Company Ink by E.L. Lewis

n i n e t e e n

"How do I look?" I do a full 180 in front of Monique who's burritoed on the couch. "Is the dress, okay?" I look at my reflection in our balcony door. This navy, long sleeve lace dress, is modest but has enough oomph to make a statement, with a sweetheart neckline, a lace scoop overlay, classic bodice, and a pleated swing skirt.

"You know you look great," Monique says, pausing House and propping herself up. "But I still think this is a bad idea, Cass. You know it's not too late to cancel this dinner. Just call your parents and tell them Adrian got sick or something."

"I don't think this is a good idea either," I admit, taking a seat by the island. "But Adrian was right, if I cancel, they'll just make us reschedule. I'd rather just get it over with. Like ripping off a Band-Aid."

Monique sighs. "Yeah, you're right. Meredith has always been persistent. I remember when she practically stalked us at prom just so she could meet our dates." She laughs at the memory. "And then Nathan broke up with you because he said your mom was a psycho."

"I completely forgot about that." I shake my head and pour myself a teeny tiny shot of vodka. For the nerves. "Well, at least Adrian can't dump me seeing as we're not actually dating."

"Someone sounds bitter," Monique notes with a chuckle. "Do you actually want to date him? You barely even know him, Cass."

"I don't know," I answer honestly with a sigh. "Lately, I've just felt that everyone around me is moving forward and chasing their dreams and I'm just sitting here like an idiot living life day-by-day. With my parents moving and you getting married, I just feel like everything is changing."

Monique tilts her head, her gentle brown eyes full of concern. "You've always said change is good."

"Yeah, change as in trimming my hair or rearranging the living room. Not my entire life as I know it. I always thought that if anything happened, I'd have my parents to fall back on but now that they're moving, I'm going to be alone."

"You're never going to be alone, Cassie. I'm still here and so are Lucy and Ness. We'll always be here for you, you know that."

I force a smile, hoping that it reaches my eyes. "Thanks, Mon."

I know Monique believes what she's saying is true, but soon she and Matt will have kids and their priorities will change. Lucy and Ness have already been through so much that I try to avoid burdening them with my problems. Lucy works around the clock to pay for all of Ness's continuing rehabilitation sessions, and I'm sure the last thing she wants to do is play therapist to her niece, who's responsible for her child's current condition. Despite her saying it's not my fault, I know it is.

"Your phone's ringing, Cassie," Monique says, nodding towards the coffee table.

"Right." I jump off the barstool and quickly run to answer the call. "Hello?"

"It's me," Adrian says. "I'm parked outside. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute."

I hang up and slip into a pair of my favorite silver Manolo's, tossing on a light trench coat and grabbing my purse. "Wish me luck, Mon," I say, heading out the door. God knows I need it.

When I exit my building, I find Adrian standing outside his convertible, thankfully the top is up because the wind tonight is just nuts. He's wearing a black sports jacket, with a crisp white dress shirt and matching slacks; not as professional as he looks in the office, but still handsome enough to take my breath away.

"You look beautiful, Cassie," he says, his luminous eyes giving me a slow once over. "Blue's definitely your color."

"Everything's my color," I counter lightly, blushing, as he opens the passenger door for me. "But thank you."

Adrian shakes his head, an amused chuckle leaving his lips as he comes around to the driver's side. He's been in a relatively good mood all day, even at work, I just hope that it lasts all through dinner.

"Can you punch the address into the GPS?" he asks, pulling out onto the street.

"Sure, it's not too far from here. Maybe a thirty-minute drive?" I enter the address into his navigation system. "Oh, twenty-eight minutes," I read the display. "I was pretty close!"

In the corner of my eye, I catch Adrian smiling. "Is there anything I should know before I meet your parents?" he asks. "Are they going to surprise me with a Cassie-Pop-Quiz?"

I purse my lips and let out a low whimper. "They'll probably ask us where we met, our first date, blah blah blah." I inwardly cringe. "My parents are a bit overbearing—" I pause and laugh. "Which is hilarious because they're also very distant."

