The Corner Booth (3 page)

CHAPTER 4

The music pulsated through the walls as the groups of people waited outside in the September air. The beat seemed to match the rhythm of Cassie’s heart pounding in her chest. She felt out of her element and the dress she wore certainly didn’t help matters. Squirming, she tugged on the hem in an attempt to make it longer.

“Girl, if you don’t stop fidgeting, I am going to smack you right here in front of everyone. You look fabulous!”

“But it is so short, Sean. I feel like everyone is looking at me,” Cassie wailed.

Sean smiled slyly at his friend. “Oh, they are. Every male here wants to see what little bit you have left hidden and every female wants to scratch your eyes out, which is how I can tell it is a fabulous outfit. Come on, you have the hottest figure and you never flaunt it.” Sean slapped at her hands. “Now, pull yourself together and act cool and sophisticated, or we are going to get bagged for sure.” Sean watched in admiration as all the color went from Cassie’s cheeks and she took a deep breath. Seconds later, it was as if a different person stood next to him. She stood tall and straight in her stilettos—this time leaving the fabric alone as it slid back up her thighs and showed off her sculptured legs.

“When you do that, you are so scary sometimes. That being said, someday you are going to have to show me how you become ‘that’ person.”

Cassie laughed. “Self-preserva—”

“Helloooo, future husband.” Sean stared at something behind his friend.

“What?” Cassie asked.

“At twelve o’clock, you will see my yummy future husband getting ready to walk through the door. Of course, he would have an in to bypass this whole line. I will have to get rid of his current lover, but I am not deterred….”

Laughing hysterically at Sean’s prattle, she followed his eyes to the front of the club, where she caught sight of a dark head lowered, whispering in the bouncer’s ear. But that wasn’t the one who had her attention; it was the Adonis who was next to him. His cool eyes currently surveyed the crowd. Cassie tried to press herself behind the couple in front of her but it was too late. She saw the look of recognition and then surprise as their eyes met. As he nodded his head at her in greeting, Cassie could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. She fully expected him to come over and say something. What she did not expect was for him to turn and stride into the club, with his friend close behind, as always.

“Okay, well, you are going to have to explain that one. Did I see what I thought I just saw?” Sean voiced incredulously. “Do you know who that was?”

“I do not,” Cassie replied sharply.

Sean dramatically crossed his arms. “Well, I thought we were better friends than that.” His finger waved in her face as he continued his admonishment. “You are holding out on me, but considering he left us stranded out here, I am going to have to cross him off—”

Cassie punched Sean in the arm to get his attention and more importantly to get him to shut up as she watched Stephanous come up behind Sean during his rant. The tall, imposing Greek stood silently, patiently waiting, while he listened to every word. He looked furious and all Cassie wanted was to melt into the concrete.

“I am sorry to interrupt this deep conversation, but Mr. Carras asked me to extend an invitation to you both to join him at his table for a drink, if you are so inclined.”

After Sean was able to hide the shock at seeing the man he was just lusting over standing not three feet away from him, he gleefully stepped out of line as Cassie stared at the man’s face. She did not like the look of disdain she saw there. That was a look she was all too familiar with and felt inconsequential under his stare. Cassie wasn’t sure what his deal was with Mr. Carras, but she didn’t want any part of it. She shook her head and she took a step back.

“Please, tell Mr. Carras thank you but we are so not inclined.”

“Cassie!”

Stephanous locked eyes with Cassie while he contemplated her statement. This was a first for him. His eyebrows rose in surprise for just a moment, as a flicker of respect seemed to flash across his face. With a slight bow, he placed his hand over his heart. “I will let Mr. Carras know that it is not a good time. My apologies. Sorry to bother you. Enjoy your evening.” Moments later, he disappeared back into the nightclub.

“I can’t believe you sent away my future husband and our ticket, no less, into getting into the nightclub without any hassle. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Cassie lowered her voice; every eye was trained on them now, as if a giant spotlight shone down from the sky. “Sean, you are being so dramatic. First of all, we are almost to the front of the line, and secondly, I really don’t know those two guys. I saw them the other night at a pizza shop as I was leaving and that is it. Thirdly, you told me that this ID was going to work and that it was as good as having been made at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.”

“It is, and it was, but we wouldn’t have to worry if you had just said yes!” Sean hissed back as he handed his ID to the bouncer.

As he looked at them both quickly, the burly man didn’t even acknowledge the driver’s licenses; instead, he waved them into the club. “You two are all set. Head on in.”

Sean grabbed Cassie’s hand before she decided to say no again and dragged her into the nightclub.

“Not a word, Cassie! Let’s go and find us a drink before I bitch-slap you. I refuse to let this ruin my evening.”

An hour later, Cassie had lost Sean, but she didn’t care. The music filled her up, and her body gyrated to the pounding beat. She had never in her whole life felt so alive. From song to song, she was never without a dancing partner but now, her body was coated in a fine sheen of sweat and she was thirsty. With a smile at her partner, she shook her head as he tried to convince her to stay on the floor. Easily dodging his hands as he reached for her, she ducked through the throngs of people who moved onto the dance floor as the next popular song began to play. She had not anticipated the number of couples looking to rest also, but deciding to go with the tide, Cassie just hoped they were headed towards the bar.

Moments later, literally facing the proverbial wall, she growled in frustration as she turned back towards the dance floor. She was completely disoriented as bodies pressed against her. The air felt stale and heavy in the corner and as much as she tried to fight it, Cassie felt the panic rise inside her, and she frantically scanned the crowd for Sean’s familiar face. With a huge breath, she could feel herself start to spin out of control.
Of all of the times for her to have a panic attack
. Plunged back into the crowd, Cassie had to grip people as her body was jostled constantly and several times she was almost knocked to the ground. With a shaking hand to her head, she tried to stand her ground as she felt the swell move her once again.

