by Laura Morgan
“Cassie, you remember my boss?” Jamie’s voice was calm and steady, but his eyes were full of apology. Cassie knew there was nothing he could’ve done to stop Leo from coming here. He would’ve found any excuse or quite possibly just come alone if he really wanted to, and she could not be mad he had used Hanna’s boyfriend as a way into her private life.
“Of course, hello again, Mr. Solomon,” she said, smiling at the man who oozed sex-appeal but still scared her to the core.
Leo looked Cassie up and down, taking in her baggy pants and loose fitting t-shirt with a wry smile before staring into her face. She had already removed her makeup and had let her wet hair fall down messily around her shoulders to dry. She hadn’t realized she would be entertaining tonight, but she was glad he was seeing her this way. This was the real Cassie, and part of her hoped her pale, natural features might put him off.
“Please, call me Leo,” he said with a wicked grin. Cassie shook her head, remembering the words she had last said to him in that dark hallway of his home. She would not call him Leo until she was ready to be his. “I’d rather not, if it’s all the same. Can I offer you boys a drink?” she asked, being hospitable, and Jamie shook his head while Leo nodded.
“Hanna’s right behind us. We were thinking of heading out to a party, but might just leave it tonight. I’m too tired,” Jamie said, clearly not happy at leaving her and Leo alone, and she mentally thanked him. “We bumped into Mr. Solomon here on our way back from the liquor store. He helped us carry the load and even offered me and Hanna a ride home,” he added, explaining his presence here somewhat, and Cassie could read between the lines. Leo had given them a ride in order to find out where she lived and to see her again. She guessed maybe she had been wrong about him not thinking of her after all.
“Such a gentleman. That’s ever so kind of you, but you didn’t need to follow him up,” she teased, making Leo smile.
“He needed help with some crates of beer I added to the cart on the way. Hanna is just grabbing the wine with my assistant, and she’ll be right up,” Leo replied, probably expecting her to be impressed by his generosity.
She just shrugged and wandered back into the kitchen, still hating the fact that she was actually pleased to see him.
“Great, in that case you can have one of your fancy beers then,” she called to them, and she returned to her spot at the counter. Cassie flicked through the magazine’s pages without even looking at them, her hand trembling as she brought the wine glass to her lips. Her mind was racing, wondering what he wanted from her and if she was willing to even try being with him. Leo was interested in her. She had known it right from that first moment by the poolside, but she had gone about it all the wrong way. Instead of keeping her cool and walking away, she had toyed with him, teased him, and then left him wanting more.
Cassie had known giving him the option of a possible future with her was foolish. Leo was not the kind of guy you fell in love with. Even without the scary and violent way he had about him, the fact remained he was a very powerful drug-lord and his way of life must constantly be accompanied by the threat of rivals and police alike. She was not the sort of woman who could bear a life of fear amidst that kind of chaos. She had only just found herself again and was not ready to give that up for anything. Cassie decided to put an end to their playful games, an end to her teasing. Since he’d shown up at her home unannounced, there was no time like the present.
Leo joined Cassie in the small kitchen, eyeing her thoughtfully. She ignored him at first, finishing off her handful of jellybeans before sliding him the bottle opener from the drawer beside her.
“Thank you.” He pulled off the bottle top and took a long swig while she kept her eyes on the magazine. “Something interesting? You’ve been staring at that same page since I walked in here, and there’s nothing but a toothpaste advertisement and an article on bolero jackets.” A sly grin curled at his lips. Leo was getting under her skin, and she had a feeling he liked it.
“Yes, actually. I was thinking a bolero would look perfect with some of my little black dresses. Sorry, I thought you were here to have a drink with your friend out there? I didn’t want to get in the way, so figured I’d hide out back here. Was there something you wanted, Mr. Solomon?” Cassie asked, her eyes skimming up his tight-fitting t-shirt and over his incredible biceps before landing on those soft, full lips. She remembered their kiss from the weekend before and felt herself blush at the memory. Despite all her reasoning, she desperately wanted him to grab her and kiss her that same way again.
