#𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐀 ft. beckett albott

[tooswcctx]

closed: @dcrknesshums ( Sofia Bergstrom & Beckett Albott )

"Do not say anything." Sofia cut off Beckett before he could even comment. She felt ridiculous in the outfit but ever since starting themed nights at the bar, tips had been coming in faster and faster which meant she'd keep it up until it stopped working. The current theme was Bond which meant a lot of guys trying to be suave and a lot of women walking around with immature innuendos for names.

[tooswcctx]

Okay, that was fair. There was no world in which Sof would tell Lottie that she was wrong. She'd keep this secret until the day she died. Eyes widened as he moved closer, his fingertip dragging along the seam of her pants before his lips pressed against the curve of her shoulder. It wasn't unwanted, absolutely not, but a little unexpected. Sof had no idea how they were going to operate moving forward and, while she hadn't wanted to go down this route, if Beckett had wanted to pretend like nothing happened between them, she would have respected that. But the picnic and now the casual intimacy was enough to make her realize maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe.

"What are you trying to do, bite off my clothes?" She playfully asked, rolling her eyes as he reached across her for the wine."I hate to tell you, they aren't edible." At least, not in the normal way. "What? I haven't really eaten anything today so I'm trying to get something in my stomach before I drink - sue me." It was far too easy to tease him. almost every other word out of her mouth was sarcastic when it came to Beckett. "And yes, it is good. But how could it not be? It's peanut butter and jelly...and not love cause we're not getting crazy."

a shrug of his shoulders , a laugh ; " you wanna try telling lottie she's not right about something ?? it's not gonna go well for you , sof , i'll tell you that , , , " his eyes returned to hers , lingering a bit too long on her lips as she hovered a bite of the homemade treat near their soft , supple curves. his grin intensified at her taunt , a roll of his eyes as he scooted closer , tracing the seam of her pants on the outer side of her leg with the pad of his pointer , face and parted pillows lingering near the curve of her shoulder before pressing a soft kiss a top it .

" now let's not go crazy , " he drawled , nipping at the clothing that clung to olive skin . then , crossing an arm over her lap — fingers , palm , and forearm grazing the tops of her legs — he grabbed a bottle of wine , and the key that accompanied it , with one hand . " didn't go for the wine first , , , ?? " beckett scolded , tutting his tongue , but his smile was starting to ache from its refusal to leave his face . " — so unlike you , sof . is it any good , at least ?? "

[tooswcctx]

If they were actually able to get a deal on some stuff for the week, that was going to be such a boon. After seeing the finances of the place, they needed to get some freebies wherever they could. Maybe that meant not giving Beckett a free meal every shift but she couldn't quite bring herself to cut him off just yet. Hearing his outburst and subsequent grown made her smirk, shrugging as she brushed passed him to help someone who had just walked up to the bar. "Lucky for you those fuckers are gone, I guess." Technically, the bar wasn't in her name yet but with her uncle out of the way and her dad choosing retirement in the form of being six feet under - this place was hers...a lot sooner than anyone had expected. Not that they'd made that well known to any of the other employees. There was a time and a place and Sof was pretty sure the right time wasn't a week after all of it had gone down. "Much worse than giving you free meals? Do tell." The woman was curious, sue her. She knew it wasn't the best idea but it was so hard not to flirt with Beckett, he really made it too easy. "Wait," her brow furrowed, coming out of the teasing realm for a second, "you don't actually need a place to stay, do you? Because if you do, you could stay with me and not just because of this win-win arrangement or whatever you're being all...flirty about, just tell me."

