Whiskey Prince

by Toni Aleo

  “The top is see-through,” I say, taking in the gorgeous detail of it. It’s an off-white, jeweled tulle top with cups that would cover my breasts, but still, you could see right through it except for the white, high-waisted skirt that would come to maybe mid-calf. It was beautiful.

  “So? It’s gorgeous. Seriously, go try it on,” she says, pushing it at me.

  “You don’t think it’s whoreish?” I say, my face scrunching up.

  “No way. It’s classy. Lena would rock something like this in a heartbeat.”

  Reluctantly, I take the dress and walk to the dressing room. I figure it’s my curiosity that fuels me to get undressed and slowly slide the gorgeous gown up my body. It fits like a glove even with only being zipped up halfway. Turning to look at the side, I smile when I can see my tattoo on my ribs through the studded fabric. My ass even looks great, and I can’t help but love everything about this dress. I’m sure that Declan will love it, too.

  Stepping out, I don’t see Fiona and ask, “Fiona?”

  “Hold on, I’m throwing one on, too.”

  “Okay,” I say just as she steps out in a white dress that covers her all the way up to her neck. I make a face because the dress is ugly in my opinion, but when she turns and I see that the back is backless with two black lace patches by her ass, I quickly change my opinion. “Beautiful,” I say with a grin.

  “Thanks, I think it will drive Kane insane and wow, you too. Turn around.”

  I do as she asks, and she zips me up. I turn, smiling, and she nods. “I think you found your dress.”

  I run my hands down the front of the dress, loving the fit, and completely agree. “And you’ve found yours.”

  “I think so. So now all we need is shoes,” she says as her eyes gloss over.

  “Yay,” I groan, and she laughs.

  “Come on, it will be quick.”

  Such a liar. It took another hour to find shoes before we finally settled at the pub by the store for food. My heart is still pounding from the money I dropped, but Fiona said it was worth it to look good with a whole bunch of rich folks. I guess she is right but still, it sucks knowing my bank account took a major hit. Taking a huge bite of my burger, I smile as the flavors explode in my mouth. I am so hungry, and this burger is going to hit the spot perfectly. I am tempted to order some wings, too, but refrain since I want to look good in my dress and instead, I smother my fries with mustard.

  When my phone sounds, I drop the burger on my plate to dig it out of my purse to find Declan has texted me. I usually wouldn’t answer it while I eat but since Fiona is in the bathroom, I find it the perfect time to get in a quick word with him.

  Still shopping?

  I smile as I text back. Nope, finally eating.

  So you have a dress then?

  I do, and it is going to knock your socks off.

  I can’t wait.

  Me neither.

  Wanna get out tonight?

  I bite into my lip. I can’t. Since we had the day off, we have to work late.

  I haven’t seen you in two days. I miss you.

  I smile, my face heating with color as I write back. I miss you too.

  Grand, so meet me by the lake when you get off.

  I know I am going to be tired but seeing him is worth it. Okay, but if I yawn, you can’t blame me.

  He sends me a smiley face and I go to send him one but, before I can, I hear a voice that makes my skin crawl. “Howya, Amberlyn.”

  Looking up at Casey, my heart kicks up in speed. Not because he looks good with his hair falling in his face in such a cute way, but because I am still very much afraid of him. “Casey.”

  “How are you?”

  “Good,” I say, tucking my phone in my lap.

  “You look beautiful today,” he says, dropping in the stool beside me.

  Inwardly, I groan as I say, “Thank you.”

  I turn to go back to my burger, hoping he’d get the hint, but no such luck. “Surprised to see ya out at this hour. Not working, I see.”

  “Nope,” I say before taking a bite.

  “Who ya with?”

  I cover my mouth as I chew. “Fiona.”

  “So you and O’Callaghan broke it off, then?”

  I make a face as I shake my head. “No, he’s working.”

  His face falls. “Guess that was hopeful thinking, huh?”

  “Bug off, Casey. We are trying to enjoy our lunch,” Fiona calls at him as she falls into the seat beside me.

  I send her a grateful look, but Casey waves her off. “Shut it, Fiona. I just wanted to say hi.”

