Part two

It was clear to Cole that most of the men who came to this night club held a certain assumption of the women they expected to come in contact with.  Yet, Amber held her own and refused any and all advances, including Stewie’s.  She was the most interesting person he’d ever met and was absolutely gorgeous.  He was glad Stewie convinced him to come here.
“Amber,” Bart said looking over Amber’s shoulder at Cole, “you have an admirer.  He looks like a nice guy.”
“I’m sure he’s planning his pickup lines and will ask me what time I get off work or some other run-of-the-mill idiom designed to tempt me into his bed.  He’s probably just like all the others.”  She tried to sound convincing.
“A little stuck on yourself much?”
“Come on Bart, you know every guy comes here willing to walk out with anyone willing.  I’m not the only one they use those stupid lines on, I’m just usually the first.  It’s my duty to all humanity to put them down quickly and harshly.”
“Well, your admirer doesn’t fit the bill.  He looks very out of place and uncomfortable and certainly doesn’t act like a muffin.  You should give him a chance, Amber.”
“I don’t give chances anymore, not since—”
“How long has it been, Amber?”
She looked away from Bart’s concerned glare.  She knew what he was trying to do, what he was suggesting, and she also knew he had an amazing sense of intuition about guys in general.  He wouldn’t push her toward a loser.
“I only want you to be happy, Amber.  Give this guy a chance.”
Give this guy a chance to stomp on my heart, yeah right. Still, she’d been watching the guy in question out of the corner of her eye for the last hour.  She watched as he turned down several girls that had approached him only to have his attentions return to her.  There was an interesting look in his sexy eyes, one that she couldn’t quite decipher, but it certainly was not like the other men in the club who all seemed to want to eat her up with chocolate sauce.  No, this guy was definitely different, respectful almost.  Maybe Bart could sense that too.
“Bart, the fact that he’s here at the female flesh market says a lot.  Don’t forget that.  But if it will get you off my back, I’ll give him the opportunity to make a pass at me, of which I will promptly turn down, and I’ll bet you it will take less than two minutes.”
“I’ll take that bet.  Loser has to close and lock up tonight.”
“Sweet!  I’ll be going home early.”  She winked.
She walked over to his table determined to play fair.  This would be a fun experiment and no doubt he would fail just like every other guy that ever came to the Oasis.  But what if he wasn’t like every other guy?  Don’t get your hopes up, Amber. She thought.  This is just to shut Bart up, nothing else. Now, if she could just get her heart to stop racing.
“Can I get you anything else?”  She asked as she wiped the moisture rings off Cole’s table top.
“No, I’m good.”  He looked at her quickly and then back down at his drink.
“Where’s your friend?”
Cole motioned in Stewie’s direction with his chin.
Amber turned her head to look.  Then she looked back at him.  “Why aren’t you out there enjoying the evening?”
“There isn’t anyone that interests me out there.”
Her brows scrunched together in heavy contemplation.  Was that a come-on?  Could be.  It was obvious that he liked her but that wasn’t a true pick-up line, it was more like bait.  She’d have to step it up a notch if she was going to win the bet.
“Do you mind if I sit down for a minute?  I’m Amber, by the way.”
Cole lost his breath somewhere between his toes and nose as he nodded his approval.  He took a sip of his beer and inhaled slowly trying to get a hold of his excitement.  Her musky floral scent hit his nose stealing his breath once again.
“I’m Cole.”  He didn’t know what else to add, so he said nothing.
His silence made Amber feel uneasy, and as if she was intruding.  Normally, she would have excused herself but she wanted to go home early so she pressed on.  “Cole, you don’t seem like the kind of guy I see here on a regular basis.”
“I don’t do the club thing.  Stewie, my friend, pulled me along tonight.”
“Well, if you don’t frequent clubs, what do you usually do with your weekends?”
Cole took another sip and looked down at the table, “My mother has had poor health for a long time, so on evenings and weekends I help her out.”
“Oh, what’s she sick with?”  A sick mother?  Was this a lame ‘feel sorry for me’ line?
“This and that, basically everything that comes down the pipeline.  Ever since my father died two years ago she’s never been the same.”  He cleared his throat and attempted at a subject change.  “What about you, Amber?  Do you like working in a place like this?”
“A place like this?”  Her eyes narrowed slightly.
He realized how offensive his question could be taken so he reiterated with, “What I mean to say is, you seem like a very intelligent girl and from what I’m seeing, there seems to be a shortage of brainwaves flowing through this place, both male and female.  Anyway, you kind of stand out, as if you don’t belong here.”
Should she tell him about her past?  What did she have to lose, really?  If he was telling the truth about his mother and deceased father, then that was very personal information he’d shared with her, besides, he still hadn’t made a pass at her or asked her out, so the bet was undecided, as of yet, and time was running out.
“About a year ago, I was engaged to be married.  I was high on life and love, but low on IQ, otherwise I would have realized my fiancé was cheating on me.  In a really messed up way, working here helps me deal with that, if that makes any sense.”  She hadn’t ever openly admitted that before and was shocked at the amount of inner peace and hope of closure it brought her.
“It does make sense, actually.  Every man here probably reminds you of your ex and his scumbag ways.  He wasn’t thinking about you when he cheated, he was only thinking about one thing; the same one thing all of these guys are after.  By insulting every guy that comes on to you, you protect your heart from being broken further.  So, by working here, surrounded by one-tracked minds and sex-crazed bimbos, you feel in control of your emotions and your life.”
“Wow!  You’re good, Dr. Cole.  What’s your day job?”
“I’m in advertising.  It’s my job to psycho-analyze.  Unfortunately, it tends to scare away the ladies, kind of like right now.”
“I’m not scared that easily.”
“Have you ever faced your ex and told him how much he hurt you?”
“No.”  She said quietly.
Cole reached across the table and laid his hand over hers.  “It wasn’t your fault, Amber.  He made the error, he turned his back on you.  His loss.  The guy is a fool and probably kicks himself every day.  I know I would.”
She looked at him with her mouth half-way open not knowing what to say or how to react.  She hadn’t been in a situation like this where the guy was sensitive, caring and understanding.  Then again, she was constantly surrounded by morons who viewed her as a piece of meat.
Their silent staring match was interrupted by Stewie.
“Hey, Cole, I’m heading out.  See you later.”  Stewie winked and pulled the short blonde girl closer to his side.  Neither Cole nor Amber acknowledged him.  “Hey,” He snapped his fingers in front of Cole’s face, “Get a room, you two.”  With that, he left with his companion.
Cole cleared his throat and looked down at their clasped hands on the table.  He looked up at Amber who had closed her mouth and was now smiling beautifully at him.
“I’m sorry, Amber.  I should go.”  He stood up, pulling out his wallet to pay for the beers. He was so close to being able to ask her out, so close, but Stewie had to kill the moment.  Cole decided right there he wasn’t going to let her slip away without a fight.  He would come again some other night and see her again.
She stood up next to him straightening her apron and looked up his lean body to his dark eyes and then to his lips.  It really had been a long time since she felt the unmistakable jolt of exhilaration and expectation.  It felt very good.  She watched him open his mouth as if he was about to say something.
“Would you want to go out with me sometime?”  The question loomed in the air.

Bart watched Amber as she stood talking to the mystery man.  The man handed Amber a card from his wallet and she accepted it with a smile.  Then she turned and headed toward Bart almost skipping with delight.  Bart really hoped his instincts were accurate on this one because Amber deserved a good guy for once.
“Looks like I’m closing tonight.”  She said with a smile.
“What?  Didn’t he just ask you out?”
“Nope, I asked him.”

The End