His and Hers and Hers (2 page)

She leaped from the chair so quickly that Kyla jumped back. “What’re you doing?”

Cassie hurried to the tiny bathroom in back. “I want to see how it looks!” Pretending she couldn’t wait to see Kyla’s handiwork when she actually needed to get away from Ky before she did something stupid.

“I haven’t finished—” Kyla began.

Cassie stopped short at the sight of herself in the cloudy mirror over the sink. The golden-brown eye shadow Kyla applied emphasized her pale blue eyes, opening them up. Cassie would never have used such a bright shade of lipstick, but again Kyla’s choice was just right. “Wow. I look…pretty.”

Kyla’s reflection appeared beside her. “You
are
pretty.” Their eyes met in the mirror, and Cassie’s insides trembled. The moment stretched as they stared at each other in the glass, but was broken when Jordan called, “Hey, let me see!”

Kyla grabbed Cassie’s hand and pulled her out of the bathroom. “Here’s our girl,” the buxom brunette announced, twirling Cassie through the curtains into the main part of the store. Getting into the spirit of things, Cassie whirled a few more times past the glass jewelry case and the shoe display. She dizzily bumped into Jordan.

“Whoa!” He laughed and grasped her shoulders to steady her. His green gaze ignited as he took in her new look. “Whoa. I hope this guy, whoever he is, knows how lucky he is.”

Cassie rolled her eyes, trying to hide her reaction to Jordan’s compliment. How it warmed her.

A moment of silence enclosed them in a bubble until Kyla spoke. “What’s his name again?”

“Sullivan Markham,” Cassie answered. “But everyone calls him Sully.”

“Sully,” Jordan repeated under his breath, almost mockingly. Cassie shot him a puzzled look.

Kyla smiled and shook her head. “Let’s go. We don’t want to keep Sully waiting.”

Cassie put the day’s receipts in the safe, turned down the heat and cut the lights, and then locked the front door behind her. They walked down the darkened street of Rosemont, New York, with Jordan in the middle, the three of them linking arms.

“Look at that,” Ky remarked as they passed store windows displaying cornucopias and turkeys. “The Thanksgiving stuff’s already out, and it’s not even Halloween yet.”

“That’s how it always is,” Jordan said. “As soon as Halloween’s over, they’ll start with the Christmas stuff. Oops.” He steadied Cassie by grasping her elbow when she nearly stumbled over an uneven patch of sidewalk. “Careful, Cass.”

“Thanks.” The warmth of Jordan’s touch penetrated even through the thickness of her woolen coat. She felt warm all over, just being with him and Kyla.

A gaunt man in a long coat huddled between the Chinese restaurant and the Laundromat. He was someone most people would look away from, pretend not to see, but Cassie nodded and smiled at him. “Hi, Walter.”

Jordan held her arm a bit tighter when the man answered, “Hey, Cassie. Looking good tonight.”

“Thank you.” She reached into her purse, pulled out a couple of dollars, and handed them to Walter. “Mighty cold tonight. Got a place to stay?”

“Sure. I got a place at the mission on Scott Street. It’s okay.” He took the bills, his hand shaking noticeably. “Thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome. Stay warm.”

They were out of Walter’s earshot when Kyla said quietly, “You’ve got a soft heart, Cass.”

Jordan gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “You know he’ll probably just buy booze with that money.”

Cassie shrugged. “Maybe. But if he needs it that badly, I don’t begrudge him.” She pointed to her little Hyundai at the curb. “I’m right here.”

Jordan escorted her to the driver’s side door and opened it for her while Kyla waited on the sidewalk. “Have fun,” Kyla told her, giving her a little wave. Jordan once again wore his I-know-something-you-don’t-know smile. “Say hi to
Sully
for me,” he said as she slid into the driver’s seat. Before she could respond, he’d shut the door with a
thump.

Chapter Two

She should have known it wouldn’t end there.

Cassie entered The Hot Spot and immediately felt out of her element. When she went out for the occasional drink, she preferred low-key places. The Hot Spot was a meat market, especially on a Saturday night, and in Jilly’s outfit Cassie felt like sirloin on a butcher’s block. Well, at least she’d fit in with the crowd.

She fixed a big smile on her lipsticked mouth and took a deep breath. She was hot. Kyla had said so. So had Jordan.

Fake it till you make it
. With that as her mantra, she strutted to the bar, pushing aside her trepidation.

