“I’m trying to expand my horizons. Besides, it’s free food.”
Edric laughed. His sister rarely joked like this in public.
“Violet, you have more money than God.”
She pulled out her ham sandwich and took a bite. “Free food.” She repeated, this time with a mouthful. “I like a bargain.”
“If you can tolerate deli meat. That stuff is awful.”
“I’m surprised that you used company funds for buying lunch for all your employees. I thought that you hated using it for stuff like this.”
“I didn’t.”
Violet’s eyes widened. “You used your own money?”
Edric nodded. He resumed staring out the window and saw Ellie sit down on the curb next to the homeless man. She looked happy, as she was talking to him.
“Why did you do that?”
Edric ignored his sister. There was no pleasant way he could tell his older sister that he spent thousands of dollars just to test his assistant, to see if she would snap and quit or break down and cry or actually do her job. Instead, he continued to stare out of the window at Ellie. She was no longer blushing. She was smiling and laughing.
“Is that Ellie Kent?” Violet asked.
This snapped Edric back into the conversation. “How do you know?”
“Cassie mentioned that her sister has albinism and was applying to work to be your assistant. I put two and two together.”
“Wait.” Edric turned and fully faced his sister. “That’s Cassie Kent’s sister?” He pointed out the window to Ellie.
“Didn’t you look at the résumé? They have the same last name.”
“I figured that was a coincidence. Kent’s a common enough name. They’re night and day.”
“So are we.”
“But there’s no physical resemblance.”
“Maybe one of them is adopted?”
“Then technically they’re not sisters.”
“That’s harsh. How would you feel if someone said that about Owen, that he’s only your half-brother?”
Edric shrugged.
“You would be pretty pissed.” Violet added.
He returned his gaze out the window. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Cassie’s my friend. Actually, one of my first friends ever. I’m going to have a girl’s night with Ellie, whatever a girls’ night is. So be nice to her.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Edric waved his hand dismissively.
“I’m serious!” Violet pouted. Edric laughed. Even though his older sister was thirty-five, whenever she pouted she seemed like she was a teenager in high school.
“I’ll try.” He said, unable to hide his smirk.
Violet groaned and stormed off, while he laughed again. The whole exchanged reminded him of when he and his sister were kids and how he would go and burst her bubble from time to time. A little bit of sibling fun.
By the time he turned his head around to stare out the window again, Ellie was gone.
Now back to work.
He headed over to the elevator, or at least attempted to. The employees, or in Edric’s words ‘sycophants,’ that stopped him several times along the way trying to thank him made the journey back to his office difficult.
Edric frowned. They were ruining his good mood, and his lunch was starting to get warm. After about ten minutes, he finally managed to make his way to the elevator and pressed the button to the top floor. Fortunately for him, the three other people in the elevator stared straight ahead and didn’t bother engaging him in conversation. Finally, he made it back into his office.
He looked over at his assistant’s corner and saw Ellie typing diligently on something. When she saw Edric arrive, she waved at him sheepishly, mumbling a hello, turned bright-red, and then resumed working.
“Where’s your lunch?”
Ellie looked up at him. “Pardon?”
“Where’s your lunch, Eleonore?” Edric repeated.
She looked away and wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was trying to comfort herself through a hug. “I um. I didn’t get one.”
Why won’t she just say that she gave it to some bum outside?
Edric sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. He walked over to her desk. This time she moved her hands from her stomach to her face to cover her mouth and chin. Edric dropped his lunch box about a foot over her desk. It hit the desk with a loud thud and the loud sound made Ellie wince and cower backwards.
The CEO turned around and began walking over to his desk. Once his back was turned to Ellie, he spoke up.
“I hate deli meat. You eat it. And next time you cater, order better food.”
He then sat down on his desk and turned his laptop back on.
Ellie stared at the parcel in shock and then looked over at Edric, who was already staring into his computer, deep into his work.
“Thank you.”
Edric held his hand up dismissively, not even glancing over at Ellie to notice that she was smiling back at him.
Chapter Six
Cassie Kent sprawled out various dresses on her bed. She was meeting Charlie Logan for dinner that night to update him on the progress of her case. Since he was a silver fox and she liked older men, she wanted to look her best. Granted, he was married and Cassie had a policy against dating married men but, nevertheless, she still wanted to look attractive to him.
She opted for the low cut little black dress that ended right above her knees. It made her ample chest look bigger and her legs longer. It also showed off her flat stomach and muscular arms that she worked so hard to get. Cassie spun around while looking at herself in the mirror. She looked like an expensive prostitute, which was always her intended goal when dressing up.
Finally, it was time for her to leave. Cassie was about to hop in her car when a stretched limo stopped in front of her house.
Charlie Logan stepped out of the limo. He wore a fine navy-blue suit and his silvery black hair was gelled back.
“Cassie.”
“Logan?”
“I figured that I ought to be a gentleman and pick you up.”
She walked over to the limo and slid inside of it and sat next to him. He smelt of fine cologne.
“Thanks for picking me up.”