at her scoff, beckett's grin widened, and a dry chuckle came from his chest as he allowed the draft tap well behind him to support his weight. he sat in silence for a moment until the name flashed across the screen, holding it up pridefully; ❛ got it !! i'll shoot her a text right now. ❜ as he promised, he quickly drafted up the cheekiest text he could muster, really dialing up that charm, before sliding the device back in his pocket. however, just as he was doing that, his face flew up and his brows scrunched; ❛ wait what ?? we don't have to pay out the back of house for it ?? those fuckers have been scamming me for years !! ❜ a groan of momentary annoyance left him before he was pushing his weight up again, the bar too slow for his liking, though he did get a kick out of riling up sofia. he was one of their vet bartenders, so he usually got scheduled on busy nights — which meant he was always gifted the pleasure of working alongside the hot-shot nepo baby of the place. though this place would be hers one day, he couldn't help but want more for her. sof had a great work ethic, a great personality, and she was hot — someone like her shouldn't be wasting talents like that behind a dive bar for the rest of her life. smirking at her, he raised a brow, a playful coo finding his voice; ❛ i can think of something much worse, ❜ beckett teased, unable to resist grinning; ❛ — and if you're offering your place as a place to stay, i can come up with a real win-win arrangement for us both. ❜

[tooswcctx]

Sof knew he wasn't going to kick up about being asked to take care of the guys, it was safer for him to do it and they liked him better anyway. She was under no false pretenses. Her eyes stayed straight ahead at the drunks when he brushed behind, a soft, almost silent groan when she felt his hidden erection against her. Thoughts immediately going to what she'd much rather be doing with him than cleaning up the bar. Oh this was bad. Digging her teeth into her bottom lip, Sof shook her head to bring herself back to reality, only glancing over at Beckett one time when he started walking up the few stragglers they had left and she moved towards the door to smile and wave at them when they stumbled out, knowing that they only lived a down the street and would make it home alright. Locking up behind them, the woman, flipped the lights back on so they could see what was left to clean, picking up a few glasses on her way back to the bar before focusing on the cash that needed to be counted. "Not bad for tips tonight," she commented even though they'd both had a feeling they'd rake it in. Sof and Beckett were easily the best bartenders here, of course she had a stake in the business and needed to do well but it was nice having him here added to bottom line.

beckett grinned at her, chuckling beneath his breath as he held his hands up defensively; ❛ hey, worth a shot to ask... ❜ the male teased, pleading innocence with his eyes though the impish smirk on his lips still lingered. though, while he thought closing down the bar and collecting glassware from tables would be a distraction, his cock was quite literally aching in his pants. thankful for the bar rag, knowing that precum was staining the front of his slacks, he prayed they'd be able to get this shit done fast so he could get that taken care of before anyone caught on. not that there was really anyone left in the bar's vicinity besides for a few drunk bastards knocked out on tables... but it was still a concern of his. when sof slid up to him, his eyes followed where she gestured, eyes rolling as he tutted his tongue against the back of his teeth. ❛ yeah, i got 'em, ❜ he sighed, moving to brush behind her — and making it a rather large point to press against her backside as he slid past so she could feel how hard he was against her rear. beckett smirked to himself when his back was to her, rubbing at his jaw with his hand, making quick work of waking up the drunk dudes and getting them out of the bar.

[tooswcctx]

Sof knew that she was walking a dangerous line with the hem of this dress and no longer having panties on underneath but that didn't stop her from toeing that line every time she had to bend over to put something away or grab another bottle of cleaner. "Absolutely not." She finally replied, acknowledging directly that he was there for the first time since coming back out of the walk-in. "As much as I know you love to watch, I'm not doing all the work." Not this time. "Take care of the tables, alright? There are a few glasses still out there." The bar didn't look as bad as it could have after a busy night like this which was a fucking blessing and it meant that closing wouldn't be so horrible. Speaking of which, Sof glanced at the clock, moving to turn on a few more lights when she realized it was almost two in the morning. "Come on boys, time to wrap it up." She called out to a few of the people still lingering, a couple of which she was pretty sure were sleeping. Great. Walking out from behind the bar, Sof sidled up to Beck away from prying eyes, nudging him and pointing out the culprits. "Mind taking care of that?"

