6. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Avery
Seeing Cass walking toward me through the train station sends a surge of happiness though me and I can’t contain my wide smile. When she sees me, her face lights up in a big grin and she runs the last several feet toward me, arms outstretched. She doesn’t hold back, smacking into me with full force, nearly knocking me over. I laugh as I hug her tightly to me, feeling so genuinely happy to see her that my eyes prick with tears. I fight them off, managing not to start blubbering in the middle of the busy train station during the evening rush.
“I missed you,” I whisper.
“Me, too.”
She pulls back, her hands on my shoulders as she looks me over.
“You look fucking hot,” she says, making no effort to lower her voice.
People walking by give us sidelong glances, making me laugh. Cass doesn’t seem to notice or care. That’s the thing about being friends with Cassidy Brooks. She doesn’t hold back, and she doesn’t have a filter. The only time she reigns it in is when she’s around my mother. Not that my mom has ever said anything bad about Cass. She knows how close the two of us are. Mom might not approve of Cass’s sometimes outlandish behavior, but I think, deep down, she likes her. She’s even told me how happy she is that I have a friend who’s in my corner, no matter what. Case in point, Cass just rode for four hours on a train to see me because she knew I’d need her after today.
Looping her arm through mine, she leads me toward the exit.
“Come on,” she says. “Let’s go get fucked up.”
After a quick stop at my apartment so Cass can change her clothes, we drop off my car and take a ride share to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner. Cass waits until we have our food in front of us before she starts questioning me about my visit to Elemental Ink. I’m impressed she waited this long. She’s not usually a patient person.
“Okay, tell me every detail,” she says before popping a fry into her mouth.
“There’s not much to tell,” I say. “I met him. He was nice until he found out why I was there. Then he turned into an asshole and kicked me out of his shop.”
She rolls her eyes. “Details, A. Seriously.”
“What do you want to know?”
She shrugs. “What was the shop like? Was there anyone else there? Is Corbin as hot as his picture online? What does he smell like?”
I laugh, but I can feel my face heat with a blush. Of course, Cass picks up on it immediately.
“Oh, my god. He smells delicious, doesn’t he? I knew it!”
“Shut up,” I hiss, looking around to see if people are staring at us.
“Well, you’re not telling me anything,” she says. “Don’t make me pry it out of you.”
“Fine. Just give me a second.”
I take a deep drink from my water glass. I’m stalling, I know. But I don’t know what to tell her. Corbin’s presence had been overwhelming, and I haven’t wanted to evaluate why. But this is Cass. She’s my best friend. If I can’t talk to her about it, then I can’t talk to anyone. I take a deep breath and do what I’ve been trying to avoid since I left Elemental Ink earlier today. I think about every detail of my encounter with Corbin James.
“He’s…intense,” I say. “I guess that’s the best way to describe him. He has a large presence.”
“Meaning he’s big?” Cass waggles her eyebrows at me, grinning.
I feel myself blush as I roll my eyes. “He’s tall, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I wasn’t, and you know it.”
“Will you just let me talk?”
“Fine, fine,” she says. “Go on.”
I sigh. “I can’t figure out how to explain it. It’s like he takes up all the space, all the air in the room. Not in a bad way, exactly. But when he was focused on me, it felt like he could see right through me. That’s probably why I screwed up my pitch.”
“What happened?”
I recount the entire conversation with Corbin up to the moment he threatened to call the cops.
“Did he actually call the cops?” Cass asks, eyes wide.
“No,” I say. “I left before he could. I wasn’t trying to have my name in a police report. That wouldn’t go over well at the foundation.”
She laughs. “Would it get you on the do-not-hire list? ”
“Doubtful,” I say drily. “My mother would find a way around it.”
“It sucks that Corbin turned out to be such a dick,” Cass says after a few minutes. “I was really hoping he’d see your portfolio and decide to take a chance on you.”
“Me, too,” I agree.
“Eh, fuck that guy,” she says. “You’ll find some other place to apprentice, and he’ll be sorry he missed out.”
I smile. “Thanks, Cass.”
Fuck that guy.
I ignore the little shiver that goes through my body at Cass’s words. I hadn’t been totally honest with my best friend. I’d told her everything that happened at the shop today, but I hadn’t told her how sexy Corbin had been in person. His photos online had done nothing to prepare me for the reality of his presence. He’s tall and broad-shouldered with colorful tattoos covering both arms. His dark hair is on the longer side, but his beard is neatly trimmed. His dark eyes had only added to the intensity of his presence. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to study him nearly as much as I’d wanted to before everything had gone to shit.
I also hadn’t told Cass how the simple touch of my hand on his arm had sent a jolt of awareness through me. And okay, yeah. He does smell delicious. When he’d towered over me, arms folded over his broad chest, for a split second, I’d pictured his hands on me and his large body between my legs. My hands had itched to touch more than just his arm. But I’m not going to tell any of that to Cass. She’d pounce on the idea and encourage me to go fuck his brains out, apprenticeship be damned. And I doubt that would help me get the job. Besides, I’ve already decided to avoid Corbin James for the rest of my life.
We spend nearly two hours eating and talking before we take another car to the club I picked for tonight’s outing. I’ve never been there before, but everything I’ve heard says it’s one of the most popular clubs in the city. Which means it’ll be crowded on a Friday night. That’s just what I want. Crowds of people dancing, music too loud for me to think about all that’s wrong in my life, and my best friend by my side. What more could a girl want?
