The Corner Booth (19 page)

Walking towards the two women, they seemed surprised. “Ladies, we have a private room you can use.” Cassie slapped at Emily when she giggled.

“Come on, girlfriend. You have to admit that is funny. We even have our own loo.”

“Okay, maybe a little.” Cassie laughed back.

Stephanous led them down a long hallway before he stopped at a gold door. Cassie thought Emily was going to lose it completely.

When they stepped through, both heaved a sigh of relief. “God, I thought he was going to follow us in and hold us as we peed.”

Cassie couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “You are killing me right now.” As she looked around the room, she admired the opulent décor. Several white chairs were placed in front of a long mirror surrounded by incredible lighting. On the other end of the room was a sofa with two end tables. On each table, antique lamps lit that corner of the room. The walls were covered in fabric and a giant Oriental rug graced the floor.

“This space is amazing.”

Cassie nodded. Of course it was. Sakis never did anything small. They both made their way to the adjoining room, where they found four doors. “Please tell me there is a toilet in one of these.”

After finishing, they met back in the main area. Taking a seat, Emily pretended to fix her makeup, cutting her eyes to her friend. “How are you holding up?”

Cassie stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bright, and she felt as if her skin still glowed from Sakis’s touch. “I am doing great. He definitely threw me with the kiss.”

“Please, he had his tongue so far down your throat…”

“Emily!!!” Cassie laughed. “Don’t you dare say it.”

“I am not saying anything. You do think we are going to be able to dance, don’t you? Or are we going to have to entertain them all night?”

Cassie pulled her up. “We are going to dance, even if it is with each other.”

From the ladies’ room, they couldn’t hear the music, but as they walked closer to the club area, the soft music surrounded them and they both smiled, eager to get on the dance floor.

Sakis waited outside of the private room for their return.

“Thank you, Stephanous. Escort Emily back to Andre. I would like to dance with Cassandra.”

Surprised, both girls looked at each other as they were led in different directions. The song had changed as they stepped onto the dance floor. He pulled her into his arms, and Cassie melted against him as Sade filled the air. She loved the music. Wrapping an arm around his neck, Sakis placed her other hand against his chest, and held it into place with his own, as he pressed his cheek against hers and swayed gently. Time seemed to stop for Cassie. She could only feel his thumb as it ran along her spine, leaving a line of heat with each pass.

“You fit so perfectly against me, Cassandra. I cannot imagine my life without you.”

Closing her eyes, she inhaled his scent. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. Every word he spoke seemed to leave his imprint on her heart. She was drowning in emotion. Gripping him tighter, she said nothing as the tears filled her eyes.

“Cassandra?” he whispered in her ear, never stopping his movement to the music.

“It is nothing, Sakis.”

As he pulled back, he saw the tears. “What is it?”

“I just was overwhelmed with what you were saying. No one has ever said that to me before.”

He pulled her closer to him again and hugged her. “I only speak the truth.”

“Then why do you treat me as if I do not exist sometimes?” she whispered.

Sakis was stunned to silence.

CHAPTER 36

Pulling her off the dance floor, Sakis easily directed Cassie through the tables towards his private room. His mind raced at her comment, and his chest tightened. Always able to separate business from personal, he never thought twice about how his actions affected the people he dated. When he glanced down at Cassie’s face, his frown deepened. What the hell was he talking about? He never cared enough for anyone to let it bother him.

“Cassie?”

Both Sakis and Cassie turned at her name. Grinning, Cassie warmly greeted the tall man who had approached her. “Greg! What are you doing here?”

Greg Cunningham was one of the owners of Walter & Cunningham Inc., the engineering firm where she worked. Recently divorced, he spent a lot of time at her desk, and she suspected that if she gave him the slightest encouragement, he would be asking her out.

“A friend of mine and I heard how fantastic this place was and decided to check it out.” Looking pointedly at Sakis, Greg’s eyebrows rose.

Cassie realized that introductions would have to be made. “Sakis, this is Greg Cunningham, my employer at Walter & Cunningham. Greg, this is a friend of the family.”

Two things happened at the same time. Sakis stiffened next to her as he gripped her arm tighter, while a huge smile spread across Greg’s face at the thought that their relationship was nothing more than just friends. Greg held out his hand to Sakis. “Nice to meet you. Would you mind if I danced with Cassie for a moment?”

This time it was Cassie who stiffened. She thought Sakis was going to refuse, but moments later, his fingers released their grip and freed her.

“By all means.”

Cassie watched as Sakis walked to the back of the club.

Greg took her hand and walked her back to the dance floor. For a few minutes he said nothing, which Cassie was grateful for, giving her time to compose herself. Greg was nothing like Sakis. His movements were not as fluid, and she felt awkward in his arms. Greg seemed to be oblivious. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, and she had to steel herself not to pull away.

