The Gang's Princess [COMPLETED]

One: Death By Frying Pan

BOOK TRAILER:

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"Two steaks with chips on the side, please."

"How would you like that cooked, Sir?"

"Rare. Thanks."

The waitress walked away and I looked at the guy in front of me through narrowed eyes above my wine glass. He did not just order for me. Did he?

"The steak is really good here," he tried to excuse his behaviour.

"I've heard that before," I managed, cringing at how uninterested I sounded and taking another mouthful of wine. Why did I agree to this? Sure, it seemed like a good idea when he threw his coffee all over me in Starbucks and proceeded to buy me a new shirt for all the hassle. It seemed like the beginning of a cliché romance novel, so it had to end well. Right?

Wrong. So incredibly wrong.

"So you're an author?" He asked, trying to make the dire situation a little less awkward. I simply nodded and watched him squirm as he tried to keep the conversation alive, nervously sweeping his slightly greasy hair away from his face.

"Would I know any of the novels you've written?"

"Unless you read romance novels about gangs then no I don't think you would," I replied dryly and he forced out a laugh before pouring himself some more wine. Could this date be going any worse?

"So what about you John? What do you do for a living?" He looked to be about twenty five which was a little older than I usually went for, but he seemed to be a nice guy. His dress sense was smart and he'd been carrying a briefcase when I first met him, so surely he must be employed.

"This and that. I'm actually from up north but I come down here on business a lot," he replied, not impressing me with his vague answer. "So where are you from?"

"What makes you think I'm not from around here?" I looked him over carefully for any signs of unease but he was perfectly comfortable with my question.

"You have a similar accent to me, so I just assumed. I didn't mean to pry."

"Oh. No, it's fine. I'm actually originally from Nottingham, I spent my entire childhood around the same areas."

"Me too, what a coincidence. What area are you from?" He grinned but something about it seemed forced- like it wasn't a coincidence at all.

There's no such thing as a coincidence.

I ignored the voice in my head and took another gulp of wine. "East, towards the outskirts of the city."

"Ah, I was more South." I nodded in response and still couldn't shake the odd feeling that I was getting from this guy. Maybe it was because I hadn't been on a date in so long. I could just be rusty on the romance front.