The First Night (The Night Series)

  The First Night

  by

  Sidda Lee Tate

  The First Night

  Copyright © 2012, Sidda Lee Tate

  ISBN: 9781937325466

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: December, 2012

  Editor: Pamela Tyner

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  Can the last place she needs to be become the first night of her forever?

  She planned to meet her coworkers for drinks and be home in a few hours. Getting drunk and staying out all night was not an option. Not for Kayla Dobbs. Going to a bar was already pushing her limits. Between her full-time job and night classes, there was no time to spare for a social life, and certainly no time for a relationship. But when she meets Gannon, the sexy bartender whose hypnotic eyes seem to follow her every move, she wishes things could be different.

  Although Kayla doesn’t recognize him, Gannon knows exactly who she is—she was the one girl in high school he’d always wanted but had been afraid to pursue. He’s changed a lot since high school though, and maybe now he has a chance at making that dream come true.

  As she breaks free from her self-induced lifestyle of studying and work, Kayla realizes that no matter how concrete her life plan is, sometimes it only takes one night, one person, to alter it forever.

  Content Warning: contains descriptive sex and strong language

  Dedication

  For J.T. Thank you for loving me.

  Acknowledgements

  Pamela Tyner—you are the greatest editor on the planet, and I’m honored to work with you. Every one of your emails makes my day.

  My family—the never-ending support as I pursue my dreams means more to me than anything ever could. There is no way possible for me to function without you.

  Jason—you are my rock, and I need you every day. I love you.

  Sam—the best kid a mom could ask for. I love you so much and am the luckiest person alive to have you.

  Paula, Brandie, Heather, and Christie—my sounding boards! What can I say…you ladies are the best! Words can’t express how grateful I am for your encouragement and always knowing the right thing to say to get me back on track with my stories.

  I’d like to extend a Mount Everest size “thank you” to Beachwalk Press for taking a chance on me.

  And lastly, to romance readers everywhere…thank you for supporting such a wonderful genre.

  Chapter 1

  Kayla Dobbs grabbed her time card and punched out. Another long week at the factory was over, and although the job on the assembly line was meant to be temporary while she took night courses, she couldn’t believe she was marking her seventh year for the company that growing up she swore she would never work for. She’d escaped Pineville, Mississippi once. Directly after high school she left for college only to find herself moving back a year later because of expenses. Every day since then, she wished she would have stayed gone while she had the chance.

  There was nothing for her in the small town aside from work and school. Classes were strenuous and while she kept them up, she had cut back considerably during the last year in search of some type of social life. She was failing miserably. Her last relationship had ended nearly six months ago. That guy was too time consuming…and an ass. Since him, she had resigned herself to enjoying solitude, at least until she finished school. One more semester at the local university and she would officially be a history teacher…if she could find a job. Oh, how she wanted away from the factory.

  She heard someone yell her name, snapping her from her thoughts. She turned to see Sharon jogging to catch up to her. Sharon Blake, her work friend—her only friend—loved to party. Kayla suspected she used her small frame and giant tits to every advantage possible.

  “Hey girl,” Kayla said, smiling brightly. She knew what would happen next but she asked anyway. “What’s up?”

  “A bunch of us are going out tonight. You want to go?” Sharon asked, trying to catch her breath. Her breasts seemed to grow bigger with each heave for air.

  A light breeze brushed a few strands of hair across Kayla’s face. She smoothed it away with her hand. “I don’t know. It’s been a long week.”

  “Damn. You never want to go out.” Sharon laughed. “Every Friday I ask, and every time you have an excuse. One of these days, I’ll stop asking.” She dug in her purse and pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

  “No, you won’t. You’re too determined to get me drunk so everyone will have something to laugh about on Monday morning.”

  Sharon took a drag from the cigarette and smiled at Kayla. Blowing out the smoke she said, “Maybe. But, really, who cares? Fun is fun, right? We’re meeting at nine o’clock at Night, the new club that opened a few months ago on Broad Street. I’ll look for you.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Kayla replied, hoping to give Sharon enough that she would stop pushing the issue. Not that she minded Sharon asking, but she just couldn’t see finding time to waste with going to a bar. She climbed in her car, started the engine, and gave Sharon a wave as she drove away.

  Pulling into the driveway of her small, yellow house, she frowned at the sight of her overgrown lawn. It was one more thing to put on her to-do list. She parked the car, ignoring the garage, since it was full of the exercise equipment she had ordered the week before, which needed to be carried into the house and assembled in the spare bedroom. She was tired of going to the gym when investing in equipment and bringing the gym to her house was much more economical in the long run.

  After examining the plants on either side of the front door and deciding they could take another day without water, she walked in and tossed her purse on the sofa. Home at last. She went straight to the kitchen and grabbed a banana from the counter. A sad supper for one, she thought as she eyed with repulsion the stacks of required reading material for school piled on her dining room table.

