Page 92 of Poison and Wine
After I motioned for Caterina to have a seat in the booth, I slid in next to her. Dare once again tore his attention away from the women to shoot Caterina a wicked smile. “What’s your poison, Sister?”
Shifting anxiously in her seat, Caterina replied, “I’m not sure.”
“You’ve really never had any alcohol?” I asked.
“I’m Italian, so obviously I’ve had wine.”
I snorted. “That’s it?”
“Some champagne. But nothing too hardcore.”
“Aye, yes, you’re practically a liquor virgin,” Dare mused.
“Watch it,” I warned.
With a wink, Dare replied, “Obviously you have to have to drink an Irish whiskey. For your genteel palette, I could recommend starting with Redbreast 12.” After wagging his brows he added, “And I’m not being cheeky by choosing one with breast in the name.”
While Caterina giggled, I shot him a murderous look before waving our private waiter over. “Bring us a shot of Redbreast 12 and a bottle of the Teeling 34-Year-Old Vintage Reserve.”
Dare whistled. “You have expensive taste this evening.”
Shrugging I replied, “We need good whiskey to celebrate.”
Caterina glanced between us. “How expensive?”
“About four thousand dollars a bottle.”
Dare and I chuckled at the level of horror on Caterina’s face. “Don’t worry, Kitten. I’m good for it.”
She slowly shook her head. “It’s positively sinful. Do you know the amount of good that would've done for the order?”
“Would it ease your conscience if I promised to donate the same amount to the church?”
With a scowl, she countered, “It’s not my conscience that you should be worried about.”
“Fine. First thing in the morning, I’ll make sure to donate five thousand to the Sacred Heart.”
Before she could argue with me, the waiter reappeared with our whiskey. When Caterina took her glass, she eyed the dark liquid warily. “Are you sure this is what I should drink?”
“Yes,” Dare and I replied in unison.
“Fine.” With a hesitant smile, Caterina said, “Bottoms up.”
Leaning forward in my seat, I watched with amusement as Caterina took a giant gulp of the whiskey. As a shudder ran through her body, she sputtered and gasped. Waving her hand in front of her face, her eyes watered before spilling over her cheeks. “That. Was. Horrible!” she screeched.
I threw my head back with a laugh as Dare snickered. Our reaction earned us a glare from Caterina. “I should’ve mentioned it’s really an acquired taste.”
Narrowing her eyes at me, Caterina replied, “I’d rather never taste it again.”
“Trust me, you’ll enjoy the buzz if you do,” Dare said.
“She’s not getting buzzed,” I countered.
“And why not?”
I jabbed a finger at Dare. “Because I said so.”
With defiance sparkling in her eyes, Caterina brought the glass to her lips again and took another hearty gulp. While Dare snorted at her behavior, I merely shook my head. “Oh, Kitten, it’s going to be a long night.”