by Amali Rose
“How amazing was that Lambeth Method piping technique? Ugh, I have to practice that this weekend.” Turning around so she is walking backward and facing me, oblivious to the people scattering to avoid her, she takes my hand. “Thank you for that, it was incredible. And I have never seen anything funnier than you attempting to decorate a cupcake. It was fucking hilarious.”
“That’s because I’m used to dealing with extra-big equipment.” And just to make sure she doesn’t miss my meaning I adjust myself and throw her a wink.
“Whatever.” Rolling her eyes, she turns around, and takes hold of my arm. “Oh, thank fuck, there’s a coffee shop. I need to run in and grab some caffeine.” As Cassidy starts making her way in that direction, my eyes are drawn back to a shopfront we just passed.
“You go in, I just need to run an errand. Can you grab me a coffee, and I’ll meet you there in five?”
“Yeah, sure. Don’t take too long, though, I want to get home and start baking.”
“Five minutes, Crazy. Learn some patience, babe.” Her eyes narrow into a glare, but she remains silent as she walks into the shop. Hauling ass, I turn around and make my way back in the direction we just came. Entering the little store, I head straight to the girl behind the counter. In just minutes I’m holding the handcrafted necklace I spotted in the window. It’s a small brushed silver disc with the image of a tiny dandelion with seeds blowing away, and the phrase “never stop making wishes” engraved on it. It’s both whimsical and hopeful, and reminded me of Cassidy immediately.
After impatiently waiting for the necklace to be wrapped, I pay and then take my time on the walk back, enjoying the sense of freedom. I need more days like this in my life.
I walk through the door to the coffee shop exactly five minutes later, and spot my girl immediately. Sitting at a table by the window, she is lost in herself, staring unseeingly at the crowd outside, twirling a strand of hair that’s fallen free, around a finger. She’s oblivious to my approach, and when I bend down and place a kiss on the curve of her neck, allowing my tongue to sneak out for a taste, she startles, whipping her head around with venom in her eyes.
“Whoa, easy there, tiger. It’s just me.”
“That’s a good way to get a face full of mace, Sunshine.” Her hand reaches up to stroke my cheek. “I would hate to hurt all that pretty.” She punctuates this with a gentle slap to the cheek.
“Smartass. I guess you don’t want the present I just got you.” I shrug. “Your loss.” I start to move away, but her response is immediate.
“Wait! I want a present! What’d you get me?” A huge grin is plastered across her face, and with a flourish I present her with the small gift wrapped in tissue paper. Cassidy squeals in delight, grabbing it from my hands and ripping the paper off.
When she has uncovered the necklace she stares at it, unblinking. I wait for the excitement, but instead her face drops, and her eyes glisten with tears. Using a finger, she lightly traces the image of the dandelion before she looks up at me, her face awash with anguish.
“I need to go.” With that, she gets up and makes her way out onto the street, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell just happened.
Cassidy
Keep it together, Jensen. Keep it fucking together.
My hand is on the door of the taxi when he catches up with me. He slides onto the seat right beside me, and I can feel his confusion just as clearly as I can feel my own. Today, for the first time, I wasn’t comparing him to a ghost. To a memory. Today, I was in the moment, and it felt fucking fantastic.
Then he had to go and ruin it with that motherfucking necklace. And I can’t even be pissed at him. The expression on his face when he offered me that gift was enough to heal my broken heart. Before shattering it all over again.
The only words spoken throughout the drive is my address, and my body is wound tight. I spend the entire ride with my forehead pressed against the window, playing with a lock of hair and watching the world speed past in a blur.
Memories are crowding my mind, a highlight reel of my time with Aidan playing on a loop, creating a tightness in my chest.
I’ve spent the last nine years searching for that connection I felt with him. So why, when I’ve finally found it, do I feel as though I’m betraying him?
Finally, my apartment building appears up ahead and I feel my shoulders sag in relief, knowing the comfort of my home is within reach.