She recognized Sully right away, sitting at the bar, chatting with the pretty, dark-haired bartender. They’d exchanged pictures, and he was just as impressive in person. So good-looking, in fact, he was almost a caricature—square jaw, straight nose, and cleft chin. With his slicked-back hair and expensive-looking suit and silk tie, he looked every bit the marketing whiz he claimed to be.

Cassie approached and stood by, her smile slipping as he seemed in no hurry to cut short his conversation with the bartender. Finally she cleared her throat in order to have him acknowledge her. “Um, hi. Sully Markham? I’m Cassie. Cassie DeSantis.”

His eyes lasered on her, and it was as though the barmaid dematerialized. “Well, Cassie. Hello there.”

Hellooo there
. Just the way he said it made her picture some slimy character from an old porn film. He already had the slick hair and the leer; all he needed was a pencil-thin mustache.

Her stomach sank like the
Titanic
. She just knew this date was toast, but since she was here, it would be stupid to throw in the towel so soon.

Cassie smiled sickly and slid onto the bar stool as best she could in the tight skirt. “I knew you right away.”

He leaned toward her. “Well, I can’t make the same claim.” When he looked her up and down, it felt as though he was running clammy fingers over her skin. “I must say, your picture doesn’t do you justice.”

Jordan’s appreciative gaze made her shiver with arousal. This guy’s stare made her shudder with disgust.

She was even more creeped out when he touched her, stroked her hand. “What are you drinking, sweetheart?”

“Um, a screwdriver, please.” It was the first thing that popped into her head. One quick drink, and she was out of here.

“Mmm…” He drifted his fingers up her bare thigh, teased the hem of her skirt. “I’d like half that order, myself. The
screw
part…”

Huh? Was this guy for real, or did that kind of crap talk actually pass for flirtation lately? Sure, it had been a while since she’d been on any kind of a date, but she couldn’t believe she was that far out of the loop. She shifted so his hand fell away. Sully signaled the bartender, who was at the other end of the bar. When Cassie looked in that direction, she blinked in disbelief. Kyla and Jordan stood there, each holding a bottle of beer. Jordan tipped the mouth of his bottle in a brief salute while Kyla gave her a less than discreet thumbs-up.

She coughed. “Uh, I’m uh, excuse me, I just need to visit the ladies’ room.”

“Well, hurry back, honey.” Sully winked.

It was all she could do not to roll her eyes.
Blarf.

She carefully slid off the stool, hoping the skirt wouldn’t hike up to expose her bare ass to the entire bar. As she marched past her two friends, she gave Kyla the eye and muttered, “Bathroom. Now.”

Kyla’s eyebrows rose, and she handed her beer to Jordan. “Hold this.”

In the two-stall ladies’ room, Cassie pulled Kyla into the larger handicapped stall for a modicum of privacy. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

“What?” Kyla laughed. “Come on, Cass. We just wanted to make sure you weren’t stuck with a loser. I must say, you really hit the Powerball with that one. I mean he’s seriously hot! Okay, maybe he looks a little uptight in that suit, but I’m sure that once you get him out of it—” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Cassie wanted to tell her about the creepy vibe Sully gave off, but thought better of it. The date was already a bust. To confess her mistake to her best friend would make her feel that much more a loser. “Yeah, but how am I supposed to get anywhere with you and Jordan watching my every move?”

“Well, all right.” Kyla sighed. “We’ll just finish our drinks and go.”

“No. You’ll go now.” Cassie tried to be stern but soon folded. “Please? I’m nervous enough as it is.”

“Okay, fine.” Ky turned and led the way out of the stall. A woman primping in the mirror gave them an odd look as they passed, then shrugged as though she’d seen stranger things in public bathrooms.

Cassie gave Kyla a head start, and when she returned to the bar, both her friends were gone. She sighed in relief. Now all she had to do was think of an excuse to cut out early—one that wasn’t too lame.

Her date was again flirting with the bartender, going so far as to slip a bill into her cleavage. The woman didn’t object. Apparently Sully operated on the old chestnut “Out of sight, out of mind.”

That was it. Cassie decided she’d fall back on the old standby: the sudden headache.

The bartender drifted away, and as Cassie reached her seat, she began, “Uh, listen, Sully—”

A cell phone beeped. “Oops. That’s mine.” He snatched it from his pocket and swiveled away from her on the stool. “Excuse me, Cathy.”

