The Cassidy Chronicles

"What did you think had happened to me?"

"I thought you had been kidnapped again."

"Oh." Cassidy didn't say a word. She knew this was a good time to say what she was thinking. "You know I was sick like this once when I was dating Jason. He came over and the moment he saw that I was sick and throwing up he left right away, saying that he hated puke and that I smelled bad."

Ryan grabbed Cassidy aggressively and nuzzled her nose. He wanted to kiss her but didn't want to get sick. He pulled back and ran his hands through her hair. They were both sitting on the bed, so close their legs were touching. "I would never do that. I would not just let you sit here alone suffering. I'm glad you are feeling better but you are taking it easy for the next few days. You are not going to get more sick."

Cassidy was about to open her mouth to say how great she was feeling but another wave of nausea caused her to run to the bathroom and throw up again. Once again, it was a dry heave and Ryan waited in the bedroom this time. Cassidy brushed her teeth and then cuddled back into bed.

"No. I'm serious Molly. If I see that crazy woman one more time in my life it will be too much." Cassidy listened as Molly went on and on about why Sonya had forgiven her for being a klutz.

"No."

Cassidy looked up and saw Ryan's look of concern. He knew exactly what the conversation was about. It was the day before the Police Department's Fundraising Christmas Ball. Molly was begging Cassidy to help and Cassidy was standing her ground. It was funny actually. Cassidy had her hair covered in plastic wrap and was wearing the ugliest t-shirt Ryan had ever seen. It was white at one point but now it was gray with holes in the front and the back. Ryan had gotten a hardon when he noticed that one particular hole lined up exactly with her left nipple.

"I'm hanging up now. Bye." Cassidy hung up the phone and then looked at Ryan. She had gotten a bit of hair dye on the phone so rushed to the kitchen to wipe it off.

"That was an interesting conversation to watch and listen to. What exactly was Molly saying on the other line?"

"She told me that her mother, without her asking, volunteered her to work the coat check room again. She's dealing with severe nausea because of the pregnancy and begged me to help. She said that she needed me there to distract her from the stupidity of the event and if I didn't do it I was a horrible friend."

"Wow." Ryan followed Cassidy up the stairs. She was looking at the time on her cell phone and it was time to wash out the hair dye. Cassidy had decided that for Christmas she wanted to be a redhead. She was normally a blonde-haired woman with purple streaks but for some reason she had decided she wanted red hair. Not the red, flashy looking color that caused attention. She wanted a soft red that would look cute and sexy.

"So what did you say?"

"She told me I was going and to invite you. She didn't give me a choice. I can't argue with a pregnant woman."

Ryan smiled. Cassidy was standing in her ensuite bathroom completely naked waiting for the water to warm up for her shower.

"So do I get to have my way with you on the expensive fur coats?" Ryan was leaning against the counter and watched as Cassidy stepped into the shower and washed out the hair dye. Cassidy wasn't responding.

"Is that a no? I mean we'll be discreet. I saw a sexy little dress you have in your closet. I would love to see you in it."

"Will you make sure that I don't ruin any table decorations or spill any expensive wine on anyone?"

Cassidy had finished her shower and stepped out, her hair was a gorgeous garnet color and lay damp around her shoulders. She dried herself off then used the same towel to wrap around her head.

"Of course baby." Ryan pulled her against him and kissed her forehead gently. "Will Jeremy be there?"

"Yes but you're not allowed to teach him any kung foo moves."

"That's fine. Actually I have a secret I sort have been keeping from you."

Cassidy looked at Ryan with a look of concern. She couldn't figure out his tone of voice so just let him continue.

"Starting in January I'm going back to work with the police force. I actually bought tickets for the ball a few weeks ago. I didn't know you'd be so against going so I didn't tell you. Are you mad?"

Cassidy through long and hard. She was trying not to react to his firm warm hands rubbing her bare back and arms. She was trying to pretend that she wasn't reacting to the rough jean material against her sensitive inner thighs. She was desperately trying not get aroused. She needed to have this conversation with him.

