The Cheesecake Factory was busier than on his last visit; after all, the evening shift had already begun, bringing a crowd with it.
Ethan skipped the hostess entirely and sat at the bar, ordering a beer from the bartender and positioning himself where Penny would spot him on her next pass through the dining floor.
It took four minutes.
“Stalker,” she said, appearing at his elbow with a tray balanced on one hand, but smiling.
“Repeat customer.
There’s a legal distinction.”
“Thin one.” She set down a basket of bread at a nearby table without breaking eye contact with him.
“Are you here for food, or are you just haunting my workplace now?”
“Both.
But mostly I’m here to collect.”
“Collect what?”
“You promised me a new date since you cruelly ditched me,” he teased.
“Since I don’t have anything to do, I’m holding you to the other part.”
“Anything, or anyone,” she asked.
“I plead the fifth,” he said playfully, glad for his improved Attractiveness carrying the moment.
She laughed, shaking her head.
“You’re impossible,” she said.
“Who do you have in mind?” she said as she pointed at a leggy brunette.
“Cherry is always open to a fun night.
You won’t be alone…”
Ethan swiveled on his barstool and nodded toward the far side of the restaurant, where a small blonde was delivering a check to a four-top with the brisk efficiency of someone who had six other tables and no patience for lingering.
“Her,” he said.
Penny followed his gaze.
Then looked back at him.
“Bernadette?”
“Introduce me.”
Penny stared at him for a long beat, her expression cycling through surprise, confusion, and something that landed in the neighborhood of amused disbelief.
“You want me to introduce you to Bernadette,” she repeated.
“Yes.”
“Bad choice.
She’s not the usual crowd.
She is a PhD candidate in something brainac.”
“Good, that’s even more fun,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because I walked in here, looked around the restaurant, and she’s the most interesting person in the room.” He paused, then winked at her.
“Present company excluded, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Penny said dryly.
“But seriously, why Bernadette?
You could throw a rock in here and hit three girls who’d give you their number.”
“I like interesting people.
She looks interesting.”
The words landed, and Penny’s expression shifted.
Not offended.
But something flickered, a small, involuntary reaction that told him the comment had grazed something.
“So, what am I?” she asked, keeping her tone light.
“The dumb friend who makes the introduction?”
Ethan set down his beer and looked at her directly and caressed her cheek.
“Well, if you’re happy to ditch Leonard and accompany me, I’m more than happy change my target.
She’s interesting, just not as much as you,” he teased.
It worked wonders.
A shy smile, and a blush.
“Fine, Casanova.
You made your point,” she said, forcibly laughing to change the mood.
He could have continued, but he let it slide for the moment.
“So, what’s the verdict?
Bernadette, or you?”
“Fine,” she said.
“You want to meet Bernadette?
I’ll introduce you.
But I’m warning you, she’s tougher than she looks.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Penny disappeared into the flow of the restaurant, weaving between tables with practiced grace.
He sipped his beer and watched her intercept Bernadette near the kitchen entrance.
A brief conversation.
Penny gestured toward the bar.
Bernadette glanced over with narrowed eyes, the look of a woman whose default setting for strange men was suspicion.
Good.
He’d have been disappointed by anything less.
He smiled and waved playfully.
They walked over together.
Up close, Bernadette was even smaller than he’d expected.
She had the particular energy of someone who had spent her entire life compensating for her size by being louder, sharper, and more competent than everyone around her.
“Penny says you wanted to meet me,” Bernadette said.
Her voice was higher than expected, almost sweet, but underneath it was steel cable.
“Why?”
“Bernadette, Ethan.
Ethan, Bernadette,” Penny said, then hovered nearby, clearly unwilling to miss this.
“Because Penny’s my friend and I trust her judgment in people, almost as much as I trust my own eyes,” Ethan said.
“I feel that a dinner with you will be fun and engaging.”
“Even if I throw a plate of pasta at you and leave ten minutes later,” she added, almost as a challenge.
“Especially then,” he responded with a smirk.
That answer seemed to break her determination to be angry, which didn’t surprise him that much.
“Fine.
You’re going to wait here, we’re going to a nice dinner, you’re going to pay, and you’re not going to act entitled just because you paid for it,” she added.
