Last Call (Original Fiction Mashup AU)
Apr. 28th, 2019 04:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Last Call
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction/White Pine Original Fiction AU
Pairings: Hahahaha
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,014
Summary: It’s the day after Andrej’s first night at the bar.
Author’s Note: Written first and foremost at the suggestion of sharpiesgal. However, the prompt for this week’s Say What Friday at 1_million_words finally gave me the inspiration that I needed. The quote was: "Life always offers you a second chance. It's called tomorrow." Not sure I really stuck with the prompt, but this is what it inspired. Also, this is a big bunch of I don’t even know. Hopefully it makes some kind of sense.
The first installment, Hey Bartender, is here.
Andrej stretched, feeling his stiff muscles loosen slowly. One arm bumped into a warm body, startling him. He stilled for a second before his memory returned. He'd gone for drinks with those two dancers and, judging by the pleasant ache in his body, they'd enjoyed each other's company quite a bit.
He looked to either side of him, sighing at the two beautiful men he'd spent the night with. As much fun as it had been, he knew it couldn't happen again. Fuck him sideways, but it definitely had to stop right now.
So, he needed to leave. But how the hell was he going to get out from between them without waking them?
"Do you need to get up," Zayne murmured sleepily, eyes still closed.
"Yes, please," he said grateful for the out.
"M'kay," he replied, scooting out of bed so Andrej could get up. Zayne stretched, giving Andrej one last eyeful of lean, muscled belly. "Don’t be too long, you're fun to cuddle with. And so warm, too."
Andrej winced. He had no intention of coming back to bed. Hell, he might not even return to work tonight. "I will not be long," he lied.
Escaping to the living room, he found his clothes where they’d been tossed during their frenzied passion and started to get dressed. He was short a sock and, after a brief search, decided it was collateral damage and could be replaced.
“You’re not leaving us are you,” Zayne asked. His sexy, half-naked form was propped against a wall, watching him.
“I –” Andrej started to say before shaking his head. There was no point in lying once you’d been caught. “Yes,” he said, sighing. “I am sorry but I must go.”
“Why?” Zayne strutted across James’ living room and plopped down on the couch beside Andrej. “Did we do something to piss you off?”
“No,” he said, sighing heavily. This would have been so much easier if he’d been quicker. “You were – you were both amazing,” he said, hating the blush he knew was coloring his cheeks. “But I can’t lose my job.”
“You won’t,” Zayne said, giving his arm a squeeze. “Murph won’t tell a soul and neither will we. It’ll be fine as long as I don’t lose control and try to tear your clothes off backstage.”
Andrej swallowed hard. “You would not,” he asked more than stated.
“I might,” Zayne said, leaning over and biting at the tender flesh of Andrej’s neck. “Men aren’t generally my thing but you drive me crazy, baby.” He kissed Andrej’s earlobe. “I can’t keep my damn hands off you.”
“You’d better be prepared to share, cowboy,” James said from the hallway.
“Always,” Zayne laughed. “Just as long as Andy here’s on board, so am I.”
“I think I have no problems with being shared,” he said, letting the ‘again’ fall silent. By the smug looks on their faces, they’d heard it anyway. “You really want me to stay?”
“Hell yes,” James said, grinning. “Nothing beats an early morning romp in the hay.”
“Followed by a good breakfast,” Zayne added.
Andrej laughed, feeling a thousand times better than he had when he’d woken up. “Okay, I’ll stay. I’ll even prepare breakfast afterwards, if you have food in the house.”
“I do,” James said. “Not much, but it ought to be enough to hold the three of us over until we get to work tonight.”
“Nice,” Zayne said, wrapping his arms around Andrej. “Now get naked so we can get back to fucking like civilized people.”
“Really, Reyes,” James asked.
“Really, Rosewood,” Zayne shot back. “No one in their right mind is up this time of morning unless food, sex, or a fire is involved.”
“Can’t argue with that,” James said. “Come on, you two. We have business to take care of before we can eat.”
**
“You okay,” Travis asked over his shoulder. He’d been restocking the alcohol behind the bar while Andrej retrieved glasses from the back.
“I am fine,” he said, lying as best he could. James and Zayne hadn’t let him leave until after lunchtime which, on one hand had been quite worthwhile. On the other, he’d barely made it home in time to shower and change for work.
“You don’t look like you slept very well,” Travis said, a knowing smile on his face. “Tell me you went home with James and not Zayne.”
Andrej stared at the glass he’d been holding, unable to form the words he needed to say.
“Oh god,” Travis spluttered. “Did you go home with both of them?”
“Both of who,” Hilary asked, sliding onto a stool. “Oh, never mind. I can see it all over his face. This is what Zayne does to people.” She shook her head. “I’m going to have a talk with that boy.”
“So, that answers our question from last night,” Trish added. “Guess he will screw anything pretty.” She looked at Andrej and smiled. “No offense to you, honey, because you are gorgeous.”
”You really are,” Hilary agreed. “Zayne was always a sucker for a pair of big, blue eyes.”
Andrej blushed. That at least explained Zayne’s continual commentary on both his and James’ eyes the night before.
“Girls, leave him alone,” Travis said, stepping in and shooing his waitress and bartender away. “Hilary, you have things to prep before we open and Trish… go behave yourself somewhere.”
“Fine,” Hilary groaned. “And we didn’t mean to embarrass you, Andy,” she said.
“We weren’t,” Trish tossed out. “I thought it was our goal to embarrass them all at least once.”
