Arachnia #Featured

Chapter Five - Part 1

Chapter  Five        

Part 1           

by sloanranger

 

Cassie sat almost hidden by the long, low branches of a California pepper tree. They were among the few trees she liked in California, they reminded her of weeping willows back home. 

From her view point, she could not deny the primacy of the woman that she was watching. Paula had cut her dark hair short, gamin-like making her almond-shaped eyes look even larger. She looked more like a pixie than the mother of three – no, two children, Cassie corrected herself – a dark-haired, black-lashed Tinker Bell.

Paula was sitting by the pool, her chair swarmed by men, like so many bees around a hive. Her fingers played with the rim of the slender Collin's glass she was holding. Before the glass was empty, two of the men offered to fetch her another drink. Paula finally handed her glass to one of the bees who - bumbling gratefully - accepted his charge and started for the bar.

Almost as an after-thought, the chosen one stopped, turned, and approached Cassie under the tree. "I'm sorry, darling, can I get you another drink?" It was her husband and one of the swarm.

"No thank you, Tom, not now."

"Right," he said. "Anything else?"

"No. No, you hurry off before Paula gets thirsty."             

"Right," he said with a befuddled look. He added a quick smile and off he went.

This was a little too much and a little too public. It wasn't that he was the only husband in the group, at least three of the five were married men - but so entranced were they by the stunning Paula, none apparently cared what their wives were thinking. And when your wife is twenty-five yards away, thought Cassie, and becomes an after thought...  well, it really was tiresome.

Elaine came over and took the chair beside her. She was carrying an empty glass too but the club waiter was right behind her.

(To be continued).