~Chapter 41~
Please enjoy it has 11000 characters and I worked for 2 hours, 8:00 PM-10:00 PM
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An hour later, after I left Sergio's room
My room looks like a small, controlled disaster. Clothes on the bed, on the chair, one hanging suspiciously on the closet door. It's like they're all looking at me and asking: you or us?
Brex wakes up just then.
"Don't dramatize," he growls from the corner of my head.
"We're going to a club, not a public execution.
"
"Shut up," I mutter, pulling a T-shirt over my head, so that when I take it off again "I'm allowed to think.
"
"You're allowed," he says, calmer.
"But there's no need to make an epic out of this. "
I look in the mirror and raise an eyebrow. I don't look bad, but I don't look good either. Not great either. Exactly... okay. And, surprisingly, that makes me smile, but strangely. I change again.
But I still don't know what to wear.
I didn't ask Emy stupidly if there was a theme. Is there?
In the bathroom, the cold water clears my head in the shower, Brex approves.
"See? Body is working. Heart is beating. No imminent danger." "Still," I say.
"Optimism, Cass. Work on optimism."
I put on my perfume, a little, not wanting to announce a presence before I enter a room. Brex sniffs imaginary.
"Acceptable. You don't smell like an existential crisis."
I go to my dressing room afterwards to get something after I wash up. Before it was just a test. Now I'm the final test.
I pull on my black pants, loose, elegant, the kind that fit well without looking like I tried too hard. My black blouse comes next, a little tight, just enough to follow my body, but without feeling trapped in it. Exactly the balance I like.
I'll leave the Louboutin sneakers for last. I look at them for a second before putting them on.
"Emy really has a problem," I murmur.
"With all the Louboutin stuff she has… the owner must know her name" I laugh when I say that
Brex immediately approves.
"Her problem is her expensive taste.
Your problem is that you look dangerous in this combination.
" He says "I really know why I chose you Cass"
I smile as I choose my accessories. A simple chain. Nothing too much. A watch, or my everyday watch, I think it's a Rolex. I got it from my grandfather before he passed away. Amen
As I'm about to turn to the mirror, I hear the door open.
Sergio enters the room without haste and suddenly stops two steps away from me.
And he falls silent.
That's the first sign.
I look at him reflexively. "What?"
He looks me up and down, slowly, without embarrassment, with a smile that gradually forms on his face.
"…God," he finally says. "Cass."
Brex purrs with satisfaction.
"Yes. That's how it's done."
"What?
" I repeat, already amused.
Sergio crosses his arms. "It's illegal to look like that and ask what else.
" He takes a step closer."Seriously. Black on black, casual, but right where it needs to be…
and with Louboutins? You look the kind of sexy who doesn't try.
And that's exactly what's dangerous. Thank Emy for the gift.
"
I feel a smile creep onto my face, involuntarily.
"You're exaggerating."
"No," he says simply.
"I'm objective."
Brex bursts out.
"I confirm.
If I were in the club and I saw you, I'd stop hunting.
"
I bite my lip, laughing. "You're stupid.
"
Sergio tilts his head, smiling. "Maybe.
But I'm not wrong. You're going to turn heads tonight.
" He raises an eyebrow. "And no, not because of the shoes. "
I turn to the mirror again. I see myself differently now.
More confident. More… better in my own skin.
"I told you," Brex murmurs. Not sad.
Not happy. Just really good."
I choose a jacket, or I glance through the ones I have, find one and pick it up, and turn to Sergio.
"Come on, sentimental counselor. Let's see if your theory works in practice.
"
He laughs. "With you? It definitely works. "
After Sergio leaves the room to say he has something else to do, I sit on the bed while I wait.
I look at my phone.
The phone stays face down. This small choice gives me a greater sense of control than it should.
I think of Theo, his laugh, the way he makes things seem easy.
Brex makes a neutral sound.
"He's stable.
I like him."
"You don't like anyone," I reply.
"I like quiet," he corrects.
From Sergio's room, music comes through the cracked door and a "Come on, Cass, we've got a little more!"
No pressure.
Just an invitation.
I get up, grab my jacket, and before I leave, I take another look in the mirror.
I'm not looking for answers. I'm just checking that it's... me.
"Tonight," Brex says, with a hint of enthusiasm, "we're having fun.
If there's confusion, we'll ignore it gracefully.
"
"Gracefully?" I laugh softly.
"Or not at all. We're flexible.
" He says "but you know today you're getting it from Ash and Niko, big guy"
I stare wide-eyed at the door.
