A/N: To all those that favorited and alerted, thank you very much ^_^ I really appreciate it.

II. Customer At Closing Time

He's tried evading the thoughts that come to his mind whenever he saw her, but it seemed that day by day, it kept getting worse—he couldn't stop thinking about her! During the day, she kept him from doing his work; not one moment passed by that the image of her beautiful, voluminous fiery red curls, her sultry chocolate eyes, and those seductive curves of hers did not cross his mind. At night, she haunted him too! The way she would curl those inviting lips into a suggestive smile as she desirously wrapped her arms around his neck—oh, how he wished to taste those lips so badly! Often his dreams of her were so graphic that they seemed so real – he always hated it when he woke up and found himself without the red-haired baker by his side.

He wanted her—no!—He needed her! He didn't even know how it was that he came to want her; he was under her spell. But between him and the baker stood another man—the barber, her husband. He didn't know what it was that attracted that baker to that man. He wasn't even attractive, and neither did he have that much money to give her anything she wanted! Why—he wasn't even close to being as wealthy as him, let alone as good-looking as him. What it was that attracted the baker to that young foolish barber, he did not know. However if there was something he did know, it was that he had to go. He had to go in order for her to finally be his. And she will be his—he was sure of it.

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Finally after a busy day, it was time for her to close! She had been working in the pie shop for as long as she could remember, and she still couldn't believe how demanding the customers were, especially during the dinner rush. No wonder her mother was always so exhausted at the end of the day! And to make matters worse, most of the customers didn't even bother to thank her, and even had the nerve to touch her inappropriately albeit their knowledge that she was in fact married and had a child! Nellie Barker was glad the day was finally over. Once she gets finished with the cleaning, she can finally relax with beside her beloved little family.

Knock-knock-knock!

She turned her head to see none other than the Judge himself, standing at the door of her shop.

Great...

"Excuse me, my lord, but I'm already closed. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow if you—"

"Oh, how unfortunate! You mean I came all this way from my home just for you to tell me you're closing?" the Judge queried.

"Yes, sir, I'm afraid so. Now if you'll excuse me sir, I've to resume cleaning the shop," she replied firmly yet politely.

"Why, Mrs. Barker, you're not going to let me in? Surely you must have at least one pie left," he insisted, once again looking at her impiously.

"No, sir, I do not! Now if you don't mind, my lord, I'd like to go back to my cleaning so that I may finally rest."

"Of course, Mrs. Barker; I apologize for the trouble," he finally said.

"Thank you, my lord. Now please, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave."

The Judge nodded and obliged, fortunately. The nerve of that man! Did he honestly expect her to serve him at this hour? What a conceited bastard!

As the man left, he internally cursed at himself for his defeat. He wanted to attack the woman right then and there – make her regret the way she had spoken to him. How dare she treat him that way! Surely, the daft woman did not know what he was capable of.

He mustn't allow himself to be hasty though—if he wanted to get to the young beautiful baker, he had to first get rid of her husband. Fortunately for him, he knew exactly how to do just that. Once the barber was out of his plate, he was sure to have the baker for himself. It just takes a little patience – just a little bit of patience, and he can get his way.