You had me at hello -Dallas

[lukah reagan brookes]

Lukah brushed her hair back with her hand as she followed Jeremy into the restaurant. She had finished with her last client an hour ago but killed time cleaning at the shop waiting for him to get out of work himself. She hated cleaning, but the better standing she was in at work the better her career would be. It's hard to get a job at one of the best tattoo parlor in the city, and after getting fired from one she could kiss her career goodbye. She wasn't even really sure where Jeremy worked, and why he would be at work until eleven but it wasn't her place to ask. Not only that but she really didn't care all that much.

The pair were seated at a table in the midst of the room, filled with people talking and eating. She'd heard this was a good restaurant; also she had heard it was pricey. Jeremy was quiet and she didn't really want to ask him how his day was, but she did anyway. "How was your day?" He shrugged and looked relieved when their waiter came over. He gave the usual shpeal about how he was their waiter, brushing over the specials and finishing with requests of their drinks. Jeremy seemed upset so it appeared to be a bad time to order a drink. What a shame. "Just water please." Jeremy ordered water too which was highly unusual. They sat in silence until their drinks came and their waiter asked them what they'd like to eat. Lukah went first and ordered herself something fancy with grilled chicken, her favorite. Jeremy didn't order anything and the waiter left. "Listen Lukah" Oh great, she knew where this was going. He took in a deep breath and Lukah interrupted him. "Don't bother, it's fine." she gestured to the door "Hope things go well for you." she offered a small smile. Jeremy looked extremely puzzled but at once her got up and turned to leave. Lukah sighed and rested her head in her hand. As her food was still cooking Lukah flagged down her waiter when she saw him passing. "Can I please have a scotch on the rocks?"

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[dallas troy wesley]

Being a weekend that Auden was going to take Alex to her parents house, Dallas had nothing else better to do than to work an extra shift or two at work that weekend. Sure, he could have stayed home and hung out with his best friend, Mason, but Dallas wanted to make money now so that he could relax later. Not only that, but Mason normally ditched him at the end of the night so that he could into the pants of yet another girl that would fall victim to his boyish charm. It was that same charm that tried to get Dallas to bring home a girl for himself, but the dark haired male was more mature than that. He didn't need to sleep around to feel good about himself or just to get attention. The male instead decided against fooling around, simply because he had a kid to think about. In fact, it was mainly because of little Alex that Dallas didn't sleep around with every whore on the block. He was almost one hundred percent positive that because of having Alex so young, it changed his whole outlook on life. If Alexandria hadn't been created, Dallas was sure that he’d have slept around almost as much as Mason did; lord knows the male had a pretty enough face to get any girl to go home with him.

Running a little bit behind schedule, Dallas practically ran through the open kitchen door at the back of the restaurant to clock in on time. With only seconds to spare, Dallas managed to punch his time card before he was considered late. And if he had remembered correctly, he was working with the one manager that he disliked the very most, because she was honestly an uptight bitch who needed to get laid and relax a bit. Though, she was not someone that Dallas was offering to help relax in the least bit; this broad had a lot of crazy antics and she actually slightly frightened the twenty year old male. No sooner did he clock in to work did his manager start hounding him. "Dallas, your section is fully booked. Carly had trouble keeping up, so I expect you to do better," she demanded. "And for heaven's sake, fix your hair. If you’re not going to cut it like a normal human, the least that you could do is tame it," she said, getting huffy and walking away.

Shaking his head as his manager walked away, Dallas knew that he should have just stayed home instead of volunteering to work an extra shift. Though, there he was at work now, so there was absolutely no turning back now. Taking a deep breath, Dallas got to work; he worked his butt off and it surely paid off. Two hours into his shift and he had already made almost three hundred dollars in tips alone, plus whatever his joke of an hourly salary was on top of that, not that that part mattered to him. Dallas made his money in tips and he had to admit, even if he had to kiss a little ass to get them, it was completely worth it. Although, towards the end of his shift, Dallas was assigned a table that a couple was led to that wasn't in his table section. His manager claimed that they were of his kind, so he was to deal with them instead. They were of the tattooed kind, so his manager was afraid of them, because she was afraid of them embarrassing her and putting her in her rightful place in front of her employees.

