“It is, and I’m sticking to it.”
“Fine. You were distracted by my beauty, I get it.” I bob my head, rolling my eyes dramatically, causing a piece of my hair to fall out of place. And in what feels like slow motion, he reaches over and tucks the loose strand back in place.
If I thought my cheeks were burning with a rosy blush before, that was nothing compared to the inferno blazing through my entire body right now, from such a seemingly innocent yet erotically thoughtful gesture.
I glide my glass closer to his. “It’s bad luck not to toast before drinking with someone. Especially if we came here to consummate ourverylegitimate andtotallynot fake marriage,” I remind him, and thank fuck, the naturally flirtatious tone of my voice is able to disguise how nervous I feel.
“Can’t argue with that logic,” he says as our glasses clink together.
“Salud,”we say in unison as we keep our eyes in line with one another.
One sip turns into a few more before small talk begins.
“I take it you come here often?” he asks.
“Kind of. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but I enjoy coming —”Oh my god, ‘I enjoy coming’? Really, Sarina, with the double entendres?“Here. Coming here. It reminds me of home.” I immediately regret saying that as well since home is the last thing I want to discuss.
“I’d ask where home is, but I have a feeling you aren’t willing to tell me. That’s fine. Well, no matter how often you come here, you seemed to leave an impression on her.” He looks up at Dominica who is busy at the opposite side of the bar. “She had your usual order memorized, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was flirting with you.”
I purposely wait until the brim of his glass skims his lips, timing my response with the slow pour of alcohol down his throat. “If you thought that was flirting, you should’ve seen the way she used to make me ride her hand and make me beg for more.”
He coughs, nearly choking on his drink, and I can’t help but to giggle.
“Goddamn I wasn’t expecting that,” he says, wiping the little bit of alcohol dripping down his chin.
“Which part? Her making me beg for more or that I’m bisexual?”
Sincerity clings to his irises. “No. Love is love. I just wasn’t expecting you to say it so…”
“Bluntly?”
“Yes.”
I shrug playfully. “I would apologize, but I’m afraid that’s the only way I know how to be.”
“Don’t apologize. I like it. I’ll just make sure I either drink faster or not at all when you’re around, so I don’t embarrass myself.”
“Aw, that’s no fun.” I pout as my gaze drifts to his broad shoulders that have slowly begun to loosen up since our paths crossed at Luxe, though not enough for my liking.
Without knowing what he does for a living, or anything about him, for that matter, I’d guess that the tension he seems to naturally hold in his shoulders comes from lingering stress.Maybe even a burden of some sort that he carries daily. I know firsthand how tiresome that can be.
“I was kidding, by the way. Dominica never had me begging to come. Her sister, Isa, on the other hand, well, that’s a whole other story. That woman, she was something.”
“What happened?” he asks, with genuine curiosity.
“We had amazing chemistry, but we decided we are better as friends. Dom is just friendly. Besides, not many customers order three drinks every time they go to the bar. It’s hard to forget.”
“Every time?”
“Pretty much.” I don’t know what possesses me to not leave it at that, but before I know it, I have all three drinks in a line, and I give him a rundown of why these are my go-tos.
“The Diet Coke is because life is always better with a crisp Coke. It’s the equivalent to a liquid cigarette. It may not be the greatest for you, but fuck does it take the edge off. The gin and tonic is because it’s my favorite mixed drink. I don’t like anything fancy, and I love the bitterness of the gin. And then there’s this beauty—” I pause to lift my martini glass, “because whoever thought to mix caffeine with alcohol is a genius. Today has been a long day and I need the caffeine to help me stay awake for whatever you have in store for me.” I don’t bother to hide the flirtatiousness or the hope in my voice. He seems to mirror that energy, downing his drink and getting Dominica’s attention for another, along with saying something else to her that I can’t quite make out.
The answer reveals itself when another Manhattan —this time with what appears to be a double pour— is placed in front of him, as well as a coffee mug.
“Looks like you’re taking my advice to heart and letting loose.”
“Sí” He slides the mug my way with careful precision, making sure none spills over. “I hope you don’t mind adding another drink to your three-drink roster.”
