When You Walked Into My Life By Shelley Chapter 2

Republisher’s Note: Danny is a CEO and Michelle is a single mom when they meet.

When You Walked By Shelley Chapter 2

Danny sat in the passenger seat of his friend’s Jaguar, regretting his decision to allow himself to be dragged out for the night. “Sonny’s?” he asked in shock as he saw the tacky neon sign out front and they pulled up and parked at the renowned bar. “Of all the places for you to bring me. Do you have any idea the kind of people that hang out here?”

“Of course,” Joe laughed, “the women are easy, half-naked, and they serve all the best drinks. It’s perfect. Besides, some of the best looking women in Springfield work here and there’s a new one in particular that I’m ready to get a piece of. I’m glad Bill was able to talk you into coming tonight.”

“If word gets out that I’ve been a patron here,” Danny replied, mortified at the repercussions of such an event, “I’ll be buried under so much negative publicity that it’ll take me years to dig my way out.”

“Come on, don’t worry about it. You said it yourself, no one respectable will be here to tell,” he answered with a laugh as they climbed out of the car. “Besides, you seem like you could use an easy lay right about now.”

Danny shot him a dirty look as they made their way toward the front door, his mind working furiously to find an excuse not to walk through the heavy black doors in front of them. He could hear the loud music and smell the smoke that filled the building even before stepping foot inside. He’d lived long enough to know that this wasn’t his type of place.

“Come on,” Joe prodded, slapping Danny on the back and opening the door to let him in. “Live a little.”

As soon as they entered, they were hit with the huge cloud of smoke that hung in the air like net prepared to drag them down. There were neon lights flashing and Danny had to turn sideways to walk between the small round tables filled with drunken men watching a topless dancer on the stage. He silently wondered how men could let themselves fall so far that this type of degrading display was their sole source of entertainment. A waitress walked by and he wasn’t surprised to note that she didn’t have much more on than did the dancer. As he scanned the room, he noticed several waitresses, each wearing a tight white halter-top that left the tops of their breasts pushed up and exposed. Their black skirts were barely long enough to cover their backside and with the stiletto heals they wore; even that wasn’t always the case.

Danny couldn’t believe he let them drag him here. This was the kind of place his father used to visit, the kind of place he swore he would never come to. On more than one occasion it was a night spent out like this that almost tore his parents marriage apart. He saw how his father treated women, even his mother, and by the time he was 16, he swore that he would never treat women that way. Sure, he’d had his share of short, physical relationships, but he always made sure that the women knew ahead of time that was all they would be getting, and if they were okay with that, then so was he.

They found their companions in the crowd and made their way over to the table to sit down. As soon as they were settled, a waitress came to their table and leaned over, purposely flirting with two of the men seated with him. “What can I do for you gentlemen?” she asked, leaning into the man named Pete’s broad body.

He took his hand and ran it along the top of her breast. “I’m sure I can think of something,” he smiled.

“Now you know that will have to wait until after hours,” she played along, “I am working after all.”

She took their drink orders and Pete used the opportunity to reach around and stick a ten-dollar bill down far into the band of her skirt. She grinned appreciatively and rubbed against him once more before leaving to get their drinks.

Danny turned his head away from the display, wondering how women could possibly lower themselves enough to take a job like this and play those sorts of games. Every one of the women he’d seen so far had way too much makeup on and seemed to enjoy the attention and roaming hands of the patrons they served.

“There she is,” Joe said, standing up and turning to walk toward the bathroom.

Danny strained his neck to see whom it was that his friend was talking about, but the corner of the bar left his vision impaired. “I’m going to go make tonight the night,” Joe laughed, getting high fives from his companions before strutting off toward the area where he’d seen his target.

Danny stared into his glass of scotch and tried to remind himself why he had agreed to go there. He had been working himself entirely too hard, he admitted, and he did need to have some fun. The problem came in the fact that his type of fun was obviously not the same as the men he worked with. Why couldn’t they have taken him golfing, or to a movie? Even drinks at the Country Club, which he admitted was a bit stuffy, would have been a much better idea and left him without this constant uneasiness.

He waited for a while before looking back toward the area Joe had taken off for and this time, he noticed a young waitress who seemed severely distressed. He couldn’t really see much of her face, but from what he could tell, she didn’t look at all like the other women he’d seen there so far. She had blond hair that fell just to her shoulders and her stunning body seemed uncomfortable in the attire she found herself in. He peered around the corner a little further but remained unable to view the person he could tell was in front of her. When he saw a hand reach out and run up her skirt, he saw her try to move away, struggling helplessly against whoever it was that was holding her.

