Vs Reality Read Online Free PDF Page B

straight to the awkward small-talk portion of the evening?” Donovan shrugs and cracks a nervous grin. He’s never been good with ‘suave’, so he’s hoping ‘boyish charm’ will be enough to break the ice.
    “I like it,” she says with a small nod. “No bullshit. That’s a refreshing change, especially for a night at Platinum.” She grabs the empty chair to her left and swivels it in Cole’s direction. “Sit down and let me buy you a drink. But you’re going to have to earn it.”
    “What’s the price?” Cole asks, trying his best to mask his confusion.
    “Tell me if she was a blond or a brunette.”
    He frowns. “If who was a what?”
    She takes a short sip from her straw, sucking down the remaining drops of her pink and orange cocktail. “ Come on . I’ve seen a lot of dudes take a lot of ass-kickings, but when a guy gets beaten this badly, it’s almost always because of a girl.”
    Cole sits down and leans against the edge of the bar. “My ex – who is a redhead, by the way – has nothing to do with my current condition. At least the external scars and bruising.”
    She straightens her posture and pitches forward. “Wow, this isn’t some boring, getting-to-know-you chit-chat, is it? This is actually interesting. Don’t hold out on me, cowboy, let’s hear some details.”
    “So you want to know the specifics of how I had the still-beating heart ripped out of my chest and stomped on by the evil bitch I used to date? What are you, some kind of sadist?”
    Her cherry lips curl into a devilish grin, dimpling her cheeks. “Not so much. I’m just into love stories.” Without turning around she slides some cash towards the bartender. He nods and starts preparing another drink, pocketing the bills.
    This is the strangest conversation that Cole has had in quite some time, though with each passing moment his nervousness melts away. “And what exactly do you know about love, crazy girl who asks complete strangers inappropriate questions about their personal lives?”
    “Just that it’s all a lie,” she says with a hint of sweetness. “No one really means it when they say ‘I love you’, and no one really believes it when they hear it. But people like to pretend that it’s true because it makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You know, it’s like when you tell your cousin she doesn’t look fat in her wedding dress, or when you promise to water someone’s plants while they’re away on vacation.”
    Cole fakes a theatrical look of concern. “So you just let the plants die? Wow…you really are a sadist.”
    “Based on my recent dating history, I consider myself more of a masochist.” She pulls the cherry from her new drink and pops it into her mouth, plucking off the stem and tossing it over her shoulder.
    “Guys getting their asses kicked, plants dropping dead…you’re a dangerous girl to be around.”
    She raises her eyebrows and twirls the tiny straw around the rim of her glass, blending the pink and orange liquid into a tiny frozen maelstrom. “Mmm…you don’t know the half of it.”
    After one final wipe on his cargo shorts he extends a tentative hand. “Cole. Donovan Cole.” Shit . He’d delivered Jens’ idiotic double-oh-seven introduction without even realizing it. He winces slightly, praying she didn’t think it sounded as ridiculous as it probably did.
    She squeezes it softly and offers a smile. “Danica Davenport. But most people call me Dia.”
    Cole hopes that in the dimly lit club, Dia can’t detect the heat rising in his face, the redness that is almost certainly forming in his cheeks. He hasn’t felt this way is so long that he’d almost forgotten what ‘it’ feels like.
    “So,” Dia says, her parted bottom lip gently brushing her straw, “I can’t be certain, but it definitely seems like we’re not strangers anymore. Would it be okay if I wanted to ask you another wildly inappropriate question…you know, since we’re on a first-name