Chapter 1

"Well I'll be damned. It's Jake Riley. Hey Jake," Jimmy greeted me. "How you been? Haven't seen you for a long time."

I nodded. "Hi Jimmy. I'm good. Been busy so I haven't been around much," I answered. "That's gonna change though, I'll be in Kelly's more often now."

Jimmy looked puzzled. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

Sitting at his table I said "Buy me a beer and I'll tell you a story."

"Something happened to me that I would have bet money against. I got scammed. You know I've always gotten my share of the young ladies that came into Kelly's. Well, I met one that grabbed my attention and made me give up all the others," I explained.

"She was in here about four months ago with several other ladies. I knew Julie, one the girls sitting at the table, and walked over and said hello. I was hoping for an introduction to the woman that had caught my eye." I held up my empty bottle and Jimmy ordered another round.

"What was so special about this one? You've always pretty much had your choice of ladies," Jimmy stated.

I grabbed the beer as the waitress set it down. After drinking about half of it I answered, "She was tall, about 5' 9, slender with that long auburn hair I like so much. Her blue eyes could just bore a hole through you if she wanted. I guess she wanted to get to know me because from the minute I sat down she never took her eyes off me."

This should be my last beer, I thought. If I drink another one it will lead to an all night binge. "Her name was Gillian," I continued. "We shook hands and I felt a, I don't know a spark or something. From that moment I was lost. It didn't matter how, I wanted this lady."

"Wait. You mean you fell for this Gillian right away?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I was hooked from the first minute. Sort of funny considering my experience, you know? Anyway I told her my name is Jake Riley. Gillian said she knew because she'd asked Julie who I was."

As I talked to Jimmy I thought about what happened after being introduced. Jimmy's statement that I pretty much had my choice of the ladies was true. I'm 6'2 with a muscular build from working construction. Tall enough that the ladies could wear heels but not so tall that I towered over them.

I've been told that I make an impression with my blond hair and green eyes. More than one young lady has told me that I'm ruggedly good looking. I don't know about that but I've never had much trouble attracting female companions. Personally I think it's because I'm mostly Irish and have kissed the Blarney Stone. I seem to have a way with words and aren't afraid to approach women.

Gillian and I talked most of the evening, dancing a few times and getting to know each other. I noticed she had a band of white skin around her ring finger. Picking up her hand I pointed to the tale tell signs of a recently removed ring.

She sighed, took a deep breath and told me she and husband were sort of separated. At my questioning look, Gillian explained that they were going to get a divorce after the first of the year. They were waiting until then because of tax and financial reasons but their marriage was over.

I shrugged; his loss is my gain, I thought. Gillian wouldn't give me her phone number but did take my number. My marriage is over but I don't want to rub his nose in it, she told me. Around midnight she said she had to leave and that she'd call me.

Over the weekend I wished I would have pushed harder to get her number. I wanted to see her and spend more time with her. Monday evening Gillian called. We made arrangements to meet at Kelly's on Wednesday.

I walked into the bar and Gillian waved me over to her booth. It was way in the back of the room and was about as private as you could get. She jumped up, hugged me and gave me a quick kiss. I've missed you and could hardly wait for tonight she told me.

She said she wanted to go somewhere more private and I suggested my apartment. I told her it was about ten minutes away. We spent the better part of three hours trying to break my bed. Gillian was very adventurous almost to the point of being freaky. Her attitude didn't bother me a bit. In my mind there's always room for being freaky.

The one thing that bothered me, the one thing I was disappointed about was that Gillian said she couldn't spend the night. She said she couldn't rub her soon to be ex husbands face in the fact that she'd found a new man. Despite separate bedrooms he still checked up on her from time to time. Gillian kissed me goodbye saying she would meet me Friday evening at Kelly's.

Friday it was the same story all over again. Gillian came back to my place and did her best to kill me with sex. If you have to go that would be a fine a way to go, I thought. I asked her to go to a dinner party with me on Saturday but she said she and her parents already had plans. Again she left to go home, telling me she'd call me about meeting next week.

For the next two months Gillian and I met on almost every Wednesday and several Fridays. Every time I suggested a different day she had plans; either with her husband, her family, or friends from work.

The first of the year came and went. I thought that the paperwork for her divorce would be started in January. March rolled around with no mention from Gillian about her divorce. When I questioned her about it she said they'd have to wait until after filing the taxes for the previous year. We continued to meet at Kelly's and most nights went back to my apartment.

Just after April 1^st, I asked Gillian to accompany me to a dinner party. I explained it was my dad's birthday party and I wanted her to meet my family. She told me how sorry she was but her mother was coming over to help her sort through the things Gillian wanted to take with her once she got divorced.

I went to the party alone. As I started to leave my brother Bill asked for a ride home. On the way we decided to stop for a drink and went into a nice bar and grill called Charley's. Sitting at the bar I saw someone in the mirror behind the bar that shouldn't have been there.