"You are the only man who leaves to run an errand at eight p.m. and returns twenty hours later with a new haircut. I hope your hairdresser doesn't charge by the hour." Cassie threw the remote on the couch and stretched her arms over her head.

"It was way too long." Dylan ran a hand through his now spiked short hair, satisfied it wasn't able to fall on his forehead anymore. "Tea, love?"

"Please—" Cassandra got up from the couch and tested her strained neck muscles. Dylan's couch was the epitome of comfort but it was still a couch.

"I did pass by some time after midnight but you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you."

"I figured that."

She folded the white duvet. It hadn't been around when she started watching the Netflix series that had worked like a sedative for elephants on her. She had woken around four a.m. slightly disoriented, covered to the chin with a warm white cloud while the series had moved to Season Two. That Netflix took a lot for granted. She was certain she had missed half of Season One. She had hardly watched an episode before she fell asleep again picking up some serious spoilers so she could mess with Dylan later. That series should be tested for virtual narcotic substances!

Leaving the duvet on his untouched bed, she checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was in a crazy state and she combed it with her hands before giving up. She shrugged, thinking it would give her the look of a woman who had had a great night even though they both knew that wasn't the case.

Dylan had let her crash on his sofa the last couple of nights till her cousin came back. A couple of days more and she'd move in with her again, leaving Dylan and Netflix behind her for good. Or not exactly for good.

"Miss Miller—" Dylan offered her the cup of tea in a mocking servant's tone and grabbed the remote from the couch. Cassie reminded herself to ask JC whether this was an instinctive gesture carved into the male DNA. He checked the series' progress and frowned. "Season Two? You asked me to wait to watch it together and now you've watched half of it?"

If only he knew….

"There's some serious stuff going on with that girl—"

"Zoë?" he asked absentmindedly as he made a new profile in his account to mark the episodes she had watched. Dylan was a sweet man. Ever since Taylor's party there was hardly a day they hadn't spent some time together and whether it served JC's need to keep an eye on Kepler or not, they had fun.

"What's that for?" Dylan asked, catching her wicked smile. She decided to leave the spoiler for later, when he refused to cook or order from her favorite Indian restaurant.

"I remembered when I told JC you're fun to hang out with she asked me whether we were talking about the same man." She made a face, mocking him.

"I don't blame her." She liked the frown on his face, which was not very kind of her. She liked the way he filled the huge couch, making it feel small, and his hands. She definitely liked Dylan's hands.

Cassandra chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking JC was right. Dylan was a good man. His offer for her to spend these days at his apartment was a life saver and Dylan was always a gentleman.

Of course Cassie was not a gentleman.

"Have you considered my proposal?" Cassie kicked off her flat shoes—only around the house did she permit herself to be separated from her high heels—and sat cross-legged on the other side of the couch.

Dylan raked his hair, but his frown was gone and a small dimple appeared on his face. He hadn't shaved but no blond stubble could hide those dimples when they made their appearance.

"This whole 'sex buddy' thing seems too complicated. Too many rules."

"Every good institution has some rules."

"So 'sex buddies' is now an institution?" His eyes gleamed with amusement.

Oh, you are SO tempted, Dr. McBride!

"Absolutely. Don't be fooled by the slander conspiracy against it. We will rule the world…eventually." She flashed a victorious smile. "And like any serious institution if its foundations are shaken it may crumble to pieces. Many things may go wrong with 'sex buddies'."

"Such as?" He took a generous sip of his tea and grimaced when it burned his throat.

That's what you get when you're trying to look cool and indifferent while in reality you're burning for details.

"Well, one of the dangers is to fall in love and have more expectations."

She pushed Peter's image out of her mind and let herself relish how ideal the situation with Dylan was. His infatuation with Rebecca offered her the perfect protection from that kind of predicament. Amazingly, Rebecca was not interested in Dylan—that was clear—and thankfully Dylan wasn't moping about it which was encouraging because there was nothing worse than a moping man. No, Danger Number One was out of the picture.

"Another danger is that one of the parties might find someone else and lose interest in the deal which is a legitimate option."

That was a risk with Dylan, who was good-looking enough to tempt a saint. Cassie was certainly not a saint and this "sex buddies" deal would offer her what she wanted while allowing her to keep her distance at the same time. Danger Number Two was probable but who cared?
Nothing lasts forever. Thankfully.

"Is that what happened in your case?"

Okay, that new dimple should go back to where it belonged. Smugness in a sex partner who hadn't even proved himself was unacceptable.

"There is a third option that I have to admit never happened to me before." Cassie contemplated how honest she should be. "The whole thing kind of evolved. Without breaking the rules but—"

"Evolved? How?" he pressured, sensing her discomfort.

