Authors: Tamsyn Bester
“Mr. Knight,” Cassey greets, the surprise on her face obvious. I almost cringe
when she calls me Mr. Knight. I hate it. It sounds professional, and not nearly as satisfying hearing her say my name.
“Cassey,” I reply. “Quinn.”
“Kyler,” Quinn says. “What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think we’d be seeing
you here tonight.”
“My parents are friends of Joanne and Clive.”
“I see,” Quinn replies. “Well, it was nice to see you. Cassey and I should get
back to our dates.”
Cassey still hasn’t said anything and it bothers me. More than it should.
“Actually,” I say, stalling them. I look at Cassey. “I was hoping you’d honor me
with a dance.”
Her brows knit slightly and she looks down for a second before looking back
at me. “I don’t think that’s - ”
“That’s a great idea,” Quinn interrupts, ignoring Cassey’s glare. She bends,
whispering something to Cassey that causes her features to soften.
“Okay,” Cassey relents. “One dance.”
Quinn walks away and I take Cassey to the dance floor, just as ‘Home’ by
Michael Buble starts playing throughout the speakers. My right arm wraps
around Cassey’s waist, brushing against the exposed skin of her back, while
my left hand lifts hers to my chest. We start swaying, and Cassey is looking
everywhere but me. I have a feeling it has something to do with what she
walked in on yesterday, and I don’t blame her for feeling uncomfortable. But
what she saw wasn’t what it looked like. Not that she’s listen to me, or believe
me even if she did. However, there’s one other thing I need to talk to her
about first, and I suspect it’s the reason she came looking for me yesterday.
“I hear the Board has accepted your proposal,” I say.
Her eyes meet mine for the first time since we started dancing. “You heard
correctly. You father must’ve told you.”
“He did, but I was hoping you’d be the one to do it,” I sigh. “Is that what you
wanted to tell me when you came looking for me yesterday?”
Her gaze drops, and she nibbles on her lip. I fucking love it when she does
that. It’s does crazy things to my cock. My imagination always runs wild,
thinking up ways I can bite her lip instead. She nods, and I slip my finger
under chin to bring her beautiful eyes back to mine.
“It wasn’t what it looked like, Cass. I swear. Jessa caught me off guard and
you just walked in at the wrong time. I’m sorry if you were hurt.”
“Why would I have been hurt, Kyler? You have every right to whatever you
want with whomever you want. I told you, I don’t need an explanation.”
“You might think you’ve convinced yourself of that, but you’re not fooling
me. Your emotions are written all over your face, and right now I can see that
what happened yesterday upset you.”
Cassey scowls, and damn if I don’t find Pissed Off Cassey sexy as hell. “You
don’t know me,” she snaps. “Just because you read some shit in my employee
file, doesn’t mean you know anything about me.” She tries to step out of my
grasp, but I pull her in closer. I start rubbing slow circles on her lower back
and feel her shiver.
“I know you better than you think,” I retort quietly. “I know that you bite
your lip when you’re nervous, or when you’re thinking something over. I
know you chew your thumb nail when you’re unsure, and I know you scrunch
your eyebrows when you disagree with something someone has said. I know
you stick your tongue out, when you’re working really hard, and you tap your
foot to whatever song is in your head when you’re lost in your own thoughts.
I know you hate talking about your family, and your past, but you also get sad
when you talk about it, like you miss them. Your eyes shine, like diamonds,
when you’re excited, and you also happen to bounce on the balls of your tiny
little feet when you think no one is watching. And when you curse, when you
think no one else is around, your Southern twang comes through and fuck,
it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.” I touch her cheek, brushing my thumb
over the light red tinge beneath her soft flesh. “So you see Cass, I know you.
I see the things you think no one else notices, and I can feel how your body
responds to mine when I’m in the same room. Because I react the same way
when you’re close to me.”
I stare at Kyler, totally dumbstruck. Did he just say all of that? I can see in
his eyes that he not only means it, but that he believes every word. At least
he was honest, so maybe I should try that too. His proximity, and the way he
has me pressed up against his tall frame has every neuron in my brain misfiring, and my hormones in a tailspin. My nipples harden where the lapels of
his tuxedo jacked brush against the thin material of my dress. If I had panties
on, they’d be damp, and if I had to rub my thighs together I’m sure I would
feel the moisture there too. I want this man, in a bad way. I want him to
take to me, any way he pleases and satisfy the visceral desire that’s coursing
through my veins. But he can’t, because that’s not who I am.
“You only want one thing from me, Kyler,” I say. My voice is quiet, so no one
else dancing close to us can hear us, but it’s also firm.
His eyes flash, and darken. “And what would that be, exactly?”
“You want to sleep with me for one night, and then leave me. I’m nothing
more than a shiny new toy you want to have your way with, and then discard.”
The dip that forms between his eyebrow is unmistakable. Even with a frown,
this man is dangerously sexy.
