As Amanda came from the kitchen after taking another verbal lashing from Emilio, she caught Alexander staring at her. His arms were stretched out across the top of the booth, again, and this time it looked more of a subtle invite than actual relaxing. He smiled when she looked at him and Amanda felt her knees want to give out. No man had ever made her feel this way. She’d fantasized about men like Alexander and even put herself into that fantasy state of mind, pretending to be full of passion to where she became wobbly, but to actually live it out like this…
“Excuse me?”
Amanda turned to the table that had ordered the coffee she had spilled.
It was the perfect save for Amanda as she turned and put her hand on the table to balance herself.
“What can I get for you?” she asked blinking frantically, trying to stop picturing Alexander Porter naked.
“Do you have any chocolate pie tonight?” one of the men asked. As he asked, he touched his round belly and smiled.
“Of course,” Amanda said. “Emilio makes them fresh every day.”
“Perfect,” the man said. “Give us four slices.”
“No,” the other man said. “Jerry, no. I have to watch my sugar.”
“Eh, sugar,” Jerry said and waved his hand. “Tonight, we splurge. You have to enjoy life once in a while, isn’t that right…” His eyes scanned Amanda’s chest. Normally, she would have turned or blushed, but the hungry man was clearly looking for her name tag not trying to catch a look at her breasts. “…Amanda… You have to live a little, right Amanda?”
Amanda peered to her right. Alexander still looking at her.
Live a little…
Amanda stood up and nodded. “I’ll bring four slices.”
She brought the dessert to the table and then hurried back to Alexander. She stopped a few inches from the table and just stared at him. He was looking to the side, at one of the televisions. His face was unbelievably sharp, defined, with a perfect jaw line. He oozed a confidence that Amanda couldn’t understand, but it sure made her moist between her legs.
She put her fingers to the table and bit her lip for a second.
“Can I get you anything else?” she finally asked.
Alexander turned his head, slowly, his eyes looking to his empty glass and then to Amanda. “You know… I’m okay right now. Thinking about tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Sure. See, every day we are laid out a set of choices. We can fall into a trap of yesterday or we can actually live in tomorrow which by then would be today, right?”
Amanda nodded.
“And that’s what life is, nothing but choices. The ones we make don’t have to define us but we can define the choices.”
“You have a way with words,” Amanda said. “No wonder you’re so… successful.”
“And rich,” Alexander said with a smile. He opened his suit jacket and reached into his pocket, pulling out a wad of cash.
All Amanda could see were hundred dollar bills.
Her body fluttered and it wasn’t because of the money. It was because of the man who could make that kind of money. A man who wasn’t afraid of life, who wasn’t afraid of a challenge, and a man who wasn’t afraid to bask in the success when it came.
He took off the top hundred dollar bill and put it to the table.
“That’ll cover everything,” he said.
Just as a quick mental recap, the hundred dollars would cover the dinner, two drinks, and leave Amanda about a forty-dollar tip, if not more.
Alexander peeled another hundred dollar bill from the stack and put it to the table, separate from the first one. He put a finger on it and slid it towards Amanda.
She stared down at the money and then to him.
“That’s yours,” he said.
“For what?”
“Well, normally I have associates with me to talk to, but tonight I chose to come alone. You listened to me. I wanted to see you anyway, Amanda. I want to thank you for serving me so well.”
Amanda looked to the money again. She sure could use that extra cash. Every little bit counted in life right now. But, no, this wasn’t a way to make a living.
“I can’t,” Amanda said.
She touched the crisp hundred dollar bill and pushed it back towards Alexander.
He looked at her with his sexy, stone face.
“I just can’t,” she added. “It would be wrong. I… I enjoy when you come in.”
Alexander flicked his thumb and took off another hundred dollar bill, adding it to the first one.
Three hundred dollars sat on the table, a wonderful addition for Amanda. Hell, that little bit of money would help her for the week…
She shook her head. “I can’t do it.”
“Sure you can,” Alexander said. “You choose not to.”
“That’s right then,” Amanda said.
