I Love a Challenge

Author's Note: This is a story of how a blind-date ended up in a whirlwind romance. Readers should be warned that there is not a lot of sex and what little there is a spice to enhance the flavor of the telling. Hopefully, you enjoy the tale.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Dez! Are you up for Friday afternoon drinks that may go well into the night?" sang out Julie on Dez's iPhone. Flopping into her office's chair, she never knew how Julie, her best friend, could be so damn upbeat after a grueling week of work. Maybe it was the weekend, partying, and the masculine possibilities that existed.

"Sorry, girl-friend, but no can do. I've just cleaned and put away the gym equipment and am really pooped. I'll have to take a raincheck..."

"No, you can't!" chimed in Marissa, Dez's other partner in crime. "I've got this hot guy whom I met on an online dating app and we agreed to meet at a local watering hole. He initially said that he had a friend...like a wingman...coming with him and Julie volunteered to sacrifice herself...and her body if need be.

"The only problem is that Eric...yeah, that his name...just let me know that another friend...a business associate...would be joining us. Dez, Julie is a slut, but I don't think she can handle two guys at the same time."

"Hey, I'm not a slut," objected Julie, "Well, I'm slutty only when I'm ripped and the guy is tall, dark, and good-looking. Hey, even us loose women have standards, you know. Sorry, Dez, but I'm not into double-penetration if you know what I mean."

"Girls, I'm really out of it. I've got no makeup in my office...you know I only come to work with the bare essentials - car keys, driver's license, iPhone, and a credit card. The only non-gym/coach clothes that I have are a simple blouse, slacks, and slip-on shoes that I have for teacher-parent sessions or meetings with the principal. They are hardly drinking clothes. Plus, I'm stinky-sweaty and in desperate need of a shower..."

"Cut the crap, Dez Cummings!" interrupted Marissa. "You owe me for covering for you when you got pissed-face smashed and couldn't make your school's soccer game. Remember how I vouched for you that you were really, really sick...like contagious. Now, take a quick shower, put on your damn clothes, and meet Julie and me in...what time is the Uber driver picking us up, Julie? Okay...twenty minutes...that's all the time you've got. Please, don't let me down, Dez!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Holy crap! The two of you are dressed for partying with full-on makeup. Your short flouncy dresses barely conceal your hot little pussies while showing you're your damn boobs...and what...boots! Shit! I'm dressed like...and feel like...a goddamn nun," exclaimed Dez as she entered to Uber lift and beheld her two best friends. "Why do I get this fricking feeling that I just been thrown under the bus..."

"Oh, stop with the melodramatics, Dez!" Marissa said to cut off any more comments from her friend. 'You know you're disgusting pretty no matter what you're wearing. You've got that refreshing cutesy wholesome quality that the guys like. Heck, although you're only five-six and don't have big boobies like me, you turn the heads of all the males on your campus when you walk by. Ha, you look fine, Dez...plus, it's too late now since we're almost there. You always like challenges, think of this blind-date as a challenge."

"So, before we get to our destination, let me fill you in on the specifics," Marissa said as she took charge of the conversation. "Eric is my guy...and what a stud...and construction supervisor. Julie's guy is Sheldon...who is Eric's best bud since high school. Sorry, Dez, but I don't know much about your guy other than he's called Alex and is supposed to be some kind of lawyer who helped Eric beat a DUI charge. Evidently, he and Alex hit it off, and bjec wanted him to meet Sheldon who has some legal issues."

"Just this once for you, Marissa," mumbled Dez. "You know how I hate blind-dates. All I hope is that the guy is not drooling out of the corner of his mouth and has some unrealistic expectations that I will willingly spread my legs and begging him to fuck me. Hell, does he think that I'm some kind of Julie?" At that, the three best friends broke out in fits of teasing and jostling all the way to their destination.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The so-called watering hole was a country-western-style bar on the outskirts of the city. Most of the customers were dressed in denim, simple shirts or blouses, and boots. Marissa and Julie immediately stood in their light summer dresses and boots, but that was the desired effect. Dez, on the other hand, immediately felt out of place and would have backed out if her two girlfriends weren't holding her arms. By sheer luck, they got a corner table from which they could easily scan the entire lounge and its patrons.

