I felt the impact of his compliment a heck of a lot more than I should have considering I never got personal with male customers. "Bartending's taught me the fine art of the quick reply."
"I like it."
His smile deepened, and it sent butterflies swirling in my belly. Guys didn't get me all flustered, but this one had managed to throw me off balance with just a simple conversation. It was past time for me to take back control and remind us both why he was here. "How about a drink for you?"
"Dane," he answered.
"Dane?" I echoed, tilting my head. "You'll have to help me out here. I'm not familiar with that one."
Those hazel eyes twinkled at me, looking more green than blue as they filled with humor. "Dane Edwards. It's my name, not a drink."
"Crap," I mumbled to myself as I felt my cheeks fill with heat. Of course he had a name that matched his ridiculously good looks. "So much for those quick replies, huh?"
"How about you show me what else bartending has taught you instead? Surprise me with a drink."
"I can do that." I nodded decisively and went about grabbing the items I needed for one of my favorite drinks-one that I could only drink at home since I wasn't old enough to enjoy all the concoctions I mixed up while at work. I combined dark rum with some fresh lime juice and poured it into a tall glass full of ice. Then I added ginger beer to the mixture and stirred it gently with a straw before garnishing it with a lime and sliding the glass his way.
Dane looked skeptical, but he took a tentative sip anyway. The sip turned into a gulp, and he licked his lips after downing about a quarter of the drink. I tore my eyes away from the sight, silently cursing my damp panties and my sudden urge to nibble on his plump bottom lip.
"That's damn good." He took another sip. "Refreshing, and exactly what I needed after my flight down here."
"You in town for business or pleasure?"
"My trip was supposed to be business, but now I'm thinking it's going to be all about pleasure."
His heated stare made it clear that he expected that pleasure to be with me. It was tempting-too much so, considering my plans to work through Spring Break while most of the students I knew were off to the beaches of Florida or Mexico. It figured that I'd finally meet a guy who got my sex drive revving when I actually had some free time on my hands, but that he'd be in my no-go zone because he was a customer. And one who was only in town because of a business trip at that, making spending time with him an even worse decision. "I better go check on my other customers."
I hurried off and did just that, managing to avoid Dane for the most part over the next few hours. I served him another dark 'n stormy before he switched to coffee, shivering when his fingers slid against mine as he took the mug from me. The sexy smirk he flashed at me made it clear he'd caught my reaction and appreciated it. But he didn't push his advantage and let me continue to pretend that I wasn't tuned into his every move.
He was cool about it, too … right up until the first time I aimed a flirtatious smile at one of my male customers. I felt the heat of Dane's glare between my shoulder blades but tried to ignore it while I got my customer his beer. I never let it go far, but a little light flirting made for better tips. After working at the club for a year, it wasn't something I even thought about. It was part of the drill, like the tight shirts my boss insisted I wear. With Dane glaring daggers, it didn't feel natural anymore. It felt like I was doing something wrong.
After I set the beer on the bar and turned away, I wasn't surprised to find Dane's lips twisted into a scowl. His eyes weren't on me; they were on my customer-who noticed and abruptly moved to a table, leaving a ten-dollar bill on the bar. Thinking about his nine-dollar tab, I frowned.
"How long did you say you were going to be in town?" I asked Dane.
"I didn't."
I gave him a look that said I wasn't happy with the lack of reply, but it didn't seem to faze him much. If anything, he looked more relaxed with my attention focused back on him.
"I was supposed to head back to Chicago on Sunday, but I've bumped back my return date."
"You did?" When I'd served him his first drink, he'd made it sound like this was his first stop, or close to it. After buying the bachelorette party a round of drinks, he hadn't talked to anyone else in the club except for me. It couldn't possibly mean what it seemed like he was implying, though. "Problems with the business that brought you to town?"