One Temptation

Coffee Shop

        Finally,  I thought to myself as I exited my favorite coffee shop's doors with a latte, my three dobermans patiently walking by my side. I guided my small posse over to a shaded area, setting my caramel latte down on the white surface of the small, four-legged table that lay just feet away from the other two that stood empty on the veranda. I gently sat down, my dobermans doing the same. What good boys. I smiled to myself before scratching each of their ears and adjusting their spiked collars. Crossing my legs, I pulled todays newspaper out of my bag before hanging it on the edge of the chair I was seated on. 

        I opened to the front page news and sipped on my coffee, careful to not disturb the deep red lipstick I had painted on my lips before leaving my apartment this morning. I sat reading, enjoying my moment of peace, absolutely content with life. What a great morning this is turning out to be. 

       "May I sit here?"

       I didn't bother looking up, and waved my hand at the chair that sat across from me. Of course my morning must be ruined by some stranger. I rolled my eyes beneath my Chanel sunglasses as the chair scrape the concrete while it was being pulled out. You could of sat anywhere else dick. The person across from me cleared their throat. 

      I laid my newspaper down before looking up. And there before me sat a wonderfully dressed man, maybe 10 years older than me, wearing a black suit with no tie, the first few buttons of his dress shirt undone to reveal a tone chest beneath, his suit and shirt were the same shade as his hair that hung perfectly just out of his even darker eyes, his tan skin pulling everything together to make a very attractive view. 

      Great, now I have to listen to this man's poor attempts at flirting before he gets bored and rambles about himself. The thought made me want to throw-up. 

       He sat taking me in as I glared at him for disturbing my peace. 

      "Those are some beautiful dogs." He said as he shifted his attention from me to the three dobermans sitting at my feet. 

      This caught my attention and softened my glare. Asking about something before dropping a shitty pick-up line or saying something about yourself? That's new. 

      "Thank you." I said simply, still looking at him as he watched my dogs. 

      He nodded, his black hair falling down his forehead a little as he did so. "What are their names?" He questioned as he looked back up at me. 

     I glanced over to the three dogs with joy in my eyes and smiled. "Hades" I pointed to the dog on the far left who then lowered his ears and snarled at the man after hearing his name, this only made my smile grow, "Anubis" I pointed to the dog in the middle who followed Hades action when called, after he got done growling I pointed to the dog on the far right, "and Lucifer" he lowered his ears and let out a warning bark to the man. God I love them. 

      "They are beautiful." He said in a deep voice that would have made any girl's heart melt, except for mine, to me he was just a man who was ruining my morning. 

     "I know." I breathed looking at their perfectly pointed ears, and then back to him. 

     "You have great taste," he paused to look me up and down, "and fashion" he noted.  

      That isn't quite a pick-up line I guess. 

      He was right tho, I prided myself on looking and dressing good, and I wasn't afraid to admit it. As for my dogs, I had specifically contacted a breeder in Germany and had them flown out to me. They were pride and joys, I loved them more than my parents and quite a few of my friends, maybe even more than myself. 

    "I know." I responded before picking back up my newspaper and taking a sip of my coffee. 

     "Remind me what your name is again?" He asked politely, completely unfazed by my narcissistic comment. 

     I let an airy laugh escape my lips, "I never told you it." I said, bending my hand down to pet one of my dogs. 

       "You're right, please excuse me and my forgetfulness, I thought you had." He spoke, again completely unfazed. 

       Who is this man?

       "It's Alice." I spoke cooly. 

       "Ash." He responded, stretching out his muscle wrapped arm across the table to shake mine. I glanced up from my newspaper and sighed, reaching my hand to meet his. He shook it softly, but I could feel the calluses that marked his palm. "I like your nails." He said nodding to my fingers that were barely visible in his big hands. My black, pointed fingernails scraping one of the many tattoos on his hand as I gently interrupted our handshake to take a sip of my coffee. 

       "Thank you." A corner of my lip turning up at the nice compliment. 

        He looked at me, almost as if he was a man completely in love with what he was seeing. He almost seemed like a puppy staring at its owner who had a ball in their hand. 

      I went back to reading my newspaper, but before I could even get through the first sentence his phone started buzzing in his pocket. Ash released a dark growl at the annoyance, but didn't answer the call. 

       "I must go, but it was wonderful meeting you Alice." He spoke gently, I could still feel his stare on me, but didn't make me feel uncomfortable like a man's gaze normally does, it made me feel sexy and powerful to have a man like him staring at me as if I was the only woman left in this cold, dark wold. 

    The corner of my mouth slanted upwards slightly more, "You too Ash," and I partially even meant it. 

    I could hear his chair scrape the concrete, and my dog's soft growls at his sudden movement. Then he was gone and I was left to enjoy what small portion of my morning I had left.