Page 31 of Company Ink

The cab comes to a halt and I open my eyes. We're parked outside of my condo. I reach for the door handle at supersonic speed.

"See you on Monday, Miss Carrington," Adrian sings menacingly slowly. "We have lots to discuss."

I scramble to get out of the cab and bolt through the front doors. When I'm inside my apartment I flop down on my bed and reach for my makeup removing wipes. What the fuck happened tonight? What did I get myself into? The line has been crossed. No, the line has been fucking destroyed. I close one eye, scrolling through my phone. Huh, he actually used the correct heart emoji when he texted Monique.

Just as I'm about to turn my side light off my phone vibrates.

Adrian: There's no going back now, Cassie. You've opened Pandora's box

I sit up against my headboard. Holy fucking shit. He's never texted my personal number before, only my work cell. What have I done? Oh no... this is bad. My thumbs begin typing before my brain can register what I'm writing.

Cassie: Close that shit

That was a bit aggressive. I bite my lip, watching the text bubble ebb and flow.

Adrian: Hah, are you scared?

I scoff. Scared? Pfft.

Cassie: No

Adrian: You should be. Goodnight, Cassie. Sweet dreams

What. The. Fuck.This is not happening right now. What am I going to do?

I slam my phone on my nightstand and flip the covers over my head, forcing myself to sleep. I'm dizzy and tired and so fucking confused.

thirteen

gift of distance

"So, you're not moving out right away?" I ask Monique for the umpteenth time, holding a post-workout coffee in my hand. Monique dragged me out of bed at 10 am like a psycho and forced me to sweat out my hangover; a difficult feat when your thighs and feet are sore from overexerting yourself on the dance floor.

"No, not until after the wedding," Monique repeats herself calmly, passing me a croissant.

"And the wedding is...?" I ask, dreading to hear the answer. Most of our conversation this morning has focused on Matt's perfectly sweet proposal, but now that the fluffy topics have all been covered, we're forced to discuss the logistical effects of her impending nuptials.

Monique bites her lip. "We're thinking July."

I almost choke on my coffee. "July?! That's less than two months away! Don't you need more time to plan a wedding?" I pause, my eyes widening in realization. "Oh my God! Are you pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" Monique covers her mouth as she laughs. "Cassie, if I was pregnant, I wouldn't have had seven cocktails last night."

"Oh, right." I suck on my teeth. "Well, what's the rush then? You've only been dating Matt for a year. Doesn't that seem...too soon?"

Monique sighs. "We love each other, Cass. We want to get married and start our lives together. Matt wants to buy a house soon and the market is really good right now. His realtor said that the prices will keep going down until mid-summer."

I sit there and listen to my best friend talk about her future plans, with her future husband, in their future three-bedroom house in the suburbs. When did Monique suddenly become an adult? When were all these plans made? She's only twenty-four...that's still young, right? I sip on my coffee as Monique recounts her five-year plan. Five years? She has the next five years planned out?! I don't even know what I'm going to do in the next five minutes, let alone five years!

"By the way," Monique interjects my inner freak out. "Carson said he had a good time with you. Do you think you want to see him again?"

"He did? Really? I find that hard to believe. We don't have anything in common, like at all."

"Well, he seems to think you had a connection." Monique shrugs. "I take it you're not interested in seeing him again?"

"Romantically? No, not really. I mean I'm sure he's a great guy, but I felt zero chemistry." Compared to the spicy hallway peep show Adrian and I put on for all of Mamba to see, my time with Carson was equivalent to low-fat mayonnaise.

Fucking hell.Adrian.Why did I have to go and be all flirty and pushy and suggestive with him? Do I want him? Yes.ShouldI want him? Fuck no. Will Monique be incredibly disappointed if I start screwing my boss and eventually get fired? Most likely. I gotta tell her about last night though. I can't lie to her.

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