Sunday, October 16, 2016

Liberty #64: The Original of Cassandra, Part One

1.
I had just received the call when I saw her being led down the aisle to the cubicle next to mine. I saw her name tag go up earlier this morning and was intrigued from the start. Cassandra was a name you saw only in stories, not in real life. I was curious to see this mythical creature.

She was short with long raven hair, her round face held big, saucer eyes, a small nose, tiny pursed lips, and a strong yet soft chin with barely a hint of a divot in it. The way she walked also caught my attention—it was almost like she was floating but the curvy parts of her body—hips, stomach and breasts—jiggled sensually.

I turned back to my computer screen when she got closer, I was distracted by her and was messing up on my phone call. I quickly and professionally completed the call then dialed some buttons on the phone to go into a break. I stood up and looked over the cubicle wall. Cassandra was putting on her headset and logging into her computer.

“Hi,” I began. “Welcome to work. I’m Brian.”

“Cassandra,” she said sweetly and smiled when she looked at me. She got a couple of pictures and some pins out of her purse and hung them on the cubicle wall. One picture was of a cute, blond girl who was almost an exact copy of Cassandra. The other picture was of a tall man with the same girl in his arms and he was giving her a kiss.

“Who are they?” I asked, but already knew the answer.

“That’s my fiancĂ© and my daughter, Emily,” Cassandra answered. She began dialing into the phone so she could begin taking calls. I also dialed back in. “Adam and I have been together a little over two years. He proposed on our two year anniversary.”

“How old’s your daughter?”

“Emily is three.”

“Is Adam her dad or…?”

“No, Emily’s dad wants nothing to do with her. Adam’s been a great father to her though,” her phone lit up and a call came in. “Thank you for calling…”

I sat back down and a call came to me. As I answered, I grabbed a piece of paper and began writing on it: Cassandra, I’m just going to say it because otherwise it is going to get awkward but when I saw you walk down the aisle to your cubicle, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I know you are with someone so I hope that you won’t just write me off without considering the way I feel about you. Brian.

I folded up the paper tightly and tossed it over the cubicle wall. After a minute or so, while she was still on the phone, the paper flew back over the wall. I opened it up to see her response in a lilting purple ink. Brian, I am very flattered that you feel that way about me. It’s nice to know that I can still make at least one head turn. I would love to be friends if you are willing and able to put your feelings aside. Cassandra.

I finished my call, thought for moment and began writing a response. Yeah, I would love to be your friend but I am not going to put my feelings aside. I am going to be the most caring and loving friend you’ve ever had.

I tossed the paper back over and within seconds it came back over.

This probably isn’t going to end well but I look forward to it.




2.
John and Kerry were in close proximity to Cassandra and me at work so it was, of course, only natural that we became friends with them. Kerry and I didn’t quite get along mainly because she knew that I had ulterior motives to being friends with Cassandra and she did not approve of that.

The four of us were at a bar where an old supervisor of mine’s band was going to play. John and I were playing pool while Cassandra and Kerry watched. I was playing winner after Cassandra had lost.

“I’m going to get another beer,” Cassandra said, setting her pool cue down.

“I’ll join you,” Kerry followed. “I got next.”

After the girls had left, John looked at me. “I can’t believe it, man,” he shook his head.

“What?” I wondered.

“How are you doing this? You and Cassandra are, like, the best of friends now and you are showing no signs of interest in her.”

“I am keeping that pretty tightly locked up aren’t I? Honestly, it’s starting to become harder because I am falling in love with her. I’ve loved having her in my life these last few weeks. We talk to each other about everything.”

“Do you think she feels the same way?” John asked as he played, sinking one of the pool balls into the hole nearest me.

“I think so but she’s also keeping that locked up tight,” I sighed.

“Is Brian still going after you?” Kerry asked Cassandra as they waited for their beers. “I haven’t seen him do anything in a while.”

“I’ve really enjoyed our friendship and that’s the problem. I initially wasn’t interested but the closer we’ve gotten as friends, the more I have been wanting him as more than a friend,” Cassandra explained. “And it’s getting bad. A couple weeks ago, Adam and I were making love and all I could do was think about Brian and it made the sex even more intense. Then, last weekend, I was taking a bath and I started…” Cassandra pointed to her crotch.

“Hot,” Kerry joked.

“And I was thinking about Brian. I was starting to finish when I opened my eyes and saw Adam staring at me. I wanted to explain myself but instead we just did it against the wall of the bathroom.”

“Hotter,” Kerry nodded. “I think you need to make a choice, Cass. Which guy do you want? Which one makes you happier?”

“They both do, just in different ways,” Cassandra said. “I’m glad that we haven’t kissed because I don’t think I’d be able to let go.”




