Takeout (short story)

Takeout

© by the author 2014

Business was always slow on Fridays and Saturdays after 10:00 pm. The college students who made up 90 percent of the Jade Dragon’s customers had other things to do than to order cheap Chinese food. The café was much busier on Sunday and other weekday nights. Around 5:00 pm, the orders began to flood in. Until midnight, when the Jade Dragon closed, the owner of the restaurant kept three delivery drivers busy. Walk-in customers examined the pictures displayed on the wall above the counter and then ordered what they wanted by number. Orders for takeout and delivery came in by phone or through the café’s website. Most nights, four people worked in the café—two cooks and two more people at the counter to take orders, answer the phone, hand the walk-in customers their food, bag the food for delivery, and operate the cash register.

But the local college was a party school, and Fridays and Saturday were reserved for drink, drugs, and sex. Most Fridays and Saturday nights, only a few solitary people stopped by the Jade Dragon to order a dish or two, either to take out or eat quickly at the one of four small tables that filled the open space between the front door and the counter.

The Jade Dragon had no pretensions. Mike Li, the owner, and one of his nephews were the cooks. The nephew’s wife or children usually manned the counter. The owner lived by himself on the second floor of the restaurant. The nephew and his family lived a few blocks away. The café served three dozen different dishes, many of them distinguished only by the choice of pork, chicken, beef, or shrimp, which cost extra. Vats and bowls on the table by the burners held an array of chopped vegetables and sliced meats. Six different highly seasoned sauces were kept hot on burners. When an order came in, one of the cooks measured a ladleful of meat shreds into a wok, tossed it around for a minute, and then threw in a couple handfuls of vegetables. After another minute, he added enough sauce to drown the dish and disguise the fact that neither the meat nor the vegetables were top quality. If the customer wanted a “spicy” dish, the cook squirted in chili sauce from a plastic bottle that stood on the shelf over the stove. From start to finish, it took about three minutes to cook a dish and then spoon it into a paper carton or scoop it onto a plate.

It had been raining heavily most of the afternoon and all evening that Saturday. Around 11:30, Li stepped outside the front door. The rain-swept street was empty. The water surging down the gutters fell into the storm sewer with a roar. All the other stores were closed, and the rest of the street was dark. The only light came from the Jade Dragon’s windows. A solitary car drove past, sending a wave of water toward the sidewalk. No one was out walking.

For the past hour only one order had come in. Li’s nephew and the delivery drivers were playing cards in the storeroom. His nieces were bent over the front counter doing homework. Li decided to send everyone home and close early. He turned off the outside sign over the door, pulled down the shade over the windows, and dimmed the internal lights.  The others left quickly, dashing through the rain to their cars.

Li crumpled the white paper hat the cooks wore to keep hair out of the food and tossed it into the garbage can. He unbuttoned his red chef’s jacket and examined the front. It was good for one more day. He hung it on a hook in the hallway leading back to the storeroom and the door to the alley. Dressed only in shorts, a pair of flip-flops, and a wife beater, he began cleaning up the kitchen. In the hot and humid kitchen, Li’s skin glowed. His slender frame had not an ounce of body fat. Every movement was traced in the contractions and relaxations of tight, well-defined muscles.

Li was putting the tubs of meat shreds and chopped vegetables in the refrigerator when the front door burst opened. Three young men tumbled in. All three wore jackets with the local college’s emblem on it. Their tennis shoes were soaked with water and left dirty footprints on the floor. Their hair was plastered to their heads. One of them tripped over his feet and had to grab at a chair to steady himself. The other two laughed as they helped their comrade into the chair. “Hey Charlie Chan, we need some food,” one of them called out. “Sean here is wasted.” As if to confirm the statement, Sean slumped down in the chair, laid his head sideways on the table, and closed his eyes. The hard surface flattened his cheek. His mouth drooped open. Water dripped from his head onto the surface of the table.

Li stepped up to the counter. “We’re closed.”

