Cassandra’s POV“Do I look like an assistant?” I asked.It was three days later and Stella and I were standing outside Jordyn’s office. We were about to meet with him to sign the contracts but I, of course, had to keep posing as a personal assistant.“What the hell does that even mean?” Stella laughed.“I don’t know,” I said defensively. “I mean, like, am I dressed okay?”Ever since I’d almost let my true identity slip at the hospital, I’d become a little paranoid. I really didn’t want Jordyn to discover who I really was until the divorce papers were signed.“Yes,” Stella huffed. “You’re fine. Stop worrying so much. He already thinks you’re an assistant. He had no reason to think otherwise. Now come on, we’re gonna be late.”Stella and I met the receptionist, and then we were led into a large conference room. Jordyn and his team were already waiting for us.“Miss Sinclair,” Jordyn said, standing to address Stella. “I hope traffic wasn’t too bad.” He extended his hand and Stella shook i
Cassandra’s POVThe revised divorce papers sat on the table. The room was completely silent.Ellie’s eyes flew open. Jordyn stared at the papers in stunned silence.“Jordyn,” Ellie started, but he waved his hand dismissively at her. “Leave, please” he said. “All of you.”Everyone stood and awkwardly filed out of the room, Stella included. But as Stella left, she winked at me, gave me a little thumbs up, and mouthed:‘Good luck’.“What are these?” Jordyn asked, his eyes fixed on the papers on the table.“You know what those are,” I said firmly. I was done with playing games. He agreed to sign the papers after his meeting with my company’s CEO. And I was holding him to it.“The divorce papers?” He looked up at me and I saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes. But I couldn’t let myself care. I reminded myself of our marriage and the way he had treated me all those years. His feeble apologies now didn’t make up for the years of neglect.“Yes, Jordyn,” I replied, lifting my chin. “Sign them.
Cassandra’s POVI arranged all the papers back exactly the way I’d found them.My heart beat quickly in my chest. I resisted the urge to read through all the files. Surely, Jordyn was waiting for me and he’d wonder what I was doing if I took too long. The last thing I wanted was for him to catch me snooping around on his desk.I racked my brain, trying to think. But I couldn’t reconcile my memory of that night with the picture. I hadn’t been there, the night of the accident. I didn’t remember being anywhere near the scene.Yet, I was in that picture, clear as day.I wasn’t sure what was going on, nor why I was in a picture at the scene of Ellie’s accident. I couldn’t dwell on it though. I had to file those thoughts away for the time being.I had more pressing matters to attend to.I’d come here determined to have Jordyn sign the divorce papers. Enough stalling. Enough beating around the bush. He apologized that night at the hospital, as though his weak apology could somehow wash away
Cassandra’s POVI texted Stella as I left the boardroom. I wanted to find her ASAP so we could finally get the heck out of there.‘Where are you?’ I texted her.‘Parking lot,’ she replied.Oh. She’d already left? Good.I hurried out of the building, my heart racing. I scuttled across the parking lot as quickly as my high heels would allow. Sure enough, Stella was waiting, her back leaning up against the driver’s door. She saw me and shot me an expectant look.I couldn’t contain myself. I broke out into a run, almost tripping several times. I waved the divorce papers proudly in my hand as I approached the car.“No!” she said, practically bouncing with anticipation. “Is that what I think it is? Did it…did it ACTUALLY work this time?”I held out the divorce papers to her with a flourish.“Take a look for yourself!” I said. She scanned them, a big smile on her face.“He signed?” she asked, her eyes bright.“He signed!!!” I practically shouted.“Holy shit, Cassandra! I don’t believe it.
