A meal at the bay

A day or so later, Dan received a message from Damien.

He paused before sending any response. Maison Beaumont was a very expensive French restaurant downtown. He wasn’t sure if Damien had booked a table to impress, intimidate, or if Damien simply had enough wealth to take people to such a place casually.

Dan decided it was wiser to contact Emma first, as he hoped she would have the more measured response to this strange situation.

Dan was glad that Emma was onboard. He text a message to Randy, uncertain how his friend would respond.

Dan was surprised at Randy’s response being relatively serious. He got up and went over to his wardrobe. He moved multiple items of clothing to the left until he found the suit bag he was looking for. Dan moved it over to the bed and unzipped it. Christine had bought him a reasonably expensive suit a few years ago when she dragged him to several corporate fundraising events. Contained within the bag was a black, three-piece suit and a white shirt. He was impressed that they were still in good condition and reasonably well pressed. He checked further in the wardrobe for a pair of smart black shoes he had bought to go with it… Dan put both away as he did not need them until Friday.

************

Dan was dressed, showered and waiting outside for Randy to pick him up in his battered Taurus. He was half tempted to suggest they park further away in case the sight of Randy’s motor gave the wrong first impression. Dan also knew that his friend was oddly proud of his vehicle, so he was unlikely to go for it. He stood there waiting in his suit. He had found a black bow tie to go with it. He heard the sound of a vehicle and saw Randy pulling up to the kerb. He saw Randy lean over and wind down the passenger-side window.

“What up, playa?” Randy joked.

Without saying anything, Dan got in the passenger seat. Dan had to stifle a laugh when he saw what his friend was wearing. Randy had on a red velvet smoking jacket and matching trousers, a black shirt and a bolo tie. He had also tied his dreads back into a sort of ponytail.

“What are you wearing?” Dan asked mockingly.

“A little something called style, Daniel,” Randy replied proudly.

“Did you jump Hugh Hefner on the way here?” Dan retorted.

“Fuck you, man,” Randy responded.

The two of them started laughing as Randy drove over to Emma’s house. He beeped the horn when he was outside. The two of them just stared as Emma’s front door opened and she stepped out. Emma had styled her blonde hair into a side-swept fringe, and the top was layered and feathered. She was wearing an elegant black dress with a plunging neckline showing off a generous amount of cleavage. It was split further down, showing off one leg. She had paired her outfit with a pair of black spiked heels. She walked over and got in the backseat.

“See something you like, boys?” Emma told the pair of them.

“You look amazing.” Dan complimented her.

“Well, I had to borrow it from my mom, and she’s a bit bustier than I am,” Emma explained.

“I would wolf whistle, but you would probably hit me.” Randy quipped.

“Settle down there, Hef. I’m sure we can swing by the bunny ranch later.” Emma retorted.

“Fuck the pair of you.” Randy moaned.

Dan and Emma were trying not to laugh at Randy’s expense. The three of them bantered as Randy drove them downtown. He found a parking spot near the restaurant. Maison Beaumont had a rustic look to it, like someone was trying to recreate the look of a French chateau in a downtown area of an American city. The three of them headed inside, where they were greeted by a young man in his twenties.

"Do you have a reservation? " The greeter asked.

“We are meeting someone who has booked a table for us,” Dan told him.

“I believe I know which gentleman you are referring to.” The greeter advised.

The greeter led them through the restaurant. Dan noted it was fairly busy and there were lots of couples and families here dining. They were escorted to a large circular table where a tall, very attractive bald man in his mid forties man was waiting. Even from where he was standing, Dan could tell this man commanded a presence, just a quiet gravitas that was radiated without saying anything. His head was shaved, and he guessed due to style and not baldness. He was wearing a charcoal suit that looked like it had been tailored for him and looked very expensive.

“Do you wish for me to take your jackets?” The greeter asked.

Randy looked uncomfortable at the question.

“Nah, dog. I’m good.” Randy replied.

“Of course, sir. And the other gentleman?”

“Sure,” Dan responded, slipping his suit jacket off and handing it over to the greeter.

“My guests have arrived. Please take a seat.” Damien instructed. Sweeping his arm across to gesture for them to sit down.

Emma sat down in the middle with Randy and Dan flanking her on each side.

“So all three of you have slept with my woman. You realise that does mean I will have to kill all three of you?” Damien said sternly.

Dan looked at both Emma and Randy, unsure how to reply. He saw that Randy looked nervous and uncomfortable. Emma simply looked quizzical. Dan was unsure on how he should respond and the table felt really tense. Damien simply just laughed.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist. A pleasure to meet all three of you. You must be Dan.” Damien said, looking directly at him.

Dan felt more relaxed at this point. “Yeah. Nice to meet you finally”

“This must be Randall and Emma. I must say I think you look stunning this evening.” He said, looking at Emma.

Emma blushed at the compliment.

“And Randall also has an interesting style.” Damien declared.

“See what I say, game respects game,” Randy commented, appearing more relaxed,

Damien smiled “Indeed”

“I should order some drinks,” Damien advised them. He held up a hand to indicate for the sommelier to approach them.

“Can I take your order please, madam and sirs?” The sommelier advised in a French sounding accent.

"I’ll get a bottle of the 76 Château Rothschild? " Damien replied.

“Ah, I have to advise we are unable to serve alcohol to underage guests.” The sommelier apologised.

“What’s your name, Son?” Damien asked.

“Francois, sir.” The sommelier answered.

