Kicking off and getting going as well as breaking and stopping the bike were a challenge at his weight, but once he was literally rolling it was a most enjoyable form of exercise. The pedaling of his legs mobilizing his lower back muscles made his super-sized love handles role over ponderously increasing the bouncing and swaying of his huge gut against the thick steel bar. The regular movement of his heavy bulk, especially with his stomach comfortingly filled, not stuffed as it was now, had an enormously reassuring feel for him, as if he had limitless reservoirs of energy to tap into as long as he ate well and kept going.
On returning from France, he had immediately used the ego boost the trip had given him to see Brett Norton, the lawyer recommended by Mary Helen, to take care of clarifying his professional situation with Warren and the division of their business partnerships. After mandating Norton, he had regretted the decision at least a million times it seemed so thoroughly wrong to communicate and negotiate business with Warren via an attorney. But once you have the lawyers in, things develop a dynamic of their own as he was to notice, turning it into an official legal conflict, no longer a business matter between two individuals.
Norton had suggested it might be meaningful to actually do a round-table talk on the division of the assets with Warren and his attorneys, since in his opinion Christophers offer for bakery and deli had been more than fair and reasonable. Only to then find out that he had trouble finding anyone to talk to on the Langdon side about the issue. Warren stoutly refused all communication, did not respond at all and it was because Christopher knew the name of the law firm representing the Langdon group did they manage to have a point of contact at all. Somehow the Langdon attorneys must in the end have convinced Warren that he simply couldnt ignore the issue endlessly, so he had given his financial representative power of authority to handle the deal.
Christopher knew if it hadnt been for Brett Nortons cool headed professional management, he would have back-tracked several times and let the whole affair rest, leave it in limbo until Warren signaled he was willing to deal with it. Yet in the end, he was relieved and even felt muted pride as he looked at the deeds confirming his personal ownership of the bakery and deli when Norton brought them over one sunny evening.
Sitting out on the terrace of the deli with a celebratory bottle of champagne and sea food tapas, he grinned: Cheers, heres to great further success of what is now 100% your business Christopher. Though I dont have an instant of doubt that itll be hugely successful the stuff you produce is just too damn tasty! Do you know Ive actually gained 13 pounds since you walked into our firm? My wife has started stocking up our fridge with diet shakes. I understand a lot better now why you didnt manage to stick to that diet.
Thank you Brett for making it possible, he raised his glass, sincerely thankful for Nortons work and also tact in handling the emotionally difficult situation with his issues with Warren and his weight. Mary Helen must have given him an excellent briefing because he had never made him go into uncomfortable details in explaining his case.
Diets are not my thing, youre right. Especially not if I have to do it under pressure. Im honestly relieved, weve made it this far. I think being hugely successful with food is something I have the makings for, he grimaced with a shake of his flab. Now I can make my own decisions; develop new concepts for the bakery and deli Have you tried our new beer garden?
Dont get me going on that! At least six of these pounds are courtesy of your brat sausages with beer and the thick pretzels obscenely good! Norton slapped his minuscule hint of a pot belly and took a tuna and spinach role with another swig of champagne.
Yeah, the success has been almost a bit overwhelming
What we have not achieved though, you know that is to solve the issue with the hotel. Langdon and his attorneys are still totally irresponsive regarding you buying the hotel or officially accepting your resignation as director of the Langdon Residency. Weve discussed that, to make sure youre on the safe side, youll file your resignation again with date and take your official farewell from the hotel immediately .
Puffing up the hill, his calves and thighs lightly burning to move the combined weight of his body and the extra heavy duty bike up the slope this conversation and its follow up went into rewind in his head. Until this day he hadnt manned up and actually left the hotel. His note of resignation was still in his locked top desk drawer, although no longer at the top of his daily pile of papers.
For the first 10 days after Norton had brought the signed contracts, he had printed out his resignation every day, dated and signed it to then start practicing his resignation speech for the hotel staff in front of the mirror. Calling his attempts a speech might even be a tall order he never got any further than sentence five before his voice cracked or he had to close his eyes with emotion. Then hed always had to have a big breakfast or lunch to calm down, tore up the notice and told himself hed definitely summon the courage to get it over with tomorrow.
As a consequence of the change in ownership of the deli and deli bistro, all the job contracts of the employees had to be redone, since it no longer was an extension to the hotel. Brett Norton found a silky smooth legal way of formulating this in writing to raise no suspicion. So he threw a small party for everyone to celebrate the first year anniversary of the deli bistro and handed out the new contracts with a small humorous statement. Nobody seemed to think much of it all employees were reassured that they would keep their jobs and him as a boss, so there was little interest in the legal details.
