BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (202 page)

Vivian set off, picked up two subs the way he liked them, with chips and a litre size bottle of water. She arrived at 12:45, with no trouble at all finding his job and hoped he didn't mind that she was fifteen minutes late for his lunch. As he'd instructed, she pulled into the back, up to the barred entry sitting in the truck. She sat looking around for someone but didn't see anyone, she heard voices and looked around to see where they were coming from, suddenly an older man showed up at the barred entry looking at her, "Picking up lumber? Got your ticket?" He called to her.

"Ah, no - I'm here to see Jake, McPherson? I ah, brought his lunch." She explained smiling.

The man stared at her with wide eyes, then realized he was staring with his mouth open, snapped it closed and asked, "You - you ah, aaah, what's your name?"

Vivian smiled, she understood, she could only imagine what was going through his mind, "Vivian - can you tell him Vivian is here with his lunch?"

"Vi - Vivian? You - you're Vivian? You - you're Vivian! Vivian, oooh okay... yeah, Vivian! Hang on hang on, you can pull that truck right on in here, one second now, don't go away! Stay right there!" He rushed, giddy, shaky, and to himself, "Holy mackeral! Vivian! Wait until the guys get a look at her! Whoooeee!" This all to himself as he pressed the button for the drop gate to lift as one similar to a railroad crossing went up. Vivian smiled at him, nodded her head and pulled into the large open area, she could see where other vehicles were parked, including Shawn's motorcycle that Jake drove to work, she headed that way, driving slowly with the man who let her in, showing her the way as if she didn't have sense enough to see where to go herself. She humored him, it was obvious he was acting to be seen by his fellow workers, and she hadn't missed his making eye contact to those looking his way and the slight head tilt in her direction.

The audience he preformed for was sitting in an area, she assumed, made for their breaks and lunches outside. There were five octagon picnic tables under an area perfect for the employees to chill out during the summer. There were two doors to the toilet rooms, one each for men's and ladies, a soda machine, a vending machine filled with junk food and a Nescafe coffee machine. There were several men sitting there when she parked the truck. One jumped to his feet, leaving his lunch and made a dash off across the yard and up some stairs that she noticed lead to offices overhead. Taking a deep breath, Vivian cut the engine, put her keys in her purse, bolstered her nerves, grabbed the bags with his lunch, opened the door and put her first leg out, giving all the guys gaping, a view of one dark, very shapely, well formed calve, small ankles and well pedicure feet, her toenails polished cinnamon with a sparkling ankle bracelet bringing the eyes straight to it and up her smooth lotioned legs.

It took quite a few of the fellows to drag their eyes from her long legs, up the body in the loose fitting feminine dress, shapely bare, dark arms and incredibly stunning dark face. More than half saw the beauty first, those left over, saw color and then, even if grudgingly, the absolute classy attractiveness of her, and then she smiled and waved, "Hi, I'm Vivian, can someone let Jake know I'm here?" She asked with her bankers voice that seldom failed to win over the object of her aim.

The one that directed her in, headed off, "I'll tell him now!" He volunteered, simply because he couldn't wait to let Jake know.

"Thank you." She murmured, turned back and another spoke up, "Jake always sits at that table right there, have a seat."

"Thank you," She nodded once more, heading to the table he pointed out. As she turned, she couldn't help but noticed that up the stairs, where one of the earlier guys had ran, stood three men at the railing, two in suits, and one with a dress shirt on, gazing down at her.

'Hmmm, so I am on display ... Mr. McPherson, get your butt here.'
She thought, smiling and nodding. To her shock, one of them yelled down and across the yard, "Afternoon, you here for Jake?" This came from an older man, balding at the top, hair standing out at the sides, a bit of a gut on him, he looked like the boss.

Vivian only nodded, smiled once more and waved, she was not about to yell back, that was something she would not do. Turning away, she walked to the table the men pointed out. She began laying out his lunch when she heard his voice, talking to the man that came to get him. She looked up and saw him striding her way, hot, dusty, incredible and sexy. His eyes caught sight of her and smiled, then they went down her body, and to her legs, he turned red, his eyes got wide and moved back up to her face. She knew that look when she saw it and began to wonder, did he want her dressed in a nuns habit or something? There was nothing wrong with what she was wearing, the dress wasn't overly short, in fact it was a bit longer than mid thigh, it wasn't body hugging, however, the fact that she was shapely and slender could not be missed. The sight of her long sexy legs, was enough to start the imagination to take off from there. He broke off what he was saying to man number one with, "We'll get it done after lunch." and made his way towards her, keeping his thoughts of her choice of dress from his body language, he walked up, took hold of her arm possessively, pulled her to him and kissed her right on the lips; not a little smack on the lips in greeting, but a sucking of her lips, followed by a little smack that she'd expected the first to be like.

Feeling a bit put on the spot and on show, she tried to play it off, "Hope you like what I brought you?" She asked for his ears only.

"What you brought is just fine, it's what you brought it wearing that could have been different." For her ears only.

"Shanna says I look great."

"What does she know, and who're you marrying anyway?"

Smiling Vivian asked, "Can we not do this here?"

"I'll let you get away with it this time, but next time, jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers."

Again smiling she asked, "Perhaps you'd like to lay my clothes out for me everyday?" She oozed with sarcasm, still smiling.

Jake chuckled, "You are so lucky I'm at work and that they're watching us, let me eat before we get in too deep." Changing the subject he asked, "Feeling any better now?" He was thinking about the way she was that morning, opening the sandwiches, giving her half of one of them.

"Emmm, I'm still tender there, you know - but okay, ah, babe, to be honest with you, I don't have an appetite, you go ahead and eat."

"You have anything this morning?" He asked, biting into one of his halves.