The two stared each other down, Amanda still enraged with heat. She didn’t want Alexander’s money, she wanted his body.
Alexander put his hand out towards Amanda’s and again he touched her. His fingers moved up her hand and around her wrist, but he didn’t grip or squeeze her. He just came back down, leaving her hands and moving back to the money on the table.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure,” Amanda said.
He took the money back, added it back to his wad, and put it away. He adjusted his suit jacket and put both hands to the table.
“So, what does it take then?”
“I’m sorry?” Amanda asked.
“I’m a businessman, it’s my nature. Right now, I’m trying to understand a transaction. So, tell me, what does it take?”
“I don’t follow…”
Alexander laughed. “You’re so sweet, Mandy, you know that?”
Mandy…
Normally Amanda hated being called that. Very few people called her that and very few got away with it. The only person who dared to call her that now was Emilio and she hated him. But coming from Alexander’s mouth… she liked it.
“Here’s a choice for you then,” Alexander said. “A limo will be out back in twenty minutes. It’ll wait for five minutes and then drive away. You can get inside that limo and realize just how amazing life can be, or you can stay here and live in your normal routine, day to day, night after night, wondering what else is waiting for you.”
Alexander’s eyes assured Amanda there wasn’t an ounce of lies in his words.
He was serious.
Amanda touched her hair and then her face.
“I don’t know what…”
Alexander slid from the booth and stood up.
He stood just inches from Amanda, the closest they had ever been.
He stood taller than Amanda, at least by half a foot. The smell of cologne flooded Amanda’s senses but it wasn’t overwhelming. Everything about Alexander Porter was perfect. Even down to how much cologne he splashed on his neck. Amanda felt tempted to lick her lips as she envisioned herself licking his neck, tasting the bitterness of his cologne. It would taste
oh-so-good
…
“You don’t need to know everything,” Alexander said. He put a hand to Amanda’s arm again. She could feel that behind that suit there was strength, power, and domination. Behind that suit would be everything Amanda would enjoy succumbing to.
Alexander looked around the restaurant and took a deep breath.
“Remember what I said,” he spoke softly. He leaned down close to Amanda’s ear. “Twenty minutes…” He then came all the way to Amanda’s ear and his lips touched her earlobe. He offered her a soft kiss and with that he stepped away.
Amanda fell forward to the table, everything in her body shaking. Her vision was blurry and she bent her knees, holding herself up somehow. The heat and passion flooded her body and became an urge she never knew. She felt like she could cry. Her breasts started to ach and her nipples perked. The lust continued to flow, working down her body, between her legs, creating a sensation of pleasure that had Amanda teetering on the verge of an orgasm, just standing there at Alexander Porter’s table, catching the last few hints of his cologne, his words repeating in her mind.
She had twenty minutes to decide…
“Are you okay?”
Amanda turned and found Becky standing behind her.
“I think so,” Amanda said. “I mean, yeah, I’m fine.”
“He was so close to you,” Becky said. “Damn, you’re going to need to change your panties…”
Amanda smirked and then looked past Becky to see Barbara as she stormed through the restaurant.
“Shit,” Amanda whispered.
She told Barbara she’d work all night.
Twenty minutes…
“What’s wrong?” Becky asked.
“I’m… making a choice,” Amanda said and then yelled for Barbara.
Barbara froze in her tracks and then walked over to Amanda with a look of disbelief on her face. Nobody ever yelled for Barbara. They would casually approach her, their heart racing with fear, hoping they wouldn’t face the wrath of the bitch.
“Excuse me?” Barbara started to say, ready to unleash.
Amanda didn’t give her the chance. “I can’t work tonight. I’m leaving in twenty minutes.”
“Like hell you are,” Barbara said. “You’re staying here.”
“No, I’m not.”
Becky’s mouth fell open and she took a step back, leaning against another table.
“You may want to consider what you’re saying,” Barbara said. “Then again, I’m sure someone with your experience in waitressing can find another job easily, right?”
Amanda shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t backing down.
“You’re being serious, aren’t you?” Barbara asked.