“Your real name.” Damien said with a hint of annoyance.

“Terry.” The sommelier replied, dropping the French accent.

“Well, Terry. The owner of this restaurant is a personal friend, and I also have a controlling stake in the restaurant. So if you want to keep your job, I suggest you bring the bottle of wine I just ordered and pretend my guests are all of age.” Damien said matter-of-factly.

Dan watched Terry’s face turn red he looked like he was about to speak before realising it would have been a poor choice.

“Sorry about that.” Damien apologised.

Emma was the first to speak up. “So what is it you do, Damien? Addison has never really told me.”

“Finance. I make sound investments. Advise on when clients should invest. Make the right donations. Honestly, it probably sounds a lot more exciting than it actually is. It can be fairly cutthroat, but it also gives me plenty of spare time.” Damien told them.

“That was pretty cold,” Dan commented.

“And you know what, Daniel. It was, but on occasion I find the suggestion of a threat carries more weight than the action itself. Carry yourself with enough confidence, and if people actually believe it? They will.” Damien explained.

The sommelier returned with the bottle of red Damien had ordered. He uncorked it and poured each of them a glass. Dan started to pick up his glass when Damien stopped him.

“Let it breathe first.” He told him.

He saw that Randy had already taken a sip. “They all just taste the same to me. I could have just gone for a Bud.”

Dan watched Emma kick Randy under the table. Damien was keenly observing all of them and the exchange and started laughing at them, which caught them by surprised.

“The three of you don’t need to put on airs and graces in front of me. Feel free to speak plainly.” Damien told them.

They were interrupted by a female waiter approaching them.

"Would you like to know today’s specials? " She asked. “We have king salmon with sweet corn, chanterelles and basil aioli, sautéed free-range chicken with mashed potatoes, fresh blue crab with roasted garlic and shallot cream.”

“You don’t do steak?” Randy asked.

“That is on page two of the menu, sir.” The waiter advised.

“I’ll take the rib eye medium rare,” Randy told her.

“The salmon, please,” Emma ordered.

“The crab,” Dan told her.

“I’ll also take the fish,” Damien added.

The waiter finished making note of the orders and left them alone.

“So I still don’t know why we are here,” Dan asked.

“Straight to the point. I like that. You created something interesting. I was curious as to how that came about.” Damien replied.

“Well, it was kind of Randy’s idea, but really it was just a stoned conversation one night in Dan’s bedroom,” Emma answered.

“Who suggested involving Addison?” He asked.

“That was my idea. I knew about Addison’s situation and had an idea that she might be interested.” Emma told him.

“I believe she was doing it for me. She knows I have particular tastes and that I would be interested in seeing the result.” Damien told them.

“And what do you think?” Randy asked him.

“Addison sent me a copy. Clearly it wasn’t fully edited and was just the raw footage. Parts of it were sloppy but there is a raw authenticity to it. What Addison says as part of her story is told with genuine passion. Plus I can’t deny I didn’t enjoy having my ego stroked by what she was saying.” Damien answered honestly.

“Honestly, that is kind of gratifying hearing you speak about it like that. I can’t deny the main motivation behind it was, well, getting to have sex with an attractive girl.” Dan said openly.

“I like your candour, Dan. You shouldn’t deny that baser instincts were part of this.” Damien commended.

“Well it was just four horny teenagers,” Emma commented.

“But you also have a product here. Are you thinking of filming anything else or doing something with it?” Damien asked seriously.

“I don’t think we had thought about it after that. Filming something else would be fun, but we were just filming our friends at school.” Randy replied.

“I believe you are selling yourself short. If you were interested, I could provide capital if there are any production costs.” Damien offered.

The conversation was interrupted by their food being being brought to the table. The four of them mostly ate in silence and the discussion changing to other subjects. Dan was far too focused on the food to talk as this was one of the finest meals he had experienced in some time.

“That is a very generous offer, and I think we would need to talk it over before agreeing,” Emma told Damien.

“What is there to talk about?” Randy questioned.

“Well, we don’t actually have any plans for shooting anything else, Randy,” Dan replied.

“Well, yeah, but,” Randy said.

“We aren’t saying no, Randy. It's just this kind of big, and we can’t just immediately say yes.” Emma reasoned.

“There’s no rush, and if you wanted to discuss the idea, Dan has my number,” Damien told them.

Damien settled the bill, and the four of them exited the restaurant.

“Join me for a moment longer.” Damien requested.

He walked down to the harbour and reached into his suit pocket. He produced a metal case and retrieved four cigars, handing one to each of them.

“I like to just stand here and watch the bay. There’s a nice sense of peace, watching things.” Damien told them.

The four of them stood there and smoked in silence. Enjoying the moment with each other.

“Well, we should be going. Thank you for this evening, Damien.” Dan said to him.

“The pleasure was all mine, Daniel,” Damien replied.

He shook the hands of Dan and Randy. After he took Emma’s hand and kissed it lightly. They parted ways with the trio returning to Randy’s car.

“Anyone want to stop by KFC on the way back?” Randy asked.

***********

Dan got out of Randy’s car, annoyed that his suit now smelled of fried chicken. He stepped inside knowing it was late and that his mom would likely already be in bed. He was surprised that the living room light was still on. He stepped into the lounge to see his mom was watching television while finishing off a glass of Zinfandel.

“Hey, Dan. I hope you enjoyed your meal. I wanted to ask you something.” Christine told him.