The man who had called Li “Charlie” waddled drunkenly over to the door and yanked it open. He pointed at the sign that listed the café’s hours. “Says here you’re open till twelve.” He made a big play of pulling back the left sleeve of his jacket. “According to my watch, you’re open.” He walked over to the counter and showed Li the watch. “See. It’s only 11:50. You do know how to tell time, don’t you?”

Without waiting for an answer, he turned round and called out to his friends, “Hey guys, Charlie here can’t tell time. Shall we show Charlie how to do it? Teach him to tell time?” The man towered over Li. He looked like he played on the football team. He also looked like he liked to get in fights.

“Just order some fucking food, Paulie. I’m starving.” The third man walked up to the counter. “Wait till after we get our food. Then you can teach Charlie whatever you like. Never beat the fucking cook up until the fucking cook has finished cooking for us. That wouldn’t be smart. Isn’t that right, Charlie?” The two men found the thought hilarious and began giggling and slapping each other on the back.

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be smart. How about some fried rice? Sean, you want some fried rice?” The man called Paulie pointed to one of the pictures and read the caption out slowly in a sing-song accent. “R5. House Special Flied Lice. Let’s have that. Three plates of flied lice, Charlie.”

Mike Li kept his face emotionless. He had had trouble with college kids high on drink or drugs before. It didn’t pay to talk back. It was best to go long and not protest that his name wasn’t Charlie Chan or that he could pronounce an “r.” Just give them what they wanted and then get rid of them. He punched the codes for three plates of the House Special Fried Rice into the computer that kept track of orders, totaled the amount, and added the state and city sales taxes. The machine printed out two copies, one to give the customer and one to give the cooks so that they would know what to make. The receipt had the date and time stamped on it, as well as a list of the items ordered.

Li pulled the containers of prepared food—shreds of chicken and pork, chopped shrimp, onions, carrots, green peas, and precooked scrambled eggs—out of the refrigerator. He wished he did have some lice to fry up and shove down Paulie’s throat. He flipped the lid off the container of cooked rice kept ready for the fifty or so orders of fried rice every day. God, he hated fried rice made the way foreigners expected. It was just junk food for the ignorant.

A burst of laughter came from the front of the café. “Hey, Charlie, hurry it up. We’re starving here.”

Li didn’t answer. But he took one of the big cleavers off its wall hanger and placed it near at hand in case Paulie decided to visit the kitchen. Paulie might be big, but Li had ways of controlling him.

When the oil in the wok began to smoke, Li began preparing the orders. The meat sizzled when it hit the hot oil. Li tossed it around with his ladle until it lost color and then tipped in the vegetables. After a minute, he added the rice and egg shreds and stirred everything together. At the last second he mixed in the seasonings—the soy sauce that foreigners thought fried rice had to be drenched in and a squirt of hot sauce. Then he reached for a green metal container at the back of the shelf over the stove. He pried off the lid and measured out three spoonfuls of his special creation, Jade Dragon seasoning, a treat he reserved for customers who qualified for the exceptional versions of his cooking. It was his own “ancient Oriental secret.”

As he worked, he kept a wary eye on the three men. They looked like most of the kids at the college. Big, loud, well fed, expensively clothed, gym bodies, children of privilege, with no manners, and too stupid and poorly educated to know how stupid and poorly educated they were. He could hear the two more sober men joking with Sean about some woman named Brittany. Each of them sat sideways at a separate table, his legs stretched out and blocking the narrow aisle leading to the counter. The men were so drunk that their speech was slurred. That didn’t keep them from shouting or using the word “fuck” several times a minute. Sean’s only contribution to the conversation was to lift his head occasionally, just long enough to say “Fuck yeah” before the side of his face fell back against the table top again. All three found their conversation hilarious.

Li sprinkled the Jade Dragon seasoning over the food in the wok and stirred it in. He mounded the fried rice onto three plates and set them on the counter along with three sets of plastic forks and spoons wrapped in cellophane. He stepped back from the counter before shouting “ready.” For the moment, he wanted to keep as much distance as possible from the three men. The man whose name he didn’t know grabbed the plates from the counter and set them on the tables.

