Maximilian and the Group Project

Maximilian wanted to be a food taster. He had an excellent tongue, it could taste the difference between different vanilla ice creams or years of aged wine. He was very good at licking things. Weirdly this made him very popular in college, at least with the ladies. When it came to other guys everyone was strangely distant.

This story takes place in Max's Junior year, finally old enough to drink he was enjoying spending his evenings experimenting at different restaurants around town and it was with some horror that he heard the words "group project" pass through his writing teacher's lips. He sat upright with a thump and stared at the plump lady at the front of the room. Terrifying thoughts flooded his mind. Group work meant collaboration. Collaboration meant working with people. Working with people meant scheduling. Scheduling meant he might have to work with them at night! That meant he might not be able to go out to dinner each night! Max fainted.

...

Max sat up straight in bed. He was immediately confused and a sharp pain in his forehead made him screw his eyes shut and grab his head. He tried to remember where he was, it didn't seem like his bed at home. The sheets felt rough against his skin, the pillows not plump enough. He had made sure to bring silk pillow slips with him from home and these didn't feel like that.

"Max, are you alright?" a silkie voice startled him. It sounded like it was quite close to him. He moved one of his fingers so he could look through his hands with one eye. Sitting next to his bed were three girls. Closest to him was a short girl with bright blue eyes, she grinned at him, which crinkled her face up revealing small high cheekbones that made her face look outright pixieish.

Next to her were a blonde and a brunette. One of whom Max recognized. The brunette was a girl named Marisa, Max had always been stunned looking at her, not only was her face a perfect heart shape, plump red lips, large brown eyes, the picture of beauty, her father owned the best Italian restaurant in town.

The girl beside her was in between the small grinning girl and Marisa in height, but she was the clear winner in bosom size. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a v-neck and for a second Max felt he was going to fall in to the sizable cleavage. As she sat straighter to look at him in bed they seemed to jostle together jiggling pleasingly.

Max blinked at the girls for a second. Slowly he lowered his hands. Then he brought them back up to rub his eyes again.

"We're your group partners" Marisa spoke up. Max had spoken to Marisa only once when she was working in her father's restaurant. He had ordered the excellent and strong gorgonzola gnocchi and she had complemented his taste.

"Excuse me?' Max muttered confused at the sudden statement.

"In class. Before you fainted the Prof assigned us a group project. Your in our group." Marisa explained.

"When you fell over she asked for volunteers to carry you to the nurse's office!" piped up the shorter girl. "I'm Cloe by the way!"

"I'm Elsie." Added the blonde.

"Oh" said Max. "Um..."

Marisa put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we haven't picked a topic yet. We have to review something."

"Cloe and I thought you might want to do a restaurant?" Stated Elsie, "We heard you like food an awful lot."

"Oh, um that does sound nice" croaked Max, still not sure what to say.

"We could do my Dad's restaurant if you want, I see you there a lot." whispered Marisa with a strange look. She seemed to be looking rather intently at the edge of the bed.

Confidence seemed to flood back into Max's body. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all? He wouldn't mind working on a group project if it meant he would have to sample more of the Italian food at Marisa's restaurant. And some company like these three girls wouldn't hurt too.

"Ok, that actually sounds pretty fun!" Marisa looked up sharply into Max's eyes then flushed slightly. But Cloe and Elsie both smiled happily.

"Then it's settled!" yelled Cloe with a woop. Max heard a mutter from the Nurse somewhere nearby. "Let's leave this big guy to recover. We can organize stuff online and meet up soon!"

The girls got up to leave, Marisa and Elise stepped around the curtain around his bed but Cloe leaned down to whisper into Max's ear.

"I hear your tongue isn't only good at tasting food, lover boy, I think this will be an adventure for all four of us. And that Marisa would certainly wouldn't mind I would say." She straightened back up quickly and grinned down at him again. Blood flooded Max's face until it was pink and he thought other things might be getting a little too much blood too. Cloe gave him one last wink before sneaking out.

...