Walking over to the table, Dallas gave the typical speech that he and the rest of his co-workers gave to everyone that came in to eat there. After bringing back their drink order, Dallas asked if they were ready to order their meals; only the female ordered something, so Dallas knew exactly what was about to happen between the pair. He had seen it so many times before, so he was honestly used to it by now. And when the male brought the plate of food back to the table after it was prepped and cooked, he knew that he had been right when the girl was sitting all alone at the table. It honestly broke Dallas’ heart when guys left girls at fancy restaurants and didn't even bother to leave money for the bill, regardless of whether or not they had ordered anything for themselves. Knowing that he didn't have to do either of the two things that he was about to do, Dallas wanted the girl to know that there still were nice guys left in the world and that not all of them were assholes like the guy that had just walked out on her. Being the good guy that he is, Dallas ordered the female some sort of chocolate dessert that he knew most females liked, since he had been told on many occasions from his sisters that chocolate helped heal a broken heart. And before he brought it out to her, he pulled his tip money out of his pocket and paid for her meal. When the receipt printed out of the machine, Dallas wrote on it; "Nice guys do exist still, I promise."

And with that, Dallas brought the bill with a zero balance and the dessert to the female’s table. "It's on the house," the male spoke, placing the dessert in front of her before she could insist that she hadn't ordered it. As he turned to leave, Dallas flashed her a smile that seemed to make girls melt when he was around them. He wasn't using this smile to get the girl to go home with him, he was just trying to show her that not all guys were rude and idiotic like the guy that she had brought with her that evening. As he turned, Dallas checked the time on his phone quickly and realized that his shift had ended about ten minutes prior and he was finally free to go home. Thankful that it was all over, Dallas went back to the kitchen and untied his apron as he walked over to the employee lockers. Opening his own, the male grabbed his bag out of it and went into the bathroom to change out of his uniform.

Now dressed in a blue and white Hollister polo and a pair of dark wash jeans, Dallas felt a little more comfortable. He then slipped his feet into his white sneakers, put his uniform in the bag, then walked back into the kitchen. Grabbing his hat off of the hook he stashed it away on, Dallas vocalized a goodbye to the kitchen crew, many of them did the same to him; he got along with the kitchen crew pretty well, unlike most of the other waiters and waitresses. They got so pushy when orders weren't being cooked fast enough, but Dallas always kept his cool and didn't rush them any faster. He’d just bring the table something else and explain that the kitchen was a little busier that evening and everyone would remain happy. Walking out of the kitchen and into the dining room, Dallas made sure to keep towards the frame of the room instead of cutting in between all of the tables like most of his co-workers would do. And as he walked towards the hostess booth, he leaned against it when he got close enough. "Thanks for giving me all the good ones, Jess," Dallas said, pulling one hundred dollars in twenties out of his pocket. "Always a pleasure, Dallas," she spoke, taking the money from him. She always gave him the highest paying customers, because she knew that with the male’s personality, they’d leave a big tip and that the male would give her a cut of all of his tips. "See you tomorrow night, handsome," she said as Dallas moved from his spot and towards the door. "Same time, beautiful," he voiced, walking out the door.

[lukah reagan brookes]

Lukah rested her head on the palm of her hand waiting for her drink. It wasn't really worth it to get up and leave she now was homeless. And eating in your car by yourself wasn't exactly the most fun. But it wasn't like she hadn't done it many times before. It was the main reason she kept a blanket in the trunk. She was not looking forward to spending the night in the parking lot behind the tattoo parlor. Her food arrived moments before her drink. She didn't really care how unclassy she was being Lukah downed the drink swiftly before digging into dinner. She wasn't going to let Tyler ruin her day, he was a dime a dozen and honestly she knew it wasn't going anywhere between the two of them. Days ago she discovered a pair of panties and a sock that he belonged to the girl her had just broken up with under his side of the mattress. It was only a matter of time until he left her to go back to his ex girlfriend. That is if she would even take him back. Though he did know how to grovel she had to give him that one.

