Black Coffee

“No fucking way,” Shelley Marlowe hissed under her breath as six minutes before closing someone was walking through the door. “He’s got to be kidding…” She’d already cleaned the counter-tops, washed the coffee pots and machines, counted the cash drawer, and was just reaching for her keys to lock up. With a shake of her head, Shelley pocketed the key fob and focused on her final customer of the night. Hopefully, he just wanted directions to one of the clubs or something.

Shelley watched as the guy sat down on the stool directly in front of her and draped himself over the counter. Without looking up, he grabbed a menu, perused it for a moment or two then replaced it back in its holder.

“Large coffee. Black.”

Shelley’s jaw fell open. She conspicuously glanced at the watch laced to her wrist and sighed, hoping he’d get the hint and excuse himself. It was nearly eleven at night. Who came to a coffee shop this late? It was a sweltering Friday night and Shelley hadn’t had a customer in hours. As far as she was concerned it was time to go home.

Shelley gnawed her lower lip and crossed her arms over her chest. “Look,” she began, trying to sound polite, “I’m ready to close the place. I don’t have any coffee on.”

The guy looked up finally, noting she had yet to move to fulfill his request. “So…how ’bout it?”

He either hadn’t gotten the hint, or was just going to be stubborn. From the looks of him, Shelley went with the latter. Clearly this guy was “that type”: all noveau grunge, piercings, and purposefully mussed hair. Not a typical Midwestern poser though. Clad in a worn black wife beater and camouflage cargos, he came across looking more like a California beach bum with that deep summer tan of his and Hollywood heart-throb looks. His punk style surprisingly didn’t mar those looks, Shelley decided as her eyes roved the curve of his upper lip.

That same lip curled into a toothy smile suddenly, jolting Shelley from her entranced observations. Her eyes shot upwards, locking on his, a deep liquid brown--like black coffee….

“See something you like?” he practically purred, lowering his voice to a breathy whisper, full of insinuation and suggestion.

Shelley blinked back at him for a moment, embarrassed he’d caught her staring. Determined not to show it, she gestured at the coffee machine casually. “It’s going to take me a few minutes to brew your coffee.” She drifted over to the machine and grabbed the carafe, remembering how pissed off it made her to have him come into the shop right before closing. It helped cool the heat reddening her cheeks. Her older sister Mary, who was 22, always warned her about this type of guy: the bad boy that wasn’t any good for you, but was irresistible just the same.

“I don’t mind,” the guy replied, almost automatically. The suggestion in his voice came back a moment later however. “It’ll give us time to get to know one another.” He leaned forward and extended his hand to her. “I’m Caleb. What’s your name?”

Shelley turned more to face him, fixing her eyes on his hand. The way he held it--with his palm up and fingers loosely spread--didn’t look as if he wanted to shake hands in a customary greeting. It was more like an invitation. Or a summons.

Snatching up the measuring spoon as an excuse not to take his hand, Shelley cleared her throat and politely introduced herself. It was only after he grinned that Shelley realized she was staring at him again. She couldn’t help it. He was kind of hot, she admitted. Every time he turned his head, a glint of silver would catch Shelley’s eyes, drawing her attention to different parts of his face. The small silver ring piercing his brow held her captivated now. The way his long dark bangs fell rakishly over it into his eyes made her itch to wind her finger around one of those curls and twist it back behind his studded ear.

Failing to entice Shelley into taking his hand, Caleb finally withdrew the offer and tucked his hand under his chin, propping his head up on his elbow. The movement once more prodded Shelley into action and back to business.

“Did you want a specific blend? Columbian? Or--”

“Whatever,” Caleb answered. “Look, I’m not asking for any of that cappa-latte, frothy crap. One plain black cup of coffee shouldn’t be such a big deal.” He laughed lightly. “I don’t deserve that frown.”

Shelley wasn’t aware she’d been frowning at him. Not at him, per se, but at herself for being so flippin’ obvious. This guy was reading her like an open book and getting all kinds of ideas. Shelley turned away from him, concentrating on measuring out the coffee into the filter.

