Chapter 1

So here I was, walking into a bar to have my first bit of “me time” since arriving in the USA nearly two years ago. There was just the one available stool at the bar, as I was on my own that was all I needed. The Bar seemed to have a bit of a buzz going on, with most of the seats being occupied and a few groups engaged in animated conversation, but it wasn’t so full that you couldn’t move. A live band played at one end of the room and I have to admit they were pretty good.

I settled into the stool and felt that this was just what I needed.

“What can I get you buddy?” The man behind the bar asked.

“Just a beer, please,” I answered in my unmistakable English accent. This caused both the couple to my left and the two girls to my right to glance my way.

“No Problem,” the barman replied with a smile.

Americans seem to always be either intrigued or suspicious whenever they hear my accent. I knew it wouldn’t be too long before I would be engaged in conversation, especially here in Little Rock, Arkansas. Usually, the English didn’t travel this far when they spent their vacations and hard earned pounds travelling to the USA.

“Thank you,” I offered to the barman when he arrived back with my beer.

“That’s ok, the names Tommy, by the way. If you need anything else, just give me a shout,” Tommy offered still with that big smile plastered across his face. I was starting to worry that he was reading me wrong.

So I had to ask, “Is the smile because of my accent, or something else?”

The timing of my question must have been perfect; it caused the redhead to my right to choke just as she was taking a swig of her beer, spitting it all across the blonde she was sitting with.

This made Tommy laugh out loud and he was joined by both the couple to my left and the blonde that had just received the shower of beer.

“God, I must look like a complete idiot if that’s what you thought,” Tommy answered. “It was just that I’ve been working here seven years and I think that is the first time I’ve heard someone say please and thank you to me in all that time,” still with some laughter in his voice.

“Now, Tommy, are sure it wasn’t something else?” The guy to my left asked, causing all the people around me to start laughing.

“Well, Jimmy, maybe we need to be asking Claire here that question? Remember I was married to her for three wonderful years.”

“Wonderful!” Claire exclaimed still laughing.

“Ouch!” Tommy answered and winced. “I’m sure I just heard someone shouting for a drink,” he said making a hasty retreat to the other end of the bar.

Claire turned to me and said, “Tommy is as straight as they come, I can assure you. At the grand old age of twenty-seven he has already been married three times, and I was victim number three, unfortunately. I’m Claire and this is my brother Jimmy.” She turned to look at him.

“Hi,” Jimmy said shaking my hand.

“I wish I could stay and chat but there’s somewhere I need to be, but I do hope I get to meet you again. Maybe Fiona and Genja could keep you company?” Claire continued with a big smile looking over my shoulder to the two girls that were on my right.

With that Claire and Jimmy waved and shouted goodbye to Tommy and left.

I turned to find that both the girls had turned their stools to be facing me. I smiled and introduced myself, “Hi I’m Jon. I hope I’m not interrupting your plans for the evening?”

“Not at all, it’s nice to meet someone new. I’m Genja,” she said and reached her hand to me.

I was staring at the beautiful blonde that was sitting in front of me. Her searing blue eyes were smiling straight into my soul. Her blonde hair was like a lion’s mane reaching all the way down her back. Although she was sitting down, I could see that her legs seemed to be never ending and the rest of her body seemed to be perfect. She was mesmerizing and I was obviously spending too much time taking in the view as the moment was broken by a giggle from her side.

“And the third wheel here is called Fiona,” the redhead said laughing at me.

“Wow” I said, as an automatic reaction when I locked eyes with this beautiful creature. Her gorgeous green eyes and full lips that were framing a radiant smile. She was not as tall as Genja, but she was perfectly proportioned without an ounce of fat on her. Her red hair shinned out like a beacon.

“Maybe I’m not the third wheel,” Fiona said as they were laughing. I noticed that neither of them were wearing much, if any, make-up. They just didn’t need it, they were gorgeous.

I was totally tongue tied. It was probably only a few seconds, but seemed like minutes, before I spoke again.

“I’m sorry, it was very rude of me to look at the both of you the way I was. I didn’t mean to be so blatant. I’m sure I would be just getting in the way, especially when your partners arrive,” I suggested.

Now I’m no slouch. I stand five foot eleven inches tall with fair hair and blue eyes. I’m not a gym freak but I do have a good physique including the mandatory Six-pack from years of playing and training for Rugby (the sport that gridiron developed from, without the helmets and armour) and a couple of years of building work. I think the term that could be used is a solid build.

The girls were still laughing, Fiona saying to me, “It’ll be a while before our ‘Partners’ turn up as we are happily single!”

“So, what brings you to Little Rock of all places?” Genja asked

“I’ve lived here for two years. Well, not Little Rock, but about thirty miles northwest of here towards Lollie.”

“Well now you’ve got me even more intrigued? That’s the middle of nowhere! I take it you didn’t just drive here for a night out?” Genja continued.

“No Actually I’m staying in a motel about a quarter mile from here. Just for the night so I could get away from it all for 24 hours,” I replied.

“What is it that you need to get away from?” Fiona asked with a bit of suspicion.

“Nothing too bad, I’ve just been working constantly for twenty months to get my business up and running and get my project started. My friend Jane insisted that I take some time away so I could chill. Anyway, tell me a bit about yourselves,” I asked.

For the next hour, the two beauties told me about their lives, which was just what I needed. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk about myself; it was just refreshing to hear other people to talk about themselves. I know I was being a bit selfish. But I had been working for two years without a day off, worrying or working about the camp and the Warehouse. I needed to look into the lives of someone else.

The beautiful Fiona was thirty-one and had never married. She was a lawyer, working mainly in Family law. Mostly Divorces with the odd pre-nup to keep her busy. She had the ability to make conversation light and casual, while always keeping control of the subject in question. She was able to rattle off many stories that had us laughing out loud, without giving us too much detail so that we could identify who she was speaking about. I was starting to respect this woman and enjoying her company. She could be on the end of a phone and you wouldn’t want to put it down. She had me hooked.

Genja’s eyes could look right through you; there was nowhere to hide when she was talking to you. She gave all her attention to you and you automatically gave it all back. She made you feel like you were the only one in the room with her when she had your attention. She was Twenty-Severn, originally from Sweden, and had met Fiona when she was divorcing her husband. It turns out her exes family was worth a bit, she was given a sizeable payoff to keep quiet about the problems that caused the divorce. She used some of that to start investing and was quite successful. She started a business that prospered and was then bought out by a larger company that retained her as a one of the managing partner’s as part of the deal.