Page 5 of Bastard Bartender

Chapter Two

Nic hands drinks to a girl who stands there a touch too long, presumably to eye-flirt with him. She dangles money in the air, which he takes without much interaction. He puts it in the register and then turns back toward me and Marie.

“Any more questions?” he asks, and I bite my lip with how fascinating I find all of this.

Marie thinks this entire exchange is hysterical. “Well, if the alphabet thing doesn’t pan out, you can always go by drinks of the week! Instead of the letter, we’ll map out cocktails.”

I slap her arm. “You’re not supposed to tell anyone!”

Her eyes lift to the ceiling as she points to Nic. “He’s an N. You’re long past that, so it’s not like you’re going to hit on him.” She swivels to Nic and explains to the very confused, very handsome bartender, “Evette’s dating through the alphabet, so tonight, if his name doesn’t start with a P, he doesn’t get to go home with her.”

I nearly leap out of my seat as I explain, “I don’t go home with them.” I glare at Marie for opening her mouth and then turn my attention back to Nic. “What she means to say is, I see where the relationship goes. Some last only a few conversations while others last a few weeks before I move on to the next letter in the alphabet.”

Nic steps back and leans against the bar, crossing his arms. It’s the first time he’s stopped moving since we sat down. “You mean to tell me, you’ll only give a guy a chance if his name starts with a certain letter?”

See, this is why we haven’t told anyone. They don’t understand.

“Don’t make fun. It’s—”

“Oh, no. I’m not judging. In all my years of being a bartender, this is definitely a first, but hey, to each their own.”

I close my eyes in both frustration and embarrassment, and thankfully, Marie comes to my rescue. “I think it’s brilliant. This way she’s really seeing what’s out there. Dating different kinds of men and giving them all a chance. How do you truly know your type if you haven’t sampled everything there is to offer?”

“I don’t sample,” I point out.

She shimmies her shoulders. “Hey, I say, sample away. We only live once, am I right?”

Nic holds up his hand. “High-five to that.”

They slap hands, and Marie glances back at me with her eyebrows raised, showing she’s really digging this guy.

“You’re like the Yoda of bartenders. You must see everything, being on that side of the bar,” she says to Nic as she swirls the tiny black straw in her drink.

He lets out a loud, carefree laugh and then leans onto the bar with his hands splayed wide on the mahogany. “I can tell you in a matter of seconds if a guy has a chance with any girl in here before he even gives his first pick-up line.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “No way.”

He gives me an all-knowing expression. “I could see you were into those guys, but within seconds, you lost interest. I thought I was losing my touch, but now, I see it’s not me at all.”

“If you can tell, then how come some guys can’t get the hint?” I ask, still not believing what he’s trying to sell us.

“Because they don’t see it day in and day out. It’s the little things. All you have to do is pay attention to body language. An entire conversation can happen without saying a word.”

I purse my lips and think about what he’s saying, seeing if I can test his little theory. “Then, tell me, Nicolás,” I say his name exactly like he pronounced it earlier, garnering me a slight grin. “What has our body language said to you about us?”

His eyebrows peak up. “Are you sure you want me to tell you?”

“I think we can handle it.”

He rests his arms on the bar, and instantly, I think about what Marie said earlier when she tries to envision what guys look like when their arms are strained while they hold themselves above you. The way his veins pop out on his arms makes my chest tight, and now, he sees my vision bouncing back and forth between them and his amazing green eyes.

“Marie here is all about fun, but going home with someone tonight is not her end goal.” He pauses and looks her way. “I’m guessing you actually have a boyfriend. He’s either a homebody who doesn’t mind if you go out because he knows you’ll come home to him and fuck his brains out or it’s long distance and super committed. I’m thinking lots of phone sex.”

She lets out a bark of a laugh as she holds up her hand to him again. “Nailed it! He’s a homebody.”

I take in a bemused breath because he actually did nail it. Marie has been with Sammy for years. They are polar opposites yet perfect together. He couldn’t care less if she comes out with me and drinks the night away because he loves when she gets tipsy and, more importantly, horny for him as soon as she gets home.

Their relationship is something I’ve longed for ever since I met her when I moved into our building. I was walking a rather large box through our narrow front door, so she helped me get it in and carry it up to my new apartment, and then we drank a bottle of wine and talked about life and love and risks for the next three hours.

She and Sammy have been a nice constant in my new life. They have me over at least once a week and are the epitome of a healthy relationship.

Marie and Sammy understand each other and let one another live the life they want, knowing the other person will always be there because they truly want to be with each other. He knows Marie would never cheat on him even though she meets different guys all the time. And she’s okay that the bar scene is really not his place to be.

Nic turns his attention back to me. The smile that was on my face falls when I remember he’s going to read me, searching the outside of my body for any clues to who I am and what I’m about.

I feel naked as his gaze dangerously travels across my face and down my neck. My palms are sweaty, so I rub them down my dress. He follows their motion as I skim my hips, taking me in. The way his eyes attempt to read me like an open book makes me feel raw and real, excited and terrified, all at the same time.

“You, Evette, aren’t as easy to read, like most. When your eyes first met mine, I saw the way I affected you, though you tried to hide it. I’m guessing by your little game here, that’s not a good thing, and I’m the exact kind of guy you’re looking to avoid. I’m not sure if you were happy or sad that my name didn’t start with a P. I can tell you this though. For the first time in my life, I was sad I hadn’t been named after my father, Pedro.”

He knocks his knuckles on the bar and walks away to help another patron, leaving me breathless.

“Damn!” Marie whistles out through her teeth. “That was so hot.”

It takes me a second, but I finally turn to her, and I know my expression says it all. He read my mind like I had it written in neon lights on my forehead.

And he’s right. That man is all kinds of wrong for me.