Chapter 12: Chapter eleven

Cassie POV

I woke to him staring at me.

I let out a scream.

More a little yelp.

He just stood there like a statue.

Not moving.

Alexis came up behind him.

“It’s ok Cass. I invited him.”

I looked at her surprised.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Why?”

She looked at Jericho and then at me.

Jericho cleared his throat to cut in.

“Miss Knox don’t worry, I’m not here to snoop on you while your sleeping, I assure you.”

“I have a business meeting this evening and I thought It would be a good idea if you and Miss Winters would accompany me.”

I sat their mouth open.

Not expecting that.

I close my mouth.

“Why?”

Alexis butted in.

“Cass, it’s my fault I forgot to mention it when I called you earlier.”

“So, that’s why you wanted to go out so eagerly tonight?”

It was all starting to make sense to me now.

Jericho is still in the same spot, staring at me.

He hasn’t moved an inch.

I meet his gaze.

He’s looking at me with a look on his face that I’ve only seen in my dreams.

Alexis interrupts.

“Get ready then Cass.”

“Suddenly I don’t feel well enough to go out.” I lie.

“Oh, don’t be so boring.”

“Jericho has been kind enough to invite us to this club.”

“Let’s go.” She whines.

I hate it when she starts doing her whiny thing.

It gets on my nerves

And she knows it.

“God.”

“Ok just stop doing that whine.”

Jericho is now looking at me with a smug look on his face.

He’s just won the fight.

That’s fine, there’s no way I’m letting him win the war.

I head upstairs with Alexis on my heels.

To make sure I pick the right attire for tonight.

If I had my way…

I’d be wearing sweatpants and a jumper.

No such luck when she’s literally dressing me.

This night couldn’t get any worse.

But then again, the way Jericho was just staring at me.

Could make a girl want to be with him all night long.

It’s been about an hour.

Alexis has been dressing me and putting make-up on.

She hasn’t let me see myself in a mirror yet, which is making me nervous.

I look like a clown; I can feel it.

She’s finally finished.

She hands me a mirror.

I prepare myself to be terrified.

I look, and I am speechless.

Not to blow my own horn, but I look stunning.

Alexis has done an amazing job.

It’s simple but elegant.

Which is not what it felt like when she had me smacking my lips together and telling me not to blink while she applied eyeliner.

I’m so amazed by my reflection staring back at me.

Alexis watches me admiring myself, I catch myself.

I look over to Alexis, I smile.

“Thankyou.”

“For what? I only added to what was already there.”

I was almost in tears.

“Don’t cry, you’ll mess up my masterpiece.”

I hold back the tears.

“Cass, your beautiful. I don’t know why you hide that.”

Neither did I.

Sometimes it was easier to go unnoticed, than stand out.

I got up from Alexis’s dressing table and realised she had dressed me in a pair of black skinny jeans, a low-cut strap top that screamed look at me and a pair of gold heels.

I had to admit my boobs looked lush in the top.

My hair was in a high ponytail.

Alexis ran back into her closet and came back with a gold clutch and a black biker jacket.

I put the jacket on and looked in the mirror.

WOW… I looked sexy.

She smiled as she looked at me.

“Better go down and make sure Jericho is still here.”

Alexis said.

“Like Jericho leaving is the worst thing in the world.”

I replied sarcastically.

I followed Alexis down.

Jericho was at the bottom.

Waiting.

As he heard our footsteps, he turned towards us.

When he saw me, his mouth dropped open?

I knew I looked good, but he just confirmed it.

“Ready to go?” I ask.

“Y-y-yes” clearing his throat.

His eyes still locked on to my frame like he had never seen me before.

“Shall we?” he asks.

“We shall.” I say leading the way.

Alexis is already getting in the car with a smug grin on her face.

I knew what the grin is about.

It’s her subtle way of letting me know she was right.

And she was.

We pull up to the club and are welcomed immediately by two big beefy gangster looking guys.

Security.

One of the guys opens Jericho’s side of the door and greets him formerly.

“Evening Mr Dean, we have your private room all set up for you and your guests.”

“Right this way.”

“Thank you.” Jericho replies.

The second guy helps me and Alexis.

He leads us the way Jericho has just been led.

When I tell you, private is not the word.

I mean it was like we weren’t in a club at all.

The room clearly had soundproof walls.

I could not hear one thing coming from downstairs and that included the music which was blasting.

Anyway, the room was gorgeous no expense spared for Mr Dean and his party.

There were 4 waiters waiting eagerly to serve us.

The manager was there also.

Big smiles on his face.

He knew having someone like Jericho here was good for business.

I swear he practically ran over to shake his hand.

“Mr Dean, welcome, welcome, glad to have you here this evening.”

“My staff is at yours and your guest’s disposal for anything you need.”

“Thank you Mark I appreciate that.”

“It’s a pleasure to be in such a beautiful establishment.”

“Thank you for being able to accommodate my business meeting on such short notice.”

Jericho is being his charming self again.

The man that he is out and about.

Keeping up appearances.

