Full Bloom

II

"Fuck, I'm late" I mumbled as I trudged to the bathroom. This day was already unfolding as a bad one, and it wasn't even noon.

I took my morning shit and then hopped in the shower. Idk, I can't shit after a shower, the shit just doesn't feel right - pun intended.

After going through my morning routine and glancing in the mirror, I ran back into my bedroom to get dressed.

I checked my phone.

1 Voicemail

It was my best friend/boss, April.

"Carmen, where the hell are you?" I groaned.

"DidyouknowIhadtoopenuptheshoptodayallbymydamnselfbecauseyourasswasprobablylaidupwithsomebitch? You know what? Fine. I'll give your ass a pass today since it's Monday but, if you think for one second that I won't fire yo black ass behind for not showing up on time, you got another thing coming. I betta see your ass come in that door before 12:30 or you can be in the unemployment line tomorrow." *CLICK*

I hate April's fine ass.

We'd been friends since college, and blood couldn't make us closer. I'd been her shoulder to cry on and more than that when she discovered her boyfriend of two years was married. Back in 2015 when a drunk driver almost claimed her life, I sat by her hospital bed for three weeks straight until the day she was discharged. We'd made many wonderful memories together, and I was proud to call her my friend. But Monday through Friday, she was my boss - and I couldn't stand her ass.

At the start of 2006, when April confided in me that she wanted to open a café, I was so excited for her. With a little nudge of encouragement from moi, along with a few generous donations from the community, April opened up LeCafé in, coincidentally, April of 2006. Business couldn't have been better and things had been running smoothly until the recession hit in '07. April was forced to lay off the majority of the staff to keep the business afloat; the others, cracking under the pressure of having to now carry twice the workload, felt overworked and underpaid - and quit. April was devastated. She'd called me and I volunteered to help, though she refused not to pay me for the work since I didn't have a job. Ever since that day I've been a faithful employee of LeCafé. And today I was late.

--------------------------------------

"Well, well, well look who decided to show up to work," April said, leaning on the back counter with her arms folded.

"Look, I'm sorry April, it won't happen again," I said with a sheepish grin planted on my face.

I looked at the clock. 12:29.

"Yeah, yeah, same shit, different day, grab an apron, Carmen."

Ouch. She only calls me Carmen when she's pissed. Normally it's Car. On a good day, it's Love. When we fuck, it's Daddy.

That is when we fuck. We'd been on a dry spell for some time now and I missed her.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking,

"Ew, you fuck your boss?"

Don't think of it like that. She was my best friend before she was ever my boss. And yeah, we've had a rendezvous every now and then over a glass or two of wine, who hasn't? Anywho, we keep things professional in the workplace. Like I said, we'd been on a dry spell for some time now. I thought about last night's dream and wondered if she, too, fantasized about me. I also thought about the dark presence that violated my dream.

"Carmen. Goddamnit, Carmen!"

I snapped out of my thoughts to hear April frantically calling my name.

"Huh?"

"If you can "Huh?" you can hear. We have customers, shit, come make yourself useful."

Like any other day, I began to ring up orders.

1 Machiatto on legs, a dry Cappuccino, a Con Panna, a Caf Latte on legs

Business at LeCafé was already booming and it was only 1 in the afternoon And we didn't close until 6.

----------------------------------------------

"April, I've got another Machiatto on legs and that's the last order"

"1 Machiatto on legs coming right up, Car."

It was closing time and that was the first time she'd called me Car all day.

As I swept the front of the house, April was busy handling the back.

I was bent over using the dust pan and, even though I wasn't facing her direction, I could feel her staring at me.

"What?"  I looked up and gave her a smirk and did a lil light skin face

"I didn't say anything" she just kept looking down while shaking her head, locs dangling to her shoulders.
Ugh I'm a sucker for those and she knows it.

I emptied the garbage and as I came in from the back entrance, she was on all fours looking for something under the storage shelves.

This time it was me who was looking at her from behind. Or rather, at her behind.
She's beautiful to me in whatever she wears. Today, it was the stretchy pants that draped her ass like she painted them on.
She wasn't even wearing panties

" Pick your jaw up off the floor, creepin ahhh. You got a lil slob too from drooling" 

Damn. Caught.

It was time to lock up and I was ready to slide to the crib.

"Hey Car?"

"Hmm?" I looked back at her, my right foot already out the door. She was looking at me with that look that let's me know she wants something. A flirty look"

"Remember what I said about the employment line"

So I hate Mondays, but sometimes I can't stand April ass neither. Irking 🙄

————————————
October 7, 2020

-Hey, thanks for reading chapter 2 of "Full Bloom". I've been away for soooo long, but I couldn't stay from writing forever.
Do you think there's still something there with Carmen and April? Or is Carmen seeing things that aren't there?

Keep checking in for chapter 3.