Cash glanced at the clock. Ten minutes to go. She needed some music to unwind tonight. The checklist was completed early due to a slow Sunday night and heavy rainstorm. She sighed and blew out a breath. Thank God, I live upstairs. No commute to navigate on slick roads.

Cash settled into the familiar routine. Lights turned off except those above the bar. Playlist cued, steady thumping beats filled the silence. A swift kick to the door swung it open. She backed through with the last tub of glasses, placing them on the counter. Her eyes closed in exhaustion. Her mind returned to the image of unpaid bills and other debris littering the small office. She groaned at the thought of spending her day off cleaning.

Cash rolled her shoulders releasing tension. A favorite song played. She smoothed the skirt over her thighs, fingertips picking at the frayed edge. Her body swayed in rhythm, back arching as slender fingers slid into her hair. Everything faded away as she focused on the drums and guitars.

Cash paused, waiting for an extended guitar riff to end. Now. Her voice merged into the music.

"Skin to skin, let's do it again."

Drumbeat. Pause. Piano playing.

"Kiss my fire. It's you I desire."

"A hunger long denied. I crave sin tonight."

"I'm yours to take. All night long 'til our bodies ache."

"Breathe with me. Souls joined in ecstasy."

Cash sang, hips rotating in constant motion until her legs trembled. She drew in a shaky breath then shook her head loosening tendrils of damp hair that clung to her jaw. She bent forward, and sweat dripped onto her forearms.

Turning, she stood directly under the AC vent, waiting for it to kick on. She slowly dragged rounded nails along the sides of her neck to the buttons on her shirt. Cash popped them open, pulling the thin fabric off her shoulders and down her arms before tossing it at the bar top. She reached under the skirt; her panties soon joined the pile. She was too tired to care if they fell. Every muscle ached. 

Cold air caressed her flushed skin as Cash leaned against the prep space. "Ohhh, God, that feels so good," she moaned. Thirsty, she blindly reached for the opened water. The cool moisture coated her dry throat. She lowered the bottle and pressed it into each nipple. A moment later, she rubbed them until tight, achy tips protruded through the sports bra.

Cash drank again, water dripping over her chin sliding to collect in deep cleavage. A finger trailed behind, catching the bottom of the bra, and tugging it out. So glad I wore a skirt tonight. She laughed and swallowed another mouthful. With lips nearly touching, water arced to flow down between creamy glistening globes towards her navel. Her finger dropped to the waistband, pulling it away from her skin as liquid trickled into the gap. Cash rolled her hips up to cradle the fluid as it seeped between smooth swollen flesh. Her whole body shuddered as goosebumps covered every inch. She massaged her thighs and glided her hands back up her torso to cup her breasts. 

"Fuck," she gasped.

Teeth bit her bottom lip hard, tongue chasing to soothe the sting. She squeezed her wet thighs together and let her arousal subside. A sudsy hot shower and comfortable bed awaited where she could take her time.   

Cash frowned, trying to remember the last time she had sex. Weeks? Months? Too damn long ago. Arms braced above her head lean muscles and bones shifted into place as she stretched. After a couple of deep breaths, she stepped forward.

Something smelled good. Cash inhaled again to discern what it was. Citrus? She moved, and the scent intensified. Spicy? She sniffed once more. It's cherries.

A drawer squealed. Glass clinked against wood. A throat cleared. "Ahem. Hello."

Cash's eyes flew open at the throaty rumble, pulse racing; she froze mid-step. Her stomach clenched painfully with nerves.

A broad-shouldered man sat comfortably on a stool, strong arms resting on the polished wood. Their eyes locked and held. He smiled.

"I haven't seen dancing like that since a trip to Cabo a dozen years ago."

"Thanks." She couldn't think. Cash stared at him, lips parted. A frisson of fear or excitement ran down her spine. Maybe both.

"You've got some serious moves." His eyes gleamed. Dark stubble framed a smirking mouth. "The kind men pay to see."

She crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed. "How did you get in here? We closed at two."

The door was locked. Wasn't it? She checked the time. Almost three o' clock. How did an hour go by so fast?