grinning, beckett nodded his head, waving his fingers in a salute. cucumbers — of course she needed something phallic. he watched as she left, sucking in a gulp of air once he was alone, and dragged the palms of his hands down his face as he chuckled to himself. so he hadn't been crazy; that much had settled, but the way she had listened to him, so easily took instruction, said she wanted to be a good girl for him... groaning, beckett reached up to unbutton a few more fasteners to his shirt, trying to get some air brushing against his skin to lessen the ache in his pants. opening the door, beckett was quick the grab the first rag her saw, tucking it into his waistband to conceal himself.

moving back towards the bar, rubbing the back of his neck, beckett's eyes were quick to find sof's form. of course it was, and she knew he'd find it, but this time he made no effort to hide the way his eyes were looking at her; indecent, weighted, lids heavy and smirk as slanted as ever. ❛ might just have to sit back and watch you clean everything up, ❜ beckett mused, swiping a rag soddened with cleaner across the bar top. ❛ — you seem perfectly capable of doing this all on your own, and i've never been a man to pass up on observing... ❜ he continued, leaning back against the bar top, sliding his tongue along his lower lip. ❛ you sure you need my help, sof ?? ❜

[tooswcctx]

Sof had her doubts about how good he actually was but she wasn't going to push him if he thought he was fine. Plus, that would have been against some rule so she left it at that, eyes locked on his as he brushed his thumb along her bottom lip. The temptation to kiss him was strong. So fucking strong she was pretty sure she'd never had to fight against something harder but she knew if they were to kiss now, she wouldn't have the energy to fight against fucking him right here and that definitely was against many rules. Her lips quirked into a smirk at his words, taking the suggestion almost like a promise and Sof could work with that. She could be patient enough even though it would be extremely hard to do so. "Well, in that case, better get back to work." Dragging her teeth over her bottom lip, she stared at Beckett for a second longer before stepping past him and heading back out into the bar, pausing by the door to look back at him. "Oh, could you grab the cucumbers, it totally slipped my mind."

Getting back to the bar, Sof was relieved to see that no riot had started with them gone, in fact, it seemed like no one had really noticed at all. Even better. And not something she should tuck away in the back of her mind for a later date but she did it anyway. Cleaning up a few glasses, she started placing them into the sink and wiping down the bar, eyeing the clock until they would have to start kicking people out and calling friends or family to pick up a few who couldn't make it home on their own. The beauty of having regulars and being in a smaller area. She didn't even look over at Beck when she first heard him come back, too focused on trying to clean up as much as she could before closing, wanting to get out of here as close to on time as she could but that didn't stop her from bending over a little more than she should have when reaching for things. Just when she knew he'd be the only person who'd see.

beckett grinned at her, going through the motions of carefully rearranging sofia's clothes and hair, ensuring that no one would suspect a thing when they walked out of here. as much as beckett would have loved for sofia to parade around their comrades, displaying signs of what had just happened, but he respected her enough as a boss and a person to know that even if in the heat of the moment it was something she may have wanted — he was going to help her have deniability. even if he couldn't. ❛ that's a good girl, you clean those pretty fingers for me, ❜ he cooed, brushing the pads of his fingers along the ridge of her jaw, eyes seeming to blow in the dull light of the walk-in.

when he informed her how she felt, he nodded, chuckling beneath his breath and shaking his head, hands moving now to graze along her hips, feeling the tightness in his abdomen loosening as he distracted himself with rearranging her ensemble. ❛ good, ❜ he breathed, nodding his head again, his own cheeks flushed as if he had been the one unraveling against the wall himself. the coolness of the walk in aided in calming him down, but her words that followed his question brought his adrenaline right back up again. gingerly brushing the pad of his thumb along her lower lip, he tilted his head at her; ❛ no, baby, i'm good... ❜ beckett reassured, already planning a way to conceal himself with a bar rag or something, hoping the distraction of closing the bar up would be enough for him to keep it together until he got home. ❛ maybe once we're closed up here and off the property... well, i've got a few ideas of things you could help me with then.❜

[tooswcctx]

