He'd been working with her since the restaurant opened. She started as a hostess when she was a plucky, adorable, 16 year-old. She looked like a young, naΓ―ve Taylor Swift -- minus the lacquered makeup. Tall, leggy, blonde, great lips, earnest eyes, bouncy butt, perky B's. He felt like a dirty old man -- more than twice her age.
Over the course of 2 years, she worked her way up to server when she turned 18 and went off to college. She was back on weekends and it was obvious that the collegiate experience imbued her with some confidence. She shed her cloak of nerdy high school girl and was blossoming with the sexual assertiveness bestowed by having new boys flirt poorly with her.
***
"Hey Brianna" he said "how's your institute of fancy book learning working out?" he asked with a wry smile.
"Hey Karter! Good! Learning, loving, drinking, the whole experience, ya know?" she bubbled back.
There was a distinctive gleam in her eye, more knowing, decisively flirty, and with her now 18 and he 36, his licentious thoughts were now just hot -- not pedophilic.
Karter had just gone through a knock-down, drag-out divorce. He was a part time bartender, full time wannabe writer. But in his reawakening, he'd shed about 25 lbs of middle-class complacency, and looked a lot better. If not for the speckles of salty grey in his beard, he looked closer to 26 than 36. So he was primed for all the attention flirty, pretty young things wanted to heap upon him. And, to his surprise, it came in abundance.
***
One Saturday he got cut early and hung around to grab a beer. That turned into 2, and his fellow bartender slid him a couple of shots of Bulliet on the sly. He was feeling pretty good, so when a gaggle of lovely young ladies -- Brianna included - asked him to go to the club after their shifts, he gave it half a thought, then demurred. But, they were kidding. They were going to karaoke at a dive bar. So he settled up and set off to be the cock in a hen party.
It took 2 more beers and 3 more shots before he felt primed to dust off his Johnny Cash "Ring of Fire" routine. While he was busy channeling his bygone baritone days, he caught Brianna's eyes and they were aglow. With what, he didn't know. But he was feeling fine and was going to find out.
His successor on stage vacated the seat just next to Brianna, so he set down -- a little clumsy drunk -- right next to her.
"So, when are you going to serenade us with your sweet stylings?" he asked, eyebrow cocked.
"Oh, no way I could follow that routine of yours..." she bantered, coyly.
"C'mon, I'm sure that mouth can make some sweet music..." he retorted, with obvious innuendo.
She stopped and stared at him for a second, then pulled her fake ID out of her purse. "If you're gonna say shit like that to me, I need another drink." And she licked her luscious lips -- full and plump and ready.
"I gotcha" he said "what are you having?"
"Surprise me..." she said, with half a question mark hanging at the end of her statement.
"Two whiskey old fashioneds -- sweet" he told the bartender. They came quick, cherries floating. He returned to his seat, cocktails in tow.
"What are these??" she asked -- seemingly surprised at a guy buying her something besides a cosmo or Long Island.
"Old Fashioneds -- sweet" he said "because I'm old and you're sweet" he smiled, knowing he nailed the line. "Cheers"
"Cheers!" she said, clinking glasses, with another gleam of something beaming from her big, baby blues.
He'd been out of the game for a decade, so he wasn't fluent in the signs and tells of the college crowd. But he was pretty sure wasn't misreading her signs.
"Whatya think?" he asked, taking a stiff pull of his own drink.
"Good -- strong" she said.
"Well, I got you a chaser, just in case." he said, smoothly.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" she asked.
He put his drink down, grabbed the back of her neck delicately, and pulled her mouth to his. Her lips collided with his in sparks. Warm, full, easily parted by his gently probative tongue.
His move caught the attention of the rest of the ladies and elicited a mix of gasps and cheers.
"You wanna get out of here?" he asked, directly.
"Ummm..." she hesitated "I came with Amy and I've got to open tomorrow, so..."
"Say no more" he said. He put back the rest of his drink in a single pull and put it down deliberately. "I had a good time, though. Maybe we can do this -- or something else -- again, soon." He stood up and she grabbed his hand -- sending conflicting signals with every move.
"I had a good time, too."
Her eyes locked on his, but she didn't say -- or do -- anything. So, he took his leave.
***
When he got to the parking lot, he sparked up a smoke and revisited every move he made. Or didn't. He was so lost in his own reflections that he hadn't heard the door open behind him and jumped when a smooth, familiar hand found his.
"Hey, sorry" Brianna said, softly "I didn't mean to make you leave."
"No worries, I misread the situation and I apologize." He offered.