“Sounds like a perfect deal,” he added.
“Penny,” Bernadette said, without looking away from Ethan.
“Where did you find this one?”
“He’s my downstairs neighbor.
He plays AC/DC on a cello.”
“That’s …” Bernadette paused.
“Actually, kind of cool.”
“I’ve been told it’s ‘sexy in a weird, unexpected way,’ but I’ll accept cool.”
Penny made a noise behind them that she quickly converted into a cough.
Bernadette’s mouth twitched.
Not a smile yet.
The precursor to one.
She looked at Penny.
“You can leave now,” she said.
“Have fun,” Penny replied, and left.
He didn’t miss her fleeting hint of jealousy.
“So, what do you do?
Besides playing rock music on classical instruments and hitting on scientists trying to limit their student loans?”
“A bit of this and that.
Cello, piano, acting, photography…” he added, then dropped his voice down.
“But, if things get truly dark, and I need money, I do something truly reprehensible, the kind too evil to imagine…”
That made her tense.
“What?” This story is hosted at g.com.
He smirked, channeling his acting skills to look like a hitman.
“I work as a freelance programmer,” he added.
That earned a sharp laugh from her.
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were,” he said with fake solemnity.
“But, I let those fingers serve evil corporate overlords rather than freedom of music…”
“Fine.
Let’s see if it’s true…” she said, and rapidly fired several basic questions about programming, each he answering easily.
“Wow, you’re actually interesting,” she said.
“Wait here.”
As she left, he opened his phone.
First, he arranged a reservation with a nearby upscale restaurant with a piano, then started reading on microbiology, even finding a few papers she had written, her focus on medical research and treatment development.
It wasn’t a topic that interested him greatly, but understanding the basics would help.
Penny swung by with an expression he couldn’t immediately categorize.
“You’re something else,” she said.
“I have never seen Bernadette accepting a date, and she had many offers, and now, she’s begging for my help to put on makeup.”
“Is that good?”
“Jury’s still out.” She picked up his empty beer glass.
“I didn’t know you can use computers,” she said.
“What else are you hiding?”
“I told you I have a lot of hobbies,” he said.
“But, if you want my secrets, you have to work for it,” he added with a wink.
She responded with a smile, but then her expression shifted.
“Good luck on the date,” she said, and walked away, no doubt remembering she was dating someone else.
Once Bernadette came out, he put his phone down, and wearing a blue blouse and dark jeans, her hair down.
It was normal, but her makeup was striking.
“You look good,” he observed.
“What’s the restaurant we’re going to?” she asked.
He told.
“Then this is not good enough,” she said.
“We’re going to stop by my apartment, and you’ll wait downstairs,” she said.
“As you wish,” he replied, amused by her take-charge attitude, which was entertaining from a cute blonde of her stature.
They took a cab, and stopped by her apartment.
She disappeared for ten minutes while he waited, and when she came down, he noticed two things.
First, she changed her jeans to a skirt, short enough to be borderline too much for the first date, but it wasn’t as impactful as the other detail.
That her legs were shaved smooth, a very clear signal about the possibility of success.
Also, her glasses were gone, replaced by contacts.
[Achievement complete.
Seduce Bernadettte
Challenge: Medium]
[+5 Intelligence
1 Random Silver Skill
1 Random Silver Reward]
The reward surprised him a touch, as he didn’t expect it to be medium difficulty.
Not that he was complaining.
Intelligence was tempting, but this time, he went with reward.
[Pack of high-quality bedsheets]
Useful, but otherwise unremarkable.
He expected more, but maybe they were even better than he had expected.
He stopped thinking about it, and turned his attention on Bernadette.
He smirked.
They chatted casually not just until they ended up in the restaurant, but also during dinner.
He let her talk about her research, but not enough to dominate the talk, also talked about music and photography.
“Give me a minute,” he said once they had finished the starters, and waited for the main dish.
There, he had a quick chat with the waiter, then the resident piano player, who at first seemed reluctant, but a twenty-dollar tip ensured compliance.
There, he sat down, playing a few quick pieces, earning actual applause.
“That was amazing,” Bernadette gasped when he returned.
“When you said you could play piano, I expected a few weak touches, not an actual concert.”
“I’m a man of many talents,” he said.
