Real Challenge (Atlanta #2) (38 page)

“You’re nervous?!” Cassie asked incredulously. “Mr. Confidence is
nervous
?”

“Shut up,” he smiled. “I’ll call after dinner. So what are your shifts for the rest of the week?”

The two had a nice dinner together, talking like an old married couple, when they thought about it. Cassie laughed and Scott shook his head again. “Thank you for dinner, darling. Would you like help with the dishes?”

“No, my love, put your feet up and let me bring you a brandy,” she role-played, barely able to hold in her giggles. “But seriously, yes, you can help with the dishes.”

They cleaned up their dinner and Scott reached for his phone. “Here goes nothing…”

He pulled her onto the couch with him and wrapped her up tight in his arms while he waited for his dad to pick up. After four excruciatingly long rings, Scott finally heard a deep, warm “Hello” at the other end of the line.
 

“Hey, dad,” Scott said.
 

“Scott! Good to hear from you, son. How are you?”

“Excellent. How are things in DC?”

“Same as ever. I’m juggling egos and getting people to put their money where I tell them to. How’s the world of accounting?” Roger Merchant asked.
 

“Funny you should mention that,” Scott said to his father, grinning at Cassie. “How about you get Mom on the phone, too. Is she home?”

“Yes, she’s right here, hold on.”

Scott and Cassie could both hear his echoey voice call as he held the phone away. A short moment later they heard Libby Merchant offer a warm greeting.
 

“How’s my favorite child?” she said with a smile in her voice.
 

“Since I’m your only child, that’s not much of a compliment, but I’m great, Mom. Thanks.”

The Merchants all went through a few more niceties and catch up moments before Scott’s dad brought the discussion back to accounting.
 

“Ok, Scott. No more question-dodging,” he said. “What’s up with accounting?”

“I don’t know anymore dad, because I quit my job yesterday.”

Cassie almost laughed at the silence on the other end. Finally his mother asked a quiet, “What?”

Scott chuckled. “This is good news. I accepted an offer from Georgia Tech. I’m tired of being away from the pool. I’ll be working full time as an instructor, I’ll be in charge of everything related to lifeguards, and I’ll have a position as an assistant coach on the college team. There’s plenty of opportunity for advancement, and I’ll never have to wear a business suit again.”

“Oh, Scott, I’m so happy for you,” his mother said excitedly.

“Wow. I didn’t see that one coming,” Roger said. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Absolutely. Cassie’s been a very good influence. I haven’t been this happy in a long time,” he said with a wink to her. “And speaking of Cassie, I have even more good news. I asked her to marry me. She said yes.”

Cassie heard his mother gasp and then laugh happily. “Oh, my baby boy! Congratulations! When do I get grandkids?”

“Geez, Mom,” Scott laughed. “At least let us get through the wedding first.”

“Congrats, Scott,” his dad said. “Do we get to meet her when we come visit?”

“Absolutely. She’s looking forward to it. And don’t freak out, but I already moved into her house. I’m obviously not going to earn as much at GT. I wouldn’t be able to afford my old apartment. Plus, we just wanted to be together.”

“Wow,” Scott’s dad said again, this time hesitantly. “This is already a done deal?”

“Yes…” Scott said, a crease of worry on his forehead.

“Then I guess I can’t say anything about it. You’re a grown man. I don’t like it, but I won’t cause a scene. I’m glad you sound happy,” he resigned.
 

“I’m with your dad on this one,” Libby Merchant said, almost scolding. “I wish you had waited, but I know I’m old-fashioned on that one. Congratulations, Scotty.”

“Thanks. I love you guys. So I’ll see you in…what, three weeks?”

“We can’t wait,” his mom said. “I love you.”

“You too, Mom. Bye Dad,” Scott said.

After one more final goodbye from each of his parents, Scott hit the end-call and grinned widely at Cassie. “See? I told you they’d be ok with all of it.”

Cassie smiled. “Already with the grandkids?”

Scott laughed. “She’s going to be obnoxious about that.”

“It’s kind of cute,” Cassie said. “They sound great. I can’t wait to meet them.”

