As always, please vote and comment if you like it.. I really, really appreciate it. Thanks! =)

***Dedicating this chapter to another fave WP author of mine: greenwriter. I love her work The Transient Wife which features a tough female lead also named Cassandra.***

***

“I thought I’d get you to sign this before we release the company newsletter on Monday.”

I stared at the folder Tamara handed me, feeling uneasy at what I knew it contained.

“It’s been revised to six months,” she added, answering my unspoken question.

I looked at her for a minute, unsure how to best approach the situation.

She emailed me a meeting request with no stated agenda. Since Sebastian’s revelations yesterday, I haven’t decided yet how I was going to deal with Tamara.

She didn’t look annoyed or exasperated—as always she looked pleasant and professional.

“Can I ask you something, Tamara?”

I wondered where the courage came from but now that I’d asked it out loud, there was no going back.

“Of course. What is it?”

I took a deep breath. “Do you think I deserve this job? And I’d appreciate an honest answer, without fear of repercussions—just your own personal opinion.”

She raised a brow, rolling a fountain pen between her fingers. “Didn’t I do a pretty speech of it on your first day here?”

“Yes, but that was before... you know...”

She just raised her brow again, prompting me wordlessly.

“That was before Sebastian told me what he’d done. Now, I can’t help but question everything.”

I lowered my eyes to the folder again, wondering if a time will come when I would stop second-guessing everything that had happened in my life because someone had a hand in it other than me.

“I have tremendous respect for Sebastian,” Tamara started slowly. “He has a vision and he has a drive most people can only envy. He doesn’t kid around and he certainly doesn’t suffer fools. If someone’s not good enough to work for this company, they wouldn’t be working here if he had anything to do with it. I’ve never known him to have biases—he doesn’t give an inch even to people who’d worked for him for years. You perform well, you get rewarded generously. You slack off, you get the boot. He’s always been black and white about that.”

I grimaced, unable to help myself.

She won’t be the only one to think it unfair that I’ve gained advantage because of my personal association to the boss.

“When he came to me about you, I was appalled,” she continued, smiling wryly. “I thought to myself, if he was going to pull strings, he can do it in some other department. I didn’t want to be told who to hire. He didn’t explain to me his motives. He just told me that he knows someone who would be an asset to the team. He didn’t tell me I didn’t have a choice about it although I’m pretty sure that was all between the lines. He just handed me your CV to look through. The next day I told him I’d take you on.”

“So you decided to hire me because of my actual credentials?” I asked in surprise. “That you weren’t pressured to into the decision?”

She chuckled. “No, I think Sebastian figured out that there was no need for him to press it on me. He knew your qualifications would be enough. If I’d said no, then maybe he would’ve had to make an executive decision but all that he really did was hand me your information. It’s no different than HR handing it to me for recommendation. We may have offered you a little more to seal the deal but it’s nothing I wouldn’t do myself if I really believed in someone’s potential.”

I couldn’t suppress a sigh of relief.

“I can see that this is troubling you,” Tamara went on, studying me with a more serious expression. “I personally don’t know what the real deal is here. I saw the whole thing at the board meeting and I’ve heard the stories that have been going around. Personally, I don’t give a fig. You’re in my team because you get me results. In two weeks, you’ve done more than others have in a few months. You’re doing more than I’ve asked you and I think, somehow, it’s because you feel you need to prove yourself more because of the circumstances that brought you here. I won’t complain and ask you to do less but I want you to understand that you’re here because you deserved the chance. I want you to do your best because you believe in what we do here and not because you have to prove yourself every time. You’d burn out before you can take a breath.”

I was very happy with Tamara’s reassurances.

I didn’t think she was just telling me what I wanted to hear. To be perfectly honest, in the last two weeks of working with Tamara, she never struck me as a pushover. If she didn’t want to do what Sebastian asked, she wouldn’t have done it. She wasn’t the type to put up with crap from people—even if it’s from the very intimidating owner of the company.