  The thought of studying all night stole her desire to eat, and no longer hungry, she tossed the fruit in the trash. Kayla looked out her window at the obnoxious yard, frowned, and pulled a phone book from a drawer in search of a fix for one of her problems. Calling a lawn service would be ideal, and although the expense would extend her budget, it was worth it. Once.

  The first one listed, Arnie’s Lawn and Landscaping, agreed to come out for an estimate at noon the next day. Satisfied with taking at least one thing off her shoulders, she went to her bedroom, took off her jeans, and flopped on her bed for a quick nap. She set the alarm clock for six-thirty. One hour was enough time to gather some much needed energy for studying. She pulled the comforter over her shoulders, snuggled her head into the pillow, and within minutes she was out.

  The shirtless stranger stood at the foot of the bed, and she couldn’t wait to get her hands, or her tongue, on his ripped, lickable abs. “Take off your panties,” he said smoothly, confident as he unbuttoned his jeans.

  Confused by her desire for the dark-haired man, she did as she was told and slowly removed them. Her chest thumped with vigor as the black lace thong slid over her legs, and she noticed she was topless, her bare nipples standing at attention.

  He unzipped his pants, exposing his huge bulge, and smiled with a considerable amount of fiendishness that made Kayla’s thighs twitch. “
Spread your legs, I want to see you,” he said.

  “I don’t know,” she replied shyly, though she wasn’t sure why. Everything inside her was screaming to let him take her.

  The man’s wicked grin remained as his jeans hit the carpet with a soft thud. His hands wrapped around her ankles as he bent down to kiss the top of her feet. Climbing on the bed to join her, he planted his soft lips on each of her knees, then every inch of her thighs, causing her sex to nearly drip with wetness.

  “Is this what you like?” he asked, reaching her center, his breath hot as his lips hovered centimeters from her sensitive folds. He met her gaze with his dark eyes. Eyes she’d seen somewhere before.

  Breathing heavily, she nodded. Grabbing his hair, she guided his lips to her nipples, arching her back and gasping as he slid a finger inside her. He inserted another, twisting and rotating, curving them toward that special spot that would send her body into uncontrollable shudders. She spread her legs wider, making room for a third digit and allowing him to thrust them deeper. She whimpered as her hips moved in motion with his hand.

  Almost there.

  Can’t. Breathe.

  Kayla snapped her eyes open, looked at the clock, and quickly became pissed at herself for sleeping through the alarm. It was eight and she’d wasted valuable study time. She sat up and tossed her legs over the edge of the bed, wondering why she was out of breath. Remembering the dream, she smiled and ran a hand across her panties. Wet.

  She pushed the panties to the side and with her fingers, felt the slickness. Enjoying the touch, she slowly slipped two fingers inside, rotating them gently just as the man had in her dream, driving them deeper then back out, repeating until her pussy throbbed. It was an ache she was unable to take care of alone.

  She wished the shirtless stranger from her dream was real.

  She wished she had stayed in the dream long enough to feel his shaft thrusting inside her.

  She wished she didn’t have to depend on a dream to get some cock.

  Exasperated, Kayla flopped back against the mattress and stared at the ceiling. Was a date, one date, too much to ask for? Maybe she should put herself out there more. She did cut back on classes in order to have more of a social life. She considered Sharon’s invitation once more and decided to take her up on it.

  She dressed in her favorite pair of jeans, a loose black blouse, and her four-inch, strappy, silver pumps, then looked in the mirror one last time. She felt and looked sexy as hell and was pretty certain none of her coworkers would recognize her. The only way any of them had ever seen her was in…well, her work clothes, with no makeup and her long hair pulled back in a twist.

  She grabbed her keys and bag and headed out of the house.

  Chapter 2

  Kayla pulled her car into the parking lot at Night, the only bar in town. She scanned the vehicles for Sharon’s car and spotted it, happy she wasn’t the first one of the group to show up. She looked in the rearview mirror and reapplied her bright red lipstick, her nervousness causing her hand to shake. Though she couldn’t understand the root of her anxiety. It was one night…one night…a few hours at most. A chance to mingle and relieve some stress, which was all she really needed.

  All she really had time for.

  Sharon was the first person she saw as she entered the door, propped up against the bar waiting for a drink. Kayla had never seen her in a skirt, especially one that barely covered her ass. She walked over to Sharon and tapped her shoulder. “Hey.”

  Sharon turned around, her dark blonde hair flowed over her shoulders, and the way her makeup was done made her usual hazel eyes look green. “Well, holy shit! You made it!” Sharon shouted over the loud music echoing off the walls from the band. She looked Kayla over. “And look at how hot you are. Turn around and let me see your ass in those tight pants.” She puffed on her cigarette and spun Kayla around.

  Kayla felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. “Is my outfit too much?”

  “No way. If I were a guy, I would try to fuck you.” She laughed, grabbing her pink drink from the bartender and taking a sip. “We’ve got a table in the back corner. What are you drinking? You better order it before we get back there. The waitresses in this place mostly cater to the men. You know…bigger tips,” she scoffed. “Or so they seem to think.”

