Cassie’s POV
This was ridiculous, I thought.
I hadn’t been able to shake Mr. Blackwood’s list of demands out of my head. A bun, of all things.
But what could I do? I couldn’t afford to be jobless.
Ugh. This was so annoying.
My phone buzzed.
Malcolm had been blowing up my phone all morning.
Baby, I’m sorry
I miss you. She deceived me, I never wanted to sleep with her. She forced me into it.
I love you so much, you’re the only one I want.
So annoying.
I’d deleted his contact or should I say contacts? yet he somehow kept finding ways to send me more messages.
I was just trying to heal, and here he was, making it impossible. As if I didn’t already have enough to deal with, now there was Mr. fucking Blackwood.
At least I had plans with Kate tonight. She wanted to celebrate my new job. A night out might be exactly what I needed to get my mind off these crazy men.
***********
Kate was already at the bar counter waiting for me.
We hugged, and I ordered a round of shots. I needed to loosen up before facing next week.
"So, you said Malcolm’s been texting?"
"Yes, and somehow he has an endless supply of numbers. I’m exhausted just thinking about it."
Kate laughed.
"Tonight isn’t about Malcolm. It’s about you. Your new job." She raised her glass. "Cheers to you!"
"Calm down, Kate." I laughed, tugging her arm down. "Everyone can hear you."
"Besides," I added, "I’m pretty sure my new boss is a pain in the ass."
"Why do you say that?"
"He’s got this insane list of rules, and apparently, he’s fired half his personal assistants. The rest quit because they couldn’t keep up."
"Oh, babe. You’re not them. Trust me, you’ll be fine."
I scoffed. "I hope so."
I took a sip of my drink. It hit hard.
My mind drifted to my stranger from the club.
His magical fingers. His lips. The way his breathing had changed against my skin.
If I hadn’t thrown up on him, that night could have been perfect.
Somehow, he was still the only man in my life who didn’t annoy me.
I almost wished my boss could take a page from his book.
"Hello, ladies."
A voice cut through my thoughts.
I turned to find a stranger standing over us.
"Hey, Alex." Kate immediately lit up and stood to hug him.
"Why are you here?"
"Came with a friend for a meeting. He already left, though."
"Well, this is Cassie, my best friend." Kate gestured between us. "Cassie, Alex."
"Ah, Cassie. The famous missing friend." He smiled.
We exchanged pleasantries. I was mostly trying to figure out who he was and why Kate had never mentioned him before.
"I met him at the club," Kate said with a smirk. "The one I ditched you for."
"Oh, nice." I took another sip.
"I’ll catch you later. There’s something I need to handle." Alex nodded at us both.
"Call me," Kate said as he walked away.
"Alex?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "I’ve never seen you this warm toward a guy."
"He’s different."
"That reminds me." Kate suddenly turned serious. "I need to ask you something."
"I’m listening."
She hesitated.
"I need you to go on a blind date."
"I’m sorry, what?" I nearly choked on my drink.
"I know, I know. I said the last one would be the last. But my dad’s on my case again, and if I don’t show up to this one, he’s cutting off my funding. You know how much that matters right now."
"Kate. You remember how the last one went."
"I do. But you’re tough. You can handle it." She gave me her best puppy-dog eyes. "And remember—you owe me."
"Fine." I sighed. "Just send me the details later."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
She threw her arms around me.
I was already at the salon when I realized Kate hadn’t bothered to mention that the date was today until I saw the details for myself.
He’d sent me a whole list of dos and don’ts.
Was this the new normal for these guys?
Dress corporate.
Be at the venue at 9 p.m. on the dot.
At least Kate had picked the venue this time. Small mercy.
I couldn’t wait to get this over with.
But I had zero interest in impressing him.
If anything, I planned on being the exact opposite of everything he wanted. Maybe then he’d tell Mr. Winswood he wasn’t interested in Kate.
It was almost time for the date. I’d already picked my dress, and even though I honestly felt better bare-faced, I put on makeup anyway.
Because he wasn’t going to know what hit him.
I planned on pouring every ounce of my leftover anger into this date.
And somehow, I was actually excited for it.
I was prepared.
I slid into the gown, a skin-tight ruby-red mini dress that hugged my body like a second skin, sculpting every curve.
I stood in front of the mirror, running my hands over myself and taking in how good I looked.
Malcolm never deserved this.
Any of it.
I grabbed my cherry-red lipstick and swiped it on with more force than necessary.
Corporate?
I laughed under my breath.
Heels next.
Then my hair.
I brought out the blonde wig I’d had straightened at the salon, half-tucked behind one ear while the rest fell loosely over my shoulders.
I grabbed my purse and gave myself one last look in the mirror.
"Are you trying to seduce him or impress him?" Kate leaned against the doorframe. "Because either way, gorgeous. My girl."
"I’m trying to show him a woman can wear whatever the hell she wants." I smiled. "And thank you."
A car honked outside.
"That’s your ride." She slipped back out of the room.
I was still shoving the last of my things into my purse when my phone rang.
Malcolm. As I thought.
Again.
I muttered under my breath and picked up.
"Malcolm, I have—"
"So you’re back here, and you didn’t think to tell me?"
The voice cut me off.
It sounded angry.
Too angry.
"You think you can run from me? We’ll see about that."
The phone slipped from my hand.
My heart stopped.
Could it be...?
I sank onto the bed, my heart pounding harder with every passing second.
There was only one person that could talk to me like this.
And it wasn’t Malcolm.