With a deep sigh of despair she put the cup down on the table in front of her.
"Are you serious? Do you really have to go there?" she said with almost a whimper, staring emotionless down into the cup. Cassie was just so fed up with all of this that she could scream.
She reluctantly raised her gaze and looked at her husband, the corner of her mouth twitching in a disapproving way as she gave him a once over.
"It's the third time this month!" she said to make her point clear to him.
But obviously she had spoken to deaf ears as he continued to scroll on his work phone. Hadn't he heard a thing she said?
"Bradley, I am talking to you!" she said and grabbed his arm.
He looked up at her.
"What, Cassandra?" he replied and raised his brows a little irritated.
She wrinkled her forehead and gave him an accusing glance. She hated when he said Cassandra to her, even though it was her given name.
"I said: do you really have to go on another trip? This is the third this month!"
Brad lowered the phone and put it down on the table. Damn it. It always came down to this. Couldn't she understand that he did this for both of them, to make a living?
The other thing though, that he every now and then got laid during his trips, she didn't need to know.
What she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?
"It's my job, Cassie. You know that. I can't help that I sometimes have to leave for a few days."
Cassie almost choked.
"A FEW DAYS?" she yelled at him, "Make that a few weeks and it will be more accurate. . ."
Brad sighed. He really had no time to debate this with her; his flight would take off in about two hours. What he needed right now was to get hold of a cab.
"Cassandra," he said sternly.
"Don't call me that!" she exclaimed and threw her arm out, accidently knocking her cup over and flooding the table with coffee, "Aw DAMN!"
Cassie jump up and fetched a cloth from the sink, then she began to clean up the mess that was all over the table.
Brad shook his head and headed down the hall to their bedroom.
Cassie looked up from her cleaning.
"BRAD!" she yelled to his back. Damn she felt so pathetic. In anger she threw the wet cloth in the sink, making the coffee she had cleaned up, to splash up at the cupboards.
Why was it always like this? It was like he did not care at all. She could up and leave and he wouldn't know a thing about it. He wouldn't have a clue. She could as well give it up.
"Okay Brad, for how long exactly this time?" she said and sat down on a chair, her posture looking totally defeated.
"A week and a half, " she could hear him respond from the bedroom.
Ha! Just as she thought. A few days. What a joke.
"Great, I just want to know when to send my lover home." she added, curious to know if he even listened to her. "You know, your friend Dave. Tall, dark and handsome!"
"Okay." Brad responded as she had predicted. Cassie sighed.
It was like talking to a wall.
A minute later he swept through the kitchen with suitcase in hand, heading for the front door.
"I will call you when I get there, " he said over his shoulder as he opened the door and stepped out. Before he closed it, Cassie could see that the cab had already arrived and stood waiting outside on the driveway.
She sighed even deeper and shook her head. He probably had the taxi company on speed dial; it wouldn't surprise her one bit.
One and a half week. She repeated it inside her head as she let out a helpless chuckle. She felt so neglected, AND forgotten. Yeah, that's how she felt. It was like Brad had forgotten about her completely, and their marriage too. Cassie stared straight in front of her, her eyes landing on the pile of dishes in the sink. Unwillingly she could feel a stray tear roll down her cheek, and she wiped it away hastily.
No way was she going to shed tears on that good for nothing husband of hers. He seemed to treasure his work more than he did her. Cassie snorted loudly in her loneliness.
A week and a half!
After a few miserable seconds a smile started to grow on her lips as a thought formed in her head.
Well, if he could neglect and ignore their marriage, so could she.
Thinking back, Cassie could recall her co-worker and friend Lisa talking about an upcoming party or something. Maybe she should give her a call. Yeah! She should!
Decision made.
~ ~ ~
The decision had been made, she had called Lisa, and now in hindsight she cursed the damn phone call to hell. She was sure that she had never regretted anything in her entire life, like she regretted that phone call.
Cassie sat still with her eyes closed as Lisa tried her best to do her make-up.
"Really Cassie, you should put on some make up more often, just some modest make up, nothing heavy. It reveals your beauty even more. . ." Lisa mumbled as she carefully put on some eyeliner.
"My what?" Cassie chuckled. She really wanted to take a peek.
"Close your Eyes." Lisa admonished. "I said; it reveals your beauty even more."
"Oh please!" Cassie hissed.