“No worries, Mr Dean.”

“I am more than happy to have you here.”

‘Yeah, right, more like you’re helping yourself by having him spend ridiculous money in this shit hole.’

I think.

Martin is still talking, buttering Jericho up. I

I guess he’s used to it though.

His fame and fortune alone would have everybody froffing at the mouth.

Then add the looks…

‘DAMN’.

I can feel myself licking my lips clearly loosing myself and forgetting where I am.

Alexis is the only one staring at me.

She is giggling to herself.

She knows I’m daydreaming about Jericho.

“These are your waiters and waitresses.”

That’s when my head snaped back to reality.

I can see three women and two men dressed to impress in their sleek uniforms.

That’s not all I’m noticing.

I can see Two of the Three women looking at Jericho biting they’re lips.

I squint my eyes towards them.

They look at me weirdly.

I know he gets it all the time but at least it’s not right Infront of my face.

They start muttering to each other.

I edge towards Jericho.

Closer and closer.

So close in fact I bump into him.

“Miss Knox, are you okay?”

The waitresses are now staring at me sniggering.

“Yeah, all good, just stumbled that’s all.”

“Okay good”.

He goes right back to talking with Martin.

Alexis comes and stands right next to me.

“Smooth”.

“Shut up”. I reply aggressively.

“Why are you letting them bitches get under your skin anyway?”

“Your worth 1000 times more than them.”

“I don’t know.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Jericho is an attractive man.”

“And he’s not yours”. She replies hastily.

“I know that”.

I dart back at her with a growl in my throat.

“Just forget it.”

That moment Jericho walks over to us.

I look around.

Alexis was right.

Jericho wasn’t my MAN.

As she kindly pointed out.

I couldn’t shake this feeling.

It was horrible.

Possessive.

I needed to get out of here.

I needed air.

Without a thought.

I was out the back door of the club gasping for oxygen.

‘Jesus, what the hell?’

At least 10 minutes had gone by before I see the door to the club open ajar and Alexis’s head pops out.

“Cassie, I have been searching for you everywhere.”

“What the actual FUCK are you playing at?”

I look at her gob smacked.

“What the FUCK am I doing out here you mean.”

“Like you don’t know!”

She looks at me like she has no idea what I am referring to. Alexis then raises her eyebrows.

“Please do not tell me that you are hiding out here just because of those fucking low life waitresses are staring you down like you’re the plague and reek of poverty?”

“That’s exactly why I am standing out here freezing my ass off.”

I exclaim back to her.

She’s still staring at me like I have just said the most ridiculous thing.

“Look, Cassie, I love and adore you”

“You are my best friend.”

“And for that I apologise for what I am about to say.”

“HmmHmm.”

“Cassandra Amelia Knox, if you do not get you cute behind back in that club and show those snot ass bitches that you are a boss bitch.”

“Then we cannot be friends any longer.”

“Really?”

I look for acknowledgement.

“Really.”

“If you can’t see how balls, you are.”

“Then I can’t be friends with someone like that.”

And in that moment, I felt like I was the most baddest of bad bitches in the whole club.

“Thanks Alexis, I needed that.”

“You are welcome.”

“Now get in here.”

“Jericho is looking for you.”

I halted my steps.

“What?”

She looked at me smugly.

“Well yeah.”

“Why do you think I’m out here freezing MY ass off?”

“Oh, I don’t know maybe because you were worried about your “supposed best friend.”

I look at her.

“Oh, don’t be like that you know I love you.”

She wraps her arm in mine.

“Come on, don’t tell me that when I just told you Jericho was searching for you that your heart didn’t skip a little beat.”

“Or even jump for joy just at the thought he might care for you.”

She looks towards me.

She knows she has me.

My lips start to turn upwards into a smile.

She laughs.

“See I knew it, you love him.”

Alexis started blowing fake kisses.

“How old are you?”

“Nine.”

She abruptly stops and looks at me all serious like.

“Serious though Cass, do you love him?”

I look at her with my most serious face.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so.”

“It’s new.”

“I mean, you know how he’s treated me and how I’ve felt towards him these last few months.”

“But something’s changed and I don’t know why.”

“I wouldn’t say love, but I feel something.”

I look towards Alexis.

She looks as though she has tears in her eyes.

“That was beautiful.”

“Shut up, you dork.”

I reply to her.

As we both start laughing and head back into the club,

Alexis opens the door and we both see Jericho standing there.

We jump back and gasp at the same time.

‘Fuck’

Did he hear our conversation?

Or what I said about feeling something for him.

I look at him.

Nothing.

If he heard…

His poker face is on point.

Not one glimpse of acknowledgement.

“Ah, Miss Winters, you found her.”

He looks at me.

I shy away embarrassed.

“Yeah, would you believe she got lost on her way to the bathroom.”

Alexis lied.

“Err, yeah I erm, got turned around and got lost so I just went out the back to get some air.”

Another lie.

“Well, I am glad Miss Winters was able to find you.

“Me too.”

And that my friends was another lie.