Leather & Lacey

Ch. 4: Dinner at Denny's

(Lacey’s POV)

He probably thinks I’m crazy after that. But I don’t care. It’s not like I’m ever gonna see him again after tonight. After next week, I won’t even be in NY anymore.

It’s a shame, though. This guy is drop-dead gorgeous. After everything that f*cktard, Roger, has put me through, it sure would be nice to rub his nose in the fact that I not only moved on, I moved on with a much hotter guy. Not that Roger was particularly hot. I mean, he wasn’t bad looking, just not an Adonis like Leather here.

And this car…

I don’t know who he 'jacked' this from, or what bank he robbed for it, but it was one s*xy vehicle. Some sort of sports car in jet-black with leather upholstery. We got to Denny’s so fast we never even had time to strike up a conversation.

As we were getting out of the car, I had the displeasure of having to put my shoes back on. He waited patiently and as I finally got out I said, “God, I’m hungry. I feel like I could eat a cow right now.” He laughed as we went inside, and the waitress got us a booth.

He had to look over the menu, but I didn’t. I love Denny’s. Me and Emmitt drag Rosie here every Saturday for brunch. Danny has all the waitresses thoroughly infatuated with him, though I don’t see anyone working that I know right now.

So when the waitress came over and Leather was still looking over the menu, I said, “Hey Leather? Just order the country fried steak, man. You’ll love it. Trust me.” I then turned to the waitress and ordered an appetizer, a bowl of soup, a salad, and the country fried steak for myself, then finished by saying, “And can we get separate checks, please? I don’t actually know this man from Adam. He just walked in next to me and decided to sit with me for some odd reason, so I just went with it.”

I laughed softly, so did the waitress as she said, “Okay, hun”, then turned to Leather, who was chuckling as he said, “One check is fine. It’s my treat. It's the least I can do for infringing on the lovely ladies' time.” We all laughed again as he told the waitress he’d have what I was having, and she went off to place our orders.

“So, I still don’t know your name…” He said, and I laughed as I said, “Sure you do. It’s Lacey.” I don’t know why, but I felt like it was okay to let him call me that. He chuckled as he said, “Okay, I get it. A woman of mystery.” I laughed and shook my head as I said, “No, not really. I’m actually normally the quiet type. I don’t really do clubs all that often, but I’m starting a new job soon and my co-workers wanted to take me out. Normally, I’d just have been home with my family and a good book.”

“Ahhh, whatcha readin’ these days?” He asked with a smile as our appetizers came. “Romance novel called The Alpha’s Warrior Princess. I like fantasy novels. The real world is too messed up to read about real stuff. It’s depressing.” I answered as I chomped on my mozzarella sticks and let out a little moan of delight when the ooey-gooey cheesy bite of heavenly deliciousness went sliding down my throat.

I’m a sucker for a good mozzarella stick. Just sayin’,

He looked like he’d just bit his tongue there for a minute, so I asked, “Are you okay?” and he nodded as he took a sip of his water. “Yeah, fine. Went down the wrong way.” He rasped out, and I gave him a weird look.

He didn’t choke, he just seemed to have trouble swallowing it down. But whatever. “What about you?” I asked, and he actually choked on the next bite of food he took. I was starting to wonder if this guy had ever eaten solid foods before. “What about me, what?” He asked in an odd voice that almost sounded like he was panicking.

I frowned a little with confusion as I asked, “Do you like to read?” “OH, yeah… I like to read sometimes. Though I don’t get much time to read these days. Been a little busy with work.” He shrugged and went back to his food. “Ahhh, yes. The dreaded W word.” I said, making him chuckle. “So what did you think I was asking?” I said as I picked up another mozzy stick.

“Nothing, I mean.. I didn’t know what you were trying to ask.” I gave him a look of suspicion, and he laughed, “Seriously, I didn’t. Anyway, what’s your favorite color?” He asked, and I said, “Forest Green, you?”

And that’s how our meal went, with us joking and laughing and asking all kinds of st*pid, off-the-wall questions. I learned that his favorite color was dark blue, his favorite musician was Foreigner, his favorite type of music in general is rock from the 80’s and 90’s, he’s had ‘a fair few’ girlfriends, he likes to swim, jog, and play touch football with his friends. He loves to try new things, especially cuisine. And he likes fast cars.

It was a really nice way to spend the evening.

What I never did learn? His name. And I didn’t want to. I don’t want any strings, I just want to enjoy my evening with this sweet guy and go home with a happy memory for once.

(Lucas’ POV)

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a date so much. She was absolutely wonderful.

I caught on early that she doesn’t realize just how s*xy she is, either. That whole thing early on in our meal? With her moaning over the mozzarella sticks? I d*mn near lost my mind over that. I had to adjust myself. Over a d*mn moan.

I don’t think I’ve ever had that happen before. At least not since I was a teenager. Not since Beatrice Loenstein. She was d*mn f*ckin’ good with that mouth of hers. If you could get her to shut the f*ck up, that is.

The only problem with Tris was that she put the Ho in wh*re. Actually, I take that back. That wasn’t her only problem. She also had a problem with money. As in, she thought it grew on trees and us guys all owned money plantations. So if you didn’t have any, she didn’t give you the time of day.

Her parents and mine are actually good friends. They tried matchmaking between us, but Tris decided she wanted to travel the world and spend other men’s inheritances before settling down. We’re still friends. But after years of on-again, off-again bullsh*t, I finally said enough was enough. I want commitment. All she wants is to party.

Lacey doesn’t seem like the type of girl who would lead someone on like Tris does, though. So far I’ve gotten nothing but good vibes from her. “So, what about you? You got a boyfriend, a husband, anything like that?” She laughed as she said, “If I did I wouldn’t be sitting here, right now. I mean, I have a few ex’s. But nothing to write home about.”

