by Sandra Marie
“Noted.”
She smiled at him, stopping his world right then and there, and it took Julie clearing her throat yet again to snap him out of it. When he caught Julie’s gaze this time, it was obvious she was thinking it was a good thing they had a harassment class this morning. Honestly, he couldn’t blame her.
“Please tell me we’re leaving this hotel tonight,” Julie whined to Cassidy in the lobby, grabbing her arm to stop her from heading up to their room. “I can’t be here another minute.”
Cassidy frowned. She’d planned a full night in front of her computer, hopefully recovering some money for Jon. She was determined to crack the case—and maybe have some time to daydream about the raise and hug she might get afterward.
She nodded toward Rebecca sitting at the bar. “Maybe she’ll go out with you.”
Julie hooked a hand around Cassidy’s elbow and tugged her toward Rebecca. Cassidy sighed. She’d get out of hanging out, but it was going to take a little bit of time first.
“Feel like getting out of here?” Julie asked Rebecca as they stepped up to her. Rebecca’s eyes lit up and she pushed her drink across the bartop. “Please. Where are we going?” She shook her head and slid her purse off the back of the bar stool. “Doesn’t matter. I’m in.”
Julie clacked her billions of rings against the back of her phone as she thumbed through a Google search of “fun things to do in Olympia.” Cassidy eyed the hallway that led to the elevators, trying not to tap her foot that itched to make a break for it. There was no time to get drunk—she needed her brain to full capacity—so if they wanted to bar hop or anything, she wasn’t up for it.
“Oh! They have a haunted maze.”
A leap zapped through Cassidy’s chest, her eyes bulging from their sockets. She shook her head hard. “Nope. Not happening.” She was not up for haunted anythings ever. A maze full of nightmares was not her idea of a fun time. A maze period wasn’t fun.
Julie pouted, knocking her with her elbow. “Come on. ‘Tis the season.”
“I’ll protect you,” Rebecca added, not attempting to hide her amusement. “And it’s so much more fun with more people.”
Cassidy shook her head again. There was no way, no how they’d convince her to say yes. Cassidy was a firm believer in comfort zones. If it was a Marvel maze, she’d be all over that, no matter how lost she got. But chainsaws and creepy little girls and things that popped out of cornstalks and made her pee herself was not her thing. No one could convince her to go through that.
“You’re right, Rebecca,” Julie said, hitching a hand on her hip. A mischievous grin tilted her mouth upward, her eyes looking just over Cassidy’s shoulder. Cassidy slowly turned, following her gaze right to Jon on the phone a few feet away, chatting softly and laughing with whoever he spoke to. A rush of panic and butterflies swooshed through her.
“If we get him to come with us,” Julie said, “you have to, too.”
As soon as her butterflies calmed to a hum, Cassidy smiled and faced Julie. “Okay, I’ll take that bet.”
“Really?”
“If you get the doc to join us, then you can drag me along. But if he says no, I stay put.”
“Perfect.” She sounded all too confident, but so was Cassidy. The docs only ever did the drag queen night with the office girls. It had always been that way, and after the class on sexual harassment in the workplace, she doubted the doctor would go within ten feet of them.
Julie waited till Jon was off the phone, and she called him over. “Hey, Doc! Feel like going to a haunted corn maze with us?” She was anything but subtle.
Jon raised a brow, gaze going from Julie to Rebecca and landing on Cassidy before his mouth turned into that movie-made smile. He closed the distance between them and lifted a shoulder.
“I could do that.”
“What?” Cassidy blurted, tossing her hands up in the air. No argument? No, well… maybes? Of all the things that he could’ve said, yes was not what she expected.
The girls laughed, and Jon chuckled, confusion licking his hazel eyes. They were a little more brown today. Julie tucked her arm through Cassidy’s and squeezed her tight. “You lead the way, my dear.”
Cassidy groaned and trudged toward the door. Jon fell in line with Rebecca behind them, and his gruff voice whispered. “Am I really okay to join you?”
Rebecca laughed, not keeping her voice down. “Yes. Cassidy just wouldn’t go unless you were with us. She was using you as an out.”
