Andromeda opened her store, the key was exactly what she envisioned it would be, old and stylish. Her first step in the door made her heart sing. The counters were all perfect, the glass display cases not too tall not too short, again, perfect. The green walls complimented the Grecian garden style shop perfectly.
She smiled to herself as the sun began to rise, shining magnificent rays of light throughout her little bakery.
She did it, she scraped scrounged and begged and finally got her dream to come to life, her friend Cathy had done magnificent with the decorating, and now it was her heaven.
Bright smile in place she went to the kitchen and started her day baking all manner of sweets to fill the immaculate counters and cases. Cookies, cupcakes, cakes, pies, donuts, candies, she made it all, and to do so for her was the best thing on earth, her entire life had been spent so far gaining the education to bake it all, and properly manage the shop.
Maybe now she could concentrate on what Cathy calls her life. Life, whats that? Is it made with flour? Oh, men, that's a life?
Andie scoffed to an invisible Cathy, talking to her even though she wasn't there. "All men do in a woman's life is boss them around and make them feel stupid, I so don't need that dear."
She popped the tray of black cherry chocolate cupcakes into the oven. By ten am she had her cases filled, and for the first time opened the doors to the public. She didn't expect really a lot of business, but she knew an orphanage and a homeless shelter that would be happy to take anything she didn't sell that day off her hands. After all, she would just have to throw them away if they did not sell, so why not just give them to people who will eat and enjoy them?
She smiled happily again, the feel good of the century, nothing could break the euphoria she had been placed in this day. She practically giggled when she received her first customer. Andie had been sitting behind the counter, enjoying an espresso and a small brunch when she saw the man. Her mental note was that he was so very cute, a flash of wondering if he was a she or a he, as he had long white hair, a feminine face including long lashes. When he jerked his nose into the air and sniffed, that's when she almost giggled, he literally followed his nose into the shop. His crystal blue eyes surveyed the chocolate cherry cupcakes, their divine black cherry frosting with a chocolate cherry on top seemed to make him drool.
"I'll take a dozen!", he smiled back at her.
That's when he took note of the wide spread grin on her beautiful face. Andromeda was a humble woman, she wore no makeup, wore her knee length raven hair in two braids, nothing fancy. Her face was oval shaped with large ebony eyes, her frame, though short at only five foot was built much like a models, yet with more toned meat on it.
Her grand looks did not escape Veighn as he watched her get a box and load up his treats.
"This the first day of being open?" He was curious, as he walked this street every day he had never noticed the bakery until this day, that wasn't normal, so it had to be freshly opened.
Andromeda smiled brightly at him and slipped the box to him, as he paid her she spoke in her whisper like voice. "Yes, I've been planning it for some time, but today was the first day I could open my doors to the public."
He looked around, it was like walking into a garden, even the otherwise plane floor was painted to look like a mossy ground with a field stone path leading to the counter. "It's amazing, very relaxed atmosphere."
He didn't think she could smile bigger, but she managed, and this lit her eyes up, giving them the appearance of black diamonds shinning in the faded sunlight. He liked her already, and needed to know more. This was a simple task for him, he dove into her mind and started reading her memories.
What he saw there practically made him fall in love right there. She was an orphan, made her friend Cathy there. She literally scraped and scrounged in order to get this place, had trouble with every step, as if it were the gods will she not succeed, but she did, her and her friend were partners. Cathy helped with the bills, via selling her artwork, they would live above it together and when Cathy was there she would help bake.
His own mind instantly thought of his friend Tristan when he saw her friend Cathy in her head. He decided right there that Andromeda would be his, and this friend Cathy would be a fantastic match for Tristan. When Andie handed him his change he captured her fingers in his soft hand and drew the sweet smelling fingertips to his lips.
After he kissed her fingers he grinned at her stunned expression. "That was for building this wonderful place of sugar and peace in my neighborhood, it was well needed."
Andie was completely charmed, as he knew just the right thing to say and do. She loved romantic men, at least she loved them in the books she read. Veighn of course knew this, and loved that about her, many women get snotty when you actually treat them like a lady.
It was four days until he returned, this time it was him and a friend. They pulled up in front of the shop on motorcycles, both looked like they could go very very fast. Veighn's friend was not much taller then he was, had dark raven blue hair, also had a feminine face but his had a few more sharp angles to it. He had amazing colored eyes, they were such a pale blue that they nearly looked white, like very cold snow.
Veighn sauntered up to the counter and greeted Andie with a large grin, then slipped a single orange rose from behind his back and handed it to her. Andie gasped and took the rose, a blush spread over her features as she smelled its marvelous fragrance. The orange rose meant passionate desire, pure enthusiasm and fascination. She knew this, and wondered if he did. Most men grab roses because they think the color is pretty.
Veighn read this in her mind and grinned back at her. "I love roses, they say everything I'm too cloddish to say."
Andie blushed, now knowing the rose was meant for exactly what the color insinuated. To break her fluster she misdirected his attention to his friend, who was watching Cathy through the door of the kitchen. She was struggling with a new bag of flour, it was only a fifty pound bag, but Cathy was nowhere near strong, as she too was a tiny girl of less then five feet.
"He seems to like watching people bake." she giggled.
Veighn knew what she was doing, and went along with it for now, he looked to Tristan and grinned. "He doesn't like to see women struggle with heavy things, can he go help her?"
Andromeda simply was not expecting this question and stared at Veighn blankly.
Veighn grinned and addressed Tristan. "Don't just stand there dumbass go help the lady."
Tristan grinned and jumped over the counter in one easy motion, then went to Cathy. She jumped fairly well when the mans hands took the bag from her, flipped it once as he grinned at her. "Where does it go beautiful?"
Cathy blushed a deeper red than he had ever seen anyone blush, which made his grin turn into a wide smile. "Uhm.. uh.. in.. in the mixer?"
She stammered embarrassed to be so close to such a good looking man, that had all his attention on her. He rolled the bag onto his shoulder and stood next to the industrial mixer, pouring the flour into it slowly while she turned the bowl to get it in there evenly. "You um, kinda need help around here don't you?"
Cathy did not look up, she couldn't look the man that was so beautiful he should have a model, in the face, it was just too embarrassing. "Kinda, but with just starting up we can't afford to hire anyone just yet."
He walked away from the bag of flour, that remained exactly where he put it, still pouring without his hands on it. This made Cathy stare at the levitating bag with amazingly wide eyes.
Tristan walked about the smallish kitchen, then stopped at a long table that had nothing on it. "Hey, I could work right here, and then I could be here to help with all the heavy stuff."
He beamed a smile back at her, even though she was still staring at the floating bag of flour. She about fell out when the bag shook itself to remove the last vestige's of flour from itself, then folded neatly and went to a table that had like items on it.
"I..wha....how did you do that?" She was stammering from shock.
Tristan grinned, went to her side and bent at the hip, whispering in her ear he said in a fun loving voice. "It's magic. I can teach you if you want me too, but I charge."
She looked at his face, oh gosh, he smelled so good to her, like herbs and spices. "I... I can learn that? What will it cost?"
Tristan caught the tip of her delicate chin and kissed her softly on the lips. "One of those anytime I want."
Her red turned to near amber but she smiled as her fingertips touched her lips gently. "That's all?"
Tristan grinned. "To start."
"Ok.. deal." He was so cute, and nice she didn't mind her nerves tingling the warning of danger.