He frowned, eyeing her anxiously. "It was ten minutes to two. The door was unlocked." He paused and sipped his drink. "Don't get mad, but I locked the door."

Cash felt strange, out of sorts. She lifted a hand. Her fingers shook slightly.

I'm gonna kill Darren! He was supposed to lock the door when he left.

He regarded her carefully. "I'm not a criminal. Just a businessman off a long flight from London who needed to clean up a bit and relax."

No, he wasn't Cash's usual run-down bar clientele. He was the perfect kind of man.

Her eyes roamed over him. He was handsome and elegant in a crisp white button-down shirt with a vest. Kissable lips surrounded straight white teeth. Beautiful hands cupped the glass, long fingers absently twirling a cherry stem.

A dinner jacket draped across the bar. Right next to her neatly folded skirt with red silk panties sitting on top.

It had to be a dream. Exactly. Cash remembered skipping breakfast. Lunch was a dim memory. Toast? She closed her eyes and pinched the side of her thigh. Hard. Right on the spot she was convinced was extra jiggly despite loads of exercise.

"Shit! That hurt." Her knees buckled at the pain. It was not a dream. She grasped the bar and hoisted herself onto a stool.

"Are you okay?" He cocked his head and arched a brow, a look of concern on his face.

Cash blinked, distracted by his tongue flicking the stem dangling from his lips. "I'm fine." Her voice cracked on the last syllable.

"Did you eat all my maraschino cherries?"

He followed her gaze to the pile of stems.

In response, he reached over plucking the last cherry from the fruit caddy. He flushed and shifted in his seat.

"No. Saved it for you." He placed it in front of her carefully. Like a gift. Then he winked.

"Anyway, you didn't notice me. I wanted a quick drink but didn't want to disturb your performance. So, I served myself." His eyes flicked to her lips then away.

Cash rubbed her hands over her heated cheeks and groaned at the memory.

"I hope you missed most of it." Please say you did.

"I got an excellent view front and back. That mirror is stunning for its clarity. Especially in a bar."

Dammit. Cash groaned thinking of every line of her body on display in a private show for him to ogle.

"Lucky for you. You had front row seats." She squirmed under his gaze and avoided his eyes.

"The way you moved though I'm not surprised." His voice was a cross between sandpaper and velvet. A kind of whiskey roughness she could get lost inside. "What a view."

A phone vibrated against the wood interrupting them.

He pulled it from under his jacket and checked his texts stealing glances at her occasionally. 

Cash should feel mortified, but she didn't. Just a little embarrassment. Yes, he caught her burning off stress in a rare moment of indulgence. Should I care? The chance of their paths crossing was slim in such a busy city. I'll never see him again. Do I even want to? She didn't know.

"My ride's almost here." He turned towards her. A brief flicker of indecision crossed his face. "Despite the circumstances, I've had a really great time." He looked a little sad. Lost. 

"Yes, it's something to talk about." Cash laughed nervously and tossed her panties to him. "A little souvenir for your memories."

They stood, he gathered his jacket and suitcase.

"I'm sorry about the cherries." He stuck his hand out to shake hers. Warm, callused fingers enclosed her own. "I hadn't eaten in two days."

"I'm glad you enjoyed them." She felt the heat of his body pressed close. An awareness hummed to life between them in the awkward silence.

A potent kind of awareness that made her insides tumble and flip.

Cash hated that she noticed his body. The way his hair curled around his collar. The tanned forearms that flexed beneath his rolled sleeves. The shape of his ears. The way her tongue wanted to trace every line of his neck and jaw.

His phone buzzed followed by the honk of a car horn. He paused at the door. "Thanks for everything."

She was tempted to tell him to stay. "You're welcome."

#

Cash sipped apple juice and idly thumbed through pages of sketches. Color drawings of exteriors and interiors. Brick facades and lighting features, ceilings, and waterfalls. Brochures and invoices lay in neat piles across the bar.

She waited for Darren. He'd promised to meet but hadn't shown. If she called, he'd lie and make excuses. The lure of easy money and cheap women claimed his time. The calls and texts she received confirmed that. She'd stopped dating so he couldn't ask her dates for money or contacts.

