Chapter 1

Kolya picked up another dirty pot and grimly began scouring the remains of food of it. When he’d taken this summer job at a Turkish restaurant, he hadn’t expected it to be so dire. But the fact was, he was a student and he needed the money. Regular shifts at The Anatolia paid his rent in the house he shared with five roommates, covered his expenses and allowed him to save a little besides. Plus he got delicious free meals, which was a boon to any young person on a budget.

“Hey man, you will not believe what Deniz has come up with now,” said Chad, one of the kitchen prep assistants, as he brought more dirty pots over to Kolya.

“Hmmm?” said Kolya in a non-committal way.

Chad always talked about their boss as if he were a bad guy and they, as young workers, were naturally united against him. The truth was, Kolya liked Deniz and found him strict but fair. He rolled his eyes a little over his sink as Chad continued.

“Yeah, it is too gross,” said Chad, lowering his voice. “He, like totally set us up by telling us he was hiring a belly dancer. I was picturing some hot chick who was going to, like, jiggle in all the right places. Instead he’s hired this complete fucking cow. She’s huge, man. Who the fuck is going to want to see that dance?”

There was a soft jingling sound and Kolya looked up to see a woman standing at the end of the aisle. She was wearing a long, full, red skirt that emphasized how wide and powerful her hips were. She wore a matching red bra covered in gold coins. Her soft shoulders, plump arms and deep, creamy cleavage were all on display. But best of all, her waist was bare, revealing soft folds of flesh. She was staring at them with her lips set in what looked like a smile, but wasn‘t. Her fists were curled tightly on her hips, digging into her softness. Kolya’s heart sped up but somehow his mouth kept working, despite the distraction of the dancer’s body.

“I’d want to,” he said loudly and firmly. “If Deniz picked her, I’m sure it’s because she was the best dancer who auditioned.”

The dancer’s grimace transformed into a real smile, revealing apple cheeks and a double chin. Kolya smiled back, then blushed and turned his head away quickly. He saw Chad open his mouth, then notice the woman and shut it abruptly. Chad was the kind of jerk who only talked about people behind their backs. He fled back to his station.

The dancer advanced. Her hip pressed briefly against Kolya’s buttocks as she passed. She was as tall as he was, he saw, though that wasn’t saying much. She might easily weigh half again as much as him, though. He imagined being pillowed on all that soft flesh…

“Thanks,” she murmured as she went by, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

His head swung around to follow her. She was wearing some piece of cloth with more coins sewn to it on her ass. The coins jingled and glittered as her hips swayed and her bum jiggled. Kolya was definitely having thoughts that were not appropriate for the workplace.

He forced his attention back to the sink full of greasy water. But when he heard the music begin, he sneaked up to a spot where he could see the dining room. Practically the whole kitchen had the same idea. Deniz waved at them to go on and watch.

Kolya was fascinated as he saw the belly dancer transform from flirty to sexy to Goddess-like back to flirty again. Her hips swivelled, her bare feet flashed out from under her swinging skirt as she shimmed all over the room, threading between the tables with surprising ease. Her hands swept circles in the air as her hips moved furiously. The customers cheered as she coyly covered her cleavage with her hands. Her dancing was sultry and sexy without being raunchy.

“Whoa,” Kolya heard Chad say beside him, before they were shooed back to work.

Kolya made sure to take his break just as the dancer was finishing up. She had changed into black yoga pants that clung to her ample backside and a tank top that had the word “Shiny” stretched across her ample breasts. She was just packing away her costume in a duffle bag as Kolya entered the tiny break room, She unclipped the long pony-tails falling down her back and packed those away as well.

“Not my real hair, obviously,” she said, smiling at Kolya.

“You were amazing!” he replied. “Your dancing, it was wonderful.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m Marie. Stage name: Mariam.”

He could see freckles spattered across her nose.

“Kolya,” he said. They shook hands.