“What are you doing tonight?” Austin asks.
“Having a drink? What does it look like I’m doing?” I sit down at the bar, surveying the back shelf to check out what they have. “You know what I haven’t had in a while?”
“I feel like there’s a lot of ways I can answer that question,” he says.
“I haven’t had a nice stiff—” I hesitate as I look over at him because I feel like driving him nuts. He strikes me as the type to like the challenge of pursuit. Austin clears his throat, almost as if it were at my command. “Drink. I haven’t had a nice stiff drink in a while.”
“I’d be concerned if you answered that any differently,” he says, twisting around in his seat so he’s facing my side profile. “Are you stalling?” I think he’s asking if I’m nervous to go back to his house. No. Am I stalling? Yes, but for his benefit, not mine. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true either. It is a little bit for my benefit.
“I think I need to start with a shot. Are you down?”
“A shot?” he questions.
“You do have shots down here, right?”
“Yeah, bruiser, we have shots.”
“Good.”
“Jack,” he calls to the bartender.
“How y’all doin’?” Jack answers, reaching out his hand for Austin’s.
“Good, bro. We just stopped in to have a quick drink.” I’m pretty sure Austin just threw him a wink. Wow. I guess it doesn’t matter what part of the country I am in, men are still men. It must be like a universal bro-code to announce he thinks he’s getting laid tonight.
“You’re the new girl in town, right?” Jack asks me.
“That would be me. Scarlett,” I say, reaching my hand out to shake his, except he kisses my knuckles instead.Not weird. Not at all.
“Austin clears his throat. We’re ready to order, I think,” he says, looking at me so I tell him what I want.
I want to laugh before I order, but I’m able to compose myself. “I’ll have a blowjob and a Sex on the Beach.”
Jack drops the glass that he was drying. Austin nearly falls out of his chair, and I’m still trying so freaking hard not to laugh.
“Ah, did you just say—” Jack begins to repeat my order, but I’ll spare him.
“A Blow Job shot and a Sex on the Beach,” I enunciate each word, making sure Jack understands.
“Wow,” Austin says. “Interesting choice of drinks.”
“I mean, in Boston, we usually just call it a good night, but things seem a bit different here.”
“I’m thinking I should move to Boston,” Austin says.
“That would be a shame if I stayed here, wouldn’t you think?” I ask him.
“I don’t know. You do you and I’ll do me,” he responds.
“Hot,” I tell him.
“Okay … and that’s about enough of that,” Jack says, still waiting for Austin’s order. “I still have to work for the next five hours, so if you wouldn’t mind just spittin’ out—mannn—give me your damn order.”
“I’ll have what she’s having,” Austin spikes back.
“Oh, you want a Blow Job and Sex on the Beach?” I ask him, pressing my lips into a straight line across my face.
He leans in toward me, bringing his mouth to my ear. “Do you have any clue what you’re doing to me right now?”
