For His Taste (10 page)

“I like that idea,” Beth said and
winked at Bobby. 

“A date then?”

Beth nodded.  “I’m actually
thinking about closing early today.  I feel a little under the weather.”

“Really?”

Beth coughed, then smiled.  “Yeah,
I’m under the weather.”

“Or did you mean
under the
sheets
?” Bobby asked.

Beth smiled and felt her toes
curl.  Wow was Bobby sexy… and funny… and he wanted her.

“I have some stuff to take care
of,” Bobby said, “I am here on work.  When are you closing up?”

“When you come back,” Beth said.

“Oh, that’s tempting.  What if I
didn’t leave at all?  Can you close then?”

“Perhaps…”

On cue, the door to the bakery
opened. 

“Or not,” Beth whispered.  She blew
a kiss at Bobby, leaving him dangling – his heart pounding with emotion and in
his pants filled with lust.

Bobby left the bakery, looking back
just once, and felt his heart flutter and race.

Even then, in the pit of his
stomach, he knew he had a job to do… but he already had a plan in mind.

11-

“Now, I
don’t want you to
get jealous here,” Bobby said.  He held the card just above the slot to his
hotel door.  “This place is amazing.”

“Oh, I bet,” Beth replied.

“I’m just saying.  A woman comes
and cleans it for me, once a day.  Big screen television.  Central air.  A view
of… well, a view…”

“Just open the door.”

Beth reached for Bobby’s wrist and
he pressed the card down and pulled it back up.  A small light turned green and
he opened the door to his hotel room.  Once inside, he let Beth walk first and
then snuck the
Do Not Disturb
sign on the door and let it shut. 

He had the most erotic intentions
with Beth in the hotel room, then a nice dinner date, followed by more even
hotter erotic intentions back at her place. 

It had been a long day, almost
teetering on excruciating.  Mr. Galloway had emailed him, called him, and even
text messaged him over thirty times total and he was sent to some of the
properties the company now owned to inspect.  Apparently, Mr. Galloway had been
up to no good with Bobby out of town.  The poor man attracted leeches, blood
sucking asshole businessmen who see nothing but dollar signs.  Bobby never
understood how Mr. Galloway got into the messes he did, other than the fact
that if you massaged his ego the right way, he’d crumple to pieces.  Someone
had suggested to Mr. Galloway that with a little paint and some cheap labor
touch up, he didn’t need to put so much money into buildings to make them new. 
The idea made Bobby cringe.  Even still, he did his corporate duty and spent
half the day rummaging through shithole buildings and apartments, leaving his
honest opinion in his last email explaining that if Mr. Galloway did stick with
the original plan, he’d end up with lawsuits and Bobby would quit.

It was brutal and honest, but
sometimes that’s what it took to break Mr. Galloway’s shell.

By the end of the day, Bobby didn’t
care what he wrote, he just needed to get his frustration out. 

Now, as he passed by the full
mirror on the wall of his hotel room, he realized just how filthy he looked. 
He certainly hadn’t packed any old clothes or clothes really suitable for
messing around with shithole buildings.

“Look at me,” Bobby said.  “I’m a
mess.”

“I don’t mind,” Beth said spinning
around on her heels.  She too had her own naughty intentions in the hotel
room. 

Bobby put his hand out.  “No, wait
a second.  I really smell.  I can’t… you know what?”

“What?”

“I have a better idea.  I’m going
to take a quick shower.  But I’m going to leave the door unlocked, just in case
anyone wants to join me.”

Beth smiled and licked her lips. 
She stepped to the side and sat down on the bed as if to say no to Bobby. 

They both knew better and knew that
she wouldn’t be far behind him.

**

Beth listened for the water to turn
on and felt her heart starting to go wild again.  It was hard to believe she
sat in a hotel room like this.  Wasn’t it just a few days ago that she had
lived a simple life?  One that had her filled with pain and regrets, only to be
hidden behind her bakery?

Memories of the robbery flashed
again in her mind and she shook them away.

She needed to get into the shower
with Bobby.

Right now.

Beth kicked her feet out, ready to
take her shoes off.  She bumped the chair that sat at the desk.  When it hit
the desk, Bobby’s computer screen lit up.  His email was open and as hard as
Beth tried not to look at it, she did.  She didn’t want to see anything but
damn her good eyes. 

