Stronger

by Janet Nissenson

  ‘And it would have helped you from feeling so guilty right about now,’ he admitted grudgingly. ‘So you need to ask yourself and answer truthfully - did you try to give Cara that money to help her or yourself?’

  Thankfully, the all-too-helpful Phil finished running through his list of transactions, and then cheerfully informed Dante that there should be no further issues with using his card but to call Card Services immediately if something came up. After apologizing profusely once again for the inconvenience, and thanking him for being one of their preferred clients, Phil finally ended the call - leaving an awkward, gaping silence between Cara and Dante.

  He spoke first. “Uh, I’m real sorry you had to listen to all that. The list of charges, that is. I really don’t think our buddy Phil needed to go through them in painstaking detail that way.”

  “No, it really is standard procedure,” replied Cara flatly. “I’ve been through that a couple of times before with other clients.”

  “Yeah, but the other clients weren’t - well, you know,” he mumbled uneasily.

  “Someone I used to fuck?” supplied Cara calmly. “And who just happens to be in New York right now letting their girlfriend rack up tens of thousands of dollars on their credit card? Is that what you meant to say?”

  “Cara.” He felt an overwhelming sense of sadness at her words, especially since he could have sworn she was fighting back tears, and wondered if he could possibly despise himself one iota more than he did at this moment. “Honey, I’m so sorry. The very last thing I wanted was for you to have to hear all that. But Phil started in before I could suggest you get off the line.”

  “It’s no problem,” said Cara crisply. “Just doing my job, helping out a client. It’s what I do, after all. Is there something else I can assist you with?”

  Dante made an impatient sound. “Really, Cara? Is this the way it’s going to be between us from now on? What happened to being friends? I thought we said we would still do that.”

  “No,” she corrected. “You said that, not me. I - I just don’t think that’s going to be possible. So I’m happy to help if you have a question about your account, or need something done, but otherwise no. We are not friends. We aren’t anything. I’m just one of Nick’s assistants as far as you’re concerned, and you’re one of our best clients.”

  He shook his head regretfully, even though she couldn’t see him. “No, honey. Think what you like, but you’re much more to me than that. I’m just sorry I hurt you so badly that I ruined our friendship in the process. You might not believe it, Cara, but I miss you. More than I can say.”

  Cara replaced the phone in its cradle slowly, then took several deep breaths as she struggled to keep herself from losing it completely. But as the hot tears began to trickle down her cheeks, she realized that it was too late for that. Grateful that the rest of the team was still out of the office, she dashed into Angela’s office since her boss always kept a box of tissues handy. She grabbed a handful and made a futile attempt to stem the ever increasing flow of tears.

  “Damn him,” she whispered unsteadily. “Of all days, why did he have to pick today to call? And here I thought I was doing so well, feeling so much stronger since I basically told Dad to shove it. Instead, I’m just the same idiotic sap when it comes to men that I’ve always been.”

  Her sobs only increased after that, and she sank weakly into one of the guest chairs facing Angela’s desk. She was weeping so intensely, in fact, that she barely felt the gentle touch on her shoulder.

  “Hey. What on earth is the matter?” asked Angela urgently. “I know Nick couldn’t have yelled at you since he isn’t around. Not to mention the fact he’d have had to deal with me if he ever pulled a stunt like that.”

  Cara shook her head, mopping at her eyes in embarrassment to have been caught this way by her boss. “N-nno. It wasn’t Nick. He - he’s never really yelled at me. It’s - I just - just talked to D-Danny out of the blue, and it took me by surprise.”

  “It upset you,” added Angela gently, patting her on the back soothingly.

  Cara had confided in her boss about the breakup with “Danny”, but reluctantly so and only after Angela had pressed her as to why she was so down in the dumps. She had tried her best since then to put on a happy face, not wanting to have additional discussions on the matter.

