Lennie and Samantha

Please read part 1 before you read this or it won't make much sense.

****

The next morning, Lennie rose from his bed a little after 7 am. He hadn't used an alarm clock for nearly a year, except for the few days he went salmon fishing in Puget Sound with a buddy who had an old but dependable fiberglass boat. On those days one had to be at the dock by 4 am to for any chance to catch the early morning bite when the big Chinook were feeding.

He sat at the end of the kitchen aisle where he had four bar stools along the overhanging side. Eating some eggs, scrambled into sauteed onions and sweet red peppers and some grainy toast with organic strawberry jam while sipping some freshly ground gourmet Costa Rican coffee, he pondered what had happened the evening prior.

Surely Samantha, or Cindy, or whatever that beautiful woman's name was that he talked with was way, way out of his league. And on top of that, he started thinking about the hollow feeling he experienced after having sex with an escort. Not to mention that she was 25 years younger than him. Naw, he thought to himself, she was just trying to make nice with a stranger for a while.

But then he thought, she

did

seem sincere, and dang, she was - to use a phrase of Danny's - "a stone-cold fox". His mind started into a haze of ideas, and it was her brilliant blue eyes and that dazzling smile that he could not shake from his thoughts. She specifically told him that she wanted to go out with him because he was "cute". Yeah, she used the word "cute". So there was that.

Suddenly the front door lock clicked and the door opened. It was Ms. Olivia Gutierrez, his Latina housekeeper. She visited every Monday and Thursday, cleaning the house, doing any dishes, as well as Lennie's laundry and change the sheets on his bed.

Hi Ms. Gutierrez, how are you today?" Lennie asked.

"Everything is good, Mister Lennie", she responded in her heavy Mexican accent. She had done well learning English as her second language, but still had a limited vocabulary. Lennie had hired her on the recommendation of a friend who had used her for a year but had since moved out of state. She was grateful her luck was so good as to be introduced to Lennie for work. She was alone in America except for her young daughter and a brother that recently arrived from Mexico, and had nobody else to lean on. The steady job from Lennie meant she had the ability to stay and support herself, her four year old daughter, and her brother, the only family she had.

Lennie always called her Ms. Gutierrez instead of her first name Olivia out of respect, and to maintain an air of professionalism. He didn't want her to think he was coming on to her, even though she was a naturally beautiful late twenty-something. She was a fantastic, conscientious worker and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Ms. Gutierrez, I need to discuss something with you." Her face froze in fear. Was she going to be let go? 'Oh please', she thought, 'keep me on. I so need this job. I can't lose it.'

"You've been with me now for three months, and I have had a chance to review your work and renumeration. We need to talk."

Now the fear started to set in. "We need to talk"? That could only mean one thing, he wasn't satisfied with her work. Or maybe it was the renumeration, whatever that meant. She had no idea.

"So I've been paying you $500 a week, cash, correct?"

She nodded and said "Si, I mean yes, Mr Lennie. But first may I ask you a question? What is this 'renumeration' you are talking about?"

Lennie smiled to himself. "That just means what you earn for the services you perform. It's another word for pay."

"Oh". She took a deep breath and realized it might not be as bad as she thought.

"I reviewed everything you've done. You're always on time, and when you leave, the place is spotless. I know I can count on you. You also do little things that are above and beyond your responsibilities. I realized that your renumeration was not reflecting your efforts."

'Oh no! My pay is going to drop!', she thought to herself. 'I need every penny of that to support four year old daughter, my brother and myself!'

"So instead of paying you $500 a week, it will be, starting today, $1,000 per week. Is that ok?"

Her eyes lit up and a broad smile reached across her face. "Ok? Ok?! Oh my, Mister Lennie, it is great!"

"Good, I thought you would approve. Here is your envelope with the new amount. I have to get going to the gym now."

Lennie smiled, grabbed his gym bag and marched out. He never saw the tears of joy on her face as she thought of the many ways she could use the additional money. New clothing for her daughter and herself. Repairs for her old car. A sofa that didn't have broken springs and threadbare seats.

"Thank you Mister Lennie. Thank you so much!"

****

He looked at the wall clock and left for the gym to be there at 9am. He had just changed gyms the previous week, because the trainer he was using had switched to the new place. This was the first time at the new gym. "Better equipment means more clients," Matt said.

