409Chapter 2
Jess quickly rang up the couple at the counter's order, bid them a good evening, and returned to sneering at Mel who was busy fetching some pastries out of the display fridge for the customers she was busy attending to.
Mel flashed her award-winning customer smile at Jess, which succeeded in getting her glared at even more. She watched the group of customers go pick a seat in a corner table to congregate. "Now why would you go and give me that look?"
"Gee, I wonder? Oh, yeah, that's right. You're plotting evil. Again." Jess began tapping her foot on the floor, propping her weight on one arm as she leaned against the counter, her other on her hip. Jess knew Mel was totally unashamed at the correct deduction and even brought it a step further when she crooked her two index fingers and brought them up to the crown of her head, smiling. If that woman smiled any more she would make sugar taste like salt. A huge friggin' mouthful of salt.
"Oh, come on Jess. You're done with your summer classes, and you passed your finals. We need to go celebrate on such a momentous occasion. We need to go par-taaay, and shake that boo-tay. " Mel didn't turn down the sweet talk for a second and decided to give it even more appeal. She batted those fake eyelashes of hers in a way that Jess always thought seemed so cheesy it took flying leaps past funny and into downright Oscar-Nominee worthy. And when she started wagging her hips like she had a tail she just about lost it.
"You just want an excuse to get drunk."
"And yer point?"
Jess huffed and threw her hands up in the air. "Okay, I'll bite you cow."
Mel squealed in delight and did a bit of a bounce that sent the back of her skirt up a few more inches. A few of the male patrons noticed from the other side of the counter. They even craned their heads to try to get another view.
Jess glared at one particular frat boy in reprimand while Mel made her way into the back room to grab something, quickly returning and handing her a folded piece of blue paper."
"That's where I want us to go tomorrow night. And I've checked it out, so you don't need to have any worries. It's," she made a seesaw motion with her right hand. "Comparably tame."
Jess pursed her lips and gave her a warning look that got met with more puppy eyes. Oh, this is probably why she punched in for her this afternoon. She was just buttering her up. Resigning herself she unfolded the piece of paper and checked out the information. It was a flyer for a band playing a gig at a club.
"It's this cool band from San Diego that plays some pretty kick ass metal, rock and alternative." Mel came right beside her shoulder to shoulder, pointing a purple manicured finger down at some of the words. "They're called Night Heart, and the lead singer Devon is oh-so cute. They're playing tomorrow night over in Oakland by the docks."
"Okay, so what's the catch?" Mel's brown eyes got a little shifty and that just told Jess something was up. She did a once over on the flyer once more and tried to find any clue to what mischief the woman was trying to concoct. "Out with it you."
"Only if you promise to go with me tomorrow night. C'mon, I know you'll enjoy it; they do a lot of covers of Nine Inch Nails and Staind songs."
Hazel-grey eyes bored into brown ones and tried vainly to force the other woman to confess. "Melanie,"
"Oh, okay, okay. Don't work those Jedi-mind tricks on me."
"They work, don't they?"
"You're not playing fair," Miss Goth-Queen pouted her dark red lips at her friend mockingly. Jess playfully nudged her in the shoulder with her arm, smiling in triumph.
"You're lucky I love you and all your freakiness."
"Now who's calling the kettle black, ya Happy-Bunny freak?"
Jess rolled her eyes and tried to hold back her laugh. "We're not going there ya cow. Now are you going to tell me your ultimate plan, or am I going to have to use more mind tricks on you?"
Mel blew her a raspberry and giggled, shaking her head. "Oh, please spare me. But do me a favor and go get a bottle of chocolate syrup and a jug of milk from the fridge first."
"Oh, yes, Assistant Manager Ma'am." Jess gave her a playful salute, tucking the flyer into her apron pocket before going into the back storeroom fridge to fetch the items. "And you better tell me what your plan is too!"
Mel waved a hand in her friend's direction and grinned. "Yeah, yeah, chick. Hurry up." She didn't have to be in the same room to know that her friend was probably rolling her eyes when she blew a big raspberry at her. If Mel had her way with her, she knew she was going to get her jean-wearing tomboy ass to dress a little more feminine and a lot less sporty jock for change, and any way possible.
Jess went about grabbing the supplies Mel asked for along with a pack of napkins for the dispenser at the counter, faintly hearing the telltale chime and clink of the little bell of the café's front door. Ducky; she had a minute to formulate a plan in her favor while Mel tended to whatever patron walked through the door.
"Hey Mel, could you make me that chocolate drink again? If you're gonna butter me up, you might as well—"Jess looked up from her juggling act as she came from the back room and paused mid-step, forgetting to breath for a good moment until she felt her face grow hot. "…do it, right."
