by Noelle Adams
Speeding off into the night he looked down at the take out container as if it were Plutonium. It was a simple gesture; one that just showed her kindness. Switching his focus between the container and the road Adam had a feeling that he’d left Cassie’s tonight with more than just another meal.
He might have actually left there with the ice around his heart starting to melt.
Four
The room was done in massive amounts of greens and gold’s and when Cassie was done with it. The guests would feel as if they’d wandered through the mountains of North Carolina amidst the fall foliage. It was magical to look at. Though Cassie had not seen Adam since their impromptu dinner the week before, she knew he was going to be pleased with the results.
With one last look around, she noticed Katie coming towards her. “Any problems?”
“None,” Katie said with a smile.
“That’s what I like to hear.” Feeling confident, she walked the room one last time and felt satisfied that she had done all that she could for the day. Taking the elevator up to the tenth floor, Cassie found Grace sitting at her desk, smiled, and waved as she approached.
“Are we ready?” she asked giddily.
“As we’ll ever be,” Cassie confirmed. “I just did a final walk through and the room looks amazing.”
“You are impressive. I bow to the master.” With great fanfare, Grace did an over the top bow and both women started to laugh.
And immediately stopped when Adam stepped out of his office.
Grace immediately sat back down in her seat and pretended to get back to work, straightening stacks of paper for effect and said in a clipped professional tone, “Thank you for the update, Miss Jacobs.” Cassie thanked her for her time, and turned to leave.
“Cassandra?” Adam called after her. “May I speak with you for a moment?” He was careful to stay respectful and courteous just as he told her he would.
Cassie followed him into his office and immediately gave him an update on the event status. He smiled with pleasure. Adam never had a doubt that she would pull it all together, making it look beautiful and professional. That’s what he paid her for. No, what he wanted right now wasn’t so much an update on the retreat as much as to just talk with her.
But in the end he had to remember his initial plan. Cassie had crossed a line with him and while he couldn’t outright fire her like he’d wanted to – not with their parents’ newfound engagement – he had to find a way to end their business arrangement that didn’t have him looking like the bad guy. It was just taking a bit longer to figure out how exactly he was going to accomplish that.
“If you’d like to come down to the ball room, I’d be more than happy to give you the tour.”
“I trust you,” he replied smoothly. “I’m sure it will look exactly as you promised and my staff will be thoroughly impressed. I have every confidence in you.”
His words shouldn’t have made her feel all gushy inside, but they did. The man never praised anyone and lately, he’d been doing that a lot to her.
“I…um…I tweaked the menu a bit,” she began nervously, almost afraid to broach the subject that had nearly ended their working relationship. “I added…”
Adam cut her off. Holding up his hand to stop her words, he said, “I’m sure that whatever it is, it’ll be wonderful.”
She stood there in front of his desk, taking in the sight of the man in the perfectly fitted Italian suit, not a hair out of place, his deep brown eyes serious and longed for the more carefree, relaxed man she’d dined with.
Oh, well; another time, another place. He was the CEO of a major international security corporation; this was the image that was most fitting for him. With the upcoming wedding of their parents, Cassie was sure that she’d get to see him looking a lot more relaxed and at ease but right now all she wanted to do was to lean over the desk, rip off his tie and run her fingers through his hair, messing it up.
What the…?
As if reading her mind, Adam gave her an equally thorough look and smiled a truly sexy smile that had Cassie stammering and wishing him a good night as she walked out the door, telling him that she was needed downstairs. Maybe he believed her, maybe he didn’t but right now all she knew was that this new footing they were on was way more confusing and arousing than it ever was.
With a quick wave to Grace, Cassie raced for the elevator and didn’t breathe with any ease until the doors closed and she was safely on her way to the main floor headed for the doors that would take her outside. She needed fresh air; she needed to be out of this building and to focus on the job, not the man.
Easier said than done.
