A relentless blackness that offered no distinction between opened or closed eyes stretched before Cassidy while a tantalizing fragrance – cocoa, with a mischievous hint of spice – caressed her nostrils and teased the edge of her mind. The whispered promises of the scent were realized when a smooth piece of chocolate, carried by fingers that seemed to hold more than just a treat, slowly slipped into her mouth.
The chocolate painted her tongue with every crunch. The boldness of dark cocoa waltzed across her taste buds alongside an assertive kick.
“Dark chocolate,” Cassidy said, “with a touch of chili and cinnamon.”
“Seriously?!” Rebecca asked as if she had witnessed a magic trick she couldn’t explain. “How are you getting this right?”
“I have a thing for chocolate,” Cassidy said, smirking, as she lifted the blindfold. The world rushed back in a burst of color, bringing her fully back into Rebecca’s apartment.
Sitting on the sofa, Rebecca faced her, her blonde tresses crafted into an elaborate braid. Her ensemble consisted of an open black jacket, a low-cut white top, and a flared black skirt that framed her shapely legs.
“Sure you’re not cheating just a little?” Rebecca squinted. “Don’t have any secret spies feeding you answers?”
“If you’re that skeptical…” Cassidy curled her fingers around Rebecca’s hand and pulled it towards her lips. The tip of her tongue slipped over the lingering smudges of chocolate on her finger. “…why not conduct a hands-on inspection? I’ll let you investigate to your heart’s content.”
Rebecca’s eyes dropped to half-mast as her fingertips leisurely traced up Cassidy’s jawline and cheek.
“I might just have to take you up on that…” she said before plucking the blindfold away. Then, with a wink, she placed it over her eyes and opened her mouth.
Cassidy’s gaze slid to the coffee table and settled on a box filled with bite-size chocolates, each flavor labeled.
Which one will make Becca stumble?
She landed on the second gourmet lavender dark chocolate and smirked. Becca had already sampled that one… Picking it again might’ve been the curveball she wouldn’t expect.
Her brows furrowed as she selected the chocolate. The plot was good, but it missed a certain finesse. It needed an extra layer of guile, something that would throw her taste buds for a loop.
Cassidy popped the chocolate in her mouth with an impish grin, seized Rebecca, and claimed her lips. Her tongue ventured into Rebecca’s mouth, delivering sweet cocoa and a taste of what would come later.
Rebecca’s tongue met Cassidy’s with equal fervor and engaged Cassidy in a delicate and fierce dance. Rolling, circling, and pressing, her tongue communicated desires words couldn't. The intensity gradually peaked until they reluctantly separated, lips slightly swollen and cheeks flushed. Both took a moment, their chests heaving as they inhaled the heavy air punctuated with the lingering taste of chocolate.
“Cheater,” Rebecca said as she lifted the veil.
Cassidy gave her side lock a cheeky flick. “Where in the rulebook does it state I can’t treat my adorable girlfriend to a kiss alongside her treat?”
With a more theatrical huff, Rebecca crossed her arms and turned her head away, though her cheeks dimpled with a barely contained smile.
“Ready to admit defeat?” Cassidy asked.
“Lavender dark chocolate.”
Cassidy blinked. “How?!”
“I kind of recognized that chocolate’s taste! So, I thought, maybe that kiss was your way of sneaking it by me?”
While Cassidy fought back a smile with a tilted head, Rebecca responded with a flirtatious wink and a playful tongue poke.
“Come on,” Rebecca said, “after all our time together, you think I’d go down that easily?”
“You’ve proven on several occasions now that you will.”
“Just you wait and see.” Rebecca flicked the blindfold over to Cassidy. “I’ll have you on your knees before the strike of twelve.”
A chuckle nearly escaped, but Cassidy caught it behind tightly pursed lips before adjusting the veil around her eyes once more. “Do your worst.”