One sentence jumped out to her in
the open email…

Is that bakery closed yet?  We
have to finish this deal.

Seeing that Beth jumped to her
feet.  She peered to her right and then listened, making sure Bobby was in the
shower.  She could hear the water splashing off his body.  She imagined the
water hitting his naked body.  She bit her lip knowing she should just undress
herself and join Bobby, but she couldn’t.

Back to the email.

She skimmed the entire email,
picking up the most important parts of it.  It became quite clear why Bobby was
in town, leaving Beth feeling a little more than empty.  She grabbed the top of
the screen and closed it, wanting the email and everything to go away.

It didn’t.

Behind the laptop Beth saw a
newspaper.  It was folded in half and looked a tiny bit discolored.  She
flipped it open and saw the date, the article, and worse yet, a picture of her
circled in blue pen about a hundred times.

That’s how Bobby was able to sweep
her off her feet so quick.

The pleasure Beth had been feeling
in her heart was replaced with a shattering feeling she hadn’t felt since her
grandmother died.  The feeling of betrayal she expected in life but this was
something different. 

It was then she sat back on the bed
and touched her chest.  Her chest hurt, but her heart pounded.  That’s when she
realized it… 

Beth had been falling for Bobby.

**

Bobby waited in the shower and when
Beth didn’t come, he hurried and cleansed himself.  He felt like running from
the shower, dripping wet, naked, and finding her.  He wanted to drag her into
the shower and have her there.  He figured she was being self conscious and to
imagine Beth feeling any kind of doubt or pain made Bobby cringe.  It was the
reason why he had asked Beth about the robbery again.  Something like that
never happened to him and he couldn’t imagine it.  Sure, in his mind the
tough-guy came to life and he saw himself fighting the robber, managing to pull
off some kind of miracle punch or kick and taking the guy down, but that wasn’t
reality.  It wasn’t some television show or movie either.  The reality was that
staring at a loaded gun would stop most people dead in their tracks.

Thinking of Beth alone in the
bakery, just trying to work, and that happening filled Bobby with rage.  Worse
yet, the comments.  Bad enough the man had to take her money and take a part of
her innocence but did he need to call her names?  Did he need to make her feel
so worthless?  Bobby could hear Beth’s voice explaining that the robber felt
she was even too fat to rape.  As though Beth sort of welcomed it… some kind of
way to feel attractive in this world.

The minutes collected with ease as Bobby
washed and thought.  He soon realized that Beth definitely wasn’t going to be
joining him in the shower.  He turned the water off and grabbed a towel.  As he
stared at the fogged reflection of himself in the mirror, he knew he had a
couple big decisions to make in the next day.  Meeting Beth wasn’t random and
the way he felt wasn’t random.  Up to this point Bobby’s biggest risk taking
adventures in life came when he stood up to Mr. Galloway.  Maybe it was time
for something more.  Something with a little more risk and little more reward.

Something that involved love.

**

The moods were much different
between Bobby and Beth when Bobby stepped from the bathroom wearing a heavy
white towel.  There was an extra bounce in his step after admitting the
L
word
to himself. 

When he saw Beth sitting on the
edge of the bed holding a newspaper, nothing really registered at first. 

To Bobby, she was just reading the
paper.

“Beth,” he said, “I have to tell
you something.”

“Me first,” she said staring at the
newspaper.

“What’s wrong?”

Beth turned her head and Bobby saw
tears and pain in her eyes.

That’s when things started to
connect in his mind.

“I’m closing the bakery,” she
said.  “Getting rid of it forever.”

“The bakery?  Why?”

Bobby knew why and Beth’s eyes told
him she knew too.

“I hide in the bakery,” Beth said. 
“From myself.  From the world.  It used to keep the bad out, you know?  It used
to give me a little world of peace I could live in and love.  But now… a man
comes into the bakery and steals my money and calls me fat.  Then another man
comes in and steals my heart and breaks it…”

Before Bobby could say a word, Beth
threw the newspaper towards him.  It opened and flapped for a few seconds,
falling to the floor, turning enough so that Bobby could see what Beth had
found. 

