[https://img.wattpad.com/8233fb521362fb9d227ab2a2fc6222546e049061/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f435672366c4e6331367964564e413d3d2d313338363738303334382e313738613032313639613135306662653137393338363031373933372e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Chad waited patiently in the lobby for everyone else to come down. He left a message with both Frankie Senior and Doris via text to meet him in the lobby. Surprisingly no one asked for extra time, and he stood there watching for any of them to exit the elevator. The first to arrive was Frankie Senior and Junior as they strolled up to where he was standing. While not as immaculate as Chad, both Senior and Junior still looked very nice in their suits. It wasn’t until the women came down to meet up when them did both Chad and Frankie Senior both get blown away. Both Doris and Rachel were wearing some rather expensive cocktail dresses, some almost as impressive as Chad’s suit.
“Doris,” Frankie Senior started, “You look absolutely amazing, but how much did that cost me?”
“Nothing,” Rachel replied, “Mr. Barrington said I could get whatever I wanted, and I wanted Doris to look amazing tonight as well.”
“I did say that,” Chad confirmed, “And it was money well spent.”
Rachel looked at Chad and seemed impressed. “Vanquish?”
“Number Two.” Chad added.
“Very nice,” Rachel said as she offered him her arm.
“I think we’re a tad overdressed for the dining room.” Doris concluded.
“We’re not going there,” Chad informed her. “There is a car waiting to take us all to an establishment deserving of our attire. This way, please.”
Chad walked them all to the limo that was waiting outside. The driver was already out of the vehicle and holding the door open for them. It took the limo less than ten minutes to drive out to their destination, and the driver was quick to hop out and open the door for him again.
“I will be here waiting till you are finished, Sir.” The driver informed him.
“Good man,” Chad said as he slipped him a fifty.
“Thank you,” the man said with a bow.
When they all strolled into the restaurant, it was an elegant sight and as Chad had indicated it was fitting for their attire. They all strolled up to the table in the waiting area where the maître de was checking his books.
“Can I help you?” he asked without even looking up.
“Reservation for Barrington,” Chad said, waiting to be noticed.
The maître de looked up and as he recognized the call that he had gotten a short time ago. The suit was even more astonishing than the manager had alleged. His words had done it no justice. He grabbed five menus, “A pleasure to see you Mr. Barrington. Right this way please.”
Everyone followed the maître de to a very private table that was waiting for them. After handing everyone their menu, the man started to speak to them in a different language which was clear to them all was French. Before anyone could respond, Chad spoke first as he engaged with the maître de in the same language. Everyone watched in amazement as the two of them spoke for a few minutes before he nodded and then left the table.
“You are full of surprises,” Rachel said, slightly impressed.
“Boarding school,” Chad explained, “I even know a little Italian.”
“Wow,” Frankie Junior said, “What did you tell him?”
“I asked for time to examine the menu but ordered drinks.” Chad explained, “Champagne for the table, and chocolate milk for you.”
“Fair enough,” Frankie Junior said, aware he was not allowed to drink.
When they all looked into their menu most of them seemed frustrated as like the maître de, it was also French. Chad laughed and offered to read it for everyone, which made ordering their food a little more fun as they hung on every word as Chad sold each dish and their succulence. When the maître de returned, they had all discussed what each person at the table wanted and he ordered it all for them. Chad ordered a few appetizers to give everyone something to nibble on while waiting for the real entrees to arrive. While sipping the bubbly, Frankie Junior couldn’t help but notice something going on.
“Are they taking pictures of us?” he asked.
“Not that surprising,” Chad said, “World champion here, remember?”
“Good point,” Rachel concurred, accepting his compliment.
“Hopefully this won’t go viral.” Frankie Junior warned.
“Why would it?” Rachel asked.
“Because you look amazing,” Chad replied, stepping in before Junior could mention anything.
Chad was going to do whatever he could to prevent Councillor Douche Bag from becoming a subject at the table. Thankfully their appetizers arrived at their table, which gave them something new to talk about and in Junior’s case keep his mouth too full to spill the beans. When the waiter showed up with their first few plates, Doris and her husband seemed confused.
