CHAPTER 13

 

“Are you waiting for a call?” Garrett asked when Cayden checked his phone for the umpteenth time since arriving thirty minutes ago.

“What? No, why?” Cayden asked confused.

“Dude you’ve been checking your phone every few seconds. Is something wrong?”

They were sitting on the back deck of Garrett’s house overlooking the ocean. The fall chill had lifted for the day and the evening was warm, giving them one last memory of the summer that passed too swiftly.

“Nothing’s wrong, it’s just my assistant”

Skye joined them with a glass of ice tea, her baby bump pushing against the soft material of her sweater. Garrett and Cayden had been friends since college. Although their close circle of friends also included Stefan, Seth and Cole; Cayden had always been closest with Garrett. It warmed his heart to see his friend now happily settled with his first baby on the way. He still struggled to wrap his head around that part.

“Assistant? You’ve never had an assistant.” Skye said as she crossed her legs and placed her hand on Garrett’s knee out of habit.

“Well I do now and she’s driving me mad.” Cayden said sighing.

“If she’s not doing her job, you should fire her. I know it’s a headache with the amount of warnings you need to rack up but it can be done.”

“She’s doing her job fantastically, that’s not the problem.”

“I see.” Skye nodded.

“What?” Garret asked confused. “I don’t see anything.”

Skye giggled absently sliding her hand over the baby. “He likes his assistant, that’s the problem.”

“So, I still don’t see a problem.” Garrett said looking from Skye to Cayden.

“Sometimes I wonder how you ever realized I was interested in you.” Skye said shaking her head. “Now listen closely. Cayden likes his assistant but he can’t pursue it because she works for him, it would look bad.”

“Actually I’ve already pursued her.”

“Oh boy.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Garrett asked, and at that moment the lights went on for him. “Oh I get it, she’s holding out on you.”

“We’ve been kind of seeing each other now for a few weeks and all of a sudden she’s got a friend over from Manhattan and tonight she wants some time to herself. What does she want to do by herself?” Cayden asked exasperatedly.

Skye laughed. “She’s not holding out, she’s mad.”

“Is she?” Garrett asked looking at Cayden.

“Well I don’t know, she might be.”

“And you’re keeping an eye on your phone in case she calls, so you can ditch us and go grab a quickie?”

“It’s not like that. Well not exactly.”

“Then what is it like?” Skye asked more seriously.

“I don’t know…Anna grew up in a trailer park but she’s got more dignity than any of us. She’s not shy about her upbringing, she owns it. She’s an intriguing smart woman and excels at her job.” He kept quiet for a moment contemplating his next words. “And the problem is I can’t get my mind off her.”

“Then don’t.” Garrett said matter of factly.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Because if my staff found out they’d think Anna is my assistant because she is sleeping with me.”

“Cayden you are both grown up single adults, who the fuck cares what anyone else says? Besides you’re the owner.”

Cayden digested Garrett’s words and nodded before changing the subject. “So how’s things with the baby?”

Skye beamed and rubbed her tummy affectionately. “Wonderful, he actually started kicking last week.”

“He?”

Garrett smiled as his hand joined Skye’s on her tummy. “She’s convinced it’s a boy.”

Skye laughed. “Only a boy could have me barfing this far into the pregnancy, a girl would’ve at least considered my feelings.”

Cayden smiled at the picture they made. First Garret had found Skye and shortly after Seth had met the superstar Fawn and fell head over heels and now even Cole had met someone. It seemed only he and Stefan were destined to be eternal bachelors. Although as he watched Skye and Garrett smile at each other he wondered if being an eternal bachelor was all it cracked up to be. He had never seen his friend happier.

At least he knew he wouldn’t succumb to marital life, his only priority was Rosi’s. He was the only one of his friends that didn’t come from old money and because he made his own fortune he was driven to make sure the stream didn’t stop. He never wanted to worry about money again.

He thought about Anna growing up in a trailer park and found a hollow hole form in his chest. How often did she have to worry about money? In comparison he had it easy. Knowing he wasn’t going to stop thinking about Anna he decided to excuse himself.

