Warning: LEMONS! The was my first experiment with yaoi lemons (which you can probably tell). The restaurant is based off one I worked at and the resort is based on the Novotel Twin Waters Resort. That resort actually inspired this whole story. Enjoy!

Oh, minor pairings: LeeSaku, ChoIno and NejiTen. Just because.

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

Chapter 1

Sighing, Naruto Uzumaki closed the Bill Book and rubbed his face. Tonight had been busier than usual, with several large groups eating at the restaurant, and he'd had to bring in every employee to cater for the extra people. On an average night seventy people came through between six and eleven, but tonight there was well over one hundred. Thank God the holiday season was almost over and they could take a break.

As manager of the prestigious restaurant Hidden Leaf in Sacramento, California, Naruto had little to no life outside of work. He spent every spare hour working to keep on top of all the bills, expenses, invoices and employee payments. It left no room for a social life but he didn't mind as long as his restaurant was functioning. His restaurant was everything to him, given that it had belonged to his chichi before he'd died. Naruto had several fond memories of standing in the kitchen with his chichi, cooking all sorts of delicious dishes for the guests. Sometimes he would be allowed to serve the food to his guests and he'd loved that more than cooking. Now he was the manager and a waiter and his schedule was always full.

He had ten employees who had worked faithfully at his side for most of the five years Naruto had owned the place.

Sakura Haruno was a twenty-five-year-old waitress. She had short hair that was dyed pink, a sweet countenance and she always put the customers' needs before her own, which was a good trait for waitresses. She was always the one Naruto could count on to come when he asked and they were good friends outside the workplace, despite not hanging out much. Sakura was saving up money to go to Medical School and he always gave her holiday shifts so he could help her out more. Her boyfriend Lee also worked at the restaurant.

Rock Lee was a twenty-nine-year-old bartender. He was loud and cheerful with a bowl-cut that matched his foster chichis, Might Guy. It was always worth talking to him after a long shift because Lee was always optimistic and never felt down unless someone called him 'bushy brows'. Well he did have thick eyebrows. He and Sakura had been dating for just over two years and he handled the bartending job and university with ease that Naruto envied.

Gaara Sabaku was a twenty-four-year-old chef. He was pale and eyebrow-less with spiky red hair and a sour expression. Often he was sullen and grumpy, but that was just his personality. He'd had difficulty getting a job previously due to his past with juvie, but Naruto had hired him anyway because the man was a genius with food. Since being hired, Gaara had pledged his loyalty to Naruto as thanks and was always there at midnight to help clean up the restaurant and set up for breakfast the next day. From someone like Gaara, that loyalty meant a lot.

Shikamaru Nara was a twenty-six-year-old bartender. Always lazy and bored-looking with his black hair tied up like a pineapple, he'd been sacked from countless jobs for slacking off instead of working. Despite this, he had impressive skills with mixing and pouring drinks that Naruto was pleased to have. The manager overlooked Shikamaru's laziness as long as he served the drinks on time and didn't mind if Shikamaru fell asleep while cleaning up. From what he knew, the man also worked as a teacher's aide at a local high school and working with teenagers was exhausting work.

Choji Akimichi was a twenty-five-year-old chef. He had a bad reputation amongst other restaurants, with many other chefs saying he ate the food he cooked. Again, Naruto took him in and set him to work as the chef that tasted the food and plated it up for service. He also made a deal with the chef: if Choji didn't eat heaps of the food for guests he would receive more for his own dinner. Choji was grateful for Naruto accepting him as part of the Hidden Leaf staff, and had struck up friendships with all the other chefs with his easy-going attitude. That attitude had won the heart of one of the waitresses.

Ino Yamanaka was a twenty-five-year-old waitress. She was blonde, beautiful, and was flirted with by many of the guests. When Naruto had opened his restaurant for employment offers she had been one of the first to send in her resume and had been hired almost immediately for her skills with dealing with customers. She'd eagerly signed up to work every Saturday and Sunday, as she went to night school during the weekdays. Naruto was very lenient with her hours, as he knew she needed to put more focus on night school so she could complete her education and go to university. He knew she wouldn't leave his employment for a while because she was in a steady relationship with her fiancée Choji, and he had no intention of leaving such a good work atmosphere. Where he went, she went.

Shino Aburame was a twenty-eight-year-old chef. Deemed creepy by many, Shino was actually a socially-awkward man who had difficulty talking with people. Naruto had given him a weeks' trial run to test his skill in the kitchen, and hired him after careful deliberation. Since being hired five years ago the man had become friends with the other chefs and always met his cooking deadlines. He was always there on time and earned every cent he was paid.

Hinata Hyuga was a twenty-two-year-old waitress. When she was twenty Naruto had accepted her as a trainee and taught her everything she knew. Initially shy, Naruto's gentle encouragement had led to her finding confidence and looking up to her boss with respect. She got mad at anyone who insulted the restaurant staff and stuttered cutely every time it happened. For many employees, Hinata was their little sister and they looked out for her.

Kiba Inuzuka was a twenty-six-year-old chef. He'd worked in the restaurant as a teenager when Naruto's chichi was in charge and continued to do so once Naruto took over. His dog Akamaru had followed him to work once and Naruto had had to shut the half-grown beast in the back office with a hunk of meat and a chew toy to keep him occupied. Kiba had meekly cleaned up the mess his dog had made. He was a good chef and worked at the restaurant at night mostly, as he was a veterinarian during the day. His thick brown hair was always very difficult to shove into the chef's hat but Naruto forced him to wear it always. Kiba hated the hat.

