Even with medication, her mental and emotional health had always been shaky at best. She would be on top of the world one minute and staring at the walls without speaking the next. As close as Aidan and I were to her, she had gone weeks at a time without speaking to us. Then suddenly, out of the blue, she would be back to normal as if nothing had happened. There was never any rhyme or reason to these drastic mood swings, at least that we were aware of. I suspected that much of her troubles centered on her home life, but she never actually came out and admitted that. For all of the years I was friends and then more with her, I find when I think back that I never really knew her.

Cassie was a girl and then a woman of secrets. I met her father on a few occasions through the years and he seemed perfectly normal, although Cassie always seemed almost afraid of him. Her mother had passed away when she was a baby, or at least that was Cassie’s version of the story. Her father was the manager at a local lumber mill and worked long hours. Cassie seemed to have the freedom to come and go as she pleased, which I used to envy when Aunt Fae was keeping tighter reins on me. I’ve often wondered in the last eight years if my feelings of unease about her father were totally off. Could it have been Cassie who was the problem all along, and her father just another victim of her sickness? Maybe he was as powerless as I was to help someone who continued to spiral out of control. He took off shortly after Cassie and I were engaged. I have no idea where he is now. I do know he was contacted when she was hospitalized, but he never showed up. Regardless of what she had done, the burden of caring for her ultimately fell on my shoulders, especially since I refused to press charges against her. What was the fucking point? She was completely out of it and would have been institutionalized anyway, and again, the guilt I felt for my part in her ultimate undoing was also a big factor.

I jerk in surprise as my cell phone rings. I see Max’s name on the ID and brace myself to hear him raging over Lia’s friend, Rose. I have no idea what is going on there, and I don’t really want to know. I suspect from Max’s reaction to her that he has either fucked her or is damn close. “Quinn,” I answer, resigned to hearing the tirade I know is coming.

“Luc…I need to see you today.” Just wonderful. Apparently, it’s bad enough that he wants some face time to rant. Maybe fucking Rose is exactly what he needs; they both appear to be wound entirely too tight. Of course, she’s likely to sew his balls to his leg when it’s over, but everyone has problems.

“Max,” I sigh, as I twirl my pen between my fingers. “She’s Lia’s friend. I know she’s crazy, but just do this…”

“It’s not that,” he says in a tone, which sounds dead serious. “I’m probably going to be a couple more hours between getting Rose released and dropping off some papers at the courthouse. Are you going to be in the office all afternoon?”

He has my attention now. Max isn’t one to cry wolf without a reason. “Yeah, I’ll be in. Stop by when you arrive.” I’m uneasy when the call ends, wondering what’s going on. I ponder calling him back and demanding an explanation, but if he wants to meet in person, then there’s a reason. Instead of dwelling on it, I grab some workout clothes and decide to burn off some adrenaline before I have Cindy pick up my lunch.

I’ve just rounded the five-mile mark on the treadmill as sweat trickles down my chest when I hear a noise behind me. I glance over, expecting to see Cindy, but instead the sight that greets me damn near causes me to break my fucking neck. Lia is standing there with a hungry expression as her eyes devour me, and she’s completely…naked. Not a stitch of clothing in sight. I stumble, precariously close to going down as she runs over and unplugs the treadmill. I manage to hold it together until the belt stops.

“OH, MY GOD! I’m so sorry.” She puts a hand over her chest as if trying to calm herself. “I wanted to surprise you, but I never thought about it making you fall.” She looks at me in alarm as I exit the machine, my legs jelly-like and wobbly. She takes my arm as if bracing me. “Are you okay?” Actually, now that the shock has worn off and I’ve made it to steady ground without crashing, I’m just horny…completely turned-on by the woman clutching me.

I use the arm she’s not holding to grab my water bottle and swallow half of it. I wipe the excess off with the back of my hand before answering. “No, I seem to have a problem…a big one.” At my words, her eyes run up and down my body, scanning for injuries and finding none. She looks adorably confused and concerned. I decide to take mercy on her and help her out. Taking her hand from my arm, I lower it until she is holding my hard cock in her palm. “That’s what I need help with, baby.” I thrust against her hold and chuckle as her eyes go big as saucers. She seems so surprised that it makes me wonder what she’d been expecting when she walked in here naked. She has to know by now that I only have to see her to get hard. I am a fucking walking erection since I met her. The fact that she doesn’t seem to know it makes me want her more.

She licks her lips, and I almost lose it. “You’re not wearing a shirt,” she says on something similar to a moan. I grin wolfishly as my hands slide over her silky flesh. Her eyes are glazed, and I know without touching her that she’s wet for me. I begin pulling her closer when she suddenly drops through my hands and onto her knees. Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t see that coming, but I’m more than ready to see where she’s going with this. My cock is hoping it’ll involve those plump, pink lips. When she looks up at me and starts tugging my shorts down, I fight the urge to fist pump. Her nails drag across my thighs as she lowers my shorts, causing shivers to race through my body. My dick literally leaps free from the waistband and I hiss as the cool air hits the hot flesh. She is sitting back on her heels now, staring at it, as if mesmerized.

“Suck it, baby,” I urge as I take the length in my hand and shake it lightly in her face. When her tongue reaches out and delicately licks the bead of moisture off the tip, I almost blow my load all over her. I plant my legs firmly and brace myself as she begins licking me as if I’m the best ice cream she’s ever had. Her hand nudges mine away from the base of my cock as she encircles my girth and starts pumping upwards to meet her lips. Watching her mouth take me is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen in my life. Fuck, who am I kidding? It’s the hottest hands-down. I’m too big for her to take all the way, but she gives it her best shot. I feel myself sliding halfway down her throat as she struggles to control her gag reflex. When I start to pull back, she holds on, refusing to let me stop. “Ah, fuck, that feels so good,” I moan as I run my hand through her hair, guiding her mouth.