Lexa Woods was not having a good day.
First, her order or swiss dark chocolate came late and the strawberries didn't come in at all. And while she signed for and inspected the former, she had to depend on Octavia, her newest employee, to get her last masterpiece into the oven on time.
And now, as she looked at this sorry excuse for a cake, absolutely disgusted, she knew that Octavia had failed.
Lexa told herself that if she continued firing people at the furious pace she adopted, she'd get absolutely nothing done. But this was a travesty, pure and simple. Her lovely cake had sunk in the middle – sunk – as is she was still an apprentice learning the ropes.
Perhaps she could not fire Octavia – if only because it would make her go through yet another series of interviews – but she should still scold her sternly. Besides, Lexa should have known by now that letting anyone into her kitchen – her sanctuary – was a bad idea.
So no, Lexa was not having a good day, and that was before she heard a commotion from the bakery.
A man was raising his voice before another one – a familiar one, and decidedly feminine - joined him. Lexa wiped her face of expression, annoyance licking at her insides again. Perhaps she could fire Octavia after all.
Ripping her apron off, she hurried into her bakery, but not before chucking that – that- abomination of a cake straight into the garbage.
As she weaved around the counter, she took in the scene before her. A middle-aged, heavyset man sat at one of the tables, gesticulating wildly as he spluttered at Octavia. The girl actually looked moderately willing to listen, but Lexa could see how thin her control stretched when she caught sight of her tightened jaw and clenched hands.
"What seems to be the problem here?" She asked coolly, fixing the man with a firm stare and commanding his attention. For a moment at least, before he flicked his eyes over her form and practically scoffed.
"Nothing either of you girls can solve. Get your boss for me! Now!" Lexa stilled unnaturally, her lips thinning into a smile as she tried to keep her composure, her eyes still fixated on the man. He lost some of his bluster before she even spoke.
"I am the boss. This is my territory. Now," she clasped her hands behind her back, looking down at him. "What seems. To be. The. Problem." She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Sir."
At that, he bristled again. "Your-your girl here wants to rob me blind!" He picked up a check from the table and waved it around in a dramatic gesture. "This much for two pieces of cake and some coffee?! I wasn't born yesterday!"
"Sir," Octavia started, her eyes flashing. Seems she didn't like being spoken down to. Lexa respected that. "You asked for our best cake today. Probably to impress your date." She said openly, motioning with her hand to the woman sitting opposite the man.
Lexa turned to her, noticing how she scooted away from the table on her chair and tried to remove herself from the conversation. One of the first few dates for these two, I'd wager, if not the very first. She doubted there was going to be another.
"And today that would be the coconut cake." Octavia finished and Lexa closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to the heavens before she opened her mouth to speak.
"Coconut-vanilla cake with coconut meringue buttercream frosting, miss Blake." She corrected firmly, suddenly worried about how Octavia enticed customers to try new recipes. Here's a white cake with some other white in it? Lexa fought off a shudder of pure horror.
True, this cake was a bit simpler than Lexa's other creations, but she still thought it was striking in its pristine whiteness, the curled ribbons of coconut on the frosting giving it a light, fluffy air.
"And I told you how much all of this would set you back. I really don't see why you'd be surprised-"
The man laughed. "But I didn't expect you would actually hand me the bill! Surely you know who I am?!" When both Lexa and Octavia fixed him with a blank look, and his date shrank even further back in her seat, he seemed genuinely hurt and outraged. "I am the City Commissioner for this district you daft, uneducated-"
Octavia lost the battle with her temper, lowering her voice to a deadly whisper and leaning forward. "Do I look like I give a single fu-" Lexa stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder, shooting a look over the bakery. The other patrons were all watching them breathlessly. At the corner table, a par of children were staring at them, concerned and afraid; their mother throwing a venomous look in the Commissioner's direction.
Lexa opened her mouth to speak, planning something calm and disarming and was surprised when she could taste the words 'Do I look like I give a single fuck who you are?' instead. How unprofessional of her.
Before she could though, another voice cut in, this one low and throaty. "Excuse me, Commissioner?" It was a blonde woman sitting at the table next to them and she turned on her chair until she could lean forward conspiratorially. "I couldn't help but overhear and I think I can offer some input." The Commissioner allowed it with a magnanimous nod of his head, presumably happy that someone was finally treating him with the respect he thought he deserved. His quick look down the woman's cleavage – generously displayed in a teasingly unbuttoned, tight Henley – seemed to also help his mood.
