Midnite Cafe

I never remember people by their names. In my line of work, I usually just remember them by what kind of drink they order. Being the only female bartender in the place can have its advantages when it comes to tips, but most of the time the crowd bores me and the faces all blend together. So, to keep things interesting I play this silly game with myself where I compare people's personalities with the type of drink they order. Laugh now, but you'd be surprised by how many times that is pretty accurate. What you drink says a lot about who you are or in some cases, who you're trying to be. A perfect example is Mr. Dry Martini. His personality is about as dry as his drink. Him and his ego strut in here every night just before closing in his over starched, collared business shirt, and monogrammed cufflinks. He never carries on a conversation, just orders his drink and moves on. Then there is Ms. Sex on the Beach. She comes in here with minimal clothing so every guy in the place is thinking about having sex on the beach too. Her tits are about as fake as her personality and she always makes sure they are resting on my bar. The place is just about to close down.
"Last call for alcohol!" I shout as I stand up above the drunken masses. "Bar closes at three."
I step down off the slick- black bar top and out of the corner of my eye, I see an unfamiliar face seated at the end of the bar, staring in my direction. I stand at the edge of the counter almost breathless as we locked eyes for just a moment. I think to myself, how could I have missed him all night? He was in his late twenties, early thirties maybe and very uniquely dressed with a hint of retro-casual style. He was clean and well put together, unlike most of the crowd that frequents this place. His eyes were a captivating shade of blue. They reminded me of ocean water, warm and inviting, pulling me into them. At this point I was ready to drown in them. I had to shake myself out of the stupor I was in, and hope that he hadn't noticed me drooling over him. Even as a bartender, people can catch me off guard socially. I actually took this job to challenge myself in that area. As the crowd began to slowly dissipate, the stranger continued to stare in my direction. This time he had my full attention. I continued with my closing duties and the crowd had all but disappeared leaving just me and the stranger behind. Normally I would be a little irritated by a straggler, but tonight I enjoyed the company. As I wiped down the bar I edged closer to his seat. As he sat there his fingers gently rubbed the rim of his glass. It sent goose bumps up and down my body. We locked eyes again as he spoke.
"I was wondering if you might join me at the café across the street for a late night espresso." He said in a soft lulling European accent.
Before I could think of an answer my lips surprised me by what would come next.
"Do you plan to keep me up all night?" I said with a hint of flirtation.

"Only if I'm with you," He replied with a smirk. "I imagine you are a night owl like myself."
"Espresso sounds great. Let me grab my things and lock up for the night. I'll meet you there in fifteen." I said.
The stranger smiled as he pushed the bar stool up to the counter. He threw a thin leather jacket over his shoulder and walked to the front door. He glanced back one more time before he walked out. I was shocked in that moment at my reaction to the whole situation. I never date customers. In this business it's all sex and alcohol. Not in any particular order. You just never know what type of creep you might run into. A girl can never be too safe, even when she's the one pouring the drinks.
Tonight was the quickest I have ever closed the place down. The door was securely latched and all was quiet. I stepped off of the curb to cross the street, leaving my inhibitions behind me. I picked up the pace as a taxi rounded the corner. I didn't want to draw attention to myself and let the driver think that I was an early morning drunk So, I quickly raised my hand behind me and waved him on as I approached the Mindnite Café. The café was cliché and often catered to the local college study groups along with the occasional transient. I could see the silhouette of the stranger form the outside window. The adrenaline rush set in as I pushed my way through the front door. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee was exciting and invigorating. I was really stepping out of my comfort zone by agreeing to this "date". I haven't been out with anyone interesting in almost a year. But, I couldn't help myself. This was the first guy in a long time that didn't try to tip his way into my pants and he was more than interesting and I wanted to know more. The interior of the café was plush and relaxing. The lights hung low and were softly dimmed. The café booths were high-backed and padded with deep red velour. The tabletops were covered in smooth marble like material. The stranger stood to greet me as I approached. His dark chin-length hair lay against his cheek, framing his strong jaw-line. His lips were full and inviting. But his eyes were the feature that continued drawing me in closer. He ushered me to my seat and touched my hand just for a second as we slid into the booth. Finally, he spoke.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I know this sounds stupid, but I couldn't take my eyes off of you all night." he said.

I sat there speechless for the first time in my life. I was flattered, but I managed to put up my defenses.

"It's only coffee." I said with a hint of sarcasm, pretending to play hard to get. "What could be the harm in that?"

The waitress interrupted us to take our order.
"What can I get for you two tonight?"

"Two espresso's please." He gently replied.

The waitress stood paused as if her legs were glued to the floor.

"That will be all, thank you." He said.

She stumbled back for a moment and giggled as she walked away. This guy has some effect on woman, I thought to myself as I shook my head.

"So why did you invite me here tonight?" I asked.

"I just need the company of a real human being once in awhile." He laughed. "I travel a lot and I like meeting people that interest me."

"I'm flattered. Confused, but flattered." I laughed. "So, where are you from stranger?" I inquired hoping he would tell me his life story.

"All over, really I don't stay in one place very long. I'm kind of a loner and I'm always looking for a fresh start." He answered.

"So what kind of job keeps you traveling all over the world, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm a hematologist."

I froze for a moment searching my brain.

"I deal with the human blood. I'm a specialist so to speak…I spend a lot of time in a lab and travel to blood banks all over the world."