  “I’m not sure, I hardly ever drink.” Kayla inspected the liquor bottles shelved against the wall behind the counter.

  “I know what you need.” Sharon leaned over the bar, motioning for the bartender. He spotted her and came right over. Kayla’s eyes grew wide as she studied how his tight white shirt molded to his slender, fit torso.

  “Gannon, be a gem and get my friend here two shots of tequila,” Sharon said, nodding her head toward Kayla.

  “And a beer,” Kayla added, knowing she would need something to chase the shots. She wasn’t sure about the tequila, and she wasn’t sure about mixing her alcohol but shrugged it off. It was her first time going out since…well, she couldn’t remember when, so she decided to make the best of it.

  “Sure thing,” he said as his gaze trailed from her eyes to her neck to her breasts, and Kayla wasn’t certain if he meant ‘sure thing, coming right up’ or ‘sure thing, this girl is out tonight for the sole purpose of getting pounded’. But she liked the way he couldn’t take his eyes off her tits. “What’s your name?” he asked, setting the shots in front of her.

  Before the liquid was able to settle, she turned one up and found herself coughing as it burned her throat.

  “Kayla,” she answered, leaning in so she wouldn’t have to shout to be heard over the music.

  “Virgin?” he asked and placed her beer in front of her. His hands looked strong. Thick fingers, just the right amount of vein puffing up under his tan skin.

  “Excuse me?” she asked, and turned the bottle up and washed out the sting of tequila.

  “Did I just witness your first time shooting tequila?”

  “No,” she lied. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Here…” He poured two more shots then placed a couple of lime wedges on a napkin in front of her, along with a shaker of salt. “Try it like this.”

  Kayla followed his every move as he licked the skin between his index finger and thumb, doused it with salt, licked it off, turned up the mini glass, and then bit into the lime.

  She smiled and took the other shot exactly the way he showed her. A good kind of burn filled her chest as the liquid made its way to her stomach.

  “Better, no?” Friendly laughter spilled over his lips. “Is this your first time here?”

  “Yes, it’s her first time here,” Sharon interrupted and grabbed Kayla’s arm, her gaze darting back and forth between the two of them. “C’mon, grab your beer and let’s get to the table.”

  Kayla snickered inside at Sharon’s impatience and picked up the cool glass bottle. “Hang on a minute, Sharon. I still have to pay him.”

  “Not tonight you don’t,” the bartender said. His lips turned up and Kayla couldn’t help but stare at his deep, dark eyes as she tried to place where she’d seen them before.

  “Thanks,” she replied, and followed Sharon through the crowd to their table.

  A man and a woman Kayla didn’t know sat at a small, round table in a dimly lit area two rows from the dance floor. Two empty chairs waited for her and Sharon.

  Kayla leaned into Sharon’s ear. “Who are they? I don’t know them from work.” Her head began to feel the buzz from the tequila. She took another drink of beer to help it along. She was going to have fun no matter what.

  “Some friends of mine. They’re good people. Don’t worry.” Sharon sat down and lit another cigarette.

  The band announced a fifteen minute break and left the stage, which made it easier for conversation.

  “Vic and Missy, meet Kayla. She’s a friend of mine from work,” Sharon said. “She also goes to college.”

  “I’m majoring in education. Hopefully within the next year I’ll be teach
ing history.” Kayla sat in the last empty chair which put her between Sharon and Vic. “Good to meet you.”

  Vic stared at her intensely, but worried about Missy’s reaction, Kayla pretended not to notice. Her attention was continuously drawn to the man behind the bar. The fact that she recognized him but was unable to pinpoint from where was driving her crazy.

  By the time the band’s break was over and they took the stage again Kayla had warmed up to the couple at the table. The tequila helped, and she wanted more of it. She finished her beer. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “I need another shot.”

  “Grab me one too,” Sharon shouted, taking the hands of the couple and dragging them out to the dance floor.

  Kayla watched them dance for a minute and was surprised at what she saw. Sharon was wedged in between the two of them as they ground into her. Vic rubbed the mound in his pants against Sharon’s ass as his hands traveled across her breasts while Missy leaned in, licking her neck. All three of them moved simultaneously with the beat of the music.

  * * * *

  Gannon knew the instant he saw her walk into the room that he would be worthless behind the bar for the rest of the night. Taking her drink order, he had been captivated by the sound of her voice, enchanted by her bright, blue eyes, and when she’d walked away from him in those tight jeans and silver high heels all he could think about was getting his palms on each of those ass cheeks.

  He knew at once who she was, but asked her name just to make sure. In high school, she had been one year ahead of him. Kayla Dobbs, the one girl he’d always wanted. The one girl he’d always been afraid to pursue. To him, she was untouchable. It had been nine years since she’d graduated from high school, nine years since he’d laid eyes on her, and nine years of him trying to wash her out of his head.