“I didn’t say I minded.” He laughed before standing back up. “Throw your hair up in pigtails, and you would’ve been the fantasy of every guy in here tonight.”
“Just what I was going for,” I responded sarcastically. I began wiping down the bar countertop, and Justin headed into the kitchen. “What are you doing?” I called out.
“Making you something to eat,” he yelled back. “Brian won’t care. Plus, someone who knows how to actually cook needs to be in here.”
I rolled my eyes. Justin was a little territorial when it came to Shorty’s, even though he didn’t work here anymore. I guess I could understand since he had worked here all throughout college. And apparently, the cook who Brian hired to replace him didn’t live up to his standards.
I began filling ketchup bottles, and salt and pepper shakers, while he banged around in the kitchen, the clinking of pots and pans filling the empty restaurant. My feet were hurting, my back was aching, and my stomach was grumbling. I couldn’t wait until I was done with school. Sure, I would miss this place, but there’s no way in hell you’d catch me reminiscing about my old days as a waitress.
I was just about finished sweeping when I heard Justin’s footsteps behind me. “Sit,” he demanded.
“So bossy,” I muttered, but stuck the broom in the corner, washing my hands in the small sink before sitting down in the booth where he placed my food. He dropped down in the seat across from me, folding his arms over his chest. “Are you gonna sit there and watch me?”
He reached over and snagged a fry off my plate before shoving it in his mouth. “Yup, pretty much. I already ate when Mia and Nate were here.”
“Yeah, what was up with that?” I eyed the massive hamburger that he’d made me and grabbed a knife to cut it in half. I wasn’t a huge greasy food eater. Sure, I ate that kind of stuff occasionally, but the hamburger combined with the mound of fries piled next to it, looked to be a little much.
He shrugged his shoulders. “No clue. I showed up at Nate’s house the other night and Mia was there.”
“Isn’t he a big partier? That’s probably not a good combination.”
“Whatever. I’m not worried about other people’s relationships. Just ours.”
“Okay then.” I took a big bite of my hamburger, finishing about three-quarters of it before I couldn’t eat another piece. I ate a few of my fries and took my plate into the kitchen to wash it off.
“I think I’m about finished up. Are you ready to go?” I called out to Justin, lowering my voice when I realized he had followed me into the kitchen.
“Nope.” He smirked and reached up, running a finger over my lips before trailing it down my face and then my neck, stopping at the strap of my tank top to pluck it.
“And why not?”
“I was just thinking about all of the times like this we used to have. After hours.”
I bit down on my lip, the memories of those times he was talking about running through my mind. They were some of the best, really, and it wasn’t just about the sex. I loved when we had the place all to ourselves, and we would crank up the music and dance around while we were cleaning up. Justin would sing in an insanely off-pitch voice that I found adorable. I would try out some of the creations that he was always coming up with and then trying to convince Brian to add to the menu. Brian wasn’t as big of a fan as I was when it came to the weird food combinations that Justin concocted. I understood why, they were good, but not Shorty’s type of food.
And then, all of the other memories flashed through my head: us together, in the kitchen, on the bar, sprawled out on the pool table, Justin exploring every inch of my body, and all sorts of fun things we used to do before we even had sex for the first time. Justin swore that Brian didn’t have cameras inside, he was either lying and Brian was getting one hell of a show, or he was telling the truth. Either way, Brian never said anything to me. Talk about awkward if he ever found out.
My favorite had to be the time that he bent me over the bar.
I didn’t really talk about my sex life much, unless it was to torture my mother occasionally, but I had been so tempted to rub that one in RJ’s face after one of his snarky comments.
Justin touched his lips to my nose, and then reached over to flick off the kitchen lights before checking the back door to make sure it was locked. My whole body was tight with the need to know what was coming next. I probably already needed a new set of panties from all of the flashbacks flipping through my mind. Who knew what would happen when he actually touched me?
“Are you ready to go then?” Justin’s question snapped my attention back to him, and I turned to see him already halfway across the restaurant, heading toward the entrance.
“Seriously?”