Most of the characters here are introduced in Entertaining at Home and the first chapter of this story. The more linear thinkers among you may want to check them first. As always, comments welcome and thanks to those who have.
*****
In the end the decision was made for me. An apologetic Steve texted me about six on Friday evening saying they were going to be held up at work for a while – something about a rushed order for Germany – and would I let Mr J know they were going to be late. I texted back.
'How late?'
'8 at the l8est. We could meet him there.'
'I'll take him and leave when you get there if it's not my scene.'
':).'
The Crown was packed when we arrived. It looked like George might even have underestimated his top guess. The crowd seemed nearer two hundred to me. I had to push a passage for Mr J and myself to the bar. All the local engineers I had ever seen were there, as well as quite a few of their colleagues who had never been in before. They were distinguishable by the paper hats they were wearing: supermarket-crackers' finest design. They had obviously been there for some time, the flushed faces and shouted, off-duty banter were a dead give away. George's notice about booking your Xmas party had clearly paid off.
The big room had been filled with tables. I found myself wondering where they had been kept the rest of the week as I steered Mr J through a narrow passage between occupied chairs. There was an air of expectancy among the men. I could not but notice that I was being checked out big time. One man blocking our way elbowed his mate to get his attention and they both looked me up and down grinning. They jumped when I asked them to let us through, muttering apologies. They then made a big play of acting as our escorts, clearing a path much more efficiently than I had been able to do.
We eventually made the clearing in front of the bar. I smiled thanks to the two men.
'Our pleasure. Got to keep the ladies happy, haven't we?'
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I noticed a space at the bar and headed for it. The gap was made by an unoccupied bar stool. It had a "reserved" notice taped to it. I looked around for the VIP and spotted Tracy sitting on the adjacent seat.
'Hi Tracy, remember me?'
'Susan right? The stool's for your guest. George made me bloody sit here until he arrived.'
She was dressed porno-schoolgirl style. Her short tartan skirt was split at the thigh; she had obviously given up trying to hold it closed. I could see white cotton panties beneath it, as could the half-a-dozen bleary faced men who were staring at her unashamedly from the nearest table. Her tight white blouse was tied beneath her breasts; a loose tie was knotted at the collar. I noticed she had bleached her roots and tied her hair in two bunches.
'This is Mr J. He's come down especially to see you. Mr J, this is Tracy. She's the star performer.'
'A pleasure to meet you, Tracy. May I buy you a drink?'
'Nice to see you too, Mr J. There's no need. Mine are on the house. George wanted your seat kept safe.'
'Big crowd in.'
'Never seen so many.'
We were shouting to make ourselves heard. I had one arm around her shoulder and the other resting on Mr J's. I felt him slip his hand round my waist. Cheeky devil.
'Looking forward to going on?'
'Too right. They're gagging for it. Might make enough for a holiday with my little lad.'
She grinned at me and jiggled her tits. It made me laugh. I heard Mr J join in.
I looked around for service. There were three middle-aged women serving a steady stream of customers. I had never seen any of them in the pub before, but from watching them banter with the guys ordering drinks I guessed they were regular Friday night staff. One of them, another bottle-blonde with the biggest breasts I had ever seen, was pulling pints at breakneck speed whilst chatting to the guy who had ordered them. She glanced across at me and smiled. I smiled back. She mouthed "Susan". I nodded. She came over when she had finished her transaction and rested her weighty mammaries on her folded forearms as she leaned across the bar to talk.
'Susan, right? You must be her guest. Pleasure to meet you. What are you having?'
I had been impressed with the size of her tits. I thought for a moment Mr J was going to disappear, eyes first, into her cavernous cleavage. He looked across at me for guidance, so I ordered two pints of George's best. They arrived in seconds, along with another alcopop for Tracy. This woman knew her job. She waved a meaty hand as I fished in my bag for my purse.
'First one is on the house. George wanted a word when you arrived. He's in the Ladies. Tracy, you keep Mr J entertained until Susan gets back.'
With that she was gone, back to the melee further down the bar, shouting for the next order. I turned back to Tracy.
'My mum.'
She said matter-of-factly and applied herself to the new bottle as if the madness around her was normal. I had questions: what was George doing in the Ladies? What was so urgent that he needed me? But mostly where did her mum get bras big enough to encase those mountains? And I suppose a bit of my mind was wondering what her mum thought of her daughter stripping. I thought about asking Tracy, but the noise was overwhelming. I put a hand on her shoulder and mouthed "I'm off to see George" when she turned to me. I bobbed my head towards Mr J and she nodded. Mr J grinned at me and the two of them put their heads together. I took a gulp of my beer before plotting a mental route to the toilets and heading down it.
The noise lessened as I entered the corridor which held the toilets. As the Ladies' door closed behind me, it virtually disappeared, to be replaced with a woman's soft sobbing. It was coming from a stall at the far end of the cool, tiled room. I approached cautiously.