Beyond the Breaking Point: Nine

After a day of searching potential apartments, Cassidy settled on The Commons. The building was old, “vintage” the ad called it, but had controlled access and an attached, restricted parking garage for residents. The apartment was spacious, with large rooms, generous closet space, and a kitchen that didn’t suck. The many windows provided plenty of light and since she would be on the third floor of five, security wasn’t an issue except for the fire escape. The elevators worked, and the highway was less than a five-minute drive away. The only drawback she could see was the bathroom, which though clean, needed to be retiled.

Another plus was that she’d been able to get a two-bedroom for the price of what other complexes charged for one. The building wasn’t that large, containing only twenty-two apartments. The neighborhood was located in an area that was slowly being renovated and rejuvenated, so crime was low. If any area of Philly could be considered safe, this one was, and another plus was that she didn’t have to drive too far to get to work.

She signed the lease, paid the deposit, and was given the go-ahead to begin moving in. Collecting the keys and parking pass handed to her, Cassidy said, “Thank you so much, Ms. Brown.”

The apartment manager smiled. “We’re glad to have you as a tenant. It’s always nice to have a doctor in residence. I’m sorry for your circumstances, though.”

“Me, too.” Though Cassidy hadn’t wanted to, prudence dictated she tell the manager her story on the off chance the woman would bend the rules and allow her to move in early. It had worked, and now Cassidy didn’t have to worry about Phillip being able to worm his way into the apartment manager’s good graces and gain access to her apartment.

Next, she went to the electric and gas companies and paid the deposits to have the utilities cut on in her name. At the house they were in Phillip’s. When that was completed, she smiled grimly as she called the cable company and had the cable and Internet service, which were in her name, transferred.

Last of all, she went furniture shopping. Cassidy really wished she could call her friend, Erika, to come with her. Shopping was always better when you had someone with you, but calling Erika would mean telling her what happened. And Cassidy wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. No more than she had to.

Never had Cassidy been happier that her parents had taught her good money management skills. Her grade-A credit rating came in handy as she selected and charged a living room, dining room, and bedroom set to her credit card. Now that she had no one but her own tastes to consider, she went with color. Lots of vibrant colors and comfy cushions that cradled a body after a hard day of work. Furniture that cheered her just by looking at it.

Then she went to a nearby Wal-Mart and bought linens, bath supplies, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, and everything else that she thought she might need. She wasn’t naïve enough to think she’d bought it all, but she’d made a good start.

Tired, she returned to her now-crowded hotel room. Looking at all the boxes she’d accumulated, Cassidy realized she’d need a small truck to carry it all, or a U-Haul. She might need to call Erika after all. Cassidy sighed.

She stuck a frozen dinner in the microwave and clicked on the television while it nuked. Flipping channels, she settled on Comedy Central. God knows she could use a laugh. The microwave beeped, signaling it was finished. Normally one of her favorite meals, the food looked and smelled delicious, but she found she simply didn’t have an appetite. Knowing she needed to eat and that the only thing she’d had all day was a half-eaten container of yogurt, Cassidy forced down the food and then went and took a shower.

Later, as she snuggled under the covers, her last thought before drifting off was that she might have to take Max up on his offer to help her move after all.



“Sir, what would you like to drink?” the flight attendant asked and rattled off the list of drink choices.

All I want is for this hunk of tin to fly faster, Phillip thought. I need to get home.

When he didn’t respond fast enough, Amber placed a hand on his thigh, leaned forward to get the flight attendant’s attention and said, “I’d like a Coke.”

Phillip knocked it off, an expression of pure disgust on his face.

“There’s no need to be mean,” Amber muttered under her breath before smiling her thanks at the flight attendant who handed her the requested drink and a napkin.

“I don’t want your hands on me,” he told her, quiet fury underlying his tone. To the attendant he said, “Nothing for me.”

She nodded her acknowledgment and moved on.

Amber rolled her eyes and took a sip from the clear cup. “You weren’t saying that the other afternoon. Anyway, I don’t see why you’re upset.”

“My wife left me on our second honeymoon vacation and you don’t see why I’m angry?” His voice rose at the end and he noticed a few passengers casting uneasy glances in his direction.

She huffed, “It’s not like we had sex. We just fooled around a little.”

Hearing Amber spout the same words he’d spoken to Cassidy made him feel a little sick inside, which pissed him off even more. He leaned close and said in a furious whisper, “I’m a happily married man, or I was. Thanks to your little stunt my marriage might be over. If that happens, I’ll find a way to make you regret it.” The look he gave her was so cold, so deadly, he saw the little flare of fear that sparked deep in her eyes.

She shifted closer to the window in an attempt to put more space between them.

He still didn’t know how she’d managed to get his shorts loose without waking him. He wasn’t that deep of a sleeper and hadn’t had more than two beers. He’d sat, sprawled wide-legged on the couch, watching a golf tournament. Phillip remembered leaning his head back and closing his gritty eyes to rest them for a moment. The next thing he knew, Amber’s hot breath had been caressing his rapidly hardening dick. Before he was fully alert, she’d had him in hand, taking him to the back of her throat like a pro. It had felt good. Damn good. He felt his cock stir as he remembered.

Damned cunt, he thought savagely.

