“Did you hear about the mathematician who was scared of negative numbers? He’d stop at nothing to avoid them.” No, Bernie, no.

  “Hear about the new restaurant called Karma? There’s no menu — you get what you deserve.” They made Bernie laugh, especially teacher’s pet — Millie Boulton. She laughed at everything he said and in return, he kept all his focus on her ample bust and seemed to ignore the rest of the group.

  By the end of the evening, Dotty realised that even if she couldn’t make a croupier, at least she would be entertained along the way. Bernie had suggested that any of them who had time to stay should go into the casino and observe the team at work. No one wanted to be the person showing lack of commitment, so they all wandered around the gaming tables and slot machines.

  The place had livened up a bit since Dotty walked through on her way in. A DJ played over the far side of the room and a few women danced on the small wooden floor. Dotty walked across the carpeted area and as she did, the DJ beckoned her over.

  “Hi, I couldn’t help but notice you. I’m Ash. Are you here to play?” His accent had a foreign twang and the seductive way he asked got Dotty’s heart racing.

  “I… I’m one of the new intake of trainee croupiers.” She went to shake his hand. He took hold of hers and kissed it.

  “Oh good, that means I’ll be seeing a lot more of you then.” He held onto her hand long enough to get the butterflies fluttering inside. The track he was playing ended, and he put his headphones to his ear and bent to listen to the sounds. A woman who had been dancing came up to him.

  “Can you play YMCA?” she asked. Dotty saw he was busy and didn’t want to hang around. She moved away from his station. There was something about him that made her feel nervous. Ash called out to her.

  “Wait, I didn’t get your name,” he shouted above the music.

  “It’s Dotty.” She was glad it was dark, and he couldn’t see her blushing.

  “Pleased to me you, Dotty.” He waved at her as she continued to walk away.

  Chapter 7

  Dotty couldn’t sleep that night. She thought about Ash. He was so handsome, and she hadn’t imagined it, he had definitely shown an interest in her. Sometimes, with guys, she read the signs wrong and could be naïve. She couldn’t remember the last time a member of the opposite sex affected her like this. She went through every word they exchanged and dissected the possible meaning in the minutest detail. Trying to guess which country he was from, she wondered about his accent. He sounded eastern European, so she imagined he might secretly be a Russian prince. Dotty loved to daydream about such things and her mind took off. She drifted off. Her mind had her dressed as a Russian princess, living in a palace, decked in diamonds.

  After coming back down to earth, she weighed up the pros and cons of him being a DJ. He would get lots of female attention and she would have her work cut out fending them off but once he fell for her charms and they fell madly in love, hopefully, he wouldn’t look at other women. Could he keep her in the life she was destined for if he were only a DJ? Only a DJ? Some DJs were bigger than the pop star sounds they played. Look at David Guetta. She would certainly live the luxury lifestyle with him.

  When she finally got off to sleep, she dreamt of Ash. In her slumbers, she ran her fingers through his thick and lustrous tousled dark brown hair. She lost herself in those inviting dark brown eyes. His features were strong and defined. His chiselled chin looked like it had been moulded in granite. The dark eyebrows that framed his face bobbed up and down in a playful fashion. Those full lips were so ripe for kissing. The muscles of his toned body poked through his t-shirt. His lips turned into a smile and were about to nuzzle at Dotty’s neck when she woke up.

  She sighed. Such a shame it hadn’t gone any further, but there was always tonight. Dotty couldn’t wait to go to work. She took her time getting ready, taking longer than usual in the bath. She should have known it would be a bad day though when she awoke to a message from Ray. He suggested they met for a coffee, just as friends. She wondered whether to tell Ray she was seeing someone else. It would only be a little white lie and the intentions were there on her side. The way she saw it, it was only a matter of time before she and Ash got together if she had read the signs right last night. For now, she ignored Ray’s message.

  The bad stuff didn’t end there. Green-fingered Greg was on her case again. This time he tailgated her up the bypass. His arms thrashed about and she wished he’d overtake, but he stayed behind her, intimidating her as best he could. Anxiety set in when she realised that he was following her. After him sniffing up her bumper for a couple of miles, she pulled over into a parking bay. Her heart sunk when she noticed in her mirror that he had followed her into the rest area. She kept hold of the steering wheel, her hands trembling. He came up to the driver’s window and started hurling abuse at her.

  “Keep away from me,” she cried, but she had the good sense not to wind the window down. A torrent of expletives hurtled her way. His sounds were muffled, and Dotty was glad as it meant she wouldn’t react. He seemed furious about something. She wasn’t waiting around to find out what. She put her foot on the accelerator and almost ran him over. That was something else he could add to the list of gripes he had with her. She sighed. After all the effort she had put in to get ready for work, now perspiration ran down her face smearing her foundation.

  She drove on, constantly looking in the mirror and checking behind her. Greg hadn’t chosen to follow her, thank goodness. She got to the carpark where the casino was and re-applied her lipstick.

