Intimate Strangers

Nathan Bennett sat in a popular Atlanta bar and hotel drinking by himself. He had just ended another disastrous date. His second in the last month, to be exact. It had nothing to do with the woman. She was just his type. Beautiful and sophisticated. His one-night stand kind of woman. But he had been bored to death. He couldn’t remember one thing the woman said. He finally ended the evening before it became embarrassing for both of them.
What was wrong with him? Ever since his friend, Colin, had gotten married three months ago, he had been restless. He no longer enjoyed the company of faceless women.
He was no longer satisfied with sleeping with multiple women who were no more interested in a relationship than he was.
Nathan was happy for Colin. He had married a woman he had known for years, only as a friend in the beginning.
Over the years, neither one realized they were falling in love until recently. It was the kind of love story you read about. At the wedding, you could see how much in love they were. They only had eyes for each other.
Could Nathan restlessness be his way of yearning for the same happiness for himself? He flinched and took a quick sip of his scotch.
No, that can’t be the problem. There had to be another reason for his moodiness. He enjoyed his freedom too much to be tied down to one person.
“Bad night? Frank, the bartender, asked. He knew Nathan because he was a regular.
Nathan had been so focused on his misery; he didn’t realize the man was standing in front of him.
“Something like that,” he replied. “Frank, have you ever wanted something, but you didn’t know what it was?”
The middle-aged bartender rubbed his chin. “No, can’t say that I have. Although, I know what you mean. It’s like an itch you can’t scratch.”
“That’s it exactly. Can’t put my finger on it.”
“When did you start feeling that way?” He watched Nathan as he dried a glass and placed it under the bar.
“Near as I can tell, it started after a buddy of mine got married a few months ago.”
“Sounds like you want what your buddy has. How old are you, Nate?”
“I’m thirty-four, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“When you’re in your twenties, you enjoy playing the field. At this stage of your life, you start thinking about settling down and sharing your life with that one special person. At least, that’s the way it was for me.”
“I haven’t met anyone who stirs those kinds of feelings in me. I’ve dated lots of women, but none suitable for marriage.”
“Trust me, when you meet the right one, you’ll know. Excuse me.” A new customer sat down at the bar, so their conversation ended.
Frustrated, Nathan gazed around the bar and zeroed in on a woman who came into the bar. The cinnamon skinned beauty took a seat at a table across the room. Nathan looked around. She didn’t appear to be with anyone.
What was a woman like that doing in a bar alone? Right away, he could tell she didn’t belong here. She was dressed nicely in a form-fitting dress wrapped around her petite frame. He also noticed she had a nice pair of legs with red painted toes encased in a pair of high-heeled sandals. Nathan’s body tighten.
He had dated a lot of beautiful women over the years. Not one of them had affected him this way with a single look. It appeared he wasn’t the only one affected.
Several men were openly staring, but she seems not to notice. But she did appear nervous for some reason. More than ever, Nathan had a feeling this was not her scene. So what was she doing here?
She crossed her legs, and her dress rode further up her thighs. Nathan choked on his drink. Damn. He was acting like a teenager. You’d think he had never seen a woman’s body before. He was no stranger to the female form.
The woman glanced at her watch. So she was waiting for someone, after all.