Chapter One
Nereus
WinterinMiamiwasnot much different to the season in my hometown in Greece, with the upside of more humidity.
I balanced the platter of seafood on my upper tentacles, carrying the drinks tray in my hands right above them. Since I’d been the couple’s waiter the entire evening, they’d stopped staring, their expressions back to blasé. Even though preternaturals had been out for hundreds of years, and merged with society for over a century, the prejudice was tough to weed out of some people. Especially after the anti-preternatural campaigns that had started in the 70s.
With a polite smile plastered across my face, I turned on my heel and headed back to the kitchen. My gaze stopped on a regular customer who’d just taken a seat by the heater at an outside table. His shoulder-length brown curls fell around his face, obscuring what I knew was a sharp jaw and piercing eyes that sometimes followed me discreetly. Only my equally stealth squint let me see him watching me from far away. As luck would have it, I’d never served his table, and Bianca was already sashaying towards him, so tonight was not my night either. To my surprise, however, she stopped in her tracks to pull out her phone from the back pocket of her slacks. Something must have been off, as she’d normally only text on a break, and her hand flying to cover her mouth confirmed my suspicions.
I rushed to her in a blink.
“Bianca, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing bad.” She looked up at me, her big brown eyes brimming with tears. “My sister is in labor. Her husband just texted me. I wanted to be there, but—” She glanced around, back at her phone, then at me. “I still have an hour of my shift left.”
“Don’t worry about it, just go,” I said, guiding her towards the staff room.
“But—” She looked back at the guy waiting to be served.
The live concert in the neighboring locale would kill our restaurant’s evening earnings, but it turned out to be beneficial for Bianca. “It’s a quiet night and I can cover for you. I’m helping Santi close, anyway.”
“Thank you.” Bianca released a breath, typing a quick reply. “The guy at my table is very nice, just grumpy and a bit sad. He could use your charm, to be fair. I’ll owe you. You rock, Nereus.” She stood on her tiptoes to peck me on the cheek.
“No problem at all. Now go, the baby won’t hang around waiting for you.” I watched her run out the door and forced my brain back to work.
I glanced at the guy she’d left hanging. Sleek headphones squished his curls as he frowned at the screen of his laptop. He closed his eyes briefly as if listening to something then shook his head and released a frustrated breath.
As I approached, I couldn’t help but notice his wide shoulders, hidden under a plain black hoodie. The rolled-up sleeves gave me a glimpse of muscled forearms dusted with dark hair. His clenched jaw relaxed when he lifted his gaze to me, and a shiver ran down my spine to the two lower tentacles hidden in my baggy pants. Each wove around my corresponding leg, and twitched, wanting to be let out. I’d been told it was convenient not having surprise erections to worry about in public, but having two mating tentacles could be a lot more problematic. I took a deep breath and willed the naughty appendages to chill.
“Is she OK?” the man asked as he lowered his headphones to rest around his neck.
The pin on his hoodie drew my attention. The symbol had horns, tentacles, and tails with a circle of rainbow colors inside it. It was a clear way to show allyship to monsters of all genders and walks of life, or define yourself as a part of that group.
His low voice drew me in, waking me from my thoughts. “Yes, it’s a happy matter she needs to attend to, so it’s all fine.” My smile was natural this time as I nodded at the menu on his table. “I’m Nereus and I’ll take care of you today. What can I get for you?”
The man’s full lips parted as his gaze lifted from my tentacles to my face. I was familiar with looks of disgust and confusion, or even wonderment. This wasn’t it. I couldn’t find a better word to describe his dark-brown eyes other than sparkling with interest.
“I’ll have the arepas and black coffee,” he said, his intonation suggesting he wasn’t finished. He licked his lips in a contemplative way that was effortlessly sexy. “And you can call me Rick.”
“Rick.” I let it roll off my tongue. “I’ll be back with your coffee.”
Once in the kitchen, I hummed some melody as I typed the order into the system. Rick must be determined to finish his work if he was ordering coffee after eight. I delivered it in a flash and returned to other customers. By the time I fetched the bill for the last couple in my section, Rick’s food was ready.
“Where’s Bianca?” Santiago asked, hauling a bag of flour on his shoulder into the kitchen.
“Her sister’s in labor so I told her I’ll cover her.” I rocked on my feet and twisted the sea water stone ring on my pinkie.
Santiago gave me a look of exasperation. “That’s my call to make, amigo.”
“But you’d say the same, anyway.” I took the bag off his hands and dropped it on the shelf with a thud. Apparently, that was a cue for him to cock his hip and point a finger at me. Even when he wasn’t in drag, Santiago pulled off the diva stance to perfection, his short, stout stature and beard included.
“That’s not the point. This is not your father’s restaurant, nor yours, so I need to be aware of what my employees are doing,comprende?” His voice was harsh but his mustache lifted in a smirk.
“Sorry. I’ll cover her tomorrow morning too.” Oops. I realized how that sounded when he looked at the ceiling. “I mean, I can come tomorrow for Bianca’s shift if you need me, chef.” People told me that my smile was charming, so I utilized it any chance I got. Like now.
Santiago mumbled something in Spanish, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah. Back to work with you.” He shooed me away, waving a dishcloth in my direction.
When I returned to Rick, his nose was back in his laptop but the headphones were askew on his head, leaving one ear uncovered.
