The Corner Booth (17 page)

CHAPTER 30

The latch clicked on the apartment door loudly and echoed throughout the unfurnished apartment. Running her fingers through her hair, Cassie turned to view her new space, weaving slightly. She had way too much to drink of the champagne, as did Sean, but it was more than worth the headache she knew she was going to have in the morning.
Wait—her watch said it was three a.m. Morning was now.
Picking up the empty glasses and bottle on the floor, she silently made her way to the kitchen. The light tap on the door startled her and she caught the glass before it shattered in the sink. Frowning, she quickly walked to the front door. The buzzer hadn’t rung to let her know someone was here. Holding her breath, she peered through the peephole and exhaled when she saw Sakis on the other end.

Throwing the door open wide, she giggled.

“You just scared the hell out of me, Sakis.”

As he stepped over the threshold, Sakis didn’t take his eyes off her face as he checked her out. It was obvious to him that she was very drunk. Keeping his tone neutral, he continued into the small apartment, his eyes missing nothing.

“I hadn’t heard from you, and when you didn’t show up at the club, I figured I would come and see how the settling in was going.”

Cassie felt nervous and she didn’t like being this way around him.

“Sorry. Sean came to help me move, and we celebrated. Probably a bit more than we should have.”

“Hmmm. I can see that.” Pulling her into his arms, he watched as her face flushed at the contact, before he nuzzled her neck. “I missed you tonight.”

“I missed you also, Sakis,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She liked him this way.

Drawing her over to the sleeping bag, he knelt and pulled her down with him. His hands slid up under her shirt, and he groaned when he realized that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Without giving her a chance to think, the fabric was up and over her head, leaving her topless. She scowled as she clutched her breasts, but he ignored her and easily flipped her onto her back.

“What is this, a booty call?” She nervously laughed. “Where is Stephan?”

“He is in the car waiting for me. I wasn’t happy when I realized that I wasn’t going to have your company tonight, Cassandra.”

So that was it. His feelings were hurt and he felt slighted.

“I had to move, Sakis. You knew that.” Cassie tried to explain. “Ouch. Easy there.”

He had drawn her nipple far into his mouth and sucked hard. At her words, he released the tiny nub, only to grab onto the other one and do the same thing to it.

Arching her back, her body reacted to the pleasure-pain he invoked. He straddled her hips; for several moments he stared down at her: her long hair splayed over the sleeping bag, her breasts wet from his mouth. When she hadn’t called, he figured that she would show up at his club and when she hadn’t, he was very irritated. The weekends were theirs. She didn’t seem to understand his need for her. Now the irritation flew out the window and all he wanted was to be buried deep inside her. He picked up her hand and placed it on his obvious erection. “Touch me, Cassandra.”

Moving her hand, she pushed on him through the fabric of his pants, sliding it up and down, following the ridge where he protruded for several moments before she stopped, only to slowly undo his belt buckle and slide down the zipper. Whatever bothered him seemed to disappear. Rising up until she sat upright, she leaned in and licked at him. Sakis jumped and groaned. He gripped her head tightly and pressed himself into her mouth.

She tried not to panic and control the gag reflex as he thrust back and forth. Usually so attentive in his lovemaking, there had not been one time that it hadn’t been about her. This time felt different. Disconnected somehow. She attempted to turn her head to get away but he gripped her tighter while he continued to thrust. He was definitely trying to send her a message. Moments later, he moved away just enough to grip her pants, sliding them easily down her legs and tossing them to the side. Rolling her over, he gripped her hips tightly, raised them into the air and drove deep inside her. She pressed her face against the pillow fabric as he rode her from behind. This was a new position for her but she could feel the familiar wave rising between her legs.

“Cassandra.” Sakis groaned out her name as he reached underneath her to grip her breasts tightly and pull her up to his chest. One hand slipped between her legs as he continued to thrust. The moment he touched her, she couldn’t hold back any more as her body tightened around him. Sakis pushed on her back and forced her head back on the pillow as he gripped her hips to steady her as he continued to ram into her. Moments later, he shuddered before he dropped onto her, completely spent. Rolling onto his side, he turned her so that he could hold her. Neither one said anything.

Cassandra waited until Sakis’s breathing changed and she knew that he had fallen asleep before slowly sliding away from him. She grabbed her clothes and quietly entered the bathroom, quickly dressing before she headed back. He had woken and stared at her from the floor.

