by Amy Brent
Chapter Eight
The holidays are in full swing the week after Thanksgiving. I can’t escape Christmas music everywhere I go, be it the grocery store, the public subway station or even the restroom at the restaurant. David roams around the floor in a bright red Santa hat and encourages us to dress up. Camila starts wearing a red apron that swirls around her thighs like a misses Santa Claus skirt and even Mike wears elf ears. I try wearing a Santa hat for one morning before tossing it off my flattened hair and flinging it onto the bar where Charlie picks it up and wears it in my stead.
During close David lets us know we’re closing the day before Christmas Eve and won’t open until noon the day after Christmas. Camila and Sophie gush over their excitement while I stay quiet, wondering what am I going to do for an entire two days by myself.
“Your dad isn’t visiting this year?” Camila asks. She gets her section cleaned earlier than me and helps by wiping down one of my tables.
“Probably not, he’s still busy in England.” I say.
“El cabron.” She curses.
“You don’t have to stay. I told the cooks I’d help them close up tonight.” Camila leaves hesitantly. As I’m finishing up the last of my tables a knock on the window behind me scares me and I almost drop a chair.
The twins stand on the other side, bundled up in thick winter coats and blowing hot air into their cupped hands. I rush to unlock the front door and they stumble inside.
“Holy fuck it gets cold here. Can’t wait to get back to the West.” Jake presses the back of his hands against his red cheeks. Their faces are pale and lips nearly purple and I can’t help but laugh.
“Is the north-east too harsh for your pasty white skin?” I tease. Jake flips me off and Emmet nods.
“We just don’t spend much time in snow, much less negative degrees.” He admits.
“What are you guys doing here? The kitchen’s closing up so you can’t force them to make you cookies like last time.” I add in Jake’s direction who innocently shrugs.
“Well I realized it was your grocery shopping night, and I didn’t want you to carry all those paper bags in a foot of snow.” Emmet says. “Jake just tagged along at the last minute.” I shift uncomfortably as Jake and Emmet glare at one another.
“That’s really nice of you.” I admit. “But I’m exhausted, I was honestly just going to go home. Plus if I hear another track of Santa Claus’ Coming to Town I might explode.” I yawn in effect.
Jake’s phone rings and he steps away to answer it.
“Then let us give you a ride home. I convinced Travis to let us borrow the escalade tonight, don’t let it go to waste.” Emmet smiles and I can’t help but stare at his dimple.
“Fuck, that was Tony.” Jake returns and drags a hand over his face. “Apparently the contractors need to go over the blueprints with one of us before starting it tomorrow.”
“Should we drop Remy off first and then meet them?” Emmet asks. Jake looks between us with a pained expression but he shakes his head.
“I’m the only one who even worked with them on the blueprints, you’ll just waste space. Take her home and I’ll call Travis. He’s been wanting to test drive the Porsche while it snowed anyways.”
“Alright, well, if you’re ready?” Emmet looks at me.
“Oh, um,” I glance at the kitchen. The lead cook shakes his head and tells me they’re almost done anyways. “Yeah, we can head out now. Let me get my stuff.” I run to my locker and get my purse, slipping on cotton gloves as I return to the twins. Jake and Emmet don’t speak to one another, again giving me the feeling of hostility between them. “Be safe, Jake.” I say as Emmet takes my hand and pulls me outside. Jake waves goodbye but his eyes never leave our intertwined hands. I lock the front door behind me and through the window I watch as Jake takes a seat at the nearest table and cradles his head between his hands.
Emmet turns the heater all the way up as soon as we get in the car. His reaches around me, his chest nearly pressing against mine and making me squirm against my seat as he presses a small button on the bottom of my door.
“Heated seats.” He says, lips close enough that I can feel his hot breath. His body snaps back to his seat unexpectedly and I remember how to breathe.
“This car is incredible.” I say and admire the leather seats and glossy black controls.