Toward the end of the dinner, she had softened enough for the next step.
He could have brought her to his apartment, and it would have been fun, but he decided to try another path.
“Are you ready for the next part of our fun?” he asked.
“What?” she asked.
“Dancing,” he said.
“No,” she whispered, her eyes widening.
“I don’t dance.
Not at the club.
It’s not a preference, but a policy!”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid,” he teased.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she said.
“I just know what I like and don’t like.”
“How about a bet?” he said.
“Give me half an hour inside, and if you want to leave, we’ll leave.”
“And what’s the reward?”
He winked.
“You have total control over the rest of the night.”
She looked hesitant, but nodded.
“Fine, it’s a deal,” she said.
“But, I’m doing it under protest.”
“Noted,” he said.
Another quick cab ride, and they were in front of a club, with a line in front.
Luckily, bypassing the security was easy, because Haley was also there and he asked her to add his name to the list.
The transition from fluorescent-lit alley to the warm, bass-heavy dance floor was jarring for Bernadette, but the crowd was lively, and the event was good.
Bernadette stood at the edge of the floor with the expression of a woman watching a bacterial culture through a microscope.
Fascinated, but determined not to touch.
“Drink first,” she said.
“No, dance first, trust me,” he said, speaking louder because the music was loud.
“We already had wine.”
“I thought men were supposed to get women drunk.”
“Only to shut them up.
You’re too fascinating to listen,” he replied, earning another blush.
She didn’t say anything as he dragged her onto the dance floor.
He had never been a good dancer before his arrival, but he had three advantages.
First, his musical knowledge meant that he could actually live the beat smoothly rather than acting blind.
Second, his most recent Agility boost meant that his body was no longer stiff when he moved.
He wasn’t suddenly a professional dancer, but it helped.
Most importantly, he was with Bernadette, and the contrast helped him to look even better.
He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around, and they started to dance, the bass of the music infecting their blood.
“First thing,” he said in her ear.
“You’re too tense.
Relax.”
“I’m always tense.
It’s a personality feature.”
“In the lab, yes.
On a dance floor, it’s the enemy.
She stiffened, but as he started moving her, she played along.
Even when he started cupping her tight ass harder than necessary.
He drew her in, the distance between them turning to nothing while he explored her back, and she slowly got in the mood.
It was fun, but it got even better when he noticed a familiar face approaching him in the dance floor.
Haley, dressed in a tiny dress that made her look even sexier, her beautiful eyes looking at him with amusement, and just a touch of jealousy.
Whenever Bernadette couldn’t see, he threw a smirk at her.
In exchange, she got closer to him, dancing with two of her girlfriends, which was part of her club promoter gig.
After all, the presence of unattached girls was the easiest way to drive rich whales.
Flirting with Haley while caressing Bernadette was fun.
“So, what’s the verdict?” he whispered once they reached the mark.
“W-what?” Bernadette asked, as if he had broken her trance.
“It has been thirty minutes, like I promised.
Do we stay or leave?”
She blushed, especially since his hands were still on her hips, squeezing.
“Well, maybe another song,” she whispered as she grabbed his hair, pulled him down for a kiss.
He played along, enjoying her lips.
At the same time, he pulled his phone, and asked Haley for VIP entrance.
He trusted she could get one, because it was not weekend, and that helped.
‘Daring,’ she said.
‘You’ll owe me one, and I’ll collect tonight,’ she wrote.
He sent back a thumbs-up and continued kissing Bernadette.
Then, Haley appeared just as they broke the kiss, and passed a key card with a number on it.
Bernadette was dazed by the kiss enough to follow him obediently.
He showed the key card to the bodyguard, who nodded and removed the velvet rope, and pointed at the stairs.
There were multiple stairs, each leading to a different balcony booth.
His card opened the door to one.
The design of it was beautiful, hiding them from the rest of the club as long as they sat on the couch, but with a balcony to join the fun if one wanted.
“VIP section?” Bernadette asked.
“You look tired, so it’s good to take a breather,” he said.
“It doesn’t look like it,” she said, and considering he pulled her onto his lap and started kissing her neck, she had a point.
She paused.
“We’re not dating, are we?” she asked.
“No.
We’re just two friends having fun,” he said.