"Damn" I say. I hope not, I hope he's not right "you're lying. Let me go"
I close the door to the room with an unexpected feeling: not explosive happiness, not heaviness. Just a good, balanced mood. Like before something that could be interesting.
And, honestly… that's enough.
"Do you have more Sergio?" I say at the door frame and wait for him.
"Now, let me take the last step," he says, and I only now see what he's wearing.
He has a black satin shirt, but it seems quite transparent so his tattoos are visible in the light, he has the same pants as me but they looked more like the ones from the suit, and the shoes...top.
And around his neck..
On his neck is the necklace I got him.
I smile
"You say I'm nicely dressed, but you... It's much, much more than that.
Are you expecting to have sex today?" I say when he puts dark glasses on his shirt.
He looks at me and a smile appears at the corner of his mouth
"I'm the bomb, Vex.
" He says and does the final touches "I'm expecting my lady today"
While I was listening to what he was saying, my phone rings, I take it out of the back and see that it's Theo.
I answer.
"Hello?", I say and go down to the living room.
"Do you have any more?", Emy says, even though it's Theo's phone.
"Now we're done, Sergio's just a little more and it's good," I say and mumble softly.
"We're going with Martha, it's better this way than if one of us doesn't drink.
We still have 5 minutes to get to you," she says and I sit down on the couch.
"BE BACK IN 5 MINUTES, BOY," I call to Sergio from downstairs.
I cough a little and say "sorry about that, did I have homework?
", I ask for the first time.
"Yes, didn't I tell you?
Sorry." She says and apologizes softly a few more times
"How was I supposed to?
" I say and put my hand over my eyes
"Well, Zaira, the girl I talked to at school, you know her for sure, anyway.
She said she was there twice, and it was only elegantly dressed people"
I put a hand on the back of my head.
"You know I don't like those kinds of places, Galli. .." I say softly.
Then Sergio comes downstairs, and Theo says he's outside so I close the door and we leave the house.
We get in the car, me in front with Martha and the others in the back.
"Oooo, how elegant are gentlemen Vex" says Theo and doesn't make us all laugh
"You're not saying anything about me, you idiot?
" Emy says loudly, sulking
"Excuse me queen, you are very beautifully dressed because you are surely bringing or sleeping with a spectacular lady just like today"
I laugh hard when Theo says this and this brings suspicions from Emy
"And you?
Why are you laughing?" He says and gets up to hit me but then Martha says
"We're done, get out you losers"
We leave after 5 minutes of Theo arguing that he has no right to make him a loser when we're from the same mother.
Thankfully, no Rossi ended up in the hospital today so that's good.
The club's door doesn't scream for attention.
That's the first thing I notice.
No aggressive neon, no blaring music outside.
Just a discreet, warmly lit logo, and two impeccably dressed bodyguards, the kind who don't have to raise their voices to be taken seriously.
"Good," Brex murmurs. It's not a smoke and oldies music trap"?? I laugh at the comment because it's strange how a werewolf knows about so-called 'Brothers' music'
The interior gradually swallows us up.
The first wave is the light.
Low, golden, reflected in smoked mirrors and matte metal.
Nothing flashy. Everything seems calculated to make you feel…
chosen, not just entered. The glossy floor, the long black marble bar, the shelves of bottles lit from behind like exhibits.
The music is there, but it doesn’t hit you. It pulsates.
A deep beat, like in the other clubs but the kind that enters your body without asking your permission.
I stop for a split second instinctively, just long enough to let my gaze glide through the space.
People are dressed well. Not forced. Loose suits, flowing dresses, black, beige, gold.
No one seems rushed. No one seems lost.
"You passed the test," Brex says.
"We don't stand out.
But we don't get lost either."
I don't get to say anything, because I'm interrupted.
I feel a hand on my back. Sergio. He doesn't push me, he just gently guides me forward, as if he knows exactly where we need to be.
Emy is already shining. Her heels click precisely on the floor, and the way she walks makes it clear that this place was made for people like her. Theo looks around with a wide smile, assessing the scene as if it were a private show.
"Elegant," he murmurs, more to me.
My breathing calms down. I don't feel the need to defend myself. I don't feel the need to impress. I feel… appropriate. As if my outfit understood the club before I did.
A waitress beckons us with her eyes, already prepared.
A corner of a black leather sofa, a low table, perfect lighting.
We sit down.
I lean my elbow on the back and let the noise envelop me.
I feel stares. Not many. But enough. Don't insist. I pass.
I come back. Just enough.
"See?
" Brex says, satisfied. "Elegance doesn't bite. Just observe."
