Aisle 8

Co-Written with BrownCuriousity

*

Crystal squinted as she rolled her cart into the bright supermarket. The fluorescent lights seemed brighter than the fading daylight outside. She yawned and then dropped her shades down over her eyes. Ever since she started working nights tending bar, she woke up later and later in the day.

She had a date with Mark and promised him that she would cook for him tonight. The thought of cooking for Mark made her yawn even harder. He was a good looking guy, college grad, upwardly mobile, nice smile...but there were sides to him that she didn't like all of the time. And sometimes, she swore they were on completely different pages in whole separate books.

As Crystal walked, wearing a tight baby T and a swishy peasant type skirt with flip flops, she noticed men staring. Even when she had the girls covered up and her wide hips camouflaged, men still paid attention to her. Sometimes she liked it a lot and sometimes the attention annoyed her. Today she liked it. Crystal wasn't any of the Hollywood stick figures in the magazines, but she knew she was beautiful.

Her auburn hair was brushed back, falling slightly past her shoulders. A piece of gauzy cloth matching her white skirt acted as a headband. Her Georgia red clay brown skin made it seem like she glowed when she didn't. She had a pair of 36 DDs and a slim waist that fluted down to wide hips, thick thighs and a curvy full ass. She was a brick house and she knew it. But at 27 years old, she wanted more than just her shape or breast size to be what made her special.

"Shit," she said to herself, wondering what to make for Mark. She walked down aisle six and that's when she saw him...

She had first seen him two years ago when he moved into her apartment building. He was older, at least 15 years her senior, she figured, from his peppery grey hair and the slight crinkles at the corner of his eyes—this only made him look more distinguished. It also helped that he was in pretty good shape. He ran. She saw him in the mornings stretching and sprinting as she came in late from working nights. She would be just arriving home sometimes by the time he returned from his exercise, sweat slipping between the crevices of his muscles, his breathing labored, his face flushed. He always managed to say hello to her as she passed. She returned the greeting, had to force herself to do so calmly, the sight of him so intoxicating she would have to satisfy herself as soon as she got into her apartment.

She had no idea why she had such a crush on this man. He seemed like a player, he dated a lot. She saw several different women entering and leaving his apartment over the last couple of years, but she had never gotten up enough courage to be one of them. He was classy, a sophisticated business man, and the women he dated usually seemed just as refined as he. Most of them, anyway. And the ones who weren't were downright gorgeous. Crystal was intimidated.

But she knew she shouldn't care. Crystal had been dating Mark off and on for a while now. Their relationship was solid, sort of, when he managed to be in town, and they talked often enough when he was gone away. He was coming home tonight to be with Crystal. She should have no reason at all to be so concerned with her neighbor.

Yet here she was, flustered.

And here he was, pushing a cart up the aisle, flanked by a girl who looked to be younger than her, her body tight, nubile, everything Crystal had been when she was a nineteen year old. The girl wore an outfit so tight it fit like a tourniquet, and Crystal swore she saw the blood coursing through each of the girl's veins. So he was into children, Crystal surmised, as the young woman's chest heaved, and her breasts fought to escape their corseted barrier. Then Crystal stopped herself. She was dating Mark. She was dating Mark.

But she had that itch, the kind Mark wasn't going to scratch.

She wondered if she loved him. He was just the kind of person everyone had wanted her to date. He was a 'good catch'. Here she was just now gaining her associates degree at the city college, and she was going to keep going for her bachelors while she bartended downtown, but Mark had his Master's, and a job that provided the kind of security that would keep him employed until he was ready to leave. He was attractive and established, could even be marriage material, but right now, marriage was the furthest thing from Crystal's mind.

She saw her neighbor look her way. Flipping her hair as she passed him, her cute pointy little nose turned up in the air, she said, "Hello Charles..."

"Hello Kimberly..."

When he saw her frown, he stopped cold and sucked his teeth, slapping his forehead in frustration, "No you're...umm...this is embarrassing..." The girl he was with snapped her gum, looking back and forth between the two neighbors.

"Crystal..." she said still keeping her smile as she walked away, "You have a nice day, Charles."