Jess knew there was a reason she didn't mind working the afternoons/evenings on a Friday night, even if being dateless was one of them.
She quickly regained her composure and cast her eyes back down to the jug of two percent in her arm and came back to Mel, who was all beaming customer smiles again and then some.
Holy…Crap, Jess thought, thankfully remembering that staring was sorta impolite, but it was damn hard not to.
The customer who had come strolling in was the culprit.
A man had walked in, pausing by the front door and slowly scanned the place behind black wraparound sunglasses.
Whoo-boy, what a man he was. Raven black hair hung in thick wavy locks to his strong cut jaw line and chin that tapered slightly shorter toward the column of his neck. The man was dressed in a simple black muscle shirt that exposed lean yet powerful looking tawny arms, dark blue jeans, and a pair of leather boots on his feet, holding a black and grey motorcycle jacket with matte-finished black helmet in the crook of his right arm. Even dressed simply as he was anyone could tell he didn't have an ounce of fat on him. And tall, least a head taller than Jess was herself, and she was a damn Amazon. Bigger than life, yet not overly muscular at all like some guys who just over-killed it and made muscles look ridiculous instead of drool-worthy. He was…just perfect.
And just downright sexy. Like fitness model, let-me-lick-chocolate-sauce-off-you sexy. He couldn't be no older than late twenties/early thirties either. This guy had some wicked good genes on his side.
The guy took long slow strides to the counter, like a stalking wolf. Jess and Mel both could tell he was still scanning the place by the way his head turned ever so slightly. Apparently the two of them weren't the only ones wondering who the dark dressed man was either. Some of the women that were seated at the various tables were primping their hair, crossing and recrossing their legs, or trying to discreetly straighten out their Wonder Bras.
"Hello, and welcome to Coffee Shop. What can I get you today?" Mel took the lead when her brain kicked back into gear that her hormones stalled; she stood at attention and making her hooters look even perkier than they were in her corset.
Even with the glasses on, there was something about him that just commanded attention of everyone. Something…primal. Perhaps even a little dangerous maybe. Combine that with the way he carried himself, he was sex on legs.
And she needed to stop right there with all that. Calling up her will, Jess decided to be a realist and get back to what she had been doing, storing the couple of items in their respective places and heading to the sink to do the small pile that was there. Melanie could handle herself just fine, especially around men. Jess on the other hand knew she became a bit of a blubbering mess when it came to guys considering all she knew about them. Then again, her luck with the opposite gender was laughable.
Mel was the confidant and sexy one, not her.
Who would take a hundred-dollar wager on that a Starbucks wouldn't be crowded as a sardine can on a Friday night? Gabe sure the hell wasn't about to take such a sucker's bet. Even though the summer semester at Berkeley had let out last week the city was still rampant with college kids, high-school kids enjoying the last few days of summer, and all manners of people. He knew he was better off trying to find his java fix in a less crowded establishment.
He parked his midnight blue Aprilla RSV 1000R at a multi-level parking garage and started walking. Berkeley was full of coffee shops, java huts, and a myriad amount of places that catered to the caffeine junkies of the Bay area. Gabe decided to let his feet and nose carry him to one.
Surprisingly enough while he rode through the busy city, his head cleared a good deal so he could think with more clarity. Riding usually tended to do that for him, which he was thankful for such a distraction. He didn't want to have to do it, but he resigned himself to the thought that he would have to find a nice tart or two so he could get blood. And here he thought those dark Bram Stoker days were over. It just goes to show that some things never quite went out of style, and he should know. However at that moment focusing his thoughts on one matter at a time was all he could handle sanely enough and not become even more irate. He really didn't want to think about the other impeding problem; if Rainer's suspicions were right, then his last sixty year reprieve from the hunting party was about to come to an abrupt end.
World War II had been a very fortunate distraction, despite everything that happened during it.
Though the sun wasn't high in the sky anymore, the late afternoon climate proved to be sufficient enough to leave him slightly light-headed. All the cheesy myths about vampires not being able to go out in the sunlight was a bunch of bullshit slander. They did not go up like Roman candles in broad daylight, or even smoke and sizzle little. Though the few years or so Gabe didn't go out into the daylight longer than five-minute intervals after venturing out of the burg once right in the middle of the afternoon and into the scorching midday sun…and ran right back in screaming. Nobody told him that along with all their other senses being heightened that his tolerance went through the roof, especially touch. He remembered sunlight being warm and comforting and gentle.
Not feeling like he got dipped into a vat of burning oil.
His tolerance for the sun took longer than most in his coven to be built up, but after all was said and done he had been one of the few who could stay out during the day without being totally drained. That was nearly unheard of for any young vampire. Worst case scenario for him was blacking out for a few moments if he sucked up too much UV, and unfortunately it made the inner beast a little testy. But sun was totally doable—just had to become strong enough to withstand it.
