Authors Note: This is my Thirty-Second story. I owe the idea for this series to my good friend and fellow writer, EddyFox and the helpful editing to EddyFox and Shady_Lady. If you want to know how this all began, please read Chapter 1 and keep an eye out for Chapter 3. And now, on with the story...I hope you enjoy it and please remember that all feedback is greatly appreciated!
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It was after 7 when I finished going over all the reports and I was famished. It was a Friday night so Isabella and I went to the Italian Restaurant and Lounge just down the street from the office. We were regulars there so they made sure my favourite table was free after only ten minutes of waiting at the bar.
I liked the table because it was near the entrance to the kitchen in a little nook all it's own. Even though I'm sure the entire kitchen staff could hear every word we said it gave the illusion of privacy from the rest of the patrons.
I ordered a bottle of white wine and lasagne and dove into the alcohol long before my dinner arrived. I told Isabella about how well things seemed to have been going with Jacob and how disappointed I was to discover his inadequacy and how badly he'd reacted. Already tipsy from drinking on an empty stomach herself Isabella just laughed, "Well there's plenty more applicants to go through and I'm sure at least some of them will be "up" to the task"
We ate, drank and giggled profusely as we traded embarrassing stories about men from our pasts. We were almost done the second bottle of wine when our very attractive young waiter took our dinner plates away and asked if we would care for some desert.
I slipped my fingers into the waist of his slacks and tugged him towards me, "Only if you're on the menu," I said between giggles. Isabella playfully slapped my hand away and said, "Now now Michelle, he hasn't had the pre-requisite interview with me yet"
The poor boy was practically frozen in fear. His hands were raised in an "I didn't do anything!" pose and he was pleading with his eyes for us to leave him be.
Isabella and I were both playfully tugging at the waist of his slacks in either direction when the day manager came over and put his hand on the young mans shoulder, "Alex, is there a problem here?" he asked in his stern yet kind voice.
Isabella and I both removed our hands from the man's pats and I looked up with an "innocent little devil" grin on my face and said, "There is a slight problem here David. This young man asked if we'd like any desert this evening and then he wouldn't give us what we asked for." I put a sullen tone in my voice near the end and pretended to pout.
I heard Isabella clear her throat, "Sorry David. We've both had a bit too much to drink and we acted inappropriately," she looked at the young waiter, "I apologize for our behaviour. You will be tipped generously for putting up with us." There was a definite tone of dismissal in her voice and the young man murmured thanks under his breath as he scurried back into the kitchen.
I frowned at Isabella, "You made the pretty boy run away...now what will I do for fun!?" Isabella shook her head at me as she poured the last of the wine into my glass and handed it to me.
"I'm genuinely sorry David. She's had a very...exhausting day at work and we both needed to unwind. I guess she unwound a little too much and took it out on your waiter. I should have known better that to be an accomplice but I guess I've had a little too much to drink tonight as well."
David grabbed a chair from a nearby empty table and sat down with us as he said, "Don't worry about it ladies. He's been a bus boy for a couple years here and asked to move up to waiter. Personally I didn't think he could work the evening shift but the night manager insisted we throw him to the lions, so to speak. He's not as suave as most of our evening servers, but he'll learn. As for having had an, "exhausting" day at work...I heard something along those lines through the kitchen doors...how about some more wine?"
He had a wicked smirk on his face and I saw Isabella begin to blush profusely. She was embarrassed thinking David might have overheard our tawdry tales earlier, but I had no such qualms thanks to all the liquid courage I'd consumed that night. "I'd love some more wine...and since your cute little server rescinded his offer of desert...is there anything you'd like to offer us to make up for it?"
David grinned wickedly as he replaced the chair, "I'll see what I can do," he said slyly as he returned to the kitchen.
He came back a few minutes later with two glasses of sweet strawberry wine and a big slice of strawberry cheesecake (my favourite) and two spoons. "Enjoy your desert ladies. I'm off shift now so Jack, the night manager, will assist you if you require anything further. I'll be just over by the bar having some dinner myself if you require any company."
Isabella and I drank the wine and ate the desert as we whispered (or at least thought we were whispering...ever notice how loud drunk people are when they think they are being quiet?) about the altercation with David and his flirting. He'd always flirted, all the waiters here flirted, but tonight had been different. He'd obviously overheard at least something about earlier today, if not more, and seemed to want us to know that...but what did it mean?
As one of the other waiters came to take our plate away we noticed there was a slip of paper hidden underneath the plate. Isabella reached for it and her face showed a look of utter disbelief.
"What? What does it say? What is it?" I demanded, trying to reach for it. She handed it to me and I could have never guessed at what it said:
Ladies,
I couldn't help overhearing about the position you are trying to fill at your company and the lack of suitable applicants. I enjoy my job, but wouldn't be opposed to considering an alternative form of employment if you deemed me worthy. If so, feel free to join me at my table and we can talk about it.
