The Way I Like It

She answered the phone on the third ring.

"Hello?" As usual, she sounded as if she was annoyed that someone had actually called her.

He heard her voice and smiled to himself.

"Hi, Annette, it's me, Dan."

There was a slight pause before she continued, this time in a warmer tone.

"Hi, baby! I was just thinking about you! Where are you?"

Dan Cassidy switched his phone to his left shoulder as he made a turn onto Flatbush Avenue, heading towards the Manhattan Bridge.

"I'm on my way right now. I got tied up in the office."

He sensed an undercurrent of tension in her voice as he pulled up to a red light a few blocks away from the entrance to the bridge.

"Are you okay? You don't want me to come by?"

"No, it's not that, it's just….., y'know….i'm not used to this type of…..i'm not used to a relationship like this, y'know? I hate not being able to see you when I want, this whole…secret type of thing….."

Her voice trailed off, and as he pulled away from the intersection where the light had just turned green, he made a mental note to call the Mercedes dealer to get the hesitation in his car checked out. He looked at his watch. 7:50pm.

"Listen, Annette, I told you before, it's not going to be like this forever. I just need a little more time to handle the situation……"

"I know, baby, I know. But it's still strange to me, y'know? I mean, you still live there, I can't call you late at night if something happens, You come and see me, we go out and stuff, but after a little while you have to go home to your wife. I don't know if I want to be involved in that, y'know?" She sighed. "I'll be okay, I guess. I mean, I love you, and as long as you're going to leave her, I can wait."

He shook his head as he passed a couple of bright orange construction barriers closing off the left lane. It never ceased to amaze him how women could look at a problem and justify themselves right out and then right back into it. I guess the need to justify was one sense I never acquired! He laughed to himself as he entered the flow of late evening traffic heading to Manhattan.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, okay, baby? Don't worry, I have good news for you too."

"Oh really? Well hurry up then!"

He laughed. "Oh, now you want me to hurry up? Hah, I'll take my time then!"

He got there in thirty minutes. What should have been a ten minute trip to the Upper West Side turned into a winding adventure of gridlock, rubbernecking, loud horns and cruising endlessly for a parking space. He finally parked on 86th Street near Riverside Drive and walked the few blocks to her apartment. It was just getting dark, and the October chill made him shiver. He hadn't carried a coat with him today, and while his suit was expensive and looked good, it wasn't getting it done in this weather.

It had been a long day, one meeting after another, and he felt the tension throughout his body. He needed some R&R. Some TLC. Actually, he thought, I could live with just some really good sex right about now!

He took the stairs two at a time, marveling at his ability to go two flights without huffing and puffing. Not bad for forty! Most guys my age aren't in half as good shape!

He rang Annette's bell, and looked both ways down the hallway as he waited. Annette lived in a walkup building, and in the month and a half Dan had been seeing her he never saw anyone else in the building. No doorman, no neighbors, no kids. Nothing.

As he reached out to ring the bell again, Annette opened the door. She looked beautiful. She stood in the doorway, a slight smile on her lips, as he gazed at her in veneration.

She wasn't very tall, standing only about five-four. That suited Dan fine since he was only about five-seven himself. But in her case very good things came in her small package. Annette packed an incredible body into that petite frame. He could see the outline of her breasts against the long T-shirt she wore. Her delicious nipples were the size of small plums, and as she turned and walked to the bedroom of her apartment, Dan stood for a few moments just watching the extremely sensuous motion of her hips and thighs. Moving, undulating against the cotton fabric. Not for the first time Dan thought to himself Am I really this lucky or just this damn good?

His mouth went dry with anticipation and he literally felt lightheaded as the blood rushed from his brain and settled in a warm spot below his belt. Annette was a work of art. He closed the door and followed her.

The apartment was dim, with two scented candles in the bedroom serving as the only source of light. He caught a smell of some kind of berries wafting throughout. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched her pour a beer into a glass for him. She handed him the glass and took a drink of a bottle of water she always had nearby. He took a long sip, feeling the cold liquid course through his upper body and instantly began to relax. Annette was straddling him now, loosening his tie and pulling off his jacket. He began to help her, but she shook her head playfully and gently pushed him back against the bed. He let loose a slight grunt of appreciation as she slowly kissed and then nibbled on his neck and chest. Dan reached over and pulled on the nape of her neck, as she licked his torso with a very, very, hot tongue. He raised up on his elbows, took another long drink, and put his glass down. They made love as if they had all the time in the world. Dan moving sturdily inside of her as she coiled her body upwards as if to completely immerse his body within hers. They moved from one end of the bed to the other, smoothly at times and at times with the right amount of physical roughness and then gentleness. When he came inside of her, a slight moan escaped her lips and a small shudder ran throughout her tiny body and he knew that they had reached a mutual pleasure point. They laid intertwined on the bed, and after a while she handed him his drink again as she sipped some of her water.

"So, what's the surprise?" she finally asked.

He propped himself up against some pillows and made an outline with his right index finger on her cheek, moving down to her breasts, circling her nipples before he answered.

"I'm working on a plan to get out of this situation."

"You mean with your wife?"

He nodded, still playing with her nipples. Going from one to the other, back up to her neck, watching as they reacted to his touch and grew in size again.

"Yeah. I can't just leave, if I do, she takes me to the cleaners, y'know? So I've been working on a plan to do something about that." He took another drink and looked her square in the eyes.

"I'm looking into the possibilities of her having.…., maybe a small accident. A car with no brakes, getting hit crossing the street…. who knows? I'm getting a pro, and he'll take care of it for me. Nice and neat, no fuss, no questions asked." He saw her recoil at his words and his eyebrows shot up.

