For Us

Part 1

At 6:45pm, Lisa pushed her way into the calm hum of Dalton's, out of the crowds of the busy sidewalks. "I have a reservation for seven," she told the host once he finally looked her way, "It's under Connors."

"Yes ma'am I have you right here," he replied, "You are the first to arrive. Unfortunately I am unable to seat you early."'

"That's ok," she said, "I'll wait in the bar. I have a client meeting me here. If he arrives looking for me will you please send him in there?" The host nodded his consent to her request as she made her way into the bar.

Soft piano music greeted her as she stepped out of the lobby of the restaurant. She sat down with a heavy sigh and began tapping her foot against the bar. Dalton's was not her first choice when it came to dinner meetings. She couldn't stand the black tie, stuffy atmosphere. She was, however, willing to pull it out for her more financially blessed clients. It was also conveniently located across the street from her office, and she did appreciate the live music. Their singers were mediocre but the piano was always beautiful.

She ordered a chardonnay to enjoy while she waited. She vaguely registered the voice of the singer floating through the air. This wasn't a voice she was familiar with. Lisa considered her better than the usual talent employed here. She started to look around for the owner of the voice, but was interrupted by the bartender. "Meeting someone?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"That's too bad," he said, "You look like good company. I was looking forward to your stay at my bar." Normally, Lisa would have cringed at this forward line, but she got a good vibe from this young man, so she allowed herself to chuckle. "I'm new here," he shared, "My partner told me I should introduce myself to you." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "He says you're the only person that comes in here regularly that doesn't have a stick up your ass."

"I usually try to leave it at home," she answered, "It makes it really uncomfortable to walk. My name is Lisa."

"Nice to meet you Lisa," he greeted her, extending his hand to shake hers.

"And you are?" she inquired.

"Very gay," he replied, "So I do not appreciate all this very forward flirting you are doing."

"I knew there was something I liked about you," Lisa responded with a grin.

"And I you," he replied. Lisa wasn't sure exactly what he was referring to, but she decided it was probably her easy going nature and did not question it further.

"It's Jason," he introduced himself. At that moment, the singer's notes quit fading into the background. They had lost their plain melodic tone and were suddenly standing out. Even the style of music had changed with her song choice, which was a surprise to Lisa. All of the years she had been coming here she had never heard anything except the same boring, slow jazz. "There she goes. She's showing off. Good isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Lisa confirmed. She began to pay closer attention to the beautiful music, actually taking in the lyrics of the song. It seemed a little risqué for the setting. It wasn't all out crude, but Lisa would certainly classify it as suggestive. When the lyrics began describing the removal of clothing, Lisa found herself looking up for the owner of the voice. What she did not expect, was to find the singer staring right back at her.

When Lisa made eye contact her heart tightened in what she assumed was surprise at being stared at so boldly. The woman was tall, with a shock of short blond hair, probably no older than twenty five and wearing a well tailored pair of slacks and jacket with a white button up. The blond was smirking in satisfaction at finally being noticed, one hand in her pocket casually. Lisa wondered if she would move on to other patrons with her flirting, but she seemed to have other plans. The blond maintained eye contact with her, and Lisa had to admit she was finding it difficult to look away.