CHAPTER 9
Where the Hell would she go, Shawn wondered as he came to a halt outside the hotel and surveyed the streets. The hotel they were actually staying at was on the other side of town, not like she couldn't get there by herself but he had a feeling Sitara wasn't in any proper condition to go far much less think on how she would be getting there.
His gaze finally landed on a seedy, somewhat country looking bar across the street and figured why not. If he had been in her place, he probably would have hit the booze as quickly as possible. After checking the traffic, he hurried across the road and ducked inside; coughing as a wave of smoke and the stench of sour beer hit him.
After his eyes had adjusted to the slightly burning sensation from the smoke, he peered around; finally spotting her in the back. Murmuring 'excuse me's', he made his way to her; dropping down across from her in the booth.
He frowned when he seen the bottle of Jose Cuervo sitting before her, a salt shaker and a bowl of sliced lime sitting along a filled shot glass. "Tara, honey…"
She peered at him through blearily eyes, not from being drunk but from crying. "What do you want?" She asked hoarsely, her voice sounding clogged from her crying.
Shawn reached across the table to take her hands in his; sighing when she jerked them away in order to down her shot. "Sitara, look, what Hager said… nobody cares about, it's in your past."
Snorting, she focused on her tequila, refilling the glass. "Sure, Shawn, sure."
"I'm serious, Tara, a lot of the… divas, well… they did… porn." Not that anyone openly talked about it as it was a no-no topic, he had a feeling this was going to be as well. "But nobody cares."
"Uh huh… how many of those women got pregnant by one of the superstars and then apparently tried conning him for shit?"
"None."
"Point made." She grumbled, slamming the next shot.
"I don't believe you tried conning him out of anythin' though, sweetheart. I think Hager is a lyin' son of a bitch with a mean streak a mile wide."
"You can say that again." She met his stare; blinking which caused the unshed tears to roll down her cheeks; following the trails left behind by others. "We didn't meet AT… where I worked, we met on the street; we bumped into each other." She whispered.
His eyes were sympathetic.
"He asked me to dinner and… we just clicked, instant chemistry. I didn't know what a sodding cuntrag he was." Now her tone went bitter. "Being the git that I am and all."
"And then…?"
"He left. I went by to... stripping and 'being a whore'," She used her fingers to accent that; scowling. "Found out I was pregnant. My boss told me to abort it or lose my job so I quit."
Shawn knew what came next, letting her know silently she didn't have to tell him the rest.
But Sitara was buzzing thanks to the few shots she had drowned and just shook her head. "Lost my flat, couldn't pay my tuition, then I lost the baby."
He thought he seen a spasm of pain flicker across her face, seriously considering looking up the now unemployed Hager and beating him to a bloody pulp; no doubt he'd be able to recruit Paul into helping him.
"Go away, Shawn." She sighed. "I want to be alone."
He grunted, pushing away from the table.
Sitara was mildly surprised he actually listened to her; glancing down at her limes and blinked; her eyes feeling dry and irritated, out of tears.
Can I cut in on a dance?
You ain't gonna find what you're lookin' for
In that little Mexican
You can't mix your tears
With those from an agave plant
You see I've danced with him myself
And he's never been a friend
"Come on."
She felt his strong hands beneath her arms; lifting her from her seat and gripped his wrists to keep from toppling; her arms going around Shawn's neck for balance when he gently turned her around. "What're you doing?" She demanded softly.
"Dancin' with you."
"Are you serious?"
"For once, yes." Shawn bent down to press his forehead to hers. "I know you had it rough, but things are different now, they CAN be, if you let them. The only the past is going to hurt you is if you let it, darlin'."
You go believin' in your Lancelot
Well it's all in vain
And you're chasin' picket fences,
There's always hell to pay
I met many a girl in here
With the same story line
All them boys on those white horses
Don't know how to ride
Sitara glanced towards the jukebox then back at Shawn, her eyes narrowing and tried to hide a smile when he just grinned slightly. "Who sings it?"
"Christian Kane."
"Never heard of him."
"Somehow, sweetheart, that don't surprise me."
But I got a paint outside with enough giddyup
To be free
I got a faint smell of cheap perfume
And a hint of gasoline
See I'm a different kind of knight
You're gonna find your fairytales are lies
I don't have a white horse
But you can come along for the ride
She rested her head against his shoulder; her eyes straying back to the bottle of tequila at her table but she wasn't tempted to finish what she had started: a grand drunk.
Shawn tightened his arms around her, smelling a mixture of Tabu and liquor; a hint of lime. No wonder she was a hint distrustful of him, it all made sense now. Jake had turned her life upside down once before already without thinking twice.
And then done it again tonight.
She said "I'm tired of living life in a romance book
I think chivalry's dead
And I ain't gonna look
For them roundtable boys on the white horse
That can't get the story right."
I said "as luck would have it
I was tossed by the throne
I let my merry hair down
Some years ago
And I traded my coat of arms
For a guitar and some broken yellow lines."
Stephanie had called him a tool, Sitara remembered with a slight smile; hiding her lips against the collar of his shirt just in case. Stephanie had been right, Shawn was a tool, at times. Other times… he was… something else.
Like now, he wasn't be annoying or cocky; he was being thoughtful and… sweet.
It was a bit bitter, part of her screaming 'he's trying to get in your pants' and the other part knowing better but also afraid of what happened after this dance.
Life existed outside this tiny bar and repercussions for tonight's drama would come.
But I got a paint outside with enough giddyup
To be free
I got a faint smell of cheap perfume
And a hint of gasoline
See I'm a different kind of knight
You're gonna find your fairytales are lies
I don't have a white horse
But you can come along for the ride
"You don't have to go back to work straightaway." Shawn murmured, his chin resting against her head as they swayed; feeling her body beginning to finally relax into his; the soft weight of her against him something he had a feeling that would never come around again.
"Yes, I do." She whispered back.
"Why?"
"I'm not a coward."
He smiled.
She kinda shifted in her seat a little bit
The thought of every eye on her bee-stung lips
And she raised that glass and the lime
And she kissed them goodbye
She said "promise me you'll take it slow
And swear no talk of tomorrow
And when you feel me tighten around you
Well you can let the hammer down."
Sitara pulled away to stare up at him; the buzz fading. "I think I'm ready to go call it a night, tomorrow is going to be… interesting."
"Wait and see, nobody will say a word. I told you, some of the divas dabbled in porn."
She grimaced. "We'll see."
Shawn just smiled at her. He had a feeling Stephanie would fine someone to hell and back for mentioning tonight's outburst. He was tempted to tell her Steph had fired Jake but figured she probably didn't want to hear that troll's name at the moment. "I'll take you home then."
And I got a paint outside with giddyup
To be free
I got a faint smell of cheap perfume
And a hint of gasoline
See I'm a different kind of knight
You're gonna find your fairy tales are all lies
I don't have a white horse
Oh
But you can come along for the ride
Shawn kept a hand on the small of her back as he guided her from the bar, waiting until they were on the less crowded street to join her at her side and wrap his arm around her. "For what it's worth, you look really beautiful tonight."
"You mean I did."
"No," The palms of his hands skimmed up her bare arms; feeling goosebumps breaking out on her skin. "You do." Even with her mascara and eyeliner a little… streaked and the tip of her nose was still reddish, but she was still beautiful.
As he was leaning down, she was moving closer; they met in the middle.
But you can come along for the ride…
THE END
