When Mitchell moved out I knew I had to act fast. There was no way I could afford rent on this tiny house alone, even if it was technically a steal for what would be a reasonable starter home for a two people. Working from home, I wanted someone that I could stand to be around pretty much all the time. Desperate for anyone good to move in, I looked around online, but all I could find were weirdos and scammers. Resigned to giving up and that I would have to move out, I decided to treat myself for no real reason to some sweets from the bakery around the corner.
I walked in and my mouth immediately started watering from the alluring aromas of the freshly baked cookies, pies, cakes, and other treats. I opted for a half dozen of the assorted gourmet donuts. The man taking my order smiled brightly,
"Great choice! The donuts are amazing, it took a few tries to get them just right."
He patted his rather round belly and let out a hearty laugh. He was indeed a rather plump baker. His belly pushed his apron out quite a bit, accentuated by the knot tied around the back of his apron. When he turned around to get a box, I noticed how thick his hips and thighs were for a guy. There was even a slight jiggle of his big butt with each step. I had never considered myself attracted to guys, but I simply couldn't look away as he packed up my order of donuts. He handed me the box with a grin.
"Here you are! Since you're a first-time customer, could I interest you in a few free samples?"
I knew I shouldn't. Since I started working remotely, I barely went out, and ended up filling out a bit. Probably only 20 lbs or so. Nothing I couldn't shed with some exercise and self-discipline. Today, however, was not the day I was going to start that. Besides, at 185 lbs, I was far from being overweight. I could slim down anytime I wanted.
"Sure! What was the free sample?"
He looked me up and down for a split second before answering,
"How about you try a donut first. That way I can determine what you might like."
I took out a chocolate glazed donut with custard filling and took a bite. It was the best donut I'd ever eaten. It was still warm, the glaze was thick, and the dough itself was so soft and chewy. I didn't intend to devour it right there in front of him, but I was so enthralled by the flavors and textures I hadn't even realized that I instinctively ate a second donut. The raspberry jam and cream filling in this one made it just as good as the first. I involuntarily moaned when I bit off a huge chunk, the taste was so good. After licking a bit of jam off my lips, I snapped back to reality and saw the baker standing there across the counter in front of me with a smile from ear to ear.
"How'd you like them?"
"Oh my gosh, these are so good! I'm not usually a sweets person, but these are phenomenal."
"Excellent! I'm so glad you like them. Here, take these. They're extra from an earlier batch I whipped up."
He handed me a large paper bag filled with a dozen large croissants, a few of them were chocolate filled.
"Oh wow, thank you! This is kind of a lot for me, but I have a feeling I might be a regular if your croissants are as good as your donuts."
I laughed a bit, awkwardly rubbing the back of my head.
"No problem! Feel free to come by anytime. I'm sort of running longer shifts because I'm in between living situations right now. I guess you could say I'm working from home haha."
