Lavin laughed; she had no one in line. “I’m beat. I may just crash in my bed…alone as always.”
“Girl, that’s sad. I know you better. Bet if I told you Heath was hanging with us, you would pounce on the invite.”
“Oh, well if that were happening, that would change everything.” She continued to laugh. “I can rest any other night.”
“Girl, you have it bad.”
“I wish he would notice.”
“Well, I’ll see you later. I have to go cut all the bar fruit for Zach. He likes a well-stocked bar.”
“I will catch up with you later. Love you Tyra.”
“Love you back!”
The evening rotation of reservations worked well. Often, the earlier reservations sat and lingered, which then backed up the later scheduled tables. The long night came to a close, and after being on her feet for hours, Lavin sat by herself in the break room and pulled her shoes off to ease her sore toes. The rest of the employees were clocking out or grabbing a quick water. Rolling her head in slow lingering circles around her shoulders almost caused Lavin to moan. Her eyes closed, she enjoyed relaxing. For a moment, she forgot she was seated in the break room. Adding to her escape from tension, fingers began to work on her shoulders. Fingers pushed deep into her skin, massaging her shoulders and then her neck. Tyra was known for giving the best massages, and Lavin wasn’t about to stop this. It felt so good. She released a soft moan. “That feels so freaking good; don’t stop.” Tyra was definitely working her muscles harder than unusual, her touch stronger. It felt incredible.
“I’m glad I can make you feel good.” His voice was tender, sexy, and sincere.
Lavin jumped from her seat. Heath was next to her. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you needed a massage; you looked so tired.”
“Thank you, but I’m okay.” She rolled her head around and said, “Yep, see I’m all good now.”
She was shocked he had touched her. His touch was so smooth and incredible, and it had swept her away instantly. She would have let him continue for hours, but for some reason whenever she heard his voice, she backed away nervously. Maybe it was because it was the most intimate touch from him so far. She wondered why he’d suddenly approach her now; he’d had opportunity before. Hopefully, one night, with enough confidence she would work her way over to him or get him a drink to curb her nerves. For now, she was still shocked that Heath Harrison moments ago gave her shoulders a massage of a lifetime. She’d missed another chance to open up to him; he was in her personal space, and she’d moved herself farther away. If she kept this up, she would never get close to him. Her continually pulling away from him could be sending him a sign that she was not interested and yet she truly was.
Heath felt a little put off that Lavin backed away from him. He was trying to get closer to her. His game was way off where she was concerned. He wasn’t sure if she just flat out wasn’t interested in him or what. Maybe he would try again later, but for now, he was set on throwing back some cold drinks and maybe getting laid.
The residences were alive tonight. All the doors were opened to the hallway and most were drinking and celebrating the end of the hard work shift. Heath’s door was open, and Lavin casually walked past it once or twice. The second time, she heard him call out her name. “Lavin, why don’t you come on in?”
She could do this, join him. Maybe have a drink or two and lighten up in his presence. She wanted to kick herself for the way she’d responded to his kind massage earlier. She needed to take a leap of faith, be forthright and open, receptive of him, as he seemed to be doing with her. If she didn’t, perhaps no more opportunities would occur. Lavin was at the doorframe, her foot poised to step over the threshold when Haylee zipped past her with two drinks in hand. Haylee went and sat close to Heath and handed him a drink. She also handed herself to him. Leaning closely to his face, she kissed him. Lavin spun around and left immediately, pulling his door closed. There was a rumor that Zach liked Haylee, but tonight, Zach wasn’t with who he wanted, and Lavin certainly hadn’t gotten the opportunity to move closer to Heath. The only thing she wanted to do now was climb in her bed and doze off. Perhaps her dreams would make her more assertive where Heath was concerned. She started to give in to sleep, but her mind was fixated on Heath kissing Haylee. If she had moved quicker, she could have been seated next to him and perhaps his lips would be pressing deeply against hers.
