The Temp (closed for EklectikChik)

[saedo]

I gave myself a final inspection in the mirror. The new suit hugged my broad shoulders and draped nicely across my torso. My dark brown hair had been freshly trimmed and my white teeth glinted when I smiled. "Jacob Trask, you handsome devil," I told my reflection with a chuckle. We threw each other a wink of our sky blue eyes before I turned away.

Tonight was a big night for me. Tom McCain of McCain Industries was in town tonight. I'd been trying to win his business to our firm for months. Our firm wasn't one of the big three, so it'd taken some doing just to get inside the door. But once I had, that old Trask charm had eventually swung him my way.

Then, with McCain's fiscal year approaching, McCain phoned to tell me had elected to sign with us. "Was a close race between you and Andy Cooper, son. Andy has been around longer and has the stronger name, but you gave me the sense that I'd get better service from your firm. I'm not wrong about that, am I, son?"

"No sir," I responded enthusiastically.

"Glad to hear. Well, I'll be there Friday with the lawyers to sign all the papers. My wife, Maggie, will fly in with me the night before - hate those 6 Am flights. Been married nearly 42 years this October. She's my rock of Gibraltar, son - keeps me anchored. Wouldn't be where I am today without her, so I like to have her with me whenever I can. Say, why don't we get together that Thursday night for dinner? You can bring out the little woman so she can meet the onrey old cuss who kept making you fly across the country these past few months." McCain chuckled softly, then paused. "Wait a second, you did mention being married, didn't you?"

"No sir, I'm not married..., " I responded.

"Oh." The tone of that one syllable scared the hell out of me. I could hear within it McCain questioning his entire choice. Every time I'd sat down with him, he mentioned his wife or his kids. Family was everything to this guy. I'd had to go to considerable effort to prove that at 34 I wasn't some wet behind the ears novice. I knew instantly if I told him I was an unmarried bachelor, he'd start doubting my stability. This contract hinged on our firm's reliability; if McCain started questioning my commitment, he'd never sign with me.

So I panicked. "That is to say, sir, not married yet. We've only been engaged a short while now."

"Ah!" he responded, his previous warmth restored. "That's fine news indeed! Congratulations, son. Good for a young man like you to have a good woman in your corner. Then you must assuredly must let Maggie and I take you to dinner to celebrate. I insist. I'll have my secretary make the reservations and call you with the details. Excellent. Looking forward to it, my boy."

I held the receiver in my hand after he hung up. I'd dodged a bullet, but had I merely traded the frying pan for the fire? Still, I was not one to flinch in the face of adversity. I couldn't go back, so press forward.

But that meant finding a fiancee on fairly short notice. I didn't even have a steady girlfriend. McCain's concerns about my lack of commitment in my social life were probably more worrisome than he realized. Like the old cliche, I wasn't as much concerned with "Ms. Right" so much as "Ms. Right Now". While all my evening companions had a good time and generally left satisified, I doubted anyone among that number might pass muster as a suitable stand-in for a fiancee.

Then the thought occurred to me. I needed a temporary fiancee - why not talk to a temporary placement agency. We'd used one at the firm for filling in administrative, so I contacted their manager. Sylvia spoke with a heavy accent from one of the former Soviet republics and smoked unfiltered cigarettes inside, city regulations be damned. She didn't bat an eye when I asked if she could find me a woman to serve as a substitute fiancee. She just asked me what other characteristics I wanted.

McCain was from Minnesota and he, his wife, and all three kids were a bunch of towheaded, blue-eyed exemplars of Scandinavian breeding, so might as well pick someone who looked like them. I suggested tall and slender - someone who'd look elegant in an evening dress on the town. All she'd have to do was sit there looking prim and proper and I could let my charm do the rest.

Sylvia nodded and told me, "I find you someone. Someone nice." Not exactly the guarantee I'd prefer, but I didn't have anything to lose.

The doorbell rang. Ah, my mystery marital partner had arrived. The plan was for her to arrive an hour or so early so we could rehearse some prepared anecdotes on things like how me met, when I proposed, etc. I headed to the door; I was eager to find out who Sylvia had sent.

 

[EklectikChik]

This had to be the craziest thing that I had ever done in my life, but here I was, sitting nervously in my little red car, glancing anxiously at the the decorative silver watch weighed down my wrist. My pulse skittered nervously while my heart pounding in my chest and stomach fluttered with untold amounts of butterflies. I just hoped I didn't barf on my knee high heeled shoes. I should actually be thrilled, this was an adventure wasn't it? And hadn't I wanted just that?

