by L A Cotton
“Cassie, it’s only a few hours. If you’re not feeling it, we can stay for a couple of drinks, and then I’ll drive you home myself, okay? Besides, I know everyone will be stoked to see you.”
For some reason, that didn’t fill me with the warm and fuzzies. Amanda hooked her arm through mine, pushed the door wide, and dragged me inside. A wall of heat licked my skin, and I sucked in a deep breath. Dominique nodded from behind the bar, which was already two deep. As one of Redmont’s only bars, Fridays at Bellezas got busy and then some.
“Happy Birthday, Cassie.” Mario, one of the bartenders, wrapped me in a hug. “Twenty-six looks good on you.” He kissed my cheek, and I pulled away instinctively. I hadn’t expected that. He frowned, but then his easy smile slid back into place. “Let me fix you a drink. Follow me, ladies.”
Amanda let out a soft, “Hells yeah,” as Mario cut out a little section for us at the bar. “What’ll it be?”
“Two peach Bellinis, easy on the peach, heavy on the good stuff.” She winked at him, and he laughed as he began making our drinks. I hopped up onto a stool, trying to force myself to relax. Aunt Ruby was fine. Lilly was fine.
Everything would be fine.
So why did I feel so restless?
“Drink.” Amanda slid the glass across to me and watched, anticipation glittering in her eyes.
Oh, what the hell. One wouldn’t hurt. Maybe it would even calm my nerves. I snatched the glass and took a mouthful. “Thanks, Mario,” I said as he grinned and then moved on to the paying customers.
“See.” Amanda held up her glass. “As easy as taking candy from a baby.”
“Amanda, Cassie,” a deep voice said, and my body went rigid. My friend beamed as Luis leaned in to kiss her cheek. His eyes met mine on his return, seeking permission, but I took another drink, creating a barrier between us.
“Happy Birthday, Cassie.”
“Thank you.” I couldn’t meet his heavy stare. It felt too intimate, too much.
“Mario,” he yelled across the bar. “Make sure you look after these lovely ladies tonight. On the house, okay?”
“Oh, no, you don’t—” I started to protest, but Mario grinned and shouted, “Gotcha, boss.” He nodded, his eyes lingering on Amanda longer than necessary. Interesting. I’d never noticed that before.
“I have business to attend to, but you’ll be here a while?”
“As long as I can make our girl stick around.”
This time, I did meet his eyes, and they flashed with some intense emotion. “Relax. Enjoy the free drinks. You’re in good hands.” His words were directed at me, and all I could do was force a weak smile.
Luis disappeared through the door marked private, and Amanda and I settled in with our drinks. “Don’t look now,” she whispered, “but Anderson is here.”
“Anderson?”
“You know the guy I met the other week.”
I scanned the crowd. It wasn’t hard to miss the guy staring in our direction with hunger in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare bail on me,” I hissed, and her eyes skimmed to mine, full of apology.
“Never. But he’s hot, right? I didn’t dream that?”
“He’s ... okay.”
“Okay?” Her mouth hung open. “Is there something wrong with your eyesight? He’s a freaking Adonis. He has this friend—”
“No way.” I cut her dead.
“But you didn’t even let me finish.” Amanda pouted, and I was vaguely aware of the guy moving closer, like a predator circling its prey.
“I’m not looking to get involved with anyone.”
She laughed, amusement creasing her heavily made up eyes. “Who said anything about getting involved? Love ’em and leave ’em, babe. It’s working out pretty well for me.”
“Shit, he’s coming over here.”
Glancing sideways in the direction my eyes were fixed, she grabbed my hand. “Jesus, would you look at him?”
“Twenty minutes. I’ll sit here twenty minutes, and if you’re not back, I’m leaving.”
“Cassie, I—”
“Twenty minutes, Manda.”
“You’re the best. You know that, right?” Amanda air-kissed me. “I only want to get his number.”
“Yeah, right,” I mumbled under my breath, but she was already moving toward him.
