Honey

Bridget saw right through Hanna the next morning. While she'd come in with a casual air, saying hello to everyone she passed, Bridget immediately sussed a change in her disposition.

'Your meeting with Brandon went well?'

'It was fine. He's very personable. We mostly talked shop, nothing special.'

'Sure,' Bridget said. 'Whatever you say, boss.'

Hanna expertly ignored this. 'Have you rescheduled my lunch with Tom today?'

'Yes, he's fine to see you tomorrow at one. And Chris Lieberman is ready to go ahead on the second stage of the Earth Inc. campaign. We had some issues with the prints but they've been taken care of. I know you were concerned.'

Hanna hadn't given it one thought since it was last mentioned. 'Perfect. I really didn't have the patience to step in on that one.'

She checked her emails as Bridget went over her schedule. A thought occurred she hadn't taken time off in almost a year, and if she wanted to go away anywhere, now seemed like the best time to do it. Daniel could handle everything.

'Bridget, I'm going to take a week off,' she said calmly. 'As of Monday. Can you let Daniel know he'll be taking my appointments?'

'Wow. When did you decide this? It's been a year since you went to Cabo.'

'I know, it's why I need to do this. I feel a little burnt out to be honest, and you know I'm not one to lie down in the face of exhaustion.'

'I think it's a great idea. Did you want me to look up any places worth staying?'

'No, just clock me with HR and make sure Daniel has everything he needs before I go.'

'Absolutely.' Bridget tapped a few keys on her tablet as she left.

Hanna's impulsiveness was stronger now she'd taken a step away from her old self. Brandon mightn't be free to see her, but he could arrange for Cassidy to visit. Now she had a plan she was almost itching to call him, unwilling to wait for him to contact her.

She busied herself answering emails and returning calls. The people she spoke to failed on some level to engage her. She talked normally, but she was completely outside of herself and stuck in her thoughts of Cassidy.

Around ten, Bridget returned with a latte, a small bunch of red roses and a ginormous grin on her face.

'I just collected the flowers from reception,' she said brightly as she set down her gifts.

Hanna's heart stopped a moment, though she made no gesture of surprise. She picked up the white folded card and read it to herself: Hope last night was everything you needed it to be. C.

'So when's the next date?'

'These aren't from him,' Hanna said. 'I suppose I have another admirer now.'

'Well, whoever he is, he's worth considering if he's gone to the trouble of flowers.'

She wasn't going to play a game of correcting pronouns. Bridget had to continue believing Hanna was a straight divorcée and not a person on the verge of some odd sexual awakening she'd almost left too late to explore.

She was alone again when her desk phone started ringing with an outside number, and she answered with a cautious greeting.

'It's Cassidy. Brandon would like to see you again.'

'Brandon or you?'

'Oh, sweetness, did you not like our gift? Brandon told me to send them but not to put his name on the card.'

'How long are you intending to stay in his employ?' Hanna asked. 'I thought you were freelance.' She had to use this language knowing Bridget might walk in.

'As I said, for as long as you require me. By the way, he liked my idea about us going away together. If you're free, of course.'

'I've just taken next week off.'

'Perfect. I'll be in touch.'

Hanna methodically went through her arrangements with Daniel after lunch. He was taking notes and asking questions to cover all the bases.

'This is very spur the moment, Hanna. Especially for you. But I know you've had some problems, so I think it's a good idea.'

'Daniel, you needn't worry about me. When have I ever let a few personal issues affect my game?'

'Never. Least not in the time I've known you. Still, there's no shame in taking time off. I know you're allergic to it.'

Daniel was privy to pieces of Hanna not many others had seen. He and Bridget were friends of hers, sadly enough. Her friends outside work were closer to Richard, she wasn't anticipating seeing much of them again. She should've stayed alone, she coped better alone. Why had she even agreed to be married in the first place? Why had she sold out?

'Let me know if you travel anywhere nice,' Daniel said finally. 'I need ideas. Elizabeth wants to go on a second honeymoon.'

Hanna smiled cheekily. 'One wasn't enough?'

Daniel was always good about her biting sense of humour, and he took the joke with a small chuckle. 'It's just something she felt we should do.'

She stopped Daniel by asking, 'How do you find being with her? Is it everything you hoped it would be?'

'Why do you ask?'

'Curiosity. I'm wondering why I married Richard.'

'You didn't love him?'

Hanna wasn't going about this right. She was being strange. 'Never mind. It's not my place to ask. I'm sorry.'

