Chapter 10
Ivan
My brother Owen had come home yesterday. I had forgotten all about it, so Mom and I got busy preparing a special lunch because this was our first time to be all together after a long time. Actually, it was our first family reunion since Dad’s funeral.
That unfortunate incident in our lives had left Owen upset and he had been having trouble coping in college, always falling behind in his courses and needing to repeat some of them. It was a miracle he hasn’t been kicked out yet.
He had always been closer to Dad, while I had been a pet of Mom’s. I guess it was harder for him when Dad passed away.
His arrival had also been the perfect excuse for me not to see Cassy the whole day yesterday. I just didn’t know what to expect. It’s strange how a single night together was bothering me so much. I’ve had my fair share of one night stands in the past, but I was sure that the situation now was entirely different. Cassy was different.
“Are you going to Ellen’s today?” Mom asked during breakfast.
“Uh, yeah,” I said. I had made a promise to help out the elderly woman, plus I really could use the extra money too.
I thought of Cassy’s dad then and my deal with him. That was another reason I couldn’t quit my job at that farm.
I wonder how he’d react if he knew what had happened. He’d probably have me killed. Instead of shaping up his daughter, I might just be another bad influence in her life after all.
The thought had kept returning to me for the past 24 hours, pushing me to call off the deal. But seeing my mom and my brother together stopped me from calling Mr. Young. I needed the money. I would just have to step back a bit and draw a line when it came to my relationship with Cassy.
“Hey, Ivan,” Mom called as I got into my car. “Invite Ellen and her niece over for dinner tomorrow night.”
I wanted to say no, but she looked so eager. I simply nodded and drove off.
When I got to Ellen Young’s farm, I was both disappointed and relieved to discover that Cassy wasn’t around.
“I told her to take the day off because she worked so hard yesterday and woke up looking like a zombie this morning,” Miss Young said, shaking her head, but looking proud. “I must say she has really changed a lot in such a short time.”
“That’s good,” I agreed, a part of me feeling proud too of what Cassy had achieved. “So what’s going to happen after this sentence is over?”
“Sentence?” the elderly woman repeated with a look of surprise. Then she chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous, young man. It’s not a sentence at all. Let’s just say it’s her father’s way of disciplining her.”
“Right,” I said, not wanting to argue anymore. It still sounded like a sentence to me.
“Well, if she keeps this up and doesn’t get into any trouble for the next few months, I think she’ll find herself flying back to Windfield earlier than expected.”
I smiled. “She would love that,” I said, though I felt my heart growing heavy.
That morning, I did only light work around the farm. My heart wasn’t in it as I kept missing the insulting, annoying banter I usually had with Cassy.
Before I was scheduled to leave, Miss Young approached me. “Oh, Ivan,” she said. “Could you possibly be so kind as to pick up Cassy at The Creamery? Jenny said she has an appointment after lunch so Cassy was planning to just walk home.”
I felt something stir within me. The thought of seeing Cassy seemed to make me both excited and nervous. It was strange and at the same time hilarious.
“Sure thing, Miss Y,” I said, striding over to my car.
“Thank you!” the old lady said with a grateful smile.
“Don’t mention it,” I called with a wave, eager to see the beautiful woman who had me all twisted up.
The Creamery was surprisingly packed with teenagers. Perhaps school had ended early today due to some special activity or faculty meeting.
When I entered through the door, I tried to look over a bunch of guys, scanning the area for a sign of Cassy. No such luck.
“Hey, it’s you!” one of the guys suddenly exclaimed upon turning around in front of me. I gave him a quizzical look.
“It’s really you,” he said with an excited expression on his face. “The famous left tackle of the Windfield Warriors!”
His friends turned to me to and they began throwing questions and talking enthusiastically about the moves I made in the past that helped with our team’s victories. Some of them took selfies with me, which I was happy to submit to. I was back in the glory with raving fans swarming me. I had really missed this kind of treatment.
When the teenage boys finally moved away, several high school girls came up to me, flirting and taking photos too. Celebrity status certainly suited me as I basked in the attention and drank in the thrilled prattle and harmless advances from the pretty girls. One of them even had the gall to kiss me on the cheek and run a hand across my chest.
It was actually at that moment when I glanced to the left and caught sight of a familiar blond looking at me with a mixture of disgust and anger. In an instant, nothing mattered anymore except getting to her.
I excused myself from the girls and headed toward Cassy, who was fuming while holding a mannequin stand that was as tall as her.
“Hey, Cassy,” I greeted with a casual grin, trying to sound as normal as possible. “You seem to have made a new friend.” I gestured to the mannequin in an attempt to joke around.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, her blue-green eyes flashing with fury. I was suddenly reminded of how they’d lustfully gazed into mine that night at the barn.
“It’s a free country, isn’t it?” I said just to annoy her further. “What does it look like? I’m just having some fun.”
“Seems like something you’re good at,” she said sarcastically, looking like she was trying to keep calm. She gave the teenage girls a killer glance then.