After the concert, Cassandra and I walked together to her car. It was a crisp night but I wasn’t covered up. Cassandra had on a big, fluffy, white coat. We walked close to each other and I tried my hardest not to take her hand in mine. We arrived at her car, parked a block away from the bar along the street.

As she was about to open the door, I turned her toward me and took her in my arms. I pressed her up against the car, despite the coat, I could feel her breasts against my ribs. “Have a good evening?”

“It was pretty fun,” she smiled shyly. “Although I like hanging out with you and John and Kerry. I’m not sure that was my kind of music though.”

“It’s not mine either,” I responded. “But I wanted to support my old supervisor. It’s crap that he was laid off.”

I moved closer to Cassandra, our lips only inches apart. “I should be going,” Cassandra said quietly, her lips parting and quivering slightly. “Adam is expecting me home.”

I leaned in and rubbed my cheek on hers. She gasped and a small moan escaped her lips. I took the car handle and opened the door. I rubbed Cassandra’s cheek with my other hand and she leaned in to meet it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I whispered. “Drive carefully.”

“Yeah,” she panted. “You, too.”




3.
Cassandra started work an hour after I did. Half an hour after she arrived, a note came over the cubicle wall and landed on my desk. We need to talk about last night.

I wrote a response: What wrong?

It’s about last night. I can’t do this to Adam any more. We need to figure out what’s going on between us.

We’re just friends. I wrote back.

“No, we’re not,” she exclaimed when we were in the break room. “We about kissed last night. Because of our friendship, I barely want Adam to touch me anymore because I want you to touch me. I want to kiss you. I want to make love to you.”

“I should go…” John said uneasily as he stood next to me. “I’ll see you at Ericka’s party tonight, right Brian?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you,” I said and went back to Cassandra. “I would’ve been more than happy dating you after I threw that first note over the wall but you chose friendship. You chose Adam.”

“I chose Adam because I am engaged to him. He’s being a father to my daughter. I can’t just throw out what Adam and I have been through, Brian.”

“I’m the one who’s getting hurt. At the end of the day, I’m home alone while you have Adam,” I said. “I can’t be friends with you anymore, Cassandra. I love you too much.”

“I love you, too,” she said quietly.

I left the break room and went back to my cubicle.




Radha was tall and skinny. She could be considered bony as her joints seemed to protrude from her body. Her black, curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail that made her eyes look bigger and made the crook of her nose more prominent.

We were sitting on the couch, he legs stretched across my lap and I was absent-mindedly massaging her feet. “I should go. I still have work in the morning,” I said.

“You should stay here,” Radha said quickly. “You can keep rubbing my feet.”

“I would love to but I have to go.”

“Wait,” Radha spread her legs so that either leg was on either side of me. “Come here,” she opened her arms.

I climbed on top of her and she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me down flat on top of her. We kissed, our tongues intertwining in our mouths. She pushed her hips into mine, grinding herself against the erection pressing against my pants.

She pulled away and looked at me. “You should fuck me,” she said in a whisper.

I’ve wanted to. For a while now and everyone knew it, even her. Tonight was going to be the night but despite the position that I was in, Radha was not the one on my mind. “I can’t. I shouldn’t.” I climbed off her, gave her one last look and sighed. “I’ve wanted to. For so long but…I’ll explain later.”




The next day when Cassandra sat down at her cubicle, I bypassed our usual mode of communication and just stood over the cubicle wall. “I need to talk to you. Can you go into break?”

“I just got here. I should take at least one phone call, Brian.”

“This is important, Cassandra. I need to talk to you.”

Cassandra sighed angrily and dialed herself into break. I took her arm and I pulled her outside. “Okay, last night I went to a party at Ericka and Radha’s. I’ve known Radha since college and we’ve always had a thing for each other,” I began.

“Brian, I…” she sighed.

“Hear me out. So last night we were on the couch and I was about to leave when we started making out and she asked me to stay so we could, you know.”

“Brian, I’m sorry that we’re not together but I don’t want to hear about the other girls you sleep with,” Cassandra sniffled and started to walk away but I grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“But I didn’t. I’ve wanted to for years but I didn’t. You know why? Because I love you, Cassandra. I love you so much,” I said as I pulled her close to me. I then bent down and lightly swiped my lips along hers. I held the back of her head and pressed our lips together. We held each other tightly, lost in each other.




4.
“Are you okay?” Cassandra asked me as we drove through a neighborhood toward Emily’s daycare.

“I’m nervous,” I exhaled. “This is make it or break it time.”

“No, it’s not,” Cassandra said. “There will be plenty of time to do this. You’ll have more than one chance to be around Emily. You have to do this, Brian. You have to get to know Emily and since Adam won’t be home until ten tonight, it’s the perfect time.”

“We might as well break up right now,” I rubbed my hands on my pants, trying to rid them of sweat.

