So Cassie hadn't really been thinking straight for most of the day. She'd spent most of the afternoon hitting the whiskey bottle. She'd gone home eventually and passed out for a bit. She woke up, poured some coffee down her throat, and stood under the hot spray of her shower for a good half hour before getting out and getting dressed. She slipped on a black mini skirt and a silvery blue halter top of silky material. Black knee high boots completed the look. Where to go, where to go.. She didn't feel like the Inn, the house was far too quiet.. Bar hopping was boring alone.. Then she remembered that Tommy had mentioned Cosmo Beach, and suggested she drop by sometime. Well, why not? If the occupants annoyed her, she could simply head down the beach and enjoy the water.

She walked up the drive to the door slowly, looking around and taking in the general splendor of the property. She was tempted to just go jump into the water, but she'd put enough effort into her appearance that she wanted to be seen before she went and undid it all. She stopped in front of the door, and one hand raised and knocked as if of its own accord.

Cassie had a moment of panic right after that knock. What the hell was she doing here?! She didn't really know any of the occupants of the house. Two of them to say hi to, the other just by reputation. She was on the verge of turning and taking off when she heard the knob start to turn. She froze on the spot.

"TommysaidIwaswelcometostopbyanytime." The words spilled past her lips unbidden, rushed in their mission to get by, before she even could see who it was answering the door. Well crap. There went her smooth opening line. Oh well. She'd smile brightly as she waited for the answering person to be revealed, perhaps that would work.

The Figure was wailing on his heavy bag when Molly knocked. The thing was chained to the ceiling, dangling in the corner of the room for him to go over and pound whenever he felt the need to hit something. His huge, sledgehammer fists crashed into the leather again and again. It was a 150 lb. bag, but it flapped like a sandwich wrapper in the wind as Tommy bashed it.

When he first heard Molly?s voice, Tommy was annoyed. Couldn?t she see he was busy beating the hell out of his heavy bag? It seemed like she was always nagging him with some stupid shit. However, the phrase ?But she has purple hair? gave him pause. He stopped punching the bag, reaching out to still it from swinging.

Could it be who he thought it was? He only knew one girl with purple hair, someone named ?Cassie? he met in the inn one time. Tommy had almost given up hope that she would come visit. Without even a glance at Molly, he strode out of the room, almost knocking the maid over as he passed her by.

Dressed in a black tank top and baggy jean shorts, Tommy stomped down the hall. The bulky muscles of his arms and shoulders and chest were pumped out more than usual, still swollen from his workout. As he traversed the hallway, his gigantic seven and a half foot frame almost touched the ceiling. There were many places in the mansion (such as the bedrooms where the ceiling wasn?t as high) where Tommy looked like an adult trying to move about in a child?s clubhouse. Not many architects constructed buildings with men of his stature in mind.

Emerging into the living room, a small smile replaced the ever-present scowl on his face for a very brief moment. The girl on the couch was Cassandra, the same one with whom he?d conversed in a booth at the inn a few months back, the same one who wore those skimpy jogging shorts. He remembered her so clearly because she was one of the few females who didn?t seem intimidated by him. She had come right over, sat down and started talking. She had a certain spunky flare about her, and Tommy liked it.

The Figure went to the couch and flopped down onto the cushion next to Cassandra, slinging his huge python-like arm over the back of the sofa. He kicked his long legs out and propped his feet on the coffee table, cruel eyes floating up the length of her body, admiring her appetizing outfit before coming to rest on her face.

?It?s a good thing you stopped by. There?s been a shortage of hot women in dis house lately. I?m sufferin? from withdrawal.? His deep gravelly voice came out in an usually warm tone. "You want somethin' ta eat?"

?Molly! Bring some goddamn beef jerky in here!? He looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen as he shouted this, his gravelly voice booming. When he looked back at Cassandra, his deep baritone was quiet and relaxed again. He simply lounged there next to her, arm slung over the back of the sofa, looking her over with an unwavering, admiring gaze; the same way a man might stand back and stare at a shiny new sports car he just brought home from the dealership.