  She’d worn her best lilac dress for work today. Even her make-up routine had taken extra long, just for Ash’s benefit. Now it was ruined. She sighed. The others could turn up in their jeans if they wanted, but she was out to impress. Dotty was on pins throughout the course. She couldn’t wait for the end of the evening when she could spend some time in the casino again.

  Before she went through, she called in the ladies’ room to tidy up her appearance. Seduction took time and effort. Her phone pinged, and a message came through. It was Ray asking again to meet up. His tone was friendly, but Dotty had suffered enough. This was the final straw. She would have to go through the hassle of getting her number changed. She couldn’t take any more of his constant badgering, asking her out. This time she messaged back with the threat that she’d be calling the police if he didn’t leave her alone and she put her phone away. Taking out her hairbrush, she swept through her auburn locks. She turned to the left and weighed up her image in the mirror, then she changed to the right side and pouted.

  Sadly, her efforts were wasted. She pranced across the casino floor, trying to walk like a model, then she gazed over towards Ash’s DJ station. She bit her lip as she watched a crowd of women vying for his attention. As Dotty got closer, her walk became even more catwalk like. She struck a pose as she stood and watched. Ash was in his element surrounded by what looked like adoring fans. It turned out that a hen party of women had come down from Croydon, and they wouldn’t leave him alone. They orbited around him like he was the sun. Dotty rubbed the back of her neck. He hadn’t even noticed her. She left the room feeling dejected.

  Not ready to give up yet on her quest to find love, the next day she took immediate action. This called for her sexy red dress. If that didn’t catch Ash’s eye, then nothing would. She noticed the nudges when she walked in, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t doing it to impress them. There may have been whisperings that she was overdressed, but to hell with the others. She had her sights set on just one man. She couldn’t concentrate on the training for thinking about Ash.

  Dotty was filled with the heady trance that set a bee off looking for nectar. She wanted to play it cool so had been rehearsing what she might say to him, but it was Ash who called her over tonight.

  “Hey,” he waved, “where were you last night?”

  “I saw you here with your fan club, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame. You could have come and rescued me.”

  “I don’t know. You looked to be enjoying yourself from what I noticed.”

  “No, I was gutted that you didn’t come to see me, and can I say that you are looking rather delicious tonight, Dotty.”

  Dotty had to put all her efforts into remaining calm. Inside her endorphins danced up and down like they were at a rave. She looked away from him. Nerves had got the better of her. What was going on? She wasn’t usually such a quivering wreck in front of men.

  Suddenly, he grabbed hold of her arm and swung her towards him. He put his other arm around her waist. His nose tickled her ear. She let out a tiny gasp of shock and felt the heat rise through her body. Redness landed on her cheeks. As much as she didn’t want to look at him, as she knew he would guess what she was thinking, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  “I want you,” he whispered.

  Chapter 8

  Dotty liked to play hard to get but her body had other ideas. It was important that she got things right this time. She hadn’t had the best of experiences with men. Not feeling able to trust her own instincts or the advice of friends, she purchased a book to help her succeed. It was called How to get a man and keep him. She hid it under her pillow at home because she was embarrassed for the rest of the family to think she wasn’t capable of hooking up with someone without expert help. Dotty didn’t have a problem getting the guys and even keeping them wasn’t the issue. It was realising that she should never have got with the guy in the first place. Sadly, the book didn’t give her too much information on what to do in those cases.

  If Dotty had listened to her friends Rachel and Kylie, her head would be scrambled. Kylie’s approach was to dive in head-first and grab your man. Don’t waste time waiting to find out if he really wants you. Life is too short for games and missed opportunities. Rachel, on the other hand, was too nice for her own good. In her case, it seemed like opposites attract. She always pulled the bad guy and they always strayed. Even when they wore a suit, that was for appearance only. Once you peeled back the layers, they cheated like all the rest. Rachel had lost all faith in monogamy and had decided she must start cheating herself to get her own back. Rachel’s motto now was ‘revenge is sweet.’

  Dotty hoped to find some middle ground between the two to snare and keep her man. Ash had shown he was keen, but if she gave too much too soon, his interest would wane. No, if she wanted to be treated like a lady, she would have to behave like one. He said he wanted to take her out, but it was difficult with both their lifestyles. She bumped into him most days at work and they had even grabbed the odd sneaky kiss. If Ash wanted more, he would have to work hard for it.

  They finally got a date when they were both free and Ash asked if he could take Dotty out for Sunday lunch. Ash had many of the characteristics Dotty looked for in a man. He was good looking, amusing, he knew how to treat a lady, he was courteous and polite. Maybe it was his eastern European upbringing that made him appear to be the good wholesome boy her parents would approve of. He got one extra seal of approval when he arrived to pick up Dotty — a gleaming royal blue sports car.

  By their first proper date, Ash knew plenty about Dotty, but she knew very little about him. She had told him she lived at home with her parents and younger brother. When she mentioned that her dad worked for the police force, she noticed a muscle tense up in his neck. She ignored it. His car engine roared along the country lanes and he reached across and held her hand. She smiled at him. How could one man be so good looking?

