A Penny for Your Thought

'Oh, God,' was his first thought as he started coming back to consciousness. 'Was I asleep or did I just blacked out last night?' was the second.

Realizing the state he was in, he didn't try opening his eyes, but used his other senses to assess the situation. The feel of the soft bed in combination with the traffic noises coming from somewhere to the right made him believe he was in his own place.

'So I guess I came home last night.' Although he didn't remember it. His head was pounding and his mouth felt like it was thoroughly scrubbed with sand paper. On top of it, his stomach was heaving on the verge of throwing up. 'How much did I drink last night?' he wondered.

He was lying on his stomach, his head turned to the right, placing the left side of his face deep in the soft pillow. Breathing deeply in order to calm the urge to throw up, he slowly opened his right eye and immediately closed it again. 'Why is the sun so bright today?' he groaned in his head. Then he stiffened, feeling a slight movement behind him in the bed. His eyes flew open, watering immediately from the sunlight. Very slowly, without any sudden movements, he turned his head to the left; the process made his head spin for a moment from the pounding pain.

The first thing he saw as his head turned was a slender ankle and the foot attached to it lying on the pillow beside him. Following the leg further down the bed, he saw it disappear under the covers. Onward inspection revealed a half covered, shapely waist, a silhouette of a nice-size breast and a shoulder partially obscured by heavy looking, disheveled, locks of dark chocolate hair. Lying in the opposite end of the bed and thus not having a pillow, she (and it was definitely a 'she') pillowed her head on her left arm, the right arm hanging from the side of the bed, as was her left foot. Everything about her screamed 'HOT', even in her sleeping, slightly disheveled state.

'Great, I have a goddess in my bed and I don't even remember how she got here, not to mention what we did after she got here.'

He closed his eyes again, going through a mental exercise, trying to clear the fog that seemed to cloud his mind, but his head hurt too much to allow any kind of focus. 'Well then, I guess there is no way I can try to listen to her either. I would need to wait to remember what's going on.'

Moving slowly, he began getting up, trying to create as little disturbance as possible for the sleeping goddess (that's what he decided he would call her until he knew her real name), all the while keeping an eye on her. A floor board creaked as he placed his feet on the floor. He almost forgot how to breath when the goddess in his bed stretched very feline-like, then proceeded to groan and curse softly, but not very delicately. It was such a contradiction he almost laughed. Her head began to rise from the bed as a sudden realization of his nudity dawned on him and he grabbed his pillow to cover his groin, which showed some embarrassing signs of morning erection intensified by the beautiful sight before his eyes.

The woman didn't even look in his direction. She crawled off the bed on the other side and leaned to get something obscured from his vision off the floor. In the process, the cover remained on the bed, allowing him to admire her back side in all its glory. As she stood up, she pulled on a thong, probably the object from the floor, which left no room to imagination (at least from his point of view).

***

'Oh, God,' was her first thought as she woke up. 'I can't believe I did this. What the fuck was I thinking?' was the second, as last night occurrences rushed through her mind. She knew exactly where she was, Nick's place. She felt his eyes on her as she stretched and cursed, feeling the aftermath of last night on her body. She also heard the sharp intake of his breath. Without turning to him, she got off the bed as gracefully as she could and bent to pick her underwear, which thankfully were lying on the floor by the bed. She didn't try for modesty 'I guess after last night it's not really necessary.' Anyway she never was shy, even when she had a couple of extra pounds on her. But now Cassie knew she looked great; the long hours in the gym were paying off and she looked the best she has in a couple of years.

'Well, I guess it's time to face the music,' she thought.

"What music?" Nick asked and now it was her turn to stop breathing.

***

'Damn, I guess I'm more off balance then I thought. I should know better than to confuse a mental voice with a real one, or to be able to listen without actually listening,' he thought, as something in the mental voice he heard registered as familiar in his brain. Many questions were running through his head. How to explain his questions? Who is this woman? What happened last night? But then the woman turned to face him and though one question was answered immediately, all the others flew out of the window.