“So do you live with your parents, then?” I asked as I took a sip of my milkshake. She looked down sadly as she said, “No. I'm living with other family right now.” Okay, that was curious. I wish I knew what made her so upset, but I didn’t feel like it was my place to pry. So instead, I said, “Well, what about your new job? When do you start? What will you be doing? Ect.”

She looked up at me with a smile again as she said, “I start my new job in a couple of weeks, actually. It’s just an office job. But it’s a step up from the café at least. What about you? What do you do for a living?” She asked, and I immediately regretted going down this lane.

I thought about it for a minute before saying, “I work with my friends. We sort of do a little bit of everything.” She laughed softly as she said, “So if I need my sink fixed I know who to call, right?” I just chuckled as I playfully responded, “For you, beautiful? Anytime.”

By the end of our meal, I knew so much about her. She was funny, and smart as a whip.

Other than her favorite color, I now knew that she had a widely eclectic taste in music, she was a diehard Disney fan, she liked musicals, comedies, romance, action-adventure, anything Marvel, and fiction. She hated horror and disaster movies but loved nature documentaries. Food wasn’t just for nourishment to her, it was for comfort too. She liked biking, hiking, and swimming.

When she told me she liked swimming, I found myself imagining her in a bikini. Unfortunately, that meant me having to adjust myself yet again from the imagery running through my head.

All too soon, dinner was over, and the check arrived at our table. She snatched it before I could get it, and I was genuinely shocked by her actions. She clutched that ticket in her hand the entire time she sorted through her tiny purse looking for something before pulling out a ten-dollar bill and sitting it on the table, then started to get up.

“I’m buyin’, beautiful. Remember?” I said as I reached for the check, and she held it to her chest and turned away a little so I couldn’t get it as she said, “Nutuhh. Maybe you can treat some other time. Or buy someone else their dinner. Those people over at that table seem like a nice little family. Treat them.” She giggled as she sauntered off toward the cashier.

I chuckled and shook my head at her as I followed.

When we got to the cashier, she pulled out more cash and paid for our meal. I found it strange, seeing as most people use credit or debit cards these days, but didn’t really think anything more of it. When we got outside, she pulled out her phone and started to text someone. “So where to now, gorgeous?” I asked as we walked together back to my car.

“Well, iiiiii am going home, Leather. But I really wanna thank you for a fun evening. This was way better than that stuffy, obnoxious, club.” She laughed. I couldn’t help but smirk as I wondered what she’d say if she knew I was part owner of that stuffy, obnoxious, club.

“It’s still early. We could find something else to do.” I said, not wanting this night to end so soon. She looked at me as she considered what I'd said before hesitantly asking, “Like what, exactly?” I couldn’t help but laugh at the suspicion in her tone. “I donno, whatever you like.”

She gazed at me thoughtfully before saying, “Know any place to get a couple of drinks?” I grinned as I said, “I know just the place, actually. Come on.” I opened her car door as I spoke, and she smiled as she got in.

I took her back to my hotel, to the bar in the lobby. It’s an upscale hotel, so the bar is open all hours, and it’s nice and quiet. At least for the most part.

I’ve been here a few times with the guys or for business meetings. But this is the first time bringing a woman I’m interested in. It’s got a nice, romantic ambiance to it.

We were just pulling up when I noticed her texting again. “Tell your boyfriend I’ll have you home in one piece.” I chuckled, and she laughed as she said, “Unfortunately, I’m hopelessly single. Which is just fine by me. But my cousin is nagging me about the time, so I may have to cut this short.”

I didn’t want that. I mean, it was late, but I just didn’t want this night to end. Especially with me leaving town in a few days. But I’m really hoping I'll be leaving town with her number. And her name. Definitely her name.

We got out of the car and started inside, but as I got to the door someone grabbed my arm. “Where’s your little friend, Lional?” I didn’t even have to turn around to know who that was. His voice was enough. I smiled at Lacey as I said, “Go on inside, beautiful. I’ll be right with you.” “Dude, is everything alright?” She asked, eyeing the guy behind me like she was ready to kick him in the nuts or something.

I smiled as I nodded and said, “Everything’s fine. I’ll explain in a minute.” She nodded as she headed into the lobby and once she was safely inside I turned around. “Armond, even if I knew where Lional was I wouldn’t tell you. You’ve done enough to ruin his life.”

He took a threatening step towards me, but I didn't move a muscle even as he spoke through gritted teeth saying, “Listen, you overstuffed pr*ck! I don’t give a rats-a** how much money you have. I swear, if you know where my son is you’d better tell me, or I’ll…” “You’ll what? You got no leg to stand on, Armond. Now get out of here and leave me alone.” I interrupted calmly.

“Yeah, that’s right.” He scoffed, “Go back to your little wh*re. It’s all you’ve ever been good for, anyway. Wh*rin’ around and sticking your obnoxious nose in places it doesn’t belong.” I was hoping he’d take a swing at me after saying that, but he didn't. “I don’t give a sh*t what you think about me, Armond. You’re nothing but scum. Your f*ckin' opinion means nothing.” I said as I started to turn to go inside.

“You f*ckin’ a**hole!” He shouted and out of the corner of my eye I saw him take a swing at me. I ducked but came up swinging, catching him right in the gut and knocking the wind out of him. “I’ll sue you, you bastard!” he shouted, but I just laughed.

When I turned around, Lacey was standing there with her phone up. She looked at Armond, then at me and said, “are you alright?” She was honestly concerned about me and I couldn’t help but think how sweet that was. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go inside, though.”

He was still shouting as we walked into the lobby.