“It’s a rental for now, but when we get back to L.A I’m probably going to get one just like it.” We make small talk until he pulls into my apartment complex. It was a much shorter ride than I’m used to, and I find myself hesitant to walk away from him. The snow outside gets harder, and I know if he doesn’t leave soon he might very well be stuck here. In my studio apartment that has a single futon. I picture Emmet lying on top of it and me on top of him, and the bold part of me takes over.
“Do you want to go inside?” I ask. Emmet’s hands close around the wheel and squeeze. I blush, feeling stupid for ever offering anything. “I mean, I know it’s small so of course you wouldn’t want to go in.” Before I can continue my embarrassing rant Emmet unbuckles his seat belt and leans across the center console to meet my lips with his. He shuts me up instantly, one hand cupping the back of my head and the other unbuckling my own seat belt. I press against him greedily, pulling at the top of his coat while my other hand slides down and squeezes his thigh.
His tongue flickers across my lips and I moan into him, wincing when my bottom sits on the seatbelt.
“Remy,” He murmurs against my mouth. “Invite me inside again.”
“Let’s go inside, Emmet.” I say. Emmet practically leaps out of the car and opens the passenger door before I even have the chance to catch my breath. His arms scoot beneath my thighs and back and as I warn him against lifting me up, he easily scoops me in his arms and carries me to my second floor apartment. He gently lets me down to unlock my front door, but as soon as it’s closed pulls me towards him again and kisses me deeply. I unbutton his winter coat as he unzips mine, and as soon as it’s off my hands run along the muscles of his arms. They’re strong and flexed as his hands roam my body, fingers trailing my work uniform until they slip underneath my blouse and find my skin.
He pushes me backwards until my legs hit against the futon and I fall, pulling him down with me. My blouse comes off as I pull his sweater over his head. His abs are hard beneath my touch and I run my nails down his stomach, spreading when I reach a thick field of hair just above his belt.
“Remy.” He sings my name and kisses my neck. One hand slides up my skirt as the other pulls my bra strap down and follows it to my breast. I moan loudly when he touches it, and as soon as his fingers stroke my nipple his other hand finds my panties and his tongue meets mine as I open my mouth to cry out.
My hands dip to find his belt, but the minute I touch it Emmet gasps and springs to his feet. He’s out of breath and I watch as his chest expands with every gulp.
“Emmet?” I ask and fix my bra strap. He has a very noticeable bulge in his pants and all I want is to touch it.
“I can’t, I’m sorry. This was a mistake.” He grabs his shirt and rushes to put his coat on.
“What did I do?” I cry. He presses a kiss to my temple and grabs his car keys. “The roads are going to be covered! It’s dangerous.”
“It’s even more dangerous here.” He says. He gives me a sad smile. “We’ll see you later. Good night, Remy.”
Emmet slams the door behind him and I’m left in nothing but a bra, a skirt and wet panties. I grab my shirt and fling it at the door.
“Damn those twins!” I yell and cover my head with a pillow. They’re more trouble than they’re worth.
Chapter Nine
For once I’m excited for the outlet the restaurant provides me. I clock in nearly an hour early and stay busy throughout the day. Charlie and Camila both notice I’m quick to agitate and they leave me alone for the most part.
I had spent practically the entire night trying to determine what I did to make Emmet leap from m
e so abruptly. There was so much desire and lust between us, and he’s the exact gentleman I’ve always dreamt of. I would have gone as far as I could had he not rejected me.
“You’ve been staring at Scott’s shoes for like three minutes.” Camila bumps into me and whispers in my ear. I snap back to reality, finding Scott grinning at me like a madman, and rush to put his order in. The dinner crowd rushes in and for the next hour and a half it’s the repetitive motion of taking orders and clearing plates.
When it beings to die down I take a moment to check my phone. A missed call from my dad alarms me, but before I get the chance to call him back David steps into the break room to let me know the Kennedys just arrived. It seems the staff all understand to seat them in my section, and I fake a brave face as I meet them to take their order.
