Irish Coffee

CHAPTER THREE - LADIES' MAN

Robert was smiling. Tonight was a good night, the place was busy, and his hand was just like she promised - completely free of any blisters. Suzy was a lovely girl. Well, actually her name was Susan, but in his mind he called her Suzy... Susan sounded way to strict for her. She was more like a little butterfly -a little shy, a little flighty, but always able to put a smile on everyone's face. She certainly brought a smile to his.

Right now she was making an espresso for a customer, completely unaware that the guy was head over heels with her. He had been coming here for days now, and once he got his cup of coffee, he would sit in the corner and stare at Susan until it was time to order the next.

Well, Robert couldn't blame him. Suzy was lovely - the way her red hair danced in that pony tail as she moved about was absolutely mesmerizing. And she was smart as a whip. But not in a condescending way that you often saw with intelligent people. They would act like they knew everything and treat him like he was just some dumb idiot... which maybe he was, but still - nobody liked being treated that way.

Suzy didn't do that at all - in fact quite the opposite. She liked to explain things, and was genuinely interested in what he had to say as well. He felt smarter in her presence, because somehow she made him think about things. She was interested in everything around her. And because of that, she knew a little bit of everything - kinda like him, but on a higher level. It inspired him to do the same.

He looked at the guy she was serving again, who was getting a double espresso. Well, rather him than Robert - that stuff was so strong it made your hair stand up.

“I'll put it on your tab,” she smiled, completely innocent. There was something Robert did not like about the way the guy looked back at Suzy, though. He would have to keep an eye on him.

Now, there was work to be done though. Three beautiful women, one of whom he had seen here before, seated themselves right on his side of the bar. Now, what was the name again of the woman who had been here before... he was pretty certain she had told him, as she had shoved her bosom into his eyesight... Oh yes – Linda, that was it.

“What can I do for you, ladies?”

One thing was for certain, these three were certainly no shy customers. Linda was already waving at him, beckoning him to come over. Her lips were painted red, as was her hair. Definitely not a natural ginger like Suzy.

This was where his looks came in handy. They would start a conversation and order drinks, and all he had to do was give them an occasional nod. Which was a good thing, because he was crap when it came to flirting.

~

Right now there were three women at the bar, and they were all cooing over Robert. It was sickening to watch really, especially the level of subtlety they were displaying.. Or rather lack of it. It started with the way they looked. Their clothes were impossibly tight, right to the point where they seemed to burst out of it – especially their breasts who had been lifted up to dizzying heights. Their faces were hidden behind a mask of makeup. Even their hair seemed to be shellacked. Was there anything real about them?

Well, it certainly wasn't their laugh - that was maybe more fake than everything. It was like an alarm going off ever ten seconds. If she EVER behaved that way, she hoped somebody would shoot her. Of course, you could moon over a guy - she had done so herself in the past. Not that those guys had ever noticed. Which was exactly as it should be. She'd rather die then degrade herself like that.

She had to admit, she probably felt the same way about Robert as they did. But she would not let him know that - certainly not so obviously, and certainly not in public! It was embarrassing - even just watching them.