The Businessman Ch. 02

Hello, readers!

I've taken on board your comments about various things and tried to address them in some way. I've also tried to begin to provide a sense of closure on the Alice/Cara sexual experience, which I accept was somewhat unpleasant in nature.

This chapter is completely different to the first, I think you all knew that the story in general wasn't going to focus on Alice and Cara – the name sort of gives it away. Now that I've moved into beginning to develop the actual story between Cara and Ryan, I ask that you please give this a chance after the brutal scene between Cara and Alice.

Additionally, please could we try and make any comments constructive rather than abusive and about the actual story and not about an almost irrelevant factor?

Thanks, B

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Cara sighed and cleared the table before moping back to the kitchen. Dan was inside, his tables had all already left and he had made himself a drink whilst he was waiting for the last two tables, which belonged to Alice that evening, to leave. 'Aren't you driving?' Cara frowned at the drink in his hand.

'I am... What's gotten into you?' Their boss, Marco, allowed them one alcoholic drink on their shift after their tables had left. A kind of reward for a night of dealing with all manner of customer demands.

'I got groped, leered at and whatever else for a $22 tip on a $178 bill. That's what? A 12% tip?' She rolled her eyes and continued piling dishes into the dishwasher. 'Oh, but he did leave his number...Yay.'

Dan laughed lightly, 'It's shit, Cars, but that's how it goes sometimes. At least you got a tip: one of my tables paid with exact money, can you believe it? Did the rest of your tables tip well?'

Cara smiled; he always made her feel better somehow. 'Much better than Mr-Inflated-Ego and his merry band of assholes. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.'

Alice's tables paid and left and the three began the process of close down. It was gone midnight before the trio left the restaurant, each saying their goodbyes until the following evening. Cara and Alice walked the few steps to Alice's car and drove back to their apartment, where both soon departed for their rooms and slept until late morning – it was a Sunday after all.

***

The rest of the week was largely uneventful. Cara only worked Fridays through Monday due to her hectic class schedule but soon it was Friday and she was headed to work once more. It was a lovely afternoon, warm with a light breeze, and Cara decided upon walking into work – Alice was already there having worked the lunchtime shift too.

'You didn't call...'Hewas there. Leaning against the wall, fixated upon a cigarette between his fingers; he wasn't even looking at her.

'Oh, that's what that was for? I thought you'd left your number so I could pick up the rest of my tip.' She tried to walk past him.

'Whoa, there. That was a bit cheeky wasn't it?' He was smiling, teasing her. 'What was wrong with the tip?'

'$22 on an $178 bill? That's 12%, which doesn't really cover my rent. I honestly don't mean to be rude, Ryan, but I put up with being groped when I walked past your table and lurid comments from your friends...'

'12.36% if we're splitting hairs, and they're my colleagues, not my friends...' Ryan cut in.

'Colleagues. And after I tolerate what could only be construed as sexual harassment, your table tips me a measly $22. Frankly, it's insulting.'

'It's insulting when you don't call.' He still wasn't looking at her, instead opting for a strained facial expression as he took a drag of his cigarette.

'Maybe if you want a girl to call you, you shouldn't insult her when you tip her.' Cara tried to barge past him and again he stopped her.

'Isn't there another word for a woman who takes money in return for favours?' He was teasing her again.

'Get out of my way, I need to go into work before I am late.'

'You know we paid individually right?' Finally, he looked at her.

'What does that have to do with anything?'

'We all paid for what we ordered – individually. My individual bill came to $32.50, I put down a $50 and told you to keep the change. Now, I'll take the liberty of doing the math and pointing out that is actually almost a 54% tip. I'm a generous guy, and you didn't even call.' He smiledthatsmile as he shrugged and stood upright.

Cara noticed he was tall, very tall. She guessed he had a good eight or nine inches on her, which had to make him 6'3 at the very least. She also took in how incredibly good-looking he was: his hair was styled effortlessly, parted at the side and folded over to make a lazy quiff, its colour matched the emerald green of his eyes perfectly – a smooth chocolate brown with natural lighter and darker streaks running through it. He was exactly her type, apart from the fact that he was incredibly self-indulgent and clearly battling with his ego. 'I'm sure you have plenty of other girls lined up.' He let her walk past him this time.