"Trust me, Cassie, I get it," Adrian says, his smile fading. He takes a deep breath "Well, in order for our...relationship to be believable I think it's best if we stick to half-truths. We can say we met at Havan, our first date was at Miso Bella, and we went dancing at Mamba." He faces me. "Does that sound good? If they ask any follow-up questions, I'm sure we'll be able to improvise."

"Good idea," I grin at him, memories of our kiss from Mamba swirling around my head. "Can you actually dance though?"

Adrian chuckles. "Of course, I can dance. Why else would I have been at Mamba?"

I shrug coyly. "I don't know. Maybe you were just stalking me."

"You spotted me very quickly, Cariño, that would make me a horrible stalker."

"Or an excellent one," I counter. "Maybe you were doing the whole 'hidden in plain sight' thing. Hmm?"

"You have a very active imagination," he observes with a laugh. "I'd love to see how your brain operates."

"My roommate, Monique, once told me that my brain is just a little monkey parading around playing cymbals." I wince immediately. Perhaps that's not something I should share with my boss.

"A cute monkey wearing Manolo Blahnik's'," Adrian adds with a smirk, nodding down to my feet.

"Funny," I scowl at him, furrowing my eyebrows. "Wait, how do you know these are Manolo's?" I'm having terrifying, Legally Blonde flashbacks.

"I know my Spanish designers, Cassie," Adrian clarifies casually. "Plus, they're a competitor of my family's corporation."

My eyes widen. "Your family business...is shoes? What's the name of the brand?"

"Shoes, handbags, and now accessories," Adrian sighs. "It's Cavloretta Couture."

I blink rapidly in disbelief. His family owns Cavloretta Couture?! They just went public two years ago after merging with Il Ghiaccio, one of Italy's top diamond brands.

"Your shoes cost upwards of two thousand dollars!" I exclaim. "How did I not know this?"

Adrian shrugs. "I try to distance myself from my father's business."

I press my lips into a thin line. "Do you get discounts?" I ask hesitantly.

Adrian shakes his head, laughing. "Is there something you want?"

For the rest of the drive, I talk Adrian's ear off while scrolling through the Cavloretta website. I feel like Charlie from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Adrian is my golden ticket to discounted couture and diamond earrings. I could die from how excited I am right now.

Adrian parks outside my parents faded blue Craftsman-style house. It was originally built in 1909 but has since had enough renovations to make it the architectural equivalent of Jane Fonda's face.

"Ready?" Adrian asks, taking my hand in his.

Nodding, I suck in a deep breath and squeeze his hand. "Band-Aid," I mutter to myself and we head to the front door.

Either my mother was watching the security cameras, waiting for our arrival, or the woman has a sixth sense because the front door swings open just as our feet reach the doormat.

"Cassie!" She hugs me and then looks over my shoulder. "Adrian. Thanks for coming. Come in, come in. Dinner is just about finished; all I need to do is take the biscuits out of the oven." She ushers us through the door. "Your father is in the dining room. Here—" She holds out her hand. "Let me hang up your jackets."

I wave her off. "It's fine, mom. I can hang our jackets up. Go handle the biscuit situation. We'll meet you in the dining room."

"Alright, just give me a minute and we can eat."

I hang our coats up in the front hall closet and lead Adrian into the dining room. Adrian places his hand on the small of my back and whispers, "Relax, it'll be fine. It's just dinner."

I nod as my father comes into view. Sitting at the head of the table with a book in hand, he peers over Dan Brown's latest novel and eyes the both of us. I narrow my eyes, noticing that he's lost several pounds and looks...very tanned. I guess they have been sneaking off to Mexico without telling me.

"Hi, dad!" I say as he stands up and walks towards us. "I've missed you!"

"Hi sweetie," Dad says to me, giving me a half-assed hug. "You look very nice tonight." His eyes drift to Adrian's face. "You must be the boyfriend." He holds out his hand. "I'm Richard, Cassandra's father."

Adrian shakes his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. You've raised an incredible girl," he says, stroking my back. I need to remind myself that this is all for show, and not to take anything that comes out of his mouth to heart.

