The bell above the door jingled, signaling the arrival of yet another group of patrons. Their eyes were feral, and I could tell they were desperate for their morning fix. If I didn’t act quickly, I’d be stuck here a minimum-minimum!-of twenty more minutes, and I just didn’t have another second of sweetness in me.

With a speed Superman would have envied, I began closing out my register.

“What are you doing?” Jenni, Employee of the Year-or, as I liked to call her, Bitch of the Millennium-demanded. She stood at the only other open register, a short, rounded-in-all-the-right-places blonde who drew male attention simply by breathing. She’d made her hatred of me known my first day on the job, tripping me every time I walked past her, handing me regular coffee when I asked for decaf.

Why she hated me, I didn’t know. Didn’t care, really.

“You’re smart.” I scratched my forehead with my middle finger, covertly flipping her off. “Figure it out.” With her infuriated gasp ringing in my ears, I strode over to Ron and tapped him on the shoulder.

He jumped and clutched a hand over his heart as he whipped to face me. “Jesus H. Christ!”

“No, I’m Belle,” I said drily.

“What do you want?” he grumbled.

“I’d really like to take my first fifteen-minute break. If that’s okay with you, Mr. Pretty,” I added sweetly.

“It’s Peaty.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “Fine. Whatever.” His gaze slid back to the walking centerfold, now bending over to pick up the napkin she’d “accidentally” dropped, her shorts riding higher up her butt.

Shaking my head, I gathered the necessary items needed for a… hmm. What did I want? A mocha latte, I decided in the next flash. Yep. That sounded good. That’s what I’d have. If anyone deserved chocolate, it was me.

“You’re such a bitch,” Jenni muttered, suddenly at my side to mix a chai tea.

“Your jealousy is showing,” I uttered in a singsong voice. I poured two shots of espresso into my cup, then whole milk. I didn’t do skim. “If you’d stopped sneaking bites of muffins, éclairs and cake slices you might have realized someone was due to go on break.”