  “Well, we don’t want to say hi to you. We have to eat before getting back. My da is waiting on us.”

  He rolls his eyes. “Why are ye off anyways? Shouldn’t you be running the lunch rush?”

  Fiona glares. “None of your business. Bye.”

  “You’re a bitch, Fiona.”

  “And you’re a wanker, fuck off,” she says and he angrily stands, making me nervous.

  Looking down at me, he says, “Call me sometime.”

  “Don’t think so,” Fiona says, her eyes in slits as she watches him. “She’s happy with Declan, doesn’t have time for arseholes. Which reminds me, bug off before I call one of them to come after ya.”

  Shaking his head, he walks off without another word. When he looks back, his eyes in dark slits, I can’t help the chilling feeling that overcomes me. While I am relieved he is gone, something about that guy really makes me nervous.

  It’s a cool night as I walk towards where Declan asked me to meet him. Wrapping my sweater tighter around me, I walk in the darkness until I see the silhouette of him standing by the large oak tree. He must have heard me coming because he turns, reaching for me as I come close to him. Holding me tight in his arms, he kisses the top of my head, and I love how safe I feel in his arms. I had been on edge after running into Casey today but now, nothing matters. I am safe. Declan will protect me.

  Looking up, I smile as I say, “Hi.”

  “Howya, love,” he whispers before dropping his mouth to mine. Slowly, our mouths move together as I drink from his beautiful lips. It had been so long since I felt him like this, and I savor every second. Pulling away, I smile before kissing the side of his mouth. Lacing his fingers with mine, he pulls me down on the blanket I didn’t see. Lying back, he brings me down with him until I’m cuddled in the nook of his arm.

  “I see you brought a blanket this time. Didn’t want me to dent up the car, huh?” I say, grinning as I move my nose against his chest, taking in his spicy smell. His chest rumbles with his laughter as his arm tightens around me.

  “No,” he laughs before cupping my ass in his hand and squeezing. “I thought this would be more comfortable.”

  “Oh, well yeah, you’re right.”

  He smiles, kissing my temple before we both fall silent. The sounds of crickets and the wind on the lake fill the air around me, and I’ve never felt so relaxed in my life. Snuggling closer, I ask, “How was your day?”

  He shrugs, his lips dusting my temple. “Long.”

  “Ugh, that sucks.”

  “Yeah, but if this is the way it ends, I’ll endure it every day just for this moment.”

  “You’re making me blush,” I groan as I smile, my face warming. I’m answered with his laughter so I softly bite his chest, causing him to jump, his laughter continuing before his arms close around me tighter.

  “Yours?” he asks.

  I wonder if I should tell him about Casey. While I want to tell him, I know it’ll just irritate him, so I shrug before saying, “Long, too. I hate shopping.”

  “That’s weird. Don’t girls love to shop?”

  I give him a sneaky look. “You didn’t know I wasn’t like most girls?”

  He smiles. “Yeah, I did know that.”

  I smile back as he says, “Well, this is nice to do after a long day, the two of us and the stars.”

  “I agree,” I say, snuggling into him and closing m
y eyes.

  Neither of us is saying anything, just enjoying being in each other’s arms. I am so warm, so comfortable in his arms, that soon I am almost asleep. But before I can fall into a sweet slumber, he says, “I wanted to talk about tomorrow, love.”

  Opening my eyes, I look up at him. He is watching me, his face glowing from the lantern he had brought for us to see.

  “Yeah?” I ask.

  “I know I’ve said this before but my parents are intense, and I worry that they might offend you tomorrow.”

  I can see that he is worried and while I am scared shitless about meeting his parents, I know that it will work out. I love this man, and I’m sure I’ll love his parents.

  With a shrug, I say, “It’s no big deal, I’m sure it will be fine.”

  “My sister, you’ll like her, but my ma is very suffocating and will question you relentlessly and my da, he’s a snooty arse that might say something rude. So I just want to apologize now.”

  I smile, reaching up to place my palm on his sweet face. “Do you want me to come tomorrow?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Then don’t worry. Everything will be fine because we’ll be together. That’s all that matters, right?”

