2 comments/ 23884 views/ 1 favorites The Birthday Dinner By: amber_now26 Note: This was written long before "The Girls in the Band" and doesn't have the same kind of character development, but I hope it's kind of a fun read anyway. Special hugs to the two people for whom it was originally written. *************************** They were so alike in so many ways. They shared the same birthday, the same deep-down decency that was a joy to discover, the same ill-defined sense that that they didn't quite have a right to what they wanted. And Jocelyn loved them both. She also knew that both Josh and Annie deserved everything they wanted -- and more, so much more. Tonight, she would make sure they got it. When she had invited them weeks ago for a joint birthday dinner, Jocelyn knew in her heart that she wanted to give them more than just one of the special feasts she had learned to prepare during her stint at the Culinary Academy. There were other skills she possessed that she wanted to share with them. But a simple seduction seemed so out of place. Sure, they had flirted with each other. And there was some obvious physical attraction. But it had been put off too long, she thought. Now it would be awkward and possibly jeopardize the friendship that meant so much to them all. And with Annie, of course, there was the other issue. While Jocelyn's golden-haired neighbor from downstairs talked openly about a sexual appetite that seemed nearly out of place with her scrubbed-clean good looks, she had often made it clear that her partners of choice shared one trait: they were male. It was while pondering that problem that Jocelyn's plan was born. "Remember, this isn't about you," she reminded herself. "Try to think about someone else for a change." And once those thoughts began, they took on a life of their own. * * * * * As the three friends drained the last drop from the second bottle of Muscat Blanc, Josh sighed contentedly and asked, "So when do we get to unwrap our presents?" "It's ... it's, well, it's kinda the other way around," Jocelyn replied. Josh and Annie looked at each other before turning their heads simultaneously to stare quizzically at Jocelyn. "I thought us blondes were supposed to be the vague ones," Annie finally said. "What's this about?" "I took a little chance here," Jocelyn explained. "If I made a mistake, I want you to be honest and tell me, OK? But ... listen, how about I shut up and just show you what I got you for your birthdays? Come with me." Intrigued by the mystery, Josh and Annie followed Jocelyn out her front door and down the narrow hallway. When they reached the end of it, Jocelyn knocked lightly on the door of another apartment, which was quickly opened by a diminutive young Asian woman covered only by a bath towel. She giggled at the shocked look on the faces of her visitors before gazing at Josh and saying, "Happy birthday, I'm Lin and I'm your present ... or part of it anyway. Come in and meet the rest." Shifting her eyes to Annie, Lin hastily added, "Both of you." There was a hint of fear in Annie's eyes, but before she could voice it the door opened wider, revealing a tall, slender man "dressed" the same as Lin. "Don't worry, gorgeous," he said with a smile, "Joc isn't out to convert you." Josh and Annie stared at each other and murmured as one, "What the fuck?" Barely suppressing a giggle, Jocelyn blurted, "Now you've got it! Fuck is the operative word tonight -- and you both are gonna get as much as you want. From Lin and Greg and from ..." "The rest of your presents," said a sultry voice that barely preceded a dark-eyed brunette into the front hall. "I'm Sonja," said the voice, which belonged to a woman whose towel was tied low enough to display breasts that defined the word spectacular. "And this is Antonio" she added with a nod over her shoulder toward a serious-looking Mediterranean whose misplaced towel revealed his greatest asset. "They're yours ... all yours," Jocelyn said to her friends. "And unless I hear a 'no' out of one of you in the next ten seconds ..." she added, dangling fours strips of velvet provocatively. Several seconds of silence slipped by before Annie broke it. Reluctantly turning her eyes from Antonio's crotch, she looked into Jocelyn's face and said with a wink, "Happy birthday to me!" Jocelyn told the four "presents" to wait a few minutes while she led her friends to the bedroom. "Now you two just be quiet." As Josh and Annie stood silently, Jocelyn moved back and forth between them, undressing them and telling them how much she loved them. Josh's boxers were the last to go and Annie whistled appreciatively at his erection. "Guess you weren't going to say no, huh?" she asked. Jocelyn urged the pair onto the bed -- Annie's head at the head of it, Josh's on a pile of pillows at the foot. "Now put your arms out." With that, she secured their wrists to