Peaking out of my window, I took stock of the large and very impressive house in which I had parked before. Not but a month ago, the idea of one more week working my tail off at the law firm of Harper and Harriott was quickly sending me into a depression. Not that I didn't enjoy my work, but it wasn't quite what I had envisioned for myself. Sure, I made a decent wage, had a posh little apartment with nice things and got to wine and dine with wealthy and powerful people on occasion. However all of that couldn't drown out the monotony of my life. Convinced that there was more to it than the hum drum of work work and no play and to the horror of my family, I quit my comfortable job and put in my application at the temp agency. I was thrilled with Sylvia had finally called my number, but dubious when I heard exactly what she was offering me.

“We've worked with Mr. Stark for years and he is a respectable man.” Sylvia had assured me her thick throaty tone and accent making my lips twitch with amusement. “He just needs a nice woman to lean on him and look adoring and attentive for the evening. You would be perfect.”

I liked Sylvia and thought she could crack a mean whip if push came to shove. Strangely that comforted me and I accepted, although now I was starting to feel as though I was playing the role of a high paid call girl. Only she had assured me that no 'hanky panky' would be involved. Oh no. This was strictly for show, not for personal pleasure or gain. Not that I worried overly much about such things. No one was swooning over my beauty or filling up my little black book. As my Uncle Henry always said, which never failed to make me cringe, I was as 'cute as a speckled pup.'

Bringing down the visor, I checked on my reflection for what seemed like the hundredth time. My long auburn hair was styled in soft waves that framed my pale, but reasonably pretty face. My green eyes accented by subtle makeup, the splatter of fine freckles over my nose and cheeks lightly dusted with powder and lips full and glossy. Running my fingers through the soft waves, I took a deep soothing breath and slowly climbed out of the car. I couldn't sit there forever.

Smoothing my hands over my dress, I did a quick panty check, and glanced down to make sure not too much boob was poking out anywhere. The soft black dress I wore, was simple, but elegant. It hugged my chest and upper arms gently, the neckline plunging low, but not low enough to be deemed scandalous. Instead the decorative knot that lay between my breasts gathered up the material and let it flow over my hips and down to my knees. My smooth pale legs were bare, but shapely, looking graceful in the 3 inch heels I dared to balance on.

“Show time, Emily. Lets go.”

I will my legs to move and slowly made my way up the walk, ordering myself to breath until I reached the massive front door and gave it a tentative knock. I was clutching onto my purse for dear life when the door swung open and I was greeted by a man who's eyes made my insides quiver and every inch of my flesh tingle with awareness. A small warning bell went off in the back of my mind as I started back, working hard to force on what I hoped was a suitable smile, while parts of me seemed to have short circuited. Oh god! Why couldn't he have been old, fat and balding? Damn it!

“Jacob Trask?” I asked, clearly my throat gently and smiling a little more brightly, “I'm Emily Fletcher. Sylvia sent me from the agency.” Yep, I was sounding more like a call girl by the minute!

 

[saedo]

“I'm Emily Fletcher. Sylvia sent me from the agency.”

I looked down into the emerald eyes of the woman before me. No, surely not. There must be a mistake. "Sylvia sent you?" I responded cautiously.

The woman nodded.

"Sylvia . . . sent you?" I repeated, my incredulity beginning to give way to irritation.

The woman nodded again, a trace of confusion welling in her face.

I looked to the sky and covered my face with my right hand. Slowly I drew my fingers down along my features, letting my hand drop to my side after it slipped off my chin. I blew the air out of my lungs and then inhaled sharply again before looking at her once more. "Sylvia sent you," I said with flat resignation.

I stepped out of the doorway and beckoned her inside the foyer. She timidly stepped inside, her heels clicking loudly on the marble beneath.

I closed the door behind her and then proceeded to circle her, my eyes sweeping up and down her frame with fiercely appraising glances. Dear God, what had that nicotine-fueled Russian sent me.

I glanced up at her face. Scratch that - Emily's face. She had a name, after all. Emily was definitely not comfortable with the situation and clearly trying to decide if she should be frightened or offended by my reaction. I sighed aloud. This wasn't her fault.

"My apologies - Emily, was it? I don't mean to be rude. It's just that you're not quite what I was expecting." I paused; meh, no reason to hide the ball from her on this. "Let me be blunt; you are nothing like what I was expecting. I told Sylvia I wanted a tall, slender, blue-eyed blonde for tonight's event. You are . . . not."

Indeed, Emily was nothing like the woman I described. In addition to her green eyes, her hair was not many shades off from being a true red. Toss in the light dusting of freckles across her cheeks and one could easily mistake her for a ginger. While I didn't buy into the superstitions that redheads were unlucky, I was particularly enthused on trusting that McCain didn't buy into such hokum.