Sofia didn't confirm or deny when he called her out, only lifting her eyebrows until he moved away and she figured she'd do the same. Heading to the other end of the bar, she started taking orders, thrilled that more than half were for the specialty themed ones. Both because she'd made an effort to come up with them but also because they were jacked in price which meant a win-win for the bar. It didn't take long at all for her mood to improve, any awkwardness and weird jealousy melting away as she got into the groove of things. A few times, she got distracted catching up with regulars, smiling flirtatiously as she introduced herself by her James Bond alter ego, Honey Ryder ( emphasis on the rider part since that was the whole point of the name ), laughing sweetly as they showered her in compliments about how good she looked. God, they were so easy but as long as it resulted in more tips, Sofia could handle it.

Throughout the night, she couldn't help but watch Beck every now and then, glad that he was the one working behind the bar with her tonight. But she couldn't stop thinking about the idea of someone giving him a blowjob in the walk-in only this time, she was the one doing it, not Lizzy. And she wanted to stop herself from thinking about it, and other things that could follow involving him fucking her over her desk, but it was impossible. Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, things started slowing down, only a few of their regulars still lingering. "Not a bad turnout, seems like the impractical themes are working." She said, giving Beckett a smug look. Grabbing the empty cucumber container, she held it up and motioned towards the back, "I'm going to go refill this, don't think anyone will notice. Need anything?" Was she disappearing to try and calm down after feeling the tension building between them all night? Oh yeah. But there was also something in her eyes when she found his, an invitation of sorts if he wanted to take it.

when sofia turned to face him, his lips fell into a slanted smirk, brows lifting in curiosity as he had to swallow back an amused laugh. the idea of sofia doing anything like that in this bar certainly was filling the man's head with visions he should absolutely be filtering out. he had almost forgotten, for a moment, that the bar was starting to fill up and he and sof were supposed to be working... but fuck, as his gaze fell down towards her dress once more, he realized he was in the perfect position to get a clear view of her breasts, observing the way the neckline was doing very little to keep them contained... he had to clear his throat, averting his eyes out to the crowd, offering a smile in greeting to some of the regulars as they quickly began filling up seats at the bar. ❛ such a rule follower, ❜ he echoed, a bit breathless now, eyes falling back to hers and... had they been this close the entire time ?? ❛ — i don't believe you for a second, sof. the whole point of making rules is to break them so i call bullshit. ❜ then, suddenly feeling like the temperature had sky rocked in here, beckett moved away to start grabbing some of the drink orders, trying to will his dick to fucking simmer down. beckett just needed to get through this shift without thinking of bending over his boss in one of the walk-ins and pitching a tent in his pants; no biggie.

[tooswcctx]

Oh God, he was so much more than a work horse, he was the whole reason she still liked coming to this place. It had never been her dream to own the bar but when her dad died it was either her or her douchebag uncle and she wasn't going to let him ruin her dad's legacy. It might have been a dumb reason, but Sofia had done dumber things for less. Like telling Beckett about her secret rules as a way to get him curious and that had backfired splendidly. This is why you weren't supposed to mix business with pleasure...or possible pleasure since nothing had ever actually happened between them. Him poking her and moving closer did nothing to quell the raging storm inside of her. If anything, it made it worse but still, she laughed softly at the question, eyeing him with a look that neither confirmed nor denied. "I never said I hadn't broken any of them, but you know me, I'm such a rule follower." She shrugged, leaving it up to interpretation. Had she? No way. She was absolutely a rule follower and she'd set up those rules to keep things from getting messy. But that didn't mean she hadn't been tempted before...like right now.