The nurse quickly grew bored of keeping Max in bed after his fainting spell and let him out that afternoon. He already had three new friend requests on Facebork. He accepted them all and was startled to see Cloe's profile picture. There she was, almost certainly topless, thought it was cropped tastefully, her face and shoulders covered in blue paint. He couldn't help but think it did look rather fetching. What had she meant about his tongue? Had one of his roommates been talking? He had had some interesting nights recently, but that's a story for another day. Cloe's eyes were very blue and seemed to stare right into him.

That night they chatted online and organized when to meet up. Max figured meeting in person would let them plan properly before they went ahead with other stuff. No one suggested a meeting place, so Max decided they should meet at the library. The University had a good library, the upper hall was a silent reading room with a vaulted roof. Most of the students called it The Castle. Max of course knew a little bit about architecture and would have told them that it was much closer to Renaissance mansions, then medieval castles.

They met in one of the study rooms, just off the silent reading room. Max was there first, collecting the key from the librarian. The room was tiny, big enough for a round table and some chairs. It was pretty warm inside. It was in the middle of the building with no windows or visible air vents, the door was also windowless, even though it was late winter the room was sweltering. Max took his coat off and hung it on his chair before getting a notebook and pen out.

Marisa appeared next, she had a fashionable p-coat on and a scarf which she shed quickly. Her lipstick seemed a shade redder than the last time he had seen her. Max smiled and said hi. She responded but lapsed into silence. She dug in her bag for awhile, determinedly not looking at Max. After awhile he gave up glancing over at her and let the awkward silence stew around them.

Luckily Elsie and Cloe burst into the room together. They were giggling about something and cheerfully greeted Max and Marisa. Cloe slapped Max, who had his back to the door, happily on the shoulder. They settled down and they started discussing the project.

It quickly appeared that Max had been the only one to think much about the project. Not one of the girls had thought about their schedules and they argued for an hour about when they could go to the restaurant. Elisa thought they should go for lunch, but was quickly voted down. Max had already brainstormed some of the foods they should try, and Marisa backed him up.

He also brought up some ideas about what they should focus on in their article, by the end of an hour and a half he was feeling rather exhausted. The heat was getting to him. It didn't help that in the heat inside the room the girls had lost a fair bit of clothing. Cloe was wearing a t-shirt that hugged her frame, showing off her body. Marisa was in a button up, which she let drop a button or two until she had an alluring bit of skin revealed. She was a dancer, conversation revealed. But by far the most magnetic was Elsie who was down to a tank top which barely seemed to be holding on to her breasts. They were round and soft looking and Max had to pinch himself now and again to stop looking at them. It didn't help that Cloe winked at him with those blue eyes every time he looked away from Elsie's chest.

Cloe stood up suddenly, her chair sent clattering against the wall. "I want something to drink. Hey Marisa, why don't you and I get some sodas. What do you guys want?"

Marisa looked pleased to get out of the hot room, and Elsie and Max asked for some cold drinks. They closed the door behind them as they left. Max let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. It was getting late and he was pretty tired. He heard a noise and looking up he saw that Elsie had come to sit next to him. He was rather startled as she pressed her thigh into his. The pressure turned the wheeled chair until Max was facing her directly. He swallowed slowly, not sure what to expect. A niggling thought wriggled into his mind, maybe this was what Cloe and Elsie had been giggling about before they arrived.

Elsie crossed her arms, which caused a rather extreme reaction in her bosom, as both breasts seemed to raise up. Max had to resist reaching out to catch them, they looked like they were about to fall out of her tank top.

"I saw you looking at my boobs an awful lot, Max." She stated matter of factly, crocking her head to one side. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulder covering her shoulder. "I think you were making Marisa quite jealous."

Max was taken aback. This wasn't the approach he was expecting. "Um, I'm sorry I couldn't help myself."

"Oh I know, no one can, not even most girls. But poor Marisa was looking quite miserable today. Perhaps you need some punishment." She smiled at him. The effect was rather predatory.

Max gulped and tried to use his legs to push away, but found she had wrapped her legs around his and trapped him soundly. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry I'm not angry, I just thought you should know. Maybe next time you should give Marisa some more attention. But right now its just us, no reason Marisa can't share." She reached out and grabbed his hands. "You want to touch them?" Elsie squeezed his hands firmly, and Max could feel certain things happen inside him.

