The afternoon in the cafe is really busy again and Jo and Jake work hard to keep all the guests happy. As always they work together like they have been doing this for years. And all the guests go home well fed and happy.
Jake turns the volume of the radio up after the last guest leaves and they clean together, singing along to old rock songs. Pretty soon the cafe is clean and all set up for the football match later.
Jo walks into the kitchen and sits down. She puts her feet up on the table, leaning back in her chair.
Jake walks in and asks: "Pizza?"
Jo nods, stretching out for a yawn.
Jake says: "Since Ronnell is not coming tonight, all I have to offer is pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches. And chicken wings later tonight obviously."
Jo smiles, knowing all to well she will be the one frying those chicken wings. And that the guys think it's a different recipe.
Jake asks: "Sooo, lots of cheese on yours, right?"
"Yeah, cheese on cheese, under cheese, over cheese, between cheese." She laughs and Jake types something on his phone, looking a bit suspicious. "What are you up to brother? I see you there." Jake plays all innocent and Jo is too tired to press him for answers. On top of that Jake would never do anything she wouldn't like, so no need to worry.
They sit in silence for a while, using the time to relax while they can.
"Do you want a beer Jo?" Jake pulls himself up to walk over to the fridge and takes three beers out of it, handing one to Jo. She is about to ask him about the third beer, when the door to the kitchen opens.
Dart walks in, holding pizza boxes. "Someone ordered pizza?"
Jo smiles at Jake and he winks at her, taking the boxes from Dart. Dart sits down next to Jo and kisses her, before taking the beer Jake hands to him. Jake opens one of the boxes and places it in front of her, Dart looks at the pizza in it with a shocked face. Jo giggles and happily picks a piece up and eats it. The boys both ordered the same pepperoni pizza and eat away at it, looking over at Jo devouring the pizza covered in cheese. Jake shakes his head and chuckles.
"Don't even try to touch her pizza Dart, she will bite you at the very least. She is not good at sharing."
Jo glares at Jake and then starts laughing. "Yeah, not sharing and not sorry." She looks at Dart. "I'm very possessive over things I love." She finishes the pizza and rubs her stomach with a smile.
Dart and Jake finish their pizza and drink another beer, talking about the football game.
Jake turns to Jo and he sees a hint of worry in her eyes. "You know you can stay in the kitchen, right? You don't have to go out there. Your legendary wings are enough to keep the horde happy."
Jo nods and looks down at the table.
Dart places a hand on her leg and waits for her to look up at him, before speaking. "What's scaring you? Tell me."
She takes a minute to find the words to explain it to Dart. "Well... A group of guys, excited and drunk doesn't make me feel safe. And even though they won't mean anything by it, I will most likely get scared if they try to grab me or if they say something... Well... I am not sure how to explain it really... But during the last game, they didn't know I was here. Now most of them know I work here."
Dart listens to every word and sees the panic in her eyes. He might not fully understand it, but knows in his heart that it's really scary to her. He puts his arm around her and asks: "Do you feel safe with me?"
Jo answers without thinking: "Always."
Dart smiles and continues: "Well then that's the solution. I will sit on the first bar stool all night and Jake will be behind the bar, so the first two men able to grab you will be us two. And I will make sure the guys know that you're mine. If anything scares you at all, let us know. It will all be fine." He kisses her, and pulls her close, making her feel safe in his arms.
Jo relaxes and smiles at him. "Okay. Tonight is the night they discover the secret of the chicken wings."
Jake looks at her, amazed by her strength and the effect Dart has on her. He mumbles: "Made for each other."
Jo gets up to throw the pizza boxes away and Jake walks into the cafe, when he hears the first guys come in. He greets them and invites them to sit down, drafting beers for all of them. Soon the bar is filled with a large group of guys, ready to enjoy the game together.
One of them raises his voice and asks: "Jake, where is that cute girl that works for you? Wouldn't mind seeing her tonight. You are not hiding her from us are you?"
As he finishes his question, Dart comes in through the kitchen door. One of the guys asks him what he was doing in the kitchen and if he works here now. The other guys laugh and Dart answers: "I was kissing my girl, to be honest with you."
The guys go quiet and all look at Dart, then at Jake and back at Dart. Dart smiles, all proud of himself for dropping a bomb like that. "Wait. You're talking about the girl that works here, right? Damn Dart. Could you at least leave some women alone? Give us a chance too?" The other guys mumble in agreement.
And Dart dryly answers: "Deal! All the other women are yours. But this one is mine and mine alone. If you even look at her funny, I will punch your lights out."
The guys go quiet and stare at him. Jake stayed out of it, to see where Dart would take it and speaks up: "Yeah guys, that's what a guy in love looks like. Better not give him a reason to be angry with you. But the first round of the night is on him. And so are the chicken wings." All the guys at the bar cheer loud and Jake winks at Dart.
