She is beautiful tonight. Her short dark hair is curled and pulled back in a colorful headband that goes perfectly with her dress. A dress that was more than worth the quick trip to Aspen. Honestly, how I ever thought I could simply bang it out with Cassandra and be satisfied is laughable at this point. I’ll never get sick of her.
Cassandra leans close to me, her pink lips looking extra kissable as she whispers, “This might sound weird, considering you’re my boss and I’m your employee, but I’m really proud of you, Max.”
My brows twitch with that odd remark. “Proud?”
“Yeah…you’ve got it going on.”
“Do I?” I practically growl as I drape my arm around her chair to cage her into her seat. “In what ways exactly?”
Her lips twitch with a smirk. “Oh, you want a list?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I need one…not all of us subscribe to the willy-nilly way of life.”
She narrows her sexy eyes at my mouth. “I’ll have my assistant fax you over a list in the morning.”
“No one faxes anymore, Cozy.” My fingers tease the back of her neck, causing her to bite her lip and shiver.
I lean in to take her teeth’s place when suddenly a hand lands firmly on my shoulder.
“My man, Max!” Jenson’s voice booms from behind me, and I quickly pull back to turn around.
“Jenson, you finally made it,” I state, standing up to reach my hand out to his. Jenson is a solid five inches shorter than me, so I always have a nice view of his receding black hairline. “I was starting to worry.”
“No need to worry.” He laughs and leans in close, drenching me with the scent of vodka. “Just had a little pre-party before the real party. You know how that goes.”
“Where is your wi—” My voice trails off when I see a tall, young blonde standing behind him that is most definitely not his wife.
“This is Paisley,” he says, pulling on the girl’s elbow so she moves in to stand beside him. “She’s been my right hand for years. Libby wasn’t feeling well tonight so she stayed home. I thought it’d be good for you to meet one of your future team members.”
He wraps his hand around her waist, his fingers drifting low on her hip as he secures her beside him. Jenson isn’t a bad-looking guy, but something looks off between this girl and him. Not to mention, his hands seem a bit too intimate for a platonic boss, employee situation. Especially a boss who’s married.
Then again, am I one to really judge?
Paisley forces a smile and shakes my hand, her fingers limp in mine. “Nice to meet you, Paisley. Let me introduce you to my girlfriend.” I step back to reveal Cassandra, and my face falls when I see her staring up at us with the most stricken look I’ve ever seen on her face.
“Cassie!” Jenson bellows, bumping me in the shoulder as he moves past me to lower himself into my vacated seat. “Is that really you?”
My chest tightens as I watch Cassandra’s arms cross over her waist. Her brow is furrowed, and she looks like she could be sick as she replies woodenly, “Hello, Mr. Hunsberger.”
He barks out a dry laugh and drapes his arm over the back of her chair just where mine was a second ago. “You don’t work for me anymore, girlie…call me Jenson.”
“Work for you?” I repeat, feeling all the air escape my lungs. “When did she work for you?”
Jenson’s face screws up as he thinks. “How long ago since you left? A year?”
“Seven and a half months,” she corrects, staring at the table like a statue, her cheeks hollow as she seems to struggle to maintain her composure.
“How have you been, Cassie?” Paisley asks, stepping up closer, her eyes wide and sad on her former coworker. “You look so good.”
Cassandra blinks up at the blonde, looking a bit shocked by her kind words before biting out, “I’m fine.”
“Cassie was one of our best asset managers, weren’t you, Cas?” Jenson brushes her shoulder, and I flinch when I notice she contorts her body away from his touch.
“Your former employer was All-Out Properties? This was your last boss?” I ask, my head throbbing with realization.
Cassandra’s eyes are red rimmed as she struggles to look at me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I rasp, my hands flexing at my sides. I know I’ve mentioned the name of the company I’m merging with to her multiple times. How could she keep this from me?
“Is there a problem here?” Jenson inquires, his beady eyes narrowing on Cassandra in a way that I do not fucking like.