“I like your hair,” Caleb commented, clearly set on keeping up the banter. “That dark blue underneath looks good on you.”

Subconsciously, Shelley’s hand went up and stroked her shoulder length brown hair before she could stop herself. She’d had the blue put in on the bottom layer just a week or so ago. Her younger brother, Frank, had hated it, but he was only eighteen and a total jock type. “Uh, thanks,” she responded flatly, secretly thrilled he found it attractive enough to compliment it.

“You want to get out of here? Go someplace?” Caleb abruptly asked, standing as if he already knew Shelley would.

For a split second, Shelley didn’t understand what he was asking. As realization dawned, her entire body tingled with anticipation. He was asking her out.

“You mean, go for a walk or something?” she said, seeking confirmation. “Eh, what about your coffee?” She looked down at the measuring spoon in her hand and sighed. No, she couldn’t imagine a cup of coffee changing his mind.

Caleb flashed a smile. He looked her up and down and drew a sharp breath threw his teeth. “Go for a ride. My car’s out front. I just had new rims and a spoiler put on. I want to show it off.” He took a step towards the door. “Fuck the coffee.”

Peering through the window at the solitary car out front, Shelley set the measuring spoon down and swallowed hard. He apparently had a reconditioned black ’67 Mustang convertible. Shelley nearly swooned at the sight of it. She had a definite “thing” for vintage cars. Caleb’s offer to go for a ride in his had gain immeasurable appeal in that split second of discovery. Her mind was in sudden turmoil as “reasons not to” vied for the same attention the “reasons to” were getting.

Caleb was opening the door now, so clearly certain she would follow. He paused just before going outside and turned to face her again. He held his hand out to her, palm up, fingers beckoning in obvious invitation now.

“Let’s go,” he told her.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Shelley fished out her key ring to lock up. Bounding towards the door, and Caleb, she grinned.

Pulling her against him and looping his arm around her waist, Caleb guided Shelley to the passenger side of his car. Like the gentleman he so obviously wasn’t, he opened the door for her. Shelley slipped inside.

“You’ve got an accent.  You French?” 

“Canadian.”

“Really?”

Shelley smiled up at him. “Oui.” She ran her hands over the black vinyl seats of the Mustang, her eyes roving the car’s antique interior maintained to perfection. “Sweet ride.”

Caleb slid into the driver’s seat and leaned towards her. His eyes moved over her in that same suggestive, slithery way they had back in the coffee shop. “I’ll say,” he stated and nuzzled at her neck.

Shelley eased away from him, pinning him with a wide-eyed gaze.

Unfazed, Caleb settled back in his seat with a laugh. “You look like a deer in the headlights about to be run over.” He started the car and shifted gears into reverse, backing out of his parking spot and into the street. “Breathe before you pass out on me.”

“You just caught me off guard,” Shelley countered indignantly, turning her head away from Caleb to look at the businesses they were driving by. It was way past eleven now. Everybody was closed on this side of town, but Shelley knew down by the river things were just starting to jump. She wondered if that was where they were heading. One of the clubs? A riverside stroll? Inevitably her gaze drifted back Caleb’s way. She licked her lips. “Most people don’t…sniff at me like that.”

Caleb shrugged. “I wanted to smell you. I wanted to make sure.”

They were leaving the downtown area now, passing different residential streets with houses and apartment buildings tucked into pockets of old black maple trees.

“Make sure of what?” Shelley asked, curious, but sounding nonchalant. She followed the line of Caleb’s arm from the steering wheel to his shoulder. She noted every flex of muscle in his arm as he navigated the road. A sheen of perspiration accented the shape of his upper bicep where it sloped sharply into his forearm. Shelley thought a geometrical tattoo would look good there.

Closing her eyes momentarily, she thought of her own tattoo, Laissez Bon Temps Roulez, which meant: let the good times roll, under her left breast and wondered what Caleb would think of it if he ever saw it.