okay — clearly beckett was missing something because sofia seemed incredibly out of it, like something had shifted her mood. he knew he could be a bit of a yapper but, he honestly didn't think he had said anything out of line. maybe telling her about lizzy was a bad idea but, he thought he and sof were cool; that they could joke about things like that. he frowned, tightening his arms across his chest, wanting to look away but finding himself incapable of doing so. maybe it's because she looked almost upset, or the fact that she looked even prettier up close, but all beckett knew was that he was fucking confused. he breathed a sigh of relief when she joked with him, thankful that whatever had struck her was past them, shaking his head as he looked down at his shoes. ❛ yeah yeah, whatever, sof,❜ beckett grinned... but the expression was short lived as she seemed to drop right back into that confusing mood once more. ❛ hey, relaaaxxx, it's fine. it's me. i hardly count as an employee at this point. i'm like... a glorified work horse, at best.❜ beckett teased, poking at her side, moving closer to her so he could drop his voice; ❛ — but, seriously, sof... you haven't done any of that before ?? no one has ever tempted you to wanna break your own rules ?? ❜

[tooswcctx]

He was right but somehow that didn't make her feel better. Technically, Lizzy had been hired by the interim owner, her uncle, before Sof had inherited the bar and she'd felt badly about firing anyone even though she somehow doubted a few of them should have worked there. Lizzy was lucky...for now. Closing her eyes, she squeezed them tight for a second, chastising herself for thinking of firing a good employee just because of this. Maybe Sofia was the insane one here. Without having to look, she could feel Beckett's eyes on her, and she felt heat rising in her cheeks, pissed that she had such a reaction but hoping he wouldn't notice. After no time at all, she'd run out of things to tap on and in favor of not being caught in such a shit excuse for something to distract herself, she finally turned back to face him. "Yeah, tears of joy maybe." She retorted, smirking as she tried to play at being casual and normal about this. "Yeah, no, I know. It's going to be fine." Taking a deep breath, she was internally grateful there was a plausible reason for her mood shift and not just - well, whatever it really was. Tugging down her dress again, Sof looked around, there were a good number of people already. That was a good sign for the night. "I just shouldn't have brought up the secret rules, that was so inappropriate. I'm your boss, so...don't know what I was thinking."

❛ it's lizzy, ❜ beckett replied with a shrug, running his tongue along his lower lip, finding that to be an answer in itself. the little waitress was notorious for running around with a loose zipper, begging and pleading for any conventionally attractive person in this building to feed into her desperation for attention. she was... messy, and beckett had wanted no part of that, at the disappointment of his cock. beckett stopped whatever it was he was doing, turning so he could rest his hip against the back of the bar, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned a bit closer to survey what sof was doing... which was not much of anything. her nails tapping on the pos screen distracted him for a moment, teeth raking his lower lip. a vision of those nails running down his back flashing in his eyes before he stood straight once more, her words snapping him back to reality as he cleared his throat. ❛ i mean, shit, sof — look at me. i'd cry if i turned myself down, too,❜ he was teasing, mostly, but ... something in sof's demeanor had changed. he wasn't the smartest guy in the room but, she seemed stiff. tilting his head, his brows furrowed; ❛ everything okay, sof ?? you're not actually tweaking about how tonights gonna go, are you ?? c'mon, it's us, we could do this with our eyes closed.❜

[tooswcctx]

"Are you threatening to kill me after you did all this work?" Son asked incredulously before laughing at the threat. "Alright, I promise. I won't tell her that you told me she thinks I'm cool even though that's nice of her and I'd like to tell her that I'm really not cool enough for all this." The word boss seemed to hold a little more power these days, something she tried not to think about because more often than not she was also thinking about his dick and how good it felt when he fucked her on top of the bar. It wasn't exactly the most professional relationship. Reaching out, she picked up one of the homemade uncrustables, tearing off a piece of it and hovering it near her lips. "They were made with love, were they? Damn, I didn't realize you felt like that." Sof teased, wanting to give him some shit for pulling off all of this even if she really did appreciate it. Popping the piece in her mouth, she hummed at how good it tasted on her tongue, forgetting how delicious a simple peanut butter and jelly was.