  Cara accepted the fresh handful of tissues Angela handed her and blew her nose loudly. “I’m so, so sorry,” she sniffled. “I didn’t mean to lose it here at the office. I know how unprofessional this is, and I promise it will never, ever happen again. Oh, God, and I’ve left the phones unattended and I know how annoyed Nick gets about that, so I’d better…”

  “Stay right where you are,” instructed Angela sternly. “I’ll go forward the phones to voice mail and then you and I are going to have a little chat.”

  Cara wasn’t sure she liked the implication behind her boss’s words, but remained obediently in place regardless. A couple of minutes later Angela closed the door to her office, then took a seat in the other guest chair rather than behind her desk.

  “Now,” she began in a brisk, no-nonsense voice. “I recently developed something of a theory about this ex of yours, this Danny person. And I want you to be perfectly honest with me, Cara. Are Danny and Dante Sabattini one in the same person?”

  Cara stared at Angela in disbelief. “What?” she wheezed in alarm. “Why - why would you even imagine something so far-fetched?”

  “Because right around the time your Danny broke things off with you and you looked like the world had just ended,” replied Angela calmly, “Dante rather coincidentally reconciled with his ex-girlfriend. And the said ex - a really, really annoying pain in the ass named Katie - always calls him Danny. I didn’t put two and two together until we had dinner with the two of them last weekend, and it started me thinking. I wasn’t going to say anything because – well, frankly, I’m not sure I really wanted to know the truth. But seeing how upset you are now, I had to ask.”

  Reluctantly, Cara nodded. “Yes. Danny and Dante are one in the same. But please, please don’t say anything to Nick! Please, Angela? I know I screwed up big time, but I can’t afford to lose my job right now on top of everything else.”

  Angela looked stricken. “Why on earth would you think for even a minute that you’d lose your job?”

  “Because I dated a client,” admitted Cara. “I knew it was against company policy, but I didn’t care. I liked him too much, and we were really careful not to let anyone find out.”

  Angela shrugged. “I could care less about what this company says we can and can’t do. You of all people should know how little attention I pay to stupid corporate policies. And I won’t say anything to Nick, but not because I’m afraid he’d be angry at you. No, what would worry me is how many of Dante’s bones Nick might break. If he knew you’d been seeing Dante - and worse, that he broke up with you to go back to that witch Katie - well, that could get real ugly. The sort of ugly that could end what’s been a very close friendship between Nick and Dante. So you and I are going to keep this bit of news to ourselves, all right?”

  Cara nodded anxiously. “Absolutely. Yes. In fact, the only other person who knows we were dating - well, besides Dante, of course - was Mirai.”

  “Good.” Angela gave a regretful shake of her raven head. “What the hell is wrong with Dante, anyway? Not just for choosing that leech Katie over you, but for getting involved with you in the first place. He should have known better.”

  “I know,” agreed Cara mournfully. “I’m not his type at all. Especially when you stack me up against Katie. She’s so beautiful, and has a fantastic body. And knows exactly how to dress. Not to mention…”

  Angela held up a hand, her signal that Cara was chattering too much. “Not to mention that she’s a self-centered, manipulative bitch. And as smart as Dante is he’s dumb as a rock where Katie’s concerned. But when I said Dante should have known better than to get involved with
you, I didn’t mean because you weren’t good enough for him. On the contrary, the horny bastard should consider himself damned lucky that you ever went out with him at all. No, what I was really trying to say is that you’re just too young and sweet for a player like Dante.”

  Cara shrugged. “There’s not that much of an age difference between us. No more than there is between you and Nick, for example.”

  “You’ve got a point,” acknowledged Angela. “Except that I was never sweet and innocent like you are. I had to grow up fast, grow up tough, after the way things were for me at home. And when I got involved with Nick, I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for. I knew better than to fall in love with him.”

  “But you did anyway,” reminded Cara.

  Angela smiled. “Yeah. Stupid me. Though I suppose it all worked out eventually. But please tell me you weren’t silly enough to make the same mistake I did - that you didn’t fall in love with Dante.”

