‘Pinot, right?’ the barman asks. I laugh a little, surprised that he remembered.
‘No, I think I’m going to try something else.’
‘The lady fancies a change,’ he announces, sending me a flirty wink that’s quickly followed by a glance at the wall of man standing beside me. I find myself chuckling and slightly bemused. I’ve made an effort tonight—I’m flashing a little leg. I’d even gone as far as to create a little smoky eye makeup and dig out a pair of heels, but surely, none of that is wholly responsible for the attention I’ve received from the opposite sex. Ben, the barman, my phone. It’s all a little mad.
‘What’ll it be, gorgeous?’
Th barman’s question pulls me out of my head, and I tip up on the points of my toes to better see his wares. Nothiswares—I’m not looking at his junk—I’m just trying to see the contents of the glass fronted fridges on the other side of the bar.
‘I don’t know. What’s good?’
‘On this side of the bar, everything’s good.’
I find myself tittering as, beside me, Ben silently scowls. Right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he suddenly breathed fire from his nose.
‘Here, sweetheart, why don’t you have a look at this?’ Ben says, passing me a cocktail menu.
‘Oh, yes!’ I take it in my greedy hands.
‘I’ll have a bottle of Bullfinch,’ he then says, his tone flat and aggressive. As the barman turns away to fix his order, I turn my face to him.
‘That alliteration was delivered a little violently, Benjamin.’
His gaze flicks to mine for a beat, a smile hovering in the corners of his mouth. ‘Not nearly as violent as I’m going to be if you don’t stop flirting with him.’
‘I don’t like being told what to do,’ I reply with just a touch of taunt. ‘It usually makes me do the opposite.’
‘Then I’ll be forced to take evasive action.’
‘That sounds ominous,’ I reply airily as I turn my attention back to the cocktail menu. ‘You’re not one of those men who thinks fists solve everything, are you?’ When I chance another glance, his eyes meet mine full of challenge.
‘The truth is, every soldier likes to solve his problems with fists from time to time. And while I’d probably enjoy taking him outside and beating the disrespect out of him, it actually wasn’t him I was thinking of punishing.’
’Oh?’ I answer airily.
‘Hmm. It was you.’
‘I’m not sure I much like the sound of that, either.’ I don’t look up, though I’m aware of how my body contradicts my mouth as a molten heat floods my veins, every ounce of my blood flow heading south.
‘I wasn’t asking for your permission,’ he answers, stepping closer. ‘Carry on with those flirty eyes and little giggles, and I’ll spank your arse whether you think you’ll like it or not.’
I seem to have so many feelings about this, and most of those feelings are happening in the vicinity of my panties.What the hell?
‘You wouldn’t dare,’ I whisper, sliding him a narrow-eyed glance.
Ben straightens, giving his shoulders an almost imperceptible roll. ‘Really, Nell? Wouldn’t I?’ Oh, fuck. I know he would. ‘What’s more, you’d like it. It could be like old times.’
‘What, you mean like me running away from you screaming?’
‘You’d scream,’ he answers evenly. ‘I’d make sure of it. And you’d squirm. But you wouldn’t running anyplace.’
My mouth falls open, but before I can say another word, Mel appears between us, her arms slung around both our necks. ‘Who’s going where? And what’s taking so long with the drinks? Has he gone to milk the vodka cow or something?’
‘What?’ I ask, my mouth answering a question my brain hasn’t yet quite registered, still stuck on the idea that Ben would threaten to spank me. Me—a doctor and a professional. I’m short, but I’m no one’s little girl. He wouldn’t, would he? And I wouldn’t let him... I don’t think.
‘Cocktails, yummy!’ Mel squeals, snatching the menu from my hand. As the barman sets Ben’s drink down in front of him, she begins to fire questions at him about the choices of gin in something called a Vesper.
‘You’d like it,’ Ben’s low voice taunts as he passes me another menu. Leaning in closer still, he runs his finger across the laminated booklet as though helping me decide.
