Just Breathe (Blue #1) (16 page)

“It’s perfectly fine. Did you decide to take me up on my offer after all? I can be at your apartment in twenty minutes. I can ask my aunt to look after Arya for a bit,” he suggests in a raspy voice.

I guess that is all I was to him, just a piece of ass. At least he didn’t get what he was after to lie to me. Dar was partially right all those years ago. Lucas is a ‘Lady Killah’. It feels like he is trying to kill me because my chest hurts. I sit back down and put my head between my knees.

“No, Lucas, I didn’t decide to take you up on your offer.” I say, squeezing my knees to my temples. “Dar said we had something to discuss, and that is the
only
reason I’m calling.” I snap my head up.

“It can wait until another time. You go out and have fun tonight, love. Just promise you will be safe and let me know you made it home safe.” Lucas’ voice cracks as though I have upset him. He really has the innocent act down.

“Fine, Lucas, you have fun with Arya!” I drawl out Arya’s name and then hang up on him. He has some nerve. If he is going to lie, he should’ve at least had the decency not to bring Arya into the excuse. He even brought Dar in on his elaborate scheme to get laid.

Now the decision to push him away doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I only wish I had realized this before he drove a dagger into my heart by lying. Sure, I don’t have any solid proof, but he obviously wasn’t watching Arya at his sister’s house with all those women in the background.

The time on the TV displays 4:20 PM, so I make a mad dash for the shower. In record time, I shower, shave my legs, and apply a light dusting of makeup, leaving a few extra minutes to add the darker hues to my eyelids. It doesn’t look as pretty as when Dar does it, but it still emphasizes my blue eyes. Doing one last once-over of myself in the mirror on the bathroom door, I notice the necklace Lucas bought me around my neck. I’m such an idiot. The one time I actually fall for someone, the feelings aren’t mutual. I unhook the clasp and sling it across the bathroom as hard as I can, fighting back tears of anger.

I guess that is how karma works. Receive a promotion, lose a boyfriend. As badly as I hate to admit it, I guess Harold was right in one aspect of what he said. ‘Trust no one.’ I didn’t listen, and now I regret the day I met Lucas Daniels.

After a long frustrated sigh, I apply some shimmery peach lip-gloss, throw my cell phone into my clutch, and go out the door. There’s no room for self-pity when around the sharks of business. They will see it as a weakness and happily start circling, eventually moving in for the kill.

Just as Laura said, there is a taxi parked in front of my apartment complex. Laura’s face is smashed against the window closest to me with her hands on either side of her face. She looks like one of those car window-cling decals. Maybe I really do not know her at all. I begin to slaugh as her mouth falls open. Her eyes roam up and down my body, making me extremely self-conscious. I quickly check my outfit, hoping I wasn’t in such a rush that I forgot to put on something. Everything seems to be in its appropriate place, so I hop into the cab.

“You look amazing, Miss Thing,” Laura says as she tugs on my skin-tight plum colored dress that stops mid-thigh. “And, those shoes are to die for!” I look down and admire Dar’s shoes I borrowed from her closet. They are a simple pair of black Mary Janes with a tiny black bow on the front of the strap that arches over my instep.

“Thank you, Laura. I recently unofficially broke up with my boyfriend.” I smooth my dress and swallow hard, trying to fight back tears. “The same boyfriend who owns the bar we are going to, and you said to dress ‘risqué.’” I make air quotations with my hands. “So, I thought, what the hell? Two birds with one stone, you know? If he happens to show up, he’ll see what he is missing out on.”

“You vixen, you!” Laura’s voice raises two octaves higher than her normal gruff voice. She is becoming someone whom I could learn to call a friend. “Here is the rundown of who all will be there tonight: CEO Charles Gorman, President Noah Young, CIO Jullian Drake, CFO Gloria Benson, VP of Sales Nathan Daniels, and Lead Accountant Skylar Smith. The last two are extremely hot and single, by the way.” Laura nudges me in the side with her elbow. Brazenly winking, she says, “I’m fairly certain they will be extremely hot and bothered to see you, the new single board member.” She catcalls, and the taxi driver raises his brow at her in the rearview mirror.

“I don’t think I am ready to hop into another relationship as of right now, Laura.” I eye the driver as he awkwardly smiles at me.