Before she finished her meal a slice of cake arrived. She looked up confused but managed to smile politely to the waiter that she had over looked all evening. He didn't stick around long after dropping off the cake and bill but he did turn to smile at her. Obviously not interested in her he vanished into the kitchen. But he did pay for her meal, and a dessert. Lukah wiped the corners of her mouth and waited for him to emerge but he didn't. She flagged down her new waiter and asked for a box for the cake. With her cake boxed and meal paid she stood up to leave. Lukah pulled her items close about her as she weaved through the tables to the door. She pressed herself against the wall to avoid hitting a group of people filing into the restaurant. That when she saw her waiter again. Or she at least thought that he was her waiter. She edged closer wanting a word with him and overheard him talking to the hostess. He called her beautiful but she couldn't hear what she was saying and smiled to herself. That's why he didn't stick around, or give her his number. It was so cute when men were in committed relationships.

Her waiter slipped outside the door and Lukah tried her best to follow him. She stuggled to catch up in her heels so she called ahead. "Hey Stripes!" Lukah straightened her black skirt with one hand as she caught up to him. She brushed her straight black hair back with her free hand. "You know you don't have to pay for my meal and buy me things." She offered a smile, not wanting to come off as an independent standoffish bitch. "I get dumped all the time and if people keep buying me cake it's going to be hard to keep this figure." Lukah straightened herself up and let a smile tug on the corners of her thin lips. "I'm Lukah, and who are you?" She had to promise herself not to flirt she didn't want to break up another relationship, look where that had gotten her with Tyler. But she couldn't help it, some guys were just all over her. Others weren't, but in Lukah's mind they were few and far between. She very lightly bit her lip as she extended her hand to shake when he told her his name. "It's a pleasure."

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[dallas troy wesley]

As Dallas walked out the door of the restaurant, he began the walk to his car. It wasn't long before the male heard someone call out to someone they were naming Stripes. Thinking for a moment, seeing as how he was really the only one in the parking lot and he was wearing a striped polo, the person had to be talking to him. Turning around, Dallas found that the person following him was the girl he had paid her dinner for. Hoping that she wasn't going to bitch and complain and call him an ignorant pig for paying for her dinner, Dallas embraced himself for the worst. He knew of the independent women that would throw a fit when a male would do anything and everything for her, but Dallas was just being a nice guy, since he knew without being told that she had just been broken up with. Plus, he was hoping that his niceness would bring good karma to him later on in life when his daughter started dating. Oh boy, did Dallas know that he was going to be in for some trouble when Alex started dating; she was pretty like her mother already and she was only destined to be even prettier as she aged.

When the female was close enough to talk to him, Dallas was able to see her under the street lamps that lit up the parking lot. She was a lot prettier than he had thought that she was, but that could have been because he didn't want to focus on looking her over in the restaurant and for her to call him a pervert. When the words flowed from her mouth, Dallas could tell that her words weren't fighting words; she was just trying to be nice and claiming that she didn't need her meals paid for. When the female smiled at him, Dallas knew that he wasn't going to be yelled at, so he smiled back. "I know I didn't have to, but it's what any nice guy would do. I've seen it happen so many times in other sections that weren't mine, but your table was in my section tonight and I don't know. I guess I was just thinking that maybe you should know that the world isn't turning against you or something. Maybe that's just my nice guy attitude," he spoke, unlocking his car and putting his gym bag in the back seat. Before the female could see, Dallas closed the door again, hoping that she wouldn't have seen the booster seat he had for Alex inside. He hadn't had the time to put it in the trunk the day before, since he decided that he was going to be lazy with Mason instead. When he was done putting his bag in the car, the girl introduced herself. Shaking her hand as he learned her name, Dallas smiled. "Dallas," he spoke. "Always a pleasure," he added.

