Bar B Que Bill

One day in early March Bill went to the café for morning coffee. Many of the normal customers were deep in conversation and Beth Anne was beaming. Bill asked her what the excitement was all about and she stopped in shock. She returned to his table and sat beside him. She said, "I can't believe you haven't heard Bill. Yesterday afternoon and evening the FBI and State Police arrested Larry Tate and all ten of his senior managers for several offenses. They allegedly were evading taxes, engaging in blackmail of women for sex, committing sexual harassment of almost all the women employed in their office and several other offenses. I'm surprised Simone didn't tell you. From what I hear she and Carrie were two of the women who provided much of the initial information to the police. Carrie wore a wire for almost six months gathering evidence! Sam is so proud of her! Bill those assholes forced all of the mid manager's wives into prostitution to save the husband's jobs! No one was promoted to mid management unless the upper management was screwing their wives. A few of the men supposedly knew about it but I understand there are going to be several divorces over this also. I know four of the women have already been kicked out of their homes by their husbands. This is the biggest thing to hit Centerton in years!"

That evening after Simone got home Bill caught her and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and looked down into her face. Bill asked, "I hear you've been hiding things from me woman. I heard in the coffee shop this morning that you and Carrie were involved in the Blodgett company arrests up to your pretty little eyes too. I'm proud of you. I'm glad ole Tate is going to get what's coming to him."

Simone's eyes glistened and she smiled then said, "Thank you Bill. I just wish Terry felt the same way. I still can't believe he wanted me to get involved in that whole mess. I thought he loved me but now I think all I was to him was a pussy he could use to get his promotion. Every time I see him in town he still makes some disgusting comment to me about how I fucked up his life. I hope he does get time when his trial comes up."

As Bill's business picked up Simone began helping him prepare and serve the meals when she was home from school. They drifted back into the easy friendship they enjoyed when they were younger. Simone refused to let Bill pay her for the help. She informed him it was her way to pay for the room he furnished her and the microwave and refrigerator.

By the time Bill began to take his smoker to the farmer's market once again in the spring he was involved in a thriving food service business. He began getting requests to cater private affairs and even some business meetings in the early spring. He found himself so busy he hired two women to help. Neither of them worked full time for him. They both helped in his little lunch shop and with the catering. Shortly after she was hired one of the women lost her apartment. Bill allowed her to move into an upstairs bedroom also. She too insisted Bill let her work free part of the time to pay for the room.

After Simone obtained her MBA she continued living in Bill's upstairs. She insisted on doing his books, paying his bills and helping with his business when she had time as payment for her room. Her degree emphasis was business management with a minor in accounting so she was very useful. Simone also obtained a full time job at one of the smaller companies in town so between doing that and helping Bill some evenings and weekends she had almost no time for herself or dating. She became what is commonly known as a workaholic. It seemed after her relationship with Terry flamed she had no interest in anything except school and later her work.

Bill found himself enjoying the company of Simone and Misty more and more. They became almost like a family. They would sit and visit many evenings on the patio and while they were working on the meals. Bill felt lost when one or both of the women were away from home of an evening. When he knew they were on a date—which was rare then later nonexistent for Simone—he was as nervous as a father might have been. From what was said the women felt much the same when Bill was out getting his ashes hauled. They all knew about each other's love life and discussed them in great detail as friends are wont to do.

One evening after a particularly hectic catering gig Bill and Simone were relaxing on his patio before they went to bed. They had everything cleaned and put away and were drinking a couple of beers. Both were slumped down almost lying in a lawn chair across from each other. Their feet were resting on an ice chest using it as a footstool. Simone took the last swig of her beer, dropped the bottle and pulled another one from the ice chest between them. When she settled Bill found her resting her feet apart on the ice chest. He felt his cock stirring. He was looking up her short skirt and even in the darkness he thought he could see a bare pussy winking at him.

