Page 23 of The Gin Lover's Guide to Dating

‘You know fine well there was no temping job.’ I look up at him in frustration. ‘Please don’t make this any more humiliating for me than it needs to be.’

‘Why, Liv?’ He cocks his head to one side. ‘If I make it uncomfortable for you to come back to me, then maybe one day you’ll learn to take some help on first offer. It was exactly the same when you were a student.’

And that’s checkmate. I realise I can’t argue with his logic.

‘OK, fine. I hear you.’ I force myself to look him in the eye. ‘Aaron, I’m sorry I brushed you off yesterday. If it’s still available, I’d like to take the job in the bar. As close to full-time as possible. Though I’ll still need to be able to get to interviews as and when they come up.’

Aaron fixes his eyes on me. ‘Liv, don’t ever apologise to me. I don’t have a damaged ego that needs massaging. I just want you to learn to help yourself. There’s no shame in asking for support. You deserve another chance. You deserve to be successful. And I’m sure you will be again…’

‘Thanks,’ I mumble. ‘Here’s hoping.’

‘So, in the words of Sir Alan,’ Aaron continues, ‘you’rehired. You can start on Monday – the quieter part of the week – to ease you in gently.’

‘Thanks, Aaron.’ I breathe a sigh of relief. ‘Really, you have no idea.’

‘I think I do. More than you realise.’

Surprised by his comment, I look at him expectantly, wondering if he’s about to share more, but the glimmer of compassion I just witnessed is already gone. It would be inappropriate to probe further.

‘Right, come on then.’ Aaron jumps out of his chair. ‘I’ll give you the grand tour.’

‘OK, great.’ He seems so enthusiastic, I almost forget this is a job I don’t actually want.

Aaron leads me round the hotel like I’m his little dog, striding a few steps ahead of me at all times. I try to keep up, but his legs are too long, leaving me to trot along behind him. We revisit reception where I’m properly introduced to Jiang, the receptionist I spoke to when I first arrived, as well as two of her colleagues. Aaron shows me a guest room and a suite, so I can get a feel for the hotel, as well as taking me on a tour of the plush leisure club, the two restaurants, into the kitchen – bursting with delicious foodie aromas – to meet the chefs, and briefly through housekeeping.

We then enter a traditional-style bar called The Library, which is decked out with huge comfy sofas and armchairs, elegant oak tables, and has a long mural on the back wall of shelves and shelves of books, making it look just like a library; it’s a beautifully peaceful room that actually smells a bit like a library (in a good way). However, to my disappointment, the average age of punter seems rather high, and it appears to be extremely lacking on the entertainment front. This could be one easy – but boring – job.

‘So, this is where I’ll be working then.’ I look around me, pretending to be pleased.

‘No, Liv. I can’t see you working in here, can you?’ He looks at me curiously.

‘Err… is that a trick question?’ I’m careful not to create any further problems for myself.

‘No, it’s not. We actually have three bars here. I’ve saved the one you’ll be working in for last.’

He summons me to follow him, walking me through a second bar that feels much more up my street. It’s small and intimate, oozing class, with a pianist plinging away, creating beautiful marshmallowy melodies at a white piano in the corner.

‘Ooh, a champagne bar,’ I coo. ‘How did I not know this was here?’

‘It’s for residents only, as is The Library,’ says Aaron. ‘We get some very exclusive guests in here, including some household names. They need somewhere private to enjoy their tipple, so we provided these restricted spaces for them. This is called The Hideaway.’

‘Good name.’ I nod my approval. ‘Who comes to stay here? Go on, I bet I know them. I’m well versed on all celebrities, A through Z.’

Aaron gives me a withering look. ‘This is probably the point where I should share the cardinal hotel rule with you, Liv. All staff in this hotel are expected to be discreet. We do not approach the guests other than to serve them, we certainly don’t ask for autographs or selfies, and in no circumstances is it acceptable to tip off the paparazzi about anything that goes on here. We only hire staff who understand and abide by that rule. I know I don’t need to be concerned about you for a second, do I?’

‘No. Definitely not.’ I feel stupid for my earlier comment.

‘Good.’ He gives me his best deranged-serial-killer look. ‘Let’s go take a look at where you’ll be working.’

I scuttle along behind him as we cross to the other side of the hotel and take a glass lift to the ground floor.

‘He we are.’ Aaron leads me out of the lift, across the foyer and through a set of doors into a huge modern-looking bar with a very modern, chic feel to it. It’s laid out like an auditorium, with a curved bar where a stage would be, and steps leading away on a very gentle gradient, branching off to individual ‘floors’ on either side. Each seating area is spacious, but with just a handful of tables, offering a feeling of privacy and exclusivity. The lighting is medium-level with purplish, strategically positioned LEDs, creating a moody, funky kind of atmosphere. Strip lighting on the steps adds to the cinematic feel, as does the beat of the bass-heavy music pumping out the surround sound speakers. At the bar, the bottles sit on white LED lighting, giving them an eerie, but enticing kaleidoscopic glow.

‘Wow!’ I’m speechless for a second. ‘This place is incredible. Isthiswhere I’ll be working then?’

‘This is it.’ Aaron nods. ‘Our gin bar: Amethyst. It’s brand new, been open for just over a month. It’s the only bar that’s open to the public. We only recently took the decision to do that, and it’s very popular and busy already.’

‘I’m not surprised.’ I’m in awe, but also disappointed that this will be my place of work rather than my playground. ‘Gin is theinthing these days.’

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