Cassie thought for a moment before answering. She wished she could tell her friend that he was wrong but, she knew, that he wasn’t.
“Am I really that bad?” she asked her friend gloomily.
Cassie cast her mind back over today. Hadn’t Luke accused her of the very same thing this afternoon? Hadn’t Luke told her that outside the court house weeks ago? And then again when Faye had re-sprayed his car?
Had she inadvertently created Faye’s behaviour? Had she somehow turned her into the monster she had become. What a depressing thought that was.
“Not bad no, you just need to take a step back a bit and let her breathe. And you need to breathe come to that.” Adam said, his voice soothing.
“She needs me.” Cassie said. “You know how she gets.”
“Yes I do. She needs help Cassie, help you cannot give her. And you need…” There was a pause. “There are many things you need darling but you choose to run away from that fact.” If only he knew how accurate that was.
“Luke said the same thing.” She admitted.
“Luke Pearson?” Adam asked, she could hear the keen interest in his voice.
“Yes that Luke.” She wished she had kept her mouth shut now.
“When did you see him?” Great, here it comes. Why hadn’t she kept her big mouth shut. did she never learn?
“Um…” She stopped.
“Yes.” She heard the interest in his tone.
“Well.”
“Today.” He said. She could lie and say that he had it wrong. She wanted to but instead she admitted.
“We bumped into each other.” Because she struggled to lie at short notice.
“Bumped? Sounds interesting. How much of a bump are we talking about?” she was asked.
“Just a bump.”
“Just a bump or a bumpety bump?” he continued. She had no idea what that meant.
“I was in the coffee shop by the hospital and he happened to be walking by and saw me.” She shrugged, then realised that Adam couldn’t see it.
“He just happened to be walking passed?”
“Yes. It wasn’t planned or anything.” She bristled, what was he suggesting?
“Yes, because when you are that close to a hospital it would be quite difficult to bump into a doctor.” Adam commented dryly.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I have no idea, what am I trying to say.”
“I think you are telling me that you don’t want to be my friend anymore.” She teased.
“Sorry, today is not your lucky day.” He said. “Anyway, enough of this, you can tell me all about it later. I was phoning to say I managed to get hold of some tickets for a charity gala party tonight...” She cut Adam short.
“Not tonight.” Cassie began. She wasn’t in the mood for some swanky party. Not that she had managed to go to many of them and, if it hadn’t been for the afternoon she had just had with Luke, she would have loved to have gone.
She wasn’t about to go into any of that with Adam though. She didn’t want anyone knowing what a fool she had been this afternoon or how she had resorted to physical violence. That made it twice in a twenty-four-hour period, not bad going she congratulated herself.
Up until yesterday she had never struck anyone in her life. And here she was just one day later and she had become a seasoned pro. Well maybe that was an exaggeration
“No you don’t. You are going. Put your best dress on and be ready for me to pick you up at six.” Adam told her firmly.
“Adam please.” But she was cut short again.
“Joe and I bought the tickets and let me tell you it ran into thousands so you are going.” Adam said firmly.
“...Thousands.” Cassie gasped.
“It was five thousand for a whole table for six people. So we bought a table. Joe has someone from work going and I have given a couple of tickets to a couple at work and there is one left so you are going.”
“Adam. I just....”
“It’s a good cause Cassie, Futures for kids. Put that blue dress on. You have still got it?” He asked her.
“Um… yes I still have it.” She told him.
“Good then wear that one. You can tell me all about your date with dishy doc.”
“It was not a date?” She huffed immediately.
“All right calm down. Your tete-a-tete then.”
“It wasn’t even that.”
“A dalliance.” He suggested now, she could hear the humour in his voice.
“Adam, it wasn’t even that.”
“A dipping in of the toe.”
“Adam.” She exclaimed.
“I think the lady doth protest too much.” Adam said.
“I just bumped into him, that’s all.” She tried again.
“Did he say words to you?”
“Yes.”
“And did you say words to him?”
“Well, yes.”
“Then it was more than a bump then wasn’t it.”
“Adam please don’t make a big deal out of it.” She shifted uncomfortably.
“I’m not, I mean, it’s not like I am suggesting you kissed the guy.” Cassie fell silent, which went on for quite some time. “Oh.” Adam said and she blushed profusely. “You kissed him.” He said.
“No, I did not.” She jumped to her defence hastily.
“You didn’t?”
“No, he kissed me.” She said.
“And you didn’t kiss him back.”
“Well no… yes… no… I mean.” She felt the heat in her cheeks more keenly now.
“Ah.”
“Ah… nothing.”
“We shall see.” Adam said and she could hear the laughter. “You can tell me all about it later. I will pick you up at six so be ready for then. It’s at the pavilion so it’ll take forty minutes in the car. We need to be there for seven.”
“Where’s the pavilion?” she asked.