“Come here, Cassandra.” 

She bristled at his tone, and for a moment she was going to refuse, before she decided against it. This was not the time.

Kneeling in front of him, she watched as he rose up to lean on one hand and reached out with the other to caress the side of her face. There was no emotion in his expression, and Cassie knew from experience it was better to let this play out.

His thumb rubbed against her lips gently; he leaned in to kiss her softly.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked, concerned. “I am sorry if I did.”

“No. Of course not. You do seem to be getting upset with me more and more, Sakis.” Cassie carefully replayed her conversation with Sean over in her head.

A sigh escaped as he rose and drew her up with him. “You tend to bring out the best and worst in me, I fear.”

“We have had this conversation before, Sakis. You cannot control me.”

Running his fingers through his hair, Sakis seemed to become agitated again. “I know that. I don’t want to control you, Cassandra. I just want to be there for you and have you be there for me. When something is broken, I want to fix it.”

“When are you going to realize I am not broken, Sakis? You’re going to keep getting irritated and frustrated with me if you cannot accept this.”

“Why is it so hard for you to accept my help!” he yelled.

“I don’t need help!” she yelled back.

Gripping his shirt with both of her hands, she stepped closer and softened her tone. “What do you want from me?”

His arms wrapped around her, he pressed her face to his chest as he contemplated her question. “I just want you.”

She smiled for the first time that evening at him. “You have me, Sakis.”

CHAPTER 31

The switchboard console had so many lights lit that Stephan didn’t know how Cassie kept her sanity as she patiently pressed each one and repeated the same greeting before she transferred the call to the appropriate person or department. Only two weeks since starting as a receptionist, Cassie seemed unfazed, even as co-workers walked by, handing her items, or handing others something as they walked by.

Cassie hadn’t seen him yet, which gave him the opportunity to really check her out. She looked beautiful; her hair pulled back and held with a jeweled clasp highlighted the small earrings. The deep purple silk top, buttoned all the way up her neck, went well with the long pencil skirt and low-heeled shoes. She was a vision of professionalism. Much different than the short, tight dresses and high heels she wore to the clubs.

“Stephan?”

Lifting his eyes, Stephan’s face flushed slightly as he realized that he had been staring.

“Hi, Cassie.”

She seemed shocked to see him. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.

A large, heavyset woman came around the corner and eyed them curiously, and Stephan waited until she passed and was out of earshot before he responded.

“I came to bring you this and see how you are doing.”

Cassie stared at the single rose. It was so uniquely beautiful.

“Madame Plantier,” was all she could squeak out.

“It was the only one left and it was so different and so you. I couldn’t resist…” Stephan floundered.

“So you don’t know.”

“Know what?” Stephan asked, genuinely confused.

“This happens to be my favorite rose. I was trying to figure out how you knew.”

Stephan laughed. “I can honestly say I didn’t know, but I am happy now.”

A beeping noise interrupted them; Cassie quickly sat down and placed the headset back on her head.

“Don’t go anywhere.”

“I won’t, Cassie.”

For the next several minutes, Cassie’s fingers flew over the terminal, and she easily caught up with all the calls. Finally, when the switchboard was dark again, she looked up and grinned. Stephan was still in the same spot.

Stephan watched in frustration as another person approached Cassie. He was never going to be able to talk to her.

“Hi, Cassie.”

“Hey, Brin. What’s going on?” Cassie asked the young woman.

“I came to cover for you, so you can have lunch with your boyfriend, if you want.”

Cassie grinned at Stephan and winked. “That would be so awesome, Brin, thank you.” Grabbing her pocketbook from the bottom drawer, she linked arms with Stephan before he could say anything and pulled him out of the main door into the lobby of the office building.

“Why would you let her believe I am your boyfriend?” Stephanous laughed.

“Honestly, because she is nosy. They all are. I don’t mind them thinking that you and I are together. We know what the truth is and quite frankly, you are a dream to look at. You will be the talk of the office for many days to come.”

Tugging on his hand, she headed outside. Stephan had no recourse but to follow her and shook his head in bemusement.

“So where are you taking me for lunch?” Cassie asked when they reached his car.

Unlocking the backseat, he pulled out a large picnic basket. “I hope you don’t mind. I asked Maria to make us something. I figured that we could sit by the water and enjoy the sun and changing leaves. Pretty soon, we won’t be able to do it.”