Sean sat up at the noise of the plate hitting the table in front of him. He stared blearily at the food as if he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to do with it. The guy named Paulie reached over and ripped open the cellophane envelope and dumped the contents onto the table. He picked up the plastic fork and shoved it into Sean’s hand. “Here, eat something. It will clear your head.” Sean groggily bent over the plate so that his face was an inch above it and began shoveling food into his mouth.

Li smiled to himself. The food would clear Sean’s head all right. In fact, it would do a lot more than that.

“S’good,” mumbled one of the men.

“Yeah, it’s great,” said another.

Li began cleaning up the kitchen. The Jade Dragon seasoning began to work on the men’s taste buds immediately. Its first effect was to make food taste so good that their minds instructed their bodies to want more and more. As soon as the food hit their stomachs, the drug started to seep into the men’s blood stream and circulate toward their brains.

For the next few minutes, the only sounds from the front of the restaurant were the scraping of forks against the plates and the moans of the three men as they wolfed the food down. Each mashed the last few stray grains of rice on the plate with the fork and shoved them into his mouth. When the man called Paulie picked up his plate and began licking it, the other two followed suit.

Li walked into the front of the restaurant. He handed the check to the man whose name he didn’t know. “Pay it.”

The man squinted at the amount and then pulled out his wallet. He dropped two twenties on the table.

“Now, leave.” Li picked up the money and the receipt. “Go outside and call someone or text a message. Make sure that the people you contact know that you were here and that you have left and are headed back to your dorm rooms or your frat house or wherever you live. Tell them you’ll see them in an hour or so, that you’re going to get your car and pick up some booze. When you finish, there’s an alley behind the store. Make sure no one’s around and then walk down it.”

The three men got to their feet and walked out the front door. All three had their phones out before the door closed.

Li locked the door behind them. He cleaned the tables off, arranged the plates in the dish washer, and turned it on. He rang up the total for the bill on the cash register, put the two twenties in the till, and counted out the change and tossed it in the tip jar. He impaled the bill on the metal stake he kept for that purpose. Tomorrow his nephew’s wife would gather the previous day’s receipts and file them away. If anyone came around asking questions about the three men, he could show them the receipt. He always kept meticulous accounts and preserved all the paperwork. The IRS could be so strict with restaurants. The receipt and the phone calls and text messages would be proof that the three men had left the restaurant. The computer in the cash register would even show the exact time that they had paid the bill and received their change.

He dumped the trash into the can and twisted the top of the bag into a knot. He turned out the lights and walked to the alley door, carrying the day’s final load of garbage. As he lifted the lid to the dumpster and tossed the bag in, he saw the three men enter the alley and walk through the rain toward him.

“Come,” he said to them. He motioned them to enter the back hallway. “Stand against the wall there.” The three men obediently lined up along the wall. Their demeanor was the opposite of their earlier behavior. None of them spoke. All were sober. Their eyes were blank, their faces expressionless.

They stunk of cigarette smoke, and drink, and unwashed, testosterone-charged bodies. “Strip,” he ordered. He pulled a garbage bag out of the roll in the box and snapped it open. “Put your clothes in here.”

The three men undressed and dumped their clothes and shoes into the bag. Li sealed it shut and set it to one side. It would be disposed of later.

Naked, the three men were much as he had expected. Solid, beefy, athletic. Their muscles testified to long hours at the gym. All three had the type of body that would quickly turn to fat if they ever stopped exercising. In middle age, their bodies would quickly grow less appealing, but each had a good ten, maybe fifteen, years ahead of him. Their bodies could be kept in shape and attractive. A pity about their minds, but they probably hadn’t ever been too gifted in that department. Of course, their minds didn’t matter anymore.

