Page 2 of Something Cheeky

“Oh, I didn’t design them. My team and I constructed them based on the designer’s sketches.” Zoe handed Tiff a lilac bag with her new bras inside. “You did purchase a couple of Zoe Tran original designs today.”

“Wait, you designed everything here?” The woman spun around as if seeing the store with fresh eyes.

“I love designing for plus-size folks like us.” Zoe’s chest puffed out proudly. She’d worked hard to launch and grow her boutique.

“I’m coming back and bringing friends so they can get Zoe originals.” Tiff blew her a kiss and breezed out the door with her freshly steamed dress and a rack that was ready to knock people’s socks off.

Zoe’s entire body was buzzing. She danced around the empty store as she cleaned the fitting room and put away the items that hadn’t worked for her customers. People like Tiff were the reason she’d become a lingerie designer. Fat women like them deserved undergarments that made them feel sexyandsupported.

She’d dedicated the past six years to doing that with her designs and Something Cheeky. Most women would be thrilled to have achieved what she had at the age of twenty-seven. Yet today proved that she needed more to keep her fulfilled creatively.

Maybe it was time to dig out her sketches and launch the Vietnamese-inspired clothing line she’d only dreamed about. The idea scared her. Was DC ready for something like that? Even if it was, she’d have to invest a significant amount of time and money into a completely different line.

The idea terrified her. Something Cheeky was a well-oiled machine that she didn’t want to break. It was better to focus on her already successful lingerie collections. The endorphin rush from helping Tiff faded.

Zoe shook her head to clear it of what should be only a fantasy. Thinking about what could’ve been if she hadn’t quit her theater major was pointless. She knew exactly what would keep her spirits up.

Chapter 2

“Hey, Zoe! You want your usual?” TJ Nguyen greeted her from behind the counter of Pop Boba.

She could barely hear him over the V-pop blasting in her favorite bubble tea shop. Waving at her friend, she scooted around the packed tables of high schoolers. As one of the few non-chain shops near her, Pop Boba wasn’t known for its ambience but was highly photogenic for social media. If Pearl River Mart and the floral section of Michaels craft store had a baby, it would look exactly like this.

Thanks to the shop’s music tastes and the plastic ivy climbing the bamboo slats lining the walls, the place was a magnet for teenagers, who found the cheesy decor funny-cool. A couple of them were posing for selfies under a neon sign that readsuck my balls.

“Bobarista, I’m in the mood—”

“Call me that one more time and you’ll have to start paying for your drinks,” TJ threatened, then rolled his eyes. “They make me wear this shirt because we’re supposed to push the merch.”

Zoe smirked at his bluff. TJ gave away freebies as a way to stick it to his boss. And flirt with customers.

“It looks good on you.”

He’d knotted thebobaristashirt to turn it into a crop top and paired it with white skinny jeans and white slip-on sneakers. A daring choice for a job that was prone to spills, but he hadthe confidence to pull it off. And Zoe had to admit that the white looked good against his tan complexion.

“Thanks, babe.” He curtseyed. “Now, what shall I whip up for you?”

“I’m in the mood for something new,” Zoe continued. She’d never given the menu above the counter more than a cursory glance before now. She rarely deviated from her usual drink.

“Oooh, someone’s feeling frisky today.” TJ’s eyes narrowed as he cocked his hip. “Is something wrong?”

“Why would something have to be wrong for me to switch my order?”

“For the six months I’ve worked here, you’ve always ordered a large Viet coffee, full sweet with tapioca and extra ice. Even in the dead of winter.” TJ drew out his last sentence dramatically and shuddered.

“I always crave icy drinks when there’s snow on the ground. Or when temps hit below freezing.” She’d been disappointed by the lack of snow this past winter.

“Weirdo. I hate snow with a passion. It’s hard to look cute when you’re stuffed under five layers and a giant coat. But you do you.” He shrugged.

“Let’s try a mango slush with lychee jelly. Full sweet, of course.”

“You sure?” TJ asked.

“Yes. I’m allowed to try—”

“I’ll make it and your usual. Just in case.” He winked as he grabbed the ingredients to mix her drinks. “Don’t tell my boss, okay?”

Zoe mimed zipping her lips. She’d discovered Pop Boba and TJ when a sudden thunderstorm made it impossible to see farther than a few yards in front of her. The shop’s sign was a glowing beacon so she turned into its parking lot. She and TJ hit it off as she waited out the storm.

---