I signed my paperwork and left Tamara’s office with lighter shoulders.

I cared about the general opinion about me—I’d be a hypocrite to say none of that mattered. But there were only a few whose opinion meant more to me than others and as long as those weren’t compromised, I was at ease.

Mid-morning, a chat window popped up on my screen from Sebastian.

The company used an instant messenger tool for quicker and informal communication but I doubted anyone had access to invite Sebastian without his approval. I clicked Accept to add him to my contacts list.

Sleep okay last night?

I hesitated, looking around to see if anyone was watching me.

Yeah. I had a long day. You?

Don’t sleep much, remember?

I blushed, remembering that detail about him and the fact that since we started sharing a bed that summer, he started sleeping in.

I remember.

I hope you like the contract better.

I do. Thank you. It’s been all signed off.

Good. I have a lunch meeting. Coffee break with me later?

I worried my lower lip, resisting the casual invitation I knew wasn’t casual at all.

Rules, remember? Plus, I have work to do.

Fine.

I waited to see if he was going to say more but more than ten minutes passed and still nothing from him.

I sighed, clearing the message history before closing the chat window.

Sebastian accepted the rules but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make it hard for me to enforce them.

I continued with work, pushing all thoughts of Sebastian out of my mind.

An hour later, I walked to the copy room to with my report to make a few copies of it.

I was patiently waiting for the sheets to finish scanning when Dana arrived, her expression smug, as if she knew a dirty secret.

“I’d think you’d be playing secretary somewhere else,” she said casually, her eyes looking me up and down.

I suppressed a sigh. “Hello, Dana.”

“So tell me, did you sleep with him to get the position?” she pressed on. “I think it had to be more than a blowjob for him to do you this big a favor.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Sheath your claws, Dana, before you hurt yourself.”

She raised her brow mockingly. “Oh, so you think you’ve got some kind of power now? Don’t be ridiculous, Cassie. Men like Sebastian play with their toys until they get bored and find something else. But I can’t blame you. I would bask in it too, if only for a very short time.”

“Well, you’re free to it anytime,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t really care what you think, Dana. If you think you’re important enough for me to worry about, you’re wrong.”

I moved aside to walk past her but she quickly stepped in my way, her expression now as menacing as any bully. “If you think I don’t know about your secret promotion, you’re mistaken. I was supposed to get that position and there’s no way I’m just going to let you waltz in and snatch it up because you give good fuck.”

I resisted the very strong urge to smack her in the head. “If you have a problem with it, take up with Tamara.”

She threw her head back and laughed harshly. “Oh, I already did. I knew it the moment I came to talk to her the week before you came that she was going to give it to someone else.”

“She’s a real wise leader then.”

“Don’t get smart with me,” Dana snapped, her eyes narrowing. “If you hadn’t come along, Tamara wouldn’t have had any choice but to give it to me. And she still can—if you tell her you don’t really think you’re up for this job. I’ll make sure she keeps you on as a junior analyst.”

My anger was starting to simmer but I reminded myself that I needed to be the bigger person in this—or at least the less desperate one. “It’s not my problem that you’re living in a nightmare of your own making, Dana. If you ever harass me about this again, I will have no choice but to report you. Don’t push me.”

Dana straightened her shoulders, her nose flaring in barely controlled fury. “You’ll be sorry. Don’t doubt that.”

Then she strode out of the room.

The breath that whooshed out of me left my shoulders slumped and I took a minute to regain my composure.

I hated bullies but I had always managed to steer clear of them.

When cornered, I fought back, each time.

Dana was no different.

This isn’t anything you didn’t expect when you got gifted a dream job in your ex-boyfriend’s company. Now that you’ve made your bed, lie in it.

I took a deep breath and picked up the sheath of papers before walking out of the room, determined to put the incident out of my mind.

I knew the potential consequences but they never weighed in heavily on the decision to accept a job here at TVG. Now I wonder if all along, I knew the real reason why I was here, and I just ignored it knowing it was a truth I still couldn’t get myself to admit.

