"I think he went in the house," answered Kelly earnestly. Her eyes were strangely slim in the cool moonlight and Madison caught a whiff of weed on her breath. Someone tapped Kelly on the shoulder and handed her something, which Kelly offered to Madison.
"You look like you could use a hit," Kelly offered to Madison. The vape glittered black in the moonlight.
"No thank you," said Madison in a cold, matter of fact voice. Kelly just shrugged and took the hit for herself.
Madison didn't have time to get high right now. She had to find Daniel and fast. Any set of these remaining lips, loosened by alcohol and drugs might cause an even more awkward situation for her. She needed to get Daniel alone and distract him, which to her meant she meant to take his pants off and try to pound him through the floor. Sex would go long way to soothe her conscience and it didn't seem possible that a man could be angry at a woman after she had sex with him. All her girlfriends had told her so, anyway.
Cool breeze stirred the leaves of the trees as she hurried barefoot up the path to the back door, but it wasn't the breeze that made her shiver. The closer she got to the back door, the more the irksome worry that she had forgotten something loomed. Well, there wasn't time to worry about it now. Daniel was home and Madison planned to give him a welcome home he'd never forget, cover her tracks, forget this day and this week had ever happened and assure him, and herself, that nothing like this would ever happen again. As she opened the screen door, Madison heard laughter. Daniel's deep baritone chuckle was easily discernible, but who did that high mousey titter belong to?
"Oh shit!"
Madison dashed into the living room to find Daniel with Cassidy. Cassidy held Gandalf and Gandalf lavished a "noser" on her. Every time Gandalf rubbed his nose on Cassidy's pert little nose, she giggled, and Daniel chuckled.
"He likes you," Daniel smirked.
"Well, I love cats," Cassidy giggled again as Gandalf rubbed his nose to her nose. For a few seconds they were a small happy scene of a man and a woman and a cat. Jealousy swirled in Madison's mind, even though it was completely incongruent with her earlier near miss. Add to it the fact that Gandalf liked Cassidy and that Daniel noticed, and Madison's jealous bone swelled to incredible size. Whatever it was, Madison intended for it to stop. Daniel was her man, not community property and Madison prepared to unleash righteous indignation on Cassidy.
"What's going on here?" Madison demanded tartly.
Daniel's face darkened as he faced the sound of Madison's voice and the blank look he gave her momentarily chilled Madison's ire. For a few seconds he looked like he might say something, but apparently, he thought better of it. Instead, he retrieved Gandalf from Cassidy's arms and smirked at Cassidy.
"Good evening, Cassidy. Thank you for your help. If you don't feel up to the drive home tonight, then please be my guest and stay in one of the guest rooms."
Daniel turned and trudged up the stairs with Gandalf over his shoulder. For his part, Gandalf fixed an accusatory cobalt gaze on Madison as she rounded on Cassidy.
"What did you tell him?" Madison demanded in a hiss.
Cassidy shrugged.
"Not a thing."
Just then Madison heard the slam of the bedroom door and Cassidy made a comedic "uh oh" face while Madison scrambled up to the second floor two stairs at a time. She grabbed the knob to her bedroom, but found it locked. After a couple of futile jiggles, she pounded the heel of her right hand on the door.
YOU ARE READING
A Beauteous Flower
RomanceMadison is a professional dancer and a professional dater with an eye towards a professional husband until a Romeo reminds her that she is a romantic at heart.