An invigorating scent of sweet chocolate, steamed milk, and roasted coffee beans carried on the early evening breeze brought him back to his senses. Oh, sweet heaven, it was coffee. And by the smell of it someone knew how to make it right. Gabe slowed his pace and scanned the busy streets until his eyes pinpointed where the scent was coming from. A few blocks down he spotted a few mortals coming out of a glass front little establishment with iced lattes loaded with gobs of whipped cream in their hands. Fuck the gobs of sugar that Americans preferred with those magical little beans—he much rather have it strong and potent like Italians or most other Europeans took it.
Painted in decorative gold and brown lettering on the windows of the coffeehouse were the words…Coffee Shop. Gee, if that wasn't obvious.
Let's have a cheer for vampire vision, folks.
Five minutes later—would've been there in less, but humans tend to freak when someone seemingly disappears then reappears in another location—Gabe was scoping out the interior of the sizable shop, and for the moment just let his nostrils get filled with the sweet smells around him. It was incredible to think that the smell of coffee was about the only thing that could mute his bodies craving for blood, even if it was just for a few precious moments. The hunger could be on mute, but the nagging in his body sure as hell couldn't.
He had taken off his cycle jacket and helmet off during his trek and now held the stuff in hand. California summer heat was no joke in August, and he could feel several females in the room appreciating the view from the way he could sense the wide array of lust that was being directed at him. For now he ignored it. Though the prospect of a willing woman ready to scratch a biological itch was lovely, he wanted a partner in something else right now. And it was the heaviest shot of espresso this place could offer.
Gabe realized a long time ago that their kind could develop addictions just like mortals did, complete with the one track mind to go with it. One of his favorites was coffee, any way, shape, or form (without being gross or insanely sweet of course). And it sucked to be the bastard who got in the way of a vampire and his addictions, whatever it might be.
Warm shades of oranges and red-painted the walls in geometric patterns, with burgundy laminated tables spotting around the ceramic floor and matching cranberry pleather booths along the walls and by the windows. The atmosphere had been made warm and welcoming to all who wanted to partake of the coffee hut.
"Hello, and welcome to Coffee Shop. What can I get you today?" There were two women behind the counter in regular clothes under burgundy aprons. Well, normal was stretching it a tad: the one who greeted him was in a short skirt and a Victorian-style corset that put an ample chest on display and wore a nice layer of dark make-up, but this was California after all. The land of fruit and nuts, and definitely not talking about the trees. The other woman though…something made him do a double take behind his shades, inwardly shrugging it off to the fact that she had to been the only female in the joint who wasn't paying him any attention whereas the rest of them couldn't take their eyes off of him. He wasn't narcissistic by most accounts, but he was brazenly aware of how the female gender viewed him, empathic or not.
Putting his gaze back to the menu laminated in the counter, Gabe was quite surprised that the little shop could rival Starbucks; the drink selection alone was impressive. The menu even said they did custom orders as long as they customer could let them know how to make what they wanted.
Jess kept her brain engaged in clearing out the few dishes in the sink while Mel helped Mr. Dark and Yummy…wait, she didn't just think that did she? Yeah, she did… oye, score one for hormones. Who was she kidding? As far as she would get with a guy like that in her lifetime would be in her fantasies on a really lonely night with some really good batteries. There wasn't anything spectacular about her except her sharp wit that comprehended guy's dick and fart jokes along with one impressive belch if goaded enough…and well, that was about it. Jess wasn't a plain Jane, but she wasn't a Scarlett Johansson either. Mel might be into the whole Goth/Rock scene and dressed the part, but she had killer looks to back it up.
Mr. D & Y still hadn't taken off his glasses while he scanned the menu laminated before him, setting his helmet on the counter with his jacket folded on top of it, using his freed up hand to brush down the menu with long fingers. Locks of his ebony hair fell in front of his shades, dark eyebrows creased slightly in a look of total absorption.
God, he really looked good standing there.
Dishes, dishes…wash, rinse, put up to dry…Jess chanted in her head repeatedly. She soo didn't need to be caught oogling.
When he looked up Ms. Victorian-Goth had both hands on her side of the counter, leaning against it, chocolate eyes beaming at him intently. The dark make-up around her eyes just made them that more prominent…oh. She was broadcasting her intentions, he'd give her that. Gabe realized many women from all walks in California were unrepentant in their sexuality for the most part. It made finding a bed buddy easier at times…along with a willing donor if it boiled down to it.
He might not like going at some women's vein-women tended to freak out and want to bring sharp nails, well placed kicks, and the cops into the mix—but since Joe couldn't help him, he was just going to have to help himself the old-fashioned way.