An arm wrapped around her waist from behind; she dug her fingers into skin to get loose from the tight grip. But it might as well have been metal for all of the good it did. Cassie wasn’t sure at what point it dawned on her that the arm was trying to save her but the second she did, she allowed her body to relax as she felt herself directed away from the surge of the crowd. It would have been impossible for her to achieve on her own, but with relief, the crowd seemed to part and gave her the much-needed space to at least gulp some air into her lungs. The moment oxygen hit her veins, the black spots faded slightly, as did the panicked feeling. As she lifted her head, she found herself coming face-to-face with a wall of the dance club again but this time her rescuer leaned his forearm against the wall above her head and blocked out everything from around them. She felt sheltered and protected. Whoever he was, he seemed to know she needed to be away from the crowd.

“Deep breaths, agapi mou.” A heavily accented voice breathed into her ear.

Grabbing the hand that still held her tightly around her waist, Cassie entwined her fingers with his as she gripped him, hanging on for dear life. Right or wrong, he was her anchor right now. Cassie took deep, shuddering breaths.

“That’s it. Good girl. You got it.”

With fresh oxygen in her lungs, Cassie felt almost normal. Now she was very conscious of the hard body pressed against hers from behind. Whoever he was, he was strong and one hundred percent male. The song changed; the crowd went wild with the beat, and it was her protector this time who was pushed hard, causing him to push her against the wall. Cassie gripped him tighter.

“Damn it—there are way too many people in this club. Come, we need to move.”

Pulling her out of the corner and away from the wall, he gripped her hand and directed her once again away from the sweaty bodies until they reached a small landing that held a tiny alcove seemingly built into the wall. He shoved her down onto the deep red cushion.

She heaved a sigh of relief at being away from everyone, including his arm that had held her like a vise. As she pushed her hair away from her eyes, she turned to thank her savior, and recognized him immediately.

“It’s you!”

Turning slightly, he still didn’t look at her but appeared to try to block her from the view of the crowd while he leaned in to speak into her ear above the noise.

“As beautiful as your undergarments are, you might want to adjust your dress.” His voice sounded tight. Cassie looked down and her face reddened. Her dress had slipped down to expose her lace bra, leaving little to the imagination. Pulling it up, she wanted nothing more than to go home and hide for days in embarrassment. As if on cue, the moment she was adjusted, someone slid into the booth on the opposite side of her and prevented any possibility of escaping. New tears pricked the back of her eyes.

Nodding at the new arrival, Sakis continued to ignore her, choosing instead to raise his perfectly manicured hand. From out of nowhere, a waitress appeared. After he spoke in her ear, Cassie watched as the blonde beauty just as quickly disappeared into the crowd. Cassie felt caught and out of her element. With her head lowered, she tried to figure a way out.

A hand shot out and gripped her face tightly while turning it so that she stared into the darkest eyes she had ever seen; Cassie’s eyes widened in shock at the touch. He perused her face quickly, and saw the tears that hovered on her dark lashes before he stared at her lips. Cassie wondered for a brief moment whether he wanted to kiss her, and she wasn’t sure what she would do if he made that attempt. Licking her lips nervously, she jumped when he finally spoke.

“Stop. No tears. You are safe now.” He released her, and turned to face the waitress, who had appeared again. Several bottles of Perrier and what looked like cognac was placed in front of them, along with three empty glasses. Cassie observed that no money was asked for or exchanged. She wondered who they were and what she had inadvertently gotten herself into. Instinct told her this situation was trouble. As if reading her mind, a hand was held out in front of her, and without hesitation, she slipped hers in his, feeling him squeezing gently before releasing.

“My name is Sakis, and this is my good friend, Stephanous.”

Cassie looked from one to the other. Stephanous had already started to pour the water in the glass placed in front of her before he poured generous amounts of the cognac in the other two glasses. “Thank you for your help back there. I am not sure what happened, but I appreciate it. I feel much better. I should be going now.”

“It was no problem. I saw the look of fear on your face. I am glad that I was able to get to you in time.” Sakis ignored her statement about leaving. He leaned back and placed his arm on the backrest as he watched her shift uncomfortably. He took a generous sip from his glass. She looked different tonight. Cassie’s skintight dress, which left nothing to the imagination, clung to her like a second skin and outlined her slender curves. On any other person, it would make them look cheap. Not this one. She had an air about her that he liked. His body surged as he remembered how her bottom pressed against him several times as they were jostled in the crowd. She fit perfectly in his arms. “You are nervous around us. Why?”

Whatever she was expecting, it was not the directness of his question. Cocking her head to one side, she contemplated what he asked.

“Still trying to put my finger on that one. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to find my friend and go home. It is getting late.”

Sakis glanced at Stephanous and without saying a word, the other man rose and disappeared into the crowd. “Stephan will find your friend, and bring him to us. Good? Now, please, have some water.”

Feeling as if she didn’t have a choice, Cassie lifted the glass to her lips and enjoyed the feel of the cool water sliding down her parched throat, finally. Not once did he take his eyes off her, and Cassie felt like a little girl. She slid a few inches away from him; she looked back to his face and caught him smiling, as if he knew why she moved.

“How old are you, Cassandra?”

Choking on her water, it took her a moment to collect herself. “You remember my name?”

Throwing back his head, Sakis laughed loudly. Cassie liked the sound of it. As he leaned forward, so she could hear him above the noise of the music, the smile never left his face. He certainly was beautiful, and his whole persona exuded confidence. “How could I forget the name of the Trojan princess? The name comes from our own Greek mythology, Cassandra. Do you know the story?”