“Not a problem. Ryan, could you take me to my favorite restaurant?” He called back to the front of the limo. Cassie smirked to herself upon hearing the name, remembering the Owen Kensington debacle that occurred last week.
“Of course; we’ll be there in ten.”
“Thank you.”
Logan then turned his attention back to Cassie. He flashed her a wide smile and leaned back in his seat with his legs sprawled open.
My God, this man is sexy, thought Cassie.
“How are you, Cassie?”
The private detective was taken aback by his question. Clients never asked her about her personal life. “Oh, I’m fine. Just work—working on your case, plus busting cheating spouses.”
Logan chuckled lowly. “There must be more to you than work. A beautiful woman like yourself must have a vivacious personal life.”
Beautiful?
Cassie found herself blushing. “Well, yeah. I see friends from time-to-time. I’ll hang out at the local pub. Watch movies with my sister and listen to her comment throughout its entirety. What do you do?”
He sighed. “I’m afraid I’m mostly confined to my work these days.”
“There must be more to you than work. A handsome man like yourself must have a busy social life.” She smiled coyly. He returned the coy smile.
“I’m afraid I don’t. My wife is so…” He sighed dramatically. “I don’t even know you that well, I shouldn’t be discussing my marital problems with a woman I’ve met twice.”
“Hey, I’m good at listening. It’s my job to be non-judgmental.”
“Maybe after a few drinks, my tongue will loosen.”
In my mouth. Oh God, did I just think that? Get it together, Cassie. Don’t go after the ma
rried guy, no matter how good-looking he is.
The two chatted animatedly in the back of the limo. First, they talked about sports—Cassie always liked sports. She told Logan about how she used to play hockey as a kid. Apparently, he used to play as well. Then after that, they talked about some of her crazier private investigator incidents. She had a lot of stories to tell. The conversation didn’t skip a beat when they stopped to get out of the limo and entered an expensive, five-star restaurant.
Cassie thought it was odd that a bunch of men were smoking in here, seeing as that was usually a no-no in restaurants. There were a few women in sight. Younger, beautiful women like Cassie. But most of the people there were older, richer men.
Logan walked over to a table and pulled out a chair for her. She smiled at him and took her seat. He took the seat across from her.
“And what would you like to eat, Cassie?”
“What are you having?”
“Steak.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“A woman who unabashedly orders steak and plays hockey, I like your style.”
The waiter walked by and Logan flashed him a smile. “Two steaks, a glass of wine for the lady and a whiskey on the rocks for me.”
“Scratch the wine and make that two whiskeys.” Cassie interjected. Logan looked at her and chuckled in a low tone once again. She liked hearing that chuckle.
“My apologies. I should have known that a fine lady such as yourself would opt for whiskey.”
“Damn straight.”
He laughed loudly this time. “You’re a card, Cassie Kent.”
“If I’m a card, I’m an ace.”
The waiter came by with the drinks. Logan held his whiskey up in the air. “Damn straight.” She clinked glasses with him.
“So, back to your story.” Logan said. “You were chasing the man up the fire escape.”
“Oh.” She clapped her hands together. “I was chasing the man up the fire escape and then…” She told story after story. He laughed and told a few funny stories of his own. After their third and fourth whiskeys, the stories were getting funnier and a little raunchy. The two were causing a scene in the restaurant, laughing loudly and unabashedly as older men and their younger girlfriends looked on in horror.
“We’re causing a scene.” Cassie said.
“That’s because we know how to have fun and they don’t.”
“Cheers to that.” They clinked glasses again.
“Waiter, we’ll have another round.”
Somewhere on their fifth round of whiskey, Logan’s phone began to ring and he frowned dramatically. “It’s my wife.”
“By all means.” Cassie extended her hand out. He stood up and left the table but he still stood close enough where the nosey private detective could hear their conversation. She heard some phrases like ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I know you’re mad at me,’ then she heard the phone hang up.
When Logan returned to the table, he was frowning. She hated to see him frown.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
The man sighed heavily and looked down at the whiskey. “It’s my wife. She’s angry that some of the wives at the country club made a snide comment to her about not being the richest anymore. It’s not my fault that Kensington stole my profits.”
“That puts you in a tough spot.”
“Honestly, all she cares about is the opinion of a bunch of old hags. She used to be so much fun, now she just yells at me and only cares about her social status. It’s annoying.” Logan scoffed before looking down at his drink and frowning. “My chat with you tonight has been the first real one that I’ve had in a long time. You’re just so easy to talk to and you’re fun too.”
Cassie bit her lip. She wanted to reach over and kiss the handsome man across from her on the lips, show him some warmth and fun. But he was married, and she didn’t sleep with married men.
“Cassie…”
“What?”
“Can you tell me another outrageous story? I like hearing them.”
“Well then.” Cassie began to tell tale after tale. Within five minutes, the two were causing just as much of a scene as they were earlier, laughing loudly and drinking their whiskeys. Logan’s conversation with his wife was a distant memory for the two.