"Oh, you got me on that one. But if you name any drink and I can tell you what's in it." I joked with him as we waited for our drinks. Just in time to break up the conversation, the bumbling waitress returned. She stared at the stranger the entire time, never unlocking her eyes as she sat our drinks down. My drink almost ended up in my lap as she clumsily fumbled her hands. She slowly backed away from the table without breaking her gaze as she headed behind the counter. She then turned and began cleaning the equipment and soon was out of sight. Before I realized what was happening, the stranger was caressing my neck with his fingers. He gently pushed my loose shoulder-length curls back away from my neck, tucking them behind my ear. I felt completely at ease with him. He smiled at me again. His eyes were mesmerizing and this time I was drowning in them. The café disappeared around me. There was nothing left, but me and the handsome stranger. Everything but his eyes became a blur. I reached for my cup as if to escape for a moment. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. I took the small cup in my hand and drank the shot of espresso in one swift gulp, hoping it would dissolve the lump that was forming in my throat.

"You don't mind me touching you this way, do you?" he asked gently, probing for my response. I could only answer one way. My senses were on overload. My mind was completely intoxicated with him.

"No.".

He smiled again knowing that I was blushing. The anticipation was killing me. He leaned in, pulling my face closer to him. We breathed deeply as we met face to face. Our eyes were in a deadlock. In an instant his lips were covering mine. He tasted sweet and I was ready for more. I kissed him harder. My mind was reeling with too many emotions as the world spun out of control around me. I pressed in as he pulled slightly away gently biting my lower lip. I could feel a small drop of blood escape my bottom lip. He gently sucked it away. I was losing myself in him. He jerked away, wiping his lips.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault." He said

"No it was me, I pushed to hard. You didn't hurt me, really." I pleaded with him.

"No, it was a mistake, I don't know what I was thinking." He said as he shook his head almost as if to rethink his decision.

Reality came back into focus as we stared at each other in an awkward moment of silence.

"So, tell me stranger. What is your name?" I asked trying to break up the silence.

He paused for a moment as if searching for an answer.

"My name is not important." He laughed. "Better to keep the mystery."

I shrugged it off without hesitation. He was absolutely right. He didn't need a name. There was an air of mystery about him, and I preferred to keep it that way. The mystery would remain at least for tonight.

The night was quickly fading as we sat in our booth, isolated from the rest of the late night customers. It began raining outside. There was a thunderstorm on the horizon. I thought to myself, could this night be any more perfect? We continued to make small talk, while flirting back and forth. Time began to slip away and I wondered what would be his next move. Before I could finish my thought his hand slipped under the table. He began to rub the back of his hand between my knees. I couldn't do anything but sit in awe of him. His aggressiveness was such a turn on. His touch was electrifying. He shifted his hand higher pushing my little black mini up to my hips. I looked around the café to see if anyone was watching. The café had completely emptied except for the waitress who was busy breaking down her drawers. I gave into his temptation and gently unlocked my knees, spreading them slightly apart. He continued up farther and rubbed the edge of my panty line and touched me in all the right places. Just when I was ready to join his hand under the table, he pulled away. I noticed that he was watching the rain pour outside.

"We should go." He said.

I agreed and we quickly paid our bill and ran outside. The rain was coming down steadily, but it was warm and soothing. The handsome stranger followed me outside and offered to put his jacket over me to shield me from the rain.

"I don't mind getting wet." I laughed as I pushed the jacket away from me. I ran around the corner with him, not knowing where he was leading me. I assumed we would be going back to his place for the rest of the night. We stopped in an alley next to an old vacant warehouse. The walls were covered with brick and glistened in the lamplight. The lamppost shone down on the pavement below bouncing light off of the freshly formed puddles. He pressed against me pushing his body into mine. Our bodies were rain soaked as the torrent came down around us. Our bodies glistened with a mixture of sweat and rain as the storm continued, and the clouds thundered up above. He held my body up with his strong hands as he pushed me against the wall. We sucked and kissed each others tongues. His hands were everywhere, sending my body into convulsions. I was trembling with excitement. He pressed his lips into my neck, gently biting me and sucking the rainwater from my body. His hand stroked my chest and moved down farther stroking beneath my underwear. The warmth of his fingers pressed against my body, sent a tingling down to my feet. The thunder cracked around us as lightening lit up the sky. His eyes were sharp and intense as they burned through me. I smiled at him and he smiled back as we continued to fondle each other. He licked his lips and rolled his tongue across mine. The night began to fade quickly, as dawn approached. Soon the darkness would be gone. He paused looking at the horizon as he pulled his head away from mine, and then turned back to look into my eyes.

"I have to go. It's time for me to leave." He said abruptly as he began to shift my clothes into place. I was shocked at his decision to leave.

"Why?" I begged hoping he would stay with me.

"It's not important" he said. "It helps to keep the mystery."

I wasn't at all surprised with his answer as he took his hands from my body. He backed away from me slowly and made his way across the street. We stood across from each other with our eyes locked. The handsome stranger turned away, stepping into the shadows that were quickly fading into dawn. He turned back to face me once more. The street lit up his face as he smiled at me. Large fangs glistened as he ran his tongue across his teeth and walked away, disappearing around the corner onto the next street. I stood paralyzed against the wall. My heart was racing as I laughed to myself thinking that the best date I had ever had was with a vampire. I wondered if I would ever see the handsome stranger again.