“Girl, who said anything about a relationship?” She wiggles her ass in the seat. “I’m just talking about having a little fun.”

“Isn’t that fraternization?” Maybe she started drinking before she left work. People at the office joke about her keeping a flask inside her desk drawer, and perhaps the rumors are true. Subconsciously, I lean toward her and sniff. I don’t smell anything but her overabundance of floral perfume. Gag!

“Fraternization, smaternization!” She flips her wrist and then giggles. “You’ve got to learn to not be so uptight. Don’t get me wrong. I adore how seriously you take your job, but life is a different ballgame altogether.” She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and pretends she’s swinging a ball bat.

Abruptly, the cab comes to a screeching halt. “That’ll be twenty dollars, miss,” the cabbie says in a New York accent. Laura pays him and we go into The Hot Spot after secretly reading the name of the place. I’m a little excited knowing what Lucas’ hidden intentions were when he named the place.

We enter the club, and it is as if the bouncer recognizes me. He doesn’t check my ID this time. My eyes wildly scan the club for Lucas, but there’s no sign of him. Laura motions for me to join the Corporate Chain of Command table, which she informs me they call the “CCC”. It’s the same horrendous table that Lucas, Dar, and I shared during my last visit. Laura introduces me to the members of the “CCC” and proceeds to order drinks for us.

As luck would have it, Lacey is our waitress. I believe I was completely and utterly wrong earlier when I thought Laura was a thorn in my side. I forgot about loathing Lacey. That is, until I saw her name earlier. I wonder if she is whom Lucas is seeing on the side. Having zero to no interest in having fun tonight, I make the decision to ‘make my demons dance,’ as Mom used to say.

We all make meaningless chitchat back and forth to one another, skirting around the idea of my upcoming promotion. Each member at the table gives their congratulatory speech to me as I blush. The only person I can even pay attention to happens to be the VP of Sales, Nathan Daniels. His topaz eyes remind me of Lucas’, not to mention they have the same last name. I ask Nathan if he has a brother, but he shrugs it off, suddenly finding the next round of beer more interesting than my question. Actually, he has seemed distracted the entire evening and a bit uneasy when he has spoken to me.

We eight of the “CCC” table continue to slam back beer after beer, and before I know it, I lose count. I am indeed going to forget Lucas once and for all, even if it means forgetting my own name by the end of the night. I excuse myself from the table, giving some lame excuse that I have to get up early for work in the morning. Later, I remember I am off the next day since my new schedule won’t take effect until the paperwork passes through all the proper hands. Thankfully, Laura is too drunk to notice. I offer to call her a cab, but she quickly declines. She will probably be leaving with Skylar since they are…what is the term Dar has used? Mauling! After round three or four, the mauling had started, and it wasn’t pretty.

Losing my balance slightly, I fall forward into the wall adjacent to the door. A couple of arms snake around my waist. “I’ve got ya, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I’ll help you.” His muscular arms feel so good around my waist. My body assumes a mind of its own, leaving me to ride as a passenger on this drunken autopilot escapade. I watch as my fingers intertwine with this stranger’s, causing him to release a deep growl and spin me around to face him. He pulls me through the door and outside as his lips crash into mine.

“I have a boyfriend.” I say in moment of clarity and throw my hands against his chest to push him off me. Even though I am royally pissed at Lucas and I loathe the ground he walks on, I’ve never been one to cheat.

“I believe the lovely lady said she has a boyfriend. Nate! What the fuck are you doing, Bro?” Lucas thunders, and rips Nathan’s lips from mine, nearly losing his balance as he throws his brother to the ground. “Why are you even here? You were supposed to help me with Amelia’s funeral arrangements, you dick!”

Immediately, I realize Lucas really was watching Arya, and I’m the bitch who thought he was cheating. Just one time in my life, I wish I could trust someone and not jump to conclusions.

“Bro, listen here, okay? I tried to get out of this. I really did, but my dickhead boss wouldn’t let me. He said something about welcoming a new member of the team.” He solemnly nods his head in my direction. “I was trying to explain to him that our sister had passed away, but he said per company policy, we had three bereavement days. He suggested I take them during her services,” Nathan says sheepishly as he pushes Lucas off him and knocks the dirt from his suit.

