by Sam Crescent
Tapping her fingers on the table, Cassie watched the happy couple, and was pleased she had come out, even if being here wasn’t exactly something she wanted to do.
“You know, I’ve always been a sucker for a woman on her own,” Slade said, dropping down beside her.
“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be picking up your next bedpost fling.”
He covered his heart, and looked all wounded. “I’m here to keep my little neighbor company. I was surprised to see you here.”
“Shocked that I could actually have some fun?”
“You got it. Totally surprised me.”
This caused her to giggle. “I can have some fun.”
He stared at her, and she really didn’t like what that look he was giving was doing to her body. “You can? How about having a dance?”
“I can dance.”
Slade held his hand out. “Then come on. It’s a party out there, and instead of being on the sidelines, let’s get in.”
She placed her hand in his, and within seconds she was on the dance-floor, laughing in his arms. At first, he held her hands, and they did a kind of two step. She was so busy laughing as they were stumbling over their own feet. She forgot everyone else on the dance-floor, as they were suddenly doing some kind of sixties dance with a twist and pull thing. When he pulled her against him, her back was to his front, and his hands were holding her close.
They were swaying their hips, and she was able to look out at the bar, seeing people watch them, and in that moment, she didn’t care.
“You know Chuck’s after a cook for his ranch, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry. I’m not easily smitten. I didn’t mind coming out on a date though. Sometimes it’s nice to dance.”
He turned her around, dropped her down with a spin so that her hair grazed the ground, and by the time she was up, chest against chest, the music had changed to a really slow number.
“I have to tell you something, Cassie,” he said.
“What is it?”
“I can’t dance.”
This she found so funny, and she threw her head back laughing. He joined her, and for at least a minute that was all they were doing.
“Well, for a terrible dancer, I’m having a good time. My feet don’t hurt at all. You’ve not stepped on them once.” She glanced down, and then smiled back up at him. “See, you’re not doing so bad. Don’t always be so hard on yourself.”
She was loving the feel of his arms being around her, and how much fun she was having. It didn’t matter that she was here on a date with someone else. Chuck had left her to have a cigarette, and Slade had asked her to dance. She found him really sweet for asking.
“I, erm, I struggle with men.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“The whole talking, and dealing with them, and having to … I don’t know. I guess I try to put on this show, and it can make me uncomfortable.”
“You don’t need to put on a show.”
“I don’t?” she asked.
“No. You can just be yourself, and guys will like you.”
Maybe it was the dancing, or the beers she had enjoyed, but Cassie didn’t know why she told him about Andrew. Yet she did.
“Before my last year of high school, I, erm, I fell in love with one of the guys at school. We’d been hanging out all summer, and he was so nice, and sweet. He told me that he loved me, and I’d never felt that way. He didn’t judge me, or at least I didn’t think he did. It had all been a lie.” Cassie looked at him. “I’ve struggled to trust anyone else after that.”
“I don’t blame you. Some kids are assholes.”
“I’ve made this really depressing.”
“You haven’t. I don’t think so. Thank you, Cassie, for trusting me with this. It means a lot to me.”
The song came to an end, and couples began to make their way onto the dance-floor.
“Thank you for the dance, Slade.”
She was leaving when he caught her arm, stopping her.
“Would you like to go shopping with me tomorrow?” he asked.
“Shopping?”
“I need to get my parents an anniversary present. I was thinking of taking a trip to the mall. You don’t drive, so if you’d like to go with me, the offer is still there.”
“That would be fantastic. I’ll be ready.”
She pulled away, and sat down in her seat. The stench of cigarette smoke was around Chuck, and she found it turned her stomach a little bit. She didn’t like cigarettes. Many of her mother’s lovers had been smokers. Once they had visited with her mother, fucked her, and stood outside to have a smoke, Cassie had seen them, looking all smug. At the time, she didn’t know they were having sex. The rocking of the caravan and her mother’s screams had been a game, or so her mother had told her.
“What were you and Slade talking about?” Jessica asked.
“Just some stuff.”
“You’ve got to be careful of Slade. He runs through women faster than pack of wolves chasing a bunny,” Chuck said.
She turned to Chuck. “We work together, and I’m aware of how he treats women.”
Chuck moved closer, and placed an arm across the back of her chair. “So, what do you think of a tour of the ranch?”
****
“How long have they been married?”
“Thirty-six years,” Slade said. He glanced over at Cassie, who was scrolling through her cell phone. She had just gotten a text, and he was curious about who she was texting. Instead of asking, he gritted his teeth.
“So it’s not a milestone or anything?”
“They’ve done the milestone, even though that was a relief in itself.” He always found himself cynical around his parents’ anniversary. Every year he tried not to be, yet it still happened.
“Why is it a relief?” she asked.
“Because they shouldn’t have gotten married. There are a lot of the times when I don’t think they even love each other. They put up with each other.”
