But something Talia had said made it feel worthwhile.
“Cassius becomes jealous. Possessive. Maybe even obsessed. It sounds nice. But you had better be careful about getting into a game like that. I’ve seen the women who fall… It’s delightful to feel in their control. “
It was, I had to admit, delightful to be simply in the throes of conversation with Cassius last night. He had surely changed from all those years ago, but at his core, there was still the same man with a heart that had once been.
This morning had reaffirmed it was worth going to theRed Courtwith the King of Hearts.
Time would tell if he ruled as a benevolent partner or a ruthless, cruel overlord.
7
CASSIUS
TheRed Courtgala started at seven p.m. on the dot. With a valet driver, it would take me about thirty minutes to get from the penthouse to the private lounge for the richest patrons in theRed Court.I had had to throw my weight around some to get Sarah the exhibit in question, but time was no obstacle to me. Really, what was?
That meant that when the clock struck five p.m., I had my valet driver pull up to the hotel Sarah was staying at. I did not give her notice that my driver was coming; she had to prove that she was ready. Everyone said that billionaires most valued their time, for it was the only thing they had in common with everyone else, and that was true. Someone wasting my money didn’t get under my skin nearly as much as someone wasting my time.
But time was also a test, a weapon that I could use. Did Sarah respect my time? Did Sarah understand the need to do everything down to the fucking second? Did Sarah realize what she had?
Do you realize what you have?
Yes. It’s the start of a test. A very personal test. A very subtle, but very personal, test.
I stood in a private hallway just outside the entrance ofRuby.I would walk out at six p.m., fully expecting my driver to be there with Sarah, and then we’d head to theRed Court.Would it get us there thirty minutes early? Yes. Would that mean I’d have time alone with Sarah, time to probe inside her, see what made her tick, how I could best break her?
Oh, most certainly.
My watch buzzed at six p.m. I stepped outside. There was my valet driver, hurrying out of his driver’s seat to open the door for me. I stepped inside and smiled when I saw her waiting for me.
Sarah was an interesting mix; on the one hand, her curves, her dress, and her makeup made her look stunningly beautiful. Mesmerizing, even. But there were just hints that she was feeling a bit rushed, pushed past her usual casual pace. A fold in her dress she had not had time to ruffle out. A strain by her eyes that suggested anxiety.
Most people would not notice such things. I was not most people.
But she was here.
“Hello,” she said, a hint of hesitation in her voice. She didn’t know what to think of this. Off balance was delicious.
“Welcome to my world, Sarah,” I said flatly. “As you have seen, I’m a man of little time and prompt order. You are fortunate that you were prepared when you were. I do not wait on people.”
“I figured as much,” she said, a hint of both fear and defiance in her voice. What an odd tension, I thought. Most people were either explicitly fearful or outright defiant, even if the latter usually masked fear. “I suppose I should thank you for making this happen and taking me to this.”
I snorted. I usually enjoyed more the feeling of people groveling than their gratitude.
And yet.
Something was different here. I wasn’t about to admit it, of course. It probably had something to do with our past, something to do with there being more than met the eye here. But fuck, Sarah’s half-full expression of gratitude warmed me.
“Don’t thank me yet,” I said. “You still haven’t seen anything at theRed Court.I warn you, it’s a ruthless event. Cameras, reporters, billionaires, celebrities. You wanted the attention for your career? Be careful what you wish for, because it might just be exactly what you want.”
“And what is it you wished for tonight?”
Damn, she was good. Maybe her being frazzled from having to hurry over was having an effect. I was all for it, if that was the case.
“I told you before, but I suppose for an old flame I can repeat myself,” I said. “I wished to do something nice for you to clean my mind of some of the more vengeful thoughts. I suppose you could say I wish to move on from what happened to… what happened to us, around us, years ago.”
“And what do you want to move toward, Cassius?”
I said nothing, leaning back in the limo and looking out the window at the Las Vegas Strip.Soon to bemyLas Vegas Strip.I knew what I wanted to move toward, or rather, I knew what I told myself I wanted to move toward.
