by J. M. Witt
“I’m in the kitchen, he’s upstairs.”
“Get out of the house.”
I started to head for the front door when I heard the footsteps head down the stairs. I was stuck between the entryway and the living room and right on the other side was the bottom of the staircase. Cal was screaming on the end of the phone so I decided to throw my phone back toward the kitchen in hopes of creating a diversion.
The phone landed on the tiled floor with a crash and the shadowy figure circled around the wall just barely missing me. I held my breath, and when I thought there was enough space, I ran for the front door. I turned the knob but it didn’t budge. I was searching for the deadbolt when I heard thundering steps approaching me and I started sobbing. Realizing I was still armed with the vase, I increased my grip on it.
“Where are you going?”
Turning my head briefly, I shrieked as I threw the vase at my attacker. “The cops are on their way. Stay back.”
~ JAMES ~
Missing her more than I thought possible, I realized that I hadn’t seen her since Monday morning. When I wasn’t dealing with business I had been working with Annie and Smith trying to protect Cassidy. We did everything we could, legally, to keep her mom’s story under wraps and to keep the reporters off her property. The details of the story were worse than I remembered and I couldn’t imagine how she had dealt with this at such a vulnerable age.
Security had informed me that Melissa made an appearance on Monday, but not hearing anything else from Melissa, I let it go. Mom was doing well this week and Dad assured me she was getting enough rest. I had postponed the architects again regarding the country house because it was simply too much to deal with right now. Looking at the clock, I realized it was almost midnight. I tried calling and texting Cassidy earlier in the night but got no response. She was probably ignoring me and I couldn’t blame her, having neglected her for three days.
I packed up my belongings and headed to the parking garage, hopping in the Rover instead of making the walk across the street to the hotel. I hadn’t slept for crap the previous three nights and I was beginning to believe that I slept better with Cassidy next to me. Having a key, being her landlord and all, I might as well use it, though I knew I was overstepping my bounds.
Pulling in behind her car, I noticed the place was dark, as it should be. I made my way up the steps, slipped my key into the lock and gently opened the door. The TV was casting a slight blue hue across the room. She must have gone to bed forgetting to turn the TV off. Quietly, I closed the door, turned the deadbolt and made my way up the stairs, spotting Chessa run up before me.
Entering her room, I made my way straight to the bathroom. Turning on the light after closing the door, I removed my jacket, shirt and shoes. I decided to peek on her sleeping image in bed, opened the bathroom door and realized her bed was empty. It dawned on me that with the TV still being on she was probably asleep on the couch.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard a loud clatter in the kitchen so I turned the corner to investigate. Everything seemed in place and at that moment I heard footsteps racing toward the door and someone yanking on the knob. Cassidy.
“Where are you going?”
As her image came into focus, I could see her desperately trying to open the front door. It dawned on me that she thought I was an intruder and before I could say anything more she turned and threw a vase at me. I raised my arm in defense just in time to stop the vase from slamming against my face.
“The cops are on their way. Stay back.”
The vase hit the floor, broken to pieces against my arm. “Dammit, Cassidy, it’s me.”
“James?” Slipping to the floor, she hugged her knees to her chest. Her face came into view and I noticed tears slipping down her cheeks; she was shaking like a leaf.
“Cassidy, you’re safe.” Crouching down in front of her, I placed my hands on her knees. Her eyes were searching my face and when recognition reached them she threw her arms around my neck, apologizing. I sat down with her and scooped her into my lap, “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to scare you.” We sat there for a few minutes, or maybe it was just seconds.
“I’m so sorry. The vase, are you hurt?” She pulled back to look at me and we heard sirens begin to pierce the air. “Oh, God.”
The sound registered with us at the same time, “You called the cops? I thought it was a scare tactic.”
“Of course I called them. I called Cal.” Cassidy scrambled to her feet and turned on a few lights before opening the front door.
We stepped out onto the porch as the cop car pulled up in front. Cal jumped out of the passenger seat with his hand on his pistol.
“Jesus Christ, Cassidy. Are you okay? What’s going on?”
Making her way down the steps she said, “Everything is fine. I’m so sorry. James came over and I was asleep on the couch.”
“It’s my fault. She didn’t know it was me.” Standing behind Cassidy, I placed my hands on her shoulders and saw the relief wash over Cal’s face as he examined her with his eyes to assure himself she was alright.
“You’re lucky she figured it out before I got here. I could’ve shot you.” Clipping his gun back in its holster, his partner got back in the car and on the radio, calling off the other squad cars.
“It didn’t help that his hair was pulled back. I didn’t recognize his shadow.” Cassidy chuckled lightly, leaning her head back against my chest as I circled my arms around her shoulders.
“Dude, your arm is bleeding.”
Cassidy bolted out of my arms, turning to examine my arm.
“Your sister has quite the arm. The vase she threw to fend me off must’ve cut my arm.”
Examining my arm she said, “We need to clean this up. Hold it upright.”
“It’s just a scratch, I didn’t even notice it.” I went ahead and held my arm upright while trying to scope out the damage. “You’re more dangerous than I would’ve thought.” I winked at her as she swatted my shoulder.