[lukah reagan brookes]

It wasn't uncommon for Lukah to be surrounded by attractive males, in fact it was one of her favorite places to be. But it was difficult to be this good looking and alone. Although she was surprisingly alone all the time. Probably had something to do with the fact that Lukah wasn't into dating. She was into giving men sex in return for a place to sleep that wasn't in the back seat of her car. Which would seem like a fool proof plan, but most men tired of her in a week or less. And the longest relationship she had been a part of lasted about three months. It didn't deter her from men, mostly it made her want them more. And the male standing in front of her was definitely one of her top one percent of the most attractive. "I know the world isn't turning against me, but that what you get when you're only good for rebound sex and then he goes back to his girlfriend." She half rolled her eyes before she smiled. "He was sleeping with some of her underwear if you believe me." She smiled brightly.

Lukah smiled when he introduced himself. Dallas huh? What an interesting name. And what he said after it had a tone of charm hanging on the end. Apparently he himself were interesting. But she promised that she wouldn't break up another relationship after Tyler. "Ah, charming and well as handsome. Bet that's how you got the girl" she paused, "the hostess, I mean." Lukah was doing the best that she could to reel in her flirtatious personality. She didn't want to be a home wrecker, she had done that once and didn't want to suffer the repercussions of that ever again. Not to mention if she hadn't been so close to graduation she could have been expelled and that would have killed her family. Who have already condemned her to hell and had from very long ago.

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[dallas troy wesley]

As Dallas closed his car door and faced the girl, he saw just how pretty she was under the lights in the parking lot. Why would any guy give her up? Then again, people could ask him the same thing about Auden; although, that was a totally different situation all in it's own. As soon as she told him of her now ex boyfriend's infidelity, Dallas understood. Why wasn't a guy happy enough to not fool around on the side when he was already dating what seemed like a perfect ten? Either this girl was a psychopath or her ex was the dumbest asshole on the planet. Dallas was hoping that the situation would be the latter of the two. "Oh, I believe you. I just can't figure out why he would want to break up with you. Maybe it's better for you that he did. You seem like a smart girl, he's sounding like the dumbest guy for letting you go. If he's dumb enough to get rid of you, please tell me that you're smart enough not to take him back," Dallas spoke.

When the girl spoke, claiming that he was both charming and handsome, Dallas grinned. Though, when she spoke of him and getting the hostess, Dallas was a little confused at first. Thinking for a moment, Dallas thought about his conversation with Jess. "Oh, Jess? she's not my girlfriend. We just have a mutual agreement going on. She gives me the high paying customers and I charm my way into their wallets, then we split the tips. Kind of like, I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine, " the male spoke. "Just like you, I'm flying solo. Have been for awhile now," Dallas admitted. "Gets lonely sometimes, but I deal with a lot less bull shit and aggravation than everyone else does," Dallas voiced.

[lukah reagan brookes]

Lukah dropped the boxed cake in a bag on the ground beside her feet. She pulled her hair from behind her shoulders onto one side of her torso and smiled very faintly at him. "Don't worry, once bitten twice shy." She offered a slight laugh to show her ability to over come the situation. And once he told her that Jess wasn't his girlfriend it was all over. The coy games had come to a close. She wanted him and wasn't going to let anything stand in her way. Lukah bit her lip then let it slip slowly through the grip of her teeth. She stepped closer to him so the air was a bit uncomfortable. "Yeah it can be lonely being single. But you do bring up a good point." The corner of her mouth tugged away "less drama to deal with." Lukah looked up into his eyes, for he was taller than her even with heels on. "Sometimes it's nice to be single, and be free. No one telling you what you can and can't do. Nothings off limits when there's no one waiting at home telling you that you can't have fun."

