George: Book 06

BOOK VI - FAMILY FEUD

Chapter 1

George had set his alarm for ten a.m. and it buzzed exactly on time. He had slept soundly and when he stood up he felt just a tinge of a hangover. He was certain his headache would dissipate with some food and coffee.

He showered and shaved and began dressing to go find something to eat. As he was knotting his tie, the phone rang. The caller was Wesley Palmer, the man George was supposed to meet at two p.m. for some sales discussions. Mr. Palmer asked if they could get together at noon, as he had to be on a two-thirty flight to Dallas. George agreed to be in Wesley's office at noon.

George found a buffet brunch in the hotel dining room and that suited his appetite just fine. He skimmed through the Wall Street Journal as he was eating and then returned to his room. For the next twenty minutes, he studied the folder that contained information on Wes Palmer's account.

The meeting in Mr. Palmer's office was brief and mutually successful. George recommended several new products and Wesley Palmer agreed to buy trial copies of all except one of them. He said it was likely that he would need ten to twelve additional copies within two months, if the software lived up to his expectations.

With the agreement signed, Wesley Palmer asked George if he could do a huge favor for him.

"What is it Wes? George asked. "I'll certainly do it if I can."

"I need a bartender," Wes's favor surprised George, but he listened.

Amy Palmer, Wes's only niece was engaged to be married next month. The groom's mother and sister were giving Amy a small bridal shower this evening. The bartender that had been hired a month ago had cancelled out at the last minute, giving some far-fetched excuse. Amy's mother had called Wesley this morning in a total panic and Wesley had agreed to fill in as the bartender; now he had another commitment, flying to Dallas. Anyway, if George had no special plans for the evening, he could do Wes a huge favor by tending bar for the shower.

George had planned to try and find a date from his week's acquaintances, perhaps Marge, and have a quiet dinner somewhere. The prospect of a bridal shower did not appeal to him at all. Nevertheless, he felt an obligation to one of his best customers and he agreed to the arrangement; Wes thanked him profusely.

Wes gave George directions to the home of the Groom, thanked George again and rushed off to the airport, leaving George with an afternoon to kill. George decided to spend it at the Air Force Museum and he found the time slipped by quickly as he viewed the many old airplanes and other exhibits.

At five o'clock, George reached the address he had been given and pulled his car into the driveway in front of a four-car garage. He rang the door chimes and waited for at least a minute before a young woman opened the door.

"Hi, I'm George, your new bartender," he quipped

The young lady smiled and invited him into the entryway. "I'm Lonnie, Jack's sister. You're a little early; we're just getting things set up. Come on in"

"Who's Jack?"

"He's my brother, the groom. I thought you knew him."

"I'm not the guy who was supposed to tend bar for you. I'm a last minute replacement that Amy's uncle dug up."

"I see. -- I wonder if mom knows about this."

They proceeded into a huge formal living room. The carpet was a lime color and very plush. The furniture was all French provincial and the walls were covered with what looked to be original paintings.

"Sit down, George," Lonnie motioned to a chair. "I'll find my mother and introduce you to her. She is really the one in charge of food and drink. I'm entertainment."

Lonnie was back in less than a minute with her beautiful mother. This woman was a dead ringer for Joan Collins, but quite a few years younger looking than the sixty-year-old movie star. She was introduced as Jennifer, the hostess for the shower. George's interest in the shower was kicked up an order of magnitude the instant he saw her.

Lonnie explained the substitute bartender business and George explained how he had been drafted to fill in. Jennifer looked more than a bit peeved but she told Lonnie to show George where the liquor and food would be served. George followed Lonnie through the spacious house and down a flight of stairs until they arrived at the shower site.

George was ushered into the most elaborate recreation room he had ever seen in a private home. It was nearly the size of a gymnasium. The room was separated into two halves by a Plexiglas wall running lengthwise down the center. One half contained a beautiful indoor swimming pool and a whirlpool. The poolroom was furnished with deck chairs and lounge chairs and the floor was covered with indoor/outdoor carpeting.

