Chapter 14
Cassie slept like the dead.She hadn’t even gotten up to put her phone on the charger before nodding off to sleep.
After taking care of business in the bathroom, she plugged in her phone, hoping it would have enough time to charge before she had to leave, then went to take a shower. Her fingers still had a faint hint of her sex on them, which brought back memories of last night.
She’d never had phone sex before. Trent had tried to initiate it with her once when they were both home with their families over winter break, but she’d felt too self-conscious. She’d listened to him grunt and moan on the other end of the line. The whole thing had been awkward.
Last night was different. Trying to stay quiet so Brie couldn’t hear her had made what they were doing hotter. The sound of Jesse’s voice, the way he’d told her what to do, where to touch herself, had sent heat rushing to her core. And hearing the strain in his voice as he got closer to his own climax had been a total turn-on.
Cassie wondered why that was. Trent had been a perfectly nice guy. He’d treated her well. But she’d never felt the same spark with him.
Brie was already at the kitchen table when Cassie came in to get breakfast. “Morning.”
Her greeting was met with a wicked grin.
“What?”
“Sleep well?”
By the look on Brie’s face, Cassie knew she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she’d been last night.
Cassie stuck a bagel in the toaster and went to the refrigerator to get the cream cheese, avoiding looking at her best friend. She was blushing and that was the last thing she wanted Brie to see.
“Come on. It’s me.”
“I know it’s you.”
Brie waited for Cassie to bring her bagel to the table before saying anything else. “Sure you don’t want to talk about it? I’ll just listen. I promise.” Brie held up her pinky. “Pinky swear.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m good.” In truth, Cassie was still trying to wrap her head around the whole thing—what she and Jesse had done together so far and how she’d reacted to it. If someone had told her she’d be turned on by having a guy spank her, she would have told them they were nuts.
Then, last night when he told her she couldn’t come until he said so? That should’ve ticked her off. It was her body after all. But instead, she’d gritted her teeth and held back her orgasm until he’d given her permission to come. Why?
And why had it made her climax that much more intense?
She was trying to come to terms with all of it when her phone rang.
Abandoning her bagel, she ran back to her room to retrieve her phone. She swiped it off the nightstand and answered it without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Are you avoiding me?”
Cassie carried the phone back to the kitchen as she responded to her brother. “No, I’m not avoiding you. I got busy yesterday and forgot to text you back.” She cleaned up what was left of her breakfast and mouthed to Brie it was her brother on the phone. “By the way, did you tell Mom I couldn’t make it?”
“I haven’t.”
Great. That meant she was going to have to call her mom this morning.
She rinsed her plate and loaded it into the dishwasher.
“What are you doing?” Bradley asked.
“Well, it’s almost seven in the morning on a workday, which means I’m getting ready to go to work like a normal person.”
Bradley ignored her snarky comment. “How long have you known this guy you’re seeing?”
“I’m sorry, but since when is who I am or am not dating any of your business?”
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. “Since Mom gave birth to me and made me your brother.”
As irritated as she was that he was grilling her about her love life, his response was rather sweet in an overbearing kind of way. “While I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t need your input or your opinion on the men in my life.”
“There’s more than one?”
She could feel the tension through the phone. “That’s not what I meant.”
“So is it just sex?”
Cassie turned to see Brie trying hard to hold in her laughter. She was glad her best friend was finding this funny. “Bradley, I’m not discussing this with you. I’m not sure how many ways I can say it.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” With that, he hung up.
“Well, goodbye to you, too.”
Brie burst out laughing.
Cassie stuck out her tongue at her friend.
“Sorry. You know how your brother is.”
“Yes, I do. He’s an obnoxious pain in the ass.”
That only got her more laughter from Brie.
When she narrowed her eyes at her friend, Brie brought it down to a silent chuckle. “Look, Bradley is…protective. You know that. He was like this with Trent, remember? And he was barely out of high school back then.”
