Page 40

“It better be!” Megan said teasingly.

“So, do you really need an Americano?”

“I’m afraid I do,” Megan said. “I have what is sure to be an ass-numbingly dull afternoon and I could really use a jolt.”

“Come on over,” Vanessa instructed, leading the way back to the counter.

While she set about preparing Megan’s drink, Megan asked what all the other good news was, and Vanessa told her about the items in the news.

“You missed my happy dance,” Vanessa said.

“Oh, I bet that was a sight!” Megan stated. “But this is fantastic news. I am so happy for you! This means things could start looking up, right?”

“Well, I want to say yes, but it all depends on the customers and their willingness to come out again.”

“They will,” Megan declared. “As a customer, I can tell you that the people of my tribe are ready to get the fuck out of our houses, so please open up!”

In another few moments, Vanessa delivered the drink to Megan.

“On the house,” she said.

Megan’s mouth fell open.

“Oh no, please, let me pay,” she said earnestly, reaching into her bag.

“No, really, it’s fine,” Vanessa tried assuring her.

“No, really, it’s not,” Megan insisted, pulling out her wallet.

“Megan, really—”

But Vanessa was silenced when Megan’s eyes captured hers.

“Vanessa, hear me out, okay?” Megan said in a pleading tone. “I know we’re just…temporary. But I really like you, and I hope I can see lots more of you for however long this whatever-it-is between us lasts. But the thing is, if you give me free coffee today then you might think you have to give me free coffee tomorrow and the day after and so on, and I don’t want you ever thinking that every time I come in here, I expect free coffee. Or free hubcaps, if you decide to diversify. The reality is, if I come in here, it’s not for freebies, it’s because I want to see you and I want you to always know that.”

Vanessa’s breath hitched again. She was realizing this woman had a power to cast spells and she was alarmingly finding herself so super willing to be enchanted.

“Stay right there,” she instructed Megan. Vanessa then came back around the counter and stood in front of Megan. They were inches apart and Vanessa would swear that Megan could hear her heartbeat.

Vanessa reached out and placed both hands on Megan’s hips. She felt electricity shoot through her veins as Megan mirrored the movement, but instead of grabbing Vanessa’s hips, Megan used her fingers to take hold of the front pockets of Vanessa’s skinny jeans. Vanessa’s knees quivered as she realized what Megan’s fingers were close to, only the thin fabric of the inside of the pockets separating them from Vanessa’s flesh. And then Megan pulled Vanessa to her, using her grip on those pockets until the space between them disappeared.

Feeling Megan’s breasts pressed against her own made Vanessa stare down at the slightly shorter Megan hungrily. And when Megan continued pulling on Vanessa’s pockets, until Vanessa’s groin was pressed against her own, Vanessa couldn’t wait any longer. The shop was still empty and she wanted to kiss this woman, so she brought her lips down to meet Megan’s.

As the kiss deepened in intensity, Vanessa reached her hands up Megan’s back, her fingers playing with the so-soft curls at the nape of her neck. The moaning Megan did in response to this was making Vanessa that much wetter and she suddenly pulled away, trembling, wanting to stop before she started doing certain things to Megan right here in La Vida Mocha.

They stood there, panting, foreheads touching.

“I could have made coffee at home,” Megan whispered.

“I figured,” Vanessa said. “You seem sufficiently affluent to own a coffeemaker.”

Megan giggled.

“I am,” she murmured. Then, Vanessa felt Megan’s left hand move down and start rubbing Vanessa’s jeans at her inner thigh. Vanessa’s nipples hardened and her clit pulsed.

“Pretty soon I’m going to make you pay for that coffee some other way,” she purred. “In fact, I—Oh my God!” Vanessa suddenly exclaimed, jumping away from Megan, her hands flying to her face as she stared across the room.

She had happened to look up as she was speaking to Megan and saw that they were no longer alone. Standing just inside the doorway of La Vida Mocha was a little old lady who Vanessa thought was at least eighty if she was a day. The lady just stood there, purse clutched before her in t