MANifesting

Ice sailed up in the air before landing in my cocktail shaker. The spiced orange vodka was poured in from three feet above the rim. Two drops of cinnamon liqueur were added with the precision of a chemist. A splash of lemon, three drops of cherry.

The beautiful girl seemed incredibly amused, then delighted when I poured her drink into a giant martini glass with a purple swirled glass stem.

“Only an expert would hand me a glass that matched my nail polish,” she grinned.

As I slid the drink toward her, I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What’s your name?”

“Allie. And you are?”

“Kellan.”

She took a cautious sip, then her eyes flew wide. “Wow, this is really good.”

I poured the last teaspoon from the cocktail shaker into a shot glass so that I could have a taste. “Nice. I thought it would work. This is a new brand of fruit liqueurs, and they keep their integrity a bit more in the mix.”

Allie laughed lightly. “Are you a mad scientist of cocktails?”

“Yes.” My left eyebrow raised. “So I have to warn you, sip that slowly. It might hit you like a ton of bricks.”

She nodded, the curls at the tips of her hair swaying slightly. “I only have one drink when I’m out, so this should do the trick.”

“Hold on,” I said to her, darting to the other end of the bar to pull a couple of beers for Tracy.

When I returned, I came to the end of the counter to stand near her. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask – why is a beautiful woman like you at a singles event?”

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip on one side, pulling her mouth sideways in an irresistible pout.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” I said quickly. “I’m honestly just curious.”

She nodded. “My friend persuaded me to come. I guess people have to start dating somewhere, right?”

It was amazing to me that she wouldn’t be surrounded by men at all times. Then I took a closer look into her eyes. She was definitely skittish. A little anxious. Shy. Maybe she’d had a bad experience with a man before she was ready.

If it weren’t for the few inches of bar counter between us, I’d be extremely tempted to slip an arm around her.

“You’re just starting to date?” I asked gently. “What are you looking for?”

Her chin tipped up as those wide, expressive eyes locked on mine. There was no way she couldn’t feel the electric pull between us.

“Yeah, um, I don’t know,” she murmured. “I guess I have to figure that out.”

“May I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?” My words seemed to surprise both of us. “Or if dinner is a bit much with a stranger, we could just grab a coffee or something,” I added.

“Um, I don’t know,” she whispered.

“Hey, Allie, come on back – the next round is starting!” Caitlin called out from the back.

“Oh.” Allie pulled out her wallet. I placed my hand on hers, holding both her hand and the wallet on the counter for a moment.

“Please, it’s on the house.” I tried to flash my most winning smile.

“Thanks.” She didn’t flinch away, merely looking at me with the strangest expression.

I realized that I couldn’t keep her cornered forever, even though the simple sensation of my hand on hers was making the hair on the back of my neck prickle. Retracting my hand, I reached into my pocket and gave her my card. “Text me if you decide that coffee or dinner is a good idea. Please.”

“Okay. Thank you.” She dropped the card into her purse, and I had the sinking suspicion that she wouldn’t be bold enough to send a message.

She picked up her glass, and I noticed that her deep purple nails really did match the stem. As she walked away, it was impossible not to catch her graceful steps, her perfectly rounded ass, and the way she glanced back at me with the sweetest, softest smile.