Page 4 of Vesper Martinis

“Come, baby,” he groans, staring at me with those gorgeous eyes.

I lose it, groaning his name as I come all over his hand.

We had a couple of rounds of back and forth, and then he left. He didn’t leave a note and didn’t say anything. Just left. And I never saw him again.

Until he became my new boss.

Chapter 1

Wesley

Present Day

I wipe down a glass as a new person shows up at the bar, waving their hands to get my attention. Placing it down, I approach the cute woman with round glasses in a sexy purple mini-dress.

“What can I getcha’?” I ask, leaning in to hear her over the loud music playing on the speakers.

“I’d like a Sazerac, please,” she says, leaning against the bar.

I pull back, giving her a nod, and make the drink.

After the bar I was working at in New York burned down, I decided it was time for a change. Not only did I move out of New York, but I moved out of the country. Having dual citizenship in Canada via my mom became an advantage when I found a job in Vancouver. I’ve been working here at Sweet Cocktails for roughly a year.

It’s a pretty nice city. You see the same hustle and bustle in New York, but everyone is a bit more polite in Vancouver. Most people in New York are too busy or not interested in talking to you, so they just pass by you. Here in Vancouver, I’ve gotten more “Hello’s” walking to work in a week than I ever did in New York. It was new and kind of nice. It’s something that I’ve gotten used to over the year that I’ve been here.

I start the drink by rinsing a chilled glass with absinthe. In another glass, I pour an ounce and a half of whiskey, half an ounce of cognac, a quarter of an ounce of simple syrup, and then a dash of some bitters. I then add some ice to the glass and mix it briefly before getting a strainer and pouring the red liquid into the chilled glass. Afterwards I get a strip of lemon, twist it, then rub it around the rim before setting it in the glass and handing it to the lady.

The smile on her face says it all. She likes it. And I like that she likes it. Being a bartender used to be just a job for me, and it still is, but in the midst of working, I found myself loving the job—making cocktails and drinks. The creativity of it. I could possibly get that creative satisfaction somewhere else, but at least here, I’d get paid as well.

Another person returns to the bar and asks for a refill on their whiskey. At that moment, someone catches my eye. I look up at the second floor of the bar. Behind a gold railing, I see Pierce Donnelley, my new boss, staring down at me with his piercing blue eyes and hard stare.

The ex-manager was replaced just over four months ago with the one guy I thought I’d never see again.

Pierce Fucking Donnelley.

My one-night stand from six months ago.

I didn’t even know he lived here, but apparently, he moved for this job right after I met him.

I was shocked, to say the least, but that shock turned to anger when I got a minute alone with him, and he said he didn’t know me. I mean, the guy was inside me, and he doesn’t remember me?

The nerve.

I remember that moment like it was yesterday. Our manager, Alex Faulkner, brought all the bartenders up to meet the new boss, and my jaw was on the floor when I saw who it was.

“This is your new boss, Pierce Donnelley,” Alex says as I walk into his office, which he was turning over to Pierce as his new office.

A man stands up from a chair, and just from the back, I know who it is. I know it's him just off of the scent of him that wafts my way as he stands.

Pierce.

“Hello. My name is Pierce Donnelley. It’s nice to meet you,” he says, sticking out his hand to me.

I don’t move. I can’t.

Wait? He’s my new boss? And why is he introducing himself to me? He was literally inside me two months ago.

Pierce's eyes narrow and he moves on to Marco, another bartender standing next to me. They shake hands, and then he introduces himself to Derek, Tony, and Marie.