Cassandra’s POVStella and I pulled up in front of the Vicious Circle.“Remember this place?” Stella asked, a mischievous look on her face.“Of course,” I said. It just also happened to be the same building where Dillon and I had our ‘business’ dinner. My mind flashed back to that wonderful dinner. All the amazing food. The easy conversation. The look in Dillon’s eyes…“Earth to Cassandra,” Stella said, waving her hand in front of my face.“Sorry,” I mumbled.“You really ARE a mess,” she said. “Well, it’s nothing that a few martinis can’t fix.”Just then, I remembered something.“Wait. I have this…” I reached into my wallet and pulled out a Vicious Circle VIP card.Stella’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit, Cass! Where did you get that?”“Dillon gave it to me,” I shrugged. He’d given it to me during our dinner. I tried to refuse but he was adamant. He said I should use it whenever I wanted.Stella snatched the card from my hands. She flipped it over.“Cassandra,” she said, “it’s a diamond-le
Cassandra’s POV“Seriously? Don’t be such an asshole,” I snapped at him. I assumed he was just playing dumb and I was SO over all his bullshit.“Everything okay here?” Stella asked, appearing at my side.“Yup,” I said. We both put our hands on our hips. Jordyn looked beseechingly at me. I didn’t get it. What did he want? The papers were signed. He was here with Ellie. She was glaring at him from across the room. It was time to move on! “I was just directing Jordyn here back to his beloved fiancé. He seems to have gotten lost.”“That way, fuck wad,” Stella said, pointing at Ellie. “Cassandra,” Jordyn started, but I waved my hand dismissively at him and walked away.“What a jerk,” Stella said. “Sorry, I didn’t see him pull you away. Next time, I clock him if you want me to. I have a good right hook. I even took boxing lessons. For cardio, of course. But I can throw a punch.”“Thanks. But I think that would only add fuel to the fire. Let’s just ignore him.”“Back to the bar?”“You know
Cassandra’s POVI took a step back to admire the dress. Finally, after what seemed like countless hours of work, Ellie’s dress was finished. I’d followed her list of instructions to a fault. I double-checked the stitching to ensure there weren’t any flaws. I inspected the silk to ensure it hadn’t bunched or unraveled anywhere. And of course, I scanned the hand-stitched embroidery to make sure it was perfect.I had to admit, although I’d been initially annoyed by Ellie’s long list of instructions and demands for the dress, the end product was superb. It was a glamorous gown, in a soft, cream-colored silk with a fitted, halter-style bodice covered in hand-embroidered, delicate designs in a rose gold.The skirt was floor-length and full with several stiff crinoline, hand sewn to perfection. On the skirt, there was more embroidery cascading from the waist to the knee. It had an open back that scooped to the small of the back.Needless to say, it wasn’t your average wedding dress. It had a
Cassandra’s POV“Holy crap!”I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Had I just caught Ellie cheating? For a moment, I stood there like a stunned idiot. Then I snapped back to my senses.I wanted to get back to my car without being noticed, so I slowly turned around to skulk my way back to my car.“Cassandra?”Shit. That was Ellie’s voice. She’d seen me. I turned around. Ellie glanced at me then pushed the man away. He stumbled a few steps, then scratched his head. He cast Ellie a look that I couldn’t quite see from my position at the bottom of the stairs. Ellie held the door open for him and he slinked through.“What the hell are you doing here?” Ellie asked, turning to me, her hands on her hips. If she’d just been caught cheating, she sure wasn’t acting like it. She was acting like her normal, bitchy self.I held up the garment bag. Ellie glanced at it, then saw the Hot House Flower logo.“Oh my god,” she said, her expression changing. “Is that my dress?” Her face broke out into a smi
Cassandra’s POVI felt an explosion rip through my body as his lips pressed into mine. Dillon had taken me by surprise, showing up at my bungalow in the middle of the night like this. But the moment we kissed, all I could think about was how badly I wanted him.Our lips parted and our kiss deepened. He curled his fingers into my hair.“Cassandra,” he whispered in between kisses. “I love you.”He moved his lips to my neck and I let my head fall back. I pressed into him, digging my fingers into his strong shoulders and back. I could feel the heat of his chest through his clothes. An ache sparked deep in my stomach, and then between my legs. I craved him.“I love you,” he said again, tracing kisses all along my neck. He brought his lips to my ear. “God, I love you. I love you so much.”We were both breathing heavy. For a moment, I couldn’t believe this was really happening. Was I actually kissing Dillon? His words made me weak in the knees. He lifted me up then. I wrapped my legs around h
Dillon’s POVI was mildly disappointed when Cassandra had to take Stella back to the room, I’m not going to lie. But I completely understood. Stella was Cass’s best friend, and I knew Stella would do the same for her. So once again, my dreams of the perfect moment on the beach were dashed.Cameron wasn’t the least bit upset though. He was rearing to go, so off we went, to a bar. We decided there was no point in staying at the dance, since we no longer had anyone to dance with. And honestly, it was getting a bit too hot out there, with the warm tropical breeze AND the bonfire. So we went inside where it was air-conditioned and chose one of the many bars.The one we went to wasn’t too busy, so we sat right at the bar.“Two whiskeys. Neat,” Cameron said to the bartender.“You know I’m not a big fan of whiskey,” I started to remind him, but he cut me off.“You are tonight, my friend,” he said with a mischievous smile.I wasn’t sure about this. Cameron clearly looked like he wanted to ‘tie
