Nicholas smiled and handed Serena her coat.<br/><br/>"We left without paying," he said. "It was $5; you could have forgotten, although by the way you sprinted out of there you kind of dashed any explanation that you'd simply forgotten -- you'll need to work on your technique." He smiled and helped Serena into her coat.<br/><br/>"So, tell me that your blood isn't pumping a little harder, that it wasn't just a little thrilling to get away with something. You've never done<em>that</em>, or anything like it, before, have you? Something just a<em>little bit</em>dangerous, a little on the other side of the line of what's OK?" He took her arm and hooked it into his and led Serena out of the alley.<br/><br/>"After one has coffee, I find that one often needs a mint; something to freshen the breath and introduce a cool taste into the mouth," Nicholas said. "I'm kind of a peasant when it comes to mints; I've always been partial to Lifesavers, but some people like Altoids, even though I refuse to buy them after they stopped making them in England. Supposed to be British, made in Chattanooga. You want to talk about crime, there's my argument."<br/><br/>They passed a large candy store. Nicholas turned in with Serena still on his arm. They strolled down the racks of candies and mints. Nicholas espied the tin boxes of Altoids next to rolls of Lifesavers in the different varieties.<br/><br/>"I know some people like wintergreen," he said. "But I think it tastes awful. It's only Pep-o-mint for me." Nicholas picked up an Altoids tin and looked at it as if to examine it, then put it down and as he did he picked up and palmed a roll of Lifesavers.<br/><br/>"This one's on me," he said. "Let's go." He thought he felt Serena tense against him a little, but kept walking as if to leave. A female store employee at the door looked at Nicholas and spoke. Nicholas's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained smiling and impassive.<br/><br/>"Didn't find what you were looking for?" she asked. "We have almost everything."<br/><br/>"Did you know that Altoids aren't made in England anymore?" he asked. "At least, not the kind you sell here. I was looking for Altoids made in England. I'm afraid I'll have to continue my search, and thanks!" He smiled and strode out of the store with Serena still on his arm.<br/><br/>They walked 20 or 30 feet, and then Nicholas pulled the Lifesavers from his sleeve, opened the package and offered Serena the first one.<br/><br/>"I thought that was pretty thrilling," he said. "Especially when that clerk stopped us." He popped a Lifesaver into his mouth. "Purloined<em>always</em>tastes better."<br/><br/>He looked at Serena with a big smile.<br/><br/>"Come on; I dare you to tell me that that wasn't just a little bit fun, a little naughty and maybe even mildly arousing; something that made you feel a little more alive than you had been feeling. Think about that tonight, when you're doing the same things that you do every night. The same dinner, the same TV, the same bedtime, the same desultory sex --<em>maybe</em>. And then, meet me at the mall tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to buy you something."<br/><br/>He smiled broadly.<br/><br/>"And I do mean,<em>buy.</em>Your life of crime is over, at least if you want it to be. But as your trusty Sherpa, I can tell you that we're only at the base of the mountain. Fun and enlightenment await!"<br/><br/>He leaned in and gave Serena a chaste kiss on her cheek, nothing more than an acquaintance's kiss.<br/><br/>"Mmm, minty," he said, and laughed.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>After Serena had left him, Nicholas returned to the coffee shop and found the waitress who had served them.<br/><br/>"It struck me that we'd left without paying!" Nicholas said, with what he hoped registered as complete sincerity. "And I wanted to be sure I returned to make it right with you. You probably would have had to pay the check yourself." He took a $20 bill out of his wallet and handed it to her. "<em>Please </em>keep the difference; it must have caused trouble for you, and I'm sorry."<br/><br/>He smiled his most winning smile.<br/><br/>"I wonder if I could make it up to you, maybe by buying you a drink somewhere. When does your shift end?" he asked.<br/><br/>"How wonderfully sweet and honest of you to come back!" the girl enthused. "I think most people would have just forgotten all about it, or laughed it off. You must be quite an exceptional man." The girl almost glowed with admiration and gratitude. "And I was just leaving now," the girl said. "I'd love a drink."<br/><br/>Nicholas suffered through 45 minutes of vapid conversation with the girl while she drank an appletini (the notion of which made his stomach churn), but 20 minutes after he'd paid the check they were naked in her tiny apartment, her mouth now full of his cock. Ninety minutes after that she was purring in her bed, three orgasms to the better and with a pussy full of cum.<br/><br/>Nicholas moved to get out of the bed and get dressed. The girl opened one eye and smiled.<br/><br/>"I like to take it in the ass, too, Daddy," she said quietly.<br/><br/>Nicholas smiled and got back under the covers. He wound up staying the night.<br/><br/><em>Sometimes it's just so much fun to play both sides of the street,</em>he thought.<br/><br/>