  Cara gulped. “I, um, wish I could tell you that. I really, really do. But since I hate lying, I won’t do it.”

  Angela reached over and gave her a fierce hug, taking Cara by surprise because her boss was not by nature an affectionate person. “Silly girl,” she chided. “So I understand now why you were so upset when I walked in a few minutes ago. Was that the first time you’d spoken to Dante since the breakup?”

  “Yes. I’m pretty sure he’s been avoiding me, why he insisted on having his monthly meeting with Nick outside of the office. And he didn’t sound too thrilled when I picked up the phone, or to learn I was the only one here.”

  “Hmm. Why was he calling?” inquired Angela.

  Cara hesitated before relating the whole story, including the part about Dante lavishing Katie with an extravagant trip to New York, and an even more extravagant shopping spree.

  Angela was livid. “That fucker,” she muttered darkly. “You know what. Forget about Nick breaking his jaw. I might just do it instead. Better yet, I’ll ask Lauren to rough him up a little. Dante will never see her coming.”

  Cara shuddered. She’d met Angela’s fierce, fearless best friend on several occasions, and had to agree that the tough as nails Lauren would have a good shot at landing a few blows on Dante.

  “Thanks for the offer,” replied Cara wearily, “but I’d really rather just try and put the whole thing behind me if it’s all the same to you.”

  Angela patted her on the shoulder. “Oh, sweetie. If it were only that easy.”

  Chapter Twenty

  November

  “Cara mia. Time to wake up, you little sleepyhead. I’ve been watching you sleep for the last half hour, and I’m real close to jumping your bones. And since I’m not a real fan of necrophilia, I’d prefer you were awake while I’m fucking you.”

  “Mmm.” Cara made a little sound deep in her throat that was part purr of pleasure and part groan of protest at being woken from what had been a very sound sleep.

  The dark-haired, very naked, and very aroused man who was snuggled up behind her equally naked body chuckled at her reaction. “All right, have it your way then,” he murmured in a low voice. “I’d rather have your full participation, but I want you too much to wait a minute longer.”

  But when one of his big hands cupped the heavy weight of her breast, his fingers tweaking the nipple, Cara gasped in reaction. And when the other hand slid between her legs and began to tease the damp flesh there, her eyes flew open wide.

  Dante laughed huskily, his stubbled chin rubbing against her flushed cheek as he continued to spoon her. “Ah, there she is! Good morning to you, Cara mia. And I can’t think of a better way to start the day than sliding inside of this sweet, hot pussy.”

  “Ahhh.” She was already breathless, already aroused, when he took hold of his fully erect cock and ran the broad head along the seam of her pussy.

  Despite his very obvious arousal, he seemed in no particular hurry to complete his possession of her body. He took his time with her, sometimes thrusting his fingers with slow precision in and out of her vagina, other times rubbing his thumb over the hard nub of her clit, and still other times running his penis first against the cleft between her buttocks and then teasing the very wet creases of her inner labia.

  She was so aroused by the time he finally began to feed his cock inside of her, one maddening inch at a time, that she came the moment he thrust all the way in. Her vaginal muscles clenched like a fist around his cock, causing him to growl in reaction. He sucked the skin on the side of her neck, hard enough that she knew it would leave a telltale mark, and began to increase the force and frequency of his thrusts.

  “You’re so fucking sexy,” he rasped in her ear, both of his hands cupping her breasts. “So damned hot. I love these big tits, love the way your tight little pussy squeezes my cock like a vise. And I love y-”

  Cara’s eyes flew open at that precise moment, just before her dream got really, really good. Not, of course, that it hadn’t been truly amazing up until now, but, gee whiz - did it really have to end now, just before the Dante of her dreams said the words she’d always wanted to hear from his gorgeous lips.

  She dragged herself reluctantly to a sitting position, pulling her thighs up against her chest and resting her head on her knees. Her cheeks were flushed from sleep, as well as the vividly erotic dream she’d been woken from by the rude, insisting buzzing of her phone alarm. She knew without having to check first that she’d be wet, and that it would probably just take a few brief strokes of her fingers to make herself come. After all, this was far from the only stimulating dream she’d had about her former lover.

  But she resisted, because she knew it just wouldn’t be the same. Oh, there might be some brief, temporary pleasure, but any sort of orgasm she could provide for herself would be a total letdown after the true bliss she had known in Dante’s arms. It was also why she had adamantly refused to even think about getting herself out there again - as Mirai had so crassly put it. Cara had dated a string of losers once before in her life, those months when she’d been so sad and lost and lonely at college, had settled for sex that was so spectacularly unspectacular that the recollection made her shudder in revulsion now. The fact of the matter was plain and simple - Dante had ruined her for other men, always and forever. Being with him for those few months had been a once in a lifetime experience, something that an ordinary girl like herself had simply lucked into, and would never be so fortunate to experience again. No, at some point, she’d have to settle for a nice but probably bland guy, one who would make her a good husband and be a great father to their kids. But the likelihood that he would ever come close to rocking her world the way Dante had was slim to none, and it made her feel very, very sad to accept that fact.

  What also made her very, very sad at this moment was that it was still dark outside, freezing cold inside her apartment, and that it wasn’t even four-thirty in the morning. She was mightily tempted to re-set her alarm for an hour from now, crawl back under the covers, and hope that somehow she might join her rudely interrupted dream in progress and get to the end this time.

  Instead, she flung back the covers and hopped out of bed before she could lose her nerve, flicking on a lamp as she did so. She had set her workout clothes out the night before so that she wouldn’t have to fumble around for them sleepily this morning, and therefore find one more lame excuse for skipping her morning exercise routine. Her teeth chattered from the chill of the room as she stripped off her pajamas, then donned her exercise gear in record time.

  She’d also loaded up one of the DVD’s that Mirai had loaned her into the fragile but still functioning laptop the previous evening, so that it was ready to go now. As she waited for the computer to power up, Cara did some stretches and kept her fingers crossed that the ancient laptop wouldn’t freeze up halfway through the disc. She figured she only needed to deal with the temperamental old electronic device for a couple of more months, until she received her year end bonus from Angela and Nick and co
uld finally afford to buy a new laptop. She’d already begun to do some research on the best model she could get for the money, and hoped to have plenty of cash leftover to save for next semester’s tuition.

  Cara yawned sleepily as the DVD finally booted up, and she reluctantly began the forty-five minute workout. After scanning Mirai’s admittedly impressive collection of exercise videos, Cara had chosen the Insanity Workout, only to find from day one that it was very appropriately titled. For the first week or two of attempting the workouts, she’d felt alternately dizzy, out of breath, nauseous, and horribly out of shape. But slowly but surely her endurance and flexibility had improved, and she was able to get through the daily routines without stopping now.

  It still wasn’t any fun getting up so early on workdays in order to fit in a workout, especially now that it was so dark and cold in the mornings, but Cara forced herself to do just that. Weekends were better, of course, since she could sleep in later, as well as vary her exercise routines a little. Weather permitting, she’d been going for long walks and hikes in various places around the city - Golden Gate Park, Marina Green, the Presidio - and had recently begun incorporating a slow jog into part of the workout. Little by little, acknowledged Cara grudgingly, she was whipping herself into shape.

  She was sweaty and out of breath by the end of this morning’s workout, guzzling down a full glass of water to recover. Sugary, calorie-laden sports drinks weren’t part of her diet plan, nor were they budget friendly, so she mostly stuck to water these days. There were a lot of different foods, in fact, that she’d brutally eliminated from her diet - or, more accurately, Mirai had ruthlessly crossed them off the list she’d compiled of allowable items.