Feel Me

Chapter One

She wheeled the cart to a stop, curiosity avid on her face as she asked, "Where's the lady?"

Martin reached for the bottle of champagne nestled between the crystal cubes of ice in a small bucket and popped it with ease, "She left." He replied simply, setting the bottle gently in front of him.

"Why? If you don't mind me asking?" she inquired plating the order with expertise.

"A disagreement ensued and we quarreled. Prompting her to take her untimely leave." He watched her closely, "I was staring at you and she got jealous. Simple as that."

Lydia paused and glanced at him with a blank look. "Inukwa." She muttered with a slow shake of her head. "What do I do about her food, would you prefer it packaged?"

"How about you have the meal with me instead? I'd prefer your presence to hers." He invited.

She gave him a polite look with a subtle hint of mockery in her accented voice, "Yet you took pains to invite her here. No, thank you. Unfortunately, sir, I prefer to have my food properly cooked before eating it. This doesn't qualify as cooked in any way. It's practically coated with spices and dripping with blood once sliced open. All in the name of "prefect texture and juiciness." If you understand where I'm coming from."

He laughed at her bluntness which lasted for a full minute and two seconds.

Lydia scowled slightly. There was nothing amusing in what she said. "Then, if you will excuse me, sir. I have this packaged and brought to you shortly."

He stopped her with a hand over hers, partially engulfing it in a firm yet gentle clasp. "Please stay, I insist."

Her gaze landed on the over hers then reached with the other hand and gently pried it off, "It's against the rule for the staff to fraternize with the costumers, sir. Pardon me, but you'll have to eat that uncooked meat and salad all by yourself." She gave him a patronizing smile "Excuse me." With that she wheeled the cart back to the kitchen.

Martin stared back at his plate with a contemplative pause and after a while, a brief laugh left his lips. He liked her frankness.

*

Lydia slid the plate on the steel counter "Esiri, I need this to go. Table 12 by the window." At Esiri's stare, Lydia smiled coyly "It's time for my break." She left there and scanned the vast room which made up the kitchen then walked up to a woman with lush raven curls. She leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Have lunch with me."

The woman started with a gasp and whipped her head to see who it was, "I told you to stop doing that. I'm bloody jumpy."

Lydia giggled "Sorry."

She narrowed mocking eyes at her, "No, you're not."

"No." she said unrepentantly. "Have lunch with me, Susannah. I want talk you."

"Alright, let me finish up here."

Lydia glanced left, "Sure. I'll get the chips from Toran and we could get coke from the vending machine on the way."

"Ok."

Lydia moved to Toran, a cinnamon skinned boy two years her junior, getting hot fries from the deep fryer unto a large paper plate which she deftly snatched ignoring his protests.

"I was about serving that."

She gave an indifferent shrug, "Fry another. I doubt Brennan knows what goes down here from his office." She leaned forward with an impish smile and a voice to match, "Unless you tell him the usual way... on your hands and knees."