So a girl walked into a bar.

It wasn’t a joke, it was my life.

Which, actually, now that I think about it, sometimes feels like the same thing. No comments, please.

Besides, tonight was the beginning of my new life. It was the first step in a direction I’d wanted to go for a long damn time. So where was I? Ah, yes. I walked into a bar.

It was a nice bar, at least. In fact, it was really a lot nicer than any bar at a mid-range hotel—the only one my supervisors were willing to spring for—in a mid-range part of Charleston had any right to be.

The lighting was soft, but not so much so that I couldn’t read the print on the bottles, glowing yellow and orange lamps bringing out the warmth of the polished walnut bar and booths, as well as the striking red brick of the walls and the paintings that adorned them. Some kind of mournful violin music was piping over the sound system, just loud enough to make itself felt and give the chatting patrons a bit of privacy.

A profile caught my eye, a man silhouetted by the soft golden light, facing away from me. I admired the strong lines of his shoulders and the way that his auburn hair caught slivers of light even in the semi-darkness, throwing out glints of gold like sparks in a low-burning fire. Perhaps feeling my eyes on him, he turned. Before I could look away, our eyes met, and a shock of electricity pierced through the distance between us.

Those eyes…deep and knowing, traveling across my face before wandering down my body and back up again, slow and leisurely as if he could feel every inch of me through his gaze alone. I felt my body heat up under his stare, my blood singing in anticipation at the offer his eyes were making. A smile began to stretch across his face, as if he could read the eager acceptance in mine.

I looked away quickly. Research, Ally! I reminded myself. Not banging hot guys. Research is why you’re here tonight.

I hurried away to the other side of the bar before I could give into temptation.

The bartender—a wizened old guy with kind brown eyes and a face that looked like it had been there to meet Mark Twain—didn’t bat an eye when I told him what I was after, and after a brief chat with the waitress he got me a corner booth, tucked away behind a stuffed cougar that looked like it had time-traveled directly from the print ads for a 1950s Boy’s Adventure magazine.

Camouflage was definitely necessary; I’d overheard the Douchebros—and I promise I’ll go into more later as to why I even have a group of people in my life worthy of that title—bragging about how tanked they were going to get, and my plans for the night did not include fending off drunken advances, trying to tune out comments about the size of my ass respective to my brain, and counting how many times they could fit the word ‘bro’ into a single sentence.

(So far, the record was seven.)

My plans for the night, however, did include the next thing the waitress brought me: six different shots of bourbon, and a glass of water.

And no, I’m not an alcoholic. This was research.

Fun, delicious research, but research.

Maybe I should back up a little bit. My name? It’s Ally. Allison Bartlett. I’m five foot four, have grey eyes, tolerate the straight brown hair that slides out of every ponytail I put it into, and frequently wear an anxious smile that I’m working hard to make not broadcast my ambition, desperation, and general worrywart nature. It’s an uphill battle.

Anyway, I’m twenty-four, and I’ve been working at Geisel & Son Advertising in Washington, D.C. for two years now. I was an intern my senior year, and I lucked into an entry-level position opening up a month after I graduated. It’s full-time, benefits, the whole package. So I should be thanking my lucky stars, right?

I sure would, if anyone at Geisel & Son ever managed to remember that I wasn’t the intern anymore.

Time and again over the last two years, I’d heard my ideas shot down, only to turn around and see them accepted as brilliant when suggested by whichever man did the least possible amount of rephrasing. I’d been talked over in meetings, told to fetch coffee, and confused with the receptionist. And I think I might have been able to handle all that, if it had been coming solely from the old guard within the establishment. But no, more than half of it was coming from people barely older than me, who seemed to have watched too many episodes of Mad Men and taken all the worst bits to heart.

So this was it. My possibly last big job, where I was going to try my hardest, stand up for myself and fight for my ideas, and give this advertising job one last chance before it ground me down into dust and I packed my bags and waved the sad white flag of surrender on my career dreams.

In case you’re wondering how all of this has anything to do with my solo bourbon sampler party, our latest client was Knox bourbon.

I decided to start and end with said bourbon, in order to better compare it to the others. I leaned over the first glass, parting my lips as I inhaled, both smelling and tasting the aroma of burnt caramel, old wood, and cinnamon. A promising start…I took a sip of the amber liquid, letting it roll slowly across my tongue as I memorized and savored the taste. It had a bold, spicy flavor thanks to the high rye content, with a hint of charred oak and honey, and a strong bite.

