Aaron Sanders couldn’t believe his luck. He’d just decided to test his company’s new app when his phone let him know someone was in his vicinity. And boy was she beautiful. Or maybe more: striking. In her picture, she had an olive complexion, long blackish-brown curly hair, and almond-shaped, dark brown eyes. Intense eyes. The image looked kind of like a professional headshot, and he wondered what she did for a living. Of course, there was always the possibility that she used a fake photo or that no one would come. He had to try, though. That was the point of his app.
If a person didn’t show up, wasn’t who they seemed, or there was no chemistry, you were only committing a short amount of time to each date. Just enough to grab a cup of coffee and then you could get back to your life. No exchange of phone numbers or addresses or emails. No commitment at all. And, if no one showed up, at least maybe you’d discovered a cool new spot, so not a total loss.
When he’d walked up to The Frisky Bean he had to admit to being a little concerned it had been included on the app because people might get weirded out at having a first date at such a provocative location. That was true only until he’d made his way inside. The place smelled incredible and had a very welcoming air about it. He noticed the eye-catching, pale, redhead standing behind the counter first and waved a hand at her in greeting, hoping to silence whatever she had been about to say. It worked, which was a good thing, because his eyes locked on the same hair he’d seen in the picture. The tresses crowned a soft, full-figured body with a deliciously rounded bottom. He liked an ass he could sink his teeth into. He was such an ass man.
At that moment, his date seemed preoccupied. She hadn’t even turned toward him when he’d entered. While that stung his ego a bit, he was curious about what held her so completely enthralled.
He scanned the food items listed from over her shoulder and had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Instead he looked at her and saw the blush that colored her cheeks. Lovely. Her face was just as arresting in person. He really had hit the jackpot. His app was the best thing ever made. Clearly. Trying not to startle her, in his most soothing tone he leaned in and inquired, “See something you like?”
Not soothing enough apparently, because she startled anyway and slammed both of her palms into his chest. Hard. Since her reaction had caught him completely off guard, he toppled. It was almost worth the bruise to his butt and ego to see those amazingly expressive eyes grow round with the comical realization of what she’d just done. Somewhere in the background, his brain registered the exclamation of shock from the woman behind the counter, but he only had eyes for the woman in front of him, who reached to help him up.
“I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I did that. But…You know…You really shouldn’t stand so close to a woman when she isn’t expecting it. You might find yourself facing a self-defense trainer who reacts decisively to such things.”
“Yes. I think that lesson was just thrust into me. What a good instructor you are.”
She snickered as he took her proffered hand and made his way to standing.
He continued, “Shall we try this again?”
“Yes. I suppose that would make more sense than slinking off and claiming an emergency embarrass-ectomy.”
“I know which I prefer.” He enjoyed the warmth that crept into her eyes as he smiled at her. “Hi. I’m Aaron and I would very much enjoy getting you whatever you want off of that highly inappropriate and yet enticing menu.”
“I’m Shira and I would very much like a, um, Moaning Mocha.” He appreciated the way her voice grew huskier and she looked at him directly, as she told him what she wanted. Hot.
He turned to the woman at the counter who was beaming at them. She seemed like the kind of person who was awfully chipper. Maybe she dipped into the coffee a little too much. She woke from her contemplation, straightening and talking with her hands as she said, “What can I get—ow!” One of her hands collided with the cash register next to her. She grimaced and scowled at the register but then continued, “—you?”
He looked over at Shira and saw her biting her slightly quivering lip. It was obvious she was trying not to laugh at the antics of the barista. He picked up a menu from the counter and said, “One Moaning Mocha, one Escapist Espresso, and, do you have any recommendations for a baked good to go with our drinks? What’s good here?”
The cashier’s face perked up. “Obviously, since I’m a co-owner, I have to say everything here is delicious, but our best seller is the Bondage Banana Bread also called the 3B. We also make killer scones. Right now we have the Rock-Your-Socks Blueberry Scones straight from the oven.” She began pointing inside the display case and said, “We also have a few seasonal items right now, with the holidays around the corner. The Well-Hung Gingerbread Man, Peppermint Bark and Bite, Yule Cream My Log, Candy My Yam Muffin, Lace-Me-Up Latkes, and finally, Stripped Down Sufganiyot.”
That was a lot of information. Shira must have thought so too, because when he looked over at her, her eyes seemed a little glazed over. She blinked a couple of times, looked back at him, then opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again.
From behind the counter he heard, “Oh no. I did it again. Sorry. How about I work on your drink orders and let you get back to me?”
“Sounds like a good idea. Thanks,” he responded.
Shira suddenly smiled, and it was breathtaking. Her whole face lit up with just the small twist of her lips. She mock-whispered to him, “I think Summer is going to kick me out for my lack of perk soon.”
Before he could ask who Summer was, the woman behind the counter yelled over the top of the steaming sound, “Never, my new grumpy friend.”
They all began to crack up but he was completely transfixed by Shira’s gregarious laugh. He guessed that she was reserved until, well, she wasn’t. What else wasn’t she reserved about? He found he wanted to know.
When she finally sobered, she said, “I’d like to try the two Hanukkah-themed items and I’m willing to share. How about you? Interested?”
Oh. He was interested. Very, very interested. Instead of responding, he turned back to Summer, and said, “One of the latkes, one of the sufganiyot, and one of the gingerbread men please.”
“You like them well-endowed, too? Nice.” He heard his date comment.
“I just thought you could take it with you to remember me by.”
It took only a heartbeat for her to understand his meaning and she laughed again, and it was everything he hoped to achieve with that order. Music. Just lovely. His app was the absolute best for this encounter alone. A few minutes together and he was entranced.