“Are you serious?” Adam shrieked down the phone. It obviously was a very high profile place by the way Adam reacted.
“It’s part of the tower of London. You’ll love it.” Adam informed her. “Just be ready.”
“Adam lis...” Cassie heard the click and the line went dead. She put the phone back on its cradle. So that was that. She was going to the party whether she wanted to or not.
She picked up the cushion on the sofa and threw it across the room then resigned herself to the inevitable and tiredly got to her feet and began to trudge upstairs to look through her wardrobe.
She found the blue dress, tucked right in the corner of the wardrobe. It had been a long time since she had worn it, there weren’t that many occasions to wear it. It wasn’t like she went out all that often.
Faye kept her too busy for that. She never even got to go out on dates. the last time had been after Mathew just after university, and enough said about that incident.
There had been Stephen. a nice chap, but it certainly wasn’t love or anything. it had just been casual and hadn’t lasted long.
Once Faye had found out about it she had turned up one night in hysterics, screaming and shouting about how she was being abandoned for a boy.
He hadn’t stuck around for very long and she hadn’t blamed him. She wished that she could not stick around too at times. But no such luck.
Oh well, she sighed, no use crying over spilt milk. As her mother would say. She looked up at the clock on the wall. She should jump in the shower now and start getting ready.
Adam was a big girl’s blouse when it came to waiting for people. He would expect her to be ready to go the minute he turned up and if she wasn’t he would complain very loudly for every second that she kept him waiting. She knew that from experience.
Chapter 21.
So, it was at six o’clock sharp that Adam knocked on Cassie’s door. Not two seconds before not two seconds after. But dead on the dot.
She had just been putting the finishing touches on her outfit and popping a lip gloss into her bag an
d a little bit of money just in case she might need it.
She had put on the dress that Adam had suggested, but only because she had nothing else that would be suitable and besides, it looked good on her too. Well that’s what she told herself.
The truth was that if she hadn’t then Adam would have frog marched her back upstairs and redressed her. No, really he would.
Adam had picked the dress out for her on one of their little shopping trips. She hadn’t wanted to buy it, opting for some-thing with a little more coverage, and a less eye catching colour.
But Adam had insisted and when it had looked as though he was not going to get his way he had pretended to have a very loud meltdown in the shop.
So, because she had wanted to end her embarrassment she had bought this one instead of the one she had picked. Adam had been right of course, but then he always was.
It was a midnight blue shimmering dress that was simply cut with bold shoulder straps and a low cut neckline that revealed Cassie’s cleavage, of which there was plenty when strapped into such a tight dress.
It was cinched in at the waist which accentuated her hourglass figure before the material glided over her perky round bottom and down her legs to stop just above her knees. She teamed it with blue heeled shoes and a small clutch bag.
She popped in her house keys and grabbed a shawl from the wardrobe before leaving her bedroom and going down the stairs just as her doorbell chimed.
“You look fantastic.” Adam told her with a smile.
“Thank you.” She accepted the praise.
“You got everything? House keys.”
“In my bag.”
“Good let’s go.” And Adam put an arm round her waist and scooped her across the threshold and outside as he closed her front door behind them. She was then pulled along to the car.
“Hey Joe.” She called out in greeting as Joe got out of the car.
“Hiya curvy ker.” He greeted as he hugged her.
“I missed you at diner last night.” She told him.
“Sorry, I had work.” And he pulled a face at her. Joe was a tall man, over six foot. Very good looking with high cheekbones and blonde unruly hair.
“I can sit in the back.” She told him as he stepped aside and opened the door to the backseat.
“No, go on.” He ushered her to the passenger seat and closed the door behind her. She shook her head, always the perfect gentleman.
Adam got into the driver’s seat and then without any fuss or flaff they were driving away.
“So, this kiss.” Adam said straight away, diving in like a bull in a china shop sporting a sledge hammer.
“Adam.” She gasped in shock.
“I told Joe already.” She was informed. Of course he had, Adam was such a gossip.
“Yeah don’t mind me curvy ker.” Joe called over. She smiled at the use of her nickname. A name Joe had dubbed her with at university.
There had been two people with the name Cassie in their class and the other Cassie had not been very nice and so Joe had dubbed her kicking ker.
Somehow she had become curly ker until Joe had made a slip one day and had called her curvy instead of curly and it had stuck, unfortunately.
“So the kiss.” Adam said impatiently as he indicated and turned the car.
“It was just a kiss.” She said, trying to dismiss it.
“An air kiss, A peck on the cheek, on the lips.”
“On the lips.”
“Ooh.” Adam said. “A short kiss or a long kiss?” He continued.
“Adam.” She complained. She really did not want to talk about this.
“Come on, spill. Or I will stop the car and hold you down while Joe tickles you until you talk.” Cassie laughed.
“Not short, not long.” She said.
“Were there tongues involved?”
“Oh that’s enough. Joe tell him.” She moaned to Joe.
