What he does like is nice clothes, quality cuts of meat, produce that is the ripest and healthiest, and when he asks me to help prepare for having his friends over, he requests the same. He doesn’t cut corners, and he makes sure I go home with meals even when my contract doesn’t require him to do so.
“I’m okay. I just needed a moment.” I pick up my foot, showing him the reason behind the break, even though I’m lying through my teeth.
“Alright.” Matthew’s not picking up what I’m putting down. Realization hits him as I avert my eyes. I lose his palms on my hip as he cups my cheeks, feeling the slight roughness of his skin as he soothes the worry of me biting my lip.
“I should probably get back to work. I can’t afford to lose this job.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. I let my mouth do way more talking than I ever should have.
“Kitten.” There’s an undercurrent of emotion I can’t quite decipher, but the way his head cocks to the side, deep in thought, is all I need to know. He can see right through me. The dark circles beneath my eyes that no amount ofconcealer, green, peach, or orange, has helped. I’ve tried them all, and it doesn’t help that with sweat, it ends up caking to my skin, making it seem like I’m peeling. Then there’s the weight I’ve lost recently. Stress is a killer, and at the first sign of worry, my appetite is completely destroyed. I’m down to eating one meal a day, forgoing the protein bars and snack packs I’ll usually toss back between jobs.
The only thing I haven’t lost is my boobs. I swear they won’t go anywhere and become more of a pain every single day. The outfits at Twisted Oak do nothing to help, either. The owner is of the mindset that while this is an upscale bar and restaurant, he wants us all to look a certain way, and it just so happens to include short and tight clothes.
“You won’t ask for help, will you?” Matthew inquires when I remain silent. A quick shake of my head is the only answer I’ll give him. “I’ll leave it be for now. Are you okay to return to work, or do you need another minute?” Apparently, a cat has my tongue because coming up with words is inherently hard. Instead, I take a steady breath, cover his wrist with my hand, and turn my head in such a way that I’m able to kiss his palm quickly. A bold move from someone who’s never seen a naked male’s form before until the other day. I’ve yet to see him without steam or condensation coating the shower wall, but what I did see is what my audiobooks describe rather vividly. I’d say the make-believe heroes have nothing on Matthew Carlisle.
“I’ll see you at the table.” He is doing all the talking, seeing as words are hard to form. I nod as an answer, and he drops his head to the crook of my neck one last time. My hand is still holding his wrist, and I can feel the bloodthrumming through his veins with my thumb. I’m not the only one affected by our closeness. It seems we both go haywire when one of us is near the other.
“Matthew.” His lips graze my skin ever so slightly, causing my eyes to close and the muscles in my thighs to pulse. I try in vain to calm the riot of nerves between my legs.
“Soon, Letty.” I’m left feeling flushed and needing to dart into the restroom. I can’t necessarily splash water on my face, but at least if I run cool water along my wrists, it’ll somewhat calm me down. I don’t stay very long, and I definitely don’t look in the mirror. I already know what I’ll see looking back at me, then I’ll second-guess if I should finish my shift or not. Money is too damn tight to even contemplate the thought. Instead, I’m in and out of there in a matter of minutes, keeping my head down and excusing myself just as a customer walks in. Later tonight, when I’m alone in the comfort of my own room, I can process what’s happening between me and Matthew. I’ll even make a list of pros and cons, one of the apps in my phone besides the digital library that gets the most use. There are no names, no addresses, or anything telling, erring on the edge of caution just in case.
“Hey, drinks at the table. The appetizer is up. Do you want me to take over?” Carrie asks when I make it back to our station. She’s a lifesaver and only questions because she knows I never ask for coverage.
“Hi, thank you. I’m good now. Just needed a moment. Anytime you need me to cover you, I’ll gladly return the favor.” I look out at my area to see if any of my tables needanything while I drop off Matthew and his friend’s appetizers.
