Authors: Tracy Cottingham
Cassie
finished pulling some braided strands of hair back up to the tip of her head,
and sighed as she clipped the peach colored bow into place. She studied
her reflection in the mirror, and silently chastised herself for dressing way
above board for the occasion. After all, she looked more like she was
going out on a date, than on a business dinner. After Abby had left with
Lonnie for their last night at the park, she had taken the time to pay
attention to all the tiny details that made a woman a woman, and not just a
mother, a widower, or a host of other less attractive things she often was.
The soft peach color chemise she wore as a top, to compliment the equally silky
pair of jet black dress shorts, gave her the appearance of almost being a
sophisticated lady. She only added the medium height, black leather pumps
into the equation to add a little more sexy into the finished picture,
something she desperately needed to feel. She eyed her figure critically,
and laughed at the fact that her daughter was almost five years old, and she
was still walking around using the excuse that she’s just had a baby as her
reason for being a little too voluptuous in certain key places. “Oh
well,” she leaned forward and ran the smooth edge of the lipstick brush along
her lips. “Nothing a few thousand sit ups won’t cure, eh?” She
joked with her reflection, trying to add a little levity to her more than
uptight mood. According to the clock, she still had thirty minutes before
she was supposed to meet John. She looked around at her empty room and
decided she’d rather wait down at the bar sipping a virgin Strawberry
Marguerita, than staying where she was and having way too much free time to
think about things. She grabbed her purse off the bed and headed for the
door.
“That’s not an ass, that’s a dog,” She did her best to stay annoyed
with what looked to be Gunnar in a costume, parked in front of her door.
“What do you call it? Pluto or Goofy or something. I always get the
two mixed up.” She waived her hand and put some distance between
them.
“I don’t think Disney has a famous donkey as one of their key characters.
This was the best I could do. I was going to try and find a dog house I
could bring with me, but I thought that might be overdoing it a little, so I
settled for this instead.” He finished his explanation and moved just
inside the door.
“You look like an idiot,” she said, trying not to but laughing in spite of
herself.
“Isn’t that the point,” he took off the dog’s head and cradled it in his right
arm. He seemed to enjoy watching her try and hang on to her anger. “I
feel like an idiot,” his eyes and tone offered up a quiet apology.
“I could see how you would,” her eyebrows raised and she looked around
him. “With that tail and all.”
“You’re not going to make this easy are you?”
“I think not,” she took her time smiling, and shaking her head slowly from side
to side.
Gunnar leaned back against the doorway and studied her. To him, she was a
lesson in beauty, standing there with her hands on her hips, a full luxurious
mane of golden hair dangling carelessly about her shoulders, and the proud, I
knew I would find a way to win smile resting quietly on her rose colored
lips. She couldn’t have looked lovelier. All of the years he had
spent trying to block her from his mind still didn’t lessen her devastating
appeal. Her look was more in keeping with the original Hollywood pin ups
with full rounded breasts, and equally full hips, not like the boyish figures
that modern day society seemed to cling to. He could easily see where
child bearing had added to her fullness, but not so much that it took away from
the whole picture. She was still everything that seemed to set him off in
a woman, and although he had spent years trying to convince himself that she
wasn’t all that, he never ever succeeded in meeting anyone that came close to
her.
He marveled at how easily she could wrap him around her finger, even when
he knew she wasn’t really trying all that hard at it. In the end it never
really mattered anyway, because she was the only person he’d ever met that
never failed to challenge, and excite, and demand as much excellence as she
gave in return. She had never, ever been easy on herself or the world
around her, and he knew that it was that more than anything else that always
brought him back for more. He had had to work hard to earn her respect
and her time when they were younger, and he just couldn’t believe as he stood
and watched, that she was finally free. Free of other involvements, and
seemingly ready to contemplate the kind of adult relationship he had wanted
from the start.
“If I told said you looked radiant, it would probably just sound like some
corny line you’ve probably heard a thousand times before,” he said, closing the
distance between them. When she didn’t move away, he dropped the top to
his costume, took her hands in his, and bent to whisper in her ear. “You
look radiant,” he repeated, and she knew by his tone and his trembling touch
that he meant every word of it.
“I wasn’t sure about the shorts, I thought they made me look a little-”
He put a finger to her lips to silence her. “Everything is just where it
needs to be.” He ran his hands along her body, reveling in the feel of
the curves that were there. “Perfect,” he whispered again, and bent to
his knees in front of her.
Each word he said made her ache to have him closer, to keep holding her, to
have him inside her. She could feel the rhythm of his uneven breathing
against her cheek, and the touch of his hands were almost unbearable in their
tenderness. He looked up at her with all the wonder and joy of a person
that just found everything they had ever mattered. “I’m so sorry, again,”
He put a bit of himself into his apology, and pulled her down to face
him. “The thought of you with someone else.” He unclipped her bow and ran
his hands through her hair, watching it tumble and fall, and bounce back into
place as if he had never seen anything like it before. “Kiss me,” he
cradled her face in his hands and drew her to him, letting his tongue take in
the soft fullness of her lips. Moments passed and his gentle exploration
continued, trailing down the sides of her cheek, following back along the
straight line of her jaw, resting momentarily at the side of her neck.
Cassie shivered when he stopped playing and backed away. His teasing
nearness was too much. She wanted more, but he was determined to make her
wait. Her breasts surged under the intimacy of his gaze, and she trembled
when he reached up, one side at a time, and lowered the lace straps of her
chemise. He proceeded slowly, worshipfully, to caress her breast beneath
the smooth silkiness of the fabric, waiting till she arched up towards him
before lowering to one side and following his mouth to her aching nipple. She
leaned back to heighten the sensation, and led his mouth to the other side,
eager to have him everywhere all at once. When she couldn’t take anymore, she
lifted his head away, and hungrily seized his lips.