Peering at him, Shelley became entranced by him all over again. The green dashboard lights dimly reflected off his richly tanned skin, giving him a bronze, park-statue kind of hue on his face and chest. The idea made Shelley smile. Just from what she could gather through his clothing, Caleb’s form could easily pass for a work of art.


Perhaps feeling the weight of Shelley’s stare, Caleb glanced over at her, but did not answer her. He fixed his eyes forward, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he eased onto an open, more rural road and depressed the gas pedal.

Tilting her head back to catch more of the cool night wind, Shelley smiled. This car was a souped-up dream. The Mustang’s gunned engine purred like a big cat, accelerating well past the speed limit without protest, smoothly hugging the road, and riding tight on the curves.

A part of Shelley wanted to ask Caleb about his car. This car was everything she loved about vintage automobiles. Questions came to mind, but were left unvoiced. She looked out over her shoulder at the blurred scenery instead. They weren’t anywhere she recognized now.

“I wanted to make sure I was turning you on,” Caleb announced unexpectedly.

“Turning me on?” Shelley repeated, coming to the conclusion Caleb owed a lot to his good-looks and not so much his tact. That and his car. “Well, are you?”

“Oh yeah,” Caleb replied with the utmost certainty. It wasn’t as if he’d meant that as a testament to his arrogance. He seemed completely sincere.

The car was slowing, Shelley noticed. They were turning now; parking. A line of tall leafy trees stood like sentries on either side of the narrow lane Caleb had pulled onto. A white plank fence bordered the trees for as far as Shelley could see. Lights from distant houses shown dimly through the rails while overhead the nearly full moon blazed brightly in the starless sky.

There was a lodge of sorts further up the lane. It seemed dark and empty for the time being, but not entirely deserted. Its gravel parking lot surrounded it like a moat and the sign hanging on the entry gate plainly warned visitors to keep out. Shelley wondered what the building was used for.

Shifting her position in the passenger seat, Shelley faced Caleb fully. She noticed he’d done the same and was leaning back against the car door, his arms stretched out comfortably on either side of him. His black coffee-colored eyes glittered with a kind of wry amusement and his face wore that familiar smug grin. Shelley responded with a frown.

“Why did we stop here?” she asked, giving her surroundings a quick cursory look.

Caleb sort of shrugged. “This is a nice, secluded spot, don’t you think?”

Shelley folded her arms over her chest and took a deep breath. “You’re assuming an awful lot, eh?” Why else would they be parked somewhere remote?

At that, Caleb laughed. “Bullshit. I’m not assuming anything. We’re here because of what I know about you.”

Taking a moment to mull that over, Shelley gnawed her lower lip. Her heart was banging inside her chest and her palms were coated with sweat. Trying to be inconspicuous, she rubbed them over the hem of her skirt to dry them. Admittedly, Caleb was making her a little nervous now. She hadn’t realized her attraction to him had been so brazen and wondered just what kind of signals she’d sent him in their brief hour of acquaintance.

“You know my name,” Shelley stated. “You know I work in a coffee shop. You know I fall for vintage cars.” She paused, shrugged, and made a show of thinking. “Where exactly is the red light in any of that?”

Caleb leaned towards her. He reached out and trailed his index finger over her brow. “Be honest, Shelley. You came with me tonight, didn’t you? And the looks you’ve been giving me have been enough to make my mouth water.” Caleb slid his arm along the back of the car seat to wrap around behind her.  His face buried against the side of her neck as his hand lighted on her thigh.

Shelley would have moved away from him had there been anywhere for her to go, but he had her caged with his arms in the passenger seat now, and had been so subtle and so slick about it, she hadn’t noticed.

She seized his wrist and pried it from her leg. “I don’t do scratch-my-itch hook-ups,” she duly informed him and planted her other hand in the center of his chest to hold him off her. She hit bare skin, her palm flattened just below his collar bone above the plunging neckline of his wife beater shirt. The little electric currents of arousal shooting through her from even that non-intimate touch wasn’t helping her conviction however.