“I’m leaving in twenty minutes,” Amanda said. “I’ll repeat it a third time if it’ll help.”
Amanda’s mouth had run dry. The fight or flight mechanism had been set off and for the first time in her life, Amanda was going to fight.
“Try me,” Barbara said. “We’re short one waitress as it is… you wouldn’t dare…”
Amanda untied her apron and balled it up. She threw it to Barbara, who squealed and let it fall to the floor.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Barbara yelled.
“There’s your apron,” Amanda said, “go serve a table or two.”
She turned and walked through the restaurant, past the bar, and out to the lobby. She needed to get her purse from her car, wash up, and then wait.
Twenty minutes.
As Amanda stood outside the restaurant, she heard the faint screams of Barbara. Her voice sounded more of an angry parrot than a woman, and when you added Emilio’s bellowing voice and attempted Italian accent (which only appeared when he was very angry), it reminded Amanda of one of those restaurant reality shows.
Barbara complained that she didn’t know how to serve tables. She also refused to take off her jewelry that was worth five grand, not to mention her expensive clothing and
perfect
hair.
Emilio yelled back, calling Charlie a wimp and that sometimes he acted like a loser for hiring such fools like Amanda. Barbara yelled that Charlie wasn’t a loser, but yes, he was a wimp.
The rant continued and Amanda stepped away from the back of the restaurant, working around the side of the building to the front. The parking lot was mostly full but Amanda didn’t need to worry, she’d know if a limo was there.
If.
What if Alexander was just kidding? Just messing around to get a rise from Amanda? He was good looking, yes, but underneath it all, he was a shrewd businessman and Amanda had heard many rumors of his style of management. He was fierce and commanding and certainly didn’t shy away from throwing someone out on their ass if that’s what needed to be done. Amanda had seen it with her own eyes one time, in the middle of a meal at the restaurant. Someone had done something so wrong that Alexander fired them as they put a piece of chicken into their mouth. He gave the man the decency to finish his bite of chicken, but not his meal.
Thinking about that kind of stuff made Amanda start to shiver.
She feared that Alexander wouldn’t show up.
If he did, what would he require her to do?
Could she do it for him? To him?
A pair of headlights appeared over the horizon and Amanda moved to her toes, biting on her lip. The lights continued moving towards her, down the road, and then came to stop to make the turn into the parking lot of the restaurant.
Amanda looked at her cell phone.
It wasn’t quite twenty minutes yet, but maybe her watch wasn’t synced to Alexander Porter’s time.
As the vehicle turned, she saw the black silhouette of it and quickly knew it wasn’t a limo. Not even close. It was a two-door sports car.
It parked and a man and woman emerged.
The man led the way while the woman walked prim and proper, staying a step behind.
Amanda backed up to the door of the restaurant and opened it for them.
“Thank you,” the man said. He eyed Amanda and then added, “Are you the hostess?”
“No,” Amanda said. “I’m just waiting for my ride.”
The man nodded and walked in, followed by who Amanda assumed to be his wife. She thanked Amanda too and when she let go of the door, she saw another pair of headlights appear.
This time her cell phone had it at exactly twenty minutes.
The lights came down the small hill on the road and as her heart picked up speed again, she watched in disappointment as the lights continued moving. She didn’t even bother to watch it pass by, she simply hung her head and started to regret the decision to leave the restaurant. She didn’t think she was exactly fired for walking out. Technically, she had worked her scheduled shift. Worst case, she could go home, have her Grey’s night, and then call Charlie in the morning and beg for forgiveness. That would mean apologizing to both Barbara and Emilio.
“Shit,” Amanda called out into the night. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Sh…”
Headlights climbed from the side of the restaurant, reflecting against a stone retaining wall. She watched as a slow moving vehicle appeared and continued to appear. The body of the vehicle was…
“Holy shit,” Amanda said.
It was a limo.
A long, black limo.
At exactly twenty minutes.
The limo moved next to the stone wall and then stopped. The middle and back windows were tinted completely black, not that it mattered so much since it was dark outside.