Cassie (6 page)

I stared at my empty glass.

“Can I get you another?”

“No, I’ve had enough.”

“Are you alone?” he asked.

“No, I’m here with my friends. I just wanted to take a break from their chit-chat.”

“You know, I would love to take you to coffee,” he said. “I feel like we never really had a chance to talk after—you know.”

“My number hasn’t changed,” I said. “You could have called me whenever you wanted.”

His eyes sagged. “I know.”

“So, I don’t think there’s anything for us to talk about.”

“I would still love to see you.”

“I’ve been nice this long, but my politeness is wearing thin, Danny. I’ll never give you a second chance. And if your request is genuine and you want to spend time with me as a friend, I don’t want that either. You obviously have no respect for me after what you did.”

He nodded. “That’s fair.”

“So just go, please.”

Danny didn’t move.

Tony came to my side and wrapped his arm around me. The heat from his hand almost burned my skin. He came close to me, touching me possessively. I felt the intimidation leak out of him. His eyes burned with hatred. “Baby, is this guy bothering you?”

Danny moved away slightly.

“No,” I said.

Danny looked relieved.

“It didn’t look like it,” he said. He kept glaring at Danny. “Get the fuck away from her.”

A few people at the bar turned toward us.

Danny looked at him. “She said she doesn’t have a boyfriend, so you’re obviously the one bothering her.”

Tony looked at me. “You said that?”

“Well…I didn’t know what to say. Janet is here…”

Tony didn’t look pleased. “I’ll repeat myself on
e time. Get the hell away from her or I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

Danny stood up then brushed Tony’s shoulder as he passed. He turned around and looked at me. “I’ll call you.”

Tony threw a punch quicker than I could see.

Danny was on the ground, gripping his nose as the blood came out.

“What did you say?” Tony said as he stood over him.

Danny got to his feet. “Fuck you, asshole.”

“If you contact her, I’ll kill you.”

Danny left the bar. It
was quiet for a moment before people starting talking again. Tony came back to me, the look of anger still etched on his face.

“What the fuck was that about? You were going to date him?”

“No!”

“Then why would you say you’re single?”

“I already said why.”

Janet came over to us. “What was that about?”

Tony dropped his hand from my side. “Nothing.”

“But you punched—”

“Shut up, Janet.”

She flinched at the hostility in his voice.

Tony marched out of the bar without looking back.

7

I understood why Tony was mad, but I didn’t have a chance to explain myself, especially with Janet standing there. A part of me was angry at him because the incident wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t keeping our relationship a secret.

I called him a few times but he didn’t answer. I would have gone to his apartment but I didn’t know where he lived. My bad day just went from really bad to worse. I called him again. When the voicemail picked up, I left a message.

“Tony, Tyler is standing outside my door and he won’t go away. He keeps knocking and he won’t stop. I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.” I hung up.

I felt guilty for lying but I knew it would work.

In less than ten minutes, he was banging on the door. “Cassie! Are you there?” He banged his fist again.

I answered it.

He stormed inside. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Where the fuck is he?”

I shut the door and stood in front of it. “Tyler isn’t here and he never was here.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“I made it up.”

He glared at me. “You tricked me?”

“I want to explain what happened.”

Tony shook his head. “I know exactly what happened. You were picking up guys in bars while we were dating. Why would you do that? We were happy together. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Tony, shut the hell up and listen to me.”

“It looks like I don’t have a choice.”

“Danny is my ex-boyfriend.”

His eyes narrowed.

“And when he asked if I had a boyfriend, I didn’t want to say I did if I couldn’t prove it. It would
be like I was lying, and I didn’t want him to think I was saying that because I was miserable or something. So, I just said no. Of course I wasn’t going to go out with him. I was asking him to leave.”

Tony paced in front of me. “I—I didn’t know that.”

“I wish I could just be honest and tell people we are dating. That’s what I want, Tony. You’re the one stopping us from doing that. Not me. So if anyone should be upset, it’s me.”

He sighed. “You’re right.”

“I know I am.”

“We’ll talk to her soon.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Very soon,” he said.

I moved away from the door so he could leave. “Goodnight, Tony.”

“I’m not leaving.” He locked the door and came back to me.

“I don’t want you here.”

