Lunch with friends

Katie kept her menu close to her chest and tried her best to read the options from such a close perspective. She was suddenly and greatly regretting her choice of outfit now that she was sitting in a café outside of the convention. In public. With other modestly dressed women around. It was one thing to have her boobs on display within the convention center with all the other scantily clad women there, or even on the short walk from the hotel where she could effectively ignore any annoyed stares, but sitting in the café really brought to light exactly how inappropriate her outfit was. What had she been thinking?

As if sensing her discomfort, Mr. Cowall decided to make small talk. "What did you think of the seminar?" he asked.

Katie couldn't look at him, at his gorgeous blue eyes. "It was good," she mumbled. She couldn't even focus on the few items of the menu that she could read. Her mind was racing about the disdainful and scornful looks she received from the half-dozen other women in the café when she walked in. Sure, it was nice that her waiter could hardly look her in the eyes, but it hardly outweighed the feeling of letting down her entire gender. A dowdy woman in a brown jacket seemed particularly perturbed by her appearance. She kept glancing over and glaring or rolling her eyes before whispering something to her friend. Katie just wanted to get lunch and get out of there, but Mr. Cowall insisted on meeting with a friend of his and they were still waiting for him to arrive.

Mr. Cowall paused. "You're feeling self-conscious, aren't you?"

Katie nodded furtively. She just wanted to sink in the chair and disappear.

"Katie," he said with firmness and authority. His voice held a certain command that made her entire being pay attention. "Look at me." She tore her gaze away from her menu and met his own. His icy blue eyes enveloped her like a quiet ocean, soothing her anxiety and bringing her a deep, unexpected comfort. "You look amazing. You feel happy wearing stuff like this, don't you agree?"

Her consciousness sank deeper into the sea of his gaze. "Well, yes, but..."

"And don't you agree that you should show it off to the world because it makes you so happy?"

"Y-yes..." Her hands slowly lowered her menu revealing her vest and ample cleavage that she was previously hiding. It did make her happy to feel sexy and she felt very sexy in her outfit. She just wished dissenting people would mind their own business.

"Good," he said soothingly. He managed to only flick a brief glance down at her chest before looking her in the eyes again. "Now, tell me what you thought of the seminar."

Katie glanced around. It was still hard to ignore the scornful stares, but Mr. Cowall was right. People should know what makes her happy, so she tried to look happy. "It was good," she replied while forcing a faint smile, "A little weird, but I half expected that. Nothing about this convention has been normal." They had spent the entire time the previous day exploring the hall, so attending a seminar that morning was a change and ticked off the one box of "things she was expecting to do." Katie still hadn't seen any sign or schedule that it was happening, but Mr. Cowall seemed to know where to go and when to be there and sure enough, they ended up in a hall with a speaker who decided to talk for an hour about achieving goals.

"Oh?" replied Mr. Cowall before taking a sip of his water, "What was weird about it?"

Katie placed her menu on the table and swam further into his gaze. "Just, it was weird that he kept referring to goals with feminine pronouns. 'You have to know her inside and out. You have to be relentless in your pursuit of her. Keep her close and don't let her slip away. She will resist, but you must be persistent.' Honestly, it sounded like he was trying to teach us how to stalk and kidnap somebody." Katie laughed as she finished her sentence.

Mr. Cowall chuckled too. "Yes. Out of context those lines are pretty damning," he admitted.

From a few paces behind Katie, a male voice called out, "Andy!" He sounded pleasant, warm and friendly.

Immediately, Mr. Cowall looked up and smiled in recognition. "Marty!" he exclaimed and stood from his seat. Katie turned slightly to see a man walking towards them. 'Silver Fox' was the first term that came to Katie's mind. He was classically handsome with a full head of grey hair and a well-maintained goatee. His golden glasses framed brown eyes swimming with warmth, and he wore a tailored grey suit that accentuated his fit physique. He walked through the cafe with a commanding presence as though he was an important man and everyone needed to know. Katie nearly swooned from his demeanor alone.