“Cassey.” He says my name softly, but his gruff voice reverberates through every molecule in my body. “I don’t want to sleep with you.”
Now I’m frowning, and I feel like an idiot. Is it possible that I’ve misread every
moment, and every sign between us in the last few days? Did I imagine the
pull I’ve been feeling towards Kyler?
“I want to do more than that,” he continues. His eyes fixate on me, and my
breathing changes into shallow bursts of air. No, I was definitely not imagining it. For this sliver of time, nothing else around us exists. “I want to do every ungodly thing imaginable to that tight little body of yours, and leave you
utterly breathless. I want to be buried so deep inside you that there is no way
of knowing where my body ends and yours begins. And no, it won’t be for just
one night, because once I taste you, once I’ve been between your legs, I’ll want
more of you, and you’ll want more of me.”
His hand presses down on my lower back, and I feel his erection against my
stomach. I’m in so much trouble. This is not how I imagined the conversation
going, and now I feel like I’m being presented with a choice. By who, I don’t
know. All I know is I want him, in every way I can have him. Even if all I’m
willing to give myself is one night. I’m hoping that when most women believe
one night with the object of their sexual fantasies can ‘curb’ their desires for
that person, it’s at least in the realm of possibility. Because if it’s bogus, I’m
completely screwed.
Although, I suspect that by considering this ludicrous idea, I’m already too far
gone. The question is, which one will win out - my head or my heart? I barely
have time to ponder it, when I realize that my head always wins.
“As tempting as that seems, we both know it can’t happen, Kyler. You’re here
with another woman, and to put it simply, you’ve just told me you want to fuck
me.” I stop dancing, and take a step away. I need to take a breath, and think
before I jump head first into something I’m going to regret. “But I see how
this would work out for you. You get into my pants for a night and I face the
possibility of losing my job for screwing my boss.”
“What? You think that’s what this is?” Kyler’s voice is incredulous, like I’m
crazy.
“Yes,” I reply. “That’s exactly what this is, and as much as I’d like to believe one
night with me would mean something to you, I can’t take that chance. My
career, and my life are more important than some one night stand, even with
you.”
Kyler’s face drops slightly before I turn my back on him in the middle of the
dance floor and walk away. I head towards our table, where Quinn and Jarred
are arguing again. Drew is nowhere to be found.
“I’m going home,” I tell Quinn. I pick my purse up from the table.
“I’m coming with you,” Quinn replies.
“Quinn, wait,” Jarred pleads, bragging hold of her elbow.
“No, Jarred. This conversation is over, and until you pull your head out of your
ass, so is our ‘relationship’.”
Without another word, Quinn spins on her heel and takes hold of my hand
so I can follow her.
We leave the hotel, and slip into a cab as the events of tonight fill up the silence
between us. Neither of us say anything until I hear Quinn’s sniffles next to me.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She shakes her head and wipes the tears from her face, but does’t say anything
anything more until we’re back at our apartment.
I change into my sweats, and go in search of some good ol’ Ben & Jerry’s.
When I walk into the kitchen, I see Quinn has already beaten me to it. I sit
down next to her, and start eating the creamy, chocolatey goodness. The fact
that it’s chocolate flavor means that Quinn is very upset about something.
“I need to tell you something,” she says. Her voice is soft, but scratchy. She
must’ve been crying while I was changing out of my evening dress and cleaning my face.
I take hold of her hand, and squeeze it gently, offering my silent support. “You
can tell me anything,” I remind her.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed that Jarred and I have been fighting a lot,” she pauses,
swallowing. I nod. “Well, it’s because he asked me to move in with him, and
I’ve been avoiding it.”
My stomach drops. “Why?”
Quinn sniffles, and the tears start all over again. “Because I’m scared, and because I hate the thought of leaving you here alone.”
Diverting my gaze, I look down at where my hand holds Quinn’s. The truth is,
I don’t want Quinn to make her decision based on me, and how she thinks I’m
going to handle her leaving. I want her to be happy, and I would never dream
of standing in the way of her life with Jarred.
“Quinny,” I say, looking back into her sad eyes. “Do you want to move in with
him?”
She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and gives a small nod. “I love him,”
she says, shrugging one shoulder.
“Wow,” I sigh. “That’s huge.”
“I know. I don’t know when it happened, but I guess between all the fooling
around, and spending time with him, I fell in love.”
Her lip trembles. “Why are you so upset?” I ask.
“Because we were fighting about you.”
I frown. “About me?”
Her head bobs up and down, and she looks away. “He got angry because I said
I won’t leave you alone, and then he accused me of not wanting to be with
him.”
“You’re being silly, Quinn. If you want to move in with him, then don’t let me
stop you. I want you to be happy. I’ll just start looking for another place to live.”
If only it were that simple. I would never be able to afford a place like this on
my own. But I can’t allow Quinn’s decision to move in with the man she loves
be influenced by that.
