Keeping the Wolves at Bay

I arrive at Cass's side and hand him the drink, saying, "I met a friend of yours at the bar. She says you go way back so I told her she should come over and say hi."

He looks past me at the beautiful woman and I see him subtly tense. He's not happy to see her, so I do my job. I grab Cass around the waist and stand at his side. He plays along and hangs his arm over my shoulder saying, "Ah yes, you're the Mayor's daughter? Or no, sorry the Alderman's?"

"My father is the Attorney General," she says in a clipped tone.

"Ah well, I look forward to learning his reasoning behind supporting the development of high rises to replace rent-controlled buildings in Fuller Park," I say sweetly, knowing full well that the public and the press have been hassling him on this for weeks.

Cass doesn't need to say anything. He kisses the side of my head in a show of affection and the woman walks away.

I step away from his side. Facing him, I say, "This is turning out to be a full-time job. I was hoping to look at the silent auction items but I doubt I'll get a chance. I can't afford anything, but I heard talk of a yacht trip through the Mediterranean. How crazy!"

Cass looks slightly amused at my little outburst. He surprises me by grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the auction.

"You don't have to do this, I know you're busy," I say.

"I need a break from talking. Pretending to care about the auction items will give me just that," he responds. I shrug, accepting his explanation and let him lead me to the auction.

I walk from one item to the next, completely astounded by the bids. Someone bid $15,000 on a two-night stay in Aspen! That's enough to pay someone's rent for a year and that's the lowest bid I've seen so far. Every time I see a more outrageous bid I can't help but compare it to something I can digest.

I'm looking at a $60,000 bid for a pair of earrings when I say in outrage, "That was the cost of my university tuition!"

"A year's tuition for a pair of earrings seems a little high," he responds calmly, not really caring. I guess when you have as much money as he does it's hard to feel the impact of not having enough.

"I'm from Canada. I paid 60K for all four years. Someone here is going to waste this money on a pair of earrings they'll wear a handful of times when they could flat out pay for someone's education. That would have a more direct impact than however this money gets spent," I say, getting a bit too passionate.

"The money's going to charity," he points out.

"Yeah, but who knows how it's getting spent and I looked it up, this charity has a reputation for being a little shady with how they spend their contributions," I counter.

"So if I was to offer to bid on something for you right now, would you say no?" he challenges.

"I would say no," I respond, sure in my answer.

"So you wouldn't want the trip to Milan?" he asks, challenging me.

"I would love to go to Milan, but no, I would not bid on it," I respond. I check the highest bid and continue, "I wouldn't be comfortable spending 100k on a week-long trip when I could easily do it for 10k and donate the rest of the money. The trip at 10k wouldn't even be a budget trip, I would be able to do a lot with that budget."

He looks at me assessingly for a moment then says, "That's a very unique perspective in a room like this."

"Not living in a penthouse means I quite literally have a different perspective than everyone in this room," I joke.

He smiles and looks like he's about to respond when his face transforms back into its normal cold expression.

"Jessica," he says with no emotion.

I turn immediately to face Jessica, the natural instinct to never face your back to your enemy kicking in.

"So it looks like the second assistant was a little gold digger after all," she says to me, the focuses on Cass and says, "Are you regretting firing me now. I would have been a way better wife and my dad could have helped you. I mean look at her, where did she even find such a hideous dress?"

I feel Cass move up a smidge and inhale, preparing to speak, but I speak first, "This gown is Oscar de la Renta and it's flawless. Mr. Conti doesn't need your father's help, he's doing fine on his own and he doesn't need a wife either."

"Wow, so you admit to just being arm candy, how low class of you," she sneers.

I shrug and say tiredly, "I don't know if anything I say will make sense to you and nothing you think makes sense to me. How about we agree to never speak in the future."

"Fine by me," she says, rolling her eyes. Then she bates them at Cass and says, "Cass, baby, how about we get a drink for old times sake? No hard feelings about work okay. I know our relationship was not right for an office setting."

I can't hide my shock as my jaw drops open. The nerve of her to speak to him that way and to think it's okay has me impressed and scared for her.

Cass pulls me into his side with his arm around my shoulder like he did earlier and says in a lower, threateningly calm voice, "Alexa has ten times the class and good sense that you'll ever hope to achieve. If I was to get married she would be exactly what I want. You may call Mr. Conti in the future, though I prefer you not speak to me at all, and you will always be respectful towards Alexa otherwise there will be consequences."

I don't have a moment to let his words sink in before he turns me towards him, his hand cradling my cheek as he leans in for a kiss. The kiss is demanding and possessive, giving me no choice but to go along with it. I feel protected and secure in his arms, so I let him lead the kiss wherever he wants it to go.

The kiss doesn't last long but he sneaks his tongue in for a quick swipe at the end and it blows my mind, leaving me caught off guard as he pulls away. Luckily, he's holding me so I don't trip and give away that this kiss was out of the norm. I'm embarrassed that he seems to be aware of my reaction because he keeps me tucked against his chest so my face is slightly hidden from view.

"Go away now, Jessica. I want to be alone with my date," he says dismissively.

She must leave because he loosens his arm and steps back. I must be red as a tomato but he doesn't say anything. We've shared two kisses now. They're starting to add up