Mr. Cowall walked from the table to shake his hand, and Katie noticed that there was a woman following behind him, although she couldn't see much of her around the man. After a brief exchange, Mr. Cowall turned to introduce Katie. "Marty, this is-"

"Kitty!" Mr. Cowall was interrupted by an excited feminine voice with a Brooklyn accent. Everyone turned to look at Carmella who was dressed in a leopard print mini skirt with thigh high boots. Her fake boobs once again threatened to burst from their confines, this time a black silk camisole top. Katie was almost relieved that there was another scantily dressed woman there to share the stares from the other patrons, but her exclamation unfortunately brought with it the scornful looks of the other patrons.

Mr. Cowall looked at Carmella and then back at Katie. "Kitty?" he asked with an amused confusion.

Katie blushed. She knew she should have corrected Carmella yesterday. "It's 'Katie,'" she said, making sure to enunciate the 'a.' "You must have misheard me yesterday."

Carmella looked confused and disappointed. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she made a show of pouting with her bold red lips. "That's too bad," she said. "Kitty is a way sexier name, doncha agree?" She looked up at her male companion as if searching for his approval.

He chuckled and put his arm around Carmella's waist. "I do agree," he said, "But I'm sure Katie likes her name just the way it is." He lead Carmella to the seat at the table beside Katie and pulled it out for her. Carmella carefully sat as to not give too much a show to the onlookers, and then the man walked around to join Mr. Cowall on the other side of the table. As they got comfortable, Katie began thinking about her name. "Kitty" really did sound sexier than "Katie," but it sounded more like the stage name for a stripper rather than a woman in business. Even though "Katie" was fun and cute, she could still get away with it in a professional sense and it was absolutely her preference between the two. She was glad she had the chance to correct Carmella, she just wished she had done it earlier especially if this man was a professional acquaintance of Mr. Cowall.

"I like your outfit," said Carmella with a smile. "It just screams sexy secretary."

"Thanks," replied Katie half-heartedly. Wait. Was that what the women in the cafe were thinking? She looked around, noticing a few sets of eyeballs on her and Carmella. Did people think she was some kind of sleazy secretary, ready to get down on her knees and... Katie felt her face flush and her heartbeat quicken.

"Well, Katie, since our introduction was cut short, I suppose I should introduce myself," said Mr. Cowall's friend as he smiled at her. His words saved her from her increasing anxiety. His brown eyes were inviting and shone with immeasurable warmth, but they also seemed to portray a sharp intellect at the same time. "My name is Martin Fairstone. Andy and I go way back."

"He's something of a mentor for me," admitted Mr. Cowall. "I can honestly say I wouldn't be the man I am today if it weren't for Marty."

Martin Fairstone laughed. "Oh, you give me entirely too much credit, Andy. You would have figured it all out even if it hadn't been for me. I'm sure of it."

The waiter came, and as everyone ordered their food, Katie found herself enamored with Martin. She kept darting her gaze between the two friends, trying her best to ignore the lady in brown staring daggers at her and her companions. Martin made that fairly easy to do, however, since he commanded the attention of everyone around him with his cozy and alluring persona. Not to mention that despite his age, in the looks department he had aged like a fine wine. Katie found herself quickly smitten and almost jealous, but certainly proud, that Carmella had been able to land such a stud.

"So, how did the two of you meet?" asked Carmella after the waiter had left with their orders.

Katie and Mr. Cowall almost looked surprised at one another. Mr. Cowall didn't seem to know how to respond at all, so Katie calmly and succinctly replied, "In an interview."

Carmella looked at her with a shocked expression, but Martin simply gazed at her as if he were unwrapping her soul. Katie elaborated, "Yeah, Mr. Cowall and I aren't together." She laughed a little at the thought of it. "I'm just his employee."

At this point Martin looked at his friend with an odd expression, but Carmella responded a little too loudly, "Oh, so you really are going for the whole sexy secretary look, hey?"

Katie blushed and looked around at all the other patrons who had overheard Carmella and her not-so-subtle Brooklyn accent. Katie felt her face heat up with all the eyes on her. "No, not really. Just trying to fit in, I suppose." The woman in the brown coat scoffed loudly.

Martin looked back at her and said, "You're uncomfortable, aren't you?"

Katie glanced around and nodded slightly. "You can't stand the thought of all this dissenting attention, can you?" He was very astute.

Katie nodded meekly. "I guess I almost feel like I'm doing a disservice to my gender by being on display like this." She waved her hands at her generous cleavage.

Martin laughed a warm, disarming laugh, and Katie felt herself relax slightly.