“Yeah, but they’re not supposed to know that, Trish.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Travis said, patting Andrej on the arm. “They can be a bit much sometimes.”
“It is fine,” Andrej said before fleeing the scene under the guise of getting more glasses for the bar. “God, what did I get myself into,” he muttered in Romanian. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t ever had a shady hookup before, but this one definitely took the cake.
“Are you okay back here?” Travis peered around a stack of boxes containing napkins, his face serious.
“How many times are you going to ask me that question today,” he shot back, embarrassment turning to anger.
“As many times as I need to before I’m sure you’re not going to run screaming from the building.”
“I would never do any such thing,” Andrej said, hating that he’d had exactly that urge ten minutes ago.
“So, if I tell you that the dynamic duo has arrived you’d be okay?”
Andrej sighed, then nodded. “We have come to an agreement,” he said. “They promised not to harass or embarrass me while at work.”
“We figured the harassment and embracement was better suited to private times,” Zayne said, brushing past the two bartenders. He brushed a kiss against Andrej’s cheek.
“You’re not supposed to be back here,” Travis reminded him.
“Oh, I know, but Hil said you two were back here and I wanted to say hi.”
“Hi, Zayne,” Travis deadpanned, arms crossed over his chest.
“Hi, Murphy,” Zayne teased. “Okay, now that I’m sure you’re upright and able to work, I’m going to change.”
“And the ginger,” Travis asked.
“He’s already in the dressing room.”
“Beautiful, now follow him so Andy and I can get the bar ready to go before it’s time to open.”
“You’ve got it, boss,” Zayne said, giving a salute and heading out of the bar kitchen.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with him,” Travis muttered.
“He is a handful,” Andrej agreed.
“I bet he is,” Travis laughed. “I’ve seen him in a Speedo, you know.”
He couldn’t stop the blush that flooded his face, but for once he didn’t care. “You are not wrong about that, Travis. And now I am going to hide.”
“Check to see if there are any dirty glasses that need washing,” he said, feeling sorry for his bartender, looking like a fish out of water. “And take your time.”
**
Facing Zayne in the bar had been the hardest part. Once he was assured that Zayne was cool with everything and that Travis honestly didn’t give a damn, Andrej had relaxed. Sneaking into the dressing room long enough to say hi to James and give him a quick kiss had settled the rest of his remaining nerves.
“Zayne can be an idiot,” Hilary said when they took a break before opening. “But he’s a good guy once you get to know him a bit.”
“Don’t let James trick you into thinking he doesn’t care either,” Jake said. He was the bar’s other bouncer, although he hadn’t been working the night before. Apparently, Jake had brought James over this way when he’d quit another bouncer job at a competing bar. “He’s pretty soft-hearted if you know how to bring it out of him.”
“James sounds like Ethan,” Travis laughed. “You’d think he was working for the FBI instead of at an adult book store selling sex manuals and gag gifts.”
Hilary laughed. “That boy has secrets,” she said. “I’d love to know what he’s hiding.”
“Maybe later,” Travis said, rolling his eyes. “It’s time to get this show on the road. Everyone ready?”
A chorus of ‘yes’, ‘sure’, and one ‘why not’ – from Zayne, of course – echoed around the room. Trish unlocked the front doors while the rest took their usual positions. Andrej hoped that it was busier than it had been the night before, mainly because he had so much to distract him tonight. Seeing James and Zayne strip before him last night had been mesmerizing, but tonight? It might be the death of him since he knew every inch of what lay behind those strips of underwear.
**
“Ethan,” Andrej said, seeing the familiar face appear at the bar around eight o’clock. “You have excellent timing. Travis is about to take his dinner break.”
“That is good timing,” Ethan said, grinning when he saw Travis emerge from the kitchen area. “Hey, Travis, want company while you eat?”
“How can I say no to that face,” Travis asked, shooting Ethan a wink. “Come on, I was going to eat in the back.” He flicked a quick, questioning look at Andrej.
“I will not say a word,” he said, reassuring Travis. “Enjoy your break.”
“Thanks,” Travis said, his shoulders drooping a bit with relief. “Won’t be longer than twenty.”
“Do not worry,” Andrej said, smiling. “We are not very busy right now.”
Ignoring the spark of jealousy he felt in his gut, Andrej turned back to the small gathering of people around the bar. He’d get his chance to be with his boys later, he reminded himself. Right now, Travis had a chance to make a little headway with Ethan, he might as well take advantage of it. Smiling, he shook his head and took an order from a pretty, older brunette.
“What can I get you,” he asked a young guy who was barely legal from the looks of him. Andrej had to hope that Jake and Trish were doing their jobs, checking IDs as they let people in. Otherwise, this could be an issue. Putting the thought aside, trusting in his co-workers, he focused his attention on the kid at the bar.
“Two shots of Patron,” he said.
Nodding, Andrej turned towards the section where the tequilas were housed and frowned when he realized the spot where the Patron sat was empty. “I am out, I will be right back,” he said, ducking through the door leading to the kitchen and cleanup area behind the bar.
He pushed the door open and called out to Travis, “I need a bottle of – oh god,” he stopped dead in his tracks, paralyzed by the sight of Ethan’s naked ass. Frantic, he spotted the bottle he was looking for, grabbed it and bolted back into the bar area.
“Dude,” the young customer chuckled. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“It – I wish it were a ghost,” Andrej said, laughing despite his horror. “Two shots?”
