Prison Break (Sequel to "Wanted")

Chapter 18

"Yo, Tom, stop flirting with the customers!"

Dean, who has been flirting with the customers every day since he got this job months ago, just smiles and flips boss's daughter off behind her back.

"You're lucky my mom likes you, 'cause you are not good for business," Jo Harvelle tells him.

"Au contraire, girlfriend," Dean's newest girl toy, Stella, slurs. "I'm gonna keep comin' back and comin' back and comin' back for 'im."

"Uh huh." Jo says with a smile that anyone but "slightly" drunk Stella would see is fake. "But, see, we pay him to make drinks, and he's not exactly doing that now."

"And as long as I can get away with it, I ain't going to," Dean says with a shrug.

"God, you're annoying," she mutters.

Dean glances over his shoulder to see her loading up a tray of food. Without a moment of hesitation, he grabs a french fry and pops it in his mouth. "Delicious, as always."

"Yeah, yeah." Jo rolls her eyes. "Make yourself useful and grab a Bud Light, will you?"

"Encouraging drinking on the job, are we?" Dean says teasingly.

"For a customer, dumbass."

Though Dean plays it off as though he has no intention of doing so, as soon as Jo is off to deliver the food, he excuses himself from his conversation and heads to the back. His boss, Ellen, is already back there, working on preparing some type of presumably-delicious food. He hasn't gotten around to trying everything on the menu, but so far, he's yet to be disappointed.

"Hey, kiddo," she greets him.

"Hi, Ellen," he says. "Don't mind me. Just grabbing a beer for a customer."

"Oh, Tom, always the hardest worker," she says, and he thinks he detects a hint of sarcasm in her voice. He doesn't tend to goof off as much when she's around, but he's sure Jo's informed her on many occasions that he doesn't do much. It's not entirely his fault, though; he mans the bar and people don't tend to sit up there by him unless they're looking for someone to flirt with. He could probably help Jo out a little and take on some more of her role, but, in his defense, that's not technically part of his job description.

Dean grabs a beer from the fridge. "See ya."

Jo pokes her face through the door. "Make that two Bud Lights, and do me a solid and mix up a Bloody Mary when you're done."

"Aye aye, Captain," Dean says, and she's gone before he can even open the fridge.

Dean does as he's told. He grabs a second Bud Light and takes them both out to the bar, which, at the moment, is still only populated by Stella the drunk chick. She's been hitting on him since before her first drink, so he doesn't feel too guilty about wanting to fuck her when his shift is over. He pretty much got sober consent before the drunk consent he'll doubtlessly get as soon as he's off the clock. He tries to find someone to go home with every night, partially because he likes sex but mostly because he wants a comfortable place to sleep.

As Dean starts working on the Bloody Mary, Jo walks by, just long enough to grab the first beer from the counter. She's not taking the second one, so he has to assume it's going to the same party as the Bloody Mary. He's worked here long enough to figure out how she operates.

"Whatcha makin'?" Stella asks.

"Bloody Mary," Dean replies, not even looking up. She's too drunk and smitten at this point to notice that he's barely paying any attention to her anymore.