Amira Read online

  Chapter 2

  Serena was checking her watch and looking at the time on the register, thinking it couldn’t possibly be right, but if the register said she still had a half hour left in her shift, then it had to be correct. Maggie was still working beside her and looked as bored as she was. Serena was glad when she finally had a break between customers and was able to grab a sip of iced green tea that she kept under the counter. She breathed a sigh of relief to have a minute to herself when she caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye of someone approaching her register and placing their items on the conveyor belt. She rolled her eyes and turned, ready to deliver her usual fake enthusiastic greeting, when her eyes met his, and her words stopped in her mouth. Her throat went as dry as a desert.

  “Hello. How are you, miss?” the man asked.

  His tone was formal and polite, and Serena thought he looked like a businessman. His dark eyes seemed to hypnotize her, and she couldn’t speak. The color of his suit reminded her of a warm cup of coffee, lightened with a splash of cream, just the way she liked it. It looked like wool, and the sharp cut and fine quality of the fabric told her that it was not cheap. With a perfectly knotted tie, perfectly coordinated with his suit, and a proper demeanor, she thought he fit the mold for the stereotypical gay man or he was wealthy and well cultured; either way, he seemed to have impeccable taste.

  “Miss?” he repeated. “Are you available?”

  His question broke Serena’s stare, and she quickly cleared her throat and said hello. She asked if he had found everything that he needed, as she noticed he had several personal care items lined up on the belt like shaving cream, tooth paste, and a few other random items. At the end of the line, Serena saw a scented candle, a corkscrew, and he had also selected a bottle of wine from the in-store wine shop and some imported beer with a name that Serena had never heard of. She thought with the wine and candle, he must have a date later or maybe had to apologize to his wife for something.

  He explained that he had just arrived in town and was picking up some things before returning to his hotel. He spoke quietly and deliberately with an accent which Serena determined to be Middle Eastern, but it was much softer than some of the Arabian accents that she was used to hearing on the news or in movies. She was on a first-name basis with many of her frequent customers who were immigrants, but none spoke as clearly and softly as he did, so she thought he must hail from a different area and speak a different dialect than the others that she regularly interacted with. He spoke English very well, so Serena thought he either had to be very well educated, traveled a lot, or maybe he had lived in America a long time but maintained his accent. Whatever the reason, his accent made her weak, and she felt mesmerized.

  His eyes sparkled as he spoke, his words lyrical to her ears. His dark eyes burned into hers, and Serena felt like he was looking into her soul. It made her uncomfortable, yet it was somehow very soothing at the same time. She found herself yearning to touch his velvety olive skin, and every sense in her body was enhanced, every nerve was stimulated. Her speechlessness from before was now gone, and she heard herself asking him about his flight and how he liked the city so far as if she was floating above herself listening in on the conversation.

  He paid for his items, pulling a credit card from his wallet and swiping it through the machine, and Serena was disappointed to realize that their interaction would be over as soon as his receipt printed. Even his wallet was not the usual worn leather that most men seemed to carry, which made her feel he was way out of her league anyway. She held out the receipt to him and said she hope he enjoyed his visit and had safe travels. He reached out to take the receipt from her and brushed his hand against hers then held it gently in his.

  “Look…Serena, is it?” he said softly.

  He tilted his head slightly to read her name badge, and suddenly Serena was embarrassed to be wearing a dull uniform and fidgeted awkwardly. Her name dripped off of his tongue like liquid caramel. She was named after a television character, and no one had ever made her name sound as delicious as he did, the “r” rolling off of his tongue sweetly.

  “Yes….yes, I’m Serena…” she stammered and realized he was still holding her hand gently in his.

  “Serena…I do have a small problem. You see…I’ve gotten myself all turned around, and I’m afraid I’m a bit lost. I’m not quite sure how to get back to my hotel from here…Would you be able to help me with that? I’m staying at the Fairchild by the interstate.”

  The Fairchild? Serena wondered to herself. How the hell did he end up all the way over here to this side of town from there? The Fairchild was a high-class hotel, far from this middle-class, primarily residential area.

  She removed her hand from his so she could point and motion what way he should go. She started to explain that he would leave the parking lot here and the best way back to his hotel would be to turn right at the light and follow that to the next red light, but he interrupted her.

  “No no…I’m not familiar with this area at all…Is there a chance that….”

  Then Serena realized that he was not asking her to give him directions to his hotel but to go there with him. This was not something that she ever did. She never left the store with a strange guy. Sure, lots of guys would flirt with her, and sometimes she would meet one of them for a drink after work, but it was always in public, and she certainly never went back to a stranger’s hotel. Without knowing what she was saying, Serena told him that her shift was not over, but if he could wait, she would meet him after. He said that sounded like a wonderful plan, and he asked if there was a café nearby. She told him that there was a café in the store and motioned towards it. She asked if he would wait for her there, but he said no, he would meet her outside after her shift.

  He walked away towards the café, and a few minutes later Serena saw him leaving the store carrying two cups along with his shopping bags. He looked her way and lifted one of the cups slightly to indicate one was for her. She smiled with an apologetic look and called out “Soon.”

