“Your girlfriend has a beautiful voice,” a woman said from my left side.
Distracted from my daze, I glanced over.It was Marlene, and Cedric stood beside her.
Snap back into business mode.I forced a smooth smile, dragging my mind back to my intention.
“Yes,” I agreed.“One of a thousand reasons I fell for her, so quick and hard.”I spun the lie on the spot, only it didn’t seem untruthful.I needed to get a better handle on this situation.
Cedric chuckled.“I can see why.”He tipped his head.“We’ll let you enjoy the show and see you at the rum tasting.”He took Marlene’s arm and led her away.
I blinked, scrambling through the confusion in my head.The rum tasting.That’s what I had to focus on next.I needed to dazzle Cedric.My rum wasn’t just a drink, it was an experience.The best way to do it was with my fake girlfriend at my side.
I found myself humming “Santa Baby”as I strolled to the lounge, smiling as I remembered Bria singing it.
Moonlight Siren’s bartenders led the rum tasting in a lounge with dark polished wood and intimate tables.Bria arrived after they’d poured the first sample, an inferior rum.After they introduced me as a special guest, I gave a quick presentation of what made my rum unique.Bria watched me with a curious gleam in her eyes while Cedric and Marlene sat a few tables away.
When I returned to Bria and we each had our samples of my rum, she leaned closer.“Tell me how to enjoy it best,” she whispered in my ear, sending heat radiating through my chest.
I raised a glass, holding the amber liquid before the light, and toward my nose.“Sip slowly,” I instructed.“Breathe in the scent first.Smoke, vanilla, spice.”
She raised her glass, inhaled, and her lashes fluttered.“Mmm.”
That low sound went straight to my gut.I swallowed.“Take a small sip.Let it linger on your tongue.Feel the burn spread before you swallow.”
I took a sip, the familiar sweet burn running over my tongue and down my throat.
Bria followed, holding it on her tongue, and then swallowed.“Ooh, that is good,” she murmured.
I was entranced just watching her.My hand felt three sizes larger as I lowered my glass to the table.“Describe it to me.”My voice came out strained.
“Warm,” she said.“Sweet at first.Then the bite.It hits deeper… Hotter.”
She darted her tongue out to lick her bottom lip, and a bright sheen remained on her mouth that I couldn’t ignore.
“Yes, that’s how it should be,” I said quietly.“A good drink should build, layer by layer, until you can’t tell where the fire ends and you begin.”
“Damn, dragon.”She released a throaty laugh.“You talk about it like it’s foreplay.”
“Both require patience,” I said, leaning closer and lowering my voice so no one else would hear.“To elicit the most pleasure.”
Her eyes darkened.“You sound like a man whoreallyloves his rum.”
“And I love to watch a woman enjoy it even more.”
The air was heavy with the scent of sugar, spice, and unmistakable desire.My heart was pounding.The urge to touch her rose and I couldn’t resist reaching out and brushing her bare shoulder, caressing it with the pad of my thumb.So soft, so warm.Her eyes fluttered closed.I swore I heard a low purr.
When she reopened them and caught my stare, her green eyes were darker, more feral.Her breath caught and every muscle in my body tensed with a wild awareness of her, this irresistible panther.
“Thank you for coming,” a bartender announced to the attendees, snapping me back to the present.He rattled on a few more events going on tonight.
What the hell was I doing?I was supposed to be wooing Cedric, not seducing Bria.
I glanced around.He was already gone and I hadn’t even spoken to him.That was why business and pleasure should only be mixed if you had the utmost self-control.Something I thought I had.
Until now.
I invitedBria to join me for dinner after the rum tasting, and we went to one of the specialty restaurants.A chandelier cast soft light over the tables draped with white tablecloths and gleaming silverware.The low murmur of conversation filled the room, and the scent of garlic bread rose with an intoxicating invitation.I wouldn’t indulge in garlic tonight.Not if I had even the slightest chance of having Bria’s lips near mine once again.
The sommelier came over and introduced us to some of the wines.He recommended a sauvignon blanc that would pair well with the seafood we were considering.Once he walked away, the waiter appeared with salads to start.