Minutes later we are making our way inside when his hand takes mine, and I glance down to see our fingers laced together. A warmth runs through my body and I feel my fingers instinctively squeeze, attempting to offer him some comfort as regret seeps into my consciousness.
Fuck. I’m a complete cuntmuffin. And I have some explaining to do.
My hand shakes slightly as I unlock the door and as we enter, the familiar scent of vanilla sweetness hits me, and strong arms wrap me up tight.
“Talk, Crazy.” His voice is low, and his breath tickles my ear, causing a tingle to travel down my spine. “If you’re going to live up to your nickname, I at least want to know what I did.”
I turn in his arms, looking up into those hazel eyes that hold nothing but concern right now. “I’m sorry.”
My breath catches as my legs are yanked up, and I’m in Mason’s arms as he carries me across the room, dropping my ass on the kitchen counter.
“Don’t be sorry. Just tell me what happened.”
“Ugh, Jesus, I had a meltdown, okay? If I told you I was experiencing my own personal Red Wedding would you let it slide?” His face squints in confusion, before realization dawns and it morphs into a look of disgust.
“That is a fucking nasty euphemism, Cass. And no, I wouldn’t. So start talking.”
Taking a deep breath, I prepare to expose myself to him. And not in the fun way. “Dandelions were my favorite flowers. Behind my parent’s house there is this little park, and it’s full of wildflowers. I always loved the dandelions best, because they were my favorite color, but also because they didn’t die like all of the other flowers. Instead they turned into wish fairies.” Mason quirks an eyebrow. “Hey, don’t judge, I was a kid! I don’t know how many hours I spent wishing on those damn weeds. But I swear there were times it worked. That’s how I got my baby sister, you know.”
His forehead meets mine. “Is that so?”
“Yep, Layla owes her life to me. Although she’s not nearly grateful enough if you ask me.” His laugh echoes throughout the room.
“Okay, I’m with you so far. But I’m still not understanding why me giving you the necklace, made you sad.”
“I was on the phone to Aidan when his car crashed. He had called me to tell me he had left something for me. The sounds of the car—” I cut myself off as my throat closes up and tears threaten. The voices of those boys still haunt me. The fear and anguish; I heard it all. And there are moments still, when I am crushed under the weight of my own fear, the memory of their cries mingle with mine and I struggle to breathe.
“Baby.” Hands tangle in my hair, the sensation bringing me back to the present. “I can’t even imagine what that was like, I’m so sorry.” I lift my head slightly until my lips are almost touching his.
“He had left me dandelions. That’s why he had called.” His eyes close briefly at this, before opening and meeting mine.
“I’m sorry I made you sad, baby.”
“You make me a lot of things, Mason. There are times I want to love you, times I want to murder you, and then there are times I want to fuck your brains out. But you have never once made me sad.” Kissing his nose, I add, “Believe dat.”
“Believe dat?”
“Believe dat.”
His mouth quirks up before meeting mine in a searing kiss, his lips soft as they move against mine. The combination of his cologne, and the taste of sweetness that still lingers on his tongue, overwhelms me in a heady rush of sensations.
There’s an urgency in our touch, his hands still fisted in my hair, p
ulling me closer in an attempt to deepen our kiss while my hands roam over his broad chest.
Breaking away, Mason eyes me with lewd intent in his eye, sending my girlie bits all aflutter.
Then in a flash we are a frenzy of movement, clothes being tossed carelessly. I maneuver my leggings and panties down, while Mason works his zipper down, and pulls his cock free.
I watch his hand as he strokes himself roughly, my eyes drawn to the muscles twitching in his forearm, and the effect it has on his tattoos.
“You planning on finishing the job yourself, Sunshine, because this is quite a show.”
