by E. L. Todd
Sean drank from his glass and savored the taste. “Where are you going for the honeymoon?”
“Nowhere.”
“That’s romantic,” he said sarcastically.
“She can’t fly, dumbass.”
“Oh. I forgot.”
“Besides, we live on the beach. We’re good.”
Sean finished his glass then set it back on the desk. “I got everything ready. The suits are ready to go, all the food will be there on time, we got the cake and the guest list. Is there something else you need me to do?”
“No.”
He nodded. “There’s something I want to say but I’m afraid to say it…”
“That’s not vague.”
“With Cassandra’s history, do you think…are you scared she’s a flight risk?” He wouldn’t look at me after he said it.
I rubbed my thumb over the glass. The thought had struck my mind. “No.”
“You aren’t?” he asked in surprise.
“No. She wouldn’t hurt me like that.” When she came back to me, her apologizes and desires seemed sincere. I didn’t think she only came back to me because she was pregnant. She wanted more.
Sean nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“I know I am.”
“You want to stay at my place the night before the wedding?”
“No.” Why the hell would I want to do that?
“Are you staying somewhere else?”
“No. Why would I?”
“Because you’re getting married the next day…you know how weddings work, right?”
“You’re one to talk. You and Scarlet slept together.”
“But we’re talking about you here.”
“I already knocked her up. I think staying in a different room is lame.” I refilled my glass and took another drink.
“Alright. Just wanted to check.”
“You got the rings?” I asked.
“Cassandra still needs to give me hers.”
“She’ll get it,” I said. “She’s hot, but she can be a scatter brain.”
“That’s sweet,” he said sarcastically.
I smirked. “I want her to stop working but she’s being such a pain in the ass about it. Seriously, what’s the point of her making money when my income is so much more? It makes no sense. I make her yearly salary in a day.”
Sean rolled his eyes. “You’re asking the wrong guy for advice. Scarlet still runs her editing company.”
“But she’s home all day. If anything, that’s a hobby. I know being an accountant is not a hobby.”
My brother shrugged. “I don’t know what to say, man. We like stubborn women, apparently.”
“You can say that again.” I rolled my eyes. I loved her fiery attitude and her refusal to take my bullshit, but sometimes I wished she would let me win once in a while.
Sean stood up and fixed his tie. “I should get back to work…or play Pac-Man on the computer.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t beating off to your wife?”
“No, I already did it twice.” He gave me a cocky grin. “It hurts if you do it so many times, you know?”
I cringed. “Too much info, man.”
The door opened and Cortland walked in. “Hey.” He seemed extremely cheerful for just coming back from a funeral.
“Hey.” Sean hugged him even though he never did that. “You okay?”
Cortland returned the embrace and stepped back. “Yeah. Everything’s great.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Didn’t Monnique’s dad just die…?”
“Yeah.” He turned solemn. “It was really hard for her. I’m glad I was there to help her through it.”
Then why did he look so damn happy? Was I missing something? “You seem…cheerful.”
“She and I are back together,” Cortland explained.
“About time,” I said.
Sean breathed a sigh of relief. “The drama was killing all of us.”
Cortland shrugged. “Scarlet pulled my head out of my ass.”
Sean nodded. “Oh. Now I know what she was up to.”
“Congratulations,” I said. “I’m happy for you.”
“I’m sorry I missed the bachelor party,” Cortland said. “I really wish I could have been there.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
“You didn’t miss anything anyway,” Sean said. “We were practically raped by a bunch of women.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sean kept yelling he was married to anyone who came near him. It was pathetic.”
Sean gave me a glare. “We’ll see how you feel when women hit on you even though you’re wearing a ring brighter than the sun.”
“They weren’t even hitting on you,” I snapped. “One girl just asked if you had change for a five.”
Cortland laughed. “I wish I were there.”
Sean turned red in the face then ignored me. “Anyway, you didn’t miss much, other than Flynn and Hazel’s break up.”
“What?” His eyes were wide. “They broke up?”
“But they are back together,” I said quickly. “It’s a long story. She thought he cheated but he didn’t…just a fiasco.”
“But they’re okay?” Cortland asked.
“Yeah,” Sean said. “They’re good.”
“Wow…” Cortland put his hands on his hips. “I was only gone for a few days.”
“You know us,” I said. “Drama every day.”
He looked at me. “You’re getting married in a few days. Nervous?”
I was getting really sick of people asking me that. “No. Geez. Do I look nervous?”
“I was just wondering,” Cortland said with a shrug.
Sean shook his head. “Ignore him. He’s sensitive about this topic.”
“Am not,” I snapped.
“Yes, he is,” Sean said.
“Get the hell out of my office,” I barked.
Sean patted Cortland on the shoulder. “I’m glad everything is good with the two of you. We were scared for a second there.”
