Round Robin - A Dollop of Daisy

Daisy Stone was one hell of a woman. Every inch of her demanded attention – from the tips of her expensive stilettos to the top of her cinnamon colored hair – and more than one was willing to give in to the urge to splurge. Every set of male eyes in the room were focused on her and even a few of the female eyes followed her graceful gait as she crossed the crowded bar.

Toward him.

Gabe Nafton assumed a negligent position resting against the bar, a frosty bottle of beer clinched in his hand. The casual pose was in direct contrast to the unsettling feeling of discomfort that stole over him when those crystal blue eyes locked on him.

He had met – for lack of a better word – Daisy a little over a month ago at an auction where he had been the item up for sale. Well to be fair, seven other single firemen had also been up for auction but something about the whole idea of being bartered to the highest bidder to find a date and help pay for department improvements just stuck in his craw. But he tried to be a good sport, really he did.

His attempts to schmooze some of the senior citizens at the event had seemed like a good idea until the bidding started. Those old biddies hadn’t stood a chance against the married cougars -er, housewives- attending the event.

Daisy, though he hadn’t known her name at the time, had stood near the back of the room with a smug smile on her face throwing out astronomical dollar amounts that were countered each and every frickin’ time. And maybe it was the smile or the way she looked standing there in her sophisticated black pants suit that hugged every sweet curve of her body, but Gabe had zeroed in on her and prayed a silent prayer she would be the one to save him.

Except she hadn’t. She let that dollar amount soar until finally it reached a point where everyone in the room had turned to her, holding their breath to see if she would counter yet again. Her smug smile had turned even smugger before she shook her head and mouthed an apology to him from across the room – leaving him to fall victim to the group of ladies he mentally dubbed ‘The Cougar’s Den’.

And rightfully so. A group of five past their prime women who had banded together like white on rice and bought and paid for a bona fide firefighter of the first caliber. It wasn’t enough that his buddies down at the station were still beating him over the head because he’d essentially been sold into bondage. That he’d actually had to suffer through the most excruciatingly painful night of his life with The Cougar’s Den still pissed him off.

Not to mention the fact when he’d searched for the mysterious woman with hair the color of cinnamon in the crowd all she had said to him was a flippant ‘Better luck next time, eh?’ before smiling a smile that caused his step to falter and sailing out of his life as quick as she came in.

A stop at the registration booth had given him her name but her image and that heavenly smile had haunted his dreams on more than one occasion. With a shake of his head to clear it, he watched her approach him hoping his eyes only showed mild curiosity and not the overwhelming hunger that would take way more than his cold beer to quench.

She stopped about a foot away from him and even through the musty odor that filled every bar he’d ever frequented – the subtle floral scent of her perfume teased his senses.

Gabe smiled. “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

She cocked her head and regarded him with teasing eyes. “Strangest thing. I was just asking myself that very same question..."