He nodded. “And pour a third for yourself,” he said, tossing extra money onto the bar. “You look like you need it.”
Boy, did he ever need a drink. “Thanks,” Andrej said, moving on to the next patron.
Surprised by the hand on his shoulder, Andrej jumped. The show had started and everyone had drifted away from the bar, leaving him there alone for a quiet minute.
“Easy,” Travis said.
He put a hand over his heart and closed his eyes. “You startled me.”
“Twice in one night, I think,” Travis said with a sad chuckle. “I’m sorry – for both.”
Andrej put both hands on the counter and hung his head, laughing. “It is okay, really. I was not quite expecting – that – when I went back looking for the Patron but after last night?” He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I suppose I should not be all that surprised.”
“At least you had the good sense to take it home,” Travis said, grabbing a rag and wiping up a spill he’d spotted.
“I am happy for you, even if it was not an opportune time for a – what did James call it? A roll in the hay?”
Travis snorted. “That’s one way to put it, I guess.”
“Did Ethan go back to work?” He wasn’t really that concerned, but as handsome as Ethan was, Andrej wasn’t sure he needed to see any more of the man’s bare skin. Between James and Zayne, he was getting enough of that at the moment.
“He did,” Travis said. “I let him out the back on the off chance you didn’t want to see his face again tonight.”
“It was not his face I saw,” Andrej said, immediately regretting it.
“Oh god,” Travis spluttered. “Yeah, okay, so I’ll not tell him that but…”
“I would appreciate that,” Andrej said. “I like him a lot and the less he knows the better.”
“Agreed,” Travis said. “And if you could keep this to yourself maybe?”
“Of course,” Andrej said. He was fully aware that there might be a time when Travis would catch him doing something not all that dissimilar in the dressing rooms. Although both of his boys had promised to behave, all bets were off after they’d had a couple of post-performance drinks.
“Thank you.” He patted Andrej on the shoulder. “Zayne’s last run is about to start. Why don’t you go watch him and James perform?” Travis gave Andrej a leering grin. “You know, take some notes so you can ask them to dance for you privately.”
“That is an enticing idea,” Andrej said, smiling at Travis. “They will be quite happy to show me their favorite moves, I am sure.”
“Go, sit, ogle,” Travis said, shooing Andrej off.
**
Settling himself at an empty table, Hilary wandered by and dropped off a bottle of water and a shot of tequila. “Murphy said you were in need of a stiff drink,” she said.
“You have no idea,” he said. “Thank you.”
“No problem, honey,” she said. “Did you catch him fucking in the back room again?”
“He has done this before?”
Hilary laughed. “Once or twice,” she said. “But not very often, he’s generally more professional than that. But…”
“But?”
“But I’ve seen the way he and Ethan look at each other. I’m kind of surprised it took this long.”
He’d seen that, too. “I believe they will be good together.”
“Without a doubt,” she agreed. “Just do me a favor and don’t let me or Trish catch you with well, either of those two yahoos. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to scrub that image from my brain.”
“Promise,” Andrej said, meaning every word.
He had zero intention of having sex in his place of work. Now, in the car in the parking lot like he and Zayne had almost managed last night, well, that was another story. Had James not appeared and insisted they go back to his place, it would have happened. It was the only time in memory when he’d been happy to be interrupted because instead of just one hot man, he’d ended up with two.
“Good,” she said, pointing to his shot. “If you need another, let me know. Murph said he’d spot you two, but any more than that and he’s afraid you’ll wind up on the stage.”
Andrej laughed at that idea. “No, not me. I am not an exhibitionist. Well, not unless I have been imbibing a bit too much of my homeland’s plum brandy. But I cannot get that here so you are safe.”
“Color me intrigued,” Hilary said. “Enjoy and let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I am good and the only thing I need right now you cannot procure for me.”
Hilary looked towards the stage and nodded. “Yeah, he’s pretty damn addictive and worth every last aggravation.”
“Are you sad you are no longer together?”
“Nah,” she said. “I’ve been seeing the bouncer, Jake, for a few months now. Zayne and I made our peace so it’s all good. You won’t get any jealous ex-girlfriend shit out of me. Crap, I’ll talk to you later. That blonde over there has been running me ragged all night.”
He waved her away and looked at the tequila Travis had sent over. He’d taken a ride sharing service into work, knowing that he was going to wind up at either James or Zayne’s place later that night. One shot wasn’t going to hurt. Andrej lifted it to his lips and knocked it back, the slow burn of alcohol filling his body with warmth. Yeah, he might need to grab a bottle of this for later.
**
“I heard a rumor,” Zayne whispered into Andrej’s ear, causing a shiver to run up his spine.
“Oh? And what was that, Zayne?”
The Texan’s face broke into a brilliant smile. “Only that our fearless leader got caught with his pants down during work hours.”
Andrej stared at Zayne, mouth open. “Who told you that?”
Zayne shrugged and moved away from Andrej. He wasn’t supposed to be behind the bar, even during the off hours. “Heard it through the grapevine.”
“That and Murph’s got guilt written all over his face. Has ever since he finished his dinner break,” James added. He leaned against the bar, long legs presenting a tripping hazard for anyone not paying attention. “Last time he looked like that, Trish had caught him with that dick of an ex-boyfriend. What was his name?”
“Reid,” Zayne said, spitting the word out as if it tasted bad.
“Yeah, glad that idiot went back to Utah,” James said.
