by Laura Morgan
“Me too. I was terrified last night that he might try something. Even after I’d sorted him out, I could tell he was far from satisfied. I know I’ll need to let him have more of me eventually, but I’m not sure he’s ready for my baggage. He says he is, but how can I trust it?” Cassie asked, and Hanna shrugged.
“Because he says so,” Jamie said, joining the two women. Leo immediately stiffened, hoping his employee would follow his warnings. The girls looked over at him questioningly, and he topped up their mugs with coffee from the jug as he spoke. “Leo Solomon is many things, but he is not a liar. He says what he means, and he would never make promises he couldn’t keep. I know I clammed up last night, but that was out of respect as well as fear. I wouldn’t work for him if I didn’t think he was trustworthy. In our line of business you always need to know someone’s got your back, and that’s what he delivers. Yes, he calls the shots and makes the rules, but do you really think thousands of guys would follow his lead if he continually screwed them over? You both know I wouldn’t have let him in here last night if I thought he might hurt you, Cassie. Give the guy a chance.”
“Good lad,” Leo whispered to himself, watching as the girls mulled over Jamie’s words, and both of them softened.
“I guess so. I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Cassie conceded. She took a long swig of her coffee and looked over at Hanna again. “He wants me to close my contract with Delilah. He refuses to pay for me because he wants me to just be his girlfriend. I like it that he doesn’t see me as his property.”
“That’s a good idea. This life was never one hundred per cent for you anyway, sweetie. It will be a lot better if he doesn’t see you as something he owns. He will no doubt treat you better and with more respect,” Hanna said, eyeing Jamie as she did so, and Leo detected it might be a sore subject between the two of them. He could use that against Jamie if it ever came to having words with him again.
“I’m gonna ring her now, get it over with, and then I’ll call him. I don’t even know when we’re seeing each other again. I’ve got a shift at the restaurant tonight, but could change it if he wants me to,” Cassie replied.
“Don’t, he needs to know you already have a life and commitments that do not involve him. Don’t forget, Cassie, if he doesn’t own you, he has to respect that,” Hanna said. “Make him work for you. He seems to like the chase. I get the feeling he’d make a good predator.”
“I know, sometimes he looks at me like he’s getting ready to pounce.” She took a deep breath. “Talk about bittersweet,” Cassie said, taking a final sip of her coffee while staring off into space dreamily, and Leo grew hard again as he watched her.
She was right, he was not fully satisfied, but he also was stubborn enough to force those urges away for now. His self-control and keen instinct had helped out a lot over the years, and he would use them to his advantage now. Leo closed the laptop and pulled the headphones from his ears, grabbing his cell phone and ringing his assistant.
“Tina, I want you to book me a restaurant for our meeting tonight, rather than having the boys here. It’s called Brown’s. I think it’s Italian food. I want the entire place reserved. Pay the owner well over the odds if necessary, but make it happen. And play nice,” he barked, hanging up once Tina confirmed she would get right to it.
Leo opened the laptop again, finding the live feed still running, and he overheard Cassie’s telephone conversation with Delilah, informing the madam she would not be returning to work, and he grinned widely. “Mine,” he said, sliding his finger over her face on the screen before closing the application and opening his emails to get some work done at last.
***
“Thank you Delilah. I’m glad you understand, and thank you for your help last night. Goodbye.”
Cassie hung up the phone and grinned, feeling freer than she thought she would. She really enjoyed her time as an escort, and would miss the parties and the flattering men, but now she had the attention of a man far superior to any of them and couldn't wait to tell him the good news. She grabbed her phone and began pulling up Leo’s number from the phonebook, but stopped. She decided to let him wait a little longer. Hanna was right, and if she was his girlfriend rather than his property, Cassie was determined to be strong and bring her entire self to the equation, not the bought and paid for attention she normally would give to her clients. She threw her phone down onto her bed and headed for the shower, unable to stop from pleasuring herself while she was in there, the wonderful memories from the night before driving her to climax alongside her fingertips.
Chapter 13
“Bye, see you later,” Cassie called as she left the apartment, heading to the subway. She called Leo on her way, having managed to wait an extra few hours. She was pleased with herself.
“Ah, there she is,” Leo said on the other end as he answered. “I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”
“Of course not,” Cassie replied, unable to hide her swoon at hearing his voice. “I’ve been busy, that’s all.”
“Okay, I’ll let you off then. I hope you have some good news for me?” Leo asked.
“I do indeed. You are now officially dating Cassie Taylor, waitress,” she told him, enjoying his gruff laugh. “I still need a job, you know? I’ve grown accustomed to the luxuries of the escort business and need to pay for my designer handbag addiction somehow,” she teased.
“I’ll buy you one hundred handbags, and the shoes to match. Am I gonna see you tonight?”
“I’m working until midnight. You can come and collect me after my shift if you like?” she offered, wanting to see him too.
“I don’t know if I can. Let me check my schedule, and I’ll let you know. Okay, love?”
Leo seemed aloof, and Cassie wondered if he was playing games, so she swallowed her pride, not wanting to push him away by foolishly playing with his affection.