Naturally his fearful premonition that Claire might smell the rat, figuratively speaking, did hold true she tended to see through such maneuvers. Marcus had once said he couldnt even hide being upset about something as menial as a speeding ticket from her.
The next morning she was in his hotel office with her new, improved contract including a considerable pay rise and a commission bonus with worry written all over her face: Christopher, please be honest with me does this change in contract mean youre leaving the Langdon group? Have you and Warren broken up? Does it have something to do with the fact that youve given up on the diet for months now?
His face flamed as he looked down on the full curve of his stomach not able to meet her eye. Hmmm well its just, a legal requirement well .
Christopher, please! Tell me the truth!
Looking into those sincere dark blue eyes of hers, he couldnt reiterate the well practiced legal phrasing Norton had prepared for him. Not to Claire, not after everything shed always done for him. Yeah, thats more or less it. Ive bought out Warrens shares in the bakery and deli, am now sole owner. So if youre okay with it, Im your one and only boss now in the deli bistro.
Youve always been my only real, favorite boss you know that, Claire said softly, leaning against him stroking his cheek. Poor Christopher, dividing up the business mustve been hard for you I know you and Langdon had more than a CEO senior executive relationship. At least youre no longer torturing yourself with that awful diet. What about the hotel? Did Langdon fire you?
Her knack for asking the really uncomfortable questions was daunting. No nor have I officially resigned to date. That is all still up to negotiating outcome open. But please, this is confidential, only between you and me.
Dont tell anyone, not even Marcus promise, okay?
Of course I promise, you know you can trust me. Well, well wait and see what happens, then. If theyre some new developments Id be grateful if youd inform me, you know, because of Marcus After all, he has a contract with the hotel .
Being honest about his situation with Claire somehow unburdened him, making him decide to really wait and see what happened. If Warren wanted him to leave the Langdon Residency, hed have to kick him out, do the dirty work of telling the staff himself. He wanted to stay in the hotel, buy it and he asked Norton, how to go about this, who only groaned. Langdon and you are both nut cases. You and your hotels belong together, so sit down, talk everything over even though I can see the non-communication is not your fault. This dividing everything up is absurd. There is no certain way for you to keep running the Langdon Residency without risking liability issues under the present circumstances. And I have no precedents to offer for such a bizarre case, so it could go anywhere.
In the end, Norton suggested the arrangement of him signing on better, very expensive professional liability insurance coverage and having his hotel salary paid to a trustee account, in case that was ever contested. Since the bakery and deli were doing so well, now were fully his assets and the loans he had to service were not too crushing, he paid himself the salary he needed for running his life and apartment from their revenue instead, thankful he was independent enough to do so.
Although this objectively solved nothing, there still was the uncomfortable radio silence with the Langdon headquarters, it somehow put lock and key on the issue for him and freed him look ahead, make plans and work hard on advancing his business. The most recent developments with the beer garden, a new bakery summer outlet down by the river showed the best prospects and inspired him to look about for other ways to generate more business. The word diet had been transferred to his personal taboo list, but he tried hard to eat well, stick to only three meals a day, giving into the temptations of 5 meals only once or twice a week after having rescheduled their restaurant and bakery planning cycle.
Being out in the open, with lots of fresh air, helped clear his head, so pedaling towards the market puffing lightly, a fresh breeze on his hot cheeks, his belly swaying and bouncing rhythmically made him feel calm and content, despite the humidity and the looming dark clouds.
Lately he had even had the nerve to take a second look at an interesting woman, which he took as a very good sign for his own well-being. Charlene Mintner was the new creative director of one of the event planning agencies they worked with: Not only was she truly creative, but also a lively red-head with abundant curls and promising curves. Her backside was maybe not as spectacular as the one he was ogling right now on reaching the market, distracting him for a second so he didnt see the small curb letting him almost bump into the appealing rear and come crashing down with his bike.
With much luck he managed to catch his fall, land with both feet on the ground, the bike only hitting the inside of his thighs hard in falling. Ouch shit, shit, shit ouch!
Excuse me, are you hurt? Oh, Christopher why hello how are you, are you hurt? On turning the spectacular backside proved to be attached to Stephanie, who blushed crimson yet stretched out a hand to help him steady himself with the bike. Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?