Things just got worse going lower down. The only thing slender about Emily was her waist, which nipped in rather dramatically before flaring out into some hips. From the rear, she had a butt worthy of a Kardashian.

Up top, she had a considerable bosom, which all the more impressive for how little was actually on display. I gave Emily points for her skill in de-emphasizing her curves; as a practiced appraiser of the female form, I could tell that her dress and accompanying undergarments were actually de-emphasizing how truly epic her figure was. Yet even with skill at apparel, nothing short of a brick wall could totally conceal that she was bustier than the average woman.

Admittedly, I had marked preference for curves in women. But such shallowness isn't a handicap when seeking short-term sexual conquest. Tonight, however, I wanted to convince a potential client of my long-term reliability. Showing up with a girl who looked like she'd stepped off the pages of a pin-up magazine (albeit wearing an elegant dress rather than a naughty Catholic schoolgirl's uniform) undermined the image I wished to project.

To top it off, Emily was significantly shorter than the leggy blonde I'd described to Sylvia. Granted, at 6'2", I'm used to being taller than any woman this side of the WNBA, but even in heels, Emily's head didn't quite reach my chin. My first grumble with this fact was that it made it exceedingly easy for me to glance down her dress. Though Emily had picked one that showed only a mild amount of cleavage, my near-vertical angle gave me a fairly good idea of just how deep that crevasse ran. On a night like this, I truly didn't need that kind of distraction on my arm.

Secondly, I personally don't care for petite women. I'm on the tall side of guys who don't play professional sports and I've got broad shoulders to match. Consequently, simply in terms of weight and muscle mass, I feel like shorter women require me to hold back in the bedroom. Given my usual vigorous approach, I preferred women who didn't constrain my technique. So not only was Emily not the type of woman I wanted to present as my fiancee, she wasn't even the type I'd hit on.

I sighed again as these thoughts flashed through my brain before continuing. "But at this point, I don't really have any choice. We need to head to dinner in an hour and there's not enough time to find someone . . . more suitable. You'll simply have to do."

I sighed again and reached into the breast pocket of my suit. Withdrawing a few folded pieces of paper, I handed them to her. "Here, I've jotted down some notes for your performance. Stuff like what you do for a living, where we first met, how long we've been dating, how I proposed, and so forth. You need to memorize it in case we get asked about it tonight."

 

[EklectikChik]

"Sylvia . . . sent you?"

The warning bells became sirens in the back of my head. Feeling exposed, I entered his home with some trepidation. Jacob was obviously not very pleased with Sylvia's choice, this only served to rev up my nervousness as he circled my body, his cool blue eyes calculating as he took in my form with little to no regard to my feelings. I grit my teeth and fought the slow flush that graced the sweet of my breasts and slowly crept up to my ears, feeling rather mortified that he made such a display of his displeasure.

The fact that he was tall and handsome soon became a back seat thought as he spoke to me, looking less than enthusiastic about this pending meeting with me on his arm. I wasn't one to back down however. I had come to do the job and that's what I would do. I at least owed Sylvia that much and when it was all said and done, I could tell him to stuff it.

Clearing my throat lightly, I pressed her lips together tightly, doing my best not give him a less than polite response as I took the paper he offered me and unfolded it, turning my gaze to his 'notes'.

"I'm sorry that this isn't turning out the way you had hoped it would, Mr Trask. I will endeavor to try and make this night as smooth as possible for you. I'm sorry that Sylvia failed to come up with a suitable...er...fake fiance."

Without looking at him, I turned and paced several steps away from him, reviewing my notes and trying to collect myself. In truth, part of me wanted to cry. What a jackass! So I wasn't a tall waif of a blond, but that was no reason to treat me as though I was beneath him. Clenching my teeth, I drew in a long smooth breath through my nose and controlling my urge to want to smack him.

"Here, I've jotted down some notes for your performance. Stuff like what you do for a living, where we first met, how long we've been dating, how I proposed, and so forth. You need to memorize it in case we get asked about it tonight."

With what I hoped was a reassuring smile, I turned back and look another look with clearer sight at the paper. "This all looks simple enough. Other than these specifics, what is our relationship like. Should I dangle off your arm like a love sick girlfriend, holding your hand, touching your hair, giving you googly eyes? Or would you prefer a more cool and confined act with the occasional nudge and loving gaze, hmmm? May as well play it right and get your moneys worth, even if the package isn't up to par."

The last part of my words came out tart and I hoped he wouldn't be further annoyed, but then again, I wondered if it would really matter.

