I was shaking my head back and forth, in disbelief. And a little bit of amused pride. “And this guy, he’s pressing charges?”
“Yes, otherwise – she wouldn’t be here and you wouldn’t need to post bail on her behalf.” Officer Biggs explained to me.
I hooked my thumbs into my jean belt loops, “Uh-huh. Got it.”
“Take it easy on her, she’s been a tearful mess pretty much the entire time. I believe she’s just embarrassed more than anything. But otherwise okay.” He shared.
I took a deep breath, “Indeed. I’m ready whenever you are.”
They led me to the holding area of the station and a few minutes later, she came walking through the exit door, escorted out by another deputy.
“You’re free to go, m’am. He’s posted your bail. Behave yourself.” He said to her.
She walked up to me, her eyes averted towards the floor.
“Thank you.”
It was all she said and it appeared it would be all that she’d say until we left the police station. We walked outside and to my Jeep in near silence. I opened the passenger door for her and although it was bad timing, appreciated the sweet curves of her ass in the yoga pants she was wearing.
Once I was on my side of the Jeep and turned on the engine to get some warmth going, I sat and waited a bit.
“You doing okay?” I asked gently.
She finally glanced at me, and with a somewhat sheepish grin, “I am, now,” she said.
I smiled and reached out and squeezed her knee in a comforting gesture. “Good. Wanna tell me about it?”
“No, not just yet. Let’s leave the parking lot. I feel bad just being here.” She squeaked out.
“Okay then, tell me where you live. Let’s get you home.” I said, doing my best to be calm, neutral and understanding.
She provided her address and some general instructions since I was new to the area. For the most part, we drove in silence and I hummed along to songs on shuffle, which I hoped didn’t bother her.
Once we were parked outside of her apartment building, I wasn’t entirely sure what to say or do exactly. So, we sat there a bit, my Jeep idling.
“Do you want me to come in?” I asked.
She answered straight-away, as if she’d wanted to ask me, but couldn’t. “Would you? I feel like I’ve already requested so much, made a huge inconvenience of your night and I just… I just…” she started to stammer, losing her nerve.
“It’s okay Cassidy, I’ll come in. I’d like that.”
It immediately put her at ease, “You would?” She asked, an earnest sweetness and some befuddling doubt was packed into that one simple question and remark. It hit me in the gut. She wasn’t sure of herself. Despite her charming personality and vivacious energy, she didn’t know where she stood with men. She was blind to it. Her effect on the male sex. It hit me like lightning, that realization.
“Yes, I would.” There was only one way to answer it and meet her doubt head on. As straightforward and as direct as possible. Plus reinforcement. “Very much so.”
She let out a relaxed sigh of relief and smiled, “Okay, let’s go in.”
With that, she hopped out of my jeep and a glimpse of smile on her face made me feel better.
We made our way into the building, past the doorman who held the door for us and I stepped into one of the nicer apartment homes buildings that I’d ever been in. She did indeed, earn good money, apparently.
The ride up the elevator was quiet and I could sense that she was holding it all in, bottled inside and waiting to explain until she was in the comfort, safety and privacy of her home.
Once the elevator doors opened, she led me down the hallway to her apartment door and whirled around to face me, “No judgment, okay? I’m sort of messy and my maid service is coming tomorrow, so I’m guilty of not being the tidiest person in the world.”
“Okay, no judgment. Scout’s honor.” I said, holding up my hand with the scout’s honor hand symbol.
She giggled and then turned the key in the lock of the door, opening it so she could usher me inside.
It was true, she wasn’t the neatest woman in the world. But it was easy to tell that her place was regularly cleaned and it was nicely decorated. She put down her gym bag, slipped of her sneakers into a basket full of her other shoes, and motioned for me to sit down somewhere.
“Please, have a seat. Do you want something to drink? I’ve got it all. From water, milk and soda to wine and hard liquor. Just say it, it’s yours.”
“Sure, I’ll have a beer. Do you have beer?” I asked.
“I do, is a stout okay?”
“More than okay, sounds great.”
“Be right back,” she said and then whirled around again to head to her kitchen.
While she was in the kitchen, I absorbed and took in her place. It was homey, cozy and charming. I could tell that she wasn’t a snob or into the status lifestyle. Her place wasn’t a museum. There were bookshelves-a-plenty and I could see her office through a door that was halfway open. It was easy to assess where she spent most of her time as there were dishes all over the desk and other items strewn all over it too.
Quality art bedecked the walls, eclectic in range and taste. But all seemed to be personally picked out. So, she was a collector. There were lots of framed photos, clearly friends and family she cared about.
She returned and extended to me a chilled glass, full of stout, that had an admirable head of foam to it. “That looks like a tasty pour.” I said, accepting the cold beverage from her warm hands.
Her soft paws…
“Very tasty, I decided to go with your choice.” She said, her eyes flickering to another chilled glass full of stout that she was holding in her other hand.
She sat down on her sofa, tucked her feet up under her and grabbed a throw to pull over her legs. I watched her, once again taking in her robust beauty. I wondered if she’d ever been properly appreciated.