Heat tornadoed through her neck and rested in her cheeks. She didn’t have to say it like that! She covered her face with her hand and shook her head. There was a long night of humiliation ahead of her, so she probably should get used to it.
***
Her palms were going to waterlog her phone. Cassidy swept her hands across the butt of her jeans and prayed that she’d ran out of sweat. But the way her heart pounded in her throat as they all waited in the line to go inside wasn’t a promising sign.
Jon leaned down to her ear. “You going to make it, Marvel Girl?”
“No.” A chainsaw ran in the distance, and she spun around, her back bumping into his shoulder.
A soft chuckle tickled the back of her neck, and a tentative touch rested on her elbow. “It’s not real, you know.”
She let out a nervous snort. “I’m afraid of a lot of things that aren’t real.”
“Such as?”
She turned, keeping close to him even though he was probably just as terrifying as the monsters they were about to encounter. “Pool sharks.”
“Like, hustlers?”
“No… like sharks in the deep end of the pool.”
“Oh, those are very real.”
“And ghosts.”
“Also real.”
She tilted her head, wondering if he was patronizing her. “I mean animal-type ghosts.”
“Ghost sharks.”
“Please don’t put that image in my head.”
He laughed, and it melted her insides a bit, but did nothing to help the speedy rhythm of her heart. Another chainsaw ran through the maze, followed by several high-pitched screams. Cassidy pinched her eyes shut and took in a shaky breath.
“I’m not too great at the jumping out at you things, either. And not knowing where I’m going. And darkness.”
“I could help with one of those,” he said, tapping her arm and pointing toward a glowstick booth. “What color do you want?”
She about told him not to worry about it, but since they weren’t allowed to use their phones once they got inside, any light at all would be a blessing. “Pink,” she said. “Make sure it’s a big one.”
“As you wish.”
Her beating heart stopped and leapt up to her throat, her gaze glued on his back as he made his way to the booth. It was a coincidence, she was sure. Westley’s line from the movie was famous for a reason, and her mind was trying to make that connection with the doctor simply because she was attracted to him.
“He’s not bailing, is he?” Rebecca asked, shaking Cassidy out of her thoughts.
“He’s getting me a glowstick.”
She made a face. “Nice of him to offer us.”
“Well, you guys aren’t freaking out.”
By the time Jon got back, bright pink glowstick in hand, they were almost at the front of the line.
“You cracked it.” She frowned, taking it from him and looping it around her neck. “That’s the best part.”
“I bought it.” He latched his own glowstick around his neck, bright green lighting up against his blue t-shirt. She liked the green on him. Reminded her of his ever-changing eye color.
“Hey, where’s ours?” Rebecca teased His face went red, and he started mumbling something unintelligible. He was saved by the worker asking how many tickets, and he promptly said, “Four” and paid for all of them.
Cassidy’s heart was back in her throat as Julie took her arm and led her inside first. A giant black banner stood over the cornstalks that sai
d “No Turning Back.”
“I will turn back if I damn well please,” she muttered. Julie snorted next to her, practically dragging her through the opening of the maze.
The darkness crept over them, and Cassidy took her glowstick off and held it at arms’ length in front of her, using its pitiful light to warn her of any dangers. A fork came in the path with two signs, one stating “Ghost Island” and the other “Creature Lagoon.”
“Where’s the Sunshine Road path?” Cassidy said, her voice shaking. The cornstalks shuffled to her right, and a squeal broke from her throat, her feet trampling backward into Jon and Rebecca.
“Oh geez, it hasn’t even started yet,” Julie said, rolling her eyes and letting go of Cassidy’s arm. Hey, Julie was not allowed to be annoyed at her. Cassidy didn’t even want to go. It was Julie’s dang fault.
“I’m going Creature Lagoon,” Jon said, taking the left path. “Are we sticking together or…?”
