Unwanted Attention

“What am I doing here again?” Dove had to ask herself as she walked up to the bar, checking the address on her phone – Thyme St. A man dressed in a plain blue suit stood outside with a clipboard. Dove grit her teeth. ‘Just make the move forward, Dove.’ She stepped over to the man and smiled pleasantly. He smiled back and looked her up and down. “I’m sorry but the bar is closed for another hour, this is a private event.” He informed her. “I’m here for the speed dating? I’m on the list…Dove is my name…” The man’s smile turned patient. “It’s for thirty to forty five’s…” Dove twisted her mouth in a condescending smile and looked at the ground, tucking her long golden locks behind her ear. “Do you want to check my ID?” She looked back up at him with a dark challenging stare. “Ah…no sorry…here’s the form.” He detached one from his clipboard that had her name printed clearly on the top and held it out to her. “Thank you…” Dove took it delicately and pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Welcome! Please come over here…” A woman in her fifties with an elegant grey bob directed her. “Have you been to one of these before?” “No.” Dove answered as she sat down at the table with a number three on it. “Okay, well…you have a few minutes with each man and from that you rate on the form if you wish to continue your conversation…” “Rate it?” “One to three stars…” The lady explained. “If you have a match of three stars with three stars from one of the men we’ll let you know his details to organise another date, if you don’t get anyone with three stars but you get two stars we will approach that man to see if he wants to meet up with you and why he didn’t judge you three stars and vice versa and so on down till we get a match or not…” “But you never give out the woman’s details?” Dove asked a little apprehensively. “No, never…and the second meet up can be chaperoned if you’re uncomfortable with it, although we usually suggest that you make it like a group date and take a friend with you.” “I see…” Dove was already regretting coming at all. “Okay, love? I need to get back to it…good luck…I’m sure you’ll do well.” The lady beamed a knowing smile at her and headed off. “Okay…” Dove looked at the form then up at the men at the bar all standing in a group watching the women at the tables. ‘Oh god…why am I doing this?’ Dove groaned inwardly. . She only had one question and she asked it of every guy. Without giving me a cliché standard answer that any psychopathic serial killer could say with charm, wit and charisma, tell me the reason why you are here doing this? The varying reactions were interesting to say the least, but she got sick of hearing ‘I’m finally ready to settle down’ and ‘I’m looking for my soul mate’ blah blah. She ended up giving no one any stars and handing the form back blank, ready to call this night a bust. As the event ended and the lady explained that she would be in touch with everyone with their results tomorrow, Dove got up and retreated to the bathroom. She hid in there for a good half an hour before venturing out again. When she came back the bar was now open for business, the guys from the speed dating couldn’t be seen anywhere, so relieved she decided to get a drink to try and calm her anxiety levels. She sat down on a stool at the bar and ordered a house pinot gris. As she sat quietly sipping it she glanced around. This bar was interesting, it was dark and full of old leather chairs with a fireplace and wood floors. The walls were strangely lined with books, the place looked like some old gentlemen’s club and she pictured old men sitting in their chairs smoking cigars back in the 1800’s. It was pleasant and no one bothered her so she felt moderately safe. She finished her drink and went to leave when a voice sounded beside her. “Can I get you another?” She flinched at the deep voice beside her, thinking it might be one of the guys from the speed dating. “Look, I’m not interested…” She turned to stare into the ice blue eyes of a man she had never seen before. She startled for a moment. “Oh! Sorry…” “You thought I was one of those speed date guys come back?” He asked amused as he wandered past her shoulder and through the entry flap in the bar. “Oh! You work here?” She noticed the uniform shirt then and grimaced to herself for her stupidity. “I own here…” He said casually and leaned his elbow on the bar from the opposite side to her. “Oh, okay…well my compliments, it’s a unique place…I like it.” “Thank you.” He smiled