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Julie hates work; it drives her insane. However, there is no other option for her at this point. If she plans to keep herself alive as well as keep a roof over her head; she has to suck it up, and accept there is no other way to survive. ‘Jules, table nine needs you ’ Tabitha, the other waitress whispered to Julie over her shoulder. Taking a quick scan around the restaurant, Julie rested her eyes on the table in question and groaned; they were all suits, meaning that, although they gave good tips; they were also very touchy. She sucked in some air, rubbed her hands against her apron, and shuffled slowly to that table. ‘Hi my name is Julie, I would be your waiter for the evening, what can I get you?’ she plastered on the best smile she could muster and prepped her pen in her fingers, waiting for their response. There were four guys sitting around the table staring at her, not with the regular creep eyes she got from most suits, but rather more confused. She was hoping at least one of them would speak to get her out of this odd place they had all placed her in, but not one made a move. She played around with her pen until she heard a slight cough. Looking up, she stared into a deep bluish-green set of eyes, ‘can you give us a second we haven’t really looked at the menu’. His voice was deep and very sultry. He must easily get girls with that voice Julie thought. She gave him a small smile, departing from their table hoping they would decide early, and get back to her. They were her last table for the evening.

Mark and his brothers finally came back to earth. “What is a girl like that doing in a place like this” Dave wondered out loud. It hadn’t been a secret that they were all staring at their waitress in awe, but it was that she seemed very out-of-place in this restaurant is what caught Mark’s eye. As four brothers who had seen the struggle, they all knew when people did whatever they could to make ends meet. “Well, the next time she comes around we need to get that info out of her, or at least her name” Jake, the youngest of the brothers said, and they all seemed to agree with him, except Mark. “No! We aren’t doing that to her, remember the last time you tried fixing someone Jake?” Mark said incredulously. Jake was the fixer, but it always didn’t go the way he planned when he tried fixing things and the last girl he tried fixing left him with a huge dent in his bank account and a lawsuit that the brothers are still reeling from. Mark understood his brothers’ need to help people; however, she didn’t seem like the girl who would willingly take their help.

Exhausted and irritated, Julie waited agitated for the chef to wrap up her last orders. She thought of what her life could have been, being a guest at the restaurant and not the server. She sighed heavily, that dream would take years to become reality.” Hey, Jules, your order is ready” Kurt the chef called out to Julie. She dusted off her skirt and began to balance the food in her hands, plastering a fake smile on her face she went over to serve her guests. ” Here you go, your shrimp scampi and glazed honey barbecue steak, the rest of the orders are on their way”. As she placed the food down she noticed that the men didn’t stare at the food but stared at her, it made her feel uncomfortable. “D-d-did you want anything else?” she stammered, hoping they would not ask for anything else. The one with sandy brown hair seemed to have something to say, but sultry voice gave him a look that made him stay silent. “No, that’s all for now, thanks” Mark answered, he had seen how badly Jake wanted to help her, and if he didn’t step up his younger brother would know everything there is to know about her. Julie left the table and went back to retrieve the rest of their order, they scared her but also excited her, and that made her nervous. She hoped to serve them quickly and be done with the day.

After that brief, awkward encounter with the suits, serving them went smoothly. Neither stared nor seemed to pay her any attention when she stopped by to refill their drinks. They all seemed to tip her individually which made for a big bonus. Packing up her bags, she waved goodbye to Tabitha and Kurt and stepped out into the New York winter. It was the one thing that kept her in the East Coast. Julie hadn’t met anyone yet who had her undying love for the cold and the snow, everyone thought she was odd for liking such harsh weathers. She bundled up her scarf and checked to make sure her pepper spray was secure in her bag, getting attacked was the last thing she needed today. The alley seemed empty, which was shocking for Julie, as every walk home always seemed to be an adventure in escaping the pervs that roamed the alley. This change made her settle down a bit as she made the turn to her house. Her fear should have been focusing on the road as there had been a black car following her for the longest time that she seemed to be so oblivious to it. She made one look around before she climbed up the steps to her dainty apartment. It wasn’t in the best neighborhood, but it also was the best she could afford for, so she had to deal with it. Walking in, she closed the door and locked it like her papa taught her, shutting out the demons that roamed the outside. They were another day’s battle. In all this she never noticed the car had now parked across the street from her apartment, a man in a dark grey suit stepped out, took a few pictures and was back in the car, zooming off into the night sky.

Mark was exhausted after another outing with his brothers, not only were they very adamant on helping this waitress, they also didn’t get why he didn’t take their stance on it like he always did. He, himself was rather confused by it, but he didn’t want to bother the girl if she didn’t want to be bothered, she had an air of a person who always figured things out for herself, and Mark understood the need to do that alone, he just hoped his brothers understood that as well. He shrugged his suit off and tossed it on his couch, he couldn’t seem to get the waitress out of his mind. Her olive skin held no blemish, it looked soft and all he could dream about was running his hand down her back to feel her, all of her. At that thought, Mark jumped off the couch, he knew he thought she was gorgeous but he didn’t understand his new found interest in a woman, that hadn’t happened in two years and he had sworn off women. He changed into some sport shorts and decided to go running in hopes that he could clear his head, and forget this girl, besides he doesn’t even know her name or anything about her, so she was already dangerous territory.