Joe looked up as the bar's door opened. "Lauren, you're
early. I wasn't expecting you for an hour."
"I know, but I need the time to show her the ropes." Lauren
responded, pointing to the young woman behind her.
"I remember you. You're Laura. You sat in the corner
reading during the entire last forum party and wound up
going home with Methos."
"Just my luck. I finally get the new Vicki Bliss and he
picks that night to want me. Not that I'm complaining, I
just wonder how it ended."
"Didn't you finish it?"
"No, I was working on it the next morning when he woke up
and threw it out the window. And, well, by the time I got
down to the lawn the goats had eaten it. One of the
sisters volunteered to lend me her copy when she's finished
but until then I have to wait in suspense."
"So why are you here?"
"She offered to help out this week with the contest."
Lauren interjected. "And we should really get to work."
Joe's had been chosen for the twentieth annual Barman blues
contest and needed temporary help to handle the extra
customers. Lauren walked Laura around, showing her the
price list, where the supplies were in the back room, etc.
By the time they were finished, the bar was starting to
fill with customers. At the bar was Duncan. The women
stopped at the bar to talk and grab cokes during what would
probably be their last break for hours.
"I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. I'm
Duncan MacLeod." he said, holding out his hand.
"I know, I'm Laura." she responded, taking his hand.
Joe yelled something from the back and both women went to
help him. The three came back with Joe carrying one box,
Lauren another, and Laura empty-handed.
"You know I'm happy to have you here, Laura, but we're
going to have to come up with something else to call you.
Your name sounds too much like Lauren's." Joe pronounced as
he began unloading boxes.
"We could call her H.B.," Lauren suggested, "It's the
initials of her harem title."
"Good idea." said Troll Princess who was filling the nut
dishes.
"What do the initials stand for?" asked Duncan, seeing the
rising flush on Laura's neck.
"Harem Bedwarmer." she choked out before rushing to the
other side of the room to take an order.
"She's different from the rest of the harem, isn't she?
She's shy." Duncan commented.
"Only until she gets to know you and then you won't
believe the things that come out of that strange mind."
Troll Princess informed him and added, "Some things only
Harem Dancer understands and others have started spewing
contests."
Later, when everyone was temporarily happy, Laura wandered
back over to the bar for another coke to refuel.
Duncan, because he liked it when she blushed, began with "I
don't think I saw you during the panty raid."
Laura managed not to choke on her coke and respond calmly.
"I was pretty busy with Richie."
Duncan, remembering the warm welcome Richie had said he'd
gotten, felt a stab of jealousy that both Methos and Richie
had been with this woman who apparently had no use for him.
Just then, Joe came over and asked if she would stay late
and help clean up so he could give Lauren the night off in
appreciation of all her hard work. Laura agreed and went
back to her own work.
The next night, Duncan walked in to see Laura and Joe
laughing at the bar.
"First Methos, then Richie, and now Joe." he thought
furiously and vowed to be as charming as he could. "Joe,
H.B., how is everything?"
"Oh, hi, Mac. H.B. was just telling me a joke that you
should hear."
"I'd love to hear it." the highlander turned to Laura with
his best smile.
"Maybe later, I have some work to do." she excused herself.
"Real smooth, MacLeod, real smooth." Joe laughed.
"Well, how did you do it?" he demanded angrily.
"It just sorta happened, you know? Just don't push it."
The rest of the week, MacLeod subtlely courted the
strangely
elusive haremite.
On Friday, after the end of the contest, he persuaded her
to stay at his loft instead of making her way home alone
since Lauren had found somewhere else to stay.
Saturday night, Laura returned to the bar to report to
Lauren ending with, "You were right. Playing hard-to-get
does drive them nuts. And thank you for your help." she
said to Joe who had drifted over.
"Hey, no problem, I live to serve the harem. You know you
were a good waitress, too. You've still got a job here if
you decide to stay a while. Just remember, you don't have
to play hard to get with me."
"Thanks, I'll think about that." she winked at him.
And that's how I became a BarMaid.
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