“No need to be scared anymore,” Cortland said. “You’ll be dancing at our wedding soon.”
“Cool.” Sean smiled at him.
I glared at them both. “Is this an episode of Full House? Get the hell out of my office.”
They both rolled their eyes before they left.
After work, I picked up Cassandra from her office. She was wearing a black dress with a gray blazer. Her stomach was noticeable in anything she wore. She couldn’t hide it anymore—which was good for me.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She closed down her station then slipped her heels back on.
I noticed the movement. “Why did you take your shoes off?”
“They are a little uncomfortable.”
The protective side of me emerged. “That’s it. You’re quitting. Today is your last day.”
“Calm down,” she snapped. “They just hurt my feet.”
“They never used to hurt your feet,” I snapped.
“I’ll wear flats from now on.”
“It’s not good for your back. You’re staying home.”
She glared at me. “Can we just be together without arguing about this?”
“Can you just quit? You make nothing compared to me.”
“Thanks,” she said sarcastically.
“We’re getting married in a few days. My money is your money. I’ll give you an allowance.”
“I don’t want your allowance!” Her eyes flashed in hatred. I knew I crossed a line. “I will work for my own money and I will do what I want.”
Sometimes I wish she were a guy just so I could slap some sense into her. “You’re driving me nuts with this independent bullshit!”
“Bullshit? How about you quit?”
“Not the same thing.”
“Just leave me alone. I’ll do what I want when I feel like it.”
God, I was pissed. “Does marriage mean shit to you?”
I shut the door so people would stop hearing us scream at each other. “You need to understand that you aren’t going to be Cassandra Riley anymore. Soon, you will be a Preston, as in taking my name. We are a unit and a team. My money is your money. Stop with this hissy fit. I don’t care if you have hobbies and do whatever the hell you want, but is accounting really something that fascinating to you? No, it’s not. You’re just doing this because you refuse to let me take care of you. I’m sick of it.” I paced the room because I was so mad. My hand moved through my hair, trying to calm me the way Cassandra did. “Are you sure you even want to get married?”
She looked hurt. “How can you even ask me that?”
“Do you?” I snapped. “Because you want it both ways. You want to be single but you want to be married.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and averted her gaze.
“We’re a family, Cassandra. It’s not like we’re just dating and I’m asking you to quit. I’m your husband—almost—and I want you to stay home and relax. After you have our baby, I want you to raise him. Why does that request make me such an ass? Don’t you want to be home with our kids? Because I assumed most mothers would.”
“Stop.”
My mouth snapped shut.
“Okay. I get your point.”
But will she see reason?
She sighed. “I just…I’m not used to letting someone take care of me. I’ve done everything on my own and it’s hard for me to depend on someone. People always let me down and I get hurt because of it…I just avoid it altogether.”
“We’re different. Even if the company went under tomorrow, we’ll be taken care of for the rest of our lives. And you can trust me in other ways. I’m going to come home every night to be with my family. I’m not going to take some bimbo into my office and fuck her on my desk just because you aren’t around anymore. If you don’t believe me, Sean is right next door. He would know. And you can bet your ass he would tell you the truth. If I ever saw him with another woman, believe me, I would beat the shit out of him then spill all his secrets to Scarlet.”
She stared at me, her lips pressed tightly together.
“You need to let this go.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just hard for me.”
“I understand. But you need to work with me on this. It’s really frustrating when I’m trying to take care of you and you cut me off at every turn. We’re getting married, Cassandra. Married.”
“I know. I know.” She shook her head. “I get it.”
“Will you quit?”
“I…I guess.”
Did I just hear the sound of victory? “You will?”
“Well, my feet and back are killing me and we’re getting married soon…I don’t want to be here anyway.”
Did I just best her at an argument? That was a first. I smiled then came to her, pressing my forehead to hers. “Thank you.”
“I’m not doing this for you.”
“I’m still grateful. It means a lot to me that you’re finally letting me take care of you.”
She moved her face to my chest and wrapped her arms around me. “I just never thought I would be a housewife.”
“It’s not as bad as the stereotype makes it sound. It’s not like all you’re going to do is go shopping all day and do yoga while a nanny raises the kids. And you will be working. Raising a family and taking care of a house is work, Cassandra.”
“But how will I get you things? What if I want to buy you something special?”
“You’re marrying me. That’s already something special.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You’re name is on my account. You can buy anything you want.”
“But you’ll see,” she said.
“Unless you take out millions, I’m not going to notice.”
She rolled her eyes. “Rich playboy…”
“I’m rich, but not a playboy. Get it right.”
“Whatever. Laura isn’t coming to our wedding, right?”
“No.”
She released my arms then grabbed her purse. She wobbled on her heels while she stood up straight.
“Let me carry you.”
“No,” she said immediately. “I can make it.”