Cash looked around the bar. The aging woodwork and decor needed replacing. That took hard work and too much money to maintain. Darren didn't notice or seem to care. He was a stranger now more than a brother. She needed to leave. Pack her things and walk out the door. It was a recurrent fantasy.

She had to take control of her life. Cash needed to be happy again. There was a soul-deep satisfaction in creating new buildings, and spaces for people to enjoy. She missed it. Buildings fashioned into art. The places where moments in life's journey are marked and memories are created. Celebrations, disappointments, births, and deaths. Friends and lovers, enemies, and strangers. 

Cash yearned to express the passion inside. She loved taking old spaces and stripping them down raw. All the flaws and strengths exposed. Salvaging the good while replacing the bad. Letting a building talk to her as she explored its rooms. Her instincts were rarely wrong. She needed her hands dirty in the physical work. Sketch and draw. Measure and cut. Sand and paint. Bricks and stone, wood and water, brass, and glass. Color, texture, shape, and design. Perfect elements and lines merged into something aesthetically pleasing. Something old made beautiful again. Full of life.

She had ten designs in her private collection, six she owned. She often wondered who owned the other four. On The Rocks,  Waters Rising, Wild River, and River and Stone.

Darren never understood. He had his perfect degree from his perfect college. She had nothing. Hard work and after school jobs learning how to repair and fix things was her education.

Cash ran errands and returned to a delivery truck. At first, she thought he was confused. She managed a bar, not a restaurant. He pulled the papers out and pointed his fat, short finger at the line.

Fifteen one-gallon bottles of maraschino cherries.

"Sorry, Lady. It's my job. Get it delivered on time."

She cleared a corner and stored them upstairs.

#

Cash was alone again. The bar was empty at ten minutes to closing. She'd started the music when she heard a knock.

"Hey," a familiar voice said. He had a suitcase and jacket in one hand. A bag in the other. "I'm back."

"Hello." With a cocked eyebrow, she shut the door behind him. "Didn't expect to see you again."

"I just got back from Atlanta." He looked boardroom seductive and tired. "I needed a drink, and to relax."

"This is the place." Her lips twitched as she bit back a grin. "The after-hours shows are a bonus."

"They're the main attraction."

"I don't entertain men whose names I don't know." Cash countered, hands on hips.

"Hayes River." He winced. "Yeah, I was a bit overcome that night."

"Cash." She nodded. "With a name like that, I'd imagine you were."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "All that blonde hair was flipping around, and that ass wiggling had me sucker punched."

"Some hazy dazy thing. I'll have to remember that."

"With a name like Cash, you must be good with money."

"I do all right."

He sprawled out in a leather chair. His feet were on the table. His hair was all mussed as if he'd just come from the bed.

"Thanks for the cherries." She couldn't resist and let her fingers slide into his hair, brushing it off his forehead.

"I sort of have a thing for cherries. Any kind." His cheeks flushed as he met her eyes.

"Fifteen bottles. That's more than a thing. It's a damn addiction. Geez." Cash tilted his head until his mouth was even with her own. Then slid a fingertip along the edge. 

"It's a hard habit to break. When I see 'em, I want 'em." Hayes grinned.

"Bad habits are always hard to break."

The buzzing of a phone interrupted them.

"Hell." Cash recognized the ringtone and pulled away from Hayes to turn it off. "Not tonight."

She'd intended on sending him home but seeing him all flustered turned her on. He tempted her with thoughts of cherry stems and tongues. She leaned down and caught his bottom lip between her teeth. Swallowed his moan as she kissed him. It felt like she was falling right off a cliff straight into the unknown. He tasted like mint and cherry as her hands stroked his shoulders.   

Cash wanted to punish him for being so sexy.

She felt the urgency in his kiss and the rasp of his stubble across her skin. He fisted one hand in her hair, the short strands feathering across his wrist. They stopped to breathe, and Cash yanked her tank top off. She grabbed his hand and tugged him to his feet. She wanted him behind her where they could watch each other. 

When her eyes met Hayes’ in the mirrored back splash a shiver of anticipation traveled the length of her spine. Heat radiated between her back and his stomach when he stepped close behind her. He grasped her hips, and she gasped as his warm, callused palm slid over her stomach. In the mirror, Hayes watched as Cash’s tongue darted out to moisten her lips. The press of his hands held her tight against him.