the four posts of the bed in a manner so efficient it made her friends wonder if their birthday hostess had more than a little experience at this. Once they were tied, Jocelyn parted Josh's legs, then spread Annie's so that they were draped over Josh's. "I know how much I will enjoy seeing each of you be pleasured, so I want you to be able to see each other." With one last loving look, Jocelyn called out to her "four play" as she had come to think of them and as each -- except Antonio of course -- entered the bedroom another towel was added to the pile on the floor. Greg and Sonja climbed onto the bed. "We held a drawing -- and we won," Greg said, flashing a grin before leaning down to suck one of Annie's hardened nipples into his mouth. Josh's cock twitched at the sight of his tethered friend writhing in response to Greg's mouth. "Oh, you like to watch someone being sucked?" Sonja teased. "Hmmmm. Let's see if Annie does too." Flashing a quick smile at Josh, the brunette lowered her head to his crotch. Now there was hint of teasing, no light licks or nibbles. Her lips parted to encase the head of Josh's cock as her head continued its downward movement, forcing his shaft over her tongue and into the opening of her throat. "Oh my God!" Lin whispered almost reverentially as the last of Josh's cock disappeared into Sonja's mouth. Josh's eyes darted wildly as he looked first at the beautiful woman weaving her oral magic on his cock and then at Annie's pussy being spread wide as Greg wiggled two fingers inside of it. Although he had spent hours fantasizing about Annie, Sonja's mouth made him forget for the moment about anyone else. Each time she pulled her head back, she tightened the grip of her lips around his cock, tugging at head of it, before opening wide again to dip down and swallow him completely. Annie had been fascinated by the girl's cock-sucking skills, but it was Greg's fingers that now captivated her. Not even her favorite toy felt like this as he spread, crossed and wiggled his fingers inside her pussy, caressing the walls and finding each of those special spots that made her moan in exquisite pleasure. As the room filled with sounds of sex, all other sounds melted away until finally Lin hoarsely whispered, "Hey, you two, we're supposed to be fucking them -- remember?" Neither Greg nor Sonja need any more urging. The taste and feel of the birthday twins had them more than ready. Sliding his fingers from Annie's cunt, Greg positioned the head of his thick cock against her opening . As he pressed down, her wetness enveloped his shaft, pulling him deeper inside. The two rocked back and forth against each other, the slippery sounds of their fucking mingling with the groans they couldn't suppress. "That's just exactly what I want to do," Sonja purred as she knelt above Josh's crotch. "Except not that slow," she added as she sank down on his cock "Know why I really got to go first?" she panted as she rode up and down. Because Joc knew I wouldn't last if I had to wait. I love to fuck and I want to cum all over this beautiful cock." Annie had her own beautiful cock and was planning to do the same thing to it as Greg filled her repeatedly. There was something almost mystical about the way he would twist his hips as he bore down on her, forcing his cock to bend upwards and drag against the roof of her pussy. Unconsciously, he matched Sonja's rhythm as the two thrust and pumped their way toward orgasm. It was Sonja who won. With a scream that sounded as though her soul had been torn from her, the brunette shook with the intensity of her cum. Annie knew exactly how she felt. She could feel the same primal sound racing up her throat as Greg sank deep inside of her cunt one more time. "Cumming!" she managed to gasp out before words were totally beyond her and her pussy convulsed greedily around the cock inside of it. Her contractions had barely subsided before Greg pulled quickly out of her and shot a stream of cum that landed between her pinkened tits. This was too much to resist, Josh thought. But just as he was about to explode Lin knelt beside him and purred, "No, baby, save it for me." Somehow -- God knows how -- he managed to hold back as Sonja milked the last of her orgasm from him before rolling off the bed along with Greg. Now it was Lin and Antonio's turn, but before they could get onto the bed, Jocelyn whispered, "Wait. Give me just a minute." This doesn't have to be totally not about me, she thought with a grin. "Relax, you two, I won't bite." But she did bite, just a little, as she nibbled her way down Josh's cock before swirling her tongue around it, licking Sonja's cream from the shaft. Finally satisfied that she had given him a thorough cleaning, Jocelyn turned toward Annie and gave her pussy one long, slow lick. "I hope you don't mind, love," she said with a smile. "I just had to have one