He circled his arms around me and held me to his chest. “I’m sorry.”

I stared at his chest.

His lips brushed my ear. “Baby, come on.”

“Baby?”

“Yeah.”

“That sounds like a name couples use.”

“We are a couple.”

“No we aren’t,” I said.

“I want to be one.”

I stared at him. “I’m not going to be your girlfriend. Nothing changes.”

His eyes sagged. “Cassie, I really like you. I want to be something more with you.”

“Only if you tell your sister the truth.”

He sighed. “That’s fair.”

“I know it is.”

Tony held me to his chest then ran his fingers through my hair. “This has been a really bad day.”

“It has.”

“I wish I brought your jersey over to cheer you up.”

“That would have been nice.”

He pulled away and kissed my forehead. “Can I sleep with you tonight? I miss you.”

I didn’t know what was going on anymore. I loved being with Tony. He was perfect in every way. I wanted to be in a real relationship. It seemed like he did too. “No.”

His eyes lost their light. “I said I was sorry and I meant it.”

“I don’t know anything about you.”

“What are you talking about? You know me better than anyone else.”

“I’ve never seen your apartment. I don’t know what you do for a living. You won’t tell me that you’re loaded and you keep trying to hide it from me. You won’t tell your sister about me. This isn’t real, Tony. We’re just fucking around.”

“No, we aren’t,” he said firmly. “I care about you, Cassie. This isn’t a fling.”

“Well, it seems like it is.”

“I only had sex with you because you wanted me to. I would have waited as long as you wanted.”

“That isn’t what I meant either.”

“Cassie, what do you want?”

“I want the truth. I want you to tell your sister about us and I want to know what you’re hiding. If that’s not something you can do, I want to end this—relationship—and act like it never happened.”

He sighed. “Okay.”

“What does that mean?”

“I agree to your terms.” He grabbed my face to kiss me but I pulled away.
“Fine. I guess it will have to wait.”

“Goodnight, Tony.”

“Do you want to do it together?”

I nodded.

“Tomorrow, then.”

“Okay.”

8

Tony came over the next evening.

When I opened the door, I didn’t have a smile on my face like I usually did.

He embraced me but I pulled away. “Why are you acting like this?”
he asked.

I grabbed my purse and kept my gaze averted.

“Look at me,” she snapped.

I met his gaze.

“We’re telling her the truth. I want you to kiss me and I want you to hug me when I walk through that door.”

“We haven’t told her yet.”

“I said I would.”

“You might change your mind.”

He grabbed my arm and came closer to me. “You gave me an ultimatum. If I don’t tell my sister, I lose you. That’s something I can’t afford to lose. I gamble all the time, but I never gamble more than I can afford. I can’t lose you. I can’t.”

I walked to the door and turned around.

Tony remained glued to the spot, breathing through his frustration. He came back to me a moment later. We left the building and went to Scott’s apartment on the other side of town. Tony tried to hold my hand in the cab but I pulled it away.

When we reached their door, I looked at him. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I don’t want you to lose you, Cassie.”

“Why would you?”

He sighed. “I’m afraid of what my sister is going to say. It’s not about taking our relationship public. It’s about how it might affect us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know…”

“Yes, you do.”

“I’m not a noble person. I made my money doing illegal things. She might tell you to ditch me because I’m not good enough for you.”

“Tony, do you kill people?
”

“No,” he said quickly.

“Then I don’t care what illegal things you did.”

He sighed. “My sister doesn’t feel the same way.”

“Well, I don’t care.”

“That gives me some relief.”

“Let’s get this over with.”

He knocked on the door.

Scott answered it. “Hey,” he said when he saw Tony. When he looked at me said, “Oh.”

Tony nodded.
“Janet here?”

“Yeah, come in.”

We walked inside and stood a few feet apart.

Janet came into the living room. “What are you guys doing here?”

Tony cleared his throat. “We just came by to visit.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “You already see Scott all the time. Do you really need to be with him 24/7?”

Tony ignored the comment. “Let’s sit down.”

“Okay…”

We went into the living room and took our places. When Tony sat next to me, he kept his hands to himself. I didn’t show any affection either.

Janet eyed us. “Why are both of you here?”

I said nothing, letting Tony do all the talking.