"Why not?" he said recklessly, even while still thinking about what she had said. She drew him closer and placed his hands over her breasts. They were soft and gave slightly. But they were surprisingly firm. She let go of his hands and slipped the straps of her tank top off her shoulders. By now he was very sure she wasn't wearing a bra. Her nipples were hard under his palms. He began stroking the roundness, feeling them from all sides. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hands. Her legs kept their chairs together. Max recalled what one of his roommates had said about what she liked. He let go of Elsie's right breast and flicked the nipple lightly. The blonde gasped, her eyes flying open in shock.

"Ooh, do that again" she breathed. Max complied and then rolled the hard end between his finger tips as he kneaded the left breast. Elsie was breathing hard by now. She let go of one the arm rests and put her long fingers on the bulge in Max's pants. He was wearing jeans, which he regretted now, the hot room already had him sweating and Elsie's hand made it a lot hotter. She stroked it up and down, as he played with her nipples. He could feel himself hard as a rock under her hand and the pressure was building. Elsie leaned forwards even further as Max cupped each breast in his hands. They were heavy, and he leaned forwards and gave one a flick with his tongue. She tasted fruity and sweaty all at once, the scent of her soap and her body combining together into something sweet. She moaned audibly and spasmed back into her chair. The sudden movement broke Max's grip and her breasts fell back settling into two round mountains. Max was hypnotized as they swung back and forth like pendulums.

The spell was broken as he heard the sound of the door handle turning. He kicked fiercely sending Elsie's chair away from him. She was startled as well and with the speed of panic pulled her tank top back up. Max turned his chair to the desk to hide the bulge in his pants just in time as Marisa and Cloe entered the room. Cloe cast a curious glance at the two as she placed two cans of soda between them. Marisa marched over to the other side of the room and grabbed her bag.

"I have to go," she said angrily. With that she stormed out.

"Uh, I should go too" muttered Max, trying to not look at Cloe's knowing glance. He retrieved his notebook and bag before heading home to relieve a large amount of pressure.

...

It seemed a lifetime before the night of the restaurant visit came around. Max got up early. Slept through his classes and ran home to change. The restaurant was pretty fancy and he wanted to look good. The waiters and chefs couldn't think he was a slob. He chose a tasteful lightly colored collared shirt and a sports jacket. He wore his best fitting jeans, he was still a student after all. Max admired himself in the mirror. He was pretty good looking, not overly muscled, but with enough muscle to make him look comfortably fit. He was tall, at least six foot and had broad shoulders.

He kept his hair just short enough, it was curly so growing out too long was a disaster, instead it was just the right length for what he thought of as the "comfortably tousled look." He had decided to shave this morning so his chin was smooth. His neutral look always made him look a bit cross, his thick eye brows pinched inwards. He tried a few smiles, maybe a little better but they looked fake. He crooked his eyebrow at himself one last time before stepping out.

The restaurant was walking distance away from his house so he happily set out, whistling silently to himself. As he neared the block the restaurant was on a dark thought crossed his mind. Would Marisa still be mad at him? Her frowning face from the night at the library appeared in his mind. Had she been about to cry? Those large brown eyes seemed to glisten in his imagination. And what had Elsie meant? Cloe had said something about Marisa too hadn't she? He remembered seeing Marisa at the restaurant the last time he was there. She was in the black waiter's outfit, a black shirt and skirt, one of those pocket filled aprons around her front. She had been awfully pretty then. She had laughed at something he had remarked. And he had ordered that wonderful chocolate cake they had. It was exquisite. Moist with a dark flavor and a nice icing that managed not to taste too sweet. Max happily considered chocolate cakes he had tried as he walked up to the door.

The Italian Restaurant was in a popular part of town that had lots of trendy shops. It had been the hippy part of time back in the day but now had handcraft shops, antique stores, and lots of good eateries. The Italian place was in a shop front that stuck out into the sidewalk. It made an L-shape with other restaurants behind it making a pleasant courtyard beside it. Kids and dogs played around a bio-swell filled with big leafed plants.