  He flashed back a dazzling smile and disappeared into the crowd near the exit. Serena wondered how she would find him in the parking lot because she didn’t know what he was driving, but her thoughts were interrupted by an impatient customer who sarcastically called her Juliet and said there’s plenty of time later for her Romeo. “Judge Judy” would be coming on tv soon, and she could not miss her favorite show; her dachshunds liked it, she explained.

  Chapter 3

  Serena was hurrying to finish her shift when she noticed Shane passing by her a few times. She would sometimes let him feel her up while he got himself off during his break, but it was nothing serious. It started when Serena caught him once alone in a dim corner of the stock room. He froze like a deer in headlights when she came through the swinging door to go to the employee lounge. He looked guilty, and Serena had a feeling from the look on his face what he was doing because she would often notice him walking around with a hard-on in the middle of the day for no reason. She always thought he must go somewhere to relieve himself but figured he would do it in the privacy of the restroom. She had seen him other times in the stock room, but he would always wave and say hi as if nothing were going on, so she didn't think much of it then.

  She wasn’t sure what made her do it, but she approached him that day. She walked over to him, making small talk and asking how his day was going. When she got to the corner, through the shadows she could see that he had his pants open and he had his cock out, fully engorged and erect. He must have been at it for a while because she could see the pre-cum glisten on the tip.

  He made a move to zip up, but Serena glanced around quickly and put her finger to her lips and said "Shhhhhh". She took a couple steps slowly and stood in front of him. She reached down and pushed his hand back down to his erection. He hesitated, but she guided his hand to grasp it, her hand wrapping around his hand, and together they started to stroke it. She took his other hand and placed it on her breast, and agai
n he hesitated, but Serena simply nodded and he gave a slight nod back.

  Serena never thought of him as handsome, and he was really quite ordinary, so she had never had any sexual thought about him. He was just a guy she worked with and was friendly with when they saw each other in passing. It excited her when she felt how muscular his hand was as he held his own cock. When she moved his other hand to her breast, feeling the muscles and tendons in his hand soaked her panties in tight jeans. As he held her breast in the broad palm of his hand, it struck her that she never noticed what strong, masculine hands he had. She still had both of her hands on his, one stroking his cock with him and one at her breast. He just stood there looking down at her, and she began to squeeze his hand, opening his hand to fully grasp her breast and pinching her hard nipple in the fold of his hand as he massaged it.

  They continued that way, neither of them saying a word, and he never even made a move to kiss her or to touch anything more than her breast. He only looked down into her eyes, and Serena smiled seductively. She could tell from his breathing that he was getting close to cumming, but she didn't let go of his hands. She kept her hands in perfect rhythm with his. She wanted him to want her and to enjoy her body.

  Finally he bit his lip and let out a stifled moan as he ejaculated. Serena could feel his hot cum spill onto her hand, flowing down over his hand and hers together. When he finished, they just separated, and he still didn't even say a word, not even a thank you. Serena straightened her shirt and turned to walk away when she realized that she had some jizz on the front of her shirt. For once she was glad for having to wear the canvas uniform vest because she would be able to hide the stain.

  Serena later told Maggie what had happened. She expected her to be shocked, but instead she seemed a little quiet. Serena wondered for a moment if she was jealous, then she became the Maggie that she knew, and she joked about her being his booty call. Serena laughed and said there was no booty, only booby, so she was his “booby call”. She was worried that he might think she was his girlfriend now since she got him off, but he didn't seem affected by it at all, and he never spoke to her any differently than he ever had.

  Later on, she had seen him again in that corner of the stock room, and over time, it became their routine to meet there. If she saw him there, she would go to him and let him touch her body as he masturbated, but they never ever kissed. Sometimes she even let him suck on her nipples while he did it, but she never saw him cum as hard as the time when she danced in front of him and wouldn't let him touch her at all. She played a sexy Arabic song on her cell phone, and while she was far from any kind of belly dancer, she did her best impression. It didn’t seem to matter to him as the hardness of his cock told her that her dancing was just fine. She took it a bit farther, lifted her shirt, and let her breasts spill out of her bra. He jerked himself off while she danced in front of him with her hands caressing her body and moving up to her bare breasts.

  No doubt about it, he was definitely a breast man and also enjoyed when Serena got him off while squeezing his cock between them, always careful not to get any of his cum on her because he knew she had to go back and finish her shift. He was a gentleman about it at least, but he never tried to get into her pants or do anything more than feel her tits. He never wanted anything more than that, so for that reason Serena felt it was just harmless fun.

  Shane kept looking at Serena as he passed her register, and she knew what he wanted. She shook my head to tell him no. He pointed at his watch and mouthed the words “Come on” impatiently, but she had already planned to meet…oh…Serena suddenly realized that she didn’t even know this man’s name who she had agreed to meet after her shift. Shane was going to have to fly solo today. He waited around for a few minutes, motioning toward the back of the store, but finally he gave Serena a disappointed look, threw his hands in the air sarcastically, and headed quickly to the stock room alone.