"Nonsense," he said. "You're doing no such thing. Look at you, with all your lovely womanly curves. Men don't have those, and you'd be doing a disservice to your gender by pretending you didn't. Don't you agree it's much better to accept and celebrate your femininity than it is to hide it?"

Katie knew there was still an abundance of eyes on her from around the cafe, but at that moment she could only focus on Martin's soft brown eyes and Mr. Cowall's pretty blues. She felt herself begin to nod and, out of the corner of her eye, noticed Carmella nodding along too, but more quickly and with a large smile across her face.

"Don't you agree that anyone trying to make you feel ashamed for being a woman doesn't deserve your attention? They shouldn't even be occupying any part of your consciousness. They're not worth it. Don't you agree that your attention is better spent on the people who support you?"

Katie sighed and relaxed. Martin was right. How dare these women in the cafe try to scorn her for being one of them? How dare they hate her for embracing her femininity? Those women didn't deserve her time. They didn't deserve her attention. They didn't deserve her shame. She'd much rather focus on being present with Mr. Cowall and his friends.

Katie blinked. She shook a small fog from her head as if she had zoned out with a thought and just woken up. Her jaw relaxed; she immediately realized how much tension she was holding there. She sat up straight, pulled her shoulders back, and looked around at her dining partners. They were all watching her and she began to worry. Were they expecting her to respond to something? She couldn't quite remember. Martin was looking at her with a discerning gaze, but Mr. Cowall seemed to have an amazed expression on his face. He looked back and forth between Martin and Katie. What had they been talking about? Katie could hardly remember. She looked at Carmella and remembered that they had been talking about the nature of her and Mr. Cowall's relationship. Maybe she should change the subject.

"So," stammered Katie, "How did you and..."

Katie suddenly started to panic. She knew that Martin had introduced himself as Martin Fairstone, but he was an associate or even a mentor of Mr. Cowall. Should she refer to him as Mr. Fairstone? Was that too formal? He wasn't her employer after all, but he certainly seemed superior to her. Above her in the proverbial food chain of the white collar world. She decided that it would be best to try formal and carried on, "How did you and Mr. Fairstone meet?"

Carmella smiled, but Martin chimed in, "Actually, it would be Dr. Fairstone, but that's OK. That's not how I introduced myself. You can just call me Martin instead." He concluded his statement with a warm laugh, and Katie, although furiously blushing, laughed as well.

"How did we meet?" asked Carmella. Her smile briefly faded, and she looked at Martin as if seeking his approval to tell the story. She batted her blue eyes as she waited.

Martin chuckled. "It's almost a taboo story," he said, "But really, it's quite boring. Carmella was once a patient of mine."

"A patient?" asked Katie, seeking clarification. Mr. Cowall was just sitting back in his chair as if he'd heard the story several times before.

Carmella nodded furiously beside her. Now that Martin started the story, she looked ready to burst. "Yeah, Martin here's a psychologist, and I used to be so stressed out with my job runnin' the bakery. I was seeing him every week. It turned out to be the only part of the week that I looked forward to, so I took the plunge and asked him if we could, you know, see each other more often and, uh, more intimately, if you know what I mean."

Katie was shocked. "You run a bakery?" she asked. A week ago, she would have never imagined that a woman like Carmella would have aspirations like that.

"Used to, sweetie," said Carmella. "It was just too much stress, so I had to let that part of me slide. But I still get to bake every now and then for my man. Ain't that right, Snookums?"

Martin laughed again. "Yes, she is a mighty temptress," he said. "I had to steel my resolve and figure out a whole new set of self-discipline techniques after she moved in." He patted his belly and added, "At a certain age, it gets a little too easy to let things go."

Carmella laughed, and Katie giggled. Katie looked around the table at Mr. Cowall, who seemed to be lost in thoughts of his own. His eyes were fixated on her chest, and she suddenly became aware that she had been playing with the neckline of her vest, if you could call it that. She blushed and felt a warm satisfaction flow through her body. Let him stare, she decided. This was the most quiet he had been in a long time.

The waiter returned with their meals, and Katie sat back as he placed the plate in front of her. She made sure to give him an unhindered view of her cleavage and giggled when he paused for seemingly no reason. Between her and Carmella, he had a hard time acting casual and kept tripping over his words.

