His Long Island Iced Tea: A Billionaire Romance (The Cocktail Girls) Read online

  “Another perk to the job is that we promote from within, if possible. So if a vacancy opens up in a different position, we encourage our employees to apply. We really want to do whatever we can to keep our people around. I hear you’re interested in a career in upper management, and I think we can make that happen here.”

  “Awesome.” I blushed. I wondered what else Alexander had said about me. My stomach was still churning as I tried to remember the answers I came up with for the common interview questions.

  “Here’s a packet with details about our compensation and benefits package. If you could, I’d also like you to fill out the online application so we have your details on record. And in a few days, we’ll have you back in for orientation—that is, if you accept our offer.”

  “Offer?” I said blankly. “Alexander told me this was an interview.”

  “He did?” she asked. “Oh. I thought we made it clear that we were ready to hire you immediately.”

  I thought for a moment, replaying his words in my head. I don’t think he ever used the word “interview” once. I just assumed that his recommendation would only get me so far.

  “Perhaps I misunderstood him,” I said, trying to regain my composure. “It was so lovely to meet with you. I will get back to you as soon as possible.”

  “Great,” she said, standing up to shake my hand.

  I walked blindly down the hallway, feeling like my brain was swimming. Somehow, I’d managed to get the job without having to answer any cliché questions. I didn’t have to go back to the LBD. I was now a hotel manager at the hotel of my dreams.

  “Hey,” a voice said as a hand grabbed my shoulder. “How did it go?”

  “I got the job,” I said quietly.

  “I know that,” Alexander said. “I told you that over the phone.”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t seem real. This is going to change my entire life.”

  “You accepted, right?”

  “Not yet,” I replied. “I think I was a little too shocked to say anything.”

  He smiled and patted me on the back. “Having second thoughts about leaving your bartending job behind?”

  “Not at all,” I said quickly. “An interview would be enough. I don’t know how to repay you for getting me a job.”

  “No, not this again.” He sighed. “I may have set the wheels in motion for you, but it’s just business. I wanted you in that position because I knew you would be good. If you decide you want to leave the hotel, I won’t stop you. If you decide you’re not interested in me, I wouldn’t dare stand in your way of rising through the ranks. You can keep your job, even if you never want to see me again from this point on.”

  I smiled. “But can I see you again?”

  Alexander grinned. “I would like that very much.”

  “Should we celebrate?” I asked. “I’ve never landed a big job before.”

  “I already made reservations for tonight,” he said. “Can I pick you up at six?”

  “That sounds great. What should I wear?”

  “I may have had something sent to your apartment,” he said sheepishly. “We’re celebrating. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

  I couldn’t help myself. “Seriously?”

  “I own the hotel now.” He smiled. “Now, I don’t know if I even need to say so, but for the time being, I think it’s best if no one in the staff knows we’re together. You earned the job on your own merit, but people like to talk.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I wasn’t planning on telling any of my new coworkers that we occasionally have sex.”

  “Good,” he replied. “I just got rid of Maximo. I don’t need another scandal. Now, I have a million things to do before tonight. I’ll see you then.”

  He leaned down as though he was about to kiss me, then quickly stood up straight and walked back down the hall. I blushed and hurried outside the hotel, back to reality.

  I practically skipped all the way home. I had a brand-new job and the hottest date in the city. I don’t know what I did to deserve such good fortune, but I wasn’t going to question it. Now, I just wanted to get started at the hotel and prove my worth. In the meantime, I was not opposed to spending more time with my boss. He may have owned the hotel, but I had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before I could own him.

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  I sat back in the leather office chair and swiveled around as the managers discussed policy changes. We had been in the meeting for over an hour, and I just wanted to get back to my office. I loved my coworkers, but we were a chatty bunch who never ran out of ideas to share. It was well and good, but I had a mountain of new hire applications to sift through and send back to the HR office, and I wanted to leave work at the usual time.

  Part of the reason I was so busy was because I took a couple of days off to go on vacation with Alexander. After a few months of sneaking around, we decided to make our relationship known before the rumors started. My coworkers seemed to take the news well. If they didn’t, they were at least quiet about this. But after we made things official, we started to get serious.

