He squints in confusion, then lets out a hefty sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. 揧ou抮e annoying as hell.?
揅ool. You抮e Mr. Arrogant.?
He shakes his head slowly. 揑 should give you a lifetime ban from every store.?
My heart skips a beat. I don抰 know whether to laugh or worry or smack this Neanderthal across the face.
揋o ahead. Right after you do, I抣l hop on the Tok and review your 憄erfectly fine big chain?coffee. I抣l be sure to mention why I抦 banned. You want to see big numbers on social media? Just wait for that drama.?
His lip curls, baring a hint of polished white teeth as I inch closer, breathing in his ear.
My entire body bristles.
I want to believe it抯 just hot rage as I brush his shoulder梑ut damn him, those biceps are ripped.
揂re you fucking done yet??he whispers back.
揘o. While we抮e waiting for TikTok to blow up, I抣l call corporate for good measure. Someone needs to tell the powers that be that some little pencil-dicked district monster goes around impersonating the owner and harassing customers and senior employees. How does that sound??
For the girl抯 sake, I try to keep it down.
Apparently, it doesn抰 work.
A couple shaky gasps spill out of the crowd around us.
He raises one eyebrow. He抯 either disgustingly amused or about to shove me to the floor.
Also, he has the bluest eyes God ever made. Annoying.
I wish those eyes weren抰 attached to a throat with a tone that抯 condescending enough to curl my hair when he says, 揥hen you do that, you抣l talk to Katelyn Storm, my lovely assistant. She handles my incoming calls to corporate. She will tell you that pencil-dicked monster signs his papers with an instrument bigger than an oak branch. Because I抦 the owner.?
Eep. I swear, it抯 just the anger that抯 making me blush redder than poor Wayne.
揧ou can cut the crap. No way do I believe a CEO of a company this large just walks through into some downtown store. You抮e a bad liar.?
For a moment, he stares at me. I抦 just waiting for laser beams to shoot out of his eyes.
揧ou really don抰 believe me, lady??His voice is a rumbling storm.
揕ady? Is that how you talk to your customers? I thought the northwest was more progressive.?
揌uh??
揧ou don抰 even know me,?I throw back.
揧eah, and I wish we抎 never met,?he whispers with a cutting glance. 揧ou抮e right about why chains fail梬e don抰 know our customer. Where are you from??
揝an Diego, originally. I came here a few years ago.?
揟hat would explain it. Seattleites aren抰 so in-your-face.?
I stare at him, trying to decipher what sounds like a backhanded insult.
A couple of other baristas just trailing in for the morning rush appear behind the counter. They stand around Wayne awkwardly, their eyes flicking to the corporate sharks, wondering what they抳e walked into.
Whatever. I don抰 have time to worry about them.
I need to deal with this jerk and scram. We抳e both got better things to do than carry on a grudge match in a coffee shop.
揝o you抮e saying it抯 totally cool to harass customers? That抯 not the Seattle I know.?My lip juts out as I hit him with my best resting bitch-face.
揥hen the customer decides to involve herself in corporate matters she knows nothing about棓
揙h. Okay. Because you don抰 plaster your stores with signs welcoming feedback.?I turn and gesture to one on the opposite wall. It has a smiley face with lightning bolts for eyes and says, Share the Spark! Review us today.
The kingpin stares like he抯 trying to decide just how much he抣l have to pay some hitman to chuck me into the Puget Sound.
I抦 in this far, so why stop now?
揥hat? No nasty comeback??I snap. 揇o you have a PhD in coffee chemistry from the U of Ego to go with your area manager role??
揈liza棓 Wayne clears his throat loudly.
揑抦 not a damn manager.?Suit cuts him off. 揑f you were listening, you抎 know I own this chain. I halfway grew up on a coffee farm. So yes, I know more about coffee than some dramatic SoCal girl who grew up lounging around on Carbon Beach and training her mouth to choke on conflicts with strangers.?
Holy shit.
My jaw drops before I reel it in and set my mouth so tight my teeth hurt.
He didn抰。
But he did.
He also made one big fat mistake that抯 going to cost him dearly.
揈liza棓 Wayne warns with a choppy wave.
I put up a hand to quiet him. It抯 all right. I抳e got this.
Wayne doesn抰 need to fight my battles with this rattlesnake of a man who shouldn抰 even be in charge of dusting the place.
揙kay, chain owner, if that抯 truly what you are,?I say slowly. 揑 get it. No need to rub it in. You were so busy mastering coffee that you didn抰 learn geography, right? Because San Diego is over a hundred and twenty miles from Carbon Beach, genius.?