“Took you long enough.” Jake smirks. He wears a button up with rolled sleeves and slacks while Emmet wears a business suit. Despite their obvious similarities it always strike me odd at how completely different they are. “I was worried it was going to be Christmas by the time you got here.”
“Hey Remy, how are you?” Emmet looks at me as if nothing between us ever happened, and I force myself to act the same.
“It’s getting busier the closer we get to Christmas.” I tell them, speaking mostly to Jake. “Maybe you can convince my boss to hire a few more hostesses?”
“I’ll bring it up at our next meeting.” Emmet answers. I gave him a small nod and take their order. Jake frowns as I leave a lot quicker than usual, but I can’t stand spending another minute pretending everything was normal.
“Any plans for Christmas?” Jake asks as I bring them their plates. I give a short reply and leave to tend to my other tables.
The twins stay much longer than other customers, chatting with David whenever he gets a moment to sit with them.
“Ay, why are you giving the twins the silent treatment?” Camila asks.
“Girl, mind your own business.” I snap. She sighs and rolls her eyes, calling me a drama queen as she goes back to her tables.
At the end of the day only six tables remain, two at Sophie’s, three at Camila’s, and one at mine, the twins. They’ve been finished with their dessert for a while now and are waiting on David to finish up a call to continue their conversation with him. I refill their beers and let Camila know I’m heading out back to make a call. I bundle myself up and cover my head with a warm hat. Snow falls heavily around me as I dial my dad.
My dad answers on the third call.
“I know I said I’d be in town for Christmas, but I have to change our plans.” He says. I’m more surprised at the disappointed I feel than at his words.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Maybe next year.” We hang up and I lean against the brick wall of the restaurant. Exhaustion hits me like a tornado and my head falls into my hand.
The backdoor opens and close, and Jake stuffs his hands in the pocket of a thick gray coat as he turns to me.
“You’re upset.” He says directly. His head is covered by a knit hat pulled down over his ears, and two tufts of hair peak out over his forehead. “Is it another asshole?” I laugh.
“Isn’t it always?” I say.
“My fist is always available for rent.” He jokes. I shake my head.
“I don’t think you should go punching this asshole.” I rub my hands together, cursing myself for forgetting gloves at home. “It was just a misunderstanding anyways.”
“A misunderstanding?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I thought he was interested but it turns out he wasn’t. I don’t know.” I shrug. “I guess I wasn’t good enough.”
He sucks in a sharp breath and stares at the snow at our feet.
“I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone.” Jake goes from conceited rich man to awkward boy in a matter of seconds.
“I’m not. I wasn’t. I was stupid for assuming a guy like that would want me.” The pity in my voice make me wince. I am not a one woman pity party. But Jake takes it way more serious and pulls me into his arms.
“You’re impossible.” He says against my hat. The cold air vanishes, and in the dark sky I can’t see much other than his hard chest. “There isn’t a single guy who wouldn’t want you.”
I look up at his face, at his strong jawline that I’ve been wanting to trace ever since I first saw him. He meets my gaze, and we both breathe heavily beneath the snowfall. His hand presses against the back of my neck and climbs to my ponytail, pulling it and letting my spirals bounce around my head.
“Like that.” He nods, satisfied. “You’re already irresistible enough, but with your hair like that, it’s impossible not to want you.”
“Jake.” I start, but he tightens his hold on me and I’m done trying to guess his motive. I kiss him first, standing on my tiptoes and pressing his body against the wall. He grunts and kisses me harder in return.
At the same time we both realize we’re standing directly next to the backdoor of the restaurant, and he picks me up beneath my knees and carries me around the corner of the building into a dark alleyway. But with Jake’s hands squeezing my thighs and caressing my hair I find that I’m not so scared.
He pushes me hard against a wall, hands sliding up and down my thighs. I feel his muscles flexing as he caresses my body, and I wrap my thighs around his waist. I begin to unbutton his coat and he puts me down long enough to tear it off of him. My jacket and apron joins it in a pile next to our feet, and he begins to unbutton my blouse.
