Bartending was hard.Because of basi

Bartending was hard.
Because of basically growing up in bars, I’d avoided them once I’d left home and it had been years since I’d really been inside one. Back in the day, I knew how to make most mixed drinks just from seeing them done so many times, but now? I officially sucked at it. Like sucked hard-core. On almost every mixed drink, my eyes were glued to the cocktail menu taped near the serving well.
Luckily, Jax wasn’t a dick about it. When someone came in, which they started to do around three, one after another, and they ordered a drink that sounded like a different language to me, he didn’t make it hard for me. Instead, he stepped back, giving soft corrections if I reached for the wrong mixer or poured too little or too much of a liquor.
Having worked as a waitress, I knew I could smile my way through about every mess-up. With old and rheumy-eyed men, it worked even better.
“Take your time, sweetie,” one older man said when I had to toss his drink since I wasn’t good at free pouring and probably poured enough liquor to kill the dude. “All I got is time.”
“Thank you.” I smiled as I redid the drink, which was a simple gin and tonic. “Better?”
The man took a sip and winked. “Perfect.”
As he stepped away, heading to a table near one of the pool tables, Jax moved in from behind me. “Here. Let me show you how to free pour.” Reaching around me, he grabbed one of the shorter glasses and then picked up the gin. “Paying attention?”
Uh.
He was standing so close to my side I could feel his freaking body heat. He could be talking about how many times Mars circled the sun for all I knew. “Sure,” I murmured.
“We don’t really use jiggers, but it’s pretty simple. Basically, for every count, you’re pouring a quarter ounce. So if you’re pouring one and a half ounces, you’re going to count to six. For a half ounce, you’re going to count to two.”
Sounded easy, but after pouring a couple of them, I still wasn’t pouring the same amount with each count, and all I was doing was wasting liquor.
“It only gets better with practice,” he said, propping his hip against the bar top. “Luckily, most of the people are beer folk, straight-up shots, and a few of the simpler mixed drinks.”
“Yeah, but someone’s going to come in here asking for a Jax special, and I’m going to look like an idiot,” I said as I wiped up the liquor I’d gotten on the bar.
Jax chuckled. “Only I make that, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
I pictured him offering that drink to girls he wanted to lay, and then was immediately disturbed by how much I didn’t like that image. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“You’re doing fine.” Pushing off the bar, he placed his hand on the small of my back as he leaned in, his lips dangerously close to my ear, causing me to stiffen as he spoke, and warm air danced over my skin. “Just keep smiling like you are, and any guy will forgive you.”
My eyes popped wide as he sauntered off to the other end of the bar, leaning down on his folded arms as one of the guys at the bar said something to him.
I think I forgot how to breathe while I stood there, staring at the back of a fuzzy white and balding head of some guy.
There was no doubt in my mind that Jax knew how to bring the flirt. As I pushed away from the bar top, clearing my face of what I hoped wasn’t a stupid grin, I chanced a look down the bar.
Jax was laughing. He had this deep, unfettered laugh, where he’d raise his chin and let loose the deep, rumbling sound like he didn’t have a care in the world. The sound pulled at the corners of my lips. Whoever he was talking to looked about his age, which was a mystery age currently. The guy was also attractive—dark brown hair, a little longer than I’d like, but not as long as Jase’s. From what I could see, he was also broad in the shoulders.
Hot guys always flocked together, and there had to be some kind of scientific evidence supporting this fact.
Roxy arrived at the start of the evening shift, and she was yet another surprise. I wasn’t the tallest girl around, coming in around five and seven inches, but she was a tiny thing. Barely crossing over five feet, she had what looked like a mass of chestnut hair streaked with deep red piled into a bun atop her head. She was rocking Buddy Holly black frames that added to the impish cuteness of her face, and was dressed much like I was, in jeans and a shirt. I decided that I immediately liked her, mainly because she was wearing a Supernatural T-shirt with Dean and Sam on it.
