Page 141 of For Love or Money
She waited for Al to withdraw his hand and introduce himself to the women on either side of him. But when she tried to pull her hand away, he just gripped it tighter. He was being very rude, actually, completely ignoring everyone else at the table while he held her hand and gazed at her across the table.
‘Nice to meet you,’ she said tightly, yanking her hand out of his with such force that she shot back in her seat. She then proceeded to ignore him, forcing an animated smile onto her face and introducing herself to the men on either side of her.
On her right she had David, who blatantly looked down her top while she introduced herself and then pointedly turned his back to her and started speaking to the skinny blonde on his other side. On her left was a good-looking guy called Darren, who was already up a point for speaking to her face rather than her chest.
‘What do you do, Lesley?’ he asked her.
‘I’m a freelance web developer,’ she said.
‘Oh, good for you.’
‘How’s business?’ Al asked her, blatantly eavesdropping and interrupting them.
‘It’s great. I’m very busy.’
‘Ah, you two already know each other?’ Darren said.
‘Oh, only slightly. So, tell me about you, Darren. What do you do?’
‘I’m an assistant bank manager.’
‘Oh.’ Lesley tried not to look too disheartened. It was a perfectly sensible job, after all.
‘Assistant bank manager by day,’ he elaborated. ‘Purveyor of laughs by night.’
‘Sorry?’
‘I’m cutting my teeth on the stand-up comedy circuit.’
‘Oh dear,’ Al murmured.
‘That’s great!’ Lesley said enthusiastically even as her heart sank.
‘Oh, it’s not as interesting as it sounds. Being a bank manager, I mean,’ Darren said, clearly in the belief that he was delivering a punchline.
‘Ha! Very funny.’
‘Not really,’ Al drawled.
‘Stop earwigging on our conversation, and talk to your own people,’ Lesley said to him crossly, indicating the women either side of him. ‘So, Darren, you were saying ... before we were so rudely interrupted.’
‘Um ... yes.’ He gave Al a frosty glare. ‘Well, as I was saying, comedy is where my heart really lies.’
‘Well, I think it’s great that you’re doing something you love, following your dream. Seizing the day and all that. Well done!’ Lesley clapped him on the back. She knew she was going over the top, but she wanted Al to see her having a good time, hitting it off with someone else. ‘Where do you perform?’
‘Just small clubs at the moment – open mic nights, that sort of thing. I’m trying to build a following. It’s very competitive.’
‘I bet. But fair play to you! What sort of stuff do you do?’
‘It’s mainly observational comedy. I’m a keen observer of human folly,’ Darren said, tapping his nose confidentially. ‘In fact, this whole dating scene has given me lots of material.’
Great, so he was just here to gather material for his act. She wondered was there anyone here tonight who was looking for a relationship.
‘Internet dating, for instance. Have you ever tried it, Lesley?’
‘Yes, I’ve done a bit.’
‘Well, I’ve got a whole bit about the, shall we say, euphemisms that people use to describe themselves on dating sites. It’s like learning a whole new language.’ He put down his knife and fork to give her his full attention, looking her up and down. ‘Now, you would probably describe yourself ascurvaceous, am I right?’