“Remy,” He nibbles on my earlobe. I shiver against the heat of his breath, feeling a wet tingling sensation between my thighs. “I’ve wanted to fuck you the moment I saw you.” He growls.
I don’t waste any time and tear at his belt, throwing it on our pile of clothes. His hand dips beneath my blouse and underneath my bra, cupping me as he traces slow kisses down my neck towards my chest.
My fingers trail down his abs, pressing against them until they slide inside his slacks. His thick rod throbs against my skin, and his moan is throaty and raspy as his tongue licks down my breast and flicks my nipple.
I gasp loudly, but Jake isn’t done. He sucks on it and lightly bites the very edge, and I return by wrapping my hand around his hard cock.
“Fuck.” He murmurs against my nipple. “Fuck Remy.” Jake straightens up and kisses me roughly. His hand pushes my skirt to my thighs, and I cry out against his lips as he strokes me.
I stop caring where we are and what we’re doing. I stop thinking about absolutely everything except for how much I need Jake Kennedy inside of me. I try pulling down his slacks to release all of him, but something in Jake snaps and he pushes himself off of me.
“Jake?” I ask, leaning against the wall. He tugs his slacks back up and fetches his coat, handing me my apron and jacket in the meantime.
“I can’t.” He says. “God, Remy, I want to, don’t think for a second I don’t, but I just can’t.”
I fix my skirt and blouse and put my jacket on. The cold bites at my skin for the first time since Jake wrapped his arms around me.
“Why?” I ask, tears forming in the corner of my eyes. Jake stares at them with an anguished look. “I’d rather you just say you don’t want me. I don’t understand.”
“I just can’t, Remy. I’m sorry.” He tugs on his knitted hat and walks away.
I go back to the restaurant after ten minutes. No one pays much attention to my absence, but I notice both Emmet and Jake are gone. Even in a heated kitchen, their absence still leaves me colder than the snow outside.
Chapter Ten
The closer we get to Christmas the worse my life seems to become. Jake and Emmet both grow distant and request either Camila’s table or Sophie’s. The day after Jake practically ran from me in the alley I overheard David telling the cooks that the twin’s visit will be coming to an end soon. I find out after asking the kitchen staff that Jake and Emmet are planning on signing an agreement on the new restaurant shortly before Christmas, and that they’ll be h
eading back to California the day after.
I try to pretend it doesn’t bother me, but as I watch Camila throw her hair back and flirt so obviously that it almost hurts, I realize their cold shoulder affects me more than my own father’s. There’s a connection between all three of us and yet they’re choosing to ignore it. There’s such a longing whenever I see them, the same strong lust that blinds me to common sense every time they touch me.
The week before Christmas, in the middle of the third Christmas track that’s been repeated every ten minutes, as David forces all of the staff to wear constricting Santa hats and threw a reindeer nose at me that I promptly gave to Charlie, the Kennedy twins walk in and again sits in Camila’s section. It’s nearly pitch black outside with snow covered roads and they both brush off a dusting as they remove thick winter coats and straighten out expensive business suits beneath.
“Your suitor just arrived.” Sophie says. I look at the twins confused, did everyone see the desire between us? But then Scott walks to my section as the twins leave for Camila’s, and I groan.
“Oh, that suitor.” I say and scoot behind Charlie to get Scott’s beer.
“Big plans for Christmas?” Scott asks. He leans back in his seat and crosses his arms, looking extra cocky tonight.
“Just normal holiday stuff.” I say politely. His hand stops mine as I put his beer down. I pause mid step, wondering how much trouble I would get in if I poured the beer over his crisp button up.
“You’re blushing.” His fingers caress the inside of my wrist. “That’s the reaction I’ve been looking for.”
I glance up to see David scowling at me. Scott is unarguably our biggest customer, and he pays and tips well. Jake peeks our way as well, and it boils my blood.
“Maybe it’s the holiday magic.” I reply and squeeze his hand. He grins and let me go take care of my other tables, but it’s no question that Scott believes I’m somehow attracted to him all of a sudden.