Company Ink by E.L. Lewis

t w e n t y – o n e

I rub my eyes as I enter the staff kitchen, careful not to smudge my eyeliner. I am so fucking exhausted; stuffing and mailing almost one hundred envelopes last night has left my tongue dry and the corners of my mouth sore from mini cuts. The next time someone asks me how the Joker got his scars I'll tell them he must have been a Maid of Honor.

I lifelessly float to the Nespresso machine and pop in a decaf pod. We didn't have decaffeinated coffee two weeks ago, I guess Kitty finally decided to order some after hearing me rant. Decaf still has caffeine—hopefully, it's enough to bring me back from the brink of death.

"Good morning, Cassie."

I turn my head towards the voice. "Adrian?" Was he there the whole time? Jesus, I'm out of it. The last thing I need right now is another fight with Adrian.

Adrian cocks his head to the side, holding a large mug in his hand. "How was the rest of your weekend?"

"It was fine," I state curtly. "You?"

Adrian eyes me carefully but I avert his gaze. "Not the best. I had a lot on my mind."

I hum, suppressing a yawn. "How unfortunate."

"Listen...Cassie." Adrian takes a step closer to me. "About Friday," he begins softly as I wait for the machine to spurt out the elixir of life. "Have you—" He takes a deep breath, almost as if he doesn't want to talk about it. Why is he bringing it up then? I was hoping we'd just forget about what happened on Friday. "Have you spoken to your parents since we left?"

Oh, you mean since you yelled at my father and dragged me out of the house?

"No, not really," I sigh. "My mom texted me saying my dad loved his gift and that they're canceling their Fourth of July party on account of their moving." I narrow my eyes. "Why are you asking?"

Adrian licks his lips, choosing his words carefully. "I don't want to overstep my bounds, but I think you should talk to your father. You should tell him how his words affect you."

I cross my arms defensively. "What do you mean 'affect me'? I'm fine. That's just how my dad is."

"Cassie..." Adrian takes another step closer, his gentle and warm eyes meeting mine. "You were clearly upset by the way he was talking about you. He's not going to change unless you tell him that it's not okay."

"What are you? My therapist?" I scoff. "I don't need your advice on how to deal with my father."

Adrian takes a deep breath, briefly shutting his eyes. "Men like your father value honest and straightforward dialogue. Have you ever told him how he makes you feel?"

"You don't even know my dad! And no, I haven't, because it's fine. I'm used to it." I bite my lip watching Adrian's genuinely concerned expression. God, I'm being so hostile right now. What's wrong with me? "I've told my mom before. She said she'd talk to him," I admit quietly.

"I think he should hear it from you, Cariño," he says, lifting his hand up to my face but then dropping it quickly, his eyes darting to the door. I look over my shoulder to find Sandra from IT filling up her water bottle. We stay frozen until she leaves. That was close!

Adrian continues, "Just think about it, Cassie. Once he leaves, you won't have that opportunity."

I mull everything he says over. "Why do you care so much?" I ask, trying to search his face for an answer.

"I wasn't joking when I said your father reminds me of my own. And I know from personal experience that speaking your mind helps." Adrian reaches for my hand, his fingers grazing my knuckles. "You're not you when you're around him. Don't let him put out your fire."

I blink, taking in his sweet yet so frustrating observation, feeling the heat of his touch. "Do you get along with your dad?" I whisper.

Adrian lets out a low, almost inaudible chuckle. "No, but we respect each other which is sometimes more important."

"And you don't think my dad respects me?" I frown.

"I'm not saying that." Adrian's grip tightens around my hand, his eyes flickering around my pained features. "Please don't make that face. I'm not trying to upset you, Cassie."

"I'm not upset with you." I take a deep breath. "I just—I hate talking about my dad."

"I'm done. I'm sorry," Adrian whispers, and then his head jerks up, his gaze drifting over my shoulder. He suddenly drops my hand, his eyes darkening. "Pearson."

"Adrian."

My eyes widen as I twirl around. Blake's standing in the door frame wearing his classic all-black suit, his narrowed gaze darting between me and Adrian. When his eyes land on my face, his expression softens.

"Cassie, good morning. Did you get the tickets I left for you on your desk?" he asks.

I clear my throat before responding. "Yeah, I did. Thank you again. Ness is so excited!"

"Tickets?" Adrian asks, circling around me, our three bodies creating a triangle in the middle of the kitchen.

"Yeah, for the Monet exhibit at the SAM," I explain, forcing a smile. This room just shrunk two sizes. "Bl—Mr. Pearson knows the uh—curator."

Adrian perks up an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware you were interested in art."

"I'm not."

"She's not." I whip my head towards Blake, who smirks. "But her cousin is a connoisseur of sorts," he says to Adrian.

