Just My Usual

Oh shit.

The guy sitting at table four, with his back to her. It was the same brown cord jacket. She just knew it was. And the almost-black curly hair. Carrie quickly set down the flat white and peppermint tea.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked the young couple on eight.

Shit shit shit.

Why had Merlin got her into this?

She needed to buy some time.

"Gabi, can you take an order on four?"

"No worries." The Australian waitress plucked her pad from where she had tucked it into her apron belt and headed towards the front.

From behind the counter, Carrie watched him turn and give his order to Gabi.

It

was

him.

That strong forehead, dark brows, and sharp blue eyes. He can't have been much older than her--twenty-seven, maybe twenty-eight--but that longer-than-standard beard gave him the rugged look of an older guy. As if he'd just come back from chopping wood somewhere. She couldn't deny he was attractive.

Fuck

.

He was smiling now at Gabi. Laughing. There was a cheekiness about him. Gabi must have said something funny.

Why had he come? But Carrie knew why. Merlin had introduced them last Saturday night at the Lizard Lounge.

"Hey, Dean. Say hi to my friend Carrie," he'd called over the reggae music in the beach-front bar.

Dean had headed over, a pint of craft ale in his hand.

"This is the one I told you about," said Merlin.

Dean looked at Carrie, a smile playing on his lips. He put his pint down on a nearby table and offered his hand. His fingers held hers confidently, keeping the hold as if he enjoyed the contact. "Hello, Carrie." He had a northern accent.

Carrie shot a glance at her friend. "What do you mean,

told him about

?"

"Ah..." said Merlin.

"You're the one with the ice-cream?" Dean gave her hand a final shake. "I'd like to hear about it."

"Yeah. My van." She smiled shyly, then said under her breath, "Merlin. What the fuck?"

"I thought Dean might want to help you out." Merlin gave a wink. "Give you some encouragement."

"What have you said?"

"Sorry, I can't hear too well--the music?"

"Is Merlin winding you up?" Dean laughed. "He's good at that. He didn't tell me anything shocking," then he paused, his eyes were twinkling. "Not shocking to

me

, at any rate. Tell me about your ice-cream van."

Carrie was grateful for the change of subject. "There isn't much to tell right now. I want to take an artisan ice-cream van round to festivals and events--"

"Sounds cool."

"--it's not gonna happen anytime soon." She took a deep breath. "I was just joking though, when I said to Merlin..."

Carrie looked round to her friend to find he had sidled off.

"... that you need...

some accountability

?" offered Dean, arching his dark eyebrows.

Carrie looked at the floor. She remembered what she'd

really

said. Trust Merlin to have a friend for that. "Yeah."

"Accountability might be helpful?" he said.

"... I guess."

Dean took a drink from his beer and then said with a smile, "Did Merlin tell you that I like that sort of thing?"

Oh shit.

This guy didn't beat around the bush.

"He might have mentioned it."

Dean leaned a little closer so she could hear through the music. "Do

you

like that sort of thing?" he asked gently.

"No!" Carrie said. Then she flashed him a look. Were they even on the same page? "Well... maybe."

And now here he was on table four. She'd taken his number. She hadn't told him to come to her workplace.

Gabi came over. "Flat white on four," she said. "You ok?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm fine." She knocked out the old coffee grounds, refilled the handle and started steaming the milk.

He hadn't looked over at her yet. Maybe he was here by coincidence. Yeah right.

She'd told him

where she worked-- at The Lighthouse Café--while she was developing her ice-cream business. She put the coffee on the counter with the spoon and little chocolate. Where was Gabi?

Shit

. She'd have to take it over herself.

She went round the front of the counter and wiped her hands on her apron. She picked up the coffee by the saucer. The cup rattled a little.

He was writing--no,

drawing

--in a little leather-bound book.

"Your flat white."

He looked up, shut his notebook, and gave her a broad smile. "I was hoping you'd come over."

"I wasn't sure it was you at first," she lied.

He looked at his drink. "I love these." He picked up the chocolate and started untwisting the foil like a little boy excited to get a present. "You're lucky. You can eat them whenever you want."

Carrie laughed. "I try to resist."

"Excuse me-- waitress!" A customer behind them was calling to Gabi in a loud, posh voice.

"Is there something wrong?" Gabi asked.

"I should say so! I distinctly asked for a

decaffeinated

cappuccino, and this has caffeine in it."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure, you silly girl. Look, my hands are shaking."

