"You want to have coffee again some time?" (A short story)

Author's note: Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" inspired me to write this piece.

"You should try it," he said."There's nothing more thrilling, more exciting than..." he trailed off when he saw that she wasn't even looking at him.

"But now's not the time," she said. Her eyes remained fixed over the horizon. "We don't even have something between us that will compel us to do it for its actual purpose. And you know what happens when people do it for fun."

"You're over thinking again." He sipped from his coffee cup, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"I'm not." Her tone was defiant. "I'm just sticking to what I believe in. And I damn well am sticking firmly. Besides, I told you before... I'm into that because of trust issues." Awkward silence fell upon them. She felt uncomfortable, but he felt cocky.

"You don't believe you can trust me?" He smirked at her. "I'll show you if you let me." His words were so haunting that her eyes widened in surprise. Her heart began to race. Feeling as if winning a full house, he leaned back on his chair. "Look, we're two very single people. I don't see you attached to any string. And look at me: you don't see a ball and chain, do you?" He paused to watch her squirm - avoidance of eye contact, a rattled posture, slight wringing of the hands - before he said these chilling words: "You said you're looking for thrills... what I'm offering is the most thrilling of the thrills."

She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. "I don't come cheap."

"I get it, you're scared." His damn smirk just won't go away. "You see, I don't do it to be the Alpha Male. I do it because, well, I like doing it."

"Man-whore." The words were out of her mouth without thoroughly thinking it through.

He laughed. "You won't lose anything, so why don't you just try?"

She gave him a look as if he's utterly insane. "I have convictions and I stand by them."

He put up his hands in mock surrender. "All right. I'm not gonna corrupt you." But he saw a sly smile form in her face.

"Although... the 'evil bitch' side of me would go one step at a time through the bases."

He stifled a boisterous laugh. "Why go through that when you can instantly go all the way?"

She raised a challenging eyebrow at him. "Well, do you even know what I'm talking about?" 

He leaned halfway across the table and said in a low voice, "No... so how about it? Will you show me?"

"She met him halfway, leaning as if to kiss him. In a sultry voice, she told him, "I don't come cheap." Seductively running a finger through his jawline, she went on: "Great idea. We should have coffee more often." She giggled. "Want to have coffee again some time?"