Company Ink by E.L. Lewis

t w e n t y – f o u r

"Well, look who's finally decided to grace us with their presence," David tuts, peering over his cubicle. "Have a nice little vacation, Cassie?"

Despite around the clock medication and rest, my cold lasted five whole days. I ended up missing Monique's bridal fitting this weekend, plus drinks with Matt's groomsman. Even though Monique insisted that I don't do any work while on bed rest, I managed to sneak in a few hours here and there, to make sure everything was ready for the gala this Friday. Communicating with vendors when you sound like you've inhaled a hundred helium balloons is rather cumbersome; one person thought I was prank calling them.

"I was sick, Castleberg, not doing shots in Tahiti. A little sympathy would be appreciated." I toss my purse and blazer over my chair. "But it's nice to know that my absence was noticeable."

"Of course, it was," he grins. "Kitty and I managed to get so much more work done without your constant interruptions."

"Don't listen to him." Kitty rolls her eyes. "I personally love it when you send us talking animal videos. It always makes my day."

I blow Kitty a kiss. "Thank you! I do it for your entertainment."

Kitty rolls her chair to my station. "So, how's everything looking for Client Appreciation Night? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Honestly, I think everything is ready to go. I even managed to convince the catering company to dress their servers in 20s fashion."

"Really?" Kitty beams. "I'm actually so excited for this. The last two galas have been so incredibly dry. I swear, if it wasn't for the open bar, we'd probably lose clients."

"Well, fingers crossed this year is better! Do you have your outfit planned?"

Kitty's eyes light up. "Oh my God, yes! I found this dress at Nordstrom that's just perfect. The only thing I need to do now is to find something for Joshua to wear."

I wiggle my eyebrows. "Joshua? Is this the new boyfriend?"

Kitty blushes. "Yeah, we met two week ago at a coffee shop, I know it's totally cliché but he's so sweet and cute and I just—" Kitty falls back into her chair, her eyes glossy and serene. "He's perfect."

"I'm so happy for you Kitty Cat!" I exclaim with a smile. Happy and a little bit jealous.

Kitty looks like she's on cloud nine. She's probably in the honeymoon phase where everything is rainbows and sprinkles. It's been a while since I've felt that, or I've let myself feel that. Sometimes when I'm thinking about Adrian, a foreign fluttering feeling creeps into my stomach and spreads to my heart, but it dwindles away as soon as I remember his stance on relationships. A stance that I also had not too long ago. Change. So much change. I just don't want to get hurt and he has the power to incinerate me.

And then there's Blake.

Huh.

I'm not entirely sure why he just popped into my head. I blame Monique and her lectures on suitable men. Blake has a lot of qualities Monique thinks I should find desirable: rational, reliable, kind (most of the time), has his shit together. And I get it. Men like Blake are safe. But with safety comes monotony...right?

"Are you bringing a date?" Kitty asks eagerly.

I bite my lip. Is she reading my mind or something? "No, I'm not. I'm actually going to go with Mr. Pearson."

"Mr. Pearson?" Kitty's eyebrows knit together. "Really? Like as a date? Or?"

"Just as colleagues." I pause. "Is that weird?"

Kitty shrugs. "I guess not. There are a few other people around the office that are going together. I think Sandra is going with George from Finance. I just think it's weird that Mr. Pearson is going with someone in general. He's been flying solo for the last two years ever since he broke up with his girlfriend."

Oh my God. Blake tea. I'm here for it. "So, he's been single for two years? Who was he dating? What did she look like?"

Kitty hums, squinting her eyes. "I think her name was Amelia? I don't really remember it was a while ago. I just started working here when they broke up and idle office gossip wasn't really my jam back then. I wish Nancy was still here, she'd probably have more information."

"Oh..." I nod slowly, underwhelmed by her response. That tea was ice cold. "I wonder what changed."

"I don't know. Maybe he has a thing for you," Kitty says jokingly. I think.

I let out a nervous giggle. "Are you serious? I mean like, yeah, he's nice to me and shit but I don't think he has a thing for me."

Kitty tilts her head. "He's nice to you, Cassie. That means something. David and I weren't joking when we said he's awful, like we were genuinely concerned for your safety when you became his PA."

I scoff. "You guys were the ones who volunteered me!"