The club isn’t overly crowded when we arrive, but it’s still early. I took Cass’s advice earlier and wore the red dress she'd deemed my ‘slutty dress’ two years ago when I’d bought it for a party we’d attended. At the time, I’d been hoping to impress a hot guy from one of my impressionism classes, but he’d been totally oblivious to the charms of the strappy, red garment. His loss. I’d gotten plenty of other attention that night. Most of it had been unwanted, though. Tonight however, I’m just fed up enough to welcome some attention from strangers. Besides, I’m young, hot, and single. According to Cass, this is the best time for me to make mistakes and have random hookups. Not that I’m planning to hook up with anyone tonight. But a few dances with some hot guy won’t kill me .
The line to get inside moves quickly and it’s not long before Cass and I are walking through a dark club with thumping music so loud I can feel it in my chest. I let the atmosphere and the music push all the negativity from my mind as we make our way to the bar for drinks.
“This place is perfect!” Cass says after we order. “We’re going to have the best night!”
I don’t quite share her confidence, but I give her a wide smile and hope she doesn’t notice. When the bartender returns with our drinks, Cass reaches for her card to pay. Before she can, I hear a male voice from my left speak up.
“Put it on my tab. Ladies this beautiful shouldn’t be paying for their own drinks.”
I look over to see a good-looking guy smiling down at me. His blue eyes gaze at me with undisguised appreciation and I feel my face heat.
“Thank you,” Cass says when I fail to speak up. “That’s so sweet.”
He nods. “Of course.”
“Yes, thank you,” I manage before taking a sip of my vodka cranberry.
The guy is cute, but he’s not really my type. Not that it really matters. It’s not like I’m looking for my future husband tonight. I’m just here to have a good time. I don’t plan to see anyone here again after tonight.
“What are you ladies up to tonight?” he asks .
Cass’s mouth stretches into an excited smile, and she hops up and down. “Just out celebrating. She passed the bar today!”
She shouts the last part loud enough that half the club probably heard her, even over the music. At least a dozen heads turn to look in our direction. A few people clap and some even cheer. I could kill her. I really could. She knows I hate being the center of attention. Now I’m supposed to be a fucking lawyer? What the hell? Cass used to do this back when we were in college. Except back then she’d tell people it was my birthday or that I’d just gotten engaged. Once, she told a group of guys I’d just gotten into medical school. One of them had actually been pre-med. He’d asked me for tips all night. Like I knew the secrets to getting admitted into med school? I sometimes think about that guy and wonder if my shitty advice ruined his chances to become a doctor. Did Cass’s quest for free drinks keep a future doctor from being able to find the cure for cancer? I hope not.
“Congratulations,” blue-eyes says, leaning close enough so I can hear him over the music.
“Um, thank you,” I say. “It’s not a big deal.”
His brows furrow in confusion.
“Don’t mind her,” Cass says. “She’s just modest.”
I grit my teeth and resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“Modesty isn’t a bad thing,” he says. “But you’re allowed to be proud of yourself, too. I don’t know from personal experience, but I’ve heard the bar is a big deal. ”
I nod. “Yeah, it wasn’t easy. But I’m just glad it’s behind me.”
I take another long drink from my glass to stall.
“So, if I ever get into trouble, can I call you as my lawyer?”
I bite my lip to keep from bursting into laughter.
“What kind of trouble are you thinking about?” Cass asks, pouring on the charm.
I watch as he seems to weigh out his options. I can see the exact moment when he decides to switch his focus from me to Cass. He grins down at her, a dimple flashing in his cheek. I’m amused and relieved. Maybe I won’t have to make small talk all night after all.
“I could tell you, but that would be an admission of guilt,” he says.
I’m no lawyer, but I did recently pass an imaginary bar exam, so I’m pretty sure that only counts if you’re talking to the police. But I could be wrong. Either way, I don’t correct him. Instead, I inch slowly back from the two of them, trying not to draw attention to the fact that I’m trying to sneak off.
“What’s your name?” Cass asks him.
“Damon,” he says.
“I’m Cassidy,” she says, holding out a hand.
“Nice to meet you, Cassidy,” he says, taking her hand in his.
He’s not even trying to hide his obvious interest in Cass. I almost laugh at the lack of subtlety. There’s no way he could know that he doesn’t have a shot with me or her. The truth is, neither of us are the type to hook up with a random man from a bar. Not that we haven’t done it in the past. But our wilder days are mostly behind us. Mostly.
It doesn’t take long for Damon to offer to buy us another round. We accept because, hey, we’re not going to turn down free drinks. I sip this one more slowly than I had the first. I’m starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and, despite Cass’s earlier proclamation, I don’t want to get fucked up tonight. I just want to hover somewhere between buzzed and drunk until I fall into my bed later. When Damon asks Cass to dance, she tries to turn him down, citing her need to stay with me to celebrate. I wave her off with assurances that I don’t need a babysitter. After insisting a few times, Cass relents and lets Damon lead her out onto the dance floor.
I spot an empty table in the corner and start walking toward it, carrying my drink. As I weave through the crowd, I realize I’m more buzzed than I originally thought. My heels aren’t doing anything to help matters. I should have asked for water before I left the bar. I consider going back to get some, but I’m closer to the table than the bar at this point and I just want to sit down until my head stops floating away.