“Cute little Barely, huh?” Sarah grinned, popping up behind Jennifer and grinning. “I think you were a hit!”

“Bailey?” Jennifer asked, surprised that her friend seemed to know this family. “Is that her name? Are they regulars or something?”

“No!” Sarah giggled. “Not Bailey, Barely! As in Barely Legal? It’s what we call girls who get cooked basically the second they’re eligible!”

“Oh, right!” Jennifer laughed. “Yeah, she does look cute and yummy! Do you get a lot of… Barelys?”

“Quite a few, yeah!” Sarah confirmed. “Especially when they have a big sister that’s been eaten already! You know how competitive little siblings can be!” Jennifer thought about her own friends who had little brothers or sisters and how obsessed they seemed to be with joining in with whatever “the big girls” were doing so she really shouldn’t be too surprised if that also extended to being cooked and eaten!

Over the following three hours, the restaurant did start to get busier and they saw two new batches of girls put on to cook, the artificial white rock formation that they could sit on affording them a great view of everything that went on in the cooking area. Before she left, the little future turkey came over to say goodbye and assured them that her sister had been yummy! Several other children, boys and girls, came over to watch them swimming, brushing their hair or just relaxing in the water or on the rocks, but it was the girls who really seemed entranced by them, along with some of the dads who accompanied their daughters “to make sure they didn’t get into trouble!”

Although she was not actually a meat-girl, Jennifer understood that many of the patrons would assume she was and she caught diners at many of the tables sneaking her and her friends hungry looks when they thought nobody would notice. It was interesting to get a perspective of being “on the other side of things”, as a member of the team rather than a customer, even if it was only a one-off. It also gave her just an inkling of what it must feel like to be next up to roast in the public cooking area, standing totally naked in front of all those hungry eyes, the whole room already imagining how you were going to taste!

The hours passed quickly in some ways but in others, Jennifer started to forget she had any other kind of life! It was like going on holiday where after the first night, it just feels normal, like that is your life, and your other life at home some kind of dream. She almost forgot that the tail was just a costume that she would be taking off soon, putting normal, human clothes back on. So immersive was the experience of being a mermaid that Jennifer found herself starting to believe it herself! The magic was shattered, however, when Sarah pointed out that their time was nearly up and that the next shift would be arriving to take over soon. Jennifer lay on her back, swishing her pretty red tail and looking up at the ceiling. Would it be so bad, she wondered, to stay here forever? To spend the rest of her life as a mermaid like a lobster in a tank and just wait for someone to order her?

“Come on, red!” She was startled out of her contemplations but the same kitchen worker who had brought them through to dining room before. “Time to go!” She felt strong arms reaching for her and she clung to him as he lifted her out of the water. Caroline and Sarah were already sat on a trolley, watching her and giggling, while two women in the pink uniform of the waiting staff delivered the next shift, two slightly older girl with modestly-sized but nicely formed little boobies that Jennifer could not deny looked very appetising. As before, the man carried Jennifer with one arm while pushing the trolley with the other.

The locker room was quite a lot busier this time than it had been earlier, with the early shift finishing and their replacements coming in. There certainly seemed to be a relaxed culture among the staff of Sidney’s and the mostly young, attractive staff seemed to have no issues with sharing a communal shower or changing space. Once he had dropped them off, Jennifer expected the man to leave them and go back to the kitchen but instead he lingered close by, watching as they took off their wigs and, instructed by Sarah, carefully teased the tape away from their skin. It seemed strange that he didn’t say anything but by that point in the evening, Jennifer and Caroline had overcome any feelings of modesty they might have arrived with and it seemed fairly unlikely that Sarah had even been born with any, given how she spent several evenings each week, and there was nothing threatening about his demeanour so they just accepted his presence. Maybe, Jennifer considered, he was just killing time, trying to wait as long as possible before going back to his actual work and was using “waiting to see if they needed anything else” as an excuse if anyone should challenge him.

“I’m Craig.” He introduced himself as Sarah handed out the makeup removal wipes and the girls started to clean off the brightly-coloured lipstick and eyeshadow. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before, have I? Are you new?”

“Not really.” Jennifer smiled, realising suddenly that he was talking directly to her. “It is my first time, yeah, but I’m just helping out for tonight. It’s not going to be a regular thing.”

“Oh, right.” Craig nodded. “Pity. You seemed to be a natural out there!” Jennifer smiled, pleased by the compliment.

“I’m Jennifer, by the way.” She smiled up at him. “Or Jen. Or Red, if you prefer!” She added with a giggle.

“Very nice to meet you!” Craig grinned then looked a little more serious, anxious even.” Listen…” he rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand awkwardly. “I’ve finished my shift now but my lift’s not coming for another, like, twenty minutes so, if you wanted...” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I mean, if you like we could…” Jennifer looked up at him curiously, her heart beating fast as she remembered what Sarah had told her earlier and anticipated what he was about to ask. “I’ve got time for a shower,” he blurted out finally, “If you’re up for it?”

“She’d love to!” Sarah answered for her before Jennifer could even fully process the question. “In fact, we were all going to freshen up now, weren’t we, ladies?” Caroline nodded, giggling, while Jennifer stared at the handsome young man who had propositioned her. She was under no illusions, of course. She knew he was not asking her to go steady or anything but still, it was her he had taken a liking to and she that he was asking to join him in the shower.

“Um… yeah!” She blushed, living up to her mermaid nickname. “Sure! If you like!”

“Great!” Craig winked at her. “I’ll be right back! Don’t go anywhere!”

“How about I meet you in the shower?” Jennifer suggested, starting to feel more confident and excited for what was about to happen. To her surprise, Craig leaned down, pulled her towards him with one hand on the back of her head and the other in the small of her back then kissed her very deeply. There was something incredibly arousing about being naked and vulnerable in his strong arms while he was still fully closed. She gasped as the kiss ended and he gave her a playful slap on the behind.

“Deal!” he grinned. “See you there!”


To be continued...