The boss in question emerged onto the patio at that point and greeted the caterers, expressing pleasure at seeing Mollie and Doug again and seeming happy to be introduced to Lydia. As Mollie had expected, there was no suggestion this time of her or any of the others being asked to dress Sidney-style. This was a far more formal, although happy, occasion and the smartness of their uniforms was appreciated. Megan came back over with her towel, having dried her now tousled blonde hair and now using it to dry off her delicious young body.

“Okay honey,” her mum smiled at with the same loving indulgence as her dad, “let’s leave these nice people to get set up and go get you ready for our guests.” She put her hand on her shoulder and Megan happily allowed herself to be led inside. The next how or so was spent setting up the gazebo, cooking equipment and buffet table. Some of the other food they brought through and put in the kitchen for the time being and the things that needed to be kept refrigerated were left in the portable cooler in the van, a device similar to the one used to transport Marcia but taller and less deep with adjustable shelves inside, running on its own internal power supply so that it would not deplete the van’s battery. The Castlefords had arranged the actual drinks separately but SB Catering were still supplying the glasses along with the rest of the crockery and cutlery required so Mollie set Doug the task of carefully unpacking those in the decently-sized kitchen so that they could be ready to be served to the guests when they arrive.

“Refreshments for the workers!” Mr Castleford declared cheerily, coming out into the garden with a selection of very welcome cold soft-drinks for the caterers to enjoy now that all the prep-work was done and before the guests started to arrive. He was now dressed more smartly in a pair of expensive-looking trousers, a nice shirt and a tie that it was easy to tell he thought it was far too warm a day for. “Do help yourselves to anything you want later.” he added as he passed around the cans, letting each of them make their own selection. “There’s plenty of wine and some beers if you prefer, if you’re allowed, that is?”

“All except Doug!” Mollie grinned then tried to smile apologetically at her co-worker but failed in inject any sincerity into the expression. “He’s driving so he’ll have to stick to these!” She raised her can of lemon Fanta for illustration. “But thank you on behalf of Lydia and myself!”

“There’ll be plenty of food to go around too!” he offered, clearly less comfortable than his wife with the idea of having these three young people working for them and doing most of the work for his party. “Please don’t stand on ceremony!”

“Once the guests have all had a plate, we’d be delighted to.” Mollie assured him with a warm smile. “But they must come first, of course!”

“Of course!” Mr Castleford muttered, sounding a little embarrassed. “Goes without saying!” Although it was clear from his expression and the uncertainty in his voice that he would not have considered it remotely unreasonable for Mollie and her team to take first dibs on his roasted daughter since they, after all, were the ones doing all the work. Mollie was smart and experienced enough, however, to know that his wife, however pleasant she seemed, would definitely have other ideas.

“Let me show you all the equipment.” Mollie suggested. “So you can see how it all works.”

“Ooh I hope it’s not too technical!” Mr Castleford chuckled, although clearly pleased to be allowed to look over all the intriguing apparatus. “I’ll leave all that to you young folk, you’re the experts after all!” He clearly enjoyed the attention, something he probably didn’t get a lot of on a day-to-day basis, and Mollie made sure to turn up her customer service charm to the point of borderline flirting, making sure to touch him on the arm and shoulder frequently, smiling at him a lot and laughing at all his well-intentioned attempts at jokes, without ever quite crossing the line into behaviour which could upset his wife.

When Mrs Castleford returned with the freshly spruced-up Megan in tow, the transformation was quite astounding! Straight away, the fifteen year old looked more mature than she had an hour earlier and could definitely have passed for seventeen, maybe twenty, her natural, cute prettiness transformed into a far more sophisticated beauty by her mum’s expert application of the edible makeup. Her hair, which had been a mess of wet, straggly rat-tails when she went inside was now volumised and gently curled, falling elegantly around her shoulders. It was clear to Mollie’s experienced eye that a little pink eyeshadow had also been used on the teen’s perky nipples to make them stand out a little more but the chosen shade and the application were subtle enough that most of the guests would likely not realise. Her entire body had been rubbed with the special flavourless moisturiser Mollie’s company had provided in advance along with the hair removal gel and her golden skin glowed all over with a healthy, shimmering radiance.

“How do I look?” she asked, giving a playful twirl.

“Good enough to eat!” chuckled Mollie.

“Thanks!” Megan grinned then her eyes went wide as she saw the equipment that had been set up while she was inside getting ready. “Oh wow!” she gasped. “Is that what I’m going to be roasting on?”

“Sure is!” Mollie confirmed cheerfully. “We’ll light the coals as soon as the first guests arrive then they’ll be ready to cook you over about an hour after that!”

To be continued...