By the time five o’clock rolled around on Friday evening, Cassie was in full-blown work mode. The room looked stunning and guests were beginning to arrive. She spotted Adam and Grace by the door greeting everyone as they came in.
Within fifteen minutes, hors d’oeuvres were being passed butler style by tuxedoed servers along with champagne. The bar was serving mixed drinks and by five-thirty bread and field greens salad were being placed at all one hundred seats. Cassie stood back in the kitchen and watched every tray that left for the ballroom to make sure they met her standards. Her staff worked quietly and efficiently. By the time Adam took the stage at 7:30, tables were cleared, and the kitchen was being cleaned, packed up from dessert, and fresh coffee was making the rounds.
It was only then that Cassie allowed herself to actually sit down for five minutes to catch her own breath. Katie put a plate of food in front of her but she merely picked at it. She felt the twinge that she hoped wouldn’t hit tonight and quietly made her way to the storage closet where she’d placed her purse earlier. Knowing her sister well, Katie followed.
“Are you okay?”
Cassie took a deep breath. “Hopefully I will be in a few minutes.” She swallowed the pill with some water and went back out to the kitchen to try and eat a bit more. The pain killer seemed to work better on a full stomach.
“Look, we’ve got this under control. I know the breakdown and set-up routine as well as you. Go home and rest, please, Cass.”
Shaking her head, she refused to leave. This was an important event - one that she had fought with Adam over - and she was determined to see it through to the end. An hour later Cassie heard the round of applause and knew that the presentation was over and that music would resume playing and the guests would mingle and socialize for the next ninety minutes before she could begin to clear them out and start the set up for the breakfast portion of the retreat.
There was a lot of movement and talking, the kitchen was a hot spot for activity and Cassie didn’t think that anyone would notice when she slumped against the wall, fighting against the wave of pain that hit.
Strong arms came around her before she could even comprehend that she was going down. “Cassandra? Are you alright?”
“Adam? What are you doing in the kitchen?” Even in her weakened state she felt panicked at the thought that something was wrong out in the ballroom that he felt the need to come back to the kitchen. “Is everything all right? The food…?”
“Don’t worry about the damn party. What’s going on with you?” By this point Katie had noticed what was going on and rushed over.
“Damn it, Cass!”
“How long has she been feeling like this?” he snapped at Katie.
“About an hour,” Katie sighed. “I told her to leave but she refused.”
“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not even here,” Cassie hissed. She looked up at Adam, her eyes ablaze. “You hired me to do a job and I am here to make sure that it gets done to both our satisfaction.”
“At the risk of your own health?” he snapped. The sight of her nearly fainting had sent him racing across the room. In all truth, he had come back to the kitchen, something he never did, to congratulate her on a job well done and to thank her for managing to add some of the requests he had asked for to the menu. The food had been superb and the service was top
notch. Over all he was very pleased. Now all he felt was concern for Cassie’s health, and disgust for himself, because he knew it was his fault that she was working herself so hard.
“You know nothing about my health so please spare me the dramatics, Adam.”
“Cassie, please,” Katie interrupted, “go home. I’ve got this covered. Take my car…I’ll pick it up when we bring the van back to the shop later.”
“She can’t possibly drive like this!” Adam turned to look at Katie as if she’d lost her mind. “I’ll drive her home.”
“Just a minute,” Cassie said, suddenly snapping out of her wave of pain long enough to be annoyed with Adam’s tone. “I don’t need you making arrangements for me and you can’t leave! This is your event!”
“And as such I can leave whenever I want. My presentation is done and basically if I stay, all I’ll have to deal with is people kissing up to me about my presentation. Believe me, I can live without the accolades.” With that he had her bundled into her coat, tucked against his side as they exited the kitchen. He’d left Katie in charge of getting a message to Grace about where he was going. Within minutes he had Cassie in his car and they were heading back to her apartment.