"Thank you," Dad hums and then gestures for us to take our seats. "There's wine on the table. Please help yourselves."

Adrian pours us both a glass of red and I know my face is going to turn scarlet in a matter of minutes. My mom runs in from the kitchen and places the baked bread right between the dish of casserole, and fresh green salad.

"Alright, everything is here. Let's dig in." She begins to serve each of us our meals.

We manage to make small talk for ten minutes, talking about the weather and football, before my father clears his throat and puts down his fork. Fuck.

"So, Adrian," he begins slowly. "I did a little research when Meredith came home and told me that my daughter has a new boyfriend, again." Adrian stiffens beside me but doesn't interrupt. "You graduated top of your class at UW Law, work at one of Seattle's most reputable firms, and from what I saw on my security camera, have a luxury car, which means you live a certain lifestyle." Where is he going with this? "So, my only question is—" His haunting gaze bounces between us. "What is a man of your prestige doing dating my daughter?"

I choke on my noodles, my eyes alarmingly wide, my heart sinking. Holy fuck!

"Richard!" My mom exclaims.

"Stay out of this Mer," my dad holds up his hand. "I want to know because it doesn't make sense to me."

Adrian looks over to me and meets my somber expression, he snaps his head back to my father. "With all due respect, I'm not entirely sure what you mean."

My father scoffs. "Oh, come on Adrian, don't act aloof. I love my daughter, but she's not exactly the type of woman a successful lawyer like yourself would ever consider as a partner. So, tell me, how long should I expect this 'relationship' of yours to last?"

I sink lower into my chair, my heart racing. I want to tell Dad to shut up, but I stay quiet, not wanting to escalate anything.

Adrian raises an eyebrow. "And what kind of woman should I date?" he asks in a gruff tone.

Dad doesn't miss a beat. "Someone who is your equal, be that in life or in career." Dad looks at me, shaking his head. "I'm sorry Cassandra but planning little book signings for young adult authors is not exactly on the same caliber as being a lawyer."

"Richard, will you stop?!" my mom exclaims, watching my eyes well up with tears. I can't believe he's saying all this shit in front of Adrian. "You're going to make her cry."

"Meredith," my dad sighs. "She always cries."

I wipe my nose and blink back the impending tears, suddenly feeling ill. Adrian abruptly stands up, his chair scraping against the hardwood floor, my parents both stare up at him with shock plastered on their faces.

"What're you doing?!" I whisper in a panic, craning my head towards him.

"Get your jacket," he mutters firmly, shooting daggers at my father. "We're leaving."

"What? We can't just leave."

"Now!" he says through his teeth, then faces my parents. I sit there frozen, unable to move. This doesn't feel real.

Adrian's deadly gaze locks in on my father as he continues, "I refuse to sit here and listen to any more of this nonsense." My dad opens his mouth to say something, but Adrian holds up his finger. Dear God. "I understand we come from different generations, and perhaps when you were my age, it was unacceptable for people of different social standings to be involved, but it's 2020 sir, and I think character is far more important than status." Adrian looks over to me. "Let's go."

"But—" I glance over at my parents, who are both white-faced and flabbergasted. Panic overtakes my body. He just yelled at my dad! Oh my God. I shake my head, completely and utterly baffled. This is not happening!

"Why did you do that?" I ask as he drags me to the front door,my feet practically stumbling over themselves.

Adrian stops us outside the front hall closet, his extraordinarily dark eyes piercing mine. "You just sat there and didn't say anything. That's not like you, Cassie," he observes, retrieving our coats from the closet. "What was I supposed to do? Stay quiet while he talked down to you?"

I have no response.

I stay silent as I put my jacket on and we exit my parents' house. I'm sure to other people my father seems like a complete asshole, and maybe he is, but I don't think his line of questioning was meant to belittle me, rather he wanted to know Adrian's intentions. Or maybe I'm just trying to justify his words. At this point, I don't know anymore. All I know is that the next conversation I have with my parents will be unbearably uncomfortable.