“Baby, I am going to fuck you now, but if you don’t watch that smart mouth of yours, I’ll fuck that instead of your pussy. You want that?” The wetness I can feel coat my thighs makes it pretty fucking clear that Princess would be mighty miffed if I blew her chance of riding the d-train right now, so I keep my mouth shut.
Stepping into me, he thrusts forward forcefully, pounding into me in the most heart stopping way.
Arching up, my mouth clashes with his as my hand slides over his ass, pulling him closer. I can never seem to get close enough.
His hands have settled on my hips, and he pulls me toward him, meeting him thrust for thrust. The sound of our bodies slamming into each other is almost enough to tip me over the edge, and when Mason’s fingers close around my nipple, tweaking the barbell there, and his raspy voice whispers, “Scream for me, Crazy.” I do just that.
“You seem happy, CJ.” The cutlery clatters as we set the table, and I meet my baby sister’s eyes across the table.
“Thanks, bub, I am. I think I might have actually met my match. He definitely keeps me on my toes.” My nose scrunches in good humor, and Layla giggles.
“How long has it been now?”
“Officially? A month, but it feels like longer.”
“I like seeing you like this. I’ve missed it.” Her voice is soft, and I pull her in for a tight hug.
“What about you, Lay? Is everything working itself out with the Ethan situation? You know I’ll kick his ass for you, right? I don’t care how long I’ve known him.” I feel my shackles rise at the idea of someone hurting her. She has the sweetest heart of anyone I know.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Please?”
“Cassidy!” My mom’s voice interrupts us, so I give Layla a reprieve.
“What?”
Mom enters the room, tucking a strand of pale blonde hair behind her ear. “There’s no need to yell, sweet thing. Make us a jug of margaritas, please. Layla, your father needs some help at the grill, but he refuses to let me near it. Can you give him a hand, love?”
“Sure thing, Mom.”
“I’m just going to run to the shops, your father needs beer apparently.” She rolls her eyes in mock frustration and I laugh as she grabs her purse, and leaves me alone.
Ten minutes later I’m finishing up the cocktails when my phone rings and a picture of Mason’s delicious ding-a-ling lights up my screen. Yeah, he’s going to kill me when he finds out about that.
“Wassup, buttercup?”
“Hey, Crazy, how’s your day going?”
“Fan-fucking-tastic. I’m about to start day drinking, which is obvs one of my favorite things. What time do you think you’ll get here?”
“Baby.” I can already tell from his tone that I’m not going to like what comes next. “I’m sorry, but the company’s lawyer has asked for an emergency meeting about this Thompson shitshow. I’m not going to be able to make it.”
“Oh.” The disappointment is like a punch to the gut, but I know this can’t be helped. Mason wouldn’t bail unless he had no choice. “That’s okay. But I thought everything had been finalized with that account?”
I hear his sigh through the phone line, and I can just imagine him leaning back in his desk chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
“So did I. The last we heard we were given the go ahead, and everything was supposed to be moving forward. But, apparently, he has some fucking issue with the wording. So, Stella and I are going to try and salvage it.”
“Stella? Is that the Stella, Sunshine? Should I be worried?”
“You have nothing to worry about, baby.” There’s a pause and then I can hear a muffled voice in the background. “Cass, I have to go. Can you let your parents know how sorry I am?”
“Of course, don’t worry about it, babe, they’ll understand.”
“I love you, Crazy. I’ll come to yours when I’m done, okay?”
“Don’t be too late, or I’ll trade your cock in for my BOB, ‘kay? I love you, bye-eee!” And I hang up on him before he can respond.
Wait what did I just say to him?
“Do I even wanna know?” I spin around and come face to face with Layla.
“Uh, no probably not,” I reply, shrugging, and doing my best to shake off the shock I feel. “Mason can’t make it. Work shit came up.” Her face drops, but she recovers quickly.
“Bummer, but these things happen when you’re dating an important businessman, I guess.”
“Oh my god, do not call him that to his face, his ego doesn’t need any extra inflation. Now, let’s get our day drink on!”
