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I lean back into the streaming heat and grunt hard as I cum, thinking of the former cheerleader.
Fuck... to taste her lips... to have her in my bed...
Yeah. Okay. I might be fucking obsessed with her.
9
AVA
I need to escape.I need to get out of my dad’s place. I need to get away from the worry and pain of the debts and the struggles, even if for just a morning.
And so I go to my favorite place in the whole of Crystal River - the coffee shop I can always rely on for a good beverage and a moment of blissful solitude and just, like, goodvibes.
The Oak.
Stepping inside the coffee shop, I’m overcome with exactly what I’m searching for this morning. The air is filled with the delightful mingling of freshly brewed coffee and the inviting aroma of freshly baked treats. It’s all so cute and cozy.
Yeah, there’s the good vibe I’m looking for.
There’s a rustic feel to the place with the brick walls and artistic shelves meticulously adorned with an array of random knick-knacks. A sweeping counter proudlyshowcases the array of delicious pastries, invitingly laid out for all to see.
I really,reallylove it here.
“Hey, Josie,” I greet the barista. She and I went to the same high school – theonlyhigh school – in Crystal River together. I’ve barely seen Josie since then. I mean, we were never close at all in our year, just on first name terms and nothing more serious. Not super friendly, but not high school enemies or anything like that. She got married to her high school sweetheart, but I’ve since heard that there’s been relationship trouble between them. I don’t really know what’s gone on, but I suspect it’s been serious.
To be honest, I’ve felt out of the loop of the gossip around town since everything started with Dad.
Josie flicks her curly black hair back, regarding me with sad brown eyes. Maybe the rumors are true and she has had issues with her husband. Maybe that’s what she’s sad about. She softly smiles at me, but I can tell she’s putting on a brave face, whatever is going on inside. I feel sorry for her.
“Hey, Ava,” she greets. “Long time. How are you?”
I smile weakly back.
Like her, I am also putting on a brave face.
“Things are good,” I say, feigning cheerfulness. I’m nearly stammering. It’s so unlike me. Dad’s misfortunes have really rattled me these past few weeks. “Just coming in for one of your famous almond croissants and a coffee, please.”
Josie makes me my coffee and fetches me a delicious croissant with a quick professionalism. These croissant delights truly are my favorite things this coffee shop sells here. I first had them when I was a kid. Every time I have a bite, I am taken back to a much simpler and more fun time of my life - a time before worries about debts and gangsters.
Dad used to take me here when I was a little girl. We used to get a coffee for him and a hot chocolate for me and one big almond croissant to share, and we would sit in the park in happy silence every single Saturday.
He hasn’t taken me here for years. We haven’t sat in the park together in happy silence for such a long time.
It’s one more sad thing to add to my growing list.
After saying bye to Josie, I settle into a seat beside the window, gazing out at the central park of Crystal River. Kids are playing in the playground. I spot the bench Dad and I would sit on. Everything seems so...peaceful.
But things are not so peaceful in my mind. I think about Damon Penmayne. His scarred visage materializes in my mind like a haunting nightmare that I can’t shake.
That damn offer of his...
He is a violent man, that’s for sure. Everyone in this town knows he is. There’s no way I would even dare enter his life. The man lives in a dark and dangerous world, and I certainly don’t want to end up all tangled up in that.No, sir.
I take a sip of my coffee.
I remember how he looked in that office in that black suit: all enigmatic and mysterious and brooding, just like his reputation would suggest, but also so damn confident and handsome. His calmness. His stillness. The way he watched me like a lion in charge of his domain stalks its prey. And the way he talked – so smooth and calculated, each word measured and suave. He was not your typical gangster. This was an intelligent man with an old-fashioned sense of chivalry, despite his insane proposal. He offered to fly me home on his private plane. He did not seem like a cruel man who could choose to have such an ominous hold over Dad.
But he is still a monster. He still has chosen to screw Dad over. He gave me an impossible offer just to rile me up...