"You've met her cousin?" Adrian asks Blake in a strained tone, his gaze unwavering.

"We bumped into each other this weekend," Blake clarifies coolly.

"Did you?" Adrian straightens out his posture. Oh God, he's like a fucking peacock. "Small world."

Blake smiles, shrugging. "I suppose it is."

Blake and Adrian both stare at each other in silence for several beats. I'm half expecting tumbleweed to roll on by at any moment. I clear my throat when the tension becomes unbearable.

"I'm gonna—uh...get back to work. I'll see you both around?"

Blake moves to the side to let me pass. "Oh, one thing, Cassandra."

I pause in front of him. "Yes?"

"Around 1 pm, I'll need you to go to Mr. Wagner's home office and pick up some documents. It's sensitive material so I can't risk having it mailed. Do you drive?"

My gaze flashes briefly to Adrian who's watching us like a hawk. "I have a license, yeah."

"Perfect, you can take my car. Just grab my keys from the front desk, I'll leave them with Miss Bedford in case I'm in a meeting at that time."

"Okay, just email me the details and I'll do it."

"Great," he says with a smile. "Have a good day, Cassandra."

"You too, Mr. Pearson." I glance over my shoulder towards Adrian. "Mr. Cavallero."

Adrian nods slightly, his eyes narrowed. "Cassie."

I bolt out of the kitchen as fast as humanly possible without looking suspicious. Okay, that was seriously awkward. Does Blake know about Adrian? Does Adrian care? Does Blake care? Wait... do I care? Dear lord, who the fuck needs caffeine? All a girl needs to feel wired apparently is the chest-puffing energy of two alpha males and two sips of decaf.

For the rest of the morning, I work on planning Client Appreciation Night which is next Friday. I've asked Kitty to help me send out all the e-vites later today. Despite the fact this event is right up my alley in terms of skills and interest, I find myself distracted by thoughts of my dad. Is Adrian correct? Do I change around my father? I never had anyone make that observation, then again, I've never introduced a boyfriend to my dad, or a fake boyfriend at that.

By the time Kitty and I email the invitations to all of our clients, it's 12:30 pm. I grab Blake's keys from Tilly, head down to the parking lot and look for a black Lexus SUV. Damn, that's a big car.

The drive to Mr. Wagner's condo takes only fifteen minutes despite all the traffic. Luckily for me, there's a parking spot available right in front of his complex. I hop out of the car and head to the concierge.

"I'm here to see Mr. Wagner. He should be expecting me," I say to the stoic older man behind the counter. Luther, I read his name tag.

He eyes me carefully. "Name?"

"Cassie Carrington." I smile at the man, hoping to get one in return but he’s not particularly friendly. Well, then. Rude.

Luther clicks around his computer screen for a minute before stating, "You're clear. Penthouse."

I ride up the elevator, my ears popping after the thirty-fifth floor. How tall is this damn building? The elevator doors open into a sparsely decorated living room, a young woman in a crisp white fitted dress greets me as I step off.

"Miss Carrington, thank you for coming by. My name's Annie, I'm Mr. Wagner's secretary."

"Nice to meet you, Annie." I look around the penthouse, the view immediately catching my eye. "Seattle's beautiful from up here!" I exclaim, walking towards the floor to ceiling windows. "Wow!"

"Yes, it's quite nice, isn't it?" she agrees. "I have the documents right here for you."

I turn around and she hands me a manila envelope. "Great, thank you. I guess I'll be going now."

Metal thumping followed by a loud 'fuck!' coming from down the hallway forces us to turn our heads. A second later, Mr. Wagner comes out of the kitchen with a French press in one hand, his light blue button-up covered with coffee grinds.

"Miss Carrington! You're still here, fantastic! I've just received a sample of Coastal Beans' new roast. Would you care to join Annie and me for a cup of coffee? I know how much you like our original but this one is even better!"

I whimper internally. Fuck, I really don't want a coffee right now but it's not like I can turn him down. "That sounds great."

For the next twenty minutes, Annie and I sit at the kitchen island sipping on our drinks, listening to Mr. Wagner rave about their newest blend. The man is like an auctioneer, talking eight miles a minute. I say maybe three words during the entire conversation, which is just as well, I think Mr. Wagner would prefer to hear himself talk than listen to either of us.

I manage to drink half my cup before stating that I need to get back to the office. Annie walks me to the elevator, and I head back down to the lobby.

Document in hand, I wave goodbye to statue-man Luther. A gust of wind nips at my skin as soon as I exit the complex. The air is moist, and I know it's going to start raining any second. As soon as my gaze drifts to the road, my heart sinks into my stomach and I drop the manila folder on the floor.

Oh my God! Where the fuck is Blake's car?!