“This isn’t what we ordered,” Doris said to Chad.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“I ordered it,” Chad said, “Bon appétit.”
“What is it?” Junior asked, looking at them.
“Well, this one,” Chad said pointing to the one closest to him, “This one is a grilled mushroom stuffed with four cheeses; Swiss, brie and parmesan, over a blue cheese sauce.”
“This one is pretty good,” Frankie Junior said as he was already munching into the other plate without a clue what it was.
Chad waited patiently until Junior had finished eating his bite before breaking the news to him. “That’s escargots.”
“What’s that?” Junior asked.
“Snails.” His father told him.
“Snails?” Junior repeated.
“Just the meat, buddy.” Chad said, doing his best to reassure the young man. “It’s sautéed with garlic butter. It’s a delicacy. Here... watch.”
Chad reached over to the same plate Junior had just attached prematurely and grabbed another piece from it and ate it with a single bite.
“See,” Chad said as he chewed it up quickly and swallowed. “Delicious.”
“Not for me,” Doris said, “No offense.”
“That’s okay,” Chad said, smiling. “More for us, right Rachel?”
Rachel looked back to Chad and then to the other people at the table staring at her. “You want me to eat that?”
“Why not?” Chad said, “Tough girl like yourself, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Excuse me?” Rachel said, shocked by the challenge.
“You heard me,” Chad chided back. “Where’s that tough lady that took a swing at me earlier today? The same person who knocked out Taylor in the second round, I’m sure that girl wouldn’t be afraid of a cooked snail.”
“Is that so?” Rachel asked.
“I know so.” Chad said, daring her with eyes. “Take a chance, do something adventurous on your vacation.”
“It’s going to be that way, huh?” Rachel said, as she had no intention of backing down. She reached over and grabbed one of the snails and popped it into her mouth. While she was taken a bit back by the texture, Rachel a still has no issues finishing off her bite and sticking out her tongue to prove it was gone.
“Very good,” Chad said, giving a soft clap. “Frankie?”
“I’m going to pass,” Frankie Senior replied, “What is that one there?”
“That’s a simple brushetta,” Chad replied, “Just in case you guys didn’t want eat the other two.”
“Thank goodness,” Frankie Junior said, as he and his father attacked the toasted bread with ferocity.
Chad slowly finished up the escargot without anyone’s help, as it was something he was more accustomed to.
“I’m sorry Chad,” Doris said, after sipping her glass. “Did you mention to the waiter how we’d be splitting the bill?”
“No, I didn’t.” Chad confessed, “Because the bill isn’t being split, I’m covering the whole things. Not worries, Doris. Finish the bottle so I can order another.”
“Chad,” Doris said, feeling bad. “Are you sure about that?”
“I’m quite sure,” Chad insisted, “I’m just touched to be here with you guys, almost like it was providence.”
“What was providence?” Rachel asked.
“We all went to high school together,” Doris explained, “We haven’t seen Chad in almost fifteen years, because mister big shot moved to New York. Just coincidence we’d bump into him here of all places.”
“That sounds so amazing,” Rachel said, as she found it all interesting but let it pass for the time being.
It was at that moment of suspicion when Chad was saved by the food again as the entrees finally arrived. There was a long silence as the hungry group of people dug into their plates and quietly enjoyed their food with little talk for the next several minutes. When the next bottle of champagne arrived, Chad broke the silence to pour everyone a refill before holding his own glass up.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Chad said, “To good friends, old favorites from the past to the new encounters. They all make life worth living.”
“Here here!” Frankie Senior said, tapping his glass against Chad’s.
From there everyone seemed content to keep eating and just enjoy each other’s company without ruining it with small talk. When the meal was finished, it was evident to everyone at the table that they were all going to skip dessert. When the bill finally came, Chad took it away milliseconds after it hit the table.
“I insist,” he said, refusing to let anyone even take a peek. He took out another of the credit cards he had on him, passing it to the waiter. After everything was taken care of, Chad took his card back and walked everyone back out to the limo that was still stationed out there. It was a quiet ride back to the resort, but that had more to do with the fact that everyone was full, too stuffed to even make conversation. Once back at the resort, the driver opened the door but only the Andersons hopped out.