Just before she disappeared inside the door, Ryan shouted after her, 'Does that mean you think I'm good-looking?' His accent melted her, but she flipped him her middle finger anyway for good measure. Another customer lost, no doubt.

***

'What are you doing here?' Cara was speaking with gritted teeth, angry with him for pursuing her after their earlier conversation.

'I'm eating... This is a restaurant and I am eating. Well I'm trying to, but apparently my waitress is somewhat inefficient tonight.' He smiled again.

'You smile too much. What can I get for you tonight?' She smiled her best fake smile, ensuring he knew she was being austere.

'I think tonight I will have... Oh, I don't know. Surprise me, you choose.'

'You know that never ends well?'

'We both know I'm not here for the food.'

'That's not appropriate, Ryan.'

'What? Coming here for the good music and good atmosphere is inappropriate? Oh and let's not forget the friendly faces that serve you. Do you spit in the food?'

'Of course not!' Cara was unsure whether Ryan was teasing or whether he was being serious.

He answered her question when he smirked and licked his lips, 'Good, I never was a fan of a spitter.'

'You are absolutely awful.' Cara was smiling at his comment, his accent made it sound much less disgusting than she found it.

Cara decided on the chicken Caesar salad for Ryan. She placed the order and returned to his table to ask what he wanted to drink. 'You know it's really sad, eating alone at a restaurant.'

'Do I look sad to you?'

'Overwhelmingly. What can I get you to drink, Sir?' She was teasing him now; this man was getting under her skin. She was flirting, something she was sure she had never done before. She became self-conscious that she was bad at it and hoped he didn't notice.

'I'll just have a Coke, please – I'm driving. Tell me, Cara, what time do you get off tonight?'

'Depends, we have to wait for all the tables to leave, and then we have to do shut down. We usually get out of here just after midnight.'

'Is it forward of me to ask if I could take you for coffee after? Since I can't trust you to call, and to be honest, I can't keepbumping intoyou here, I'll get a reputation for myself.'

'If your table tips like that everywhere you eat, you probably already have one.'

'So... coffee?' He looked hopeful. She wanted to go... She shouldn't go... She was going to go.

'We'll see.' Cara turned on her heels and fetched his drink from the bar.

After she had given him his drink and was waiting on the kitchen to prepare his salad, she continued waiting on the rest of her section – making sure drinks were full where they should be and plates were removed once finished with. She walked back to the kitchen with arms full of empty plates and glasses. 'I see Mr Ego is back. Here, let me help you with those, doll.' Alice grabbed some of the precariously placed plates and glasses and loaded them into the open and waiting dishwasher.

'Don't call me doll. And actually, he seems nice... Charming, if a little crude. He's asked me for coffee after work.' Cara turned her back on Alice to load the remaining plates into the machine.

'You can't be thinking about going, Cara. You don't know this guy. He could do anything to you.' Alice was genuinely concerned for Cara.

'I'll text you where we are and when we arrive. No serial killer shit, ok.' Cara smiled slightly at Alice, whose face was pure worry.

'He can't make you feel as good as I did.'

'Alice... You didn't make me feel good, you made me feel dirty and wrong and although I have forgiven you for that night, I can't and won't forget the way I felt after and still feel now when I think about it. You made yourself feel good and used me as a pawn in your sick little game. Maybe I could've felt good if you hadn't been so forceful and stopped when I asked you to. We were drunk and I understand limits are pushed and were pushed but you overstepped the mark and you have no right to make assumptions about his intentions when you effectively abused me. I don't want to talk about this because we've moved on and it's clear we work better as friends, but you can't try and stop me from meeting this guy because of whatever reason you have, else we're going to start having problems.'

Cara turned to leave the kitchen, Alice staring at her open-mouthed. 'When did you get so assertive?'

'When a random businessman at my table at work flirted with me and made me feel desirable for the first time.' Cara's words cut Alice like a knife. It wasn't that they were cruel or unnecessary; it was that they were true and Alice felt disgusted with herself.

Cara avoided Alice for the rest of the night; she did her job, smiled for the customers and focused on her tasks. All of her tables paid and left, which left Ryan. He had been sat at his table alone and had just kept getting drink top ups since finishing his salad, which he said was a 'great choice'.

He turned around in his chair, trying to catch her attention. She glanced in his direction and he waved her over. 'Is everything ok?'