Jo stood behind the kitchen door and heard every word of it, while she held the charms on her necklace in her hand. She lifts the charms up to her lips and kisses them, thanking Dart in silence. She fills a couple of bowls with popcorn and nachos and walks into the bar with a smile. Handing some bowls to Jake and placing a few of them on the bar near Dart. Dart pulls her close to him with a smile and wraps his arms around her.
She whispers in his ear: "I know. I heard it all. Thank you." She kisses him and the guys whistle and applaud, making her blush a deep red. She quickly walks off to the kitchen to hide her face for a bit.
When the game starts, the guys all become focused on the screen. They yell and cheer at the big tv above the bar. Jo hears Dart and Jake joining in and becomes curious. She opens the door just enough to see Dart's face. He's totally focused on the game and Jo watches all the different emotions move across his face with a smile. She plays with her necklace, observing Dart happily.
The guys suddenly start to scream and jump up, slapping each other's shoulders and Jo almost jumps out of her skin. The sudden noise, mixed with them all getting up at once, scared her.
She closes her eyes and tries to calm herself down as she suddenly feels two strong arms wrapping around her. Dart holds her tight and kisses her hair, whispering to her. "I felt it. It's okay, nothing to be scared of. I am right here."
Jo instantly calms down and smiles against his chest, running her nails across his back softly. He smiles in her hair and leans down to kiss her. When he lifts his head he whispers: "It's almost half-time. Time to fry up those chicken wings."
Jo smiles and turns around to walk further into the kitchen. She turns up the heat on the fryer and then walks over to the fridge to get the tray of wings out. She places it on the counter, next to the fryer and sings softly, waiting for the fryer to be hot enough. She grabs some bowls from the cupboard and spreads them out, ready to be filled with fried wings.
As she finishes up frying the first batch, the noise at the other side of the door dies down. The door opens and Jake walks in, promising the guys to check on the chicken wings. Jo smiles and fills some bowls with the already fried wings, quickly frying another batch of them.
Jake takes the first bowls and walks out with a wide smile. The guys whistle and cheer at the sight of them. Jo smiles and shakes the basket to turn the wings around. Once they are done, she fills more bowls and looks up to see Dart walking into the kitchen, as she hears the guys scream for more wings in the bar. Dart kisses her quickly and takes the bowls out to the bar. Jo hears them cheer again and laughs while she fries the last ones.
She turns off the fryer and fills the last bowls, picking them up to bring them out herself. She only jumps a tiny bit, when the guys start screaming at the sight of more wings. She places the bowls on the bar and Jake wraps his arm around her shoulder. He leans over to tell her he's proud of her.
One of the guys looks at them and says: "Careful Jake. Dart might see you hugging his girl." Jake lifts his hands up and steps away from Jo, showing everyone the most innocent look he can muster, making them all laugh.
Jo walks over to Dart with a smile and he pulls her close, glaring at Jake and then at all the other guys. Jo smiles and kisses him.
Soon all the wings are gone and she gathers the bowls from the bar, while all the guys look at her. But none of them dares to say or do anything. She winks at Dart and walks into the kitchen again. She throws the bones away and rinses the bowls under the tap. She dries her hands and figures it might be the right time to pack some things for the trip, since the guys will be totally focused on the second half of the game.
She walks into her room and finds a small suitcase with a bow on it on her bed. It's blue with a big heart on it. She smiles and reads the note attached to it.
Some big bird might have told me you only brought a backpack with you.
Now that you're with me, you'll have to travel in style.
XO
She opens the suitcase and turns to her closet. She packs the pretty lingerie she bought and three dresses, planning on wearing a T-shirt and jeans on the plane. She packs her boots and a few other things and then notices another suitcase, slightly bigger in the corner of her room. It's the same shade of blue, but has an image of a dart on it. She smiles at the sight of it and wonders if he put it there just for her to see it. She closes her suitcase and sets it down on the floor next to Dart's and skips back down to get a head start on cleaning the kitchen.
She cleans all the surfaces and listens to the guys, screaming louder by the minute and she's glad she's out here. She is about to mop the floor, when she hears the guys sing and cheer and asking for another round of beer to celebrate. The game must be over. She mops the floor, before sitting down with a sigh.
The bar becomes quieter by the minute as guys go home one by one.
Dart and Jake walk into the kitchen, smiling and talking about the game, still excited. Jake stops and looks around in surprise. He points at her and says: "Hardest working woman I know." He walks over to the fridge and rummages around in it to get something from the back. He walks over to Jo, kneels in front of her and offers her a 'Grolsch' with a wink.
Jo accepts it with a nod: "Thank you kind sir. Exactly what this Dutch girl needs." She opens the beer and takes a large sip. "Ahhhhh, so good."
