Dark Secrets(55)

Daniel snorted, tucking himself away, condom and all, seeing as there was no garbage in the little room- something she would mention to Vin, obviously leaving out the condom thing and maybe saying something about the food wrappers. "Tell you what, you go out and close the door. I'll watch the camera until that guy goes away and then I will come out."

"Alright," she said, flattening her hair, knowing it would in no way make her look any less happily-fucked, but figuring if they didn't see a man walk out with her that they couldn't possibly pin that on her.

"Go," he urged, pressing back against the wall as she turned the big circular wheel that unlocked the room and slid out, shutting it firmly behind her.

She had a short conversation with Marco, the produce guy, who informed her they would be out of strawberries for the night. Then when he was gone, Daniel slid out of the panic room as casually as you please, making his way toward the bathrooms then coming out and getting to work like nothing had happened.

"How about I do the lemons?" he suggested twenty minutes later as she piled them next to the cutting board.

"What? Why?"

"Can't imagine it will feel good to have lemon juice in all those fresh cuts," he explained, hip-checking her out of the way and getting to work.

"Whatever turns your crank," she said casually, going to grab the juice containers, "but I will be spending all night with alcohol all over them so it really makes no difference." 

He snagged her by her belt loop as she walked past, lips tipped up. "I believe what you meant was 'thank you'."

She smiled big at that, surprised, and nodded. "Thank you," she agreed and he released her.

Then he went ahead and proved her wrong about the alcohol on her hands comment, seeming to believe every single customer who walked in was his customer and thereby making every single ever loving drink the entire night- leaving her feeling overpaid and completely useless, but also pretty warm and squishy inside.

He might be kinda rough around the edges, rather blunt, and the tiniest bit aggressive but in a good way, but he was also sweet and considerate. And, well, he always made her come. Really, that needed to be said. Some guys were really slacking in the "ladies first" department sexually.

He was an all-around good guy.

And then Xander and K walked into the bar.

See, she had known them both long enough to be able to tell when things were not good. It was in their jaws clenched tight, in the firm set to their shoulders, in their stern brows.

And things were not good from the looks of them.

They sat down though, ordering drinks from Daniel who shuffled off to make them as she moved over. "This can't be good," she said, voice low, letting her hair fall as a curtain to the side so Daniel couldn't see her face.

"Depends on how you see the information, sweetheart," Xander said with a shrug.

She closed her eyes on a slow exhale, knowing that, chances were, she would not see the information in a positive light. That generally was not how she operated. She was not an optimist. She wasn't a pessimist either. She was just a realist. And that damn cup everyone was always arguing over being half full and whatnot, yeah, she realized it was most useful when it was empty. So she never filled it one way or another.

"You got a break coming up?" Xander asked.

"I've pretty much been on a break my entire shift," she said with a snort.

"He doesn't want you hurting your hands any more, huh?" K asked, always way too good at reading the situation.

"Daniel, mind if I run next door to the diner with them for a bit?" she asked and he was shaking his head before she even finished.

"Take all the time you want," he said waving her off. "Here, let them throw these back first," he said, giving them their drinks. As he moved in beside her, there was no denying that she stiffened ever-so-slightly. But Daniel being Daniel, he noticed. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just have too much energy since someone won't let me do any work tonight," she said with a smile she didn't feel.

"Don't worry," he said down by her ear, "we can burn all that energy off back at your place later."

As much as she knew she was supposed to be wary of him, was supposed to keep her emotions under control, inside she thrilled at the promise in his words.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's get this over with," Xander said, both of them standing and she moved out from behind the bar to follow them.

"Faith!" Daniel called, stopping not only her but Xander and K as well, all of them turning as a unit as Daniel tossed her jacket across the room to her. "What is with you and the no jacket thing?" he added, shaking his head as he went back to work.