THURSDAY AFTERNOON
As usual, the morning went by fast and before Cori knew it, it was lunch time. The guys gave her their orders from the diner and she called them in. Fifteen minutes later, she left to go pick them up.
The diner was three blocks down and on the other side of the street. To get to it, she passed several small stores and offices as well as a barber shop. Every day, she saw men standing at the big glass windows, watching for her to make her daily lunchtime trip. Today, there was also a small crew doing some road work, and they stopped to whistle and cheer as she walked by. She smiled and waved back, but didn't stop.
Her suit was slipping and sliding, but so far staying in place sufficiently enough. She walked into Daddy's Diner where Jack "Daddy" Collins was waiting for her at the counter. Like so many men in the town, he looked forward to his daily glimpse of Cori. Obviously, today's appearance didn't disappoint him in the least.
He was in his late 40s and had owned the diner for 20 years. It was called "Daddy's Diner" because that's what his daughter β who was the same age as Cori β had named it when she was a kid. To this day, his daughter Tammy was one of Cori's best friends. They had even roomed together during their brief time in college. That's when Jack had really started to notice what a hottie Cori was becoming.
As always, the diner was full of men, who were both enjoying a good lunch and waiting to see Cori. Normally, they would just greet her and thank her for stopping by, but today they all gave her a standing ovation. A few snapped photos and a couple held camcorders. Cori smiled, waved to everyone and said hello. She accepted their attention not as some sort of objectification, but as flattery and was truly humbled by their reaction.
"Great outfit today, Cori," Jack smiled, handing her two bags of food. Cori didn't have to pay β they had an account set up with the diner and paid monthly for their lunches. Cori gave a last wave, turned and then, as a way of thanking everyone, bent over at the waist, pretending to adjust her shoes, then walked out to a second standing ovation.
After she left, Barry Jarvis, a skinny 30-year-old with stringy brown hair, ran to the window and watched her walk down the street. Very few people liked Barry. He bounced from job to job, was believed to be on drugs and had a knack for saying crude comments. This latter trait prompted him to say, "Damn, I'm tired of just looking. One of these days I'm just going to take that bitch, tie her up and make her my whore."
"You do and Ben and the boys will kill you," Jack growled. "And then I'll kill you. Leave her alone, Jarvis. Understand? Now get your ass out of here."
Jarvis flipped him off and walked out, starting to follow in the same direction as Cori, then apparently thinking better of it and heading the opposite way. Jack and the rest of the guys were happy to see him go. Jarvis was a troublemaker and the sort of guy who might do something stupid. Jack had warned Tammy about staying clear of Jarvis many times, and now he would have to worry about Cori as well.
To Jack, Cori was a like a local treasure β the sort of thing you put on a sign as people drove into town because you wanted everyone to know how proud you were to be that person's hometown. It wasn't just because Cori was the hottest woman he'd ever seen. He'd known her since she was a child and knew what a great, honest, humble, intelligent and caring person she was. All those things made her all the more sexy, as far as Jack was concerned, and worth protecting from men like Jarvis.
Jack picked up the phone and called Ben, just to let him know what Jarvis had said and to be on the lookout. Jack knew at least one of the guys from the shop was with Cori at almost all times, but he wanted to make sure they knew what Jarvis might be thinking.
Ben thanked him and assured him they would be on the lookout. This wasn't the first time some jerk had made somewhat threatening comments about Cori, so Ben wasn't shocked. But he always took these threats seriously and understood that Cori was a potential target.
Cori, who of course was completely unaware of Jarvis' comments, had a relatively uneventful walk back to the shop. The construction crew gave her another round of applause and there was a near traffic accident as she crossed the street β an out-of-towner stopped to gawk and nearly got sideswiped by a delivery van. The oil was very slowly beginning to dry up a bit, reducing the slippage in her suit. She was still very slick and sleek looking, her skin glistening brightly in the warm September sun.
She walked into the shop right behind the FedEx delivery man, Bob, who, as he always did, greeted her with a light pinch on the ass followed by two firm squeezes on her tits. This time, he found his hands covered in oil and didn't complain a bit, using a shop towel to dry them off as he left. "Thanks Cori! Have a great afternoon."
Cori distributed the sandwiches, chips and cookies from the diner, keeping a tuna salad sandwich and a bag of chips for herself. Ben brought out cans of pop from the back for everyone and they sat around their small lunch table in the break room, which was just behind the front counter.
They all sat around and talked while they ate. Ben told them all about Jarvis. He didn't see any reason to try and hide it from Cori. She understood these things and was mature enough to handle it. Sure it bothered her a little, but she wasn't scared of a punk like Jarvis. Still, it was good to know to be on the lookout.