Best to get this over with quickly, Li decided, before their stench fouled the air even more. As it was, he would have to spray the hallway with air freshener to get rid of the smell. He had hoped for a few hours of play, but he would settle for a few minutes. He should have known better. This kind was good only for a quickie. He had better customers under his control. He would call one of them over tomorrow night. As he pulled off his clothes, Li examined each of the men, deciding on the best use for each of them.

Paulie was easy. He needed to be punished. He was the ringleader and he needed to be humiliated.  It took Li no time at all to decide how Paulie would serve.

Sean had a pelt of black hair on his chest. He was big and muscular but the hair hid the definition of his pecs and abs. Li preferred smooth men. He made his favorites shave their bodies, leaving only a short decorative buzz cut above the groin. Smooth skin was so silken, but he recognized that that was just his personal taste. There were many who liked hairier bodies. The amount of hair these three men would be allowed to keep would be decided later. So much depended on the vagaries of the market. What was in fashion one day would be met with disgust the next. For tonight, however, he would have to make do with what he had. He would find a use for Sean.

The third man was the most muscular of the trio. His pecs were mounds of hard flesh, topped by large brown nipples. His pecs were so big he would need a Triple D cup if he wore a bra. He either was hairless or kept his chest shaved. The inner edges of the pecs were crisply defined. The muscles were so large that the trough between them was deep and wide. Most women had good reason to be jealous of his cleavage.

“You,” he pointed to Sean. “You suck my right nipple.” Sean stepped forward, bent over at the waist, and began sucking Li’s right nipple. “Good boy. You like to suck, don’t you?” Sean nodded his head. Li wrapped his right arm around Sean’s neck and pulled him in tight against his chest. “Show me how much you like it. That’s a good boy. More suction.” Sean nodded his head eagerly. “Use more tongue. Really use it.” Sean’s tongue and lips began to work Li’s nipple vigorously. “You really love to suck on my nipples, don’t you? All you can think about is sucking my nipple. Nothing else matters.” In answer Sean moaned hungrily and attacked Li’s nipple with even more enthusiasm.

“Make your pecs bounce.” The third man flexed his arms. His pecs swelled upward and then fell back into place as he relaxed. “Slower,” Li ordered. “Do one side and then the other.” The man complied. Li found the movement of man’s pecs and nipples riveting.

“Good. Now I want you to kneel down in front of me and put your chest against my cock.” Li held his cock upright and guided it into the groove between the man’s pecs. “Good, now you’re going to use your pecs to jerk me off. Slowly. Just squeeze my cock between your pecs.”

It took the man a few attempts to work out what he needed to do, but soon he was slowly massaging Li’s cock with pecs.

“Good. That’s perfect. Keep that up.”

The man smiled at being praised. “Yes, Sir.”

They learn so quickly, thought Li. He hadn’t even needed to tell the man to call him “sir.”

“Good boy. You like to serve me, don’t you?”

“Yes, Sir. I love to serve you.”

Li patted him on the head. Now for the most important element.

“And you,” Li said to Paulie, “kneel down behind me and lick my ass.”

Paulie instantly joined the other two in servicing Li’s body.

“Yeah, that’s it. Work your tongue into the crack. Lick it. Worship my asshole with your tongue.”

From behind him came the sound of labored breathing as Paulie thrust his tongue and nose between Li’s ass cheeks.

Li let himself go mindless for a moment in enjoyment of the pleasures coursing through his body. Three lovely young male bodies. One thing Sean and Paulie had going for them was the length and dexterity of their tongues. He would have to remember to mention that. It would be a plus mark in their favor. And they wouldn’t need much oral training, to judge from their present level of skills.

But it was time for the whip. “Paulie, you really hate to lick ass, don’t you? It makes you feel so worthless. But you can’t stop, can you? And you know why? Because I’m your master and you’re my slave.”