No, Im fine. Probably just a bruise. How are you Stephanie? He felt his own face flame too, and his defenses go up. As much as her visuals in a fitted black jeans dress still instantly turned him on, remembering his last encounters with her put him on his guard and unwillingly brace himself for another mental slap in the face. After her non-sequitur at the cheese tasting, she had sent him a formulaic e-mail apology but he had been too put off by her erratic behavior to respond.
Fine, thank you, followed by an awkward silence. You look really good, healthy, full of energy, she finally said.
Yeah, I feel fine its been a good summer so far. Another uncomfortable pause followed.
I didnt know you biked. Thats very good for you.
N a friend of mine from France found this model for me. I thought I was too heavy to bike for many years. But this is a Flemish postal service bike it carries up to 350 kilograms. So Ill be fine with it for quite a while, patting his belly reassuringly, despite having undone some of my so-called diet success again. He grinned at her, half provocatively, half insecurely.
Great bike for you, really. More silence fell between them.
Well, good seeing you looks like itll start raining soon, I need to do my shopping.., bye.
Yeah, nice seeing you too . He had already turned to find a spot to lock up his bike as he heard Stephanie say in a small voice: Christopher, Im so sorry. I behaved like an absolute idiot the last times with you. I cant tell you how sorry I am.
Its okay, forget about it. Its fine, things like that can happen, he sighed, hoping shed let it rest.
No, my behavior was personally and professionally impossible, Im so sorry. I let some of my own issues out on you, you didnt deserve that
Stephanie, dont worry. Its over and done with. My own behavior couldve been better, too. He turned to his bike again, fiddled with the lock.
Its truly so good to see you so active and healthy again. When Claire came for you file, telling me how sick you were I felt so guilty! I knew I shouldve helped you . but I was so afraid of going through everything again . You were so nice then to invite me to the great cheese tasting and I freaked Im so sorry
As I said, its okay. Forget it. You dont need to apologize again.
But Id like you to understand, be able to accept my apology, she looked at him with such anguish in her eyes he halted and nodded slowly at her. With a small relieved smile, she continued: Im not totally crazy. Its just with Timmys death yeah; many things still arent back to normal for me. At the cheese tasting, such a nice event. And when everybody said I was your plus1 it felt like a sort of date. Ive never been on a date before I suddenly realized I didnt know what to do, how to handle the situation ..
Youd never been on a date before? he stared at her in disbelief, this being the most unexpected explanation. Ummm . but you were married . And it wasnt that much of a date .
Still, Id never been on a real date there never was anybody else in my life except Timmy. Id known him for as long as I could think. Sure, in high school, we officially dated. But it never felt like dating. It was just Timmy and me doing something together. When we were five, we went to the playground and for ice cream at the corner shop together. At fifteen, it was movies and burger place. And at twenty-five it was engagement party and wedding chapel. What it was called didnt matter. It simply stayed Timmy and me together ., she looked at him sadly, shrugging her shoulders. So Im still in the process of figuring out how to do things on my own or maybe with somebody else.
With another deep breath she half turned: Well, as I said, Im really sorry I let it out on you. Good seeing you, have a nice weekend.
As she started to walk off, looking so small and vulnerable, despite her shapely buttocks dancing in rhythm under her dress, he could almost feel a small crack in his resentment open. Stephanie, wait! What are you doing today?
Um today? Nothing why? she looked puzzled.
Well, since a thunderstorm is coming, I planned to do a cooking experimental afternoon with Moroccan tajines try a little bit of fusion there. Just need to finish shopping for ingredients here, you know I live around the corner would you like to join me? Shall we cook together? I remember that one Saturday we did that as the best day of my diet , he felt himself redden again, but smiled at her openly.
She looked at him in surprise before she smiled too: Sounds like a very nice idea. Thank you for another great invitation, I owe you a lot.
After quickly buying his list of ingredients the first thunder was rolling by the time they left the market and it was pouring when they reached his front door, both of them soaking wet. In a fleeting moment of embarrassment he became aware how the wet t-shirt look must bring out every single one of his roles and bulges while Stephanies soaked jeans dress outlining her pointed nipples and curvy hips was definitely more in the steamy dream department.
Sorry Christopher, but Im soaked. I guess well have to postpone the cooking. I need to get back to my car, drive home and change.
Where did you park your car?
On the other side of the market almost at the old shopping center.
