A Tale of Lust

Flint's recent post about not shitting where you eat made me think about a situation when I was in peril.
I was working in a restaurant that employed a blonde waitress who was absolutely beautiful. She reminded me of Marilyn Monroe, and she did dress up as her one Halloween (her boyfriend was dressed as JFK). That night, I kept thinking about strategically placing a fan in a position to blow her dress up over her head.
That Christmas, she and her boyfriend went somewhere sunny, because she was very tan when she got back. I kept wondering if it was an all-over tan, and when she mentioned that she'd been to a nude beach, I was in danger of completely losing focus several times during service that night.
I was besotted, and having dangerous thoughts about expressing my feelings. I was wandering around, wrestling with my conscience, and generally having a real tough time. It didn't help when I found a swimsuit catalogue that featured a model who looked a lot like this waitress. Seeing pictures of her in the almost altogether didn't do much for my cool.
Well, waitresses attract suitors like a flower attracts bees, and this woman was no exception. I remember one middle-aged businessman coming back to the restaurant time after time, always wanting to sit in her section, and even going so far as to bring her flowers.
One night he convinced her to let him sit with her at the staff table, and she implored me to help her out, and never let them sit there alone. I would have done anything for her at this point, but something happened as I sat there watching him watching her. I could see myself in that same position, as being practically the same guy, mooning about like a lovesick calf for someone who had absolutely no idea, and no inclination in that direction.
She was embarrassed by this guy's attentions, and it came to me that she would be just as embarrassed by my own attentions. It blew my mind, and I was never in any peril after that. I'm glad now that we were both spared the humiliation that would have occurred if I had been stupid enough to declare myself.