This is gonna be harder than I thought.
“I don’t have any friends, Cassie. I thought you knew that, just like you think you know everything there is to know about me,” Leo teased her, calling her out on her standoffish demeanor. “I’m a coldhearted, emotionless monster who loves nothing more than business and fucking, and not always in that order,” he added, knowing exactly what was said about him behind his back. This man caught her off guard every time she thought she was making some progress in her attempt to pull away from him. He had a strange sort of empathy that hid itself behind his clever and controlling guise, but Cassie could see through all of that now, and wondered if that was exactly what he had wanted. Leo seemed to be trying to get her to delve deeper, to call him out on his behavior and reputation just as he had with her. He was giving her every indication he was ready to bare all, and so she pounced on the opportunity to figure him out.
“Did you come here to see me tonight? Did you set the whole ‘need a lift’ situation up as a ruse to get in here?” She stared up into his dark brown eyes confidently, despite being so much shorter without her heels.
“Yes,” he said, swigging his beer.
“And what exactly did you expect would happen? That I would be instantly at your mercy and fall to your feet because you dared bless me with a second look?”
“That would’ve been preferable to the cold shoulder I received, yes. But I didn’t expect anything of the sort, Cassie. You are not that kind of woman, which is exactly the reason I’m even here,” he replied with a smirk.
“Did you ever think that the reason you’re here might simply be because I said no? That I’m nothing but an attempted conquest gone awry, and you’re here to claim what you believe to be rightfully yours?” Her tone was cool and calm, but deep down Cassie felt far from it.
Leo took a moment to answer her, as though really thinking it through before he answered. “Yes.”
“And?” Cassie pressed, taken aback.
“And what? I answered your question. Yes, I did wonder about it.”
“Okay, I’ll rephrase that then,” she retorted, getting grumpy. “Are you here to claim what you believe belongs to you?”
“No,” Leo’s features softened slightly. “I’m here to ask you on a date.”
Cassie laughed loudly, unable to control her startled surprise, and shook her head.
“You really are something else, Solomon. You do know that, right?”
He grinned down at her, his smile wide and his eyes alight. “I do, but I also know what I want and how to get it,” he replied.
“Oh, and how’s that?” Cassie demanded, one hand on her hip as the other brought her wine glass to her lips again.
“Time, patience, and trust.” Leo’s body language had shifted ever so slightly, showing her he was willing to give her what she needed, that he somehow deemed her worthy of an effort to change. She hated how much it made her want him in return.
“I’m not worth it,” she mumbled, shying away from his intimidating gaze. “I’m a walking disaster, and I’m not the type of girl who can live in your world without breaking. I’m the cheap wine and jellybeans kinda girl, not the champagne and cocaine hooker. I can’t be hanging around with gun wielding drug-lords and their cronies. You’ll soon grow tired of me telling you no, and then you’ll resent me for having been a waste of your time and effort. It’s been wonderful meeting you, Mr. Solomon, but I’m afraid I’m not t
he girl for you.”
Cassie turned on her heel and made her way over to the doorway, unable to look at Leo. She knew she would either cry or cave if she did, and either way she would be utterly disappointed in herself. She had finally set him straight, told her admirer the truth about herself and her needs, all of which they both knew he could not give her.
Leo said nothing as she walked away, but Cassie heard the sound of glass smashing against the kitchen cabinet, and wondered if perhaps her wine glass had just been thrown in his rage. She quickly made her way to Hanna’s bedroom and slid between her roommate and Jamie on the bed, grateful they were watching a movie rather than being caught in an intimate moment.
“I’ll make sure to see him out,” Jamie whispered, climbing out of the bed and taking a few tentative steps toward the hallway of the apartment. The last thing any of them wanted right now was an altercation with his powerful and angry boss, but it seemed he had to be sure the dangerous man had gone. Cassie was glad he went to check, or else none of them would’ve rested easy that night.