He stared down at the article about
Beth.

The blue circle around her picture,
again and again.

“Were you memorizing me?” Beth
asked.  “Memorizing the story too?  Is that why you wanted to talk about the
robbery?  Because you know it was a weak spot for me, right?  You wanted to
keep touching that painful nerve, easing me into closing…”

“It’s not like that,” Bobby said. 
He tried to remain calm but his jumping heart and shaking hands told a
different story.  “Not at all.”

“Yeah, well you better check your
email then.”

Beth stood from the bed and started
to move towards the door.  Bobby backed up, but knew he would never do anything
to hurt Beth nor make her stay if she really wanted to leave.

“My email?”

“Your boss or whoever sent you an
email while you were in the shower,” Beth said.  “I’m sorry for looking and
seeing it…”

“Oh no,” Bobby whispered.

“Tell your boss the deal is
finished,” Beth said, “the bakery is closed.”

“Dammit, Beth, wait,” Bobby said. 

“I can’t anymore.  All I’ve done is
kept myself trapped in my own world that worked.  That world doesn’t work
anymore.”

“It’s not like that,” Bobby said. 
He put his hands out and one hand touched Beth’s arm.  She quickly wiggled away
and motioned for the door.  “Please… just let me explain something…”

“Explain?” Beth asked.  “You saw me
as weak, that’s all you need to explain.  You saw me, saw the story about the
robbery, and then used it all.  You used me.”

“I did not use you.  Beth… I think
I’m falling in love with you.”

“Get out of my way, now.”

Bobby turned and watched as Beth
gripped the door handle.  She didn’t hurry and push it down nor did she open
the door and storm out.  She just stood there staring at her own hand.  She was
debating her move, giving Bobby an opportunity.

“I asked about the robbery because
it scared me,” Bobby said.  “When I walked into your bakery, I had a plan but
it was ruined the second I saw you.  You’re beautiful and full of heart and
life.  I just can’t imagine you being alone in the bakery and having someone pointing
a gun at you.  I want to take all of it from you, so you don’t have to feel
that kind of fear or pain.”

Beth remained silent.  Tears ran
down her cheeks. 

“If you want to know what I do for
a living, I work for a rich investor.  He takes old buildings and neighborhoods
and rebuilds them.  We secured most of the buildings on your block and he asked
me to come this weekend to get your place… but I’m not doing that anymore.  I’d
rather lose my job than lose you and have you lose your bakery.”

Now Beth pushed the door handle and
opened the door.  When she saw the
Do Not Disturb
sign it gave her
flashbacks of she and Bobby together.  She reminded herself that if she hadn’t
seen that email or newspaper article she’d probably be in the shower with him
right now… his hands enjoying her curves and her hands enjoying his muscle… she
stepped from the room.

She looked back one last time.  “I’m
not losing anything I never really had.”

12-

Beth told
the truth, and
that bothered Bobby.  He stood at the front door to Cole’s Bakery and pulled on
the door handle for the third time.  The first two times he pulled the door was
locked, so pulling it a third time proved pointless.

A small sign hung from the door
that just read one word:  CLOSED.  Handwritten with a touch of elegance on the
‘C’ and ‘S’ that made Bobby sigh in frustration. 

He’d messed up not telling Beth why
he had been there.  He hadn’t planned on falling for Beth either, sharing some
hot moments in the bakery and in her bed.  If it were any other time or any
other situation, Bobby would have moved on by now.  Back to business as usual
and keep life moving forward.  This time though, life had a wall in front of
him.  This path had taken its course right to this spot.  There was another
path to take, one he had been testing with Beth and one he wanted to continue
on. 

It all revolved around Beth.

Beth was everything right now and
she wasn’t here.

Bobby’s phone vibrated in his
pocket and he didn’t even bother looking.  He knew it would be Mr. Galloway
calling.  The third call today and the third call he’d ignore. 

Bobby leaned against the front
window of the bakery and looked around the street, picking out the buildings
Mr. Galloway had purchased.  He pictured what everything would look like once
it was rebuilt.  Mr. Galloway always did great work and with Bobby at his side,
business had flourished once again.  This project should have been no different
only Bobby had gotten much too personal.