"Yeah, I know," Kitty smiles sheepishly. "But we didn't really know you yet so..."

"You threw me to the wolves. Or a wolf, I should say."

"But it worked out, right?!" Kitty exclaims.

"Uh-huh," I hum, playfully scowling at my red-headed colleague.

"Sor-ry," she sings in a cutesy tone. "I'll make it up to you via alcohol. I'll sneak some to the retreat next weekend."

"Retreat?" I ask.

"Yeah, remember Nadine mentioned it? Every year Pearson & Associates take their employees on a two-day retreat to one of the islands as a way of saying thank you. It's always the weekend after C.A.N." Kitty tilts her head. "We deserve some appreciation too, right?"

"Yeah, I guess we do! What happens during these retreats?"

"Lots of team-building exercises, yoga, canoeing—the works. It's pretty fun, just remember to bring your bug spray," she sings.

"Yay..." I force a smile. "Bugs." I love the outdoors as much as the next person, but mosquitoes? Those little fuckers are not my friends.

"Alrighty, I gotta get back to work," Kitty says, rolling back to her desk and I begin sorting through all the emails that came in over the weekend.

Just before lunch, I get an instant message from Adrian.

Adrian Cavallero: Are you free right now?

Cassandra Carrington: Yup. Give me a minute

I lock my computer screen and make my way to Adrian's office. Knocking lightly, I turn the handle and enter. Adrian is standing beside his desk, a wrapped box perched on the table.

"She's alive," he observes with a playful grin. "Welcome back from the 'depths of hell' as you put it in your email on Friday."

I chuckle. "There is nothing common about the common cold. I'm almost thinking it was the flu."

"Well, I'm glad that you're healthy once again," he says nodding towards the box. "I have something for you."

He got me a gift? I narrow my eyes. "What is it?"

Adrian smirks knowingly. "Open it."

Taking two strides to his desk, I begin tearing open the wrapping as carefully as possible. He doesn't need to know how I actually open gifts; let's just say I'm not the type of person that saves wrapping paper. When I lift the lid to the box, my eyes widen in pure fucking joy. No way!

"Oh...my...God!" I exclaim slowly, hypnotized by the glistening gems of Cavloretta Couture's newest summer line of stilettos. "You didn't..."

Adrian laughs. "I take it you like them?"

I snap my head up, our eyes meeting. "Uh—yeah! These are the ones I was showing you in the car last time. I can't believe you actually remembered."

"It was a twenty-eight-minute drive, Cassie, and you talked about these shoes for a solid twenty. Kind of hard to forget," Adrian replies with a grin. "I hope the color is fine."

"Silver goes with everything," I mutter, rotating the shoe in my hands.

"I was thinking you'd like to wear them to the gala on Friday," he says slowly, and I look at him his eyes hesitant. Oh no..."I was also wondering—" Fuck. Don't ask me what I think you're going to ask me. "If you'd like to go together. I was planning on asking you last week but then you were sick..." he trails off, running an almost nervous hand through his hair.

I bite the inside of my cheek, immediately feeling unease and guilt stirring in my belly. "I would, Adrian but—" I put the shoe back in the box and close the lid. "But I've already agreed to go with Mr. Pearson."

Adrian's expression hardens, the light in his eyes dwindling into an opaque fog. "You're going with Pearson?"

"Yeah...he um—asked me last week," I whisper, almost angry that he looks so upset. "Is that a problem? Is there any reason I shouldn't have said yes?"

Adrian sighs, a brief look of defeat capturing his features. "You're free to do as you please, Cassie. How can I be upset? It's not like we're—" He stops, biting his lip.

"Dating," I fill in the blanks.

Adrian clears his throat. "Exactly. If you wish to spend the night with him, then that's your prerogative."

I scoff. "You seem rather upset despite saying you're not."

"Not upset," he clarifies. "I'm disappointed."

"That I'm going with Mr. Pearson or that I'm not going with you?" There's a difference and he knows it. Silence stretches between us as we stare at each other.

"Are you aware that he has feelings for you?" Adrian finally asks, his tone low, almost callous.

I close my eyes, irritation festering in my veins. Always deflecting. "Are you being serious right now?"

"I see the way he looks at you, Cassie. It's the same way he looked at Amelia." Adrian shrugs. "He likes you."

