Under the rose, p.23
Under the Rose, page 23
"Wanna help me again?"
"With what?"
Cassie pivoted on the seat, barely catching the front of her dress before it fell. "With my stockings." She propped her feet on Elliott's lap and slowly tugged her skirt up her thighs. "You said just my panties, right?"
"That's what I said."
"So, if I lift my bum, will you pull off my pantyhose?"
"Do you trust me under there?"
Cassie pulled her skirt up a little higher. "Do you trust yourself?" Elliott inhaled so sharply his nostrils flared. Cassie thoroughly enjoyed provoking him.
"We'll see who cracks first." He reached under her skirt, trailing his hand up her thigh and pausing between her legs. After lightly stroking her, he found the waistband of her hose. "Lift your butt."
With calculated innocence, Cassie let the front of her dress slide as she lifted her bum. Elliott glanced at her chest, but had to focus on the task at hand. Disengaging her pantyhose from her panties took both concentration and dexterity. Cassie smiled, knowing she had worn sexy hi-cut underwear.
Once her pantyhose cleared her bum, Elliott took his time under her dress. Cassie moaned softly when he stroked her again, involuntarily rolling her hips with the music.
"That's it, that's what I want. Get horny and groove with it all over me." After peeling her hose off, Elliott rubbed them against his cheek, pausing long enough to sniff them. Talk about a turn on! Cassie nearly blew a gasket.
She swung her bare feet around and stood up, at least as much as the limo ceiling would let her. With her back to Elliott, she did a slow shimmy out of the dress, letting it fall to her thighs, then bending over to let it drop the rest of the way. With her rear end in the air, she stepped out of the gown. Now wearing nothing but her panties, she casually leaned across Elliott and draped the dress over his coat at the far end of the seat.
Elliott patted his lap. "Oh, yeah, mama, come to daddy."
Thanking her lucky stars the aerobics dance class she signed up for last winter included belly dancing, she threw in a few hip rolls and bumps before straddling Elliott. Watching him leer at her made Cassie feel deliciously slutty and spurred her on.
She rocked on Elliott's lap in rhythm to the music and threaded her fingers through his hair. "How am I doing?"
"So good I'm wondering if this is how you paid for school." He squeezed her breasts. "You're driving me frigging crazy."
"That's the point, isn't it?" Cassie leaned forward and pressed her breasts into Elliott's bare chest, then slid down his stomach and onto the floor. She tucked her knees, spun around a half-turn, stretched out on her stomach and mock humped his feet, all the while moving to the music.
"Fuckin' hell, have you been moonlighting at a club?"
Cassie got up on her hands and knees. Like a cat stalking its prey, she crept between Elliott's legs and rubbed her breasts against his crotch. "You said limos make chicks do crazy shit. I guess you're right."
"Rub your ass against me." Elliott opened his belt and unzipped his trousers.
Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. Cassie picked up her pantyhose and wiped Elliott's face. "You may spontaneously combust."
"I'll take my chances."
"Okay, just remember, you asked for it." Elliott had opened his trousers, but still had his underwear covering him. Cassie slowly slid down his thighs until her face hovered over his crotch. Barely grazing his undershorts with her mouth, she blew warm air against his erection, then licked him through the cloth. Elliott groaned.
Using his legs to support her weight, Cassie did a one-eighty and flipped over. She stood, bent over and slowly lowered herself onto Elliott's lap. The hard ridge she felt against her bum indicated she'd hit her mark. Moving with the music, Cassie gyrated and pressed down, then slightly lifted up. Elliott mimicked the rhythm and pushed up as she pressed down. It only took a few minutes before they were doing an erotic dance that would make Gypsy Rose Lee blush.
Without warning, Cassie stopped rubbing and leaned back against Elliott's shoulder. He cupped her breast as he asked, "Why did you stop? That was frigging great."
"I want to do this naked."
Elliott reached down and slid his hand inside her panties. "You're really hot, aren't you?"
"God, yes. I want to do more."
