Page 10 of Maddest Temptation

I took my time reaching him, the bright light bothered my eyes, and I used my hands to shield my sight from its assault. I heard Cassio tsk, but he said nothing else as we walked out. Cassio led me all the way to a large office I assumed belonged to the chief officer.

The chief officer was old, probably close to his sixties, with graying hair, a protruding belly, and one of those mustaches that curled at the sides. He looked like he belonged in a cartoon instead of a police station. It made me smile, but it quickly died when Cassio glared at me.

“None of this will be mentioned again, her charges will be dropped, and the paperwork will disappear,” Cassio ordered in his authoritative tone. “Do you understand?”

To my surprise—but then again, I shouldn’t have been—the chief nodded. “Yes, Boss.”

“Good.” Cassio agreed, seemingly satisfied with the chief’s answer.

“Her possessions are here, and after that, you are free to go.”

Cassio picked up my clutch and held it out to me, but it slipped through my damp fingers and fell to the floor. I reached down to grab it, but the world spun, and I grabbed the desk to keep me steady. Cursing, he reached down and picked it up for me.

“Hold it, it’s not that hard.” He offered me the clutch once more, and this time, I held it with both hands.

He gave me a quick glance before leading me toward the exit. I followed closely behind, almost stepping on the back of his black boots once or twice. The moment we stepped outside, the cold autumn air kissed my exposed skin causing me to shiver uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around myself trying to ward off the wind.

Cassio stopped, and I stood beside him, taking in a view of the parking lot, aside from the few police cars parked there, I saw a black sports car and two other ones.

I shivered again unable to control myself, but it was so damned cold outside. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Cassio was staring at me. He shook his head in what I imagined was disbelief. “Where is the rest of that thing?”

“It’s a special edition, Dolce and Gabbana,” I explained matter-of-factly.

“I don’t care what it is, Francesca, dressing like that gives men the wrong impression.”

“Now wait a minute.” I turned on him one finger raised. The nerve of this guy. That’s when I realized he wasn’t criticizing me, he was actually…concerned.

Looking at the night sky, Cassio sighed loudly and then proceeded to remove his trench coat and offered it to me. “Put this on.” I was momentarily stunned. “Unless you want to freeze, then I’ll gladly let you.”

So much for thinking he was being nice. I grabbed the coat forcefully and put it on, regretting it the moment I did. It sat comfortably over my shoulders and offered me the warmth I needed; the only problem was it smelled of him. Of citrus and sandalwood.

“Let’s go,” he said.

There was only one black sports car parked in the parking lot, and I deduced it was his. Cassio always liked his cars fancy. I ran toward it, barefoot, hurting as though I was stepping on glass. I shouldn’t have left my heels behind.

I tried opening the door, but he hadn’t unlocked it. I tried it again, but he was taking his sweet ass time in reaching the car. “Can you freaking open it?” I snapped.

Cassio slowly walked toward the driver’s side, lifted the car keys so I could see them, then made a show of pressing the button. The car beeped and its lights flashed. Again, I tugged at the handle, and it finally gave way. When I was inside, I closed the door as hard as I could muster.

“Stronzo.”

Cassio entered the moment I uttered the word. He closed the door and twisted on his seat facing me. Knowing I had made a mistake, I dug my nails into the palms of my hands and moved away from him.

“Call me that ever again and you’ll learn just what an asshole I can be,” he snapped.

“No worries, I don’t need to be reminded, I already know.”

He stared right into my eyes. His pine-green ones were cold, and it was unfair how beautiful they still were. “I should have let you rot in there,” he said to himself as he turned on the engine. “The next time, I’ll remember to forget you.”

I swallowed hard and turned away, so much for trying to rile him up. One did not simply argue with Cassio. He always had something smarter to say.

CASSIO

What a shit show.

Tonight, had not gone how I had expected it too.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

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