“We can stop if you’re feeling uncomfortable,” he added.
He was confident saying that, considering he spent quite a bit of time fueling her arousal.
“It’s wrong,” she whispered.
Any other time, that might have been a scary statement, but not when she started to rock her hips to tease his erection trapped underneath.
“Maybe,” he said.
“But, think about it this way.
You’re busy with your PhD defense, and after that, you’ll enter the busiest part of your career if you take that pharma job you mentioned.
Don’t you deserve a night of fun, maybe a few mind-blowing orgasms?”
“Tonight only?” she whispered.
“If that’s what you want,” he whispered like the devil, happy to watch her unravel.
“Just … nothing happened tonight.
Alright!” she said with a sharp tone.
He nodded in amusement, understanding exactly what she had in mind.
“What happens in VIP room stays in the VIP room,” he whispered.
At the same time, he pulled he freed his shaft from his pants, pushed her panties to the side, and positioned himself, letting Bernadette take the last step.
She pushed down, a moan escaping her lips.
One benefit of long foreplay, he decided, was that her entrance was slick, allowing him to grab her ass and move her.
Her shortness was another benefit in that position, allowing him to move her like a sexy toy, though he had to kiss her to silence her.
Bernadette said nothing, captivated by his assault, her eyes wide and filled with lust.
Her short skirt was bunched around her waist while he pushed up her shirt, revealing her surprisingly sexy bra, her breasts dancing with each push.
He didn’t try anything creative.
He just gripped her firm ass with both hands and pulled her down harder, forcing invading her again and again.
She moaned.
“Try not to cry too loudly.
We don’t want the security here,” he whispered.
She bit her lip hard, trying to stay quiet, but another deep roll of her hips made her whimper loudly.
“Shut up… ahh!”
He didn’t let her adjust.
He started bouncing her on his cock, hard, fast, using his strength to lift and slam her down repeatedly.
Bernadette’s nails dug into his shoulders as she rode him, her tight walls clenching rhythmically.
“Harder,” she moaned, delirious.
He was quick to respond.
Her tiny body lifted as if she weighed nothing, and she gasped.
Then, he saw someone peeking inside.
Just a glimpse, but Haley’s eyes were too distinctive to miss.
He decided to give a show, and flipped Bernadette, and laid her over the couch’s arm, her ass up and looking the other way.
He shoved her skirt higher and slammed back into her in one brutal thrust.
Haley continued to watch.
He fucked her mercilessly, hips snapping forward with deep, punishing strokes.
The sound of skin slapping skin was loud, but luckily, the music of the club was louder.
“You’re such a tiny little spitfire,” he growled, leaning over her back.
Her reactions to rough treatment gave him an idea to push.
“Acting all tough in the restaurant, and now you’re letting me fuck you raw in a VIP booth like a needy slut.”
Bernadette moaned shamelessly at the dirty talk, pushing back to meet every thrust.
“I am not … a slut… I just needed… needed this tonight.”
Ethan spanked her ass hard, leaving a red handprint.
She yelped, then moaned even louder than her pussy gushed around him.
She climaxed.
[Achievement complete.
Public sex with Bernadette in a semi-public location on the first day of meeting.
Challenge: Daring]
[+25 Intelligence
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
That alone made him hum happily as he selected intelligence, still not in a place to gamble with such a big reward.
Then, the second achievement arrived.
[Achievement complete.
Provide Haley with a show good enough to make her climax.
Challenge: Medium]
[+5 Attractiveness
1 Random Silver Skill
1 Random Silver Reward]
This time, he selected skill.
[Intermediate Fashion]
[Uncommon Skill: You are a proficient fashionista.
You’re competent at picking and designing clothes, enough to work as a stylist for minor celebrities, or an assistant designer in a minor operation.]
He had been hoping for dancing, but he wasn’t going to complain about improving his fashion abilities as well, considering just how much it paid off.
Then, feeling daring, he sent Haley a message, asking her to come inside in thirty seconds if she dared.
Then, he pulled Bernadette back to his lap, still inside.
“You’ve earned your rest,” he whispered in her ear.
“Bastard,” she gasped, but she still settled, happy with his presence inside her, her short skirt covering what was going on.
All that remained was to see whether Haley would join them.