Sighing, Andrej started wiping down the bar, preparing for closing time. “It is true, but you did not hear it from me.”
“Rumor has it, you’re the one that caught them.” James grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
Andrej frowned at James, uncomfortable with the direction this discussion was taking. “I do not want to talk about it.”
“And honestly, I’d really rather you not talk about it either,” Travis said, flapping his hands at Zayne and James. “Let him finish his job. He’s all yours in ten minutes.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Zayne grumbled.
“Hey, Murph,” Jake called out from the front of the bar. “Are we allowed to harass your boyfriend? Kinda need to know now because he’s coming up the walk.”
“No,” Travis shot back, mortified. “For the love of god, Jake, leave Ethan alone.”
“Did I hear my name,” Ethan said, coming inside the bar before Trish locked the door. “Because I think I heard my name.”
“You did,” she cackled. “But I doubt you’re going to want to know why.”
He gave her a devious grin. “As if I don’t already know,” he said. “Murphy’s told me all about all of you and I wouldn’t expect any less. Honestly, I’d be disappointed if you weren’t razzing the shit out of him right now.”
Andrej looked at Ethan, surprised. “You are not embarrassed?”
“Oh, I’m embarrassed as hell, but that’s the risk you take when you do something stupid, right?”
“Right,” Andrej said, liking the guy more every time he met him. “Can I get you a drink before I start cleaning up?”
“Sure,” Ethan said. “But I’ll keep it simple and get a beer, anything you’ve got in a bottle.”
“You’ve got it,” Andrej said, reaching into the cooler and grabbing the last bottle of Dos Equis that remained. “Is this okay?”
“It’s perfect, thanks,” Ethan said, taking the bottle and raising it to his lips for a long swallow.
Zayne sat down beside Ethan and grinned. “You know, this isn’t Muprh’s first time getting caught out at work.”
Ethan laughed. “Yeah, he was actually telling me a story about someone else – I guess the guy doesn’t work here any longer – doing something similar and that got us on the topic.” He shrugged.
“And the rest is history, Reyes,” Travis said, giving Zayne a warning look. “Why don’t you and the hot cop take our poor, shell shocked bartender somewhere quieter?”
“I can go for that,” James said, perking up. “Zayne?”
“Oh, I’m definitely game,” Zayne answered.
“But I am not done cleaning,” Andrej said, looking from his boys to his boss.
“Its fine, Andy,” Travis said. “Go home early, you’ve earned it tonight.”
Ethan snickered. “I can help clean if you need it, T.”
“Much appreciated,” he said, handing a rag over to Ethan. “You can help Hilary wipe down the tables and the chairs.”
“On it, boss,” Ethan joked. He slid off the barstool and took his beer towards the nearest table.
“And now you three? Get the hell out of here,” Travis said, pointing towards the door. “Last chance.”
Zayne took the rag out of Andrej’s hands and tossed it into the sink. Giving his belt loop a tug, Zayne led him out from behind the bar. “Time to go home and play house,” he said.
“You never wanted to play house with me, asshole,” Hilary joked. “If I were you, Andy, I’d run for my life.”
“He’s not allowed to run,” Travis said. “I kind of want to keep him around.”
“Same,” Trish said. “He’s too easy to rile, I like that in a man.”
“It’s about the only thing you do like in a man,” Jake said. Trish flipped him off before returning to her duties securing the building for the night.
“Okay, enough. Get back to work and we can all get out of here early.” Travis looked at James and Zayne, putting his hands on his hips. “I know you three are having fun, but try not to break our new bartender, okay? He’s almost fully trained and I’m becoming rather fond of him.”
“Fine,” James muttered, sneaking a little wink in Travis’ direction. “Promise not to break him, although we can’t promise we won’t rough him up a bit.”
“Oh god,” Andrej muttered.
“From the sounds of it,” Ethan said from three tables down, “he might actually enjoy that.”
“Believe me, we intend to find out before the night is over,” Zayne said. “Now, let’s get out of this place. I’m thinking we ought to take him back to my place tonight, red. You okay with that?”
“I’m okay with whatever gets the three of us naked and sweaty, cowboy. Lead the way.”
“If anything ever goes wrong between the three of them,” Hilary said, watching them leave. “This whole building will implode.”
“I’ll bring the popcorn,” Jake said.
“And I’ll bring the drinks,” Travis added.
“Sounds like a party I’d like to attend,” Trish added.
Andrej gave a mental eye roll and prayed he’d never find out whether they were right or not. He’d hate to change jobs – again – and he had a feeling that, if something went sideways here, he’d have to move states. Stepping out into the hot, desert night air, he realized that he didn’t want to be anywhere but where he was, this relationship – or whatever it was – be damned.
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction/White Pine Original Fiction AU
Pairings: Hahahaha
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,014
Summary: It’s the day after Andrej’s first night at the bar.
Author’s Note: Written first and foremost at the suggestion of sharpiesgal. However, the prompt for this week’s Say What Friday at 1_million_words finally gave me the inspiration that I needed. The quote was: "Life always offers you a second chance. It's called tomorrow." Not sure I really stuck with the prompt, but this is what it inspired. Also, this is a big bunch of I don’t even know. Hopefully it makes some kind of sense.
The first installment, Hey Bartender, is here.
Andrej stretched, feeling his stiff muscles loosen slowly. One arm bumped into a warm body, startling him. He stilled for a second before his memory returned. He'd gone for drinks with those two dancers and, judging by the pleasant ache in his body, they'd enjoyed each other's company quite a bit.
