Melanie sashayed into the break room, a thick wad of cash in her hand from her day’s tips. She saw Todd March, the new cook from Atlanta sitting at the table smoking a cigarette.
“Hey Todd, how’s it going,” she asked as she sat counting her tip money.
“Not so good. I don’t think I am going to make my rent this month. This cheesy ass job ain’t payin me shit.”
“Ah another overworked and under-paid employee.” She joked.
“I’ve gotta do something to get paid or my ass is on the street.”
Since he had started working on the cook’s line, Todd had shown himself to be an able if mouthy cook. Salted in his conversations with the servers were the usual heavily sexual but witty innuendos. She noticed the way that he usually looked at her, at her tits and ass as she walked around the store, and was flattered. Today she noticed that it wasn’t her cleavage, but the green in her hand that drew his eyes.
Todd saw her watching him behind green eyes. She saw the look of greed prompted by need in his forlorn face and was ashamed. He tried a quick joke but it fell flat. Uncontrollably his eyes followed the wad of cash as she put it away in her apron. If only he had a hundred dollars he might be able to keep his apartment until he could get the rest of his rent.
“When do you have to fork over the cash to your landlady,” she asked.
“I have till Friday, why?” He lit up a borrowed Virginia Slim and blew a steady stream of smoke over Mel’s auburn head.
“Just asking. Maybe there is something I could do to help you out. I’d have to talk to my boyfriend first though,” she shrugged. A glimmer of an idea was flashing in her head. There was something that she always wanted. Maybe this would give her a new opportunity.
“I couldn’t borrow the cash off of you, Mel,” he protested, but hoped she would press him into taking it. He had been homeless once before but he had at least had a car then. Now he didn’t even have a sleeping bag. Short of knocking someone over the head he had no quick way of getting some cash. He had burnt all his bridges with his family so they were not of a mind to help him.
“And I wasn’t thinking of lending it to you,” she laughed. “But there might be something that you could do where we would pay you something. Let me talk to my ol’ man tonight and I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
“Hey Derrick, she said when one of the busboy’s stepped into the break room with a plate. “Sit here, I was just going to clock out.” She got up, waved to Todd, and zipped out of the room. “See ya tomorrow.”
The next day the joint was jumping. Todd and the other cooks had no time to play around with the servers. An opportunity to say anything more than hello to Melanie eluded him all evening. Just before closing, she approached him with a smile on her face.
“Well, that was quite a good night,” she said waving her fat wad of greenbacks in front of him. “Were you able to get the money for your rent?”
His jaw clenched. He felt like a starving dog with her waving that cash around in front of his face. “I hocked what I could hock but I didn’t get near enough.”
“Well,” she smiled. “I may be able to help you out if you are willing to do a little work for us.”
“Work never scared me, Mel, no how. No way. But how am I going to be able to give them the cash tomorrow.?”
“We’ll work something out. Meet me at my car in ten minutes. I just want to tell Sharon and Livonda bye.”
Twenty minutes of driving found them at a small in-law apartment in the back of a large white Tudor house. There was a lean red motorcycle under the carport.
“This is it,” Melanie shut off the engine and opened her car door. “Do you know where you are?”
“Yeah. Your house,” he laughed. He followed her up the drive and waited as she unlocked the door. He walked into the living room. It was a long rectangle that went all the way to the end of the building. The furniture looked a bit worn at the edges but comfortable. A tall bearish man with a fu Manchu mustache and wire rimmed glasses lay sprawled on the sofa. The television droned on, the volume turned low.
“Rafe,” Melanie called as she hung her keys on a hook by a wall clock shaped like a square black cat.
“Hey, babe.” He sat up slowly, dropping his booted feet to the floor and pushing himself to his feet. He clumped over to Melanie smiled, and swallowed her face. He wrapped his massive hairy arms around the small woman and grabbed her ass in both hands.
Todd waited. He waited some more. He wondered if he should leave, as the groping did not look like it was going to end.
“So Rafe, just get into port?” Todd ventured a guess.
“Huh?” Rafe let the redhead escape his grasp and turned his attention to the crew cut guy standing in the doorway.
“He’s teasing you Rafe.”
“Oh. Ok.” He turned to Melanie and pointed a thumb the size of most men’s index finger. “Is this the guy?”
“I think so. Rafe. Todd. Todd. Rafe. Make nicey nicey, Rafe babe, don’t eat the guest. I’m going to slip out of these clothes and into, well, you know.” She went through a doorway unbuttoning her shirt as she went.
Both men watched her shapely butt disappear around the corner. Rafe caught Todd’s glance and smiled.
“Great ass. We both like great ass. That deserves a beer.” He turned to the couch and opened a wooden chest that served as a table. Inside the chest was a Coleman cooler full of Coors.
“Thanks,” Todd barely caught and held onto the wet bottle as it arched to him.”
Rafe waved him to the couch as he folded onto it. The only other chair in the room was a floral recliner. It didn’t match the red leather of the couch and wasn’t meant to be its companion. It was in a corner by itself beside a bookcase flowing over with paperbacks and a tall floor lamp. The sofa had the chest, a remote control, and a sofa sized painting of some busty broad on a bike, riding topless across some desert scene with mesas in the background.
“Great painting. Do you ride,” Rafe asked.
“Babes or bikes?”
“You’re a funny guy,” Rafe punched Todd’s shoulder. His shoulder said ouch but only so Todd could hear it. “I think I am going to like you.”
“Liking me is better than not,” Todd said.
“Rafe roared and hooted. He punched Todd’s wounded shoulder again.
