For His Taste (7 page)

“You’re beautiful Beth.  So
beautiful.  Don’t ever let anyone bring you down.”

Bobby thought of the robbery and
reading it in the paper.  Held up at gunpoint.  All alone in the bakery. 
Working at night.  Dedicated to her business and craft. 

Of course, Beth didn’t know that
Bobby knew so much and thinking about the robbery served to remind Bobby of why
he was actually here.  It wasn’t to find comfort and pleasure in Beth, it was
for something else.

“I don’t want to let you go,” Bobby
said.  “I don’t want this moment to end.”

“You’re not listening to me,” Beth
whispered with an evil grin on her face.

“What?”

“I can’t right now… I have to bake
cupcakes, remember?”

Beth nodded to the cupcake batter
on the counter. 

Bobby laughed.

“I need to finish these.  Then we
can go to my place…”

“This time, I swear I won’t try and
help,” Bobby said.  “I seem to distract you…”

8-

Bobby took
his place in the
bakery as though he were a regular patron, sitting at a table with his hands
folded together, his chin resting on his hands, watching Beth work.  To say he
wasn’t in awe of the woman before his eyes would be a complete and utter lie. 
For the first time in years he could care less about work, money, and in so
many ways, life.  The only thing that seemed to matter in the passing moments
was the way Beth handled herself.

She stirred the batter with a
loving force, and when her arms grew tired, Bobby noticed she’d stick the tip
of her tongue out just a little as if it gave her that extra strength to
finish.  She poured the batter with ease, making sure everything leveled and
looked even.  She glided behind the counter like a figure skater on ice,
determined and focused.  The confidence that radiated from her as she work hit
Bobby like a wall, shattering everything he thought he knew about himself. 

He had planned to walk into the
bakery showing tens time the confidence Beth showed right now, using the
robbery as a simple bait to get her out of the building to make sure Mr. Galloway
got what he wanted.  Now, as far as Bobby was concerned, Mr. Galloway could
figure everything out for himself.  With the door to the bakery locked and Beth
giving Bobby his own little baking show, the rest of the world could collapse
into apocalypse and it wouldn’t matter.

Time flew by.  When two hours
passed and Beth saw the clock, she stopped and gasped for air.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Sorry for what?” Bobby asked.

“You’re just sitting there.  It’s
getting so late…”

“Late?  The night is just getting
started.”

Beth looked away as she blushed. 

“How much do you have left?” Bobby
asked.

“Two more dozen.”

“Then we clean up?”

“We?”

“Sure,” Bobby said.  “I can’t bake
– or cook, just for the record here – but I’m a beast with a warm, soapy
sponge.”

Beth laughed.

“I’m serious, Beth, listen to me. 
I could scrub this place down and make it glisten in the sunlight…”

“Well, I don’t plan on going that
far,” Beth said.  “I’d hate to waste time when we could be doing something
else.”

“Like what?” Bobby asked. 

He had a sly grin on his face that
made Beth’s slit tingle, reminding her of the erotic mess he had already caused
for her.  The buzzer on the oven went off and Beth used that as a distraction
and an excuse to remain quiet until all the cupcakes were done.  For the last
two dozen, she kept looking back to Bobby, waiting for him to do something else
other than stare at her.  She figured at some point he’d check his phone…
email… games… but he didn’t.  His eyes were intent on her, watching her every
move.

It drove Beth to the brink and
back.  She needed a night like tonight and a man like Bobby to give it to her. 
Tonight would have been the first night alone since…

“Where did you learn how to do all
this?” Bobby asked, chasing away Beth’s pending bad thoughts.

“Baking?  My grandmother taught
me.  It’s all I did as a kid.”

Bobby’s eyes didn’t move from her
eyes but Beth still had to turn away.  Anytime she mentioned she had baked her
entire life, people would gaze up and down her large body as if to say to her
oh,
that explains your size then…

But Bobby didn’t.

Not an ounce of judgment.

“That’s special,” he said.  “Really
special.  My grandparents passed when I was a baby.”

“All of them?” Beth asked.  There
was a little tear in her voice.  She couldn’t imagine her grandmother not being
in her life.