taste. Now back to what you like," she added with a wink. And there was nothing for Annie not to like about Antonio when he inched his cock into her. It was a bit longer than average and more than a bit thicker, but what she noticed most was how hard it was. There was no give to it as she squeezed against it, just an almost unnatural steely feeling that stretched her and forced her lips to pull back each time he entered her, creating a delicious pressure on her clit. Lin, meanwhile, had wasted no time in taking advantage of Josh's cum-deprived cock. Planting her feet on either side of his hips, she had lowered herself like a catcher dropping into his crouch. But the only curves in this game were those on her tawny body as she bounced up and down. Her relentless fucking made Josh glad that he had been able to hold off so that he could enjoy her. But he also knew it would be brief. Sonja had brought him so close. And then Jocelyn had shocked him with her mouth. Now this tiny girl's tight pussy was more than any man could resist. He felt his balls tighten, his shaft throb -- and then it hit. A wave of pleasure beyond any he had known. His arms thrashed futiley against the restraints as he felt his cum explode into Lin. As Josh erupted, Annie felt her second orgasm welling inside her. There was no finesse to what Antonio was doing her, just a steady rhythmic thrusting that pulled her inexorably along. At her first contraction, she heard him grunt. No, no this time, she thought. "Don't pull out!" she called, and as her cum rolled over her she felt the heat of Antonio's first shot filling her. * * * * * * * * * * * Sonja, Greg, Lin and Antonio had eventually gathered themselves and slipped away, leaving the three friends alone. Now Jocelyn busied herself with untying the other two. And as each one was freed, she kissed them softly and murmured, "Happy birthday to the best friends a girl could have. The Birthday Dinner Annie stood before the "Action" section at Suncoast Video with a frown on her face. In her hands were all of the Terminator DVD's. Looking down at them she muttered to herself, "Well, it's not what I'd want for my birthday, but if this is what Paul wants, then this what Paul gets!" Its not that Annie didn't like action movies. She had pretty much been a tomboy while growing up. As a kid, she played basketball and hockey, mostly against boys, and had held her own, too. Heck, she's probably gone to every action movie that's ever come out. Yet, for Paul's birthday, she wanted to get him something nice, something romantic. Despite her tomboy beginnings, Annie was very much a woman and she had a very traditional view of courtship. Well, perhaps courtship was too strong a word. She liked Paul. More everyday. Sure, he had his bad points. Who didn't? He had a tendency to walk ahead of her a step or two when they went out, and Annie didn't like that at all. And Paul could be a little immature at times. If she hadn't caught him on the rebound, she might not have gone out with him at all. Paying for the videos, Annie put them in her bag and began walking back to work. She had used her lunch hour to run this errand and needed to get back to the office. As she walked, she was aware that most of the male passersby were looking at her and she enjoyed the attention. Annie was a formidable sight. Nearly 6 feet tall, with blonde hair and an athletic body, Annie had turned many a head throughout her life. She enjoyed her femininity just as she enjoyed her ability to compete with men head-to-head. Annie met Paul shortly after breaking off a tumultuous relationship with a married man. She knew that her fling with Robert wouldn't last. He had an unhappy marriage, but was unable or unwilling to leave his bitchy wife. Annie had grown up a block over from Robert and had secretly loved him all of her life. While she could handle herself with any other boy, both physically and intellectually, she turned into jelly whenever she was around Robert. There were many times when she tended to tell him how she felt, but when the moment of truth came, Annie always faltered. Robert went away to college and eventually married. Annie heard about the marriage and was devastated for while, constantly cursing herself for her lack of courage with regard to Robert. She settled for a guy named Jimmy and got pregnant. Jimmy was a jerk. He wasn't dependable and treated her badly. They never married and a few months after the birth of her daughter, Annie left Jimmy and the small town in which she had grown up and moved to the big city. There she raised her daughter and made a home for them both. Annie promised herself that she would never let another man treat her badly. There would never be another Jimmy. Annie had a friend named Alex who had developed a thriving real estate business, and he offered her a job. As time went on, their