“You look absolutely stunning, Cassie.”

“Thank you, Greg. You look great yourself,” Cassie replied politely.

“I am happy that I ran into you tonight. I have been wanting to talk to you.”

Cocking her head to one side, she looked up at him. “About what? Because I don’t discuss business outside of work,” she gently chided.

“No—definitely not business. You know I am divorced?” Greg waited for her nod, to acknowledge that she did know. “It has been awhile since I have dated, and I was thinking about getting back out into the market.”

Playing dumb, Cassie smiled. “That’s great, Greg!”

Greg frowned, thinking she wasn’t getting the gist of their conversation. Cassie understood exactly what he was trying to say but wanted to make it as difficult as possible.

“I was thinking, maybe you and I?” This time he didn’t finish the sentence. She would have to be completely obtuse not to understand what he was implying.

“Oh, Greg.” Blinking, she smiled up at him. “I have a huge rule that prohibits me from dating anyone where I work. It could get ugly.”

“Well then, I will have to have you fired,” Greg said nonchalantly.

Cassie stopped dancing at his words. If what he was saying was a joke, it wasn’t funny to her.

“Are you being serious right now?”

“I could be.” Greg’s tone was clipped.

Cassie’s mind raced. She couldn’t afford to lose her job, but now he made it uncomfortable, and she wasn’t sure how she could get out of this one.

“Cassie, is everything okay?”

With a sigh of relief, she turned, happy it was Stephan behind her.

“Yes, but I am done here, Stephan. Would you take me back to the table now?”

Stephan stared down Greg. Something was really wrong and he wanted to know what it was.

“Of course. I would be happy to take you.” With his arm around her waist, he pulled her in close. She was shaking. He couldn’t tell if it was from anger or fear.

“Thanks for the dance, Cassie. Think about what we discussed, okay? We will talk more on Monday.”

Stephan expected Cassie to respond, and when she didn’t, he knew that he would pull it from her one way or the other. The Cassie he knew always said what was on her mind.

“What was that all about?”

“It is nothing, Stephan. I can handle it,” Cassie replied.

“That’s great, but the fact that you have to handle anything after a simple dance tells me that you are not telling me everything. What is going on?” They had reached the curtain that hid the private door. Stephan blocked her way. There was no way she could get past him.

Rubbing her forehead, she wanted a stiff drink.

“I promise to tell you later. Okay?” she begged. “Right now, I am going to have to deal with Sakis, and I don’t think I can handle both conversations.”

He pushed the curtain aside and he opened the door. “I am going to hold you to that, Cassie, even if I have to show up at your apartment at four a.m. You will be telling me.”

“I understand.” Cassie quickly stepped through the door, only to come face-to-face with Sakis.

Holding the door open, Sakis spoke to Stephan in Greek. “Andre and Emily went to get a late bite to eat and will be back in a couple of hours. I am locking the door for a little bit.”

Stephanous closed the door softly, without responding. He waited until he heard the click of the latch before he dropped the curtain, praying Sakis was doing this for lust and not anger.

CHAPTER 37

The hair on Cassie’s arms rose on her skin as she heard the bolt snap into place.
Do not let him see you sweat
, she chanted over and over in her head. This was who she was. Strong, courageous in times of difficulty. She had been in tighter circumstances and always rose to the challenge. Sean had told her many times that he wanted her to teach him how she could completely transform herself from one moment to the next. He had told her one time, it was as if someone took over her body, and she became someone else. She never had the heart to tell Sean that the only reason she survived her childhood was by learning how to become another person. She was still herself, just the confident self who never let fear take over.

Right now, because she was so out of her element, and she knew that she angered him with her comment to Greg, that this evening could go one of two ways. Cassie would do whatever she could to make it go her way. Grabbing her drink as she deliberately bypassed the table where they were seated what seemed so long ago, she walked to the large sofa against the wall. She crossed her legs and slid them to the side slightly so that Sakis had the best view of her thigh as the dress slid up slightly. When she took a sip of her drink, she allowed herself a quick peek at his face. He was very distracted by her legs, but he was also still very angry.

“I did not appreciate the comment downstairs.” Sakis spoke so softly, Cassie had to strain to hear him. His back was to her and he was dropping ice into a glass. She was not fooled by his tone. Rising to her feet, she walked up behind him and slid her hand down his back and over his ass, as she slipped between his body and the bar.

The only response she was willing to give was the truth. “I didn’t appreciate the comment either, Sakis, when I was introduced to Andre.” Her hand moved from the back to the front of his pants, surprised when she felt him rock hard already. Cassie smiled as she watched Sakis take a long drink from his glass. “Thirsty? I can make you another if you want.” Turning, she pushed her backside against his erection as she poured him another drink from the decanter, before she turned around to hand it to him.