She didn’t need to be reminded. Bradley had shown up at her school one night and waited outside her dorm so he could meet her new boyfriend. Even though Trent had at least six inches on her brother at the time, she had no doubt Bradley would have attempted to kick Trent’s ass had he thought the man was messing with Cassie.
Luckily, she was saved from having to go any further down memory lane by the knock on the door.
“I’ll get it.” Brie was out of her seat and halfway to the door before Cassie could move a muscle. “Good morning, Mr. Masters.” Brie glanced over her shoulder. “Cassie, your boyfriend’s here.”
Cassie rolled her eyes and walked to the door.
Jesse met her gaze and smiled, his blue gaze scanning her body as if to memorize it.
Brie stepped back, allowing Jesse to come inside. “So what brings you by at this time of the morning?”
“I’m taking Cassie to work today.”
“Oh?” Brie asked, her gaze shifting to Cassie. “Big plans tonight? Should I expect you home late?”
“We’re having dinner with my parents, then Cass is spending the night at my place.” He hadn’t stopped looking at Cassie since he’d arrived. “Do you have your bag packed?”
She nodded. “It’s in my room. I’ll run and get it.”
The bag was beside her dresser. She scooped it up, turned, and bumped into Brie. “Sorry. I didn’t?—”
“You’re having dinner with his parents?”
Cassie hiked the bag higher on her shoulder. “Yeah.”
“Not that I’m not happy for you. I am. But this feels like it’s getting serious fast. Are you ready for that?”
It did feel that way. Her brother’s question, asking if it was about sex, swirled in her brain. While sex was obviously a part of it, especially considering Jesse wanted her to be his submissive, it didn’t encompass the way she felt about the man currently in her living room. He made her feel all the things she’d dreamed about feeling with a guy and then some. “Yeah. I think so.”
Brie gave her a long, hard look, then pulled Cassie into her arms for a hug. “Have fun this weekend. Call me if you need anything.”
“It’s only tonight.”
Her friend raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“You’re right. I should be prepared.”
Cassie went to her drawer and removed another pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She didn’t think she had to worry about pajamas if she was staying with Jesse, so she didn’t bother packing any. He hadn’t mentioned it, but she was guessing naked would be his preferred attire for her while she was in his bed.
“What about work on Monday?”
She took a second to think about it, then went to her closet and grabbed her garment bag. She picked out an outfit for work on Monday, put it in her garment bag, then rolled it so it would fit into her other bag. It felt like overkill, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Brie followed her back to the living room where Jesse was patiently waiting. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
Jesse took her bag and slung it over his shoulder. “It was good seeing you again, Brie.”
“You too. Make sure you take good care of my friend.”
“Always.” Jesse put a hand on the small of Cassie’s back and led her into the hallway. “Did you sleep well?”
Heat bloomed on her cheeks. “I did. You?”
“I had an excellent night’s sleep.”
They made their way to the parking garage. Jesse tossed her bag in the back seat of his Mustang, then opened the passenger door for her.
She slid into the seat and secured her seat belt. When she turned back, Jesse was there, his face inches from hers. “I didn’t get to greet you properly upstairs.” Then, before she could register what he meant, his mouth was covering hers.
He didn’t seem to be in any rush. His tongue played with hers while his hand skimmed up her leg and under her skirt. “Good girl. You remembered.”
Cassie opened her eyes, trying to grasp what he was talking about.
Jesse ran the tips of his fingers along the edge of her stockings. “I was wondering if I’d have to punish you.”
Visions of her over his lap again came to mind and she was once again shocked at how her body reacted. She licked her lips, hoping his hand would continue upward even knowing they didn’t have time to fool around.
He grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “We need to get to work. I promise I’ll reward your obedience later.”
Removing his hand, he backed away and closed her door.
She tried to put what he’d said out of her mind as they headed toward the office. They had a full day of work ahead of them, then dinner with his parents. It would be a while before they’d have any significant time alone.