I went back to nursing my drink and watching the crowd. Bellezas attracted a mixed clientele. Men looking for an escape from their lives. Single women looking to be their distraction. Young guys hoping to catch Luis’s eye and be inducted into his world of money, girls, and all the bad things that went along with it.
“Why the long face, Cassie girl?” Mario’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“No reason.” I spun on the stool to face him.
“You know you could have any guy in here, right?” Mischief sparkled in his eyes, but his compliment didn’t have the deserved effect, and I shrank into myself.
“Who was he?”
“Excuse me?”
“The guy who broke your heart?”
“Mario, I don’t know—”
“I think I died and went to heaven.” Amanda draped over the bar beside me, grinning from ear to ear. “He’s going to take me out next week. Somewhere fancy.”
A deep scowl creased Mario’s face, and he left the two of us. Amanda noticed and said, “What’s his deal?”
“Are you blind? He likes you.”
“Who, Mario? Don’t be silly. He’s ...”
“What?”
“Mario. We’ve worked together forever.”
“So?”
“So it’s weird.” Her eyes tracked Mario as he moved around, serving drinks and chatting with customers, as if she were imagining things. Things with Mario. But then she shook her head and refocused on me. “Nah, he’s not my type.”
“Whatever you say, Manda.”
She leaned farther over the bar, trying to catch his attention, but he nudged Dominique and she came sauntering over instead. It wasn’t that I disliked her. She had model good looks and a perfect figure, but she had claws. Sharp ones. And she went through guys like they were going out of fashion.
“Hey, Amanda, Cassie.” She pursed a smile. “It’s your birthday, right?”
I nodded.
“Happy Birthday,” she said flatly.
Well, okay then.
“Can we get a couple of more peach Bellinis, please?” Amanda shoved our empty glasses toward her. Once Dominique was out of earshot, she leaned in and whispered, “She’s such a bitch.”
“Amanda,” I warned.
“What? She is. It almost killed her to wish you a happy birthday.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I glanced back at the room and almost toppled off my stool. Luis appeared from the back with his guys trailing behind … and Dennis.
Dennis was here?
Crap.
“Cass? What’s up?” Amanda must have heard my sharp intake of breath. Trying to cover myself, I turned around, flashed her a smile, and said, “Nothing. Just thirsty.”
“Damn right. Dominique,” she slammed her palms on the counter and shouted, “we’ll have two shots of the good stuff too.”
“Oh no, I don’t think—”
“Cassie Malson, for all that is good and holy in this world, you will relax and enjoy tonight. If it’s the last thing I do.”
Dominique brought our drinks but didn’t stick around, moving on to a young guy flashing cash.
“I haven’t had tequila in a really long time,” I said, eyeing the glass.
“Don’t think.” She thrust the glass at me. “Just drink.”
Inhaling deeply, I brought the glass to my lips and knocked it back. My throat exploded with heat, but there wasn’t any time to think as Amanda pressed a wedge of lime to my mouth. I sucked, enjoying the brief respite of burn.
And then I felt him.
Dennis.
His eyes burning holes into my back. Willing me to turn around, to acknowledge him.
Pleading with me to let him in.
“That wasn’t so bad.” I turned to my friend and smiled. “We should do another.”
So we did.
And another two before Luis invited us to join him in his private booth.
“Hells yeah.” Amanda leaped down off her stool with glee, taking his crooked arm. I was less enthused, my eyes drifting to Dennis as he sat uncomfortably with Luis’s guys. When I hopped off the stool, my body swayed with the effects of the tequila and Bellinis.
“Whoa there, birthday girl.” Luis’s breath was warm on my face, and I reared back.
“I’m fine,” I insisted, shirking out of his hold. His quiet chuckle followed me as I marched toward the booth and slid in farthest away from Dennis.
“What up, Cassie? It’s your birthday, right?” one of the guys, Anthony, said.
“Yeah, the big two-six.” My words dripped sarcasm.
Amanda slid in beside me, and I was grateful for her presence, even if I was irrationally annoyed at her. The last thing I wanted was to be trapped here with my boss and my ex.