Chapter 8
Weeks passed by in a blur after the night when Leo turned up out of the blue. Cassie kept busy with her waitressing or going along to events with Hanna and the other Cyrene’s girls. Jamie had stayed over every night for the past couple of weeks, their relationship unofficially seeming to have moved on a stage without either of them realizing it. One night as they got themselves ready to head into a bustling party, Hanna reached for a yellow band, catching Cassie watching her as she did.
“What?” she demanded, and her friend just gave her a knowing smile. “It’s complicated, okay?”
“I know it is, sweetie. You don’t need to explain anything to me,” Cassie replied, hugging her tightly for a moment. They made their way out into the venue for the evening, a stunning burlesque club that not only entertained the men and women inside with tantalizing shows every night, but also provided special evenings on certain nights when the clients had the option for more than just a show.
Tonight the place had been reserved entirely for a large record label, the artists and their associates looking to party the night away as well as having some fun with a partner…or two. After donning her red band, Cassie worked her way through the crowd, trying to get a read on the room. She soon made eye contact with a ruggedly handsome man who looked to be in his mid-forties and whose face she recognized from subway billboards and magazine covers, but she couldn’t quite remember his name.
He made his way toward Cassie, smiling warmly and seemingly intrigued by her too, even from afar. Despite the promiscuous world she now lived in, Cassie still felt herself blush when men looked at her that way, as though she were still that quiet young woman who first set foot at these parties.
“Well, aren’t you just the most beautiful piece of living art on show here tonight,” the man said as he reached her, taking Cassie’s hand and planting a soft kiss on the back of it. He then let his own hand stroke over her wrist and flicked the red band with his forefinger. “What a shame I cannot have you, but perhaps you would be so kind as to keep me company a while?” he said, his sexy southern American accent catching at his words. He looked effortlessly cool and suave as he offered Cassie his arm.
“It would be my pleasure, Mr…?” Cassie asked, sliding her arm through his and following his lead toward one of the booths.
“Simmons, but you may call me Otis,” he replied. “And what is your name, sweet flower?”
Cassie chose not to give out her real name anymore, just in case. “Savannah,” she said, her voice a soft hum, and he leaned in closer to hear her as they made their way through the crowd.
“Well, Savannah, I have a very important question to ask you.” His voice was stern, but his expression was playful. “What type of music do you listen to?” He took her hand in his when they were opposite one another in the booth, and she let him. Cassie knew she had seen his face before but still could not place his genre of music within the label. She had the feeling he was not a country or folk singer, seeming to remember seeing his face on one of the rock music channels she frequented, and she decided to give it a shot.
“In all honesty? Indie rock. I love a bit of something deep and melodic but with a powerful bass line and plenty of guitar riffs. Perhaps not your kind of thing,” she said, watching him with a delicate smile.
“Oh, and what do you think is my thing?” he asked, smirking back at her. The way he said thing came out more like thang, and she enjoyed listening to the lilt on his accent. Her only experience with the accent in the States so far had been the Brooklyn tones, and this softer, southern style had a nice sound.
“I’m willing to bet everyone stereotypes you for your style, however I don’t think you’re a country singer, am I right?” Cassie smiled sweetly and could see by the flash of appreciation that swept across his chiseled face that she had figured him out. Otis clearly thought she had never heard of him, and had assumed she might have thought he must be a country artist like most people did, when in fact he was part of a large and very well-known heavy metal band, The Death Marchers. Otis was the drummer and joint vocalist, famed for his hillbilly style, when in fact he was far from it. Cassie’s memory of the articles came flooding back to her. She’d read once how Otis loved to fool people into believing the stereotype he portrayed, and Cassie knew he would appreciate a different impression of the role he seemingly loved playing.
“Very good, flower. Carry on.” His smile widened.
