BAD REP(9)

I couldn't help but smile at him.  He seemed like a really nice guy.  Moore grabbed a stack of papers on his desk and handed them to Riley and me.  “You'll need to fill these out and then Jordan will start walking you through our computer system, how to punch in at the start of your shift, give you a tour...the whole shebang.  Jordan has been here for three years, so he knows about as much as I do when it comes to how this place ticks.”

I gripped the forms in my hand and felt suddenly stressed.  I had never waited tables in my life.  I imagined the worst case scenarios.  You know, the ones where I drop someone's food in their laps or make an ass of myself by tripping with a tray loaded down with glasses.

What had I gotten myself into?

Jordan must have noticed my suddenly pale face because he got to his feet and slung an arm around my shoulders companionably.  “Don't fret, my pet.  You'll be golden.  You've got me looking out for you.”  He smiled down at me and I noticed he was quite a bit taller than I was.  But instead of making me feel better, I felt like I was going to barf.

“You'll have to excuse our girl, Maysie.  Stress is her middle name,” Riley commented, shooting me a smirk.  I stuck my tongue out and wiggled out from underneath Jordan's arm, not feeling too comfortable being that close to him.  Especially since the smell of his aftershave was doing strange things to my insides.

“You'll be fine.  And if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask me.  We're one big family here at Barton's,” Moore said kindly.  Jordan chuckled.

“Yeah, a big dysfunctional family,” he added.  Moore ignored his comment and shooed him out of his office, saying he needed to make some phone calls.

Jordan walked us out of the office and into the kitchen.  There were two older guys scrubbing dishes and I could see a few other people out back smoking.  “It's a good thing I never saw the kitchen when I ate here,” Riley muttered under her breath, taking in the grease stained surfaces and wafts of cigarette smoke coming in from the open door.

I shot her a look but Jordan just laughed.  “I swear, it's all perfectly hygienic.  No cockroaches or pissing in people's food.  We're a civilized bunch here.”  One of the guys washing dishes looked over at them.

“Civilized, huh?  Don't start speaking that fancy college talk.  Otherwise, Pocco and I'll take you out back and kick some street into your ass,”  one of the guys called out.

The man grabbed Jordan's arm and put him in a head lock.  Riley and I exchanged horrified looks as Jordan slugged his captor in the stomach, forcing him to release his hold.  “Watch the hair, Fed.  This takes hours,” Jordan put his hands over his short hair.  Fed (who the hell has a name like Fed?) swatted him with a grimy dish towel.

“Fucking pansy,” he mocked, though he said it with a smile.

“You're gonna chase them off before they even get started, man,” Jordan joked, pulling me by the arm over to the two dishwashers.  Pocco and Fed were easily in their forties and the looks they gave me and Riley was more than a little skeevie.

“Pocco and Fed, this is Maysie and Riley, the new waitresses.”  Pocco gave Riley the once over and actually licked his lips.  Really?  He licked his flipping lips!  He was short and overweight with a goatee.

“Nice to meet you ladies.  Welcome to Barton's,” Pocco said, his voice tinged with an accent as his eyes roamed over our bodies.

“Um, thanks,” I said, feeling uncomfortable.

Riley put her hand on her hip and stared both men down.  “Maybe if you can stop eye f*cking me for more than two seconds, I could say the same.”  My jaw dropped but the dishwashers barked out a laugh.  Jordan gaped at Riley, then grinned.

Fed, the taller of the two with more hair, hit Jordan's arm.  “This bitch's crazy.  I like her.  She'll fit in just fine.”

I looked at Riley, who shrugged.  The men were still howling with laughter as we moved on to tour the rest of the kitchen.  Jordan leaned in close to me and whispered loud enough for both Riley and I to hear.  “Those two are a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen.  But they're all talk.  I don't think either of them has gotten laid since the original line up of Guns and Roses were together.”

I tried not to sigh as I felt him lean against my arm.  My skin tingled where he touched me and I gave myself a mental shake.  I had enough romantic drama with Eli.  I did not need to be lusting after this hot bartender.