43. Hurtful Facts
“Cass, is everything okay?” Rockford asked before she managed to slip into the changing room’s hallway as swiftly as she could.
“Yeah, no… my dad’s BFF. I need to explain some stuff.” She grunted and sighed while Rockford moved out of her way.
“You want me to kick him out?” he asked carelessly and looked ready to throw the guy out.
Cassidy laughed but she felt defeated already. “No, it’s okay, I just need to tell him the truth.” She shrugged and thanked Rockford for his offer and close the door behind her.
Twenty minutes later she was makeup free, wearing her normal clothes, and her books were packed in her backpack.
“I’m ready, let’s go.” She huffed when she was in front of Rowan.
“Cass?” the bartender asked when he saw her dressed and clearly ready to go back. The man couldn’t help questioning her knowing his girlfriend will need details once she knows Cassidy was going home with a man before she was supposed to be done with her shift.
“Hey, Rocco. Tell Dee I’m going home early. He paid for my last hour.” She explained her situation with a reckless attitude making Rocco aware that the man was paying for her time. He arched his brow but she didn’t say anything more. Cassidy wasn’t even trying to be polite and didn’t introduce Rowan to her friend Rocco because she was annoyed.
“Come on,” Rowan put his hand on her elbow wanting to take her away from the club as fast as he could. His mind kept on thinking of all the possible reasons why would his best friend’s daughter degrade herself and dance naked for strangers in the shady strip club.
They didn’t talk in the car aside from Cassidy giving him the direction to her apartment building, and when reached the parking lot he was still quiet.
“The hell, what do have in here? steel stripper heels?” he grunted when he almost dropped Cassidy’s backpack. The weight surprised him as Rowan insisted on helping her with her bag when she was busy fumbling with her apartment keys.
“School books,” she shrugged when she finally opened her door and let him in.
“Are you having money issues? what do you major? what university?”
“I’m not, I told you, I like to dance.” She didn’t give him more information, feeling she was still too fucking annoyed by all of his questions. He didn’t have the right to drag her ass home, and she didn’t even know why she was letting him do that.
She took two water bottles from her fridge and give one to Rowan. Cassidy continued to pull out her heavy textbooks and put them on the coffee table beside her notebooks and laptop. The man took a peek at her book and raised an eyebrow while she smirked and continued to take off her sneakers, crossed her legs, then sat on the sofa.
“What?” she asked when he kept on looking at her like she had just grown two heads.NôvelDrama.Org content.
“Nothing, it’s just that I still couldn’t figure out why.” He rested back on the sofa and start flipping on her textbook as if he was going to find hidden books under the covers.
“I’m a med student and I like to dance. It clears my head.”
“Well, you need to stop dancing there.” He grunted, somehow feeling uncomfortable with her easy attitude towards being a stripper as an outlet for her stress.
“Why?”
“Why?! do you think your parents would agree with your extracurricular activity?” his voice escalated, he started pacing and ran his finger through his silver locks in frustration. It was one thing to be fazed by her decision, but looking at her, seeing her dance, and watching the lanky teenage girl turn into a beautiful sexy woman twirling practically naked had him utterly baffled. He was still trying to calm himself down, it felt so fucking wrong to want your dead best friend’s daughter. Rowan was still appalled that he was hard just from watching Cassidy dance.
“They’re not here,” she retorted with a loud huff and would probably puff if she didn’t just drink a gulp of water from the bottle.
The man continued to pace when she got up and headed to her small kitchen, suddenly feeling the need to keep her hands busy. Cassidy was feeling his intense stare and she didn’t want to start acknowledging her urge to want him. It was wrong, the man clearly still thinks of her as her dad’s daughter.
“Cassie, stop doing stuff and listen to me.” He closed the refrigerator door and was suddenly inches from her. She could feel his gaze and when she tilted her head to face him, it took all of her will not to slam her lips onto his. She hadn’t heard her childhood nickname for a while and she almost sighed when she heard it rolled out of his tongue for the first time in so long.
“You should go,” her voice was a bit throaty from her nerves and she glanced away from him a bit too quickly.
“This is ridiculous, you didn’t just dance to let your stress out, you’re stripping naked, God, Cassie, what were you thinking?!” the irritation was obvious, and her pulse beats faster from the annoyance and her needy desire, God, she wonders how the hell she stayed virgin all of these years.
“Why?” she demanded, “why the hell should I stop, just because you told me to?” her question was heated with spite, and suddenly Rowan moved closer and closer. He didn’t even think when he wrapped his fingers around her neck and pressed his lips on hers. It was pure passion, lust and forbidden desire slammed into long deep kisses not one of them seem to want it to end. Not even to breathe.
Cassidy let out a soft moan while her fingers curled, fisting his shirt. His hand tightened around her neck and his other hand hold her waist keeping her in place.
“Fuck,” he cursed, taking a big breath and putting his forehead on hers. He was hard, so fucking hard that he needed to step back and took another breather. “This is not how it is supposed to…” his words interrupted when Cassidy looked into his eyes, lust was clouding her judgment when she pulled him down and started kissing him. She wanted him, he had been her crush since she was in high school, it felt wrong but oh so right. She moaned and he groaned. Rowan tried to pull back but she took his hand and put his hand on her ass.
“Stop it.”
“What if I don’t want to?” it was her turn to raise an eyebrow, challenging him.
“I’m… fuck Cassie, you’re still in school.” He eventually managed to untangle himself from the little vixen.
“I’m a college student, an adult, old enough to vote, drink, and paid my lease. Even managing the family finance with our family lawyer.” Rowan’s words hurt her, she didn’t think he’d say the obvious but there it was.
“I’m too old for you.” His resignation was visible and Cassidy hated that she still wanted him.
“I need to do my homework,” she forced her words out, she reminded herself of the amount of stuff that she needs to do. By next semester she will need to cut down her club hours and most probably stop dancing completely.
“Right, I’m going to go.” He was about to walk towards the front door when he asked, “Your family lawyer is still Ferguson?”
“Yep, he’s not that good but I’m not spending money for services I won’t be needing. He will be adequate for me and my brothers.”
“The twins, how are they?”
“They’re still in private school, four more years before college. I called them last week, they’re happy.”
“And you?”
“Rowan, what are you trying to establish here? You watched me dance almost naked, we kissed, then you insisted that we stop, now you’re asking about my brothers?”
“Why are you making this hard Cassie? I know your parents, they’d want their kids to be happy.”
“I’m not a kid anymore and you’re not my guardian.” She spat her words. It might sound vindictive, but she was angry toward him.
“Just stop dancing at the club.”
Cassidy didn’t reply, instead, she walked to the coffee table and started opening her heavy textbook, started up her laptop, and ignored him. She was letting him make his choice, shutting him out, letting him walk away. She had been okay with her life after her parents passing. She was independent. Cassidy didn’t need him dictating to her what to do.
And her heart sank when she heard the click of her front door closing after Rowan walked out of her apartment. The rejection was eating her on the inside and minutes passed before she walked away from her books to pull out her secret stash in the far corner of her kitchen cabinet.
A bottle of cheap wine was perfect for lonely nights when she needs to forget about her life. She poured the first glass and start working on her homework. The study, she needs to finish her major, though after the death of her dad she had lost most of her motivation.
Two hours and two glasses of wine later she decided to end her night and poured one last glass to help her sleep. Loneliness was closing in on her, suffocating her and she hugged herself to sleep just like any other night she had before. Alone.