Chapter 103: A sip for the courage

Given the quantity of alcohol I ended up buying, there was no physical possibility for just the two, or even the three of us to carry it back home, assuming I would pay the shop owner to help us with the task.

That's why, rather than getting troubled by this topic to no end, I simply asked her to charge me a little bit more, so that she could order someone to deliver all of the alcohol directly to our home, while we left carrying a single bag each, each stuffed with measly three bottles.

"Are you sure this is going to be enough?" Fay asked, raising the decorative bag made from a thickened and chalked paper, taking a glimpse inside.

And with how we ended up drinking about twenty bottles of Leinei's wine back during the party... her worries were pretty much backed by her ability to drink.

To drink only a slightly alcoholic wine, though, not the forty-proof booze that aged for years in the wooden barrels to gain its color, taste, and strength. And that's where I sourced my confidence that those six bottles we brought would be enough.

After all, they only needed to last us a single evening, as the clerk promised to organize the delivery early in the morning tomorrow!

"Hmm..." I muttered, thinking how I should reply so as not to spoil the fun of watching her react to the drinks stronger than anything she likely had ever chance to taste.

Then, a small smile appeared on my lips as I leaned my head and looked slightly down and to the side, at Fay's face.

"What, do you have some plans to get me drunk and then devour me in the bed while I can't defend myself?" I asked jokingly while making the face of a scared young schoolboy currently sitting on the sofa in the office of his dominatrix teacher.

Fay raised her eyes and gave me a long look, before slightly raising the corners of her lips in a thoughtful smile.

"Perhaps..." she admitted lightly, lowering her eyelids while she stared at me judgingly, probing for my reaction.

"You don't need to get me drunk for that, though!" I laughed out, fully defeated by her small, flirtatious smile. I then let go of her hand and reached out, bringing her into a small, side hug. "I' 'm happy to embrace you anytime," I added, just to drive that point home while my shoulders continued to shake under the influence of my chuckling.

"Don't worry," I turned to the slightly whimpering girl, charmed by yet another side of hers I could rarely experience. "I'm here," I added while bringing her into a deep embrace.

At first, I intended to simply hold her close all the way up, but as my eyes moved down to the bag I still held in my hand...

"Actually, I might have a better idea," I spoke, only to look inside my bag.

'Johny Daniels and Jack Walker,' I thought, taking but a second to decide, before settling on the fancier of the two bottles.

"Do you want a sip to feel better?" I suggested, tearing the cork off the bottle before passing it over to the girl.

"Are you sure?" Fay asked, reluctantly pulling her face away from my chest. "You were so set on waiting until we get back home..." the-place-MVLeMpYr

"Just a sip for now, to lift your worries," I encouraged the girl and watched with amusement as she grabbed the bottle with a sigh of hesitation. "I didn't want you to drink it before because there is a simple way to make it even more delicious. But if it's just a sip..."

Not holding back any longer, Fay fixed her grip on the bottle and took a short swing. Yet, rather than swallowing the thick liquid, she washed the insides of her mouth with it first, set on fully appreciating the taste rather than just throwing it down her throat.

Fay's eyebrows raised. She lowered the bottle in her hand and looked at it, taken aback.

"I've never had anything even remotely as... strange as this," she muttered, making it really hard for me to read from her face whether she liked the drink or not. Yet, when the small 'ding' of the lift filled the cabin before the doors started to open, it was my turn to smile.

"See?" I pointed out while taking the bottle out of Fay's hand and grabbing it instead before leading the girl through the private corridor toward the main entrance of our penthouse. "You stopped thinking about the lift," I pointed out, opening the doors, and letting Fay through before closing the back.

"And now," I added, instantly directing my steps towards the open bar of the main living area, "let me show you how it should be served, for sipping it directly from the bottle is practically a sin!"