  His eyes are swimming with something. I don’t know what it is, but looking into them, I can’t help but feel like he loves me. Running my thumb along his jaw, I get lost in his eyes and I want to whisper the three little words but, before I can, Fiona is there, urging me to wait. So I bite on my lip to keep the words in as Declan says, “You’re right, and I’m sure it will be okay.”

  Leaning up to brush my lips against his, I flash him a grin before saying, “Of course it will.”

  Cuddling beside me, he asks, “Do you think your ma and da would have liked me?”

  I smile as I slowly nod. Tears sting my eyes as I say, “Yes, they would have loved you.”

  Holding me closer, he whispers, “I wish I could have met them. I feel like I know them because of you, but I wish I could tell them how amazing you are and how much you mean to me.”

  I smile and without much warning, a single tear runs down my face. “I would love for that to happen but it isn’t in the cards. Plus, you know, if I wouldn’t have lost them, I wouldn’t have been here and we never would have met.”

  Holding my gaze, he says, “As much as I couldn’t fathom my life without you now, I would rather you have kept them than come here and met me. I see how much it pains you to be without them, and I honestly don’t know how you do it.”

  When another tear falls, I suck in a breath before saying, “I do it because I have to. Because my mom raised a strong woman, and I want to be the type of person she would be proud of.”

  “They are. Proud of you, I mean.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No thanks needed, love. It’s the truth.”

  Not knowing what to say, my lip wobbles. He smiles before running his thumb along my cheeks to catch my tears. Leaning forward, he presses his lips to mine and kisses me long and thoroughly, curling my toes and making my heart sing. When we part, he kisses my nose, then my temple, before wrapping me up tight in his arms. I cuddle into his chest, and his lips dust my forehead before he whispers, “Don’t ever change, Amberlyn. You are the light of my day and anyone else you meet.”

  Closing my eyes tight, I kiss his chest before laying my head down to keep myself from whispering the words that I so want to say. As much as I believe he may feel the same with the words he just said to me, I can’t help but wonder why he didn’t say it if he did. Deciding that this moment is too amazing to spoil with rejection, I cuddle in closer to Declan and this time, I don’t fight the sleep away, I welcome it being wrapped in the arms of the man I love.

  A man my mom and dad would have loved.

  I can still feel Amberlyn in my arms.

  Softly snoring, her little nose tucked into my chest as she sleeps. I never expected her to fall asleep. I wasn’t mad it happened, I was glad, because watching a girl that beautiful sleep is a gift from God. Something that I’ll treasure until the moment I get to go to sleep and wake up with her for the rest of my life. As much as I would love for that to happen right now, I know that it’s not time. I am still so nervous about it all. I have a feeling that I am going to lose the distillery I love, but I know it’s worth it as long as I get to be with her. I know I’ve put everything on our relationship when it is so young, but I trust my decision. I trust the power of my love for her.

  Leaning back in my chair, I stretch out my neck before rubbing my eyes. When I open them, Kane is standing before me in a tux, along with what looks like the local newspaper.

  I smirk up at him before saying, “Lookin’ sharp there, Kane.”

  Kane gives me a look before dropping the paper on the desk. On the front is a picture of Amberlyn and me from the movies. I am holding her so tight that her shirt has come up in the back, but we both look so blissful as we share a long kiss. I want to keep staring, but then I see the headline above it.

  Is she out for the O’Callaghan fortune?

  “Ah, for fuck’s sake,” I mutter before reading the article. It a bunch of hogwash, basically saying that my girl is a gold-digging American out to steal everything from my family. It’s disgusting and so far from the truth that I crumble it up before tossing it in the trash. “Bullshite, that is,” I say, pointing to the paper and hoping like hell Amberlyn hasn’t seen it. I doubt she has though, because we’ve been in the paper many times and she hasn’t said anything. Since she hasn’t brought it up, I sure won’t. No reason talking about something that is a complete lie and means nothing.

  Kane nods. “I agree. She hasn’t seen it from what Fiona said,” he says, answering my unasked question.

  “Grand. Fuck, why do they say these things? They don’t know anything about us.”