Thats a twenty minute walk from here; youll be wetter than wet by the time you get there. And calling a cab is useless. In this rain and area itll take over half an hour before they get here. You can dry up in my apartment and I can assure you one of my shirts is as good as three dresses on you , he teasingly plucked at his clinging huge polo.
Settling a stammering and blushing Stephanie in the guest bathroom with an assortment of towels and shirts he quickly showered, changed and was already in the kitchen with a hot coffee ready as she joined him. She looked incredibly cute in one of his tent like black-and-white pin stripe button downs she had opted for, tightly belted under her breasts and knotted at the hips to make the fabric masses manageable and outline her shapely plumpness.
Wow, I never knew one of my shirts could look so good and stylish , he involuntarily felt his face grow hot as he handed her the coffee.
Thanks. Its a really nice shirt. Fabric feels great and its cozy to wrap myself up in it.., she blushed too, looking at him uneasily.
Then they set to work with the various tajine dishes, making one with only vegetables, one with sea food, one with chicken and one with lamb. Working so closely next to Stephanie left him conflicted. On one hand, her warm closeness, the smell of her hair, her naughty little laugh, alone of her physical presence led to automatic physical responses of his body he had a hard time controlling, wanting to forget himself, move in closer, touch her, kiss her . On the other hand, his most recent experiences with her left him tense, expecting some irrational behavior any minute or wondering what she might think of having his again notably fatter belly so close to her, whether that disgusted her or made her view him with disdain for being so unable to control his diet
As their dishes were in the oven, he suggested to ease the tension: How about an aperitif a summery Italian Apérol drink, with Prosecco and fresh orange juice?
Never had it before, would love to taste it.
Handing her the glass, his stomach growled demandingly, reminding him that he had been suppressing hunger for some time already. Would it be okay if I made us some hors doeuvres while we wait for the tajines to bake?
Great idea, you sound hungry and I am too. You did a very good job in not snacking while preparing the food.
Oh shit no, please no diet talk, he prayed inwardly, feeling himself flush very disagreeably. Well yeah I try to eat only at meals . be sensible well not very successful food too good as you can see , he stammered before hiding his head in the refrigerator to take out various things.
Christopher, Im not here as your nutritionist. I didnt want to start any diet talk. All I tried was to well somehow let you know that what youre doing is okay. After all, were here to cook and eat together, arent we? She drained her cocktail. This stuff is awfully addictive
And its on the light and healthy side, since its only made with wine and bitter, no hard liquor, he gave her a relieved smirk, handing her a second drink before quickly fixing the first bites to eat.
Food and drink quickly smoothed out the awkwardness in their interaction. Its easier to bridge a silence in chewing and swallowing, indulging in the flavors and textures of the food tickling tongue and palate. He could feel himself relax as the warmth of wine and the tajines filled his stomach, cherishing the gentle swelling of his vast paunch as it was filled with serious quantities of food. Smiling over to Stephanie, who seemed to be indulging herself too by taking another very full serving spoon of the lamb tajine and looked ravishing as one button of his shirt had undone itself to show off more of the full curve of her breasts, as he was telling her about how he had had the idea for the beer garden and its success.
Oh, Ive heard its great. Jason and his college mates are totally crazy about it. Of course theyre all working on your beer keg challenge, she laughed. As a nutritionist I highly approve you linked the beer keg to salad consumption even the FDA would support that.
I find it very unjust that salads get such bad rep as being seen mainly as diet food. Theyre fresh, offer fabulous options for very tasty combinations. Its unfair to denounce them as health food aka boring, tasteless, disliked and such, sending Stephanie choking with laughter and making his belly flab jiggle most delightfully as he had to chime in.
As Stephanie insisted on helping him clear the kitchen, she entertained him with stories from accompanying her grandmother to Florida because she had decided she now was old and should have a secondary home in some senior citizen resort. Some of the things that go on there are really sad, like people who are dying all alone, whose family has fallen apart and no one comes. Others, like the odd dating rituals with one man for every five women are simply hilarious.
Whats wrong with one man and five women sounds like a good ratio
Okay, now you owe me a $ 5 fine for the chauvinist remark of the day, she grinned, slapping him with a dish towel. Thankfully my grandmother decided that she couldnt stand being around old people all day. Jason and I were tremendously relieved; wed miss her so much
Youre really close to her, arent you?
Yeah, always have been. Somehow, I dont know why, shes always been much more important to us than our parents. But you know the special connect between grandparents and -children we definitely have that.