 

[saedo]

"This all looks simple enough. Other than these specifics, what is our relationship like. Should I dangle off your arm like a love sick girlfriend, holding your hand, touching your hair, giving you googly eyes? Or would you prefer a more cool and confined act with the occasional nudge and loving gaze, hmmm? May as well play it right and get your moneys worth, even if the package isn't up to par."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the irked tone in her voice. Women. Fucking annoying ass women. Still, it wasn't her fault."

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your package," I began. "I was just looking for someone more . . . generic. Someone with less . . . distinct attributes."

I wasn't sure I was mollifying her or not, but it would have to do. She was getting a decent wage for this performance, so whether she liked her employer wasn't a major concern of mine.

"Basically, I want you to blend into the background a bit. I'm here to close a major business deal and I don't need the client being distracted by you. I'll do most of the talking, so you just sit there looking enamored with me. Otherwise, try to be unobtrusive."

My eyes narrowed. "And while I'm on the subject of obtrusive, could you drape a scarf across that or something?" I pointed towards her decolletage. "It's quite impressive, but it's also just the sort of distraction I'm looking to avoid tonight."

 

[EklectikChik]

I wondered if he was trying to appease me in some way, although his remark did little to truly ease my nerves. Still, I felt my anger slowly calm. This was a sort of business transaction after all he and he'd had something in mind and got me instead. Generic, that I wasn't and yet I had always craved it. Who didn't want to be tall, slender and right off the pages of a magazine? Who didn't want to have to struggle with clothes, trying to find the ones that flattered our bodies the most and didn't make us more busty, curvy girls like cheap hookers or worse, old dowdy grandmas. If you weren't a size 10 or smaller, there seemed to be not much luck for you in the fashion department unless you were willing to pay big bucks.

"Basically, I want you to blend into the background a bit. I'm here to close a major business deal and I don't need the client being distracted by you. I'll do most of the talking, so you just sit there looking enamored with me. Otherwise, try to be unobtrusive."

I nodded in total understanding. "I can manage that. Seen, not heard. Gotcha." In the back of my mind I silently told myself that this was never going to work, but I wasn't going to be the one to tell him this.

"And while I'm on the subject of obtrusive, could you drape a scarf across that or something? It's quite impressive, but it's also just the sort of distraction I'm looking to avoid tonight."

I glanced down at my dress and felt myself flush slightly, look up at him and spreading out my hands after adjusting my purse strap. "Does it look like I came with a scarf? If you have one, I'd be happy to fashion something suitable." My lips twitched slightly in amusement, part of me wondering if he wasn't as immune to some of my 'charms' after all. He certainly was making a fuss over nothing. When he didn't move and pressed his lips firmly together, I sighed softly, glancing back down. "Honestly, I tried to dress as modestly as possible, I'm all ears for suggestions. Do you not have something? Perhaps something an old girlfriend left behind?"

 

[saedo]

I rolled my eyes at her inquiry. Clearly she didn't know me if she thought I let women store spare clothing here. "Yeah," I muttered, "because the thing every new girlfriend wants to see in a guy's place is clothing left by the old girlfriend."

I glanced at her cleavage again and frowned. "It will just have to do, I suppose. Just try not to lean forward."

"In the meantime, we have other things to work on. The client thinks we're engaged, so we need to be comfortable around each other." I stood next to her and draped my arm around her shoulder. "Hmm," I demured. "OK, but feels a little more like buddies than lovers.

I slipped my hand down below her shoulder. This proved awkward because at this initial height, my fingers would be brushing the side of her breast. I settled for something further down, near the edge of her ribcage. "Hmm.... How is that for you?"

 

[EklectikChik]

I seriously doubted that Jacob had ever had a female 'buddy' in his entire life. No, I imagined that women served two purposes for him. They were either eye candy and sexual playmates or he viewed them on a strictly professional level. I had feeling that even though my charms might have made him look twice, I fell into the professional slot rather easily. Like the dowdy secretary type.

The brush of his fingers startled me at first, but as he slid them over, I relaxed a little. It felt odd, not quite natural. After all, we were strangers. "Hmm...well, not bad." I told him honestly. "I can see why your height or my height would make awkward."

"Lets try..." I let my voice trail off and tried slipping my arm around his waist. It didn't feel right about his suite jacket, so I took the liberty of sliding the jacket aside and sliding my arm under it. The warmth of his skin clearly radiated through the material of his shirt and I suppressed a small sigh. Did he have to feel so good? So firm?

"Too much?" I asked him, "We could always fall back to me just hanging onto your arm, leaning into your side." I suggested, "Or hold hands...nothing wrong with keeping it simple, is there?"