After Simone leaned back in her chair once again she rested the beer on her belly holding it with both hands. She looked over at Bill and said, "Bill what happened to us? We fit together so well but." Simone looked away from Bill and stared out into the darkness a moment then continued, "What was wrong? I mean look at us now. We're sitting here like an old married couple. We know what each other is going to say before the sentence is finished a lot of times. We work well together. We live together more peacefully than many of our married friends."

There were beads of moisture in the corner of Simone's eyes when she looked at Bill. She continued, "Why did you dump me senior year Bill? I've never understood what I did that made you dump me. I loved you so much Bill and you left me!" Simone's shoulders were shaking from her silent sobs. She stopped talking and looked at Bill waiting for him to answer.

Now it was Bill's turn to look into space. He sighed and looked back at Simone. He said, "Mostly I was being an asshole I suppose. I was young, dumb and full of cum. You said you loved me but you wouldn't make love with me. Hell, I never even got to play stink finger with you. Angela was one of our friends and she would fuck me. Hell, I cheated on you Simone. She and I hooked up one evening after one of our dates and I fucked her. I asked her out for the next Friday night. When she said yes I never took you out again. Oh, don't get me wrong. I liked her or I would probably have just tried to keep her on the side. I was an asshole back then you know but damn she was as pretty as you, was almost as nice as you and gave her pussy away. Why the hell did you think most of the boys dated her?"

"You dumped me for a piece of ass? How could you? I loved you. You said you loved me too and you threw that all away for pussy?"

"Look Simone." Bill looked out over his yard once again. He was silent for several seconds then sighed and looked back over at Simone. He continued talking, "Hell, we were between our junior and senior year of high school. What was love? Did we have that kind of love, the permanent kind? You know I missed you a lot after we split. I never felt the same about Angela as I did you. I never enjoyed just being with her and talking to her. Pretty much all we had was sex. I don't care what many people say but you just cannot have romantic love between a man and woman without sex. At least I can't. It's easy as pie to have sex without love but for me at least you can't have true love without the physical side of the equation. Sex holds it all together and you wouldn't give that to me.

"I liked you a lot, hell, I could have and probably did love you but I needed the sex too Simone. You were a damn prick tease deluxe. Then the next boy you went steady with fucked you. How do you think that made me feel? Then I knew you really hadn't loved me. I knew then we were just friends and that was all we would ever be."

Simone was crying while she listened to Bill. She wiped the tears off her face with her fingers and said, "You dumped me because I wouldn't fuck you? You really didn't love me did you Bill? And you're wrong about the other too. I never did screw Andy. In fact that was the reason we broke up too. He began talking about me and I found out he told everyone he was fucking me. We had a big argument and broke up. Terry didn't get any from me until after we were engaged and he was my first Bill."

Simone looked at Bill sadly, stood and almost ran into the house. Bill sat drinking his beer. He stared into the darkness and thought about the conversation just ended. He felt bad for Simone. Hell, he felt like a heel period and he really didn't know why. Well he knew why. He had hurt Simone once again but dammit she asked why he broke up with her. What was he supposed to do, lie?

Bill sat his partly empty beer bottle beside his chair. He rose and walked slowly into the house. He heard the upstairs shower going. He moved into his bedroom undressed and took his shower also. Even as exhausted as he was it took him a long time to go to sleep. He kept thinking about Simone and him when they were in high school.

The next morning Bill was pouring his first cup of coffee when he heard steps behind him. He turned just as Simone walked up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him gently. She laid her head on his chest for a moment then stepped back and around him. She handed him his cup of coffee, got a cup for herself and poured it. Without a word they walked out of the house and took their chairs on the patio. They looked out across the back yard and slowly, quietly sipped their morning elixir.

Finally Simone looked over at Bill. She smiled and said, "Thank you Bill. I always wondered what happened to us. It hurt then and it hurts now but at least now I know what I did wrong. I'm not sure I agree with your statement last night about love but at least I understand. I think you can have romantic love and postpone the sex but maybe that's a woman thing. I don't know."