***

“I should’ve taken a cart.”

I glanced at Gabe in amusement, glancing at the loaded drink trays heaped over our arms which were brimming full of Starbucks’ coffee cups.

“This is why I try to avoid going around asking everyone if they’d like anything,” Gabe answered with an amused sigh as we waited for the elevator to arrive at the main lobby.

After my run-in with Dana this morning, I hadn’t been in the best of moods despite a merry lunch with others in the team. My annoyance was still eating at me that I finally decided to take a short walk to clear my head. I decided to do a quick trip to the coffee house which took up a corner at the ground level of TVG.

Eight people tacked on to my coffee run and if it weren’t for Gabe who happened to be there, I would’ve had some challenges bringing the coffee up to the office.

“I’ll remember that for next time. Or maybe I’ll just sneak out,” I said with a laugh just as the elevator sounded a soft ping before sliding its doors open.

Gabe grinned at me and froze about the same time as I did when we saw who was standing in the elevator, a dark scowl on his face.

Jennison was standing next to him, his hand on the door to keep it from closing, his expression betraying no surprise as he glanced at me.

I couldn’t help it. “Jennison, how good to see you! How are you doing?”

The guard, who didn’t look a day older than he did four years ago, only smiled faintly and nodded at me. “I’m doing well, Cassandra. It’s good to see you.”

“Yes, good to see you’re having such a good time on your coffee break,” Sebastian cut in, his tone unmistakably caustic. He eyed Gabe evenly before stepping out of the elevator.

He stood in front of me, a little too close to be appropriate, his eyes scanning my face intently.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his expression losing some of its hardness. “You look... troubled.”

Great.

The last man I wanted to see into my soul was reading me like a book.

“I’m fine, just busy,” I answered, looking away and stepping back a little, aware that Gabe was silently watching the whole scene unfold.

Sebastian understood my distance and instantly slid his usual mask back into place.

“After a morning of meetings and conference calls, I have a meeting with the mayor,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “And then an interview with Cobalt Bay Daily. I know how busy feels. Make sure you spend your evening with a nice dinner and lots of rest.”

In a roundabout kind of way, I think Sebastian just asked me out to dinner but I couldn’t be sure.

Besides, we weren’t supposed to go out together.

“I’ll do my best,” I said noncommittally. “Have a good day, Sebastian.”

His gaze lingered on me for another moment before glancing at Gabe. “Lucas. Good to see you.”

Gabe nodded. “You too, Mr. Vice.”

And without saying anything else, Sebastian walked away, Jennison following behind him.

Gabe and I stepped into the elevator but it took a moment before either of us said anything.

“Well, that was awkward,” Gabe broke into the silence with a weak laugh.

I grimaced. “I’m sorry. That was as strange to me as it was to you.”

Gabe’s expression was kind as he nudged me gently with his arm. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve never seen him speak so personally to someone before but he sounded like he cares a lot about you.”

“He did, didn’t he?” I agreed with a slow sigh. “That’s the problem. It’s hard to resent good intentions.”

“You made me think of my mother and that’s hardly the case here,” Gabe said with a laugh.

I couldn’t help but grin. “Hmm... Now that you mentioned it, he does seem like a nagging mother.”

“Stop, now, Cassandra, before we get fired.” His expression could be described as worried if it weren’t for the exaggeration. “Or maybe it will just be me.”

We were still laughing as we entered the office and deposited the coffee trays on one of the round tables used sometimes for quick and informal meetings.

Some people were coming over to fetch their cups, spewing their thanks and chatting briefly with us.

“Sugar daddy on one hand, boy toy on another.”

I glanced over my shoulder and found Dana standing there with a smirk on her face, eyeing me and Gabe.

“Don’t be petty, Dana,” Gabe warned in an edgy voice I barely ever heard from him.

He was frowning at her but she still looked like she was enjoying herself.

I sighed and turned away, determined to ignore her.