"More is my favorite number." Cassie lifted her bum as Elliott skimmed her panties done her thighs, and then kicked them off. "Slide forward a little." Cassie did as he asked, and a moment later felt the heat of his exposed penis against her back.
She squirmed against him. "Tell me what you want."
"I want the full monty, like in a porn movie. Lift up just a little." Cassie raised her bum and Elliott guided her hips backward. He positioned himself underneath her. "Now, give me a 'Proud Mary,' nice and easy, then nice and rough."
Cassie lowered herself onto his organ, feeling nastier and more alive than she'd ever felt in her life. She couldn't see Elliott, but she sure as hell could feel him. His fingers dug into her hips as he impaled her. A guttural gasp escaped her throat before she could swallow it.
"Hot damn!" One of Elliott's hands found Cassie's breast and the other cupped her vulva. "Ride me, sweetheart, it hurts so good."
Not caring how rude it might be, Cassie took her cue from the music and did a lap dance that would make a porn queen proud. Elliott slammed into her from underneath as she gyrated and ground herself into him. He suddenly held her still and grunted. Even as he went over the edge, he roughly gripped Cassie between her legs, and fiery sparks filled her belly. This wasn't just hot sex in a limo. In an incredible moment of white heat, they bonded, body and soul.
* * * *
Chapter Fourteen
"Cassie, it's Dick Haynes again. What do you want me to tell him?"
"Tell him I'm on a conference call with a client." Cassie hated putting Lucille in this position, but didn't know what else to do. "I hope you don't mind running interference."
"I don't mind. He's always nice, and funny. I kinda like him."
"A lot of people do." Cassie saw Fred standing in the doorway. "Thanks, Lucille. I appreciate your help." She quickly turned off her intercom before Fred blurted out something she didn't want Lucille to hear.
"How many times is that this week?"
"Three, four if you count the e-mail he sent to the company mailbox. He even asked Lucille for my private number. She told him she's not allowed to give it out."
"Have you told Elliott?"
"No, and you better not either. He's still tired from the trip, and doesn't need Dick Haynes pissing him off."
"Isn't his meeting with Lorne Michaels this morning?"
"Yes, which is another reason I don't want to bother him with this nonsense. By the way, I asked him to stop by and give us an update before he goes home."
"If Elliott hosts SNL, that's another feather in his cap. He doesn't need Dick Haynes to give his career a push, he's doing fine on his own. You should tell Mr. TV Detective to go fuck himself. Since he's a Dick, he'll know what to do."
"I'm hoping he'll get the message and stop calling me. We got through the Emmys without a fight. I'd like to keep it that way."
"You're giving Jessica Lange a run for her money. She had Baryshnikov and Sam Shepard after her. You've got Elliott and Dick Haynes. You ladies should bottle whatever it is and sell it. I'd put some behind my ears, and a few other places."
"Don't you have work to do?"
"I can take a hint. Call me when Elliott gets here."
Continuing her grueling week, Cassie also got back to work. To catch up from being out on Monday, she'd stayed late Tuesday and Wednesday. Last night, she made it home in time to see Elliott before he left for the theatre. He wanted her to go with him tonight, but she begged off and promised to go tomorrow. When Elliott heard he'd have Irish lamb stew with homemade soda bread waiting when he got home, he didn't argue.
Since they got back on Monday, Elliott had been inundated with personal appearance requests. He made time for a few, but had to defer most of them until after his show closed next week. Along with scheduling the Friday meeting with Lorne Michaels, he also did the Today show on Tuesday, taped an interview for On Stage Wednesday and did Live with Regis and Kelly on Thursday. He'd done his show every night, and still had two more performances before he got a day off. They both needed to get some rest this weekend.
When they got home from the airport, Elliott put his Emmy on her dresser. He wanted to lie in bed and look at it. Cassie suspected it would eventually end up on his grandmother's bureau, beside the picture of his mom and dad. To bust his chops, Cassie put her two Elliott bobbleheads on either side of the Emmy, and told him she should light candles at his shrine. He wasn't amused.
Cassie got a couple uninterrupted hours at her drafting table before Lucille buzzed again. Figuring it must be Elliott, she jumped up and hit the intercom button. "Tell him to come on back, Lucille."
