"Make you dinner!" she said, "I have ribs in the crock pot and I'll make some corn on the cob and salad, how's that sound?"

Unless ribs and corn was another way of saying fuck me, I had just let my little head run away with the big one. Feeling like an idiot,

I forced a smile, “That's okay; I'll eat later at home."

“Aw come on!" she batted her eye lashes at me.

"Joe's working until midnight and if you don't stay I have to eat all alone again." She pushed her Lips into a pout and looking up at me through her long lashes she added, "You wouldn't want me to be lonely would you Phil?"

"Well..."

"Please?" she smiled, "It's the least I can do for how nice you've been. Come on, stay for dinner."

"Well," I gave her a nervous laugh.

“I guess when a woman asks that nicely a man should do what she wants."

"I like that answer." She said, again giving me that look I now knew was just for show.

"Make sure you remember that."

Stepping back from me she asked, “How long for you to finish?"

“About twenty minutes I guess."

"Good, when you're done, come on in and I'll have something hot and spicy waiting for you."

"The ribs are spicy?" I asked.

"Well yeah," she frowned, "What else would I be talking about?"

"Nothing." I said quickly, my face beginning to heat up as I'd made myself look stupid again.

Melanie looked as if she were going to say something else, but reaching down, I gave the cord a hard yank and mercifully the mower started.

I entered Joe's house through the side door that led into the kitchen and was assailed by the smell of the ribs. Taking a deep breath, I heard my stomach growl and thought maybe dinner wasn't a bad idea after all.

Walking through the empty kitchen it dawned on me that ribs in the crock pot told me there was nothing going on here, but me keeping Melanie company and letting her do something nice for me.

Again I felt that wave of mixed feelings. A little disappointed she wasn't one of those hot milfs from the porn world that paid young guys with sex, but glad because it would really be kind of low seeing Joe was my friend. I stood in the kitchen looking around and wondering if I should just sit when, Melanie called out.

"Hey, Phil?"

I turned and looking down the hallway saw her poking her head out of the room she used as her office.

“Hey, what's up?" I asked, “We going to eat in here?"

“Sure, but..." she gave me a big smile, “Do you think you could do one more thing for me?"