I breathed out through my nose and mouth at the same time, and the flavor intensified until I swallowed. I smacked my lips in satisfaction as I set the glass back down. I generally drank a wheated bourbon rather than a rye, and I did miss that slight hint of sweet vanilla, but this wasn’t bad at all.

Glass number two was a rye after my own heart, vanilla like the first lick of ice cream on a hot summer day, cool and refreshing, with a bit of biting heat like a miniature sun right after it washed down my throat. I took another sip of that one, in the interest of more fully appreciating that fine flavor. Maybe I was playing favorites a little, but who was going to tell?

And here came number three. That distinctive flavor that said Kentucky, Bourbon County, that long tradition of Scots-Irish immigration. All the old ways carefully preserved and kept going: a hint of cedar, a touch of honey. A little rough around the edges, but in a way that soothed with its familiarity. I sighed, letting my eyes fall shut, the taste of the bourbon becoming my entire universe.

“Ah, a lady who knows how to savor the good things in life.”

I started, blushing, my eyes popping open and my hand nearly dropping the glass in dismay. Dammit, I’d wanted to be discreet! I hadn’t wanted anyone seeing me geek out like this, and now—

I looked up, and my annoyance at being interrupted died on my lips as I let my bourbon take a rest, and drank in the sight of the interloper instead. It was the same man who’d caught my eye just minutes earlier. Of course. And here I was sighing and drooling shamelessly over an entire smorgasbord of booze. Damn but he was even tastier up close.

Had he said something about the good things in life? Well, he would know, since he was definitely one of them. Golden-brown eyes like the sun shining through a tumbler of bourbon, freckles sun-kissing the bridge of his nose, and a chiseled jaw you could cut diamonds on. His auburn-gold hair was swept back from his forehead and his navy polo shirt clung to all the right places of his shoulders and chest. I bit my lip and resisted asking him to do a spin so I could check and see if those khaki pants clung in all the right places, too.

Barely resisted.

And that accent he spoke in, oh, it made me regret all the work I’d done to lose my own. A warm honey-slow drawl that drew attention to his lips and the way they quirked up at the corner.

“I didn’t think it was good enough to stun you into silence,” he teased.

I blushed and shot back, “I’m just trying to figure out what criteria led you to hone in on the girl with the highest alcohol content in the room. Your self-esteem that low?”

I regretted the sarcastic remark the second it left my mouth. In high-stress situations, I tended to blurt out exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time; it was an adrenaline-fueled, involuntary, and very unfortunate defense mechanism of mine. One that got me into trouble more often than not.

He only grinned, and sauntered closer. “As a matter of fact, I have extremely robust…self-esteem. Show you mine if you’ll show me yours?”

“The hell kind of pick-up line is that?” I said, flummoxed by both his nonchalant demeanor and the sweet scent of masculinity radiating off his delicious body. Stop it Ally, I mentally scolded myself. You’re indignant. Be indignant!

“I’ve got all kinds,” he promised. “Want something more traditional? I’ll give it a go: let me buy you a drink?”

I gestured at the drinks already in front of me.

“I think I’m covered,” I said wryly.

“Then do you mind if I buy myself one and drink it here with you?” he asked.

I considered. I was doing research here. Important research. Research that could change the very trajectory of my career and make all those dreams come true. I didn’t need any distractions.

On the other hand, those shoulders. And those lips, mm-hmm. And truth be told, for all my defensive posturing, there wasn’t a damn thing about him that didn’t scream ‘charming’ and ‘good company’ and, most importantly, ‘eye candy.’

My old science teacher did always say that it was important to have a research partner.

“Well, it certainly would improve the view,” I said, relieved to have finally given myself permission to cozy up to this intriguing stranger.

He grinned wider then, sliding into the booth opposite me, our legs bumping together slightly. Butterflies danced in my stomach. Damn, what was this, sixty seconds and I already had it this bad? Guys this hot should come with a warning label. Not that I’d stop to read it.

Hottie McHotterson—also, damn, how had I not asked his name yet, was I really that far gone into the Lust Canyon?—flagged down the waitress, and ordered a Knox whiskey.

I made a face.

