It was dark by the time that Morgan arrived at the diner. He saw Ellie, in her sexy little barista outfit, leaning across the bar as she reached to the opposite side to wipe it down. He scowled, the conversation about her uniform this morning still fresh in his mind, and glanced at his wristwatch. Seven thirty, he thought, and he saw that the diner looked pretty empty this Friday night, but then he remembered that there was ball game in town and figured that was where most people were.
He shrugged with a smile as he stepped out from his car. Maybe she can close early.
As he approached the door to the diner, Ellie caught his eye and her face immediately brightened. Morgan loved that he had that effect on her. He strode in casually, and made his way directly to her. “Hello, gorgeous,” he said and laid his attaché on the stool next to the one he sat on.
Ellie looked like someone who’d been waiting on customers all day. Her high ponytail sat a little lower on her head than it did when she left the apartment this morning and her cute little barista uniform was mostly hidden by the full sized apron that she wore, but her smile spread across her face and erased any signs of fatigue after a long double shift. “Hey, Babe,” she answered and tossed her bar towel into a laundry bag behind the bar. “I was wondering when you’d get here.”
“Just finishing up some important business.”
“I bet,” Ellie said and leaned on the bar, giving Morgan her full attention.
Morgan struggled internally with whether or not to tell Ellie about his most recent purchase, but wanted the timing to be just right—otherwise, it might sound like just another business acquisition, instead of his attempt to be closer to her. While he mulled over the pros and cons inside of his head, he asked, “So, how was your day?”
Ellie shrugged. “Kind of busy what with before the game and all.” She sighed. “But, my chemistry professor came in this morning.”
“Oh?”
Morgan noticed the stress on Ellie’s face as she continued and remembered she’d said she was having problems in that class this morning.
Ellie wished she hadn’t even mentioned it a little too late. She didn’t want to tell Morgan that she was failing, so she wouldn’t. She quickly replaced the worry lines she knew showed on her face with a casual smile. “He just came in for breakfast. It’s not like he came in to see me, personally. We didn’t really talk much.” She sighed inwardly and didn’t look Morgan in the eye.
Morgan arched a brow. “Hmm. What a coincidence.”
“But I made some pretty decent tips,” Ellie offered, holding up her tip jar in an attempt to further dissuade Morgan from probing too much about her grades. “I made enough to pay my car insurance.”
Morgan chuckled, sending warm flutters of anticipation down Ellie’s spine. She couldn’t help but think about the last time that Morgan came to see her at the diner when she had to close. He’d talked her into giving him another chance and told her how he felt about her.
“I’ll pay your car insurance for you,” he offered. His warm grey eyes conveying genuine intent.
Ellie knew he would take care of all of her bills in a heartbeat, but she didn’t want that. It wasn’t the first time that he’d offered, either. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. She discretely looked around and playfully, tugged at the zipper on her top, leaving more of her cleavage exposed to Morgan. “Will you, now? And what would I have to do in return?”
Morgan suddenly became very focused on her breasts.
Ellie loved that she could engage in such a wanton act in public with Morgan. It was something that she thought she could never do. In the past, she had no clue about her sexuality, or even how to be sexy and flirt with a man. Morgan had changed all that for sure. Only she wanted to flirt with just him, not anyone else.
He looked around and then back at Ellie. A wicked grin spread across his face. His five o’clock shadow had long expired—the dark stubble gave him a harsh appearance. This made Ellie shiver a bit. It seemed to rev her up. The man was so confident and looked perfect every day, but she loved it when he looked like this better.
Morgan loosened his tie and shrugged off his suit jacket, folding it and laying it across the stool holding his attaché. “We’re going to play a game,” he said and glanced at his wristwatch. “There’s three hours left before you close. Just do whatever I say until then, and I’ll pay your car insurance.”
Ellie furrowed her brows. She didn’t expect him to actually propose a challenge. He knew that she couldn’t resist a challenge. She’d do it even if her car insurance payment wasn’t hanging in the balance. She could do whatever he told her to for a few hours. What was the worst he could have her do in public? She crossed her arms and nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”
Morgan smiled. “Alright then. Get me a sandwich. Turkey on wheat with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and a black coffee.”
“Okay. I can do that,” Ellie said, still nodding her head.
Morgan pulled his laptop out and soon became oblivious while he waited for his sandwich.
Ellie wondered what his next command would be, but then wondered if there would even be one. Maybe he just concocted this game idea as a ruse, so that he could pay her bills. The doubt lingered as she delivered his sandwich. “Here you go.” She set the plate in front of Morgan.
He pushed his laptop to the side and picked up half of the sandwich while looking at Ellie. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
Ellie shrugged. “This isn’t much of a challenge.” Her pout of disappointment evident on her lips.
Morgan narrowed his eyes at her statement.
Just then, a few college frat boys entered the diner and huddled around a small table in the corner at the far end of the diner.
