Foreign Temptations Ch 01

Cassandra sat on a bench at the entrance of the airport in a bustling city in India. She was on the phone, eagerly waiting for her fiancé to pick up her call. Her mind raced as she nervously tapped her heel on the ground. She had been a student abroad studying international relations when Covid suddenly struck the country. Cassandra had a good sense of what was going to happen. She had even booked a flight back home to the States before things got too bad. Unfortunately for her, right before she was about to board the plane, the Indian government shut down all flights entering and leaving the country.

Cassandra was effectively stranded in a foreign country all alone. She did have an apartment where she was staying. But she and her roommate had already moved out as part of their attempt to get out of the country, even signing out of their lease. The worst part for Cassandra was that her roommate had just barely managed to get a flight back to her home despite booking a ticket a mere day before she'd left. Ideally, they would have bought tickets together, but the flights were already full, so they had to make do, booking separate flights. Cassandra had thought things would be fine but, boy, had she turned out to be wrong.

Having now missed her flight out of the country, and let go of her apartment, Cassandra simply didn't know what to do. Her fiancé finally picked up her call, so Cassandra quickly sat up. "Hello?? Jason? Are you there?" she urgently said through her AirPods.

"Cassandra?? Are you okay?? What's going on over there? I just got your texts,"

he replied.

"I'm stuck, Jason," Cassandra stated. "They've locked down the country and I am stranded over here. Augh! I should have booked an earlier flight! Dammit!"

"Hey, now. Calm down, Cassandra. We can figure this out together,"

Jason said, trying to comfort her.

"Calm down?? Figure this out?! Jason, I barely speak the language, I don't know anyone here, and I have nowhere to stay! It's kind of hard to stay calm. I have no clue what I'm going to do!" Cassandra complained, utterly frustrated with her situation.

Her shouting was catching the attention of some of the people around her. Particularly a group of young Indian men loitering around in front of the airport. Cassandra noticed this out of the corner of her eye but remained outwardly calm as she lowered her voice. But the apparent interest of the young men only added to her current anxiety. She didn't want to have to deal with a bunch of horny pervs while having an existential crisis on her hands.

"Alone? What happened to your roommate, Katie?"

Jason queried. Cassandra snarled with envious annoyance.

"She got lucky and got a flight home before they locked down the country," she explained, rubbing her forehead while keeping an eye on the men who were continuing to stare and point at her. "God, this is such a mess..."

"Dammit. Okay, let's just take a step back and look at all your options. I'll do what I can and do some research on my side,"

Jason suggested. Cassandra sighed and nodded.

She always appreciated her fiancé. They had met during college and immediately clicked. Jason was about 6'0" tall. He had dirty blonde hair, baby-blue eyes, and was lanky.

Cassandra stood at 5'8", a presence of both elegance and allure. Her long, wavy black hair, alluring, serious blue eyes, and nice, full lips paired with her expressive and attractive face. Her body was eye candy of the tastiest kind: she had fair, white skin and carried shapely D-cup breasts, a fit body, long legs, and curves in all the right places. Cassandra was beautiful, and she knew it.

Cassandra's attractive allure was what caught Jason's eye in the first place. When they'd first met, Jason had been certain that Cassandra wouldn't find him attractive. Fortunately for him, however, she had quite quickly taken a liking to him. She was drawn to his kindness and sweetness; she also found it cute that he was a little nerdy as well. Before they knew it, they were happily dating each other. Jason considered himself extremely lucky to have been able to land a girl like Cassandra. So wanting to lock her down for the long run, before she left on her trip abroad, he proposed to her. Of course, Cassandra happily accepted. But they weren't going to get officially eloped for some time. They still had to get their careers established, so this was just piece of mind.

Cassandra appreciated how supportive Jason was. Things could have gotten difficult between them when she decided to study abroad; Jason had wanted her to stay in the States, with him. But Cassandra wanted the broadening experience of studying overseas, so Jason respected her decision and gave her his full support. Being in a long-distance relationship had been a struggle, but they had managed to make it work despite the countless miles between them. Jason was thrilled to learn that Cassandra was finally returning home after a long three months. He couldn't wait to see her. Now, hearing that she had been trapped by this sudden lockdown, was like having a stake driven through his heart. It was frustrating for both of them that their reunification had now been prolonged indefinitely.

