Mark Walker was sitting at a table for four in what was rapidly becoming a crowded bar. The place had been almost empty when he came in thirty minutes before, but was quickly filling with an after work crowd.
Normally, Mark would have been facing the room but he had some work documents he needed to read and didn't want to spend any more time in his hotel room than necessary, so he had ducked into the bar figuring he would have a Manhattan while he worked. Who says men can't multi-task? To minimize distractions, he was facing the wall and only realized the place was getting busy by the increase in conversation noise.
He caught the eye of the hostess, to see if she needed him to move to free up the table but she told him not to worry. "First come, first served, right," she asked?
"Works for me," Mark replied, "but you can move me if you need to."
"Thanks, darlin', but I think we're fine."
Of course, fifteen minutes later he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the hostess saying, "I know I said you could stay here, but..."
Not waiting for her to finish, he started gathering his papers. A voice to his left said, "No, please don't make him get up. We can stand over by the bar until a table opens."
"It isn't a problem," Mark said as he started to stand. "I can find a place at the bar."
If he had been facing the room he would have noticed how close the woman was standing, but instead he turned as he rose and ended up with his face planted firmly in her very soft cleavage. Feeling her move backward, he instinctively reached out to keep her from falling, but she turned as she backed so instead of grabbing her arm, Mark's right hand landed perfectly on her left breast. Recoiling like he had touched a hot stove, he stumbled over a chair and ended up sitting in it.
The male half of the couple had not noticed any of the awkwardness as he had been scanning the bar. "Hey, how you doing? Look, there isn't anyplace to sit at the bar so want to just share the table with us?" Still shocked from the accidental bumping and touching, the woman and Mark just looked at each other. "What," the guy asked? "Did I miss something?"
Mark glanced at the poor hostess who looked like she had just witnessed a fatal car crash then back at the woman who had a look of 'what the hell?' on her face. When she looked at Mark, they both started laughing.
"Oh, my god," he said, "I am so sorry. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going."
"It was my fault, I shouldn't have been standing so close."
"Is everybody okay," the hostess asked.
The lady and Mark replied at the same time, "Yes, fine," and laughed again.
"Okay," the man said, "you can tell me what happened when you're ready, but I'm sitting down so I can order a drink."
"Call me old fashioned," the lady said, "but after that...uh...introduction, I feel I should at least know your name since you are my new 'bosom' buddy. I'm Allison," she said extending her hand, "and this is Richard."
At the mention of his name, Richard looked up from the drink menu and pushed out his paw. "Hey! Nice to meet you."
"Mark, Mark Walker. Nice to meet you, too. And, yes I will join you."
"Good," Richard grunted. "Now maybe you will tell me what I missed."
Allison and Mark looked at each other again and they both blushed. "Tell you what," Mark said, "I'm going to go to the washroom while Allison fills you in and if you don't want to hit me when I get back, the first round is on me." Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed off.
As Mark turned the corner into the washroom, Allison looked at Richard and said, "Did you set this up?"
Richard looked up from the menu with a puzzled look on his face. "What?"
"Did you set this up? This 'meeting'?"
"What meeting?"
"With Mark."
"What are you talking about? We just met the guy. What would I have set up?"
"You know what I'm talking about. Did you set up a 'spontaneous' meeting with this guy hoping you could trick me into doing something with him?"
It dawned on Richard what she was asking, "Oh, Hon, no. I wouldn't do that. No, no, no...this is exactly what it seems, a totally accidental meeting. I did not plan this."
Allison looked hard at him as if trying to read his brainwaves to determine the truth. "Okay, I'll believe you, but if I find out you're lying, you are in such trouble."
Raising two fingers like a Boy Scout, Richard said, "God's truth, babe, I did not set anything up but I've got to ask...why did you think I did? Is he...?"
Feigning sudden disinterest, Allison grabbed the menu. "Forget it. I want a drink."
"Whoa, hold on just a minute," Richard laughed. "Are you saying Mark is your 'type'?"
Looking around the room to avoid her husband's smirking gaze Allison asked, "Where is the server? I want a drink!"
"Uh, huh, this is interesting."
"There is nothing interesting about this. We came to a bar, we are sharing a table with a stranger and we are going to have a couple of drinks then go home."
"I noticed you haven't told me what happened, either."
"Mark bumped into me when he stood up."
"And?"
"That's it. He bumped into me and it sort of knocked me backward."
Richard leaned back with a doubtful look on his face. "Hmmm, and that bump made you blush like that?"
"You noticed that?"
"Yes, I noticed that. Maybe too much blushing for a bump?"
"There might have been some accidental touching, too."
"Do tell," Richard said as he looked directly into his wife's eyes.
Before she could answer, Mark returned. "Is it safe to sit," he asked?
Allison and Richard both looked at him. "Absolutely," Richard said loudly, "sit! There won't be any hitting, but given the grievous nature of the 'accidental transgression' we've ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon."