Hard Game

by Harper Lauren

  I had a retort ready, but I held back. I didn’t want to start another argument or stupid banter. Instead, I said, “She mentioned that if this goes on, your father might actually let you go back to the city sooner.”

  Her eyes lit up a bit. “Good. I want to get out of this hellhole.”

  “And I thought you were beginning to like this town,” I said.

  “Not with jerks in it,” she muttered. Another direct fire at me. Great.

  I took a deep breath, trying not to lose my patience. This woman was something else. “So what’s with all this mannequin stuff?” I asked.

  She threw me a defiant look. “Why do you want to know?”

  I shrugged. “Just curious.”

  “Jenny bought it for me, okay?” she finally answered. “I made her a replica of that dress I wore when you took me to The Creamery. I said it’s a gift, but she insisted on paying. So I told her to just replace it with a mannequin stand.”

  “Nice,” I said, actually surprised. “You’ve been working on your fashion thing. And it seems business has just begun.”

  “I was bored last night, so I worked on the dress.”

  “Bored?” I said. “Or maybe inspired?”

  She gave me one of those steely stares that made her blue-green eyes sparkle with intensity. “Bored,” she repeated.

  I couldn’t help grinning, which obviously annoyed her. She looked away. “Why isn’t this stupid rain slowing down?” she asked loudly.

  “Maybe it wants us to talk some more?” I suggested teasingly.

  “Ugh,” she muttered. “I should just make a run for it. Just bring down the mannequin when the rain stops. Or you can bring it tomorrow.”

  She placed a hand on the door, but I touched her arm to stop her. The sudden contact gave me an unexpected jolt. She turned toward me with a look of astonishment. I didn’t know if that was because she felt it too. But once again, I was drawn to her, captivated by her beauty and fierceness.

  I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. Wide-eyed, she put a hand on my chest to push me away but I immediately enfolded it in my hand while moving my lips on hers. My hands flew to her cheeks, pulling her face closer to mine, pushing my tongue into her mouth. At first, she resisted, but not for long. Our kiss deepened, our tongues intertwining as if they had known each other for a long time.

  The rampant downpour kept on. Oblivious to it now, we kissed fervently with our eyes closed. My insides were in chaos, driving my body into high temperature, making my cock stiffen.

  My hand slid across her leg as we kissed, eventually moving toward her inner thigh. I slithered my fingers under the soft denim of her shorts, eager to touch her and hear her moans of pleasure.

  A loud rapping on the door made us jerk apart. Fortunately, it was just Billy the brown collie dog, the same one who was at the barn that fateful evening. He barked at us now, wagging his tail. Apparently the rain had already reduced to a light drizzle.

  “Hey, Billy,” Cassy called out through the window. Then to me she said, “Thanks for the ride, Ivan.”

  “Uh, I’ll bring down the mannequin,” I said, climbing out the car.

  She went straight to the porch without another word, the dog leaping and running behind her.

  Chapter 11

  Cassy

  One minute we’re slitting each other’s throats, the next minute we couldn’t get our hands off each other. He was like fire and ice, all mixed up, confusing me but pulling me closer even more.

  We found Aunt Ellen rocking in her chair, knitting a sweater. It was such a sweet, classic grandma scene, but I couldn’t ever imagine myself or even my mom growing up like that.

  Suddenly, a picture of myself hunched over the dated sewing machine upstairs rushed to my mind. I realized the scene was a lot similar to how Aunt Ellen looked. Wrinkling my nose, I brushed off that image of me.

  I will have to buy a modern sewing machine soon, I thought. That’s my next target.

  “Hello, you two,” Aunt Ellen greeted with a kind smile. “I baked some cookies in case you’re hungry.”

  “Thanks, Miss Young,” Ivan said. “I’ll just set this down and---“

  “What is that?” Aunt Ellen asked, peering through her glasses and standing up to have a better look at my mannequin stand. Ivan and his big mouth.

  “It’s nothing,” I answered briskly, pulling Ivan’s arm up the stairs. “We’re bringing it to my room now.”

  She watched curiously as we went up to the second floor.

  “Why don’t you tell your aunt about your project?” Ivan said as we entered my bedroom. “I thought she used to be in fashion too or something.”

  “I don’t know,” I replied honestly. I pointed toward the sewing machine and the pile of sewing stuff on the floor. “Just place it somewhere there.”

  He put it down near the window, through which we could see the sun now peeking out again. “Anything else I can help you with?”

  “Yes,” I quipped. “You can go now.”

  “Oh, come on, Cassy,” he said, actually laughing. “I can help you cut or trace or whatever. It’s still early, anyway.”

  I hesitated. I could definitely use an assistant, but he might just become a major distraction instead of help. We might end up either pricking each other with needles or kissing again. Damn.

  “Out,” I said, pushing him out the door. “Let’s just grab some cookies first. I’m starving.”

  He was chuckling all the way to the kitchen. We plopped on the stools at the counter and began munching on the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies while Aunt Ellen prepared coffee for the three of us.

  I took a sip, relishing the hot bittersweet taste. “God, I miss Starbucks,” I said. “But this is way better.”

  That made Aunt Ellen smile.

  She sat down to join us. “So, Cassy, what’s up with the mannequin stand?”

  I looked at her with a nonchalant shrug. “Um, just something I sort of stumbled upon in college. Fashion, making clothes, designing bags. That sort of thing.”

  She seemed really interested. “Tell me more,” she said, leaning forward.

  “Well…”

  “She made a dress for Jenny,” Ivan interrupted. I rolled my eyes at him in disbelief. He simply ignored me. “The stand is Jenny’s payment.”

  “Wow,” Aunt Ellen said, looking impressed. “Can I see some of your designs? I used to be really interested in fashion too.”

  “Why didn’t you pursue it?” I wondered.

  “My sister and I, we were really good,” she shared. “We made and sold some clothes on consignment downtown. But then, she got married and had to move out. Meanwhile, I got busy tending to the farm because nobody else was left among us siblings. I didn’t want to let this farm go because it was our parents’ business and it’s still home.”

  “Dad would never approve of this,” I told her.

  “Oh, you don’t know that,” she said. “I’m sure he’ll support you if he’d see the benefits. That man has always been a mean businessman. You’ll have to show him some sort of, uh, business plan.”

  Hope filled my heart. Just maybe I could really pursue this passion and succeed in it. I wasn’t really interested in his business, even if I had studied IT and had even excelled in it. Or later on, I could just do both. It was possible.

  “You’re an adult, Cassy,” Aunt Ellen said gently. “But he’s been treating you like a kid still because you’ve been acting like one. It’s time to show him you can stand on your own two feet. I know you can make him proud.”

  I met her caring eyes, touched by her words. It gave me inspiration. Suddenly, I wanted to begin working on my samples. Maybe I could do a consignment deal too, for starters.

  “By the way…” Ivan casually injected. “Mom wanted me to ask the two of you if you could join us for dinner tomorrow night.”

  I looked at him with surprise.

  “We would love to, of course,” Aunt Ellen answered. “How is Lisa? She
’s probably doing a lot better now especially since you’ve been home for some time now. I was actually worried about her for a while back.”

  “She was lonely and miserable for months,” Ivan agreed. “But she’s coping better, yes. And Owen came home yesterday, so the three of us are together again. That’s been doing her some good.”

  Owen. I thought I remembered him mention a brother named Owen before.

  “Ahh, that’s why you couldn’t come yesterday,” Aunt Ellen said with a smile. “That’s wonderful, Ivan. I’m glad you’re all together now, even for a while.”

  My mind was whirring, my heart in chaos too. So that was the reason he didn’t come. It was certainly a valid one. But somehow, I felt disappointed. That meant he hadn’t really been affected by our moment of passion as I had been thinking.

  That afternoon, Ivan and I worked in my room together. He helped me mostly with the manual stuff. Aunt Ellen didn’t seem to mind since she trusted Ivan a lot, but we still kept the door open out of respect.

  I was so engrossed in my work I hardly spoke at all. As for Ivan, he was surprisingly keeping his end of the bargain, helping with his mouth shut.

  Hours passed. I’d almost forgotten about our kiss earlier. Almost.

  At times, our eyes would meet. His seemed to be communicating something to me, words he couldn’t utter for some reason. I don’t know…maybe I was just imagining it too. I would simply look away and forget about it.

  I was working on one design that I had sketched a few days back. It was for a peasant-styled top and skirt ensemble that would look fabulous with the rural background. Hmmm, I could do a whole collection of stylish countryside outfits.

  Ivan watched me with great fascination as I used the sewing machine. “Have you never seen anyone use this thing?” I asked.

  “I have,” he said. “I’m just amazed at your talent.”

  I beamed. He didn’t seem to be mocking me at all. I couldn’t resist mentioning the insult he’d thrown at me earlier. “You’re amazed that a spoiled brat can actually do something productive rather than party and shop the whole day.”

  He laughed. “I didn’t say that.”

  “Yeah, right,” I retorted. “You were thinking it, anyway.”

  He simply laughed in response, which made me frown. This was a man who constantly had me on a roller-coaster of emotions and guesswork. I guessed that was part of his charm.

  Finally, when I finished the ensemble I was working on, I dressed up the mannequin and started pinning some of the parts.

  Just as I was about to be done, I accidentally pricked my finger with a pin. “Oh, shit!” I exclaimed as blood began to gush out from the wound.

  “Hey, you okay?” Ivan asked, standing up from the bed and inspecting my wound. “Wait here.” He went out quickly before I could say anything else.

  I sat on the bed, pressing hard on the skin around the cut. Blood was still coming out, making me feel queasy.

  Ivan was back in a jiffy, carrying a small basin with water, plus some cotton, an antiseptic solution, and a band aid.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it,” I assured him. “This is nothing.”

  “I know, but it could still get infected,” he said, sitting beside me. I let him take my hand. He pressed on the area for a while to stop the bleeding, then he cleaned it afterward and wrapped my finger with the band aid.

  “Thanks,” I whispered, my heart soaring at the simple gesture of kindness.

  His hand lingered on mine for a while before he let go. “I just don’t want you dirtying your work with your bloody mess.”

  I laughed. “And why would you even care?”

  Shrugging, he said, “If you succeed and start earning a living for yourself, you’ll be allowed back to Windfield. I won’t have to babysit you any longer.”

  Although his face had a serious expression, there was a glint of mischief in his eye. I was sort of getting used to his remarks. This time, I wasn’t incensed. I grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Ivan. I’ll be out of here before you know it.”

  Chapter 12

  Ivan

  I had just gotten off the phone with Mr. Young. I had told him all about Cassy’s progress with her farm chores, how she had been making friends in town already, and her plans on earning money through her fashion project.

  He had expressed a little disbelief by how quick her progress had been, though he’d said his sister had told him basically the same things. He was rather pleased, but wasn’t fully convinced.

  “I know my daughter,” he’d said. “She’s doing this so she can go back to the city faster and then start messing up her life again. We’ll have to see how it goes in the following months.”

  “Yes, sir,” I’d simply said before putting the phone down.

  He hadn’t commented on her interest in fashion, though. At least that may be a good sign, because she’d been sure that her dad would never approve of it.

  Mr. Young had also sent me my weekly “salary”, which was timely for paying off our bills and stocking up on Mom’s farm supplies.

  I felt a tinge of guilt as I withdrew the money from the ATM. But a part of me knew that this was beneficial for both me and Cassy, so it was all good. So long as she didn’t find out.

  Late that afternoon after running my errands, I went home straight away to assist my mom and Owen in preparing for dinner. Apparently, Mom had also invited her old friends. Two of them were the parents of Jenny and Mel.

  “So you’re expecting how many people again?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Let’s see,” Mom said as she mashed some potatoes. She seemed to stare into space as she counted off her invited guests in her head. “I invited maybe 5 people, but some of them are coming with their husbands and kids so there’ll be about 10 or 12 maybe.”

  “Wow, are they even going to fit in here?”

  “Don’t be silly, Ivan,” she said. “We have just a six-seater dining table so I’ve asked Owen to set up something in the backyard.”

  “Okay,” I simply answered. “Need any help?”

  “Not at the moment. But Owen might.” She shooed me away then and went back to preparing the food, humming a happy tune.

  I smiled. At least she was back to doing something she loved--- cooking and throwing dinner parties.

  As I went to the back, my mind returned to Cassy. A dash of excitement mixed with edginess came upon me at the thought of seeing her again and having her meet my family. It was odd, given our circumstances.

  I thought of the gift I’d gotten her on impulse while I was downtown. I hadn’t bought any woman anything for years, except to treat them on dates. I don’t know how Cassy would react or if she would even accept it. I could feel myself beginning to care for her on a different level, and it was strangely unfamiliar to me. And of course, there was also that feeling of guilt that had been gnawing at my conscience.

  “Ivan!” Owen called, cutting through my reverie. “Come over here. I don’t know what to do with these flowers.”

  A long table was laid out in our backyard, covered with a light blue cloth and a printed runner in white and yellow. There were fourteen chairs in all that had probably been borrowed from somewhere, and also some tea candles scattered in the center.

  “Not bad, little bro,” I said jokingly. “Ever considered going into event styling shit?”

  He gave me an incredulous look. “Are you crazy?”

  I shrugged. “Runs in the family.”

  He gave me a playful punch on the shoulder and laughed.

  I took the bouquet of pastel-colored flowers from him and just bunched them up in the center of some tea candles. We took one look at it and burst out laughing.

  “I’m no good at this, man,” I said, shaking my head. “How about just getting a vase or something?”

  “Wait, I got an idea,” he answered before going into the house.

  When he got back, he held three clear bottles with different heights. “Here, ju
st divide those flowers and place them in each.”

  “Wow, how’d you think of that?” I said, amused, as I followed his instructions. The outcome was certainly a lot more presentable. “Come on, man. Admit it.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Are you gay, Owen?” I said, half-serious half-joking.

  He gave me a little push on the chest. “Shut up, dude! It’s just my ex-girlfriend’s influence. She used to do these flower arrangement stuff for weddings.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Suddenly, the surrounding trees and plants lit up with yellow lights, illuminating our setup in the dusk. It was actually beautiful in a laidback kind of way.

  I hadn’t even noticed that it was growing dark already. Mom had probably turned on the lights. I went up then to take a shower, looking forward to what should be the most interesting dinner I’ve had since coming back to Burchnell.

  Jenny and Mel came together with their parents who were good friends with Mom. Two women about Mom’s age followed, saying that their other friend couldn’t make it at the last minute. The last ones were Miss Young and Cassy, who arrived at around six.

  I looked up from my conversation with the women and instantly met Cassy’s gaze. She looked stunning in a sophisticated-looking white dress and flat sandals. I thought she’d curled the ends of her hair too, which gave her a more alluring, feminine appearance. She had on some light makeup that enhanced her natural beauty just right.