Page 49 of Company Ink

"That's the thing!" I exclaim. "You won't run into them. They're moving to Mexico at the end of the month. Oh God, this is perfect." I bite my lip. "Okay, so how do you want to go? Car accident? Choking?" I eye him. "You're too young for a heart attack...oh...maybe someone dropped a dumbbell on your head when you were at the gym!"

Adrian's eyes widen with what looks like fear. "Can you please stop plotting my death, Cassie? You arenotkilling me."

I roll my eyes and grunt. "You're killingmeright now. This idea is foolproof! What else is there?"

"Well, if your parents are moving to Mexico in three weeks, one dinner should be enough to tide them over until they leave," he shrugs.

I narrow my eyes. "Why are you so adamant about going to dinner? You said you don't do relationships, so why do you want to pretend to be my boyfriend? Let alone in front of my parents?"

"The operative word beingpretend, Cassie," Adrian smirks. "I don't mind pretending to be in a relationship with you."

I scoff. "But not a real one, right?"

Adrian's jaw tightens. "Cassie, I am doing you a favor right now, as a friend. You should be happy I even went along with your little charade."

"Friend?" I tilt my head. "We're friends now?"

Adrian rolls his eyes. "Friends, colleagues, whatever you want to call it."

"I want to call it a bunch of bullshit," I mutter under my breath.

Adrian tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, his expression softening. "Plus, I like the idea of being able to kiss and hold you for a couple of hours,evenif it's in front of your parents."

"You're crazy," I note flatly, but wanting so badly to lean over and press my lips against his. "You can't have your cake and eat it too."

Adrian smiles, cupping my face. "Cariño, you're the one feeding me the cake. This situation is all on you."

I close my eyes, feeling drained and defeated. He's right. I brought this on myself. "Fine," I sigh. "We can go to dinner, but I swear to God Adrian, if you say or do anything that will make my dad think we're faking it, I actuallywillkill you."

"Don't worry, Cassie," Adrian says, his confidently dark eyes burrowing into mine. "I don't think I'll have a problem showing your father how much I care about you."

I narrow my eyes, his words ringing in my ears. "What does that mean?"

Does he actually care about me? To what degree? As afriend? Colleague? Or more? Everything he does and says is contradictory. Is he playing with me? Trying to break me? Trying to prove something?

Adrian stands up, holding out his hand. "It means I'm a very good actor," he says dryly, his body stiffening. "It's almost five. You can go home early if you'd like."

I take his hand, puzzled by his change in demeanor. "Okay...have a good night." I pause, nibbling on my bottom lip. "Thank you...I think."

"Goodnight, Cassie," he says, striding to his desk. "Close the door behind you."

I head back to my desk and grab my belongings, my mind swirling with anxiety, confusion, regret, and want. I glance over at Stella 2.0 and tilt my head, a small smile forming on my face. At least I have Stella Junior. A plant has never made me feel this way.

nineteen

daddy issues

"How do I look?" I do a full 180 in front of Monique who's burritoed on the couch. "Is the dress, okay?" I look at my reflection in our balcony door. This navy, long sleeve lace dress, is modest but has enough oomphto make a statement, with a sweetheart neckline, a lace scoop overlay, classic bodice, and a pleated swing skirt.

"You know you look great," Monique says, pausingHouseand propping herself up. "But I still think this is a bad idea, Cass. You know it's not too late to cancel this dinner. Just call your parents and tell them Adrian got sick or something."

"I don't think this is a good idea either," I admit, taking a seat by the island. "But Adrian was right, if I cancel, they'll just make us reschedule. I'd rather just get it over with. Like ripping off a Band-Aid."

Monique sighs. "Yeah, you're right. Meredith has always been persistent. I remember when she practically stalked us at prom just so she could meet our dates." She laughs at the memory. "And then Nathan broke up with you because he said your mom was a psycho."

"I completely forgot about that." I shake my head and pour myself a teeny tiny shot of vodka. For the nerves. "Well, at leastAdriancan't dump me seeing as we're not actually dating."

"Someone sounds bitter," Monique notes with a chuckle. "Do you actually want to date him? You barely even know him, Cass."

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