Session 33

Chapter Sexteen

Drinking away my feelings had been a terrible idea. It left me messy—horny, sad, and now I was stuck.

Cassius’s Audi hummed as I leaned against the window, trying to get through this ride without losing my mind. Keisha was in the backseat, sucking her teeth and sighing loudly every other minute, making her irritation clear. I didn’t blame her. The whole situation was awkward.

I didn’t understand why she was even dealing with Cassius. She was gorgeous, and I was sure she could’ve had her pick of men. Yet here she was, dealing with Cassius ass, who barely paid her any attention and was disrespectful to her on top of it all.

Then the music he had on made the awkward moment even worse. Slow, sexy tracks were the soundtrack to our little disaster— Usher’s “Little Freak” eased into Prince’s “Darling Nikki,” followed by Floetry’s “Say Yes.” It felt intentional. He wanted to see me squirm, and I hated how well it was working. It didn’t help that his hand was on my thigh, and I was too weak to push it away.

By the time Miguel’s “Pussy Is Mine” came on, I was too wound up, too aware of him, and too ready for the ride to be over. The tension was unbearable, thick enough to choke on. Every nerve in my body felt exposed. I shifted in my seat, desperate for some relief, and his hand shifted with me, crawling closer to what I wanted touched. My body betrayed me, leaning into it, even though I knew better.

When we finally stopped in front of my building, I was ready to jump out of my own skin. My fingers fumbled for the door handle, my voice barely steady. “Thanks for the ride,” I mumbled.

Cassius caught my hand. “What time should I come back tomorrow to take you to get your car?” he asked, tilting his head like this was just casual conversation, like Keisha wasn’t sitting right there in the backseat.

“I’ll take an Uber,” I said quickly, my voice clipped. I needed air. I needed space.

His jaw flexed. “Why take an Uber when I can just drive you?”

“It’s fine, Cassius,” I said, yanking my hand free and shoving the door open. My legs wobbled as soon as I stood, the rush of cool air making me realize just how drunk I was.

I muttered a half-hearted goodbye to Keisha, but I didn’t even look back. My focus was on steadying myself, planting my feet firmly on the sidewalk. Before I could take more than a step, Cassius was there, sliding out of the car and catching my arm, his grip steadying me like it was second nature.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, shrugging him off.

“You’re not,” he said quietly, his voice low but leaving no room for argument. His hand lingered for a second before falling away, his eyes fixed on mine, unreadable.

I sighed. “Thanks for everything. I’ll see you.”

But he didn’t leave. He followed me, and when I got to the entrance, he slid the key card out of my hand without a word.

“I can do it myself,” I said, trying to sound annoyed, but my voice came out too soft, almost shaky.

He ignored me, sliding the card into the lock and holding the door open. “Naomi told me to get you home safe. That’s what I’m doing,” he said, that cocky smirk making me feel like I was losing control of the moment.

He watched me the entire elevator ride. Eyes burning a hole in my face.

I felt too many things at once—annoyed, flustered, confused, turned on, mad, resentful. My stomach was in knots, and my chest felt tight. Why couldn’t I just tell him to leave? Why couldn’t I just say fuck him because I knew he wasn’t good for me?

“You don’t have to babysit me, you know. I’m not a fucking child,” I said, just to have something to say. I was being petty since I couldn’t be strong.

“I know,” he said, simple and calm.

“Then why are you doing it? Why are you even here when you have her waiting for you in the car? Ain’t that your girl?”

The elevator dinged, and he stepped out first, waiting for me to lead the way. “No, and because you need me,” he said.

I wanted to scream. He was acting so fucking calm, and I was a mess.

I didn’t comment. What would be the point? We reached my door, and before I could fumble with my keys, he took them from my hand, unlocking it.

I moved past him, and my chest brushed his in the tight space. His fingers lingered as he handed back my keys, his eyes dropping to my lips like he was considering something.

He leaned in, close enough that I felt his breath. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me. My heart went crazy in my chest, but at the last second, I stepped back.

He frowned but didn’t say a word. Instead, he smirked, glancing at me like he knew exactly how I was feeling. Then he turned and walked back to the elevator.

I shut the door and leaned against it, overwhelmed. Kicking off my shoes, I sank onto the sofa, my chest tight and my eyes stinging.

Cassius was too much—too much to deal with, too much to handle. But I had already let him take up so much space in my life. Allowed him to make me want things I didn’t trust him to give me. What the fuck was I supposed to do now?