Page 20 of Gin & Sin

“Maybe, but his situation was even worse because they had the public to deal with and they were business partners. It had to be rough.”

“It changed him. Makes me sad, because other than Jerryn, I always thought Lowen was the guy who had the most love to give out of all of us.”

“Yeah, I agree. I don’t know what it would take to get him to try again, but so far, no one’s been successful.”

“Even the gorgeous bear, Oakley.”

“Except Low said he never asked him out or anything. At first, I could see not crossing the line because we were clients, but that’s been done for months now.”

“Low hasn’t exactly been welcoming advances.”

I snicker, gathering the plates as Ridley carries glasses. “Fair.”

We go off in different directions, him to the bar and me to the kitchen, where I find Lowen standing in front of the service station, calling out order tickets for Bane and Jerryn to run to tables. I finish taking the dishes to the washing station, waving at our hardworking teenage dishwasher, Bellamy. He smiles back and I take a moment to be thankful we could give him a job. Being a trans guy and living in a small town isn’t easy, and Moby’s came along just as he graduated high school last summer. We couldn’t hire him fast enough.

“You okay back here?”

Bellamy nods, his big grin displaying the silver braces on his teeth. “All good, boss.”

I salute him then walk out to help carry out food. Lowen leans his hip on the silver metal shelf, somehow managing to look like a model even in a restaurant kitchen. That’s his superpower. Lowen looks good no matter what he’s doing.

“Three minutes,” he says, pushing a salad toward me. “Waiting on salmon for that one.” He turns in my direction. “Still crazy out there?”

“Yep. Rid said you and Indy went over the budget?”

Lowen nods, pulling the salmon plate down and adding it to the tray. “This is supposed to have a side of beurre blanc,” he calls out to Wren.

“Thirty seconds,” Wren calls back, whisking the sauce in a small pan.

“Anyway,” Lowen continues, “we’ll go over numbers in the Monday meeting, but long story short, we think we should hire a food runner, a busser, and another server. Maybe two.”

“Good call.”

Wren turns around and hands the dish of sauce to Lowen. I take it when Low hands it to me, then lift the tray. “Table?”

“Four.”

“On it.”

I’m out the kitchen door on the way to table four when my eye catches something delicious sitting at the bar. Tonight he’s wearing a button-down shirt, looking out of place and so adorable I want to bite him.

I hurry to drop off the food before Wren and Lowen yell at me. Both of them are very picky about the food, but it’s working for us, so I comply. Once I’ve made sure the guests are happy with their food, I wipe my hands on my jeans and head in Stewart’s direction.

He’s studying a menu like there’s gonna be a quiz, and I have a feeling it’s just to give him something to do. Sliding up behind him, I lean in close to his ear.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

Stewart’s breath catches as he looks over his shoulder. “Hi, Kit.”

I move to his side so I can look fully at him. He smells good, like body wash mixed with the ocean, and he shaved so his cheeks are smooth. More memories of his needy moans and filthy words flood my mind.

“How was your day,” I ask, sliding my hands up his thighs.

“Long.” He huffs a laugh. “I hope you don’t mind that I came in.”

“Best part of my night so far.” With my fingers under his chin, I tilt his head back slightly. “But I think it’s gonna get better.”

“I hope so. It looks busy though.”

---