I didn’t touch the curtains.Why did this matter?
That’s almost a write-up but I’ll let it go this time. Make sure you’re on your game, Maddock.
Tristan knew that this conversation was a power play, that everyone who worked there was miserable, so arguing about it wouldn’t help.
Okay, sorry. I’ll double-check them next time.
He’d hoped that his thru-hike would help him work through some things, and it had, but this shitty hospitality job was only making his post-trail depression worse. He wanted to be back in the forest, standing on the edge of cliffs and looking out at green mountains, breathing in the scent of a campfire, being free and adventurous and a completely new person.
But if he wanted that, then he needed to make money, as much money as possible, and this place paid the best. Besides, he might have to cover the rent in full soon, because Rain was preparing to go to Mason’s photography exhibition, and Tristan had a feeling that they were going to get back together.
Putting away his phone, Tristan took another deep breath, his eyessnapping to Jax. Even more enchanted after their brief exchange, Tristan couldn’t help but watch, his cock pulsing as Jax did leg lifts, stretching the band around his thighs to its limit. A drop of sweat rolled down Jax’s neck, and Tristan leaned forward, wanting to lick it away and slide up to those pouty lips, desire making him tremble.
The timer went off, grounding him like a slap, and he tore his gaze away, realizing that he still wasn’t pedaling. He should get away from this tempting man and clear his head.
An hour later, he pulled up to an empty trailhead, his breath clouding the air. Kass had cleared him for light mileage, so he decided to do a quick two-mile loop, but the steady pace of his footsteps and poles couldn’t touch the hold that Jax had on him. No matter how much Tristan tried to focus elsewhere, all he saw was that glimmering gaze, the way Jax’s dark brow arched, and the tilt of his grin.
Maybe Jaxwasfrom another realm, and he’d been sent to Tristan to haunt him.
3
JAX
PaingreetedJaxassoon as he opened his eyes, and his annoyance skyrocketed. He must’ve curled too much in his sleep because his back ached like he’d tried for a gold medal in gymnastics, and it took him almost fifteen minutes to get out of bed.
When he finally got to his feet, he was sweating and angry, and while he knew that the rage pulsing in his head wasn’t healthy, he didn’t know how to relieve it. He’d love to dance his problems away like he used to, but now he couldn’t even go for the tamest of walks because he needed to save his strength for work.
Just thinking about another shift in that hellhole bistro had him rubbing his temples, his fury building as he hobbled around his tiny apartment, trying to find his shoes.
He’d had so much taken from him without the time or the space to breathe. Sure, he’d gotten a rest after his back surgery, when things had seemed hopeful, but he’d slowly become a shell of himself, an angry, cracked shell. He wanted his old life back, but pain sat around him like a cage that grew tighter with each passing year.
“Fuck!” Jax stumbled over his shoes, and hot agony burned through his lower back. Once it subsided, he awkwardly bent at the knees and grabbed one of the slip-ons, slapping it into the table a few times before carefully putting it on, and his mood continued to sour as he finished getting ready and drove to the restaurant.
Parking at the edge of the lot, he tried to even out his breathing and calm down, but the pain wasn’t making it easy. He had some stronger pills andpot gummies on him in case things got bad, but then he’d have to take a cab home. For now, he hoped that his cocktail of acetaminophen and ibuprofen would give him some relief,anyrelief, but he wasn’t counting on it.
With a final sigh and a shake of his head, Jax pulled his car closer, wincing as he got out of it. Hopefully, Russel wouldn’t push him during this shift, but he wasn’t counting on that either. The owner liked to walk around like a sheriff running a town, too good for mistakes or advice, and he was leaning on everyone’s last nerve.
Slipping in through the back, Jax quickly got to work. While being an employee sucked, the head chef was amazing, so they were constantly slammed, which didn’t help Russel’s ego one bit. He acted as if he’d cooked the food himself, and although he was in rare form today, his idiocy had been relegated to the front of house, so Jax didn’t have to witness it firsthand.
Good, because he just wanted to put in his hours, take a handful of gummies, and lie down. Thankfully, everyone around him could either sense he needed space or they didn’t care, because they left him to do his job in peace.
Until Russel strolled into the kitchen.
Jax ignored him as he blustered around. With his bad toupee, overdone veneers, and patterned shirts, he seemed like an animated character. Unfortunately, he was real, and he ogled one of the waitresses as she passed, giving her a pat on the butt.
Jax didn’t know why this particular action broke him. Maybe he’d had enough of Russel harassing the staff in various ways, maybe he didn’t like the shock and shame he saw in that woman’s eyes, or maybe he was looking for an excuse to vent his building rage, but the fury bubbling under his skin started to spill over.
Jax wiped his hands on a towel, moving around his station as the beast within took over. His right hand curled into a fist as he approached, and without a second thought, he grabbed Russel’s doughy ass as hard as he could.
A high-pitched shriek echoed through the kitchen, bringing it to a halt.
“How doyoufuckin’ like it?” Jax rasped, his voice carrying in thestrange silence. Letting go, he stepped back, feeling more alive than he had in ages as adrenaline blasted through his veins.
Russel spun on him, his face purple, and Jax felt a strange sense of pride that he’d managed to spill his rage onto someone so deserving.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Fiorelli!” Spittle flew from Russel’s mouth. Tilting his hips forward, he absently rubbed his butt as if Jax’s touch had burned him. “You’re fired!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jax backed up toward his station, noticing the servers who had scuttled in, all of them watching with eyes the size of dinner plates. “I’m not gonna miss this place because you’re an idiot who’ll run everything into the ground in a year, and if you don’t stop putting your hands on the waitresses, someone’s gonna do something worse to you than what I just did.” The last part was delivered with a growl.
