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“You’ll see,” Naomi replied, never taking her eyes off the door of La Vida Mocha. It was as if she was eight-years-old and was expecting to see Santa to appear.

At that moment, the door to the coffeeshop swung open.

Morgan gasped.

Standing in the door of La Vida Mocha was one of the most beautiful women Morgan had ever seen anywhere. Oddly, she wasn’t wearing a mask and so Morgan was treated to the complete picture of just how stunning she was.

“Hi, ladies!” the woman called out.

In unison, fifteen women, all of their eyes wide and drinking in the woman who had just greeted them, said together, “Hi, Vanessa!”

One of the women—Morgan couldn’t see who—said in a teasing manner, “You forgot your mask, Vanessa!”

“Oh, crap!” Vanessa said. Reaching into the back pocket of her jeans, she extracted her mask and slipped it on. Morgan swore she heard a collective groan from the pack.

As they all started moving into the coffeeshop, Morgan caught snippets of murmured conversations around her.

“I, personally, would gladly risk getting Covid for a night with her.”

“Right? Like, she could have Covid and I’d still go down on her!”

“How is it possible that she’s just as hot with the mask on? I’d actually ask her to wear it in bed with me!”

“Me too, but only as long as she took off everything else!”

Morgan couldn’t believe it and she began chuckling.

It was as if she was out with a bunch of men!

***

Morgan had to admit that she was having a really good time. What a clever idea, this coffee tasting club! She had always been a lover of coffee, ever since she was a teenager and up until now, she had thought she was something of a coffee snob. Despite her less than astronomical teacher’s salary, she had always budgeted for spending more on the expensive ground coffees sold by Whole Foods or Sprouts for use at home. But this coffee tasting event was making her realize just how much in the dark she was about all the varieties and roasts of coffee out there in the world. So far, she and the rest of the ladies had experienced three African coffees that made the stuff Whole Foods sold seem like sacks of dirt.

Morgan was also feeling humbled by the knowledge Vanessa and her young assistant, Chloë, who was helping host the event had about the different coffees and roasts they were serving tonight. It really was like a wine tasting, Morgan had realized. Under the guidance of Vanessa and Chloë, Morgan had been able to discern hints of blackberries, currants or even hibiscus in the aromas of the coffee served so far, as well as flavors of kiwi, blueberry and chocolate.

And speaking of chocolate…each coffee was presented with a square of chocolate which Vanessa and Chloë had deemed a perfect accompaniment to what was in their cups. And these weren’t garden variety grocery store chocolates, either. From dark to milk to white, the chocolates were among the best Morgan had ever tasted, reminding her of the sweets she had indulged in during her various trips to Europe.

“This next one, ladies, is also from Africa.”

Morgan looked up at the young masked barista, Chloë, with the pixie-cut platinum hair and incredible legs that were on display thanks to the polka-dot mini skirt she was wearing. More than once, Morgan had caught herself following Chloë with her eyes as she moved amongst the tables in La Vida Mocha, admiring the grace and fluidity of those legs, and the way she so easily pivoted and turned on her high heels. And her skin looked so soft and smooth!

There! She was doing it again! Somehow, her eyes had wandered down to the young woman’s legs once more!

What is the matter with me tonight?

“This one is an Ethiopian Yurgicheffe and is grown at elevations over six-thousand feet above sea level.”

As Chloë talked, she and Vanessa went from table to table, pouring the new coffee for their guests. Morgan made a point to not let her eyes wander to Chloë’s legs.

“This one is a very well-balanced coffee, meaning what again?” Chloë asked the group. As an educator, Morgan appreciated how Chloë often questioned them to see if they retained facts she had dispensed earlier.

Amanda called out, “The body and acidity are pretty even!”

“Exactly!”

Chloë reached their table and poured the new coffee into a clean mug for Morgan who couldn’t help but get whiff of the perfume Chloë was wearing and how it combined with the aroma of the coffee to create something intoxicating.

“As you smell the Yurgicheffe,” Chloë continued, “you should almost immediately note a spicy tang to the scent. Now, personally, when I first sampled this one, I also noticed hints of blueberry also, so I wonder if any of you pick that up too.”