The Feline Gaze

“There’s a, uh, woman here to see you, sir.”

I gla

nce at my calendar, which is blank.

“Not on the schedule. Have her make an appointment.”

I look back at the mess on my desk. Seriously. I have so much crap to deal with today that I don’t even know where to start. I hear Alice clear her throat and I look back up. To my surprise, she’s still standing in my doorway.

Why?

“Uh, Alice?”

“Sir, she’s...naked.”

“Naked?”

“Naked.”

“There’s a naked woman in the office?”

“Yes, and she’s really naked.”

“As opposed to just a little naked?” I ask, rolling my eyes. “Well, then, send her in. There must be a reason for it.”

Why would a naked woman be coming here to see me? I have no fucking clue. More importantly, I don’t care. I just need to make it through the rest of today and then I can rest. I can be at peace. I can move on and try to salvage what’s left of my company. After today, I’m not sure that’s going to be much.

“This way,” I hear Alice say. Then a familiar voice responds.

“Thank you, very much.”

To my surprise, Cassidy walks into my office. Like Alice said, she is definitely, totally, and completely naked.

Instantly, I’m aroused.

Instantly, she can tell.

“Hold your horses, there, lion,” she says. “We’ve got a bigger problem.”

“I’m aware.”

Of course, Cassidy would know what’s happening in the real estate world. This is her world, too. I’m not sure why I’m even a little bit surprised that she knows something has happened and that it could threaten everything I’ve been working toward.

“What do you know?”

“Everything,” she says. “But don’t worry, okay? I have a plan.”

A plan?

Cassidy?

“Fuck, if I don’t love a woman with a plan,” I tell her. “What’s step one?”

“Come here,” she crooks her finger, summoning me closer to her. Like a sailor led to a siren, I go, moving across the room. I don’t even know why I’m going, why I’m doing this. All I know is that she wants me to be closer, so I’m going closer. I don’t seem to have a choice in the matter. I just...I need to be near her.

When I reach her, my hands are on her waist, and then we’re kissing. She wraps her arms around my neck and takes her time savoring me. I love this about Cassidy. I love that even in the midst of chaos, she’s unhurried. She’s unrushed. She’s not trying to win any sort of race. She’s just taking her own sweet time, and it’s wonderful.

It’s absolutely perfect.