Amber shifted again, crossing one leg over the other. A long, toned and golden length of thigh as hairless as her pussy caught Phillip’s attention as the mini skirt she wore rose. He’d run his hands up the length of those legs and she’d opened for him—

“Don’t act like this situation is all my fault,” she snarled, obviously finding her courage when she noticed him staring at her legs. “I know when a man wants me. I could see it in your eyes, how you looked at me when I came out of the room to head to the pool. Just like you’re looking at me now.”

“You’ve got big tits, a tight ass, and your pussy was barely covered. Of course I looked. You wanted me to or you wouldn’t have been prancing around half-naked. The question is, why the hell would I want a money-grubbing cunt like you when I have Cassidy?”

She sucked in a shocked breath and his gaze momentarily caught on her titties, on display in a low-cut top. He doubted she was wearing a bra. Her type didn’t. They dressed to attract a man’s attention but then complained when a man took what was offered.

He’d cautioned Max against getting too attached to Amber when Max first introduced her. As his daddy used to say, “There’s women you fuck, and women you marry.” Phillip had pegged Amber as the first type from day one.

“Fuck her, man, if you need to and get her out of your system. But don’t get crazy and fall in love with her,” he’d told Max.

Max had shaken his head. “I know she looks like a playboy model and she seems a little standoffish, but she’s a really nice woman. Give her a chance. You’ll see.”

Phillip had, but neither he nor Cassidy had ever warmed up to her. She’d been accepted because of Max. Cassidy had never said so aloud, but he knew she thought Amber was nothing but a gold-digger who’d latched onto Max because of his money.

Max was rich. He downplayed his status, choosing instead to live on his earnings. But his family not only had money, they came from money—old money. His family owned a string of Italian restaurants and pizzerias. They weren’t snobbish with it, though, and neither was Max. When he’d asked Max about it, he’d said his parents had taught him that money shouldn’t define the person you were. It was simply something you had. A tool meant to be used in life like any other.

Amber had taken one look at Max, made the connection to his family, and latched on for dear life. Phillip wished Max had never met her. She was ruining his marriage. He and Cassidy were still recovering from the last slut who’d put the moves on him.

Although, that was a totally different situation, he mentally defended himself.

He’d been sitting in the bar drinking. His clients had long left but Phillip had no one waiting for him at home. Cassidy was at work. She’d always been working at that damned hospital, delivering everyone else’s babies but refusing to get pregnant so they could have a family of their own. He’d known as a doctor her career would be demanding. Hell, he was a lawyer. He understood long hours, but he hadn’t known he was marrying a workaholic.

So there he’d sat, minding his own damn business, drinking whiskey sours when she’d come over, sidled up onto the bar stool next to him and started a conversation. “What’s a handsome man like you doing here all alone?” Taping his wedding ring, she’d asked, “Where’s your wife? You want some company?”

As she leaned forward, her neckline had gaped and he’d gotten an eyeful of big, bare breasts and tight nipples. Phillip had been unable to tear his gaze away. Smiling, she’d noticed and talked him into buying her a drink.

She’d verbally stroked his ego, encouraging him to pour out all his marriage woes. The woman had been a good listener, asking all the right questions, and hanging onto his every word. The next damn thing he knew, her slender hand had been on his crotch, stroking his cock. The details became blurry after that.

He clearly remembered checking into a nearby cheap motel. He also remembered having her dress around her waist and his cock in her pussy as soon as the door closed. Phillip couldn’t recall her name or what she’d looked like. Only that she’d been an excellent piece of tail and sucked cock like a high-classed whore.

Afterward, when he’d sobered enough to realize the time, he rushed home, arriving before Cassidy who’d assisted with a late-evening delivery that had taken hours. She’d come home, hit the shower and dropped into an exhausted sleep, none the wiser.

He’d felt like a piece of shit, but really, if she’d spent more time being a wife and less being a doctor, it would have never happened. Then she’d shown him that medical report…

Phillip sighed, reminding himself that it was water under the bridge. Cassidy had forgiven him. He was sure he could convince her to do it again. After all, it was Amber’s fault, the cunt. Their marriage counselor would agree with him.

Sure, Cassidy would be angry for a while. Okay, make that a long while, but eventually she’d calm down. He’d have to suffer through her moving out of their bedroom again and into the guestroom while giving him the silent treatment. He’d take her out to dinner, buy her flowers, and do that romance thing women loved so much and gradually she’d soften toward him.

Phillip spent the rest of the flight making plans to win his wife back. After they landed and he had his luggage from the baggage claim, he glanced up when Amber called his name. “Can I catch a ride with you?”

He scowled. “You’re joking, right?”

“No. You have a car, don’t you? Why should I pay for a cab when you can give me a ride?” she asked, totally clueless.

Phillip hoped he had a car. For all he knew, Cassidy had taken it and it was parked in the garage at the house. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. No answer. He tried again. She was letting her calls rollover to voicemail. Giving up, he decided to check the garage. Cassidy wasn’t the vengeful type. She’d sent him the ticket information, hadn’t she? More than likely, she’d caught a ride with Max and left him the vehicle.

“If I never see you again, it will be too soon. And word of advice, you’d better hope like hell Max isn’t there when you arrive,” he said coldly and walked off.

“Phillip, wait!”

He flipped her the bird and kept going, smiling grimly when she called out, “Bastard!” to his retreating back.