His first instinct was to check and see if she was okay, but he stopped himself. It was none of his business what was going on. He didn’t want to stick his nose in and cause a scene. He resolved just to leave it alone. What if that were your mother? His mind haunted him, Or Pilar? Wouldn’t you want someone to help them? To stop them from being hurt? What if someone had been able to help your mother the night of the accident? He stood up, his conscience getting the best of him. He wondered where Joe had disappeared to and why he hadn’t stopped the scene he must have been a witness to. As he made his way hastily across the crowded bar, he looked back to find her gone. He scanned the room and when his seeking eyes were unable to find her, he became increasingly worried. He looked around, trying various locked doors before finding an open exit way that lead to the back alley. While he kept wondering if he should be doing this, it was going to cause him a lot more trouble than he was able to deal with, he kept thinking back to the look in the dark brown eyes, the soft look about her, the way that he couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t seem to belong there, and then the voice returned. What if someone had been able to help her, but didn’t because it would be a hassle?

“Please,” he heard a soft voice plead.

He quickly stepped through the door and searched for the voice, coming up empty until he spotted a shadow moving from behind the dumpster.

He heard the voice cry out and he felt as if his heart were beating out of his chest as he rushed down the alley to rescue the woman he now felt for sure was in danger.

As soon as he arrived, he saw that the man had her pinned against the brick wall, holding her hands over her head with one of his. He pulled at the man’s collar from behind and ripped him away from her, letting her fall in a crumpled heap on the ground. As the man turned around to fight, Danny’s fist made it’s way into the man’s nose, sending him stumbling to the ground as well. “You bastard, where do you get off trying to force young women to do anything?”

“Lighten up, we were just having some fun. The little tramp I left you guys for wasn’t as willing as I would like, so I traded her in. That’s why they work in there, they like it when men enjoy their bodies,” the man laughed, wiping at this bloody nose with his sleeve, “but this one is such a prude. She had the nerve to slap me just for running my hand up her thigh.”

“Joe?” Danny asked, shocked to recognize the voice of the man before him. With a swollen nose and the terrible lighting, he never would’ve recognized the man before him otherwise.

“Of course,” he laughed. “I didn’t realize you threw such a good right hook man.”

Danny looked back to see the waitress attempting to straighten her clothes, obviously unsure of the situation around her, “I…uh… better get back to work.”

Danny shook his head, disgusted by the sight before him, and went back inside. He hoped he could find the girl he had helped and apologize for his friend’s rude behavior, most of all he wanted to make sure she was truly alright. Not seeing her immediately, he sighed, it appeared that he had made it in time and she would be fine. He would be keeping an eye on Joe from now on.

When he walked back into the bar, he heard a commotion and saw that it seemed to be taking place near his table. He moved through the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening when he heard the unmistakable sound of a woman’s crying. Pushing his way through the rest of the onlookers, he arrived to see the woman from earlier being tossed around between two of his coworkers and a man he didn’t recognize. Each of the men took their turn harassing her, their hands roaming over her body. Her already skimpy shirt was torn from one shoulder and her skirt was pulled up to her waist, revealing her underwear to the crowd of onlookers. She was crying and struggling, doing her best to escape from the hell she found herself in and Danny found himself moving toward her, knowing somehow, he had to save her. For some reason, he felt personally responsible, as though it were his fault. He knew he probably shouldn’t have let her go right back to work. “Let her go.”

“Come on Danny,” one of the men laughed, “We’re just having some fun with the little tart.”

“Leave her alone” he told them, grateful that at least for the time being, the men were only holding her still as she cried. He could feel his temper rising and tried to calm himself. Losing control was the worst thing he could do at the moment. He looked back at the women, trying to ascertain how badly she was injured. She had some blood around her lip and a few bruises but so far, there had been nothing done to her that wouldn’t physically heal in a couple days.

“Uh oh guys, I think he wants this one for himself,” one of the men laughed, mistaking the way he was looking at her.

“I said, let her go,” he repeated. His father had taught him long ago that as long as you are assertive and believe you are controlling the situation, you could usually make others believe the same way. Besides, he had known these particular men for a long time, and even when he was still a teenager, they could tell that he had inherited his father’s temper.

The man holding her released her and she ran through the crowd, disappearing from Danny’s sight.

“Where do you guys get off treating another human being like this?” he asked, running a hand through his disheveled hair as he breathed a sigh of relief at her escape. “I warned you that when I took over this company, I would not condone this kind of behavior as my father did. Don’t bother showing up for work tomorrow. You are suspended from your duties for the next 2 weeks without pay.