Jesse parked his car and helped her from the vehicle. As soon as her feet were on the pavement, he released her, shifting into work mode. “Are you free for lunch?”
“Your dad has a meeting and he’s asked me to take notes.”
He nodded, resigned, and pushed the button to summon the elevator.
* * *
After seeing Cassie to her desk, Jesse made his way to the third floor. He was passing by the break room on the way to his office when he heard two women talking. “You have to wonder if she’s doing both of them.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never noticed anything weird with them or anything.”
“Things change. I mean it’s job security, I suppose.”
Even though they didn’t say any names, Jesse knew they had to be talking about Cassie. He turned on his heel and made a beeline for the break room.
All the chatter stopped as soon as he entered. The two women looked at him. “Morning, Mr. Masters.”
He nodded in acknowledgment. “Christine. Sandy.”
Christine looked down at her mug of coffee, but Sandy didn’t have any such shame. “Any plans for the weekend?”
Jesse poured himself some coffee and added a packet of sugar. “Not really.” He took a sip of his coffee. There was no way he was sharing personal details of his life with these women. “I need to get to my office. You ladies should be heading to your desks, too.”
“Of course,” Sandy said with a saccharine sweet smile.
He took another drink from his cup and strolled out of the room. He was going to have to keep an eye on those two. This was the second time he’d caught them gossiping about his relationship. Technically, they’d been gossiping about Cassie this time, but their conversation hadn’t spoken highly of him or his father.
His assistant was already at her desk when he got there. “Good morning, Mr. Masters.”
“Good morning. Could you join me in my office?”
Stephanie stood and followed him inside.
“Close the door.”
Stephanie did as he asked, then turned to face him.
“What can you tell me about Christine and Sandy.”
“Christine Johnson?”
“Tall. Dark Hair. Wears red lipstick all the time.”
Stephanie nodded. “Christine Johnson. She’s been working here for about a year. Decent worker. Doesn’t call off much. Her team lead seems to think highly of her. Why? Is there a problem?”
Instead of answering her, he asked another question. “What about Sandy? I think her last name is Green. Around my age. Blond hair. Usually wears it in a bun.”
“Um. She’s been here a while. At least three years. She’s quiet. I don’t know much about her to be honest.”
She hadn’t been quiet this morning in the break room. “Let me know if you hear anything, okay?”
“Sure.” Stephanie paused. “Did you need anything else?”
“Yeah. Can you bring me the Campbell files? I want to look over them again.”
“Will do.”
As soon as he was alone, Jesse logged into human resources and searched for Sandy Green and Christine Johnson. One of the advantages of his position was he had full access to all employee files.
It didn’t take him long to read over their files. There wasn’t much beyond the basics found in any employee file. Name, date of birth, hire date, work history. There weren’t any write-ups for either of them. On paper, they seemed to come to work, do their jobs, and go home. They didn’t excel, but they did their jobs without much supervision.
Jesse logged out of HR and pulled up his email. He was clearing out his inbox when there was a knock on his office door. “Enter.”
Stephanie walked in with a stack of papers in her hand. “The files you asked for.”
“Thanks.” He took the papers and placed them on his desk. “I think that’s all I need for now.”
She smiled and left his office, closing the door behind her even though he hadn’t asked her to. Stephanie was a good assistant, and he was lucky to have her. He hadn’t discussed the mess he’d found in one of their biggest accounts files, but she’d picked up on the fact something was wrong.
It only took him an hour to find what he was looking for in the Campbell files. He cross-referenced them with what had been processed for payment and sure enough, they were different. Not by a lot, but enough that if the same error occurred repeatedly, it would add up to a significant amount of money.
This was the fifth account where he’d found a similar error, and he still had at least twenty more he wanted to go over. He scanned the relevant documents and printed off the corresponding report, then tucked them in a file in the bottom drawer of his desk.
His father needed to know about this as soon as possible. He’d found too many inconsistencies for it to be a coincidence. The whole reason the previous manager and his assistant had been let go was due to accounting errors, but this didn’t feel like an accounting error to him. This felt deliberate.