 

[saedo]

I had to admit that standing so close to Emily was rather pleasant. Despite her obvious curves, there was a resilience to her frame. She was no creampuff.

She also had a delicate scent that teased at my nose. I found myself wondering how she'd taste. Perhaps that led me to my next suggestion.

"That will do for now. Just so long as it looks natural when we make casual contact.

"Speaking of which, we also need to practice our kissing. We'll make an odd couple if we don't exchange rate the occasional buss and we don't want to look like we've never done it before.

I put my hands on her waist and looked down as I tried to figure how best to close the distance. After a few false starts, I found a reasonably comfortable combination of bending that brought my face in line with hers.

 

[EklectikChik]

"Speaking of which, we also need to practice our kissing. We'll make an odd couple if we don't exchange rate the occasional buss and we don't want to look like we've never done it before."

My heart seemed to sputter to a stop before racing at the prospect of kissing him. Logically, I didn't have really have any sort of come back for that one. Not only argument came to mind as he slid his hands onto the curve of my waist and I adjusted my positioning as well to hug both his sides.

I knew my eyes widened a fraction as he dipped closer, once, twice, trying to get the right angle and I was on the verge of bursting into nervous giggles when he finally got it right and his face came close to mine. My breath hitched ever so slightly as I found myself staring into his beautiful eyes and then our lips touched. I closed mine, afraid to read too much. Afraid that disappointed would mar his features as I pressed back.

It was a chaste kiss, but never the less nice...nicer than some I had gotten from men I actually knew. Our lips seemed to linger, clinging ever so softly and before I could take control of my thoughts, my body leaned in closer, brushing against his own before I realized and pulled away.

Blinking, I moistened my lips with the tip of my tongue, wanting to taste more of him, and cleared my throat. "I'm a little out of practice, sorry."

 

[saedo]

Her lips were soft and molded well to mine. As promised, there was no tongue, but it definitely had some spice to it. I lingered a bit longer than was technically appropriate for a "quick little kiss". I found myself a little reluctant to part, but I felt I should before things got weird. Or at least weirder than they were.

"That was . . . nice," I said, struggling a bit to find a sufficiently neutral compliment. It was considerably more than nice, but anything more accurate might sound like I was hitting on her. I had to remember that she was here to do a job and play pretend; I couldn't let myself get carried away.

I stepped back, realizing for the first time my hand had slipped down to the small of her back. "I don't think we'll need much more practice on that," I said. "You're definitely prepared."

I looked at my watch to give me something else to look at. Something about her bright, kind eyes looking up at me made me want to blush. "It's about time for us to go," I said. "We'll take my car."

I lead the way to the garage and opened the door for her. I pointed across the Lexus SUV that I drove most days. "It's a nice night. Why don't we take the convertible?" In the heat of the day, the leather seats in the black Mercedes roadster got insanely hot, but I loved driving with the top down on warm summer nights.

 

[EklectikChik]

Strangely enough, although the kiss had slammed my heart into overdrive, I felt a little more relaxed and I sensed as though it had done the same for him. I could only hope as I happily followed him to the garage. I was obvious that he had done very well for himself and as he suggested the convertible I laughed and nodded. "Sure, sounds great."

To hell was sleek hair right? Let the wind blow through it. Smiling, I walked towards him and was pleasantly surprised when he opened up the car door for me like a true gentleman and let me slid it. I was careful not to flash him too much leg as I eased onto the leather seat and then set about putting on my seat belt.

When he joined me, I again inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of his expensive cologne and then let my eyes stray back to the papers I still help in my hand. My eyes scanned over the information again, making sure that I retained some of his important points.

 

[saedo]

The drive to the restaurant took nearly half an hour in the evening traffic. We put the time to good use, quizing one another on our cover stories. Emily proved to be a quick study. She discussed our history together with surprising sincerity given we had been strangers mere hours before.

I handed the keys to the valet and escorted Emily inside. Without a thought, my hand slipped around her back. It was only as my fingers slipped closer to her bosom that I recalled the need to allow for our height differential. I readjusted and placed my hand in a more family friendly location. We might have our rehearsed patter down but clearly we didn't have the calm physical ease one would normally expect.

We did not have long to wait. "Jacob, my boy!" McCain's boisterous hello preceded him by a dozen yards. His lanky frame strode confidently towards me, the slender Maggie following at his elbow.

"Good to see you again, sir," I responded. "Please allow me to introduce Emily, my fiancee." I found myself mildly surprised at how believable my words sounded as all our eyes turned to my companion.

