Cocktail - Lauren Smith Page 0,2

as they made love.

“So… How do you know if the guy is…you know…right for a woman? I keep thinking men sound great when we chat on the app, but in person things just fizzle out. Is it my fault? It feels like it is.” She hadn’t really meant to ask him that last part, but it was the truth. Her date tonight had been attractive, and she should have wanted to kiss him, but it had died somewhere between the first awkward greeting hug and the ordering of the drinks.

The bartender straightened and looked her over before he spoke. His voice was smooth, deep, and so damn sexy it made her clench her thighs together. “Chemistry between a man and a woman cannot be conjured up like a magic trick. You either have it or you don’t.”

“So how do you know for sure if the chemistry is there?” Aubree pressed. After the dozen or so dates with different guys so far, she hadn’t felt chemistry at all, at least not in person. While she didn’t want to marry a guy just because they had good chemistry, she wasn’t about to marry a man who didn’t sexually excite her at all.

“How?” He leaned over the bar and gently tucked a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear. His fingertips lingered against her skin. She shivered with longing as something stirred to life within her.

“It can happen with a single touch, even a look.” His voice was rich like the whisky he had poured in a short crystal-cut glass. His eyes swept down her body in a slow way as though he was removing each piece of clothing from in his mind. She could almost feel his hands touching her, peeling off her black cocktail dress, sliding off her black pumps, and caressing the cups of her bra before he—

Aubree jerked her gaze back to his face.

“You felt something just now, didn’t you?” he asked, an all-too-knowing smile resting on his lips.

“Maybe,” she admitted, glancing away in embarrassment. She had shared her hopes and dreams with LongIsland23 for two weeks, yet she felt more with this bartender than she had with any other man in a long time…maybe ever.

“If you didn’t feel the spark with him, it’s not your fault. He’s just not the man for you.” He paused, as though he wanted to say more, but a man at the end of the bar waved him down. He answered the man with a quick nod and then turned to her. “Just a minute.” Then he walked away to take the man’s order.

The moment he was gone, rational thought returned. Aubree took advantage of the bartender’s distraction. She grabbed her purse and quickly ducked outside. She pulled her coat on, walked across the street, and headed toward her apartment. Her heels sunk slightly in the inch of snow on the sidewalk; she wasn’t cold at all though. In fact, she felt hot enough after that bartender’s look, that she was surprised steam wasn’t coming off her. She didn’t even know his name, yet the scorching look he’d given her had overwhelmed her in a way she’d never imagined. It scared her a little.

Once home, she kicked off her heels, changed into her lounge pants and an oversized sweatshirt, and made some hot herbal tea. For a moment she sat on her comfy leather sofa, her body still humming from her talk with the bartender. It was as though the part of her that had been asleep had stirred to life. She felt, as foolish as it sounded, like a princess in a distant tower awakening from an enchanted slumber, even without the man’s kiss.

Maybe romance was possible for her. If she felt something with that bartender, she could still have a chance at finding love and passion again. She pulled up the Meet Cute app, perusing it for new guys. The problem with the app was that she couldn’t see anyone’s face. It was all anonymous until the in-person meet up. She had dated a few guys that hadn’t been too inspiring in the looks department. Nothing like the bartender tonight. Aubree felt bad for such a shallow thought, but she didn’t really want to date a man who didn’t take care of himself.

She started swiping but her mind kept drifting to the bartender’s face and the way he looked at her like he could have eaten her up and come back for seconds. She groaned and threw her phone on