'Yes, fine, perfect, thank you. Could I have my bill please, love?' He smiled a genuine smile at her. Cara was beginning to think she'd formed the wrong opinion of Ryan. She nodded her answer and went to get his bill, which came to a total of $23.25. She returned to his table and put the plate down. 'Thank you. So, coffee?'

Cara smiled and nodded, 'Yeah, ok then. I'll give you a shot.'

'Great because I spoke with your colleagues and they've said they can cope with close down on their own, which means you, lady, are free to go when your last table leaves. And hey, what do you know, I am your last table.'

Cara rolled her eyes and smiled before returning to the kitchen to speak to Alice and Dan. 'Did my table ask if I could leave early?' The two smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

'Yes! We can manage close down on our own, you go on out with him.'

***

'So, tell me, Cara, what's your story?' Ryan was attracting a lot of attention but he was oblivious – his eyes were on her and the rest of the world didn't exist.

'I'm 22 and I'm in college studying medicine. I work at the restaurant part-time to help with fees and my rent, I live with Alice, she's the other girl waiting tonight. Other than that, I'm really pretty boring.'

Ryan chuckled, 'I find it so desperately hard to believe that, Cara.'

Cara returned the question, asking him his story. 'I'm 27, maybe a little too old for you...'

She shook her head and laughed softly, 'I've always thought age was just a number. Connection is more important than date of birth.' Ryan smiled.

'I'm British, if you couldn't tell. I grew up in London, in an area called Chelsea... It was... Affluent, I suppose would be the word. My father owned some huge business, doing I don't really know what, I never cared to ask. It allowed me to go to law school though, he wanted me to follow him into business but law was always my passion. I studied here as an international student and qualified here and then eventually moved here. Sorry, I'm talking too much...'

'No, no, it's fine. You're so interesting...'

'I'd really like to see you again, Cara. I know it's earlier than early days but I have a feeling about you, and I want to see it through.'

Cara shuffled in her seat and crossed her legs over. Ryan made her nervous, but not in a bad way. He gave her butterflies and she was certain that this was how prospective relationships were meant to feel. They talked about everything, from cars, to travel and music. She loved watching his face when he spoke about something he was passionate about, his face lit up – his eyes twinkled and his mouth caressed the words. She began imagining his mouth between her legs, something she had only experience once and experienced badly. She glanced down at his crotch and pictured his cock; she imagined it to be thick and long... Ryan was asking her if she was ok, she snapped out of her fantasy and answered him, 'Sorry, I'm just tired and distracted about something that happened today.'

'Do you want to talk about it?' Cara shook her head, 'Are you sure, love?' She nodded and yawned.

'I should probably be getting home. I hope Alice is asleep already, I can't face her.' Cara laughed nervously.

'What's the deal with you two?'

Cara waved her hand in the air, 'Nothing really, it's a long story that I'm not really comfortable repeating. I think I'm going to be looking for somewhere else to live soon, though. Although I doubt I could afford somewhere to live on my own, I'm considering moving back with my parents.' Cara's face was sad; her confrontation with Alice had stirred feelings she had buried for so long. She became filled again with contempt and she hated it. She couldn't go back there.

Ryan moved over to her sofa and sat next to her, he put his arms around her and drew her into him, holding her tight. He was telling her it was ok, and the kindness he showed her brought forth her tears. 'Shh, come on Cara, it's ok. It'll all be ok. You don't want to go back there tonight, do you?' She shook her head and snuffled again. 'I can offer you the bed in my spare room, if you'd rather. I know it's sudden and we haven't known one another long but I hate to see you like this and I don't want you to go back there where you're going to be upset. Let me take care of you, please?'

Cara nodded, 'Thank you, Ryan. I haven't brought anything to wear though.'

'Don't worry about that, you can wear a t-shirt of mine. Come on, let's go.' He kissed her head and led her out of the coffee shop with his arm around her waist.

***

Ryan flicked a switch and the apartment was swathed in light. 'Welcome to my pad, it's modest right?' He smiled her favourite smile, in which she was beginning to find comfort.

'Not even slightly modest.' She smiled back at him, she felt safe with him. She liked it.

'Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Something to eat? Would you like to watch some TV or a film?'