Chapter Twenty

Later that week Cassie got a call from Marcus with details about the meeting with their dad. Marcus asked again if she was sure about going through with seeing him, and Cassie confirmed the need to resolve the relationship, but not to revive it.
 

“I need this Marc, even though I have no idea why,” she said. “I’m glad you’re going to be there. Did you convince Erin not to go?”

“Of course not. But not for lack of trying. She’s as overprotective about me as I am about her, I swear it. Drives me nuts,” he said with an obvious smile in his voice.
 

Cassie laughed at him. “Now you know how the rest of us feel.”

The group would meet with Gary Walker at the gazebo in a small community park near Cassie’s neighborhood. Cassie was beyond nervous, but relieved that she made her decision. Closure seemed suddenly important to her, particularly now that she was starting her life with Scott. She wanted to erase as much of her hateful past as she could.
 

When Scott got back from one of his last days of work at the accounting firm, Cassie met him at the door with a loving hug. Scott leaned down and kissed her head. “Let me get out of this suit before dinner. I can’t stand to dress like this anymore.”

Cassie looked up and smiled him. “You want help?”

With a gratuitous smile, Scott said, “Always.”

He took Cassie’s hand and led her to the bedroom. She used his tie to pull him into a passionate, loving kiss while she untied his windsor knot. Between the two of them, he was undressed in less than a minute. He pulled her out of her scrubs from her shift at the clinic and pushed her directly into the sheets.
 

“Do you want to play?” he asked her with a sweet smile before he worked his way across her neck with his lips.

“Play how?” she said, already breathy from his touch.

“Just answer: yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“Ok, then stay here,” he said with his dimpled grin. Scott went to the closet and pulled two of her scarves off the rack at the back of the closet. Cassie watched an ornery grin play across his face until he blindfolded her and she couldn’t see anything at all. He tied the second scarf around her wrists and pushed her hands over her head. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

Cassie waited with heated anticipation, listening to him shuffle around the room, and at one point he left completely. By the time he came back, Cassie was curious beyond measure and aroused simply by the idea of his game.
 

She felt the bed shift when his weight rested at the edge. Unable to use her vision, Cassie worked hard to discern what was going on. His weight left the bed again, and she heard him toying with her iPod and speakers. She heard what sounded like him lighting the scented candles beside her bed. Again she felt the bed shift, this time closer to her. He must have been right beside her, though he wasn’t touching her at all.

“Ok, Cass. I want every one of your senses on overdrive, except for sight, of course. Losing your vision will only make the rest stronger. Are you ready?”

Cassie simply nodded. The bed shifted again and yoga music filled the room. The volume was louder than usual, already adding the ‘overdrive’ effect he described. With that simple push of a button, the darkness was brought to life.
 

Scott spent time offering sensations to every aspect of her body. For scent, he had candles and scented massage oil. Her yoga music easily overwhelmed her sense of sound. Every minute or so he offered her a morsel of food, each different from the last, just to keep her sense of taste guessing. She was served a grape, chocolate, a mint, an airy cracker, and a slice of apple, among others.

With her eyes and hands bound, Cassie could do nothing but absorb every sensation he offered. The best of all, of course, was the sense of touch. Breaking only for the occasional bite of food or whisper of love, Scott spent decadent amounts of time using the scented oil to massage her entire body. He rubbed, kissed and licked across nearly every inch of her skin, spending time on each of her pulse points, and all the way down to the tips of her toes.
 

With the overwhelming sensory input surrounding every bit of her, Cassie could do little but moan and move in response. With her eyes covered, her body had to guess where the next sensation would come from and how it would be delivered. Scott had her writhing and gasping at the loving attention he gave to every part of her.
 

Then, with no warning, he entered her strongly, touching her nowhere else. Cassie instantly gasped and let a loud groan escape her chest. “Let me see you…,” she asked desperately.

Scott instantly pulled her blindfold off and smiled down at her. He rested more of himself along her body and pulled the scarf from her hands. The two moved together and Cassie reached climax so quickly. Every one of his actions had her entire body insanely sensitive to his touch. As he moved more desperately over her, she came again, her orgasm drawn out into rolling waves of pleasure throughout her entire body.
 

