Read Chapter 1 of Falling for the Boss's Son

 

 

Cassandra Ross hugged the blanket a little tighter to her body and reached for her popcorn as her favorite episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer began to play on the television. She was in desperate need of girl power after the week she’d had. Her favorite heroine kicking some ass would hopefully make a dent in her mood. 

As the musical score played and introduced the cast, Brie strolled into the living room. Her best friend was five-foot-seven and had the body of a model, which was on full display in the red dress she wore. Her boyfriend, Kaden, would be drooling the moment he saw her. 

Cassie popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. “Hot date tonight?” 

“Sort of.” 

Brie took a seat on the couch beside her, and Cassie got an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her friend was blunt to a fault. The fact she was chewing on her lower lip, destroying her freshly applied lipstick, didn’t bode well.  

“What is it?” 

“I need a favor.” 

“What kind of favor?” 

Brie took hold of Cassie’s hand. “I need you to come with us tonight.” 

“You want me to come with you on your date? Why? Are you planning to break up with Kaden or something?” Cassie paused and her voice rose half an octave. “What did he do?” 

Her friend shook her head. “He didn’t do anything. Things with Kaden are great.” 

Cassie liked Kaden. He was good to Brie. But he was a man after all, and men did stupid things sometimes. Even to women they claimed to love. 

“A friend of Kaden’s is throwing a party tonight. I have no idea how many people will be there, but I got the impression most of them are going to be guys.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “You have to come with me.” 

“Why don’t you just tell him you don’t want to go?” Cassie asked. 

“He said he can’t wait for his friends to meet me, and I don’t want to be that girlfriend who can’t support her man.” She pressed her palms together in a praying gesture. “Please, come with us.” 

Her eyes were pleading, and Cassie could feel her resolve slipping. “I was going to watch Buffy.” It was lame even to her ears. 

“We can watch Buffy tomorrow night.” This time, Brie reached for Cassie’s hand. “Besides, what better way to show Greg you’re over him than to go out and have a good time.” 

“You had to bring him up, didn’t you?” 

Brie shrugged. 

Sighing, Cassie turned off the television, threw her blanket on the couch, and stood. “How long do I have to get ready?” 

Brie grinned. “Kaden said he’d pick me up at seven.” 

Cassie looked at the clock and her eyes widened. “That’s twenty minutes from now.” 

“I know. I still have a few things to do and I’m running out of time.” Before Cassie could say boo, Brie was halfway down the hall. “You’d better hurry.” 

Blowing out a breath, Cassie carried her popcorn into the kitchen, then headed toward her bedroom. It was a good thing she wasn’t a high-maintenance kind of woman because if she were, there’d be no way she could get herself ready in such a short amount of time. 

She was in the bathroom twisting her hair up when the doorbell rang. Cassie ignored it and continued to get ready even as she was mentally kicking herself for agreeing to go. Brie would owe her big time. 

Someone knocked on the bathroom door as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. With one last quick look in the mirror, Cassie pulled it open to find Brie, polished and perfect. Not a hair was out of place. 

She smiled as she took in Cassie’s appearance. “You’re going to have Kaden’s friends groveling at your feet tonight.” 

“Very funny.” 

“I’m serious,” Brie said. 

Not in the mood to discuss all the reasons why that wasn’t true, at least not when she was standing next to Brie. Cassie swiped her bag from the counter. “Are we ready to go—” 

Brie had pulled her in for a hug, cutting off her question. “Thank you for doing this.” 

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Cassie hugged her back. 

It was a short drive to their destination. This friend of Kaden’s lived in a high-rise condo building not far from downtown. Cassie had never been here before, but from the looks of the elevator alone, it was way above her pay grade. 

The back of the elevator had a beautiful fan pattern that screamed expensive, as did the marble on the floors. She felt out of place. 

Even though her dad had money, he didn’t flaunt it. His house, while large, wasn’t decked out in opulent finishes. It felt nice and comfortable. 

The doors to the elevator opened to a long hallway. It was modern and dripped with high-end finishes. 

Brie’s heels clicked on the floor as they walked to the opposite end of the hall. Cassie had chosen flats. If she was going to spend the evening keeping her friend company, then she was going to be comfortable doing it. She wasn’t there to impress anyone. 

Kaden knocked and a few seconds later, a woman opened the door. When she saw Kaden, she smiled. “Hey. You made it.” She took a step back, motioning for them to come inside. 

“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” Kaden said to the woman. 

“Yeah, well, my big brother sucks at party planning.”  

Both the woman and Kaden laughed. 

Cassie raised an eyebrow in question to Brie, but her friend wasn’t looking at her. 

“Where’s the birthday boy?” Kaden asked. 

Birthday boy? 

Again, Cassie looked at Brie, but she was still focused on the woman. 

Brie held out her hand, inserting herself between Kaden and the woman. “Hi. I’m Brie. Kaden’s girlfriend.” 

