Julian doubted that very seriously. Most likely those words came from Beckett’s deep sense of manners. God, Beckett epitomized seduction. Had Julian ever truly been this affected by another human being? Beckett was so damn irresistible. Julian kept all his brazen thoughts inside his head and winked again before leaving.
Chapter 15
The beat of the music combined with the subtle light show bouncing off the walls had a hypnotic effect on Beckett. He had been vibing at his regular table for a little over an hour and a half now. The long days and longer nights were causing cracks in his best-laid plans. Overwhelming fatigue had hit him hard while walking over to the club tonight, but much like the magic of Reservations, he’d settled into a comfortable relaxation and began to really enjoy his surroundings.
Reservations had become Beckett’s safe place to just be himself. He didn’t know what happened to shift things for him. Certainly, nothing changed in his feelings for Julian, but for some reason, he’d evolved past this being the place where he got to see the man. He truly appreciated Julian’s ability to hire the perfect staff. Every single one of the waiters was hotter than he ever realized before.
Now that Levi had resigned, Chase became his regular waiter. Chase had a killer grin, and tonight, he wore a metallic jockstrap as his uniform. His naked ass swayed on full display. The perfect bubble butt flexing seductively with each step he took.
Beckett found out tonight that Chase had also given his two-week notice to the nightclub. He had just been hired as a full-time Andrew Christian model. He fit that world perfectly.
But the most likely culprit for Beckett’s newfound recognition of the sexy scenery was all the alcohol Julian kept plying him with since he’d crawled on top of this stool tonight. The drinks kept coming in an endless supply. Once the other customers started noticing Chase always had a fresh drink available for Beckett, way before he emptied the old one, he had become a crowd favorite by the others who tried hard to get in on the free-drink action.
“Julian said he’s switching you to water for a while and wants you to eat this,” Levi said, placing a plate with what looked like a wrapped burger and a large order of fries on top. His belly grumbled its appreciation, and his mouth watered. He suspected the food came from Danny’s grill. His gaze automatically lifted to the main bar then down its line until he spotted Julian, who paid him no attention as he worked to pour drinks, helping the bar staff catch up on the long line of servers awaiting orders.
“Up for company?”
“Yeah, sure.” Beckett motioned to the coveted empty stool he always kept by his side in case Julian might want to take a load off. Of course, it never happened. “Take the seat before someone manages to get it away from me. They try to grab it when I’m not paying attention.”
Beckett unwrapped the hamburger that was, in fact, a burger from Danny’s. The rumble in his stomach grew in both volume and force.
“You know he can’t have outside food in here,” Chase said to Levi, dropping a coaster onto the table and placing a glass of ice water within easy reach of Beckett.
“Julian told me to tell anyone who says anything, waa. His words, not mine,” Levi teased, clearly getting a kick out of repeating Julian’s catchphrase with his staff.
“Yep, that sounds like a Julian reply. I’ll repeat it to anyone who asks,” Chase said, dropping another coaster in front of Levi. “You staying for a drink?”
“Yeah. Give me a Sidecar on Beckett’s tab,” Levi teased, nodding in Julian’s direction. “I’m hearing there’s an endless supply tonight of whatever he wants.”
“That’s what everyone’s saying as I keep bringing all these drinks up.” Chase’s thumb hooked over toward Beckett. “He’s gonna feel all this tomorrow if Julian doesn’t slow it down.”
Beckett let the exchange happen as if he wasn’t sitting right there listening. He reached for the glass of water, taking a hearty gulp to cleanse his palette before he bit into the delicious burger. It made his mouth water—made exactly the way he liked it with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mustard. It only needed one thing.
“Can you bring me some ketchup?”
“I got it.” Quinn, another waiter, came by with a bottle of ketchup just as Beckett asked, and slid it across the table with a stack of napkins before making his way to his own section of tables.
“Thanks,” Beckett called out, reaching for the bottle, dumping a good amount of the ketchup directly onto his fries then on to the inside bun of his hamburger. Right as he lifted the burger, his gaze absently landed on Julian who had his hands moving, mixing drinks like a pro at the bar, but this time, he looked up, catching Beckett’s stare.