"Cassie, it isn't Elliott. Dick Haynes is here to see you." There was a pause, then Lucille added, "He heard you say come on back. He's going down the hall looking for you."
"Bloody hell!"
Cassie heard Dick's voice. He asked someone in the hall where her office was. She held her breath, hoping he hadn't asked Fred. Then she heard the intern answer him.
"It's the second door on the right, past the conference room. Do you know you really look like that guy on the cop show?"
"I'm Dick Haynes. I play Sam Stone." The ensuing silence spoke for itself. He'd rendered Chrissy speechless.
With all of five seconds to collect herself, Cassie braced for impact. Between Lucille and Chrissy, in a few minutes everyone would know that Sam Stone in the flesh was in her office. That included Fred, with Elliott on the way. Could this get any worse?
He politely tapped on the doorframe. Without waiting for an invitation, he walked in. "Hello, Cassie."
In no mood for pleasantries, Cassie snapped, "What the hell are you doing here, Dick?"
"You won't take my calls. I figured the only way to talk to you would be to show up unannounced." He pulled the chair away from her drafting table and sat down. "So, here I am."
"Elliott will be here any minute. Please leave before he gets here."
Dick laughed. "Classic! That's the oldest bluff in the book." He crossed his arms over his chest and didn't budge from the chair.
"I'm not bluffing! He's coming from Rockefeller Center."
"Why are you so goddamned afraid of me?"
"For Christ's sake, Dick, I'm not afraid of you. I don't like you and I want you to leave."
"Now we're getting somewhere, you wouldn't admit you didn't like me on Sunday."
"No, because I won't do anything to hurt Elliott, even if that means being nice to you."
"I think she means it." Fred walked into her office. "Care to introduce us, Cassie?"
"I have a choice? Fred this is Dick, Dick meet Fred, my partner."
Dick stood and held out his hand. Fred didn't shake it. "Cassie forgot to mention, I'm also Elliott's best friend."
"So I've heard." He flexed his fingers and looked at his hand. "I guess loyalty has consequences."
"I guess it does." The chill in Fred's voice practically frosted the windows. "I heard Cassie ask you to leave. I suggest you honor her wishes."
"I need a few minutes alone with her before I go. Do you mind?"
"I mind that you're in my office, I mind that you're harassing my partner, I mind that you're an arrogant son of a bitch. Yes, I fucking mind. Now, get the hell out of here."
"What's going on?" Elliott stood in the hall. "Lucille said there might be a problem back here." He came in, closed the door and approached Dick. "What are you doing in Cassie's office?"
"I stopped by to say hello. I didn't know that was against the rules." He turned to Cassie and glibly added, "I guess you weren't bluffing."
Elliott shot her a look. "Bluffing about what?"
Cassie didn't flinch. "I told Dick you were on your way. He didn't believe me."
"Why not?"
Fred jumped in. "Dick's been calling all week and Cassie wouldn't talk to him. He thought she was lying about you, in more ways than one."
Elliott stared at Dick, but spoke to Cassie. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't what to upset you. You've got enough on your plate, you don't need this, too."
"And neither do you." Cassie saw Elliott's fist roll into a ball. "What the fuck, Dick? Why are you going after Cassie?"
Dick flashed his television smile. Cassie could feel the spin coming. "I came to clear up any misunderstanding that might have happened over the weekend. That's why I've been calling." He put his hand on Elliott's shoulder. "Don't want there to be bad blood between us."
Elliott shoved his hand away. "It's too fucking late for that. You've been crawling up my ass for a while now. I've had enough."
"What, now that you got your Emmy, it's tough shit? I expected better from you, Elliott." Fred edged past Elliott to where Cassie stood and gripped her hand. Cassie guessed he wasn't so much supporting her as preventing her from intervening.
"You expected better from me? You sold me out to Brenda, publicly pressured me to sign on with your show and hijacked my interviews at the Governor's Ball. Now, you're after Cassie. Who the fuck do you think you are, anyway?"
