The Best Candidate

Chapter 2

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Third Person POV

"You think this will look good on me?" Ella asked Mook as she placed a turquoise tight fitting dress with a low cut neckline against her body while surveying herself in the full length mirror.

Best friends Mook and Ella were at Ella's apartment getting ready for the dinner get together that Mook had planned for Ella to meet her prospective boyfriend Tul, who happened to be Mook's boyfriend's best friend.

Mook studied the dress carefully before saying, "The color does not complement your skin tone. Look for a darker colored dress."

"Wait," Ella said. "Didn't you say earlier that Max said it's a casual dinner? I would feel more comfortable in denims and tees really."

"It doesn't matter what Max wants," Mook said firmly. "You are there to catch Tul's eyes so it would help a lot if you wore a sexy dress. Come let's look carefully into your closet."

After going through several of the dresses that were hanging inside Ella's closet, both Mook and Ella decided on a raspberry red dress that hugged Ella's body very seductively and whose neckline was even lower than the turquoise dress that she had originally picked out.

"I hope Max doesn't ogle at you as well," Mook said with a frown.

"I'd be the first to poke his eye with the dinner fork if I noticed him doing that," Ella assured Mook.

"I'm gonna give Max a call while you put your make up on," Mook said, getting up from Ella's bed where she had been sitting earlier.

Mook walked over to the living room and sat on the couch as she waited for Max to take her call.

"Yes, sweetheart," she heard Max say after three rings. Mook absolutely loved it whenever Max answered her calls with 'yes, sweetheart'.

"Hey, I just wanted to know what time Ella and I should make our dramatic entrance into your living room," Mook said.

"It's only five thirty and I haven't finished cooking," Max said. "Besides Tul informed me that he wouldn't be able to make it to dinner till seven thirty."

"Seven thirty!" Mook whined loudly, making Ella come out of her bedroom to check on her friend.

"Your lipstick got smeared on your chin," Mook pointed out to Ella.

"That's because you made me rush out here to see what was going on with you," Ella complained. "What's going on anyway?"

"Max here says that dinner won't be ready till seven thirty," Mook informed Ella.

"Seven thirty!" it was Ella's turn to whine.

"Right???" Mook seconded Ella's emotion.

"Listen, sweetheart," Max said on the phone, after waiting for the two whiners to calm down. "Even if Tul were to make it earlier, these pork chops won't get cooked till around the time when Tul arrives here."

"And why is that?" Mook wanted to know.

"Because I had forgotten to get them out of the freezer till just half an hour ago," Max explained patiently.

"And I know how you don't want to thaw any frozen meat in a microwave," Mook finished the explanation for Max.

"Exactly, my love," Max said and Mook could vividly imagine him grinning. Mook could only shake her head in frustration.

"Anyway," Max continued, "that would give you both more time to make yourselves look absolutely delectable."

"Tul better be there before Ella and I arrive," Mook said with a pout.

"Can't wait to see you, sweetheart," Max said before cutting the call to rush over to the kitchen to resume his cooking.

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"Why isn't he here yet?" Mook complained as she walked into Max's living room, with Ella following closely behind her.

"He called to say that it's a bumper to bumper situation in the freeway where he's at right now," Max explained. "Why don't you help me set the table while I go to take a quick shower. I can smell garlic all over me right now."

"What did you cook for us?" Mook asked as she walked into Max's kitchen, with Ella again following close behind her.

"I made some honey garlic pork chops and paired them with scalloped potatoes and sweet potato fries," Max said as he hurried to go and take his shower. "Oh and I made some butternut squash soup as well."

"You're so lucky to have such a good cook for a boyfriend," Ella remarked as she helped Mook set the table. "I hope that Tul is a good cook as well."

"He better be," Mook said while pouring the butternut squash soup into the soup tureen.

Mook and Ella had just completed their task of setting everything on the table when the front door bell chimed.

Mook was about to get the door when Ella grabbed her wrist.

"How do I look?" she asked anxiously.

"Good enough to make Tul go cross eyed with desire," Mook leaned to whisper into Ella's ear.

"Good evening," Tul said to Mook when Mook opened the door.

"Umm ... yeah, good evening, Tul, c'... come on in," Mook stammered. She had never seen Tul at close range before and she hated herself for blushing and getting anxious that Tul might be able to hear the loud thudding of her heart against her immaculate white blouse.

"And where is the host of the evening?" Tul asked as he followed Mook into the living room.

"I'm here!" Max announced from the doorway of his bedroom, his hair still dripping wet, a large olive green towel carelessly draped around his waist.

Even as Max gave Tul a welcome grin, Max could not help noticing Tul's deltoids and wide chest and hard abs bulging against the fabric of his simple white tee, his nipples clearly visible as they strained against the material of his clothing.

"Give me a few seconds to make myself look decent," Max said, turning around quickly to go back inside his bedroom.

Max hoped that Tul had not noticed the bulge that had suddenly appeared behind his towel.