Lost and Found by Trish Marie Dawson Page A

stool.
     "What is this?" I sniffed at the glass and winced. "It's strong, whatever it is."
    "Try it," he said, taking a sip from a matching glass. The muscles in his arms rippled
     as he effortlessly hoisted himself up onto the counter by the sink so he could sit
     and face me.
    "Is it whiskey?" I sniffed again, leery of anything that didn't come from a longneck
     bottle. Connor could drink me under the table any day. I had learned that fact months
     ago. The drink was fragrant and confusing on my senses; oak, pears, chocolate, cloves
     and coffee flooded through my nasal membranes. "I've never smelled anything like it."
    Connor chuckled and dragged a hand across his open mouth. "Oh, I'm sure you haven't.
     This is a very rare drink, my dear."
    I leaned forward over the glass, inhaling its complex aroma once more. "But, it is a whiskey, right?"
    He laughed again, leisurely sipping from his glass. "Taste it, and then I'll tell
     you what it is," he said with a wink.
    Raising the tumbler to my lips, I let only a dribble of the liquid onto my tongue;
     almost sure I would hate it. The smoothness of it surprised me so I opened my mouth
     to let in more. With a slow swallow, the sweetness of it warmed my tongue before the
     bitter oak and chocolate hit the back of my mouth. Heat erupted inside my throat as
     the drink went down.
    Peering up at Connor with one of my eyes squeezed shut I managed to squeak out a few
     words before coughing, "Yeah, that's good stuff."
    He reached behind him and carefully grabbed a tall bottle with a faded red label and
     jumped off the counter before setting it down between us. I leaned forward to read
     the dusty label out loud. " Glenfiddich, Rare Collection, 1937 …is that the year?"
    "Yep." He laughed when my eyes widened and my mouth dropped open.
    "Where'd you find it?"
    "In one of the big houses on our last Julian trip. Jacks and I hit the jackpot in
     this dude's wine cellar. I brought back a few things. This bottle I planned to save
     for a special occasion but then I realized the man that owned it probably thought
     the same thing and yet, there it stayed, locked behind a glass cabinet door with a
     bunch of other rare shit. You know, I think only sixty-something bottles of this are
     out there. You can only find them in Auctions now." His eyes glazed over as he realized
     what he said. "I mean, before. Whatever, it's a rare whiskey, this is." He sipped
     from his glass again and pushed mine closer to my hand.
    "It's not bad. But may I ask - why'd you pull it out now?"
    "What? You’re thinking I planned on getting you drunk enough to promise to stay here
     in the mountains with the rest of us. And not go riding into the sunset on the back
     of a horse you don't know, spending a week traveling to one of the most dangerous
     cities in the country?" The sharp edge to his voice betrayed the smile on his face.
    "That's exactly what I was thinking," I said, sipping from my glass. I couldn't help
     but wince from the heat.
    "And, I take it you came down here dressed like that in order to convince me to let you go?"
    "Well, two for two. A smart one you are." I rose my tumbler up. His eyes roamed freely
     over my shirt, pausing over the material that was stretched across my breasts. "Is
     it working?" I asked with my most seductive smile.
    "Maybe, I'll tell you later. We're about to have company." With a nod, he gestured
     outside and I turned to see the rest of the group walking up the trail to our cabin
     steps.
    "I hope you plan on sharing your whiskey find with the others." I said with a laugh
     while Zoey met Winchester at the door, all tail wags and jumpy paws.
    "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Connor waved the group in and smirked as I crossed an
     arm casually over my breasts.
    "I'll be right back," I said as I waved at the others. I took the stairs up two at
     a time, hoping the other men weren't staring at my backside as I ran from the room.
     My plan had backfired. That's okay, I thought,