The centerpiece of the other half of the huge recreation room was the bar. It stretched about twenty-five feet long and was crafted of hand carved wood. George was certain that it cost more than many people's houses. The ceiling over the bar contained racks of bottles and glasses. A quick inspection told George that the bar was stocked a well as any commercial bar he had ever been in.

The bar room was furnished with soft lounge chairs and small coffee tables. Plush gray carpeting covered three fourths of the room's floor. One end of the room had a hard wood floor that could be used for dancing or to set up a piano or a combo for entertainment. George also noted a large amount of electronic stereo equipment on wall shelves behind one end of the bar.

Lonnie watched George as he surveyed the room in wonder. "Not bad huh!" she finally said. "This is where Jack and I have done most of our playing since we were babies."

George just nodded his approval and turned his attention to Lonnie. She was a lovely young lady to say the least. Perhaps her best features were her thick black hair, styled to frame her pretty face, and her flashing brown eyes. The loose fitting sweater and slacks she wore revealed little about her figure. A wedding ring and a large diamond adorned her left hand.

"Ignoring George's gaze, Lonnie said, "I'd better fill you in on your job for the evening and then I have to get dressed."

She proceeded to show George where everything was for mixing drinks. The wine rack was obvious and she opened a large cooler that was filled with ice and at least a half a dozen varieties of beer. A nearby refrigerator was filled with pop and mix. She pointed to a large table at the end of the bar and explained that a caterer would be arriving shortly to set up hot and cold hors d'oeuvres. It would be George's job to watch over the food, keep the table straightened, wash dishes and glassware, and serve the guests whatever they wished to drink. There was a book under the bar that contained recipes for hundreds of mixed drinks.

They were interrupted when Jennifer came in and told Lonnie that the food had arrived. Lonnie excused herself and went to direct the caterers to the room. Jennifer, who had tagged along, smiled at George and then left him standing alone.

Soon though, Lonnie returned with two men carrying pans, serving utensils and heating elements. She told them she would return in fifteen minutes to see if everything was set up properly and she left again.

George watched as the men set up the heating elements plugged them into a plug strip. They taped the cord down on the floor and ran it to a wall socket. They arranged the empty pans over the heaters and fired up the plug strip to begin heating the pans.

The caterers made several trips to their truck to bring in all of the food and the dishes. They filled the pans with shrimp, meatballs and chicken wings. Plates of cheese and cold cuts, sitting on beds of ice, were also placed on the table along with two bowls of crackers.

Heart shaped cut glass plates were stacked beside the food and sterling silver forks. Napkins with a red heart framing the silhouette of a kissing couple and the names Amy and Jack were the final touch.

The two men were just placing the serving utensils next to the appropriate hors d'oeuvres when Lonnie reappeared. She had changed into a tight black sheath dress, knee length. Now George could see that her figure matched the loveliness of her face. She had slim legs and curves in all the right places. She looked very sophisticated, but the dress seemed more appropriate for a funeral than a wedding shower.

Lonnie checked the food table and asked the men if they had tongs for the crackers. One of the men told her that most people had trouble using tongs for crackers and would break them. They had found that just letting people pick up the crackers with their fingers seemed to work out better. Lonnie didn't argue.

After the caterers left, Lonnie turned her attention to George. "You're in charge now, George," she directed him. "The guests should be here in a few minutes and the entertainers will be here at six to start setting up."

George saluted and said "Aye aye sir." Lonnie gave him a big smile

"How big a shindig is this?" George asked, pointing to the large amount of food on the table.

"It will be just mother and I and Amy and her mom and two girl friends."

"George showed his surprise. There's enough food there for an army. I hope the entertainers are hungry."

"As I understand it, there are only two of them. But, it will be a long evening and we'll nibble lots as we go along."

"Would you like a drink? I can practice on you before the other guests arrive."

"I'd better not just yet. Like I said it will be a long evening."

Just then, Jennifer entered the room followed by another woman about the same age and a young girl. George was struck by the loveliness of the two newcomers and had a hard time choosing which of the three women to gaze at.