  “You know that Amanda Dralls has a thing for ya, so you better believe she is going to do everything to run your relationship through the mud,” he points out, speaking of the local paper editor. I slept with Amanda once when I was a kid, but I haven’t spoken to her since. She is a little off her rocker, obsessed with me and shite, which makes what Kane just said plausible.

  “Fuckin’ bitch,” I say, venom lacing my voice.

  “Sure is,” Kane agrees, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Your da saw it, though.”

  “Fuck it, I thought today was supposed to be a good day,” I groan, rubbing my temples with my fingers.

  “The night is still young, Dec.”

  I roll my eyes. “Maybe, but you know my da will have something to say.”

  He nods. “I know but don’t let it get to you. It doesn’t matter.”

  “True, true,” I mutter, even though I know I’ll still allow it to bother me.

  “All right, well, I’m excited to get my hands on Fiona, so I guess on that note, I’m off. See ya tonight.”

  I glance at the clock. The ball doesn’t start for another two hours. “Why so early?”

  He turns, a grin on his face before he says, “I’m taking her to dinner before and hoping for a quickie somewhere in between.”

  “You’re a dirty man, Kane Levy.”

  Kane laughs as he heads through the door. “Be jealous, Dec.”

  I stand, coming around the desk as I call out, “What the hell do I have to be jealous about?”

  The grin remains on Kane’s face as he looks back at me. “That I’m getting it and you’re not.”

  “Ah, fuck off,” I say, turning my back to him.

  “Exactly,” Kane says just as I slam the door before returning behind my desk.

  With annoyance flowing through me, I lean back in my seat, running my hands down my face. He is a fuckin’ gobshite, that Kane. How dare he tease me when he knows my girl isn’t ready for that kind of thing yet? He knows the whole story; I’ve confided in him and trusted him with the information about Amberlyn. Now I wish I hadn’t. Okay, that’s going a little too far since he is my best friend.
I also know that I would do the same to him about any other girl he was not getting it from, but it’s not funny to joke about Amberlyn. I would not do that to him with Fiona; I know she is different. As Amberlyn is different.

  Ugh, he gets on my nerves, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it every second of the day since meeting Amberlyn. She has awakened the need and boy, how I would love to get between her thighs. Just remembering how she felt has me getting harder by the second. Groaning, I let my head fall to the desk as I inhale a long breath. Damn Kane. This is his fault. I was fine with how things were, stolen kisses and hot touches, but now I am craving the whole damn thing. I want to get lost in her kisses, I want to get tangled in the sheets, I want to feel her in the most intimate way, and I hate myself for it. I don’t want to rush her. I don’t want to her to feel obligated. I want her to do it because she loves me.

  When my phone vibrates on the desk, I reach for it to see it’s from the lady that has my whole body tight with need.

  I can’t wait to see you tonight.

  I’ve been thinking about you all day, I admit.

  Good things?

  Good, great, and dirty, I must say.

  Oooo… sounds scandalous. You’ll have to share.

  Leaning back, I smile as I type out quickly, It involves you and me, and my hands on every inch of you.

  Mr. O’Callaghan! My goodness! So dirty!

  I laugh out loud, as I type: Lol. Are you offended?

  Quite the opposite really. Turned on is more like it.

  Groaning, I shift in my seat. You’re killing me.

  Haha. Well, let’s stop before someone gets hurt. I’ll see you soon?

  Yes. I can’t wait.

  Me neither.

  Sitting up, I run my hands down my face, squeezing it hard before letting out a long breath. Deciding that no work will get done after the last half hour I’ve had, I stand up and head out of the office. I think a shower is in order.

  A nice, long, hot shower.

  Looking at myself in the mirror, I let out my hundredth sigh of the day. It’s been a stressful one. Between working all morning, seeing the paper, and then having Kane remind me that I’m not getting laid, I’ve also have to deal with the fact that I have to forgo my beanie tonight. Not only is it tacky to wear a beanie with an Italian, dark-tailored suit, my ma would murder me. So as I run a comb through my thick, tight curls, I curse them and even consider shaving my head. Knowing again, that my ma would murder me if I did so, since I apparently have the curls from her great-grandda or some crap. I throw my comb down in the hopes that I look okay.