Returning to the living room with coffee, Stephanie suddenly sighed. Youre such a nice guy when youre well fed, patting the side of his belly triggering some pronounced jiggles. I wish well wed met under different circumstances things hadnt gone so wrong are so complicated. That we couldve just been friends
Friends yeah, that wouldve been better could we still be friends?
On returning from France, he had immediately used the ego boost the trip had given him to see Brett Norton, the lawyer recommended by Mary Helen, to take care of clarifying his professional situation with Warren and the division of their business partnerships. After mandating Norton, he had regretted the decision at least a million times it seemed so thoroughly wrong to communicate and negotiate business with Warren via an attorney. But once you have the lawyers in, things develop a dynamic of their own as he was to notice, turning it into an official legal conflict, no longer a business matter between two individuals.
Norton had suggested it might be meaningful to actually do a round-table talk on the division of the assets with Warren and his attorneys, since in his opinion Christophers offer for bakery and deli had been more than fair and reasonable. Only to then find out that he had trouble finding anyone to talk to on the Langdon side about the issue. Warren stoutly refused all communication, did not respond at all and it was because Christopher knew the name of the law firm representing the Langdon group did they manage to have a point of contact at all. Somehow the Langdon attorneys must in the end have convinced Warren that he simply couldnt ignore the issue endlessly, so he had given his financial representative power of authority to handle the deal.
Christopher knew if it hadnt been for Brett Nortons cool headed professional management, he would have back-tracked several times and let the whole affair rest, leave it in limbo until Warren signaled he was willing to deal with it. Yet in the end, he was relieved and even felt muted pride as he looked at the deeds confirming his personal ownership of the bakery and deli when Norton brought them over one sunny evening.
Sitting out on the terrace of the deli with a celebratory bottle of champagne and sea food tapas, he grinned: Cheers, heres to great further success of what is now 100% your business Christopher. Though I dont have an instant of doubt that itll be hugely successful the stuff you produce is just too damn tasty! Do you know Ive actually gained 13 pounds since you walked into our firm? My wife has started stocking up our fridge with diet shakes. I understand a lot better now why you didnt manage to stick to that diet.
Thank you Brett for making it possible, he raised his glass, sincerely thankful for Nortons work and also tact in handling the emotionally difficult situation with his issues with Warren and his weight. Mary Helen must have given him an excellent briefing because he had never made him go into uncomfortable details in explaining his case.
Diets are not my thing, youre right. Especially not if I have to do it under pressure. Im honestly relieved, weve made it this far. I think being hugely successful with food is something I have the makings for, he grimaced with a shake of his flab. Now I can make my own decisions; develop new concepts for the bakery and deli Have you tried our new beer garden?
Dont get me going on that! At least six of these pounds are courtesy of your brat sausages with beer and the thick pretzels obscenely good! Norton slapped his minuscule hint of a pot belly and took a tuna and spinach role with another swig of champagne.
Yeah, the success has been almost a bit overwhelming
What we have not achieved though, you know that is to solve the issue with the hotel. Langdon and his attorneys are still totally irresponsive regarding you buying the hotel or officially accepting your resignation as director of the Langdon Residency. Weve discussed that, to make sure youre on the safe side, youll file your resignation again with date and take your official farewell from the hotel immediately .
Puffing up the hill, his calves and thighs lightly burning to move the combined weight of his body and the extra heavy duty bike up the slope this conversation and its follow up went into rewind in his head. Until this day he hadnt manned up and actually left the hotel. His note of resignation was still in his locked top desk drawer, although no longer at the top of his daily pile of papers.
For the first 10 days after Norton had brought the signed contracts, he had printed out his resignation every day, dated and signed it to then start practicing his resignation speech for the hotel staff in front of the mirror. Calling his attempts a speech might even be a tall order he never got any further than sentence five before his voice cracked or he had to close his eyes with emotion. Then hed always had to have a big breakfast or lunch to calm down, tore up the notice and told himself hed definitely summon the courage to get it over with tomorrow.
As a consequence of the change in ownership of the deli and deli bistro, all the job contracts of the employees had to be redone, since it no longer was an extension to the hotel. Brett Norton found a silky smooth legal way of formulating this in writing to raise no suspicion. So he threw a small party for everyone to celebrate the first year anniversary of the deli bistro and handed out the new contracts with a small humorous statement. Nobody seemed to think much of it all employees were reassured that they would keep their jobs and him as a boss, so there was little interest in the legal details.