The young girl looked about sixteen. Her big brown eyes gave her a look of innocence that very few females ever achieved. Her hair was light brown or very dark blond; George wasn't sure what to call it. She wore a yellow sleeveless frock over a short sleeved white blouse.

The other newcomer was the tallest of the three, about five foot nine, and looked like a fashion model. Her perfect coiffeur was brown, tinted with blond. Her face was gorgeous and impassive. She wore a beige linen dress that stopped four inches above her knees, revealing long, shapely legs. Her tan pumps had the tallest spiked heals George could remember seeing.

Jennifer had changed her outfit since George had met her. She now wore a blue dress with a scoop neckline and length almost to the knee. A string of pearls around her neck gave her a very elegant look indeed. Her blue heels were slightly lower than her companion's were.

Lonnie greeted the two guests and introduced them to George, Amy and Samantha, the bride and her mother. The mother and daughter were directed to the soft chairs in front of the bar. George gave Lonnie a questioning look and she held her hand up to indicate he should hold off on the drinks till the other guests arrived.

Jennifer departed again and was back in about five minutes with two young girls; they didn't look as young as Amy, but George assumed the three were about the same age, around twenty. Lonnie brought them over to the bar and introduced them to "their bartender for the evening, George."

The girls' names were Terry and Linda. They appeared to George to be almost complete opposites. Terry was lovely, dishwater blond with blue-green eyes, a very unusual color. She appeared quiet, reserved quiet not shy quiet. She wore a light green long sleeved blouse, tucked into a straight Kelly green skirt. She looked like the kind of girl George had always wanted for a daughter.

Linda on the other hand was anything but reserved. She had short bleached blond hair and blue eyes. The first thing most men noticed about her was the size of her chest. She accentuated this feature by wearing a tight lavender sweater. Her skirt was off white, short and full. She looked exactly like a cheerleader and George pictured her with a big letter F on the front of her sweater. Just the look in her eye when she smiled at him told him that it wouldn't take much convincing for a man to get his hands under Linda's sweater. He began laying plans in his mind to achieve that end and more before the evening ended.

The six females settled themselves into comfortable chairs around the largest coffee table. George let them talk for a few minutes and then interrupted to ask if anyone cared for a drink. He started with the guest of honor and her mother and went from there. He found it interesting that the three younger girls asked for wine and the three elder women ordered mixed drinks. He would have expected it to be the other way around if anything.

While George was preparing the six glasses, Jennifer suggested that they attack the food. The ladies lined up and filled their heart shaped plates with shrimp, meatballs, wings, crackers, cheese, and more. It was amazing how much food the six had on their plates. George waited till they were all seated and served the drinks in the same sequence that he had taken the orders.

"You must have done this before," Jennifer complemented him on his protocol.

"As a matter of fact, this is my very first time," George explained. "However, I have lots of experience sitting in bars and observing cocktail waitresses; one of the inherent traits of a traveling salesman."

"You mix a very tasty vodka martini." This came from Samantha.

"One of my own favorites," George explained.

When the doorbell chimed through the intercom, Jennifer asked George if he would mind being the butler as well as the bartender. "I think it must be the entertainers."

George retraced in reverse the path that he and Lonnie had taken earlier. Without missing a turn, he arrived at the front door of the mansion and opened it to face two young men dressed in black shirts and blue jeans. The men were almost identical in size and build, about six feet tall and very muscular. One had black hair and was dark complexioned while the other was blond with blue eyes and fair skin. They didn't look much like musicians to George.

George looked at the darker man questioningly. "The entertainment?" he asked.

"For the bridal shower, that's right."

"Follow me," George motioned them in.

"We've got a lot of equipment to haul in, Jeeves. Can you give us a hand?"

George had been demoted from bartender to butler and now to a beast of burden, hauling equipment for two cocky musicians. Despite his demise, he was looking forward to the evening with six beautiful women with quite a bit of anticipation.

Chapter 2

As George helped the two swarthy men carry in lighting and sound equipment, he kept wondering where the instruments were. He was pretty sure these two weren't singers, but he never found any instruments.