Scott watched her shatter below him, pushing him closer to powerful, ultimate release. He stroked and grunted and pulsed into her until he found his own release. “God, Cassie…”

He let his breathing slow as he rested over her and ran his fingers along her hair. He kissed her lovingly and leaned up to look her in the eye. “Hi,” he said sweetly.

“Hey,” she returned with a smile and a soft giggle. “You can play like that any time you want to.”

He chuckled and kissed her again. He rolled over and pulled her against his chest and draped his arm over her soft belly. He toyed with her onyx belly button gem and moved up to stroke her breast slowly. He let his hand play lazily along her body as he loved to do.

“So how was your day?” Cassie asked.

“Everyone at the office knows that my last day is next week. No one can believe it. I hardly believe it myself,” he said.
 

“I’m so excited for you. I even went to a real store for you today before my shift.”

“What? Not a thrift shop? What was the occasion for that?” he smiled.

“I figured you’d need some official GT-wear, so I went on campus and bought you two t-shirts, and then to the thrift shops to find matching shorts or sweats or whatever. I found more than I expected to. A lot of people must donate their old college stuff. It’s all in the washer right now.”

Scott leaned down and kissed her ear and pulled her tight against him. “Thank you, Cassie. That is the nicest thing you could have done for me. I can’t wait to say ‘I have to get dressed for work’ and put on a t-shirt and shorts.”

Cassie smiled. “Best. Thing. Ever.”

“So what about you?” Scott asked. “Anything new?”

“Uh, yeah. Marcus called,” she said, her smile fading. “We’re going to meet my dad on Sunday.”

“Are you ready for that?” he asked softly.

“I think so. But we’re going to have to do our Topless Matinee on Saturday,” she apologized.
 

Keeping things as light as possible, Scott smiled. “As long as we don’t skip it altogether.”

Cassie smiled softly with him. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about it, because we’re all going to be there. You’ll be fine. Do you know what you’re going to say to him yet?”

“I have no idea,” Cassie said, leaning her head back into his chest.
 

“It’s ok,” he replied. “From what I know, he should be the one doing all the talking.”

All four spent the next few days mentally prepping for the meeting with Cassie and Marcus’s dad. Each was apprehensive for a different reason. Scott worried about Cassie’s emotional reaction to seeing him. Cassie was terrified at the very thought of talking with him, but couldn’t back down. Erin didn’t want Marcus falling back into his world of rage, and Marcus was almost hoping for an excuse to beat his father to a pulp, but knew he couldn’t regardless.
 

Sunday at two they all met at Cassie’s house and piled into Scott’s SUV. Because of their height, Scott and Marcus both sat up front, but Cassie wished she could be holding Scott’s hand. Instead, she held Erin’s. Erin covered Cassie’s hand with both of hers and rubbed her knuckles reassuringly. Only a few minutes passed before Scott pulled into the lot of the little park.
 

Cassie took a deep breath, because sitting in the gazebo, already waiting, was her father. She stayed by the car and hugged herself. She hadn’t seen him in nearly eight years. Scott put his arm around her and Marcus stood directly in front of her, putting himself between Cassie and her father once again.
 

Erin held his hand and they all walked forward to the pretty wooden structure. Marcus noted how lovely the scene was…just like his farce of a childhood home. No pretty structure could mask their horrific experience anymore. Marcus was strong enough to deal rather than hide.
 

About five yards from the steps, Marcus turned to the other three. “Wait here. Give me a minute. You too, Erin,” he said when he saw her about to protest. “I’m only laying some ground rules.”

With that he walked the rest of the way to Gary Walker who stood up to meet him. Cassie could only see the back of Marcus’s head and the finger pointing into the face of her father. Gary walker appeared frustrated by Marcus’s comments but nodded. Her dad was apparently ready to meet on their terms. That didn’t make being near him any easier.

Marcus turned to them, also frustrated, and nodded. Cassie, Scott and Erin all walked up to the gazebo. No one sat on the benches. Tension reigned. Marcus remained between Cassie and their father, though a step to the side so she could see. He kept Erin behind him on the other side. Scott stood directly beside Cassie, keeping his hand around her waist.