'Fuck!!!'

"What the hell are you doing here?" his voice sounded almost whiney.

"Oh for fuck sake, Nick, watch your language." Cassie's eyes were laughing. "And stop blushing like a school girl, this pretend modesty doesn't suit you."

Then the memories of last night washed over him like a tidal wave, although some pieces were still missing...

__________________________________________________

It was a bad day. The phone was quite and no new work walked through the door of his office. Nick was beginning to worry about this month's rent; he really didn't feel like dipping into his rainy day account. Not that money was really an issue if he needed it, but he promised himself that he will clean up his act and wanted to hold this promise. He decided to cut the day early since his mood was on the down side and he could feel his control of his Gift being quite bad. Nick headed to his favorite place, Duke's.

Duke's was one of those seedy places that have bad reputation because of the way they look and not because of a real reason. It was a small bar with greasy wooden floors and no décor whatsoever. The owner, Duke the third, was a formidable looking guy, very tall and very wide in the shoulders with a short military style haircut and a very dirty apron. But Nick knew him from way back and actually liked the guy, knowing for sure he had not one menacing thought in his head.

"You should really wash the floors sometime, Duke," he said as he walked in.

"If you don't like my floors, you can just get out," grumbled Duke, a grin crossing his face.

It was their usual greeting. Nick knew that the whole feel of the place was purposeful. Duke's philosophy for his business was that it's not and never will be one of those trendy bars where all the beautiful looking people come to relax after a day's work. He wanted the place to be homey, and for him, the dirty floors were as much home as they once were for Nick. He also kept a well-stocked bar with couple of very special and pricy drinks, so his clientele knew why they came there and usually they were regulars.

Nick loved this place; it was a home away from home. He and Duke weren't really close friends, but they were comfortable with each other in a kind of a long time acquaintances way. The place was never crowded and the local patrons were usually the lonely, quite, brooding type, which meant they kept their thoughts to themselves and didn't broadcast them all around.

Nick ordered his favorite single malt and went to 'his' corner of the bar, taking with him a newspaper from the stack that Duke kept. Though he didn't look it, Duke was a highly intelligent man. The bar was just a hobby; Duke was a scholar, a fact not many knew. He just finished his Doctorate in History and Politics of the Middle East, and started each morning by going through several newspapers, including special subscriptions in Hebrew and Arabic (and yes he knew these languages fluently).

Focusing on reading always helped Nick to maintain control on his 'listening' abilities. And he really wasn't in the mood to be drawn into the mental torrent of the local drunk, Dave, who was the only other customer at this early hour of the evening. 'Raving about his ex, nothing new there,' he thought as some of Dave's thoughts wafted through the cracks in his control. He found an interesting article about the Oracle PI company, which was his competition since he himself was in this line of work, and settled down reading and sipping quietly. Duke kept filling up his glass when it was empty; it was a long time understanding between them that unless Nick said otherwise he was willing to keep on drinking.

Usually when Nick came to Duke's, he wanted to get drunk; it was on days when he felt his Gift acting up or 'spiking' as he thought of it. When it happened, he knew that if he wanted to sleep that night he needed to be very drunk, otherwise all the mental voices of his dreaming neighbors will keep him up all night.

"So, what should a girl do to get a drink from a handsome guy like you?" asked a familiar voice.

Raising his head from the paper, he realized that he wasn't reading the article for some time since the letters were swimming before his eyes (which meant he was on track as far as booze consumption was concerned). He looked at the woman standing next to him. His sight was really blurry. He saw her silhouette, but he couldn't focus his eyes on the details and the image kept splitting in two. But he would recognize that voice in any condition so he had no question about who she was. Actually the fact that she was there at all said something about his condition.

"Stand still Cassie, you're making my head dizzy with all the moving around..." he blurted out, though his voice sounded kind of drawly and unclear.