Rainer advised against him using the local populations for sustenance since he wasn't a telepath; he couldn't scrub memories, but push was coming to shove. Although if Ms. Goth was willing…
Women these days were a lot more sexually aggressive, and Gabe had to admit he found strong women insanely attractive.
"I didn't see it on the drink list, but do you guys make Red-Eye's?" Gabe inquired, taking off his glasses and looking at the busty brunette, who was now beaming all smiles. The other one he had to give a serious round of applause to for having a will of iron even though he was sensing that tickle of her curiosity in her psyche…
Jess couldn't resist temptation when she heard him speak, his voice deep and husky—a delicious bedroom voice. She caught him taking off his shades in her peripheral vision, casting a glance from a huge cappuccino mug that she'd been drying. Damn it all, she just couldn't help herself.
She nearly dropped the thing back in the sink when she seen his eyes. His eyes were a vivid cerulean blue, so bright, so clear, they almost seem unreal. And now they were giving Mel their undivided attention. And of course they were. Men like him didn't go for women like her. The only thing men had an interest in her for was that she could play a mean game of baseball, and actually appreciate the finer points of UFC.
She kept herself busy even as a horrible tightening in her chest started, swallowing the small lump in her throat that always came up when she was reminded on how her track record with dating had been.
"Um-Red Eye?" Now Mel decided to lose her brain—Jess thought she truly was a blonde at that very moment and not the intelligent woman she's grown to love. Chalk one point up to her keeping her brain.
Jess played it cool and acted like she was diligently drying a mug while she came up beside Mel and leaned in close to her, drawing her attention from Mr. Yummy. "A sledgehammer, Mel, that's what he's wondering about."
"Sledgehammer…" Jess nudged her spaced out co-worker behind one of her knees, causing her to buckle slightly but proving to get her back in her right mind. "Yes, we make sledgehammers." Both girls looked at the tall customer at the same time, and both were rewarded with a devilishly handsome smile that made two hearts go a-flutter.
Wow…if smiles could be illegal and a weapon against women-kind…
"Fantastic-the best news I've heard all day." Gabe smirked. The brunette returned the gesture tenfold, and her co-worker just sighed under her breath and walked away to put up the cup up on a shelf she had dried.
Okay, now his own curiosity was piqued. Where the woman in front of him was more attentive so to speak, the other was collected, and slightly aloof. The emotions he felt resonating from her never got broadcasted in the way she carried herself. He could feel the attraction she had for him, hell, he could sense that growing curiosity, but it was submerged thoroughly in steel willpower…and self-doubt?
He couldn't see why. She was a diamond in the rough, which he could clearly tell. She wasn't anywhere in the same style of dress as her co-worker, actually dressed very low-key in jeans and a t-shirt, inwardly smiling when he caught sight of a good pair of leather shitkickers on her feet. Upon a second discreet glance (which for him, he knew still looked like he was giving his attention to the woman in front of him), he seen she had long lean legs, indicating that she might've been a runner or played sports. And that ass…definitely something a female could only get if she worked it off, only in a good way.
Gabe set aside his analysis and returned to getting his coffee. He really just needed to worry about caffeine for the moment and not some woman's choice body parts. "How strong can you make it?"
"As strong as you can handle." The female in front of him grinned, tucking her hair behind her ears. He didn't miss that innuendo or that glance by a mile. "But I have to tell ya; I've never seen anyone order above a three-hitter."
Gabe wished somewhat he didn't have to play the flirt-with-me-and-I'll-flirt-back game, since at that moment all it did was irritate him even more, but if he was seriously contemplating seducing the woman in front of him for his next feeding he knew he had to do a little leg work. So he played along, flashing a confident grin. "I'm not like most people."
A severe understatement, to astronomical proportions.
"Really?" She purred. Her eyes positively gleamed in challenge. "So how do you want it?"
Jess wanted to stick a pencil into her ears and wreck her eardrums if Mel kept up her game. She was so like a cat—always had to play with her food before devouring it. Couldn't love all the traits your friends' had, right?
Mr. Yummy continued his banter and met her challenge head on. "Can I get a five-shot? Hot and in the biggest cup size you got, and add a shot of chocolate to it please."
Jess and Mel both had to gawk at him in complete shock and disbelief. Either Mr. Tall &Yummy had a cast-iron stomach or was a devout caffeine junkie. Jess was putting money on caffeine junkie.
Mel shook her head, but was willing to readily comply to his request anyway. "You got it. If you want, you can take a seat at a table and we can bring it to you." She ignored the heated glare she knew Jess was giving her behind her back. "Do you want anything else to go with that?"
"Just that. At least for right now." He responded coolly.