Chapter 4 Savio's pov

She'd first caught my attention from the minute I stepped in. She was serving a couple of men with a blank look which was rare for a female bartender because most of them enjoyed flirting with customers for tips.

Danny said something about Tasha stepping out with her friends so I took a seat in one of the VIP seats, watching and admiring her. With every movement she made, my head came up with ways I'd make her scream in my bed and I could feel my bulge rising up.

I thought of what I could do to get her attention but her station was not too close to the VIP area so I sat and tried to come up with something.

"I see you have your eyes on that bartender. She'll look good in your bed." Danny sneaked up beside me with a naughty smile on his face.

"This is why you're my best friend, you know me too well." We both laughed and I returned my gaze to her.

"There's just one problem though." He yelled over the music.

"What is it?" I asked with my eyes still on her.

"She doesn't talk to anyone. They call her the mute bartender." He explained.

It took a while for his words to sink in but in that exact moment, her eyes crossed over to me and we both locked eyes in a gaze.

She did look nonchalant and unimpressed and that turned me on even more.

"Damn, I'm going to get her!" I thought to myself so I went to approach her.

Her rejection stung me a little and seeing as the men at the counter spoke so about her, I became determined to break the hoax.

I challenged her to a cocktail making contest and with a fierce and pitiful look in her eyes, she agreed.

"Let the game begin." Someone from the crowd yelled.

"First, make me a Vesper Martini." I smirked, knowing there's no way she'd pull it off. Vesper Martini was one of the hardest cocktails to make, not only due to its rare ingredients but the knowledge of making it.

However, in the next few minutes, she pointed a glass of Vesper Martini towards me and my jaw almost fell open.

How did she do that?

The crowd cheered loudly at her success and I smirked angrily.

"Looks like this bitch might as well be a foe" I said inwardly. I was about to mention another cocktail when someone from the crowd yelled, "My money is on the mute bartender. Who wants to go for a gamble?" His voice was so loud that it drowned others.

We locked our eyes fiercely and I could see the glint of competition in her eyes. She didn't seem to be backing down soon.

"I'll go for the guy." I heard one of my friends yell back and soon, the entire clubhouse surrounded us with most of them placing bets on who would win or lose.

"A Champs-Élysées," I said casually. The words fell from my lips like a dare swaddled in satin. It was such an unheard-of cocktail that the majority of bartenders would never recognize it even if it was tossed bare in their faces.

There was silence. My mouth twitched with a smile. Gotcha.

And then, She moved.

No hesitation. No flicker of doubt in her eyes. Only that quiet, maddening assurance. The kind that suggested she'd handled opponents like me a thousand times and sent them all packing with their tails between their legs.

My sneer faltered.

Her fingers were fluid, stretching, flowing, measuring. The audience leaned forward, held their breath, tension thick as smoke. My heart thudded in my throat.

It couldn't be.

But it was.

She slid the glass to me like it was nothing. Like she hadn't just unraveled my plan thread by thread.

One sip told me everything. It was perfect.

An uproar of cheers exploded behind me.

"This guy's a fluke!" someone shouted.

"You're a loser, man. Just give up already!"

The words sliced through the air, sharp and unrelenting. Laughter followed like a pack of hyenas, closing in. My cheeks burned, not from embarrassment, but from rage. And I was doing a terrible trying to control it.

Danny appeared at my side, expression set. "Savio," he whispered, his words sharp enough that I could distinguish, "Tasha's watching."

That name slapped me like a punch to the gut.

Tasha. I almost forgot.

She stood in the corner of the room with arms crossed and slanted lips playing host to a small, ominous smile. Not mockery. Not amusement. Something worse; curiosity.

She was seeing me fail.

No! No, I was not going to break like that.Not before Tasha, instead I would prove to her that I was worthy.

My eyes shifted back to the girl. The admiration I'd once had for her was gone. Burned to ashes.

Now, I had only one goal: bury her in defeat.

"Last round," I snarled, taking a step closer. My voice wasn't shaking, but my fists were clenched at my waist. "She gets this one right, I'll pay the thousand. Right here. Right now."

The crowd fell silent, sensing the shift.

She raised an eyebrow. That snide smirk again. Like she'd already won.

"You need to stop." Danny snapped.

Instead of answering him, I looked straight into her eyes and spoke. "Make me a Jungle Bird."

A flicker of suprise crossed her eyes.

All was slowed this time and she looked uncertain as she moved.

The ice hit the shaker with a clink of impact.

The liquor dripped like molasses. Her fingers roamed over each bottle as if she did not read them by sign but by touch.

Each stroke was cautious. Measured.

She was toying with me. Or was this just another evening for her? a routine ritual she always succeeded at?

I stood there, breath caught in my throat, as the cocktail came into existence. My pride was on the line of that glass. My dignity. My name.

I took one last look at Tasha as she garnished with a wedge of pineapple and twist of orange peel, signature! Very authentic!

Eyes locked to mine, never once glancing away, she slid it across the counter. A perfect Jungle Bird.

And extended her hand.

The room fell quiet again, as if the air had been sucked out.

I looked at the drink. Then her.

No mistake. I didn't have to taste it, I knew she'd nailed it.

Her hand was still open. Waiting, confident and unruffled.

Anger and rage rose in my chest as the crowd celebrated. I looked back and found Tasha watching with a teasing smile.

"What a way to make a fool of yourself, Savio." My subconscious snapped.

I handed out a bundle of cash from my pocket and grudgingly handed it over to her. She took it without saying a word and I made sure to mark her face.

"I'll be back some other time and I'll make you talk." I snarled at her before storming out of the place with the crowd, yelling and booing at me.

"What the fucking hell?" I threw a punch in the air as soon as I got outside.

"How did that stupid bitch make me look like a fool in front of the crowd, goddammit." I yelled angrily.

"Hey man, I told you she's good. You can't get her to talk. Others have tried and lost just like you did, there's no need to get all emotional about it." Danny's voice rose behind me.

The satisfied smirk on her face kept appearing in my head and that made me even more furious.

"I don't care what you have to do, Danny. I need to have that bitch on my bed next week then I can fuck the pride out of her face." I ordered and he nodded.

He handed me a glass of wine which I gulped down immediately, then I found Tasha giggling with her friends at a corner.

"Before I fuck the red hair, looks like I'll fuck a blonde bitch tonight!" I said to Danny as I approached her.