It was my first ever conference, and I was excited. I was getting paid to travel into the city, listen to some guy talk for a few hours and go home. Lunch was on the company, as was my mileage. I was living the high life.
I grabbed a name tag and found a seat in the middle of the room, examining the surrounding crowd. Most were significantly older than me. The men looked like they'd belong at a Star Trek convention, many with unkempt long hair. The women were not much better, with most doing their best to schmooze with the conference's host.
Not terribly interested in talking with anyone, I sat down and opened the book I had brought. People continued to trickle in, and I would regularly look up to see if it was anyone worth noting.
Soon enough, an intriguing woman walked in. If nothing else, she was intriguing because she was clearly younger than me, and I was fresh out of college. She had red hair, clearly not natural, but it matched her pale, ivory complexion well. Her eyes were perfectly accented with a touch of shadow, but it was her body that caught my attention.
She was definitely a big woman, not many's idea of conventional beauty. But she was well proportioned, and certainly not shy about showing it. Her skinny jeans were wrapped tightly around strong, shapely legs, while her sweater showed off just enough cleavage to be sexy, but not too much to be out of place at the semi-professional gathering.
Just as she sat down, farther away from me than I had hoped, the host of the conference called everyone to order. Everyone went through the requisite introductions, which I pleasantly nodded through, waiting for the young woman's turn, if only so I had an excuse to look at her.
Finally, she spoke, "My name is Jess, and I go to the community college." So, she was still in college. That explained why she was so much younger than everyone else.
When my turn came, I made sure to try to make an impression, knowing it would be my first on Jess. The lame joke I cracked in my own introduction seemed to work: she laughed and looked at me for longer than was probably necessary.
Intent on actually getting some useful information from this conference, I forgot about her for a while as the lecturer presented on social media.
Just as I was growing weary of the presentation, the lecturer's phone went off, meaning it was time for lunch. There was a bar and grill within walking distance, so I decided to go grab a beer and a burger. As I took my seat at the bar, I saw Jess walk in. We made eye contact, and I motioned for her to sit next to me.
She smiled and walked over, pulling up the seat next to me. "Hi, I'm Shawn," I introduced myself. It wasn't much of a pickup line, but I've always found it pleasantly effective.
"Jess," she replied. "What paper are you from?"
I told her and asked her about what she was doing here from college. "Oh, I run the school paper," she told me. "Unfortunately, most people at school don't even read what they're supposed to read, so why would they read what I write?"
"Aw, I find that hard to believe that you can't find anyone to read your stuff," I replied. She laughed as if I had said something funny. I couldn't help but notice that when she laughed, her chest bounced in a mesmerizing pattern. I would have to up the funny factor, it seemed.
We talked through our drinks and meal, barely noticing the time. Finally, my phone buzzed with a text. When I picked it up, I saw the time and blurted out, "Oh shit, we better get back."
