Targeted

Marcus

His eyes didn't leave her even when his phone rang. Without looking at the device, he picked it up, pushed the screen with his thumb, and spoke. "Yes?"

She tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear as she worked on the books by the cash register. Her fingers gracefully moved back down to the notebook and moved around, guiding her eyes. He wondered how they would move on him and how their touch would be on his own skin..

His focus shifted slightly to comprehend the words spoken to him through the cell phone. Frowning, he grumbled,"That is acceptable as long as he upholds his end. Remind him of the consequences if he doesn't." Without waiting on a response, he ended the call and sat the phone back on the table. With the other hand he lifted the cup to his lips and took a calm sip.

He didn't let the liquid linger on his lips or swirl around his tongue as he normally did. Coffee to him could be like a fine wine, but this cup was not made by her delicate hands. Only when she personally made it did he let the hot liquid sit against his lips and soak in its essence. The heat from it singed the nerves of his lips that opened to give the liquid access. It covered his tongue with a delight of senses that only could come from something she had created. He never could prevent where his mind went from there, and it was far from being on coffee. Taste was something he'd love to experience with her.

A quick glance at his Rolex showed him that the cafe would close in the next half hour. He had not been sitting there all day, though he could have easily have done so. After getting his morning coffee from her, he had gone to several meetings, had lunch with an associate, made his presence known at a few establishments and then found himself back at the cafe. Tonight was the night he'd do more than just look and greet her. There would be no doubt in her mind what his intentions were.

He watched as the counters were wiped clean, the pastry case emptied, and the cafe straightened up for the night in preparation for the next day's shift. The minute hand ticked past the closing hour. The agitation in his Madonna's face did not go unnoticed. He kept his lips from smiling as she put up the last of the cleaning supplies and whisper to her employee. She promptly turned toward the cafe and made a beeline for him. It was working exactly as he had planned.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of his men move their hands to rest on their guns. They knew not to harm her, but they also knew their one and only job was to protect him. It was a job they took seriously. He made sure of it.

As the men moved to let her know of the firearms, he saw a slight hesitation in her step. She was aware of what she was up against, but she was still determined to do her job. He liked that. It showed she had a backbone. Milky women turned him off. Strong women only turned him on.

"Yes?" His eyes looked over her body, not missing one detail from the apron she wore to her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

The flush on her cheeks made her even more attractive. Pulling her hands up into fists and placing them on her hips, she stated, "We closed twenty minutes ago."

He couldn't help but toy with her. Letting his eyes move over the empty cafe, he answered, "So?"

"You need to leave." Her body was tense as she tried to be polite while at the same time being firm with the men.

Taking his time, he raised one eyebrow at her as he unfolded his six foot two inch frame from the cafe chair and took a few steps toward her. With a slight smile on his lips, he said, "I don't think you understand. We are sitting here enjoying the delights of your food, and you want us to leave?"

She blinked. "I'm just asking that you be considerate of the employees here who would like to go home to their families."

He didn't respond immediately. His attention was on her green eyes that he would swear went on forever. After several prolonged seconds, he answered, "Of course. We do not want to keep them from their loved ones." With a snap of his fingers, his men lowered their hands from their firearms and moved back toward the door. "For you and your employees, we will retire for the night. Until next time...." He gave a dramatic bow including the fancy wrist movement and left.

Sliding into the back seat of his dark car, he watched Hannah as she locked the door. It didn't escape his notice that her eyes moved to his car. His lips pulled up. "Hold up," he instructed his driver.

Fifteen minutes later, the lights in the cafe went off. A few seconds went by, and the door opened. Hannah and her co-worker walked out. With a wave, they parted company with the one girl heading to a car parked a few yards away. Hannah turned down the street.

Marcus knew where she lived already. From the moment he had seen her, he had everything about her investigated. He knew where she lived, how much her rent was, where she was born, and when she paid her taxes. The car began to move slowly, following the woman who walked ahead of them.

Her pace was brisk yet not in a way that signified fear or panic. It was the movement of a woman who had worked all day and wanted to get home and relax. It was also a woman who was full of life, a life he'd love to possess..

Five blocks later, she disappeared into an older townhouse. He motioned for his driver to pull over. It wasn't until the light came on in her apartment that he signaled for them to continue.

Hannah

Hannah leaned her head against the tile of the shower and sighed. She wasn't supposed to have worked from open to close, but the supervisor for the evening shift had been involved in a small car accident and couldn't make it. As the manager, Hannah always put in over forty hours a week so it didn't bother her. Also, not having a social life helped.

The warm water cascaded over her body. Letting the water run over her hair, she felt the coffee smell flowing down the drain. Even the muscles in her neck and shoulders yielded to the heat. Yep, it was good she didn't have a party to go to tonight. She needed to rest.

It wasn't like she didn't have friends and never went out. It was just that she had to work hard to pay the bills which didn't allow for a lot of socializing. She wasn't much on the party scene anyway. To her, the ideal party was a dinner party with pizza and popcorn a couple of times a year. True quality time with them meant more to her.

The soap from her hair slid down her face, threatening to attack the eyes. She leaned back into the spray of water. The soap fled, and she sighed in contentment.

Dating was not a common occurrence either. She had had a few dates with the guy who used to live a floor above her. That was short lived when she got promoted and he got a new job across the country. Two dates didn't warrant any long-distance considerations. They just agreed to drop a line here and there just to say hi. Sometimes relationships just die on their own, and one has to let them fade away.

Other dates were few and far between. She just didn't have the time nor found anyone to make the time for. And she was okay with that. Though sometimes she had to admit she got lonely. Tony was the only exception. He was someone she could have had a future with, but the spark wasn't there. The passion didn't exist.

Turning the water off, Hannah grabbed the large towel and began drying off. Washing the coffee smell out of her hair always felt good. She had quickly learned when she started working at the cafe a year and a half earlier that going to sleep at night without taking a shower did not help her rest. Coffee smells permeated her skin and clothes.

That was one problem she didn't have when she had worked in the office building downtown, but she couldn't continue working there. Yes, the pay had been better, but the unwanted attentions from her boss and the vindictive nature of her coworkers had her willing to pay to get out of there. She enjoyed managing the coffee shop. She was free and able to make decisions that were fun and gave others pleasure.

She was looking forward to the next day. It was her her day off, and she planned on sleeping in and watching soap operas. Maybe a romance novel would be squeezed in. All she knew was that she was going to enjoy it.

Tonight was going to be reading a book and drifting off to dreamland. Sometimes it was good to be alone and enjoy the moment.