Lexa narrowed her eyes. This uncultured swine. How dare he ogle this woman like that? If Lexa could restrain herself then so could he! Not that she had to restrain herself. She wasn't an animal, no matter how impressive the cleavage may be. Not that she would know if it was impressive or not. She wasn't looking.
"If I may. I think I can explain why the cake is worth every penny." The woman said, voice low and inviting as she reached forward with her fork at the still untouched slice of cake in front of the man. "See how the fork slices through it like it's butter? How the body is moist and soft and light?" She scooped up the sliced piece of cake and brought it to her mouth, her lips closing over it, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment. When she opened them, she sent a quick, disturbingly blue-eyed look in Lexa's direction before her eyes returned to the esteemed Commissioner.
"How skillfully the coconut is fused into the cake and shredded onto the frosting? And the frosting itself is much lighter than the usual fare; the buttercream feels like satin on your tongue and practically melts in your mouth." She cut off another slice, this time moaning in an exaggerated fashion when she closed her mouth around it. The Commissioner squirmed in his seat and Lexa swallowed.
Well. This woman certainly knew how to enjoy a cake properly.
"And finally, I can't help but admire how the vanilla blends beautifully with…Coconut milk, is it?" She shot a questioning look in Lexa's direction, and when Lexa only nodded at her in confirmation, the woman sliced off another piece and licked her lips before placing it in her mouth. The Commissioner waited with bated breath, probably for another moan, but his date had had quite enough.
She rose sharply and moved straight for the door, breaking the blonde's spell and making the Commissioner run after her. Or perhaps he was still trying to evade paying his bill. Truthfully, Lexa didn't care. Her eyes were still fixed on the blonde woman who ignored the hurried exits she provoked and returned to the cake slice, digging into it as eagerly as when she had an audience.
"Thanks for that, Clarke. I was extremely ready to punch him." Octavia said and Lexa blinked. They knew each other?
"I did it for the cake, O." The woman said around her fork as she rose, smiling at Octavia. "I had my eye on that cake and the dick ordered the last piece and then had the gall to complain about it." She huffed and turned to Lexa. "And you're the artist that made this perfection?" She asked, giving her fork one last, almost mournful lick before placing it back on the plate. When Lexa nodded, the woman – Clarke – drew her eyes up and down Lexa's form, taking her in, before she extended her hand.
"Clarke Griffin." She said simply. "Octavia's old college friend."
Lexa took the hand, trying to keep her face impassive as soft skin slid over hers. "Lexa Woods. Octavia's new boss."
Clarke's eyes gleamed when she laughed, Lexa noticed. It was quite attractive.
"I also wish to thank you for your quick-witted handling of the situation. I believe you prevented quite a scene from unfolding." A scene that Lexa was about to create herself, though that didn't matter now. "I will be sure to keep the coconut-vanilla cake in stock for a while yet, if you would care to visit us again." She had to fight off a blush when she said it, but could see no reason for it. What proprietor wouldn't want genuinely appreciative, polite customers around? She was perfectly within her right to suggest a repeat visit. Nothing suspicious about it at all.
"Oh, I think you'll see me pop across the street regularly."
Lexa lifted her eyebrows. "Across the street?"
Clarke pointed behind herself, through the tall glass windows to the small bookstore across the street. "That's mine." She said simply and reached behind to grab a leather jacket draped over her chair. "Speaking of which, I should really get back. Feel free to come over if you decide to put any books in here for the customers. I doubt you regularly have a show like today and people might appreciate a well-stocked book nook." She shrugged into her jacket, the dark leather fitting her really well.
"And don't worry about the coconut cake, Lexa." She drawled the name as she fixed Lexa with another stare. "After seeing your handiwork today, I'd be more than happy to taste anything you put in front of me." With that and one last lingering look, Clarke was gone.
Reminding herself to breathe, Lexa looked to Octavia but she was already clearing the table, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. Perhaps it was just Lexa that saw an undercurrent in their interaction?
Deciding to put the thought out of her mind, she shrugged and turned to her sanctuary again, her mood considerably improved.
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Big thanks to unicyclehippo over at Tumblr for the very inspiring prompt :D.