A/N: Big, big thanks to typhoidcandy, justkimmy and caz21 for the very first reviews. Also, thank you to everyone that's favorited and followed. I totally appreciate the faith you have in this story even with just one chapter. Enjoy chapter 2!
"You're late again, Sash!" Reggie raised his voice when he heard Sasha bursting into Reggie's Bar & Grill through the back door.
"Ignore him," a young brunette called out to Sasha as she wiped the top of the bar counter. "It's only Wayne and Nick in here."
"Last I checked, Amber, our security are technically customers," Reggie pointed out, and Amber stuck her tongue out at him.
Sasha set her purse in the coatroom before picking up her forest green apron and rushing out into the main area. "Sorry. Had to pick up something urgently for Tyson."
"Ah, T.K. How's my boy doing? And Mia? Been a while since they visited," said Reggie. "Cheryl's asked about them, and Gabby and Regina miss Mia."
"I know, right?" She owed a lot to Reggie Hernandez, the burly Hawaiian man who had somehow tiptoed into her life and become one of her best friends in the whole world. He'd seen her through a lot of good and bad times, culminating the day he offered her a position at Reggie's Bar & Grill after she'd lost her job at the local post office. His wife, Cheryl was a sweetheart, as were his beautiful twin daughters, who were a year older than her little girl. "I'll try to bring the kids over this weekend. We could have lunch or something," Sasha suggested.
"Sounds good," Reggie agreed. "By the way, a friend of mine is coming over to check out the Grill."
"You have the most friends out of everybody I know, including me," Amber commented. And Amber had a lot of friends. No surprise, given her bubbly nature and quirky personality. At first Sasha found it a little annoying, but she eventually warmed up to the young brunette. It helped that she was super-efficient at handling the cash register. She was a sweet girl. A bit naïve, but she had a heart of gold and was an asset to The Grill, and that was what ultimately mattered.
"Yeah, and you're always bringin' 'em here, giving them free food. You're gonna run us into the ground if you keep that up," Sasha teased Reggie, who waved their complaints away good-naturedly. "Y'all are dramatic," he laughed, "And it's Joe, Amber. Remember him?"
Amber's eyes widened. "Oh, do I ever," she answered, inadvertently licking her lips.
"Been a while since he was in town, he's always on the road with his job and all," Reggie mused. "It'll be great to see him."
Intrigued by Amber's reaction, Sasha went over to her. "Who's Joe?" she inquired quietly, "Don't tell me you've slept with him too."
"I wish," Amber said sadly. "He's a wrestler. You should see him Sash. He is so hot, oh my God. He has the most amazing eyes and-"
Sasha had already tuned her out, wondering if it was raining wrestlers today. Reggie had quite a few of those musclehead friends, wrestlers, bodybuilders and the like, and the ones she'd met were assholes. "Right. Have fun with that," she said, before going over to attend to Maurice, an elderly regular customer at the Grill. It was people like him that made Sasha enjoy working there. It wasn't the biggest bar in Tampa Bay, but they had the most loyal customers, which furthered the friendly ambience Reggie strived for. As homely as it was during the day however, nighttime was a different ball game, when the alcohol began to flow and the place became more rowdy, but that was expected. Sasha wasn't fond of working shifts at night, especially since she had to be away from Ty and Mia, but she ultimately knew it was something she had to do to keep her income afloat.
An hour later there was a small commotion as Sasha heard Reggie's deep, loud voice greeting someone. Glancing towards the entrance of the Grill, her jaw dropped. "Oh hell no."
Standing at the door, man-hugging her muscular boss, was an even more muscular man. And not just any muscular man – the same one from the supermarket, the one Tyson got a picture from. That was Joe, the friend Reggie and Amber were talking about? Could she ever catch a break? Which deity had she pissed off today?
Before she knew it, Reggie was already leading him towards the bar where she was. "Hey Sash, I want you to meet Joe. He's the friend I was talking about. Joe, you already know Amber, this is Sasha. Sasha's my co-manager. She runs the Grill in my absence."
Joe looked straight at Sasha, cocking his head in recognition. He remembered her. Oh Lord. "Hi. Nice to meet you...again," he intoned, his deep voice holding a teasing tone that made Sasha feel even more awkward.
Reggie looked back and forth between them. "You two know each other?"
Chuckling, Joe shook his head. "No, we ran into each other at the supermarket this morning. Literally. Still sorry about that, by the way."
Her face burning, Sasha was only able to muster a nod. "It's okay. And sorry about my moment of madness."
"It happens," said Joe, the smile he gave her stirring something inside her that had no business being stirred.
Reggie shook his head. "Don't worry Uce, we've all gotten our heads bitten off by Sash at one time or the other," he said, winking when Sasha glared at him. "So what would you like, bro? Whatever you want is on the house."
Making her way back around the counter, she could feel Joe's eyes on her. She wanted to believe it was a figment of her imagination, but it was that familiar heightened sensation of awareness that told her otherwise. Still, she didn't dare confirm it. Amber openly ogled Joe, as did most of the women inside the Grill. Sasha was sure he was used to all the attention. He was famous after all, not to mention ridiculously good-looking...
Sasha, stop it. "Amber, we've run out of napkins. Could you get some?" she asked, turning when the younger woman didn't respond. "Amber?"
Amber finally tore her eyes away from Joe, her face flushing. "Yeah. Napkins. Right." She hurried away, fanning herself dramatically as she passed Sasha. Holding back a smile, Sasha caught Joe's gaze, his penetrative stare causing warmth to bloom within her body. Mortified by her reactions, she glanced down and cleared her throat. "So what will it be?"
"I'll have a coffee, decaf, black," Joe rattled off, sliding gracefully onto a bar stool and leaning against the counter. "So what's it like, working with Reg? He a pain in the butt?"