Her wide eyes flickered over me as she crossed the bar, and Jax quickly tagged her, motioning her over to where he was still leaning against the bar. Whatever he said to Roxy caused her to glance in my direction.
I hated being the new person.
When he was finally done with her, he went back to his conversation with the other hot guy. I forced myself to take a deep, calming breath. Meeting people for the first time was . . . hard. Teresa probably never saw that side of me because we quickly bonded over our mutual disinterest in music appreciation, but typically, I wasn’t good at meeting people. As pathetic as it sounded, I always worried if they were busy wondering about the scar on my face, and I knew they would, because I would. It was human nature.
As she came around the bar grinning, I wondered if people could actually see her behind the bar. “Hi,” she said, shoving out a dainty hand. “I’m Roxanne, but everyone calls me Roxy. Please call me Roxy.”
“Calla.” I shook her hand, laughing. “Nice to meet you, Roxy.”
She slid her purse off her shoulder. “Jax says you go to college at Shepherd, studying nursing?”
My gaze flickered over to where he stood. Damn, he worked and talked fast. “Yeah. You’re at the community college?”
“Yeppers peppers.” Reaching up, she adjusted her glasses. “Nothing as cool as nursing. Working toward a computer graphics degree.”
“That’s pretty damn cool. You can draw, too?”
She nodded. “Yep. Drawing and painting kind of runs in the family. Not the most lucrative career choice, but it’s something that I love to do. Figured taking it into the graphic design world would be better than choosing the life of a starving artist.”
“I’m jealous,” I admitted, brushing my hair over my left shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to be able to draw, but I can’t even draw a stick figure without it looking half stupid. Two things I generally lack—art and talent.”
A laugh burst from her. “I’m sure you’re talented at something else.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Does talking and not knowing when to shut up count?”
Roxy laughed again, and I saw Jax glance at us. “That is a true talent. I’m going to drop off my purse. I’ll be right back.”
When she came back, we worked the bar together and, like Jax, she was supercool and patient. The customers loved her kooky sense of humor, which included doodling on the napkins she gave out, and apparently had to do with her T-shirt choices. It seemed like a lot of people rolling in checked out what her shirt said before they even placed an order.
The bar wasn’t too busy, but as Thursday evening rolled on by, the seating area filled up, and because I was slow, I moved out from behind the bar.
Jax caught my arm. “You’re forgetting something.”
“What?”
The half grin appeared as he turned his hand around my arm, tugging me toward him. I bit down on my lip as I stumbled forward, having no idea what he was about. I got close to him, close enough that when he reached down to a cubbyhole, his arm brushed my thigh.
“Got to wear an apron when you’re out there.”
My brows rose as I stared at the half apron. “Seriously?”
He jerked his chin at Pearl.
I sighed when I saw she had one tied around her waist, and then snatched it from him. “Whatever.”
“It goes great with your shirt.”
I rolled my eyes.
Jax laughed. “Let me help.”
“The last time I checked, I can tie an apron without—” I gaped at him. Somehow the apron was back in his hand and his other hand landed on my hip, startling me. “What are you doing?”
“Helping you out.” He bent his head toward my left ear, and I immediately turned my cheek. “Jumpy?” he asked.
I shook my head, finding that I had no idea how to form syllables, and that was embarrassing.
Without saying a word, he turned me around so my back was to his front, and then he slipped an arm between his waist and mine. I didn’t dare move.
“You can breathe, you know.” His arm trailed across my lower stomach, setting off a chain of flutters, as he spread the apron.
“I’m breathing,” I forced out.
Amusement colored his tone. “You sure about that, honey?”
“Yeah.”
Pearl entered the bar just then, carrying a tray of clean glasses. She arched her brows in our direction. “Getting hands-on, Jackie boy?”
“Jackie boy?” I mumbled.
Jax chuckled not too far from my ear. “Tying knots is hard.”