"Don't be obvious but I think that's Eric," Marissa whispered with a slight nod of her head towards a twosome who were at the bar and trying hard not to be seen checking them out. "Yeah, that looks like his bestie, Sheldon standing next to him.

"Hmmm, not bad, not bad at all," chimed Julie as she to a quick peek. "But where the hell is the third wheel...Dez's guy?"

It was then at a tall handsome Asian entered the lounge. Dressed in an impeccably cut three-pieced suit, he was hastily removing his tie to appear more casual and failed miserably. Looking around as his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he spotted Eric and his friend, and strolled to them. Given the handshakes and lively chatter, this third male was clearly the missing player and Dez's blind-date.

It was then that Alex turned to glance over his shoulder at their table and caught Dez looking at him. For whatever the reason, Dez warmly held his gaze as a smile graced her lips, and was pleased with he nodded and smiled back. Once Alex got his drink, the guys sucked up their courage and sauntered over for introductions as they pulled up three chairs.

The situation immediately became uncomfortable for Dez and Alex as they were sandwiched between their friends who quickly paired up with their intended dates. This left the two third-wheels struggling to get to know one another across the table, amidst two different conversations other either side of them, and in a noisy crowded bar. However, when the live music began, Marissa and Eric rushed to the dance floor and were quickly followed by Julie and her Sheldon.

"Well, thanks for joining me. It's nice that we can finally talk without having to raise our voices," sighed Dez when Alex moved next to her. "Nothing against you, this is really awkward and embarrassing for me. I don't know about you, but I wasn't expecting anything like this. They say that 'no good deed goes unpunished' and this is what I get for helping out a friend in need."

"Dez, I know where you're coming from. Eric called me just before I had to go to court, saying that he wanted me to meet his best friend who might need my legal advice and service. I rushed over after my hearing was over, but I wasn't expecting this place. Discovering that I was being paired up for drinks instead of business took me by complete surprise...not that I am complaining about the present company.

"Why thank you. I'm not complaining either. However, I am definitely not appropriately dressed for this place, but these are the only clean clothes I had in my gym office locker. Yep, I'm I high school gym teacher who feels embarrassingly underdressed, very plain, and out of place in this country-western establishment."

"I know what you mean. Besides being obviously overdressed, I get a bit uncomfortable in places like this and being seen alone in the company of a white woman. Hope you don't mind being seen with me?"

"What do you mean, Alex?"

"Ah, how do I put this without shoving my leg further down my throat. To begin with I'm a defense attorney...and a good one...and most of my clients get off. However, not all of my clients are as accepting and friendly like Eric is. As my last client told me after I got him off on a technicality this afternoon, he 'didn't take kindly to gooks like me...especially when my kind hangs with white women.'

"That was a stark reminder that this is the deep-South and this place looks like a red-neck bar. If you take a careful look around us, you'll find that I am the only slant-eyed gook in the entire place. Those good ol' white boys over there who keep staring at us, look like they don't care for a Chinese dude like me, putting a move on an attractive white girl like you."

Dez carefully and casually looked at those in the bar before returning her attention to Alex. "Yep, there definite are an awful lot of red-necks in here and the guys whom you pointed out, don't look too friendly. However, the way I see it, what's wrong with two Asians minding their own business. Why should that cause consternation for others."

Alex looked at Dez as if he could believe his ears. "What two Asians? I see only one and he is me!"

Taking a sip of her white wine, Dez purred, "No. There are two Asians...with one being part-Asian...in this place." Then pulling out her iPhone, Dez brought up a picture of herself with two women. "The older woman who is seated in front of me is my Japanese grandmother. The woman standing next to me is my mother who is half-Japanese and half-white. Yours truly...ta-da...is a quarter-Japanese. You can close your mouth, Alex, and stop staring."

"But you don't look Japanese at all."

"Well, I am...or at least certain parts are...but for now, that's for me to know and for you to find out...if you're interested."

"I sure am...say, look, our friends are making their way back from the dance floor. How about we skip out of here? I have my BMW parked outside among the trucks and Jeeps. Maybe we could get a bite to eat. I know this little hole-in-the-wall sushi place..."

