A Player's Date With Love

Chapter 1 - Denial and Determination

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It's Friday night and I'm out with the guys at Club Rex. It's the usual thing, hitting the club late and searching for the next fling. I look over to the dance floor and spot a hot redhead in a tight black dress and heels patying it up with her blonde friend.

The redhead is pretty short, despite the heels, and has a slight tan. The blonde, who's in a light red dress, is a little more pale and slightly taller than her. I tap Nick on the shoulder and point them out.

"The redhead's mine, bro," I tell him as we start walking over.

"You always take the hot one, Josh!" he whines.

"They usually try to go for me anyway. Just wing for me, man."

"Alright," he replies just as we reach them. "Hey ladies. How're you doing tonight?" he says over the music.

The girls turn around to check us out. Just as I'd figured, the redhead took interest in me immediately. It's not hard to guess when that's how it always is. Being about 6'1 with an olive complexion and messily styled hair, the women seem content to just throw themselves at me. Tonight I was rocking a pair of baggy black jeans and a blue and black plaid shirt with my blue, black, and white Chucks.

"Hi, I'm Denise," the readhead says, holding her hand out to me, "and this is my friend Jasmine." She gestures to the blonde.

I take her hand and kiss the back of it, making her blush. "I'm Josh and this is my buddy Nick." Nick reaches out and shakes both ladies' hands, letting his eyes linger expertly on Jasmine's, causing her to look away slightly flustered. "It's nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink, Denise?"

She looks to her friend, then shrugs, seeing that she's having fun with Nick. "Sure," she says as she eyes my body for the third time tonight.

As we walk to the bar, i wrap my arm around her waist, which surprises her a bit, but she relaxes after a second.

"So, what do you do for a living?" she asks.

"I own a auto mechanic shop down on 4th Street. I work there most days and do a little racing for bets on the weekends. What about you?" I reply, slightly prideful.

"I'm a secretary at Porter-Barry Law Firm. It sounds like you really enjoy what you do," she says, smiling.

"I definitely do. I love cars a lot, so most days keep me interested and having fun. The shop is usually busy and we get good business. And when I go racing, it's just exciting. The adrenaline really gets me going for the day."

By the time I finish talking, my smile has grown a good bit, almost to a strong grin.

"Maybe I'll come see you race one of these days," she says. "I love seeing them."

We reach the bar and I pull out a stool for her and then sit in the one to her left. The bartender comes over and asks for drink choices. "I'll have a martini," Denise says, and I order a Tequila shot.

"That'd be great, you coming to watch, I mean," I say, playing along and waiting for the right moment to get her back to my place.

"Where do you usually race?"

"Down at that track near the stadium. It's pretty good for quick runs most days"

The drinks come and I down mine in one swift motion, my face screwing up at the taste. Denise giggles a little, causing me to smile my million dollar smile at her.

"Cant take your liquor, tough guy?" she jokes, still giggling.

I chuckle. "I'm sure I can, but can you?" I challenge. She looks at me with a quizzical look, attempting to figure out what I'm implying.