he watched sof sit atop the blanket , her gaze feathering the pleasantries scattered about the blanket lottie had picked out , biting the inside of his cheek to withhold the intensity of the smile that longed to grace his cheeks . " no , she just likes you . think's you're cool but told me not to tell you , " he jested , a cock of his head , unable to hold back the shit-eating grin that possessed his lips any longer . " so if you tell her , , , " he mused , moving to join her atop the blanket , sitting close ; " i'll have to kill you . "

beckett watched her , carefully observing , tongue gliding along the backs of his teeth as he second guessed and , simultaneously , praised himself — back and forth — for each selection he had added to the mix now displayed before her . " well , it's uh — y'know , the least i could do , , , for being such a good boss , " he teased , words light and airy as a touch complimented the words — feathered across her bent knee cap . " i mean , , , it's like those little circular peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you'd get from the grocery store but better . because they were homemade with love and all that , " he drawled , melodramatic in the way he drew out his words and rolled his eyes . " — anything can go well with anything if you put your mind to it , sof , " he said pointedly . " you taught me that , , , but there's strawberries in there , if the peanut butter isn't to your standards of complimentary . "

[tooswcctx]

Lizzy. Of course it was. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" It wasn't even a jealousy thing that was driving her question, maybe a part of it, but mostly her worry that this was her bar, and someone was propositioning their co-workers. That wasn't great. And if she did it to the wrong person, that could land them all in a lot of hot water. "I guess I should say thank you for not letting that happen." She tried not to overthink about the tomatoes or no tomatoes comment, but she was going to the second she was alone. What was that supposed to mean? Tearing her eyes off of him, she tried to distract herself with anything, tapping on the machine to make sure things were working right, the tabs that were already open were organized right. But she couldn't ignore the feeling of him getting closer, only looking at him when he nudged her with his elbow. Oh. So, she had waited for him...Sof wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. "Wait, she cried?" Now that sounded like a fantasy. "Come on, no offense, but crying over not being able to give you a blowjob? That's insane."

beckett was taken aback by her inquiring which waitress it was, his playful smile still wide but his brows momentarily coming to furrow together; ❛ lizzy, ❜ he answered honestly, shaking his head. elizabeth was... something, for sure. a little blonde thing who wore pigtails for extra tips, still in college... definitely not beckett's type. she was hot but, something about getting down with a twenty two year old at work didn't sit right with him... among other reasons but, that was neither here nor there. ❛ i mean, i wouldn't have done that to you — tomatoes or no tomatoes... ❜ he said with an honest shrug of his shoulders, not looking at her but feeling the rise in tension as she stood beside him. looking over at her, beckett took another invasive glance at your figure, smelling the perfume she had put on wafing off her skin as she stood beside him. the man took a step closer, gently nudging her with his elbow; ❛ that's the funny part. she did wait for me, but when i turned her down, she cried like i had killed her dog.❜

[tooswcctx]

Being mad about the maybe insult was not the top of mind now that Sofia was standing so close to Beckett, this air of electricity building between them and she knew that she should walk away and break whatever was going on but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Giggling at his reaction she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders like it wasn't a big deal or something that she personally thought would be insane to do. But the smile faltered on her lips as he continued. Why wasn't she surprised? "Which waitress?" She asked before she could stop herself or try and be more casual about it. "I mean, I'm glad you didn't because I don't even want to think about how unsanitary that would be." That was one of the reasons the walk in wasn't on her list of places. That's where food was! She didn't want to think about how bad that would be for health and safety but, more than that, she didn't want to think about someone giving him a blowjob. "Well, thanks for thinking about the tomatoes. I'm sure she was waiting for you after shift to finish what she started." The words were a little strained but she put everything she could into sounding casual and jokey about it.