'Do you want to breathe between those questions?' Ryan shook his head and said 'no'. 'I'll have a tea, milk two sugars. Nothing to eat, thanks and I wouldloveto watch some TV.'

Ryan prepared her tea and his own coffee and returned to his living room to find her curled up on his sofa. He asked if it was okay for him to sit next to her, to which she agreed. 'I feel like I should kiss you...'

He laughed at her, 'Do you get that feeling often?'

'Only since we went for coffee. I thought you were an absolute ass up until then.'

Ryan pushed her hair behind her ears and looked into her eyes, smiling. Cara put her arms around his neck and pulled him to her mouth. The two began slowly, as if unsure of their actions, but they got into it. Ryan's lust took over, as did Cara's but he knew that she was hiding something that left her shrewd about intimacy so he let her initiate every slight change in their kissing.

She leaned back and brought him on top of her, they were kissing each other hard. Ryan's tongue was invading her mouth and she loved it, moaning slightly every now and again. His weight on top of her felt wonderful as she ran her hands through his hair and probed his mouth with her tongue.

Unable to control himself any longer, Ryan began unbuttoning her shirt slowly, waiting for her permission. Cara nodded, and Ryan continued with speed before unhooking her bra and freeing her small but perfect breasts. He moved away from her mouth, kissing his way down her neck to her chest, licking her nipples and biting gently. Cara's hands were on the back of his head, giving him all the proof he needed that she was enjoying what he was doing to her.

Ryan began kissing his way down to her bellybutton, simultaneously trying to unbutton her trousers. 'Ryan, Ryan. Stop, I haven't... I'm...' He sat up.

'Too fast, love?'

'It's not that. I want this, but I've never been with a man before. I've only had sex with one person before and it wasn't an enjoyable experience. Please be gentle...' Her face showed concern and fright, he had practically just met her but he was determined to make this night all about her, he was going to make love to her. She wasn't just an easy fuck.

Ryan took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. 'I'll be gentle, if you want me to carry on?' Cara nodded, 'Okay, well not here. Let's go to my bedroom, I want it to be special and my sofa will not be special.' She smiled as he picked her up and carried her into his room and placed her gently onto the centre of his bed.

He stripped to his boxer shorts and showed her his impressive physique. He was tanned, with no visible lines and he clearly worked out. He had the beginnings of a six-pack and his flimsy shorts did nothing to hide his growing erection.

Ryan climbed onto the bed by her legs and kissed her stomach. He removed her trousers and kissed the top of her thigh. 'You are so beautiful, Cara.' She blushed and he smiled at her, 'You really are. May I?' She knew he was asking permission to remove her underwear, she nodded her permission and he placed his fingers under the band on each of her hips, he tugged gently and slowly, continuing to kiss her wherever he could. 'Are you okay, Cara? Do you want me to stop?'

Cara shook her head. 'No, don't stop, please don't stop.' Ryan pulled her underwear off and was greeted with her pussy. 'I'm so sorry, I'm not shaved, I meant to but I just... Didn't expect this...' She was embarrassed.

Ryan kissed between her legs, 'You're beautiful and perfect. Spread your legs for me, baby.' She did as he asked and he used his finger up and down her slit, looking into her eyes as he did. He used his fingers to spread the lips of her pussy before he began to lick her. He focused on her clit, moving one finger inside her pussy. His finger came up against her hymen and he kissed the inside of her thigh.

He continued fucking her pussy with one finger, careful not to break her hymen. 'This night is all yours, Cara. I want you to tell me what feels good, what you want, how you want it. My pleasure is not important; don't worry about me at all. I want you to feel good and I want you to see how sex should be between two people.' He sucked hard on her clit, using his tongue to lick circles around it as he sucked. Cara's hips were rolling, her eyes were shut and she was moaning. She put her hands on the back of his head, showing him that where he was and what he was doing was exactly what and where she wanted him to be.

Ryan licked her and fucked her with his finger until she almost came, at which point he stopped and smirked at her. He stood up and took off his boxers, revealing his hard cock. Cara guessed it must be at least 7 inches, and very thick. She was scared and he could see she was. He lay beside her, 'We don't have to, Cara. Please don't feel you need to do this. I will stop and we can just cuddle if you prefer, please don't continue because it's what I want, if you don't want it too.'