She stood there as Jenn laid into her for being late.  Devon wasn’t sure how many more times she could apologize before Jenn would give up and send her out on the floor.

“Alright, I will be more aware of the time from now on,” Devon said.

“That’s right, you will,” Jenn grumbled.  “I need a drink.”

You’re not the only one, Devon thought.

“Brennan,” Jenn called, finally turning away from Devon, “I’m heading out and leaving you in charge.  The morning rush has died down, so I think it should be smooth sailing for the rest of the day.  If you need anything, call me.”

“Thanks, Jenn,” he said as she stormed out of the restaurant.

Brennan turned to Devon with a serious look on his face.  “You were late.”

“So were you,” she said.

“But I didn’t get caught.  So, don’t get caught next time,” he said, reaching out for her hand.

“Alright, boss.  Is that all?”  Her response was cheeky, but she couldn’t help it.

“I think Amy has the front covered for a bit.”  He tilted his head toward the break room.

Devon smiled, feeling the weight of the morning drama lift off her shoulders.  “I think she definitely has it taken care of,” she said, walking through the door.

Brennan looked around to make sure no one else was inside the room, not that it was a big restaurant with many employees or anything, and then he closed the door behind her.

His hands pushed up into her hair.  Tilting her face up to his, he planted his lips down on hers.  She gripped his shirt between her hands and pulled him closer to her.  He tasted slightly of alcohol, and she became dizzy with his touch as if she had been the one drinking.  He smelled good, fresh from a shower and she was glad that his scent wasn’t tainted with the smell of pot.  Actually, she couldn’t remember the last time that smell had been on him.

Never breaking contact, Brennan walked her backward into one of the lockers, and their bodies melded together.  It was all Devon could do to keep her mind focused on what they were doing instead of jumping a million steps ahead of where they were.  She wasn’t succeeding.

Devon clawed at his shirt, untucking it, as she pressed her hands against his flat, toned stomach.  The heat from his skin sent electricity coursing through her body, and the room suddenly felt stifling.  Her mind couldn’t register a time she had ever wanted something this much.  Maybe it was the knowledge that they were in a public place and could easily get caught, but mostly, she thought it was just Brennan.

He located the bottom of her skirt and hiked it up.  Grasping her thigh in his hand, he pulled it up to wrap around his hip.  Between kisses, her breath came out in short spurts as her hands roamed down to the hem of his jeans.  Devon felt so rushed, so clumsy that she snapped the waistline of his boxers.  Brennan grunted and pressed more firmly against her, like he had enjoyed it.  She continued running her fingers lightly along the inside of his boxers, just enough to tease him.

“Belle,” he whispered, not pulling back but not moving forward.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice strained.

“We have to work,” he said, like it pained him.

“Yeah.”  She would wait for him to make the first move.

“I can’t go out there like this,” he said, gesturing down.

Devon took the moment to look down, and when she saw what she did to him, her smile grew.  “Maybe…I should go first.”

He swallowed.  “Probably.  I’m going to need time to calm down or else we’re going to need to finish.”

She preferred the second option, and it must have been clearly written all over her face because he groaned and pressed his forehead against hers.

“Belle, you can’t look at me like that.”

“I’ll, uh…just go,” she said, easing away from him.

Brennan grabbed her one last time, pulling her in for a slow kiss before releasing her.  “You’re still coming to my place tonight, right?”

She smiled brightly.  “Yeah, definitely.”

“Good.”

His eyes roamed her body as she backed away from him.

DEVON EXITED THE break room and made sure her clothes were in good enough condition before she went out onto the floor.  Jenn was right; it was a pretty light crowd.  Amy was having no trouble with the few people in the restaurant.  Devon just figured it was slow because it was the weekend after the Fourth of July.  Most people wouldn’t be able to travel two weekends in a row.  Plus, the traffic from the sailboat race was concentrated in the morning and the evening.  She would probably get a rush tonight.

“About fucking time,” Amy grumbled when Devon walked up.  “Think you could be any later?”

“Probably,” Devon said with a shrug.

“I mean, was it not enough that you got yesterday off, too?” Amy snapped.

“Amy, lay off, alright?  I already got yelled at by Jenn and Brennan for this.”

“From Brennan? Riiight.”  Amy rolled her eyes.

So, that’s what this is about, she thought, realizing it was about Brennan.

“Yeah, they were both pretty pissed,” Devon told her.

“Well, maybe they’ll fire you.”

Devon gripped the menu she was holding as tightly as she could, so she wouldn’t snap back at Amy.  Could she get much bitchier?

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Devon said sarcastically.

Amy just rolled her eyes again and walked over to one of her tables.  Devon busied herself by rolling silverware, filling salt and pepper shakers, and wiping down the tables.  At some point, Brennan returned, and she smiled as she felt his eyes follow her around the room.  She wondered if he even knew that he did it so frequently.

The day passed with a steady flow of traffic.  It wasn’t anything that one person couldn’t handle on her own, but it was nice to have both Amy and Devon on the shift.  The dinner crowd was more obnoxious than normal, and Devon felt like punching one of the customers.  She even heard Amy swear at a guy who grabbed her ass.  Jenn’s wasn’t that kind of place.

Devon was more than irritated when she found the shitty tips from the rambunctious groups after they had exited the restaurant.  Amy was fuming across the room, and Devon suspected she had discovered the same problem with her tables.  What kind of assholes came in with a huge party, acted like hellions the whole time they were here, and then didn’t tip?  Who had raised them to do that?  Devon wanted to throttle them and explain to the worthless human beings that just because they had never worked a day in their life didn’t mean they couldn’t appreciate the hard work she had done for them.  But, of course, she couldn’t do that either.

“You go ahead and take a break.  You look like you need it,” Devon told Amy.

She didn’t want to do Amy any favors, but Amy had been there longer. Plus, it didn’t help Devon any to have everyone hate her.

“Thanks.  I need a fucking smoke,” Amy said, pressing her hand to her forehead.  “I’ll be back in fifteen.”

Devon watched Amy’s tables and kept Brennan busy with drink orders. Leaning forward, he kept offering her shots of tequila like the first time they had ever really talked.  Devon declined, but he just kept offering.

“Just one shot,” he whispered, pushing the drink toward her.

Devon shook her head.  “Not on the clock.  Give it to Amy.  She will flip her shit.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Oh, don’t play dumb.  That girl is obsessed with you.”

Devon giggled as Brennan poured the rest of her drink orders.

“What?  No, she isn’t,” he said.

“Brennan, really?  You are not oblivious to the world.  You have to know that her and Hannah are so into you.”

“Huh,” he said, his eyes going deep into thought.  “That explains a whole hell of a lot.”

Devon rolled her eyes.  “How did you not see that?”

“Only have eyes for you, Belle.” He smirked, placing a drink on her tray.