When all of the equipment had been toted into the far end of the rec. room, George promoted himself back to bartender and served the girls a second round of drinks while the two entertainers began to set up for whatever they were going to do. All six women were receptive to another round, three glasses of wine and three mixed drinks.

As he served the drinks, George joked, "I forgot to ask if you want this all on one tab or on separate checks."

Linda looked at him and then at Lonnie. "You know, Lonnie, you should have made him wear one of those male bunny costumes like the Playboy Club."

George cleared the coffee table of empty glasses and plates and filled the sink behind the bar with warm water and soap to wash the dishes. He listened to the lighthearted conversation as he washed. The ladies were watching the two newcomers erect their equipment.

George was beginning to suspect what the entertainment was, and he wondered which of the women knew about it and which ones would be surprised when it started. Jennifer was the hostess, but George could not picture her arranging to have male strippers at her future daughter-in-law's shower. The bride's mother was certainly not a candidate. Only Lonnie or one of the two young friends could have come up with this idea, but how many of them actually knew about it?

As George listened, the ladies answered his questions. He realized that each one of the women knew about the entertainment. Lonnie had gotten the idea after hearing that Jack's best man had hired female strippers for Jack's stag party. The four younger women seemed to be anticipating the coming events with great delight, but the two mothers seemed quite skeptical about it.

"I'm just going to be embarrassed to death," George heard Samantha remark.

"You may enjoy it more than you think, mother," her daughter replied.

Then the subject matter changed and the three young girls were telling the others what it was like to travel in Europe in the summer as a single college girl. They talked about boys and parties and concerts and more boys.

Lonnie had been to Spain when she was in college. She asked if the Spanish men were still as brazen and obnoxious to American girls as when she was there.

Linda said she had enjoyed flirting with the Spaniards. "They have such big egos and they think you can't resist them. If you turn them down the first night and then give them what they're after the second night, everything works out just great.

George looked at the two mothers to see how they were taking this kind of talk. They sat quietly with tight smiles on their faces.

Amy looked at Terry. "Ter', tell them about the guy you ran into in Barcelona, at the market."

"It's too embarrassing."

"You told me."

"But you're my best friend."

"I'll tell then. Terry wanted to go shopping in the market and I was bushed after a late party the night before. So, she went out alone and wandered into the street market where she met this young Spanish boy, he was only about fifteen. Isn't that right, Terry?"

"I'd say he was at most sixteen, but he already thought he was God's gift to women, especially American women. He kept calling me Americano chickie, because I wouldn't give him my name.

"How did you meet him?" Linda asked.

"He was selling wooden carvings at a stand. I stopped to look and found one I liked so I bought it from him. Then when I left, he turned the stand over to his brother and started following me."

"Tell them how he was dressed," Amy prompted.

"All he had on was a pair of tight cut-offs and sandals. He kept telling me I was beautiful and he wanted me. I tried to tell him I wasn't interested, but he wouldn't leave. I yelled at him to get lost, but he didn't listen. He just kept calling me a beautiful Americano chickie and saying he would be the best lover I had ever had."

"Tell them how you were dressed."

"I had on a loose white dress, thin cotton, and just panties underneath. I think what turned him on to start with is when I was looking at the carvings I bent over and he could look right down the front of my dress and see that I wasn't wearing a bra."

"Couldn't you find someone to help you?" asked Jennifer.

"I was more annoyed than afraid. I just wanted to get back to the hotel so I started in that direction. As we left the market streets, there weren't many people around and then I became more concerned. He kept saying he was going to lay me and I couldn't resist him. Then I made a bad mistake; I made a wrong turn and headed down a narrow street that was not the way I had come. When I entered the street there were people walking toward me, but then suddenly we were alone and we came to a dead end."

"It was there that this kid decided to replace words with actions," Amy interjected.

"He backed me up against the wall of a building and started feeling me through my dress. He pinched my breasts and poked his hand between my legs. I didn't scream but I yelled at him to stop it, that I didn't want him to do that."