Matt was his 27 year old trainer. A former first round pick drafted by the Seahawks as a wide receiver, Matt had three good years until that hit that took out his knee had ended his career. Lennie was one of Matt's first clients in his new business and had recommended a few of his friends to help build Matt's base of clientele.

Matt had helped Lennie gain back his strength, working a series of light weights, combined with cardio workouts. It was an effective regimen, Lennie felt better and wasn't winded when he would go for a walk or even a jog like a few years ago. He didn't have the look of a bodybuilder with a six-pack, but he looked good for his age. He had a knee that had bothered him in recent years scoped and cleaned up by a knee specialist. The pain went away. He could run again without his knee constantly barking at him.

"Ok, old man, time to sweat!", Matt chuckled as he walked up to Lennie.

"Are you gonna kill me again like you did last week, Matt?", Lennie groaned.

Matt laughed out loud and retorted, "You'd be disappointed if I did anything else! But I'll kill you a bit more slowly, how about that? You know that deep down, I like to see you suffer", he chuckled.

Lennie started with stretching, and then repetitions with the light weights. Each workout Lennie did the routines in different order, skipping a few, and adding a few others. "We don't want your body to anticipate the next task Lennie. Muscle memory will take over and your workout will not be as effective. Gotta keep those muscles guessing."

Matt observed and made sure Lennie fully extended himself, needling him if he cut a corner. After that, Lennie went on the treadmill and Matt raised the angle to simulate running uphill. Lennie lasted for a full half-hour, proud that he reached his goal once again. Then, a half-hour on the weight machines. Up, down, up, down. Deep breaths. After switching from the weight machine to the free weights and completing his routine, Matt gave him a high five and told him to cool down and drink some water, mixed with electrolytes. Sweating profusely while gaining his wind back, Lennie covered his head with a towel and wiped himself down. He then wiped down the machine, cleaning it for the next person.

As he finished and sat back down on a bench, he noticed another trainer across the room, older than Matt, working with obviously a woman who faced away from him. It was a woman with an incredible body and magnificent ass. The material hugged the curves of her cheeks perfectly as the seam curved into her butt crack, separating each cheek to emphasize how amazing they were. Those buns truly defined what "bubble-butt" meant. It was obviously the tight ass that only a twenty-something could hope to have. She had no chance of hiding that incredible ass in those skin-tight sky blue leggings. She was bent over on the bench, using small free weights with her left hand, then her right.

Damn, Lennie thought, that

ass

. The material was pulled so deeply between her butt cheeks that each bun was it's own entity. Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and swayed back and forth, back and forth, as she lifted and let go the weights. She twisted her body back and forth putting the emphasis on her waist. Then she moved onto leg squats while holding the weights. Up, down, up, down. That incredible ass bent outward at every dip, nearly touching the floor. 'Amazing', Lennie thought. Her cheeks were as firm as rocks. It was difficult not to stare.

Lennie, still trying to regain his strength after another good workout, gasped when she turned around, looking across the room and right in his eyes. It was Samantha. Or Cindy. She smiled right at him as her trainer was talking to her. He was startled seeing her again so soon. Her presence caught him completely off-guard.

Matt noticed his double take and commented, "Yeah, she's difficult to take your eyes off of, isn't she? Tony, her trainer, said she's been working with him for some crazy long time, like 15 years or something. Oh man, look at her. Fifteen years? She must have started with Tony when she was in high school. And he's never tried to tap her, even once. Can you believe that? If I didn't know better, I'd say Tony was gay. But he isn't, trust me. He's 45, and he picks up more hot women than I do when we go to a bar together. I don't get it, she is in-cred-i-ble", drawing the word out for maximum effect.

"Yeah, she's most definitely incredible," Lennie said as his eyes met hers. He got up and slowly but deliberately walked across the room as he carried his damp towel, wiping his forehead one more time. Tony noticed him walking directly towards her and cut off his approach, saying, "Sorry, buddy, this is a private workout, the lady wants her privacy. She has a standing order from me to keep it, right Sam?"

"It's ok, Tony, I met Lennie last night. Are you stalking me?", she chuckled while flashing a big smile, letting everyone know she was joking.

Ahh, Lennie thought, she's using her "stage name". He wondered if she did this everywhere she went, because she was just working out, not working her profession. "I'm feeling lucky that I've ran into you twice in less than 24 hours. How are you, Sam?"