He looked to either side of him, sighing at the two beautiful men he'd spent the night with. As much fun as it had been, he knew it couldn't happen again. Fuck him sideways, but it definitely had to stop right now.
So, he needed to leave. But how the hell was he going to get out from between them without waking them?
"Do you need to get up," Zayne murmured sleepily, eyes still closed.
"Yes, please," he said grateful for the out.
"M'kay," he replied, scooting out of bed so Andrej could get up. Zayne stretched, giving Andrej one last eyeful of lean, muscled belly. "Don’t be too long, you're fun to cuddle with. And so warm, too."
Andrej winced. He had no intention of coming back to bed. Hell, he might not even return to work tonight. "I will not be long," he lied.
Escaping to the living room, he found his clothes where they’d been tossed during their frenzied passion and started to get dressed. He was short a sock and, after a brief search, decided it was collateral damage and could be replaced.
“You’re not leaving us are you,” Zayne asked. His sexy, half-naked form was propped against a wall, watching him.
“I –” Andrej started to say before shaking his head. There was no point in lying once you’d been caught. “Yes,” he said, sighing. “I am sorry but I must go.”
“Why?” Zayne strutted across James’ living room and plopped down on the couch beside Andrej. “Did we do something to piss you off?”
“No,” he said, sighing heavily. This would have been so much easier if he’d been quicker. “You were – you were both amazing,” he said, hating the blush he knew was coloring his cheeks. “But I can’t lose my job.”
“You won’t,” Zayne said, giving his arm a squeeze. “Murph won’t tell a soul and neither will we. It’ll be fine as long as I don’t lose control and try to tear your clothes off backstage.”
Andrej swallowed hard. “You would not,” he asked more than stated.
“I might,” Zayne said, leaning over and biting at the tender flesh of Andrej’s neck. “Men aren’t generally my thing but you drive me crazy, baby.” He kissed Andrej’s earlobe. “I can’t keep my damn hands off you.”
“You’d better be prepared to share, cowboy,” James said from the hallway.
“Always,” Zayne laughed. “Just as long as Andy here’s on board, so am I.”
“I think I have no problems with being shared,” he said, letting the ‘again’ fall silent. By the smug looks on their faces, they’d heard it anyway. “You really want me to stay?”
“Hell yes,” James said, grinning. “Nothing beats an early morning romp in the hay.”
“Followed by a good breakfast,” Zayne added.
Andrej laughed, feeling a thousand times better than he had when he’d woken up. “Okay, I’ll stay. I’ll even prepare breakfast afterwards, if you have food in the house.”
“I do,” James said. “Not much, but it ought to be enough to hold the three of us over until we get to work tonight.”
“Nice,” Zayne said, wrapping his arms around Andrej. “Now get naked so we can get back to fucking like civilized people.”
“Really, Reyes,” James asked.
“Really, Rosewood,” Zayne shot back. “No one in their right mind is up this time of morning unless food, sex, or a fire is involved.”
“Can’t argue with that,” James said. “Come on, you two. We have business to take care of before we can eat.”
**
“You okay,” Travis asked over his shoulder. He’d been restocking the alcohol behind the bar while Andrej retrieved glasses from the back.
“I am fine,” he said, lying as best he could. James and Zayne hadn’t let him leave until after lunchtime which, on one hand had been quite worthwhile. On the other, he’d barely made it home in time to shower and change for work.
“You don’t look like you slept very well,” Travis said, a knowing smile on his face. “Tell me you went home with James and not Zayne.”
Andrej stared at the glass he’d been holding, unable to form the words he needed to say.
“Oh god,” Travis spluttered. “Did you go home with both of them?”
“Both of who,” Hilary asked, sliding onto a stool. “Oh, never mind. I can see it all over his face. This is what Zayne does to people.” She shook her head. “I’m going to have a talk with that boy.”
“So, that answers our question from last night,” Trish added. “Guess he will screw anything pretty.” She looked at Andrej and smiled. “No offense to you, honey, because you are gorgeous.”
”You really are,” Hilary agreed. “Zayne was always a sucker for a pair of big, blue eyes.”
Andrej blushed. That at least explained Zayne’s continual commentary on both his and James’ eyes the night before.
“Girls, leave him alone,” Travis said, stepping in and shooing his waitress and bartender away. “Hilary, you have things to prep before we open and Trish… go behave yourself somewhere.”
“Fine,” Hilary groaned. “And we didn’t mean to embarrass you, Andy,” she said.
“We weren’t,” Trish tossed out. “I thought it was our goal to embarrass them all at least once.”
“Yeah, but they’re not supposed to know that, Trish.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Travis said, patting Andrej on the arm. “They can be a bit much sometimes.”
“It is fine,” Andrej said before fleeing the scene under the guise of getting more glasses for the bar. “God, what did I get myself into,” he muttered in Romanian. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t ever had a shady hookup before, but this one definitely took the cake.
“Are you okay back here?” Travis peered around a stack of boxes containing napkins, his face serious.
“How many times are you going to ask me that question today,” he shot back, embarrassment turning to anger.
“As many times as I need to before I’m sure you’re not going to run screaming from the building.”
“I would never do any such thing,” Andrej said, hating that he’d had exactly that urge ten minutes ago.
“So, if I tell you that the dynamic duo has arrived you’d be okay?”