He could tell even in the dim light that she was battling between being angry at him for making her leave and true pain from her condition. Whatever she was feeling, however, she was keeping to herself, refusing to even look at him.
In fact, she didn’t utter a single word until he opened the door at the back of her building that led to the stairs to her apartment. “Thank you for getting me home. Good night.” She didn’t have enough strength to fight him when she went to shut the door in his face. He merely stepped around her, locked the door and helped her up the stairs. Cassie wanted to scream at him to leave, but she knew that there was no way that she could find the energy to do so.
Once up the stairs, Cassie kicked off her shoes as Adam took her coat from her and hung it up. Without looking at him, she walked to her bedroom, grabbed a pair of pajamas, and then went into the bathroom to change. Adam made himself busy in her kitchen. He made Cassie a cup of tea and wondered what in the hell he was supposed to do now. He had no idea how to take care of anyone and really, he didn’t want to know. He certainly had no idea what he could possibly do to help Cassie right now.
She came out of the bathroom in a pair of pink flannel pajama pants with a white tank top. Maybe she’d hoped that he’d be gone by now but he wasn’t, and he wasn’t going to leave until he knew she was alright. “I made you some tea,” he said feebly.
Cassie stopped and looked at him suspiciously. “Why?”
He shrugged. “It seemed like the thing to do.” When she made no attempt to come and get the mug he’d indicated, he spoke. “Is there something that I can get you? Something to eat? A pain killer? A heating pad?” He would never admit it out loud, but after talking with his mother about Cassie’s condition, he had actually done a little research on the Internet to learn more about it.
Cassie sighed wearily as she headed back towards her bedroom. “Actually, yes, the heating pad…it’s in the linen closet.” Adam found it and followed her into the bedroom and found her curled up in the fetal position on the bed.
He wanted to scold her and tell her how foolish she was to stay at work when she was clearly in pain, but knew that while he’d feel better getting in a rant, it wouldn’t help Cassie any. Finding an outlet, he plugged the pad in, turned it to high, and then left the room to grab the cup of tea he’d made. Adam gently placed it on the table next to her bed and heard a faint ‘thank you’.
Walking around to the opposite side of the bed, he flicked off the lamp and managed to pull the blankets down with a minimal amount of fuss from under Cassie. Next he picked up the now-warm heating pad as he knelt on the bed and reached over her trim form and placed it over her belly. She actually purred with relief.
Cassie took the pad from him and positioned it better and finally let herself relax. She was home and in her own bed and with the help of the heating pad, she would be okay. She snuggled in deeper as Adam pulled the blanket over her ever-so-gently. His consideration brought tears to her eyes that if anyone asked, she’d say were from the pain, and she most certainly didn’t want to cry in front of him.
And yet she couldn’t stop herself from turning her head to look at him. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered. “I wanted to be mad at you for taking over and making me leave, but now that I’m here, I know it’s what I needed.” Even with only the light coming through the doorway from the kitchen she could see that the expression on his face was new.
It wasn’t full of anger or arrogance, it was compassionate. It was tender. “Rest, Cassandra.”
“But…” Cassie wasn’t sure what she was going to say but as she watched Adam walk out the door she felt oddly saddened. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to stay and yet she knew that she didn’t want to be alone.
The kitchen went black and she heard the lock on her door catch. The first tear fell without warning and Cassie curled a little tighter around the heating pad. Normally she didn’t mind being alone when she was in pain like this but tonight…tonight it would have been nice to have someone stay with her until she fell asleep.
The mattress dipped behind her and before she could turn, she felt Adam’s full length behind her. “What are you…?”
“Sshh…just rest, Cassandra. Try and get some sleep; if you need anything, I’ll be right here.” He placed a strong hand on top of the heating pad and held it close to her so that she could relax her own tired grip on it and get more comfortable.