Cassandra’s POVThe moment we were back in our bungalow, Stella ran for the bathroom. I heard her vomiting as I took off my shoes. I was sympathetic, even if she was ruining a romantic evening with Dillon. She'd had a bit too much to drink and now she felt like crap. I’d been there. It sucked.So, I went into the bathroom and knelt down beside her. I held her hair back while she vomited again. I winced at the acrid smell of her vomit, but I rubbed her back.“The drinks taste way better going down than going in,” she said.“I know,” I chuckled. “It’s okay. Just get it all out.”“I ruined your night,” she said, resting her cheek on the toilet seat.“Oh honey. No. Don’t put your face on that. Here.” I grabbed a face cloth and put it on the toilet boil.“I think I got a little drunk,” Stella said. She looked at me, frowning. Her mascara was smudged all over her eyes and her lipstick was smeared. Her hair hung around her cheeks, damp from the cold sweat of throwing up.“I think you did too,
Cassandra’s POVI placed my hand in Dillon’s and he led me onto the dance floor, just as the song switched to a slow song.“Well, look at that,” he smiled, acknowledging that the music had changed. “It appears fate is on our side tonight.”I nodded and he placed his arm on the small of my back. I went to wrap my arms around his neck, like I always did when I slow dance, but he stopped me.“No, here, Cassandra,” he said, holding up one of his hands. “Put your hand on my shoulder, like this. And then put your other hand in mine.”It was a waltz position. I knew it from my cotillion, when I’d ‘come out’ to society as a young woman. It was a time-honored tradition, and my mother had made me do it. It was a silly ritual, where young women wear fancy dresses and are ‘announced’ in front of a large crowd of super wealthy people also wearing fancy clothes. I’d rolled my eyes at the whole thing, but part of the process had been learning how to waltz. So I knew the position Dillon and I were tak
Cassandra’s POVThe afternoon flew by, as did the early evening. We all just sort of hung out together on the beach, resting and relaxing. We’d had a really busy past couple of days, and we all needed the downtime.The resort was hosting a big beach dance that night, complete with bonfire, so we had a quick dinner together, then went back to our bungalows to shower off and get changed.Two hours later, we were sitting at a table right on the beach. The resort had gone all out, and there was a massive bonfire burning beside us, the flames licking the night air. Stella and I had been given another lai when we arrived, as well as flower wreaths for our hair. The dance featured entertainment before the actual dance started, and we all watched the Polynesian entertainers in complete awe. Some of them twirled fire sticks, while some danced. Others drummed, a steady, rhythmic sound that became almost hypnotic.We sipped our drinks, but I couldn’t help notice that Stella was sipping hers a lit
Dillon’s POVI was surprised that the girls didn’t want to swim with the sharks. As soon as I heard about the excursion, I signed us all up, thinking it would be a fun adventure. But clearly, the girls had other plans.“Don’t worry about it,” Cameron told me as we got to the cove. “This isn’t their sort of thing. No big deal. I’m super excited to see some sharks.”I shrugged.I guess Cam was right. I mean, I was trying to impress Cassandra at every turn, but I should have known this wasn’t something the girls would appreciate.Or want to do at all.I was glad Cameron did though. Because honestly, I really wanted to swim with the sharks.We saw a total of two sharks. Tiny sharks. Like baby ones. It was a total let down.“That’s it?” I asked the tour guide when he told us it was time to go back. “I feel like this was advertised as something it’s not.”“I don’t control the sharks,” he shrugged. “Sometimes they’re here, sometimes they’re not. At least you some though.”“I guess,” I shrugge
Cassandra’s POV Snorkeling.That was Dillon’s big surprise of the day.I had to admit, I was a little hesitant at first. I wasn’t the strongest swimmer, and I felt ridiculous with snorkel and mask on my face. I didn’t even really like fish to be honest. But we were with a guide who specialized in this sort of thing and he assured us it would be a blast.Plus, Dillon was so excited. He was chatting away with Cam about all sorts of different fish. So, I decided to be positive and embrace the experience.The snorkeling was within walking distance of the resort. There was a special area where, apparently, an abundance of sea life made a daily appearance.I tried to put on my mask, but my air pipe thingy kept pointing downward instead of up.“Here, let me,” Dillon chuckled, his green eyes sparkling. He took the mask off my face and then fixed it. He put it back on me. It smushed my cheeks.“Better?” he asked, taking me by the shoulders.I swooned.“Uh huh,” I said through my mask, giving h
Cassandra’s POVI slept like a log. Even though I hadn’t wanted the night to end, I was exhausted from the long day. I didn’t even realize how tired I was until I climbed into bed. The down comforter and high-thread count sheets beckoned me to sleep.I woke up to the early morning sun flooding through our massive windows. For a moment, I forgot where I was. But then I looked out at the ocean.Right. I was in Bora Bora.Bits and pieces of the night before flashed through my mind. Our wonderful dinner, the walk on the beach. The feel of Dillon’s fingers on my cheek as he brushed the hair off my cheek. Then the karaoke bar and his song.“I plan on touching you plenty.”I bolted upright.I was in love with Dillon. And he had flirted with me. Stella had cut our conversation on the beach short, but I was pretty convinced at this point that Dillon felt the same way about me. I smiled languidly to myself and stretched my arms over my head.Last night, I’d been a little worried that maybe Dillo
Cassandra’s POVDillon finished the song to raucous applause. Cameron and Stella leapt to their feet. I stayed fixed in my chair, stunned by the realization I’d just had.I was in love Dillon. The words swam through my mind. I mean, I knew that I had feelings for him. Intense, deep feelings. And I knew that I was very sexually attracted to him. I also knew that I cared for him very deeply. And yes, I knew I loved him. When he’d been shot and I’d sat with him in the back of the ambulance, my heart had ached thinking I might lose him. I’d been a complete and utter nervous wreck at the hospital, waiting to see if he would live or die.So of course I loved him.I just hadn’t realized I was IN love with him.Dillon came back to the table, his cheeks flushed, a broad smile on his face.“Well?” he asked, looking at me. “What did you think? Did I do your favorite song justice?”That was an understatement. His voice echoed through my mind, the look in his eyes as he sang. I suddenly felt very