She wheeled her cart into the next aisle, stood still and allowed her heart to sink. He had not only forgotten her name, but made her feel like a total idiot in front of that young thing he parlayed around with. She was the newest of his flavors of the month, but she had been around a long time. The young girl was tall and leggy with a funky little haircut and hazel eyes. She was pretty: smooth caramel, buttery soft skin, and slender yet feminine. She seemed to be everything Crystal wasn't. Crystal had gone from feeling like the finest brickhouse in the entire supermarket, to feeling like trash after seeing Charles with his new young girlfriend.

She shook her head and tried not to tear up as she felt her phone vibrate in her purse. Digging around in her bag she saw it was Mark. He was canceling again. She was angry yet relieved. Angry because she needed someone to take her frustration out on, simply because he was there and an asshole...and relieved because she was not looking forward to Mark and their world class signature arguments again.

She hung up the phone angrily and left her cart right there in the middle of the aisle walking out of the store.

Dinner that night was a bowl of cereal. She had the night off and would actually get to go to sleep at a decent hour. She was never like the nightlifers who worked at her bar, so used to boozin', druggin' and staying up all night long that they could only close their eyes in the daylight. She dreamed of the day when she could have a regular respectable nine to five.

As she put her bowl in the sink her phone rang. It was Mark. She shook her head and decided to ignore the call. She didn't feel like dealing with him right now. She would tidy up a bit and then just head back to bed. She grabbed the garbage from the pail in the kitchen and walked it out to the hallway to put it in the chute. As she padded down the hallway in short pajama shorts and a tight nipple baring t-shirt, her hair in a ponytail, she heard someone step off of the elevator. She turned and saw it was Charles. He came in holding his suit jacket over his shoulder, his tie loose as he whistled lazily. He locked eyes with her and stared at her up and down. Her thick curvy legs, sexy ass with the little dip in her back, all the way up to her round firm breasts. He nodded at her curtly before rushing indoors. Meanwhile, Crystal just stood there holding the bag of trash, her heart beating out of her chest.

After she dumped the garbage she went back into her apartment. Feeling panicked and anxious, she shook her head vigorously and cursed at herself. How could this guy, her neighbor, make her feel so silly? It was one thing to be attracted to someone. It was another to feel so exposed, so naked, so vulnerable when she was around him. Perhaps that was part of the fascination.

Tossing and turning, she finally went to sleep. It wasn't until the middle of the night when she managed to hear her phone beeping. She picked it up and realized Mark had left a voice mail. Listening to it, she heard him say that he was sorry for everything and would be taking the red eye back to be with her in a couple of hours. "I can't wait to taste that dinner you made for me...I bet it's good. I'll see you soon baby."

She panicked. It was her first time really cooking for Mark and she didn't want to let him down. She needed to feel wanted by someone after her run-ins with Charles. She wondered why he made her feel insecure and smitten as she threw on some clothes to head back out to the 24 hour supermarket.

It was kind of a steamy night out, the humidity making her tank top cling to her skin. No need for sunglasses at 1 a.m. though the supermarket was still as bright as ever.

She grabbed the nearest cart and went towards the meat section, hoping to figure what to cook when she got there. It would've been easier to just not cook anything at all, but she didn't want Mark to know that she had given up on him as soon as they had an argument.

And that's when she saw him again. Her heart leapt out of her chest as she tried to hurry by Charles, albeit casually. But it was too late; they locked eyes.

"Hey! Hey!" he called out and she stopped. "Hey," he repeated, smiling as he backed up his cart and parked it across from hers. She smiled too, but hers was somewhat guarded, and Charles noticed the beginnings of the same rueful expression he had seen on her face in the store earlier that day. He remembered his prior faux pas. He began to speak again, stopped then closed his eyes for a moment. Then, as if a light bulb had flashed on in his mind, he opened his eyes and uttered, "Crystal."

"You remember," she answered coquettishly, but the rue was still on her face.