“This is why these women work here,” the man he didn’t know laughed as she ran out. “They like this stuff,” he smiled, not getting the seriousness of Danny’s statements.

“Did she look like she was enjoying it to you?” Danny asked and without waiting for a reply answered his own question, “She looked terrified to me. Now, excuse me, but I don’t think I can stay here with you any longer.”

He walked away, leaving his dumbfounded companions to shake their heads at his behavior. He knew this was what used to go on within the company; his father had not only condoned it, but also been a part of it. Even then, he wondered how men could be so disrespectful to women. Didn’t they have mothers or sisters?

As soon as he made it through the dispersing crowd, he ran out the side door, hoping to find the girl and make sure she was all right. He knew she was in no condition to drive, or walk for that matter and he hoped that she would let him help her in some way. He couldn’t help but feel partially responsible for what happened. He had been a part of that group of men, and while he didn’t actually take part in hassling anyone, his presence seemed to condone their actions. And what if you hadn’t been there? Another part of him asked, What would have happened to her then?

He rounded the corner and noticed something lying on the sidewalk a couple blocks ahead. “Miss?” he called, heading her way. “Miss, are you okay?”

“Please don’t,” she cried, moving against the brick wall at her back. “Don’t you think I’ve had enough? Just leave me alone.”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly, standing directly in front of her.

“Right,” she laughed sarcastically, “all you guys are the same. You just came to finish off where your friends started.”

“I’m sorry about the way they treated you. They had no right…”

“You’re damn right they had no right,” she said, her eyes laced with fire as her anger overtook her dwindling fear. “They treated me like garbage. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be treated like you don’t even matter, like your only worth is for other people to do whatever they want with you?”

“No,” he said, guilt washing over him for not stopping his friends sooner. “I’m so sorry they did that to you…”

“Whatever,” she said, moving away from him and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine, let me help you,” he said, reaching out to her.

“I don’t need any help,” she said as she tried to walk off, stumbling and bumping into a street bench.

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” he said, walking over and timidly wrapping an arm around her. “You aren’t okay.” He felt the goosebumps on her arms and quickly took off his jacket, sliding it over her shoulders.

“I can take care of myself. I’ve done it all my life and I certainly don’t need another man swooping in and ruining my life,” she argued, trying to pull away, but holding to the coat for warmth at the same time.

He fought her, pulling her closer until she gave in and let him hold her in his embrace. As soon as she felt his warm arms encircle her, she found herself feeling a sense of calm and safety unlike anything she’d ever known. She couldn’t believe herself. No matter how good he felt, she couldn’t let herself fall under the spell of another man. “I’m fine now,” she said after a few moments of enjoying his embrace.

“I know,” he whispered, deciding that fighting her on the issue wasn’t the way to go about things. He could tell she was having trouble trusting him and knew that pushing her was probably the worst thing he could be doing. He brushed the hair from her eyes as she tried to hold back her tears. “But you could still let me help you.”

She nodded her head, knowing that she was in no condition to get home on her own and she had left her purse at the club, a place she had no intention of returning to that evening. “Hold on.”

He pulled out his cell phone, turning away from her and hurriedly whispering into the phone for a few seconds before turning back to her and hitting the end button. It’ll just be a couple minutes until the car gets here.”

“Huh,” she mumbled, not understanding. “Isn’t it in the parking lot?”

“No,” he grinned, realizing she probably had no idea who he was. The dark of night was a shield to his identity and it was nice talking without the pretenses involved with his fame. “I called my driver and he’ll be here to pick us up shortly.”

“Your driver?” she choked, trying to peer through the night to find the identity of her hero.

He didn’t answer her, instead merely nodded his head and led her down to the corner of the street in silence. A few seconds later, a long black car pulled up and stopped at the curb and Danny casually opened the door.

“Your carriage, my lady,” he smiled, helping her to slide into the back seat before joining her and leaning forward to address the driver. “Your address miss?”

“Bauer, Michelle Bauer,” she almost whispered, wishing she could see the face of the mysterious man with the deep, seductive voice. “318 Crestview” she added, turning to look out the window as the car began to pull away.

“Let’s take her home Ronald,” Danny smiled, sitting back against the seat.

Smiling at his young employer and friend, he turned around and pulled the car onto the road, “Right away Mr. Santos.”

Tags: Bill Lewis, Danny Santos, GL, Guiding Light, Manny Fanfic, Manny fanfiction, Michelle Bauer, When You Walked Into My Life