“Uh-huh,” replied Pearl.
“And I like getting hands-on with her,” he added.
My face felt like I’d been baking in the sun by the time he finished, which was an absurdly long time if you thought about it. When I felt the final tug of the knot being secured, he gripped both sides of my hips.
Holy sparks in a room of flammable material.
“All good.” His hands slid off my hips, and then he was giving me a gentle shove toward the exit to the bar floor. “Have fun.”
Shooting him a look over my shoulder, my lips pursed as he let loose that damn laugh that I decided that I did not, under any circumstances, find sexy. Nope. Not at all. It was totally sexy.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Bartending itu sulit.Karena pada dasarnya tumbuh di Bar, saya telah menghindari mereka setelah saya telah meninggalkan rumah dan telah bertahun-tahun sejak saya benar-benar ada di dalam salah satu. Kembali pada hari, aku tahu bagaimana untuk membuat campuran minuman hanya dari melihat mereka dilakukan begitu banyak kali, tapi sekarang? Aku resmi mengisap itu. Seperti tersedot hard-core. Pada hampir setiap campuran minuman, mataku terpaku ke menu koktail yang ditempelkan di dekat melayani baik.Untungnya, Jax tidak kontol tentang hal itu. Ketika seseorang datang, yang mereka mulai lakukan sekitar tiga, satu demi satu, dan mereka memesan minuman yang terdengar seperti bahasa yang berbeda untuk saya, dia tidak membuat sulit bagi saya. Sebaliknya, ia melangkah kembali, memberikan lembut koreksi jika saya mencapai mixer salah atau menuangkan terlalu sedikit atau terlalu banyak minuman keras.Setelah bekerja sebagai pelayan Restoran, aku tahu aku bisa tersenyum jalan melalui tentang setiap mess-up. Dengan laki-laki tua dan bermata rheumy, itu bekerja bahkan lebih baik."Mengambil waktu Anda, sayang," seorang pria yang lebih tua berkata ketika aku harus melemparkan minumannya karena aku tidak baik di menuangkan gratis dan mungkin menumpahkan minuman cukup keras untuk membunuh dude. "Semua aku adalah waktu.""Terima kasih." Aku tersenyum seperti saya melakukan ulang minuman, yang sederhana gin dan tonik. "Lebih baik?"Laki-laki mengambil seteguk dan mengedipkan mata. "Sempurna."Tatkala dia melangkah ke dalam, menuju ke meja di dekat salah satu meja biliar, Jax pindah dari saya. "Di sini. Biarkan saya menunjukkan kepada Anda bagaimana untuk membebaskan tuangkan." Mencapai sekitar saya, ia meraih salah satu gelas pendek dan kemudian mengambil gin. "Membayar perhatian?"Eh.Ia berdiri begitu dekat dengan sisi saya, aku bisa merasakan panas tubuh Nya panik. Dia bisa berbicara tentang berapa kali Mars mengitari matahari untuk semua aku tahu. "Tentu," saya bersungut."Kami benar-benar tidak menggunakan jiggers, tetapi cukup sederhana. Pada dasarnya, untuk setiap hitungan, kau menuangkan seperempat ons. Jadi jika kau menuangkan satu setengah ons, Anda akan menghitung sampai enam. Untuk satu setengah ons, kau akan menghitung sampai dua."Terdengar mudah, tapi setelah menuangkan beberapa dari mereka, aku masih tidak menuangkan jumlah yang sama dengan jumlah masing-masing, dan semua yang saya lakukan adalah membuang-buang minuman keras."Itu hanya akan lebih baik dengan praktek," katanya, menopang pinggulnya terhadap bar atas. "Untungnya, sebagian besar orang adalah bir rakyat, tembakan lurus-up, dan beberapa minuman campuran sederhana.""Ya, tapi seseorang akan datang di sini meminta Jax khusus, dan aku akan terlihat seperti idiot," kataku seperti saya dihapus atas minuman keras aku sudah di bar.JAX terkekeh. "Hanya aku membuat itu, sehingga Anda tidak perlu khawatir tentang hal itu."Saya