This is ridiculous but I'm curious as to what he's getting at. "Does that bother you?" I probe, trying to elicit some sort of reaction out of him. Anything.

"Of course not," he says flatly. I almost laugh. Who is he trying to convince?

"I don't believe you anymore." I take a step away from him, afraid that he'll pull me into his devilish vortex. "But I'm also not going to keep asking you to tell me how you really feel. You're a big boy, Adrian. Instead of sulking, do something about it."

Adrian tenses, the muscles in his hands contracting as if he's fighting against his own body. "It is not that simple, Cariño, I've told you so many times. You and I, we can't—"

I roll my eyes. "Save it, Adrian. It is simple. What do you want? Just ask yourself that." I turn on my heel and head for the door. "But don't take too long. I'm getting tired of waiting."

"Cassie—" he calls out, a hint of desperation in his voice, but I close the door before he can finish his sentence.

My blood is boiling when I get back to my desk. We can't, Cassie. It's complicated, Cassie. What the hell? He's like a radio station that plays the same shitty song on repeat, day in and day out. It's infuriating. It's aggravating. It's—draining. His words don't reflect his actions, I'm not oblivious to that fact. Why is he putting us both through such stress if he doesn't have an endgame? Why doesn't he just stop? Put us out of our misery? Now that would be simple.

And what the fuck is this Blake thing now? First Kitty and now Adrian. Are they seeing something I'm not? Every time I'm around Blake our conversations are mildly flirty, but does that mean something? Do I want it to mean something? Oh my God. My head.

The day drags on, scanning, filing, and trying to keep my mind off of the fuckery that was this morning. A little bit past 4:30 pm, I head to Blake's office to drop off some documentation that was couriered from Wagner Corp.

"Cassie," Blake smiles as I enter his office. He looks tired, dark bags under his eyes, and a fresh coffee on his desk. "Sorry I haven't come to see you yet, today has been chaos."

"It's fine," I reply, handing him the files. "These came for you."

"Thank you, you can put it on top of all those other documents," he says wearily, nodding towards the giant stack on his desk.

"That seems like a lot of paperwork," I note, running my fingers across the two-inch pile. "Do you need help with anything? I've finalized everything for Client Appreciation Night so I'm free."

Blake checks his watch. "It's almost time to go home. This will take a few hours." He forces a smile. "I'll deal with it, it's fine."

I tilt my head. "You know it's okay to ask for help, right?"

"Do I look like I need help?" he asks, reclining in his chair. Men.

I roll my eyes and take a seat in front of him, pulling my phone out of my pocket. "Chinese or Indian?" I ask, opening up the UberEats app.

Blake's eyebrows furrow when I look at him. "What?"

I sigh. "You clearly have a shit ton of work to do, it's almost dinner time, I really don't want to go home to an empty apartment, so...we're going to order some take-out and get this pile off your desk. Okay?"

Blake lets out an amused laugh. "I thought I was the boss here."

"Not today," I reply lightly.

Maybe spending time alone with Blake isn't the best decision after what Adrian told me but if I go home, I'll lose my mind overthinking everything. Monique is at Matt's place like ninety percent of the time these days. It almost feels like she's trying to wean me off.

"So, I ask you again: Chinese or Indian?" I scroll through the menu. "And no, salted chicken is not an option."

"You're serious?" Blake asks. "You're going to stay late to help me?"

"What are PAs for?" I grin. "I think we should go with Indian; it'll help revive your dormant taste buds."

"Are you making fun of me?" Blake's body shakes with mirth.

"Yes, I'm going to bully you into eating delicious food."

"Alright, I concede, Indian it is."

"Fantastic! Now, as for spice levels, should we get mild, medium, or hot?" I ask, suddenly feeling much more energized.

"Well, seeing as we're trying to graduate from salt and pepper, perhaps mild is the appropriate option."

"Not a fan of jumping right off the deep end?"

Blake smirks. "I've always been more of a 'dip my toe into the water' type of man."

"Why does that not surprise me?" I muse. "I bet you do a SWOT analysis before you buy a shirt."

Blake chuckles, shaking his head. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I joke and quickly order us a couple of dishes plus a side of samosas, Blake seemed to love those. "Okay, let's get to work."