Chapter 10: Another Dream

Multi-coloured flashing lights and pulsing music brought the peculiar, dimly lit room to life. Cassie eyed the stage where a woman in sexy, black, lace lingerie and a matching feathered Mardi Gras mask danced to the music while sliding her crotch up and down the pole. Her entire body rocked and flipped around the pole with unrivaled skill.

Tearing her awestruck eyes away, Cassie glanced around the room at the men attacking the stage, yearning for an opportunity to touch the dancing seductress. When their turn arrived, they eagerly slipped whatever money they had into the dancer's lacy G-string.

Drifting towards the crowd, Cassie fought her way through until she reached the stage. She leaned forward, greedily reaching out, hoping to touch the beautiful dancer. At last, the Mardi Gras queen turned towards her, smiling with scandalous intent as she got down on all fours and crawled across the stage in Cassie's direction. Halfway there, the dancer licked her lips and flipped onto her back, arching, and grinding the air as she slithered backwards towards Cassie.

Stopping directly in front of Cassie, the dancer rolled onto her stomach and arched upwards using her arms as support, and with fluid motion, she popped up and onto her butt, balancing her body as she spread her legs wide in the air. Cassie admired the black, feathered, boudoir heels pointed towards the ceiling, but intrigue drew her gaze back to the stunning masked woman's face. Their eyes locked in an erotic moment. Smiling with devilish intent, the dancer reached out and tenderly placed one hand on each side of Cassie's face and then forcefully pulled it into her wet crotch.

Cassie's eyes flew open. She wasn't sure if it was the shock of the dream or the sound of Eryn banging on the door that woke her up.

"Get your ass out of bed! I refuse to let you wallow in bed a second longer," Eryn shouted as she crossed the room and yanked the blankets from Cassie's body. "Get up, shower, and meet me for breakfast. We have work to do." Hand on hip, Eryn beamed at Cassie as if her entire world hadn't come crashing down.

Groaning, Cassie rolled out of bed, and toddled off to the bathroom. Lost in thought, she lingered in the shower, trying to wash away the dirtiness of the dream. The whole thing was ludicrous. She wasn't a lesbian. She wasn't even bi-sexual, not by a long shot, but the erotic dream reminded her of the last vivid dream that sort of came true and rocked her world in the process. Maybe it was a residual effect from her raunchy sex-fest with Ben.

Her life was in chaos, and she could feel an internal shift happening. Everything felt off. She didn't feel right. Her entire being felt heavy with the burden of betrayal and messed up dreams. Tilting her head to the side, she wondered if she had somehow become psychic. The dream she had the other night mimicked the love scene she walked in on, minus the lovers that is, but the rest was bang on. She gagged, recalling her face being pulled into the raunchy dancer's crotch.

"Not into women," she assured herself. "Oh God! What if it actually happens?" Shaking her head, she swallowed the sick lump in her throat. No, she couldn't even fathom that possibility. She had enough to deal with, so she brushed off the dream until she could speak to Eryn about it.

Eryn would know what to do; She was always Cassie's voice of reason.

Should she tell Eryn about her night with Ben?

Oh, she knew she should, but the chicken in her really didn't want to.

What they did last night was wrong, unbelievably good, but wrong. Cassie loved Greg, and even though his affair with Sara snuck up on her, there was a huge part of her that hoped they could work through it. At the very least, she hoped to move on amicably from their marriage because she couldn't deal with the stress or the drama of it going any other way. The wounds were fresh, but she had to face the situation.

Greg stepped out of their marriage for a reason, and she needed to know why, even if she was partially to blame.

The fact that Greg chose Sara as his mistress made the sting that much more violent, but Cassie loved her sister, deeply, and she always would, no matter what. She would fix that relationship, too, if she could get past the betrayal. She wasn't sure how much forgiveness she could muster, and trusting Sara again would be difficult, but she would do it. They were blood, after all.

