I hadn't visited The Coffee Drop in over three weeks. It was with an anticipation, bordering on dread, that I pushed the door to enter the shop. It wouldn't budge. I stepped back, thinking the shop was closed. The lights were on and the interior was brightly lit, a film of condensation covering the bottom half of the big shop window. A green sign hung from a rubber suction cup stuck to the glass of the door.

"Come In We're Open!" it shouted.

I depressed the lever on the stile of the door; the door that hadn't been properly shut since the place opened. I pushed it open, to a fanfare of cheers and ironic screams from the assembly of females in the shop and behind the counter. I tried to look suitably chastised and I gave embarrassed smiles to everyone as I made my way to the end of the short queue.

"There's our wandering dreamboat now, girls," Samira said, from behind the till, "I told yis he'd be back."

"Where were you, Tony?" a little fox called, Amy, asked.

"I was otherwise detained, Amy," I said, "did you miss me?"

"Of course I did, but I can’t stand here talking all day."

"Why not?"

"Some of us have jobs to go to."

"Well, far be it for me to detain you, Amy," I said, "give us a kiss and be on your way."

"Just one?" she asked with a crooked grin.

"You may linger." I said magnanimously.

She skipped over to me, threw her arms around my neck and took my breath away with a long, deep kiss that nearly sent me back to sleep.

"Was that ok?" she asked, her lip held between her teeth.

"That was the kind of kiss that results in breakfast in bed and a warm hug."

"Just a hug?"

"It depends on what you define breakfast as," I said with a wink.

"When?"

"When your divorce comes through, or the day after your husband's funeral."

"I'm going home to stab the bastard."

"I'll see you when you get out of jail."

"I love that you'll wait for me."

She stole another kiss and departed with her coffee in her slim little hand.

"That was very cheeky of her, Tony," Samira said.

"Why?"

"There was very nearly a conception there," she said.

"That's not all, Sami."

She pursed her lips and tapped her finger on the till.

"Flat white?"

"Yes please."

I handed her the money and she shouted across to the back of the shop.

"One flat white, Sandra."

"Tell me that's for my lovely Tony, Sami. Tell me."

"It's for Tony."

"Where are you, darlin'?" she said, as I moved beyond the pastry cabinet.

On my way past, I noticed a couple of additions to their food range.

"What's all this then?" I asked, pointing at what appeared to be a display of sandwiches.

Sandra looked at me with her arms crossed, an inscrutable look on her face, her lips pursed.

"What did I do now, baby?" I said.

"Don't you baby me, Tony Harris."

I took her elbow and drew her to me as I leaned across the counter and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Better now?"

"A bit."

I kissed her again.

"Now?"

"Yes, but I need a long one like Amy got."

"How long would you like it."

"How long have you got?"

"Long enough for ...."

"Will you two ever give it a rest over there," Sami shouted, as we laughed, "we're all getting hot and bothered over here."

“You may be hot, Sami, but we’re not bothered. Are we, dreamboat?”

She picked up a jug of milk and steamed it under the frother. As she worked I was joined at the counter by Babette, a deliciously lovely lady with the remains of a French accent she had picked up whilst working on The French Riviera.

“Bonjiorno, Babette,” I said.

“That’s Italian, not French, Antonio. What appears to be the delay here, are you up to your usual tricks?”

Sandra reacted fastest.

“Hey, Babs, would you like it steamier than usual today?”

I struggled to hide a snigger.

“Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted, Tony love?”

“I was just asking what’s new in the food fridge.”

“Do you mean the Pastry Display Cooler, babe?”

“Whatever it’s called, babe.”

“We’re trying a few sandwiches, do you wanna try one, hun?”

“What’s good?”

“There’s a Chicken Buffalo sandwich that I’m hooked on.”

“Is it hot?”

“No, it’s in the fridge, how could it be hot?”

“I mean spicy.”

“It is a bit, yeah. It has jalapeños in it.”

“How many?”

“I don’t know? Why? What’s the difference in how many? It’s still gonna be spicy.”

“I’d prefer if there was only one jalapenis in it.”

“Say that again?”

“What? Jalapenis?”

“A hollow penis? Is that what you said?”

“Jalapenis! Singular.”

She silently handed Babette her coffee.

“Anything else, Babs?”

She coughed softly and cleared her throat.

“Babs, anything else? Croissant, Danish?”

“No, I’ll have a hollow penis please.”

“Just the one?” I asked.

“Are you offering?”

“I wouldn’t know where to find a hollow one.”

“I’ll just settle for one and hope for a non-hollow one in the very near future.”

I smiled at her.

“Est-ce que je reçois aussi un baiser prolongé,” she said quietly. *1

“Combien de temps voudrais-tu qu'il s'attarde?” *2

“Ooh tu as du français,” she squealed. *3

“Juste un peu.” *4

“A little can still do miracles.”

“A little more can be ecstatic, Babette.”

Her lips hovered over mine before they touched sensuously. She held the kiss in suspenseful expectation before disconnecting, softly exhaling and leaving the shop, with a soft touch to my semi-erect, non-hollow penis with the back of her hand.

"Did she just feel you up?" Sandra asked in astonishment.

"I wouldn't call it being felt up, Sandra."

"Lucky there was nothing there to feel yet."

"She's a very unlucky lady, Sandra," I said, "but, she got the last Chicken Buffalo Sandwich. With one jalapenis."

"Along with a handful of you," she said, handing me my coffee, "give me my kiss now, and plenty of tongue to go with it."

"Sandra Morgan! Stop that," Sami screamed at her.

"Oh shut up, Mother Superior, and get over here so Tony can kiss us and go to work."

She looked at me then and said, "you are going to work, aren't you?"

"I'm thinking about it," I said, trying not to laugh.

"Ok, kiss us quickly and be on your way," she said, "I'll need a blow by blow account off you tomorrow morning, though."

"That's if I'm not still in bed, having 'breakfast'," I said and kissed them both.

Lingeringly.

Legend

*1 - Do I also get a lingering kiss?

*2 - How long would you like it to linger?

*3 - Ooh you have French.

*4 - Just a little.