and his whole face lit up in a boyish rogue kind of way. “So about that drink?” “Ah…I was just leaving…we’re encouraged not to stay…” Dove explained. “You are?” He frowned. “That’s interesting, most do…at least for a little while.” His voice had a coaxing tone to it like he was daring her to stay. “I mean the women, for their safety…although I’m sure that’s why you host these things, right? It’s a good idea…makes your bar look full and inviting as soon as it’s open.” He narrowed his eyes at her, appraising her. “You in marketing?” Dove giggled. “No, nothing like that…” His eyes narrowed further and darkened at her giggle. “You a shrink?” Dove looked at him surprised. “Why do you ask that?” “I heard your question…the one you asked all those guys.” He looked at her intensely. Dove frowned and leaned away from him slightly wary. “You did?” He grinned again. “I’m not a psychopathic serial killer either, don’t worry.” He said like he was reading her mind. “Yeah…I should go…” Dove said, getting a bit of a weird vibe. “Why do you ask that question?” He prompted. Dove sighed and played with her empty wine glass. “To scare them off most likely, if I’m being honest with myself.” He laughed, a rich throaty chuckle. “You didn’t rate any of them did you? So no one took your interest, not even in the slightest? Do you judge solely on first impressions like that?” Dove stared at him. If she judged on first impressions she would be in bed f*****g this guy right now! He was tall, dark haired and gorgeous. His dark blue jeans hung from his hips but hugged his buttocks and his black long sleeved t-shirt with the bar’s name – Henersley-on-Thyme – printed on it clung to every sculptured muscle, but Dove wasn’t twenty anymore and she knew a bad boy when she saw one, but he was a respectable business owner…wasn’t he? She met his gaze and saw him watching her with an intensely amused expression. His pale blue eyes striking against his tanned features and shiny black crop of hair. He raked a hand through the top of his hair sweeping the long bangs out of his eyes. It was longish on top, the sides shaved short in a modern fade style that made him look like a model in a magazine. His eyelashes were long and thick making his eyes extra expressive and appear almost like he was wearing liner. “Are you judging me right now?” He asked with a chuckle. Dove realised she hadn’t answered his question. “No, if I judged people on first impressions I would have accepted your offer of a drink.” She smirked slyly at him and looked away. He frowned, digesting her words then looked back at her. “And now?” His voice was harsh. Dove was about to answer with a simple goodbye when the lady from the speed dating event tapped her on the shoulder. “Miss, can I have a quick word with you, please?” She asked quietly. Dove turned to face the woman. “Sure, what is it?” The bar owner straightened up and looked away nonchalantly as the lady flicked a look at him briefly. “I have to question your intentions of coming tonight?” She said to Dove seriously. “Why is that?” Dove asked agitated. “You didn’t even give one guy a rating…are you a journalist doing a piece or something?” Her tone became accusatory. “No! I…” Dove was astounded at the audacity of the woman. “Every single guy gave you at least two stars…” The woman continued. The bar owner frowned and folded his arms. He glanced down the bar that was filling with people and looked at his barmen briefly, his eyes dark and brooding as he listened to the conversation. He sucked on his tongue, irritated. “Look…I didn’t find any of them interesting…” Dove was saying back to the woman. “Yet you stay in the bar and chat up the barman like a normal floosy?” The woman said tartly. “Well! That’s rude!” Dove spluttered, she was speechless. “It’s not…” The bar owner stepped over and leaned over the bar. “I think you should leave Ms Bernstein, but before you do, let me introduce myself.” He held his hand out as Ms Bernstein looked at his intense dark gaze with apprehension. “I’m Cooper Henersley, I own this establishment…in fact I own this whole building.” Ms Bernstein paled. “Oh, Mr Henersley…yes, I have heard of you…my apologies…I never expected you to actually be…well…here.” “I’m not usually…these business of mine run themselves, but I was curious about how your events work within my establishment so I came down to check it out. I was asking the lady here some questions about her experience…” His tone was harsh and derisive. Ms Bernstein stammered, she looked at