❛ maybe it was an insult, ❜ beckett quipped, grinning so she knew he was kidding. it wasn't... exactly an insult. a cheap and playful dig, maybe, but not an insult. beckett couldn't come up with drinks for shit — he thought ordering complicated cocktails in a dive like this was ridiculous. get your rum and coke, your beer, or your whiskey neat and shut up. however, something in the aura between them had shifted, and beckett felt it because adrenaline had began to course through his veins. she was... looking at him, but there was something else flickering in her gaze, as if a sort of unspoken exchange was happening between the two of them. leaning towards her, beckett raised his brows, and his smile only seemed to bloom at the rules she shared with him before he tilted his head back to let out a short laugh. ❛ fuck, sof, ❜ beckett grinned, looking back at her, his eyes almost sparkling at the idea. ❛ i had a waitress offer to blow me in the walk in cooler, does that count ?? ❜ then, after a moment, he added. ❛ i didn't let her but, she tried undoing my belt. it was tempting, sof, but i didn't wanna do that in front of the baby tomatoes. ❜

[tooswcctx]

Seeing one of the regulars walk in, Sof waved in greeting choosing to ignore the way his eyes roamed over her figure and, not for the first time, she wondered if she should have just ignored the theme of the night for something a little more...covering. But it was too late now, and she was nothing if not committed to the theme. Plus, if he was looking at her like that, she had to imagine other idiots throughout the night would tip more hoping to get a little something extra. She didn't like thinking that, but money was money. "Oh really? Why does that feel like a veiled insult at my drinks? The brunette asked, playing up the hurt before laughing. He was right but these drinks were also pretty good if she did say so herself. As he walked towards her, Sofia paused, placing the glass she'd been cleaning down onto the shelf, not moving away even as a sly smile curled the edges of her lips. "You're right, I don't think I'd make it without you," which he knew well enough, "alright, fine. Come here." She lifted a finger to beckon him even closer, leaning in as though it was the biggest secret in the world. "Fucking on the bar...or in the office...or the storage room." Some of which you could only get into with keys Sof had so there was no way he'd managed it without her realizing.

❛ don't bullshit me like that, sof, c'mon... ❜ beckett scoffed, shaking his head, though a toying smile continued to tug on his lips. finishing up at the POS, he moved towards the bar to greet one of the early-birds who always ensured his face was the first to be shown in the bar, quickly grabbing him his regular and starting up his tab. glancing over at sof as he located a bar rag and ceremoniously tossed it over his shoulder. ❛ i'll learn 'em as we go. can't be that complicated — most of your recipes tend to follow the same formula so, i'm sure i'll get 'em in no time. ❜ it was more a reassurance than it was a dig, but his eyes sparkled as he spoke, trusting that sofia knew he would get them down in no time. beckett had been working here for so long everything else was practically muscle memory, sometimes it felt good to be confused behind the bar — a challenge of sorts. moving towards her, folding his arms over his chest, he cocked his head and raised an eyebrow; ❛ — oh, really ?? is that so?? enlighten me then, sof. what are these so called rules i have yet to have broken because my curiosity my damn well kill me...and i'm quite sure you don't wanna work this theme night without me. can't work if i'm dead so... let's hear it.❜

[tooswcctx]

"Ahh, I should have known." Sof teased, not that she didn't believe Beckett was capable of pulling something like this off but hearing that Lottie helped made a ton of sense. "Wait, she wants me to come over for dinner...to thank her for helping? Is she testing new recipes or something?" It felt strange to be invited over for dinner when she hadn't done anything for Lottie, it was like two wins...as long as she wasn't the food guinea pig.

Her eyes were moving so fast over all the things he'd set up, each time she looked it seemed like there was something else. "Too much? I don't really know...no one's ever done something like this for me before, I don't know what to compare it to." Finding an open space on the blanket, Sof settled down onto it, glancing up at him with a warm smile. "Handmade crustables? What exactly does that entail? And do they go well with rosé?" Asking the important questions.

pleased with her reaction , beckett beamed , a flicker of pride twinkling in the very gaze sewn to her figure as she surveyed the spread he had laid out for her . " won't lie , lottie helped out a bit , " he fessed with a shrug of his shoulder , his little sister having helped him sneak into the bar earlier that afternoon after he had coaxed her with a hundred dollar bill . " — but earlier today . the second i knew we weren't opening . lottie said you have to come over for dinner one night while she's home as a thank you for her assistance , by the way . "

his body missed her warmth as sof strode away , just as it did behind the bar when they worked so harmoniously together they hardly brushed elbows unless it was intentional . which he had come to learn , as of late , it very much had was . on both sides , thankfully . canines scraped his lower lip , a cock of his head as his brows furrowed — a tinge of fear he had done too much . " — too much ?? " he asked with a bashful quirk of his lips , a laugh tumbling out shortly afterwards . " i'd have made you actual dinner but , ya know , no power so , , , i did make handmade uncrustables . "