The destruction of a minivan, two cars, and a garage door that Cassie perpetrated, while under the influence of blind fury, came to mind. She had no choice but to face the music on that one, but she intended to stick with the dog story. It seemed like a good fit.

By the time she finished her shower, she had a plan. There would be no more hiding out. She wasn't sure if she had the courage to see Greg, but she would face Sara and the rental car agency, today. She had to.

"You look like ass," Eryn stated as Cassie strolled into the kitchen.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. I didn't sleep well. I had a terrible dream. Gross, actually." Cringing, she tried to shake it off.

"Sit down and tell me about it." Eryn patted the chair beside her as an invite. An extra plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee waited for her.

Once again grateful for her bestie, Cassie took a seat. "First, I need to tell you about the dream I had the other night. Thursday night, I had this vivid dream. In it, I was about to discover something awful as I approached our bedroom. It felt so real, like it was actually happening, and I was consumed with this overpowering feeling of dread. I found the room empty, but the bed was ruffled, and there was blood dripping from the wall onto Greg's pillow. I ran away and then I fell. You know the kind of dream where you really feel like you're falling and then jolt awake?"

"Yeah, I hate that. It freaks me right out." Eryn shuddered.

"The thing is, that feeling of dread was the same feeling I had as I approached our room and found Greg and Sara together. I threw a partial bottle of merlot at Greg's head, and it hit the wall. Wine splashed out and dripped down the wall, exactly like the blood did in the dream. Only, it wasn't blood." Cassie nodded in agreement to the look of shock on Eryn's face. "After I destroyed the van and their cars, I ran away and then collapsed and smacked my face on something, just like I did in the dream."

"Holy shit!" Eryn squeaked, her azure eyes bulging with surprise. "It's like watching the plot in a horror movie unfold. My arms are covered in goosebumps." She rubbed her flesh, trying to erase the chills. "Do you think you're psychic?"

"Um. No. But I find it strange. I don't know, maybe it's just a coincidence?" She shrugged and took a casual sip of coffee.

"You wouldn't be telling me if you had dismissed it as coincidence." Eryn eyed Cassie suspiciously. "What else? You're not telling me something."

"I just had a nasty dream that felt every bit as real as the other night. I dreamt that I was in a strip club. I was drawn to the dancer on the stage, and she danced seductively for me. I was in awe or curious. I'm not entirely sure of the feeling, but then she grabbed my face and pulled it into her crotch." Cassie looked away in shame. Just saying the words felt dirty.

"Ewwww." Eryn dropped her fork full of eggs and gagged. "I've lost my appetite."

"I know." Cassie winced; She was every bit as grossed out as her friend. "I guess I'm just freaked out. I'm sure the last dream that came true was a one-time thing. You know, maybe my subconscious was trying to warn me of my bastard husband's betrayal. I'm pretty sure that I'm not a lesbian, though. Maybe I'm just horny or sexually frustrated? I don't know. I just hope it doesn't come true. Ugh, I'd die!"

Eryn looked pensive for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I guess you just have to wait and see. Eat up. You and I are gonna do the chores and load the yearlings for Ben. He got in late last night, so I thought we'd get them loaded while he sleeps a bit longer. Then I thought, that is if you want, we could run in and get you some clothes from the house. You only have a few things here, and I'm sure you don't want to wear ratty farm clothes to the office. Plus," she added bitterly, "I'm totally ready to tear that disgusting pig a new asshole." The wicked smile on Eryn's face startled Cassie, causing her to almost choke on her food.

"Can I hitch a ride to pick up my car at the rental agency first? I need to see Sara, and they're only open until noon on Sundays. I don't think I can face Greg, but I guess we'll see."

"I wouldn't dream of dragging you over there until you're ready. I, on the other hand, am totally ready. He is not getting off easy. Bastard." Eryn stood and held out her hand to Cassie. "Let's go. There is a pile of shit to do. Literally."

By ten o'clock they had jogged the horses on the training track, bathed and groomed them, and mucked out their stalls. Cassie welcomed the work because being busy meant she didn't have time to think about the events of the past two days.