Another argument… I scooped her into my arms, one hand on her back and another under her knees. “Too bad.”
She squirmed in my grasp. “I don’t want anyone at the office to see.”
“You think I care? This is my company. I can do whatever I want.” I carried her into the hallway and she stopped fighting. When people passed us, they glanced at Cassandra then quickly looked away. People on the lower floors didn’t even know who I was most of the time. I got into the elevator then took it down to the garage.
Cassandra stayed in my arms. “Stubborn…”
“You’re stubborn.”
I carried her to the car then got her inside. She immediately massaged her feet and moaned.
“I’ll rub you down when we get home.”
She rested into the seat then closed her eyes. I could tell she was tired. Her energy levels were going down the further she progressed in her pregnancy. I was glad I finally got her to quit working. I thought it would take longer for me to convince her. If anything, I thought she would only agree to part time.
We were both quiet on the drive home. I turned on the music but kept it low just in case she was sleeping. Her dress moved up when she pulled her knees to her chest. I tried not to look. She was my fiancé, so I could do whatever I wanted, but I didn’t want us to crash and die.
When we got home, I carried her into the house and placed her on the couch.
“Is there anything you need before the wedding?” I asked as I massaged her heel.
She moaned and snuggled into the couch. “I got everything.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you get your dress?”
“You think I would forget?” she said sarcastically.
I growled at her.
“Are you going to stay at Sean’s the night before the wedding?”
“No. I’m sleeping with you.”
“You are?” she asked in surprise.
“Obviously.”
“Oh.”
“Did you not want me to?”
“I don’t know…I just thought that was tradition.”
I placed my hand on her stomach. “We aren’t exactly traditional.”
She smirked. “I guess not.”
“I’ll stay there if you want, but I prefer to stay here if that’s okay.”
“No, I want you to sleep with me.”
“Good.” I massaged her other foot then lay beside her on the couch. “Take the next few days off and watch TV and eat ice cream. I want you to be well rested for the wedding.”
“I’m sorry I ruined our honeymoon.”
“Ruined it? Baby, we haven’t even had it yet.”
“I meant because we can’t fly.”
“Don’t worry about that.” I gave her a dirty grin. “We won’t be leaving the bedroom much anyway.”
She blushed. “Shocking.”
I moved my hand up her dress and rubbed her stomach gently. She liked it when I touched her that way. Her eyes drooped and she curled around me like I was a pillow. I wanted to shower and take off my suit, but I’d rather stay here and stare at her.
4
Mike
I was glad Cassandra finally decided to stay home. Now we were a person down in the accounting department, but whatever, we would survive. I told my assistant to take care of it.
The fact she made the accommodation for me was a testament to our relationship. There was no reason for me to be scared about her backing out. She wouldn’t have made a sacrifice like that if she wasn’t going to stick around. I knew how stubborn my woman was, and I loved her for it most of the time, but it was also annoying as hell. I’m glad just I won this battle. I
wanted her to stay home and watch TV all day, just stay off her feet. But I did admit I missed her—a lot.
My secretary came into my office. “There’s a man in the lobby that wishes to speak to you. He said it’s important.” Bill was fresh out of college, doing a job anyone could do. But he had to start somewhere. I originally had a female secretary but I moved her to another department when Cassandra and I got serious. I didn’t want there to be any problems. Now I was just as lame as Sean.
“Who? A lot of people want to talk to me, and a lot of people think they have something important to say.”
“Zander.”
My blood was instantly brought to a boil. “What name did you just say?”
“Zander.” Judging the confusion on his face, he didn’t understand the significance.
I couldn’t believe this fucker had the nerve to come to my place of business. “Did he say what he wanted?”
“No. He just said he wanted to speak to you.”
I didn’t like this—at all. But why would he come to my office? What did he want to say to me? “Have security pat him down before they send him up. I want him searched—thoroughly.” It was unlikely that he wanted to pull something, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Of course.” He walked out.
My mind was spinning in a thousand thoughts. Maybe he wanted to see Cassandra. Good thing she didn’t work here anymore. What could he possibly have to say to me?
I called Sean.
“What?” he barked.
“Get your ass in my office.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.” I hung up.
Sean came in a second later. “What the hell is the emergency? You just realized your dick is too small?”
“Shut up.” I didn’t bother rising to his level. “Cassandra’s ex-husband is on his way to my office right this second.”
He immediately dropped his annoyance. “What? Why?”
“I don’t fucking know.”
“Why did you let him up here?”
“I want to see what he wants. I can’t think of any reason why he’d want to see me. The curiosity is killing me.”
“Call security and make sure he’s clean.”
“I did,” I said.
“Okay. Cassandra isn’t here, right?”
“She’s at home.”
“Okay.” He turned to the door, waiting for him to appear. “You want me to stay, right?”