Chapter 36
CASSANDRA
Cassandra is up and about, tending to Alex before Emilio even stirs. She hears the quick patter of his shower, and soon after, he joins them in the kitchen.
“Look who’s finally up,” Cassandra teases Alex, her smile warm. She turns to her husband. “Morning. Want some coffee?”
Emilio leans in for a lingering, sweet kiss. “Yes, please. Black, no sugar.” His smile mirrors hers. “I was thinking we could all go out today.”
She’s supposed to meet Emily this morning. “What did you have in mind?”
“Not sure. Maybe we could take Alex to the park or the zoo?”
“Sounds good. When do you want to head out?”
“Whenever you two are ready.” Emilio reaches for his coffee.
“Would after twelve work for you?”
He pauses, cup in hand. “Why?”
“I’m meeting a friend this morning.”
“First your old roommate, now this. So much for not having friends. Who are you meeting?”
“Emily, Mr. Smith’s assistant. She called last night.”
“That’s fine. Just call me when you’re done.”
Cassandra nods in agreement.
When it’s time for her to leave, Emilio offers to watch Alex. Grateful for the help, Cassandra rushes off to the pastry kiosk where Emily asked to meet.
“Thanks for coming, Cass,” Emily says once they’re settled.
“No problem.”
“I’ll cut to the chase,” Emily continues. “I wanted to thank you.” Cassandra looks at her, puzzled. “For Jake,” Emily clarifies.
Suddenly, it all makes sense. Jake must have finally asked her out!
“Don’t thank me, Emily. I just noticed how you looked at Jake.”
“Still, I wanted to thank you in person. I always thought he had a thing for you, but he told me you nudged him to make the first move.”
Cassandra is taken aback to hear Emily admit that; it must have been hard.
“He liked you too but was scared you’d turn him down, so I told him you liked him. I’m sorry—I overheard you talking in the coffee room one day. I hope you’re not upset.”
“I’m not. He’s a good guy—and so romantic. I hope it turns into something more. Good guys are hard to find these days.”
“Yeah, I know,” Cassandra agrees. “The good ones are always taken. Luckily, you found yours.”
“Thanks to you. So, how are you doing? You seem to be enjoying married life.”
That catches her off guard. “Why do you say that?”
“You look happy; you’re glowing. And who wouldn’t be? The boss is quite the looker, and all the women are envious of you for snagging him.”
Some of them probably despise me.
“I can’t complain. Despite what people might say about Emilio, he’s a great guy once you get to know him.”
“You sound like a woman in love,” Emily observes.
She is, without a doubt, head over heels in love. “I guess I am.”
Emily stands up. “We should do this again soon. I don’t have many friends here, and you’re a good person. I’d like for us to get to know each other better.”
“I’d like that; I don’t have many friends either.” Cassandra also stands. “I need to go now, but it was nice talking to you. Tell Jake I haven’t forgotten about that lunch I owe him. Whenever you guys are free, let me know.”
As they part ways, Emily says, “Will do. And don’t hesitate to call if you ever feel like going out.”
Cassandra is glad that Jake took her advice. He and Emily will make a great couple, and she’s happy everything worked out for them.
When she gets back to the penthouse, it’s empty. She calls Emilio to find out where they are.
“We’re at the park. Alex started fussing shortly after you left, and nothing I did seemed to help, so I decided to take him out for some fresh air. You’re welcome to join us.”
“No, you guys enjoy yourselves; I’ll see you when you get back. Take this time to bond, and I’ll get some rest.”
And also check out some job openings.
Cassandra is going stir-crazy at home and needs something to occupy her time. She’s been considering getting a job for a while now but isn’t sure how Emilio will react. Once he gets home, she’ll bring it up and see what he thinks.
“Okay,” he says now. “Call if you change your mind.”
“I will,” she promises, and ends the call.
While they’re out, Cassandra finds about five job postings that match her qualifications. She applies to all of them and hopes they’ll call her soon.
***
That evening, while Alex is asleep and they’re having dinner, Cassandra says, “I’ve been thinking about getting a job.”
Emilio looks surprised. “Why? You have everything you need and more—why would you want to work? Alex is still so small; he needs his mother all the time.”
“There are plenty of women who have small babies and still work. We were managing before you came into our lives, so why not now?”
“You’re not just any woman; you’re Emiliano Rodriguez’s wife, and my wife will not work under any circumstances.”
“Emilio, I’m going crazy staying in this penthouse all day. I need to do something to keep me sane.”
“Go shopping then, book spa appointments, do whatever will keep you busy.”
“As if that will help. I had a job before we met, and I loved it. Anyway, I was just letting you know; I’ve already applied online.”
“You won’t be going to any of those job interviews.” Emiliano’s voice was a low growl. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Emiliano, I won’t just sit here. You can’t stop me from working.”
“You want to bet?” he shot back, an eyebrow raised in challenge.
“So, it’s okay for you to work, but not me? How is that fair?”
“Life isn’t always fair, sweetheart.”
Cassandra took a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. “I thought you’d be understanding, see things from my perspective. But I guess I was wrong. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
“Your job is to take care of Alex. What more do you want?” Emiliano stood up from his chair, his tone final. “Here’s a piece of advice, my beautiful wife: don’t even think about defying me. There will be consequences. Do you understand?”
Cassandra pushed her chair back and stood up to face him. “Is that a threat? Because if it is, I’m not scared of you.”
Emiliano traced his fingers down her cheek, then to her neck. Cassandra shivered at his touch. Why does my body always betray me?
“I know you’re not scared. But you should know, there are many ways to punish someone without laying a hand on them.”
A shiver ran down her spine, not from fear, but from the tantalizing promise his words held.
“If you need me, I’ll be in my office,” Emiliano said. He kissed her, a long, hard kiss that left her wanting him. They hadn’t made love since the night before, before the charity ball, and her body ached for his touch.
As she cleared the table, Cassandra wondered why he hadn’t made love to her when he clearly wanted her too. With a sigh, she headed to bed.