“Thirty-six years is a long time to put up with each other.”
“They got married because my mom was pregnant with me.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“So you’re thirty-six. Ha, I never knew.”
He found this funny. “You didn’t know my age.”
“Nope.”
Slade knew her age, and her date of birth, along with the fact that she loved daisies. There were so many growing in her garden, and he had watched her stroke the cute flowers. They were not the small plants either, but the large ones with the huge blossoms.
“They must love each other to still be together.”
“My father has had numerous affairs,” Slade said. Just saying the words out loud left a bad taste in his mouth. “He didn’t love her enough to keep it in his pants.”
“And your mother forgave him?”
Slade sighed. “She didn’t want me growing up without a father. I don’t know. There were so many times that I asked her to just cut and run. She didn’t need to stay in a loveless marriage because of me, but she stayed.”
“I guess that means she loves him even if you don’t see it.”
“My mother is quite the looker. When I saw men flirting with her, it’s crazy, but I hoped she’d step out on my father, just so he could have a taste of what he did to her.” Slade shrugged. “She never did.”
“Is this why you sleep with random women?”
“There’s no sleeping involved.”
This had her chuckling. “Sorry, screw random women.”
“Your experience with Andrew keeps men at arms’ length.”
“I’m not judging you, Slade. Just trying to make sense of who you are. You like sleeping with women, I prefer baking and reading. We all have our ways of coping.”
“Your way must be very lonely,” he said.
“And yours is any better?” she asked.
“I have sex. That’s intimate, clos
e.”
“You screw them. I’m not a virgin, Slade. I know there are many different ways to fuck, and many different positions. There are also some that mean you’re not close at all. It’s just an action, mechanical even. Besides, screwing doesn’t make for a connection. Time spent, and enjoying each other, the foreplay in between sex, that’s the real deal.”
“Now you’re quoting one of your romance books?” Slade wasn’t entirely sure if he was right or not.
“I’m not. I truly believe that sex isn’t just about the whole fucking thing. I think it’s about building up. The foreplay.”
“This coming from a woman who won’t let a guy near her?” he asked.
She laughed. “I’ve let you, Chuck, and Daniel near me. And there’s William of course.”
“I’m talking about men who’d get through that icy exterior you like to keep so much.”
“Don’t worry, Slade, you don’t have to do that with me. I can take care of myself.”
He glanced over at her as she put her cell phone away.
“Who keeps texting you?”
“Chuck. He wants me to take a tour of his ranch. I told him another time and that I was busy with a friend.”
Slade liked that. She had blown off the other guy to spend time with him.
“Did you find any women to give you a good time last night?” she asked.
“Why are we talking about this?”
“You asked about Chuck, and with our newfound friendship, I think it’s only fair that we share.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Besides, you know how my night was.”
Chuck had offered to drive her home, and she’d accepted. Slade had also arrived at the same time, and he’d made a big show of waving, putting his trash out, and by the time he got into his home, she had already been inside.
“And you know how my night ended. No woman came home with me.” He didn’t want to think about the why either.
There hadn’t been a woman who interested him. When he wasn’t talking with Bethany behind the bar, he’d been watching Cassie. He’d not liked the feeling of watching Chuck dance with her. Many times while they’d been dancing, he’d wanted to snatch her out of the fucker’s arms.
Finally making it to the mall, he parked on the top carpark where the sun was beaming down.
Cassie was wearing a summer dress, and when he’d seen her this morning, he’d been shocked by how beautiful she’d looked. Her long brown hair was down, and her face was free of makeup. To him, she had still looked so utterly beautiful.
“Do you have any ideas for your parents?” she asked, closing the door, and placing her bag over her shoulder.
“A divorce lawyer.”
“What about a picture frame, or some kind of trinket to mark the occasion?”
“I usually send them a figurine of couples dancing.” He rubbed the back of his head as they entered the busy shopping mall. “Actually, there’s something else I want to ask you.”
“Go ahead. You have my complete attention.”
“My parents are having a meal, and they’ve invited me along. I don’t want to go alone, and seeing as we’re friends and all, would you come to my parents’ anniversary dinner?” he asked.
“Are you sure? Isn’t an anniversary dinner a more personal affair?”
“If you don’t come there is a chance it will just blow with how prim and proper they are. It’s like they want some big applause for their achievement.”
“And you don’t think they deserve it?”
“I don’t. They got married, and it has been up to them to stick it out. I don’t like it.”
She sighed. “You’re really pushing this new friendship to the limit, but I’m not the kind to see a friend suffer, so you’ve got it. I will be there.”
“Great. I’ll let them know there will be a plus one.”
Cassie chuckled. “Well, if we’re going to be there together, we’re going to get them something decent. What about a waffle maker?” she asked.