I run my tongue over my lips, smiling briefly.
I'm not the most beautiful in the club.
I'm not the most desired.
But I'm… present. Connected. Here.
At least for them. For Emy, Theo and Sergio.
And for one evening, that's really enough.
---
I take back my words..
It's been almost an hour since I left and it's chaos.
Even though when I arrived there weren't that many people and the music was pretty light, now it's something...double.
I've lost sight of my friends since I sat down on the couch for a breath of air.
Music everywhere. Even in the bathroom.
Sweaty people, skin to skin, dancing and singing in the place where I lost the others.
Maybe I should go look for them but...
I like this silence now.
I drink from my glass of whiskey and turn my head thinking that maybe I'm lucky to see at least one of them, then, I'm spoiled by someone.
"Cassian" says the persona.
I turn back to where the voice was heard and find Colby, I smile, I signal him to come sit next to me so I can hear him better.
"Hi. Are you having fun?" He asks and drinks a beer
"Not necessarily me, but them.
.. I don't even know where he is"
"Who are you with?
" He asks and dances while taking a few more sips
"With Emy, Theo and of course, Sergio" I say a little dizzy.
Maybe those 4 glasses of whiskey really activated, better a little break
Colby stands up and holds the bottle up
"I'm going to where I find the prince, and you" he stops and points at me "Have fun, while you still can" he says and starts laughing, then gets lost among the people.
I look at where it was and think for a moment.
Is that a threat?
"It's not, it's the truth.
Enjoy your healthy ass while you still can" Brex says and I choke on my drink.
I get a few strange looks but I excuse myself, I think.
"I love my ass, Jesus" I think and light a cigarette, it seems we're allowed.
"Others love your big, bulging ass too"
"Is my ass really that big?
" I say but then I realize "Wait? HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT MY ASS LOOKS LIKE, brEX? "
I remain speechless because she didn't answer and with the thought that I have a big ass, until I turn my head and see Emy making eye contact with me and motioning for me to go to her.
The music grabs me before I can think about whether I want to or not. The beat is harder now, dirtier, livelier. It's no longer for the background, it's for the body.
Emy grabs my hand and pulls me into the ring without explanation. I don't even resist. The floor vibrates under my feet, the lights cut my field of vision into golden and red pieces.
"Finally" she says, satisfied. "Move. Don't analyze."
I don't dance elegantly. I don't even try.
It's the kind of dance that comes from the hips, from the shoulders, from the way you let the music push you back and forth. Sure, slow movements, not soft. Not feminine at all. Just… relaxed.
I feel a hand on my arm. Then on my waist. A woman, dark hair, short dress, smiles broadly without saying anything.
I answer her with a lazy smile and instinctively move closer.
My hand reaches her back, low, firm, unhurried.
"Correct," Brex approves.
"Present. No promises."
We move with each other for a few good seconds.
Warm skin, sweet scent, alcohol. There's no connection.
It's a moment. And that's enough.
Someone else approaches.
Another girl, laughing, takes my hand and puts it on her waist, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
I let out a short, serious laugh.
"That's right, Cass," I murmur to myself.
"Live."
I let them dance around me, touching their hips, their backs, their shoulders, without pulling anyone closer than necessary.
My hands know where to stay. I don't ask for anything. I just accept.
I see Theo a few feet away, his glass raised, laughing like crazy.
He nods at me, like I see you, bro. I answer him with two fingers raised and a crooked smile.
"He's fine," Brex says.
.
Sergio appears from the side, sweaty, his shirt sticking to his skin, the necklace around his neck catching the light.
He winks at me.
"Are you alive?" he shouts over the music.
"For now," I shout back, laughing.
Emy is dancing on the speaker. Obviously. Absolute queen, with the world spinning around her.
With a few girls around her, and she even has a hand on another girl's ass
When she sees me, she raises her glass in the air, triumphant. I nod in approval.
I hang out with the girls a little longer, then I pull away on my own.
I need air. A corner of myself.
"You're not lost," Brex says, calmer now.
"You just got carried away."
I run my hand through my hair, take a deep breath.
I'm dizzy, yes. But not lost. My body is warm, my head is light, my thoughts. .. surprisingly quiet.
I feel another hand on my waist and then.
"You've done too much so far" a voice says in my ear, biting my earlobe.
I turn towards the voice and it's none other than Niko.
I smile.
Unconscious
"Yeah?
What are you going to do, punish me?" I say softly and laugh in his ear.
He moves his hands lower, to my ass, and leaves them there while we don't move to the music.