“I’m not going to break up with you if Emily doesn’t like you,” Cassandra tried to reassure.

“You’re saying that no matter how much Emily hates me, you are not going to break up with me?”

“You need to earn her respect, Brian. You need to be father-like to her but she also needs to trust you,” Cassandra said. I knew she was trying to help but I just became more nervous. I was never one who enjoyed being around kids even when I was one myself.

Emily was an exact copy of Cassandra only with blonde hair and bright wide eyes. Cassandra went up to the daycare house while I stayed in the car. Cassandra didn’t emerge from the house with Emily for nearly five minutes. Emily bounded out with Cassandra but her excitement disappeared when she saw me in the car.

Cassandra helped Emily into her car seat. “Hi, Emily. How was your day today?”

“Fine,” she said quietly. I could barely hear her.

“We’re all going to have dinner together,” I said with faux happiness. “We can spend all evening together.”

She perked up. “Can we watch Finding Nemo?” Emily asked.

“It’s her favorite movie,” Cassandra said. “Mine, too, to be honest.”

“Mm. My favorite movie has swear words and nudity,” I said. I could tell that Cassandra didn’t like my comment. “Sorry,” I apologized.

“We’ll watch Finding Nemo before dinner and then after, you’re taking bath, little missy.”

“No!” Emily cried. “I want Adam.”

“Adam usually bathes her,” Cassandra said. “You need a bath, sweetie. You can take a bath without Adam.”

Emily humfphed and crossed her arms. I didn’t know what to say. Do I offer to bathe Emily or is that inappropriate? I decided against it.

When we got to Cassandra’s house, Cassandra had Emily show me her room while she went to the bathroom, changed her clothes and get dinner started. She show me her toys and then got out a couple of books which I read to her twice. After, we started playing with a dollhouse but everything I did was wrong so Emily would correct me. I started getting frustrated so I began playing with whatever was lying around which riled Emily up and got her to laugh.

Cassandra stood against the door jamb and smiled at us. “Hey, dinner is ready and I got the movie going.”

“Yay!” Emily got up and bounded into the kitchen.

Cassandra and I stood in the doorway and looked longingly at each other. “See? You’re doing fine,” she said.

I quickly kissed her. “Our relationship is still young,” I said.




After dinner, we continued watching Finding Nemo. Cassandra was laying down on the couch with her feet on my lap so we could lay together without being conspicuous. She dozed off as I rubbed her legs. When the movie ended, I shook her awake.

“You missed the ending. There was a twist. They were dead the whole time,” I said.

“No, they weren’t!” Emily exclaimed.

“Very funny,” Cassandra said as she got up. “Come on, Em. Bath time.”

The two of them went down the hall to the bathroom. When I heard the water, I got up and washed dishes. I smiled hearing Cassandra and Emily in there.

“Hey, Brian, come here,” Cassandra called from the bathroom.

I went back and saw Emily wrapped in a towel, a big smile on her face. Cassandra had taken off her shirt and just had on a white tank top. The bottom half of her breasts were wet so the top clung to her and I could see her nipples. “Yeah?”

“Emily wants to know if you would read a couple chapters of Abel’s Island,” Cassandra said.

Abel’s Island? Is that the book about the mouse lost on an island?”

“Yes, it’s one of her favorite books. Or you can read some from her Delilah book.”

Delilah?”

“It’s about a magical cat. We just started it.”

“I’ll read Delilah since you just started it,” I said.

“Yay!” Emily exclaimed and she ran off to her room.

“She likes you,” Cassandra said as she came over to me, putting her arms around me. She closed the door and she kissed me. We pressed our bodies together, her wet top getting my shirt wet.

I slid my hand under her tank top and rubbed her stomach, sides and back. “Let’s make another one of her,” I said between kisses.

“Hey, now,” she sighed and pulled away. “Soon though,” she removed her tank top and I took in the view. She put on her other shirt then came over and hugged me.

After I read a couple chapters of Delilah, we tucked Emily into bed and went into the front room. I took Cassandra’s arm and pulled her to me. We kissed passionately but then she pulled away.

“Come here,” she pulled me over to the couch and we laid down to continue making out.

I put my hand under her shirt and went to rubbing her stomach, sides and back again. This time, she moaned and rubbed her fingertips along my back. I undid her jeans and rubbed my hand along her underwear, enjoying the heat from her body.

“You should go,” she breathed. “Adam will be home soon.”

“Fifteen minutes is plenty of time,” I said.

“Soon, love,” she rubbed my cheek. “Don’t worry, this is going to happen,” she leaned forward to my ear and whispered “I want you inside me so much,” then with a normal voice “But it can’t be tonight.”

We got off the couch and adjusted our clothes. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Cassandra said.

“Love you,” I kissed her.

“Love you, too,” she saw me out the door.