The Chase

We eat a delicious dessert and I drink a black coffee. When the evening is over, Cassio picks up the check for everyone and we get up to leave. That's when Annabelle makes her move.

"Arrabella, where do you live? We can take you home," she offers innocently.

In English Antoine says, "Yes, I wasn't thinking. Of course we could take you home. It's too late for you to be making your way home alone."

"I'll be fine. I can hail a cab," I insist, not wanting to make a fuss. I live no where near their hotel.

"No, we insist," Annabelle says, then looks to Antoine and says, "Don't let her say no."

"You heard my wife, we won't let you go home alone," Antoine says.

Cassio is watching the interaction and you can tell he's losing patience when he says, "I'll take her home. She lives closer to me."

"You know where she lives?" Annabelle says in broken English, stirring the pot. I'm surprised for a moment because I thought she couldn't speak a word.

"All employees in a company apartment are close to work," he says without emotion. He turns to me and says, "Let's go."

The way he speaks leaves no room to argue. I look back at Annabelle to see her smilling ridiculously big.

Outside, Cassio holds the door open for me like a gentlemen. I can't make eye contact with him as I slip into the car. I concentrate on gracefully entering the car so I don't make a fool of myself and I think I manage just fine.

I take a peak in Cassio's direction once he's seated beside me and he seems so unaffected by my presence that I feel like an idiot.

"You did a good job today with Annabelle. Thank you for stepping up," he says, looking at me assessingly.

"Of course, I'm a team player," I say lamely.

His mouth pulls up slightly on one side in a smile and my brain almost short circuits.

"You're okay doing this for the rest of the week?" He asks, as if he's not my boss and in charge of what I do.

"Yes. I like Annabelle."

"You understand you'll need take part in all of the social events this week as well?" he points out.

"Oh, all right. But not the fundraising gala at the end of the week right? I don't have an invitation for that, and it would be too late to get one now," I say.

"It might be too late to get a ticket but you can be my plus one," he says, scrolling his phone. He hands me a credit card and says, "Get yourself whatever you need and charge it to me."

I'm trying to think of what I can say to get out of this when the car lurches forward, slamming me back. Next, we take a sudden turn, throwing me to the side. I feel Cassio catch me but I don't have the time to be flustered since I'm all turned around.

"Hold still," I hear Cassio say calm and collected in my ear. The car keeps driving wildly and now that I'm secured on Cass's lap I can look outside to see what's happening. When I try to look behind us Cass stops me. He doesn't want me to look behind us which makes me think we're being chased.

"Are we going to be okay?" I ask. In fight or flight situations, I've always been fight. My senses heighten, and my heartbeat calms. I can feel everything come into focus.

"My driver will get us through this. Just hold still."

I nod and wait. With my mind focused, I can finally get over my physical reaction to Cassio. It's such a relief. I've never been the girl who turns into mush around boys and I wasn't liking how it felt. I have a whole new respect for those girls, it's completely out of their control and it sucks.

A loud bang and glass shattering sounds through the car and Cassio quickly shift us so I'm lying back accross the back seat and he is laying over me. He craddles my head protectively against his chest and whispers, "You'll be okay."

"I know," I say with conviction. I've seen, up close, how he works in the office. His undivided attention, his relentless focus and his need for perfection. His company's massive success is a reflection of his effort.

When the car hits another bump I instinctively grab onto his arm to steady myself. I can't deny he's well built.

We're touching in so many places and I can't deny the contact mixed with the adrenaline of the chase has me very turned on. Luckily, my head is finally screwed on straight and I can keep from being overwhelmed by him.

I don't know how long the car chase lasts but eventually the car slows into a normal pace and when Cassio sits us up, he pulls me up as well. I look around to see we are in an underground parking lot. 

"We're at my place. We needed to get somewhere more secure then your place. We'll have to figure out more information about what just happened before we can let you go back to your apartment," he explains.

"Um, alright. Is it normal for you to be chased like that? I thought that only happened in movies?" I ask, not sure how I should be acting right now.

I follow him as he walks over to the elevators and after he presses the button he looks at me amused.

"You're handling this rather well for a first timer," he says, testing me and how I will react.

I flick my hair jockingly and say in a confident voice, "I'm a natural. Next time I'll be driving the car."

His mouth flicks up on one side again, in a small smile. "I'm hoping there won't be a next time. Let's go get the glass out of your hair."

The elevator opens and we ride up to the penthouse in silence.

When I don't step out when the door opens at the top, Cassio look back in confusion. He waves me forward and I take a tentative step into a world that I don't belong in.