Nine Marines' Shared Property - Nicole Casey Page 0,9

inhibitions. “Back so soon?”

I hesitated, searching for some kind of sexy innuendo I could say. In doing so, my eyes went up and down his well-trimmed body, highlighted by the tight-fitting running shorts and T-shirt.

In my hesitation, Taylor cut in. “Did you miss me?”

“I managed to get by,” I said. Behind Taylor, Christy’s facial expression went from expectation to frustration. She frowned at me. I wasn’t as quick on my feet as she was: out of practice.

“I was just on my way to the pier,” said Taylor. “I was hoping to grab a cranberry muffin. Please tell me you have cranberry muffins.”

“I see. You just came by for a quicky.” My eyes swept up and down his body again. “Well, I’m happy to oblige.” I glanced at Christy and resisted the temptation to stick my tongue out at her. She smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

I walked back to the counter with Taylor following. “Does it have to be cranberry? I have apple cinnamon and banana nut.”

He rubbed his chin while he looked through the glass at the options on display then he looked at me. “I had a very specific craving, you understand.”

I nodded. “I hate to disappoint. I can only offer you a nut and send you on your way.”

Christy, from beside the entrance door, burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth. Taylor turned to look at her. He laughed too.

“Forgive me,” said Christy. “I have a dirty mind.”

“Having a dirty mind is no crime at all,” he said. He turned back to me and, with the affectation of a bad porn actor, said, “I’ll have one of each. I’ve got quite the appetite. If you know what I mean.”

I answered with my own porn-voice impression. “Just let me bag those muffins, if you know what I mean.”

When he left, we watched him walk down the sidewalk until he was out of sight. Then Cindy turned to me and stuck up her hand. “High five.”

“I can’t believe I did that,” I said. “And to a customer!”

“I’m proud of you.”

I was proud of me, too.

Business was slow in the late afternoon. I was about to head home, just waiting for Jenny’s shift to start, when Taylor came back. He wasn’t in jogging shorts or a T-shirt, but in smart slacks and a pressed cotton shirt. For a second I thought it might be his doppelganger.

“Hello Gwen.”

“Hello Taylor.”

He looked around at the empty tables then back at me. “Slow day?”

I tilted my head and smiled. “Well, I have had one customer, a repeat customer.”

Taylor raised his brow and offered a knowing grin. “Is that so?”

“It would seem he can’t get enough.” I leaned against the counter in a way that the counter pinched my dress, hiking it up a bit so I could show off some leg in my pose. “He came by for a quickie, got his ‘nut muffin’, if you know what I mean, and then came back for more.”

Taylor wiped the grin off his face, but it came back immediately and wider. “It’s funny you should say that.”

“Is it, now?”

“I was hoping I could get a quickie, too.”

“Sure,” I said and I tossed back my hair like I was in a shampoo commercial. “And would you like a muffin, too?”

He bit down on his lower lip and looked from me to the pastry display case. “Actually, I’m feeling sinful. I shouldn’t, but I’m going to have a cinnamon roll.”

“Cinnamon roll, my favorite.” I strutted around the counter. “I like a good glaze every now and then,” I said, fluttering my eyebrows.

I caught a glimpse of Cindy. Her eyes and her mouth were open wide. I winked at her while I bagged the roll.

Again, we watched him walk down the sidewalk until he was out of sight. Then Cindy turned to me and said proudly, “Damn, I didn’t think you had it in you. I’m impressed.”

I was impressed with myself, too. “Hey, if those Marines want to play games, that’s fine with me. Just as long as they understand: I’m not the toy.”

Cindy congratulated me on my new attitude. I was feeling pretty good about myself. But the celebration came to an abrupt halt when…

...Taylor walked in.

The real Taylor. The Taylor in T-shirt and jogging shorts.

“Hello Gwen,” he said very casually. “How’s it going?”

I just stared at him, mouth agape.

“You look surprised,” he said.

I pointed to the right where ‘Taylor’ in smart slacks and a pressed cotton shirt had just gone. “You… How…”

Taylor glanced over his