Tenten was a twenty-nine-year-old front desk manager. She was the one who checked guests in and out, organised reservations and took care of numbers for the evening. Her job was easily the most difficult underneath Naruto's, yet she did it without complaint and always came in to say goodnight to Naruto before heading home to her boyfriend Neji Hyuga, who happened to be the deliverer for the restaurant. She was stuck-up at times, but was always willing to help out unhappy customers and that was a skill Naruto valued dearly.

The tired manager let out a huge yawn and checked the clock on his computer. It was midnight. Hopefully the others had made progress in cleaning and setting up for breakfast tomorrow. He stood, bones popping as he stretched, and exited his office, running a hand through spiky blonde locks.

"How's the set-up going?" he called, moving through the kitchen. Kiba was mopping the floors and Shino was wiping down the coffee machine. Lee and Shikamaru were cleaning glasses and organising cupboard space for the delivery tomorrow. Choji and Gaara were pushing tables into place and stacking chairs. Sakura, Ino and Hinata were laying tablecloths and cutlery in preparation for tomorrow. Tenten was on the phone with Neji, organising tomorrow's delivery of food and drink. Everything was on schedule.

Sakura nodded at him, her hands full of cutlery would in a tea towel. "We're almost done boss," she grinned. "You can go home soon."

"Awesome job guys," Naruto sighed. He crossed to where Hinata was placing folded napkins on the table and took a bunch. "Sakura, I've got you on the roster for tomorrow lunch, right?"

"Yeah, and Ino is in the morning." Sakura set down more knives and forks and glanced at the other side of the restaurant where Ino was placing glasses. "When do you plan on going home? Don't stay until two in the morning and then come back at eight again. It's not good for you."

"The holiday season is almost over anyway so I'll get more rest after that."

"Yes, you will get rest. You will get lots and lots of rest. Who knows, you might even get a holiday?"

He whipped his head around. "Sakura… what did you do?"

The pink-haired waitress grinned and clapped her hands together. Immediately the other employees converged on their blonde boss with secretive looks on their faces.

Gaara stepped forward. "You've done so much for us. For many of us, you took us in when no one else did. You work so hard to get us our pay and we've never thanked you for it. So now we want to thank you. Kiba, bring out the surprise!"

Chuckling, Kiba flourished an envelope above his head and smacked it against Naruto's face. "This is from all of us to thank you for being the best boss ever!"

"Guys, you really didn't need to…" Naruto's voice trailed off as he opened the envelope. "Are you serious?"

Hinata nodded and smiled. "The holiday season ends next week and we've organised for you to take a week-long holiday at a five-star beachside resort. You need the break."

His stomach clenched as he looked up at the people who were closest to him. "And you put in all this money…?"

Shikamaru was the one who nodded lazily. "Yeah, Sakura insisted we put in fifty each to give you the best time possible."

"And besides," Ino said slyly, "you haven't had a boyfriend in what, five years? And you've been too busy with the restaurant to get any action. So use some of that money to get some lube and condoms and have a good time!"

Naruto smiled crookedly. "I could sue you guys for sexual harassment if you talk about my love-life again." He would never sue them, and they knew it.

"We care about you Naruto," Sakura said softly. "We want you to be happy. You've put so much energy into making us happy and we want to do the same for you."

There were no tears. Naruto may be soft, but he wasn't that soft. Smiling weakly, he embraced his waitresses tightly, the envelope clutched tight in a shaking hand. When he pulled back the entire staff enveloped him in a massive group-hug. Even Gaara and Shino joined in and that meant more than the hug itself. It showed Naruto just how much his employees loved him and he felt honoured to be the recipient of such emotion.

"Thanks guys," he chuckled. "I'll be sure to take your advice."

o.O.o

Seven days later Naruto locked up the restaurant and turned to Sakura, handing over the keys.

"Take care of my baby while I'm gone," he told her, slinging his jacket over his shoulder. Sakura nodded and smiled, waggling the keys in front of his face teasingly. Chuckling, Naruto knocked her hand out of the way and strolled around the restaurant and into the underground car-park. His little Ford Festiva sat in its usual spot, looking somewhat forlorn since it hadn't been washed in a while. Naruto unlocked the car and climbed in, turning the key. It took two tries to get the car started, as the clutch was very grabby and resulted in the Festiva stalling a lot.

What a hectic week, Naruto thought, pulling out from the park. It had been hectic. He'd worked even harder than before to get all the timetables organised, the deliveries made and the bills paid for. The Bill Book had been handed over to trustworthy Tenten and Naruto was looking forward to his holiday even more. Maybe he did deserve it.

He lived fifteen minutes away from Hidden Leaf in an inner-city apartment. Pulling into his parking spot, he switched off the car and grabbed his jacket before locking the vehicle and climbing up several sets of stairs to reach his tiny apartment.

Upon entering, one stood in the living room. The kitchen was to the left and beyond that were the doors that led to the bathroom and the bedroom. Naruto hung his jacket beside the door and went straight to his bathroom, brushing his teeth well. He gathered up all his toiletries – toothbrush, toothpaste, cologne, razor, shaving cream, hand cream, moisturiser – and took them to his bedroom where his almost-packed bag waited. Biting his lip, he set the bag between a box of condoms and his pile of boxers. The bag was completely filled with shirts, pants and board shorts and Naruto took one last inventory check before zipping it up and setting it on the floor beside his bed.

Naruto let out a long sigh and collapsed on his bed, fully-clothed. He could worry about getting changed tomorrow before he drove for two hours just to get to the resort. Hopefully the weather would remain nice for the next week; otherwise it would put a crimp in his entire holiday.