Chloe and Millie were at the buffet table when Bill as the others came out of the chef’s office. They were standing alone together off to the side, each with their own plate of food. They had settled by a kitchen truck where they could put their coffee cups down and eat comfortably.
Bill was not very hungry but he absolutely loved the breakfast sausage and bacon, so he took a generous helping of each on a plate with some scrambled eggs and home fries. As he took it, he knew he would not finish it. But that didn’t matter to him. He went over to where Chloe and Millie were, set his plate down on the kitchen truck and went off to get himself a coffee.
“The chef tells me you’re a really good cook,” Chloe said when Bill returned.
“That’s nice to know,” said Bill.
“Your probation is up at the end of January. I checked.”
“Just a formality now,” Bill said. “You must know Caesar doesn’t like me and was trying to 86 me. Not being on probation will protect me against that. Otherwise, it doesn’t mean much. I won’t be changing behaviors or anything like that.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” said Chloe.
Bill set his coffee on the cart and took up his plate. Before he could take anything from it to eat, Millie reached in and took herself a sausage link.
Bill watched the whole thing, saw her slim, svelte, what-he-thought-were-gorgeous fingers wrap around that link. He noted the fingernails, meticulously painted, and wanted to suck them right there. Then he saw her seductively slip that sausage between her lips and bite on it.
No sooner had Millie done that than Chloe did exactly the same thing. Her fingers were nice too, long, thin and nicely tapered with fingernails painted same color as Millie’s. She reached to his plate, took a sausage link and slid it between her lips. As she did so, she looked at Bill and winked.
“New Year’s day will be very busy here,” said Chloe. “The banquet chef tells me you have parties too and you’ll be here all day. “No rest for the wicked.”
Bill smiled. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard this saying recently. He didn’t have much rest now and he wouldn’t have much rest until the banquet season was completely over and The Falstaff Room business quieted down. Bu this was a good thing because he could remember — he would always remember — being broke, down and out and having to borrow rent money from his brother every month.
“Idle hands make the devils ’workshop,” he responded.
“Seems to me we’re in the devil’s workshop here. I know just about everything and I have spies everywhere.”
Chloe slipped the rest of the sausage between her lips. “I’m looking forward to really meeting you,” she said.
Soon as she said it, she turned to Millie. Millie reached into Bill’s plate and helped herself to a rasp of bacon. “She means it,” she said.
Bill knew she meant it but just what it meant was the uncertainty. He had a pretty good idea. Not only did he have a pretty good idea, but he had a good idea of the time frame too.
“I think I’ll come out to eat in The Falstaff Room tonight,” said Chloe. “The ham looks good. So does the turkey. And I hear you’re really good on the grill.”
“Tell the girls to let me know it’s you. I’ll make it special.”
“I may bring Millie with me.”
“Even better,” Bill said. “What kind of spies?” he asked.
“All different kinds,” Chloe said. She winked at Bill again. “So I know you do all the work out there, or just about. And I know all your extracurricular activities too. And I know the Greek mafia has adopted you and the chef likes you. Millie does too.”
“I’m standing right here,” Millie said.
“I know, darling,” Chloe replied to her.