Li spread his legs. Paulie immediately intuited what he was to do. He knelt down further and twisted his head around. His tongue unerringly found Li’s asshole and began exploring it. The lancing pleasure drove upward through Li’s body and lifted him to his toes. Paulie matched his upward motion and kept his tongue darting and probing and licking. Li pressed his dick into the third man’s chest and laughed in triumph. “Good boy, Paulie.” Paulie’s tongue slurped slowly back and forth over Li’s balls, his perineum, and then his asshole. The lad did have a very talented tongue. His vigorous exertions rocked Li’s body. The whole group swayed in unison.

Li’s cock grew harder and harder. He pre-cum lubricated the trough between the man’s pecs. His cock slid rapidly up and down. It was time.

He pushed on Sean’s shoulders, forcing him to kneel before him. He began pinching and twisting his nipples with his own fingers. His breathing grew ragged and caught in this throat. “Harder, Paulie, harder.”

He focused on the faces of the men kneeling before him. Both were looking at him with eager adoration. They were his, and his power over them made his cock throb with pleasure. He felt the cum rising from his balls. He mentally clenched his cock tight shut and let the pressure build as Paulie’s hot tongue thrust into him over and over. “Now,” he shouted as he released a jet of cum over between the man’s pecs. He pulled back and turned slightly as the second jet spurted out and let it lash across Sean’s enraptured face. The third and fourth jets were less vigorous but still covered the two men’s faces and chests. Li smiled to himself. The two looked so much better with cum on their faces—his cum. He stepped away from Paulie and then held the tip of his cock over his open mouth and squeezed the last drops into it. Paulie was crying from embarrassment and shame. When Li recovered his breath, he pointed to the other two and commanded Paulie, “Clean them up.”

“No, no, please. Don’t make me do that.”

“You’re a slave now, Paulie. You do what you’re told.”

Paulie crawled across the floor on his hands and knees and began licking Li’s cum the other two men’s faces and bodies. Tears ran down his face. When he finished, Li ordered the men to stand in a line against the wall again.

Li sponged himself off in the bathroom and then got dressed. He pulled a beer from the icebox and popped it open. He sipped half of it slowly before pulling out his phone and keying in a number. “This is the Jade Dragon. Your takeout is ready. Three orders of House Special Beef. All prime meat.”

The voice at the other end said, “We’ll be there soon.”

Half an hour later a truck drove up and stopped outside the back door to the café. All the stores that had access to the alley were closed at that time of night, and the few people who were out at that hour paid no attention to the truck with its red lettering and its Chinese characters. Four Seas Imports and Exports. Quality Foods and Restaurant Supplies.

Mike Li opened the alley door. The driver and his assistant slid up the rear door of the van and began unloading crates of produce and boxes of supplies and carrying them into the restaurant’s storeroom. Li signed and initialed the invoice. The driver pulled off the top copy and gave it to Li.

When they had finished, the assistant opened a concealed panel behind the driver’s compartment. Li turned to the three young men and said, “Get in there.” Obediently the three folded themselves into the space. “These are their clothes. Their phones and wallets and keys are in there too.” Li handed the bag to the assistant who tossed it into the back of the truck before pulling down the door.

Li waited until the truck drove off before locking up. He didn’t know where the young men would end up. Some of those he had procured had been sold to individuals. But most of them ended up at a brothel or a hotel in a resort area.  They would become waiters, dancers, attendants, room service, entertainers—among other things. And when they were no longer attractive enough to entice patrons, they would become gardeners and cleaners. Four Seas Enterprises would extract every ounce of labor it could from them. Their upkeep was minimal. Just a few bowls of food laced with Jade Dragon special seasoning every day. To the untrained eye, the seasoning looked like MSG. Li liked to joke to himself that in this case MSG stood for “mind-softening granules.”

Once the men were processed and on their one-way trip to their eventual destination, a deposit would be wired to Li’s account at his bank in the Caymans. He might even get a bonus for these three. A doctor would check them out, and if he could certify that the men were the anal virgins Li suspected they were, customers would pay generously for the privilege of deflowering them. The bidding on a virgin ass could grow quite competitive, and Li would get 10 percent of the take. Not a bad profit for a rainy night.