“Alright, if you’re both good here I should to get going.”
We assured Cal that all was well and Cassidy and I headed back inside as he pulled away.
“I’m so sorry, James. I should’ve known it was you.”
“It’s alright. I tried calling and just assumed you’d be in bed. I just wanted to feel you next to me.”
Tiptoeing around the broken vase, she headed to the kitchen and returned with a broom and dust pan.
“I fell asleep on the couch watching movies. I wasn’t expecting to see you since I haven’t seen you since Monday.”
Her tone was dismal and I was immediately reminded of my error. She was busy sweeping up the glass as Chessa made her way over and I snatched her up to ensure she didn’t step on any shards of glass.
“Work has been really hectic this week. I’m sorry if you thought I was avoiding you.” She looked to me with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I wasn’t.”
“Hang onto her for another second, I think I got all the glass but I want to vacuum it real quick.” Pulling out a vacuum from the closet, she quickly ran it over the floor and after a few swipes she put it away. “Let’s go clean up that arm.”
Carrying Chessa, I followed her up the stairs, into the bedroom and dropped Chessa on the bed before heading to the bathroom where Cassidy was pulling out some first aid supplies. She turned on the water, wet a rag and turned to me. She was staring at my chest and licked her lips, though I don’t think she was aware she did it.
“Cassidy...” I said her name softly as my cock twitched.
Her eyes jumped to mine and she blushed, “Sorry. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of staring at you.”
I smiled down at her as she took my forearm in her hand and began to wipe the blood away. After all the blood was gone and we were sure there was no glass in the cut, she placed some ointment and a bandage over it. It was a little worse than I thought but I assured her I didn’t need st
itches. A massive yawn took over her face.
“You’re exhausted. Let’s get you to bed.”
She didn’t object and headed to the bedroom. I took the opportunity to take a piss, removed my pants and socks and headed to bed in just my boxer briefs. Cassidy was already burrowed under the covers so I slid in behind her and adjusted the pillow under my head. As I did, she inched over so that she was tucked into me.
“You sneaky minx.”
She was completely naked, having removed her sweats and t-shirt while I was in the bathroom. She quietly moaned, suppressing another yawn as I pulled her ass against my throbbing erection and buried my nose into her hair. I felt her breathing slow and willed myself to sleep.
“Cassidy?” She didn’t respond and I kissed hair, “I’m falling for you. Hard.” Tightening my hold on her, I drifted to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four – Enigmas…
~ JAMES ~
“Crap!” I woke to her bolting out of bed as sunlight filled the room. “I overslept. I forgot to set the alarm.” She ran into the bathroom and I heard the shower turn on.
I laid there, waiting for her to emerge from the bathroom, not daring to join her since she was already late. She took what must’ve been the quickest shower in history and bolted over to the closet.
“Thank God for casual Friday!” She was throwing on some jeans over satin panties that matched her bra. “Don’t you have to work?” She threw me a questioning glance.
Sitting up, I watched her scramble around the room getting ready for work. Shrugging my shoulders at her I explained, “I don’t have any meetings until this afternoon.”
She stuck her tongue out as she pulled the towel off her head and yanked on a tight fitting sweater. She tugged on some socks and headed back to the bathroom. I heard the sink running, decided to get up and found her brushing her teeth with one hand and combing her hair with the other. I stood in the doorway admiring her as she finished and she gave me a quick peck before scurrying out of the room yelling, “Call me!”
Listening to her run down the stairs, I made my way to the toilet. I was headed into the shower when I heard her scream my name. I leapt down the stairs and found her clenching a paper with the front door open.
“Cassidy, what’s wrong?”
She was white as a ghost as I looked outside and didn’t see any reporters. I pried the paper from her hands and my heart broke for her as my anger bubbled to the surface. A picture of her mom with the former mayor was covering the front page with some other smaller pictures of Cassidy, Calvin and their father from years ago, presumably from the funeral.
“Fucking FUCK.”
I threw the paper down and raked my hands through my hair. How did this happen? Annie and I had spent hours all week doing everything we could to bury this story forever. She ran past me to the kitchen, started dry heaving into the sink and splashed cool water on her face when the heaving stopped. I made my way over to her as the sobs began unleashing.
Pulling her into my arms I whispered, “I’m so sorry, Cassidy. I’ll find out who did this.”
“I thought this was over. I, I can’t, I… Oh God…the wedding…Dad.” The sobs were racking her body so violently she could barely speak.
“Shh. Everything will be fine. I promise. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
We spent the next thirty minutes arguing about her going to work. She called Lena to let her know she would be late while I called Smith and Annie. I found her upstairs putting on some makeup, trying to cover up the pain and anguish written all over her face, and I hopped in the shower before getting dressed.
Conceding to let me drive her to work, she was silent the entire drive. I told her to call me when she was ready to leave for the day and she agreed. I could only imagine how hard her life was after her mom died, especially with the scandal that surrounded it. Being thirteen at the time probably made it ten times worse and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what she was thinking about as I drove her to work.
