Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
On Friday night, the café buzzed with people, and Yvonne felt light-headed, a faint wave of nausea rolling through her as nerves fluttered in her stomach.
It was her first big night waitressing, and the noise and movement pressed in from all sides.
She wore an apron with The Sweet and Savory Table in bold letters over black pants and blouse and had been going non-stop since she’d arrived.
Yvonne hadn’t seen this many people in weeks, and she and the other servers were run off their feet.
She’d always loved serving people, and as wait staff that was what she did, but this crowd was too big to enjoy.
Yvonne preferred groups where she could connect with people.
She placed the tray with empty glasses on the kitchen counter and wiped her brow.
“This is crazy.” Yvonne sighed.
Mrs. Hadassah Green, the chef, chuckled. “I bet Sonja and Suzie never expected this crowd.” She slid a big tray with hors d’oeuvres in front of Yvonne and turned to stir the scrumptious-smelling sauce on the stove. “Luckily, we have plenty of food.”
Yvonne had to laugh. They had gone all out, and from what Yvonne had tasted, it was delicious, too.
Roger bumped his hip playfully against hers. The electrical and computer engineering student at UMKC was also a temporary hire for the party, and Yvonne enjoyed his sense of humor, but he drove Mrs. Green crazy with his antics.
“Stop playing around, kid,” the chef warned him and shoved not one but two trays his way. Yvonne scooped up the one tray in front of her, caught the playful scowl on Roger’s face, and turned back to the main room.
On her right, Connor stood behind Suzie, who looked perfect in the dress Tante Wilma had made. A blond woman with perfect posture and an alert gaze joined them, and Yvonne couldn’t help but admire her. Yvonne wished she had her self-confidence and appearance.
“Hi, Suzie, Connor, congratulations on the reopening.” Connor let Suzie go and took the plant the blonde offered him.
The women greeted each other warmly, and Yvonne went on with her work.
She was here to serve and not to gawk at the attendees.
Yvonne dipped and weaved through the mass of people, holding out the tray, smiling and accepting compliments.
The atmosphere was relaxed, and the people seemed to be enjoying themselves.
She halted at a handsome couple, a flicker of recognition tugging at her, though she was sure they had never met.
Yvonne’s gaze landed on the woman’s silver necklace.
Something about it made her want to see their interaction.
She studied the couple carefully. The man was good-looking and muscular, but the keen way his deep brown eyes only briefly left his partner had attracted Yvonne’s attention.
He noticed Yvonne, and their eyes met. His gaze had the impact of a Mack truck, and she sucked in a breath.
With resolve, Yvonne maintained the connection for a moment then lowered her eyes instinctively as she would have acknowledged a Dom in a club.
She held the tray out in front of her. “Can I offer you something to eat, sir?”
She was aware of his gaze on her before he spoke, “Thank you.” He was silent for a moment as his attention turned to the food. “Oh, these look good.”
Yvonne watched as he selected a small egg roll, but instead of eating it, he held it to the woman’s mouth.
She parted her lips and took the food from his fingers in a move showing she’d done it countless times.
Mesmerized and unable to move, Yvonne stared, even after he’d chosen another one and eaten it himself.
Yvonne jerked as the man addressed her again. “Thank you, that was very good. You may go now.”
Yvonne pulled herself together as she obeyed his order. She could swear they were a D/s couple, and Yvonne had no trouble guessing who the dominant partner in their relationship was. The necklace reminded Yvonne of a day collar, and his actions spoke volumes.
Yvonne continued her rounds, and her tray was almost empty when she came face to face with a blond man with bright blue eyes. Maybe a bit older than she, but like the man from the couple he radiated dominance. Could she have stumbled onto a BDSM community? What were the odds?
Dumbfounded, she held the tray in front of him, but he didn’t seem to notice. She followed his gaze. He watched Sonja and the confident blond woman Yvonne had admired earlier.
When standing in front of him in silence became awkward, she cleared her throat. “Would you like something to eat, sir?”
He looked at her before turning his attention to the food. “No, thank you.” He shook his head and looked back at the two women on the other side of the café.
Yvonne did the same. Their animated conversation had Yvonne curious which one had caught his attention.
Both were confident forty-somethings, but there the comparison ended.
Sonja stood about one meter sixty, and the blonde must be at least Yvonne’s height, close to one eighty.
Sonja had chocolate-brown skin and sultry brown eyes.
Yvonne couldn’t see the exact color, but the other woman had light eyes.
Sonja threw her head back and laughed before she squeezed the blonde’s hand and whispered something in her ear. Sonja turned toward an older couple, and Yvonne gasped as the man said, “Excuse me,” and shouldered past her toward the blond woman. Well, that answers one question.
Yvonne looked at the almost empty tray and started collecting used dishes.
The possessive way the man had looked at the beautiful woman had Yvonne’s chest constricting.
She’d broken up with Mark a little over two months ago, and she missed him.
She didn’t regret ending their relationship.
His sadistic streak had aligned with her masochistic tendencies wonderfully, but he hadn’t wanted a sexual relationship, and Yvonne liked sex and the intimacy it brought.
Distracted by her thoughts, Yvonne didn’t notice when the woman on her left took a step back and bumped into her.
She lost her footing for a moment, and although she managed to stay upright, the dishes she carried went flying.
Yvonne watched in horror as the tray tipped and the plates and cups slid to the floor in what seemed like slow motion.
The crashing dishes silenced the entire café, and everyone looked her way.
She wished for a hole to swallow her, and tears gathered in her eyes as the crowd applauded.
Why did people do that? The biggest man she had seen all night—and who looked like her favorite actor Chris Hemsworth—marched up to her.
Instead of reprimanding Yvonne as she feared for a moment, he spoke kindly to her, “It can happen to anyone, sweetie.”
She looked at her feet, and she couldn’t keep her bottom lip from quivering.
He placed a gentle finger under her chin and tipped back her head.
Yvonne took her first close look at him and almost forgot to inhale.
Chiseled clean shaven jaw, generous mouth with the bottom lip fuller than his top, but what had her mesmerized where his kind, blue-green eyes.
“What’s your name?” He wiped away a tear from her left cheek and gave her a reassuring wink.
“Y-Yvonne.” He had her so tongue-tied her name came out on a stutter.
“Get a broom and dustpan, Yvonne,” the big blond man directed. “I’ll start cleaning up here.”
As Yvonne followed his instructions, she secretly hoped this Chris Hemsworth look-a-like would want to stick around a bit and talk with her.
Yvonne had had a crush on the actor since Mark had taken her to see him in a movie about the Afghanistan war.
When Yvonne returned, she reminded herself not to drool—niet kwijlen, Yvonne—over the eye candy, she had embarrassed herself enough for one day.
Meanwhile, the man had collected the biggest pieces and dumped them on the tray.
His face softened. “I’m Chris Smith, by the way.”
Seriously? He had to be kidding her. No way was he also called Chris!
He held out his hand, and they shook. “Nice to meet you. Let’s get this mess out of the way.” Chris held her hand a bit longer than necessary before Roger broke the spell.
“Need help with that?”
Yvonne looked at her coworker, and her face, neck, and ears burned with renewed intensity. She discreetly pulled her hand from the warm strong one and thanked Chris. Without daring to glance Chris’s way, she followed Roger, who carried off the tray.
Halfway across the room, a prickling awareness crept up her spine, as if Chris’s gaze still rested on her back. The thought made her steps just a little less steady.