Lisa pinched her arm hard, making Cassie winch in pain.
"Ouch!" she growled and shot up her eyes. She glared at her friend with dark eyes, "What was that for?"
"You being stupid."
"I am not. I am just realistic." Cassie pouted.
Lisa stared her down.
"Damn it woman! Close your eyes."
Reluctantly Cassie did as she was told, mumbling some curses under her breath, as she sat still and allowed Lisa to do her make-up. In the background music from Spin doctors were played. The songs were old but easy to listen to.
"I really think you should have told me that this party was at our boss' house, Lisa," she said sternly with her mouth in a thin most disapproving line as she opened her eyes again.
"Sure. If I would have done that, you wouldn't have come." Lisa gave her a snide stare.
Cassie glared back at her.
"We are not there yet. There is still plenty of time for me to abandon you on this thing."
Lisa's eyes widened.
"Oh no, you wouldn't dare?"
Cassie gave her an ironic grin.
"You want to test that theory of yours?"
Lisa started to look very uncomfortable, and she turned her eyes away.
"Aha!" Cassie blurted out as she realized she had stumbled onto something here, "Now you spill it girl. And you better spill it good."
Lisa's eyes were big as plates as she put down the eyeliner on the table next to them. Slowly she sat down.
"I do not want to test you, okay. You just HAVE to come with me to this party. . ."
Cassie smiled with malice, knowing that there probably was something very interesting coming from this.
"WHY?" she said, rubbing her hands together in glee. "Any particular reason?"
"Yes, there is. . ." Lisa mumbled almost not hearable.
"Come again." Cassie raised her voice.
Lisa pursed her lips hard together and gave out a frustrated snort. She really had no desire to reveal the reason to Cassie, but right now she felt stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Yes, there is a reason, " she admitted through clenched teeth, her voice an octave higher than before.
Cassie's brows shot up and she gave Lisa a wide smirk as she slowly folded her arms over her chest.
"Right. And NOW is when you start telling me. . . everything." the tone of her voice making Lisa shrink in her seat.
"Okay. . ." Lisa muttered after a few seconds of silence.
Cassie leaned back and gave her a nod.
"Okay, " Lisa repeated nervously, "I've known about this party for a while. . . "
Suddenly Cassie held her hand up in a stopping gesture, then her index finger pointed sternly upwards.
"Okay, stop it right there. I knew there was something here that didn't add up. How the heck did you know about this party, AND how the heck did you manage to get an invitation?" then Cassie's eyes widened in horror, "Am I even allowed to this party? My god, it's our boss we are talking about here, Lisa. He lives in another world you know. . . "
Lisa swallowed hard.
"I know Cassie."
Cassie grabbed her by the arm.
"LISA!" she pinned her eyes to her.
"My god Cassie! Do you want me to tell you? " she hissed and removed Cassie's hand.
"YES," Cassie whined. "Continue, pleeease."
In the silence that followed, the falling of a pin could have been heard.
"His son is coming to the party tonight." Lisa whispered after a few seconds.
Cassie's jaw fell open and she looked deadpanned at her friend. Okay, now Cassie knew that there was something important that she had missed.
Like, completely missed.
Why in heavens name was that such a big deal anyway? A lot of people had sons and daughters that occasionally came and visited their parents, so what's the big fuzz?
She cleared her throat and managed to produce a strained smile at Lisa, who now looked at her with trepidation.
"What's the big deal here, Lisa? So, okay, he has a son who is coming over here. He has two sons in fact, so which one of them is it?"
Lisa bit her lip and blinked a couple of times before answering.
"None of them, " she said in almost a stutter and then she swallowed, "It's the third son who will be there tonight. Along with the others."
Cassie blinked.
"His what?"
"Third son!" Lisa said shortly.
Okay, now this was just ridiculous. It was common knowledge that their boss, Theo Hollander, bless his gorgeous being, only had two sons.
Cassie thought she ought to inform Lisa about that. She cocked her head to the side and gave her a small smile, like she was talking to a child.
"Lisa! Mr Hollander only has two sons. Everybody knows that."
Lisa shook her head. Then a grin popped through as to show Cassie that she knew something she didn't.
"You really want to know how I got this invitation?" she questioned Cassie once again. "Ask me! It's really good."
Swallowing as she saw the certainty in Lisa's face, Cassie was now more than eager to know.
Hell, she wanted to know that so badly.