“Let’s go find Bradley before Chad can steal his chai latte,” I told Gabe as I picked up a cup and gently grasped his elbow.

Gabe let me loop my arm through his and just as we walked past Dana, she snickered.

“Enjoy it while it lasts.”

I didn’t say anything as Gabe and I walked towards Bradley’s cubicle.

“Is she constantly harassing you like that?” he asked after a stretch of silence.

My instinct was to say hell yes but despite myself, I sympathized with Dana in some weird way. Whether I wanted it or not, part of the reason I was here was because of Sebastian.

I shook my head. “She has her days. I just ignore her.”

“She can’t continue to act that way,” Gabe said in a serious tone. “If she’s always stirring trouble, she has to be managed. Come to me or Tamara.”

I looked up and smiled at him. “Thank you, Gabe.”

He grinned, reminding me of just how much he looked like the perfect all-American kind of guy. “Hey, no one else makes trouble here but me.”

I laughed, instantly feeling much lighter.

This ordeal wasn’t going to be over anytime soon but it felt good to know I had allies.

***

I was just walking down the hallway from a quick visit to marketing when I stopped dead in my tracks.

Sebastian was striding towards me, his body language tense and rigid, his face a dark scowl.

What did I do this time?

I glanced around to search for a smooth escape but I had a feeling Sebastian was going to hunt me down no matter where I went so I stood my ground and waited for him.

People noticed when he stopped in front of me, saying nothing and just staring down at me as if he wanted to lop my head off.

“Come with me,” he hissed under his breath, grabbing my wrist and dragging me behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I muttered behind him as I struggled to keep up. I tried twisting my arm free but his hold was painfully tight. “I thought you had a very busy afternoon.”

“I did,” he bit out. “I just swung by before my interview and found a pretty nasty surprise.”

I didn’t have a single clue as to why he was freaking out but it didn’t help my situation to be seen being dragged down the hall by him.

“Sebastian, let go.” I tried to slap his hand off my wrist but it didn’t budge. “You’re hurting me.”

And with that, Sebastian halted in an instant, turning around to face me and lifting my wrist up for his inspection. It was starting to look very red. He loosened his grip and rubbed his thumb along the injured skin. “I’m sorry.”

Then he released my arm and instead put a hand on the small of my back, leading me forward while semi-trapping me with his body on the side.

We reached the elevator just as it opened and before other people could pile in after us, Sebastian held up a hand to stop them, nodding gravely in a silent command.

“I thought we had rules,” I snapped at him, moving away to a corner as soon as the elevator doors closed.

“That was before I realized how dirty you’d play,” he shot back, shoving his hands into his pockets in an effort to rein in his temper. “I agreed to your stupid rules, Cassandra, but I will not be taunted.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded, completely bewildered.

His green eyes glittered in silent fury. “Are you having an affair with Gabe Lucas?”

I blinked. “Gabe? You think I’m—what the hell do you mean, Sebastian? Explain yourself.”

His mouth curled up harshly. “If someone needs to explain something, it’s you, Cassandra.”

Then he grabbed me by the elbow as the elevator doors swung open and led me down the glass-walled hallway of his office.

“Hi Dean, Vanessa,” I greeted awkwardly as the secretary and his assistant looked up with startled expressions, watching their boss drag me straight into his office, the door shutting heavily behind us.

“Answer my question, Cassandra,” Sebastian said curtly as he nearly shoved me down the armchair across from his desk. “Are you sleeping with Lucas?”

“How many times do I have to tell you that my personal relationships are not your goddamned business!” I practically yelled in anger and humiliation.

Sebastian was too much.

He was the one who went off and slept with other women after we broke up yet he’s hounding after every interaction I have with every man as if I hopped into bed with each one of them.

“And how many times do I have to tell you that you’re my business!” he shot back, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me roughly. “Just because you’ve decided to experiment doesn’t mean I’ve given you up for other men to sample. I didn’t protect you for four years just to let you go off and spread yourself around with men in my company.”