Page 21 of Session 33

Keisha, clearly irritated, chimed in, “Just call her an Uber.” Jonas shot her a warning look, but the damage was done.

Angel objected too. That was it. I was done arguing. I scooped her up, bridal style, and carried her to my car. She didn’t fight me, probably because we were in public.

On the way to the parking lot, some Rico Suave-looking dude stepped in front of us, blocking my path.

“You alright, Angel?” he asked, his voice dripping with concern.

“Who the fuck are you?” I snapped, already done with the night.

Angel lifted her head, her voice soft, almost too soft. “I’m alright, Solomon. Just drank too much.”

I didn’t like how gentle she sounded with him. “Move,” I barked, pushing past him.

“Call me,” he called after us, and I felt my blood boil.

Ignoring him, I reached my car and opened the passenger door, setting Angel down as carefully as I could. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with something that felt like disappointment and hurt, and maybe even a little confusion. Yeah, I’d fucked up.

I closed the door and walked to the back, holding the door open for Keisha.

Keisha slid in with a huff, her arms crossed like she was the one who had a reason to be mad. “Really, Cassius?”

“Yeah, really,” I said, climbing into the driver’s seat. The tension in the car was thick—Keisha glaring at the back of my head, Angel staring out the window like she wished she was anywhere else.

“Why’d you have to carry me? That was embarrassing,” Angel slurred.

“Because you were swaying like you were about to fall,” I said, keeping my tone even, my eyes on the road.

She sighed, her head leaning back against the seat. “I don’t need you to take care of me, Cassius.”

I glanced at her, just for a second, catching the way the streetlights lit up her face. “Maybe not,” I said quietly, “but I’m doing it anyway.”

Chapter Sexteen

Drinking away my feelings had been a terrible idea. It left me messy—horny, sad, and now I was stuck.

Cassius’s Audi hummed as I leaned against the window, trying to get through this ride without losing my mind. Keisha was in the backseat, sucking her teeth and sighing loudly every other minute, making her irritation clear. I didn’t blame her. The whole situation was awkward.

I didn’t understand why she was even dealing with Cassius. She was gorgeous, and I was sure she could’ve had her pick of men. Yet here she was, dealing with Cassius ass, who barely paid her any attention and was disrespectful to her on top of it all.

Then the music he had on made the awkward moment even worse. Slow, sexy tracks were the soundtrack to our little disaster— Usher’s “Little Freak” eased into Prince’s “Darling Nikki,” followed by Floetry’s “Say Yes.” It felt intentional. He wanted to see me squirm, and I hated how well it was working. It didn’t help that his hand was on my thigh, and I was too weak to push it away.

By the time Miguel’s “Pussy Is Mine” came on, I was too wound up, too aware of him, and too ready for the ride to be over. The tension was unbearable, thick enough to choke on. Every nerve in my body felt exposed. I shifted in my seat, desperate for some relief, and his hand shifted with me, crawling closer to whatI wanted touched. My body betrayed me, leaning into it, even though I knew better.

When we finally stopped in front of my building, I was ready to jump out of my own skin. My fingers fumbled for the door handle, my voice barely steady. “Thanks for the ride,” I mumbled.

Cassius caught my hand. “What time should I come back tomorrow to take you to get your car?” he asked, tilting his head like this was just casual conversation, like Keisha wasn’t sitting right there in the backseat.

“I’ll take an Uber,” I said quickly, my voice clipped. I needed air. I needed space.

His jaw flexed. “Why take an Uber when I can just drive you?”

“It’s fine, Cassius,” I said, yanking my hand free and shoving the door open. My legs wobbled as soon as I stood, the rush of cool air making me realize just how drunk I was.

I muttered a half-hearted goodbye to Keisha, but I didn’t even look back. My focus was on steadying myself, planting my feet firmly on the sidewalk. Before I could take more than a step, Cassius was there, sliding out of the car and catching my arm, his grip steadying me like it was second nature.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, shrugging him off.

“You’re not,” he said quietly, his voice low but leaving no room for argument. His hand lingered for a second before falling away, his eyes fixed on mine, unreadable.