Mistress Cruel Love Ch. 05

Summoning up his courage, Markus slid off the stool, strode down to where Mary was sitting and took a seat beside her. He looked straight ahead, saying nothing at first, until Mary broke the silence.

"Hi there! Having a good time tonight?"

He peeked over at her with a sheepish expression on his face. "...Hey Mary."

The hand not holding her drink flew directly to her chest as she hopped up in her seat. "Oh my god! Markus?!?"

"Shhhhhh..." he said, holding a finger to his painted lips.

"I... I had no idea!" she exclaimed. Her eyes were wide as she scanned him up and down.

"Mary, I swear to you, this is not something I normally do!"

She let her hand slide from her upper chest. Her eyes returned to normal as she adjusted to the surprise. "What do you mean? Is this your first time? Did you lose a bet? Help me out here."

"Something like that. Look, what I need you to know is this... The woman who brought me here ditched me and I've been very nervous ever since."

"Oh" she giggled. "Sounds like someone's having fun with you."

"You could say that."

"Why don't you just leave?"

"It's complicated."

Mary's giggles broke into outright laughs. "Okay, now I think I know why you're here!"

Markus couldn't tell if it was the alcohol talking or if she really thought it was funny. Either way, Mary hadn't reacted to the revelation poorly, so he didn't care.

"Listen, could you do me a huge favor? Let me hang with you for the next hour or so? Assuming you're planning to stay that long. I don't want to ruin your fun, but it would mean a lot to me."

Mary leaned back in her seat and took another sip of her cocktail. She looked at Markus dreamily, leaving him in suspense for a few moments before answering.

"Of course I will. Don't be silly."

"Thank you! Needless to say, no one at work ever hears about this. Right?"

"Naturally."

Markus breathed a sigh of relief.

Mary stirred her drink before returning her gaze to his sissified form. "I'd like to know the rest of the story, though."

He nodded. "Sure. I owe you that much, at least."

The voluptuous secretary chuckled while scanning him up and down a second time. "Hope you don't mind me saying... You make one hell of a sexy maid!"

* * * * *

8:44 PM

SHIREEN

Hey beautiful, where you at? You can't keep dodging my texts! I did what you asked and now we got a date to plan!

Hi Markus. I promise I'm not avoiding you! It's just been a crazy week. Beyond crazy, really. I'm having a glass of wine to unwind. And to celebrate!

Celebrate? What's the occasion?

Some very good news. Although, I'm sorry to say, it may seem like bad news to you.

Oh?

I just got a big promotion. One I've been working for a long time. Higher salary, bigger office, the whole nine yards.

What? That's great! Congrats! Why would I think that's bad news?

Because it comes with certain conditions. I'll be moving away. Very soon. They want me halfway across the country by next week.

Oh. I see.

Yeah, my life is kind of being upended. I'm not even gonna have time for a proper move. I'll be relying on Heather and Darius to pack up and send most of my stuff. I'm going to be living out of a suitcase for a while.

Yeah, I get it. Your career comes first. No time for a date before you go. I understand.

I'll be flying back whenever I can to see my friends. I promise, you'll still get that date! You earned it.

It's all good, girl. I'm happy for you.

Thank you for understanding, Markus. I'm having a "goodbye" get-together Saturday night if you want to join in. We'll be getting drinks and having fun at Dango's!

Yeah, maybe. Let me see how my weekend is shaping up.

Of course. You take care, slutty maid. I'll be in touch. ;-)

You too, Queen of Kink.

* * * * *

"Ooof, that's rough" Mary imparted as she looked at him with genuine sympathy. "Some pretty terrible luck on your part. I'm sorry it turned out that way."

"I don't know" Markus replied with a shake of his head. He took a swig of his drink before continuing. "I feel like I was kidding myself about Shireen all along. Like it wasn't meant to be, you know? It might be for the best."

The duo sat at the table of a local diner, waiting for their lunch orders. It was Friday afternoon, the time they'd agreed to meet and debrief after their encounter at the club. Markus found Mary surprisingly easy to talk to, even after the conversation shifted to his recent woes.

She'd always been kind to him and helpful at the office, but Markus was gaining a whole new appreciation for the busty brunette. Not only had she shielded him at the club, but she'd been very understanding about his predicament. Aside from a few booze-fueled chuckles, she'd been nothing but considerate. Mary was the shoulder he needed to cry on right now. He certainly wasn't going to tell Darius about his cross-dressing adventures any time soon.

"Markus, you showed incredible courage and an open mind by getting out of your comfort zone like that. Maybe it would've blossomed into a relationship with her and maybe not, but the important thing is, you know how to treat a woman. And you're not afraid to let her take the lead. Any woman would be lucky to land a guy like you."

He sighed and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Mary. Yeah, I gave it a shot. At least I won't regret not trying."

"And you got a hell of a story out of it!" she said with a sly grin and a wink. "Even if it's only me you're telling at the moment."

Mary was dressed in one of her typical office outfits; a thick, gray one-piece that glided over her pudgy curves. Her ample sweater puppies jutted out from the stretchy fabric and her perfume wafted across the table. A series of white and silver necklaces dangled down from her neck, contrasting nicely with her dress and drawing attention to her most prominent assets.

Hairstyle aside, her glasses, outfit and full figure reminded Markus of Velma from Scooby Doo. The nerdy cartoon girl had been one of his first crushes as a boy.

"So, is that why you go to the club? You like it when women take the lead?"

"I think it's a nice change of pace" she replied confidently. Mary lifted her coffee cup and took another sip. "I'm no Dominatrix or hardcore deviant, but I'll admit, I get a little thrill out of it. When you're my age, you get your thrills where you can. It's either that or subsist on those cheap romance novels they write for bored house wives."

"Your age? What's so bad about being thirty five?" Markus asked with a grin.

Mary laughed giddily and waved him off. "Oh, stop! See, I knew you were a smoothie! I've seen you hit on women at the office."

"You have? Damn, I hope I wasn't being too obvious..."

"You weren't. Or your ass would've been reported to HR and booted, by now."

"Good point" Markus noted, his eyebrows lifting as he nodded his head.

The waiter arrived with their food and they both dug into their lunches. Markus had a delicious burger platter while Mary enjoyed a bowl of tomato soup and a pesto grilled cheese. They chatted about work as they ate. As the meal wound down, they shared a few tales about the crazy things they'd witnessed inside Club Ishtar. Many laughs were shared before it was time to head back to the office.

"I got this" Markus announced, signaling for the check.

"Oh, thank you so much" Mary responded with a smile.

"No problem. Let's do it again some time."

"Or, instead of lunch" she perked up. "Why don't you come over to my place for dinner? I make a hell of a lasagna."

Markus' eyes opened wide at her sudden and very forward proposition. He knew she was single, so there was a good chance she was asking for more than just a dinner guest.

"The problem" she continued "is that I always have too much leftover. So I don't make it often, because I hate throwing out food."

The waiter came and took Markus' card. Markus waited for him to shuffle off before responding.

"Throwing away good food is certainly a shame" he answered, smiling back. "And I gotta be honest, you hit my weak spot there. I love a good lasagna."