“Not a fan?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of the whiskey? Sure,” I said. “It tastes great and gets the job done.”

“What is it, then?” he asked. He seemed genuinely curious, and that made me open up. “What’s missing?”

“Well, it’s just—” I gestured at the label. “Look at this packaging. Just the name stamped on there in an old-timey font, and the same barrel logo they’ve been using since B.F. Skinner first strolled up to an ad agency with some rats in a box and a lot of fancy promises. It does nothing to catch the eye.”

“The label?” He raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“That’s hardly it!” I shot back. “Their whole branding approach is the same, stuck in the past! Print ads whose copy never changes, radio jingles with slang from the second World War, TV spots with the same Bob Hope lookalike every year—it doesn’t matter how good it tastes, it looks old-fashioned. Like something my grandpa would drink.”

My mysterious visitor’s drink arrived, and he quirked a brow in amusement and raised his glass in a salute. “To your grandfather—a man of excellent taste.”

I snorted, but raised my own glass to match his. As they clinked together, his fingers brushed against mine, and I felt a spark leap where our skin met. He must have felt it too—he started, looking up at me, and our eyes locked. His eyes were so deep, golden-brown like molasses swirled in honey, and they warmed me up inside with a heat like the sun, spreading out from my heart down to my toes, and up to my head until I was dizzy, my heart pounding. I wanted nothing more than to sink into those eyes. I wanted nothing more than to keep touching his fingers.

I wanted nothing more than to invite him up to my room, then and there.

Focus, Ally! You have a presentation tomorrow! No rando is worth throwing away your entire career for a roll in the hay.

Maybe the whiskey was just getting to me.

I pulled away hastily and downed my drink, all of it this time. This sample had more of a honey flavor, less of a bite. If I were writing copy I’d call it ‘soothing, charming, a genteel liquor.’ Since I wasn’t, though, I didn’t pull any punches. “The truth is, though, my grandfather and his friends aren’t the customers of the future. You see this same trend in advertising for comic books—the company panders to its original base—not even all of the original base but a small, vocal fraction of it—and alienates all of its potential new customers in the process.”

“Tell me more about what you think,” he said intently.

Which would have been catnip for me even if I hadn’t been storing up a host of criticisms that went unheard at work, and even if he hadn’t been so damned hot. I didn’t need telling twice.

“This is your typical Knox buyer.” I launched into an imitation of my grandfather. “‘I jus’ don’ know how much longer they can be ‘spectin’ this centralized government t’ last. Times wuz much simpler when a man jus’ brewed his own whiskey and shot at the revenooers.’”

The man laughed, and waved a hand in acknowledgment of my point before raising a challenging eyebrow. “So what would you do if you had control of the rebrand? Throw in some hashtags and make a Facebook page? Get a celebrity endorsement?”

“As if,” I snorted. “Millennials might be self-absorbed, but we can still see through pandering just fine, thanks.”

“Oh?” His thumb brushing over my knuckles was an invitation, and a challenge, and both made my breath catch in my throat. “A pink label, then?”

I watched his eyes dip to the side and a lazy grin spread across his face, and I knew that he had spotted the pink strap of my bra peeking out from the side of my short-sleeved button-up shirt.

“Strange as it might seem, the color pink doesn’t brainwash women into buying things,” I replied, trying not to let on how breathless he had made me. Trying not to imagine his hands instead of his eyes on that pink bra strap, easing it slowly from my shoulder as he kissed my neck.

I raised the stakes, slipping my foot out of my shoe to stroke his ankle, and then moved it slightly higher. This was really out of character for me, but something about our conversation, the flush of whiskey in my cheeks, the way he was looking at me…I felt emboldened in a way I never did at work or even when I was out with my friends.

I was rewarded with a flush of heat in his gaze, his pupils dilating as his grip tightened slightly on mine. He leaned forward, close enough that I could have kissed him without rising from the seat. His lips were so full, they looked so soft—

He was so close I could feel the heat of his breath as he murmured his next words: “So, tell me, what would you do?” He picked up his glass and drank, the muscles in his throat working as he swallowed it down. I didn’t look away. It was safe to assume my panties were on fire, and there was only one way to put that fire out.

And you know what? I decided I’d been overthinking things at work. Either I had confidence in myself or I didn’t, and doing some last-minute drinking wasn’t going to change a damn thing about my presentation tomorrow.