 

[EklectikChik]

I was amazed by how naturally I fell into the roll of 'fiance' next to Jacob, thinking that I would be beside myself with nerves as soon as we entered the restaurant. But McCain left me no room to double think the situation as his voice boomed a greeting.

I instantly liked the man as he smiled at Jacob and clapped a hand on his broad shoulder, smiling openly and warmly. His slender and pretty wife Maggie seemed equally open and warm, but not as boisterous, keeping herself cool and put together. She was the picture perfect little wife next to her tall husband and the two instantly seemed to calm what little nervousness flared when Jacob looked down at me.

Under his warm gaze, I felt myself flush like a fiance would and shifted my gaze to McCain and Maggie. "A pleasure to meet you both. Jacob speaks fondly of you." I said warmly, extending my hand to McCain who instantly took it and surprised me by bringing it up to his lips and kissing it softly.

"No my dear, the pleasure is ours, Emily. Jacob has good taste, I see. Doesn't he Maggie!"

I flushed a little more as Maggie patted her husband arm and gave me a sweet smile. "Don't mind him, my dear. He has always been a shameless flirt, but a harmless one at that."

I chuckled and shook her hand, surprised once again when she linked ours together and tugged me forward, leading the way back to our table. "Let the boys talk shop a moment. My husband will talk your ear off in no time at all."

 

[saedo]

I turned for a moment to watch Emily and Maggie walk towards the bar. The sight wasn't half-bad. Emily had more than a little wiggle to her step, causing her hips to sway attractively from side to side.

Sensing McCain's gaze on me, I turned to meet it. His face still wore the same broad grin, but his eyes glittered with something more than mere amusement.

"Pleased to finally meet the little woman," he began, "though I'm not sure if 'little' is quite the word for it."

I wasn't sure what to make of that, but he kept talking. "Well, I'm sure by now my Maggie has your better half in a verbal headlock while she pumps her for information. You'd best tell me how the two of you met or she'll be on me all night about caring too much about work."

He looked at me expectantly, so I launched into my made-up tail of first meeting 'my Emily' a couple years before. I'd expected to be able to do this story with Emily present so we could stay on the same page. But with Maggie grilling her separately, I could only hope Emily was not straying too far afield with her details.

 

[EklectikChik]

Maggie was a lot chattier than I imagined her to be and soon she had me seated, with wine served all around as was pushing me for details about my 'romance' with Jacob. I smiled, taking dainty sips of my drink as her eyes seem to take in the details of my hair and dress. “You are such a pretty thing. Is your hair natural? Oh! Most women would kill for that color! I know I would, but goodness I don't have your skin tone. I wouldn't be able to pull it off.”

I flushed, feeling a tad self conscious. “Yes, it is. Although as a younger girl, I hated it. It was too different and kids can be cruel. Thankfully it darkened a little and now it seemed to be all the rage.”

“Indeed it is! Just lovely. So tell me how did you meet Jacob. I have to say,” she leaned in a little closer, eying her husband and my 'fiance' who still hadn't joined us yet, “I was under the impression that Jacob was single.”

“Oh? Why is that?” I asked curiously.

“Well, there was no mention of an engagement in any of the papers and well, men like Jacob seldom can do much of anything without rumors being spread. To tell you the truth, I expected some run way model.” Quickly realizing that her observation might be offensive, Maggie patted my hand, “Not that you aren't lovely. You are! Tell me, how did you meet?”

I mulled over her words, unsure it I should feel offended or flattered. Still, I reminded myself this was an act and didn't truly care what Maggie or anyone else thought. I was stronger than that, wasn't I? “Oh we met an a charity dinner. I was working for a law firm at the time. We were introduced and as they say, the rest is history.” I smiled, “As for the engagement, well...we've been trying to keep our relationship as drama free as possible, so a lot of people don't know.”

 

[saedo]

OOC: Could have sworn I had posted something earlier, so didn't realize it was my turn. Ah well.



Tom ordered the first round, getting me two fingers of a 30 year scotch. I preferred less potent libations, but I didn't want to seem unmanly by declining his offer. I took a healthy swallow and pretended to be perfectly pleased by the smooth burning sensation.

Maggie was proving as good as Tom's word. In the space of 15 minutes, she'd laid bare most of Emily's family history and early childhood. Fortunately she seemed far more interested in my pretend fiancee than me, so I didn't have to join in.

Still, I had my own challenges. Mr. McCain proved to be an avid college football fan. He was soon regaling me with his remembrances of all the many playoff games he'd attended at his alma material. Apparently he'd decked out some giant RV just so he and the "little woman" could go tailgating each fall.

