"Actually, I'm not at your service, unless you own some multi-million dollar conglomerate that I'm not aware of."
Tyler leaned forward and rested his elbows on the bar. "You had me at whore."
Alexis's faint smile broadened, her first genuine smile in a long while, and Tyler was glad to see the scowl dissipate. God, he remembered that smile. It was all he could do not to lean that little bit further and close the gap between them.
"So do you actually tend bar or are you here for window dressing?"
He snapped back to reality, drawing himself up to his full six feet. "I'm sorry, I'm neglecting your alcohol-related needs. Let me guess," he said, assessing her. "Some kind of 'tini. Appletini?"
"Isn't that a risky way to ask for an order? Potentially insulting customers?"
"Am I wrong?" he asked, with a crooked smile.
"Whiskey, please."
He doubled over as if wounded. "Ouch. You've destroyed my average."
"I've heard that a lot in bars." The lie slid from her lips with ease. The truth was that Alexis rarely spent time in bars, even in her twenties when she was flush with cash and single. It suddenly dawned on her that, not only was he flirting with her, but she was flirting with him. In a bar. In her hometown. The moment felt surreal.
"No chaser?" he queried.
She cocked an eyebrow, challenging him. "I like to feel the burn."
"An actual fire in the belly," he mused. "I like it. Is Jameson all right?"
"Perfect."
He poured her drink, added a drop of water, and slid it across the bar to her. "I have to admit, I'm relieved. I hate making those cocktails. Thankfully, most people on the island have simpler taste."
"I've never been a cocktail girl. Too sweet."
"Are you trying to tell me you're not sweet?" he teased.
Alexis tasted the whiskey. It burned through her core and warmed her from the inside out. "I may be a lot of things, but I don't think sweet has ever been on the list."
Tyler didn't doubt it. For him, her aloofness had been part of her charm. She may have been the girl in the next neighborhood, but she was far from the girl next door. He'd walked around in awe of her, which is probably why he'd never gathered the courage to ask her out. She hadn't been accessible, partly because she seemed to exist in her own reality, and partly because he'd built her up in his mind to mythic proportions. Back then, simply spotting Alexis from a distance had turned him on. Seeing her seated directly across from him now had Tyler's entire body humming.