"What's the matter? You getting squeamish on me? You want her out of the way just as much as I do, this is the best way to do it. And it won't cost as much as getting divorced and paying alimony." He drank again, finishing the glass. "Simple and sweet, just the way I like it." She looked bothered by what he had said, and quietly got up and walked across the room. Without saying a word she pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater out of her closet and began to dress. He remained lying on the bed for a few minutes, quietly watching her before saying anything.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" He asked.

"I need to take a walk, I need to get some fresh air."

He nodded, still looking at her pulling on her jeans, and then he spoke again. "Well, would you like me to come with you?"

She shrugged. "Whatever."

"Whatever- What is your problem? Why are getting all uptight on me? What's this all about? What, you don't like my plan? You think I should pay the greedy bitch a quarter of a million and accept it as a loss? That's a lot of money, and that's just for starters!"

"Well, maybe you should just divorce her, pay her what she wants and move on. It's not worth all of this."

"All of what? Listen, this guy is the best in the business, he came highly recommended and it's all going to look like an accident. As far as Dan Junior, I'll ship his ass off to boarding school someplace and it will just be you and me."

She turned towards him, and her face was expressionless. Actually she looked a little out of it. Briefly he thought to ask her if she had started smoking that weed shit again, but thought better of it. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and began to put on his pants.

She was fully dressed by now, and she watched him do the same. When he was dressed she walked out of the apartment without saying a word to him. He shrugged, rolled his eyes to no one in particular, and followed her out.

They went down the stairs and walked up towards the park in silence. There were a couple of joggers out, but not too many other people. A serial rapist who had preyed on neighborhood residents had been recently caught, but most people were still not taking chances. Plus it was a little cold tonight, the end of a hot summer and the first sign of the annual test of resolve called a New York City winter.

They walked silently but quickly. Dan was a good thirteen years older than Annette, and in pretty good shape, but he found himself struggling to keep up with her swift, purposeful stride. After they had walked about two city blocks into the densely wooded park he spoke to her, his voice projecting before him in little puffs of wind. Those stairs must have been a little more challenging that I thought, he ruefully admitted to himself. Or maybe I'm just really getting old!

"Hey, baby, listen, Slow down for a little bit. Can we talk?"

She flashed him a hurt, angry look, and continued her version of power walking.

He took a long stride and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him.

"Hey, what's up with you? Listen, this is the best way to do this! Why are you so upset, aren't you the one that told me sometimes you have to roll the dice? Didn't you say you wanted to know how I was going to handle the situation? What gives?"

They were near a park bench next to a streetlamp and Annette pulled her arm away from him and walked over to it. Dan felt like his chest was about to burst. He worked out twice a week, but rarely if ever did he jog, and now he felt like forty, no sixty. He sat down heavily onto the bench, and for the second time that evening he felt light headed. She sat on the far edge of the seat, and then she pulled out a blow pop and started unwrapping it. He stared into her face, and was surprised to see what looked like utter sadness in her features. She stuck the lollipop into her mouth and he couldn't help but think to himself that it was an extremely sexy sight. He was breathing heavily, and the light shining directly above them cast an eerie specter.

When he spoke again he coughed loudly and long. Time to hit that treadmill and quit those damn cigars! He thought.

"Annette, baby, talk to me. What's on your mind?"

She was sucking the lollipop and there was a concerned look on her face now.

"You okay, pumpkin? Do you need something?"

"Nah," he wheezed, "I'm just a little winded that's all. Listen, if it bothers you so much, I don't have to go through with it. I haven't paid this guy yet, it's not set in stone or anything…"

She smiled and continued sucking on the lollipop.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"That's a good thing, Dan. Save your money." She licked her lollipop like one might lick an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. "Right about now the arteries around your heart are constricting, tightening, ready to shut off all the blood. It's an all natural drug that won't raise any questions on a toxicology report. And it tastes really good in beer, or so I've heard. It's going to look like you went walking and keeled over from a heart attack. What was it you said before? 'Simple and sweet, just the way I like it' Yeah, that's how I like it too, Dan. And that's definitely how Mrs. Cassidy likes it."

Dan Cassidy clutched his chest as he felt a sensation as if a vice had gripped him and was crushing his chest and lungs. "You bitch….."

She threw her head back and laughed.

"That's oh so clever, Dan. I kinda hoped you could do a little better than that though. With all the shit you have to say in the sack, all you can say now is 'You bitch?" Come on, that's high school talk."

She leaned over and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. "I gotta tell you though, the sex, it was good. You are indeed a giant among men, Dan. I guess I can't really blame you for sleeping around. Skills such as yours can't be wasted on one woman. Especially one as ugly as Mrs. Cassidy. Yeech! What were you thinking?" A hard glint shone in her eyes now, and she continued in the same whispering voice.

"You see Dan, this is the way it works; Mrs. Cassidy gets me to get rid of you, She gets paid, I get paid and I get some damn good sex out of it to boot! You have to admit, that's a pretty good deal, right?" She straightened up and looked around quickly before turning her attention back to him.

"I gotta go now, Dan. You'll be dead in a minute or two, and I can't afford to be seen nearby, y'know?" She got up off of the bench, careful not to touch anything, and put the stick of her blow pop and the wrapper into the pocket of her jeans.

She turned to walk away from the dying Dan Cassidy, who was now half sliding off the bench as he felt his arms and legs go numb. Then she turned back, walked close to him and leaned over.

"And one last thing. Not that it'll make a difference, but you were wrong. You see, I am the best in the business. You found that out too late though, but hey, that's what happens when you send a man to do a woman's job."

With that she turned and walked away into the darkness of the New York night.

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