Chapter Two

Colby stared into her beer running the tip of her finger along the rim of the glass. "Alright, I can do that. Jon." She rubbed her belly as it growled reminding her that she hadn't eaten breakfast since that morning. "There's a good Chinese restaurant down the road." She watched him tuck his cigarettes and wallet back into his leather jacket.

"Great, so glass blower? That's an unusual profession for a female." The fullness of her lips had him tempted to ask if that was all she was good at blowing. If the night went well, maybe he'd find out.

She scooped up her bag tucking it under her arm. "Yeah, I know. Something I've always enjoyed, creating things, getting my hands dirty so to speak." She tugged at her necklace around her neck straightening the twist in her beads.

"Make that?" the ruby colored glass caught in the dim lighting of the bar. It was fascinating, he'd seen documentaries on glass blowing but he hadn't given the process all that much thought.

She grinned "Yeah and about a hundred other ones, I make the beads, some jewellery buyers buy them and they make the rest," she stood and nodded waiting for him to lead the way out.

Jon stood and made sure Dan had been fixed up. She was already one of the most interesting people he'd met. She was one of those people that were gorgeous without much effort. She had to be single, otherwise she'd of declined the bet. Unless she was one of those girls.

"Tell me more. Come on then Colby." Colby. Another interesting thing, an unusual name. He'd had no doubt that she lived up to the interesting part with ease.

"See you Dan, probably tomorrow," Colby waved.

"Don't do anything or anyone I wouldn't do." Dan waggled his brows as she turned away.

Jon's eyes widened, did she do this often? Well hell. Maybe getting her into bed wasn't going to be that hard at all.

When his fingertips rested on the small of her back, brushing against her spine she felt the tingle. The one that was enough to make her wonder what the rest of his hands would feel like against her skin. Were they calloused like guitar players hands? Or were they soft? "It's just down the road. How long have you been in London?" she asked as he fell into step beside her. The clicks of their heels went in time as she led the way to Chow Time.

"A week, we started filming yesterday," he jammed his hands into his coat pockets.

"What's it about?" she asked letting Jon beat her to opening the door to the restaurant for her.

They were shown to a booth, Jon waited until she was seated before sliding into his side of the booth. Flipping open the menu he began.

"I'm playing an actor debuting in a London play. I'm American, cliche I know but I'm playing an actor who is sexually devious and manipulative," his lips cocked in a smirk. Colby shifted in her seat when his eyes flashed from Cobalt to black momentarily.

She swallowed unsure of what to say, Christ for the first time you're speechless? Good fuck. "Looks like the part was made for you" she scanned the menu, refusing to meet his eyes. "So you're a seducer then?"

And you want him to seduce you don't you?

"Yeah, more to it than that but I'm really enjoying the part so far it's a challenge." He curled his fingers around the leather bound menu "and like challenges," his eyes found hers and held them.

She broke the stare leaning back and crossed her legs under the table. She causally flicked through her own menu pages. "Well, I have been known to be called a challenge a few times." Especially by my mother.

She was still confused with the fact he knew her name. It was crazy? Had he really seen the glassware in the shop? It couldn't have been Dan who told him. Dan always worried that with the way Colby lived her life so freely that she'd be taken advantage of. She knew it came across that way sometimes and the way Jon was looking at her right now, sizing her up. She was pretty sure he was thinking that exact thing.

Jon pulled his gaze from her when the waitress came by, "Lemon Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork ok?" He closed shut the menu.

She nodded "Sure, sounds good to me," she handed her menu back to the waitress as walked back to the kitchen.

She picked up the navy blue serviette and folded it into a triangle "So tell me Jon, if you hadn't guessed my name, how you of would proposed to seduce me?" she looked back up and raised her brow at him.

Jon chuckled and leaned forward "Well, I'm guessing you're not the type to get all hot and bothered over a nice slow candlelight dance" she wasn't a woman that fell to romance. He'd already figured that much out about her.

"You didn't try so how do I know?" her lips poised in a pout as his eyes fell to her lips. She grinned and let her tongue lightly lick her top lip.

His hand curled into a fist. "You're killing me here you know that don't you?" he groaned. She was like no one he'd met. He didn't know what the word was to describe her. She was casual but so assured within herself with it. She reminded him a lot of himself. And the need to, god the need to show her he was serious and could wipe that smile right off her face and replace it with something else was fucking overwhelming.

