Unspoken Pleasure

Another day, another far too busy service. Austin found himself not just prepping salads but also having to help out on the line. On the one hand, this was great. A sign that the restaurant was succeeding. The better the place did, the more opportunity it meant for Austin. On the other hand, he was falling asleep on his feet.

One slow day -- that was all he wanted. The last time he'd had a day off, he'd ended up spending his time at dinner with Lexi. That had been a ton of fun, but also exhausting in its own way.

Austin missed his family. It wasn't homesickness. Not like when he went to summer camp at age 12 and had felt oddly melancholy for a week. No this was more like when his first real girlfriend had gone away for spring break and Austin had felt empty. Like a piece of him was missing.

He'd been embarrassed then, acting like a lovesick teenager. Now, in his twenties, missing his Mom and sisters the same way? Embarrassing wasn't the word for it. There was no word for pining for your family. Actually, he was pretty sure the word was illegal. But it didn't stop his heart from feeling that way. Stupid, useless heart.

Austin felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over. It was one of the servers, Jane. She was a skinny girl with light brown hair and green eyes. When he'd started at the restaurant a year before, he'd thought Jane was sort of Lexi-like and they'd dated a couple of times. God, even then I was into my sister, Austin thought. Had the pills actually changed him, Austin wondered. Or had they simply opened the door to his already existing desires?

He pulled himself back to the present. "What's up?" he asked. The servers rarely bothered him unless something was horribly wrong. Jane, in particular, tended to keep her distance. The relationship hadn't ended badly, but they didn't have lot to say to each other either

The bony brunette was all smiles that night though. Austin knew the extra business had led to some serious tips for the servers. It helped buoy them over the heavy flow of constant guests.

"You've got visitors on table 7," Jane said. Austin looked down at the plates in front of him. He had about six orders in various states of progress. And he was already falling behind. "Ummm, I'll come check on them in a bit?"

"You want me to tell your family to fuck off?" Jane asked. She raised her eyebrow at him, dubious. He'd always thought she looked so sexy when she did that. Of course, now he realized he liked it cause the face sort of reminded him of his older sister. I'm so fucked up.

"No, of course not," Austin said.

"I've got it," Ken, one of the line cooks gently shoved Austin aside. "It's family man, this stuff comes second."

"You're sure?" Austin asked. Ken and Jane looked at each other knowingly.

"Just say 'hi' and come back," Ken said.

Austin knew better than to waste more time. He jaunted out of the kitchen, ducked past another server, and went over to table 7. He recognized both of them immediately. His heart soared.

"Hey," Austin said. Christine and Lexi looked up at him. When Jane had said 'family,' Austin assumed he was getting the whole crew. But it was only his older sister and mother. He couldn't have been more pleased. He'd been expecting a family visit, an encouraging pat on the back. This was something far different: a pat on a way more exciting part of his body.

Christine and Lexi leered at him, then eyed him oddly. Austin looked down. He hadn't thought about his appearance. His apron looked like he was cutting through harsh jungle, not preparing salads. "Sorry," he said, and blushed, "It's been a busy day. Week. Lifetime." He slid his hands down his side, unsure of where to put them.

"Oh, don't be," Christine said, "I like a man in uniform."

"Yes, looking like you work hard is sexy," Lexi agreed. Austin wasn't sure his Mom and sister should be saying those things in public. But he didn't enjoy them any less.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Austin asked. He didn't want to sound rude, but he was legitimately curious.

"We'd heard about this hot new place we had to try," Christine said.

"And the hot dudes who work there," Lexi added.

Both women were dressed for a night on the town. Lexi was wearing a shiny, green dress and had those diamond earrings in again. Austin could see the little gold cross dipping between the top of her cleavage and blushed. That little 't' brought back some naughty memories.

Christine was wearing a white blouse and a black skirt. She had in gold hoop earrings, as well. Both women had done their makeup and styled their hair. They looked like two women out on the prowl: not a mother and daughter having a nice, family meal.

"I don't suppose you have time to join us?" Christine asked.

"Mom, he's clearly too busy," Lexi said. Austin nodded. He didn't want to admit it, but Lexi was right. He could already feel the hand of responsibility reaching around the back of his neck.

"I could, ummm, meet up after the shift is over. We could get dessert?" Austin said.

"Oh, I'd love some dessert," Lexi said. She reached out and grabbed at Austin's member through his slacks. He jumped back.

"Lexi!"

"Well I think dessert sounds lovely," Christine said. Austin couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face, thinking about what that meant.

He nodded and dragged himself back into the kitchen. He tried to stay focused on his job, but he couldn't. It was not his best performance. A few things got sent back and, overall, he was sloppy. Austin's mind was elsewhere, still standing by the booth with his Mom and sister. He did not get a congratulatory pat on the back from Chef Paul. He didn't stand outside and have a post-service smoke. He didn't want to hear about his mistakes from his co-workers. Besides, Austin had better things to do.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Austin got a text from Lexi that she and Christine had headed across the street to the big Irish pub. It was late, but the place was still jumping. There was a loud, live band at one end. The bar area was quite full: they had three bartenders going and all seemed overworked. Between the pounding music and the roar of conversation, Austin's ears were vibrating as he looked for his mom and sister. He found them, both with drinks in their hands, sitting at a high top back against the wall.