His fingers slid beneath her panties and into the slippery wet heat between her thighs. A long finger slowly stroked through the center in rhythmic movements before sliding up to trace circles around her clit. Cash squirmed under his touch. Everything melted away. All the worries and the stress.

Her legs trembled as his muscular thighs bumped into hers keeping her pressed to the counter. Her hands grasped the edge, The hot breath from his mouth danced across her ear and along her jaw. His hand tugged her panties, and they slid down to her knees. He slid one finger inside her and then two as her hips thrust back. She rocked her hips in a slow, sensual motion as she neared her peak. "Ohh fuck," she moaned as her orgasm pulsed through her body.

Hayes dragged his mouth along her neck, pausing to nip her earlobe. His eyes met hers in the mirror as he slid inside her. The hot friction of their bodies moving together wrung a groan from him. His hips pumped faster, and Cash pushed back against him, her hand rubbing her clit as her pussy clenched tight around him. She cried out when he bit into her neck  His hand grasped her breast, fingers pinching her nipple as he came inside her. He collapsed onto her where they rested for a minute. 

"Fuck!" Hayes muttered, breath ragged. "That's one damn fine way to relax."

#

Cash shrugged off the robe and stepped out onto the private enclosed balcony. The soft patter of warm summer rain coated her curves as she scrubbed her hair back. She touched her bare skin like Hayes was there. His hands and body speaking of silent sins as his heat surrounded her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of rain. The click of a door and seconds later warm arms wrapped around her waist. A hot mouth nuzzled the side of her neck.

The car stopped, and Cash took a steadying breath.

Hayes leaned in and whispered, "I've got a little surprise."

She couldn't think what it was.

Cash tensed as he opened the door. A slight breeze rustled the hem of her dress as she stepped out.

Spotlights cast a soft glow over the area. A grouping of four-foot by six-foot frames were displayed prominently along the side of the new bar.

Cash moved closer to get a closer look. "How did you get these?"

"I've been searching for the original drawings for the elusive On The Rocks for a year." He pointed to the others. "The other three are part of a collection I have I thought you'd like."

She had a surprise of her own.

She pulled a small black case out of her purse. Extracted a blue business card and placed it into his hand.

Cash watched his eyebrow rise as he read.

Stone Properties and Management LLC

Cassandra Stone 

Stone Design and Investments LLC

Cassandra Stone

"This means-"  She placed her finger on his lips.

"We're going to be partners. I bought Darren's bar. I offered him a deal he couldn't refuse."

"Damn right. We're River and Stone. We fit together. Rain and rocks."

"I've been working on some new lyrics." She smiled.

"I'm falling like the rain, can't feel the ground beneath me. Truth is flowing like the river runs. Waiting 'til I come undone."

She'd found the one who settled her soul. The river to her stone. Just like the river cut stone and stone guided the river.

Cash wasn't just happy; she was excited about the future. With Hayes.

Her arms slid around his waist. She nuzzled the side of his neck, breathing in the scent of him. Sighed. Inhaled a second time. He'd eaten cherries. His little addiction. Cash slowly smiled. She had a sudden hunger for hot skin and cherry juice. Hayes' control lost underneath her fingers and mouth in guttural moans. 

Hayes clasped her tighter against his body. One hand cupped her bottom; the other slid into the tousled blonde hair. His lips touched the curve of her jaw, teeth nipping soft skin. The press and heat of his erection seared through the thin cloth. She gasped, nipples tightening and pussy dampening in response. She wanted him tonight. Needed his bare skin against hers all night long. Kiss my fire. It's you I desire.

Thunder boomed nearby.

Cash met his mouth, her tongue tracing his full bottom lip. Hayes moaned, opening his mouth to her searching tongue as her hands roamed his defined back. She broke their kiss and looked into his dark green eyes. "I'm yours. As long as you're there to catch me when I'm falling like rain."

Hayes grinned. His dimples were on full display. "I'll be waiting on the rocks. Forever and a day."

He kissed her deeply, their tongues tangling as the forecast rain started to fall.