“I’d like a large mocha with a raspberry cupcake.”

The female barista raised her eyebrow in mild surprise at the customer’s order. Possibly 6ft, roughly 1.82m, slender build but underneath his long coat, she suspected a strong and sturdy torso maintained by workouts. Inquisitive blue eyes pierced into her green ones in response to her non-verbal response, as if to say ‘go on…?’

“One large mocha with a raspberry cupcake. For here or to go?”
“For here.”
“That’ll be $17.”

As she processed the payment at the till she added, ‘been working here for over 5 years and had never seen a male customer order sweet or sugary items as a set for himself….”
As she passed the $3 change to him, she met his eyes and added, “until now.”
He smiled, a warm, gentle smile with a hint of amusement.
“I’m glad to have been your first then. Keep the change.”

She smiled her thanks and watched him as he walked further down the counter to wait for his order.
She watched the mild surprise register on his face when he picked up the tray and noticed a small wafer biscuit sitting on top of a coffee mug themed note.
She watched his quiet satisfaction while drinking his mocha and especially while trying the wafer biscuit.
She watched him return the tray to the clearing shelf and leave the café.

It was a good day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“A large mocha with a blueberry muffin. For here,” he added.

The female barista smiled.
White turtleneck sweater and jeans underneath his open long jacket.
Was it his day off today? Did he have a date or was about to go on one?
Those questions and more ran through her mind in the time it took for her to confirm his order, collect his money and keep the change as he offered.

He had been coming to the café every 2-3 days or so recently.
Always a large mocha but his choice of snacks had been interesting. It felt like he was trying out the entire inventory of muffins, bagels, cupcakes and cookies.
He never questioned the additional complimentary wafer biscuit that was added to his order.
Or the accompanying notes he received.
But she was sure he read them and took them home with him for his trays were always devoid of the wafer biscuit wrapper and notes.

She often added the complimentary wafers to various customers from time to time.
Some questioned their surprise and she mentioned it was an added service from the café to brighten their days. At times, some customers asked if they could order it as they’d like more than one, to which she politely declined saying it wasn’t possible.
However, this customer.
The mystery man who as far as she knew, by checking with her co-workers, always appeared during her shifts.
He wasn’t afraid to meet her genial green eyes with his piercing blue ones anytime she took his order either.

This mystery man was a man of few words and after a few weeks of taking his order to which it had practically become routine, he surprised her.
It was at a time when she let her guard down and polite disinterest settled in her green eyes instead of the sparkly warmth she had always presented to him.
Instead of the usual $20 bill, he handed her two $10 ones that sandwiched a small folded note. She instantly noticed and while processing his order, covertly plucked the note and tucked it in her apron pocket before attempting to give him back his change, expecting him to decline it.
He took it, the slightest hint of amused triumph dancing in his cool, blue eyes and tugging at the corner of his lips.

He defied her expectations.
Twice.
Within 60 seconds.

“Thank you sir, your order will be with you shortly.”
She’s good, he thought.
Her voice didn’t betray her composure, it was as warm and professional as always.
But he knew and knew that she knew she was a little ruffled in quiet surprise.
His mocha tasted richer and sweeter today than it ever had, while he basked in the moment and enjoyed the complimentary waffle biscuit…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I had a really good time tonight David. The meal was delicious and it was finally great to get to know you after all this time!”
“Likewise. Do you always try to hit on guys you like with sweet notes like you left me?”
She returned his question with mock offense.
“I’ll have you know, I’m not some crazy, desperate woman hitting on every single guy in the city!”
He chuckled but stopped upon hearing her added sentence.
“You were the only one I added a note for.”

The following week after she emailed him using his details from the note he slipped her, they agreed to go on their first date at a Turkish restaurant. The mystery around the man who had been her faithful customer for over a month dissipated, but he still held an aura of enigma around him.

David. 34 years old. A writer. Had been in the city for 3 years.
Had a penchant for sweets, was often told that was rare for a man but he didn’t care.
His dark brown wavy hair that settled just about his shoulder set his blue eyes apart from the rest of him and like the richest crystal water of seas, attracted many females to try to drown in their sapphire depths at first sight.

Rizelle, a rare name alike her rare features of long, straight, auburn red hair which was always tied back at the café but tonight swaying freely in the breeze, the red strands caught in the street lights like threads of fire. Her green eyes in contrast were bright, filled with warm contentment after a good night for them both. Of similar age to him, she had been in the city most of her life. She was an aromatherapist in training, currently taking a course and working at the café when she wasn’t studying or training. Usually in a shirt and apron, he had noted the curves of her body tonight, the way her knee-length black dress hugged her figure, complementing her olive skin.

They had discussed their hobbies, interests, and thoughts on the city during the first half of the meal before opening up to confess their feelings on their almost clandestine interactions in the café over the past month.
3 hours passed like 33 minutes and soon enough they were walking down the cool, chilly autumn night of the city, down a narrow street with shuttered shops, some out of business, some run down. David questioned the wisdom of going down a potentially dangerous path, but Rizelle brushed it off saying it was his chance to play her knight in shining armour and rescue her if needed.