Andrej sighed, then nodded. “We have come to an agreement,” he said. “They promised not to harass or embarrass me while at work.”
“We figured the harassment and embracement was better suited to private times,” Zayne said, brushing past the two bartenders. He brushed a kiss against Andrej’s cheek.
“You’re not supposed to be back here,” Travis reminded him.
“Oh, I know, but Hil said you two were back here and I wanted to say hi.”
“Hi, Zayne,” Travis deadpanned, arms crossed over his chest.
“Hi, Murphy,” Zayne teased. “Okay, now that I’m sure you’re upright and able to work, I’m going to change.”
“And the ginger,” Travis asked.
“He’s already in the dressing room.”
“Beautiful, now follow him so Andy and I can get the bar ready to go before it’s time to open.”
“You’ve got it, boss,” Zayne said, giving a salute and heading out of the bar kitchen.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with him,” Travis muttered.
“He is a handful,” Andrej agreed.
“I bet he is,” Travis laughed. “I’ve seen him in a Speedo, you know.”
He couldn’t stop the blush that flooded his face, but for once he didn’t care. “You are not wrong about that, Travis. And now I am going to hide.”
“Check to see if there are any dirty glasses that need washing,” he said, feeling sorry for his bartender, looking like a fish out of water. “And take your time.”
**
Facing Zayne in the bar had been the hardest part. Once he was assured that Zayne was cool with everything and that Travis honestly didn’t give a damn, Andrej had relaxed. Sneaking into the dressing room long enough to say hi to James and give him a quick kiss had settled the rest of his remaining nerves.
“Zayne can be an idiot,” Hilary said when they took a break before opening. “But he’s a good guy once you get to know him a bit.”
“Don’t let James trick you into thinking he doesn’t care either,” Jake said. He was the bar’s other bouncer, although he hadn’t been working the night before. Apparently, Jake had brought James over this way when he’d quit another bouncer job at a competing bar. “He’s pretty soft-hearted if you know how to bring it out of him.”
“James sounds like Ethan,” Travis laughed. “You’d think he was working for the FBI instead of at an adult book store selling sex manuals and gag gifts.”
Hilary laughed. “That boy has secrets,” she said. “I’d love to know what he’s hiding.”
“Maybe later,” Travis said, rolling his eyes. “It’s time to get this show on the road. Everyone ready?”
A chorus of ‘yes’, ‘sure’, and one ‘why not’ – from Zayne, of course – echoed around the room. Trish unlocked the front doors while the rest took their usual positions. Andrej hoped that it was busier than it had been the night before, mainly because he had so much to distract him tonight. Seeing James and Zayne strip before him last night had been mesmerizing, but tonight? It might be the death of him since he knew every inch of what lay behind those strips of underwear.
**
“Ethan,” Andrej said, seeing the familiar face appear at the bar around eight o’clock. “You have excellent timing. Travis is about to take his dinner break.”
“That is good timing,” Ethan said, grinning when he saw Travis emerge from the kitchen area. “Hey, Travis, want company while you eat?”
“How can I say no to that face,” Travis asked, shooting Ethan a wink. “Come on, I was going to eat in the back.” He flicked a quick, questioning look at Andrej.
“I will not say a word,” he said, reassuring Travis. “Enjoy your break.”
“Thanks,” Travis said, his shoulders drooping a bit with relief. “Won’t be longer than twenty.”
“Do not worry,” Andrej said, smiling. “We are not very busy right now.”
Ignoring the spark of jealousy he felt in his gut, Andrej turned back to the small gathering of people around the bar. He’d get his chance to be with his boys later, he reminded himself. Right now, Travis had a chance to make a little headway with Ethan, he might as well take advantage of it. Smiling, he shook his head and took an order from a pretty, older brunette.
“What can I get you,” he asked a young guy who was barely legal from the looks of him. Andrej had to hope that Jake and Trish were doing their jobs, checking IDs as they let people in. Otherwise, this could be an issue. Putting the thought aside, trusting in his co-workers, he focused his attention on the kid at the bar.
“Two shots of Patron,” he said.
Nodding, Andrej turned towards the section where the tequilas were housed and frowned when he realized the spot where the Patron sat was empty. “I am out, I will be right back,” he said, ducking through the door leading to the kitchen and cleanup area behind the bar.
He pushed the door open and called out to Travis, “I need a bottle of – oh god,” he stopped dead in his tracks, paralyzed by the sight of Ethan’s naked ass. Frantic, he spotted the bottle he was looking for, grabbed it and bolted back into the bar area.
“Dude,” the young customer chuckled. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“It – I wish it were a ghost,” Andrej said, laughing despite his horror. “Two shots?”
He nodded. “And pour a third for yourself,” he said, tossing extra money onto the bar. “You look like you need it.”
Boy, did he ever need a drink. “Thanks,” Andrej said, moving on to the next patron.
Surprised by the hand on his shoulder, Andrej jumped. The show had started and everyone had drifted away from the bar, leaving him there alone for a quiet minute.
“Easy,” Travis said.
He put a hand over his heart and closed his eyes. “You startled me.”
“Twice in one night, I think,” Travis said with a sad chuckle. “I’m sorry – for both.”
Andrej put both hands on the counter and hung his head, laughing. “It is okay, really. I was not quite expecting – that – when I went back looking for the Patron but after last night?” He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I suppose I should not be all that surprised.”
“At least you had the good sense to take it home,” Travis said, grabbing a rag and wiping up a spill he’d spotted.