In the embracing darkness, Cassidy let her mouth fall open, ready for whatever came next. Her heartbeat, loud in her ear, seemed to slow as another rhythm – a barely perceptible, off-beat cadence – filtered into her consciousness. A soft, subtle shuffle struck her like a discordant note in a harmonious song.
Cassidy tensed. The sound had clearly come from behind her. Was Becca up to something? No… There was no way she could shift off the sofa without her noticing… Right?
“Becca, are you still in front of me?”
“Sure am! But when will I strike? That’s up in the air…”
Cassidy raised a finger to her lips as she angled her ear toward the living room closet door. From the depths of the silence, slow and deliberate, the subtle ebb and flow of someone’s breath tickled her ears.
There was definitely someone lurking…
A surge of tension rippled through Cassidy’s muscles. Sablin! A new apartment, that’s all it would’ve taken! Simple! The situation would’ve been vastly different had Becca taken her advice about relocating! Why did she always have to be so stubborn?
Calm down, Cassidy! her more reasonable side said. She couldn’t afford to let anger cloud her judgment. Not then, not ever. It was as she was taught: she couldn’t control others if she couldn’t control herself. And she needed control then more than ever. For Becca’s sake.
She cast off the blindfold, allowing the world to crash back into view, and fixed her gaze on the closet door. With Wynn absent, she’d have to handle whoever on her own.
Cassidy retrieved a hefty tome resting on the floor and rose to her feet with a silent gesture. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. Each thud amplified with the weight of each inch she took towards the door.
Why would someone break into Rebecca’s home? Were they there for her? No. That was improbable. The only person who knew she’d be there that day was Rebecca herself. Besides, they’d have shown their hand already. Unless… they were biding their time? Or maybe they were waiting for a precise moment? Whatever the case, they weren’t there to harm. At least, not right away…
Whoever it was, they were likely no stranger to such undertakings. Their patience alone hinted at experience, if not expertise. She needed to strike before they did, with full force. She’d sort out the why and how afterward.
The world around Cassidy dimmed, narrowing to the singular goal of the door ahead. She closed in like a fox surveying her henhouse before curling her fingers around the cold handle. Chills ran up her spine while the faint breathing intensified.
She took one last deep breath, steadying her nerves, and then slowly, with painstaking care, twisted the handle until she could feel the resistance of the latch.
With a burst of energy, she yanked the door open and swung the book. Its thick spine cracked the person inside, jolting their jaw sideways. Then Cassidy snapped her leg upwards and rocketed her foot into the person’s crotch.
“ARGGH!” the person screamed as they spilled out of the closet.
As the invader pitched forward, Cassidy coiled her arm against their throat, securing a guillotine grip, and clasped her legs around their waist. Together, they tumbled to the floor.
“A name, now!” Cassidy barked.
“Didn’t expect our reunion to…to be this intimate,” forced out a familiar, gravelly voice. “Not that I’m complaining…”
Cassidy gritted her teeth. “I’m not in the mood for your antics. What do you want, Crow?”
“Just needed some damn info…”
“Why resort to this when a simple question would suffice?!”
“Talking to you last time got me nowhere. I figured I should explore other avenues, starting with her. She seems more cooperative.”
“You thought I’d be okay with this?!” Rebecca yelled. “This is not how you get someone to talk! How’d you even manage to sneak in without me noticing?! I’ve been home the whole time!”
“I propose a little tit-for-tat,” Crow said with an easy nonchalance. “I answer you, you answer me.”
“You do realize that if I ended your life here,” Cassidy said, “the law would be on my side.”
“I’m right here, take your shot.”
The muscles in Cassidy’s forearm flexed involuntarily as the urge to crush the wind from his sails called to her.
“But if you’re not gonna do it,” Crow continued, “maybe we could talk without this chokehold?”
A shudder coursed through Cassidy’s arm – each tremble a clear rejection from her heart. His assessment was accurate. They were, at best, going nowhere fast.
She exhaled a weary sigh and unwound her grasp. “Let’s get this over with.”