Cassidy rushed to his side, grateful he wasn’t going to make her do ghosts, and Julie and Rebecca followed. Yes, Jon should lead. He’s a man, and all. Tall and bulky enough to hide her frame. Scary things would jump out and scare him, not her—
A deep, growl vibrated through the ground and played cat and mouse with the butterflies in her chest, and she leapt, her feet doing what they do best in these situations—take her far away from whatever made that noise. She screamed, pushing Jon aside and running like her life depended on it, down the path, through the corn, taking any path that got her out of the way of that bear or beast or Bigfoot.
A piercing screech filled the air, and she back-tracked, not wanting to run into a giant bird or dinosaur that would swallow her in one bite. She tripped over her feet, stumbling onto a smoke-filled path. She waved her glowstick through the air, heart beating from her chest, her breath rasping in and out.
“Uh… Julie?” she called out, her voice shaking. When had she lost everyone? Didn’t people run when a monster was nearby?
She slowly followed the path, the fog machines spraying thicker and thicker smoke until there was finally a clearing on the right. Another fork in the path hit, three signs displayed. Cassidy found a nice patch of dirt next to the Welcome Witches sign and plopped her butt down until the girls and Jon caught up to her. Hopefully there were no more growly noises to get her even more lost.
Jon had long lost Rebecca and Julie back in the Creature’s Lagoon. When Cassidy took off, he flew after her as soon as his brain had comprehended what had happened, but it wasn’t fast enough to figure out where she’d gone. He’d ended up in the Ghost Island portion of the maze, getting jumped out at every so often and followed by a creepy looking little girl in a long white dress. Every time he turned around, she was there, staring, not moving. Heebies crawled up his spine the entire way through, and he was grateful to reach the next fork in the path.
Smoke billowed from one of the directions, and a group of teens were giggling and flirting as they decided on a witchy pathway. A figure sat by the sign, and Jon considered asking the worker if she’d seen Cassidy run by, but a glimmer of a pink glowstick stopped him.
Okay… so not a worker. Cassidy had hunkered down in what she probably deemed as a safe spot, fiddling with her glow necklace and directing the teens to pay her no attention. The corner of Jon’s mouth twitched, and an electric shock jolted in his chest. His hands twitched at his sides. Would it be too bold to have a little fun with her? She hadn’t seen him lurking in the cornstalks, and it was all too tempting to reach out and tickle her sides---give her a little fright.
He placed his footsteps carefully, avoiding as much crunching as possible as he crept behind her. She was humming the tune to a Christmas song, which he found hilarious and had to stifle his laughter so he wouldn’t be given away.
He was an inch from her waist, his hands hesitating while his brain tried to figure out if this was a good idea or not.
Bang!
A curse flew from his mouth, and Cassidy shot up from her spot on the ground, flinging her arms around Jon’s neck and holding on with an iron grip. The sky lit up with a single firework of orange and yellow.
“Oh my effing… sweet cheeses, Dear Thor in heaven…” she blabbered, and Jon’s shaky amusement returned, his heart pounding heavy after that little surprise.
“I think that scare was more than I bargained for,” he joked, and she loosened her grip, but stayed close.
“Jon… I mean, Dr. Bateman.” Her hand flew to her chest while she caught her breath. “Wait… that was you?”
He shook his head and rubbed his chin, ignoring the buzz running through his skin from her touch. “I was just going to pop out and say boo, but that sucker beat me to it.”
The smallest of smiles flickered across her lips, and she let out a breathy laugh at herself. “I think I’m freaked out enough, thanks. Don’t need your help.”
She ran her hands over her butt, sweeping off the dirt. Jon tried not to look, but had a hard time diverting his eyes. “What?” he said, his voice much smoother than how he felt. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“If you can get me out, then yes.”
“I’ll try my hardest.” He squinted at her hand, a spot of pink shining near her wrist. “Uh… where’s your glowstick?” he asked, tapping just underneath the dot.
She titled her head, then searched the ground. Pink spatter covered their feet, the dirt… and up Jon’s pants.
She snorted, bending down and frantically wiping his jeans. “I’m so sorry… I have no idea how that happened… it’s all over you, and crap, it’s getting all over me, too… oh wait, that might just be something else, no…”
“Uh… Marvel Girl…” he stuttered as her hand got awfully close to where it shouldn’t be. Heat flamed his ears as he tried to bat her away without being rude about it.