"Yeah, I'm all for getting out of this hick place. But I actually prefer Chinese...and often go to this restaurant called Lung Fung which is quite close to my place. The Lees are good cooks, and the old man is always cheerful when he sees me. However, his wife is...let's say...another matter."

For the second time, Alex looked stunned. Then letting out a slight chuckle, he whispered, "You won't believe it, but Lung Fung is my parents' place. I am Alex Lee and if I show up with you on my arm, we are certain to cause a ruckus."

"Why? Because I look white?"

"No. Because you are an attractive woman...the only woman whom I have brought to their restaurant. I am their one and only son...a wayward one as my dad puts it...and a disobedient son was my mother would say. I've got to warn you that you may find yourself being subjected to my mother's unholy inquisition."

"Hmmm, I do love a challenge. Let's say our goodbyes...give our lame excuses...and go. My girlfriends will think that I'm a real slut for leaving with you, but if things work out, they soon will be in the sack with your friends."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Aiyah!" exclaimed the woman behind the cash register as soon as Alex walked through the front door. "Our neglectful son has finally come to visit his poor parents! Come, husband, see 'your' son before he disappears."

When Dez stepped out from behind Alex, his mother stopped, clutching her chest as her eyes bulged. "What? And who...who is this?"

With his parents, the entire restaurant staff, and many of the customers staring, Alex pulled Dez next to him, and with his arm casually draped around her shoulder, he calmly looked at his parents before uttering, "Mom...Dad...meet Dez. We are...well, this is our first date...of sorts. Anyway, she says she likes Chinese food, and we.."

"I know you," Alex's dad said as he moved around his rotund wife. "You come here often...after work and on the way home. You usually order steamed choi sum with oyster sauce, sweet-sour pork, and shrimp fried rice. You look different. Usually, you're dressed in your high school gym clothes and my young waitresses say that you were their physical education and health teacher. Welcome. It is good to finally meet you."

"It's good to be finally introduced to you, Mr. Lee...and you too, Mrs. Lee."

"Call me Walter...and this is my wife, Dorothy. Thank you for bringing our son home...even if it is for a short visit and a bite to eat. Perhaps with you around him, you might be able to persuade him to come more often..."

"Hah, if your son was more respectful of his parents, we would not have to make such wishes," interjected Mrs. Lee. "Our son could be a corporate lawyer and making money. But does he listen to his mother's wisdom? No! Hmmph, he defends low-life criminals who have little or no money. Aiyah!"

"Mother! Stop that or you'll drive our son away...again...and we will lose a loyal customer in Dez."

Not one to let a husbandly rebuke slide, a wife of forty plus years had to have the last word. "Bah, well, we don't have many white customers..."

"Ha! I have you there, mother. Dez is not actually white. Believe it or not, she is Asian...or at least a quarter-Japanese from her mother's side of the family."

Once again, Alex's mother was rendered speechless. Quick to take advantage of this rare paralysis of his wife's sharp tongue, Walter Lee quickly ushered his son and date to a table behind a screen so that they were out of sight from the cash register and his wife.

"You must excuse my rather emotional wife," apologized Walter Lee to Dez. "She means well but, as my son can testify, her way is not always the best way. But enough chatter, I hope the two of you are hungry. What can I get for the two of you?"

Alex kicked back in his chair and said, "Up to you, Dez."

"Ah, Mr. Lee, you know what I normally get. Why don't you suggest something different to celebrate Alex's visit and our first date? Please not too much or else I'll have to run extra laps tomorrow. A girl has to watch her figure, you know."

"Okay, three dishes. Hmmm, let's start with a half-order of Peking duck with plum sauce; crispy pan-fried cake noodle with mixed seafood; and Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce. If you want, two individual bowls of white rice will be provided."

"Sounds simply delicious, Mr. Lee. Thank you for your selections and hospitality."

When Alex's dad placed the order and then went to placate his steaming wife, Dez reached across the table to squeeze her date's hand. "Thanks for introducing me to your folks. Sorry...I didn't realize there some 'friction' between you and your mom."

"My mom is a typical Chinese mother...bossy, outspoken, and always expecting to get her way. She did that throughout my formative years, making me get good grades and not wasting my precious time on things like sports. As you might guess, I suck at anything athletic. But once I went to college and then law school in another state, her hold over me loosened. When I returned home, my mom thought she could bully me to go into corporate law, but when I chose to be a defense attorney, we had...ahh...a falling out.