Max opened the door ignoring the sights around him. Standing in the doorway he let his eyes adjust to the darker interior. It was a small room, tables were crammed pretty close. A large mural of the Florence skyline in careful black lines marked a wall half way in that marked the beginning of the kitchen area, which was partially out in the open and in the back. Some awful paintings of ugly dogs took up the opposite wall.

Max glanced around and spotted Marisa. It made sense that she would be first, since her father owned the place. He waved and walked over. She didn't smile at him, but she did wave back.

"Hi, Elsie's already here," she said quietly. Max had to lean forwards to hear what she said.

He nodded politely and took the chair facing her. He noticed Elsie's massive purse by the chair close to the wall. He noticed Marisa had a pretty good view of the windows. "Seen any interesting people walk by?" He inquired. She looked confused. "You know, people watching? Aren't there lots of interesting people?"

"Oh yeah, there are. I saw a woman in a bright purple coat carrying a little boy in rain boots walk by just before you came in. And there were a whole ton of roller bladders who came by earlier." Marisa began to smile, staring over his shoulder at the street.

"Cool. I love sitting in places like this just watching the world go by." Marisa smiled more broadly.

"It's weird being in here as a customer for once. Usually I'm so busy taking orders that I don't get a chance to see anyone other than customers." She chuckled. "Oh wow, look there's Cloe!"

Max turned to look behind him. He had to do a double take. While Marisa was in a comfortable skirt, boots, and a sweater, fashionable and pretty, Cloe was stunningly sexy. She was in a white tube dress with seams that conformed to her curves that obviously were designed to show off everything she had. She had mascara on that made her eyes look smoky and her blue eyes seemed to blaze out from behind soft clouds. Her hair was in a thick braid over her shoulder and it tossed back and forth as she strode towards the table. She had high heels on, and her legs were on parade for the whole world to see.

Max heard Marisa gasp next to him as well. He looked back at her, and her mouth was slightly open and her eyebrows were curved together in a slight frown.

"Hello peaches!" cooed Cloe as she plopped into her chair, the elegance gone in a second. The lack of care even more sexy. Max was reminded of the feme-fatales of old movies, lazily smoking cigarettes on the end of sticks easily seducing the hero. "Where's Elsie?" she asked looking around.

"In the bathroom" replied Marisa. As if on queue Max spotted a blonde head pushing past the tables at the back of the restaurant. She was in a button up shirt that looked like she might have stolen it from a boy friend in the past. Max could barely tell if she was wearing shorts it was so long. She grinned at Cloe as she came up and kissed her playfully on the cheek before sitting in her seat. Max was incredibly revealed that her breasts were hidden by the shirt.

A waitress came up, and feeling brave, Max ordered antipasti for everyone. He knew they had a delicious olive brucetta. After quickly checking that everyone was over 21 he also asked for a nice red wine. Some nice bread was brought with their antipasti and Marisa regaled them with a story of when her father once mixed up the order for flour and ended up with enough to sandbag the entire restaurant. The place hasn't had to order more since.

Max was relieved to find that Marisa had relaxed. Perhaps she had forgotten the little incident with Elsie, or at least forgiven. Maybe if they were alone again he could bring it up. He watched her face as she talked animatedly, her eyes seemed to smile and when she did pause to smile around at them it was beautiful. Her hair was cropped shoulder length and it made a perfect frame of her heart shaped face. Her redder than usual lips seemed wet, and Max could almost imagine reaching out and feeding her a nice piece of bread topped with the black and grey olive brucetta. He would do it slowly, teasing her, reaching forwards across the table.

Just as his imaginary brucetta passed her lips she looked up directly into Max's eyes. She frowned and his daydream was shattered as she very distinctly didn't smile. She jerked his head, and looking where she was indicating, found that the waitress had returned to take their dinner orders.

Max had usually had the gnocchi here, but today he decided to branch out and try one of the house specialties, what the restaurant called a "raviolo." He had to frown savagely when Elsie chose to order a pizza. Cloe had a little taste when she pointed randomly on the fish menu, something with oysters. And Max couldn't help smiling when Marisa chose the gorgonzola gnocchi that he usually had. She glanced over at him as she did and his heart seemed to skip a beat.