Caleb’s response to that was a knowing smile. Clearly not deterred, he gripped the back of Shelley’s neck and pulled her towards him. Her strength couldn’t begin to compare to his, though he didn’t look like he should be that strong. If Shelley hadn’t moved her arm, it would have snapped.

“Get in the back.”

Shelley’s eyes widened. “No fucking way!”

Caleb chuckled. “Don’t play hard to get.” His unshakable confidence allowed him to release his hold on Shelley. He lithely and fluidly vaulted the seat executing a movement that should have been awkward. In another graceful motion, he tore off his shirt and tossed it behind him. A small flash of silver in the moonlight directed Shelley’s eyes to his chest and specifically the nipple he had pierced. Shelley’s mouth went dry.

Her defenses weakening, she considered running…but to where? And it wasn’t as if she felt threatened by Caleb or anything. He seemed so sure she’d want to fuck him voluntarily that she was sure he wouldn’t resort to force. And it wasn’t so much the fact she didn’t want to fuck him, as knowing she shouldn’t. It didn’t matter that this was the stuff of female fantasy.

“Come here,” Caleb commanded, his voice low and throaty.

The way Caleb’s eyes were fixed on her made Shelley think of a cat watching a mouse just before it pounces. She got out of the car more or less to aid herself in resisting the temptation he presented, and stood beside the fender, looking around, trying to avoid looking at Caleb. Regardless, she could feel the weight of his gaze and as well as that irrepressible smile of his.

“Shelley! Come on, girl.” Caleb shifted around in the backseat. “Don’t make me run after you. You’ll be shaking hands with something you don’t want to know.”

“What makes you think you can catch me?” Shelley responded, glancing at him over her shoulder. Her heart tripped into double-time seeing the cargo pants he’d been wearing now draped over the seat. She fought not to face him fully, knowing she’d be good and truly lost if she did. Rebelliously, she took a step away from the car.

“Oh I’ll catch you. You can’t run from me,” Caleb answered in such a matter-of-fact tone, it gave Shelley pause.

But when she heard his bare feet hit the ground behind her, she started, and instinctively fled. In a split second and with uncanny speed, Caleb had her enveloped in his arms and pinned face down to the hood of the car. Shelley reacted by screaming loud enough in protest that Caleb swiftly covered her mouth with his hand. He laughed lightly, bending over her back, effectively confirming his nudity.

“Why are you making me work for this?” he whispered into her ear. “You don’t have to try to turn me on anymore than I already am. See?”

Shelley felt Caleb’s legs line up with the back of her thighs. The short plaid skirt she was wearing made it too easy for him to sidle up to her ass and press the length of his thick, erect cock against the sheer black panties underneath. Shelley gasped into the palm of Caleb’s hand and struggled futilely. She was trying to ignore the fact she was dripping wet in anticipation and he clearly knew it.

The hand smoothing over the curve of her hip to raise her skirt offered more proof. A deft finger slid her flimsy panties down, intimately exposing her. Caleb half-groaned, half-growled softly in Shelley’s ear, “Let me. I’ll do you good, girl. You’ll see.”

The toned muscles of his abdomen flexed against her back rhythmically as his hips subtly rocked back and forth, up and down, and side to side in an erotic demonstration of sorts. He dropped a kiss on the back of her neck while tantalizingly rubbing himself along the crack of her ass. The head of his cock was raw velvet heat against her sensitive skin, but the tiny cool semi circle of metal stroking her told Shelley not all his piercings were above his waist.

It was the sexiest thing Shelley had ever felt and made her insides tighten with need, overriding the little voice of reason and right inside her head. Inevitably, her resistance was duly questioned and then dissipated altogether into oblivion.

Shelley stopped struggling then. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Caleb’s weight on top of her was making her entire body feel warm and throb with desire. There was just something about him, Shelley had decided: something more than his rakish bad boy look that appealed to her on another level. She liked the way he took control, knew what he wanted, and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Caleb wasn’t like anybody she’d met before.