"As it stands, my parents have my mobile number but don't know where I live or much more. You are the first glimpse into my personal life and for that matter, the first woman they have seen me in my thirty years of life, Sorry for my mom's comments...if it wasn't for my dad...ah, here comes the food. Enough talking about me, tell me about you."

Dez shared between bites that she had been a tomboy growing up much to the bewilderment of her gentle and ultrafeminine mother. It was only when her mom threatened to send her to charm school that Dez began channeling her boyish and rough ways into more acceptable sports. "My only rebellion against my mother's threat was by calling myself 'Dez' instead of my given name...'Desiree.' What cruel parent would call her one and only child a name that means 'desire.'"

"Anyway, playing sports led me to become a physical education teacher and health teacher. In addition, I coach girls' soccer in the fall and lacrosse in the spring. My girls keep me busy and I've become an informal counselor and go-to confidant. You wouldn't believe the stuff that is shared with me. Some of my girls are so well-developed and sexually active that they make me look like a physically immature twenty-six-year-old spinster."

"But you're not, are you...a spinster?"

Dez flashed Alex a toothy grin. "I'm twenty-seven, single, and straight. The rest is for you to find out for yourself. Hey, I'm stuffed. Dinner and our conversation were fantastic...and even though I just met you, I feel very comfortable with you. I don't know about you, Alex, but I'm open to continuing the night. Maybe we could say, do so at my place which is a couple of blocks from here."

"Ouch, you're twisting my arm! Of course, I'm open to your place and learning more about you. But let's stop by the next-door liquor store and buy some chilled champagne? Okay...good. Come on, let's get this over with...mom will lecture me about not being a dutiful son...and dad will refuse payment... but just hang in there with me."

True to form, everything that Alex predicted happened. It was then that Dez stepped up and took the money from her date's hand to press it into the hand of his father. "Take this please, Mr. Lee. Your son just won a case in court this afternoon and it's his way of celebrating with you."

Then looking at his parents, Dez calmly said, "Thank you, Mrs. And Mr. Lee, for your hospitality and delicious food. It was a pleasure to meet you both. You should be proud that Alex is one of the city's top defensive attorneys with a reputation that precedes many others who have been in the field much longer."

Then stepping close to Dorothy Lee, Dez softly whispered in her ear, "I promise that if Alex and I stay together, I will make sure we visit your restaurant more often."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"God, Dez, I've never seen my mother speechless for three times in a night!" Toasting her and taking a deep sip of his champagne glass, Alex continued, "And all because of you. Oh, where have you been all of my life?"

"I've been here...just waiting...to be discovered," Dez purred as she took a deep slip. "I'm glad that we found each other through a bizarre blind-date. Then on an impulse, she lightly kissed Alex on his lips and murmured, "I could get used to this..."

"Do you know that we're a prime example that opposites attract? I'm a closet-tomboy... a jock...who loves the rough and tumble...and barely made it through school and college. You, on the other hand, are a well-educated Chinese nerd who is thoughtful, methodical, and articulate...respected in the court system...with a high acquittal rate, but a klutz when it comes to sports. What do we have in common that can explain our attraction to each other?"

"I never question a good thing...just go with it," was Alex's only comment as he let his lips and tongue speak volumes, addling Dez's wits until she threw her arms around his neck and pulled Alex to her. His hands then drifted from her face down her chest to caress her modest breasts, moans of yearning escaped her parted mouth as Dez felt her nipples harden immediately and extend obscenely, and her throbbing pussy moisten with her growing sexual excitement.

"Wait, Alex! Things are happening really fast...ooh...how do I say what I want to say... okay...so here goes. First of all, I'm not some kind of an easy fuck (excuse the language). I've never done this before...meet a guy and invite him to my place...you're the first. And next, if we continue getting intimate, I need to know that this will not be a fricking one-night-stand. Alex, I am still unattached because I am looking for that special someone...a guy who will be committed to me and open to a long-term relationship.

"Lastly, if we do what I think we're about to do, I need you to know that I'm not on any form of birth control. I never had cause or desire to be on it...until now. I'd like to know what you will do if I should have an 'oops' moment and find myself preggie?"