membayangkan dia menawarkan minuman untuk gadis-gadis dia ingin berbaring, dan kemudian segera terganggu oleh berapa banyak aku tidak suka gambar itu. "Yah, yang baik untuk tahu.""Anda lakukan baik." Mendorong dari bar, dia meletakkan tangannya pada kecil saya kembali seperti ia membungkuk, bibirnya nyaris telingaku, menyebabkan saya untuk kaku ketika ia berbicara, dan hangat udara yang menari-nari di atas kulit saya. "Hanya tetap tersenyum seperti Anda, dan setiap orang akan mengampuni kamu."Saya mata lebar muncul sebagai dia sauntered ke ujung lain Bar, bersandar turun di lengannya dilipat sebagai salah satu orang di bar mengatakan sesuatu kepada-Nya.I think I lupa bagaimana bernapas saat aku berdiri di sana, menatap bagian belakang kepala putih dan botak kabur cowok.Ada keraguan dalam pikiran saya bahwa Jax tahu bagaimana untuk membawa menggoda. Seperti aku mendorong dari bar atas, membersihkan wajah saya dari apa yang saya harapkan tidak bodoh senyum, saya kebetulan melihat ke bawah bar.JAX tertawa. Ia tertawa ini mendalam, terkekang, dimana ia akan mengangkat dagu dan melepaskan yang dalam, suara gemuruh seperti ia tidak memiliki peduli di dunia. Suara menarik di sudut bibir saya. Siapa ia berbicara dengan tampak tentang usia, yang merupakan usia misteri yang saat ini. Orang itu juga menarik — dark brown rambut, sedikit lebih lama daripada yang saya ingin, tetapi tidak selama Jase's. Dari apa yang saya bisa lihat, Dialah juga luas di bahu.Orang panas selalu berkumpul bersama-sama, dan harus ada semacam bukti-bukti ilmiah yang mendukung fakta ini.Roxy tiba di awal malam pergeseran, dan ia belum lain kejutan. Aku tidak gadis tertinggi di sekitar, datang sekitar lima dan tujuh inci, tapi dia adalah hal yang kecil. Hampir tidak menyeberang kaki lima, dia memiliki apa yang tampak seperti massa kastanye rambut bergaris merah tua ditumpuk ke disanggul di atas kepalanya. Ia goyang frame Buddy Holly hitam yang ditambahkan ke kelucuan impish wajahnya, dan berpakaian jauh seperti aku, di jeans dan kemeja. Aku memutuskan bahwa aku segera menyukainya, terutama karena ia mengenakan T-shirt supranatural dengan Dekan dan Sam di atasnya.Matanya berbagai berkedip-kedip atas saya seperti yang ia menyeberangi bar, dan Jax cepat menandai dirinya, menunjuk dirinya untuk mana ia masih bersandar terhadap bar. Apa pun yang ia berkata kepada Roxy menyebabkan Dia melirik ke arah saya.Aku benci orang yang baru.Ketika ia akhirnya selesai dengan dia, ia kembali ke percakapan dengan orang lain panas. Aku memaksakan diri untuk mengambil napas, napas yang menenangkan. Pertemuan orang-orang untuk pertama kalinya... keras. Teresa mungkin tidak pernah melihat sisi saya karena kami dengan cepat terikat pada ketidaktertarikan kami saling di apresiasi musik, tapi biasanya, aku tidak baik untuk bertemu orang-orang. Sebagai menyedihkan seperti yang terdengar, saya selalu khawatir jika mereka sibuk bertanya-tanya tentang bekas luka di wajah saya, dan saya tahu mereka akan, karena saya akan. Itu adalah sifat manusia.Ketika ia datang di sekitar bar menyeringai, aku bertanya-tanya jika orang benar-benar bisa melihat dia di belakang bar. "Hai," katanya, mendorong keluar tangan mungil. "Aku Roxanne, tapi semua orang memanggil saya Roxy. Silahkan hubungi saya Roxy."“Calla.” I shook her hand, laughing. “Nice to meet you, Roxy.”She slid her purse off her shoulder. “Jax says you go to college at Shepherd, studying nursing?”My gaze flickered over to where he stood. Damn, he worked and talked fast. “Yeah. You’re at the community college?”