“Ladies, you know Anthony, Xavier, and Cael. And this is my business associate, Dennis Hayes. Dennis, meet my bar manager, Amanda, and you’ve already met the lovely Cassie.”
“Well, hey there Dennis Hayes,” Amanda drawled, her body lighting up like the Fourth of July. Jesus, she was drunk and horny. But he didn’t give her a second glance, his heavy gaze lingering on me.
“Nice to meet you. And Cassie, nice to see you again.” His voice gave nothing away as his eyes settled ahead.
“Mario,” Luis called over and gave a small nod of his head.
Two minutes later, Mario arrived with a bottle of Moet and glasses for everyone. Someone passed them around and started pouring.
“A toast to friends and good business.” Luis’s eyes slid to mine—full of unspoken promise—but he wasn’t the only one watching me.
Jesus. I was in a nightmare. A living, breathing nightmare.
Dennis hadn’t contacted me again. After sending the flowers, he’d given me the space I implied I needed. Yet here he was. In my town. In my goddamn workplace. And on my birthday, no less. It hit me like a ten-ton truck—he was in my life whether I liked it or not. Unless I could quit my job and run from Redmont, our paths would continue to cross. I would have to see him. There was no escaping him.
“Hey.” Amanda nudged me discreetly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Lips mashed together, I nodded, not trusting myself to reply. What would I possibly tell her? Besides, Dennis wanted to keep our history under wraps, and I was inclined to agree. Nothing good could from Luis knowing about us.
Not a single thing.
“I feel a bit queasy. I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I whispered, and Amanda scooted out of the way to let me wiggle past.
I kept my head down as I wound through the sea of bodies, relieved when I slipped into to ladies’ bathroom without having to wait. Inside an empty stall, I dropped the lid and sat down, burying my face in my hands. Everything had happened so fast. Seeing Dennis again. My aunt falling ill. I hadn’t really given myself time to consider what his reappearance would mean. If it meant anything at all.
I wasn’t the same person I was four years ago. I’d been through things; things I was still coming to terms with. Things I would never have been through if it wasn’t for the fact he crushed me.
God. It all came back to him.
Tears welled in my eyes, but I would not cry. I would not sit in a dirty bathroom crying over what could never be.
Forcing myself to take a shaky breath, I shook away the tears and went to rinse my hands. The girl staring back at me was tired, worn down by life and the shit hand she’d been dealt. Haunted by her bad decisions. I ran to Redmont looking for an escape, a fresh start, but I should have known the past was only ever two steps behind.
I didn’t have to be a bystander to this shit show, though. I could go out there, say my goodbyes, and walk away from the car crash waiting to happen. And that was exactly what I planned to do. Steeling myself, I exited the bathroom and swung right down the hallway back into the main room. But someone stepped out from the shadows, blocking my path.
The air crackled with anticipation as Dennis stared down at me. And my body—my traitorous, forgetful, foolish body—refused to move, despite my head screaming at me to get the hell out of there.
“Cassie, I—”
“Don’t. Please, don’t do this. Not here, not now.” My words came out rushed, my pulse crashing against my skull. “It’s late. I’m tired. I just want to go home.” And pretend this never happened.
“I promised myself I’d stay away, that I wouldn’t push,” he said, “but I’m not sure I can keep that promise.”
“Why are you doing this?”
He stepped closer, and I moved back, realizing my mistake the second the darkness swallowed us whole.
“I walked away once, Cassie.” His words were a caress, a promise I didn’t yet understand. “But I won’t do it again. I know you’re hiding something. And I can’t just walk away.”
Silence enveloped us. Even with the music blaring through the wall, I could hear the beat of my heart in my chest. And then Dennis leaned in closer. So close that if I tilted my face up, our lips would be touching.
“Don’t ask me to walk away, please.” He sounded so torn.
Broken.
Two broken souls gravitating to one another. But I couldn’t just forget … I couldn’t just unfeel everything I’d felt at the hands of the man in front of me.
