Light seeped in through the slit between the blackout curtains. Glancing at the clock, eight in the morning. It wasn't early but then again, I had stayed up until two in the morning the night before.

It was far too soon to get up. Letting out a groan, I squinted as the morning sun violated my eyes. I rolled to my other side as dark brown hair slid over my face. Sighing deeply as I snuggled into the pillows. The thought of staying in bed all day was beyond appealing. I was comfortable, engulfed in the oversized comforter.

A discomfort spread through me as my body started waking up without me. Sweet dreams slipped into darkness. Lifting my gaze to the dark room I huffed. Okay, okay. I'm up. I Didn't want to be, but I needed to make it to the bathroom if I didn't want the bed to turn into a pool.

Throwing the comforter back, I sat at the edge of the bed for a moment. Feet hooked into the frame as I rubbed my face into my hands. Reaching up, I stretched my arms overhead and fell back into the cushion of the bed.

When my feet finally hit the cold floor, goosebumps crawled up my arms. Damn it! I'm pretty sure my slippers are in the living room. Probably tucked under the couch. Quickly grabbing my robe and fumbling to put it on, rushing into the bathroom.

I remember getting home, stripping down and throwing on a shirt. I'm so glad I didn't bring anyone home. That drama would get back to work. People would talk. Yeah, no, I didn't need that shit. I liked keeping a low profile when I went out.

Starting up the shower, I let the small bathroom fill with steam before stripping down. I slipped into the shower and under the weak stream of water.

The water pressure was crap but it still felt soothing as it hit my shoulders. The water heater in the apartment was set to get hot. It is something I loved! I'd set the temperature to mild heat and up it as soon as my skin adjusted.

Thinking back to mom's house, there was always a bliss to taking a shower. Water pressure to die for! It was like a miniature scalp massage. Making my mind go numb. The sensation always made me want to take longer showers.

The memories of my shower perked my nipples and sent a shiver down my spine despite the hot water from the shower. I crossed my arms across my chest watching the water spin down the drain. My tears mixed with the water as I leaned back and allowed the water to run over my face and down my front. Drowned in thoughts of my childhood home. Thoughts of my mom. Both gone too soon.

I shampooed my hair and massaged my fingers into my scalp. Releasing tension and stress of my thoughts. So much had changed in the last year.

Pulling back the shower curtain, I stepped into the plush bath rug that seemed to hug my wet feet. My favorite towel was crimson and so large that I could have used it at the pool to lay on. It was huge. Wrapping it around myself, I patted and rubbed down my slender figure. The towel was saturated as I hung it to dry on the bar.

The hairdryer roared to life as I ran the brush through my hair and blew it strait. It didn't take long to finish my entire head. My hair was a dark mass of brown. Silk. When I was little, my mother would comb it with her fingers and say it was the finest silk she had ever seen.

Overall, I was pretty lazy when it came to makeup and hair. I'd happily apply a little eyeliner when I went to work or went out with friends, but nothing more. My hairdryer didn't get much action during the warmer months because I really liked throwing my hair up into a messy bun after showers. During the colder months, I'd let it air dry if I were at my place. It was only when I was expecting to go out that I'd put in the effort to make it look nice.

Giving myself one more look over, I changed into a loose sweatshirt with jean capris. Going for comfort because I didn't have to work until the afternoon. I found my slippers tucked under the side of the couch and slid into them. The air in the apartment smelled like lemons, just like I liked. Small but mighty was the wax burner in the corner of the living room.

Convincing myself to cook really wasn't hard. This meal would be more of a brunch than breakfast, anyway. Which also meant I could have an early dinner at work. Plus, when mom had first been diagnosed, I'd started learning how to cook smaller meals. Cutting recipes in half where needed. Freezing portions for later when I didn't feel like doing the labor. When I did make big meals it was because friends were coming over. There was almost never a plethora of food in my apartment. There were two big grocery stores right next to her job, so it was convenient to pop in after work.

By the time I had cleaned up my dishes, it was only 11. I had about three hours to kill before getting ready for work.