“Nate, that still doesn’t explain why you were fucking making out with my girlfriend!” Lucas throws a fist in Nathan’s direction, but misses by two feet, stumbling forward. Clearly, Nathan and I aren’t the only ones who have been drinking. I notice Lucas reeks of scotch as I attempt to catch him, but his hand slips from mine. He mumbles, “Fuck,” as he pounds his fist against the ground.

“Look. Cassandra, is it?” I nod, acknowledging my name. “This really is more of a family matter, and by the smell of things, my dear brother has killed a bottle of scotch, again. Haven’t you, Big Guy?” Nathan says while placing his shoulder under Lucas’ arm for support in helping him to stand.

“That I have, but it’s actually her fault,” Lucas slurs, and I tell myself to remain calm. He is drunk. His sister has just passed away, and he just saw his brother kissing me.

“Excuse me? Please, help me to understand how it is my fault that you drank an entire bottle of scotch.” I point a finger at Lucas. My words come out of my mouth harsher than they sounded in my head.

“No, love, I wasn’t referring to you. I was talking about her.” Lucas stumbles forward as he is trying to point to the familiar-looking woman getting out of the driver’s seat of his car. Nathan catches him before he sails to the ground again. While her eyes never leave mine, Lacey saunters over to Lucas’ side at once and snakes an arm around his waist. The affection between Lacey and Lucas causes bile to rise in my throat. No, it isn’t even that. The fact Lucas allows her to do so, with a smile on his face, is the worse part.

“I think I am going to be sick.” I cover my mouth with my hand and look away from the abomination happening before me. “No, I am definitely.” Moving as fast as I can, I push past the three of them and make a dash for the side of the building. I throw my hands against the wall to help balance myself as I proceed to spill the contents of my stomach onto the concrete. I overhear Lucas saying something, and then he stumbles to my side, pulling Nathan and Lacey with him. When I am sure that I am finished, I pull myself away from the wall and straighten my now disheveled dress.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone, Cassandra? I tried to call you, over and over and over and over...”

Nathan nudges his brother. “I think she gets the idea, Lucas. How about we take a cab and get you back home?” He leaves Lucas’ side and stands in front of me.

“Listen, Nate. I didn’t have lov...er, um, Lacey, pick me up, only to leave empty-handed. So, I suggest you get the fuck out of my way!” He lunges at his older brother and manages to land a swift jab to Nathan’s right jawline, sending Nathan backward into me. I try to brace Nathan’s weight with my arms, but fail as both of us tumble to the dirt. The force of the fall makes it extremely difficult to breathe. Nathan and Lucas continue to throw sucker punches at one another while rolling off me.

I pull myself up and drum my fingers along my hips in irritation. “You two are acting like three-year-olds. Seriously? Grow the hell up!” I scream as I throw my hands skyward, taking in their new soot-covered clothing. “Nathan, please, make sure he gets home before making an even bigger ass of himself, if that is possible! And, you!” My eyes track to Lacey. “Keep your fucking STD-infested hands off him, got it?” All three stiffen in place with their mouths agape, looking at me as if I’ve grown a third head.

“Fuck you, you stupid ass bitch,” Lacey shrieks. “How does it feel to know you’re getting my sloppy-seconds, huh? You see why he came here with me, don’t you? I had to leave work to pick him up because his beloved girlfriend was too busy seducing his brother. What…A…Fucking…Slut!”

Using every ounce of self-restraint I have, I clench my fists and hold them to my side. Finding it a little more than bothersome to breathe, I don’t think a fight would be in my best interest, but hearing her call me a ‘fucking slut’ causes blind rage to course through my body. It’s what Harold called me as he raped me many years ago.

I manage to get a cheap shot across her face before either Lucas’ or Nathan’s arms are around me, pulling me away from her. “Get… Your… Hands… Off…Me!” My voice escalates with each word until I am screaming and thrashing in their arms.

“Lacey, I advise you to go home, now. You’ve caused quite enough drama for a lifetime,” Nathan says from behind me, answering my question of whose arms are around my waist. “Oh, and if you try to press charges against her, I suggest you think again. I know I can speak for my brother when I say the two of us will claim you provoked the whole thing. You do the math, sweetheart. Hell, I don’t care what you do as long as you get out of my sight!” Seems he also shares the feelings I have about Lacey. I have to stop from reducing myself to her level and sticking out my tongue at her.