relationship grew into a partnership. Alex was a real go-getter. He was a whiz in the real estate game but could come across as ill-tempered and uncaring at times. These first impressions often went by the wayside as people got to know him and he helped them get the property they wanted. Any thoughts of Robert diminished with each passing year. All that changed the day that Robert walked through the door of their office. He was looking to buy some property in the city and a friend had steered him to Alex. When Annie saw Robert, all of her old feelings for him came rushing back in a tidal wave that nearly overwhelmed her. When Alex went to introduce Robert to his associate, Robert recognized Annie immediately. It was all that Annie could do to retain her composure as she greeted him. Since Annie knew Robert, Alex asked her to handle the project. Annie was filled with mixed emotions. All of her old desires had resurfaced and she didn't like it. Her life had been calm and serene and now here was this man, stirring things up again. After that initial meeting Annie asked Alex to take her off the project but Alex insisted that she was the logical choice, because she knew Robert. So over the next couple of weeks Annie spent a lot of time with Robert. As well as the business at hand they talked about their time growing up, and about their lives since. It didn't help that Robert had begun flirting with Annie. It only served to intensify her old feelings. Robert complained about his marriage and even said that he was a fool for not noticing what a wonderful girl Annie was when they were growing up. Well, to make a long story short, Annie fell into an affair with Robert. But the initial joy of finally getting her man shortly gave way to the realization that she didn't want to be the other woman in his life. It was clear he wasn't going to leave his wife and she couldn't and wouldn't tolerate being his mistress, so after the property deal was done, so was their affair. To Annie, she had to be number one. There was no playing second fiddle for her. No man would take advantage of her. That was rule number one. That's when Paul entered the scene. Annie met Paul playing tennis at the park. Annie was there with two girl friends, Lynn and Alyssa. Their fourth for doubles had cancelled at the last moment and the three of them were left playing two against one. Paul had just finished a game on an adjacent court and had begun watching from the sidelines. Lynn called to him and asked if he wanted to join the game. Paul smiled and bounded onto the court to join Lynn against Annie and Alyssa. After the game, Annie stayed behind to collect her things and began chatting with Paul. By the time they said goodbye, he had asked her to dinner. Annie liked Paul right from the start but never really thought of him as a long term commitment possibility. With her friends, she referred to him as her boy toy. Lynn and Alyssa thought that Paul was hot and Annie was sure that anyone of them wouldn't mind stealing him away from her. He was amazing in bed, but lacked some of the refinements she looked for in a man. Actually, Annie preferred slightly older men. Paul was 36, only one year older than she was, but he acted much younger. Most of the men Annie had dated were in their early forties and she even went out with a man in his fifties for a time. These men know how to treat a woman and could provide the both the intellectual and physical stimulation Annie expected. But, as they continued dating, Annie started seeing more of Paul's charming side and she knew that he was crazy about her. She liked that adoration, even if he didn't know how to express it quite to her satisfaction. Annie's plan for Paul's birthday was to take him out to dinner. She thought it would be fun to go out with Alex and his fiancée Chloe. Then after dinner, she and Paul would go back to Paul's place for presents and snuggling. Although the Terminator movies were his official gift, she liked the thought of herself being the real present. The offer was made to Alex at work so that he could make arrangements with Chloe. Annie then called Paul to tell him of her plans. She was surprised at the silence at the other end of the line when she told him that Alex and Chloe would be joining them for dinner. "Do we really have to go out with them? Paul asked. "I was hoping to spend the whole evening with you!" Paul's tone made it clear that he wasn't happy with Annie's birthday plans, at least not the dinner ones. Realizing she had blundered by setting up the dinner with Alex and Chloe without consulting Paul, first Annie quickly tried to pacify Paul. "It's okay, Paul. I'll cancel Alex and Chloe. I'll tell them that you had something else planned for us. I'm sure they'll be okay with that." "Okay, Annie. Thanks," came Paul's whiny reply. A minute later, and before Annie could get up