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First time posting a story - this is just the start but I have a lot of thoughts on where I could take these two
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Candace was walking home from work one night when she saw a new shop had opened up along the way. the building had been closed for as long as she could was working at the coffee shop which was on and off since she was a senior in high school. That was four years ago. She supposed it wasn't a huge surprise considering the area was on kind of an up-and-up, she sometimes heard people grumbling about "gentrification" but she didn't really care. It's not like she had to worry about rent since she lived at home with her parents and if richer people moved into the area it just meant better tips for her at the coffee shop. The faster she saves up the faster she will be able to move to wherever she wants or maybe go back to college since she dropped out after two years. She claimed it was because it was too expensive and she wanted to save up more money, which isn't *not* true... but really she just didn't care at all about college even though she was raised to believe it was the most important thing for her to do as a young adult.
She sighed and scrunched up her face as she thought about how she still had no freaking clue what she wanted to do with her life.
"That's a big, deep sigh for someone as young as yourself." She started as she only just noticed a man standing right outside the new store she had noticed. It was twilight now and in his black tshirt and dark jeans he had blended in with the shadows. Trying to cover up her surprise at only just noticing him even though he couldn't have been more than five feet in front her, she answered a little sassily.
"Why does it matter if I'm young?" She slowed her steps as she said this.
"Because the young ones are supposed to be carefree, not a worry in the world," he spoke again in his deep, slightly gravelly voice. A little closer, she could see he was smirking at her under his short beard. Was he making fun of her? She couldn't tell and as she studied his face in the dim light she realized that he was incredibly handsome, in a rugged sort of way. His dark hair was a little wavy and not quite chin length, one side was tucked behind his ear and the other fell forward a bit as he looked down at her (he was tall!) now stopped directly in front of her. She didn't even remember stopping. She realized she was staring, too, and thought quickly back to what he said. She couldn't tell but she thinks his smirk had grown wider as she stared but she chose to ignore it and hoped the dim light of twilight covered her blush.
"How could we be carefree, when everyone tells us that every decision we make now will affect the rest of our lives?" she retorted, not quite sure why she was entertaining this conversation that a random guy on the street started up with her. He just kind of grinned wider at that she felt her face heat up even more, though she couldn't say exactly why. She didn't say anything embarrassing did she? When it was clear he wasn't going to say anything else she followed up with, "is this your store?" with a nod towards the new store he was standing in front of.
It was dark inside so she couldn't tell what kind of store it was and the name on the sign in front "Black Licorice" didn't exactly help. The sign was dark and sophisticated looking so it didn't seem like a candy shop vibe unless it was like a boutique hipster type thing? Though this guy really didn't seem like that type either.
His smile widened and flashed his white teeth for the first time and she felt herself involuntarily shudder. "No, it's my friend's store, though. I'm helping him get settled in the new space." He was no longer leaning against the store window anymore, she hadn't even noticed when he had taken a step closer to her. She could smell his colon, musky and earthy, maybe a hint of pine? Why why was she still standing here talking to this guy instead of running along home? Because he's hot, her thoughts answered her pretty quickly. But there was something more and she was equal parts nervous and curious about whatever that more was.
"Cool..." she winced at how lame that sounded and quickly followed up with, "well what kind of store is it?"
"Come see for yourself." Before she could respond he was turning towards the door and unlocking it with a key. And before she could think better of it she was following him.
"Why were you standing outside?" she asked as he unlocked the door and held it open for her.
"Ah, cruddy reception in the store," he held up his phone in his other hand. "You get the strongest signal right outside the store front. She shivered again though it was warmer inside than it was outside. He noticed this and asked, "are you cold?"
"oh no, I-" she had looked over her shoulder at him to respond and that was when he turned on the lights in the store. Her voice caught as she saw the merchandise on the shelf behind him. Bondage gear. Like, sex bondage gear. She took an involuntary step back and her foot hit a stack of boxes. She reached out to stop it from tipping over but the top box was opened and her hand landed directly on a dildo. It was in the package but still, it was large to put it mildly. She yanked her hand back in shock and the boxes continued to tip over. Before she could recover and try to stop it he was there. His large hand gripping the edge of the box and righting it. He was so close to her she could feel the warmth of his chest against her shoulder but he was just barely not touching her. When the box was stable he took a step back and she released her breath, not even realizing she was holding it.
"Sorry," he said. Though his smirk didn't make him look apologetic at all. "Maybe I should have warned you first. I didn't mean to give you such a shock"
"No," she said quickly not sure if she was trying to reassure him or herself. "It's ok I've just, you know, never been in a shop like this before..." she cringed at how young and naive she sounded. "I mean, you know, my generation everything is online even, uhm, d-dildos." She tried to say that last word confidently to prove none of this phased her but despite herself it still came out a nervous stutter. She looked up at him again for the first time since entering the shop and saw his teeth were on display again in a grin. He was even more handsome in the light of store and she found herself getting caught up at staring at him again. She had noticed the defined muscles in his arm when he righting the box and now she noticed his broad, muscular shoulders and chest under his slim fit t-shirt as well.
"That's true," he replied and she had to think hard to remember what she had said that he was replying to. " My friend's philosophy though is that something's you really need to see and feel to know what's right for you and that can only be done with a physical shop. Though, of course he does have an online shop that ships discreetly, too." He winked at this last part and she flushed looking down at her feet, not sure what to say at that. She wanted to run away just as much as she wanted to never leave this man's presence. There was something more to it than his handsome face, great body, heady masculine scent... she thought. She just wasn't sure what it was, maybe it was the way his dark eyes seemed to pierce right through her or the way he smiled as though he enjoyed every second of talking with her and delighted in everything she said. Despite her really not saying much of any substance. "So, what do you think?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh I, uh," she stammered and tried to get her mind working again, at least well enough to put a sentence or two together. "It's uhm, cool," god, why does she keep saying that word," I'm not, I mean it's not that I don't like this stuff it's just that I don't really have any experience with it." her voice got quieter without her noticing and she kept looking around the store to avoid looking at his piercing eyes again. But it wasn't helpful looking around because everything was so shocking to her. She had only had sex one time in college and it was when she was drunk and mostly just did it just so she could get it out of the way and not be a virgin anymore. It didn't really hurt like she heard it would but it didn't feel great or anything either. This shop, though, this is well beyond anything she had any experience with. Her eyes kept skipping over different bondage gear and whips and paddles and dildos, of like, all different sizes and shapes. Seriously what is with the weird shaped dildos? Are those even dildos anymore?
"It's not everyone's cup of tea," he had continued walking through the store. She followed closely behind him without thinking. "Though, I do think there's enough variety in here that there's at least a little something for everyone." He looked back at her and smiled, seeing her following diligently behind her. "At least with the right partner there is." Her eyes shot up at that to see him already looking at her. They had stopped what she assumed to be what will be the checkout counter. There were unpacked boxes on the floor and a register that hasn't been hooked up yet if the cords littered around it were anything to go by.
"Looks like you guys have a little more setting up to do before you can open," she offered, relieved to have found something to talk about in the store that didn't involve things that go in holes.
"Yes, that is what I'm meant to be doing," he sighed, agreeing and looking at all the boxes, too.