Lavin was greatly disappointed. Now, she felt more embarrassed than anything. Heath had tried earlier to get close to her, but she’d jumped back and rushed off. Then, she’d thought too much and taken too long to enter his room when he’d invited her; it again showed hesitation on her part. A guy like Heath wasn’t going to try again. Lavin had blown the only window of opportunity with him shut.
Heath laid awake most of the night, glancing at his door. Haylee had positioned herself on his bed, and then he’d noticed Lavin had not come in after he’d called out to her. He’d planned to settle things with her this evening. But he’d been massively distracted as Haylee initiated a kiss, and soon they were both stripped naked and rolling all over Heath’s bed. Haylee had grabbed the headboard as Heath thrust into her from behind. Heath had closed his eyes, wanting this to be a night with Lavin. Even if they’d done nothing more than kissing, he would have been fine with that. For a moment, he’d forgotten who had been giving his hard cock a workout. Then he’d remembered her name was Harley; no, that was wrong, but it was close to that. It had hit him as he came; it was Haylee, but he’d so wanted to give everything he had to Lavin.
When he’d pulled out of Haylee, he’d told her he wanted to hit the sack. She’d thought that was an invitation for her to curl up to him as well. “Haylee, that was great, but I need to sleep, and I can’t sleep with someone else in my bed.” She’d smiled and kissed him goodnight. He could sleep with a dozen people in his bed, but tonight, he’d just wanted to think about…Lavin.
What would it feel like to have sex—no, not sex—make love to Lavin? Would she ever want to be with him, he wondered, knowing he had been with so many other girls? Heath felt something for her. His heart seemed to pick up when she was around. He’d noticed after working the same shifts with her that she was all that he thought of hours later.
He’d found himself looking ahead at the next week schedule just to note the days or nights they worked the same shift. He knew she was having sex with David. He wasn’t sure what that was about. Surely, she couldn’t have real feelings for the guy. Perhaps Lavin liked an older man, he thought. He just couldn’t see those two together, nor did he want to try to envision that.
He and David did not get along. When Heath was hired, his father had had an ulterior motive. He’d wanted his son to watch over David. They’d heard he slept with some of the staff; they would get rid of him if that were true. Heath would love David gone, but the only one he knew David was having sex with was Lavin, and Heath didn’t want her hurt in a scandal. He wanted her to keep working there. He feared she would leave if David were exposed for sleeping with any staff. He had seen her reject his friendly moves; he thought she would run for the hills if attention were brought to who David was screwing. Heath’s reports to his family were that “I can’t find anything on David.” That had bought Heath more time with Lavin while they continued to work the summer seasons.
Heath was always polite to his boss, but he’d always felt a vibe that David was not happy Heath had been hired. The family was grooming Heath for a higher position with the restaurant, so Heath took in all he could learn. Even though he slept around quite often, his head for the business was definitely positioned for the end game. If that included Lavin, it would be the best bonus.
Heath’s eyes finally closed tightly as he remembered he and Lavin were working almost every shift together in the coming week. A pleasant smile spread across his face just before sleep won him over.
David was exhausted at the end of the night. He knew Lavin had gone back to her room to sleep, an
d there would be no sex tonight. David wasn’t certain he could even lift his body from his office chair. He had been on an adrenaline high the entire evening while making certain all the patrons were happy. Once the last meal was served, he then had to prepare for the next day, and the workload for a General Manger was endless. David didn’t have a life. He simply lived and breathed Arden’s Restaurant and continued to work hard at maintaining his position. His eyes grew heavy, and he rested his head back in his chair. David was soon fast asleep and deep into a dream.
“You can’t have her. She is mine. She will never be with a loser like you,” David shouted at Heath. He spat with each word. His face tensed as he and Heath faced each other in a standoff. He had wanted to proclaim this to Heath and to Lavin as well. He knew in time she would be his alone. Her dreams of some fantasy love or schoolgirl crush she carried for Heath would dissolve.