  We were actually exclusive from that first drunken hookup in my apartment, but making it official made the relationship so much better. We were both really busy with work, but we made time to spend with each other. We made it a goal to go on a date at least once a week, even if that meant watching a movie in his bed. I spent so much time over at his place that we decided it didn’t make sense for me to pay rent for an apartment where I never slept. I moved my meager belongings over to his place. After all, he had plenty of room.

  There were some kinks we had to work out with our relationship, though. I didn’t like the way he constantly spent money on me. The occasional dress or vacation was nice, but I didn’t want to use his credit card every time I went to the store. After all, I had my own job and my own money. I didn’t want to lose my independence just because money wasn’t an object to him.

  So, we compromised. It took him a while to understand where I was coming from, but once he did, he respected my wishes. He paid for fancy dinners and expensive outings because I couldn’t stop him from living his normal life because I couldn’t afford it. But I paid for things like groceries, clothing, and other day-to-day expenses. He co-signed on a new car, but I made all the payments with my own money. I was comfortable with this agreement, even though Alexander ended up paying for the bulk of our time together.

  In our time together, we also had to navigate keeping up a happy relationship with the stress of a new job and Maximo’s trial. We were both called to testify against the man, and it was pretty frightening. As it turned out, Maximo was investigated so heavily by the FBI because he was involved with the Mafia after all. I was worried that speaking against his character on the stand would get me in trouble with his associates, but Alexander’s home and hotel had excellent security. Maximo might have had connections, but Alexander had just as many. I felt safest when he was near.

  After the trial, Alexander was given full ownership of The Little Black Dress, a bar that we occasionally go to. It’s weird to see some of the same bartenders working there, but they seem truly happy for me. It was clear that I never really wanted to wait tables forever.

  What started out as a fling turned into something much bigger than I could have ever imagined. I had never been happier in my life, and I wondered how far things would go with my boyfriend. I didn’t really discuss my thoughts with Alexander for fear that he would freak out, but I frequently imagined spending the rest of my life with him. I had never met anyone with whom I was so compatible in every way. I allowed myself to fall in love with him, and I was so glad I had.

  As we were about to wrap up our meeting, we heard a knock on the conference room door. Alexander poked his head in, carrying a bouquet of flowers.

  My face blushed a bright fuchsia. Everyone knew we were dating, but it didn’t make his grand displays of affection any less embarrassing. If a
significant other of one of my coworkers brought in a bouquet, I would have found it absolutely adorable. When the owner of the hotel does it, it’s a little embarrassing.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” he said, looking handsome in his perfectly tailored suit. “I just wanted to congratulate Mia on her first full year at the hotel. I think she’s done a great job.”

  At this, my coworkers burst into applause, causing me to sink lower in my chair. They were all very sweet, but the attention was too much.

  Alexander licked his lips, like he was about to say something but lost his train of thought. This was rare for Alexander because he always had a strong, quiet confidence about him.

  “Go get your flowers,” a coworker whispered to me, nudging me forward. I got up from my seat and awkwardly reached for the crystal vase.

  “I have something else for you,” he said softly.

  “Can it wait?” I whispered. “We’re still in a meeting.”

  “Actually, it can’t wait,” he said, rummaging around in his pocket. “I’ve waited long enough already.”

  My heart started pounding as he lowered himself onto one knee and pulled out a tiny mahogany box. He opened it to reveal the most gorgeous diamond ring I had ever seen.

  “Mia, this has been the best year of my life, and it’s all thanks to you. I want you by my side for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

  Tears started flowing and I could do nothing to stop them. Too choked up and surprised to speak, I started bobbing my head. He slipped the ring onto my finger and picked me up in his embrace, spinning me around.

  “Meeting adjourned,” a smiling manager said as the others filed out of the room, leaving me with my new fiancé.

  I stood in the conference room with Alexander, not wanting to do anything but hold him in my arms. But eventually, he pulled back.

  “Now that that’s taken care of, I have a meeting to go to.”

  “You’re rushing off to a meeting after proposing to me?” I giggled as I wiped my happy tears from my cheeks.

  “I’m meeting with a realtor, actually,” he said sheepishly. “You know how I said I never wanted the big house in the suburbs with a bunch of kids running around?”