“Okay, I really want to see you, though, Leo. I miss you already,” Cassie replied, her voice softening.
“Me too. I’ll make sure we see each other tonight, don’t you worry.”
After a short subway ride, Cassie arrived at the quiet restaurant and made her way inside, surprised there weren’t already customers at the tables. She went straight into the kitchen to find Mrs. Brown.
“Hi, everything okay?” she asked, and the middle-aged woman nodded happily.
“Yep, we’ve had a booking for the whole place tonight. Some kinda party, and they had to change venue at the last minute. The girl on the phone said they loved this place and were wondering if they could reserve it for the evening.”
Cassie stared at her employer and searched her mind. “You’ve never done that since I’ve worked here. Have you before?”
“I know we don’t usually do it, but she seemed desperate and I figured, why not? I’m just putting together some canapés to serve. She’s arriving any minute to set up, and then the guests are arriving at eight o’clock,” Mrs. Brown replied.
Cassie quickly got to work, helping put the finishing touches on some bruschetta while her boss bustled out to the dining hall in preparation to greet the generous party hosts. Cassie remained in the kitchens, oblivious to anything other than her workload. When she started to hear the sound of tables being moved outside, she quickly changed into her uniform and poked her head around the doorway.
A young businesswoman had entered the quaint restaurant with two burly men. Together they were moving around the tables to open the room up. That accomplished, they set up a small area toward the back with one table and twelve chairs.
“Tina O’Brian. I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Brown. Thank you for accommodating us at such short notice,” the woman said. Cassie watched as she went over their requirements for the evening, but then headed back into the kitchen to finish her prep.
Before long the restaurant began to fill up. With two trays held high, she entered the now open-plan room, and smiled warmly as she offered the canapés to the guests.
“Cas
sie, come and help me,” Mrs. Brown called, waving her over, and Cassie left the canapés to one side so she could go and help her. Mrs. Brown was filling flutes with expensive champagne, but they were disappearing quicker than they could be filled. Cassie put her experience of such parties to good use, remaining level headed and calm despite the chaos.
“Do you have any chardonnay? I’m not really one for champagne,” said a voice from behind her.
Cassie immediately turned on her heel, knowing the voice’s owner before she saw him. She laughed, shaking her head. “Oh dear, you really are full of surprises, aren’t you, Mr. Solomon?” She was genuinely surprised he had orchestrated this entire thing without her having figured it out. She had thought it strange a small Italian restaurant had somehow ended up being booked for a party, but had assumed it was one of the regulars who enjoyed the food and had decided to call upon Mrs. Brown in their hour of need.
“I promised I would make sure we could see each other tonight, didn’t I?” Leo replied, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
Cassie smiled but pulled back, eyeing him shyly. “I’m not comfortable with people seeing us together like this. I don’t like being seen as the hired help. Maybe I’m not a whore, but I’m no servant either,” she said, handing him a glass of champagne. Cassie couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, but his silence forced her to. She expected to find an angry stare, but instead he seemed sad.
Leo took the glass and gave her an uncomfortable smile, thanking her quietly. “Shit, I’m sorry, I have never done this before. And now I’ve completely belittled you by expecting you to serve me and my employees canapés and wine,” Leo replied. “I’ll stay away until we can be alone tonight, and I’ll never bring my business here again. I understand if you’re angry with me.”
“I’m not angry. Please don’t worry. I know what you were trying to do. Let me get on with my job, I’ll see you later. Just make sure you leave me a very generous tip.” Cassie winked before busying herself with the champagne flutes again.
“Okay, I’ll use tonight as an opportunity to see how my men act around you. Let’s see how many pass my secret test,” Leo said, winking back at her over his wine, and he wandered back off through the crowd toward his cronies.
The rest of the night went smoothly. Cassie stayed behind the bar serving the drinks, while Mrs. Brown and a couple of the other staff moved through the crowd with the food. She was glad not to be among them, and even enjoyed people watching as she took in the variety of men and women employed by her dark and dangerous new boyfriend.
Cassie blended in so perfectly to this homely little restaurant that none of Leo’s men knew she was the girl they had watched kissing her best friend at Leo’s house party just a few months earlier. None of them put it together, and she had to laugh, realizing how shallow some men were.
“Vodka on the rocks,” said the woman, Tina, who had come to speak with Mrs. Brown earlier. She didn’t fit into this party in the same way the scantily clad hookers who were on the arms of all the men did. She wore a designer pantsuit that showed no cleavage, and Cassie got the impression Tina was as different from the other women as she was.
Tina had barely even looked at Cassie as she barked her request, and she couldn't resist pushing the woman a little, intrigued by who she was and what she might mean to Leo. Cassie purposely forgot to add the ice to her glass, sliding the woman neat vodka, and she stalked off without a word of thanks. Cassie watched as she approached Leo, about to hand him the drink, but then she pulled it back again when she realized there was no ice in the glass. The woman’s face was in a hard, cold stare, and she bristled as she stormed back over to the bar, slamming the tumbler down in front of Cassie.
