring it was. She needs the nightlife and craziness of being near a big city.
“Nope, not happening. We just need to find another job together.” She smiles, taking my hand to pull me over to her friends. “This is my best friend in the whole world, Lucy. And this is Leon and Riley.”
So, sex on legs is called Riley. I take a mental note, not that I’ll be forgetting that man's name any time soon. But what I don’t get is why they’re here. Tonight was meant to be just us two, unless she’s just met them at the bar whilst she was waiting for me. With her confidence, I wouldn’t put it past her.
“Hi guys,” I squeak out. My nerves are getting the better of me. I will kill her later for not giving me the heads up. If I had known she was planning this, I would have put more effort into my appearance.
That’s until Riley lays eyes on me and gives me the most sexual come fuck me look I ever did see. He stands and holds a hand out to me. “Aren’t you a pretty little thing?” His voice is rough, matching his appearance to perfection. “Sara said you were beautiful, but beautiful doesn’t do you justice.”
Holy mother of God. I don’t need a mirror to know I am red from my head to my toes at the compliment. It is something I get told often, but I just don’t know how to take it.
Scrambling for the right thing to say, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “Thank you. So are you.”
So are you?
What the hell is wrong with me?
He just laughs, shaking his head slightly. Even his teeth are perfect. He has a twinkle in his eye as he studies me. “What would you like to drink?”
Something strong.
“A vodka, lime, and lemonade would be amazing, thanks.”
The second he turns to face the bar, I whip my head around to glare at Sara. The little bitch has a hand over her mouth, hiding her snicker. I narrow my eyes, making it clear how annoyed I am at her. How could she not warn me I was meeting Goliath reincarnate tonight?
“What have you ladies got planned whilst you’re in the city?” Leon asks as Riley passes me my drink. It takes all of my willpower not to down the whole thing in one.
“Shopping, exploring, and partying,” Sara answers, bouncing with excitement. “We’re going to be proper tourists and do it all. Lucy has never been to Buckingham Palace!”
“And the London Eye, I’ve always wanted to go on it,” I add, my own excitement taking over. I may have travelled the world, but I have never explored my own country… and I can’t wait!
“I can be your tour guide, if you like?” Riley’s smooth voice says from beside me. “I’ve lived here for a while and know it quite well.”
“Yes!” Sara interrupts. “We’d love that, wouldn’t we, Lucy?” She adds pointedly.
“Mmhmm, sounds great.” So much for a girl’s trip. So I will have more chances to embarrass myself, just what I needed.
“Don’t sound too excited,” Riley adds, his eyes filled with amusement.
I smile sheepishly at him, not wanting to come across as rude. “I’m sorry, I am so socially awkward sometimes I don’t even realise it.”
“Don’t worry, I get it. Come on, why don’t we go and take a seat, and you can tell me all about your travels.”
He is sexy and kind. What a dangerous mix of the two. Maybe he should be the stallion I get back on, maybe it’s time to saddle up. I’ve got to do it at some point, and what are the chances of me ever seeing him again? I need to get over Max, and getting under Riley seems to be the perfect plan. My vagina might close over soon if I don’t put it to use.
Max. I think this is the longest I have ever gone without thinking about him. Especially when I’m around another man. I haven’t compared the two once, but there is no comparison. I don’t think you could get two more opposite men if you tried. Where Riley is all gruff and manly, Max is charming and funny. Both men are beautiful in their own way.
The main difference being… Max is the one who has my heart, but that doesn’t mean Riley can’t have another part of me.