“Sooooo, about being arrested tonight. What happened?” I asked softly.
“I’m an idiot.” She stated flatly.
“Why’s that?”
“I decked a guy at the gym. In the pool, while I was working out. I broke his nose.” She said, the words tumbling out of her mouth almost all at once. The look on her face was worth about a million dollars, it was such a combination of revelatory feelings that flitted across her face.
I decided that laughing wouldn’t be a good idea right about now, so I calmly asked her why she’d done it. To my surprise, she clammed up.
We sat there sipping at our beer. Suddenly, she began to down the entire thing. My eyebrows shot up in awe. Before I knew it, the glass was empty. It wasn’t a small glass, either.
“Alrighty then,” I said, a bit of a chortle of admiration escaping me.
She cleared her throat and then shared the remark he’d made and that for some reason, she just wasn’t in the mood to take anyone’s bullshit about her size. Tears had started to crest her lower eyelids and she looked away.
It was a tug of war. I wanted to be sensitive to her feelings and predicament, but I didn’t want it to be too heavy either. Somehow, there had to be a way to make it lighter. Maybe even funny.
“Good,” I said, “Serves him right. The guy’s an asshole. He deserved to be hit. I’m glad you broke his nose!” I said, as straight-faced as possible.
Her eyes got big and then the loveliest smile I’d ever seen blossomed across her face in pure amusement and relief.
“Right?!” She yelled out. “Such an asshole!! I mean, what the fuck? Are we in elementary school or what?!”
“Cass, may I call you Cass?”
“Yes, you may.”
“Cass, men like him have never been dealt with properly. He got what was coming his way. Who knows how many other people he’s bullied and made rude remarks about? If it hadn’t gotten you arrested, I would have clapped if I’d been there to see it.”
“Serious.”
We sat there looking at one another and both devolved into a fit of laughter.
Suddenly, she stood up. “Do you want another beer?” She asked.
I glanced down at my glass, it was still half full, but I looked at hers with a knowing glance. “I’m good, but you can go fill yours up again if you like.” I winked at her.
She turned red, “Oops. Busted.” Then she turned around and was off to the kitchen.
I was pretty sure the evening had just taken a turn, so I was ready for whatever it might bring. Either way, I was determined to remain ever the gentleman. Besides, I had a feeling that I was about to be greatly entertained.
She came back, the head of froth already nearly gone from the top. She also held a canter of what I guessed to be scotch or maybe even whiskey. She had a couple of shot glasses too.
“Do you like hard liquor?” She asked.
“Yes, but I’m thinking one of us needs to be somewhat sober tonight.”
“Good point. I elect you. This girl was in jail today. Fair?”
I nodded, “Fair. You saw right through my evil plan. Get you drunk and take advantage of you.”
That stopped her, a look of pure surprise on her face. Then she erupted into a giggle fit while smacking her own ass. “Damn straight! Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?!”
Wow! Who was this woman?! And why did I like her so much…
She slammed down the shot glasses, filled both of them up with whatever it was that it was and before I knew it, they were both downed in less than a minute.
Wow…
I was beginning to wonder, what I’d gotten myself into? I mean, I’d just met her, this morning, for an editing job and not even twenty-four hours later, I’ve bailed her out of jail, am in her posh apartment, witnessing her get plastered in a matter of an hour.
Fuck it!
She needed an adult baby-sitter right now. I’d be the man to do it. Make sure she got to bed, didn’t die in her own vomit and somehow, I would hopefully still remain employed the following day. That was my plan and I was gonna stick to it.
Hard to do once she turned on her music and started dancing. She was pretty much having a party for one, dancing all by herself and having a great time. Watching her, she moved as good as the best of them.
“Come on, join me!” She taunted.
I shook my head firmly. This grizzly did not dance. Not ever. Never.
“Please!?” She begged, a loopy grin of glee on her face.
“I have my pride to consider.”
“Screw your pride, I’ll likely not remember a thing! Just dance with me… Please….”
I must admit, it was a bit hard to resist her. She made it look like so much fun and she had a point. The chances that she was going to remember anything tomorrow, at the rate she was going.
So, against my better judgment, I stood up. Before I knew it, she had swooped me up and was taking lead in some sort of mangled version of the tango. Despite my clumsy awkwardness, she managed to make it work. After a while, I stopped focusing on my crappy dancing skills, realizing she was too tipsy to care and started to appreciate being so close to her.
She was very feminine, her skin so soft, with a peaches-n-cream coloring that looked lovely all flushed. Her eyes were bright with playful delight and she smelled amazing. Her hair was a mess of long, curls, having tumbled out of the sloppy bun she’d had it up in.
I felt her body and all of her amazing curves, making its way to me. Her waist, then her hips, her cleavage…
Before I knew it, my inner bear was alive, awake and very aroused. I could already feel that need to mate, the instinct to get intimate coming alive in me. But I had to resist. Must resist. This was not the time.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice, and as she continued to dance the night away, she got a bit more risqué and bolder with me. All the while, she was taking a shot here and a shot there.
