Whoa. Hey now.
I was here for Mark, not the sexy bartender.
Besides, I didn’t want to be cringy and hit on someone at their workplace. I bet people hit on the poor guy all the time, when he was just trying to pour drinks and live his life without getting objectified.
But on the other hand, his eyes wereso bluethat they had to be illegal.
After one delicious moment, I tore my gaze away from him. He was gorgeous. He was so very gorgeous. The thick, sultry scent of amber and cinnamon wafting from him made it just as clear that this man was off limits.
He was an alpha.
His scent was all over the Thirsty Pearl, like a warm hug on a crisp fall day. Smokey, with the perfect touch of spice. Like a sensuous temptation, beckoning me closer.
I had to keep my distance, because if I didn’t, I would definitely try to lean closer and inhale him. The bar was already so heavy with his scent that I could practically taste him on the tip of my tongue. There was no choice; I had to stay away. Sniffing the staff like a deranged basset hound was a surefire way to get me kicked out and banned.
Oh,shit.
He was walking towards me.
I forced myself to keep my cool. Like—this was his job. I was just a customer. Customer? What’s a restaurant customer called? Anyway, this was literally his job. It didn’t mean anything.
“Hey,” Sexy bartender said, his voice a sensual purr.
Oh. My. God.
Even his voice was giving me butterflies, so deep, dark and luxurious.
If his eyes weren’t enough to make my panties drop, his voice would do it… but then he had to go and ruin it by talking more.
“My name is David. I’ll be your server tonight.”
Yes.You can be the one to service me.
Wait, no. No, he couldn’t. Because this was just hisjob.Get it together, Avril.
“Yes,” my voice was only a tad bit high and squeaky. I’d take that as a win. “Table for two.” I held up two fingers in a peace sign, as if I wasn’t sure if the guy could count and needed the visual assistance.
Did I… imagine the flash of disappointment in his eyes when I said that I wasn’t going to be alone? No, I didn’t… Did I? I wasn’t just projecting my horniness onto the guy? Nah, it was probably nothing.
Sexy David led me over to a booth, placing two menus down. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Can I get a grapefruit spritzer?” I willed myself not to look him up or down, or to turn beet red. I was keeping it cool.
He smiled at me. The look in his eyes was probably not a promise that he would love to bring me more than just my calorie-efficient adult beverage… that he would love to give me whatever I needed…
I had to mentally slap myself.
I was here for a reason. For my date. Who was not here yet.
Okay, so Mark was late. He wasn’t so late that I needed to take it as a sign that he’d stood me up, but he was still late. For the first date. Not the best first impression. Would Mark think that it was okay to show up late for our wedding too? Hold all ofmy family in suspense as he lollygagged, and I waited to see if he would show up at the altar?
David interrupted my spiraling with my drink, beautifully garnished with a wedge of grapefruit and fragrant mint. He delivered it with a flirty little wink before he returned to the bar.
I took a sip, letting the bubbles caress my tongue, as the cool rush of alcohol soothed away my anxiety. The sweet burn of vodka paired with tangy grapefruit drowned it all away… all the worries darting through my mind, about the seating charts, floral arrangements… finding a suitable groom… For now, the only thing that existed was me and this glass of citrus perfection.
The creak of the front door opening jolted me out of my thoughts—there was my missing date. Only seventeen minutes late… maybe it wasn’t the end of the world.
My date, Mark, looked just like his picture, though in person he seemed a bit shorter. In high heels, I would definitely be taller than him.