  They drove along through the Sussex Downs until Ash pulled up outside a quaint little restaurant. In Dotty’s eyes, Ash played this like a dream. It was everything she hoped it would be. He was attentive and liked to compliment her. If he was trying to impress with his knowledge of worldly affairs, he was doing a good job. He knew far more than Dotty did about what was happening around the globe. From fuel crises in Cuba to the dire Egyptian economy, he chatted away with Dotty clinging to his every word.

  Dotty opened the menu and read through. It was more expensive than she normally went for but if she had to go Dutch, then she would pay by plastic. Even when Ash told her to choose what she wanted as it was his treat, she still plumped for the cheapest item on the menu — the mushroom risotto. He ordered pasta and smiled across at her as they handed the menus back to the waitress. He took hold of her hands across the table.

  “I feel so lucky to have met you,” he grinned.

  “Likewise.” She sent a cheeky wink his way as the wine waiter appeared. After choosing and sampling a fruity Chablis, she watched Ash’s expression alter as he looked down then ignored a message that came through on his phone. His appearance transformed with his body becoming more rigid, his expression more serious. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced away for a few moments. For a time there, Dotty saw how his happy mask had slipped and wondered what caused it.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Everything is fine,” he smiled, squeezing her hand.

  Dotty looked around the restaurant. She’d been so busy focusing all her attention onto Ash, she hadn’t seen that the place was full. The hum of the other customers’ chatter had gone unnoticed. A couple with their two young children were sat at the next table. The woman admonished her younger son for playing with his serviette. Each table had a single flower displayed in a modern wooden vase. A matching wooden candle holder containing a tea light sat alongside it.

  The waiter brought a basket of bread wrapped in a serviette and placed it in the centre of their table. Dotty breathed in the delightful aroma. She loved the smell of freshly baked bread. She lowered her head to let her nostrils get closer to the delightful smell. Opening the parcel of bread, she took out a roll and began buttering it. Ash followed suit, and for a few seconds, their gaze was distracted away from each other and they focused on the task in hand.

  When Dotty smelt burning, she wondered if the chef had taken his eyes of his cooking and burnt Ash’s steak. The burning smell seemed closer to home than that though. Suddenly, a puff of smoke billowed in her face and seemed to be coming from the breadbasket. The waiter had said the bread was freshly baked, but this was ridiculous. Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound, and a flame sprang up in front of her. Ash came out with a mouthful of swear words and used his serviette to fan the flame down. It only made matters worse. The tablecloth caught fire. Dotty and Ash got up out of their seats, backing away from the table. They’d previously received a glass of water and Ash threw his over the flames. Everyone looked across at them. The waiter ran over with the fire extinguisher and promptly began squirting foam.

  What a disaster! She realised immediately what had happened. When she unwrapped the bread package, she unwittingly opened the serviette onto the lit candle. She apologised profusely, and they were moved to another table. Dotty setting fire to the restaurant caused her no end of embarrassment and it affected the mood between them. She couldn’t wait to get home that night. It was her fault their date had been spoilt. She could never get this moment back. The mess she made of it would be etched on her mind forever. Was this an omen of things to come?

  Chapter 9

  Ash was an enigma. He didn’t do social media which Dotty found strange. On the one hand, it meant he wouldn’t be getting seedy proposals from random women, but she wondered how his business could survive in today’s technological age without an online following.

  “I like to do things the old-fashioned way, the same as with my women. I believe in courtship and treating a woman like a lady. My country doesn’t have the same modern values as yours. The behaviour of some of the men here makes me sick.”

  For all Dotty asked him questions about his family and his home life, Ash was reticent to tell her anything.

  “My home life back then wasn’t good. I don’t like to be reminded of it.” When Dotty asked to be taught some Polish words, he declined. She couldn’t understand why. Most people she knew were proud of their homeland, but not Ash. He hated his, telling her he had lived in the UK for five years.

  You may not believe your countrymen are racist, Dotty but I can tell you they are. I have constantly been taunting with cries telling me to get back to my own country. The best way I have found to deal with the abuse has been to integrate myself into your culture and abandon my own folk.”

  “That’s very sad.”

  “Believe me, you don’t know the half of it. There are bad people about who try to put me down.”

  There was something dark and mysterious about her new hunky fella. He said he had no siblings and that his parents were dead. He had been brought up by an uncle. The only clue to his past was a photograph that fell out of his wallet on their second date. He had stopped to get Dotty an ice cream as they walked up the pier in Brighton. The picture was of a young girl, aged about four years old. She had blonde hair.

  Dotty picked up the snap and stared at it. Ash snatched it off her.

  “Who is that?” she asked.

  “My niece, Sofia.”

  “She is very pretty.”

  “Here, take your ice cream.” Ash pushed the cone with the chocolate flake and nuts sprinkled on top into Dotty’s face. She looked down at the sprinkling of nuts and thought what a tough nut Ash was to crack. He had skin so thick it was hard to get through and find out much about him. It was like the Berlin wall and the Iron curtain all rolled into one. Dotty wouldn’t ask any more questions about his family or his Polish heritage though. Any mention of his past brought on a sullen mood that he wouldn’t or couldn’t shake off.

 

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