'Take care of yourself, Hanna,' Daniel said, disconcertedly. 'I'll see you in a week.'

She finished her tasks and left a list of duties with Bridget, adding advice to call only if necessary.

At home, she realised she'd made it through the whole day without a single Ativan. But she needed one the instant Richard buzzed from downstairs and asked to come up.

'Did you forget something?' she asked him as she let him in.

'I need you to sign some forms for my investor. Just an acknowledgement we're not together anymore and we've split our earnings amicably.'

He was cold as she'd been about it. She took the forms and signed them on the kitchen counter.

'How have you been?' he asked.

'Since yesterday? Fine.'

'Look, I'm sorry I had to come by. I thought I could deal with this over the phone.'

'Richard, it's fine.' She handed back the papers. 'If you're still smarting about my wanting you gone from my life, there's little I can do about this.'

'Was I ever cruel to you, Hanna? Really? You don't believe how much this is hurting me, do you?'

'It had to be done. I wasn't going to change my mind and I never will.'

'So you're happy to be alone for the rest of your life? Or to go from one stupid, meaningless thing to another until you're too old to bother?'

Hanna would've wept had he said this yesterday. 'What's so horrible about being alone?'

'My father died alone. I don't want that for myself.'

'We all die alone.'

His scowl as he left did nothing to Hanna's demeanour, until he was gone. The door slammed and her rage burned through her, she couldn't get to her pills fast enough. She took a bath, her phone nearby alongside a very full glass of wine. She lay still until her body was so numb even a thought of Cassidy couldn't rouse her into bliss.

Richard was in pain, and so was she, but Hanna wasn't going to console or coddle him. She'd been nothing but supportive after his father died, it was only the change of heart later that had her less sympathetic. She wasn't going to be his friend, not even on a casual level. And he would never understand her wants and needs. She'd not even really acknowledged them herself until now.

Her phone didn't ring that night, or the next morning. The quietude helped Hanna's nerves but she was still antsy waiting for Cassidy to call. She felt like she wasn't supposed to make contact now. She had to wait for instructions. For orders.

So was this how things would play out from now on? She'd be summoned by Brandon? Was Cassidy his slave or was Hanna now taking the role? Or was she in charge? She needed answers.

It was mid afternoon that Sunday when her phone started buzzing. By then she'd cleaned the apartment, paid her bills and tended to whatever drudgery she'd not bothered with during the week.

'Hello, sweetness,' Cassidy said. 'A car will be coming to your apartment this evening. Pack a few days worth of clothes and be ready to leave by five. The driver's been instructed to take you to Brandon's house. I'll meet you there.'

'You'll be alone?'

'I'll explain when you get here. Everything's set.'

'Set for what?'

Cassidy giggled. 'What do you think? I'm very much looking forward to seeing you again. I'm practically dripping with anticipation.'

Hanna was holding her breath as she listened to Cassidy's voice, her insides crumbling with the thought of her body pressed against hers.

'God help me if I'm addicted to you,' Hanna said without thinking.

'Would it be so bad? Brandon wishes to spend some time with you. I'll make myself scarce, but don't ask me what it will entail. That's between you and him. Just be ready to go at five.'

'Okay.'

Cassidy terminated the call and Hanna saw by her phone it was now a quarter to four. She had to take a pill just to keep her head together so she could pack. She put her bathing suit in with everything else, assuming she would need it, and packed a sweater since she knew the nights in the hills could get cold. Not knowing exactly what to bring had her flustered.

About a year before, she'd bought some lingerie online: a dark red negligee she'd intended on surprising Richard with for his birthday. That night, he'd come home with a migraine and she'd nursed him with medication instead, forgetting all about her surprise. She tried it on to see if it still fit, her stomach twisting at the idea of wearing it for Cassidy. Almost deciding not to pack it, Hanna went to put it back in the box when she impulsively shoved it in her bag.

She was ready much too early, left to pace her living room as she kept checking the street for a town car. Her phone rang again. This time it was her mother. Hanna couldn't avoid answering, she'd already put off calling her parents all week.

'We've been worried.' Grace's voice was always pleasant, even if there was more emotion within her, it never showed on the surface. 'I think you should come home for a few days.'

'I can't, I'm taking a vacation. Maybe I'll see you in a couple of weeks but for right now, I have to be somewhere.'

'Where?'

'I'm staying with a friend. She has a house in the hills and she offered to have me while I get my bearings. Richard and I aren't going to continue speaking.'