"Why do you want to go back to being a police officer? I thought you hated it?" Cassidy pulled away and walked into her bedroom. She couldn't touch Ryan for fear of attacking him. Lately her sex drive was through the roof and the moment he even touched her she wanted sex. He never complained. He was always willing and loved how horny she was. It was the afternoon and they had spent all morning in bed then had had a quickie in the kitchen before she dyed her hair. He followed and she circled the bedroom as he answered.

"You haven't mentioned anything about the vision you had for weeks. I can tell you're still scared. I asked for a desk job. I won't be investigating anything dangerous. I'll be sitting in an office doing paperwork all day. I did it because I know you're scared. I know you want me safe and I know you still think you're going to cause my death."

"You'd do that for me?" Cassidy's voice was quiet and high pierced. She was shocked beyond belief that he would do that. "I mean you changed jobs for me?"

"Yep. I love you Cassidy. I don't want you scared about losing me. I'm scared about losing you every minute of every day."

"What?"

"I worry that you're going to wake up and realize that you are only dating me because I'm the rebound guy and had you not been kidnapped you'd have no feeling for me."

"Ryan that is ridiculous. I love you."

"I know but I'm still worried. So yeah. I have a desk job. I mean I want to eventually marry you and one of us needs to have a stable job." Ryan cringed the moment he said that. He didn't mean to say it that way but he knew her reaction.

"Excuse me? Did you just say what I think you said?" Cassidy was furious and began to grab clothes from her dresser to put on. "So you can't afford to be a private investigator so you need to go back to being a police officer because heaven forbid if we get married we won't have enough money. Is that because you want to live here instead of your tiny shitty apartment?"

Ryan didn't even want to open his mouth to respond. Cassidy was irrational.

"I'm going back to work as a teacher in September. I don't want to go back half way through the year because that would be way too disruptive for the students. I actually care about my students and I've already made arrangements with the principal to go back to my old classroom."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did. You still think I need help. I don't. I had enough money saved up before I quit my job. It was to be used for my dream wedding but whatever. I am financially stable and don't need you sacrificing yourself and switching jobs."

By now, Cassidy was in the bathroom furiously brushing out her red hair. She didn't even check to see if the dye had been put on evenly, she twisted her hair at the nape of her neck and secured it with an elastic.

"You need to go. I don't want to see you right now. If you stay I'm going to say something stupid like I hate you and want to break up with you."

Ryan nodded and made his way down the stairs. Cassidy didn't follow and he wondered what she was doing. He grabbed his coat and gloves and then got into his ice-cold car. Cassidy burst into tears the moment she heard her front door slam shut. She had been an emotional wreck the last little while and didn't mean a word she had said. She just couldn't control her feelings and she hated what she had said. She knew he would forgive her but it didn't make it right. Why was it so hard for her to except that someone was doing something nice for her just because? It was like everyone needed a good reason and if it wasn't up to her standards, then it wasn't right.

Once calmed down enough to speak, she called back Molly.

"Hi. I'm sorry I was such a bitch. I don't have anything to wear to the ball. Do you want to go shopping?"

***

Molly sat on the padded bench outside the dressing room. They were at a fancy dress shop in the mall and Cassidy had finally decided to actually try on a dress. Cassidy was inside trying on what Molly thought was a beautiful and sexy dress. Hopefully Cassidy would agree. Cassidy was stubborn when it came to shopping. Unless she liked what she saw, she wouldn't even try it on. She had finally seen a dress that was black, floor length, and made of a smooth velvet material. It was low cut with a band of silver around the ribcage. She stepped out of the dressing room and Molly smiled.

"It's gorgeous. Ryan will be drooling over you all night."

"No he won't. We got into a fight." Cassidy spun around and looked at herself in the mirror. She was very happy with what she saw. Her red hair was in a braid and it complemented her skin tone nicely. She had dyed her hair red before but that was a long time ago. Her brown eyes were full of sorrow though. She hated how she had reacted when he had mentioned finances.

"Again? Jeez Cassidy." Molly watched as Cassidy went back into the dressing room to change. "Does he know you're going tonight?"

"Sort of. I told him that I wasn't going to argue with a hormonal pregnancy woman. He said he bought us tickets but was afraid to tell me. He's starting back as a police officer in January. I guess he thought he should attend the ball."