Her heels echoed off the concrete, this part of the city was only busy during the day but sinister after dark. Now as she stopped walking, fully facing him after confessing that he was the only customer she had added notes to the complimentary waffle biscuits, the weight of that meaning lay thick between them and in the silence of the shopping street.
Their eyes took over their conversation, this time with familiarity with their gazes but novelty with the heat in their eyes. She gently pulled the lapel of his jacket as she leaned back against the wall. David not missing a beat and walking in step with her, trapped her against the wall with his arm and body, his right hand splayed slightly above her head.

No further words were needed as he saw her eyes gently close as he leaned in ever so slowly.
Slowly closing in, relishing in the warmth of her breath against his lips and inhaling… lavender?
It smells so sweet and feels so good…
Were the last thoughts he had before blackness enveloped him.

She smiled, watching his lips miss hers and fall onto her collarbone as he passed out, his entire body slumped on her. She held him close, relishing in feeling his weight on her warming her body and much more.
“You were much tougher than the rest… Almost gave up on you…”
Her lips skimmed his neck, skin on skin contact being more than enough for her to feed off his energy but it had been so long, she couldn’t help but sink her teeth around a vein, not breaking skin but bit hard enough to leave marks. That action was enough to awaken his body below, which made his energy much more potent to feed off.
“But that’s made the reward all the much sweeter, you’re delicious.”

She suddenly felt the warm connection to his life force turn cold like a valve that had been shut off. She gasped before her mind could process what was happening as in a flash second, he had broken free from her embrace and pinned her wrists to the brick wall above her head roughly. As she inhaled to retaliate, a large, sturdy palm strongly covered her mouth. He obviously read her well because he had wedged his leg and thigh between hers, her dress giving him opportunity to do so with relative ease.

She was pinned, trapped, angry but also turned on.
He caught the myriad of all her emotions flashing in her alert green eyes as he lowered his head to face her squarely, his blue gaze devoid of kindness or any warmth.

It was cold and calculating.
She shivered.

“I had to go along with your game because your waffle biscuits were potent. Delicious but potent.
What did you put in them? Some kind of aphrodisiac?
Her eyes widened and he chuckled low, like a predator pleased with the prey he just caught.
“Bingo. That kind of recipe could only be created by someone not quite of this world I thought, so of course, I continued to eat them in front of you and then continued to sleep off the effects in my studio. Enjoyed your little notes, suggestive hints and all, it was cute. The wrappers, I analysed them but they were normal paper.
You definitely were an intriguing creature, I just had to get to know you more but only when you looked ready to move onto your next prey.”
Her eyes narrowed in annoyance and he chuckled with a little more mirth this time.
“Oh yes, I know you had targeted me the moment I first ate that waffle biscuit. When I found out you were an aromatherapist today, I wondered how you would use scent in your seduction. The perfume you wore was lovely but I felt fine and my curiosity wouldn’t… couldn’t let it go.”
At this point his lips were trailing her left ear lobe, each word close in her ear, damning her more and more as he continued to speak.

He gently blew on her ear.
“Breath. Such a clever scheme, I was actually impressed and couldn’t foresee that. To think that sweet lavender in your breath would trigger the effects of the potion from the waffle biscuits in my bloodstream after all this time… You are truly magnificent.”
He gently but firmly bit her earlobe.
“And it’s been a true pleasure to thwart your carefully laid plans like this and see the shock and rage in your eyes. You are truly intoxicating and it’s been a delicious experience too. However…”

He released her wrists and hand from her mouth and took a step back. Her hair and dress was dishevelled, her chest was heaving less from the adrenaline rush of possible danger. Her composure was completely broken, she was defeated but also strangely excited.
It had been many years since she came across a formidable foe.
Hundreds to be exact.
Looking skyward, she exhaled long and ended it on a soft laugh.

“There is only one type of being that could resist the effects of my potion or even break free from after having let themselves be fully seduced and it’s quite frustrating but delightful at the same time to have come across such a person in this earthy realm.”

She met his eyes with the resident calm and confidence that he had come to know and respect.
“Apothecaries of the betwixt realms. Merchants that travel from domain to domain, building resistance to almost any poison, spell or chemical they encounter and expose themselves to. You’re quite the troublesome bunch to my kind. However…” She smiled smugly, seeing him internally struggle with his awakened desire from her bite.
“You are still but a man and not immune to lust, for it is your own. You know better than to willingly put your lips on my skin, let alone bite me back.”
Regaining her composure and relaxing on the wall this time, she crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously.
“So why did you? What’s your game here, Apothecary?”

He grinned guiltily, having been exposed in such a short time. His instincts were right. She was going to entertain him greatly in the weeks and months to come. Matching her, he dropped his calm pretence and let his lust freely show, especially in his eyes. He leaned into her once more as she smiled for the momentarily rush of energy which she instinctively feasted on. He would be one that wouldn’t be greatly weakened or have his lifespan drastically reduced within months. His natural resistance to her would protect him.

This was going to be fun, she thought as he brought his lips close to hers once more.
“You’re an incredibly beautiful woman, smart, intelligent, fun and sexy.
A feast for my senses and I’m feeling kinda snackish.”
She grinned, her eyes naturally closing as she added against his lips,
“What a coincidence. So am I.”