  After clocking out, Serena ran into the restroom, peed after drinking too much iced tea during her shift, and quickly fixed her hair and makeup as best as she could with having limited supplies in her purse. She hadn't planned on getting ready for a date, so she had only carried a few essential things with her. She wished she could do a little more, but she powdered her nose, freshened up her lip gloss, and checked that she didn't have mascara smudged under her eyes. She made a mental note to stop by the beauty counter and grab a spritz or two of perfume from the perfume tester bottle and pick up some mints on her way out.

  Imogene, the beauty advisor, always sprayed Serena with her favorite “Violet Eyes” every time she saw her. She could rarely afford Elizabeth Taylor's cologne on her part-time wages, but Imogene knew how much she loved it and didn't mind Serena stopping to use it any time she wanted. She was a sweet older woman whose own beauty skills were questionable since she drew on her eyebrows in an unnatural arch and her lipstick always managed to be crooked, but she was kindhearted and jovial nevertheless. Her dark bronze skin always shimmered and glowed, which Serena was sure was a reflection of her warm personality shining through. She was widowed and sang in the gospel choir at her church and was always singing hymns at work too. Management frowned on that, however, and told her to keep religion out of the workplace, but that didn't stop her from always singing.

  Serena buzzed past the beauty counter, barely stopping long enough to say five words to Imogene She let out a jolly laugh as she misted Serena in a perfumed cloud, amused by her rushing by, and her full robust breasts bounced as she laughed. She said she envied them as young girls, always having some place to go, and called Serena “Miss Taylor”.

  On her way, Serena ran into Maggie who asked where she was going in such a hurry. Serena just said she was meeting someone and left it at that. Maggie looked puzzled because Serena normally told her everything, but she just continued on her way and left her there in mid-sentence as she asked Serena again where she was going. They were supposed to go out that evening with the girls from work, but suddenly Serena didn't care about breaking that commitment.

  Chapter 4

  “Oh…fuck!” Serena mumbled under her breath as she reached the front of the store.

  At the registers, they couldn’t see any exterior windows. Maggie would always sing the Smashing Pumpkins lyrics, “Despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage”, and joked about how they keep them there in the dark with no natural sunlight for some kind of mind control. Serena told her she was crazy and said it wasn’t that bad as they could still get fresh air as the automatic doors would open and close all day. What Serena could not see before, however, was that it was now downpouring, and she wondered now how she was going to meet this man without getting totally drenched and ruining her hair and makeup.

  Just as she got to the exit, she saw a newer model sedan pull up in front of the store, and he ran out, ducking through the rain and carrying an umbrella. He opened his long trench coat toward Serena, and she slipped inside as he put his arm around her and held the umbrella over her. The warm spiciness of his cologne filled her nose, and the heat of his body warmed her as he sheltered her from the rain inside his coat. He quickly opened the passenger side door, and she jumped inside.

  He made sure she was seated comfortably before closing her door and running around the front of the car and getting in himself. Serena started to apologize for getting the car so wet, but he stopped her and said not to worry; the car was a rental. He offered the warm drink to her that he had gotten at the café. He explained that he had gotten black coffee for himself but wasn’t sure what she liked, so he ordered something off the menu called a “Mocha Kiss” because it sounded sweet like her.

  Serena realized at that time that even though he had swept her into his coat and held the umbrella over her, her t-shirt had gotten soaked. She was now chilled and excited to be with such a sexy man, and her nipples were like two dagger points slicing through her wet shirt. They laughed about how this microburst of rain had come out of nowhere, and she said they weren’t even ca
lling for rain at all. Luckily, he explained, he still had a suitcase in the trunk and remembered he had the trench coat in it, so he had pulled it out as soon as the first drops fell. She noticed his eyes several times darting to her breasts, but instead of trying to hide them, she sat with her hard nipples proudly on display and her wet shirt clinging to the curves of her breasts. Serena said she still had car still parked there, and he quietly said he will bring her back later and not to worry about it, her car would be fine.

  Despite the heavy rain, the conversation was barely interrupted by the sound. Listening to his accent and the scent of his cologne brought an image to her mind of exploring a souk in an ancient city and seeing the array of exotic spices laid out in the marketplace, filling the air with their aromas. He explained to her that he had been living in Saudi Arabia; however his family had relocated there after troubles in their home country when he was young so he was not native born.

  He worked as an auditor and account manager for several oil magnates as well as having many employees below him. His boss was American and was branching out and starting his own company back here in the States, so he had been promoted and transferred to manage the US office because of his experience but also because of his fluency in English.

  Serena suddenly felt small and insignificant in her life. She was just a young girl, working paycheck to paycheck just to get by and have a little extra money on the side, and here she was sitting beside this man who seemed so mature and worldly compared to her. Last week she was meeting Maggie and the girls after work, flirting with guys they had no intention of actually hooking up with, and competing to see who could get the most guys to buy them drinks, while he was probably meeting important executive types for fancy dinners and sipping wine from fine crystal. She felt poorly dressed in her jeans and t-shirt while he smelled of expensive cologne and wore a suit that she was sure cost more than her first car. Nevertheless, he never acted like he was above her in any way. They talked comfortably as he drove to the hotel, and Serena relaxed and sunk into the buttery soft leather of the passenger seat.