When we pulled up to her office building, I grabbed her hand before she exited the Rover. “Cassidy, it’s going to be alright. We’ll get through this. Together.” She nodded; I kissed her cheek and watched her walk into the building, slamming my hand on the steering wheel before driving away.
~ CASSIDY ~
Avoiding eye contact with everyone, I walked into work making a beeline for my office and shut the door when I got there. I was attempting to massage my temples when there was a light knock on the door.
I took a deep breath, “Come in.”
Cecily came in and shut the door behind her. She placed a coffee on my desk. “Do you have a moment?”
This couldn’t be good. “Of course. Everything okay?”
She eyed me suspiciously for a moment before she sat down across from me. “I won’t beat around the bush, Cassidy. I saw the paper this morning and I can only imagine what you’re going through.”
Feeling myself pale, I grabbed the coffee she set down for me and took a sip, willing myself to keep it together. I thought this was all dead and buried and that I would never have to deal with the questions and judgmental looks again. I barely survived my teens because of this drama with my mother; I wasn’t sure what to say to her.
“I…thank you.”
“Cassidy, are you alright?”
Her words were kind and sincere and the tears began to well up in my eyes. Don’t cry, she’s your boss!
“I’m sorry. I’ll be fine. I just wasn’t prepared to deal with all of this again.” I quickly swiped at a rogue tear.
“James has brought a whole new element to your life. You’ll have to decide if this added spotlight on your life is worth the drama.”
I tried not to flinch, knowing she was right. James was practically a celebrity around this town and that wasn’t going to change any time soon. We had only been dating a couple weeks and already the skeletons in my closet were being hung out for all to see.
“I have big plans for you here at B & C. I’d hate for this romance to get in the way of that. I don’t care who you date, I just don’t want you to lose focus.”
“Of course not. My job here is my number one priority, I assure you. My personal life won’t get in the way.”
“Alright then. Are you on track with everything; the wedding and the upcoming holiday parties?” I nodded and she stood. “Hang in there. I’ll be heading out after lunch. Have a good weekend.”
“You, too.” She closed my door. Resting my forehead on the desk, I tapped it a few times against the hard surface before picking it back up. “Get it together, Cassidy.”
I worked through lunch. And to my surprise, no one disturbed me. The only interaction I had with Lena was asking her to handle all my calls unless it was an utter emergency. Crash into Me started singing from my cell and I pulled it out of my purse and answered.
“Hey, I’m almost done here. I can get a cab home if it’s a problem.”
I heard him say, “It’s almost seven p.m., Cassidy. I’m downstairs in the parking garage. I can wait.”
I was shocked that it was so late, “Okay, I’m shutting down. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Disconnecting the call, I smiled for the first time all day.
I left my office, noticing I was the last person there. The main office doors were locked and I dug in my purse for my keys so I could exit. After locking back up, I hopped into the elevator to the underground parking garage. I spotted him leaning against the back of the Rover. He looked up and his expression was composed but he was flashing half a smile. Seeing him was an instant stress reliever. I picked up my pace, practically running, and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his collar.
He squeezed me tightly, “You okay?”
“Better now,” I mumbled into his collar.
“Your brother called.” Pulling back to examine his face he said, “He’s worried about you. He said you’ve been ignoring his calls all day.”
Dropping my head
back to his chest I sighed, “Should I be concerned that you two are getting all chummy?” He pushed me to arm’s length and rubbed his hands up and down my upper arms. “I’ll call him when I get home.”
“I already called him. He’s picking up dinner and headed to your place. He’s really worried about you. Is there something else going on I don’t know about?”
Cal was over reacting, as usual, “No, there’s nothing else going on. He’s overprotective that’s all. I’m starving.” I pulled away and walked to the passenger door, refusing to discuss it further.
He stopped me from opening the door and pressed me against the SUV. “You can trust me, Cassidy.” He didn’t give me a chance to respond and just pressed his lips to mine. The kiss soon got heated—like it always did with us—hands tugging and pulling on each other. He abruptly pulled away and opened the door. “Get in, we’ll resume this later.”
We were getting out of the Rover when Cal pulled up. He was carrying a large carryout bag and I could see that Jane was with him. James and Cal shook hands and James took the bag of food from him. I opened the front door and ushered James and Jane inside. I was about to follow them in when Cal asked me to hang back.
“What’s up?” I closed the door and waited for him to question me, knowing what was coming.
“Don’t give me that. I saw the papers. Are you good?”
Cal stood at the bottom of the porch steps looking up at me as I shoved my hands in my back pockets. I shrugged my shoulders while rocking back and forth on my heels.
“Cassidy I know what all this did to you when we were teens. You’re not alright.”
I had avoided his eyes until now, “Cal, can we NOT do this? What do you want me to say? I’m angry, no infuriated and sad. I want to crawl in a hole and never come out.”
“Does he know?” He motioned his head inside, to James. “Does he know how badly you took it all before?”
“NO! And I’d like to keep it that way. I was a stupid kid crying out for help. I got the help. Leave. It. Alone.”
“Cass…”
“Everything okay out here?” Jane poked her head out the front door.