He flashed a toothy grin. "What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

"I could ask you the same," she responded, checking him out at the same time. He wore a red T shirt, tan khakis and the latest style of Nikes, also tan; from their gleam, she knew these weren't his running shoes. His T shirt hung from his body slightly loosely, but clung enough to show off his form. He was muscular, sinewy, not huge like a body builder, but by no means scrawny. His arms were guns, their definition so acute, you could their muscles work as he moved. Crystal was imagining how his bare chest looked when she blinked, realizing that he had spoken to her again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that," she covered. He looked in her eyes knowingly, held her gaze for a second longer than she liked, then eased into a smile.

"You never answered me," he repeated. "Why are you here?"

"I'm supposed to be making dinner for my..." She caught herself.

"Boyfriend?"

"No. He isn't my boyfriend."

"Well he must be something special to get you out of the house at this time of night food shopping."

"He's a friend," Crystal responded quickly, shifting her weight to one side and putting her hands on her hips. Charles held up his hands in surrender.

"Am I intruding? I don't mean to step on your toes by asking about . . ."

Crystal laughed lightly. "I'm sorry." She shifted her weight to the center, dropped her hands on her cart. "I . . I don't know what he is to me right now. I just . . ."

"But he has you out here buying food to make him dinner? Hmm. I wish I had a lady to do that for me."

She crossed her arms. "Maybe you ought to get that girl you were with earlier to make you dinner. Or breakfast. Assuming she's potty trained." He laughed good naturedly and crossed his own arms. "You're funny," he said, chuckling to himself. And sexy as hell, he thought as he checked out her breasts squeezed in the tight top. He thanked his maker that they met up in the meat section, the cool air hardening her nipples as she and he stood conversing.

"You're staring at me," Crystal said, thinking he would quickly avert his eyes. She wished he would. She was getting hot in places she had forgotten existed.

He continued to stare, his smile waning some, his intensity rising. He was quiet for a second longer before he responded, "My apologies. How rude of me..." He changed the subject quickly, "So, what are you making for your friend?"

"Well, I'm not sure," Crystal said as she began to push her cart again, "but I really need to make it before he gets home. Honestly I should've had this cooked last night." She turned right and he followed.

"Okay," he said, as they walked. "That was why you were here earlier, right?"

"Yeah, you know, when you couldn't remember my name?"

"I'm sorry. Really. My memory is not like it used to be." He paused then continued. "For instance, I'm supposed to be making cupcakes for my daughter's bake sale and I forgot the key ingredient. I bought the eggs, the milk, the frosting. I even bought the shells the cupcakes are supposed to go in when you bake them. But I forgot the cake mix. That's why I'm here." He chuckled. "I have to bake three dozen cupcakes in the middle of the night and jet them on down to her school in the morning."

"Oh," she said looking around. The store was practically empty at this time of night. He walked gingerly next to her with his basket. She could feel butterflies in her stomach. "You bake?" she asked.

"A little. I'm a pretty good cook."

She shrugged, "I'm learning..."

"Really?" he smiled, "I'm sure I could teach you some things..."

She blushed. "Well, since you're such an expert at desserts...what's a quick sexy one I can make?" It wasn't a coincidence that she mentioned this. The ice cream syrups and whipped cream in the aisle they were in reminded her of sweets.

He picked up a can of whipped cream. "There are plenty of things you can do with this..."

She backed away from the cart and smiled. Was he flirting with her? Excitement coursed through her body. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

To her amazement he popped off the cap and squeezed some on his finger. He placed the dab of whipped cream into his mouth and made a satisfied groan, "Hmm..this goes great on anything."

She rolled her eyes. He was shamelessly seductive. "You're a mess..."

"I just get really creative thoughts at this time of the night is all..."

"Like?"

"Like what this would go good on...can I show you?"

She was taken aback but she answered, "Sure..."

He grabbed her hand and put a dab of cream on her finger. He then put her finger in his mouth and began to suck sensually. The visual sent shivers down her spine.

"See? And I could think of a whole lot of other places...I mean, things this could go well on..."

"Like?" she asked, her heart beating faster.

He stepped forward and boldly brushed her hair away from her neck, exposing her collarbone. He squeezed cream out on his finger and then applied it in small circular motions on her neck. They stood there in the middle of the fluorescent white aisle as he did this, no passersby to witness him lean in and begin to suck the cream off of her skin.

