Page 2 of A Dream for Daphne

“Do you come here often?” he asked, putting some tokens into the machine next to her. She would have pegged him as a card player if she had to guess.

“Virgin experience,” she said. He’d let out a cough and then laughed, so she added, “Just killing some time on a Saturday night.”

What an idiot she was to use that choice of words.

“I know that feeling well,” he said, grinning.

This time she noticed the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes though.

“Sometimes I need a distraction,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows and taking a sip of her wine.

What the heck was wrong with her?

She wasn’t sure where her mind was going. She’d never done anything like this before.

Struck up a conversation with a stranger, then flirted with him.

But he was cute and right there in front of her. Why not?

She didn’t know who he was and he didn’t know her.

It’d been so long since she’d talked with a man that she wasn’t working for or serving at one of her old waitress jobs.

Sex? Let alone a kiss?

Good Lord the thought of how long that had been was depressing.

He held his beer up to her, then turned back to his machine.

“Distractions are a good thing too,” he said after a few seconds.

Daphne had figured their conversation was done and it was probably for the best.

Guess she was wrong.

She turned back to see his smirk. This time it was reaching his eyes. His dark soulful eyes that were appraising her. Maybe he had to think about it some before he replied.

There was interest in them for sure now. She looked down and didn’t notice a ring on his finger.

Which meant nothing most times, but she still glanced.

A minute later, her machine went off and she won about eighty dollars.

“Woohoo,” she said. “I’m in the black right now.”

“That’s better than most do for a night here,” he said. “Did you only come here to play?”

It was the way he said that.To play.

“Yeah,” she said. “A treat for myself.”

He laughed and she knew the smile filled her face.

Maybe there was a double meaning there and she was slightly shocked to even know those words came out of her mouth.

“Treats are nice too,” he said, his eyes lighting up with amusement.

The two of them sat there chatting back and forth about nothing substantial but both laughing over silly things while they played the magical slots that were kicking their butts. When his tokens were out, he got up and stretched his long legs.

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