She lingered,
savoring every moment and letting her hands roam freely along his well-muscled
back side. She could have gone on kissing him all day, but she was
hurting she wanted him so badly. “I want you inside me,” she groaned, and
felt his hands fast at work unbuckling her belt, unzipping her shorts, and
pulling them from her body. When she was free, he continued to make her
ready for him, kissing and rubbing against her while he sloughed out of his
costume, and then his pants. He pulled her forward and wrapped her legs
around him, melding their bodies as they sat entwined. “Are you sure
you’re ready?” He whispered urgently, visibly trying hard to control his
movements. She gyrated around, and arched her body backward in reaction,
causing him to lose it, lift her up and plunge quickly, deeply, inside her.
The force of his thrust made her cry out, and grasp him harder. He
slowed, giving her time to get used to his fullness, and their position,
nibbling on her shoulder and neck as he waited for her to fully relax. He
drew his arms around her, keeping them untied as he moved from the floor to the
bed. “Is this more comfortable, love?” He asked, not moving until
he heard her reply.
Cassie was so filled by his entry her body shuddered and threatened to release
before they even started. She breathed deeply, letting the tingling in
her body settle, and moving just slightly beneath him to offer a
response. “Move slow,” she requested, and he more than accommodated by
rubbing his body downwards, creating an emptiness, and then steadily thrusting
upwards. He repeated this exquisite ritual until he knew she couldn’t
hold herself any longer. “Faster,” she wrapped her legs around him, and
refused to leave even the tiniest space inside her. She felt his body
lift up, moved to join him and it hit her hard. Wave after wave of fiery
sensation flowed through her, and she knew by his hoarse cry he was right there
with her. She felt him release, and felt her body in tune with his,
relax. They laid still, trying in vain to catch their breath, still bound
together, clinging to one another and the peace they’d found.
Cassie smiled up at him as he moved off of her, and stretched out like a
cat who just got a long awaited treat. She was definitely purring anyway,
as she rolled on to her side and caught the flashing red numbers on the clock
screaming the time, and how late she was. “Oh my God!” She bolted
up off the bed and scrambled for her clothes, remembering her meeting with
John.
“What’s the matter?” Gunnar raised up on his elbow and eyed her
curiously.
“I have to go,” she hooked one shoe on to her foot, and hopped around looking
under the bed for the other one.
“What do you mean you have to go?”
“I have a...meeting of sorts, and I was supposed to be there over a half hour
ago,” she smiled nervously, turned her shorts around to face front, and moved
in to give him a quick kiss.
Gunnar accepted the kiss, but caught her hand and held it before she could run
off. “Who are you meeting?”
Cassie knew that this wasn’t a good time to be vague, but she didn’t really
have a choice. She silently scolded herself for being so pig headed and
setting her idea in motion without consulting Gunnar or Wes. She was so
angry at Gunnar’s lack of respect when she first ran into him, she hadn’t
really cared if it would bother him or not, and now that she did, it was too
late. “I,” she bit her lip and blurted out. “I can’t tell you that,” she closed
her eyes against the expression she was sure to see.
“Is it a date?” His question was tentative, low.
She opened one eye and shook her head. “No, no way.” She breathed a
sigh of relief, figuring the worst was over.
“Good,” he pulled her on top of him, and kissed her with his eyes.
“Cancel it,” he said matter of factly, and finished his explanation by letting
her feel just how much he meant it.
“I can’t, really,” she managed to slip away from him and get across the room to
the mirror. She eyed her reflection quickly, hoping to make a fast get
away, but having to stop and re- work most of her outfit to make sure it wasn’t
so obvious to John why she was running late.
Gunnar slid into his boxers, and got up out of bed, eyeing her skeptically as
he came up behind her. “I don’t know if I really like this hit and run style
you have going on.”
Cassie could tell by his expression they were heading for an argument.
She turned to face him and reached for his hands. “Look, I made this
appointment earlier, and I can’t break it,” she saw that he was about to
interject. “But, it’s about business, and it’s not personal. As
soon as I can tell you about it I will, but for now you’re just going to have
to start turning over a new leaf and trusting me.” He still didn’t look
all that thrilled. “I’m not about to go and do anything that would
jeopardize what we just shared.”
I hope.
He thought about what she’d said and finally smiled, “Okay,” he reached out and
caressed the side of her face. “I trust you.” He wound his arms
around her and pulled her tightly against him. “Just this once,” he
joked, and reluctantly let her go. “I really should go finalize things
with Mr. Nakamoto anyway.” He walked to the bathroom and splashed some
water on his face. “He said he’d have an answer by the end of this trip,
and since that’s tonight and we have so much riding on this, I better get that
answer sooner than later.”
Cassie stopped short. She had forgotten all about that. “Is it
really that big of a deal for us?”
“Let’s just say if we get this it will take us out of the mom and pop stuff,
and put us in serious competition with some of the bigger commuter planes.”
“Oh,” Cassie hadn’t realized just how big this account would be. “Wow,
that’s great,” she tried to sound excited, but a knot was forming in her
stomach. “Of course, it’s not a done deal yet, so we shouldn’t get ahead
of ourselves right?”
“No. We can get ahead of ourselves,” he admitted. “I set out to get
this, and I will.”
Cassie was about to reply when the door flew open, and Lonnie and Abby came
bursting in.