“No,” she says, interrupting my thoughts. “I’ve already spoken to my parents,
and they are more than happy to let you stay here as long as you want.”
“I appreciate that, but I can’t accept the offer. I’ll start looking for a place of my
own on Monday.”
“Are you sure, Cass?”
No, I’m anything but sure. I’m terrified. “Yes,” I lie. “I’m sure.”
Quinn hugs me and pulls back, giving me a sad smile. “You know it will always
be the ‘Quinn and Cassey’ show, right?”
Smiling, I reply, “I know.” My throat tightens, but I bite back the innate urge
to cry. I was hoping I’d have at least one more year before I had to worry about
this, but as always, nothing in my life goes according to plan. And now, I can’t
help but feel that everything is about to change.
“Thank you,” I say to the other woman on the line. “I will be there at five to
view the apartment.” With a quick good-bye, I put the phone back on it’s
cradle and rest my head in the palms of my hands. It’s already Thursday, and
after finding about about Quinn and Jarred a few days ago, I spent most of
the week finding a place of my own to rent. The trouble is finding a place
close enough to the office and within my limited budget.
So far, I’ve had little success, but I have one more place to see later today. I
can’t even say that I’m excited, because I’m really not. But it is what it is, and
change in itself can be scary. But I think about the girl who left the dusty old
trailer park behind her after high school and traded it for a new life. That was
scary too, and I survived. There’s no reason for me to be afraid now. I can do
this.
The remainder of the day passes in a blur, and when I’m not thinking about
my impending move, I’m thinking about Kyler, and the encounter we had at
the party on Saturday. I expected to hear to from him, but instead I’ve been
greeted by nothing but silence. I shouldn’t be surprised. I turned him down
after he propositioned me and I’m sure that’s never happened to him before.
I bet he suffered from a bruised ego for the same amount of time it took me
and Quinn to hail a cab, and then remedied it by screwing someone else.
Why I even care bothers me more than his silence.
The light knock on my door brings my attention back to the present, and I
realize I’ve been sitting on the sofa in my office for the last two hours just
staring out the window that overlooks the city. Quinn walks in, looking as
stunning as ever in her off-the-shoulder knee length blue panel dress and
black heels.
Her hair is pushed back with a black headband and for once, she looks her
age.
“You ready to go, girly?” she asks, smiling.
I check my watch and it’s already four thirty. Dammit, where did the time
go? I stand up and slip my red peep toe wedge heels on and fasten the thin
strap around my ankle.
“Yes,” I reply, feigning excitement. “Let me just grab my purse.”
I walk over to my desk, and give myself a mental pep talk to stop the little
self-pity party going on in my head. I grab my purse, and follow Quinn out
my office, locking the door behind me. We step into the elevator and travel
down to the lobby.
“Are you okay?” Quinn asks. The doors open and I walk out.
“Yes, Quinn, I’m fine. I’m just a little distracted, that’s all.” I give her a smile
and hope she believes my bullshit excuse. The last thing I want is for Quinn to
feel guilty because I’m wallowing in self-pity.
“I know it’s been a rough week, but I think this place we’re going to now might
just be it. I can feel it!” she says enthusiastically. Her attempts to cheer me up
make me feel better, but also sad. I’m going to miss having her around all the
time. We walk the few blocks to where the estate agent said to meet her. After
introducing the woman to Quinn, she leads us into a slightly older building
and up to the fifth floor. When she opens the door to the apartment, I stop in
the foyer in look around. It has a small kitchen to the side, with white-washed
kitchen cupboards and marble countertops. The wooden floors shine, as if
they’ve just been cleaned, and spread wide throughout the apartment. The living room is open plan, and is rather spacious, with windows and a balcony that
overlook a small courtyard. The walls are a little bland, painted in off-white’s
and cream colors, but that can easily be fixed. I don’t even have to look at the
rest of the place to know that it’s perfect, and exactly what I’m looking for.
I can just see how amazing it will look with some fresh paint, some furniture
and a few decorations.
Judging by the look on Quinn’s face, she thinks it’s perfect too.
“Are you sure the owners are happy with their rent price? It seems little low for
a place that looks like this,” I tell the estate agent.
She chuckles. “I’m sure. Do you like it?”
“I love it,” I reply, walking into the living room and admiring the space. This
could be my new home.
Quinn joins me, coming to standstill at my side. “Are you sure about this?
You’re really under no pressure to move out of my place.”
My shoulders relax, and for the first time this week I feel like this might actually be the right decision, that it could work. I look at Quinn, and see the
trepidation and concern in her eyes. She’s as scared of this change as I am, but
she just won’t say it. “Yes,” I reply. “You’re moving on to the next step in your
life, Quinn, and now it’s my turn. Nothing has to change. You spend most of
our time at Jarred’s anyway and we’ll still see each other every day. We’ll just
have to schedule our sleep overs from now on.”
Quinn nods her head. “Okay.”
I look back at the estate agent. “I’ll take it,” I say. “Where do I sign?”