“I am happy for you, even if it was not an opportune time for a – what did James call it? A roll in the hay?”
Travis snorted. “That’s one way to put it, I guess.”
“Did Ethan go back to work?” He wasn’t really that concerned, but as handsome as Ethan was, Andrej wasn’t sure he needed to see any more of the man’s bare skin. Between James and Zayne, he was getting enough of that at the moment.
“He did,” Travis said. “I let him out the back on the off chance you didn’t want to see his face again tonight.”
“It was not his face I saw,” Andrej said, immediately regretting it.
“Oh god,” Travis spluttered. “Yeah, okay, so I’ll not tell him that but…”
“I would appreciate that,” Andrej said. “I like him a lot and the less he knows the better.”
“Agreed,” Travis said. “And if you could keep this to yourself maybe?”
“Of course,” Andrej said. He was fully aware that there might be a time when Travis would catch him doing something not all that dissimilar in the dressing rooms. Although both of his boys had promised to behave, all bets were off after they’d had a couple of post-performance drinks.
“Thank you.” He patted Andrej on the shoulder. “Zayne’s last run is about to start. Why don’t you go watch him and James perform?” Travis gave Andrej a leering grin. “You know, take some notes so you can ask them to dance for you privately.”
“That is an enticing idea,” Andrej said, smiling at Travis. “They will be quite happy to show me their favorite moves, I am sure.”
“Go, sit, ogle,” Travis said, shooing Andrej off.
**
Settling himself at an empty table, Hilary wandered by and dropped off a bottle of water and a shot of tequila. “Murphy said you were in need of a stiff drink,” she said.
“You have no idea,” he said. “Thank you.”
“No problem, honey,” she said. “Did you catch him fucking in the back room again?”
“He has done this before?”
Hilary laughed. “Once or twice,” she said. “But not very often, he’s generally more professional than that. But…”
“But?”
“But I’ve seen the way he and Ethan look at each other. I’m kind of surprised it took this long.”
He’d seen that, too. “I believe they will be good together.”
“Without a doubt,” she agreed. “Just do me a favor and don’t let me or Trish catch you with well, either of those two yahoos. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to scrub that image from my brain.”
“Promise,” Andrej said, meaning every word.
He had zero intention of having sex in his place of work. Now, in the car in the parking lot like he and Zayne had almost managed last night, well, that was another story. Had James not appeared and insisted they go back to his place, it would have happened. It was the only time in memory when he’d been happy to be interrupted because instead of just one hot man, he’d ended up with two.
“Good,” she said, pointing to his shot. “If you need another, let me know. Murph said he’d spot you two, but any more than that and he’s afraid you’ll wind up on the stage.”
Andrej laughed at that idea. “No, not me. I am not an exhibitionist. Well, not unless I have been imbibing a bit too much of my homeland’s plum brandy. But I cannot get that here so you are safe.”
“Color me intrigued,” Hilary said. “Enjoy and let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I am good and the only thing I need right now you cannot procure for me.”
Hilary looked towards the stage and nodded. “Yeah, he’s pretty damn addictive and worth every last aggravation.”
“Are you sad you are no longer together?”
“Nah,” she said. “I’ve been seeing the bouncer, Jake, for a few months now. Zayne and I made our peace so it’s all good. You won’t get any jealous ex-girlfriend shit out of me. Crap, I’ll talk to you later. That blonde over there has been running me ragged all night.”
He waved her away and looked at the tequila Travis had sent over. He’d taken a ride sharing service into work, knowing that he was going to wind up at either James or Zayne’s place later that night. One shot wasn’t going to hurt. Andrej lifted it to his lips and knocked it back, the slow burn of alcohol filling his body with warmth. Yeah, he might need to grab a bottle of this for later.
**
“I heard a rumor,” Zayne whispered into Andrej’s ear, causing a shiver to run up his spine.
“Oh? And what was that, Zayne?”
The Texan’s face broke into a brilliant smile. “Only that our fearless leader got caught with his pants down during work hours.”
Andrej stared at Zayne, mouth open. “Who told you that?”
Zayne shrugged and moved away from Andrej. He wasn’t supposed to be behind the bar, even during the off hours. “Heard it through the grapevine.”
“That and Murph’s got guilt written all over his face. Has ever since he finished his dinner break,” James added. He leaned against the bar, long legs presenting a tripping hazard for anyone not paying attention. “Last time he looked like that, Trish had caught him with that dick of an ex-boyfriend. What was his name?”
“Reid,” Zayne said, spitting the word out as if it tasted bad.
“Yeah, glad that idiot went back to Utah,” James said.
Sighing, Andrej started wiping down the bar, preparing for closing time. “It is true, but you did not hear it from me.”
“Rumor has it, you’re the one that caught them.” James grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
Andrej frowned at James, uncomfortable with the direction this discussion was taking. “I do not want to talk about it.”
“And honestly, I’d really rather you not talk about it either,” Travis said, flapping his hands at Zayne and James. “Let him finish his job. He’s all yours in ten minutes.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Zayne grumbled.
“Hey, Murph,” Jake called out from the front of the bar. “Are we allowed to harass your boyfriend? Kinda need to know now because he’s coming up the walk.”
“No,” Travis shot back, mortified. “For the love of god, Jake, leave Ethan alone.”
“Did I hear my name,” Ethan said, coming inside the bar before Trish locked the door. “Because I think I heard my name.”
