Free Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology) by Alyssa Rose Ivy Page B

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.
    “Meaning?”
    “Well, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
He smiled, the kind of smile that was supposed to be disarming, but
came across as a little scary.
    “I’m not sure we’re on the same page here…” I
struggled to figure out where the conversation was going. I only
had one guess, and it wasn’t one I’d ever considered.
    He gestured to someone behind me. I turned.
I’m not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t the striking
brunette walking over to us.
    She smiled before kissing Gabriel hard on the
mouth. I watched in slight shock while they kissed each other.
Then, as suddenly as the kiss started, it stopped, and the woman
took a seat between us. “Hi, you must be Maddy.”
    “Hi…”
    “Maddy, this is Suzanne.” He touched her arm
in a way that you would only do to someone you’re sleeping with,
and I knew my guess had been correct.
    I wasn’t ready to admit how right I