to go talk to Alex, the phone rang. It was Paul again. "Listen, Annie. It's okay. We can go to dinner with them. Just so we can have some time alone later. Okay?" "Okay, Paul. If you're sure its okay with you. It's your birthday after all." So the plans were set into motion. Annie was to drive over to Paul's house and Alex and Chloe, who lived within a few miles of him, would come by to pick them both up. Then the four of them would drive to the restaurant. Taking great pains to look her best, Annie put on her slinkiest black dress, one that highlighted her two best features: her long legs and her full breasts. This should knock Paul's socks off, she thought to herself, as she admired herself in the mirror. Since she was planning on spending the night at Paul's, Annie's daughter was going to sleep over at a friend's house, so she had to drop her off before going on to Paul's place. When Annie arrived at Paul's house, he answered the door with a frown on his face. It was clear that Paul still wasn't totally happy with the situation. He didn't even compliment her on her outfit. Annie regretted going ahead with the evening's plans. She told herself that she should have just cancelled Alex and Chloe, even after Paul called her back. This could be a long evening, she thought to herself as she came in. Laying her small gift-wrapped package on a little table near the door, she tried to lighten the mood by joking, "And no peeking at your present until after dinner." Paul managed a feeble smile and offered Annie a drink while they waited for the other couple to arrive. Just as they were sipping on the wine Paul had just poured, they heard the sound of car pulling up. "Oh, jeez, they're here already? Paul grumbled. Annie put her glass on the table, saying, "We'll have that glass and the rest of the bottle when we get back" and then taking Paul's hand she pulled him out of the door and into the back seat of Alex's sedan. Inside the car, on the way into town, Alex and Chloe made small talk. Annie joined in but was very aware of Paul's silence. Ok, she thought, he's not going to enjoy this dinner, so afterward, she'll make it up to him. No one enjoyed sex more than Annie, but she would go all out for Paul tonight. Suddenly, Paul's cell phone rang. He pulled it out, flipped it open, looked at the display, and then snapped it shut. A few minutes later, the phone rang again. This time, however, Paul didn't even bother to take his phone out of his pocket. "Don't you want to get that, Paul? It's probably someone wanting to wish you happy birthday," Annie suggested. "No, it's nobody important," Paul replied in a voice that made Annie think that he was hiding something. A short while later, Paul's phone rang again, and this time he shut it off. Knowing that he was popular with the ladies, Annie figured it was a woman, and that Paul didn't want to answer the call while she was with him. Well, that's okay, she thought. After all, she had other male friends as well. It was nothing to get alarmed about. Once at the restaurant, the situation didn't improve. The four of them had a table near the front window and Paul wasn't pleased with that. He didn't like the menu choices and had to settle for something he really didn't want. Alex tended to dominate the conversation, as he usually did. Annie was used to him, but it seemed clear that Alex was irritating Paul. Sitting next to Paul, Annie tried to grab his hand under the table, but he recoiled from her. As they ate, Annie caught Paul looking at his watch from time to time. Was this dinner so annoying to him or was there something else he had to do? she wondered. Just as the plates for the main course were being removed, Paul looked at his watch, leaned toward Annie and said, "I'm sorry, Annie, I have to go." Annie was stunned. "What do you mean you have to go? Where do you have to go?" Tossing his napkin onto the table, Paul got up and said. "I have to go." Alex and Chloe looked on in silence, utterly surprised by the turn of events. "Well, what about me, Paul?" Annie asked? "Maybe you should just go home," Paul replied coldly, as he turned to leave the restaurant. Annie looked at Alex and Chloe with a helpless look on her face. "Well that was rude," said Alex. "What could possibly be his problem?" The three of them watched Paul through the window as once he emerged from the restaurant. He had his cell phone out and was clearly calling someone. With his back to the window, they couldn't see his face, but his body language indicated that he was angry. Finally, he stormed off to the taxi stand, and got in a cab and drove off. Sitting there fuming at how she was just treated, Annie asked Alex to take her home. He quickly paid the bill and the three of them left the restaurant and took Annie back to her house. Arriving at home, Annie pulled her cell phone out of her purse and turned