The woman didn’t miss a beat. She took Brie’s hand in hers. “It’s nice to meet you, Brie. I’m Beks.” 

Beks’s gaze shifted to Cassie. 

Kaden cleared his throat and made the introductions. “Beks, this is Brie’s best friend and roommate, Cassie.” 

Someone shouted Beks’s name from across the room and she rolled her eyes. “Excuse me, I’m being summoned. There are drinks and hors d’oeuvres in the kitchen. Help yourselves.” Then she was gone, blending into the crowd of people mingling in the living room. 

Kaden placed a hand on the small of Brie’s back and guided her toward the kitchen. Cassie had no choice but to follow. 

The condo was what she’d expected. Open floor plan. Lots of windows looking out over the city. The sun was dipping down below the horizon, casting a reddish-orange glow into the room. 

Brie handed Cassie a drink. “I didn’t think there’d be this many people here.” 

Most of the partygoers were in the living area. While Cassie had no idea the exact number, there were at least thirty people. Most of them were men and appeared to be in their late twenties to early thirties. She only counted three other women, one of whom was Beks. 

“I should probably try to find Jesse,” Kaden said. Then he glanced at me. “Do you mind if I steal Brie for a few minutes?” 

What was she supposed to say? No? “Sure.” 

“We’ll be back before you know it.” Taking Brie’s hand in his, Kaden headed into the crowd. 

They weaved around two people, then bumped into a man with long brown hair. Both men grinned and then embraced. She wondered if that was Jesse. 

Cassie took a sip of her drink. She knew no one at this party besides Brie and Kaden, and she didn’t know Kaden all that well. Her friend had only been dating him for a few months. 

After chatting with the man with the dark hair for several minutes, Kaden and Brie disappeared into the crowd. Sighing, Cassie walked to the nearest window to look out. The building sat on a small hill, giving it a great view of the city. 

She had no idea how long she stood there, sipping her drink and watching the sun as it lowered in the sky before she felt someone come up beside her.  

“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” 

Her gaze met crystal blue eyes and she almost choked on her drink as her heart rate doubled. His blond hair had a slight wave to it, making her want to run her fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked. 

He smiled, making her stomach do a somersault. “I don’t think we’ve met.” He held out a hand to her and she took it out of habit. The heat from his palm radiated up her arm and went straight to that spot between her legs that had her pressing her thighs together. “I’m Jesse.” 

*** 

Jesse took in the woman standing beside him. She was gorgeous. The dress she wore hinted at a body he wanted to explore and the way his pulse raced at her touch had him wanting to spend the rest of the night getting to know her in every way possible. 

“Um. I’m Cassie.” Then her eyes opened wide. “You’re Jesse?” 

“The one and only.” He smiled. “Well, not the only, but the only one here tonight that I know of.” 

She removed her hand from his and glanced around the room. “Kaden was looking for you.” 

Kaden was one of his best friends in high school. They’d kept in touch over the years and now that he was back in Kansas City, he was hoping they could hang out. But the look of concern on Cassie’s face had an uneasy feeling brewing in his gut. “Are you here with Kaden?” His old friend had said he’d planned to bring his girlfriend with him tonight. 

Cassie’s gaze returned to Jesse’s. “Yes.” She paused. “I mean. I am. Sort of. His girlfriend, Brie, is my best friend and she didn’t want to be the only woman here, so she asked if I’d come with them. I hope that’s okay.” 

The more she talked, the more he smiled. She was cute when she was rattled. “So you’re not his girlfriend?” 

She shook her head. “No.” 

Jesse took a sip of his drink, holding her gaze. “Are you anyone’s girlfriend?” 

Their gazes held for what felt like an eternity as he waited for her to answer. “No.” The sound came out as no more than a whisper, but he heard her. 

“There you are.” Kaden’s voice broke the spell between them and Cassie turned to face the window again. 

Jesse faced his friend. “Hey.” 

They patted each other on the back before Kaden wrapped an arm around the woman at his side. She was wearing a sexy red dress that hugged her curves, leaving little to the imagination. The woman was pretty, but she didn’t call to him like Cassie did. 

Being the gentleman his father taught him to be, Jesse extended his hand to the woman. “And you must be the girlfriend I’ve heard so much about.” 

The woman blushed and glanced at Kaden before returning her attention to Jesse. “That would be me. I’m Brie.” 

“I’m glad you could come tonight. Kaden needs someone to keep him in line.” 

Brie laughed. “Isn’t that the truth.” 

“Hey.” 

Jesse and Brie chuckled. 

Cassie turned around to join the group and Jesse’s focus was on her. Not that it had ever left her. Not really. She clutched her drink in both hands as she faced her friends. 

Kaden hugged Brie to his side. “I see you’ve met Cassie.” 

“Yes,” Jesse said. “We were just getting to know each other.” 