“Girl, I know. We’ve got each other’s backs.” Carrie high-fives me, puts on a genuine smile, and we get back to work.
“That we do. Thanks again.” She makes a noise that indicates it was no big deal. From there, she goes one way, and I go the other, grabbing a tray to carry the fried pickles as well as a pitcher of water. One of my tables has cleared out, which means I need to tidy up a few things before Jacob, our busser, does the rest. We have a system here at Twisted Oak when it comes to our co-workers, picking up when someone needs help, tipping out the bar and bussers. And while the owner isn’t that great due to the uniforms that are required to wear, other than that, I guess Gus isn’t too bad. It could be worse. It could always be worse.
6
MATTHEW
“Put your money away,” I tell Crew when he tries to throw some cash on the table after our meal is eaten. He’s more than ready to get home. Meanwhile, the thought of leaving Letty here tears at my insides.
“What, is it not good enough for you?” Crew taunts with a smirk.
“You know exactly why.” I place my card with the receipt and wait for Letty to come back around. It’s clear to me that I need to either make a pit stop at Jude’s place or give him a call. I’ve worked with Ophelia before Letty started cleaning my penthouse. She pays well, and I’m having a hard time understanding why Letty is working two jobs.
“She’s your woman. You’ll pay the bill because god forbid another man pay for it or even suggest paying for his own. I’m sure the tip I’d leave would be just as much as yours, but whatever. Go thump your chest like Tarzan.” Crew finishes his second beer, and I’m sure he’ll pick up drinking once hegets home. All of us guys have settled down on being young and dumb. Drinking and driving isn’t on our list of fun things to do. Jude is the only one in our group who refuses to drink, and rightfully so. He prefers candy and an occasional smoke as his vice.
“Except if I threw her over my shoulder, hell would rain down on me.” I’d have ordered a second beer, except I’ve got more at home, and the last thing I want to do is sit here only to drink.
“She’ll fit right in with our group, you know.” He’s speaking the truth. Letty’s a hard worker, driven, and has no problem standing her ground when it means something to her.
“Oh, I know.” She’s in my eyesight, as she’s been all night. This time, no other tables need her attention, so maybe I can convince her to take her break once Crew gets the message that he’s free to leave.
“Alright, thanks for dinner. Good luck with your woman. Make sure you’re free this Sunday. Johnny is having everyone over at his place, not like you have a long commute.” A few of us live in the same area, Crew included, as well as Johnny and Luke. The rest of our group is pretty scattered, but we all get together when we can. Which has been less and less lately. The guys and I get together, but the whole group? It’s been too damn long since I’ve seen my nieces and nephews.
“I’ll be there. Thanks for meeting me for dinner, man.” Crew stands up and claps me on the back.
“Anytime. See you Sunday.” He walks through the bar, disappearing with the other patrons of Twisted Oak. I’ve got more important matters to take care of, and she’s walking myway. Earlier, when I had my hands on Letty and got to really look at her, I could see more than she usually lets me. Her shield was down for the first time ever.
I also got to smell her sweet, delicious scent directly from the source. I’ve come to realize it’s a combination of her shampoo as well as whatever she washes her body with, making my cock jump at the thought of imagining her in the shower. Christ, the last thing I need to think about is Letty naked and wet, running her hands down her body, fingers swirling around her clit, and doing everything I want to do to her sweet little body.
I take a sip of the ice water, trying to calm my thoughts from going into an area I won’t be able to come back from. My suit jacket is in my car, and besides pulling my dress shirt out of my slacks to look like an unkempt, overworked attorney, which I refuse to fucking do, looks like I’d be stuck where I am until my dick gets a clue and calms the hell down.
“All set?” Letty interrupts my thoughts when she stops in front of my table.
“Yeah. I couldn’t persuade you to take a break and sit with me?” I phrase it as a question. She sees right through my bullshit, does what I least expect, and sits down in Crew’s vacant spot.