“I love her.” Heath spoke without blinking as he stared David down.
“Love? You, of all people, don’t know what love is. You bounce a woman a week out of your bed. How can you love anything?”
“I know I love her, and I will find a way to her heart.” Heath was untouched by David’s ranting words putting him down.
“Heath, you are in for the surprise of your life…just you wait.” David laughed hard and awoke still laughing. David knew he had the power to take Heath down and he would. He shuddered, thinking how Heath sounded so real in his dream as he stated his love for Lavin. He knew it was far from the truth, as he’d observed the two of them often when they worked together; they barely made eye contact or shared much conversation.
He knew Lavin was dreaming of a happy ever after with this guy that would never come. David knew his arms would be there to catch her, cradle her, and keep her safe when he removed this guy from the restaurant and their lives. Lavin would warm up to him more. He would wait until the right time arrived. He knew she would finally want to be with him. Then he would no longer carry the humiliation of her thinking of Heath while naked and positioned over his cock.
David knew it was safe to keep scheduling them together. The more Lavin saw Heath and received no indication that he had any interest, the more it would disappoint her. David would continue to monitor Heath’s indiscretions and hopefully gather more. He would keep throwing Heath at her in the restaurant in order to encourage more and more upset and frustration for Lavin. David had set his sights on Lavin. He still observed all the new employees, especially the women. He looked them over. Some he even flirted with, some he got a little sampling from, but even with his playing at work, he kept his mind on his prize: Lavin.
It was a long night for all. Not only working ’til the early hours, but then hanging out in the residences ’til dawn. Tyra awoke in her bed. She’d had a few drinks and hoped to wind up in the arms of Zach last night, but he’d seemed preoccupied. He’d talked to Tyra for quite a while, and it seemed they might have been on the way to hooking up until all the conversation was about Haylee.
Zach talked to Tyra like he would a sister. He poured out how he wanted to ask Haylee out. He said he wasn’t sure if she would give him a chance. Tyra smiled back at him as he spoke, knowing she’d seen Haylee exit Heath’s room earlier, barely dressed and her beautiful blonde locks, which cascaded past her waist, tangled up in a complete mess. Zach would have to step up his game. Tyra just listened to all the fine things that Zach liked about Haylee. “She is stunning and stops my heart every time I see her. She is girl perfection. I know you two are friends, so I hope you don’t mind me bending your ear about her.” Tyra heard him go on and on. She wanted someone to throw her over his shoulder and take her to bed. Since that hadn’t happened, she just relished in the joy of another man telling her about who he was interested in, even if it certainly wasn’t her.
Lavin was up, showered, and dressed, heading out of the residences to go and register for her Fall classes. Most would sleep in since Arden’s was closed today; she knew Heath would more than likely still be in bed with Haylee wrapped around his naked body. She walked past his door and could almost see that vision of them both on his bed. “Well, don’t you look beautiful?” She heard Heath’s voice, but knew it couldn’t be directed at her. She had to be imagining it. Turning back, Heath stood only a few feet behind her, Heath stood shirtless, his hair all over the place. His tired face greeted her sweetly.
“Oh, I didn’t think anyone was up yet…good morning.”
“Did you have fun last night? You never stopped in.”
“I did have fun, but I also had to get some sleep. I have to go register for my classes.”
“Would you like company?”
“I don’t think you are ready to leave.” She laughed, taking in every inch of his body in front of her. Her laughing calmed her. His naked chest almost caused her to stutter.
“I’m a guy; I can wash and dress in five minutes.” He looked at her with his offering.
