He ignored the jabs of his friends as he hurried over to my table and plopped his tray down across from mine.
I laughed, shaking my head as I popped a French fry into my mouth. McDonald’s has the best. “So, are you guys headed to Nashville?” I asked, suppressing a smile.
He leaned in and his beautiful eyes looked directly into mine, then whispered conspiratorially, “Is it that obvious?”
I giggled as I nodded toward the restaurant’s huge plate glass window to his car. “Nashville or bust?” I laughed, enjoying the exchange.
“Yeah. I guess it is that obvious,” he replied, then took a huge bite of his Big Mac, devouring half of it in one bite.
“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, well, I guess that wasn’t the most romantic thing to do.” His lips curled into a sexy half smile.
I shrugged. “I’ve seen worse.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” he said as he took another bite of his sandwich. He was enjoying it so much that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Enjoying yourself?” I asked, taking a bite of my fish sandwich.
“You have no idea,” he said, finishing it off. “Big Macs are one of life’s guilty pleasures.”
I laughed, enjoying myself more than I had in a long time. “Guilty pleasures?”
“Yeah; that, and making out,” he said matter of fact as he opened his other Big Mac.
“Okay. I think I’ll take the rest of mine to go…”
“Sorry,” he said with a shrug, “but it’s the truth.” He took another bite of his Big Mac, and the look on his face was nothing short of euphoric. He looked so innocent that I laughed.
“So, where are you headed?” he asked between bites.
“What makes you think I’m headed anywhere?” I asked, popping another French fry into my mouth.
This time, it was his turn to look out the window toward my car. “Well, your car being so loaded down that you can barely drive it was no clue.”
I laughed as I shook my head. “Yeah. I guess it is pretty obvious.”
One of his friends looked down at his watch and got up. “Shit, man.” Then, he looked over at us. “Logan, we’ve gotta jet!” With that, all of his friends started clearing off their table.
“Logan?” I asked, realizing that I was sitting there talking to a complete stranger and I didn’t even know his name.
“Yeah; Logan Ambrose,” he said, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you. And your name is?” He raised his eyebrows expectantly. When I didn’t respond right away, he said, “Come on. Really? We just shared a romantic meal together.”
“Romantic?” I asked, clearly amused.
“Logan, man,” his friend yelled across the room, “get her number and let’s go!”
The guy behind the counter frowned.
“Dick,” Logan said under his breath as he shook his head, then turned his attention back to me. “Come on. I may never see you again. Please, at least tell me your name.”
The look in his eyes was so innocent that I couldn’t resist. “Alyssa. Alyssa Collins.”
A broad smile spread across his lips. “Well, Alyssa Collins, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Logan, let’s go!” his friend yelled. The other guys were already out the door. “If you don’t come on now, I’m leaving your lame ass!”
“Kyle, I’m coming!”
From the way Kyle laughed, his mind was definitely in the gutter. “Okay, man. Whatever you say.”
“Ass,” Logan said under his breath, and then turned his attention back to me. “Look: I have to go, but may I have your number?”
“And he has manners, too,” I hedged, laughing.
His friends started honking the horn and revving the engine outside. “Come on, Logan!” they yelled from the car.
The manager looked up, frowning again.
“I have to go before my friends get kicked out of the McDonald’s parking lot,” Logan said, clearly torn. “What’s your number?”
“I don’t have one,” I said, suddenly regretting not having taken the phone that my father had bought me. I vowed to get one as soon as I got to Nashville until I could get a better phone.
Logan looked around desperately, then down at my paper bag and ran to the counter. “Do you have a pen?” he asked the manager, who just stood there, looking at him. “Man, I’m begging you. Give me a pen and I’ll give it right back.”
“Logan, man!” his friends yelled from outside.
“Give me a pen and I’ll get my friends out of here,” Logan said, then added, “Please.”
“Only if you’ll leave with them,” the manager replied.
“Of course,” he said innocently.
“Here,” the manager slid a pen at him across the counter. “Now, get your friends out of here before I call the cops.”
“I love you, too,” Logan said to him sarcastically, then ran over to me and quickly scribbled something down onto my paper bag. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again.”
“The pleasure was mine,” I replied, then held up my half-melted sundae. “Thanks for the ice cream.”
“It was the least that I could do,” Logan said. “I have to go. Will you call me?”
“Logan, man…” Kyle said, exasperated, holding the door open. His other friends were yelling from the car.
“Just give me a minute…”
Kyle rolled his eyes and walked out.
Logan turned his attention back to me. “Will you call me?”
I smiled. “I’ll think about it.”
A broad smile spread across his face. “That’s good enough for me. I’ll see you later, Alyssa Collins.”
I nodded as he ran out the door. “You guys are dicks!” he yelled at his friends just before the door closed.
I laughed as I shook my head, then watched as he jumped into the car just as it sped off. When I looked down at the paper bag, it said:
Thanks for dinner.
They were the best Big Macs I ever had,
but what made it the best was spending time with you.
Nice to meet you, Alyssa Collins.
Maybe we can indulge in more
of life’s guilty pleasures sometime.
Ha, ha!
Call me,
Logan Ambrose
His number was written at the bottom of the note. Typical guy, I thought to myself. Then, I tore the note from the paper bag and slipped it into my purse.