“Jealous?” I teased before I could stop myself. “Told you I’m a big star in the city. Apparently here too.”
“Jealous?” Cassy scoffed. “You wish.” She began to drag the mannequin outside. “Anyway, I really have to get home now. I’ve got a lot to work on.”
“Where’s Jenny?” I wondered, following her outside. “And how did you buy that mannequin? It must be pricey.”
“None of your---“ she began to say.
“None of my business,” I cut her off. “As you always say.”
She glared at me then. “Just leave me alone.”
“You’re really going to walk home with that?” I asked incredulously with a chuckle. It seemed to infuriate her more.
“Just go back to your groupies,” Cassy told me. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah, well, they’re better company than you are,” I said without thinking. The retort came out of my mouth naturally, as I had gotten used to bantering with her this way.
I’m not sure if that was hurt that flashed in her eyes or not, but she quickly turned around and began walking away, struggling to carry the mannequin stand and an expensive-looking bag on her other arm.
I watched her walk away in half-fascination and half-irritation. The gentle, subtle sway of her hips seemed to seduce me, harking back the memory of her naked body grinding against mine. Her long blond hair rocked from left to right and back, which made me recall how the wisps and curls had tickled my skin as we passionately kissed.
She was moving away fast, considering the fact that she was wearing platform shoes that made her legs appear longer and sexier. Clad in a pair of cutoff shorts, I remembered how those legs had straddled me and how the smooth, supple skin had felt under my touch.
It was only pride that was keeping my feet planted on the ground when in fact, I wanted to run after her. I found myself at a loss because this was all new to me. No other woman had disturbed me like this ever.
She never looked back once. I guess that was something we had in common--- pride. And so when she was just a tiny dot on the side of the road, I hopped onto my car and drove toward her.
As I neared her, I saw that she was already moving very slow and seemed to be sweating profusely too. It was one of those hot afternoons, unfortunately. She actually paused for a while to stretch her arms and legs.
I slowed down and pulled over to the side. Opening the window of the passenger’s side, I called out, “Still got the energy?”
She stopped moving and glared at me. “Go home and stare at your reflection or something,” she snapped. “I have better things to do than waste time conversing with a jerk like you.”
Ouch, that was harsh.
Chuckling, I continued to drive at a slow pace to follow her as she walked again. “Go away, Ivan,” she said without looking at me. This time, her voice sounded calmer and more even.
I ignored her of course and just kept on driving. “You know, this is also a waste of my time, Cassy. You think I enjoy putting up with a spoiled little brat who was sentenced to this town? I promised your aunt I’d get you home safe and sound.”
She actually stopped walking to face me with hands on her hips. The hurt look in her eyes triggered something within me. In a quiet, serious voice, she said, “Just tell my aunt I kicked your ass.”
I almost laughed at her stubbornness and fiery demeanor, if not for the wounded expression on her face. I had hit her where it hurt the most. At that moment, I just wanted to embrace and comfort her. In one hasty movement, I parked the car and got out to follow her.
I grabbed her hand and turned her around, the unexpected movement catching us both in surprise and causing her to lose her balance while the mannequin began to fall. My reflexes kicked in, one hand catching the stand while the other enfolding her waist to steady her.
We stood face to face in very close proximity. My breathing came in hard and quick. I was so attracted to this woman that I wanted to take her right there on the hood of my car. I had it really bad.
Out of the blue, I felt raindrops falling from the sky, coming down fast. We both looked up. The sky was dark with gray clouds gathering quickly, getting ready to shower us with more rain.
A clap of thunder made us both jump. “Come on,” I said, ushering her to the car and stuffing the mannequin at the backseat. I climbed into the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition while the sky raged on.
We were both quiet on the way, perhaps deep in thought or unsure of what to say. I could feel the friction in the air, heavily interspersed with unsaid words and shrouded emotions.
The silence was deafening. Neither one of us made an attempt to break it, not until we got to the farm. I parked in the front yard but sat there quietly, thinking of my next move. Only the loud spatter of rain around us could be heard.
Cassy looked outside. It was still raining very hard. She turned to me and finally spoke. “Do you have an umbrella? I’m fine, but I don’t want my mannequin stand to get ruined.”
“Let’s wait until the rain subsides a bit,” I answered.
She leaned back on the seat, crossed her arms over her chest, and sighed. “Fine.”
It was my chance to make conversation. Perhaps a serious one, this time, without arrogant remarks or nasty quips.
“About the other night…” I began.
“That’s nothing,” she immediately dismissed. “We both had a little too much to drink, that’s all. It doesn’t have to change things. I’m sure you do it all the time, anyway.”
I didn’t try to correct that. I should have told her this was different, but I didn’t. She was different than the others.
But since she was shelving the issue, I didn’t want to push it. Besides, it probably didn’t mean anything. She had a point. We just got carried away, fired up by the effect of alcohol.
“So Miss Young thinks you’re making a lot of progress on the farm,” I said, changing the topic and initiating another conversation.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Are you gonna take credit for that?”
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.