"I wouldn't dream of trying to fool you, Aunt Mae. You are far too wise a woman."
"Don't get cheeky with me, boy! Now, who's this pretty little girl you've brought in?" she asked, turning her full gaze on Haley, who smiled big at her.
"Haley Sutherland. It's nice to meet you."
Crew was shocked by the ease with which Haley spoke to Aunt Mae. A lot of folks were intimidated by her at first, despite her diminutive stature. Haley seemed right at home.
"Well, well. What are you doing out with this hooligan?"
Haley's grin never faltered. "He told me he was going to feed me the best meal I've ever had. I could hardly resist," she said easily as Aunt Mae pulled out a cigarette and lit it, the smoke swirling in the air.
A man from a nearby table grumbled and Aunt Mae's eyes turned to fire as she looked right at him.
"This is my place. If you don't like the atmosphere, you know where the door is," she said pleasantly as she took another drag.
The fellow looked down as he speared a piece of battered fish and continued eating. It appeared he was willing to risk his life with secondhand smoke for the food...that must be some food, Haley thought to herself.
"So, Haley, what do you do?"
"Nothing at the moment. I quit my job so I could find a good enough man to teach me how to be the perfect seductress," she replied as if she were speaking of nothing more casual than going to the post office.
Crew's eyes rounded in shock, and he choked on the water he'd just drunk. As he sputtered, he looked from her to Aunt Mae, wondering what his longtime friend was going to say to that remark. After a short pause, she put out her smoke and then laughed. The sound was raspy and a bit wheezy and asthmatic, and he always worried she was going to keel over when she did it.
"I like this one, Crew. I like her a lot, much more than some of those broads I've seen you with in town. I notice you've been smart enough to never bring one of them in here," she said knowingly.
"I didn't like them enough to give them the treasure of your cooking, Aunt Mae."
"That's a good answer, boy, a good answer," she said. Haley's stomach rumbled again and Aunt Mae turned her eyes back to her. "I'd better feed you before you turn into a skeleton right there in that chair." With that she turned and scribbled something on her notepad before seeing to another customer, who had managed to snag a spot at the end of the counter.
"I like her," Haley commented, making him glow.
It shouldn't have mattered to him what Haley thought of Aunt Mae, but it did. Without realizing it, he'd been testing her. Shyness he could understand, but if she'd turned her nose up at a woman Crew cared about deeply, he wouldn't have wanted to be with her.
"She's a spitfire. Though she's in her sixties, you'd never know it. I think she'll outlive us all," he said as Aunt Mae slapped down a plate between them.
At the look of lust in Haley's eyes over the sizzling cheese, artichoke and spinach appetizer, he fell a bit in love. She'd barely touched his five-course meal, but Aunt Mae's secret menu was making her drool. Haley polished off most of their appetizer, then dug in when her shrimp pasta was placed in front of her.
When she looked at his seafood sandwich with longing, he offered her a bite, then felt himself turning hard at her deep moan of pleasure when she swallowed.
No sex today, he reminded himself. Tomorrow. He'd have plenty of sex with her tomorrow. And somehow he'd better keep her away from his bed for the day if he wanted to keep that promise to himself.
When their plates were cleaned, Haley leaned back with a satisfied grin. "You were right. That's the best meal I think I've ever eaten. I'm going to have to come here over and over while I'm on the island. But right now, I don't think I could eat another bite."
"I don't doubt it," he answered with a chuckle since she'd polished off her meal, then eaten a quarter of his sandwich. It was nice to see her cheeks flushed and a relaxed look in her eyes.
"Here's your dessert, Ms. Haley. This is my special cobbler. Don't even try and guess what's in it; just enjoy the heavenly taste," Aunt Mae said as she placed a warm bowl in front of both of them with sugary berries beneath a perfectly browned crust and vanilla ice cream melting on top.
"I don't know if we can … " Crew started to protest.
"Thank you, Aunt Mae," Haley interrupted as she picked up the spoon and scooped up a large bite, placing it on her tongue. When her eyes rolled back and she sighed in ecstasy, the blood rushed to Crew's groin yet again. This lunch was going to bury him. Had he known eating a meal could be so damned erotic, he would have taken Haley to the corner for a loaded hot dog - extra onions.