“I think that’s what you give to newly married couples, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been married, and I don’t intend to.” She grabbed his hand, and before he knew where they were, they were in a cooking shop.
“My mom has all the stuff she needs for her kitchen.”
“I don’t, and I happen to have broken my spatula so I need a replacement.”
“You’re hijacking my mall trip?” he asked, watching as she grabbed a basket.
“Do you have anything more important to do for the rest of the day?”
“Nope. I can’t say that I do.”
She handed him the basket. “Then be a good man, and hold this.” He watched as she put a pie plate, three spatulas, two lots of baking tins, and finally some kind of parchment paper inside.
He had never seen so much excitement on a woman’s face before just because she was shopping for her kitchen.
“Right, now that I’ve done that, any ideas?”
They stopped at a jewelry store, and Slade forced her inside. He couldn’t believe how she turned her nose up at the beautiful pieces.
“Every woman loves diamonds,” he said.
“I’m not most people.” She moved to a box of engagement rings, and she looked across them. There were several beautiful diamonds.
“Are you looking for something particular?” the lady behind the counter asked. Her name tag said Jules.
“No. We’re just looking,” Cassie said.
“This is not our only selection of engagement rings. If your fiancée would like, I could show her more pieces.” Jules looked at him as she spoke.
“We’re not—”
He placed his arm across her shoulders, pulling her in close. “We’d love to see whatever you have to show us. Only the best for my girl.”
The woman smiled, and left them.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m having fun. You know it’s that thing you do when you have a laugh?”
“I know what fun is all about. Why waste time like this? We’re not engaged, and we’re never going to be.”
“Now you’re just breaking my heart. Don’t ever presume our fate. We’ll always get it wrong. Come on, you can’t tell me some of these are pretty.”
She looked at the cases, and shook her head. “They’re pretty, but they’re for women that are with boyfriends, or engaged.”
“Then for one morning, you’re going to pretend.” He stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”
Chapter Six
Slade wasted an hour in the jewelry story making her try on piece after piece after piece. Cassie wasn’t and never would be a jewelry girl. At least, never again. There were a few rings she had liked, and they had felt amazing on her finger. Andrew had used jewels and told her every woman loves them. She refused to be drawn by such lies again.
She wasn’t in love with Andrew. Yes, he’d broken her heart, but he had also taught her some valuable lessons in life, and they were lessons she intended to stick to.
Taking a fry, she popped it into her mouth, and refused to look at the man opposite her.
“Are you still pissed at me?”
Cassie ignored him.
“Look, it was just a little fun.”
Again, she ignored him.
“We made that woman’s day.”
Finally, she glared at him. “Telling her that you’d invite her to our wedding was not funny, Slade. I don’t like lying, and what you did was just plain old stupid.”
“I didn’t pick the ring, now did I? You liked the large diamond with little stars in the band.”
She stuffed another fry into her mouth, and glared. “Is everything such a game to you?”
“It’s not a game. Not really. I don’t see anything wrong with having a bit of fun.”
“I didn’t think it was funny.”
He pointed his own fry at her. “I’m getting that
. You’re very uptight. Have you ever just let loose?”
“Yes, I have. I got a broken heart, and mocked every time I walked down the school hall. Believe me, I know what it’s like, and I don’t intend to relive the experience.” She dipped her fry into some ketchup, and took a bite, releasing a sigh.
“Not every single guy is like Andrew.”
“I know that.”
He reached out and took her hand. “I want you to believe it. I know I have fun with these women, and you think I’m an asshole, but I never promise them more.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. I mean, yeah, I thought it was cruel, but I can see you’re not a complete ass.” She stared down at her plate. “I just … I guess I still let what Andrew did to me rule some of my decisions.”
“Have you ever been with a man other than him?”
Her cheeks heated even though she didn’t want them to. She shook her head. “No.”
“I don’t know what it must have been like to be a girl in high school like that.”
She shrugged. “The school hallways were the worst. I hated it more than anything else. They would pin panties to my locker, and words like slut, and whore. Trailer trash pussy. I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. If it wasn’t for Jessica and William, I wouldn’t have gotten through that last year. In the beginning when I saw Andrew, he’d always have a new girl on his arm. He’d make sure that I knew he was having a much better time with her than he ever would with me.”
“This guy sounds like a total fucking jerk.”
“He was, and he is. His parents own half the town.”
“Do you still love him?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t even think it was love back then. I think I was infatuated with him. He made me feel special, and with a father like Bill, well, it was hard to ignore that.” He stroked her hand, and she smiled over at him. “Thank you, for listening to me.”
“I think if I ever see this Andrew, I’m going to beat the shit out of him.”
“He’s not worth it. By the end of the school year, I had no feelings for him. I’d look at him, and instead of feeling hurt or heartbroken, the mere sight of him pissed me off. It was like I had finally woken up to the loser that he was. It was just too late.”