"Into kinkier pastures. At least kinkier than I'm willing to go." She watched him frown again and he sat straighter on the couch.

"I don't do kinky," Dylan's voice offered in a serious tone and he raised his palm as if setting some virtual boundaries.

"And honestly," Cassie sighed and went on as if he hadn't spoken but his reaction was noted. So you are seriously thinking about it, Dr. McBride! "I blame porn for that. What is it with you men?" She hardly managed to conceal her smile at his uplifted brows. "Why do you think that what you see there happens in real life? Do you see us walking around in Regency era costumes, calling you Darcy?"

Dylan stared at her with a blank look on his face, probably mirroring what he understood of her outburst: nothing.

Cassie sighed again, frustrated with Brian and his latest suggestions. Who knows? Trends changed so rapidly even in matters as basic as sex. Perhaps people had become more explorative and she had been left behind. Some stuff she didn't mind. Hair grew. No problem with that, but other stuff…. Sex was too sacred to spoil it with ridiculous memories and ridiculous was the best case scenario.

Dylan stood and walked to the wide window that covered most of the wall. He ran a hand through his hair and when it reached his nape Cassie would have bet he wished it was longer. He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the window.

"How old are you? Twenty-six, twenty-seven?" He thought she was younger than JC?

"You flatter me, Dr. McBride! I'm thirty-one."

"I'm still a decade older than you. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Do you have any performance issues in mind?"

"Not that I know of." His tone was a bit stiff. What was with men and their sensitivity in these matters? Cassie could not restrain a smile.
"I don't do kinky," he repeated, firmly. "Never." She nodded. "Never."

"I think we covered that."

"You don't get to call me 'daddy' or anything."

"That's disgusting!" She made a face to prove it. "I shouldn't have told you about Brian. You men have no measure. My fault." She shook her head disapprovingly. "Why would I want to call you 'daddy'?" she pressured, hoping Dr. McBride hadn't a darker side she'd eventually find out later. She didn't like that kind of surprise. She was still trying to find a way to deal with Brian without offending him. Telling him she had found another man would hurt less than calling him "pervert".

"I don't know," Dylan shifted his weight as if the topic made him feel uncomfortable. At this point, she'd take a prude to Brian any given day. "You said he wanted something kink-ier as in 'more kinky' than usual, you look young and…you're kind of short."

"What?" She certainly didn't see that coming. Indignant, Cassie stood up to face the insult. "I'm perfectly…average for a woman." Darn flats!
She was glad he wasn't standing closer.

"I deeply apologize. I used the giraffe scale," Dylan mocked her but his smile was kind and she had a perfectly healthy ego to stand the minor blow. Talking to a possible sex partner in her gym pants and an unflattering sweater proved that. She was kind of petite but she had good proportions and all the curves she needed.
"So, how is this done?" He broke through her self-admiration.

"Come on, duck." She sank back on the couch. "If you tell me that all the sex you had was while being in a 'meaningful relationship', you belong to a museum. We'll have to get your DNA preserved—" Passing those sinful dimples to the next generation could be a good idea as long as it didn't involve her.

"It's not that I haven't been in some on and off relationship mainly for sex but this—" His voice faded. Who would have guessed? Dr. McBride was a prude!

"What broke the deal before? You obviously are not in one right now."
He raised a blond brow, questioning whether his sexual frustration was evident. It wasn't, but it was so much fun to read him like that. She bit her lip to cover her smile.

"I don't do married women. Engaged women fall into that category, too. Too many unpredictable side effects," he added as if afraid he'd sound too moral but the verdict was already in.

"So, what's too strange about my deal?"

"Too many rules," he repeated his earlier words.

"Chaos is a wild land. It needs some semblance of order. Come on, Dylan, it's just sex," she moaned as if bored with the conversation.

"Okay, but if we're going to do this I have a condition of my own."

"Before you name it I have to say that protection and exclusivity are nonnegotiable for all the reasons we have already discussed and trust me: this is a good arrangement. It works as it is." Until it doesn't.
"But we'll have to wait until I'm out of here. In a couple of days I'll be out of your hair." You couldn't live with a sex partner. It didn't work that way.

"You have to tell JC what's going on with Raoul and the rest." She let her head fall back with a groan. "Secrets ruin relationships." She didn't dare to ask what evoked that deadly serious tone.

"She'll kill me," she moaned.

"Believe me, Cassandra. This is the perfect time. And you have two days to do it."

Let me check my list:
-Feedback is highly appreciated.
-Gratitude for reading and writing reviews is evident. (insert dancing emoticons)
-Special thanks to TOWDNWTBN and Vale: heartfelt and sincere.

Did I forget anything?
Two chapters of a new (lighter) story are already out there and a third is coming this week.

Stay safe!