At some point, when I knew that she would probably pass out sooner than later, her music mix came screaming to a stop from the groovy, body-bouncing tunes it had been shuffling through and turned into something quite a bit slower, more romantic and soft.
She didn’t miss a beat, and swooped me into her body, ever-so-close, for a slow dance. She rested her head on my shoulder and just like we were at prom, we swayed together, gently and calmly. Remaining like that, the man in me finally rose up and I took lead. Pulling her into me, closer and tighter, I didn’t resist taking pleasure in the handfuls of her ample body.
When the song was nearly over, she pulled her head off my shoulder where it had been resting, and looked at me with a sincere earnest gaze of desire and longing. Then, she leaned forward, standing on her tippy-toes and kissed me. Part of me was being the gentleman, truly not wanting to feel as if I was taking advantage of her.
Just a kiss! I promised myself. Just a kiss…
And what a kiss it was. She was just as sweet as I imagined her tasting. Her full, pink lips were completely edible. Her breath smelled like the liquor, but not in a bad way. In a tasty way.
Everything in me wanted to lay claim to her right then and there. But I wouldn’t. I didn’t. Instead, it was determined for me. After one of the sexiest, most languorous, passionate kisses of my adult life, she passed out, right in my arms.
At first I just held her, chuckling in amused awe. Then, I picked her up, strode to her bedroom and got her into her bed. As any man who has had to put a woman to bed can attest to, you struggle with silly, basic questions.
Do I leave her fully clothed? Take off her clothes so she’s comfortable?
Nope. Not if you want to ever see her again.
Just tuck her in bed, lie her on her side and be a gentleman. Nothing more, nothing less.
I turned off her bedroom light, shut the door and made my way back to her sofa. I set the alarm on my cell and laid down. Staring at her apartment’s ceiling, I thought about how I hadn’t ever felt a connection this strong with a woman, ever.
Chapter Five
(( 5 ))
CASSIDY
I woke up the next day, somehow having made my way to the comfort of my bed. Lying there, I was rewinding the events of the previous evening in my mind. I sat up in my bed too suddenly and the world started to spin.
Whoops!
I rubbed at my head, swimming with the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking. Details came pouring in and at some point, what had started out as one of the more embarrassing days of my life, being arrested for having decked a man, while swimming, in the pool at my gym, started to come back to me.
This had really happened!? I hadn’t been writing about it… I’d lived it!
Smacking my forehead which was a bad move, I winced as the pain of a hangover blossomed inside my head.
Ouch!!
Had I really danced?! And him too?!
At some point, my recollection of the events go blurry. I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined Abe bringing me home from the police station, much less if he had an evening of drinking with me. I immediately turned to look at my clock. It was eleven a.m.
Goodness! I’d slept in…
Being this late in the morning, I wondered if he was an early riser and whether he would have left already, that was, if he’d stayed over. I went quiet, waiting and listening. Listening intently. Could I hear him? Had he gone home? Was he still asleep?
I crept out of bed and went to my bedroom door, which was shut. I never closed my bedroom door while sleeping. There was no point, really. I was the only person who lived there, so there wasn’t ever a need for privacy or quiet. That was my first clue that he might still be around.
Not wanting to chance it, I decided I’d get a shower in first, and at least I’d feel a bit more refreshed. Although I wanted coffee like water and some water too, I ignored my current need for both and stripped out of my clothes. I’d apparently f
allen to sleep in my yoga pants and t-shirt.
I stepped into the shower and allowed the heat and steam to overtake me. Wake me up gently. I took my time, soaping myself up and cleaning off the previous day. Once done, I was feeling better and gloriously ready for coffee and water. Something to eat to start undoing the effects of too much liquor and beer.
Peering into my steamy bathroom mirror, some of the events deeper in the evening, before I’d passed out on my bed, started to percolate up. I was moisturizing my face and stopped mid-circle on my cheek, remembering him saying something about the asshole I’d decked at the gym needing to be put in his place.
Had he really said that?!
And would he remember it today?! I sure hoped so…
As I rewound and fast-forwarded events from the night prior, I realized and remembered that he’d only had a couple of stouts. Whereas I had drunk myself into oblivion. Oh dear…
So, that meant, that whatever he’d said and done, had been considerably more sober than anything I might have said and done.
I weighed my options. I could go out there and find him passed out on my sofa. Or, he could be gone, with no sign of him anywhere, him clearly having not stayed the night. Or, he could be somewhere in between, doing god only knows what.
I put on my game-face, my need for coffee giving me courage to open my bedroom door. When I did so, I was hit with the enticing scent of brewed coffee and someone cooking breakfast. I tippy-toed my way down the hallway and sure enough, Abe was in my kitchen. He was humming softly to himself and clearly was in chef mode.
My place smelled amazing!
On my dining table, I spied his MacBook and as I passed by on my way to the kitchen, I glanced at what he was using it for. My book!
Wow… that was amazing. Even after all the crazy of yesterday, he’d gone straight back to work. I’d found that admirable.
With the stove fan, going – I’d managed to sneak up on him unawares. So, he jumped a little when I said, “Good Morning.”
“Cassidy!” He said, leaping around to face me.
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