“Heath, that sounds nice, but you look like you need another five hours of rest.” She smiled and made her exit. She meant her comment as concerning; he looked tired. Turning away, she frowned, knowing that she kept pushing away from Heath when her heart really wanted to leap forward. For so long he hadn’t seemed interested in her. Lavin continued to dream of a romance with him but couldn’t open up…not yet. She hoped one day she could. If not, she would never know what could be. Her parents hadn’t built up her hopes much growing up and therefore she maintained a low self-esteem. Early on, whenever she was eager to display a new dance move she practiced and developed, Lavin would run to the living room to perform for her parents. She was often pushed aside. “Not now Lavin, show us later.” Her mother would say. Her father wouldn’t raise his eyes from the newspaper. It was as though she didn’t exist. Her excitement diminished, and the dance steps she prided on learning in front of her oval bedroom mirror that hung over the door went unviewed by anyone else. She passed herself off as just ordinary and put Heath in the realms of extraordinary.
“I was serious; I would’ve gone with you,” he hollered as she kept walking farther away.
Her feet kept moving forward. She’d wanted his company for so long, and finally, whether he was simply playing with her or not, it sounded good. She wanted to glance back and see his naked back, but was afraid he might be watching her leave.
“Damn, she looked beautiful this morning,” Heath remarked several times as he lay back in his bed, talking to himself the entire time. “I would’ve gone with her. I could have been ready in a flash. I bet she thought I was kidding. She was beautiful.” He kept a vision of her fresh in his mind: Her faded jeans with holes throughout exposing pops of her delicate skin. Her light pink tee shirt paired well with lips he couldn’t forget.
He’d turned and followed every step she took to the end of the corridor, hoping she would turn back. Then he would know she liked him. He wondered what they would have done together in the city all day. He would have definitely reached for her hand and hoped she’d let him hold it even if for a short time. He would have liked to hear her dreams, what she wanted to do when she finally got her degree. He knew she would light up when she spoke about that.
Heath also hoped he would one day see her light up regarding him. He knew that seemed pretty impossible, but then again, he’d challenged himself in stepping into the family business and diving into business courses to be gaining quite an extensive understanding of the business. He would also be up for the long haul to win Lavin’s attention and then her affection.
He wanted to know where Lavin was born and about her family. He didn’t know a lot about her. She seemed closed mouthed about herself. With his failed attempts to get closer to her, he veered away from pressing her on any topic she didn’t openly offer information on. Many of their working conversations gave him a slight insight into her, but one time he’d asked if she was celebrating the holidays with her family, and her face hardened. She didn’t answer him, just went off in another direction of the restaurant. Somet
hing was off with her and her family. It wasn’t for him to pry into any further. If she wanted him to know, he hoped she would open herself up more. Heath knew he didn’t appear to be the type of guy to listen, but if he found the one woman he could love he would forever fill her ears with romantic words.
Lavin returned to spend the afternoon cleaning up her room and getting her uniforms pressed for the week ahead. She entered the building when she got back and passed Heath’s room. She hoped he would be there so she could smooth over shooting him down earlier. Her earlier hall confrontation with him was a surprise, but thinking back it was a pleasant one. It sounded good as she mentally prepared herself to not shy away anymore. She passed his closed door and smiled as she had another thought. She knew they were working together tomorrow; she would set her sights on that and look forward to their next shift.
6
Present Summer Season
No Hot Tea Please
The restaurant packed in the tourists and was always at full capacity. Lavin and Heath passed one another quickly while taking care of their job assignments. He was covering the floor and she a huge table. Lavin was very good at handling the larger parties. When their entree came to end, Lavin was on the homestretch of divine homemade desserts and coffee.
Heath was very attentive to the main dining floor action. He observed the content customers and enjoyed hearing them rave about the food. Where Lavin was concerned, he didn’t miss watching her either. All his attention kept swaying in her direction. He followed her across the floor as she continued service to one very large party. She had a great restaurant presence. Her table looked pleased with their meal and service. The evening was progressing at a nice pace, and nothing had gone wrong: no china plates chipped, no wine glasses cracked, and no menu selections had been eighty-sixed.
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 100