Cindy, impressed that Lennie had figured out which name to use, said, "I'm great, now! Although still kind of tired, I was out late last night." Lennie blushed. He seemed to be doing that a lot when around this woman.

Cindy finished the last 15 minutes of her workout as Lennie watched her sitting on a bench nearby. When she was finished she asked Lennie, "Can I buy you a smoothie, or green tea, or something at the juice bar?"

Lennie smiled and nodded. Together they walked over to the juice bar, grabbed a couple of stools at the counter and ordered their drinks. It was around 11 am and the smoothie bar was empty of other customers. After making their orders the attendant was doing tasks and walked away for a while, leaving them alone.

"Thanks, Lennie, I appreciate your discretion with my name. If you would have said my real name, it could have caused problems. I've never seen you here before, but you look to have been working out a while with that cute trainer. He looks like a kid."

"Oh, Matt? He's 27, I think. He used to play for the Seahawks until his knee got blown out. He just moved over to this gym a few days ago. I've been working with Matt for over a year now." Lennie was trying, and failing, to come up with some witty conversation to impress her. But he was worn from the workout, and besides, he was seldom witty in the morning.

As their conversation continued, suddenly Cindy's phone rang from her small carry bag. She answered. Lennie listened. "Uh huh, I'm Samantha, how did you get my number?... From DJ, ok....yeah, maybe..... sure I do that.... The Olympic at 7 pm? Sure...Until midnight?.... Yeah.... ten, yes.... Right....A black blazer with a gold chain?.... ok, see you then, Dennis."

At the same moment that Lennie's face noticeably sagged, Cindy said "You must think I'm a real slut."

"No, Cindy, like I told you last night, it isn't my place to pass judgment on a person I've just met. I was actually working up my courage to ask you out this evening. If you have other plans, I get it."

"Yeah, it's what I do. It's my profession, and it pays well. And I'm really good at it." Cindy, or it must be Sam now, didn't sound defensive or arrogant as she said it. She looked directly into Lennie's eyes and smiled, showing no regret at the phone conversation. "There is a lot more to my job than just spreading my legs. Most of the time, I work on my clients brains and emotions a lot more than their bodies."

She replayed the last 12 hours in her mind and after another sip of her smoothie said, "You've seen me finish an encounter and then another ten thousand dollar encounter in two days, and now a third. Trust me, that's not normal. But when opportunity arises, it's kind of a waste not to take advantage of it."

Lennie didn't really know where to take the conversation. He had a lot of questions, most of them very personal. So he figured that being himself would be the best plan of action.

Lennie looked around to make sure nobody was within earshot. "Cindy, I have to say, my mind is going in a dozen directions right now. Other than small talk after a date as she was getting dressed to leave, I've never had a regular, normal talk with an escort. I don't know why I'm so tongue tied trying to talk with you, if it's your occupation, or your beauty. Or both. Or even something else. I'm just a confused old man," Lennie chuckled, using his age as a crutch for his nervousness.

"You're not old, Lennie", Cindy countered as she lightly slapped his upper arm. "You are witty, in good shape and seem to be a kind soul. Now, quit putting yourself down, it is very unbecoming of you. You have a lot to work with."

There was a few moments of silence as they stared into each other's eyes. He wanted her in his presence, talking and smiling like they are doing now. Suddenly, Lennie blurted out, "Cindy, do you like fish and chips?"

"Yes, if it's good fish. What were you thinking?"

"How about a luncheon date next Wednesday. Informal. Very informal. We will get fish and chips from Spud's on Alki beach, and then we can go across the street and sit on the beach in the sand. We can see all of downtown as well as Elliott Bay and part of Puget Sound. It's a great view. I'd like to get to know you better. You're incredibly attractive, of course you know that, but I have to say it."

"Lennie, a girl always likes to hear that. So thank you. And coming from you, I can feel your sincerity. What time?"

"Twelve-thirty, that should let us dodge the noon rush." And then Lennie realized he needed to know more. "Where do you live? I'll pick you up."

"I live across Lake Washington in Kirkland. I have a condo on the water there. And I've eaten fish and chips at the Juanita Spud's near there. Is it the same as the Alki Spud's? You're right, I think Spud's is even better than Ivar's, and Ivar's is good, too."

