The Businessman Ch. 02

Hello, readers!

I’ve taken on board your comments about various things and tried to address them in some way. I’ve also tried to begin to provide a sense of closure on the Alice/Cara sexual experience, which I accept was somewhat unpleasant in nature.

This chapter is completely different to the first, I think you all knew that the story in general wasn’t going to focus on Alice and Cara – the name sort of gives it away. Now that I’ve moved into beginning to develop the actual story between Cara and Ryan, I ask that you please give this a chance after the brutal scene between Cara and Alice.

Additionally, please could we try and make any comments constructive rather than abusive and about the actual story and not about an almost irrelevant factor?

Thanks, B

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Cara sighed and cleared the table before moping back to the kitchen. Dan was inside, his tables had all already left and he had made himself a drink whilst he was waiting for the last two tables, which belonged to Alice that evening, to leave. ‘Aren’t you driving?’ Cara frowned at the drink in his hand.

‘I am… What’s gotten into you?’ Their boss, Marco, allowed them one alcoholic drink on their shift after their tables had left. A kind of reward for a night of dealing with all manner of customer demands.

‘I got groped, leered at and whatever else for a $22 tip on a $178 bill. That’s what? A 12% tip?’ She rolled her eyes and continued piling dishes into the dishwasher. ‘Oh, but he did leave his number…Yay.’

Dan laughed lightly, ‘It’s shit, Cars, but that’s how it goes sometimes. At least you got a tip: one of my tables paid with exact money, can you believe it? Did the rest of your tables tip well?’

Cara smiled; he always made her feel better somehow. ‘Much better than Mr-Inflated-Ego and his merry band of assholes. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.’

Alice’s tables paid and left and the three began the process of close down. It was gone midnight before the trio left the restaurant, each saying their goodbyes until the following evening. Cara and Alice walked the few steps to Alice’s car and drove back to their apartment, where both soon departed for their rooms and slept until late morning – it was a Sunday after all.

***

The rest of the week was largely uneventful. Cara only worked Fridays through Monday due to her hectic class schedule but soon it was Friday and she was headed to work once more. It was a lovely afternoon, warm with a light breeze, and Cara decided upon walking into work – Alice was already there having worked the lunchtime shift too.

‘You didn’t call…’Hewas there. Leaning against the wall, fixated upon a cigarette between his fingers; he wasn’t even looking at her.

‘Oh, that’s what that was for? I thought you’d left your number so I could pick up the rest of my tip.’ She tried to walk past him.

‘Whoa, there. That was a bit cheeky wasn’t it?’ He was smiling, teasing her. ‘What was wrong with the tip?’

‘$22 on an $178 bill? That’s 12%, which doesn’t really cover my rent. I honestly don’t mean to be rude, Ryan, but I put up with being groped when I walked past your table and lurid comments from your friends…’

‘12.36% if we’re splitting hairs, and they’re my colleagues, not my friends…’ Ryan cut in.

‘Colleagues. And after I tolerate what could only be construed as sexual harassment, your table tips me a measly $22. Frankly, it’s insulting.’

‘It’s insulting when you don’t call.’ He still wasn’t looking at her, instead opting for a strained facial expression as he took a drag of his cigarette.

‘Maybe if you want a girl to call you, you shouldn’t insult her when you tip her.’ Cara tried to barge past him and again he stopped her.

‘Isn’t there another word for a woman who takes money in return for favours?’ He was teasing her again.

‘Get out of my way, I need to go into work before I am late.’

‘You know we paid individually right?’ Finally, he looked at her.

‘What does that have to do with anything?’

‘We all paid for what we ordered – individually. My individual bill came to $32.50, I put down a $50 and told you to keep the change. Now, I’ll take the liberty of doing the math and pointing out that is actually almost a 54% tip. I’m a generous guy, and you didn’t even call.’ He smiledthatsmile as he shrugged and stood upright.

Cara noticed he was tall, very tall. She guessed he had a good eight or nine inches on her, which had to make him 6’3 at the very least. She also took in how incredibly good-looking he was: his hair was styled effortlessly, parted at the side and folded over to make a lazy quiff, its colour matched the emerald green of his eyes perfectly – a smooth chocolate brown with natural lighter and darker streaks running through it. He was exactly her type, apart from the fact that he was incredibly self-indulgent and clearly battling with his ego. ‘I’m sure you have plenty of other girls lined up.’ He let her walk past him this time.

