Chapter 14: Chapter thirteen

Cassie POV

All three of us start walking back towards the private room when Jericho gets a call.

“Excuse me ladies, I have to take this.”

We head into the room while he stays outside on the phone.

I notice the three other waitresses aren’t in the room, which warms me a little bit. Not too much though as I know they probably will be back.

Jericho walks through the door and I notice he seems a little more frustrated than usual. I wonder over to him to see if he’s ok.

“Mr Dean.”

“Miss Knox, you don’t have to call me Mr Dean out of the office. Just call me Jericho.”

“Alright then, everything ok Jericho?” I say rather uncomfortably.

“Not really Miss Knox, that was the gentleman I was meeting here this evening. He got held up and isn’t going to be able to make it, so we have to reschedule.” He sounds exasperated as he is explaining this to me.

“Oh bummer. So, I guess we should call it a night then.” I tell him.

“No, not at all. You and Alexis stay, have fun, the nights on me. I think I will call it a night though. Busy man.” He says with a smirk.

“Are you sure?” I ask not wanting to owe him anything.

“Look Miss Knox.”

“Cassie.” I correct.

“Cassie, I know in the past I have been difficult.”

“Understatement.”

“Yes well, hopefully we can put that behind us. I want you to know that I respect you and your work ethic. And I believe that one day you will make a terrific editor.”

I’m gobsmacked.

What the actual fuck had just happened?

Am I in an alternate universe? Did Jericho Dean just give me an apology and praise at the same time in a sentence?

“I’m sorry what did you say? I didn’t quite catch that.” I reply sarcastically.

“Did you just apologize to me?”

“Don’t get used to it Miss Knox, I mean Cassie. I don’t do it often as I am rarely wrong.” He started smiling.

And just like that his smile had me entranced.

He was so fucking unbelievably handsome my down below region thought so too.

“Ok, so... Good night, Miss Knox. I will see you at work.” He said with a knowing smile.

He for sure knew what I had said to Alexis and what he was doing to me.

No doubt about it.

“Martin, make sure these lovely ladies get what they want. It’s on me.”

“Woohoo.”

And just like that the trance was broken.

Alexis was a bitch.

And she knew it.

Jericho turned, to leave.

Out of the blue, like I had no control over my body or my mouth I grabbed hold of his arm. “Err, you don’t have to go. I mean...” what did I mean.

“I mean if you want to stay with us, with me, that would be ok.”

“What the fuck are you doing Cassie?”

One half of me was questioning my question, but the other half of me was celebrating itself.

“Well, it’s about god damn time you actually grew some balls and spoke up.”

Two conflicting sides but only one side was really how I was feeling.

“Back to reality dumbass, we still haven’t heard his answer.”

I stare up at him waiting anxiously for a reply, when I realise, he was staring at me too.

I mean really staring at me.

Like he hadn’t heard the question the same way I was waiting for an answer.

“You two get a room.” Alexis giggles from inside a champagne bottle.

And yet again perfect timing as usual, the trance was broken.

Thank you very fucking much Alexis. You sure do know when to ruin a moment, I think to myself.

And within that moment Jericho clears his throat. “MmHm, I best be leaving Miss Knox, busy day and all that.

But thank you for the invitation.” He replies.

I’m still looking up at him and I know my face is displaying my disappointment.

“I understand.” Is all I can muster.

And with that, he leaves.

With the security team following close behind.

Alexis walks up to me.

“I’m sorry Cass, I don’t think before I speak or act. I’ve really put my foot in it haven’t I?”

She is now looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

She knows I hate it when she does that.

I let out a gasp.

“No, you idiot. You didn’t mess anything up. He had his chance to stay with me and he rejected it. I was wrong he obviously doesn’t feel anything for me. Wishful thinking huh?”

She flings her arm around me and brings me in close.

“Well, it’s his loss. If he can’t see how great you are then he doesn’t deserve you.”

By this time, she’s smiling at me.

I smile back. “You’re right. He doesn’t deserve me if he can’t see me.”

“That’s right.” She yells back.

“And anyway, at least one good thing came out of this night.” I say.

“And what’s that?”

“We can party as hard as we want. It’s on HIM remember.” I widen my eyes for acknowledgement.

“Oh, hell yeah.” She screams. “Let’s get this party started.”

And with that, we order the most expensive things on the club’s menu.

Champagne, Cîroc (gold flaked of course), rounds of drinks for the staff.

We even offered to pay some random woman’s tab.

We didn’t care.

We weren’t the ones paying for the night.

“Cheers, to Mr Dean.” We clinked glasses together.

“To Jericho.” I scream back.

After that last glass, the night was a bit of a blur.

I’m not a drinker.

I definitely should not have drunk as much as I did.

But what the hell.

I was living my best life.

The Next Morning

Oh Jesus, my head was on fire.

What the fuck happened last night?

So many questions.

I don’t remember a damn thing.

I got up, looked around the room and realised I was back at Alexis’s.

How the hell did I get back here?

I look over at the space next to me and realise there’s a lump under the duvet.

I start to panic.

“Who the fuck is in my bed?”

I don’t want to move just in case I wake them.

I look around the room for some kind of indication of who it is. Nothing. Crap.

I start to gently try and climb out of the bed when all of a sudden, I hear a groan. Fuck. I whisper.

Hold on a second, it’s a man. That was a man’s groan. I think to myself mid stealthy escape.

“Well duh, who else would it be?”

The nagging consciousness of myself has woke itself up and started wailing on me already.

I make the last-ditch effort to remove myself from the bed when all of a sudden the man turns over.

“Well fuck me and call me Sally, It’s Jericho.”

I stand there with my mouth wide open.

My inner self is high fiving itself.

“Way to go Cass.”

I’m still in shock.

Still standing there with my mouth wide open, now touching the floor.

“No, no, no, no, no, this cannot be happening.”

I look at him, the bed, the fact that he is topless in my bed.

“No, no way. I did not screw my boss.” I am now pacing the floors.

“Oh, but you did. You go girl.” My inner voice is now praising my actions.

“SHUT UP.” I cover my mouth quickly.

I said that out loud.

I look over towards Jericho quickly, just to make sure I haven’t woken him.

Good, he’s still asleep.

I quickly turn and run out the room to find Alexis.

To my surprise Alexis is up and coming out of the bathroom.

I shove her into her room post haste.

With a slam of her door, I turn towards her with my finger on her lips, as if to shoosh her.

She’s now looking at me with an alarmed look on her face. With my finger still on her lips she says to me. “Cass, I love you and everything but, what the hell?”

All I can make out of what she is saying is just pure gibberish. I remove my finger slowly from her lips.

“Please be quiet.” “Why?” she replies.

“Ok how can I tell you this?” I’m standing there trying to figure out the best way to tell my best friend that I have just fucked my boss and now my career and life are truly over.

Alexis is standing and staring at me expectedly, waiting for an explanation as to why I am holding her hostage in her bedroom.

“Tell me what Cass?” she snaps impatiently.

Here goes nothing....