Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology #1)(18)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

I studied the new diner, who was eating alone. He was good looking, probably in his late twenties, and every time I looked over, he was looking at me. Why was a guy like that eating alone? There had to be a story there. If someone came in alone, they almost always came right to the bar. This guy seemed perfectly content and confident to sit by himself at a table.

A group of guys came in and sat down at the bar, distracting me from the lone diner.

“Hey, can I get you guys something?” As much as I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with customers, they fit the demographic that generally tipped me well.

“Yeah. We’ll take a round of jager shots.”

“Sure.” I took out six shot glasses and poured the shots. I wasn’t a shot person, but I understand the draw. Quick, easy, and potent. There was also a social aspect to shots that appealed to most people on some level.

I placed a shot down in front of each guy and turned my attention back to the lone diner.

“Can we get another round?” one of the guys asked.

“Sure.” I poured them again.

“What’s your name?” The guy directly in front of me asked.

“Maddy.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

“Thanks.” I was always more comfortable talking to guys my own age, for better or worse.

“Cool. Cool. I’m Davis.” He held out his hand.

“Hi.” I accepted the handshake. I’d play along if the conversation stayed clean.

“Have you worked here long?” He slid his empty shot glass around on the bar top.

“Just since May.”

“Oh cool. We go to NC State, but we’re in town for Gary’s bachelor party.” He gestured to a guy with auburn hair sitting a few stools down.

“Oh. Nice.”

“When do you get off?”

I held back a groan. Did he think I was going to hook up with him? “Later.”

He laughed, as though I’d said the funniest joke. “No, really. I’d love to hang out. You’re pretty.”

“Does that usually work for you?” There was something about being behind the bar that made me better at turning down male advances. It’s like I had an alter ego—sexy and badass Maddy.

“I don’t know. I’ve never used it before.”

Davis now had a few of his buddies’ attention, and I knew it was about to get worse. “It’s not working. You guys want another round?”

“Do you come with it?” the supposed groom-to-be asked.

“You couldn’t handle me if I did.” I was on a roll.

“Oh yeah? You really think that?”

“Yes.” I crossed my arms. Macon would be dying if he’d been there to listen.

“Care to let me prove you wrong?” He leaned forward slightly.

“Aren’t you engaged?”

He looked down the row at his friends, probably trying to figure out who ratted him out. Finally, he smirked. “She’s not here.”

“Ugh.” I walked to the other side of the bar. I shouldn’t have started in with these guys. Their tip would hopefully make it worth it. I looked back at Mary’s section, but the diner was gone.

“Do you think I could handle you?” There he was, the solo diner, standing in front of me. I may have miscalculated his age a little. He was probably in his thirties.

“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.” I tried for seductive as I checked him out more. He wore a fitted dress shirt that made me wonder what was underneath. Aside from Colin, I’d never dated a guy more than a year or two older than me. It sounded and looked appealing.

“Yeah? Well, at least you didn’t write me off as quickly as those guys.” He spoke loudly enough that the whole row of college guys could hear. Not that it would have been hard to get their attention. Although they hadn’t stopped jeering since I turned the disgusting groom-to-be down, they were watching us with interest.

“I don’t waste my time on boys.”

Lone Diner smiled. “I understand that completely. I’m Gabriel.” He held out his hand.

He had to be kidding. That name fit way too well. He could have easily walked off the pages of one of those fallen angel books that sometimes tempted me to stay up reading them on my e-reader. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Maddy.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” He held onto my hand and I half expected him to kiss it. “Are you working tomorrow night?”

“No. I’m off.”

“Great. Give me your address, I’ll pick you up at eight.”

A thrill ran through me. This was so not Maddy it was insane, but why not? “How about I meet you there.” I could be adventurous without being stupid. Getting in a stranger’s car wasn’t the best idea. Especially a stranger who looked and talked like this one.

“Fair enough. North Banks at eight o’clock. Let me see your phone.”

I handed it over, not surprised to watch him typing in a number and calling it before returning it to me.

He checked his own phone before pocketing it. “See you then.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Gabriel walked away.

Davis scowled “Cold. That was cold.”

“Only for you guys.”

***

“You seem adventurous. Is that assessment accurate?” Gabriel sipped his red wine, watching me intently as if my answer could change the fate of the world. We hadn’t ordered dinner yet, but I was enjoying the slow pace of the date. I still couldn’t believe I was even out with him, but at least I had an excuse for why I turned Colin down.

We’d been talking about how much we loved the beach in winter when he abruptly changed the conversation.

“Uh, sometimes.” After a glass and a half of wine, I was feeling somewhat adventurous. I was on a date with an older guy named Gabriel, wasn’t I?

“Yeah?” He leaned back in his chair, not bothering to hide that he was clearly undressing me with his mind.

I didn’t mind as much as I usually would. “Why?”

“I’ve been looking for an adventurous woman.”

I could play along for a while. If I could do it behind the bar, I theoretically should have been able to pull it off other times. “I guess for me it depends on the adventure…and who it’s with.” I sipped my wine, keeping my eyes on him.

“What if the adventure was who it was with?” He found my leg under the table, rubbing his against mine.