David
I looked over to where David was sitting and saw he had his back to us. He obviously wanted us to feel no pressure about discovering his letter and how to respond to it.
I watched the back of his head as he ate. He was a very attractive man. He was in his early 30's with medium brown hair and blue/green eyes. He was always clean shaven and well dressed, but that went with the job description. He was about 6'2" and about 200 pounds, but he obviously worked out and most of that was muscle.
I handed the letter back to Isabella and said, "Well go on, go over there and do your pre-interview thing and see if he's worth-while. He's definitely hot!"
Isabella looked at me in disbelief, but when I glanced back at David she knew I was serious. "Okay, but don't blame me if you regret this when your sober missy!"
I watched her walk towards him and noticed a patron checking out her well rounded ass as she walked by. The man noticed me noticing him noticing her and looked embarrassed, until I winked at him and he glanced back to finish watching her walk over to David.
I watched as they sat and talked for about a half an hour before she came back over to the table. The same patron watched her walk back over to me with a definite leer on his face.
"See that blonde guy over there? He was totally checking you out!" Isabella glanced at the man and blushed profusely as she sat down. "Then he's an even bigger idiot than he looks like."
I frowned at her. Isabella wouldn't be considered the common ideal of beauty in today's world, but then again neither would I. I would be considered "plump, heavy, chunky" but Isabella would be considered, "overweight and fat" Neither of us were thin by any standards, but neither of us were obese either.
I had come to terms with the fact that I would never be thin but could still be beautiful, sexy and attractive. Isabella, on the other hand, had a much harder time coming to terms with the fact that she would never be a size 6 (in fact I was a size 14 and she was a size 18) and couldn't see how beautiful she was.
Long naturally golden blonde hair, bright blue eyes, naturally tanned skin that was flawless, bountiful breasts, full hips, a nice round ass. Men were forever checking her out, women too. Hell, I'd even found myself checking her out and having temporary lustful thoughts about her myself! But she just couldn't see herself as attractive or sexy no matter what anyone else said or did. I'd given up trying to convince her she was attractive years ago and settled for never letting her put herself down.
"Isabella...one more word like that and I'll dock your pay young lady!" She gave me her usual "I'll agree so you'll shut up about it" expression and went on to tell me all about her discussion with David.
"He agreed to go for the STD and standardized medical exams tomorrow if you'd like. His last relationship was 5 years long and they'd been engaged for the last year and a half of it. She kept putting off setting a date for the wedding until finally she broke it all off saying she had found someone else and left him. It ended almost two years ago and aside from flirting at work and a couple dinner dates with patrons who had given him their numbers he hadn't been romantically involved with anyone since his ex fiancΓ©e. He had a one-night-stand with a patron just after they'd broken up but that was it for sexual encounters since her. He's also willing to be at your beck and call for a one-on-one interview with you anytime you want after the results from the exams are in."
David still had his back to us but I could see the line of tension in his shoulders. He was anxious and itching to turn around and look for the response on my face to Isabella's debriefing.
I grabbed my purse and handed Isabella the corporate credit card, "This just became a working dinner meeting. Why don't you go pay for dinner and head on home. I'm going to go chat with David...and don't worry; I'll call a cab home for myself. I'll see you tomorrow at work darling."
We hugged goodbye as she paid for dinner and she whispered in my ear, "You've been drinking...try not to do anything rash and please go home alone tonight. I'll see you in the morning."
I turned and made my way to David. I stood beside his table with my hands on my hips looking as stern and impatient as one can look while wobbling slightly on one's own heels, "I certainly couldn't permit a full scale interview without all the medical documentation to back you up...but what say you walk me outside and wait for a cab with me and we'll have ourselves a little chat?"
David looked suddenly shy as he got up from the booth and smiled at me. He gathered his things and we walked outside into the fresh fall air.
"I hope you don't mind, but I called a cab for you while I was in the back room. They should they should be here within 5 to 10 minutes. Where'd Isabella go?"
All his usual flirtatious exuberance was gone. He seemed suddenly shy and awkward and almost deliberately turning the discussion away from the job offer he just put himself up for. "She lives just a block away so she walked home. What's wrong David? I thought you wanted this job?"
He looked up at me sharply, "I do! I mean, it sounds like an interesting idea. I just don't know what to say. Flirting with customers is one thing, but that's just acting. This is real."
I grinned impishly and took hold of his jacket, "It sure is" I said as I pulled him into me and kissed him hard. His lips opened under mine and I snaked my tongue into his hot mouth. He tasted of wine and chocolate and as I sucked his tongue into my mouth I felt as much as heard him moan against me. I slowly pulled my mouth away from his and found that the tension in his shoulders had relaxed and he was looking down at me with lust in his eyes.