Brie raised her eyebrows, curiosity written all over her face. “Is that so?” 

Cassie spoke up, “I think I could use a refill on my drink. If you’ll excuse me.” 

Before any of them could respond, Cassie was several feet away, her back to him. 

“I should probably get a refill, too. It was nice to meet you, Jesse.” Brie followed her friend. 

Kaden watched his girlfriend until she’d caught up with Cassie, then he turned back to Jesse. “What was that all about?” 

Jesse lifted his drink to his lips and grinned. “You know her better than I do.” 

He glanced at the two women where they were huddled together at Jesse’s kitchen island. “I think you may have spooked her, man. What did you say to her?” 

“I didn’t say anything.” 

“Are you sure? She looks…nervous.” 

She looked on edge, which told him their brief interaction affected her as much as it did him.  

“How long have you known her?” He figured as long as Kaden was there, he might as well take the opportunity to do some research. 

“Only a couple of months. She and Brie are pretty tight, though. They’ve been roommates for the last five years. Brie told me when we first met that if her friend didn’t like me, then we weren’t going to work.” 

Jesse chuckled. “Had to get her friend’s approval, huh?” 

“Yeah.” 

Brie linked her arm with Cassie’s and led her back to where Jesse and Kaden stood by the window. She released her friend and moved to stand beside Kaden. Placing her hand on his arm, Brie leaned up and whispered something in Kaden’s ear. 

His friend’s expression changed and his eyes heated. He cleared his throat. “We need to…I’ll catch up with you later.” Lacing his fingers with Brie’s, they headed down the hall toward Jesse’s bathroom. It didn’t take a genius to guess what they’d be doing in there. 

Cassie stood beside him, once more clutching her glass.  

“Would you like something else to drink? Wine, perhaps?” His suggestion had nothing to do with the wine. Yes, he did prefer wine over the liquor-laden punch his sister had concocted for the party, but in truth, his motivation had more to do with getting her alone. 

“What?” Her hazel eyes sparkled in the lights reflecting off the glass, drawing him in. 

“My sister insisted punch would be better for the party, but personally, I prefer wine.” He offered his hand, silently asking her to take it. 

She hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand in his. The instant their skin connected, a rush of excitement rippled through his body again. 

Ignoring the rest of his guests, Jesse led her across the room to his study. The room needed a lot of work. Most of the bookcases were still empty. The boxes full of books were still sitting in the corner, waiting to be unpacked. 

He released his hold on her to close the doors behind them. The last thing he wanted was for one of the partygoers to interrupt them. 

She took in the floor-to-ceiling woodwork. As much as he loved his new condo, this was his favorite room. The rest of the place was very modern, but this still had a traditional elegance with a modern flare. It was the perfect balance of old and new, and he loved it. 

But his focus wasn’t on the fine woodwork or the piles of boxes begging him to unpack them. All his attention was on the beauty standing in the middle of the room with her back to him. 

Her black dress hugged her ass in a way that had his hand itching to touch her again and his groin tightening. She didn’t have the exaggerated curves her friend had, but there was more than enough there to hold on to. The thought of drilling his cock into her from behind had him hard in a matter of seconds. 

Knowing he had to control himself, Jesse walked to the far wall where he kept his wine collection. He selected a favorite of his and removed two glasses from the cabinet. 

She came to stand beside him, watching him pour the wine. “Good thing I like red.” 

He handed her a glass, then held his up for a mock toast, clinking their glasses together. “A good thing indeed.” 

They ended up on the couch along the far wall. A tall window brought in the light from outside and they were able to see the city skyline, although they didn’t pay much attention to it. 

Cassie twirled the stem of her wine glass between her fingers. “You grew up around here?” 

“About ten miles outside of the city.” He took a sip of his wine. “What about you?” 

“I moved to Kansas City with my mom when I was fourteen.” 

He wondered if something had happened to her father or if her parents were divorced, but for some reason, that felt too heavy and tonight he didn’t want that. “Where did you live before you were fourteen?” 

“St. Louis.” She looked at him from beneath her lashes and he felt the muscles in his stomach tightening again. “My mom met David and his job transferred him here, so we moved.” 

“Was it hard to leave all your friends?” 

“Of course, but I went back to visit them when I was with my dad.” 

That answered his question on whether her parents were divorced. 

“How—” 

The doors to his study swung open, causing them both to look up. His sister, now looking slightly pissed off, stood in the doorframe, hands on her hips. “Why are you hiding in here? This is your party. You’re supposed to be mingling with guests.” 

Knowing his time alone with Cassie was over, he stood and offered her a hand up. She’d relaxed as they’d sat and talked, but now the awkwardness was back.  

“Um. I should go find Brie and Kaden.” She set her glass of wine on the desk and brushed past his sister. 

Beks raised an eyebrow in question, but he ignored her as he put the wine bottle away and made his way back to the party. 

 

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