It seemed like taking a shower, cooking, and eating took a lot out of me this morning. I didn't want to do shit! I stared at the clothes on the floor. With a groan of protest, I could hear my mother's voice telling me, 'get it done now and you won't have to worry about it later.'

With a load of laundry started, I sank into my couch with my tablet. The slippers lay in the middle of the living room where they had been kicked off. My favorite spot was the nook at the side of the couch, it didn't matter which side, right next to the armrest. I tucked myself into a ball and cuddled up to the armrest. Almost like being cuddled into someone's strong arms. To add to the effect, I tucked a small pillow under my ass to make me feel like that invisible arm had a hand to hold me.

I scrolled through the books that had been downloaded before indulging in a romance novel. A captivating story about a woman tangled up in the Witness Protection Services who had met a sexy stranger. Go figure, the woman couldn't tell her sexy new boy toy about her crazed past that led her to a new life, new name, or about the baby that wasn't his!

Addicted! Utterly and completely addicted. Erotic romances are my guilty pleasure. The fictional romances that included strong females, sexy males, and passionate scenes that made my teeth playing with my bottom lip and heat pool low in my belly. Most of the books required my battery-operated friend that I hid away in the nightstand. With no man, my toy was preferred over my hand, any day.

Living right outside of Washington, DC, I loved to go out and explore the nightlife. Whether it was loud music and thick beats or taking a long walk among the monuments, there was always something to do. Thankfully, there was a lot to do in the area that didn't cost a dime!

Music was more of my go-to because it could drown all thoughts and inhibitions. Like last night. Gina, Shay, and I went out to one of the hottest clubs in DC after we had gotten off of work. Gina had been our designated driver so Shay and I could drink. Bodies grinding against each other, men buying us drinks, and overall it was an awesome night.

My circle of friends was tight. The number of people that I had in my life who would drop everything, if I needed them, was limited to less than five. If I expanded it to include people who I'd hang out with, I could probably up the number to twenty.

Shay, Gina, and I had been friends forever. Shay and I grew up together. We played soccer together in elementary school and swam in high school. Gina had come to our school the year before and the three of us become fast friends over our love for music. They were both a year behind me but it didn't matter.

It was actually Gina who had first applied to Del Sole, the restaurant they all worked at. Against my mother's advice, I had applied too. It was at the end of high school. The restaurant was brand new and was still under construction. When Gina had told us she applied, Shay and I applied after school the next day.

Mom's logic was that school should have been my priority. 'You don't need to worry about anything other than your grades. I provide you with a home. I provide you with the food you eat and the clothes you want. What more do you want? On top of that, your education should come first,' I could hear her lecture.

I made my case to my mom and promised to put school first. I made sure to keep my work schedule light. Only working one to two nights a week and only one weekend day. I usually picked up someone's unwanted weekend shift so that I could work a double and make more money. Thankfully, my senior year was a bit of a breeze.

The owners of Del Sole were Vincent and Kim Zambotti. The couple had worked together at a restaurant in New York before they moved to Virginia. Kim had been a manager and Vincent a chef. When they got married they made the decision to follow their dreams and open up their own restaurant together. Kim's parents were in Washington, DC, so that's the area they settled in.

Shoot! How was it two o'clock already? I turned off the tablet and peeled myself from my seat. My second load of laundry needed to be switched and then I headed to my bedroom.

Slipping out of my comfort clothes I prepped myself for my shift. Smoothing my hands over the black polo. Black was always slimming. I admired my figure in the mirror. The faded blue jeans hugged my hips. Soft to the touch, they were my favorite pair.

As a waitress it is required to wear your hair up, so the last thing to do was throw it up. High ponytail, sprayed my hair so that it didn't need messed with. One and done!

Storm clouds were rolling in and the thunder made the storm sound worse than it looked. I eyed my jacket and checked the weather on my phone. It looked like it would breeze through, drop some rain, and be done by the time I was off. Knowing I'd be taking a chance, I snatched up my bag and umbrella and headed for the door. With a last-minute glance, I snatched my jacket off its hook and left. 

My apartment was on the fourth floor and it was only six blocks from Del Sole. So the walk wasn't all that bad. I liked being able to clear my thoughts and walk compared to driving.