She moaned, and her knees buckled. She forgot all about groceries when he was done.

"Can I show you another place?"

"Please." She breathed deeply.

He slid the strap of her tank top down and sprayed a dollop of cream on her nape, then slowly slurped it off. He sprayed another, a hair's breath away from the last, then licked it right off her shoulder. Spray, lick, spray, lick, down her shoulder, down her right arm until he reached her wrist, which he then turned over, dolloped with more cream, and kissed with the intensity she imagined he would use on her lips.

He nibbled her wrist for a moment more before planting kisses up the inside of her arm, wrapping it around his neck as his lips traveled to their next destination. Her sighs rang in his ear. He could feel her shallowed breath on him as he approached the swell of her breasts, their rise and fall as intoxicating to him as his lips had been to her.

She could hear that can shaking again, and she laughed quietly, anticipating the coolness of the cream against her warm skin. Where was he going next? He wouldn't give her time to wonder as he lowered her shirt, just a little, just enough to expose her right nipple, thick and erect, which he dotted with the cream, and then proceeded to draw into his mouth very slowly. He sucked and rolled her nipple between his lips, tongued its center lightly; Crystal's breath caught. He flicked her nipple, licked off its sugary covering, and Crystal had to hold on to Charles' shoulders just to remain upright. He licked the nipple clean and sprayed again, this time covering her entire areola, before tracing tiny swirls in the whipped topping with the expert tip of his tongue. He might as well have been sucking her clit. Her nerves were on edge, her knees wobbly, her pussy so wet she thought she might leak onto the floor. Charles sucked off the cream with soft kisses, worked his way down to her right nipple, which he teased with soft flicks and nibbles and then lapped at it with pure abandon. His slurps were loud in her ears. Her moans were loud in his. He grunted his satisfaction, let his lips pull and play with her tender breast until she squealed and backed away slightly, looking around quickly to see if anyone was watching, if anyone had heard. Charles didn't seem to care. He did not let go of her breast, did not stop his attack, and before she knew it, he had closed in on her again, and lowered her shirt completely. He dotted both nipples with cream, covered both areolas generously, and began to suck them like it was his only vocation in life.

Crystal shuddered every time Charles added cream to her breasts, his warm mouth melting the whiteness and licking it off each time. He plied on more each time than the last, changing cans when the first had been emptied. Through the white peaks, Charles ran his tongue making long, luxurious paths that ended at Crystal's dark brown nipples. After his last travail, he reached behind Crystal, grabbed a bottle of chocolate syrup then squeezed a trail of its brown, rich liquid over her heaving breasts. The warmth of her body heated the syrup and they could smell its sweet scent permeating the air. Charles added whipped cream to her breasts before digging into his newest creation, attacking each breast separately. Her left had the pleasure of receiving small kisses planted all around, down to her areola, until he reached her nipple, hard like granite, against which he fluttered his tongue rapidly. Crystal's moans were increasing, her voice now raspy with her lust. Her right breast, cream and chocolate running and dripping from its tip, he swabbed with the flat of his wide tongue, savoring the sweetness of the chocolate as he licked it from her coppery skin. He nibbled her areola, doused it with more chocolate, and licked it clean again. He squeezed out more chocolate, covered her entire right breast then lapped at her nipple. She licked the swell.

He finally pulled away from her and stood up straight, his six foot two frame hovering over hers as she fixed her shirt. He looked at her and smiled as he tilted her chin towards him and gave her a deep lingering kiss. The world had faded away at that moment, and Crystal was burning inside.

Suddenly he dropped to his knees in front of her, lifting up her shirt to tongue and tease her navel. He slipped his tongue inside of her belly button, pressing deeply, making her feel sensations through her body that she never felt before. She closed her eyes and let him take control, not realizing that her short denim skirt was hiked up over her hips, exposing her pussy. Crystal rarely wore underwear, especially in bed, and when she ran out tonight, she was glad that she didn't. There was a thin layer of fuzz on her plump mound. She looked down and watched him slip a finger into her tight wet pussy. She could feel her walls throbbing against his fingers as he skillfully fucked her. She began to gasp, trying to keep herself quiet, not even believing that this was happening right now.