***

From the moment she stepped into Duke's, she saw Nick sitting in his corner of the bar, a half empty glass standing next to his hand. He looked as if he was reading a paper, but his eyes were glassy and unfocused. He was in quite a state. She threw Duke a small, understanding smile and he showed her an almost empty bottle of Nick's favorite Scotch. With anyone else, it would have meant alcohol poisoning, but Nick really could drink, though this much did get him very, very drunk.

"Thanks for calling me," she mouthed to Duke and went to her very drunk friend.

This wasn't the first time she got this kind of call. Every couple of weeks, Nick would come into Duke's and get plastered. Most of the times it wasn't that bad and he would go up the couple flights of steps to his apartment, but once in a while, he would get this glazed eye look and then Duke would call her to come to the rescue. On these occasions, she was the only one he would actually listen too. Any attempts made by Duke or anybody else would be totally ignored. Using force to remove him would only bring to violence, and although Duke weighed way more than Nick, and probably could master him, he really didn't want to hurt the guy so he just called her.

Cassie didn't know what Nick's problem was. When she first met him, she thought he had a drinking problem and even arranged an intervention for him. She even went further and moved in with him for a month to regulate his drinking problem and get him through withdrawal. But then Nick didn't drink the whole month and didn't show any signs of alcohol dependency. She tried to ask why was he getting drunk then, but he just shrugged his shoulders, which was his sign for 'I don't want to talk about it' and she knew she had to respect it.

They had this agreement between them; they both had some aspects of their lives and their past they didn't want to share. This was probably what made them so close over the years, their ability to respect each other's boundaries. They also played important roles in each other's lives over the years, which was why she came every time Duke called, even if it wasn't a very convenient evening for her. She knew that Nick was and always will be there for her when she needed him.

"So, what should a girl do to get a drink from a handsome guy like you?" she asked, choosing a light tone to draw Nick's attention. His eyes moved from the paper on the counter before him to her, but she knew he didn't really see her.

"Staaaand sti Caie, yr makin ma head izzy all... movin aroun..." Of course he didn't make any sense but this wasn't new in his state.

"I'm not moving at all; your head is dizzy from all the drinking..." She closed her mouth, knowing better than to berate him when he was like that she went on.

"Get up!" she said pushing a little with her mind. She knew that he would respond to her command. He always seemed to in those instances, which was why she could handle him. She learned early on in their relationship that he didn't respond well to it at other times, and it usually gave her horrible headaches trying. It was like beating her head against a wall.

Taking his hand in hers, she mentally pushed again as she pulled him towards the door. Duke waved his thanks. Nick followed almost meekly, the glazed look never leaving his eyes. As they went into the cool night air, she heard Nick take a deep breath and she turned to see him shaking his head a little as if trying to clear his mind. But then he was still again, looking at her but not really seeing. They made the short trip to his block and up the four flights of steps to his apartment. She thanked her abilities every step of the way because she didn't want to think how she would have managed it if he was walking under the influence of the alcohol and not due to her pushing him. She wasn't a small woman, but Nick was almost six inches taller, and although she worked out for the past year, she didn't have the upper body strength to carry him.

"Give me your keys!" she told him as they got to his apartment. The blank look wavered a little on the verge of surprise. She felt the need to apply a little more pressure to get the thought in, but then his hand reached into his jeans pocket and fished out the keys, holding them out to her.

She always love Nick's apartment, given she had only seen it in the dark on occasions such as this. When they just met to catch up, they preferred going out and trying new restaurants, fine cuisine was just one of their shared likes.

Nick's apartment was actually one large open space. It wasn't designed as a studio apartment but when Nick purchased it, he didn't feel the need for the different rooms so he demolished all the walls, leaving only the supporting beams. He also removed most of the eastern wall, opposite to the entrance, and replaced it with huge windows. The house was on the outskirts of town, overlooking the bay so there were no nosy neighbors to peak in. Hard wood floors in dark mahogany and bare brick wall completed the homey look. The only walled area was the bathroom in the back of the space. It was a wonderful bathroom with a large old style tub on four legs and a comfortable shower stall.