Naturally his fearful premonition that Claire might smell the rat, figuratively speaking, did hold true she tended to see through such maneuvers. Marcus had once said he couldnt even hide being upset about something as menial as a speeding ticket from her.
The next morning she was in his hotel office with her new, improved contract including a considerable pay rise and a commission bonus with worry written all over her face: Christopher, please be honest with me does this change in contract mean youre leaving the Langdon group? Have you and Warren broken up? Does it have something to do with the fact that youve given up on the diet for months now?
His face flamed as he looked down on the full curve of his stomach not able to meet her eye. Hmmm well its just, a legal requirement well .
Christopher, please! Tell me the truth!
Looking into those sincere dark blue eyes of hers, he couldnt reiterate the well practiced legal phrasing Norton had prepared for him. Not to Claire, not after everything shed always done for him. Yeah, thats more or less it. Ive bought out Warrens shares in the bakery and deli, am now sole owner. So if youre okay with it, Im your one and only boss now in the deli bistro.
Youve always been my only real, favorite boss you know that, Claire said softly, leaning against him stroking his cheek. Poor Christopher, dividing up the business mustve been hard for you I know you and Langdon had more than a CEO senior executive relationship. At least youre no longer torturing yourself with that awful diet. What about the hotel? Did Langdon fire you?
Her knack for asking the really uncomfortable questions was daunting. No nor have I officially resigned to date. That is all still up to negotiating outcome open. But please, this is confidential, only between you and me.
Dont tell anyone, not even Marcus promise, okay?
Of course I promise, you know you can trust me. Well, well wait and see what happens, then. If theyre some new developments Id be grateful if youd inform me, you know, because of Marcus After all, he has a contract with the hotel .
Being honest about his situation with Claire somehow unburdened him, making him decide to really wait and see what happened. If Warren wanted him to leave the Langdon Residency, hed have to kick him out, do the dirty work of telling the staff himself. He wanted to stay in the hotel, buy it and he asked Norton, how to go about this, who only groaned. Langdon and you are both nut cases. You and your hotels belong together, so sit down, talk everything over even though I can see the non-communication is not your fault. This dividing everything up is absurd. There is no certain way for you to keep running the Langdon Residency without risking liability issues under the present circumstances. And I have no precedents to offer for such a bizarre case, so it could go anywhere.
In the end, Norton suggested the arrangement of him signing on better, very expensive professional liability insurance coverage and having his hotel salary paid to a trustee account, in case that was ever contested. Since the bakery and deli were doing so well, now were fully his assets and the loans he had to service were not too crushing, he paid himself the salary he needed for running his life and apartment from their revenue instead, thankful he was independent enough to do so.
Although this objectively solved nothing, there still was the uncomfortable radio silence with the Langdon headquarters, it somehow put lock and key on the issue for him and freed him look ahead, make plans and work hard on advancing his business. The most recent developments with the beer garden, a new bakery summer outlet down by the river showed the best prospects and inspired him to look about for other ways to generate more business. The word diet had been transferred to his personal taboo list, but he tried hard to eat well, stick to only three meals a day, giving into the temptations of 5 meals only once or twice a week after having rescheduled their restaurant and bakery planning cycle.
Being out in the open, with lots of fresh air, helped clear his head, so pedaling towards the market puffing lightly, a fresh breeze on his hot cheeks, his belly swaying and bouncing rhythmically made him feel calm and content, despite the humidity and the looming dark clouds.
Lately he had even had the nerve to take a second look at an interesting woman, which he took as a very good sign for his own well-being. Charlene Mintner was the new creative director of one of the event planning agencies they worked with: Not only was she truly creative, but also a lively red-head with abundant curls and promising curves. Her backside was maybe not as spectacular as the one he was ogling right now on reaching the market, distracting him for a second so he didnt see the small curb letting him almost bump into the appealing rear and come crashing down with his bike.
With much luck he managed to catch his fall, land with both feet on the ground, the bike only hitting the inside of his thighs hard in falling. Ouch shit, shit, shit ouch!
Excuse me, are you hurt? Oh, Christopher why hello how are you, are you hurt? On turning the spectacular backside proved to be attached to Stephanie, who blushed crimson yet stretched out a hand to help him steady himself with the bike. Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?
No, Im fine. Probably just a bruise. How are you Stephanie? He felt his own face flame too, and his defenses go up. As much as her visuals in a fitted black jeans dress still instantly turned him on, remembering his last encounters with her put him on his guard and unwillingly brace himself for another mental slap in the face. After her non-sequitur at the cheese tasting, she had sent him a formulaic e-mail apology but he had been too put off by her erratic behavior to respond.