"Maybe yes. Maybe no" he says, stealing my line from Spain
I'm pulled by the hair from behind and Ash gives me a kiss.
Not a sweet one.
Not a warm one.
A dominant one.
Full of desire.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you, honey," he says after the kiss that left me breathless.
He gives me another kiss, Niko squeezes my ass and makes me moan and that makes Ash enter his whole tongue in my mouth.
To work all over my house, to clean.
After what seems like an eternity, he lets go of my mouth and bites my upper lip
"Did you drink whiskey?
" He says in his tone that now seems the most exciting
"A little" I say and laugh
"I don't really think 'a little', let's watch the cameras" Niko says and I stutter without hearing clearly what he said.
I really didn't drink much.
Maybe 5... Or 6, maximum 7 glasses of whiskey and I even drank water, a glass.
I struggle to get out of their grip and I let myself go, I go to our reserved couch and sit on it happy that no one is there.
I light a cigarette, just a strain on my lungs.
Ash and Nikolai come after a while and sit on either side of me.
I take a drag on the cigarette once, twice and then Niko takes my cigarette
"Hey.
.. That's mine" I say, looking at me angrily, I fumble to get another one but Ash stops me.
"I think we better stop here, baby." He says and literally lifts me up, turns me to face him and rests my face in the crook of my neck and inhales.
I smile and giggle at the sensation.
"Does it smell good, honey?" I say softly and Ash quickly risks his head and looks at Niko who is also looking at us, a little with my cigarette in his mouth.
I steal my cigarette back when he stares at the ash and take a drag on my cigarette that was meant for me.
He tries to take it back but I stand up, and I go to the bar.
"A fruity water please, with card" I ask and pay when the water appears in front of me.
I take a big gulp, maybe this will get rid of the headache.
"Sir" the bartender says and I turn to face him
"Boss Tell me not to give you any more drinks, I told you in case you want to order alcohol" he says
I get a little angry but then it passes because I don't know who to blame for choosing this instead of me.
Ash appears next to me at the bar without saying anything.
He doesn’t touch me. He just stands close enough for me to feel his warmth.
Too close for a club. Just right for him.
Niko comes from the other side. He cuts off my retreat without haste.
I circle around him naturally, as if that was the plan all along.
“You ran away,” Ash says calmly, but his voice is anything but gentle.
I pick up my water bottle and take another sip, just to give myself time to breathe.
“I’m hydrated,” I say. “Progress.”
Niko laughs softly.
“Your hand is shaking, Cass.”
I look at her. Damn.
Ash moves closer. He lifts my chin with two fingers.
Not hard. Just enough to make me look at him.
“You looked beautiful,” he says. “And then you disappeared.”
I swallow.
“Club. Music. Whiskey. It’s not a ritual of abandonment.
”
His gaze tightens slightly. Not anger.
Control.
"Not when you disappear from our sight. "
Niko places his hand on my back, low, right where he knows I’m going to react.
He doesn’t squeeze me. Not yet.
“You’ve had enough,” he says.
“And you’re… too… naked.” he says, his tone a little higher than before
I look at myself and now I realize that my blouse, shirt-style, or shirt, I don’t know what I’ve put on.
Is it mine? Anyway, I’m wearing a black shirt now, which seems to have the first 5 buttons undone
Brex is silent. And that’s the worst sign.
Ash leans closer to my ear.
“You’re coming with us.”
It’s not a question.
I look between them for a second. Then I nod. Not because I have to. Because I want to. Logical.
He guides me away from the bar, down a darker corridor, where the music is filtered, lower. A lounge area, deep couches, warm lighting. The door closes behind us.
He takes us to a separate room with a king-size bed and locks the door with the key.
Ash gently nudges me to sit down. He stands in front of me.
Niko sits down next to me, too close.
“Breathe,” Ash says.
I do. Too consciously. “Good.” He takes off his jacket and leaves it on the back of a chair.
“Now look at me.”
I look up. His eyes are dark.
Focused. Take your time.
Niko takes my hand and holds it on my knee.
“Don’t do anything,” he says. “Just stay.”
My heart races.
“And if I can’t?”
Ash leans in. He whispers,
“Then we’ll help you.
” He runs his thumb over my lower lip. Slowly.
Deliberately. “You’re not driving tonight. ”
The air changes. Tension builds under my skin, like electricity before a storm.
Ash steps forward and says calmly,
“Come on.”
He doesn’t say where.
It doesn't say how.
But the way Niko stands up first, the way Ash reaches out to me, the way my body reacts before my mind. ..
It tells me everything.