Cassidy had redressed and walked out of the dressing room with the dress in hand. Molly followed and watched as she paid for the dress and then they began the trek through the mall. Malls at Christmas time were always busy and going on a Saturday a week before Christmas was insane. The mall was filled with people moving fast and slow all at the same time, trying to get to places as quickly as possible. Christmas music was playing in the background and every store was decorated with red and green Christmas lights, tree decorations and reindeer. "I love Christmas. It's so magical. I can't wait until next year when the girls will be able to enjoy Christmas. They'll be small but it will be so much fun." Molly was gushing with joy as she walked with Cassidy. "Can we get something to eat? I'm starving. I think I want poutine."

"You have weird cravings. Poutine is gross."

"It is not."

"Is so!"

The two women laughed as they behaved like children. Three was a specific food kiosk that made the best poutine according to Molly. They used fresh cut fries and cooked them in vegetable oil. Then they put on layers of cheese curds covered in gravy. They made it to order so the cheese wasn't lumpy and the French fries weren't soggy.

"Do you want any? I'm paying."

"No thanks. My stomach is still pretty queasy."

"Really? I thought you got over that stomach flu."

"I thought so. You know that Ryan watched me throw up at least three times. He was so great about it. Jason would have run away screaming the moment I mentioned I was sick."

The two women found a small table near the balcony that overlooked the two lower floors of the mall. Cassidy watched as Molly ate each French fry individually.

"My stomach is still sensitive but I'll be fine. Certain foods make me nauseous too. It's probably stress. You know I get sick when I'm stressed. Don't you remember university?" "That's right. Didn't you get strep throat four times in three months." Molly was still delicately eating the mess of gravy, cheese and French fries.

"No. It was three times in four months. Then I went to the walk in clinic because heaven forbid I get sick during the week. I had the cranky doctor that thought I was making it up. I had to take these huge pills for fifteen days because he was convinced I hadn't taken the other antibiotics properly."

"Well you have nothing to be stressed about Cassidy. You have a great boyfriend who loves you. You have stunning red hair and you are going to look very cute tonight at the ball."

"Thanks Molly."

***

Cassidy spent almost an hour getting ready for the ball. She curled her hair then put it up in a bun. She didn't like it that way so redid it, letting the curls bounce around her shoulders. She put on her dress and changed between her two pairs of shoes. She had black half-inch heels with a closed toe and silver high heels with an open toe. She decided that the silver shoes looked better and finally after putting on a little more lipstick she was ready to go.

Cassidy drove herself to the hotel. It was weird really as she drove along the highway. Was it only a month ago that she had been doing the same thing just in Fort Erie? It was true though. Many things had happened between Halloween and now. She had finally snapped out of her depression.

She entered the hotel and was directed to the main ballroom. She looked around and was happy to see Molly there. Molly was wearing a very sexy red dress with high heels. She walked over and hugged Cassidy.

"You look gorgeous. Come on. We don't have to do the coat check. Sonya found some high school students desperate to earn volunteer hours. They are running the coat check so we get to greet the guests and hand out the programs. Actually I think we're the last people she wanted to say hello to everyone but she'd rather us then the giggly immature high school teenagers."

Cassidy let Molly drag her to the front entranceway and soon they were all smiles. Missing from the equation was Sonya. She was nowhere to be found. Cassidy thought it strange that someone who prided herself on organizing the best fundraisers was not even in attendance. As the last of the guests trickled in before dinner, Ryan wandered in.

Ryan looked both sexy and sweet all at the same time. He had on a black tuxedo but on top, he had a black leather jacket. The strange combination looked utterly sexy on him and Cassidy couldn't help but blush. She also giggled a bit then tried to remember that she was mad at him.

"Hello ladies. You both look very nice tonight. Are you going to join me at my table?" Cassidy and Molly looked a bit confused but then they remembered. Not only had he gotten tickets for Cassidy and himself, he had also bought a ticket for Jeremy, who was tagging along behind me. Cassidy hadn't noticed Jeremy for a good reason. Molly had barely noticed Ryan because her husband was looking so professional and cute in a gray tuxedo.