I, on the other hand, had no interest in football, particularly collegiate. I only loosely followed baseball and that because I found listening to it on the radio to be an excellent sort of white noise when I was hard at work. Still, I did my best to feign familiarity and interest while downing my second scotch and praying for our table to be ready.

 

[EklectikChik]

OOC: I figured you were busy or bored already. Glad that's not the case. LOL!

IC: I shot Jacob a few glances, wondering if I was doing alright. For the amount of money I was getting paid for one night, I felt I at least owed him all that I had. Even if he was a bit of an ass. The thought made me sort of smile and Maggie sighed as she caught me looking at him and grinned knowingly. I instantly flushed, but not for the reason she seemed to think. Still, it somewhat worked, so I was glad.

Finally we were called to our table and I was glad for it. Maggie was chattering my ear off and I because of my nerves I hadn't eaten much. Now my stomach was cramping and I was ready to eat before the wine began to muddle my mind.

When Maggie caught wind of the conversation that her husband was having with Jacob, she giggled. "Oh Lord, he's talking football." She then launched into details about their RV and before I could fathom the next move, she was inviting us to join them.

I shot my 'fiance' a look and cleared my throat. "Well that is a lovely idea. We'll definitely have to keep that in mind for one of these days, won't we hun?" I said, trying to skirt past the subject as we reached our table.

 

[saedo]

"Uh, yeah, sure," I murmured. Telling Maggie that I'd rather a prostate exam than be trapped in a motor home with her and my pretend fiancee seemed ill-advised. I just hoped that was all that the invite implied. God help me if this old couple were also swingers.

Dinner conversation lumbered along with no major hiccups. It helped that McCain and his wife put back a bottle of wine between them. Their conversation remained swift and snappy, but they clearly were paying less than their full attention to me. I merely had to interject the occasional response before they were off on yet another tangent.

More disconcertingly, Emily got persuaded to match Maggie's lush pace. Lacking the excuse of being the designated driver, she was soon a couple sheets to the wind as well. By desert, I was starting to wonder whether any of the three would be able to remain upright long enough to depart the restaurant.

 

[EklectikChik]

I soon began to realize that I was a complete light weight, but this realization came a moment too late as Maggie and I fell into gales of silly giggles over something really not all that funny. As a swiped away a stray tear from our laughter and we wrapped things up, I felt mildly embarrassed, but too tipsy to care as we stood and Jacob tied things up.

“Jacob my boy! I knew you were the man for the job. I'll be contacting you soon to make things official. It was a pleasure!” Tom clasped his hand and shook it roughly, smacking him on the shoulder with a hardy laugh.

Maggie giggled next to me, giving me a hug that had us both swaying and laughing until she pushed me into Jacob's side. In order to stay up right, I slid my arms around his waist and pressed close, my soft curves fitting nicely against his big firm body. Tilting my head up to gaze up at him, I grinned, feeling strangely giddy. Drinking on the job, never a good idea. But as far as I could tell, I'd at least gotten the job done. “I promise not to puke in your nice car if you promise not to let me hit the floor.”

 

[saedo]

I did my best to play the part of supportive husband as I helped my "wife" into the car. She babbled some half-remembered song as we tottered along. I suppose muscle memory kept her upright despite her high heels. I hardly think I could have maintained my balance from so tenuous a perch.

I had to bodily deposit her in the lowslung passenger seat. Reaching across her to buckle the seat belt required a rather unseemly amount of contact with her bosom, but I tried to remain professional. They did feel fantastic, though.

I spent the drive home contemplating what to do with her. There had been a time when a half-drunk girl would have been a minor jackpot for me. Tipsy girls were easy to talk into bed. But then I'd taken home a really drunk one who had been naked and gyrating atop me for about several seconds before the vigorous motion made her sick. Having a girl puke on you is a definite mood-killer.

Still it wasn't like I could just dump her in a cab and send her home. I didn't know where she lived. I sighed and hoped she didn't pass out before I got her inside.

 

[EklectikChik]

The ride back was strangely silent, which in a sense I was thankful for. My brain was addled with alcohol, which dulled my senses and slurred my speech. I was mildly embarrassed, but as I shifted my face to regard him as he drove, I hoped that I had at least nailed the part for him. I didn't know why. He was already successful and I was pretty sure this account wasn't going to be all end all of his career, but something made me want to please him.

The cool night air whipped around us and ruffled my hair, freeing several long strands to fly around my face wildly, but I paid them no mind. His own hair was sightly ruffled, but unlike myself, who felt deeply relaxed and a sleepy as the alcohol warmed my body, Jacob looked deep in thought.