With an hour to pass before my shift started, I stowed my things in the back and ordered a pizza. Toppings fresh, I chose a white garlic sauce with shredded chicken, black olives, feta cheese, and sliced tomatoes, it was my favorite.

"Hey pretty lady," Gina said, smiling. Shay and Gina had carpooled like they did any time they shared shifts.

Shay stuck her nose in the air at the combination of toppings as Gina swiped a slice and scarfed it while walking to the back. Gina started earlier than we did but that also meant that she would probably go home earlier too.

"Dustin coming to get you tonight?" I turned my attention to Shay as she took a seat across from me.

She seemed a bit distracted and rubbed her arms like she was cold. She shrugged before she answered, "Probably not." Her gaze was latched to the front of the restaurant. She hadn't been looking at anything or anyone, just stared off into space.

Slowly sliding my hand over hers, "Hey, you ok?" Keeping my volume low so that the servers and hostess wouldn't hear the conversation, "what happened?"

She stirred like she had been smacked. "Ye.. yeah... I'm good. Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

She was lying. Something was clearly going on with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dustin. "I don't believe you, but I'm not going to push it. I love you. You know I'm here for you, right?"

"Yeah," she remained distant as she sniffled her response. "I love you too, Remi. I know you're here for me. I just need time," her eyes had glanced to me and then focused on her fidgeting fingers.

Pursing my lips, I let it go. Shay would come around eventually and when she did, I would be there for her.

Shay helped clear and clean the table we had sat at. When we finished, the low glow of the touch screen computer greeted us as we punched in their codes and clocked in.

When Shay turned from the computer, she slid her hip along the counter and leaned back. I adjusted my apron and went to the host's stand to check what tables were in my section. It was Thursday night, though, so they were the same as they always were. Three 2-tops, a 4-top, the 6-top in the back, as well as half the pizza bar.

The restaurant was already filling up for dinner and it was only a little past four. The wood-fired oven produced a delicious smokey smell that drew customers who had parked in the strip mall and had been undecided about where to eat.

Another huge plus side was that all of the ingredients were fresh and the majority of the food was prepared the same day it was served. Family-owned, the community loved showing their support and dining at Del Sole.

"You ready?" Shay asked as she adjusted her black apron.

Her blond hair had been pulled up into a messy bun and it was slipping. Shay would adjust her hair about twenty times tonight and I smiled at the thought. She and Gina would always tease her that she should become a hairstylist with how often she was messing with it. Constantly pulling it down, throwing it up, washing her hands just to repeat it again ten minutes later.

"As I'll ever be." I tucked a new notepad into my black server booklet. I glanced around the dining room, filling up quickly. I shoved the booklet into my apron pocket and greeted my first table.

As soon as I had finished taking their order Anna had sat another table in my section. I immediately recognized the young couple as one of my regulars and greeted them before putting the order in for my other table.

"Where the hell is Gina? I haven't seen her in a bit and she doesn't have many tables." As soon as she'd finished her statement, Gina walked through the swing door of the kitchen.

"Speak of the devil," I gave our friend a warm smile as I finished at the computer.

"Sorry? Were you looking for me?" Gina had removed her apron and was dusting off her busty figure, speckled with bits of cardboard. "By the way, I finished my boxes." She lined up her apron and tied it again.

"Seriously!"Shay stood there gaping at Gina, arms crossed.

With a pinched smile, I watched the two bicker back and forth. "She probably wants to get cut early. Hot date tonight G?"

Blush spread across Gina's cheeks. "Possibly."

"Well get the rest of your side work done and I'll sign off on you. We all know that Dave likes you, he will definitely let you go early if we're slow." I left them at the computer to chit-chat as I headed to the back to grab my new table their drinks.

Dave was the manager for the front of the house tonight. It just meant that he got to decide if servers were needed and when servers could be cut to go home. Complete prick! Everyone who worked with him knew he chose favorites and he doted on those favorites. He gave bigger discounts to those he liked when they ordered their meals, among other special treatments. Cut some servers before they should have been causing a shortage during rushes, and kept others later than they needed to stay making sections small earned fewer tips all round.

With a quick glance at her watch, Gina said, "Oh, I totally forgot, server meeting with Vincent in two minutes in the kitchen."