'But he's such a lovely man, Hanna. Couldn't you at least consider what he was asking?'

She fumed, barely managing to keep her voice level. 'No. I couldn't. I have to go, I'm being picked up.'

Her own family was against her. They liked Richard, why wouldn't she just have a kid with him? She should have a child. She'd be a wonderful mother... Who was developing a fetish for snatch and other favours from mysterious benefactors. She was almost prepared to beg Brandon to take her away from her whole life. Not to be with him -- not to be his at all -- just to have a way out.

The car was waiting and Hanna all but ran out to the street, first fumbling with her keys as she locked up the apartment. She felt safer in the back, the driver saying little to her on the way. This suited Hanna. She could gather her thoughts and try to diminish her frustration over her mother's phone call.

The drive took more than half an hour and the shadows were thickening the farther they got from the city. Eventually the gloom prevented Hanna from knowing where she was, and a bolt of panic had her holding her breath again.

'Excuse me,' she asked the driver. 'Where exactly are we?'

'Outside Silver Lake, Miss Miller. Just north of Westerly Drive.'

The house was at the end of a long upward driveway and it stood before a wooded embankment. She could see the curved front room looming over the garage, and a set of stone steps twisted up to the front door.

The driver let Hanna out and she saw Cassidy at the top of the stairs in a short white dress. Her dainty feet were bare, and she skipped down the steps and ran across the gravelled driveway to meet Hanna.

'You're right on time. Come up. Philip will bring your things in.'

Hanna kept her questions to herself when Cassidy showed her in. Past the front corridor was the kitchen, modern in style but not anything remarkable or expensive looking. The front room was spacious and the floor to ceiling windows gave a panoramic view of the valley below. The furniture looked comfortable and the place was more inviting than his apartment.

'I got here this afternoon. Brandon should be by around eight. He had some things to clear up at the office.'

'I feel odd I've not spoken to him about this.'

'He's been exceptionally busy,' Cassidy said. 'I love it here.'

'How often do you come here?'

'Not very. I needed a break too, I suppose. My line of work has me up at all hours. It's tiring.'

Hanna heard the front door close and she glanced back down the corridor.

'It's just Philip leaving. He's put your things in your room. Do you want to see it?'

'It can wait. Do you have anything to drink?'

'Yes, of course. How rude of me not to offer.'

Cassidy found the glasses and poured them both a decent measure, Hanna observing the bottle wasn't cheap. She followed Cassidy into the front room and they sat across from one another on the sofa.

Hanna liked Cassidy was petite despite her long limbs. She had an elegance Hanna coveted; she'd always felt rigid and too tall.

'How did you meet Brandon?' Hanna asked.

'By chance. I was eighteen and on the run from the last guy I'd been working for. I mean I was literally running from his goons at the time. I'd gotten out of their car when we were stuck in traffic, and I was chased down the street. I got far enough ahead when I saw a town car, and I knocked on the window even though it was tinted and I had no idea who was inside. I must've looked frantic enough for Brandon to open the door and let me in. I hid on the floor after he locked the door and just waited until I heard the footsteps pass.'

'Then what happened?'

'He was very calm. I sat beside him and explained myself. My clothes and been ripped. Out of instinct, I offered him sexual favours if he'd help me, but he said he'd take nothing from me. He put me up for a few days and gave me five thousand dollars with instructions to do something meaningful with it. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't mean to me at all. I did everything to seduce him, I was infatuated. But it was only the fact he'd saved me that made me feel so strongly.'

Hanna drew in her breath, suddenly exhausted. 'Do you still love him?'

'Not in that way. I'll do anything for him, I owe him my life.'

'He says jump, you say, how high?'

'It's not like that.'

'So who's in charge?'

'You are, Hanna. You can leave here whenever you like. You can do as you please. Make yourself at home. I'm here to keep you company.'

'What about Brandon?'

'He just wants you to be happy here. He'll speak with you later.'

'Will he tell me the absolute truth? Why he's doing this for me?'

'If you ask him, he will.' Cassidy set her glass aside. 'You look tired, sweetness. Do you need to lie down?'

The offer sounded perfect. Cassidy took her to the guest room and stayed close as Hanna moved down onto the bed.

'I'll come wake you in an hour or so, okay?' Cassidy was stroking Hanna's hair lightly and she bent to kiss her cheek.

Hanna wasn't prepared to leave it at that. She brought Cassidy down with her, moving her under her and kissing her mouth. Cassidy's skin was quick to warm.

