AUTHORS NOTE: This is an old story I wrote way back when I was first trying my hand at this craft. I recently rediscovered it, and am now posting it with minor editing. Please enjoy, and as always, all constructive feedback is appreciated, and please vote.
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One of the advantages of living in a new subdivision is the fact that new stores open up around you all the time. And when they do, they have sales, and bargain hunters like me can swoop in. Such was the case when Harris Teeter opened in the shopping center at the entrance to the housing development I live in. So, true to my element, I got up on the Saturday they where slated to open, and got dressed in my usual morning attire.
You see, I'm a lawyer for a big corporation, handling mostly corporate law, and generally try to rip off our clients before they rip us off. It makes for long hours, and rarely did I have the energy to work out after work. So I always run in the morning, come hell or high water. As I passed the community swimming pool, the list I was making of what I needed completed itself in my head. That is the way I survive the 8 miles I run every Saturday, 3 up from my weekday 5. I think of other shit. Before I stepped into the shower, I jotted it down, and then added a couple of items in the steam on the mirror (most noticeably shaving cream, which I ran out off before I got to shave my chin, which made for a rather interesting looking goatee).
Finally, I was ready, and climbed into my truck, my only concession to being a country boy. The plan was to go forth, and slay high prices, armed with my coupons, and check card. My intentions where innocent, I promise. How was I to know what would follow?
The parking lot was already filling up when I pulled in. When I walked in, the music sounded a bit shrill and loud, and the old lady acting as a greeter took me by suprise. Didn't she live down the street from me? Taking the ticket she was handing me with a soft 'thank you', I pulled out a cart and headed intot he large structure, noting the hardwood floors. Wow. High scale retail. Hopefully they still have chili-in-a-can for 89 cents.
I pushed my cart through produce, stocking up on the fruits, vegetables, and other green shit I eat, as well as the seasonings and spices they keep there. As I pulled up to the meat counter, a man was calling out numbers, while his assistant gave away samples of some kind of meat wrap. All around me, people where looking at tickets, and frowning. Quickly my hand dove into my jeans pocket, and pulled out the stub. "Going for number 43-25, 43-25, anybody, any winners?"
I stared at the ticket. 43-25. I had won. Only if you say something, my brain told me. "HERE, ME, I have 43-25." My voice shocked me; I had not meant to yell that loud. People laughed and clapped, as I pushed my way to the front, clutching my ticket. I had no idea what I had just won. He clapped, and led me around the counter, and up onto a stool, where I clasped my hands over my head, and shook them as if I had just won the Coca Cola 500. More laughter. I have a skill for working the crowd, kinda helps in front of juries.
The assistant came up with what looked like a drawer out of my closet at home, just it had some kind of insulation in it, and the butcher told me I could pick as much meat as I could fit inside. Well shit, I can cram allot of shit in this here bin. Which I did. And which the crowd found rather amusing. Finally I dropped it into my cart, and flush with victory, turned towards the exit. "I wish I was that lucky, would make feeding the family a whole lot easier."
I turned, and found myself looking into the most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen. Blond hair framed a pretty face, with a cute nose, and inviting lips. My mind registered the rest of her slim, tan body, dressed in denim shorts and a T-shirt, noting her nice chest, and long legs, while my mouth was already responding.
"I'm sure it would. Most of it will probably go to waste before I eat it, wanna share?" She laughed, before she realized I was serious. "I can't do that; you won it fair and square."
"Not really, I conned the old lady up front into giving me the winning ticket." A huge grin spread across my face when she laughed. She looked cute when she did it. Her hand came up, to push that golden hair back behind her ear, and my internal warning system sounded. I spotted a ring on the forbidden finger.
"It doesn't matter anyway, my family is out of town visiting the out laws."
"Foolish man, he is, to leave such beautiful woman alone at home, hmmmm," I responded in my best Yoda voice. I didn't know where that came from. I don't normally even talking to married women in a flirty manner. Makes for pissed husbands, and here in the south, that can lead to real problems. But something about her did not let me go.
"I know. But that's how he is. His family lives in Vermont, and he hasn't seen them in like two years, so he took the kids and went."
"Well, with such a cute accent, I know you are from down here, so why did you import a husband?" We where almost at the checkout... safety!
"Maybe because I didn't know there where any good southern men left." It was her turn to grin, while I fumbled for words. I'm pretty good under pressure, able to maneuver in court like few others, but she had me stumped.
"Well... there are! Some can even cook, do the windows, and laundry at the same time!" Lame comeback, but I was shooting from the hip now.
"Is that so?" That smile should have told me something was coming, but I wasn't paying attention. My mind was bouncing back and forth from those swaying breasts to her eyes.
"Yes, ma'am!" "Prove it." A devilish grin spread on her face.
"Say what?" She laughed out loud, as the girl at the checkout began to add my purchases up. "OK, I'll prove it," I answered myself, pulling out my wallet. My address and home phone went on the back of one of my cards, and I handed it to her. "This afternoon, at 5:30. Do you have any preferences?"
That shut her up. She did not know if I was serious or not, but she went along with it, as I paid.
"Yeah, let's barbecue. My husband can't work a grill worth shit."
"Well, I'm your savior then!"
"See you then." She blew me a kiss, as she turned to pay for her own groceries, leaving me standing kind of flat footed at the end of the counter. I gathered my purchases, and walked out the store, not knowing exactly what had just happened.
One of the good things about having money (and I do), is that you can do all kinds of fun stuff with your house when you build it (and I had, after all, I intend to live the rest of my life here). The result of which was that my house from the air looks kind of like a horseshoe arching around the pool. The living room is the center, with the kitchen slightly lower and to the side. Since the house is oriented west, later in the day, the sunlight flows across the pool, through the huge windows in the living room, and bathes the entire house in a golden glow. If she stayed that long, she might get to enjoy the view, I thought to myself as I put away my purchases and went to work.
First, I had to clean up my pigsty. When my last girlfriend left me (about a month ago), with her went my one man clean up crew, and I really hadn't cleaned the house since then. But 2 hours of hard work fixed that. What a drag. I was seriously considering hiring somebody to do it.
Next I had to make salad, Ice Tea, and all the other 'fixin's' BBQ. Finally I took a shower, and just as the appointed time rolled around, I heard the doorbell chime. I had changed into jeans, a Polo Shirt with my companies logo on it, and the hat I always wear when I grill (I hate to have that smell in my hair). When I opened the door, it was clear that she had not been idle herself.
There was the slight touch of make up on her face, only recongizable because I had seen it earlier without. She was wearing one of those skin tight tops, which was a pink kinda color, and even tighter white shorts, which barely seemed to cover her ass.
"Hi."
"Hi..." I suddenly realized I didn't even know her name.
"Mandy. I noticed you didn't ask that earlier. Always invite strange women into your house?"
"Only if I know they are nice southern girls like you."
"Who says I'm nice?" Damn it, she had me stumped again. I led her out back, and we sat on the deck, while the meat sprizzeled away. I liked her, she drank beer. You can trust a woman that drinks beer. She told me about her work as a communications consultant, and I told her about being a lawyer. She told me about her marriage (which seemed rather rocky, since it appeared he traveled allot, and she had reason to believe he was cheating on her), and I told her about my string of women. We just clicked. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before.
Finally the food was done, and I got to serve her. She dug in as if she was famished, and we laughed when she told me I had not promised to much. It ended up we feed each other ribs and salad, which probably had something to do with the beer bottles lined up by the door. As the sun went down, she helped me clean up, and we sat on the stairs from the deck to the pool, looking into the glow.
"Isn't this romantic." She sounded a little tipsy as well.