After a good twenty minutes of talking on the phone, Jason managed to calm Cassandra down. They spent time going through all of her options. Leaving the country by any means of travel, whether air, ship, or ground transport, was entirely off the books. So they turned to the next most important matter to address: where Cassandra could stay. The kind of apartment she had shared with her roommate was too expensive for her to rent on her own with the limited funds of a traveling student. Likewise for a single bedroom apartment: those were even more expensive than shared accommodations. Staying in a hotel for the foreseeable future was even more economically impractical; they might be shut down soon anyway due to the pandemic. And with Covid, she was sure that the regulations regarding housing were only going to get stricter; the sooner she could find a place she could afford, the better.

Cassandra was left with just one last option. She would have to stay with someone who rented out a room in their home. It was all that she could afford and, besides, she had no idea how long these restrictions were going to last. Cassandra groaned in annoyance. Ideally, she would have preferred to live on her own, but she knew that wasn't a tenable option.

"I don't even know where to start," Cassandra began. "Do I even have time to do that? It's almost evening here and night is going to fall fast. There's no way I can spend the night on the streets here by myself. I'm afraid I might get mugged or..." taking another glance at the group of young men, "...something worse."

As her discreet glance in their direction revealed, the men whom Cassandra had spotted earlier were still lurking nearby. Some of them had even tried to get her attention by snapping their fingers and whistling at her, but she just kept ignoring them, pretending she was unable to hear them with her AirPods on. She had grown used to Indian men catcalling her during her tenure in the country. Sometimes Cassandra felt cursed by her own attractiveness. No matter where she went, masculine eyes were drawn towards her. It was annoying and creepy, but she had been forced to learn to cope with it.

"We can look online. No worries. And I'm sure you can find quick lodging before it gets dark. You'll be fine. Trust me,"

Jason assured her. Cassandra could hear him typing on his keyboard.

Cassandra also searched for rooms available for rent in the city. Of course, anything she found also needed to be affordable. She saved some money, but she didn't want to be drained dry. Especially when she had no idea how long she'd be stuck here, whether for the short term or for some unknown longer period. There was simply no way to know how long she might be stuck in India or how far her money would need to stretch.

But while she was intently browsing her phone, trying to locate a place to stay, Cassandra's efforts were interrupted by a loud shout in an Indian accent coming right at her. "Hey, sexy lady!" Cassandra's eyes went dead as she ignored the speaker. "Look at the legs on that one!" another man catcalled. "I want to get a taste of the kitty!" The men proceeded to make V's with their fingers and stick their tongues between them.

Cassandra squinted angrily ahead of her as she tried to shut out the noise. These men were pigs!

"Uh, Cassandra, what was that I just heard? Are you okay?"

Jason asked, sounding very concerned.

"Ugh, it's these Indian men nearby. They are just being pervs, as usual. Ignore them, Jason, and keep searching for a place."

"Are you sure? Can't you just move away from them?"

"If I did, I'm pretty sure they would just follow me. Don't worry about me, they won't do anything. These men are all just talk, I've learned how to deal with it."

"Does this happen often?"

Jason questioned urgently. Cassandra pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Do you need to call the police?"

His prodding was getting on her nerves. She didn't want to be constantly reminded about the men trying to hit on her, she was handling it on her own.

"Ugh, yes, Jason, this kind of mild harassment is incessant. But, like I told you, I've learned how to deal with it, okay?? Now hurry up and help me with this or else I will be stranded in the streets with more of these kinds of men. You don't want that, do you??" Cassandra said sternly, guilt-tripping Jason a bit.

"Okay, okay. I was just making sure you're okay, jeez,"

Jason muttered. Cassandra immediately felt bad hearing his aggravated tone.

"Jason, sorry... I didn't mean anything, love. I'm just so stressed right now with everything. I know you're worrying about me, and I appreciate that. But I will be fine. Don't worry about those men. I can handle it on my own. Please understand," Cassandra assured him, doing her best to maintain a calm voice.