The maid came carrying a silver platter with two sticks of beef jerky on it. Tommy grabbed them both and handed one to Cassandra. He jammed his own into his mouth, chomped down with his powerful jaws and tore off a huge bite, gnashing it up animalisticly. The way he stared at her as he chewed ? it was as if the purple-haired girl herself was what he was tasting, not the beef jerky.

?Got me an idea,? he told her with his mouth full. ?I just bought dis new speedboat. It?s docked down on the beach right now. We oughta take it for a cruise, out to the Lighthouse and back. Whadda ya say? I?ll even let you drive.?

Outside, the sun was shining bright, the gulls were squawking cheerfully and there wasn?t a cloud in the sky. The waves were gentle in the cool fall afternoon, breaking softly against the shore.

He noticed that his arm was resting on the back of the sofa directly behind Cassandra?s head. The Figure couldn?t help but extend a thick, meaty finger and twirl it around a lock of her purple hair. As he awaited her reply, he caressed the tresses between thumb and forefinger, curiously sampling the texture as though it was a new shirt he was thinking about purchasing.

?Ain?t no problem. I got a fix fo? that.?

Despite his thuggish appearance, Tommy Hill Figure was highly intelligent. Because of this, he knew that he had to talk differently to some women than he did to others. With Jenna, he?d tell her what she was going to wear, and the matter would be settled. He?d known her since she was a little girl, and his authority over her was absolute. Back home, when he walked into the strip club he owned, every girl in the joint was at his beck and call. They gazed at him with fear and admiration whenever he stepped onto the floor to have a look around, and they gave lap dances to whomever the Figure pointed out. If one of them had asked him for wardrobe advice and Tommy had advised that she don her birthday suit, even in a jesting manner, his suggestion would be most obediently implemented.

There were women Tommy couldn?t speak to in such ways, however; women on the fringe of the scope of his power, who didn?t know him quite well enough to be afraid of him.

But there were also women ? a very select few ? who completely understood Tommy?s power and still had no fear of him. They were rare, but they were real. Such women he held in the highest esteem, for they were most like him ? unafraid, bold, confident, strong. It certainly appeared as though the girl next to him was of this special breed.

And so when she asked him for his advice on her wardrobe dilemma, he answered her with the respect she warranted. Still admiring her figure, he presented his solution in low, conversational tones, his gravelly voice coming out decidedly friendly. ?There?s two women dat live in dis house, both of ?em with similar measurements to you.? He would assuredly have an accurate idea of her measurements, considering how thoroughly he was studying her body. ?I?ll have Molly bring you down some shit. The bathroom?s right ova there so you can change.? He gave an upward nod to a small room off the hallway. ?And by the way, the Lighthouse is about five miles out.?

This whole time he had been caressing that lock of purple hair. Now Tommy withdrew his hand and shouted toward the kitchen again. ?MOLLY! Bring Cassie some shorts and a t-shirt and sandals . . . and be sure they?re sexy!? His head swiveled back to Cassandra, cruel eyes drifting over to meet hers. An unabashed grin-snarl appeared on his stubbly face. ?If you got a body like a Ferrari,? he explained, ?you might as well treat it like one.?

"Great, thanks." A smile, as she waited to see what it was that he'd come up with. She remained curled up on the couch, head canted to the side, that smile curling across her lips. "Well thank you, I appreciate you letting me borrow some clothing." Well he'd done good just then. She'd expected some sort of outrageous suggestion that would need to have her thumping him upside the head. Kind of nice not to have to deal with a bunch of drama, and especially from an unexpected corner. And five miles. That would be a pretty decent boat ride, definitely a nice outing to distract her. She did love being out in the water.