“I only had one set from my
understanding,” Bobby said.  “My father… well, let’s just say he wasn’t a
father.  I guess I’m sort of a one night stand that wouldn’t go away.”  Beth
opened her mouth to speak and Bobby put his hand up.  “Don’t worry though, my
mother reminded me of that for eighteen long years.  But I’m a big boy now. 
Why the hell am I talking about me?  I asked about you…”

Beth wanted to say something to
Bobby, something sweet, but she saw a flash of anger in his eyes and knew that
his past must have been a touchy subject. 

“I spent all my time with my
grandmother,” Beth said.  “She didn’t get out much and as long as I could
remember, she wanted me to bake with her.  I used to stand on a chair and help
her measure out flour.  That’s how I started.  She let me try to crack an egg
once but I hit the bowl too hard and it shattered everywhere.  I was put back
on flour duty for a little bit longer.”

“You’re really special Beth,” Bobby
said.  “I swear on it.  To take a childhood passion and turn it into a living
dream.  That’s special.”

“I’m not so sure I’d call it a
living
dream
,” Beth replied.

Bobby pushed from the table, the
first time he moved in hours.  He stood up and to Beth he looked taller and
sexier than before.  It could have just been her mind playing tricks on her,
reminding her of how amazing his fingers had felt as they pleasured her. 

If his fingers are that good…
imagine his tongue… or his co…

“You own your own business,” Bobby
said.  “You’re your own boss.  That’s a dream.”

“It’s also a nice distraction from…
well, it doesn’t matter.”

Beth spun around and stared at the
oven.  She pretended like she was checking something but she wasn’t.  She
couldn’t look at Bobby anymore, or at least for a few seconds.  Seeing him and
seeing how he saw her, it made her want to open herself like she never had
before with a man.  She wanted to tell him everything – her deep rooted fears
of never being loved, her fear of her weight, and what happened with the robbery.

When she felt a touch on her
shoulder she shook it away and let out a shriek.

“It’s just me,” Bobby said.  “Are
you okay?”

“Fine,” Beth said.  “Sorry.  I sort
of dazed there.”

“Beth, I want you to know…”  Bobby
hesitated.  He wanted to tell her why he was really there, all that he knew,
and how perfect and strong of a woman she was for being herself. 

He didn’t get the chance. 

“I think we’re ready to clean up,”
Beth said.

Bobby waited a few more seconds and
then gave in.  He needed tonight as much as Beth did.  He needed to feel alive
and feel a real connection. 

Beth slapped a rag into his hand
and said, “Show me your skills.”

Bobby smiled.  “That I will do.”

**

When the bakery was finally cleaned
up, Bobby stood over the large sink in the back and twisted the rag over it,
letting the water fall down the drain. 

“That’s it,” he said.

“That’s it,” Beth repeated.

Bobby put the rag down and washed
his hands and Beth did the same.  Once they were done cleaning themselves up,
there was an awkward moment where neither one knew what to say.  They had
plenty to say inside their own minds, but translating it to actual words…

“I have a hotel room,” Bobby said
and then looked away.

“I have an apartment.  A nice one. 
On the third floor of a complex.”

“Yeah, I think you win.”

“Did you want… to come over?”

Saying it made Beth blush.  She
wasn’t sure if she ever asked someone to come over to her place before. 

“I’d love to come over,” Bobby
said.

“Follow me.”

They exited the back of the bakery
and Bobby told Beth to pull around front and wait for him.  She did and he
followed her through town.  Being alone in his car forced Bobby to check
himself for a moment and he looked around at the dark buildings.  The layout of
the town made sense and he had nothing against what Mr. Galloway wanted to
achieve.  The problem though was based on assumption.  Small businesses in a
part of a town that was starting to become rough didn’t mean they were all
bad.  Something about Beth and her bakery made sense in the town. 

Once they were past the part of
town Mr. Galloway insisted on getting involved with, Bobby checked for any open
spots for rentals and there were none.  Moving a bakery like Beth’s out of town
could kill her business.  She had amazing food, yes, but Bobby knew not all
customers would want to go out of their way for her.  He personally would, but
that didn’t mean anything.