I studied his profile, frowning slightly as I realized how I wished he was smile. It was a silly notion, but I got the impression that he didn't smile much. Which was crazy...what did it matter? We hardly knew each other and after this evening would probably never seen one another. This also had a strange effect on me, but I shook it off as he pulled into his drive way.

At a safe stop, I fumbled with my seat belt and cursed softly before it became free. Then my eyes slid up to his as he regarded me. I felt the heat of a flush color my skin and was thankful for the dim lighting. “Well...thank you for an interesting evening.” I managed to get out without slurring too badly.

 

[saedo]

I glanced over at her as she fumbled with her seat belt. It's probably just the button latch sticking. She's fine. She can make it home alright. Just say your goodbyes and get her out of here. And quit staring at the way her tits pop up when she twists her torso like that. My thoughts were a chaotic mess.

When eventually she exited the vehicle, I clung tenaciously to the hope that this strange evening might yet be soon over. After all, she remained standing in her high heels, a feat which seemed to demand sobriety. But despite her ability to keep her balance on a pair of stilettos, I could see in her eyes that her reactions were slowed and her instincts dulled. She was not fit to drive.

Sending her home in a cab seemed equally risky. I had no idea where she lived and whether a drunk woman in a tight dress might be safe. Dammit.

"Emily," I said, trying to sound friendly, "you did a great job tonight and I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I think trying to keep pace with Maggie has left you a bit too drunk for me to leave you on your own just yet. I think you should probably sleep here tonight and go home in the morning when you're sober."

"You can have my bedroom to yourself," I continued. "I'll sleep on the couch." I smiled warmly despite my urge to frown. I really liked my bed, so I was not eager to give it up for some stranger. But stranger or not, she was a woman and my chivalrous instinct balked at kicking her to the couch. "That sound OK to you, Emily?"

 

[EklectikChik]

I leaned heavily against the side of his car, trying to gain my balance properly. I hadn't fallen though, that was a good step. My gaze slid down to my feet and as he began to talk, I slowly and carefully slipped my shoes off. This dropped me down a good three or four inches, but I felt tons better at being a little more stable.

Slowly his words registered and I was moderately surprised. After all, I could have taken a cab, as I definitely was drunk. Still, he seemed thankful and although the idea of staying in a strangers bed, he had offered to crash on the couch. Didn't the man have a guest room?

Fighting back a yawn, I found myself nodding before I had formed a solid answer in my head. Something about the way he said my name made me, I don't know...soft. Slowly my gaze slid up to his face and abandoned hope of reaching down to pick up my shoes without falling flat on my face. The idea made me giggle. "Sorry...I would really appreciate staying here tonight. I promise to be out first thing in the morning..."

My slightly slurred words trailed off and I sighed. "I don't usually drink like that..."

 

[saedo]

"I don't usually drink like that..."

I sighed, releasing some of the tension I felt. I didn't know why I was blaming her for the situation. "I know. Maggie was way more of a drinker than I ever would have imagined. I'm not sure I could have kept pace with her as well as you did."

Taking off her shoes had dropped Emily a few inches further closer to the floor. Standing close enough to me to place a hand on my arm for balance, she had to tilt her head way back to meet my gaze. This sharp viewing angle offered a further reminder of Emily's luscious charms. I'd been too focused on making the deal with McCain to pay Emily much attention. But staring almost straight down at her, I had a direct view of her cleavage. Her demure dress put just a hint on display, but from this steep approach I could see that it was surprisingly deep. As my lizard brain started calculating the corresponding cup size, a tingle of lust shot down my spine.

Eager to distract myself before my libido started moving, I turned instead to her shoes. "Here, let me get those," I said, kneeling so I could snag the leather straps of each stiletto.

My magnanimous gesture, however, was slightly undercut when I felt my head bump into something warm and fleshy as I stood up. Emily squeaked and took a step back and it became immediately clear as she clapped a protective arm over her left breast just what I'd collided with.

Feeling my face flush with embarrassment (though the drinks I'd had helped), I uttered a quick, "Oops, sorry," before turning away and striding to the door to my house. "Alright, let's get you inside and settled," I announced with a bit too much cheer as I unlocked the door.

I avoided direct eye contact as I escorted her inside and led her to the master bedroom. I gave her a quick and likely unnecessary tour. "There's the bed. Light switches for the overhead are there. That door over there is the closet and that one goes to the bathroom and shower. Towels are in the top cabinet by the sink. Soap and shampoo are on the counter. I should have new toothbrushes in the drawer." I eventually ceased my babble and at last turned to look at her. "Is there anything else you need, Emily? "