Dart studies her face from across the table. Jo makes eye contact with him and holds out her beer to him, only to pull it away quickly as he tries to grab it. She shakes her head with a cheeky smile. "Such a slow learner. I do not share what I love." She laughs and then takes another sip, moaning with her eyes closed.
Jake chuckles and says: "Sorry Dart, that was the last one of that brand. I will buy some new ones for the next time we're together. And you know she is not good at sharing... at all."
Dart pouts, trying to make Jo share her beer. But she shakes her head at him and points at the door. "Maybe you guys should clean up in there. I have done my part." She sticks her tongue out at the men and Jake rolls up his sleeves to start cleaning.
"Come on Dart. Let's show her how it's done." He drags Dart out of the kitchen to give him instructions on how to clean.
Jo gets up and leans against the door frame, to look at the guys. They work fast and the place is tidy in no time. Jo gives them a thumbs up and Jake walks up to her, with a weird look in his eyes.
He whispers into her ear: "Lock the door behind me. I will be back late." He winks at her and walks out the door, waving at Dart.
Jo locks the door and Dart looks at her a bit confused. She shrugs and gets her phone out of her pocket to connect it to the speaker behind the bar. She scrolls through her favorite songs and hits play. She turns to Dart and starts to sing along: "Hello, I've waited here for you. Everlong..."
Dart takes her into his arms and they slow dance in the middle of the cafe.
She pulls him into the kitchen as the song comes to an end and kisses him slow and deep, sliding her hands under his shirt. He plays with the hem of her shirt and she notices his hesitation. She lifts the shirt up herself and takes it off, throwing it on the table.
His eyes turn darker, looking at the bra she is wearing. It's black with red roses on it and covers only half of her breasts and it's driving him crazy.
Jo licks her lips and winks at him. "It's a matching set."
He lifts her off the ground, puts her on the counter and kisses her wildly. Out of breath he leans his forehead against hers, his voice hoarse as he speaks: "You look so sexy in it. But it might make me lose all self-control. And if that scares you, tell me now."
He closes his eyes, trying to calm down, but Jo pushes him back a little and starts unbuttoning her jeans with a cheeky smile. "I will never be scared of you. No matter what. Now help me out of these tight jeans already."
He sucks in some air and holds his breath, taking her shoes off and helping her wiggle out of her jeans. She does a slow turn and his tongue almost hits the floor. The bra, just barely covering her breasts and the matching thong, not covering much at all. He moans and bites his lip. "Damn Jo. I'm dying."
She looks into his eyes and feels like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Dart takes her on a passionate ride, unable to control himself.
♡
When they eventually try to calm their breathing, with their hearts still thumping at a fast pace, Dart looks her over and whispers: "Sorry."
Jo looks deep into his eyes and says: "Don't." She runs her finger over his shoulder and kisses the bite mark she left there. "I should say sorry to you. I hope they don't need pictures of you without a shirt on."
He looks at the mark and smiles proudly, making her giggle. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jo smiles back at him and says: "Define okay. You rocked my world and my legs are still shaking. I might not be able to walk ever again. Does that sound okay to you?"
He laughs and shakes his head. "Do you need me to carry you?"
Her eyes sparkle and she says: "Yes please."
He picks her up and she says: "Wait, let's pick up the clothes first, might be a bit weird if Jake finds them."
Dart laughs, putting her down to gather all their clothes. "I am pretty sure Jake knew exactly what we were going to do when he left us alone here."
Jo blushes and replies: "Maybe. But I don't want him to see the kind of underwear I wear. That's just too weird."
Dart picks up the bra and twirls it around. "Yeah, I'd feel better if I was the only one ever seeing you in it. And out of it to be fair."
Jo shakes her head and laughs. Before she can think, Dart has picked her up again and carries her up the stairs.
They walk into her room and Dart looks at the suitcases with a smile. "They look good together."
Jo smiles and nods. "They do. Like the owners. Are you going to put me down?"
Dart grins and shakes his head. He throws the clothes in the corner and kicks the door of her bedroom closed, still holding her in his arms. He sits down on the edge of the bed, before laying down on his back, pulling her down on top of him.
Jo laughs and nuzzles his neck. She puts her hands on his chest and pushes herself up, to look into his eyes. "I love you, you know."
He stares at her with eyes full of desire, a crooked smile on his lips. "Oh I know. You are not very good at hiding your feelings." He rubs the skin just under her breasts with his thumbs, setting her on fire with his eyes and touch.
Jo wiggles a bit on top of him and stares down at him with an evil smile. "Oh and you are?"
He tries to hide his moan, but Jo moves her hips and it becomes impossible for him to hide his desire.
She lifts her arms up, posing like a winner, making him lose his mind even more.
They come together fast and hard, not holding back.
Exhausted, they sink into a deep sleep.