A Sweet Surprise

It was late afternoon - just in time for a sweet treat. Dusty Rose was walking down the street in a part of town that was unfamiliar to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a store that seemed to sell delicious treats. Curious she stepped closer to get a better look at the displayed treats in the large window facing the street.

A series of decorative chocolates caught her eye among the other sweets and she immediately felt her mouth water.

Much to her dismay, there was no clear indication that the store indeed was open. No sign on the street. No sign in the window or on the front door. It was hard to tell if the lights were on either, as the inside of the store was hidden from view by a thick mauve curtain. As there was no other option, Dusty Rose went ahead and gave the door a gentle push.

Drrriing!!

To her delighted surprise, it easily swung open. The thick sweet scent from inside the shop filled her nostrils in an instant - if she hadn't been craving sweets before, she sure did now.

To Dusty's surprise, the shop appeared a lot smaller from the inside than she had expected - judging from how large it had seemed from the outside. Unsurprisingly even more sweets were on display within the store. Only two other customers were in the store, one of them just finishing up their purchase. Behind the counter stood a couple of other ponies. A mare and a stallion. Both of them appeared to be in a relaxed, yet cheerful mood as they greeted the customer who was currently making their purchase. When the customer who'd just made a purchase walked past Dusty Rose, they sent her a knowing smile and gave a little wink.

What was that about? Dusty Rose thought to herself, feeling slightly flustered, but before she could finish her thoughts a deep yet soft voice spoke to her from behind. "Hello there, miss. Is there anything specific I can help you with today?"

Dusty Rose turned her head and found herself looking up at the stallion who had been behind the counter a moment ago. Before she could think of what to say, the mare found herself staring at the stallion before her: He was tall, but not too tall. Fairly muscular, but not overly so. From the top of his head, his mane hung down to around his shoulders in thick orange dreads. His dark brown coat really made his orange eyes stand out and she couldn't help but feel drawn to them. As her eyes found his, she got a better look at his face. He had a strong jawline, something she'd always had a weakness for in a stallion.

All in all, he was very attractive, no doubt about that - so much so Dusty felt her knees weaken just by being so close to him.

"Uh... Miss, are you alright?" He asked her, looking a bit concerned.

"Ah, sorry, it's been a long day for me." Dusty Rose used as her excuse for zoning out while a soft blush appeared on her otherwise white cheeks. "I was hoping to buy a few of the chocolates you have on display in the window over there." She told him and pointed.

"Sure thing. How many?"

"Hmm... I'll have four."

"Gotcha." Was his response as he turned his back to her. "Please go wait at the counter, I'll be there in just a second."

Dusty Rose did as she was told and found herself next to the only other customer left in the store who was paying for their purchase. However, unlike the other customer, the stallion next to her didn't leave through the front door but instead headed for the backroom after making his purchase.

"Malt, you're in charge of the store okay?" The mare who worked at the store shouted at the stallion Dusty Rose had just been swooning over.

"Sure thing, Tiramisu." He called back. "I think I can handle it just fine without you."

With a grin, the customer and the mare, whom Dusty assumed was 'Tiramisu', disappeared into the backroom.

Dusty Rose must've had a rather confused expression on her face, because when the stallion returned to the counter he had a knowing smile on his face, much like the one the first customer had sent her earlier.

"I bet you're wondering what that was all about, huh?" The stallion Tiramisu had called 'Malt' asked her as he neatly placed her chocolates into a fancy box.

"Y-Yeah..." Dusty Rose admitted.

Before she could continue her thoughts Malt spoke once again. "I could show you. For a fee."

The way the words left his lips, the way he looked at her so.... hungrily.... Something was definitely up.

And Dusty Rose definitely wanted to know what it was...