“I’m thinking something edgy, different, and yet still melodically beautiful in its own way. I was going to bet you were a guitarist, but judging by these hands, I’d say drummer?” She slid her hands over his rough palms, and Otis stayed quiet, completely mesmerized. “Perhaps not only that. Do you write some of the songs too? I bet you feel the world around you like one long creative spark that inspires and obsesses you until you finally put pen to paper. Am I even close?” She feigned a shy laugh, her voice low and seductive, and she knew without him uttering a sound she had him hooked on her every word. Otis eventually gave her a nod along with a dazzling smile, mesmerizing her too. Cassie felt her core tense, feeling genuinely attracted to this man.
When the party was over and the working girls all made their way toward their awaiting vehicles, Otis was still by Cassie’s side and had stayed with her the entire night. He begged her to go home with him, promising he would expect nothing but her company, but she had to refuse. It was not how things were done.
“I’m afraid that’s against the rules, Otis. I’m happy to accompany you anywhere publicly that you wish or stand beside you at any event, but home visits are not part of my service, and I must insist upon that rule. If you want to see me again, just call the number on this card and arrange it with my madam, Delilah.” She handed him the simple, elegant black card from her purse.
“I will,” he replied, kissing her cheek, and she let him, feeling genuine affection for the kind man. “If I lived the rest of my life alone and unloved, at least I could take with me the memory of this night, of you.” He stepped back to let her go. “You spoke of inspiration and obsession earlier. Now I truly know what it means to be captivated and stirred into a creative frenzy. You are my muse, Savannah, and I will write you one hundred love songs in the hope you might change your mind and spend the night with me.”
***
For the next three weeks Otis reserved Cassie’s company for almost every night. She found his attention both flattering and a welcome distraction for her still wandering mind that kept betraying her by thinking of Leo. Being treated to posh dinners or going to gigs as a VIP was great fun, and she had a blast, genuinely smiling and enjoying her time with the enigmatic client. Cassie even changed her shifts at the restaurant to accommodate the man and found herself having a genuine connection with him very quickly.
Otis was kind, gentle, outrageously comical, and fun-natured. He loved showering her with affection, and didn’t think twice about breaking into song for
her in public places just to see her smile.
They had still never been alone together in private, and Cassie had not yet been inside his impressive penthouse apartment in the city. She maintained her cover, not daring to let herself be alone with him because, despite her past, she was beginning to think she could eventually see herself letting Otis in. She knew when the time came and she agreed to go with him to his apartment, she would no doubt find herself in his bed with Otis before the night was over.
“I often wonder who you are, underneath the mask you must wear in this career,” he said one day as they sat having a picnic together under the bright spring sun in Central Park. Cassie had put together an array of nibbles and added a bottle of chardonnay, her favorite, but laughed to herself when Otis turned his nose up at the cheap wine. “I want to know what makes you tick, Savannah. I need more from you. I think I’ve fallen in love with you, and I need to know if I love the real you.” He looked across the field toward some teenagers who were playing with a bat and ball. Cassie watched him, staring at the profile of the kind and tender man who had been the perfect gentleman. She took in his older but very handsome face in the bright sunshine. She had never thought she would go for an older man again after Jonah, but it had turned out that Otis was five years older than her ex-husband, so she was now faced with the prospect of letting in an even older man than she had previously loved.
The only thing standing in her way was Leo. His face still flitted across her mind every now and then, the memory of his bulging biceps and the feel of his soft lips on hers haunting her. The sheer thought of him after so long made her core tense, and she felt herself growing horny. Cassie wished it was Otis making her feel this way, but knew otherwise. She had really hoped to feel more for him, to feel as if she could end up like Hanna and Jamie with this man, or to even leave her life of escorting men for money for Otis, but she was not convinced. Cassie knew the only way to tell for sure was to eventually bare all, like she had done with Leo. If Otis still wanted her despite her haunting past and hang-ups, if he still stared at her the same way without the makeup and fancy clothes, and if he still lusted after her despite her trauma and trust issues, she decided she would let him in. Her decision made, Cassie chose to give him something, starting small.