Yours Truly(6)

“Care to take a break and get a drink?” Mr. Sexy-wink asked, wiping at the sheen of sweat on his brow.

“That sounds great,” Kat agreed. Sexy dancing or conversation with Mr. Sexy-wink were exactly what she wanted. As much fun as the fast paced song was to dance to, it wasn’t what she wanted. She could dance with anyone to this song, but she wanted to get to know the man more.

“I’m AJ, by the way,” Mr. Sexy-wink said, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her toward the bar.

“Kat.” She held out her hand and they formally shook. Kat felt a little silly being so formal, but she didn’t care. It was nice to have her hand in his. His grip was strong and his hand comfortable around hers. The little shiver of adrenaline from touching him directly was nice, too.

“What can I get you to drink?” AJ asked, leaning up against the bar. Most of the wedding guests were out on the dance floor, so the bar actually had enough space for them to come up and order drinks.

“Tequila. On the rocks,” Kat replied. Go big or go home, she thought to herself. No fruity, sugary drinks tonight. Champagne and tequila were all she needed.

AJ’s eyebrows raised. “Two tequilas,” he told the bartender.

For a moment, Kat thought about asking him if he wanted to do it as a body shot, but she looked around the room. Most people were in tuxedos and ball gowns. Despite sounding like a lot of fun, it wasn’t time yet. She’d just have to suggest it later, when it was more appropriate.

“How do you know the happy couple?” AJ asked, handing her a tumbler full of clear liquid.

“The bride and I have known each other since college,” Kat answered. She took a small sip and managed not to sputter. It was more bitter than she remembered. “How about you?”

“Professionally.”

Kat smiled. He was probably one of the country club boys who was friends with Bob. Given that AJ’s watch looked just as expensive as the one Bob wore, they probably did business together.

“What do you do then, AJ?” Kat asked. She liked how easy she was finding it to talk to him. Granted, they were still conversing in small talk, but there were no awkward pauses or scrambling to find a subject.

“I get paid to sign paychecks and sit in a fancy office,” he answered with a shrug. “It’s really not that interesting.”

Kat grinned. He had to work with Bob, then. That was exactly what Bob said when asked about what he did. Bob said it was because no one wanted to hear about braces and running a business.

“So what do you like to do that isn’t signing paychecks, then?” Kat asked, taking another small sip of tequila.

“I swim.” He grinned at her and took a sip of his own drink.

“Competitively, or just for fun?” Kat took in his swimmer’s shoulders and lean physique. He must swim a lot.

“Both, though I don’t have the time to be on a team because of work,” he told her. “But I do try and push the limits.”

“There are limits for swimming?” Kat raised her eyebrows, and teased him. “If you aren’t racing, then what? Holding your breath?”

He narrowed his eyes at her, but still smiled. “Like swimming the English Channel.”

“You swam the English Channel?” Kat cocked her head to the side. “You should have just led with that.”

“It’s not something that I tell everyone. It must be the tequila,” he replied, tipping his glass toward her and grinning. “I don’t think I’ll do it again, though. Too cold.”

“Wow.” Kat grinned at him. He could be completely lying to her. He could just be making it all up to impress her. Either way, it was working. She was impressed. There weren’t many people in the world that could claim to have taken a swim like that.

“What about you?” AJ asked. “What do you like to do, besides swing dancing?”

Kat chuckled and felt her face blush. He wasn’t sure if he was teasing her or complimenting her. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m much of a swing dancer. I’m more of a ‘give it a try even if you know you’ll suck at it’ kind of dancer.”

AJ smiled in approval. “I like that. But to be fair, you really didn’t suck at dancing. I was actually pretty impressed.”

Kat brought the half-full glass of tequila to her lips and drank down the rest, feeling the fiery liquid make its way down her throat. The spirits was quickly creating a rush inside of her and she could feel her inhibitions beginning to slip away.

“Thanks.” Kat held up the empty glass. “Another?”

AJ chuckled and shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’s a celebration. But don’t blame me if I get a little crazy on this stuff. Tequila and I go way back. It always gets me into trouble.”