Simone looked over the yard once again and continued sipping her coffee. When her cup was empty Simone rose, took Bill's cup from him and went into the kitchen. She filled both cups and returned to the patio. After she handed Bill his cup and sat down again she said, "You know Bill I still love you. I never loved Terry like I do you. I don't think I would have screwed those men even for you but I know I would have had more trouble refusing if it had been you that wanted me to do it. I'm so, so sorry I messed us up Bill."

"Don't be Simone. You did what you felt was right. I can't say I'm too proud of what I did back then or even what I'm still doing. I think for most boys and men sex is, oh, I don't know; maybe more important? Maybe it is a more powerful drive or something? It seems to me as if women use sex to broaden or deepen a relationship or maybe even to express their love and men use it as more of a stress reliever. For a woman the sex seems to be the end of the journey, the icing on the cake and for men it's mostly what it's all about. Oh, hell, I don't know what I'm even trying to say. I just know sex is maybe more important to a man. CRAP. No normal man will stay in a relationship long if there isn't sex involved. I do know that."

Simone smiled over at Bill and said, "Yeah, I don't know how to say it either. I just know I can't just have sex with someone just because I'm horny. I have to have more than that. I can't have sex because I have feelings about a man either. For me it's something very special and I need to have it all tied up in a nice package. I need the love, the commitment then I want the sex. Oh, don't get me wrong. I went home almost every night we were out with wet panties. I wanted you so bad I cried some nights but I just couldn't let you do it. I'm so sorry Bill."

"Damn it Simone stop saying that. I'm sorry too but that doesn't change anything." Bill stood and moved toward the house. Just before he opened the screen door he asked, "I'm going to make breakfast. Will you have an omelet with me?"

Simone smiled and moved to join him. "Yeah I will Bill. Your omelets are the best I've ever eaten. You know I'll have one whenever you offer." After a quick hug Simone moved to the small kitchen table and sat down to watch Bill work his magic on the stove.

Simone just couldn't let their conversation of the last night and earlier that morning goes. While she watched Bill cook she ran the conversations through her mind and mixed them with her memories and feelings from high school and the present. As Bill was placing their breakfast on the table she made up her mind. Simone looked over at Bill and smiled. She said, "You know Bill I wasn't completely honest with you earlier. What I told you was the truth but it wasn't the complete truth. Many women and I am one of them, won't willingly have sex with a man if they don't love them but we also want to be dominated. We want our man to be macho, manly and to take what he wants."

Bill looked shocked when she said that. He looked at Simone then said, "If you felt that way why did you refuse Larry and his friends when they tried to take you inside?"

"Bill you weren't listening to me. I said that I wanted the man I love to take what he wants and to dominate me. I never said I wanted to have sex with just any asshole. I don't care if someone I thought loved me wanted me to screw him or not. Women like me don't want to be hurt or anything but we want the feelings we get when a man of strength doesn't put up with our bullshit and after he has us on a hair trigger he takes us roughly sometimes. I like gentle lovemaking but sometimes being slightly forced by the man I love really lights my fire. Those sessions sometimes really send me into the stratosphere. Bill I would have made love to you in high school but you never pushed the issue. When I played hard to get you backed off then finally you seemed to just stop trying. You were the only boy I would have fucked in high school but I LOVED you Bill. All you had to do was TAKE me. I wasn't being a prick tease and you know it."

"Bullshit Simone. From my side of the fence you were a prick tease. You kissed me and played with me. You let me do the same to you then you shut me down. A man sometimes wants his woman to meet him more than halfway. At least he does before he is sure she is willing to go farther. I even like to have my women ask me for sex sometimes. It is so sexy to know they want me as much as I want them. Back then I didn't want to hurt you. My mother and later my father taught me that NO means NO. You always told me no so I left you alone and went to someone who told me yes."

"Oh Bill we really fucked it up didn't we? I am so sorry."

