"Sorry sir, your card has been declined," the bartender handed back the card and waited expectantly for a replacement that Guy Templeton didn't have.
The nineteen-year-old was definitely having a bad day and this seemed to top it. First thing his computer wouldn't switch on and nothing he nor his college roommate could do anything to get it operating. This has led to him needing to ask for a last-minute extension to the essay due from a college lecturer he hated. True to form the professor had refused, stating that it was hardly his fault the technology had failed, whilst implying that this was just a modern update of the old 'dog ate my homework' and that Guy hadn't done the work. It meant that instead of relaxing and getting ready for his three-month anniversary dinner, Guy had been sitting in the library desperately trying to remember what he'd written and then typing it out on one of the crappy machines the library provided. He'd met the deadline, but the reworked and rushed essay was a C at best.
He barely had time to shower and shave before rushing to the second-hand car his parents had bought him for Christmas. It didn't start. So he was over thirty minutes late for his dinner with Carla. It was going well, he had thought, she'd even allowed him to bang her ass a couple of weeks ago, something he'd not managed since his senior year girlfriend. The hot blonde was sitting impatiently at the table, tapping her fork, even though he'd rung her to tell her he was going to be late -- entering, that should have told him the evening wasn't going to be a good one.
It wasn't. Even before they'd ordered she'd told him she'd been thinking, it wasn't him, it was her, and they could still be friends. She didn't stay for starters, though given how expensive the restaurant was and how long in advance he had to book, he had remained, eating three courses and having two double brandies on top. It hadn't actually helped, which is why he'd decided to go and sit at the attached hotel bar to mope over another -- it may, however, reduced the already sketchy amount of credit on his card to zero.
The bartender was smiling politely, but his hand was very near the glass. Guy paused, deciding whether to risk going for the drink and draining it, before facing the humiliation of not being able to pay.
"I'll get that," the speaker was a tall woman in her mid-forties, wearing a low-cut dress that more than adequately displayed her more than adequate breasts.
The bartender quickly took her card before Guy could decline her offer. Not that he was going to, it saved him both a moment of humiliation and also, despite being the same age as his Mom, she was stonking hot. "Thanks," he said, "Guy Templeton."
"Janice," she smiled, not giving a surname. "I'm guessing you're on your own? We saw you eating alone over dinner."
"Yeah, sore point, kinda," he replied. He hadn't really been paying attention to his fellow diners, so wasn't sure whether she'd been there when Carla had got up or whether she'd arrived after. He waited for her to ask for details, a hot Milf was a shoulder to cry on for sure.
However, Janice didn't seem interested in why he was alone but neither was she a woman who just randomly bought drinks for strangers and left. Instead, she gestured behind him, "Why don't you come and join us?"
He turned towards where she was gesturing. Sitting in a circular booth around a table were two other women, both about Janice's age and like her wearing hot dresses that showed their ample cleavage, one dark-haired like Janice and the same height and the other a blonde, noticeably shorter than the others. For about a second Guy considered his options -- on one hand he could sit here moping and without the money to pay for another drink or he could go and sit with three good-looking older women, which even if nothing was likely to come of it, at least could lead to some flirting and a reminder that he was actually good looking and often quite funny. "Yeah, thanks," he said, getting up from his seat and following her over.
"I'm Nadine," said the other brunette.
"Rachel," said the blonde.
Neither gave their surnames.
"Guy," he replied and wondered if he should give his second name and then through force of habit he added, "Templeton."
"So why's a good-looking young man like you sitting on your own?" said Rachel, patting the seat next to her for him to sit. He did so, Janice sliding in after him so he was squeezed between them with Nadine shifting so she was opposite him.
"Long story short, just broke up with a girlfriend," he said.
"I don't know her and can tell already she's no taste," said Nadine and the other two also offered their commiserations.
"Plenty more fish in the sea," smiled Rachel and it might have been Guy's imagination but he was sure her leg rubbed against his as she spoke and did she bite her lip a little flirtatiously? He decided, probably not, but well...