“You forgot the ice,” she said, eyeing her with a look of sheer disgust. “Remind me not to ask you for something more complicated like soda next time, otherwise I’m sure I’d be left disappointed again.” Tina was clearly disgruntled at having her time wasted. Cassie wondered if she was really angry at her, or whether this woman was more annoyed at being expected to serve her boss drinks rather than the waiting staff doing it for her.
Cassie sneered but said nothing, grabbing the tongs and sliding a cube of ice into the tumbler as she sized up the woman, making a mental note to knock her down a peg or two as soon as she could.
When Leo’s meeting in the corner with a group of his best dressed and obviously highest paid cronies was over, he began saying his goodbyes. Cassie watched as he grabbed the arm of the woman who had been rude to her earlier and practically marched her out of the restaurant and into the cool night air. He didn’t look over at the bar as he went, so Cassie couldn't be sure if he was taking her off to chastise the woman for her behavior toward her or not.
The crowd eventually dispersed, and Cassie set about cleaning up, grateful when the men who had helped move the tables earlier reappeared and helped speed up the tidying process. Cassie saw Tina come back inside, handing Mrs. Brown an envelope no doubt stuffed with well over the amount they had offered her, and the woman beamed. Cassie wondered if she had ever taken so much money in one night before, and was glad Leo had asked her to close the place to the public tonight.
At just after midnight, Cassie stepped outside, having changed and freshened up. A black limousine was at the curb a little way down from the entrance, and one of the back windows slid down as she reached it. Cassie peered inside and saw Leo’s dark brown eyes staring back at her.
“Can I offer you a ride?” he asked, his tone friendly yet businesslike. She wondered for a moment why he was acting so strangely, but then she saw Tina over his shoulder, and she was now sure she must be Leo’s assistant.
“That would be lovely, thank you,” Cassie replied, stepping back a little when the door opened, but instead of her climbing straight inside, Leo stepped out to join her on the sidewalk. In less than a second she was wrapped in his arms, his mouth finding hers, and she swooned. She leaned into his strong hold and gave in to his overwhelming prowess. Every one of her senses obeyed his silent commands, and she was sure she heard herself purr from somewhere deep within.
“I’m sorry, I couldn't pretend any longer,” he said when he finally pulled away, stroking her cheek gently before guiding her inside the limo, where Tina was sitting in stunned silence.
“Hello again,” Cassie said, enjoying watching her squirm.
Leo gave her a knowing smile. “Cassie, this is Tina, my assistant. I employ her because she is meticulous, insanely clever, and her business instincts are fantastic. Her manners, on the other hand, leave something to be desired. I know she would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the way she spoke with you earlier, especially after I expressly insisted she remain polite with the staff.”
Tina snapped back to reality, looking down at her feet. Her entire body language was different than she had been at the party. Her demeanor was now timid and even scared. Cassie quickly began enjoying this much less than she had earlier.
“I’m sorry, I was stressing about one of the clients’ dietary needs, but I know it’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way, Miss Taylor. Please accept by sincerest apologies,” Tina said, not looking at Leo as she stared past him toward Cassie.
“You’re forgiven, of course. I purposely forgot the ice because I was being bitchy. I wanted to know who you were, so I thought I’d wind you up and see who you went running to. Let’s hear no more about it. As far as I’m concerned, the matter is closed.” Cassie hoped Leo would see they were both to blame and move on from the issue, but she could still sense that he was angry. “So, your place or mine?” Cassie asked him, trying to pull his attention to her, and it seemed to work. Leo smiled and held her cheeks in his hands, his face softening a little bit at a time.
“Yours, I can’t take you to mine yet. Not until you’re ready,” he replied, and she knew he meant until she was ready to have sex. She grinned back at him, nodding in understanding, and he kissed the tip of her nose. Leo gave
the details to his driver and they made their way toward her apartment in silence, their hands entwined and their lips locked for the duration, while Tina sat in silence beside them.
Chapter 14
Leo spent the night with Cassie again, their bodies tangled together on the bed and their mouths never far from one another’s. He left the next morning, having enjoyed her delicate mouth on his body as she slid it up and down his hard cock again, but he felt far from satisfied.
When Tina greeted him at the door of his mansion, her usual coolness exuding from her as she welcomed her boss, he immediately asked her to procure him a distraction for the afternoon. He was annoyed his resolve hadn’t lasted long, but it was too difficult. This was all very new to Leo, and he couldn't just switch off those old urges the way his heart wanted him to.
“No Cyrene’s girls, though,” he insisted, knowing it might get back to Cassie if he fucked one of her previous colleagues or someone who knew Hanna. He didn’t want to have a row with her so early in their relationship over sex, but his patience was wearing thin, and he knew he would press the issue soon if he didn’t have his release.
“Of course. You’re free from noon until three o’clock. Shall I have someone ready?” Tina asked, maintaining her business-like demeanor. She had worked for Leo for a long time, and he trusted her to do everything he asked with professionalism and respect. The pair of them had attended college together long before he began his ascent to drug-lordliness, and had stayed together ever since. They had never been intimate, and never would be.