Page 78 of Company Ink

"Really?Youwant to dance?" I ask hesitantly.

Blake shrugs. "Might help take your mind off of whatever's causing that little wrinkle on your forehead."

I gasp, slapping my hand over my face. "What?" Oh my God, Adrian is literally aging me.

"I'm kidding," he chuckles, handing me my drink. "You look lovely."

I roll my eyes and take the shot of vodka. "Okay, let's dance."

The next hour flies by faster than I anticipate. After a few dances with Blake, I take the stage to wrap up the night with the silent auction. All the proceeds from the auction will go to The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, an idea Blake actually had during one of our meetings. With a few lingering drops of alcohol in my system, I manage to sound perky and enthusiastic as I auction off vacations, jewelry, art, and other miscellaneous items.

By the time I'm finished, my throat is dry and I'm thoroughly exhausted. Hosting is hard.

"You were fantastic, Cassandra," Blake says, helping me off the stage. "We managed to raise over $75,000 tonight. Incredible."

I suppress a yawn. "That's amazing."

"Are you ready to go home?" he asks, leading us back to our table.

I grab my shawl and wrap it around my body. "Are we allowed to leave before the guests?"

Blake laughs. "I'm the boss, Cassandra, I can leave whenever I want. The night is winding down, we've talked to virtually every person here, I think we can slip out."

I bite my lip. "I think I want to walk home. Your car, though quite cool, honestly scares the shit out of me."

"It's late, Cassandra, you should let me drive you."

"I'll be fine, it's only seven blocks, right?" I collect my purse off the table.

"I'll walk you then," he says firmly.

"You don't have to, it's fine."

"I insist." Blake holds out his arm. "Wouldn't want you crashing into any strangers now would I?"

I narrow my eyes. He's referring to the day Stella died. "You crashed into me!"

Blake laughs. "We can argue about it on the way. Let's go."

The fresh air fills my lungs as we walk slowly back to my condo. Blake recaps the conversations he had with our clients. Apparently, Mr. Wagner is a huge fan of mine. I guess getting Blake's car towed ended up paying off. We stop in front of my apartment after a little over ten minutes. I can't wait to get inside and take off these heels. Although beautiful, these shoes were evidently crafted by the hands of Satan.

"Well, I guess this is it," I say. "Thanks for walking me."

"Thankyoufor hosting the best Client Appreciation Night we've probably ever had. My father will be thrilled to hear how successful it was."

"The best? Really?"

"That's what everyone was saying," he grins. "Well, goodnight, Cassandra." Blake reaches for my hand and brings it up to his lips, placing a soft kiss on my skin. "I had a lot of fun with you."

A warm sensation spreads throughout my body as he lets go. "I did too. Goodnight, Blake."

I turn around and head inside. Mr. Hyatt opens the door for me. "Welcome back, Miss Carrington," he says. "Looks like you had a good night."

I smile at our precious doorman. "Yeah, I guess I did."

When I get up to my floor, there's a package sitting outside my front door. I scoop it up and bring it inside. As soon as I open the parcel, I frown. It's the shoes Adrian got for me. I toss them to the side and head straight to bed, not bothering to take off my make-up or dress.

That night I dream in black and white.

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