  I nodded. We had discussed these things before.

  “I think that was only because I didn’t have the right woman to do those things with. Since I bought that ring a month ago, I’ve been dreaming of having those exact things.”

  I beamed. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Now, I’ve got to go. I’ll look at some options so we can choose one together. Get back to work—we have a hotel to run.”

  I gave him one last hug before I made the walk back to my office. I didn’t know which I was happier about—having my dream guy or my dream job. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to choose. I could have both.

  Get Drunk On Love!

  The Cocktail Girls is a shared world between 14 of your favorite romance authors. Each novella is a standalone story set in the city of sin.

  Grab your Kindle, a cocktail, and get ready to meet our new swoon-worthy alphas. Bottoms up, ladies!

  His Old Fashioned by Frankie Love

  His Mimosa by Jamie Schlosser

  His Whiskey Sour by Kim Loraine

  His Champagne by Dori Lavelle

  His Manhattan by Tracy Lorraine

  His Blushing Bride by Emilia Beaumont

  His Perfect Martini by Angel Devlin

  His Long Island Iced Tea by Roxy Sinclaire

  His Hurricane by Alexis Adaire

  His Sloe Screw by Alexandria Hunt

  His Vegas Bomb by Derek Masters

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  His Gin and Juice by Alexx Andria

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  Long Island Iced Tea Recipe

  Long Island Iced Tea

  .5 oz. vodka

  .5 oz rum

  .5 oz gin

  .5 oz tequila

  .5 oz triple sec

  1 oz sweet and sour mix

  1 oz soda (coke)

  1 slice of lemon

  Fill your cocktail shaker with ice. Pour vodka, rum, gin, tequila, triple sec, and sour mix over ice then cover it up and shake it all well. Then just pour your cocktail into a tall glass. Add the soda in, stir, and add the slice of lemon after. Pour cocktail into a Collins or hurricane glass; top with splash of cola for color. Garnish with a lemon slice. Sip and enjoy!

  About Roxy Sinclaire

  Roxy Sinclaire writes steamy, suspenseful romantic stories as the main genre, and this includes a variety of different topics. Some of these include dark romances, action packed romances, mafia romances, and many more. She currently works in customer relations in New York City, but is trying to fulfill her passion in writing and eventually have her dream job become a reality.

  Please see her Author Central Account on Amazon for a full list of her titles.

  Sign up for her mailing list and find out about her latest releases, giveaways, and more. Plus, get a FREE book! Click here!

  For more information, be sure to check out the links below!

  roxysinclaire.com

  [email protected]

  Also by Roxy Sinclaire

  Bundles:

  Book Boyfriends

  Omerta Series Box Set Books 1-3 (Volume 1)

  Pass To Win Series:

  Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 1)

  Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 2)

  Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 3)

  Fourth and Goal: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 4)

  Game Winning Catch: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 5)

  Second Chance Draft: A Second Chance Sports Romance (Book 6)

  Mafia Romance Series:

  Dirty Indiscretions: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 1)

  Her Protection: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Book 2)

  Deadly Ink: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 3)

  His Revenge: A Mafia Revenge Romance (Book 4)

  His Betrayal: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Book 5)

  Dangerous Indulgence: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 6)

  Romantic Secret Agents Series:

  Lethal Seduction (Book 1)

  Deadly Seduction (Book 2)

  Toxic Seduction (Book 3)

  Deadly Passion Series:

  High Stakes (Book 1)

  Double or Nothing (Book 2)

  Triple Threat (Book 3)

  City Bad Boys Series:

  Object Me: A Bad Boy Lawyer Romance (Book 1)

  Entitled: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 2)

  Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 3)

  Fast And Loaded: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 4)

  One More Series:

  One More Kiss (Book 1)

  One More Turn (Book 2)

  One More Chance (Book 3)

  One More Night (Book 4)

  Standalone Novels

  One Night With The Tycoon: A Billionaire Romance

  Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance

  The Devil’s Dream: A Dark Romance

  Trapped In His World: A Dark Romance

  Dirty Money: A Dark Mafia Romance

  Deceived By The Hitman: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance

  Standalone Novellas

  His Long Island Iced Tea