Aphrodisiac Girl

1. Pretty Stranger and A Loser

As I stepped from the bus I was greeted with the brisk air of New York.

The Little Coffee House was my haven. I would happily die there, surrounded by books, coffee, and my favorite boss, Hilda Green.

The bell above the glass door jingled and Hilda lifted her head from where she sat near the wide nook of bookshelves. That was where she sat while working on the account books.

Jeremy sat at the front, going through receipts. I smiled, walking over to the front counter and leaning forward, cleavage meeting his gaze."Talk dirty to me, baby," I purred.

"Uh..." Jeremy's eyes widened, face turning red."Pardon?" He dropped the white receipt he was looking over.

"What's the special?" I smirked, enjoying his innocent embarrassment. I knew what the special was, but I loved to mess with him.

"Oh--Um, t-the special i-is, um, cinnamon latte with caramel whip..." He cleared his throat, looking anywhere but me.

"Mmm, sounds fantastic. I'll get some scones, too." He nodded and went behind the big glass case of goodies. Just before his gloved hand picked up the scone," oh, Jeremy, be gentle with them!" I moaned loudly.

That hand was now shaking, and everyone in the cafe looked at him.

"T-t-t-the t-total will be fifteen-fi-f-fty." He coughed again, hitting his chest."Thank you for coming today, Lilith."

"Anytime, honey. You treated me wonderfully." I winked and he reddened, even more, realizing his words.

"N-no I m-m-meant..."

I walked away, heading toward the booths in the back, leaving poor Jeremy in a stuttering loop of apologies and explanations. Messing with him was wrong, I know, but he was so cute when he started blushing and stuttering.

The usual college students occupied the back booths, older couples sat near the front, by the glass walls overlooking the streets. I'd been here only a month and had started at NYU a week ago.

It was a gloomy day, rain clouds rumbling over the huge skyscrapers. It seems like New York's weather was at war with my happy-go-lucky mood.

"Do you want to play a game?" I turned my head, looking up to find a very unrecognizable face.

The man standing in front of me...Oh, I would have recognized him. To say he was handsome would be a lie. He was fucking brilliant! With an artist's eye, I was cursed with forever perving over the human body. But who wouldn't when you were looking at 200 hundred pounds of muscles and tattoos.

Bad boy alert.

"Excuse me?" I raised a brow as he slid in the seat across from me.

A smirk that could charm the devil slipped across his face."The old couple on the street, their arguing. I say the old woman will walk out first. I'll bet you twenty."

I looked in the direction he pointed, seeing indeed an older couple arguing. The woman was making distasteful expressions and the husband was making vulgar hand gestures while the woman was also waving an umbrella in the air.

I smiled and the competitive bitch in me reared her head."Only twenty? It sounds like you're scared to lose."

A glint of interest sparked in his hazel eyes."Me? Scared?" He scoffed."Never."

"Twenty five says she hits him over the head." I know I would.

"You're on."

Mr. He-thinks-he-can-win and I watched as the couple argued. The woman pulled her hand back and I leaned forward in anticipation.