Page 5 of Session 33
"You can help me win. I’m going to teach you," he whispered, his breath brushing my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
"I don’t think I should sit on you. I’m too—"
"You’re perfectly fine," Cassius interrupted, his hands settling on my hips, anchoring me to him. "Now, let’s play."
My head was down for a whole minute, so I didn’t see the reactions from Jonas, Naomi, and another man had taken seats at the table.
His hands moved to cover mine, guiding them as he dealt the cards. "First, you need to understand the suits," he murmured, his fingers tracing mine. "Spades are always the trump cards, the most powerful."
He slid a card into my hand, his touch lingering. "Hearts, diamonds, clubs," he continued, each word a warm breath against my skin. "They’re important, but spades win."
Naomi watched us with an amused expression, occasionally offering tips but mostly letting Cassius take the lead. It took everything in me not to tremble in this man’s lap.
I learned nothing. His proximity made it hard to focus. Still, we won. After the game, I was still sitting in Cassius’s lap. He wouldn’t let me up. While he was distracted and collecting money from the other players, Naomi leaned into me, a smirk on her face. “Don’t fall in love, girl. I’m warning you.”
“I gotta use the restroom,” I yelled a little too loud as I jumped up. I didn’t wait for instructions. I’d find it.
As I hurried into the house, my heart was thundering in my chest. Somebody pointed me toward the bathroom, and as soon as the door clicked shut behind me, I leaned over the sink, gripping the edges like it might hold me together. The room was spinning—maybe from the drinks, maybe from Cassius. Probably both.
I splashed cold water on my face, desperate to cool my skin, to calm the heat pooling between my thighs. My reflection in the mirror looked just as flustered as I felt. "He is not for you, Angel. Don’t set yourself up," I whispered, staring at myself like I could talk some sense into the girl in the glass.
When I finally felt composed enough to return, I took a deep breath and stepped back into the warm night air. Naomi was waiting for me at the back door. “Let me introduce you to some more people.” She handed me a drink.
I learned so much about them—like how Naomi and Jonas had been together since their teens. She’d met him when he was a corner boy, still hustling, and she’d seen the potential in him before anyone else. Now he was mentoring at-risk youth, helping them find a way out of the same life he’d barely escaped.They were the kind of couple that made you believe in the whole “ride or die” thing—if you squinted hard enough.
Cassius didn’t divulge anything about himself. He was the type who cracked jokes. His arrogance was off the charts. He carried himself like he swore the air itself bent to accommodate him. That type of confidence was obnoxious in other men, but somehow it suited him. He was superficial and shallow—a hoe. Throughout the night, at least twenty women tried to get his attention, whispering in his ear or shooting me dirty looks. I brushed it off.
The party wound down around ten. I was tipsy. Naomi had been giving me drink after drink. But I still had manners.
“You all need help cleaning up?” I offered, noticing the paper plates and cups scattered around their yard.
“No, you just relax and finish your drink. We have people coming to clean up first thing in the morning. I’m gonna fix up the guest room for you—you’ve had too much to drink to drive,” Naomi said, turning to head inside.
“No, no, I’m good. Really, I’m not that drunk,” I protested, standing up too fast from one of the pool chairs. My head swam, and I nearly tumbled back down.
Both Naomi and Cassius laughed at me. Cassius helped me back into my chair—I didn’t know where Jonas had wandered off to.
“Okay, maybe I am a bit tipsy,” I admitted, giggling like a fool. “But I can still take an Uber home,” I added stubbornly, trying to salvage what little dignity I had left.
“No, I insist. Stay here, and Cassius will look after you, and he’ll be good. Won’t you, Cass?” Naomi said with a playful threat in her tone.
“Just go, Naomi,” he stressed.
I watched her retreat into the house.
Then it was just me and him. I tried to avoid his gaze. I failed horribly. When I did look, his eyes were already on me. “I told you, it’s not nice to stare,” he said, taking a pull of the blunt that had come from nowhere.
“I’m not staring at you—you’re the one staring at me!”
“If you weren’t staring at me, you wouldn’t know I was staring at you,” he countered.
“This is really childish, you know?” I giggled.
“I know you are, but what am I?” he rebutted.
We both burst out laughing.
He stopped suddenly, getting this real serious look on his face.
