My Darling Boy Ch. 01

In the darkness of my room I saw her. In the silence of the night I heard her.

"I know what you need..."

I rolled over and plunged my face into my pillow.

"Naughty, very naughty..."

Echoes of her giggle polluted my mind and I could almost still feel her hands on me even now.

I sank into my pillow, trying to forget her. And failing.

***

Saturday shift came around and I was more nervous for a night shift than usual. Sure, it's the best night of the week for tips, but I had no idea what I was going to say to June. I figured we were two professionals. I had no plans to discuss any of this with her at work. Work is work.

As I entered the restaurant it was already full somehow, at four o' clock. I could tell I was in for a rough shift.

Without saying anything to anyone, I dropped my belongings underneath the bar and washed my hands.

There was already a backlog of order tickets on the bar. The servers must have already been pushed by how busy we were. I refused to look up from the bar. I could see June zipping around her section, and I didn't want to throw either of us off our work with awkward eye contact.

Occasionally she brought dirty glasses to the bar and set them down for me to put through the glass-washer. Neither of us said a word to each other.

Marg x2 I would see on a ticket. Easy. Two ounces agave syrup. Two ounces Cointreau. Two ounces lime juice. Four ounces of "well" tequila. Shake with ice. Double strain into two half-salted martini glasses and serve with lime wheels placed delicately on the rim. Simple, cheap, refreshing, citrus and sweet combination.

TD x1 . Our signature "Turkish Delight" cocktail. One once sugar syrup. 3/4 ounce raspberry liqueur. One ounce lemon juice. Two ounces top-shelf vodka. Shake with ice and strain over crushed ice. Serve with lemon slice and raspberry on a toothpick. June's favorite drink on the menu.

AS x2 . Super simple but a showstopper. The amaretto sour. Two ounce egg white. Two ounce lemon juice. Four ounce of premium amaretto. Dry shake first to incorporate the egg and lemon and get a foamy reaction going. Then, shake with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora glass. A small spot of bitters to adorn the resting layer of foam atop the drink. Served straight-up, always.

We had about a dozen signature cocktails in addition to all the classics. The key to bartending was knowledge, and understanding flavor combinations. It was also about knowing what was trendy and what was new, because people who had already had a few swigs of the loud-juice usually got bolder with their orders as the night went on. Trying to impress dates, impress family, trying a drink they'd seen on a TV show, or hell, to impress the servers.

June was no stranger to this. Guys would buy her drinks all night. Some she would even strike up conversation with at their table. I saw how she would eye them. I would keep an eye on her. I would watch her soft pink lips dance through the dim light of the restaurant as I imagined what she could be saying. I saw her laugh, her smile, her winces when the conversation fell flat. I saw her subconsciously stick her butt out slightly, leaning over the table on her hands as she soaked in customer's charms and compliments.

Tonight was no different. I saw her get at least three phone numbers, and many more conversations with inebriated young men trying their luck, some seemingly going better than others.

Midnight came around. At long last. I was utterly exhausted, but now we had to close.

Our manager had left, and now it was only myself, June, and the other server in charge of the back section, Brittany. She was a lovely girl, always so positive and brought a brilliant lively energy to the restaurant. She was young, and clearly this was her first job out of high school. I had shown her how to make a few of the cocktails on the menu for times when there were orders for them before I had started my shift or was on break. She was a fast learner, and had a natural instinct for odd-jobs that needed doing. We barely had to walk her through the close down procedure.

I however, was upstairs in the liquor cupboard which doubled as a back-office. I was opening cases of booze to store on the shelves so I could easily grab them in a hurry. It was numbing work, taking out bottles and flattening boxes. But I insisted I do this, so that I knew where everything was. The room needed a four digit pass-code to get in, naturally, so I had the room to myself for now. A safe haven where I could relax for a little while.

I sat on a box of coffee liqueur and sighed. I pulled out my disposable vape and took a puff, feeling the apple-flavored mist rush down my throat. I felt my muscles relax and gelatinize as the nicotine rushed through my bloodstream.