Hours later I am making my way up to the seventy-fourth floor offices with a red velvet cupcake in my hand and thoughts of desk sex on my mind.
The offices are quiet tonight, which is unusual. Annoying workaholics can normally be found working around the clock. And yes, I am including my boyfriend in that group.
Turning the corner, I have only made it a few feet when a woman I assume is Stella, exits Mason’s office, adjusting her bra. Looking up she catches my eye, and I swear I see a flicker of a smile cross her face, but it’s gone before I can be sure.
Walking toward her I take in her petite frame. Her long chestnut hair falls straight down her back, looking sleek and stylish, while the LBD she’s wearing straddles the line of business-like and sexy. She walks with an alluring sway to her hips, and the confidence of a woman who knows exactly how beautiful she is.
The sound of a cell phone ringing fills the air, and Stella pulls out her phone, answering it in an abrupt tone. Her voice is strong, and loud enough that I can hear her, even though she is still a distance away.
“Tre, I want you to schedule a conference call with Thompson tomorrow, I think I’ve figured out how to deal with the asshole once and for all. And Mason is emailing through a doc that I’ll need on my desk first thing.” She pauses briefly, listening to the voice on the other end of the line, and then laughs quietly. “Absolutely. Bouncing on that man’s dick is enough to cheer anyone up.” She is right in front of me when these words fall out of her stupid, pouty mouth. And then the bitch winks at me. Fucking. Winks.
She obviously has no idea who I am, because her steps don’t falter, and she continues down the corridor without a look back, while I stand there stupefied.
I watch her until she disappears from view, and then coming to my senses, I turn on my heel and storm toward what tomorrow will be known as the site of Mason Alexander’s death.
Bursting through the door, I don’t even bother trying to control my level of pissed off. “Did you fuck that sluttinator, Sunshine? Do I need to cut your dick off? Because I’ll do it, fuckmunch, don’t doubt that for a second.”
Mason looks up from his desk, where he’s hunched over a pile of documents, with a look of confusion.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Did. You. Fuck. The. Lawyer.” I hiss out each word.
“Stella? No, of course not. Why the hell would you even ask that?”
“Because she was just on the phone bragging about bouncing on your dick, that’s why, asswipe.”
He pushes away from his desk, and storms over to me, forcing me backward until I hit the wall where he pins me with his hips and cages me between his arms.
“Enough. I did not fuck Stella. Look around, Crazy. Does this room look like anyone just had sex i
n here?” He leans down and brushes his nose along my neck. “Does it smell like someone just had sex in here?”
Looking around, I have to admit he has a point.
“Eyes on me.” His voice is demanding, challenging me. “I am not a cheater, Cassidy. Don’t ever question that.”
My body slumps as the adrenaline leaves my body, but he catches me. Metaphorically, as well as literally.
“I told her about us tonight. Not who you are, obviously, but that I was involved with someone. She was pissed. Of course. I’m a fucking good lay.” He places a kiss on the tip of my nose, and I giggle. When the hell did I become a giggler? I want to bitch slap myself so bad right now.
“I don’t know why she said what she said, but you have to know that you never need to worry about that. I’ll do plenty of things that you’ll want to kill me for, but fucking around isn’t one of them. Understood?”
“Understood.” The air is thick with tension, my chest is tight, and when he lays his forehead against mine, I blurt out, “I said I love you.”
“You did.” His voice is matter of fact, and I have no clue what he’s thinking.
“I was joking.” My voice is barely a whisper.
“Crazy?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.” His lips meet mine briefly. “And I’m not joking.”
A breath that I didn’t realize I was holding, rushes out of me, and I’m ready to jump him when his voice interrupts me.
“Was that for me?” My eyes follow his and I spot the cupcake where it must have fallen during my dramatic entrance.
“Yep.” The look of devastation on his face is priceless, and I have to fight a laugh. “I have more at home. Are you done here?”