Just before she disappeared inside the door, Ryan shouted after her, ‘Does that mean you think I’m good-looking?’ His accent melted her, but she flipped him her middle finger anyway for good measure. Another customer lost, no doubt.

***

‘What are you doing here?’ Cara was speaking with gritted teeth, angry with him for pursuing her after their earlier conversation.

‘I’m eating… This is a restaurant and I am eating. Well I’m trying to, but apparently my waitress is somewhat inefficient tonight.’ He smiled again.

‘You smile too much. What can I get for you tonight?’ She smiled her best fake smile, ensuring he knew she was being austere.

‘I think tonight I will have… Oh, I don’t know. Surprise me, you choose.’

‘You know that never ends well?’

‘We both know I’m not here for the food.’

‘That’s not appropriate, Ryan.’

‘What? Coming here for the good music and good atmosphere is inappropriate? Oh and let’s not forget the friendly faces that serve you. Do you spit in the food?’

‘Of course not!’ Cara was unsure whether Ryan was teasing or whether he was being serious.

He answered her question when he smirked and licked his lips, ‘Good, I never was a fan of a spitter.’

‘You are absolutely awful.’ Cara was smiling at his comment, his accent made it sound much less disgusting than she found it.

Cara decided on the chicken Caesar salad for Ryan. She placed the order and returned to his table to ask what he wanted to drink. ‘You know it’s really sad, eating alone at a restaurant.’

‘Do I look sad to you?’

‘Overwhelmingly. What can I get you to drink, Sir?’ She was teasing him now; this man was getting under her skin. She was flirting, something she was sure she had never done before. She became self-conscious that she was bad at it and hoped he didn’t notice.

‘I’ll just have a Coke, please – I’m driving. Tell me, Cara, what time do you get off tonight?’

‘Depends, we have to wait for all the tables to leave, and then we have to do shut down. We usually get out of here just after midnight.’

‘Is it forward of me to ask if I could take you for coffee after? Since I can’t trust you to call, and to be honest, I can’t keepbumping intoyou here, I’ll get a reputation for myself.’

‘If your table tips like that everywhere you eat, you probably already have one.’

‘So… coffee?’ He looked hopeful. She wanted to go… She shouldn’t go… She was going to go.

‘We’ll see.’ Cara turned on her heels and fetched his drink from the bar.

After she had given him his drink and was waiting on the kitchen to prepare his salad, she continued waiting on the rest of her section – making sure drinks were full where they should be and plates were removed once finished with. She walked back to the kitchen with arms full of empty plates and glasses. ‘I see Mr Ego is back. Here, let me help you with those, doll.’ Alice grabbed some of the precariously placed plates and glasses and loaded them into the open and waiting dishwasher.

‘Don’t call me doll. And actually, he seems nice… Charming, if a little crude. He’s asked me for coffee after work.’ Cara turned her back on Alice to load the remaining plates into the machine.

‘You can’t be thinking about going, Cara. You don’t know this guy. He could do anything to you.’ Alice was genuinely concerned for Cara.

‘I’ll text you where we are and when we arrive. No serial killer shit, ok.’ Cara smiled slightly at Alice, whose face was pure worry.

‘He can’t make you feel as good as I did.’

‘Alice… You didn’t make me feel good, you made me feel dirty and wrong and although I have forgiven you for that night, I can’t and won’t forget the way I felt after and still feel now when I think about it. You made yourself feel good and used me as a pawn in your sick little game. Maybe I could’ve felt good if you hadn’t been so forceful and stopped when I asked you to. We were drunk and I understand limits are pushed and were pushed but you overstepped the mark and you have no right to make assumptions about his intentions when you effectively abused me. I don’t want to talk about this because we’ve moved on and it’s clear we work better as friends, but you can’t try and stop me from meeting this guy because of whatever reason you have, else we’re going to start having problems.’

Cara turned to leave the kitchen, Alice staring at her open-mouthed. ‘When did you get so assertive?’

‘When a random businessman at my table at work flirted with me and made me feel desirable for the first time.’ Cara’s words cut Alice like a knife. It wasn’t that they were cruel or unnecessary; it was that they were true and Alice felt disgusted with herself.

Cara avoided Alice for the rest of the night; she did her job, smiled for the customers and focused on her tasks. All of her tables paid and left, which left Ryan. He had been sat at his table alone and had just kept getting drink top ups since finishing his salad, which he said was a ‘great choice’.

He turned around in his chair, trying to catch her attention. She glanced in his direction and he waved her over. ‘Is everything ok?’