The two continued to carry on. They laughed, they talked.
After another hour, Cassie looked at her watch. “My God, it’s midnight.”
“We’ve been drinking for five hours? We haven’t even talked about the case.”
“Oh. Well, um. I’m a play tester and Ellie…” Cassie tried to stammer out as many of the facts that her drunk brain could remember.
“Wait, don’t tell me. If you do I won’t have an excuse to ask you out.”
“Oh, you want to ask me out?”
“Maybe.” Logan smiled coyly.
I suppose one date won’t hurt…
“Maybe you should then.”
“Well then, Cassie Kent. Coy, sly, sexy, Cassie Kent, will you have dinner with me next week?”
“Maybe.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes.”
“All right, Cassie, I look forward to it.”
Logan slapped a few hundred-dollar bills down on the table and then put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out the restaurant. By the time they walked over to his limo, his hand slid down from the small of her back to her rear-end and there his hand remained until Cassie was seated.
The conversation back to Cassie’s was a lot more subdued than the conversation at the bar. They sat right next to each other, thighs touching. He occasionally touched her knee, while she touched his arm. When the limo stopped, Logan’s lips crashed onto Cassie’s. There was a hunger in his kiss. After a few seconds, he split away.
“I shouldn’t have done that. It’s just that you’re so beautiful.”
Cassie kissed him back.
One kiss won’t hurt. Besides, I’m making him feel better.
After a few more solicitous kisses, Cassie broke off. “I don’t want to spoil your appetite.” She said coyly.
“Maybe I shouldn’t spoil yours.”
She slid out of the limo. “Until next week.”
“I look forward to it.”
With that, Cassie blew him a kiss. Logan’s limousine sped off down the street.
This is okay. You’re not like the mistresses you see at your job. You’re helping someone. It’s all right.
***
A few days passed and it was finally ‘girl’s night.’ Ellie and Cassie both sat on the couch of the next to each other in their tiny, dimly-lit apartment. It was seven o’clock at night and they were expecting company. Ellie cradled Spots against her chest and petted him nervously. She always was about meeting new people.
Eventually, the doorbell rang and Cassie walked over to the door. Her younger sister turned bright-red and followed her, hiding behind Cassie and using Spots as a shield.
Violet smiled at Cassie and then looked over at the white blur standing behind her. Violet blushed. Ellie blushed.
“Violet, this is my sister, Ellie. Ellie, Violet.”
Ellie moved Spots over to her left hand and then shook Violet’s hand. “Hello.” She stammered before averting her gaze to the ground.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Violet mumbled, adjusting her glasses. She looked at the small dog that Ellie cradled and smiled. “Who’s this?”
“Oh, this is Spots.”
“What breed is he?”
“He’s a hairless Chinese Crusted. Do you have a dog?”
“No, my brother really, really hates dogs, unfortunately. So, I’ve never had one.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Do you have any pets at all?”
“I have a bird.” Violet smiled.
“What kind?”
“A cockatoo.”
“I heard they’re high maintenance.”
Violet laughed. “Yes, they are. I bring him to work with me because
he needs eight hours of social interaction a day.”
“Do you have a picture?” Cassie asked.
“Oh, yes.” The mechanic fumbled with her phone. It’s background was a picture of a beautiful, white bird with a yellow Mohawk clutching a colorful toy in its left talon. The bird was perched on someone’s arm that was wearing an expensive blue suit. It was cut off at the man’s forearm.
“What a beautiful bird. What’s his name?” Ellie asked.
“Patches.”
“How old is he?”
“About fifteen. I’ve had him since I was in high school.”
“Can he talk?” Cassie interjected.
Violet chuckled. “Yes, but he squawks more than anything else. My brothers call him Squawks because they’re jerks.”
“Do you want to take a seat?” Cassie asked. Ellie blushed and mentally scolded herself for not remembering to offer.
Violet took a seat. Cassie and Ellie sat on the couch. The mechanic scanned the room and took it all in. She had never been in an area quite like this before, and was used to her palatial penthouse—where she had an entire wing to herself and where everything was bright and new and expensive. Here, everything was older. The cloth couch and chair looked like they were purchased at a thrift store and their ‘wooden’ coffee table was made of plastic. The floral wallpaper that adorned the walls looked like it was from the eighties. Yet, there was something quite homey and familiar about the room that she liked. And, on principle, she liked that everything was second-hand and recycled. Just like her mechanical toys.
“I ordered cheese pizza. It should be here any minute.” Cassie said.
Violet returned her gaze to the sisters, who were sitting on the cloth couch. “I’ve never had pizza before.”
“What?”
“It’s just not something that I grew up eating and my family and I never ordered it.”
“Well, you’re in for a treat.” Cassie said. The red-head leaned back in the chair and flexed her arms behind her head.
Violet refocused her attention to Ellie. “How do you like working for the Kensington Group?”
Ellie turned bright red and looked at the ground. “Well, it’s…um…different. The work is hard but I’m—I’m learning a lot…” She curled Spots even closer.
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