"Identical menu at both Spud's. Alki is the original. We could go there, too, if you wanted. It's supposed to be a rare sunny warm day and I thought sitting in the sand on the beach at Alki, watching the waves on Puget Sound crash the beach, would be a nice place to just talk. And the sounds from the beach would cancel out anyone being able to hear us."

"That sounds great, Lennie!", Cindy smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

****

It was Wednesday, and the early May sunshine and warm spell was in it's third day. Three days in the low 80's in May was indeed rare for Western Washington weather. Lennie's Expedition pulled into the parking lot of Cindy's condo as the clock on the dash said 12:27. Next to the entrance was a nice looking wood and iron bench with a curved wooden back.

Cindy was there, sitting with her eyes closed, her head back and her hair down in a gentle curl, enjoying the warm sun hitting her face. She was wearing designer sunglasses, a short form-fitting skirt that rose to her mid-thigh, open toed sandals, and a form-fitting sleeveless top that covered her magnificent breasts while tied off showing her bare midriff. Lennie's heart jumped when he saw her. 'Look at those abs, oh my,' Lennie thought, 'what an amazing body'.

She moved her head and opened her eyes, saw Lennie, and stood up. Lennie gasped at her beauty. Her face turned while she was smiling at Lennie. Lennie melted at what he was looking at as she walked to the passenger side of his Expo. He immediately put the car in park and jumped out to open the passenger door for her. Cindy smiled and said, "Oh, a true gentleman! I like a man with good manners!"

Even though traffic was light, it took them almost an hour to get there. I-90 was no problem crossing Lake Washington, but the big detour around the West Seattle Bridge doubled the time to get to Alki beach. It was in the middle of a four year rebuild. Forced to use surface streets and low bridges crossing the tide flats and the Duwamish River doubled the commute time to Alki beach. Lennie drove a bit over a mile down Harbor Boulevard, the road that wrapped along the long sandy beach shore.

They engaged in small talk the entire way, both of them staying away from any topics that could threaten the current relaxed mood. Cindy was particularly adept at keeping the conversation light and pleasant. Finally they arrived to their destination after driving much of the beach road. The speed limit was slow as there were always people walking or parallel parking.

Luckily there was an open parking spot on the street, very close to the Spud's take-out fish bar. They ordered, Cindy substituting the coleslaw for the fries to keep her fried food intake down. After all, the deep-fried fish took her over her quota, but the fries, no, not in her body. Grabbing some extra tartar sauce, ketchup and napkins along with their iced lemonades, they walked across the street to the sandy beach four or five feet below the street level and above the long concrete bulkhead. Lennie stopped at his Expo and pulled out two high-back folding camping chairs with armrests and a small folding table so they didn't have to sit in the sand. Handing the food to Cindy, he took the chairs and pushed them into the sandy beach until they were solid. They both sat, Cindy placing the food on the small unfolded camp table between them.

"So, Lennie, you told me a few days ago that your mind was going in a dozen directions. How can I help you organize your thoughts a bit? And look, I know this is all new to you. Heck, regular dating is uncommon for me too. The last time I went on a non-working date was over ten years ago. So I want you to know that you can say or ask me anything and I won't be offended. Except of course, if you suddenly change and become a jerk", she smirked with a mischievous grin.

Lennie didn't ask anything about her and instead told her of his life, being local, born in Seattle, and growing up in the small town of Puyallup, 30 miles to the south, home of the big state fair. Everyone knew of The Fair, and nearly everyone visited it at least once in their lives, during those three weeks in September. The Fair drew well over a million people each year. Advertising for a generation used the phrase "Do the Puyallup" and nearly all locals knew exactly what that meant.

"I love The Fair!", Cindy exclaimed. "There are so many things there besides carnival rides and food. One year, I took my niece to the animal barns. There are so many of them! I was amazed how successful the 4-H program was in this state. It is so fun to watch her petting baby goats and lambs. And those Budweiser Clydesdale horses? They had four of them there! Those horses are huge! She was giggling all day. And those displays of vegetables and fruits were amazing. I've never seen such huge and perfectly symmetrical examples of so many kinds of produce. Those giant tanks of salmon at the Fish and Game exhibit were cool, I'd never been that close to a big salmon like that, one that wasn't in ice at the Pike Place Market anyway. And all of that food! Scones, taffy, cotton candy, elephant ears, corndogs, fudge, she ate it all! My niece had such a great time. Since you grew up in Puyallup, you must have gone there a few times, I'm guessing."