Thus, when a male co-worker invited me to a party at his place on Saturday, I uncharacteristically jumped at the chance to go.Thus, when a male co-worker invited me to a party at his place on Saturday, I uncharacteristically jumped at the chance to go. This co-worker, Doug, and I hadn't exchanged more than a couple of polite hellos during the week, although I had certainly taken notice of this fine example of west-coast manhood - he was a little over 6 feet tall and very athletically built. At the appointed time, I pulled up to Doug's place and joined a line of guests filing in. Doug greeted me warmly and escorted me to the well-stocked bar conveniently located in the corner of what appeared to be his living room. He explained that he had been working on a new Margarita recipe and would like me to test it out. I told him it sounded good to me and let him fix me one. After sampling the drink and giving him some positive feedback, we started talking about the reasons for my move and some of the things I hoped to accomplish with my new life. We talked for at least an hour, giving me time to request and finish another one of his delicious drinks. Doug then excused himself to play host to his other guests and I wandered around the apartment admiring the excellent taste with which it was decorated and even joining in a couple of group conversations. I was having a really nice time! A couple of hours and five Margaritas later, I found myself talking to my handsome host again. I was genuinely surprised at how good I felt when I was with him. He asked me how I was enjoying myself and I told him what I'd been doing since we parted company earlier. His boyish, almost embarrassed smile when I told him what a beautiful job he'd done with the decoration just about melted my heart. I was beginning to feel very warm and flushed and couldn't blame it all on the drinks. This was more like the enchanted feeling you get when you're with a new lover early in a relationship. Doug explained that while he had done a lot of the work himself, he also had a roommate who should share the credit. He told me that Chris, his roommate, was almost painfully shy and since he didn't already know any of the invited guests, had gone off to read in some secluded corner of the house. |