Jason sighed. "

Yes, Cassandra, I understand. I'm just worried, that's all. But enough of that now. Let me hurry up and help you out so you can get off of those streets."

"Aw, my hero," Cassandra chuckled.

Scrolling through one page and website after another, Jason and Cassandra kept assiduously searching for whatever lodging might be available. Some listings were too expensive, while the cheaper ones were sketchy as hell. But even as they continued to investigate her options, more distant catcalls came blaring at her.

"Come on, hot stuff! Look over here! I know you can hear us! Just blow us a kiss! Or show us your tits!" One of the men pulled his shirt up and showed off his hairy chest to get her to do the same. Cassandra clenched her fist as she continued to ignore them. Experience had taught her that ignoring pervy catcallers was the best method of avoiding a confrontation. Responding to them only tended to rile them up.

However, Jason could still overhear the kinds of things those men were saying to his lovely girlfriend. It was frustrating, not being able to do anything from where he was. He had no choice but to trust Cassandra's conviction that she could fend for herself.

Quickening his efforts, Jason eventually found a listing that fell within Cassandra's budget. But he might have rushed his selection due to his desire to get Cassandra away from those men as soon as possible.

"Hey, Cassandra! I think I found you a good place to stay,"

Jason urgently informed her.

"It better not be some rundown building in some sketchy part of town." Cassandra sighed heavily. This whole ordeal was wearing on her nerves. She just wanted to be up and out of there already.

"Well, yes and no,"

Jason replied. Cassandra's facial expression went dead.

"For what you can afford, it isn't luxury, but it's certainly better than any other place we've found so far. It says here that the room is pretty spacious. There's electricity, of course, and even a shower!"

"So, the bare minimum is what you're saying," Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Hey, from what I'm seeing, this is light years ahead, in terms of what you want to pay. And, guess what, it even says that there's wifi! So, whoop whoop!"

Jason happily cheered. Cassandra chuckled.

"God, he's such a geek."

"Here, let me send you the link."

Cassandra received the link and opened it. She saw several pictures of the apartment. She cautiously raised her brow as she saw that the place looked somewhat old and a little dilapidated. But at least it had a roof and walls, unlike most of the other "rooms" that were listed, which too often were just mattresses crammed into a room with some other function and no privacy. The apartment looked a little cramped, but there was enough room for a kitchen, living room, a single bathroom, and two bedrooms. By comparison with some of the other bedrooms for rent that they had seen, Cassandra was pleased that the room looked a bit more spacious than the others. There was a comfortable-looking bed and a desk where she could do some work. It was also certainly more private since the room had an actual door. Some of the places were basically all one room, with no walls between the kitchen, living area, and 'bedroom.'

"Huh... This isn't all that bad," Cassandra muttered quietly while she scrolled through some additional information. Based on what she could tell, nothing looked too sketchy. No extra payments were required for power and water. Everything was combined into a single monthly payment. There was an up-front payment for the first month's rent, which was standard, and everything else seemed in order, with no suspicious strings attached.

Taking another scan of the pictures, her only gripes with the apartment were its appearance and space. It looked old and a little cramped for her liking. But that was by comparison to the nice modern place she had been used to for the past several months. Nonetheless, this place at least appeared to be livable.

"Okay, I think this is the one, Jason," Cassandra declared. "So how do I go forward with this?"

"Well, it says here you have to call the number on the page."

"Do I have to pay in cash, or..."

"Well, it says that cash is preferred. But you can wire the money if needed."

"Hm, okay. I guess that's not too bad. Okay, I'm gonna hurry up and call the number now. I need to leave this place as soon as possible. These men are really getting on my nerves. Wish me luck," Cassandra informed.

"Okay! Just text me with any updates and make sure to call me back if anything happens. Be safe. I Love you, bye,"

Jason said happily.

"Alright, bye-bye. Kisses," Cassandra said into the phone, before hanging up.

"Thank god for Jason. I don't know what I would do without him,"

she thought.

The name of the apartment's owner was 'Raj Vatel'. Cassandra cautiously tilted her head to the side. Ideally, she would have wanted to rent a room from a woman. But Cassandra was fresh out of choices. Cheap and off the streets were the main objectives here, so she couldn't be picky.