“I—”
“Cassie? Is that you?” Amanda’s voice cut through the tension like a knife, and Dennis stepped aside to let her see me. “What are you …?” Her eyes slid to the shadow beside me, narrowed, and then widened with recognition, but I lurched for her, grabbing her wrist.
“Come on, I need to get home. I don’t feel so good.” I pulled her along with me, hoping her questions could wait. Because Amanda was like a dog with a bone. Once she caught the scent, she wouldn’t give it up until she got what she wanted.
I just didn’t know what I’d tell her.
Chapter Fifteen
Dennis
I watched as Cassie pulled her friend through the bar. They stopped at Hernandez’s booth and said goodbye before melting into the crowd. Shit. I’d really fucked up. But it was like I went on autopilot around her. Driven by some base instinct to seek her out. To protect her.
Fuck.
My palm slammed against the drywall as I heaved a ragged breath. The friend—Amanda—had recognized me, which meant I’d just complicated things even more. But when Cassie hurried from the booth, her face pale, eyes hurting, I had to know she was okay.
But now what?
Racking my brain for a plan, I maneuvered through the bar and stopped at the booth. “I need to take off.”
“Already? The party’s just getting started.”
I wasn’t really here to party; I was here to pick up the next shipment of coke tomorrow. I suspected Hernandez had invited me along to feel me out.
“Family shit to deal with. I need to make a call. But I’ll be here tomorrow, as agreed.”
He rubbed his jaw before lifting his hand. I grabbed it and shook hard. “Tomorrow,” he repeated. His eyes narrowed, searching for any signs I was lying, but I’d given him no reason to doubt me. I played the part demanded of me.
When he relaxed and tipped his fingers at me, I got out of there. My eyes scanned the parking lot for Cassie, but there was no sign of her. Just the taillights of a cab heading in the direction of her aunt’s house. If I stepped on it, I could probably make it.
I waited in the quiet of the dark. The street was mostly asleep, save for the couple of houses with their lights still on. But there was no sign of Cassie. Maybe I’d missed her. Maybe she was already inside. I’d taken what I thought was a short cut to her house, breaking a few laws along the way, but I had to see her. I had to k
now what was running through her mind as she stared into my eyes when I cornered her in the hallway at Bellezas.
Ready to admit defeat, I went to fire up the engine when headlights illuminated the road. Then, like an oasis in a scorched desert, the cab I’d watched pull out of Bellezas’s parking lot appeared. It rolled to a stop outside her house, and fuck, if the sight of her didn’t steal my breath when the door swung open. Long legs covered in tight jeans and a form-fitting blouse that hinted at the secrets I knew lay underneath.
Secrets I wanted to know again.
Because who was I kidding? Although I wanted to save her—to protect her from whatever she was running from—it was more than that.
I wanted her.
Plain and simple.
Second chances didn’t come around in this life often, and despite the little voice in my head telling me to walk away, my heart won out.
Cassie Malson was mine.
And, this time, I wouldn’t give her up without a fight.
She’d been mine since the day I laid eyes on her six years ago. But she was different back then. All soft smiles and even softer lines. She had this glow. A zest for life. Cassie walked into a room and people looked. But she never noticed, and she didn’t flaunt it. It was what I’d loved most about her. But I was too young, too naïve, to realize what I now knew. A girl like Cassie was worth it. Worth the risk. Worth the fight. She was worth everything I had coming to me if I pursued this thing with her.
Snapping back to the present, I watched as she waved off the cab and stumbled up to her house. But she paused, turning slowly, and fixed her eyes right on my truck. Even though it was buried in darkness and I knew she couldn’t see it—or me—she felt something.
And part of me hoped it was her heart recognizing its other half close by.
I half expected her to turn away, to hurry into the house and never look back, but my girl didn’t run. She was braver than I was. Always had been. Her chin lifted, fierce determination shining in her eyes, and I knew we’d hit a crossroads. Whatever happened in the next few minutes would change everything.