She shot up, her back straightening and eyes as big as the moon. He imagined red splashing her cheeks—the same color that he was probably donning.
“Whoops,” was all she said, and he burst out laughing, gently grasping her wrist and displaying her palm up.
“Now you’re all covered.” Her entire palm was bright pink, and a nervous chuckle rose from her.
“This is when I’d usually slap my forehead, but that’s probably not the best idea.”
“Good thinking.” Instead of dropping her hand, he smoothly wrapped it through his arm. “Stay close.”
“You’ll protect me?” she said faux dramatically.
“Or vice versa.”
They picked Vampire Alley, and Cassidy tucked into his side, walking cautiously and already on alert. He would not find pleasure in the fact that her body was pressed into his, or that she smelled like the cotton candy they’d had in line, or that he’d love to take her into the cornstalks and finish what they’d started just a week and a half ago. He was going to play protector, and that was it.
They entered into a sort of clearing where the path had been patted down and filled with leaves, rose petals, and fake blood.
“Oh gosh,” Cassidy said, moving to Jon’s other side, away from the large coffin that sat half-opened, a sleeping vampire inside. “He’s gonna jump out, he will. He’ll do it, and it will not be fun, no…”
He pursed his lips to keep from laughing, and hugged Cassidy closer to him. “We’ll speed walk past.”
“Won’t help,” she said, but she picked up her pace. Right as they were passing, another vampire shot from the corn on Cassidy’s side, and Jon just about lost his shit.
“No, no, no, no,” he chanted, taking Cassidy by both arms and backing her into him as he bolted. He dragged her through the maze, avoiding the approaching vampires. Cassidy’s hot breath and screams filled his ears, and it wasn’t until he tucked her away between a couple of cornstalks that she calmed and gave him a bewildered look.
“Just protecting you,” he whispered. The actors returned one by one to their hidden spots. Damn, they were good.
“Is that what you call it?�
�� she said, laughter teasing the edges of her voice. He tore his eyes away from the vampires and focused on her, gasping at how close she was. The moonlight brought out even more beautiful features: the gap between her teeth, the length of her lashes, which could probably brush her lenses when she blinked, and the smallest bit of pink glowstick residue resting on the tip of her chin.
He carefully reached up, swiping his thumb over the spot, tingles rushing through his fingertips as they made contact. “This stuff gets everywhere,” he said, showing her his thumb.
“Guess we won’t lose each other again,” she said, gesturing to the brightness of his pants and her hand. But his heart clenched, and he wished she was talking about the party, how he’d lost her and didn’t know how to get her back.
He missed her lips, and with them so close it was all too tempting to taste them just once more. He leaned in, holding his breath, hoping for an invitation to continue.
“Um… Dr. Bateman?” she said, and the formal name slapped him. He straightened and took a step back.
“Jon,” he said. “You can call me Jon. I don’t mind.”
“Okay, Jon…” She wriggled her finger, bringing him in close. Was she okay with it? With him? Her lips were a seductive breath away from his ear. “I have a little problem.”
“What’s that?” he whispered back. She paused for an achingly long time, enough for the next people to pass the vampires to jump and scream in the distance.
“I may have peed a little.”
He jerked back, his brain whiplashed with the topic change.
“What?”
“Seriously,” she said, and for the first time since he’d saved her from the vicious vampires, he noticed her hunched shoulders, her crossed legs, her fidgety dancing… “If we don’t get to a bathroom soon, the next jump scare is gonna do me in.”
Laughter sat on the edge of his throat, and he wrapped his hand around hers. “Well, I’m going to make it my mission to get you out before that happens.”
“You’re on the clock.”
He tugged her down the path, ignoring all the jump scares as much as he could. They made it through vampires, zombies, pumpkin heads, ghosts, and finally the chainsaws. By the time they emerged from the maze—an hour later—Cassidy was laugh sprinting past Rebecca and Julie and locking herself in the porta-potty.