Chapter 1
Angelica sat alone behind the counter in the small store her family’s friends owned. She had already restocked most of the shelves, dusted, and done all the vacuuming. She’d only been there for an hour. How was she going to survive the next 7 hours of boredom? She settled in and picked up the saucy romance novel she had been reading. It was cheesy, not particularly well-written, but she liked the world it let her escape to.
Angelica found that working in the store brought a bit of her cheeky side out. She had learned to flirt with the regulars, especially the older men. She knew she wasn’t hot, but she figured they appreciated the “interest” from a young woman. It was all harmless, and it made her smile to see their faces light up when they came in and saw she was there.
She was 23 and had never been on a date. Since Angelica had hit puberty, her hormones made her suddenly extremely aware of how good boys look. They also made her even more aware of how bad she looked. On a good day, she could appreciate her boobs, they developed pretty quickly, and they weren’t outrageously large, but they were bigger than most of the girls in her class at school. Occasionally, when she had tried wearing a tight low-cut top, she felt like no boys noticed. She avoided looking in mirrors for more than a quick hair check; when she looked in the mirror for too long, she sometimes thought her eyes sparkled... until she stared even longer and felt like it was a stranger staring back at her!
Her growing insecurities often spiraled her brain into a “fat loop”. She would feel bad about herself so eat junk food, which made her feel even fatter and thus eat more junk, etc. She wasn’t actually fat, just well-rounded. To her having to buy jeans a size or 2 bigger than her stomach needed to fit her giant arse... meant she was fat. She dyed her hair black regularly now. She hated her natural dull brown hair colour. Something about the black made her feel like she was wearing a permanent mask! It hid the real her. Like a safety net, if people thought she was ugly, it was fine... it wasn’t the real her they were hating... so it didn’t hurt as much... she failed to convince herself.
She was shy and awkward, especially around young males.
Angelica looked out the window and saw the delivery truck from Wilson & Son pull up. A smile crossed her lips, and she skipped out to meet old Tony. he was a sweetie and always fun to flirt with… The truck door opened, and she said, “Gidday, gorgeous! I’ve been waiting all day to see you” in a flirty tone. As the door closed, it revealed a man with a golden tan, his skin glistening with a hint of sweat, scruffy blonde hair with a slight curl, and amazing blue eyes that made Angelica feel slightly lightheaded and hypnotized to stare into. He wore a tight singlet top, tight enough to show his abs, and old Denim Jeans with natural holes in the knees, not those ones they cut in denim for ‘Fashion’.
“Gorgeous eh? You must have been looking in a mirror honey!” She freezes on the spot… this is NOT Tony! Her face turns bright red instantly he holds eye contact longer than normal then gives her a wink and gets to work unloading his truck.
CODY
“Gigday gorgeous! I’ve been waiting all day to see you,” he heard as he hopped down from the truck. the voice sounded so warm and friendly, with a very cheeky edge to it. He closed the door, eager to see who was behind it. He was not disappointed!
In front of him stood a mesmerizing woman! At first, all he saw was her eyes. They sparkled and glistened and pulled him in deep to a warm, green blissful place he never wanted to leave. Suddenly, she broke eye contact and looked down at her feet. As she looked down shyly, he had a chance to study her more, her cheeks were getting red, and he smiled. He was pleased; he was affecting her too. She had jet-black hair, which only helped to make her eyes pop out even more. His eyes continued trying to take her all in. He took a deep breath when he finally noticed her cleavage. Her top wasn’t anything fancy, but it held her breasts firmly, and breasts that size couldn’t help but reveal a bit of cleavage. She was so... curvaceous! She had a nice hourglass figure that curved out to a voluptuous well rounded arse exaggerated by her tight jeans. He silently said to himself, “Thanks Dad, for taking the day off today!”
“Gorgeous?” He repeated wistfully, then composed himself a little and, with a playful wink, added “You must have been looking in a mirror.” resisting adding, “coz you are the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
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He pushes a trolley loaded with boxes, making it look effortless, but his bicep muscles bulging tell another story. He can see how flustered she is, obviously, her earlier comment was meant for his dad, Tony who he knows loves to flirt with all the ladies. Her eyes stare at his biceps as they hold the weight of the trolley..
“Where do you want me?” He says, deliberately phrasing it provocatively. His question shocks her... has he read her mind? “Umm want...?! What?” She stutters. He stares straight into her eyes, she keeps looking away and glancing back only to see his eyes never leaving hers.
He chuckles, amused at how she is lusting after him. In a low husky voice, he rephrased his question: “Where do you want me to put my… package?” She lets out a small gasp. “um... there! ” She points to where the deliveries normally get put, her finger shaking a little. “As you wish, my dear,” he says like a gentleman and places the first stack. “I’ve got a few loads for you today, If you can take them all” he winks and struts out. God why is this so much fun he thinks as he torments her with innuendo.
As he returns with his last load, she is relieved to see a regular customer approaching... perhaps this will give her a minute to compose herself. “Hello, Mrs Anderson! What can I get you today” she says cheerfully. “hello dear” she hesitates, “Are you ok... Your face is all flushed today!? Are you coming down with something ” As Cody comes in with more boxes Mrs Anderson notices the look Angelica is giving him. “oh! I see” An old knowing smirk crosses her lips “If I was your age I’d be drooling too,” she says loud enough for Cody to hear he lets out a snorted laugh in shock at her directness… deciding to make this wicked old ladies day he comes over and winks at her “I could make you feel her age again” the old woman chuckles appreciating the attention. “here, let me carry your bags for you” and he grabs her bag and holds out his elbow like and old fashioned gentleman which she accepts, and they stroll off, arms interlocked, chatting to the car.
He returns to his truck… not wanting to leave yet, he tries to think of a reason to go back into the store. He grabs his copy of the invoice and takes it back under the pretense of needing a signature. He sees her over by the boxes investigating their contents... he takes a moment to watch her... the way she moves and blows a strand of hair off her face... god! Talk about gorgeous… he approaches quietly as she mumbles to herself berating herself about the encounter “Gorgeous! U had to call him gorgeous didn’t you Angelica” Suddenly he appears beside her... close enough to smell his sweaty musky smell “I’m heartbroken! Are you saying I’m NOT gorgeous!? OUCH!” he clutches his chest dramatically and puts on a wounded pained expression. She panics and says “No! I mean... you are very gorgeous!!” She freezes as his expression goes from wounded to an evil lustful smirk, like he’s won some unspoken game. He reaches to push the strand of hair she keeps puffing at behind her ear. His eyes penetrated her soul. “You’re not too bad yourself” he places the invoice on the boxes causing him to lean around her very closely. He points to it and softly says “Just sign here please”, she does, her signature betraying her shakey hand... “thanks” he collects the papers and gives her a friendly “laterz gorgeous” and struts out resisting looking back completely sure her eyes are glued to his body.