“Leave her alone you big bully.” Joe told Adam.
“Thank you Joe.” She said.
“Don’t mention it.” And then he leant closer to the back of her chair. “So was there.” she giggled.
“There may have been a little tongue action.”
“See didn’t I tell you.” He said to Cassie and then to Joe. “I said didn’t I?”
“Yes you did.” Joe confirmed.
“And I am never wrong. So, how was it?” he asked her now.
“I am not going to discuss it with you.” Cassie said as she felt her face growing warm.
“You are no friend at all.” Adam moaned. “Was it good?” He asked again.
“Yes, okay. Yes, it was nice.” She gave in.
“Nice.” Adam exclaimed. “Nice is like the kiss of death.”
“Yeah nice is for couples that break up.” Joe said from the back seat.
“Joe’s right.” Adam agreed.
“Okay so it was better than nice.” She finally conceded. She knew he would keep on until she told him everything.
“How much better than nice?”
“It was very good.”
“Lip smacking good or jump his bones good?” Adam continued the Spanish inquisition.
“I... I am not going to answer that.” She told him. She watched as Adam look in the rear view mirror at Joe and then both of them said in unison.
“Jump his bones good.”
“How in the world have I managed to stay friends with the two of you?” She asked shaking her head.
“Because you love us.” Adam suggested.
“Because we don’t leave you alone.” Joe added.
“Yeah, if you tried to unfriend us we would stalk you.” Adam warned her.
“I have no doubts that you would too.” She agreed with them.
“So, when are you seeing him again?” Adam asked her.
“I have no idea. I didn’t arrange anything.” She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat and it did not go unnoticed.
“Why not?”
“Because…” she shrugged.
“Because.” She huffed.
“Just because.” She tried again.
“Just because what…?” Adam asked her.
“I slapped him.” She said and everyone fell silent for a long moment.
“Why would you do that?” Adam wailed at her.
“I don’t know. We were talking and then he grabbed me and then he kissed me and then...”
“And then you just slapped him.”
“Well, the kiss went on and on and it was very… and his tongue… and then I… so I slapped him. It was just a heat of the moment instinct.”
“And then you…?” Joe prompted her.
“Then I what?”
“You said. It was very, and his tongue, and then I. Then you what?” Joe elaborated for her.
“O, Well I mean.” She stopped. “That is to say that I…” she gave a delicate cough and wriggled in her seat.
“You got horny and didn’t know how to handle it.” Adam suggested.
“Adam.” She exclaimed.
“You wanted more than a kiss.” Joe suggested.
“See why can’t you talk more like Joe.” Cassie complained.
“I tell it as it is. He kissed you, it turned you on. You got horny to the point that you were gagging for it. You didn’t know how to handle that so you became defensive and you slapped him like some Victorian virgin protecting herself from getting pricked before her wedding day.” She didn’t like the way he said it but, it was accurate at least.
“Yeah,” she sighed and fell silent.
“You ain’t never gonna get any if you act that way.” Adam admonished her, taking on a fatherly tone with her.
“Any what?” she frowned.
“Sex, sweet loving, fornication, how’s-your-father, Intimate relations.”
“How’s-your-father?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Fine last time I spoke to him. You spoke to yours yet?”
“No.”
“You should think ab
out it.”
“Why, I already have too many people filling that role.”
“Joe and I are just looking out for you.”
“I know.”
“Just give it some thought. Just don’t be emigrating out there. I would miss you.” Adam told her firmly.
“Yes sir.”
“We’re here.” He announced and Cassie looked out the window. On her right was the impressive building of the tower of London and as they turned round the corner the pavilion came into view.
“Wow.” She said. It even had a red carpet leading up to the door. A red carpet. She shook her head in bemusement. A red carpet, for heaven’s sake.
Chapter 22.
The evening had been fantastic. It was the only word for it. The Pavilion had been gorgeous, the room inside had been decked out in blue’s and purple’s with its large balcony windows at one end of the room overlooking the tower of London that had also been lit with blue and purple lighting.
It was all very atmospheric and gothic. There had been lots of champagne, not that she had drunk more than one glass.
And when they had all been led into the main dining room, with twinkling lights in the ceiling and a dance floor up at the other end Cassie had stood with her mouth open.
Well, Until Adam had nudged her with his elbow. She had promptly apologised for embarrassing him and he had laughed at her and told her that she had not embarrassed him and that he was glad that she was enjoying herself.
Now Cassie sat next to Adam on her left side with Joe sitting next to him and was pleasantly full with quail and calamari and some sort of potato based dish that she had not been able to pronounce at all.
But, Adam had told her with an air of authority, that that was all the more reason to try it.
And it had all been perfectly finished with a crisp chocolate confection that had been the best she had ever tasted. It had been a wonderful evening and Cassie had enjoyed herself immensely. More than she thought she would.
The things we do for love. Page 15