Gold

I was just finishing the late-night shift at The Coffee Barn. My feet ached, between my thighs ached... well, just about everywhere ached. Places I didn't even know about ached, and I was dead tired—had been at the start of the shift. For the last time that night, I mentally beat myself up for not having called off. The gentle protests that had trailed off Ethan and Seth's lips when I'd finally extracted myself from Ethan's bed only made me more determined to go for some reason. I wasn't financially out of the woods yet. I needed this job. I needed this income.

Yet still, that determination wasn't enough to get me successfully through the day. Thank God for the smell of freshly brewed coffee, for the whips, dings, and suck-scratching noises of the cappuccino machines, and for the delectable whiffs of cakes and candies being made hourly by the best baker in the world—in my opinion anyway. Mason, The Coffee Barn baker, and husband to the owner had the delightfully delicious combination of crispy, moist, and cakey all-in-one down to an art.

My mouth watered at the thought of the homemade peanut butter banana cupcakes with a choice of chocolate or coffee-flavored frosting. I was hangry. Hungry and starting to become angry because I was so hungry, therefore I was 'hangry,' as someone had explained to me. It had been too busy for a break so I opted out and told Megan, the owner—who'd been working a shift because three people called off at the last minute—that I didn't need one. She argued at first but seeing as she wasn't taking a break either, relented. Since there was no coverage it was just easier, plus people had been coming in left and right. The Coffee Barn, a pretty new establishment, was getting more and more popular, and frankly, it was warranted. This place was like the Willy Wonka factory of gourmet coffee and cakes.

"Cassie, since it's slowing down I'm going to do some inventory. If you need me call me," Megan said, whipping off her green apron and heaving a sigh as she headed towards the back. "And remind me to never hire teenagers again."

Cassie chuckled. "It's the weekend. They're good workers... when they're here."

Megan snorted. "Keywords: 'when they're here.' And it's Sunday. Who counts 'Sunday' as the weekend?"

"When you party hard on Saturday night, Sunday is definitely part of the weekend, the recuperating let-me-sleep-off-this-massive-hangover and then the oh-my-gawd-I-woke-up-to-that part."

"Ha! They aren't even twenty-one," Megan scoffed with disapproval. "They shouldn't be drinking, and they're too young for sex."

I raised an eyebrow and batted at a stray strand of curly hair tickling my nose. "I know that never stopped you before."

"Hey, I was a good girl... mostly," she informed me. "Tried pot for the first time when I was twenty-seven, and I've never had hard drugs." She stuck her nose in the air and gave me a playful look.

"Well, your parents were too strict for you to even stay out past nine on the weekends. So, the rebellious teenager hiding deep down in the depths of my soul grieves for you."

Megan scoffed and made a 'stop-it' motion with her hands. "Don't be overdramatic. You're barely in your twenties!"

I shrugged. "Over dramatization is a talent of mine. What can I say?" I paused and tilted my head to the side. "After I close do you want me to stay and help with inventory?"

Megan nodded. "It would go faster. I'd appreciate it. Then I can get out of here by eleven and not twelve-thirty."

"Sure. We're pretty dead now. Wanna close early?"

Megan let her eyelashes flutter against her cheek and grunted in satisfaction. "Such wishful thinking you have." She opened her eyes and pointed at the door. "Speak of the devil!"

I gritted my teeth and tried not to scowl at the dinging door. We closed in fifteen minutes, but there was always that straggler that would come in and order everything and then some. Usually, it would take twenty minutes to finish the order too.

"Welcome to The Coffee Barn. Would you like to try our famous peanut butter and banana muffin with chocolate cream cheese frosting? It has chunks of real bananas too!"

"Sure, I'll take them all!" a deep, gritty—slightly familiar—male voice said.

"What? Are you kidding me? I want at least one when I get off! I—" This guy was just being stingy, but I quickly cut-off my disappointed tirade and lifted my gaze.

His fingers tapped patiently on the counter and when I got to his face, his pine green eyes surrounded by black lashes grinned at me devilishly. His caramel-colored skin made me hungrier... for something besides muffins.

"You know," Seth said, the corner of his mouth twitching, "if you're gonna push a product simply because it's on your mind and you want it you can't be upset if that very product is purchased."

I scowled. "What are you doing here? And what in the world are you wearing?"

He was dressed to the nines—well the tens, the elevenths... I never really understood that saying, but whatever it was, Seth was dressed top-notch—in a black tuxedo with a not-fully-buttoned top underneath. The crisp white of that top against his caramel-colored skin made him look model gorgeous, even more so than usual.

Seth leaned down, settling his elbows on the counter and resting his chin sideways in the palm of his hand, staring at me with such tickled amusement that my fingers itched to pinch his cheeks. "I'm here for those muffins."

"Dressed in that? And are you gonna buy them all? I do want one. I'm so hungry and I haven't had a break at all today!"

"Is a muffin really what you want to eat then? It could make you sick eating something so sweet and decadent on an empty stomach." He paused and heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose we'll just have to take you to dinner."

I shook my head. "I want a muffin. My stomach knows what it wants."