Finally Simone seemed able to let the conversation die. While they finished their breakfast the conversation moved to other topics. One topic they discussed was expanding the business. Most of the people in town that knew Bill and Simone kept asking why they didn't have daily evening meals. Bill was doing almost all he wanted to do and knew if he served evening meals he would be tied down even more. Besides he would have to either move into town with his business or remodel the old garage. They discussed costs and benefits.

Just before they finished talking Misty came dragging downstairs and got involved in the discussion. Bill made it plain that he didn't mind, in fact he enjoyed, making the meals but he didn't want to be tied up in a kitchen all night. He also didn't want to bother with the long hours and cleaning the restaurant if they opened one.

Misty looked at Bill and Simone then said, "I just love the food service business. That is what I was studying in college until I had to drop out. Bill you cook and make the fixins so well for the BBQ and Simone you take care of the business end great. I would love to run the dining room and kitchen if you would open a restaurant. I love taking care of the lunch crowd now and I think the restaurant would be such a blast. I think I know how to prepare simple meals to add to a menu to go with your BBQ. We already have Patty working for us part time. We could hire two or three more people to help in the kitchen and wait tables and give Patty more hours. I think we could do great. We could open for lunch seven days a week and serve supper Wednesday through Sunday. I know we could do it."

After Misty finished her small breakfast the three walked out to the old garage and looked it over. The old office area was already in use as a lunchroom. They had a small counter with six stools and three tables for the lunch crowd to use. What was once the parts storage area was being used as the kitchen now? There was a commercial cooler installed, deep dishwashing sink, stainless work counters and two used cook stoves. There were also two small household microwave ovens as well as storage shelves for dry products. Currently they served all their meals either in Styrofoam carryout boxes or paper plates using plastic eating utensils.

Bill and the women looked over the kitchen area then walked out into the garage bays. They looked around and measured the room. Finally Bill said, "I think we can use the two center bays for the dining area. We can probably get 24 four person tables in the two bays easily and if we crowd a little we could get 30. If we start with 24 we can expand if we need to. I want to keep the third bay with the workbench as it is so I can still do some mechanic work on my own machines. It shouldn't take too much money to convert the two bays. I think we could build the tables and maybe even some benches for people to sit on but I want to check out the second hand stores first to see if I can buy something cheaper."

The next month Bill and the women spent all their free time working on the conversion of the garage into a restaurant. They were lucky that they could use the old restrooms from the garage with just a little renovation. Many old service stations and garages had only one small restroom but for some reason his grandfather put two in when he built the garage and they were "two holers". When they went to the second hand stores they decided to buy old dinette tables and chairs as well as a couple of sets of used café dishes and silver.

When they were ready to open the place wasn't fancy by any means. It was clean and bright. Bill used slabs from a local sawmill and galvanized metal for his interior and exterior wall coverings to give the restaurant a rustic appearance. Now they had to decide on a name. Bill, Simone and Misty were sitting on the patio late one night discussing the business. They agreed on a grand opening beginning in six days on a Friday but still had not settled on a name. Finally Simone looked over at Misty then Bill. She smiled and said, "You know people are calling you Bar B Que Bill now. You're famous for your BBQ. When your family operated the garage here it was the Junction Garage. Why don't we call the restaurant Bar B Que Junction? It fits somehow don't you think? We're even located at the junction of two well travelled roads so the name fits in that way also."

Bill and Misty looked surprised. They both began smiling and Bill said, "Damn Straight. I like it. I'll paint the sign tomorrow. Will you go to town and put an ad in the paper and get some fliers printed off like we discussed? We'll hand them out and post them around to see if we can drum up some business.

Bill and the women were so busy with the construction and catering business they almost missed the news when Terry, Larry Tate and his entire top tier of management were convicted of various crimes. Their sentences ranged from five years for Larry to probation for a couple of the newer mid level managers. Terry got six months for his assault on Simone.