Indulgence Read Free

were sitting, the safest choice was to move out of the pathway. Khristos led her to an inside table out of the way of direct traffic and pulled out a chair for her. She sat and sipped her coffee as he took the seat opposite her.
    “Rush hour? The people are worse than the cars.” Khristos spoke first.
    “No one is worse than a driver. Unless you count the discount store aisles and checkout lines. The people are a bit insane, fighting over checkout lines, clogging up pathways to sit and chat, and let’s not forget, the twenty items and under line is not for ages twenty and under, it’s twenty items or less, like that stops folks from unloading their cart full of crap…” She tugged at the sleeve on her cup, wondering why he’d  chosen to spend time with her, out of all the available women he could be with.
    “True. I find busy people miss out. Taking time isn’t overrated and discount store lines are crazy. What I find worse is people coming to fistfights over parking spots. Then again, no one has ever zoomed in and taken mine, so who knows what their fate would be, in my hands.”
    “So very true.” Foreplay with words? She couldn’t rightly ask. And looking at him, you wouldn’t think he knew about chain stores, more like he would use the high priced, ritzy, top-of-the-food-chain type of stores. The way his clothes clung to his perfect body, she imagined he had his own personal tailor, and wanted the job for herself, to map his drool worthy physique.
    He leaned back and took a sip. She followed the action, watching him swallow and sigh in pleasure. She needed a drink to quench the thirst he brought on. In heaven with her sweet treat, she licked at a dab of runaway cream on the side of her cup lid.
    “You missed some.”
    “Where?” She spun her cup around, searching for the sticky sweetness.
    “Not on your cup.” Khristos leaned forward and swiped his thumb over her bottom lip.
    She sucked in a breath and waited for the kiss to come. Perfect opportunity. Her jittery nerves jumped in jubilation, and then wailed a banshee scream when he licked the cream off his fingers and sat back, never intending to kiss her. Embarrassment and a brush of disappointment coursed through her until she remembered the new dating rules. Bugger it, a long wait was in store for her—unless she took the initiative.
    Play it cool, girl. Easier said than done when his knee kept brushing against hers. “Thanks.”
    “Anytime.” Khristos checked his watch, a distraction close to an insult.
    “Have somewhere you’d rather be?” Way to go, girl. Inquisitive, not waspish.
    “No. Keeping time to get you back before your assistant comes to find you. Can’t have customers coming out thinking I’ve kidnapped you.
    “Hardly gonna happen. Marie is good. She can handle the masses. Sorry for the tone.”
    “You’re not keeping me from anywhere. As a matter of fact, I find it interesting you’re not talking, when I’ve observed for weeks how much you can chatter to everyone else.”
    “You make me nervous. Once I get warmed up, trust me, you won’t be able to shut me up.” She crossed her legs, and then uncrossed them, glad he couldn’t see her mannerisms. Better to be quiet than to make an absolute fool of herself and scare him away.
    “Why don’t we break the ice, then? Tell me about what led you to create chocolate treats.” The timbre of his voice dropped, a clear indication of his attempt to make her feel at ease. His eyes crinkled at the sides again, giving him a charming air.
    Zoey spun her coffee cup around on the table, toying with the lid. “My grandma made chocolate for family and friends, all by hand, from recipes handed down from her grandmother to her mother. Grandma’s smiles and sweet treats turned the crappiest day into one of the best ever. I wanted to make people smile. How about you? What do you do?”
    “My job isn’t nearly as fun. I sit in my office a good portion of the day, closed off from the