After spending the rest of his day crunching numbers and rechecking the work of his managers, Jesse was ready for a more relaxing evening. He would have loved to spend a quiet night at home with Cassie, but his mother would have his head if he called and canceled.
Cassie was at her desk when he walked off the elevator. Her head came up when she heard his footsteps, and a smile graced her face when she saw him.
Warmth spread through his chest as he came to a stop in front of her desk. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She pressed her lips together as if she were trying to keep a secret.
“Ready for tonight?” His dad’s voice startled him. He’d been so focused on Cassie, he hadn’t noticed his dad coming out of his office.
“For dinner?” he asked.
His dad chuckled. “Yeah.”
“Sure. We’ll see you at the house.”
Blake Masters nodded, fixing the collar on his jacket before picking up his briefcase. “Don’t be late.”
They watched as his dad strolled toward the elevator, leaving them alone.
He waited for Cassie to gather her things. They walked to the elevator, encountering a few sideways glances, but it was less than before.
She glanced up at him as they waited. “How was your day?”
“Long.”
She chuckled. “That bad, huh?”
“T.G.I.F.”
The elevator stopped on every floor, gaining riders each time. By the time they reached the parking garage, the elevator was full. They were pressed together like sardines. Cassie kept brushing the back of her hand against his and it took discipline to keep his hands to himself. After the day he’d had, there was nothing he wanted more than to touch her.
When the doors opened, everyone flooded out, scattering to their cars. For once, no one spared them any glances. Their coworkers were in too much of a hurry to get home.
As soon as they were in his vehicle, he reached for her hand. “Were you able to talk to your mom?”
“Yeah.” Her response wasn’t encouraging.
“What did you end up telling her?”
“That I’d been invited to dinner at my boss’s house.”
He glanced over at her, raising a questioning eyebrow. “So she thinks you have a business engagement tonight at your boss’s house?”
“Kinda.” She looked guilty.
“You know you’re going to have to tell them sooner or later. Why wait?”
She sighed. “I don’t know.” She bit the side of her lip. “Okay. I do know. My brother can be a royal pain in the ass. He doesn’t really do relationships, but yet always has to be up in mine. My mom will ask a ton of questions and insist I invite you over for dinner. And my dad…well, he’ll want to see if you’re good enough for his little girl even though I’m twenty-seven.”
He took in what she said. And what she didn’t say. “What about your youngest brother. James?”
Cassie shrugged. “James is focused on college. He doesn’t tend to get involved in my personal life. That, and he’s more laid back than Bradley. Well, at least with most things.”
This was interesting. “What sort of things isn’t he laid back about?”
“He’s a big fitness buff. Goes to competitions. He takes working out and nutrition very seriously. And school, of course.”
“Well, if we survive tonight, why don’t we plan to have dinner with your family the next time your brother is in town?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“Something the matter?” Jesse was beginning to think she may not want him to meet her family and that would be a problem.
“No.”
Jesse turned into his parents’ driveway and stopped at the gate. After entering his code, the iron gate opened, allowing them to pass. “Do you not see our relationship lasting long term?”
His parents’ house came into view. He’d been looking forward to introducing Cassie to his mom as his girlfriend, but now he was beginning to have second thoughts. Did she see him as temporary?
He pulled up in front of the house and put the car in park before turning to face her.
Cassie unbuckled her seat belt and shifted so she was looking at him. She brought a hand up to trace the outline of his lips. “I wouldn’t have slept with you if I didn’t.”
Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her palm. He wanted to ask her more questions, get to the bottom of why she didn’t want him to meet her family, but he knew they wouldn’t be alone for long. “I want to talk more about this later, but if we don’t get inside soon, my mom will come out.”
She nodded, seeming to accept that they’d be revisiting the subject.
He kissed her palm again and opened his door. His parents were waiting. Everything else would have to be put on hold.