As if sensing her surrender, Caleb uncovered Shelley’s mouth and let her rise from the hood of the car slightly. “That’s better,” he said with a contented-sounding sigh. “I know you want it just as much as I do.” He rather tenderly stroked her tousled hair back out of her face as he nibbled her earlobe and kissed a line along her jaw down to her neck.

Shelley sighed as well, reveling in the silky feel of Caleb’s lips on her face. “Yes,” she murmured and turned her head, beckoning him. “What the hell, eh?” She quickly unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it aside before just as proficiently dispensing with her bra. The night air felt good against her flushed naked skin.

Caleb laughed lightly, and then touched the corner of her mouth with his lips enticingly before easing his mouth over hers. His kiss was slow, deep, and seductive. His lips were full and firm with a faint salty sweetness, Shelley noted. She moaned quietly and he made a soft rumbling sound deep in his throat that had a peculiar lulling effect to it and made his chest softly vibrate. Shelley felt as if she were melting.

And Caleb continued kissing her. It surprised and pleased Shelley that he was putting as much into his kisses as he was--as if properly wooing her was suddenly important to him. Each kiss was more demanding than the last however. He broke off his final kiss and straightened somewhat, one hand fondling her left breast, as the other wedged between her spread legs. His fingers teasingly played with the moist folds of her skin before pressing inside her. Shelley inhaled sharply, feeling speared with pleasure from his explorations.

“Yes,” she breathed, encouraging him on. She bumped against Caleb’s hand with a growing sense of urgency.

Complying, Caleb penetrated her with the head of his cock, already slick with her juices. He moaned sensually, taking handfuls of Shelley’s ass to pull her towards him before pushing into her all the way. In moments, he fell into a practiced rhythm, latching his hands onto Shelley’s waist and guiding her body down onto him with each upward thrust he made.

Shelley moaned too, her mind reeling already. Her body seized with a spasm in abject erotic bliss as Caleb ground into her with increasing forcefulness and speed. The intensity of pleasure jolting her through her loins threatened to buckle her knees had she not been sandwiched between the Mustang and Caleb. Her body was demanding fulfillment now, and she couldn’t keep from writhing and thrashing beneath Caleb as if what he was doing to her was nothing short of torture.

Caleb seemed to sense this. She could feel his hot, moist breath blast the skin on her back as he leaned over her, panting, to snake a hand around the front of her hips. His fingertips expertly skimmed over the soft wet curls between Shelley’s legs and dipped lower to rub against her swollen, sensitized clit to get her off.

Shelley screamed as she came, nearly blacking out with a pleasure of paralyzing intensity. She was only vaguely aware of Caleb following suit: gripping her body like a drowning man to a lifeline, locking himself tightly to her, and pounding into her one final time to milk every last droplet of seed from his body.

When she could think coherently again, the first thought which entered Shelley’s mind was that she wanted to do it again. She wanted to do it all night long in fact, and wake up in Caleb’s arms in the backseat of the Mustang with the morning sun warming her nude body. It saddened her to think this was probably all there was going to be to their encounter. Caleb had gotten his rocks off--which was clearly what he had set out to do from the beginning, and was now more than likely ready to drop her off at the nearest bus stop.

As Caleb unfurled himself from Shelley’s body, she couldn’t help emit a small “oh” in protest. It didn’t stop him however.

Shelley’s heart sank. Slowly she turned towards him, righting what little clothing remained on her body the best she could. Then she stood mesmerized, her eyes fixed on Caleb as he stretched and flexed beside her. He didn’t seem to notice her gaze at first, but abruptly looked up at her as expectantly as if she’d called his name. He stared back at her for a long while before speaking.

“What?” he asked, his tone empty. “So you want to go back now?“ He moved away from her and reached for the pants he’d discarded inside the car.

Shelley licked her lips, struggling with the clasp of her bra. “I didn’t say anything.”

Caleb sighed. “I didn’t say you did.” He scooped up his shirt and wiped his face with it. “I meant, what’s with that frown?” He stepped towards her and shook his finger at her. “You look disappointed. Don’t lie to me now. I know I did you good. You were loving every minute of it.”