Fine, thank you, followed by an awkward silence. You look really good, healthy, full of energy, she finally said.
Yeah, I feel fine its been a good summer so far. Another uncomfortable pause followed.
I didnt know you biked. Thats very good for you.
N a friend of mine from France found this model for me. I thought I was too heavy to bike for many years. But this is a Flemish postal service bike it carries up to 350 kilograms. So Ill be fine with it for quite a while, patting his belly reassuringly, despite having undone some of my so-called diet success again. He grinned at her, half provocatively, half insecurely.
Great bike for you, really. More silence fell between them.
Well, good seeing you looks like itll start raining soon, I need to do my shopping.., bye.
Yeah, nice seeing you too . He had already turned to find a spot to lock up his bike as he heard Stephanie say in a small voice: Christopher, Im so sorry. I behaved like an absolute idiot the last times with you. I cant tell you how sorry I am.
Its okay, forget about it. Its fine, things like that can happen, he sighed, hoping shed let it rest.
No, my behavior was personally and professionally impossible, Im so sorry. I let some of my own issues out on you, you didnt deserve that
Stephanie, dont worry. Its over and done with. My own behavior couldve been better, too. He turned to his bike again, fiddled with the lock.
Its truly so good to see you so active and healthy again. When Claire came for you file, telling me how sick you were I felt so guilty! I knew I shouldve helped you . but I was so afraid of going through everything again . You were so nice then to invite me to the great cheese tasting and I freaked Im so sorry
As I said, its okay. Forget it. You dont need to apologize again.
But Id like you to understand, be able to accept my apology, she looked at him with such anguish in her eyes he halted and nodded slowly at her. With a small relieved smile, she continued: Im not totally crazy. Its just with Timmys death yeah; many things still arent back to normal for me. At the cheese tasting, such a nice event. And when everybody said I was your plus1 it felt like a sort of date. Ive never been on a date before I suddenly realized I didnt know what to do, how to handle the situation ..
Youd never been on a date before? he stared at her in disbelief, this being the most unexpected explanation. Ummm . but you were married . And it wasnt that much of a date .
Still, Id never been on a real date there never was anybody else in my life except Timmy. Id known him for as long as I could think. Sure, in high school, we officially dated. But it never felt like dating. It was just Timmy and me doing something together. When we were five, we went to the playground and for ice cream at the corner shop together. At fifteen, it was movies and burger place. And at twenty-five it was engagement party and wedding chapel. What it was called didnt matter. It simply stayed Timmy and me together ., she looked at him sadly, shrugging her shoulders. So Im still in the process of figuring out how to do things on my own or maybe with somebody else.
With another deep breath she half turned: Well, as I said, Im really sorry I let it out on you. Good seeing you, have a nice weekend.
As she started to walk off, looking so small and vulnerable, despite her shapely buttocks dancing in rhythm under her dress, he could almost feel a small crack in his resentment open. Stephanie, wait! What are you doing today?
Um today? Nothing why? she looked puzzled.
Well, since a thunderstorm is coming, I planned to do a cooking experimental afternoon with Moroccan tajines try a little bit of fusion there. Just need to finish shopping for ingredients here, you know I live around the corner would you like to join me? Shall we cook together? I remember that one Saturday we did that as the best day of my diet , he felt himself redden again, but smiled at her openly.
She looked at him in surprise before she smiled too: Sounds like a very nice idea. Thank you for another great invitation, I owe you a lot.
After quickly buying his list of ingredients the first thunder was rolling by the time they left the market and it was pouring when they reached his front door, both of them soaking wet. In a fleeting moment of embarrassment he became aware how the wet t-shirt look must bring out every single one of his roles and bulges while Stephanies soaked jeans dress outlining her pointed nipples and curvy hips was definitely more in the steamy dream department.
Sorry Christopher, but Im soaked. I guess well have to postpone the cooking. I need to get back to my car, drive home and change.
Where did you park your car?
On the other side of the market almost at the old shopping center.
Thats a twenty minute walk from here; youll be wetter than wet by the time you get there. And calling a cab is useless. In this rain and area itll take over half an hour before they get here. You can dry up in my apartment and I can assure you one of my shirts is as good as three dresses on you , he teasingly plucked at his clinging huge polo.