"OOH, I wonder if he is doing another challenge!" I had won three of the five challenges that the owner had held. They were usually simple tasks that could be accumulated for points.

The last challenge was making it the entire shift with something in hand as we entered and exited the kitchen. I had won it easily, not that I'm bragging! I'd won because it was something I always did. I helped everyone. Helping take meals out to guests and clearing tables, no matter if they were in my section or not. We all got overrun sometimes and I enjoyed helping out. The hope was that if I helped them, then they would help me.

Gina and Shay rolled their eyes as our co-worker, Max said "Yeah, I bet you're excited, Remi. Didn't you win like $100 already?" He had been putting in an order on the computer behind us when he overheard our conversation.

Pinching my lips and squinting, "I think it is more like $150, but who's counting." Giving him a wink with a smile, I headed into the kitchen with my coworkers in tow.

Vincent stood next to the posted schedules with his arms crossed. Looking up from the floor, he checked to make sure that all the servers were present before he addressed us. "Let's make this quick so you can get back to your tables. Desserts. The challenge tonight is dessert. The server with the most desserts sold by seven o'clock wins. On the whiteboard near the dessert station, I have a chart setup. Make a tally by your name with every dessert you sell. Reward? None." There was a pause and he had averted his gaze from his employees.

I crossed my arms over my chest and hid my smile, watching my co-workers stiffened. There were a few audible gasps. Pretty sure it was Shay who whispered, "The fuck, seriously?" I arched an eyebrow as Vincent met my stare.

A bellow of laughter erupted from our boss as he continued, "Nah... I am just joking! The reward is $50. You all are dismissed, have a good night, and don't forget to upsell!"

I giggled and moved my hand to expose my grin. We shuffled out of the kitchen.

"Did you know about that?" Shay seemed to think that my smile was because I was in on it.

"Nope, but you really think that he would hold a challenge with no incentive?" I snatched up one of my table's order and headed out the swinging door without waiting for their responses.

The dining room had been divided pretty evenly and we stayed busy. There were a total of five servers on tonight. Shay, Gina, Max, Leo, and I. Being lead server tonight meant that I started later than everyone else and stayed until the last guest left.

Rolling through the night, Gina got her wish and was allowed to leave early and chose to opt-out of Vincent's challenge. She had finished her side work, cleaned her tables, and swept. Gina was grinning like a fool as she left. With a quick glance, I had seen her climb into a lifted pickup truck that sped off.

Del Sole was still busy at six o'clock and Dave had been itching to let another server leave. Leo volunteered to leave because he had no luck up-selling his tables. He had only one dessert on the chart. By six thirty, Leo was cut. As soon as he had his things in hand, we were rushed by more patrons.

Shay, Max, and I were the last three servers and we worked as a team to get food out, clear tables, and get drinks refilled. It had been Vincent that made me a better server. He had encouraged everyone to go above and beyond and when it was noticed, it was rewarded.

Always staying busy. Always helping my coworkers. Out with clean dishes to restock. In with dirty dishes from a cleared table. Out with drinks for a new table. In with glasses to be refilled. Out with the refill and food to tables both in and out of my own section.

Shay got flustered and snappy under pressure, but Max and I worked well together to help where we could. Working with Max made it easy to pull through the rougher patches of the night. With all the running, I almost forgot that it was Thursday.

"Tesoro," the Italian accent gave him away. The baritone voice behind me, calling me darling, belonged to Giovanni Moretti. My absolute favorite regular!

With a huge grin, I turned and greeted the older gentleman with a quick, "Hey guys, give me just a moment. I'll be right back," before I was off to deliver food to another table.

No shit, I think he may be mafia. 

Giovanni wore nice suits. Always tipped REALLY well. He also always had at least two men with him who usually didn't speak to me. They, also, would fall silent when I approached the table. Not to mention he had offered to take me to Italy multiple times.

He was tall with lightly peppered grey hair and exuded charm and confidence. When my mother passed away and I took a few weeks off, he noticed. I was the only server he wanted or requested. When I wasn't at work, he prodded the owners until they told him. Once I came back to work, he had come in every day for a week.

