Part 1 - A dinner fantasy
The ad said, “Extensive menu, great view, impeccable service.” I never imagined that this would be so true.
I had been traveling for about ten days in California. This was my last night in Long Beach, the last stop on a pretty good trip. When I travel on my company’s expense, I usually try to keep it reasonable. But when the customer is paying the bill, I like to indulge in as much decadence as I can find. So I picked a reasonably expensive place to enjoy a good dinner. I figured that I would eat a good meal and then get to sleep early. But the menu was a little more extensive and exquisite than originally thought, and the view was dramatic and compelling. And the service, well…
“Your server tonight will be Lori,” the host said as he seated me. She was taking the orders of the people at the corner table. The view was quite wonderful as I watched her in action. White blouse, short black skirt, black stockings, wonderful figure. She flew by my table with a breathless “Be right with you,” hustling to place the dinner orders. “Take your time, I’m in no hurry,” I replied as she turned the corner. And I wasn’t in a hurry at all. I had brought my newspaper to read, trademark of the lonely traveler. I pulled it out but barely read anything, preferring to gaze out the window at the setting sun and the bay. Not a bad view, but it gets better.
She really did take her time coming back, not that I really cared that much, even though I was kind of hungry. She came back with salads and soups for the other table then came over to my table. She introduced herself and asked how I was doing. I responded that I was doing very well, and the items on the menu looked very good. Her eyes sparkled as she said, “Not everything is on the menu.” Now, I wasn’t sure if she was referring to the night’s dinner specials, but I caught a little double meaning in her statement, a tone in her voice. I immediately responded with something that might help me find out more.
“Well, I had plenty of time to look over the menu, and had selected what I thought was pretty good item, but maybe you have a better idea …” I left it open-ended, allowing her the opportunity to take it further if she wanted, or stop it there if she chose to. My heart was beating at bit faster.
“Why don’t you tell me what you picked, and I’ll tell you some of the specials later.” She smiled, and I still wasn’t sure what was going on, so I went ahead and ordered my drink, salad, and dinner. When I asked for a particular salad dressing, she said they did not have it. When she brought the drink, she said they did not have the kind of beer I had ordered. I expressed mock disappointment at both, but she didn’t seem to be too worried that I’d be upset.
She brought the salad and asked if I wanted ground pepper. “Tell me when to stop,” she said. When I said stop, she ended the flow of pepper onto the salad, but bent over and whispered in my ear, “I’ll bet that’s the last time you say ‘Stop’ tonight.” I think she embarrassed herself a bit with that remark, and she hurried off. That little comment sent my pulse rate through the roof!
I watched her carefully as she came back and forth to check on the other tables. She rarely looked at me, but I’m sure she could feel my gaze following her every movement. She brought my dinner, carefully removing the lobster from the shell, preparing my baked potato, placing it in front of me. “Enjoy,” she said. My heart was beating faster than it should be about dinner. I was enjoying already and hadn’t even tasted the dinner.
She stopped back and checked on me a few times. I don’t even use salt, but there was no salt shaker on the table, so I made a bad joke about previous customers stealing it, and asked for a replacement, once again feigning disappointment. She laughed and brought salt and another pepper from a different table. “Let me spice up your life,” she quipped, beating me at my own game of bad puns. We chatted a little more; she told me about being away from work for a while and that she was happy to be back, I told her about being on the road for work and having a bit of fun while I was at it.