Riding Into Love. Nicki Night

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      Drew thought about calling Blake but figured he would also be spending this cold afternoon cozied up with his bride-to-be. Suddenly, he felt like the odd man out. He reached out to his cousin Lance, but the call went to voicemail. His other friends were scattered across the States and abroad, leaving him no more local options. The thought of calling Stacey came and went so fast it could have been a figment of his imagination. Drew looked at his phone, huffed and dialed Alana’s number once again.

      “Hello, Drew. How are you?”

      “Well. Weren’t you supposed to call me and let me know you got home safely?”

      “That was two days ago.”

      “Well, you didn’t call.”

      “You’re too much. So what’s up?”

      “Nothing. Are you busy today?”

      “I’m in for the afternoon. Why?”

      “How about dinner?” he asked. Alana didn’t respond right away. “Hello?” Drew looked at his phone to make sure that the call hadn’t dropped and that she was still there. “Did you hear me?”

      “Thanks for asking, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

      It was Drew’s turn to be silent. He couldn’t think of any reason why going to dinner with him would be unwise. “Why not?” His confusion splayed across in his tone.

      Alana sighed. “I just... It’s not a good time.”

      “Since when has that made a difference?” Drew tried to keep his disappointment out of his voice.

      Alana waited a beat before responding. “I’m sorry, Drew. I just can’t go. I hope you understand.”

      “Sure,” he said, even though he didn’t.

      “Take care, Drew.” Alana hung up before he could answer.

      “What the hell just happened?” Drew asked aloud.

      Unaccustomed to rejection, he was puzzled by her snub. Women didn’t turn him down. Even after their rendezvous, Alana had never refused to hang out with him. He tried to come up with a sensible explanation, but after tossing several scenarios across his mind, he still couldn’t figure out why she’d brushed him off. Then he thought back to Friday night at the party. Had he done or said something to Alana to offend her? He couldn’t recall and he hadn’t been intoxicated enough to forget.

      Drew got up from his recliner, grabbed his coat and the key to his newest SUV. Casually, he rode through residential streets of his coveted Clinton Hill neighborhood until he hit DeKalb. After driving a few blocks, he pulled up near the entrance of a crowded sports bar. Preferring not to be alone, Drew went inside, ordered a beer and settled right into the midst of the rambunctious crowd taking in the football game playing on several flat screens throughout the bar, which resembled a sports fanatic’s recreational haven. NFL and college team paraphernalia covered the walls to the point where you could hardly see the wood panels. Sturdy tables stood erect in the center of the restaurant, flanked by green leather stools.

      The Panthers rise to the playoffs had both excited and pissed off the hard-core New York fans that frequented the place. Collectively they weren’t happy about the fact that neither their Jets nor the Giants made it to this point in the playoffs. The spectators cheered, cursed and joked about the plays being made. Drew joined in the fare, making fast friends. The camaraderie helped him forget about his earlier rejection. However, when the game was over and the chicken-wings-and-fries-eating crowd thinned out, it all came crashing back to him.

      Drew wasn’t quite ready to go home to all that quiet. Instead, he maneuvered down Atlantic Avenue to the Conduit, hit the Belt Parkway and found himself sitting in front of Alana’s condominium in Long Island. Drew could tell she was surprised from the look on her face when she opened the door.

      Drew stood before her, ignoring her perplexed expression while taking in the curves behind that tank top and sweatpants she wore. As casually as she was dressed, she still looked sexy enough to Drew to elicit a slight response from his groin area. Distancing himself from her allure, he refocused. He needed to understand what happened on the phone earlier.

      Drew tilted his head to the side. “Did you actually say no to me?”

Chapter 5

      A horn blew and Alana looked at her watch. Cadence and Blake were right on time. Ever since Cadence had told her about the evening’s plans, Alana had been overcome with giddy merriment. She had stopped by her favorite boutique on the way home from the office to pick up the perfect outfit. Tilting left and then right, she now assessed her attire in her dressing-room mirror. Satisfied, she trotted down the steps in her spacious townhome, grabbed a full-length mink from the front closet and threw it across her arm as she headed out the door. She was so excited she barely felt the cold. It was as if her strapless jumpsuit were enough to shield her from the frigid air.

      Alana could hardly believe she was on her way to a movie premiere and exclusive after-party. The lead was played by Christian Jacobs, her all-time-favorite actor, whom she thoroughly enjoyed fawning over. She knew he was married but wondered if his wife would allow her to give him a kiss if she got close enough. Alana laughed aloud at herself as she headed up the walk.

      Alana whistled as the driver walked around and opened the door for her.

      “We’re traveling fancy tonight,” she said as she ducked her head inside.

      Her next words caught in her throat when her eyes landed on Drew reaching a hand in her direction to help her in. She hadn’t thought to ask if Drew would be joining them when Cadence had invited her to the premiere. Nervous bursts of energy erupted in her stomach.

      Alana cleared her throat and fixed a smile on her face. “Hey, Drew. How are you, Blake?” Her smile faded. “Cadence.” She greeted her friend stiffly, upset that she hadn’t given her prior notice—even a text—about Drew. Alana gave Cadence the eye, a look that was code for we’ll talk about this later.

      Cadence sunk into her shoulders just a little and smiled guiltily.

      Drew. Alana took a breath and feigned another smile in his direction as the driver took off. Wasting no time, Drew slid over next to Alana.

      “I know you received my many messages.” He stressed the word many. She’d left all his calls and texts unanswered since the day he showed up at her door.

      “I’ve been really busy.” Though the interior of the car was already dim, Alana averted her eyes as she spoke.

      “All lies!” Drew exclaimed.

      Alana whipped her head in his direction. She couldn’t believe he called her a liar—even if she did just tell a blatant untruth. Drew sported a wide Cheshire grin. Alana shook her head, glad that he was teasing.

      “What’s wrong? Do my good looks and charming personality make you uncomfortable?”

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