Author's Note—this is my second attempt to post a story and I'm hoping for some good comments and constructive criticism. All characters are over 18 by a long shot and all characters are fictional but draw from people I know, mostly. It is 8 chapters, this being the 1st.
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Lucy met a lot of people at work. She managed a neighborhood 'dollar store' which did about 2, maybe 2.5 million a year. It was one of the busiest stores in the district of that particular company. So Lucy did see a lot of people on a daily basis.
Mostly it was a 'hi and bye' situation but in some cases the people became regulars and she got to know some of them better as time passed. Some of the women would talk about their job and family and ask about hers. She would talk about her 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Some of the men would talk about weather, news and the things happening in the shopping center. A few stores had closed; the hardware store, the Radio Shack and the bank at the end of the parking lot. She learned about their troubles, the women and men both. Several were having financial issues and looking to spend less for birthday or Christmas gifts. Lucy had helped one guy save about $50 on gifts for kids within the family. He was divorced and watching his pennies so he appreciated her help; he gave her a bottle of perfume which he used to sell as a company rep.
Several of the guys asked about getting together for coffee or a drink. Lucy told them very simply 'No thanks', that she was married, even though she didn't wear a ring, and appreciated their offers but didn't date other men.
Going back in time for some history, while in high school Lucy was trying to decide between nursing and education, a teacher because she always felt good when helping people. She chose education, because helping kids was always a great thing, and she had several teachers that had impressed her. She got her BA degree in Elementary Education. However she couldn't get a job after graduating. She fell back on retail since she had some experience in that. During college, she had actually worked for a chain store: weekends, over the holidays and through the first three summers after her freshman, sophomore and junior years. She had been approached regularly back then since she stood 5'2 and carried 32D breasts on a 105 pound frame. She had married her one and only husband after senior year, that July. Over the years and after breast-feeding 2 kids she was at 5'1, about 130 pounds and 36C cups. She was still approached by men, not as frequently, but often enough to keep her self-image feeling good.
One of the regulars, Trent was more subtle about his approach. He took the long game strategy to Lucy. He liked her looks, her long hair, even though it was bottled red it really set off her complexion and cast a nice tint to her hazel eyes. She always had a smile and kind words for the customers. And then her body was very appealing. Lucy wasn't a spring chicken but neither was Trent. She had a nice rounded butt and her breasts, mostly camouflaged under her polo shirts, were more evident when she worked early mornings in sweatpants and a black t-shirt usually for a dance studio. She had a couple shirts from a local dance school and a few from studios somewhere else. Somewhere she had lived prior to moving near here.
Lucy liked Trent as well. He was always smiling and he rarely failed to say something complimentary to her. He had a full head of dark brown hair (unlike her husband) starting to gray at the temples which was sexy. His brown eyes were expressive and always twinkling. He was a little taller than her husband, maybe 6 feet or just under. He looked like he worked out at a gym or did some manual labor, but he didn't have that body-builder look that she didn't find attractive in the least. He had asked her to join him for a coffee a couple times emphasizing that it wasn't a dating situation; that he only wanted to get to know her better. Lucy had politely declined each time with her standard refusal; then on the 3rd request she said, "Getting to know someone better is what dating is all about isn't it?"
Lucy saw the surprised look with her comment and Trent's reply surprised her, "I hadn't thought of it that way but I suppose it could be. But socializing is getting to know someone better as well. Thanks for your opinion on 'dating' Lucy. Have a great day." He made his purchase and left the store.
Trent was actually very encouraged by Lucy's response to his 3rd attempt to get her to go out with him. He had overheard her asked by others and her response to each had been a flat 'no' with the softening 'appreciate the offer' line following. Her reply to him was less definite; she had unconsciously or consciously left the door ajar for going out! He kept coming to the store and chatting with her almost always complimenting her in some way.
Then, a couple weeks after his 3rd invitation, she went to the bank and ran into Trent while making her store deposit. Since she hadn't ordered any currency to go back to the store; bills or coins would have required her to not leave her vehicle if she stopped to eat, she told Trent she was stopping at BK for a burger and fries for lunch.
Trent asked if he might join her, which had been her hope in telling him about BK. They went into the store and ordered then took seats at a table. Lucy was asking Trent about himself and he gave her a general outline. He was 56, divorced with 2 college-aged kids and working in computer software. Lucy had noticed he was driving a little 2-seat sports car and mentioned that her husband would appreciate that.
"Oh, he's a vintage Mercedes fan?"
"No, he just likes cars in general but sport cars and high-performance rides. He's particular to street rods. We owned an old Ford for several years with a V8 and automatic."
"What happened to it?"
"I complained about the insurance on a second vehicle and the garage rent because we couldn't leave it on the street in the city. It would have gotten stolen. It broke down once and needed a valve job and he slept in it for 2 nights so it wouldn't get stolen. Once it was running it went back to the garage we rented for it."
"Really, where was this?"
"Philadelphia."
"I see; he was probably right."
"Anyway he finally sold it."
"Well, the 350 is my fun car. I also have an SUV for more practical transport."
"Well, I need to get back to the store. It was nice chatting Trent. I'll see you again I guess."
"Count on it Lucy, have a good day."
Lucy had noticed him glance at her chest for a few seconds a couple times but it wasn't often and it wasn't at all annoying to her. She actually felt a bit warm between her legs!
Trent was in a couple times a week and over the next two months they talked more and more. They also 'ran into each other' at the bank several times a month and had lunch at BK. Lucy started looking forward to her lunches with Trent. He always made her smile and as time passed he also seemed to elicit a more intense sensation between her legs. Even though they had never touched each other in any way, Lucy had started to fantasize about that possibility.
One morning, Lucy had a heated discussion with her husband about some weekend plans. She had arranged to take the weekend off to see the grandkids but neglected to mention the trip to her husband. That discussion didn't go well and she left quite aggravated.
She got to the store and started on her day with what troubles might crop up. Things were running okay until one of the cashiers said something about the register. It took Lucy 15 minutes with Tech Support to get it up and running again. She told her assistant, "I need to get out of here for a bit. I'm calling the bank and going to drop the deposit then I'm going to eat lunch. Text me if there's an emergency otherwise give me some peace and quiet."
Tanya, the assistant looked at Lucy and asked, "Bad day?"
"Yeah, hubby is being a bit of a jerk this morning. I'll be back." She took the deposit and left the store. She was in such a funk she had forgotten she was meeting Trent for lunch until she got to BK and saw his car in the parking lot. That brightened her spirits some.
She walked in and Trent waved her over to the table, "I got your order here Luce. I just brought it over; it's still warm."