Settling a stammering and blushing Stephanie in the guest bathroom with an assortment of towels and shirts he quickly showered, changed and was already in the kitchen with a hot coffee ready as she joined him. She looked incredibly cute in one of his tent like black-and-white pin stripe button downs she had opted for, tightly belted under her breasts and knotted at the hips to make the fabric masses manageable and outline her shapely plumpness.
Wow, I never knew one of my shirts could look so good and stylish , he involuntarily felt his face grow hot as he handed her the coffee.
Thanks. Its a really nice shirt. Fabric feels great and its cozy to wrap myself up in it.., she blushed too, looking at him uneasily.
Then they set to work with the various tajine dishes, making one with only vegetables, one with sea food, one with chicken and one with lamb. Working so closely next to Stephanie left him conflicted. On one hand, her warm closeness, the smell of her hair, her naughty little laugh, alone of her physical presence led to automatic physical responses of his body he had a hard time controlling, wanting to forget himself, move in closer, touch her, kiss her . On the other hand, his most recent experiences with her left him tense, expecting some irrational behavior any minute or wondering what she might think of having his again notably fatter belly so close to her, whether that disgusted her or made her view him with disdain for being so unable to control his diet
As their dishes were in the oven, he suggested to ease the tension: How about an aperitif a summery Italian Apérol drink, with Prosecco and fresh orange juice?
Never had it before, would love to taste it.
Handing her the glass, his stomach growled demandingly, reminding him that he had been suppressing hunger for some time already. Would it be okay if I made us some hors doeuvres while we wait for the tajines to bake?
Great idea, you sound hungry and I am too. You did a very good job in not snacking while preparing the food.
Oh shit no, please no diet talk, he prayed inwardly, feeling himself flush very disagreeably. Well yeah I try to eat only at meals . be sensible well not very successful food too good as you can see , he stammered before hiding his head in the refrigerator to take out various things.
Christopher, Im not here as your nutritionist. I didnt want to start any diet talk. All I tried was to well somehow let you know that what youre doing is okay. After all, were here to cook and eat together, arent we? She drained her cocktail. This stuff is awfully addictive
And its on the light and healthy side, since its only made with wine and bitter, no hard liquor, he gave her a relieved smirk, handing her a second drink before quickly fixing the first bites to eat.
Food and drink quickly smoothed out the awkwardness in their interaction. Its easier to bridge a silence in chewing and swallowing, indulging in the flavors and textures of the food tickling tongue and palate. He could feel himself relax as the warmth of wine and the tajines filled his stomach, cherishing the gentle swelling of his vast paunch as it was filled with serious quantities of food. Smiling over to Stephanie, who seemed to be indulging herself too by taking another very full serving spoon of the lamb tajine and looked ravishing as one button of his shirt had undone itself to show off more of the full curve of her breasts, as he was telling her about how he had had the idea for the beer garden and its success.
Oh, Ive heard its great. Jason and his college mates are totally crazy about it. Of course theyre all working on your beer keg challenge, she laughed. As a nutritionist I highly approve you linked the beer keg to salad consumption even the FDA would support that.
I find it very unjust that salads get such bad rep as being seen mainly as diet food. Theyre fresh, offer fabulous options for very tasty combinations. Its unfair to denounce them as health food aka boring, tasteless, disliked and such, sending Stephanie choking with laughter and making his belly flab jiggle most delightfully as he had to chime in.
As Stephanie insisted on helping him clear the kitchen, she entertained him with stories from accompanying her grandmother to Florida because she had decided she now was old and should have a secondary home in some senior citizen resort. Some of the things that go on there are really sad, like people who are dying all alone, whose family has fallen apart and no one comes. Others, like the odd dating rituals with one man for every five women are simply hilarious.
Whats wrong with one man and five women sounds like a good ratio
Okay, now you owe me a $ 5 fine for the chauvinist remark of the day, she grinned, slapping him with a dish towel. Thankfully my grandmother decided that she couldnt stand being around old people all day. Jason and I were tremendously relieved; wed miss her so much
Youre really close to her, arent you?
Yeah, always have been. Somehow, I dont know why, shes always been much more important to us than our parents. But you know the special connect between grandparents and -children we definitely have that.
Returning to the living room with coffee, Stephanie suddenly sighed. Youre such a nice guy when youre well fed, patting the side of his belly triggering some pronounced jiggles. I wish well wed met under different circumstances things hadnt gone so wrong are so complicated. That we couldve just been friends
Friends yeah, that wouldve been better could we still be friends?