Dialing the number into her phone, she anxiously waited for her call to be picked up. As the phone rang, Cassandra scanned her surroundings. She stuck out like a sore thumb. She was completely different from them with her caucasian features and fair skin. Even from how she dressed and presented herself, there could be no doubt that Cassandra was a foreigner. She was growing increasingly paranoid about all the stares that she was attracting, especially from the group of vulgar men nearby.

As the phone finally picked up, Cassandra sprang to her feet.

"Hello?"

a male voice said in a thick Indian accent. Cassandra froze for a second, not knowing what to say.

"Hello??"

he said again.

"Hi, uh-, hello!" Cassandra uttered.

"Hm? Who is this? Why are you calling this number?"

he responded, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Oh! Sorry for intruding on you, but I was interested in renting out the room you posted online," Cassandra quickly explained. There was a brief silence from the man on the other end of the call.

"Ah! So you are interested in the room, yes? That's great! How soon can you come by here to see for yourself??"

the man eagerly asked, his voice was rough and aged. Cassandra noted his sudden change in tone.

"Well, preferably as soon as possible. Like today, before it gets dark," Cassandra answered.

"Sure, sure! Today can work. I'm just returning from the bazaar. I should be there soon! So I would say make your way here right away,"

he instructed. Cassandra was taken aback by how fast things were moving.

"Wait, uh, do we have to discuss payment or anything?" she asked.

"Ah, it will be fine. We will just talk about it when we see each other, yes?"

Cassandra sighed and nodded to herself.

"Okay... I'll meet you there, then."

"Just follow the directions I've put on the page. I will see you then, goodbye!"

Before Cassandra could say anything further, the call ended. The man's gruff-sounding voice and heavy accent had made it a little hard to understand what he was saying, but at least he spoke English.

Checking the address on the page, she stood up and called for a taxi. But even as she did so, her catcallers began to shout more things at her. "Awww, where are you going, sexy lady? Just stay here a little longer. We want to keep seeing your sexy body, hehe!"

Dismissively shaking her head, Cassandra urgently waited for a taxi to come and swoop her out of this place. She'd had enough of these men already. After what felt like ages, a taxi finally pulled up to her. Gathering her belongings, she stuffed them into the trunk and climbed into the car.

"Show us your boobs before you leave, hot stuff!" one of the men said, trying to get in one last word. "Hey! Don't go! I want to see you naked!" Cassandra's eyes widened in pure disgust, they were just unbelievably obscene, so vulgar. She wanted to castrate every single one of them.

"See you never you filthy animals," Cassandra mused to herself as she glanced at her perverted assailants one last time before slamming the taxi door shut.

"Hello, ma'am, where would you like to go?" the taxi driver inquired with an Indian accent.

"Uh, take me here," Cassandra sighed, showing him the address to the apartment. He nodded and drove off from the airport and its intrusive groups of rude men.

Crossing her legs, Cassandra brought up her phone, texting Jason that she was safe in a taxi and otherwise updating her progress. Putting her phone down, Cassandra exhaled heavily and gazed out the window. She was relieved that it was finally over. She didn't know how much more she could have taken before she broke down or otherwise lost her cool. But now, all that was water under the bridge. Cassandra wouldn't gain anything by dwelling on it.

She watched the bustling city go past as the car proceeded toward her destination. Cassandra was always amazed at how densely populated this place was. Children were playing on the streets, rows of small food stands, and shops around almost every corner. She even saw some cows wandering around. However, the police were already taking to the streets to enforce the lockdown.

"Things are only going to get worse from here..."

Cassandra concluded.

Turning her attention away from the side window, she looked ahead to the front of the taxi. The driver hadn't made any effort to make small talk with her, but she noticed that he was constantly glancing at her through the rearview mirror. As she caught his eyes, he quickly focused on the road ahead. Cassandra cocked her brow.

"Oh, brother... Is this guy checking me out too??"

she annoyingly wondered. A shiver went down her spine at being gawked at by yet another foreign man. But she had to just let it go, she lacked the energy to care anymore.