“Yeppers peppers.” Reaching up, she adjusted her glasses. “Nothing as cool as nursing. Working toward a computer graphics degree.”“That’s pretty damn cool. You can draw, too?”She nodded. “Yep. Drawing and painting kind of runs in the family. Not the most lucrative career choice, but it’s something that I love to do. Figured taking it into the graphic design world would be better than choosing the life of a starving artist.”“I’m jealous,” I admitted, brushing my hair over my left shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to be able to draw, but I can’t even draw a stick figure without it looking half stupid. Two things I generally lack—art and talent.”A laugh burst from her. “I’m sure you’re talented at something else.”I wrinkled my nose. “Does talking and not knowing when to shut up count?”Roxy laughed again, and I saw Jax glance at us. “That is a true talent. I’m going to drop off my purse. I’ll be right back.”When she came back, we worked the bar together and, like Jax, she was supercool and patient. The customers loved her kooky sense of humor, which included doodling on the napkins she gave out, and apparently had to do with her T-shirt choices. It seemed like a lot of people rolling in checked out what her shirt said before they even placed an order.The bar wasn’t too busy, but as Thursday evening rolled on by, the seating area filled up, and because I was slow, I moved out from behind the bar.Jax caught my arm. “You’re forgetting something.”“What?”The half grin appeared as he turned his hand around my arm, tugging me toward him. I bit down on my lip as I stumbled forward, having no idea what he was about. I got close to him, close enough that when he reached down to a cubbyhole, his arm brushed my thigh.“Got to wear an apron when you’re out there.”My brows rose as I stared at the half apron. “Seriously?”He jerked his chin at Pearl.I sighed when I saw she had one tied around her waist, and then snatched it from him. “Whatever.”“It goes great with your shirt.”I rolled my eyes.Jax laughed. “Let me help.”“The last time I checked, I can tie an apron without—” I gaped at him. Somehow the apron was back in his hand and his other hand landed on my hip, startling me. “What are you doing?”“Helping you out.” He bent his head toward my left ear, and I immediately turned my cheek. “Jumpy?” he asked.I shook my head, finding that I had no idea how to form syllables, and that was embarrassing.Without saying a word, he turned me around so my back was to his front, and then he slipped an arm between his waist and mine. I didn’t dare move.“You can breathe, you know.” His arm trailed across my lower stomach, setting off a chain of flutters, as he spread the apron.“I’m breathing,” I forced out.Amusement colored his tone. “You sure about that, honey?”“Yeah.”Pearl entered the bar just then, carrying a tray of clean glasses. She arched her brows in our direction. “Getting hands-on, Jackie boy?”“Jackie boy?” I mumbled.Jax chuckled not too far from my ear. “Tying knots is hard.”“Uh-huh,” replied Pearl.“And I like getting hands-on with her,” he added.My face felt like I’d been baking in the sun by the time he finished, which was an absurdly long time if you thought about it. When I felt the final tug of the knot being secured, he gripped both sides of my hips.Holy sparks in a room of flammable material.“All good.” His hands slid off my hips, and then he was giving me a gentle shove toward the exit to the bar floor. “Have fun.”Shooting him a look over my shoulder, my lips pursed as he let loose that damn laugh that I decided that I did not, under any circumstances, find sexy. Nope. Not at all. It was totally sexy.