Shelley peered back at Caleb, raising her brow with inquiry. Why would he jump to that conclusion? she wondered. And here she had him pegged as the epitome of sexual confidence. “I’m frowning, so…right away you think it’s because maybe I wasn’t as enthralled by your dick as you said I would be?”

Shelley’s astute observation seemed to catch Caleb off guard. For the first time tonight, he actually looked flustered. He shook his head forcefully, splaying his long bangs across his eyes.

“Let’s just say most of the chicks I fuck smile at me afterwards!”

Shelley’s eyes widened. It was incredible to her to discover he really was worried about this. “Most? I guess I’m one of those rare few who didn’t.”

That set him spewing expletives under his breath. Obviously put off by Shelley’s perceived opinion of his sexual prowess, Caleb reached up and dragged his hand through his hair anxiously. His pierced brow knitted in consternation and when he marched up to Shelley, clearly to confront her at a closer proximity, his handsome face was contorted with anger.

“What’s with you?” he demanded. “I KNOW you loved it, but now you’re going to be a total bitch and deny it? Fine! I said I’d take you home. You never have to lay eyes on me again. You can forget tonight happened.”

Shelley held up her hands to ward him off, but since his face was mere inches from hers, she doubted the gesture was even noticed. She narrowed her eyes at him in warning.

“What the fuck! You’re the one anxious to get rid of me! I didn’t say anything of the sort. You were no sooner pulling out of me then you were pulling on your pants.”

Caleb’s upper lip curled into a snarl. “I don’t get this! You wanted me to fuck you, but then you played hard to get and then you give me a look like I stole your soul or something. So, yeah, I’m thinking maybe I fucked up with you. Maybe I should just take you home. Maybe you don’t feel about me the way I thought you did.”

Shelley closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Hadn’t she just naturally assumed he was finished with her now? Shelley crossed her arms over her chest. “If you MUST know, I did love it. Getting banged over the hood of a 67 Mustang doesn’t exactly rate as one of my more romantic hook-ups, but it’s definitely up there with the hottest.” Shelley paused, noticing the softening of Caleb’s expression. She reached up to lay her hand along the side of his face. “A lot of that has to do with you. You’re…so fucking hot, Caleb. I wanted to let you.”

Emitting a clear sigh of relief, Caleb blinked down at her, a slow smile gracing his lips. He placed his hands lightly on her shoulders and then looked her up and down with obvious approval. “You sizzle too, girl.”

Shelley threaded her fingers through Caleb’s hair, drawing his face closer.

Wrapping his arms loosely around her, Caleb parted his lips invitingly, turned his head and closed his eyes. As Shelley kissed him, he whimpered softly into her mouth.

“Let’s start over,” Shelley suggested once they parted for air. She slid her hand down his naked hip to caress his perfect ass.

Caleb grinned. “You mean you want to do it again?”

Shelley smiled. “No more jumping to conclusions again, Caleb,” she scolded, but then softened it with another kiss. “I meant, now that we’ve cleared the air between us, let’s do this right.” She gazed into his dark brown eyes and sighed wistfully. She’d never look into a cup of black coffee the same again. “…And yes.”

“Yes?” Caleb asked, sounding hopeful. The sexy pout he’d pulled turned instantly into that cock-sure grin of his. He kissed her over and over.

“Again,” Shelley breathed, tearing her mouth from his and struggling out of her clothes. “I want to do it again.”

Caleb answered her with a deeper, protracted kiss. Wrapping his arms around her back, he lifted her and carefully carried her to the backseat, laying her down and stretching his body over hers.

“Yes,” Shelley whispered and then covered his face with eager kisses. “Let me make it perfectly clear. I want it. I want you. All night.”

Caleb smiled as if he’d just been handed over the keys to heaven. He took a deep breath, nuzzling the side of Shelley’s neck, inhaling the scent of her skin. When he looked at her, his eyes were pools of abject lust. “Yes…I know,” he replied confidently and winked at her.

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