Sakis grabbed the glass and slammed it down on the counter. His other hand snaked around her neck and gripped her tightly. “What game are you playing with me, Cassandra? Because I don’t like it.”

Fire flashed in her eyes. This is what she wanted, finally. Discussion of the way he treated her.

“No game. I am becoming the person you seem to want, Sakis. The little woman who does your bidding, goes with you when you are available, but avoided when you are not.”

His fingers ran through his hair as he stepped away from her. “It is not like that. I cannot help how I run my business.”

“This isn’t about your business. This is about you introducing me as a family friend. Really? So how did it feel when I introduced you to Greg that way?” Cassie knew her voice was getting too loud. She looked out over the nightclub through the glass.

“Oh, don’t worry, no one can hear us in here. The glass is not only one-way, but thick as all hell, so if you need to scream at me, let’s get it over with.” Sakis dropped to the couch. His irritation rose. Flipping the cover on the cigar box, he pulled one out and twirled it in his fingers. He was unclear what more she wanted from him.

“God, Sakis…haven’t I proved to you over the past few months that I am not like everyone else? Do you want me to scream and cry? Maybe I should throw a tantrum. Is that what you need?”

“Honestly, I need a night with no drama.” Sakis regretted the words the moment they came out of his mouth. He didn’t mean it, and the look that crossed her face looked like physical pain.

“Cassandra, I didn’t mean—”

“You know what? I can give you that. Because obviously you are not in the mood to really understand what I am saying.”

“Oh for fuck sake, what are you saying? Tell me, because I have no earthly clue.”

“No. Not like this.” Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat as she headed to the door, grabbing her purse as she went. “I am not having a discussion with you already thinking you are right.”

Before she could blink, he had her around her waist and lifted her in the air with one arm, as the other held the cigar away from them both. Cassie struggled to get free, but he gripped her too tightly. He tossed her on the couch and he stubbed out the cigar before he took a seat next to her, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. She felt closed in. Sliding forward, she swung so that she was no longer sitting next to him, but on the coffee table, her knees between his. Cassie took a deep breath.

“First, you need to stop manhandling me. I am not a puppet. Secondly, I want you to treat me as if I am someone, Sakis. When you introduced me today to Andre, I was nothing.”

“But I said you were family.”

“What you said was ‘friend of the family’ and two minutes later, Andre asked you to invite us out. To Andre, with that introduction, Emily and I were nothing more than whores in his mind.”

Sakis sat back stunned, finally understanding what he had done. “You know that was never my intention, Cassandra.”

Nodding her head, she felt as if they were making headway. “Maybe not, but that is what you do, quite often. It is very wearing on me. I get you’re a busy guy, but Sakis, I need it both ways. You call me when you need me. You show up at my apartment for a booty call yet I have never gotten through to you once, not once. What if it was an emergency?”

“Then I expect you to call Ste—” Sakis stopped when he realized what he was getting ready to say.

Placing her hands on his knees, she slid closer. “If you want to find the one who you can lay your head next to, who you can go home to and really trust, then you have to trust that person back.” Tears pricked the back of her eyes.
You will not cry
, she told herself. “I need a drink.”

Sakis watched Cassie walk back to the bar and place her purse on the counter. She didn’t even bother to pour herself a drink, choosing instead to sip from his. He held back the smile at seeing her wince at how strong it was. Once again, she was right. He really wanted to make her happy.

Cassie stiffened as Sakis rose from the sofa. Standing behind her, he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her back against his chest. She rested her head against his shoulder and stared blankly at the crowd below through the glass. The soft jazz surrounded them.

“Sometimes I wonder how you know so much, so young, Cassandra.”

“Old soul, Sakis…you said it yourself, and lots of experience being trod on.”

“I feel as if I am always apologizing to you but I am sorry. I do not want you to feel this way. Forgive me?”

“Of course, but forgiveness is given with the expectation of better things in the future.”

Sakis slid his hands down her hips as he kissed the side of her neck. “There will definitely be better things in the future for us.” His voice was thick with emotion. “By the way, have I told you how fabulous you look tonight in this little red dress?”

Cassie liked Sakis like this: soft, tender, and sincere. She could feel his genuine emotion. This was the man she was falling in love with. This was the man she wanted. Knowing that they had a lot of obstacles to overcome, she hoped she had the strength to stick with it. She didn’t want him to change, just to understand that there were consequences to the way he treated her. It hurt. She was done with hurting, having way too much in the past. But right now, she was exactly where she wanted to be: in his arms. Reaching behind her, she touched his thigh; she tilted her head to give him even more access to the sensitive skin on her neck.