“You did,” she cackled. “But I doubt you’re going to want to know why.”
He gave her a devious grin. “As if I don’t already know,” he said. “Murphy’s told me all about all of you and I wouldn’t expect any less. Honestly, I’d be disappointed if you weren’t razzing the shit out of him right now.”
Andrej looked at Ethan, surprised. “You are not embarrassed?”
“Oh, I’m embarrassed as hell, but that’s the risk you take when you do something stupid, right?”
“Right,” Andrej said, liking the guy more every time he met him. “Can I get you a drink before I start cleaning up?”
“Sure,” Ethan said. “But I’ll keep it simple and get a beer, anything you’ve got in a bottle.”
“You’ve got it,” Andrej said, reaching into the cooler and grabbing the last bottle of Dos Equis that remained. “Is this okay?”
“It’s perfect, thanks,” Ethan said, taking the bottle and raising it to his lips for a long swallow.
Zayne sat down beside Ethan and grinned. “You know, this isn’t Muprh’s first time getting caught out at work.”
Ethan laughed. “Yeah, he was actually telling me a story about someone else – I guess the guy doesn’t work here any longer – doing something similar and that got us on the topic.” He shrugged.
“And the rest is history, Reyes,” Travis said, giving Zayne a warning look. “Why don’t you and the hot cop take our poor, shell shocked bartender somewhere quieter?”
“I can go for that,” James said, perking up. “Zayne?”
“Oh, I’m definitely game,” Zayne answered.
“But I am not done cleaning,” Andrej said, looking from his boys to his boss.
“Its fine, Andy,” Travis said. “Go home early, you’ve earned it tonight.”
Ethan snickered. “I can help clean if you need it, T.”
“Much appreciated,” he said, handing a rag over to Ethan. “You can help Hilary wipe down the tables and the chairs.”
“On it, boss,” Ethan joked. He slid off the barstool and took his beer towards the nearest table.
“And now you three? Get the hell out of here,” Travis said, pointing towards the door. “Last chance.”
Zayne took the rag out of Andrej’s hands and tossed it into the sink. Giving his belt loop a tug, Zayne led him out from behind the bar. “Time to go home and play house,” he said.
“You never wanted to play house with me, asshole,” Hilary joked. “If I were you, Andy, I’d run for my life.”
“He’s not allowed to run,” Travis said. “I kind of want to keep him around.”
“Same,” Trish said. “He’s too easy to rile, I like that in a man.”
“It’s about the only thing you do like in a man,” Jake said. Trish flipped him off before returning to her duties securing the building for the night.
“Okay, enough. Get back to work and we can all get out of here early.” Travis looked at James and Zayne, putting his hands on his hips. “I know you three are having fun, but try not to break our new bartender, okay? He’s almost fully trained and I’m becoming rather fond of him.”
“Fine,” James muttered, sneaking a little wink in Travis’ direction. “Promise not to break him, although we can’t promise we won’t rough him up a bit.”
“Oh god,” Andrej muttered.
“From the sounds of it,” Ethan said from three tables down, “he might actually enjoy that.”
“Believe me, we intend to find out before the night is over,” Zayne said. “Now, let’s get out of this place. I’m thinking we ought to take him back to my place tonight, red. You okay with that?”
“I’m okay with whatever gets the three of us naked and sweaty, cowboy. Lead the way.”
“If anything ever goes wrong between the three of them,” Hilary said, watching them leave. “This whole building will implode.”
“I’ll bring the popcorn,” Jake said.
“And I’ll bring the drinks,” Travis added.
“Sounds like a party I’d like to attend,” Trish added.
Andrej gave a mental eye roll and prayed he’d never find out whether they were right or not. He’d hate to change jobs – again – and he had a feeling that, if something went sideways here, he’d have to move states. Stepping out into the hot, desert night air, he realized that he didn’t want to be anywhere but where he was, this relationship – or whatever it was – be damned.
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no subject
Date: 2019-04-29 01:00 am (UTC)*claps hand in glee*
I love it!!!
It's within the spirit of the quote, which is all good.
Who knew Travis could be so naughty...lol
I'll wait a couple of months before I ask for another chapter.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-29 01:11 am (UTC)I'm really happy you liked this, I started it three times and revised the heck out of the first page. Nothing was coming out right. *sigh*
Yeah, I figured that as long as Andy kept looking forward to the future, it was close enough.
I wish I could have seen your face at that point because honestly, they surprised me!
Hahaha... I've already thought of a way to get Adrien into this, but not Elliot. So, a couple months will give me some time to figure all that out. :D
no subject
Date: 2019-04-29 01:38 am (UTC)I started cackling at Andy's reaction to seeing Ethan's pale ass in the air...lol
Travis is just a sneaky bastard.
Hopefully, Adrien and Elliot cooperate for you.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-29 12:25 pm (UTC)Hah, I love it. And be glad it was this Andy and not cannon Andy because that would have been something else entirely.
Right? But I guess he enjoys his breaks a little too much. LOL
I'm sure they will if I give them enough reason.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-29 12:43 pm (UTC)Cannon Andy would have been mortified not simply embarrassed.
Apparently, he does...lol
Elliot could be a new stripper for the show and Adrien comes in as the DJ.
Btw, I got Tony to cooperate.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-29 12:55 pm (UTC)ROFL - you do what you have to in order to get through the day, right?
I know what I want to do with Adrien, but that's a possibility for Elliot. Thanks!
Score!