it on. There were five missed calls from Paul. "The rat," she thought, "he's calling me after humiliating me tonight? Well, let him stew for a while!!!" Annie spent a restless night. Why would Paul treat her so badly? Why did she have such bad luck with men? How could she have been so wrong about him? The next morning she thought about calling him, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Somehow she felt that that would be giving in and Annie never ever gives in. Especially not to a man who had mistreated her. On the other hand, Annie was curious as to what happened. Deciding that writing Paul an e-mail wouldn't be giving in, she sent him a short note telling him that she was very hurt and confused by his abrupt departure from dinner. Trying to make it sound like a joke, she even asked if he had someone else he had to meet that was more important to him. Over the next few hours, Annie checked her e-mail every fifteen minutes. Finally, she got this reply from Paul: Annie I don't like to communicate my thoughts and feelings in an e-mail. I've invested a lot emotionally with you, but it feels like the next day after a one-night stand. I'm very upset and disappointed. You didn't even bother to ask me why I left you so spontaneously on my birthday. Don't you care? And I don't have someone else more important that you. After months of being together, can't you figure out that I'm in love and have been totally devoted to you? Perhaps YOU should be more attentive. I'm hurt and upset by your behavior. Paul "He's hurt and upset?" Annie said out loud. "Why didn't I ask him why he left? Why the hell didn't HE tell me why he left? I'm not the villain here. No man can treat me this way." What about the phones calls he was getting? What was up with that? Why leave in the middle of dinner? Annie tried to figure it out but nothing added up. Taking a deep breath, Annie replied to his email, explaining that she used e-mail because she could better collect and express her thoughts. She told him that she didn't like that he put the blame back onto her when HE was the one that left HER so abruptly. It was his responsibility to give her an explanation, not hers to ask why. That e-mail marked the end of their relationship. Annie never talked to Paul again. After a few months, she heard that he was engaged to a woman that works in his building. Paul was a handsome man. He was used to women practically throwing themselves at him. This was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, he had always had lots of girl friends and lots of lovers. On the other hand, he never developed very many interpersonal skills when dealing with women. He didn't have to. They wanted him. He could do what he wanted. If he wanted to play hockey, he'd play hockey. If his girlfriend didn't like it, there would always be another one to take her place. Things changed the day he met Annie at the tennis court. He could never remember seeing a more beautiful woman. Annie was tall and athletic. When he joined their game on Lynn's side, he was amazed at how well Annie played. She was nearly as good as he was, and he prided himself on his ability. As they chatted after the game, Paul asked her out to dinner. It was not a big deal. He always asked a new woman out, and they almost always accepted. It was only at dinner that he realized that Annie was no ordinary woman. She was smart and funny and very independent. He got the feeling that she was not overly impressed with him. For the first time in his life he felt a little intimidated by a woman. In all of his other relationships with women, he had never really taken the time to get to know them, not really. It was mostly about him. He would ask a woman out, eventually he'd seduce her, they'd have great sex, and he'd move onto the next one. There was always a next one. With Annie, however, things were different. It was Annie that could take or leave the relationship. He even had the feeling that she was using him for sex just as he had used so many other women in the past. It was Annie's indifference that somehow made him want her. Paul was in uncharted territory. He was falling in love. Annie had many male friends. These weren't people she dated. As far as he knew, after the two of them had started going out, she wasn't dating anyone else. But he saw how men looked at her as the two of them walked along the street. He saw how at ease she was with them. Annie could joke and kid around with the best of them. Yes, Annie had many male friends, and Paul was jealous of all of them. For the first time in his life, he was insecure. Paul knew that he could lose Annie at any moment. Sure, she liked him but he wasn't sure if she could grow to love him, at least not like he loved her. And the worst of these male friends was Alex, the guy she worked with. Alex was smart and rich, two things that Paul