Tony looked at his sister. “I want to talk to you about something.”

“What?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s nothing wrong,” he said. “In fact, I have good news. Basically, Janet and I have been dating for a month. She and I really hit it off and we enjoy being together. The longer this has gone on, the more serious it has become. We just wanted to come clean about it.”

Janet stared at him for a long time but said nothing. Then she looked at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I asked her not to,” Tony said.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I know how protective you are. And I also know that you intentionally didn’t introduce me to your friends. I’m not sure
why but I’m sure there’s a reason.”

Janet looked at Scott. “Did you know about this?”

“No,” Tony answered. “I didn’t tell him.”

Scott looked relieved.

“And nothing you say will change our relationship,” Tony said. “All Cassie and I are asking for is your acceptance. She and I are ready to be serious and public. We don’t want to hide it anymore.”

Janet crossed her legs then uncrossed them, clearly flustered.
“A month?”

Tony nodded.

“You’ve been seeing each over for a whole month and you didn’t say anything?”

“Yes,” Tony answered.

I still hadn’t spoken but I didn’t have anything to say. It seemed like Tony could handle his sister.

“I’m upset that you didn’t tell me,” she said.

“I know,” Tony said. “And I understand why.”

She glared at him. “Have you slept together?”

Scott turned to her. “Baby, that’s none of our business.”

“Yes, we have,” Tony answered.

I felt my cheeks blush.

Janet turned her eyes on me. “I can’t believe you would date and fuck my brother without talking to me first.” The anger in her eyes was palpable. “That crosses so many lines, Cassie. You’re my best friend. I trusted you. This is just wrong.”

“Like I said, she wanted to say something but I told her not to,” Tony said. “This is entirely my fault.”

Janet shook her head. “It doesn’t excuse her behavior. She lied to me for a whole month. That’s unacceptable.”

“Janet, I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I wanted to tell you—”

“But you didn’t,” she snapped. “You fucked my brother repeatedly and didn’t say a single thing to me. You understand how much Tony
means to me. Outside of the of you and Layla, he’s my best friend.”

“I know,” I said. “And I wouldn’t hurt him. I really care about him.”

Janet shook her head. “This would be totally different if you asked me beforehand.”

“I know,” I whispered.

Tony looked mad. “Janet, shut the hell up. Cassie said she was sorry. Now get over it. She and I are together and we’re happy. You’ll have to deal with that.”

Janet glared at her brother. “I want to talk to you outside.”

“No,” he snapped. He grabbed my hand. “I’m not going anywhere without her. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say it in front of my girlfriend.”

I sighed. Tony had predicted this situation perfectly. I had no idea Janet would be so upset. I didn’t see what the fuss was about. I was her best friend. Wasn’t I the best person for her brother? Wouldn’t that be ideal?”

“Fine,” Janet said. “I don’t want you to date Cassie.”

That made my heart shatter
. I couldn’t believe she said that.

“Why?” Tony asked.

“You know why.”

“It changes nothing,” he said.

“Yes, it does,” she said. “Cassie isn’t right for you. I’m doing this to protect you.”

I felt the tears bubble under my eyes. “Why am I not good enough for him?
”

Tony looked at me and squeezed my hand. “You are, baby.”

Janet didn’t look at me. “End this relationship. If you don’t, I won’t be friends with Cassie anymore, Scott won’t be friends with you, and you and I can stop talking.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tony said, standing up.

Janet met his look with a stoic expression. “I’m being dead serious.”

“Fuck you! You’re my best friend. How can you be so selfish and act like this?”

Janet shook her head. “You know I love you. You know I have to protect you. And if that makes me lose the people I care about, then so be it. But I would do anything and everything for you. Don’t date Cassie.”

Tony stared at her incredulously. “I can’t believe you. I finally found someone I like and I’m supposed to believe she’s a greedy gold digger? That doesn’t make any sense. You wouldn’t be friends with her if that’s how she was.”

Janet ignored his comment. “If you break up, everything will go back to the way it was. I’ll still be best friends with Cassie, and our relationship won’t change. I suggest you make the right decision.”

Tony shook his head. “No.”

“Fine,” Janet said. “You can see yourself out.”

Tony’s hands started to shake. “Come on, Cassie.”