"Couple slices of toast, cup of yogurt, a banana." She answered truthfully.

"Hmmm..." He murmured chewing. Suddenly, the suits had moved from up the stairs down to their table. Vivian looked up, greeting their presence with a bright white smile and twinkle in her eyes. Seeing her up close, with those eyes, her lovely skin, incredible openess, brought it all home for them, only Jake would have been able to find one like her and then claim her for himself.

"So you're Vivian?" Carl asked, Neil was there beside him, and another man with a suit on.

Jake looked up at his boss, still eating his sandwich, needing to swallow before engaging in conversation with them, Vivian gave him a moment answering, "Yes, I'm Vivian, I take it you've heard of me?"

"Engagement, wedding plans and all!"

"You tryin' to get an invitation there Carl?" Jake asked after drinking down a few gulps of water.

"You mean to tell me, I've even got to ask?"

"Why, yeah, we kill enough trees, no sense in adding to them with wasted invitations sent out to folks not interested in coming."

"I wanna invite Jake!" Someone in the group of men called out.

"Me too, I'd like one, I'll show up, for sure Jake!" Another called out.

"Add me, I'll be there!"

"Me too, Jake!"

"And me!"

"Here, I'll go, I'll show Jake!"

"Jake? Ah, the red dress? I remember that day." Another one grinning brought it up to all, he looked at Vivian, stood, "Ma'am, if you don't mind me saying, I ain't never seen a red dress like that one again." His face was open ear to ear, looking at the others, "I knew it the minute I seen her, seen the look on Jake's face, that was it! Hee hee hee..." And then back to Jake, "That right Jake?"

He smiled, nodded humoring him, "Yep, you sure got that right - there are just some things in life, a man has to stop and take notice of."

"Like a damn well fitting red dress! Whoooeee, you all should'ah seen her in that dress! No disrespect to you ma'am, but I'll never forget it." He crowed.

"That's okay, thank you."

Jake was feeling ten feet tall, squeezing Vivian's thigh beneath the picnic table.

Neil couldn't bite his tongue, he wasn't about to slither up Jake's ass, "She the reason Doris did herself in? Because you dropped her for this woman?" Everyone sucked in stunned that he actually said it, Carl turned to him, "Not here Neil, not now, that's a real cruel thing to bring up now, in front of his fiancée."

Vivian sighed, looking at the man, "That was a really harsh, soul shattering thing for Jake to go through."

"Maybe, but it didn't stop him from going after you though, did it?"

"You watch what you say and how you say it to my fiancée Neil, there is only so much you can say to her, that I'll let ride."

"My problem ain't with her, but with you! You wrecked my marriage, ruined-..."

"And you're married again Neil, couldn't have been too traumatic for you!"

"'Cause life goes on! That's why!" He returned.

"So it does, even for me." Jake then stood, everyone got nervous, Vivian included, "And for the record, let's make this clear here and now, I didn't drag Doris from your home kicking and screaming! I didn't take her from your home under gun-point! Not excusing what I did do, it was wrong, my part in it, yes it was. But I didn't kill her, she did that to herself."

"Because of you Jake!" Neil bit out, "We had kids!"

"Yes she did Neil, so why in God's name did
she
kill herself over
me? I'm just a man, what about her
kids? That, they, should have been going through her mind, instead of making me pay for getting on with my life. And I'm gonna do that too, found the exact woman I need and want to do just that; I can't carry the burdens with me for the rest of my life, she was older than me, knew about me, and still left you - realizing the risk. That's all I'm saying on the subject, I'm not saying no more."

"Well, that's all that needs to be said, Neil - you gone have to drop this, here and now ... I mean it." Carl defended Jake. He had no choice, this was the work place and he wasn't having this kind of disruption going any further. It was in the past and done.

Neil turned away and marched off across the yard, the extra man with him, followed him. Neil was training him for his position, he was moving on to another job, he'd had enough working with Jake, since their last altercation, the men almost ignored his orders, saying they'd wait for Jake, just to make sure of what he was telling them. He couldn't work like that and found a job elsewhere, giving Carl notice.

Carl turned back to the couple before him, "I just wanted to come over and meet the lucky young lady," and to Vivian, "You couldn't have done better for yourself in my book, I treasure Jake around here, you see this here outdoor break area-..."

"Jake built it!" One of the men called out.

Carl smiled, "Yes he did, made all these tables, hell - had half the warehouse done - he's a smart man, got a whole lot going for him up here." Carl tapped his temple. "I'm happy to see this, it's about time too, it's about time." He looked at Jake, "I'll leave you to finish your lunch, take longer than you need if you want."

"Thanks, the guys too, a little celebration for my engagement?" He suggested.

Carl sighed, "Well - ah hell, yeah, go on - but - we get a customer coming to fill an order, someone gonna have to see to'em!"

"That'll be me Carl, I'll see to'em." Another volunteered.

"Good enough, enjoy your extended lunches then," and once more to Vivian, "Hope to see you around more often, you're welcome here anytime, bringing him lunch - what have you; more than welcome."

"I appreciate that, I probably will." She lifted her hand towards him to shake his.

Carl had it in his without hesitation, and shocking her and Jake, he bent kissing her knuckles like in the days of old, greeting a lady, patting it with the other, "Yep Jake, I think you held out up to just the right moment." He gently released her hand and backed away, heading back to his office, smiling. The world was changing, and he for one, was glad to see it was so, he in his youth, had had a secret liking to a young black girl, but it had never gone anywhere because he just hadn't had the nerve to, not from where he lived, with the way things were back then. Seeing them, made him think about her - even so, he'd ended up a happy man in the long run, but still there was that little bit of, what if - coming back to life in his mind.