'That's it, Hanna,' she whispered. 'Take what you want. Taste me.'

With their mouths locked together for some time, Cassidy slipped her hands up Hanna's blouse to touch her breasts. She suckled Cassidy, cupping her breast in her palm and moaning while Cassidy's hands pushed gently on Hanna's shoulders.

Tasting Cassidy again, Hanna took longer than she had before, lapping slowly and sucking her clit once it was engorged. Cassidy was moaning her name, telling her how good she felt.

'Do it again,' she begged.

Hanna obliged and slipped her fingers deep into Cassidy. She gushed profusely and cried out, saying her name louder as she came.

With a grin, Cassidy told Hanna it was her turn now. She took a simple white vibrator from the drawer beside the bed and Hanna willingly lay back, listening to the purr of it and waiting for it to touch her. Cassidy was just as slow about her tease, slipping the toy inside Hanna as she sucked her breasts.

'My darling Hanna.' Cassidy watched Hanna unravel. 'My gorgeous one.'

Hanna was all but screaming by then when a surge of electricity shot down her spine to the small of her back. She'd never come this hard with anyone.

It stole the last of her energy and she was groggy as Cassidy kissed her to sleep.

Hanna woke up to almost perfect darkness. Her eyes adjusted and she found the bedside lamp, but the room wasn't familiar at first. She heard two voices down the hall. After she wrapped her blue satin robe around her, she followed the voices to the kitchen, hovering unseen so she could listen.

'She wanted me,' Cassidy said. 'I wasn't prepared to wait for you.'

'It's alright. Why would I be upset?' Brandon sounded as neutral as he'd been the other night.

'She has questions, Brandon. You better answer them.'

'When she asks, I'll tell her.'

'Such a small gesture and you give her all this?'

'No gesture of kindness can ever be considered small.'

Hanna heard Cassidy sigh. 'You make me sound so ungrateful.'

'I know you're not. You're resourceful, confident. I want Hanna to be that way. I want her to let go of her fear.'

'Does that mean you'll let go of your shit at last?' Cassidy asked. 'Is this why she's here? Reconciliation?'

Brandon's patience suddenly slipped. 'Cassidy, stop it. I'm not using her.'

'Will you fuck me if she asks you to?'

'Is that what you want?'

'I'm in this for the money. I need it.'

'Don't lie. You're already infatuated with her.'

Hanna kept as still as possible.

'How can I not be?' Cassidy replied. 'She's divine. Heavenly. And she knows a lot for someone with no experience with any other cunt than her own. But I'm not in love with her any more than I was with you.'

'You're in a very vicious mood, aren't you?'

Hanna waited another two heartbeats then pretended as if she'd only just come out of the guest room. Brandon appeared happy to see her.

'Sorry, I only meant to rest an hour,' Hanna said. 'What time is it?'

'Just after nine,' Cassidy answered, her eyes still on Brandon. 'I'm going to bed. I'll see you both in the morning.' She kissed Hanna's cheek on the way out.

Hanna waited to hear a door down the hall close. 'Is she upset?'

'She's tetchy. She tends to get that way when she feels she's being cheated.'

'If I've done anything to suggest she is, then...'

Brandon smiled. 'You've not done a thing. But you can ask me anything you like. We'll talk outside, it's warm enough.'

There was a small balcony at the back of the house overlooking the yard. An old wrought iron table with two chairs sat by the railing and Hanna took a seat across from Brandon.

'I don't know where to start,' she confessed.

'Then we can start with you until you feel safe enough to interrogate me in turn.'

'Alright.'

'What are your parents like?'

'Stuffy. And disappointed I refused to bear Richard's child.'

'Even though you would've hated being a mother?' he asked.

'It mattered little. I'd happily not speak to them again. What are your parents like?'

He wasn't regarding her now. 'They were fractured. Now they're dead.'

Hanna felt ill. 'I'm sorry. Was it an accident?'

'Murder-suicide. My father was a drunk and an abuser. My mother took the brunt of his aggression. The night she was arranging to take my sister and me away, he caught her in the garage and threw battery acid in her face...' His voice grew softer. 'Her scream... I'll take that sound to my grave. Her throat closed over, she asphyxiated, and in some way it was a blessing. Once he saw what he'd done, my father went upstairs, took out his pistol and shot himself. Harriet was nine, I was twelve. We ended up with our aunt and uncle in Rochester. I did all I could to appear normal and unaffected by it.'