The women showed her hand with three thick gold rings, one with a prominent diamond, and a gold bracelet to match. Her companion, an older woman with a bright pink cardigan, stared at the table.

"I'm sorry..." Gabi said.

"You should be."

Carrie felt her temper rise. She crossed the room. "I'm sorry to hear that we've made a mistake with your drink. But I will ask you to please treat my staff with courtesy."

"Well. Giving me a high-caffeine drink is hardly treating

me

with courtesy, is it?" said the woman, more loudly than necessary. "Gerta here may be able to drink a full-strength cappuccino, but

I

certainly cannot." Her companion gave a little squeak.

"I apologise for that and I will take the coffee off your bill."

"

Both

our coffees, I hope."

"Fine." Carrie sent Gabi to the kitchen while she printed off a new bill for table two. The rude customer paid for their pastries and made a show of gathering her belongings and leaving. The companion in a pink cardigan scurried after.

Carrie exhaled deeply as she sprayed and wiped the table. She stacked up the dirty crockery. She smelt the coffee dregs. It

did

smell caffeinated. Her mind wasn't on it that morning. And Dean turning up was hardly making things better. She quickly turned.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Another customer was coming in the door and Carrie jerked back. The cup slid off Carrie's pile and landed with a smash--followed by a sudden silence as everybody turned to stare.

"Let me help with that."

Carrie looked up to find Dean taking rest of the crockery from her hands.

"Oh! Thanks."

He took it to the counter and then returned to help her pick up the broken pieces.

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to," Dean smiled through his beard. He nodded to the door. "That seemed pretty full on."

"Yeah. It happens from time to time."

"You could probably do with some help letting go of that tension," he said.

"I probably could."

"I've got a remedy for that."

Carrie laughed.

"Do you mind if I come in tomorrow?" he asked.

Carrie nodded. "Yes... I mean... I don't mind."

On Friday he came in just after eleven. This time he sat towards the back of the café.

"You weren't here yesterday," he said as she handed him his flat white.

"No, I'm sorry, I forgot. It was my day off." It was fucking rude of her, now she came to think about it. She probably should have sent him a message. But hey. She hardly knew the guy.

"Your colleague looked after me."

"Gabi? I'm glad."

"Do you get breaks in this place?" His tone was lighter again.

"Not before the wait staff have had theirs."

"Very noble of you."

"I can sit down for a couple of minutes, if you like?"

"Please do."

"I'll get myself a coffee."

Carrie took her time fixing up her drink. What was she getting herself into? Dean was cute, and Merlin had told her he was cool, but she hardly knew him. This whole scenario had the potential to go royally wrong. Were they even on the same wavelength? What was he actually proposing?

She put her coffee on the table and slowly pulled out the chair opposite him.

"I've been thinking..." she began.

"You have?"

"All this. I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"What's the right idea?"

"I'm not looking for..."

"... for sex?"

"No!" Carrie hurriedly looked around to see if anyone had heard. "No! I'm not looking for that."

"That's good. Neither am I. What then?"

"I don't know if I'm looking for anything..."

Dean just waited. "That's not what Merlin told me."

Carrie rolled her eyes. "I guess if it was something... It would be just to try out... maybe just for fun... or maybe..."--Carrie bit her lip--"maybe to help me manage stuff..."

"Accountability?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

"What does that look like?"

"I guess we could work out goals..." Was she really saying this? "And if I fail to meet them... maybe consequences?"

"Oh," he said. He had that look of the little boy unwrapping the chocolate again. "I like the sound of that. What kind of consequence?"

"I'm not sure I can say."

"I think you'll have to."

Carrie felt the heat rise in her face. She cleared her throat.

"I can't hear you."

"You know what I mean."

"But I need to you to say it."

"You could spank me," she said, barely above a whisper. She hoped to god Gabi wasn't nearby.

"Oh."

He didn't say anything and Carrie felt the mortification seep through the entire length of her body. Had she got this entirely wrong?

Bloody, bloody Merlin.

Dean took a sip of coffee and wiped the froth off his top lip. Then he said, "Will you be lying over my lap?"

Carrie took a breath. She felt herself smile. "Yes," she whispered.

"Oh my." Another sip of coffee. "What clothes will you be wearing?"

Carrie thought for a moment. "A dress. Pulled up. And knickers round my knees."

"Will I go easy on you?"

Carrie swallowed. "I don't think so."

"I think we've got a deal."