“Oh,” Ellie said. “I’m the only one here, besides the cook, so I have to wait on tables, too.” She grabbed her pen and order pad from the bar and remembered that her zipper was still down. She went to pull up on it when Morgan stopped her.
“Leave it down,” he said. “In fact…” He reached across the bar and pulled Ellie’s zipper down so her ample cleavage was visible now.
“Are you insane?” she exclaimed and tried to pull it up, again.
Morgan stayed her hand with his. “You have to do whatever I say, remember?” He offered her that same devilish grin from before.
“You want me to flaunt my breasts to two college guys?”
Morgan put his hand up to his chin and let his forefinger settle upon his lips. He pointed at Ellie. “I want to test your theory from this morning, that it takes more than sexy clothes to turn a guy on. If you’re right, then you should be able to wait on these guys, exposed as you are.”
Suddenly, this had become a real challenge. Ellie glanced down at her uniform top, which was unzipped all the way down to her diaphragm. A little heavy handed for a barista, she thought, but if she pulled it off, she’d be winning two bets, not just one.
She straightened and retied her apron strings around her waist, tucking part of the apron under so that it became shorter and exposed more of her thighs. “Sure. I can do that,” she stated with determination. She tightened her ponytail and headed towards the table with the two college boys.
She’d accepted this silly challenge so suddenly that she didn’t really have time to properly analyze it until they had already seen her coming their way. Despite the last minute pang of anxiousness that threatened to turn her around, she forced herself to press on, and finally made it to the table. “Hello. Welcome to the Liberty Bell Diner. What can I get you guys?” she asked, trying hard to act like she always wore her uniform top half unzipped.
“Uh,” said the dark haired, Latino looking guy with pretty green eyes as he looked up from his menu. His eyes widened and he gazed back down at the menu in a comical gesture.
“Man,” the black guy said sitting across from him, whose eyes also widened, but he didn’t bother to look away.
Ellie knew that breasts drew attention, but she was amused at how these guys were trying to handle it. Seeing that she held the upper hand here, and noticing that Morgan was watching, she decided to raise the stakes.
She placed her order pad on the table and bent slightly at the waist in the direction of the fellow who couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “What would you like?” she asked seductively, poised to write it all down.
The bolder of the two chuckled. “Save it honey. We’re together,” he said motioning towards his friend who looked up from his menu to smile apologetically at Ellie. “You know… a couple.”
Ashamed to have made such an outdated assumption, she quickly straightened. “Oh, my god. I am so sorry. This was just a stupid bet,” she said all in one breath as she pulled up her zipper.
The two chuckled while Ellie fumbled with her zipper.
From where Morgan sat, he could barely hear a word, but he had a perfect view of all three faces. It looked like that one guy with the staring problem was giving Ellie some trouble. Morgan leaned in closer as inconspicuously as he could. But then he saw Ellie’s facial expression change from a relaxed smile to a look of embarrassment as she rushed to zip up her top.
Those guys are harassing her. And it’s all my fault.
Morgan stood up and didn’t think. There was no time. He saw Ellie in distress and immediately acted.
He was at their table in a few purposeful steps. “Hey,” he called out to the one sitting closest to him which happened to be the black guy. When he turned, Morgan was ready with his fist drawn.
It was only because Ellie could see him coming that she caught his arm in time. “Morgan! Are you crazy?” she yelled at him. “What the hell?”
By this time, both the black guy and his boyfriend had stood up, hands raised. “Whoa, brother man. I just told your girl here that I was taken,” the black guy defended with his hands up.
His boyfriend put his arm around him. “Yeah,” he growled. “Back off, man!”
Morgan looked over at Ellie, who nodded to confirm what they had said. He lowered his arm and shook his head. “Oh, man. I apologize guys. It just looked like…”
“Like two minorities were harassing a white woman?”
“Oh, my god,” Morgan muttered putting a hand up to his forehead. “I didn’t even think of that. I just saw two guys making my girlfriend feel uncomfortable. Man, this was a stupid bet,” he said turning towards Ellie.
“It’s okay.” She patted his arm. “Why don’t you go sit down, so I can take this nice couple’s order?”
With a hand hung on his neck, Morgan apologized once more and retreated to his stool at the bar.
It wasn’t long before Ellie came back. “What was that?” she asked.
He shook his head, not knowing how to explain the feeling of panic that just overcame him when he thought that she was in danger. Searching for the right thing to say caused him to blurt it out, “I bought a house.”
Her concerned look softened. “A house?”
“Here, in Philadelphia.”
“Here? Why?”
Morgan let out a sigh. “I…” He looked right at her. “I want to be close to you,” he admitted. Dammit. Why was it that he could be suave, charming and cunning when it came to business. Then with Ellie, he turned into an ill mannered teenage boy? He shook his head. He’d thought these feelings of insecurity and being lame around her ended after they got back together. Apparently not. Dumbass all the way. Fuck!