“Sure.” She didn’t bother to correct his mistaking her name. She took a halfhearted sip of her screwdriver as he spoke loudly into his phone.

“Hello? Yeah. Uh-huh. Really? When did this happen? Oh my God. The hospital? Oh, that’s terrible. I’ll get there right away. No, don’t worry. You hang tight now. See you soon. Yeah. Bye-bye.”

Cassie eyed him curiously as he turned back her way, his face crumpled with worry. He ran his hand through his hair in a distracted movement. “God, I’m sorry, Cathy. I have to go.”

Instantly the dislike she felt for him became concern. “Something’s wrong?”

“It was my cousin on the phone. His mom’s in the hospital—a heart attack, they think, some kind of heart thing. My cousin’s a mess. Who can blame him? I’ve got to get over there. He shouldn’t be alone.“

“Of course. God, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can—”

“No, no. But thanks, that’s sweet.” Sully stood, let go a deep breath. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about this. You stay, finish your drink. All right? I’d feel terrible if this spoiled your evening too.” He quickly jammed his phone back in his pocket.

“Uh, all right…”

“Nice meeting you. You take care now.” He stalked away before she had a chance to say more. Cassie stirred her drink with the tiny plastic straw and took a sip. Sully must be a pretty decent guy to be so concerned about his aunt. Maybe she’d been too quick to judge him.

A suspicion, a misgiving,
something
crept icily up her spine and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Taking her drink with her, Cassie bobbed and weaved through the crowd of people on the make until she reached the large plate-glass windows looking out on the parking lot. There, next to a silver sedan, was Sully, nuzzling the neck of the dark-haired bartender.

Oh man, she’d been punked. The old
family emergency
shtick. And she’d fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.

She’d have laughed if it weren’t so pathetic. She’d been dumped by a guy she didn’t even like.

Time to head home.

“Miss! Excuse me, Miss!” It took a while for her to hear the voice over the loud chatter and blasting music. Even longer for Cassie to realize she was the one being addressed.

A young, ponytailed waitress waved a slip of paper at her. “The tab comes to eighteen dollars.”

Cassie blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

“Your drinks. Two 7 and 7’s and one screwdriver. The guy you were with? He said you’d pay.”

This time Cassie did laugh. The son of a bitch had stuck her with the tab.

* * * *

“Oh, God. Yeah, baby.” Jordan groaned as Kyla slid up and down on his hard cock. His fingers tightened on the generous globes of her ass. His vision grew fuzzy as his balls drew up tight to his body and fire raced up his spine. “I’m coming…God…”

“Come for me, babe.” Kyla worked her clit while her hips pistoned against his. “Oohhh…”

Coming down from his climax, Jordan marveled at Kyla’s beauty as she tossed her head back and followed him into orgasm. Her short, dark hair was mussed, her face and chest flushed. Her heavy breasts were ripe fruits, her large nipples the color of cocoa. As luscious as cocoa too. He loved her so much.

As her orgasm subsided, she slumped onto him, her forehead bumping his nose. They laughed and arranged themselves more comfortably, Kyla snuggling against his side.

She let go a long sigh. “That was fun.”

He palmed her hip. “Uh-huh.”

She rubbed her nose against his upper arm and gave him a little nip. “I wonder how Cassie’s date is going.”

Jordan winced as though wounded. “Ow. That’s what you were thinking about while we were doing it? Cassie’s date?”

“You gotta admit, he was pretty cute.”

“Ugh. He was a slickster, I could tell.”

“I’m telling her you said that.” Kyla elbowed him. “I hope she’s getting lucky, though. She should be. She looked good tonight, didn’t she?”

“You did a good job with her.”

She gave him the elbow again, a little harder. “You make it sound like she’s the ugly duckling.”

“Ouch. That’s not what I meant. No. She looked hot.”

Kyla lifted an eyebrow. “You should have seen her in that thong.”

His cock stirred at the image. He grabbed a handful of her ass. “You’re a bad girl.”

She caressed his dick, which should have been comatose after his explosive orgasm, but Kyla could always get him going. The little smirk on her full lips told him she knew it, too. “That gets you hot, doesn’t it?”

He wasn’t sure if she meant the image of Cassie in her thong or the way she stroked him. He pulled her on top of him, crushing her ample breasts against his chest. “You know what really makes me hot? The thought of both you beauties in some itty-bitty panties.”