Just as I'm about to slide into the passenger seat, my mother runs out of the house wrapped in a wool shawl. "Cassie, wait!" she calls out.

I close the car door and meet my mom halfway on the front lawn, the sound of the car's engine humming behind me. "I'm sorry," I murmur, looking down at my feet. "I don't know why he did that...Is dad mad?"

Mom sighs. "Your father is the one who should apologize, not you." I look up, my forehead creasing. "He means well, dear, but your father has never been very tactful. I think he was just concerned that Adrian's intentions weren't honest." A small smile clips her lips. "But after the way he just stood up for you, I think your dad's concerns were put to rest."

I tighten my jacket around my body, unsure of how to react. "I'm glad Dad feels better," I begin. "But I don't. He made me feel small. Why does he do that?" Tears begin pouring out of my eyes. "Why, mom?"

My mother wraps her arms around me as I quietly sob into her shoulder. "I don't know, dear. I don't think he means to do it. He doesn't intentionally try to hurt you. He loves you; I know he loves you. But the way he loves is...different, and I don't think he's ever learned how to love properly. He shows you love the same way his parents showed him love, by being blunt and honest, and sometimes even a little cruel."

I sniffle, pulling away from my mom's comforting embrace. "But grandma and grandpa were always so nice to me, I don't get it."

My mom tilts her head. "The way your grandparents treated you was probably how your father wishes they treated him. I wish I could explain to you the psychology of parenthood, but I can't. All I can do is say sorry and try to be a better parent myself."

I drag my index finger under each eye, hoping that I don't look like a trash panda right now. "Do you think dad will ever change?" I ask somberly.

Mom shrugs. "I'm not sure. If I'm being honest, probably not, but we can hope. I'll talk to him for you, try to get him to see your side." She pauses. "You know what they say, you can lead a horse to water—"

"But you can't make him drink," I finish her sentence. "Yeah, I know, Mom." I look over my shoulder to Adrian. "I guess, I should get going. Your casserole was good."

"Thanks, dear," Mom smiles lightly, nodding towards the car. "He must really like you. Not a lot of men have the balls to stand up to your father."

My eyes widen. "Did you just say balls?"

My mother squints her green eyes and giggles. "Naughty, I know."

I give my mom a final hug goodbye and head for the car. We drive in silence for several minutes, the rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers pulling me into a trance. My emotions are all over the place right now. I'm used to my dad acting the way he did tonight, not that I enjoy it, but I'm used to it. Adrian's outburst, on the other hand, is something completely new and I'm not sure how to process the meaning of his actions. On multiple occasions, he's told me that he's not looking for a relationship, yet tonight, he acted like a boyfriend. But then again, he was supposed to be acting like my boyfriend... Fuck, this is absurd. My brain feels like it's melting.

"Adrian?" I ask, turning my head towards him. "Tonight, were you...uh—" How do I phrase this without sounding like a broken record? "What I mean to say is... Was that all part of the act? Or...?" I bite my lip, closing my eyes.

Adrian doesn't say anything for ten long and dreadful seconds, the pounding raindrops against the roof become louder, matching the frantic beating of my heart. I shouldn't have asked.

"You were almost crying," he finally says. "Crying women make me uncomfortable."

I open my eyes. "That's it? That's why?"

"Of course," Adrian, swallows sending ripples down his throat and over his Adam's apple. "Don't read too much into it, Cariño. Although, I'm guessing it's too late for that now."

I lock my jaw together, anger spiking in my veins at an alarming rate. "Good to know," I say through my teeth. Why did I think it would be more? Fucking idiot. We pass the exit that leads back to my apartment. "Where are we going?"

"I thought I'd buy you some dinner since you barely ate anything earlier."

I glower at him. Is he for real? "I'm not hungry," I state flatly. "Take me home."

Adrian grips the steering wheel. "You need to eat."

"And I will." I cross my arms. "At home. Without you."

Adrian suddenly swerves the car through two lanes of traffic in order to make the nearest offramp. Is he trying to kill us?!

"Fine," he seethes, and that's the last word that's uttered between us until he drops me off at home.