Her smile widened into a grin. "I have no complaints with that. If I had a Ferrari I would pamper it like there was no tomorrow, and certainly would show it off." Perhaps she should buy herself a Ferrari. It would be a hot car. And fun to drive. And a new toy would definitely help keep her mind off of other issues. But that was a thought better contemplated at another time.

When Molly the maid appeared, then disappeared, then reappeared with the outfit, her grin widened. "Awesome. I can't wait to sport Corona for the afternoon. Thank you!" Jumping up, clothing in hand, and she headed towards the bathroom that Tommy pointed out. Cassie liked Molly so far, she was sweet, even if she let Tommy dictate to her. She was changed in a flash, and she folded her skirt and shirt and set them on the counter, her together on the floor below her clothing, and then padded out, smiling brightly for them both and even doing a little spin to show off the outfit.
"So what do you think?"

Perfect for the tropical setting and perfect since she was playing the Corona girl today. She followed him down the beach to the dock, grinning widely at the sight of the boat. She really needed to get out more, being this excited about an outing on a boat. Of course, she did get to drive. But hey, cut a girl a break! She was working on that. After all, she was here, right? "Nice." Definitely was a nice looking boat. And a fast looking boat. She was grinning again, anticipating the ride out to the lighthouse and back.

She curled her fingers around the key when he dropped it in her hand, and then watched as he stepped on. As soon as he held his hand out, she reached out and took it with her other hand, letting him worry about keeping the boat still while she got in, trusting that he wouldn't toss her in rather than help her keep her balance. She paused to admire the boat and the view around it for a few moments.

She moved over to stand at the driver's seat, looking to where he indicated the lighthouse, and then dropping her eyes back to the console while he explained, gaze moving to the lever and reading the speed designations with a smile and chuckle. There would be something like that on the boat instead of normal speed designations. Not too difficult to figure out, though. And the steering wheel was certainly self explanatory. "Alright, I got this."

She slid the key into the ignition and turned it, grinning at the sound of the motor as it booted up. She'd take a quick glance around to make sure there was nothing in the immediate vicinity to hit. One hand on the steering well, the other on the lever, pushing it forward now. It jumped forward considerably quicker than she expected, and she do one of those girly yips of surprise, and then laugh at herself as she straightened and pulled the wheel so that they were heading towards the lighthouse.

It really was a perfect day out. The sun was shining, but the weather wasn't too hot. The spray of water on the breeze was enough to keep her cool. She could forget all of her troubles for a little while. She lifted her chin, letting the sun warm her face a bit, though she still kept her attention on the surrounding area, to be sure she didn't collide with anyway. It wasn't just rain that Cassie had a thing for. She loved beautiful days just as much as she loved rainy days.

She drove the boat smoothly. There was no jerking from oversteering one way or another, and her hands were light but sure on the wheel and speed control. Cassie seemed to know what she was doing. At the very least, she was a very quick learner.

At the sound of his yell over the roaring purr of the engine, she half-turned, one hand still on the wheel. With the other, she took the corona. The one hand had to leave the wheel for a moment to pop it open, but there were no crises without her guiding touch for all of three seconds. "Thanks!" It was brought to her lips and she took a long sip. "Sounds like you know what you're talking about!"

She caught sight of the paddle boat and its occupants when he pointed them out. They looked like they were having a pretty good time, even if they weren't the most fashionable couple out there. "It looks like good excercise!" And that wasn't necessarily an implication to them needing it. Cassie did always look for ways to keep in shape that weren't as monotonous as running. She didn't run the boat over, but they did catch some of her wake anyway and set them to rocking.

She sipped her Corona periodically. Cassie didn't exactly guzzle it down, but it didn't last all that long. Once they were close to the lighthouse, she brought the speed down considerably so that she wouldn't smack the boat into anything while pulling on up to the dock. And when she had the boat situated, she turned and lounged a bit, leaving the actual tying up to the dock for him to take care of. She didn't actually know any of those knots to tie and all. "Looks like we're here."