“Listen guys, I’m gonna head out. But we’ll make a plan and get together soon.”

“Sure, good luck with your assistant.”

“Anna.”

“I like that, such a solid honest name.” Skye said.

Cayden couldn’t help but smile back. “I like it too.”

 

 

Cayden pulled up outside the small Mexican Restaurant in town on his way home, he needed something spicy to burn off the need he was harboring for Anna.

As he stepped inside he noticed her sitting in the middle of the restaurant, with Larry F&B. He felt anger rush up, and afraid he was going to make a fool of himself he turned around and walked back to his car.

She didn’t need time to herself, she need time with Larry. Larry fucking F&B. His temper sizzled all the way home.

After slamming the car door and stalking into his house, he still hadn’t calmed. She wasn’t going to screw around on him.

The fact that he had never cared about any woman moving on didn’t seem to bother him at all, if it did he pushed it down where he would examine it later. Cayden moved to the living room and switched on the television. The romantic comedy that was on grated on him. A blonde was trying her best to get a guy to leave her in ten days. After a few minutes he switched it off and tossed the remote control on the couch.

“Fuck!” He said as he pulled out his phone contemplating to phone her. Why did it bother him so much? They hadn’t made promises; they weren’t even in a goddamn relationship. Cayden leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. A vision of Anna’s beautiful body on a bed appeared before him, with Larry F&B’s pale body flapping against her.

His eyes flew open and he speed dialed Anna. It was a few rings before her sweet voice answered.

“Hello?”

“I need you to come to my house right now.” Cayden said harshly.

“I’m having dinner at the moment, can it wait until tomorrow?”

Cayden bit back the comment about seeing her with Larry F&B. “No, it can’t wait its urgent. I’ll send you the coordinates now, I expect you to be here in ten minutes. It’s about work.” He threw in the work part for good measure; he knew she would come now.

“Fine.” Anna replied and ended the call.

Cayden sent the coordinates and tossed the phone onto the other couch to join the remote control.

He paced the living room for the next ten minutes contemplating what he was going to say to her until there was finally a knock on the door.

Anna stood in the bright light shining from the porch in her black dress and high heels. Her dark brown hair appeared a glossy black and Cayden already itched to run his fingers through it. Her mouth was firmly settled into a pout and her eyes were narrowed giving him only a glimpse of their ice blue color.

“Come in.” He said gruffly before stepping aside to allow her to pass.

“What is so urgent that couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning?” Anna demanded as soon as she was inside.

“You making a fool of yourself with Larry F & fucking B!” Cayden all but shouted as he walked past her into the living room.

“What? That’s why you called me over here? Because you found out I was having dinner with Larry? You said it was about work?”

“I didn’t find out Anna, I was there. And it is work, you both work for me.”

“What…when?” Anna asked digesting the fact that he had seen her with Larry.

“Now, I felt like Mexican and instead I see you cavorting with Larry after hours. As of now there is a new policy against dating within the company.”

Anna laughed mirthlessly. “Bullshit.”

“I’m the boss; I can add any policy any time I like.”

She took two steps towards him and glared at him. “You and I both know this isn’t about Larry or the fact that we work together, this is about me cancelling on you two nights in a row.”

Cayden pulled a hand through his hair. “It isn’t about that, but now that you mention it why did you?”

“Really? You all but verbally assault me for having a conversation for Larry and now you summon me to your house for having dinner with him. How many times should I tell you Cayden, YOU DON’T OWN ME!”

Cayden knew she was right, but he had to justify himself somehow. “You could’ve at least broken things off with me if you were interested in Larry, which by the way you made abundantly clear you weren’t.”

“What should I break off Cayden; we weren’t officially seeing each other, we were only fucking unofficially.” Her eyes were cold with fury as her voice rose.

“Even if we're only fucking unofficially you could’ve at least told me you no longer wanted to fuck me unofficially.” Cayden said stepping even closer.

They were standing a few inches apart. Her scent bewitched him even as her eyes flashed daggers.

“This is me unofficially telling you to fuck off.” Anna spit back and turned on her heel.