Lukah smirked, "Tell me Dallas, what do you like to do for fun?" Lukah was flirting uncontrollably. But she couldn't help wonder if maybe Dallas might be someone that she could date. Maybe that someone who would show her how she could feel about someone more than just in a sexual way. Since he seemed so innocent, paying for her dinner and buying her a dessert because she had been dumped. He hadn't done it in a way to get into her pants. He'd simply done it to be nice. Lukah wondered briefly if he was a virgin. Since he hadn't really made a pass at her yet, but she had to be patient. She couldn't get ahead of herself. In a few minutes things would pan out and she would know if he would take her home and she really hoped so. Lukah hated sleeping in her car, the leather seats were hot and sticky in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. She was prepared to do anything to stay out of her car tonight. "Where did you learn to become so charming?"

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[dallas troy wesley]

Looking over at the girl, Dallas took in her words carefully, making sure not to misinterpret them. He had done that in the past and it wasn't exactly the best ending to any sort of situation, that much he knew. When Dallas was fully convinced that this girl was flirting with him, from the way she played with her hair to the way she looked at him like he was her next meal, he decided that he was going to play along with her. She would be the one to initiate things, but he would go along with it and possibly even get something out of the evening for himself as well. The male had a feeling that this was going to be a cat and mouse kind of a chase, but a fairly easy one at that. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought that she was willing to jump his bones right there in the parking lot. Thankfully, Dallas did know better or at least enough to know that he'd have to bring her home and hope that Mason wouldn't sit by his door waiting on him to answer questions. The male that he was able to claim as his roommate and best friend wouldn't be used to Dallas bringing home a one night stand, since Dallas wasn't normally into that sort of thing.

When the female brought up the point that because he was single, he didn't have anyone at home telling him what he could and could not do, the male grinned. Technically, he didn't have someone like that at home, but his daughter was one of the main reasons that he didn't sleep around a lot. Honestly, Dallas wasn't ready for another oops yet. Granted, he loved his daughter with every ounce of his being but if he had the option to wait a few years, hr would have opted for that. Then the female asked him what he liked to do for fun, which only made his grin grow bigger on his face. "Well, if I'm not working, I'm either at home sleeping or in the studio with my band and occasionally working on my car," the male voiced. Leaning against the side of his car, Dallas looked towards the female and spoke. "So, what do pretty girls like yourself do for fun?" he questioned. After she answered his questioned, she went on to ask another question. Taking a moment to think, Dallas knew the answer. "I'm not really sure where I learned, but I'm pretty sure it was a survival instinct. I have nine older sisters, so I had to figure out how to survive as the only male child in the house from a young age."

[lukah reagan brookes]

There hadn't really been a time in her life when Lukah was turned down by a man. About one percent were not willing to cheat on their girlfriend with her, but most were. She didn't believe that men could possibly act civilly except for a select few. Dallas appeared to be one of them but with the open possibility of no girlfriend at home she was sure he was ripe for the picking. And so she would wait, and she would play. Though it seemed like she had to do this every time Lukah was positive this was one of her favorite parts of dealing with men. Every one responded differently, unique body language. It was fun to read them, some were like open books, others were a bit more difficult to figure out. And Dallas was not quite so open. He leaned on his car looking at her in a strange way. It was like only a small part of him wanted him to be with her. She wondered again if he was a virgin or had a secret girlfriend, or the owner of womanly parts. She smiled thinking about how silly it was that it had even crossed her mind.

"Have a band do you?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked playfully. "Wouldn't happen to be part of Royal Flush Records would you?" When he agreed she smiled. "I've tattooed a few of their boys before, good looking bunch Royal Flush has rounded up." She tilted her head slightly. "No surprise that you're part of them since you are quite handsome." Lukah disregarded the part about working on his car, that was nothing new. All men thought it scored them manly points for owning a car and working on it and sadly it was of no interest to Lukah. The band part interested her greatly. She blew air out of her nose in place of laughing and smirked devilishly, "We do what we want." Part of her tone sounded a little authoritative, showing that she could take charge herself, and seeing if he would play ball back. "A charming instict huh? Well clearly you've had plenty of practice." She placed her hands in her pockets looking up at him.

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