His body was warm against her back as much as the heating pad was against her front. Cassie wiggled slightly and aligned their bodies better until she found that she could barely hold her eyes open any longer. She felt secure for the first time in what seemed like forever. “Thank you…”
Her words were barely a whisper, but Adam found that they packed a powerful punch.
Five
Cassie slept deeply through the night and only moved to remove the heating pad that was getting uncomfortable. As soon as the pad was gone, Adam’s hand returned to take its place. The illuminated clock next to the bed told her that it was nearing five-thirty. Adam was stirring behind her, moving carefully so as to not disturb her.
Wanting to turn around and thank him once again, she blinked a few times but heard Adam leave the room and go into the bathroom. Maybe it would be better to just let this be. It was an awkward situation to be sure. The more Cassie thought about it, the more she realized that she needed to let it settle in her mind before actually talking to Adam about it; even if that talk was only her saying thank you again.
Adam splashed some cold water on his face to wake himself up. He was due back at the office at nine for breakfast and to start the next session of his corporate retreat. Cassie was due to cater both breakfast and lunch; but he was unsure if he should wake her up or let her sleep. Stepping out of the bathroom he looked into her room and saw that she hadn’t moved. Surely her staff could handle the breakfast. He had great confidence that Cassie’d be back for the lunch service. He grabbed his shoes and coat and walked quietly to the door.
There was an almost an inexplicable pull to go back to the bedroom, but Adam thought better of it. This could be just the situation that he needed to end this working relationship and get back on top. There was a very real possibility that Cassie was going to be embarrassed that he’d stayed the night. If she was uncomfortable enough, maybe she’d want to end their working relationship; then Adam could go about finding a new event planner and caterer who didn’t argue with him or speak to him in a way that, even now, had his temper flaring.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement on the bed and the temper faded. Cassie really hadn’t done anything that bad, Adam just did not appreciate people speaking their minds to him and disobeying his wishes, that’s all. If he were completely honest with himself, he’d agree that the e
vent had gone perfectly the night before without all of his changes, and that Cassie had done the job to his suit needs and expectations. How could he stay angry about that?
Opening the door quietly, he slipped out, and walked down the stairs realizing that he had no answers; at the bottom he nearly collided with Katie.
“Adam! What are you doing here?”
“Your sister was um…in pretty bad shape last night. I fell asleep on the couch, you know, in case she needed anything.” This was worse than coming in after curfew and getting caught by your parents.
“How is she this morning?”
Adam wished he’d gotten the hell out of here last night. It was bad enough that he’d spent the night, he didn’t feel like getting the third degree from anyone; especially not a twenty year old! “She’s still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her.” Making his excuses about needing to get home to get ready for this morning’s session, Adam left and pulled away from the shop as if his life depended on it.
Last night he was supposed to go home to tweak his speech for today and get a good night’s sleep. Instead, he’d slept in a strange bed, fully clothed while holding a very stiff and clearly miserable Cassie. He’d have to avoid her today, that’s all. Blow her off and pretend as if he hadn’t shared her bed.
A quick shower and shave back at his place had Adam feeling refreshed. He’d rehearsed his speech during the whole process and was confident in the day to come. The point of this retreat was to energize his staff for the upcoming year. The plan was to branch out into several more countries and in order to do that, his staff had to be as excited about their new products and services as he was. They needed to understand how he created the systems and how to use them. He planned on doubling his fortune.
He was prepared for the leeches to come out of the woodwork when that happened-like his father had all those years ago. Adam looked in the mirror and straightened his tie as he frowned at the thought of the man who had deserted him and his mother so many years ago and then came back when Adam had first made a name for himself in the business world. The old man had walked away from his wife and only son on the hopes of climbing the corporate ladder unhindered. It must have worked because for years, William Lawrence had led a very good, very pampered existence. Unfortunately, like most corporate mongers, he had gotten greedy, made some bad investments and lost it all. When Adam was 25 and made his first million with the L.S.S. 3.0 security system, his father had come calling… and begging.