“We’ll see you guys later,” Chad called out, “I’m going to make sure Ms. Jones get back to her hotel safely.”
Once the car was back on the road, Rachel let the driver know where he was heading. It wasn’t until they were halfway there that Rachel had finally decided to tackle the massive elephant in the limo. She placed a suggestive hand on his lap and leaned over to whisper to him.
“I have to say Mr. Barrington,” She whispered to him, “this is not the way I thought my day would go when I went to the beach with my friends.”
“That makes two of us,” Chad admitted, feeling very nervous so close to a woman who was more than capable of severe bodily harm.
“After all that we’ve been through,” Rachel continued, “I have to make a confession, there’s something I always wanted to do to a man wearing Vanquish two.”
“Really,” Chad replied, feeling a bit nervous. “What is that?”
Rachel smiled just second before shooting an arm behind his head, around his neck and putting him into a vicious headlock. Out of sheer instinct, Chad rolled to a certain position so she couldn’t get much leverage than he as they started to tumble in the back of the car as if they were in the octagon. With his head secured with one arm, she started to beat his exposed head with the other deliver some similar punches to the man that she beat up on the beach. The driver caught a quick glance and assumed something completely different was going on as he rolled up the window to give the couple a little privacy, which only left poor Chad alone to defend himself. They rolled again and again trying to posture for position, but Chad never seemed to be able to break the hold that Rachel had him in. He got so desperate, that he did something that would have been deemed cheating in professional mixed martial arts; he fish hooked her. The cheap move caught Rachel completely by surprise, forcing her to let go of the head lock that now allowed Chad to go on the offensive. She tried to punch him in the head, but Chad reversed the move and flipped her onto the backseat. He pinned her to the backseat, hoping she’s run out of energy and give up, but she had way more energy than Chad was assuming. Chad didn’t want to hit Rachel with her arms pinned so he did the next best thing, which was lean over and kiss her. At first it was soft and pleasant, and then things took a terrible turn. While her arms were pinned, her head wasn’t as she drove her forehead into his, delivering a crushing head butt. She then grabbed his dress shirt and tie, using them to fling him around the back, causing the shirt to tear as buttons popped all over the place. Rachel then mounted him and started to deliver some rather hard haymakers, but Chad kept his hands up and blocked the shots. While his arms were going to be bruised in the morning, his face was taking minimal damage. Finally, after five more minutes of wrestling, the limo finally came to a stop. Rachel realized they had reached her hotel, as she got off him and brought their main event to a close.
“Thanks Chad,” she said, kissing him on the cheek, “That was for nearly landing me in jail for breaking the nose of someone who didn’t do anything to me.”
“Have a good night,” Chad managed to say, surprised his jaw wasn’t broken.
She slammed the door shut and the limo departed again, taking Chad back to the resort. Ten minutes later, he was back at the Resort and the driver held the door open and was stunned beyond belief as Chad hopped out.
“Sir!” he called out, “Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine,” Chad said, shrugging it off. “I totally deserved it.”
The suit he had put on for the occasion was in shambles, torn and stretched from all the pulling and fighting he had done in the backseat with a professional fighter. As he walked away from the car and into the lobby, he bumped into the manager who was waiting to see how his night went. Upon looking at him, the manager was insisting on calling the police.
“No need,” Chad said, as he couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re good.”
“What the hell happened?” the manager asked.
“Karma caught up with me,” Chad confessed, “I got a well deserved helping of humble pie. I’ll be alright; I just need to raid the ice machine and head to bed.”
“Sir, you are bleeding from the head.” The manager informed him, “I insist you head to the infirmary and get patched up.”
“Alright,” Chad said, walking with the manager to seek medical attention.
“Your suit is ruined,” the manager observed, “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Chad replied, “I got half a dozen more back in New York.”
“Of course, you do,” The manager said, sighing. “I hope it was worth it.”
“Totally worth it,” Chad confirmed, limping off for the infirmary.