I spent the night at a local hotel on the other side of Atlanta since I couldn’t see past the headlights. One thing was certain: the highways in Georgia were dark. Since I was night blind and couldn’t see at all in the dark, stopping was a necessity.The next morning, rays of bright, golden sunshine streamed in through the window, illuminating the room. After a quick bite of a complimentary hotel Cheese Danish and a cup of coffee, I was on my way to Nashville once again in my loaded VW Bug. A few hours later, my heart leapt in my chest as the tall buildings of Nashville came into view. Immediately, I steered my car down Music Row, unable to believe that I was really there. I had waited for this moment my whole life, and now, it was really happening. I was in Music City, USA, the country music capital of the world.Okay. I have to find an apartment, I thought to myself, looking around. I wanted to live close to Music Row in order to save some money until I f
I hurried down Broadway toward my car, and pulled up in front of the Double Shot Saloon a half hour later. I looked down at how I was dressed before going in—I was still in my jeans and a T-shirt, so I unzipped my suitcase and grabbed my sky blue blouse and black strappy heels. The shirt looked great on me and the heels would look good with my jeans. I hurried across the street to a nearby café and changed, then looked in the mirror. My long, sun-streaked blonde hair was disheveled and my makeup had rubbed off. I quickly grabbed a vent brush from my purse and ran it through my hair, and then applied a bit of eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, and some lipstick. When I looked in the mirror one last time, the eyeliner and mascara accented my bright green eyes. At least I looked a bit more presentable. Satisfied, I hurried across the street to the Double Shot Saloon.As I entered the nightclub, the sound of clanking glasses and people talking loudly filled the dark room
“Thanks, Logan,” I said. “It’s good to see you here. What were the odds?”“I know, right?” he replied as he ran a hand through his dark blonde hair.“What are you doing here?” I asked, happy to see him.“Well, my friends dragged me out tonight. And to think that I almost didn’t come! Now, I’m glad I did.” He thought for a moment, then asked, “Are you going to be playing here?”I shook my head. “No. Believe it or not, I just met Tasha and she invited me here tonight.”“You’ve got to be kidding,” he said, taking a sip of his drink.“Nope,” I said as a broad smile spread across my face. “Well, I have to get back. It was good to see you…”“May I see you again?” he asked as his ice-blue eyes actually sparkled, reflecting the light.“I have your number,” I said,
“Come out when you’re ready,” he said discreetly as he suppressed a smile.“Oh, okay.” I quickly grabbed my guitar case, then slung my purse over my shoulder and walked out.I looked around the bar, and there were a few customers still there. I looked down to check my guitar and almost ran into a wall. I looked up, and Logan was looking down at me.“You’re still here…” I said, more of a statement than a question.“Yes. We’re still here,” he said, pointing to the same group of friends that he was with at McDonald’s. “Would you like to join us?” His eyes were so hopeful that it was difficult to say no.“Well, I really should be going…”“Just for one drink?” he asked, hopeful as he raised his eyebrows.“Alright. Just one drink,” I agreed.I followed him over to the table where his friends were sitti
“Do you mind if I ride with you?” Logan asked just above my ear as we stepped outside.“Sure. Of course,” I said, already digging my keys out of my purse.“Hey, guys,” Logan said to his friends. “I’m riding with Alyssa. I’ll meet you there.”“Just don’t be too long,” Mason said with a sly smile.“Shut the hell up,” Logan said as Mason laughed. “We’ll be there in a minute.”“It wouldn’t take longer than a minute, anyway,” Mason joked, laughing as he headed toward their car.Lathe punched him on the shoulder and muttered something about treating women with respect.“This isn’t such a good idea,” I said, fumbling with my keys. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Just let me know where to meet you.”Logan immediately placed his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes.
They laughed, and Logan nodded to Mason. “Count it off!”“One, two, three, four!” Mason yelled as he hit his drumsticks together.I recognized the tune and immediately picked it up. These guys weren’t just good … they were great. I hadn’t had this much fun in my life. As the song came to a close, we ended it in an elaborate rift as Logan and I leaned our backs against one another, and then we all jumped into the air together and landed on the last cord as we all cheered.“Man! You guys are great!” I yelled, laughing. “Let’s do another“Sweet Home Alabama!” Lathe yelled, and Mason counted it off.Lathe and I alternated doing the beginning rifts, and then we launched into our own rendition. Logan took the lead on the verses. He had a great voice: rocking, sweet, and sensual. I immediately felt my heart stir, and I wondered what it was. A few minutes later, the song came to
I closed the door and turned around. There was a huge, king-sized bed taking center stage in the middle of the room. To the left was a set of drawers, and to the right on the same wall as the door was a set of mirrored sliding glass doors, enclosing a closet. I slid it open and took out one of his rock concert T-shirts. Then, I stripped down to my panties and slid it on. I was just about to slide under the comforter when I heard a knock on the door.I opened it just a crack, and it was Logan. “Lock the door,” he said, breathing heavily, then walked away. It seemed as if he wanted me to lock the door to keep him out just as much as the other guys in the house. He didn’t realize that a part of me wanted him to come in, but I was glad that he walked away.I turned out the light and slid into bed. It smelled like him: a mixture of leather, lavender, musk, and rain. I snuggled down under the covers and wrapped the thick comforter around my nose, then fell
“So, you just graduated from high school, huh?” Logan asked as we walked out to my car.I popped the hood, and Logan picked up my suitcase. “I’ll get that,” I said, reaching for it, but he pulled it out of my reach.“No. I’ll get it.” His muscles flexed under his T-shirt under the weight of the suitcase. “You haven’t answered my question.”“Does it make that much of a difference?” I asked. But from the look on his face, I could see that it did.He shrugged. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around it is all.”I nodded. “Are you in college?”“I just graduated from NYU and came here.” He adjusted the suitcase, shifting it to his other hand. “What do you have in here? Bricks?”I laughed. “I’ll carry it if it’s too heavy for you.” He gave me a dirty look, and I laughed. “What was