Having finished my delivery of food to my other table and ensuring they had all they needed, I headed over to Giovanni's table. The table was my 6-top, near the back of the restaurant. The hostess only left one menu on the large table and left. I knew it probably wouldn't even be touched. Giovanni was a man of habit and didn't like change. Even with guests, he always ordered three bottles of wine, two appetizers, a large salad, and usually three pizzas.

I glided past the men with Giovanni and went straight for the man himself. His smile filled his face as he grasped me by the shoulders. At arms length, looking me over before wrapping me in a hug and kissing each of my cheeks. He had told me once that I reminded him of his daughter. Although he didn't talk about her much, I could tell that his daughter was no longer in his life. When he mentioned her his smile would fade and his look turned distant.

"How have you been piccola?" He released me and sat in the chair that backed the wall.

"I'm great, thank you. What about you?" I tried to keep the personal chat to a minimum and keep things professional.

"I'm always better when I am here with you. " His reply made me smirk.

Taking their order and gathering their drinks requests I rushed off. Gathering the wine, wine glasses, and waters. I balanced the tray with the drinks on it and headed back to the dining room.

Dave slammed through the swing doors. Nearly knocking the tray out of my hand. Something had made him upset and I wasn't about to be his next victim. I pivoted my steps and reclaimed the balance of the tray in my hand.

"Watch it, Bennett," he sneered.

Fuck you dick head! Was what I wanted to say but instead what came out was "Yup, got it."

With his piss poor attitude, I needed to ignore and avoid him. This was not going to be a night that his poisonous negativity would spread to me.

With a bright smile, I approached Giovanni's table. Delivering the drinks, Giovanni stated that they were expecting at least one more, making them a party of five. I set them up and didn't hold back the food. Giovanni may have had someone else coming, but he didn't like to wait.

When seven o'clock rolled around, Vincent approached me. I had just finished putting an order into the computer when he leaned against the counter next to me. Smiling, he clasped his hands together, "Great job, again, Remi. You are the winner of the challenge tonight." He handed me a $50 bill. "I have to say I am impressed. Not surprised, but impressed. You had one of the smallest sections and you sold the most desserts. Good work." He clapped me on the shoulder and I fought the proud smile struggling to break my face. Biting on the inside of my cheek, I put the money into my pocket, thanked him, and watched him slip into the into his office.

A little before eight, Dave cut Max and left the rest of the night to Shay and I. Our hostess withdrew to the backroom to work on the last of her chores. There were a few families that lingered. Parents chatted while their kids tried starting food fights with remnants of their pasta and what remained of their ice cream.

I had finished folding the thirty pizza boxes, as I was required. Once I had dropped checks to two of my tables I started collecting stray menus. One of my tables had created art on the kids menus. With a smile and thoughts of the kids who had drawn them, I folded the drawings into my little black book. I would keep them for a week or so before cleaning them out and collecting more. I hadn't seen the new guest who had entered.

Holy shit buckets, fuck me! Thinking to myself as I looked up. I couldn't help ogle at him.

My age, at least a head taller than me, short dark hair, and he was built. His suit jacket was hung over his arm and he was adjusting the sleeves of his white button up shirt. His arms were corded and the sight of his muscles stirred feelings within me. Like molten lava that had been dormant for the last few years. Warmth seeped into my face.

Suddenly my lips were dry. Mindlessly, my tongue darted out of my mouth to moisten them. With a deep breath and a surge of confidence I approached the host stand.

"Evening sir, may I help you?" Stop checking him out! I had to remind myself.

Eyes still searching the restaurant, he didn't answer me right away. His head turned and his hazel eyes met mine. Head on, he was even more handsome than his profile. Suddenly, all I could think about was how I wanted to run my fingers along the side of his face, into his hair, and tease at the column of his neck with my teeth.

Pull it together, Remi!

The thought brought a cunning smile to my lips. Lowering my gaze, I tried to regain composure. I pretended to study the seating chart. When I did manage to drag my eyes back to his, I noticed his unwavering stare.

The look in his eyes matched the heat I felt.

Good God, you need to get laid, I thought as I smiled politely back at him. Waiting for his response...

***

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