The four adults wandered into the ballroom and weaved their way through the crowd. Since they were the last to arrive the room was crowded with people chatting, whispering, and flirting. It was a social event not to be missed and everyone who was important was there. Their table was in the corner near the doors and because it was so cold outside there was a slight draft. It was typical that Sonya would have placed them in the corner here. None of them minded considering it meant that the chief of police, the mayor, and other important donors were in the front.

The dinner was served promptly and since the four of them had no one else to talk to but themselves the conversation turned to two topics – babies and kung foo moves. Ryan was explaining all the dangerous situations he had been in when he had been on the streets as a police officer. Jeremy absorbed everything that was said, in awe of his wife's best friend's boyfriend who, according to him, had a very cool job.

The women were chatting about babies. Molly was telling her all about the things she could and couldn't do now that she was pregnant. Cassidy didn't want to tell her how arrogant and neurotic she sounded but there was no use. She wasn't going to ruin her best friend's fun. The dinner was finished and there was going to be dancing.

Both couples got up and there was a slow dance. Cassidy and Ryan danced close. She hated to dance but swaying back and forth was not really considered dancing and since there were at least forty other couples on the dance floor, no one was noticing them, or so they thought. Across the room, Sonya was glaring at the couple. She had noticed him the moment he had entered and hated how happy they looked. She was dressed perfectly in a floor length silver ballroom gown. She had spent the evening flirting with all the available men but it still didn't put her in a good mood. She couldn't stand it and was so furious she was breathing hard. How dare the two of the show up. She had clearly stated that Cassidy was not allowed in the ballroom. She was fine to be a little helper to Molly but she was not going to ruin the evening. Sonya hated the Caldwell family. She spun around and stormed towards her husband. George was going to hear about this.

"You are beautiful you know that right." Ryan ran his thumb gently across her cheek. "I'm so happy you came tonight. Am I forgiven?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I blew up at you. I've been pretty emotional and hormonal lately. The stress of everything is driving me crazy."

Ryan leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I know something that would calm you down. I got a room at the hotel for the night. I think we should go upstairs and I can show you how to relax." Ryan was rubbing her back firmly, which was causing her legs to wobble. Cassidy was breathing hard.

"Tell me." Cassidy pushed up against Ryan, feeling his hardness. She missed every part of him but when he got her in the mood that was what she missed the most.

"I would lie back on the bed completely naked and tell you to use my body however you wanted. I would lick you, fuck you, and suck you. Anything. More importantly I would make you orgasm so many times you'd pass out."

Cassidy didn't even answer. She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the exit. Molly and Jeremy noticed the couple walk by and there was a silent discussion between the four of them. Jeremy grinned, knowing that Ryan was going to get lucky. Molly smiled, loving that her best friend had finally fallen in love.

The two of them walked through the foyer and towards the set of elevators. The hotel was nicely decorated and used for business conferences and travelers. St. Catharine's was close enough to Niagara Falls that it wasn't an extremely busy hotel. You didn't travel to southern Ontario to visit this city. You traveled here to visit the Falls, to go to the new casino, and to walk along Lundy Lane, the tackiest road in Canada. If you were into wine tasting you would also go down to Niagara on the Lake to the wineries.

Cassidy and Ryan waited patiently for the elevator. Once inside the elevator, Cassidy leaned up and kissed Ryan. He kissed her back so hard, sliding his tongue into her mouth. He flicked it gently against the roof of her mouth then slowly licked her lips in a circle.

"I heard make up sex could be hot. Want to try?" Ryan grinned and was about to do something naughty when the doors opened and an elderly couple entered. Ryan rolled his eyes and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. Cassidy stood beside him, trying to calm her breathing. The old couple were arguing about something and then the elevator stopped on another floor and four children along with their frazzled mother entered. The discussion was that the boys were bored and so the mother was allowing them to ride the elevator all the way to the top floor and then down again.

Ryan was squirming a bit, trying to hide his erection. Every time Cassidy looked over Ryan's cock jumped. He practically screamed out in anger then the youngest of the boys hit the button for every single floor. The older couple got off at the fifth floor but Cassidy and Ryan needed to go up to the fifteenth floor.