Dove. Dove was sitting staring at Cooper, not believing what she was hearing. He owns the whole building? Interesting, but why was he saying it like it was some big deal? “I’m so sorry, Mr Henersley, I didn’t realise…okay well, I’ll get going then…have a pleasant evening. Oh, and Dove…did you want the names of anyone at all?” Ms Bernstein asked. Cooper’s eyes were intense as he slid his gaze to Dove after hearing her name for the first time. “No, thank you.” Dove slipped off her stool and reached out for her bag with the intention of leaving too, as Ms Bernstein practically ran for the door. A hand clamped over hers on top of her bag. Dove looked up startled into those ice blue eyes and found them staring at her with a heated fire in them that gave her stomach a little flip. “Dove? Your name is Dove?” Cooper’s mouth twitched up in the corners and he turned his head away in a snicker. Dove pulled her hand out from under his. “Shut up! What sort of name is Cooper?” She demanded indignantly. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to laugh…honestly…it’s just…unusual.” He sighed and a calm benevolence seemed to come over him. “Stay for another drink.” He said in a calm deep compelling voice as he placed his hand back over hers again. Dove frowned at his hand. It was large, his fingers long, slender and dexterous. She wondered if he could play the piano, those hands looked like they should. “Ah, I really should be going…” Dove breathed. His hand was so hot it was burning. He removed his hand and quickly grabbed a bottle of wine and filled her glass. “You’ve just been insulted in my bar, I feel I need to put things right…stay.” His voice was pleasant, but when he said stay, it carried a note of finality to it, an order. Dove slowly sat back on the stool looking at the now full wine glass, then slid her gaze back up to Cooper. As her eyes met his he smirked and tilted his head sideways at her, appraising her. . She was beautiful and he couldn’t believe she was over thirty, she looked no more than twenty four at the most. Judging by her fit looking body in that snug fitting shift dress and those well-defined calves from those heels, she worked out too. As soon as she had walked in he had wanted her. Watching her go through that speed dating had made him angsty and annoyed. He knew every guy wanted her…he wanted to just drag her out of there and take her somewhere only he could look at her. When he had said ‘Stay’ he could see her body react so naturally to him. He was rock hard and had to adjust himself. She could do this to him, no woman had made him react like this for a very long time? He came back around the bar and sat on the stool next to her. She looked at him pretentiously. “You’re going to stay and talk to me?” “Yes…is that a problem?” He asked with an eyebrow raised. God, this woman was cruel! “You look like you’re here to work…” Dove gave him a once over. Cooper looked down at his shirt. “Right, I was…I like to from time to time, keeps me grounded…but I’ve decided not to, now.” He gave her that roguish smile. She frowned and looked at the bar top, wiping at a droplet of water with one finger. “Because of me?” “You were here to find a date…right?” He asked amused. She raised her gaze slowly, appraising every inch of him with a cool expression. Cooper found himself holding his breath. This woman! He had never been coolly assessed before, women threw themselves at him usually. “You think you fit the bill?” She said flatly, her steely blue eyes giving nothing away. He grinned. Finally a worthy opponent. “Only one way to find out, isn’t there?” “All those other guys got only a few minutes…and I assessed them.” Cooper frowned. “Tch, you’ve got a savage tongue, perhaps someone needs to just take you in hand and tame you properly.” He said purposely in a low commanding voice, testing the waters. Dove’s eyes widened and her cheeks went red in a delightful blush. Cooper chuckled. “So…you’re not as confident after all…interesting.” Dove was just about to get up and walk out when he grabbed her hand, patted it then dropped it as he stood up. “Stay here a moment, wait for me…” He dashed off towards a nearby hallway that Dove assumed went to some back rooms and office. Or maybe it led to a stairwell, did he live here? He said he owned the building. She looked at the wine in front of her. “Well, I still have a wine to drink…so…” She muttered to herself in answer since he was already gone. The barman glanced at the retreating figure of Cooper then at Dove. .