I stared at Janet without moving. “I would never hurt your brother, Janet.”

She d
idn’t look at me. “It’s nothing personal, Cassie.”

“Obviously, it is,” I said.

“Please leave my brother alone.”

“I really care about him. I don’t care about his money. I’m not using him.”

“Cassie, you hate working and you’ve always wanted to be a housewife. I know what you’re doing.”

I felt the blow slice right through my heart. “That isn’t what’s going on here.”

Janet looked away.

“Babe, let’s go,” Tony said as he grabbed my hand. He pulled me from the apartment then slammed the door shut. “I’m so sorry.”

I felt the tears fall. “I can’t believe she thinks I would ever do that.”

“Don’t let it bother you,” he said as he held me.

“How can I not?”

He kissed my tears away. “She’s being a bitch. Forget her.”

“She’s my best friend.”

“Let’s go to my apartment. It’s closer.” He took me by the hand and we left for his building. I wasn’t watching where we were going. I kept replaying the conversation in my mind. I finally found a guy I really liked. And he was my best friend’s brother. But it turned out for the worst. I couldn’t have him.

When we walked inside his apartment, I looked around. It was on the top floor of a nice building. It was huge, almost the size of my whole floor. There were windows that reached from the ceiling to the floor. Every piece of furniture looked more expensive than a car. To say it was nice was an understatement.

Tony grabbed me and kissed me. “I don’t care what my sister thinks, Cassie.”

“She’s your sister. Yes, you do.”

He shook his head. “I’m not negotiating with her.”

“And I’m not coming between you.”

He tightened his grip on my waist. “I’m not letting you go. You can run but I’ll catch you. We aren’t ending this relationship.”

“But I can’t do that to you.”

“You didn’t do anything. She’s causing all this strife.”

More tears fell down my face.

Tony looked at me. “Let’s get in the shower.”

I was too upset to argue. I was a walking zombie.

When Tony stripped off his clothes and got inside, I noticed the beauty of his physique. It normally made my veins singe with arousal, but right now I was too upset to feel anything. We both got inside and stood under the water. He held me to his chest while I cried. I hated crying and I hardly ever did it, but I was falling apart. I had to choose between my best friend and my boyfriend.

Tony placed his face against mine and kissed my tears away. He stared at me with a sad expression. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m so sorry too.”

“You did nothing wrong, Cassie.”

“I’m not with you because
of your money,” I blurted.

“I know. I never thought that.”

“I just want to make sure you realize that.”

He nodded.

After I calmed down, he turned off the shower and dried me off. His touch was gentle as he patted me down. Then he picked me up and carried me into his bedroom. It had a large king size bed in the center with a large walk in closest and a separate bathroom. When I lay on the sheets, I sighed. It was so soft.

He came beside
me and pulled the covers over us. It wasn’t that late, but neither one of us were in the mood to do anything. We were both too depressed.

“I need to uphold the second half of my bargain.”

I looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

“A few years ago, I had a girlfriend. She seemed really cool and I liked her. But I eventually realized she only wanted me for my money. That’s what she wanted all along. I was pretty hurt by it and my sister had to see me go through that. In that respect, I understand why she’s so protective of me. She doesn’t want me to go through that again. I’m not defending her. I’m just explaining.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“I started gambling when I was in college. It started off small
, but after I won a few times, I became addicted. I’ve always been obsessed with sports so I was pretty knowledgeable about everything. My small wins became bigger and bigger. Then I started playing with the big boys. My addiction only grew. I ended up making enough money that I bought the Rangers.”

“You
bought
the Rangers?”

He nodded.

“Well, that explains a lot.”

“I’m always quiet about my profession because
people want in on it, or they want money from me. So dating is really hard. I always have to act broke or like an average Joe.”

“Is that wh
y you took me to the Ranger game?”

He smiled. “I’ve always wanted a girl that loves sports, and someone who doesn’t care about fancy dinners and bullshit like that. When we went to the game you had so much fun. I could tell you didn’t care that I wasn’t taking you to the Ritz. I was immediately smitten with you. I knew you were the one for me. And when we went to dinner and you offered to pay, I was shocked. Girls never do that. I wouldn’t want you to pay, but it’s nice to be in a relationship where I know I’m not being used.”