Page 6 of The Billionaire's Kiss
Chapter Three
Warner
Although she had to be tired after so many hours on a stuffy airplane, Orla’s beauty seemed as if it couldn’t be dimmed by anything. With a riot of auburn curls that cascaded down her back all the way to her waist, she walked in front of me towards the bar.
“Since we should all be going down for a nap soon so we can thoroughly enjoy our evening here, I’ll make Celtic Twilights for everyone.” Extending her hand to the bartender, she introduced herself. “Gerald, I’m Orla Quinn, a barmaid in Ireland. Would you allow me to come back there to make up some bevies?”
“It would be my pleasure,” he said as he gestured for her to go back behind the bar with him. “I’ve never heard of a Celtic Twilight and would love to learn how to make them.”
The way her sea-green eyes sparkled lit me up in ways nothing ever had. “Thank you, Gerald. Can you please line up rock glasses for everyone in the group?” She looked at me as she pulled out an apron from underneath the bar and began putting it on. “And don’t leave Warner out.”
Taking a seat on the stool in front of her, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. “Definitely, don’t leave me out.”
“Would you like ice in these glasses, Orla?” Gerald asked as he finished setting the glasses on the bar for her.
“I would, Gerald. Crushed, please.” She picked up a couple of bottles off the shelf. “You can use any Irish whiskey you’d like. I prefer using Bushmills for this cocktail. Can you pass me a jigger, please?”
Gerald handed it to her, then continued filling the glasses with ice. “Be sure to call out how much you use of the ingredients. My mind’s like a steel trap. I’ll be able to remember the recipe.”
“Two ounces of Irish Whiskey,” she murmured as she filled one end of the jigger. She poured the filled jigger into the bottom half of a shaker, then picked up the other bottle. “Two ounces of Bailey’s Irish Cream.” She filled the jigger, then dumped the liquid into the shaker too. Going back to the liquor shelves, she brought back one more bottle. “And one ounce of Frangelico hazelnut liqueur.” She picked up the tongs and added four cubes of ice to the Boston shaker, then put the small metal tin over the pint-sized shaker and began shaking it.
The clanking of the ice made everyone stop what they were doing and turn their attention to Orla. I found myself liking the way her breasts moved beneath her cream-colored sweater as she shook the drink. “I can’t wait to taste it.”
Putting the shaker down, she picked up a strainer then pulled one of the ice-filled glasses towards her. “Using a Hawthorne strainer to keep the ice in while the creamy, smooth, and now cold cocktail pours out over the crushed ice, you have an authentic Irish cocktail, the Celtic Twilight, made by a real Irish lass.” She pushed the short glass toward me with a wink. “Tell me what you think.”
Picking it up, I inhaled the unique aroma of the whiskey, the hazelnut liqueur, and the cream before I took a sip. A flame of warmth washed through me as the cool drink slipped down my throat. My tongue was absolutely delighted with the mixture of flavors that teased my tastebuds. “Oh, Orla.” I didn’t know what to say as I took another sip. “Creamy, smooth, and so damn good it ought to be illegal. Great drink. Awesome drink.”
“Would you like to try your hand at making one, Gerald?” She handed the bar back over to him. “I’ll take your first one.”
Rubbing his hands together, he looked eager. “I would love to make the rest of them so I can get this cocktail down.”
Untying the apron she’d put on, she then folded it and put it back where she’d found it before taking a seat next to me. “That was fun. Thanks for letting me do that, Warner.”
“Thanks for doing it.” I took another sip. “This is really delicious.”
“I thought you’d like it.” She took the finished drink Gerald gave her and took a sip. “Ah, you did it perfectly, Gerald.”
His eyes lit up at the compliment. “Thank you for showing me how to make it, Orla. You’re a real pro.”
“I’m sure you are too.” She took another sip before saying, “I’ll be here for a week. Perhaps I can come down during the days, and you can teach me how to make some of your Texas specialties, and I’ll teach you more Irish ones.”
“It’s a deal.” He smiled at me. “Thanks for bringing her to me, Warner. She’s going have me upping my bartender game.”
As long as that’s the only game she’ll be upping for you, my man.
“Glad it’s working out for you both.” It had been a long time since I’d found a woman so alluring and attractive in both personality and physical appearance.
But I had to remember that Orla would only be in town for seven nights. I’d never been the type of man who got right down to the nitty-gritty with any woman. I liked to take my time—get to know them a little—before I got into a sexual relationship with them. But with Orla, I didn’t have the luxury of time. And the idea of letting her slip through my fingers, even if I could only hold her for a week, didn’t sit well with me.
Plus, there was one great benefit of her leaving—it meant there would be no break-up. And that sounded amazing to me.
We’d simply kiss goodbye at the end of her stay, and then off she’d go, back to Ireland to live the rest of her life while I would do the same here in Texas. The most perfect relationship plan I’d never heard.
“Can I have the next one?” Mona asked Gerald. She took the seat on my other side. “So, Warner, we’ve heard tales of the wild Austin nightclub scene. Is it all just a bunch of Texas bragging, or are the rumors true?”
“It’s true—and it’s not called bragging if it’s true.” I took another sip of my drink, wishing like crazy that the others hadn’t shown up, and crashed the intimate tour I had planned for Orla. “It’s like they say—everything’s bigger in Texas—and that applies to our nights out too. You’ll find that we party harder than most.”
“More than the Irish?” Mona’s mother asked as she took the place on the other side of Mona.