wasn't. Worse still, Alex was arrogant and often obnoxious. Annie kept telling Paul that Alex was an acquired taste, but Paul knew that he would never, ever like Alex. Alex had a special relationship with Annie. They were co-workers. But they were also friends. Annie would go over to Alex's place to watch TV after work. Paul knew that Alex had a girlfriend, and that just made it harder for him to understand the relationship between Annie and Alex. Paul's birthday was coming up and he was looking forward to spending the evening with Annie. There was this girl at work, Kristy, who was interested in him. In the past, Paul would have encouraged her. He was always adept at juggling the attention of more than one woman at a time. But now, with Annie, Paul wouldn't think of anyone else. He tried to slough Kristy off, but she was persistent. When Kristy found out about Paul's birthday, she asked what he wanted as a present. Paul got the impression that Kristy had already picked something out: herself. When he received Annie's calling telling him about her dinner plans for him, Paul was caught off guard. How could she even think of inviting another couple to dinner on his birthday. And especially the hated Alex? Paul balked at the idea. When Annie told him that it was no big deal and that she would cancel Alex and his girlfriend, Paul breathed a sigh of relief. After the call, he started second guessing the situation. Would Annie think less of him because he didn't like her dinner plans? Couldn't he tolerate the dinner if he had Annie to himself later? Paul's insecurity got the better of him and he quickly called Annie back to tell her that her dinner plans were okay. As he was waiting for Annie to come over on his birthday, Paul started fuming again. Why did Annie want to bring Alex along? Why did he call her back and agree to it? When Annie arrived, she looked lovely, but Paul was, by now, too upset to notice. In the car on the way to the restaurant, Alex's constant chatting began grating on Paul. He hoped he could make it through dinner. Then everything would be okay. When his phone rang, Paul looked to see who the caller was. It was Kristy. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her, so he closed his phone without answering. Two more times on the way to the restaurant, his phone rang. He knew it was Kristy. Why wouldn't she leave him alone? After the last call, he shut off his phone. The Birthday Dinner In the restaurant, everything irritated him. The table. The menu. And most of all the conversation. Alex and Chloe chatted incessantly. And Annie laughed at Alex's jokes. How could she enjoy this idiot? Paul looked at his watch. Oh, god, has time slowed down? Will this dinner never end? Annie was giving him dirty looks. She was laughing at Alex's jokes and giving him dirty looks. How much more of this could he take? Paul needed to get out of there. In his distorted state of mind, he came up with the idea of getting up to leave and then coaxing Annie out with him. What excuse could he come up with? Maybe he'd take her aside and explain things to her. She'd see things his way, wouldn't she? When Paul got up and announced that he had to leave, he saw the shocked look on her face. Was it contempt he saw? He couldn't bring himself to take her aside. He just left. Why did he do that? Outside he pulled out his cell phone and tried to call her. There was no answer. Paul was angry and frustrated. Angry at himself for being so stupid and frustrated that he couldn't get through to Annie. He thought about going back in and talking to Annie. He would tell her how he felt about her. How he loved her. But Paul couldn't do it. He couldn't go back in and look like a fool in front of Alex. That would diminish him in Annie's eyes, and he already felt so small as it was. That night, Paul tried Annie's number several times. He left voice messages. She never returned his calls. He was getting angry. Did she care so little for him? Didn't she want to know why he left? Paul felt angry. And desperate. And alone. The next morning he received the e-mail from her. It was cold. She accused him of having another woman. How could she not know he was in love with her? How could she be so blind and uncaring. When he replied to her letter, Paul was angry and hurt. Yes, he made a mistake at the dinner. But if she loved him, she would see that wouldn't she? He blamed her for her indifference. Her reply back to him was colder still. It left him stunned. It was over. He knew it. She didn't love him and there was no hope of her ever loving him. The next few weeks were hard to get through. Never before had Paul felt the hurt of unrequited love. He looked for some comfort and solace in the arms of another woman. Kristy was attentive and more than willing to console him. After a few months, they got engaged. He never saw Annie again.