But some really good sex just might give me an edge.

I lifted my own glass and downed the remaining Knox. My decision was made.

It was go time.

I leaned towards him until our lips were barely a millimeter apart. “Do you really want to know what I’d do with this brand?” I whispered. Before he could answer, I brushed my lips against the corner of his mouth. He tasted like smoke and cinnamon and danger, and I liked it. “Or would you rather know what I’d do with you?”

His eyes gleamed, and I knew his answer even before he spoke.

* * *

Why had I never made out with a stranger before?

Pinned up against the wall of my hotel room, I pondered that very question as my still-nameless about-to-be-conquest nibbled and sucked at my neck, eliciting shrieks and giggles and moans as he found my most sensitive spots. His hands dug possessively into my hips, and I could feel his rising erection against my thigh as he pushed into me, heat flooding me down below as my nipples tightened against his chest.

I was hungry for his skin, starving, and my own hands found their way under his shirt to knead at the muscles of his back and then slip under his boxers to grip his perfectly sculpted ass. I licked at his neck just below his ear, and he growled, his head rising to claim my lips once more. I moaned eagerly into his mouth, opening in response to his demanding tongue. His lips were just as soft as I had imagined, and if we were both occasionally missing where we meant to put them, it was all right—we were tipsy and turned-on and laughing, and on top of the world.

“Eep!” I shrieked as he scooped me up in his strong arms. “Dude, you are drunk, you are not supposed to be—I don’t know, doing things like operating heavy machinery—”

“You’re not heavy machinery,” he told me in that very serious way that slightly drunk people have. “You’re light machinery. Light, soft machinery with great boobs. More machinery should have boobs.”

“I hope for your sake you had a head start on me at the bar,” I told him. “Or I am mocking you for being a lightweight forever.”

“Guess I’ll have to find something else for that mouth of yours then,” he said with a grin, and oh, the images that flooded my mind. These panties were ruined forever.

He tossed me onto the bed and I shrieked as I bounced. “Asshole!”

But I was giggling.

He shed the remainder of his clothes, dropping to all fours on the bed in front of me, and then advanced, his eyes pinning me in place. He backed me up against the headboard and took my wrists, holding them over my head as he kissed me thoroughly, his tongue gleefully plundering my mouth before he began to nibble at my jawline and neck, my giggles dissolving back into moans as he traveled ever southward.

He shifted his hands so that just the left encircled both my wrists, his right joining his mouth as it closed over my breasts, sucking at them through the thin fabric of my shirt. I keened, squirming at the tantalizing touch and trying to bring the rest of my body into closer contact with his. As he chuckled the sound reverberated against my skin, and he began to unbutton my blouse, his hands and mouth hot against me. I leaned forward and bit at his shoulder, pressing my hips into his to urge him on.

“So perfect,” he murmured against my tender skin before sucking my left nipple into his mouth, and I cried out as he began to kiss my breasts in earnest, his other hand finally abandoning my wrist to dive down the front of my pants.

His knuckles bumped against my clit and I gasped, rubbing myself wantonly against him. He withdrew, teasing, and I slid my hands over his shoulders, savoring the feel of his smooth skin before digging my fingernails into his back in retaliation.

As he tugged my pants off, I took a moment to congratulate myself on my excellent decision-making skills. No matter what happened tomorrow, this was the most fun I’d ever had during a work trip, and I knew I’d be showing up to my presentation the next day with a little extra bounce in my step.

He tore my panties off and stood there, groaning appreciatively at the view as I spread my legs for him, and then he came at me and began to kiss and lick his way down my stomach, making me writhe in anticipation. He circled my belly button teasingly before trailing his tongue down there. The first touch of his mouth was electric, sparks shooting up my spine as he traced my wet opening before kissing me deeply, his tongue spearing straight and sure, deep inside.

“That’s it,” I panted, encouraging him. “Right there.”

“Is that what you like?” he growled.

That clever tongue flicked over me before plunging into me again and again, his thumbs tracing tantalizing circles on the sensitive skin of my thighs. I was whimpering, bucking upward against him, feeling the beautiful burn of his stubble against me, needing only a little more, only a little more—

He hummed in satisfaction as he tasted me thoroughly, and I felt the vibration of his mouth up through my entire body and down to the tips of my toes.

