CHAPTER1
LILA
“You can have anything you want in here and as much as you want, babe,” the slimy man said before kissing the neck of the woman beside him.
He bit his thin lips, his teeth slightly yellow. Too much coffee or cigarettes, perhaps. His thinning black hair was slicked back, and I assumed he was meant to look dressed up that night in his ill-fitting black suit and red button-down shirt.
The woman jumped at his contact and gave a little giggle. She wore a tight pink dress, barely covering her bottom, and her massive boobs were practically spilling out of the top.
Sure, I was being a bit judgmental, but I wanted to go home. I fought the extremely strong urge to roll my eyes. He was acting like he took her into a jewelry store and said cost meant nothing. It was an ice creamery and bakery shop, notTiffany’s. Although I had the walls painted in the same blue shade as the famous jewelry box. I mean, it was my dessert shop, and it was as precious to me as fine jewelry because it was mine.Lila’s Loveis what I called it. Named after me, Lila Ramirez. Maybe that was vain, but it felt right. Somehow this girl, who started her childhood off in a crime-ridden neighborhood and then foster care, had found success in life by having her own shop that was doing really well. So well, in fact, that I was considering opening another location in the city.
Of course, none of that mattered at the moment because I had an employee call out, and I was working the counter, ready to close up for the night but had to watch this man grab his girlfriend’s ass like they were home alone.
I cleared my throat and put on a sweet smile, at least, I thought it was a sweet smile. “So, what would you like?”
The guy raised a hand in my direction as if to shush me. “Take your time, baby.”
The hell? I leaned back. I was about to slap the lights off and kick them out. I did not need customers that bad. I had plans, and it was already closing time.
I noticed movement to my left from the corner of my eye. A man stood in front of the baked goods section, hands behind his back. He was tall, over six feet, with an average build. His skin was extremely pale. His face was partially covered by long, forest-green hair that hung to his shoulders, giving his skin an almost sickly tint. He wore black sunglasses and was dressed plainly in green cargo pants and a black long-sleeved T-shirt, no coat, even though it was chilly out.
I hadn’t even seen him come in. Something about him made my skin itch. I couldn’t quite place it. Maybe it was the sunglasses. What was he hiding? I moved past the ice cream counter and the register to stand behind the baked goods section. “How may I help you?”
He looked up at me with a grin that had the effect of making me shiver, and not in a good way. Something was definitely off about this guy. “Are you the Lila in the sign?” His voice was deep and haunting. Not something I’d want to wake up hearing in the morning.
I did not want to answer, but I didn’t think lying would hold up. “The one and only.”
His smile grew, and he stood up straighter. “When does this place close, Lila?”
I did not like him saying my name. It made me feel icky, like I needed to shower. What was this guy? He wasn’t a regular human. Our world was full of all types of beings, and being an ice mage, I tended to have a good grasp on who was what. This guy I couldn’t define. I just knew he had an air of darkness around him that I wanted no part of. “Store closes at 7 today.”
He nodded, turning to the couple. “It’s after 7.”
Something about the way he was looking at them made me very happy the couple I hated a minute ago was here with me. Baltimore had its ups and downs, but I had never felt unsafe in my store. Not in this area. Until now.
“Yes, but you can still order.”
“I’ll take your devil’s food cupcake and your sinful peanut butter cupcake.”
I quickly grabbed a box to put the cupcakes in. Of course, he would pick the cupcakes with the darkest names. I needed to get this guy the hell out of here.
He paid with cash, and I was pissed off that I had to handle anything that came from his hands. I felt like I needed to wash my hands in holy water after this.
The man gave a quick head nod and turned, heading to the door. “Thank you. I can’t wait to devour these. See you around, Lila.”
I hoped not.
I heard the snapping of fingers to my right. “Hey, hon. Can we get some service down here?” called the man.
I plastered on my smile and headed back to the ice cream. I’d have to think about creepy dude later. “Ready to order?”
The woman tapped a long, manicured nail to her chin, twisting her lips and squinting her eyes like she was solving a word puzzle. I looked at the desserts and ice cream on display. Most of my cakes, cupcakes, and cake pops were gone. I had a bit more of my ice cream, but still, it was limited. In other words, it shouldn’t be a hard decision.
She pointed toward the ice cream. “Can I try your peach cobbler ice cream?”
I gave her a tiny spoon of the ice cream, still smiling.
She moaned inappropriately as she tried it. At this point, I was sure my face was conveying my feeling because I no longer was smiling.