"I'm buying all six and I'm going to eat them after I eat lobster soaked in butter and sour cream covered baked potato. Sorry sweetheart. I am the customer here, after all."

"Seth, I'm gonna take one," I warned him, swallowing quickly as my mouth watered and my stomach protested its hunger. My belly was about to go on strike against me.

He nodded. "If you're a good girl and eat your dinner first, I might give you a bite. Please, place them in the box carefully. I'd also really appreciate some of the green and brown tissue paper."

"Have you ever heard the expression: "biting off more than you can chew"?" I asked him, pursing my lips and folding my arms across my chest.

Seth swiped his tongue over his sparkling white teeth and mirrored my stance. Sometimes his model perfection grated my nerves... and took my breath away, but I'd never admit it out loud, at least not right now.

"You think I can't handle all the food?" he questioned, playing ignorant.

"Really? No. I think you can't handle me when I'm this hungry."

He nodded. "Maybe not, but I bet I can make you hungry for something else."

I shook my head. "There's no way. You're not that good in bed to make me forget."

Seth snorted. "And you have so many guys to compare me too." He sounded more pleased than he ought to be by that statement and I couldn't help but give him a sheepish smile. "I'm the best in bed you'll ever have. Ethan will agree. Seriously though, let us take you to dinner. Ethan's waiting in the car, keeping it nice and toasty. It's a little cold out."

I frowned. "You really came here to take me out to dinner?"

"Yes. Why is that hard to believe?"

Shrugging, I walked towards the dark green boxes and popped one open to start placing Seth's order inside. "I thought you were joking, but I guess that's why you're dressed like a penguin."

"You don't like my tuxedo? Gotta snazzy gold dress for you too."

I shook my head with distaste. "I don't do dresses."

"Well, you will tonight. Fancy restaurant, roses, wine... it's a dress material occasion."

"Seth, in the years that you've known me exactly how many times have you seen me wear a dress?"

He didn't answer.

"Exactly."

He gave a deep chuckle and shrugged his shoulders. "Baby, this is not up for discussion. We're taking you out on a date and you're wearing a dress... and maybe a little make-up."

The loud snort I let out startled the customer that had just walked in. "Make-up? I don't think so. I don't even know how to put on make-up." It's not like I had a mom long enough to teach me after all, and all the girls from school caked it on way too much for me to even bother. I tried mascara once and nearly poked my eye out. I'd screamed so loud from the pain that Ethan's mother had threatened to call an ambulance until she'd figured out what I was doing. She'd chuckled, got me a wet cloth to soothe my swollen stinging eye, and offered to help me. I declined and swore off make-up then. Beauty wasn't worth that much pain.

"We'll see," he said, offering me a mischievous smile as I placed his box of muffins in front of him.

He brought out his Visa Platinum and as I handed him the receipt, he picked the box up and gave a small nod to the gentleman beside him as he walked out, but not before shooting me an I'm-gonna-win-this-battle type of look.

With a sigh of defeat, knowing he probably would win, I turned my attention back to the older man with white hair and fluffy, cotton ball-like eyebrows. "Hello and welcome to The Coffee Barn..."

As the last customer of the night goes, Cotton Brow was rather pleasant of the old man variety. Sure he included some sexual innuendoes but, unlike others, they were harmless and after I'd given him his order for two he'd hurried off claiming his wife would kill him if her coffee was cold.

I'd just flipped the open sign to close and was about to start shutting down the register when I heard a gentle tapping on the window. I glanced up, a wad of cash held limply in my hands, to see Seth holding the most beautiful dress I'd ever seen in my life up to the window. He wiggled it and nodded at the locked door.

"Whoa," Megan mumbled as she walked up behind me. "I don't think I've ever seen Seth dressed that way. I'm assuming the dress is for you?"

With a dry mouth, I nodded.

"Even if it wasn't for you, I'm pretty sure Seth could do it. That man could pull off drag and still be sexy to everyone he's ever met, like ever."

The attraction was evident in Megan's voice and I found myself eyeing her. "Megan, does Mason know you lust after one of my best friends?"

She shrugged. "I'm fairly certain that look in Seth's eyes is not on a friendship level. Anyhow, Mason and I swing. It's no big deal."

I frowned at her. "You swing? What does swinging on swing sets have to do with what I asked you?"

Megan patted me on the shoulder. "No dear. Not that type of 'swing.'"

Still puzzled, I tilted my head and my frown deepened as I watched her walk towards the door, opening it for Seth. "Well hello, gorgeous!" Megan greeted Seth. "Are you coming to take the best help I ever had away?"

"Oh puh-lease," I grumbled, quickly counting out the ones.

"Megan, you're looking as beautiful as ever!"

My lips curled into a pout as a bit of jealousy reared its head in my gut. He hadn't complimented me at all, but I wasn't gonna be one of those girls that searched for them. Still, he could've said something nice. It didn't matter that my hair was in a messy ponytail or that it was unnaturally curly from the sweat that had accumulated on my skin throughout the day. I could always spout off what Megan says about women not being able to sweat, but that was a load of shit I couldn't spout.