Cassie nodded, stunned to silence at the personal gesture. Following him, she watched as he laid out a checkered blanket under one of the many trees located near the water. The fountain in the middle of the pond shot water high in the air. It was the perfect spot. Holding out his hand, he helped her to sit and placed the basket of food in the middle of the blanket once she was settled. Being on the back side of the building, she knew that everyone in the office had a prime view of her lunch date. Aware that there were eyes everywhere, she started to unpack the basket. Her mouth salivated at the abundance of food Maria had packed, along with real silverware, plates, glasses, and cloth napkins.

It took several minutes for both Stephan and Cassie to load their plates. Eager to taste the meal, she waited before she began their conversation.

“What is all of this, Stephan?”

“You mean lunch?”

“You know what I mean.”

As he took a long drink of the iced tea, Stephan knew he couldn’t stall any longer. He had run the conversation over and over in his mind since deciding to take her out to lunch, and now that he was faced with speaking, he wasn’t sure he could do it without freezing. It shocked him that he could kill someone without thinking twice, but when it came to Cassie, he felt like a teenager again and that she was way out of his league.

“I had the day off, and decided that I wanted to have lunch with you. Is there something wrong with me wanting to do that?”

Confused, she shook her head. “No, of course not. I love your company. Does Sakis know that you are here?”

Stephan’s silence gave her the answer.

“I won’t tell him,” Cassie said softly.

Heaving a sigh, Stephan leaned back on one arm. “I have no problem with him knowing. Sakis knows that I would never do anything to hurt him. He will know later that I came to your job and that we had lunch.”

“And me?”

Stephan cocked his head to one side. “I don’t understand.”

“Would you ever do anything to hurt me?” Cassie asked.

“That is a bit cryptic, don’t you think? I am still not following you.”

“That’s okay.” Cassie leaned towards Stephan and lowered her head slightly. “You would do whatever Sakis asked of you, because that is the type of relationship you have. Your loyalty is to him and him alone. The rest of the world would be collateral damage, would it not?”

She could see when he finally comprehended what she was saying, as the shock registered across his face.

“You have no idea what you are saying right now, Cassie.” His voice was tight. “You do know that I would die for him.” Watching her head snap to attention, he smiled ruefully. “And I can honestly say that I would do the same for you without hesitation, Cassandra Oliver.”

Gooseflesh broke out over her skin at the change in Stephan’s voice when he spoke her name. Cassie knew that she was young and inexperienced, but she knew without a doubt that Stephan had feelings for her.

“Don’t say it. I know my place, Cassie. But, it is moments like this that I can hang on to, can’t I?”

Nodding her head silently, she took a bite of the sandwich. It was hard to swallow with the large lump that seemed to have formed in her throat. She wanted to cry for him. She knew what it felt like to want something so bad and know that you couldn’t have it. She thought of her mother for the first time in many years.
The ache of love lost never goes away
. She knew that Stephan’s feelings were not paternal, but it was the same pain.

“Please, don’t be sad. This is not quite turning out the way I had anticipated. I am afraid I have changed everything,” Stephan said gruffly. He started to clean up the items from lunch and place them back into the basket. Cassie’s hand reached out and covered his own. He froze and stared as the slender fingers turned his hand, entwining hers within his.

“Please don’t, Stephan. I still have thirty minutes left. Please don’t go yet. I am glad you came today. Why don’t we change the subject?”

His shoulders relaxed in relief; he eased back onto the blanket. “Any more meetings with Derek Chandler?”

A mutual, silent agreement was formed between the two of them. She knew that they would not be speaking about his feelings for her again but she would never be able to look at him in the same light.

“No, thank God! I really appreciate you listening to me ramble that day.”

“And I appreciate you letting me know that you ran into him. It shows your loyalty to Sakis and that means a lot.”

“You’re welcome.” Cassie picked at the blanket.

“What’s on your mind?”

“When are you both going to trust me enough to let me know what Sakis does for a living?”

Staring out over the water, Stephan felt the familiar feeling of doom spread through him.

“It is really not my place to tell you. Sakis will when he feels the time is right.”

Sighing heavily, she leaned back. It was almost time for her to go inside. She stared at him. “I know more than either one of you realize, and I hope that when the time comes for you both to trust me it won’t be too late.”