The drive to Beth’s apartment took
an agonizing twenty minutes. 

Bobby understood the appeal of the
complex.  It was filled with buildings, giving Beth plenty of neighbors,
probably most of whom she didn’t talk to.  He could sense her need to have
attention without begging for it.  The confidence she had baking seemed to be
left right there, at the bakery.

He hoped he could change that, at
least for one night.

Beth led him to her apartment and
welcomed him in.  He stepped into the place and had to laugh when the first
thing he picked up on was the smell of cinnamon. 

“What’s wrong?” Beth asked.

“Nothing.  I smell cinnamon.”

“Oh.  I have a candle on the
table.”

“Funny that a woman who owns a
bakery would have her place smell like a bakery.”

Beth closed the door and as she
locked it, she felt her hand start to shake.  She knew that by locking the door
she would lock Bobby into her apartment for the night.  So much could happen,
the possibilities growing by the second. 

When she turned around, Bobby stood
inches away, with his hands in his pockets, looking around.

“You know, this place fits you
perfectly,” he said.

“Does it?”

“Yes.  I don’t know why, but it
does.”

Bobby looked to Beth and that ended
anymore conversation of the apartment or the smell of cinnamon. 

Bobby inched forward and took his
hands from his pockets, placing them on Beth’s hips.  She felt herself exhale
with a soft sigh.

“Bobby,” she said, “I…”

“You don’t have to say anything,”
he said.  “Just go with your heart.  Your beautiful heart.”

“We just met,” Beth said.  “I never
do this stuff.”

“That’s okay,” Bobby said.  “That
means
this
means something.”

Beth felt her heart starting to drip. 
Other places were dripping too and her body ached for his touch again.  This
would have been easier to handle if he hadn’t touched her already.  Her body
had a taste of him, a sense of him, and her body wanted more.

Losing this battle wasn’t a bad thing. 
Beth took another breath and then whispered one word to Bobby.

“Bedroom.”

Bobby let go of Beth and she led
him to the bedroom.  The moment she stepped through the doorway, he was against
her, his arms wrapping tight around her waist, the thickness of his erection
pressing against her backside.  He stepped and she stepped, inching their way
to the bed. 

The room stood dark and it was the way
Beth preferred things.  Without Bobby being drunk he’d actually remember
everything they were about to do and she didn’t want him to have visual images
of her body.

Bobby took that comfort and threw
it away when he reached down and turned on the small light next to Beth’s bed.

She sighed and wanted to say
something but couldn’t find the words.

Bobby was back at her a moment
later, this time the front of his body moving to hers.  His hands were once
again glued to her hips, squeezing her.  His lips were at her neck, kissing her
with gentle flicks of his tongue.  He sure knew how to melt a woman’s heart,
and panties.

With the long day and hot night built
up in her, Beth moved to Bobby’s shirt and to her own surprise she lifted his
shirt, initiating them to undress each other.  Bobby put his arms up and let
Beth take his shirt completely off.  Her eyes couldn’t move from his body. 
Stunned by the sexy curves and thickness of his perfect muscles, Beth put her
hands to his chest and ran her hands straight down, feeling the lines of his
pecks, the beginning of his abs, and of course, where they started to end as
they cut into his pants.  She didn’t stop there either, her hands eager to
touch Bobby everywhere and to get him naked.  It took her just a few seconds to
unbuckle his jeans and she worked them down to his knees. 

Bobby stepped out of his pants,
well aware that Beth stared down at his erection as it bulged in his boxers. 

It was his turn now, lifting Beth’s
shirt. 

She squeezed her arms to her sides,
not wanting to ruin this moment.  Her large skin compared to Bobby’s toned and
muscular skin didn’t match.  They didn’t belong together.  They didn’t…

“Beautiful,” Bobby whispered. 

Bobby looked into Bobby’s eyes and
knew he spoke the truth. 

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. 
“Everywhere.  I promise when I say it.”

“I know,” Beth replied.  “I know.”

Bobby could have forced himself
then, overpowering Beth and her inability to find the sexual confidence she had
inside of herself.  He could have torn at her shirt or even just gave up and
let Beth pleasure him.