"Not a player in your minor league, that's for damn sure." Dick turned, seemingly to go toward the door. Elliott's fist connected with his jaw, and before Cassie could even yell for Elliott to stop, Dick hit the floor.
He shook his head, obviously dazed from the unexpected blow. He slowly stood and glared at Elliott. "Living up to your reputation? Cassie deserves better than a New Jersey street thug."
"I don't give a rat's ass about my reputation. I do care about Cassie. It's up to her what she wants."
"I want you." Cassie pulled her hand from Fred's and walked over to Dick. "Elliott's got more class in his little toe than you'll ever have. If you'd left when I asked you to, none of this would've happened." She went to the door and opened it.
"If you'd taken my calls, I wouldn't have come. Seems to me we share the heat." He took a business card out of his wallet and handed it to her. "If you change your mind, call me." With theatrical affectation, he picked up her hand and kissed it. Then, he finally left.
Cassie closed the door behind him. She turned around to see Elliott rubbing his knuckles. "This is where I'm supposed to say you shouldn't have done that, but I can't. I'm glad you did."
"So am I. Might've burned a bridge, but it was worth it."
Fred had been unusually quiet during the whole episode. It surprised Cassie to see him wipe his eyes with his hanky. It looked like he'd been crying. "Jesus, Fred. Are you okay?"
"I'm more than okay, I'm flying in seventh heaven." He came over to Elliott. "I suppose you told her about what happened to me and how you were my knight in shining armor?"
"Yeah, buddy, I told her. Hope you don't mind."
"I wouldn't have mentioned it, but I'm glad Cassie knows. I've always wished I could've seen you lambaste those bastards. I bet it was glorious. For the first time, I got a glimpse of that machismo. It gave me a hard on."
Elliott grinned. "Well, then, I guess my work here is done. I have a show to do tonight. I really need to go home and chill for a while." Still rubbing his knuckles, he went toward the door.
Cassie ran after him. "Wait! What happened with Lorne Michaels?"
Elliott abruptly stopped and turned around. "Jesus, I forgot that's why I'm here. Lorne wants me to host their Halloween show, and I told him I'd do it. He already asked me if I'd play a singing zombie in one sketch and a sex-crazed vampire in another."
"Fred's right, you're doing just fine on your own." Cassie stood on tiptoe and lightly kissed him. "Stop at the drugstore on your way home and get some Epsom Salts to soak your hand. I'll see you later, my rock star."
Elliott hugged her. "You can count on it."
After Elliott left, Cassie turned to see Fred rummaging in her desk drawer. "Don't you have Irish whiskey tucked away somewhere? I thought you kept it in your bottom drawer."
"Feel like you could use a drink?" She closed the door again.
"Yeah, don't you?"
"Not a bad idea." Cassie opened the bottom drawer of her filing cabinet and pulled out a bottle and a couple shot glasses.
"So that's where you keep your stash. Good to know."
"Off limits, buster. I dust for fingerprints." She filled the shot glasses and gave Fred one. "Good thing I already did what I had to get done today. Cheers."
"L'chaim." He bolted it back. "Hit me again."
Cassie refilled his glass. "Should I put Gus on alert to get you home?"
"I won't get drunk. I just need some memory Novocain."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Not particularly." He drank shot number two and held out his glass for more. "Well, maybe I do."
Under any other circumstance, Cassie would've capped the bottle and shut him off. But this wasn't any ordinary memory he'd tapped into. She poured him another shot. "I'm cooking dinner tonight, Irish stew. I gotta go easy." She only refilled hers halfway.
Fred pointed to where Elliott had stood when he punched Dick. "That guy I saw today was the one I remember sticking up for me. I haven't seen him for a long time."
"I think he lost himself for a while, but he's coming back."
He held up his glass in a toast to her. "Thank you for pulling him back from the edge."
"He was on his way back before you introduced us. He just needed a reason to stay straight."
"The last thing I want is for him to stay straight."
"I meant drugs and alcohol, not butt fucking."
"That tripped off your tongue easier than it used to, guess I've been a good influence."
"Well, you've been an influence. Good might be overstating it a tad."