Cassie moved Nick towards the bed on the left. She always smiled when she saw it. The huge king size bed looked like some weird combination of styles. It was pretty low and close to the floor, almost like a futon, but supported by four posts and a light canopy of white silky material. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Looking at the bed also made her blush a little, since it tended to appear in some of her more 'interesting' dreams, as did Nick.

She assumed this bed was very functional. Nick was a handsome guy, in a kind of disarming 'good boy' way completed with a shy looking smile and laughing eyes, and had a good sexual appetite. She chided him many times about the traffic his apartment is probably seeing, although he always maintained he never took girls to his place. She had a hard time believing him. These thoughts really bothered her, so she preferred not to think about it when she was here.

The fresh laundry smell still wafting from the sheets told her they are clean so she decided she should make sure that Nick took off his clothes before tucking him in. Thinking about Nick taking off his shirt made her hot and she felt the flush that crept on her face earlier only deepen. She was standing very close to him, still holding his hand which she used to lead him in. The clean smell, the heat and Nick's proximity made her head spin a little. She had to get a grip on herself. Cassie let Nick's hand fall and took a step back, away from him and the tempting bed.

"Strip!" she choked out the order with a push that might have been a little too hard judging from the speed with which Nick complied. The shirt and the pants literally flew to the floor and then he was tugging down his underpants. She realized with horror that she didn't give the order correctly. It was a rookie mistake really, since she learnt early on while discovering her abilities that she had to give direct and specific orders. And since all she wanted was for him to get out of his shirt and pants, this is exactly what she had to say.

She had no intention of seeing him nude so she spun her back to him, but a little too late. From the corner of her eye she got a glimpse of his manhood as his boxer shirts were sliding to the floor. The image seemed to be burnt in her mind which was having a problem focusing and issuing the next and final order to get Nick in the bed and under the covers. So she stood with her back to him, her eyes closed, trying to focus and complete her 'mission'. But the image of him standing naked kept reappearing and her mind seemed to have a life of its own as it spun and conjured different kinds of images. It was as if all her restraint and control left her and all the pent up feelings were spinning and whirling, making her almost tremble with need.

She had been in love with him for such a long time, almost from the beginning of their relationship. But seeing the girls he could get, she just knew that he wouldn't be interested in her this way. She was always a little too curvy and, although her face was quite pretty with big green eyes, long lashes, and pouty lips, she just didn't feel she could measure up to his standard in women. She loved him so much that the thought of not having him in her life was really unthinkable to her, thus seeing how he never slept with someone more than once and never stayed in touch with any of the women he slept with, she just gave up even the idea of trying to seduce him.

Cassie settled for being his best friend, knowing for sure she was the most important woman in his life even if it was strictly platonic. She loved having him share his life with her and dreaded the day he would decide to settle down and choose some gorgeous model type to be his life's companion. Nick of course never knew how she felt. She always tried to keep a tight wall around these thoughts when she was in his proximity, so as not to 'push' some notion of what was going in her head into his.

With all the control and mental exercise she picked up and learnt over the years, she just couldn't control her dreams. Once in a while she would wake up breathing hard and trembling on the verge of sexual climax from a mind blowing erotic dream where Nick would worship her body every which way her mind would ask for. These dreams left her empty and wanting. She knew that helping herself reach an orgasm wouldn't help and staying frustrated was a really bad idea, as her experience showed.

Cassie still remembered the first time when she had such a dream. She couldn't fall asleep afterwards so she used her vibrator to bring herself to multiple orgasms. But the next day the images from the dream kept popping in her head and unfortunately she couldn't control her mind when it happened. One such image popped while she was waiting for a bus; it was an image and feel of Nick kneading her ass. To her mortification, the man standing next to her at the bus stop just reached out his hand and grabbed her. Then the image was gone and the man looked at her horrified and proceeded apologizing profusely. Understanding what just happened, Cassie turned and ran away.