It had been unsettling knowing his eyes were fixed on me and affecting my body until I couldn’t move if I wanted. It was unsettling to know that someone could stare at me and I would feel compelled to follow after him if he desired.
Not many men could stare me down in that profound way and have me fantasizing about him controlling me. Taking me. Owning me. But maybe I never noticed. But I’m noticing now, and somewhere between liking it and hating it, I find I enjoy his powerful presence.
Thinking he would leave, he stood there in one spot watching at me. His face pale and handsome but it seemed familiar none the less. My eyes locked on his and when I tilted my head to wonder why me, I felt a touch.
Terry tapped me on my shoulder. I jumped because I was surprised and I had forgotten she was sitting near me drinking her beer. I hadn’t notice when the barman brought the beer because my mind was on that handsome intriguing man standing in the corner observing me.
“I’m going in the back to get in a game of pool. Want to come?” she said. I barely heard her over my own thoughts.
“No. I’ll stay here and drink my beer.” My voice sound as if it was a mile away and I had just awaken from a sleep. For some reason I relished his response. I glanced up deciding to meet his gaze. I finally made up my mind that I would challenge him. I can play that game too, I thought. He never changed his expression or his gaze. My skin shivered from his intense green eyes never leaving mine and never really telegraphing what he really wanted.
What do most young man want you fool? To get you in bed.
I couldn’t believe I was flirting with him. I put my finger in my glass of beer and then opened my mouth and sucked it, then eased it out, and then slithered my tongue across my bottom lip. It wasn’t something Terry had taught me, but I think she did say something about an open mouth attracting men. I just hoped this time she was right.
What is this about, I wondered. He didn’t say anything to me, he just glared at me and the longer he looked, the more I couldn’t handle his stare and once again I tried to become invisible.
He won the game of stare. I put my head down again and watched at the beer. I poured more into my glass and tried to drink it without my hands shaking. But I couldn’t control my hands and thoughts, and the more I tried, my hands trembled violently. I pushed the glass around to try to hide how he had affected me.
“Can I buy you a beer?” I glanced up and looked in the mirror to see someone standing behind me—a young man who looked to be about twenty. He moved to my right blocking my view of the dark haired stranger with the bluish green eyes. This guy’s hair blond and his eyes grey. He wore a strange closed smile as if he could read my mind. But if he could, he would know I get nervous around strangers standing close to me.
His smile opened to a wide grin and his eyes brightened. Sensing my uneasiness he took a step back. I felt better, but still I didn’t feel comfortable around him. It wasn’t what he said, but something about him had ignited the fight or flight instinct. I felt that once before when I was a child coming home from school.
“No, thank you,” I said my lips trembling. “I’m having a hard time trying to finish this one,” I said raising my glass, and giving him a small closed smile.
I wished he would go away because he stood in the path of the stranger with the green eyes, and if I would take a drink from anyone it would be from the one watching me with the serious look on his face.
“When you do need a drink and you want another, just raise your hand and the next one is on me.” I was impressed for a few moments. A place like this and there are still gentlemen in the world. He didn’t harass me like some of the guys did whenever I tried going to a bar after classes, and that’s one reason why I never go out much.
“But you can’t meet a man if you stay in all the time,” Terry had said every Saturday night since I met her.
“And you can’t meet them in a bar,” I shot back. But surprise. I managed to attract two handsome men in less than an hour. I felt good about myself. My self-confidence was at an all-time high.
When the blond with the grey eyes stepped aside and walked away, he headed in the direction of the pool room. I immediately looked to my right, and the tall handsome guy with a mysterious predatory gaze, was no longer standing in a corner gawking at me. Making me feel needed. I missed him and I didn’t know why. Maybe I didn’t attract many good looking men and I wasn’t attracted to too many men, and so far I had attracted two all in the span of a second and lost them both because I was frightened to take a chance.
The bartender a tall burly red head with red patchy skin, came over and stood in front of me, after replacing a bottle of liquor on the shelf. “Do you want another drink? Your friend in the pool room paid for drinks for you and Terry early on.” I looked and wondered how he would know we would be in here. I chalked it off to Terry making a date with him.
“Do you know him?” I asked.
“First time I’ve seen him,” The bartender said.
“I’m good,” I said.
The way I behaved, I can’t blame men from walking away from me. You come to a bar to socialize at least that’s what Terry does. When I glanced to my left, trying to decide if I should join her, Terry was strutting out of the room with her arm thrust under the blond guy’s arm. They looked good together. She was smiling, and it looked like he had charmed her with that handsome face, and that incredible young hard body wearing jeans that fit him in all the right places.
She strutted up to me with a wide grin. “I found this Scandinavian god to escort us to our car.” She winked at me. I know what that meant.
I shot him a quick smile. He had not too long tried to pick me up. He could have spent more time to get to know me, I thought. However, this is the era of speed dialing, speed dating, and texting. Why would he waste his time with me? A girl that’s hard to get, but easy to keep. That sums me up.
Some men who want a quickie don’t want to spend their time on girls like me. I guess he spotted that the minute I refused a drink from him. Too complicated. Too intense. Too needy.
I knew it was impossible to tell Terry anything about men. And this one was to die for. Maybe he thought he could have us both the way he eyed me. When he walked up standing behind me the first time his eyes had roamed my neck and breasts the entire time he talked to me.
By the look on Terry’s face, her eyes darting around his body, her speech rapid and smooth, she knew, and I knew she wanted to fuck him like yesterday. And looking at him with his tall youthful strong body, she was going to have the best fuck of her life.
Terry nudged me in the side. I glanced up at her, and she directed me with her chin moving up, signaling for me to get the hell up from that seat. Reluctantly, I stood and followed her.
“I thought we were going to stay a little longer. I thought we came to shoot pool,” I said. She stopped and directed the blond to wait for her at the door.
“We came here not for the pool but for the men, remember,” she said coolly with a tight mouth.
“Do you know anything about him?” I whispered.
“What is there to know?” Her voice high and tone angry. “He’s tall handsome, young, virile, and naïve. And when he looks at me I want to do anything for him. It’s something about the way he looks at me that gives me chills.” And she smiled and quivered.
I could see her mouth salivating at the thought of him being virile and inexperienced. That way she could teach him what turned her on.
“Are you sure of that. Look in his eyes, he looks like he’s been around,” I said. How would I know? She didn’t ask that and if she had, I wouldn’t have had an answer. It was just a feeling that I had seen that look once before, but I couldn’t remember where and on whom.
“Well you can never be sure of anything, but I’m not going to question a gift from the gods.” She turned to walk away and I held her arm.
“We can’t bring anyone to our apartment. You don’t know anything about him,” I said trying to plead with her to stay a little longer.
“Do you even know his name?”
“Aare. Now are you satisfied.”
“What kind of name is that?”
“For fuck sake, Zoey, I’m leaving.” Trying to stall her wasn’t working. I wanted to be in this seat in this bar when my gift from the gods came back if he ever did. But I knew I would be back again with Terry, in hopes that I might see him again. I just wanted to lay eyes on him, not tomorrow, not the next day, but now.
Not too many handsome men like him comes along and shows me that kind of attention. I didn’t get the same feeling about him as I did Terry’s date. The feeling I got from my admirer was warm and nurturing.