I gazed up at the single flourescent bulb lighting the room, wondering if I should wait until June had definitely gone before I headed back downstairs to mop.

That is, until I heard footsteps outside the room.

I watched in horror as the stranger outside punched in the passcode and turned the latch, slowly opening the door.

"Are you in here, darling?"

Shit.

"Oh... uh, yeah. Come in."

June slowly walked through the door, seemingly glad to see me. She shut the door and leaned up against it, almost guarding it in a way. I stared at the floor, but could sense that she was looking me up and down.

She finally broke the awkward silence.

"Good shift?"

I nodded, taking another hit from my vape and blowing it out of the corner of my mouth. Being dehydrated after such a busy shift started making me feel a bit sick. It was either that, or the nerves of being around June in such an intimate space again.

"Hey, I... I know you already turned down my offer. So I don't want things to be weird between us. I love working with you. It would be silly to let this ruin the good thing we already have."

I looked up at her deep brown eyes. I always felt like I was drowning in them, whenever she looked at me. I was a deer in headlights. Words were so hard to form.

She smiled.

I smiled.

She was right. It was silly to let whatever happened last night get in the way of a great working relationship.

She stepped forward, and I sat up straight in anticipation. She walked over and gently placed her hand on my head. She ran her fingers through my hair the same way she did last night, sending currents through me once more.

"You're my darling boy, you know that?"

I closed my eyes as her words bounced around my head. Her voice... her God-damned fucking voice. It sent shivers up my spine and tingles back down, alternating with torturous bliss.

"If you do change your mind..." Came a hushed voice, sounding closer than before. I was too subdued by her touch to open my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt something warm and soft against my lips. My heart began racing as I opened my eyes. I saw June, her eyes closed, as she pushed her lips against mine. I felt light warm air from her nostrils tickle my upper lip.

I was in raptures. I couldn't believe what was happening. Her hand glided down from the top of my head and softly held the back of my neck. She gently pulled me into her as we kissed.

I felt warm. I felt the sort of warmth you feel when the Sun is on your face in the height of summer vacation. When you've just eaten the best meal of your life. When the greatest thing you could imagine happening to you, finally happens.

I let myself go and reached up to softly place my hand behind her ear, running my fingers into her forest of long hair and feeling the intricate soft definitions of her cheek with my thumb.

It's a cliche, but it really is as if time stood still as we shared a secret moment in the dull upstairs office of the crumby little city bistro. Nothing but the faint buzz of the light above us keeping us company, like some crude, post-modern mistletoe.

I was putty in her hands.

With a gentle smooch sound, she broke the kiss, placing her forehead on mine. Her finger drew a line across the length of my jaw and rested underneath my chin.

"Nobody will ever know." She whispered.

***

I lay in bed that night staring at the ceiling. The world was spinning around me. June had turned my world completely upside down.

Whatever it was that we shared in the upstairs office of the restaurant, I wanted more. I needed more. Her spirit called to me, her world so inviting and so tempting.

It was safe to say her affection was my new opium. Our relationship had shifted so rapidly from one of workplace banter and friendship, to one where I was fully entranced by her. She owned me.

I needed a fix. Whether that was through taking up her offer or not, I had to go see her outside of work again.

She appeared to me in my dreams, to say a final word before a new day's dawn.

"Come here..."

We were sitting on a hillside, far above the clouds. She dove into me with a tackle, pinning me on my back and parking herself firmly down on my crotch. Her hands placed firmly on mine over my head, keeping me vulnerable underneath her. i savored the weight of her body on mine. She stared down at me, hunger in her eyes. Like she wanted to devour my very essence.

"I know.. what you want. And I know what you need. I won't give you what you want."

I struggled and squirmed underneath her.

"But I will give you what you need."

I felt hot. I felt dizzy.

"What?"

"What is it?"

"What do I need?"