"And I still haven't decided if we're going home together or not, so start selling yourself to me." She picked up her Corona that had been placed alongside her and wrapped her lips around the top pausing for effect before taking a swig.

Jon choked on his own beer, well fuck. "One night with me and you'll wonder why you bothered with anyone else," he let the smirk widen. "Don't you want to at least make your mind up for yourself?" he leaned back and drummed his fingers against the table.

"Maybe, but don't you have a line for me though? You're special, I've never felt like this with anyone in so long?" she asked dramatically putting her hand across her heart and fluttering her eyes.

"Jesus, Colby" he shook unable to stop the laugh that came from his throat as a few onlookers glanced at them.

"Well you don't?" she asked pretending to be disappointed. He was too easy. Seriously.

"You don't need it, no matter what I say or what I do it's not going to influence you. You've made your mind up already."

Her heart skidded a couple of beats, he'd read her that well already? Well shit. That was the problem with most guys. They didn't get that. They treated woman like they could be influenced by words and actions forcing them to change their mind... Colby wasn't that girl.

Jon lifted his beer to his mouth, the look of surprise on her face was priceless. Well if he wasn't already a Robin Granger of sorts. He wasn't callous like Robin though, Jon could tell a strong mind anywhere and Colby had it. She knew exactly what she wanted and when she'd have it. His eyes took a short dive to her hooded sweater, she some seriously nice breasts swelling under there. Shit.

"Top of the class for that one, very good. So I guess this means you will just have to wait and see what I've decided huh?" she asked picking up her fork when the two large platters of food were brought in. She'd already decided back at the bar that she needed to see exactly what was under that shirt and what he tasted like.

"I guess so," he handed her the small china plate to put some food on. He kept trying to read her, her smiles that were matched by the not so innocent gleam in her eyes. He was going to get lucky tonight.

She speared a piece of pork on her fork and took a bite. "So why the move to London? Away from your family and all?" assuming he lived somewhere in the States.

"Yeah," he began he scraped some chicken across his plate. He wasn't usually in the business of the spilling his personal issues out to anyone, especially those he had just met. "Well I took the acting job because I wanted a lead role and this was a perfect job really, plus it got me away from my wife. Now ex-wife."

Colby's eyes widened, ouch. "Jon I'm sorry." She shook her head, "No I'm not sorry, I apologize. You don't need my pity. Things happen in life for reasons, even though sometimes that's hard to believe when the most unbelievably shitty thing happens." No wonder he looked a little rough around the edges. Colby bet her last dollar that if he wasn't acting he wouldn't have looked so clean cut right now. The worry and stress dug deep around his eyes.

"It's ok, it's over. Time to move on, things to do," he took a mouthful of the lemon chicken. Hell, he hadn't expected to even tell her quite that much.

His face shut off. This conversation was over. "So how long do you intend to be in London?" Ok so now she was looking at a man on the rebound. She wasn't stupid. She could read it all over his face and his intentions were less than subtle. What rock star in their right mind came onto a random girl in a bar? One that wanted to get laid. Suited her, she was never interested in more than a fling so this was perfect, no strings. Just the way she liked it.

"Three months." And already the three months here was looking more promising than an hour ago.

"Know many people here?"

He shook his head and waved his fork in the air "No, just the cast and crew of the movie. A few of my musical contacts are here so I'll probably contact them eventually I guess."

Colby twisted her fork around the noodles before sucking them into her mouth "Well if you want someone to do sightseeing and things, I could be tempted," she dabbed her lips with her fingers before licking them.

That's just not right. The woman's just eating Chinese, get a fucking grip of yourself. "Depends on how tonight goes," he winked at her before looking back down at her plate. If she could be cocky so could he.

Colby chuckled, the flash of silver caught in the light beneath his shirt. And so did the vision of it dragging over her body. She shifted in her seat. "So you're saying if you don't get lucky you won't come back for more" she asked holding her fork in the air.

"No, I'm saying that if you're good I'll come back for more" He wasn't that much of an asshole.

She laughed picking up her serviette "You are something else Mr Bongiovi." They ate in a comfortable silence until the meal finished.

Jon leaned back and placed his palms on the table. "So I'm going to go and pay and then you're going to decide what we do next," he pulled his leather wallet from his pocket and slid from the booth.

And there it was. Ass-tastic jeans walking away from her. She bit down on her lip. Good fuck. She was really going to do this? What was wrong with her? She'd never questioned her instinct before. But she'd never met someone like him either. She gathered up her things and threw her bag over her shoulder to wait for him by the door.