"Now, Katie," said Martin after they all said their thanks and the waiter had left, "Andy tells me you're quite the hiker."

Katie looked at Mr. Cowall with a sly smile. "You talk about me?" she asked.

Mr. Cowall looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Oh, well, you know, just in terms of my life. I'd say I have a new employee. She's quite the outdoorsy type. You know. That kind of thing."

Katie chuckled. It was fun to see him stammer and squirm, considering how put together he usually was. She batted her eyes and looked back to Martin, "I am. My fiancé and I usually get out to the mountains a couple times every month."

"Fiancé?" asked Carmella loudly, once again attracting stares from around the café, "Where's your rock?!" She gestured towards Katie's bare hand.

"Oh," she flicked her hand around dismissively, "We live on a pretty tight budget, and I'm not really one for jewelry." She smiled thinking about how Jake popped the question. "He actually proposed with an ammonite he found on one of our hikes. It's sitting on a shelf at home."

"That's so cute!" said Carmella, but the men remained silent as they ate their food. "Boys! Doncha think that's cute?!"

Mr. Cowall snapped to attention. "Oh, ya. Sure, it's cute," he said, but it was clear that it was disingenuous.

Martin set down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I prefer the idea of a ring. Some traditions shouldn't be messed with."

Katie glanced down at Carmella's hand. It was adorned with gold and jewels, but her ring finger was noticeably bare. "Well, not everybody can afford to drop fifty grand on a piece of jewelry Mister Big Shot!" Carmella said in jest. "Besides, who are you to talk about tradition?" Katie was shocked. Fifty thousand dollars on a ring?! That was insane! But if that's what Martin would drop on a ring, he must be loaded. She wondered for a moment how many mansions he owned.

Martin smiled and chuckled. "It's just my opinion. Don't you agree that it's better to have a symbol that you can bring everywhere as a reminder of both of your commitment?"

Katie nodded. Yea... A ring would be-

"Yea, yea," said Carmella, "Well where's your commitment then?"

Martin smiled. His warm eyes unblinking as he looked at Carmella. "I think they're in your chest, my dear."

Carmella feigned insult and gasped loudly, "Are you sayin' you think my boobs are fake?!" Everyone in the room looked their way once again. Katie had almost forgotten about the lady in the brown jacket, but she found the woman's look of disgust hilarious. She resisted the temptation to stick her tongue out at the woman.

Martin chuckled and turned back to Katie. "Anyways, as I was saying, I'd like to pick your brain later about some of your favourite trails. I sometimes find myself in your neck of the woods and I'd like to experience your gorgeous views."

Katie smiled. "There are some pretty gorgeous views out there. How experienced are you as a hiker?"

Martin grabbed his fork once again and turned his attention back to his food. "Oh, I'm persistent, and I'm not one to back down from a challenge, but maybe this is a conversation for another time. I'm sure Carmella and Andy would rather talk about other things."

"I was gonna say," said Carmella, "How about the gorgeous views right here?!" She gestured back and forth between Katie and herself.

Mr. Cowall piped up, "I agree with Carmella. I'm quite content with the view from my chair." Although he motioned to both women, his icy blue eyes were only focused on Katie and she felt a pleasant warmth spread through her body once again. She smiled and blushed. It was sexy knowing that she was enticing to a man of his stature. Maybe if she had played her cards differently in life, she'd have an expensive gem to flaunt instead of a glorified paper weight. Still, she would take Jake over a fancy rock any day. It didn't matter that he couldn't afford a diamond.

The party engaged in conversation as they ate their meals. Once everyone had finished and Martin settled the bill, Katie was the first to stand to leave. The men soon followed suit, but Carmella remained seated until Martin came over and helped her up. She wrapped her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked out. Katie held the door open as everyone left and she couldn't help but admire how cute they were as a couple. The two of them couldn't be any more different, but they both seemed to really enjoy each other's presence.

"Andy!" Martin called, prompting Mr. Cowall to turn around. "I booked the Gloucester billiard room for the day. Would the two of you like to retire there for an after-lunch cocktail?"

"Katie and I were going to go shopping for a bit, but we could probably push that back." He looked at Katie, "What do you think?"

Katie had been looking forward to her shopping spree, but Martin and Carmella were so much fun that it was hard to turn down the offer. "Lead the way!" she said.