"Seeing as he's within earshot, I'm gonna say he's the best boss in the world. But don't tell him I said that, his head barely fits into this place as it is," she whispered.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Joe laughed. The sound came easy to him, and her insides warmed again. She shut it down quickly. "Joe, right?" she questioned, "Thought your name was Roman." At least that's what she heard Tyson call him.
"Roman's my stage name," he clarified. "I'm a professional wrestler."
He definitely looked the part. Unintentionally, Sasha looked him over once more, taking in the sheer magnitude of him. His massive biceps strained his t-shirt, accentuated by the tattoo adorning his entire right arm. She kept looking at his eyes though. She'd never seen grey eyes on someone with his skin tone before, at least not in person. It was an exotic, extremely sexy combination.
Calm the heck down, Sasha, can't you see how young he is?
"I can't remember the last time I watched wrestling," she admitted out loud. "Ten? Fifteen years ago?"
"That's a long time," said Joe.
"I guess it is," Sasha shrugged.
"Shame. But your little brother's a fan, so that's a small victory, right?"
She started to correct him about Tyson but quickly stopped herself. There was no reason to be divulging her personal life with a stranger. "Yeah. It's not really my thing, no offence."
"None taken. Though I do think you should start watching again."
"And why's that?"
"Cause I'm in it now," Joe stated matter-of-factly, causing Sasha to laugh. The truth was, she wasn't about to tell him she didn't watch wrestling because she couldn't afford cable. Tyson always stayed over at his friends' house on Monday and Friday nights so he could catch wrestling. "Not cocky at all," she said. "Nice try, but I think I'll pass."
Joe pretended to be hurt. "Not even for me?"
Sasha laughed again. "Why? We don't even know each other."
"Good point. Though I definitely won't mind getting to know a woman as beautiful as yourself."
Sasha raised an eyebrow. Surely he wasn't trying to flirt with her. She stared back as he looked into her eyes, wearing a smirk that she normally regarded as arrogant. By every standard it was a cheesy statement but here she was, enamored. Quiet confidence oozed from him like a subtle fragrance. Reflexively, she tightened the fingers of her left hand around her apron, ruffled by this strange attraction sparking inside her.
"Yo! Joe, come take a seat!" Reggie called.
"Go ahead, we'll bring your coffee right over," Sasha added, unsure that she could handle his nearness any longer.
"Thanks." Joe's gaze lingered on her for a beat before going over to join his friend. Sasha turned her back, letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Sending Amber over with his beverage, she smiled and shook her head at the way the brunette giggled like a schoolgirl at whatever he saying to her. Amber clearly liked Joe and it seemed mutual. Sasha went about her business around the Grill, serving customers, helping out Amber, doing what she could to keep her attention away from Reggie's handsome friend. Occasionally she would look his way and find him staring at her. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but she thought it best not to dwell on it. Too much.
Joe hung out with Reggie for close to an hour, returning to the bar when it was time to say goodbye. "We work for tips," Sasha told him, tapping the little cylindrical box that stood on the display, and grinned when Joe slid a ten dollar bill into the slit in the box. "Coffee was great, thank you," he said to her.
"No worries. Would you like anything else? Another coffee for the road, maybe?" Sasha asked him.
"Actually, I would like something," he stated, leaning against the counter.
"Name it."
"Your phone number."
That took Sasha completely by surprise. Her phone number? What for? He had to be kidding, surely. Did he not realize there was a near-decade age gap, at least, between them? Guys like him went for women his own age; younger, skinnier, better-looking girls like Amber. Not women pushing forty with two kids. And he didn't even know about her kids, either. Nah, he didn't mean it. He was just playing around. Right?
But much to her surprise, he looked dead serious. Sasha didn't know what to think. An eternity passed before she found her voice again. "I'm sorry, but that's not on the menu." She was about turning away when he took out a pen, scribbled down something on a napkin and slid it over to her. Sasha stared down at it in confusion. "What's this?" she said, eyeing up the digits scrawled on the soft fabric.
"My number," Joe replied. His voice was low and smooth, possessing the self-assurance of one who rarely experienced rejection. "Since you're not comfortable giving me yours, I guess I'll give you mine."
Sasha almost laughed out loud. Is this kid for real? "I don't think so..."
"Please. Keep it," he insisted when she tried to slide the napkin back to him. "You might change your mind." He smiled again, and Sasha's eyebrows reached her hairline. If anything, she was impressed by his audacity. "You sure are a confident man, Joe," she had to say.
"I try to be." He pushed himself off the counter. "I gotta get going. See you again soon, Sasha. Amber," He flashed the brunette a smile that turned her to a puddle of goo where she stood. Sasha watched him walk out the door, and it was the sound of Amber's voice that made her realize she was still staring.
"I knew it! I knew he was into you!"
Sasha scrunched up her nose, quickly putting the napkin away. "No he's not. Don't be dramatic."
"He just gave you his phone number, of course he is! And he kept looking in your direction every five seconds when he was with Reggie! Oh my gosh, Sasha!" she squealed happily. "So are you gonna call him?"
"No." Was the answer not obvious?
"Yeah right," Amber scoffed, "No red-blooded woman in her right mind would pass up a guy like that. Did you look at him?"
Sasha smirked. "Who told you I'm in my right mind?"
"True, you usually aren't," Amber joked. "Come on, Sash. He wants you to call him. And I know you want to. Yeah, you do," she added just as Sasha opened her mouth to protest, "Don't think I didn't see you watching him, too. I think you should go for it. What have you got to lose?"
Where should she start? Sasha pursed her lips, glancing back at the door before settling her eyes on the napkin. She had to hand it to the guy. He had balls.
A/N: Thoughts? Haven't started 3 at all so bear with me. Kindly review! :D