[tooswcctx]

"Convenient or just a coincidence with the work schedule?" Sof countered. To be fair, she was working most of the time so it would have been easy for any of the other employees to make the same kind of claim Beckett seemed to be making right now. But...he actually might have had a point. Maybe she did try harder to make sure their shifts lined up - and what of it?? Somehow they were the two that always brought in the most profit and you couldn't fight that evidence. "Why am I not shocked?" She sighed, but there was no point in getting mad about it now, he'd have to learn on the job which he'd managed to do for this long. Eyes met his briefly and there was something in them that caused a flutter in her stomach, teeth grazing her bottom lip as she tore her gaze from him back towards the glasses she was lining up. "You sure about that?" Sof asked, amused that he was playing along. Strictly speaking, the secret ones were just rules she had for herself that had more to do with not hooking up with co-workers or on the bar or in the office - okay, a lot of them were just not hooking up on the property so it was kind of hilarious he claimed to have done them. "I feel like I'd no if you did, it'd be hard to do them without me catching you."

❛ what's that supposed to mean ?? of course i would. spare me, sof. you can't get enough of me — isn't it convenient we're almost always working together ?? ❜ he taunted, rolling his eyes and waving a dismissive hand in her direction. he knew their matching schedules had everything to do with the fact he practically lived at the bar and had been working there for as long as he could remember — since he was old enough to bartend which was... an embarrassingly long amount of time. he'd be offended if she didn't ensure they were scheduled on the same shifts... they always made a killing together. ❛ no, but i'll figure them out, ❜ beckett shrugged, his smile blooming as he glanced at her once more, trying to control his gaze as it became almost indecent, tongue sliding along his lower lip. beckett willed himself to be strong, to get it together, closing his eyes and tilting his head back almost in silent prayer. ❛ even the secret ones, ❜ he reassured, even though he wasn't entirely sure what the secret ones were. he'd broken practically every rule there was to break at a place of employment... what rules could possibly be left ??

[tooswcctx]

"Of course you would." Sof retorted, inhaling sharply as she rolled her eyes. Okay, it wasn't like she was actually keeping count or anything but it'd happened enough that at one point she had to text her friend about it and ask if she was reading too much into it. Jury was out on it, message still unclear but she didn't have to tell him that. She watched as he checked a few things on the machine, knowing she'd added all the specialty drinks herself because she never trusted anyone else to do it right. "Did you even learn the drinks?" Sof asked, already having a feeling she knew the answer. Beckett went back and forth between being a pain in her ass and being one of the best employees she had here which was why he still had a job. "Oh, are you?" She asked, eyebrows raised as she walked towards him, only adding as she brushed past him, "even the secret ones?"

beckett didn't reply to being so blatantly called out, only rewarding sof a wide and menacing grin as he threw his hands up in faux defense. ❛ hey, the fact you remember how many times that has happened means you've thought about it. i'll take it, ❜ he taunted, eyes alight with mischief before laughter broke from his chest. turning around to press some buttons on the POS machine, beckett double-checked to ensure all the theme-of-the-night cocktails had been added, familiarizing himself with their names as he hadn't bothered to go over the list sofia had given him a few days prior. ❛ does it count if i'm the one providing the service, though ?? ❜ beckett pushed, grinning over at her once more, not hiding the way his eyes dropped to watch her fiddle with the unforgivably short hem of her dress before his gaze was up on sofia's face once more. ❛ i'm all too familiar with the rules of this bar, sof, and i have made it my lifetime goal to break every single one of them without you ever catching me.❜