“So beautiful,” he whispered against me, lapping my wetness with long strokes of his tongue, and without another thought I came harder than a freight train crashing into a mountain, moaning blissfully as I rode out the waves of my orgasm.

When my brain was once again capable of receiving the images transmitted by my eyes, I saw him resting on his elbows beside me, a smug grin on his face with just a hint of shyness, as if he knew exactly how great a job he had done but wouldn’t mind a little confirmation.

A glance downward told me the best way for me to give him that validation.

I licked my lips, loving the way his pupils dilated as his eyes dropped to my tongue, and began to trail my hand down his sweaty, chiseled chest, taking my sweet time on the way to that long, hard cock. I was going to make this so good for him. I was going to stroke him and pump him gentle and slow, firmer and firmer. I was going to sink down and take him slowly into my mouth, teasing him with the promise of more as I drew spirals around his length with my tongue. I was going to take him deep into the back of my throat and—

His phone rang.

We both froze, and for a moment, looking into those lust-darkened eyes, I thought he was going to let it go to voicemail, and we would spend the rest of the evening learning every inch of each other’s bodies.

Then he made a disappointed but resigned sound in the back of his throat, and pulled away from me. “Sorry. This is probably important.”

“Sure,” I said. Maybe it wouldn’t be, though. Maybe it would be some unimportant thing he could immediately resolve without leaving the room, and I could get back to the important business of finding out exactly how he tasted and whether I liked it better than bourbon. Maybe I could find out exactly what noise he would make when—

He rolled out of bed, giving me a great view of that cute ass as he bent over to search the pockets of his discarded clothes for his phone. He pulled it out and cut off the ringing with a stab of his finger, running a distracted hand through his hair.

“Yeah? Yeah, it’s me. Look, I’m kind of in the middle of—no. No. No, I see what you mean. Yeah, that’s—of course I take this seriously!” The volume of his voice rose, and I could see his jaw clench and his Adam’s apple bob as he visibly struggled to maintain control. “Yes. Yes, of course. No, I understand. I’ll be right over. Yes. Goodbye.”

He snapped the phone shut as if he were imagining snapping the neck of the person who had called him, and began to pull his underwear and jeans back on.

I struggled to keep my disappointment from showing. “Gotta run?” I asked, and immediately wanted to slap myself. Of course he had to run. Hadn’t I just heard him say that? What, did I think that if I just asked out loud, the universe would magically turn back time so that that conversation hadn’t happened?

Damn, but that would improve my sex life.

“I’m afraid so,” he said, glancing up from his zipper to shoot me a rueful smile. “It’s an emergency.”

“No one hurt, I hope?” I asked.

He had looked back down to hunt for his socks, and now his head shot back up, surprised. “No, no, not that kind of emergency. Just…” He did drunk-person-trying-to-gesture-like-they’re-sober gesturing. “Boring stuff. It’s a very boring emergency.”

I tried to smile. “Well, you certainly put a new spin on wham, bam, thank-you ma’am.” I let my gaze trail down his muscular chest and the still-tented front of his blue jeans, the way my hand had been set to only moments before. “Was really looking forward to returning the favor.”

A faint blush lit his cheeks, and oh, this was only a one-night stand, that gentlemanly blush shouldn’t be making my heart go pitter-pat.

“Not half as much as I was looking forward to it,” he admitted. “Maybe I’ll see you around…”

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be staying,” I said. “Work stuff. But I…well, you never know. I wouldn’t mind it.” Yep. Playing it cool.

He finished buttoning his shirt and leaned forward, pressing a chaste yet passionate kiss to my cheek. “I hope you have a wonderful time while you’re here.”

“I already have,” I confessed, and the way he grinned, I almost thought he was about to throw off his clothes again, and stay.

But he just kissed my other cheek, and left.

I flopped back on the hotel bed and sighed, staring at the ceiling.

“Well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” I told myself. “And there’s no use crying over spilled milk.” Maybe if I just kept reciting clichés, I’d start to feel better.

It wasn’t the end of the world. It was just a hot guy, who I didn’t get to spend as much time with as I wanted to.

I tried to run through my presentation in my head as I drifted off to sleep, but nothing could keep my mind from replaying the scene with mystery man over and over. Those eyes, that mouth…that damn phone call. I’ll probably never see him again, I told myself, so it’s best to let it go. That’s just how the world works.