Cassie by E. L. Todd Page A

possible. He always told me I looked nice and I liked hearing the compliments from him. “You look nice too.”
    “Nice?” he asked. “I give you wow, and I get nice?”
    I laughed. “You look very fuckable.”
    “Ooh. I like that.”
    I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him for a long time, letting my stress wash away. He held me but said nothing. His strong arms made me feel better immediately. Everything was easier when I was with him. Nothing was complicated. I loved him with my whole heart and I knew he loved me in return. As long as we had that, we didn’t need anything else.
    He pulled away and kissed me on the forehead. “We should go.”
    “Yeah,” I said.
    We arrived at the restaurant and saw Orlando and Stewart already sitting at a table. When we walked over, Orlando jumped up and hugged me.
    “You look hot, girl.”
    “Thanks,” I said.
    Stewart kissed me on the cheek. “It’s nice to put a face to a name. Orlando talks about you all the time.”
    “I hope he says good things,” I said.
    “Mostly,” Stewart teased.
    I turned to Tony. “This is my boyfriend.”
    Their mouths both dropped.
    Orlando nodded his head approvingly. “Very nice.”
    Stewart tried to get a peek of his ass. And he wasn’t discreet about it.
    Tony actually blushed. “It’s lovely to meet you both.”
    “And it talks,” Orlando said, mesmerized. He shook his hand.
    Stewart shook his hand next. “Wow. You have big hands.”
    “Uh, thanks?’ Tony said.
    I laughed. “Let’s sit down.”
    We took our seats.
    Orland kept his hand on Stewart’s thigh, and Stewart looked at the menu.
    Tony placed his arm over my chair, his fingers touching my neck gently.
    “Do you work out?” Stewart asked bluntly.
    “Every morning,” Tony answered.
    “It shows,” Stewart said.
    “Why don’t you work out more often?” Orlando asked.
    “I do,” he said offended. “I do Pilates.”
    “You aren’t going to get muscles like that doing Pilates,” Orlando said.
    “Well, you don’t work out,” Stewart said.
    “I work all day.”
    “I knew you were going to throw that in my face,” Stewart said as he rolled his eyes.
    Tony smiled, seeming amused. “How did you two meet?”
    “At the Purple Cowboy,” Orlando said.
    “What’s that? Tony asked.
    “A gay bar,” I said.
    “Oh,” Tony said. “Cool.”
    “And we’ve been in love ever since,” Stewart said. “Even if that isn’t always clear.”
    “What do you do at the magazine?” Tony asked Orlando.
    “I’m in charge of jewelry and accessories. I find the top trending gems and incorporate them into our photo shoots. I have the best job ever,” he said as he waved his hand.
    Stewart looked at me. “I’m so sorry about your job. Orlando told me everything.”
    Tony looked at me. “What about your job?”
    My eyes widened in alarm. I wasn’t expecting this to come up.
    Orlando shook his head. “Pia is a total bitch. I can’t believe she fired you without actually firing you. She’ll get what’s coming to her.”
    Tony continued to stare at me. “What is he talking about, babe?”
    Orlando looked frightened. “Whoops.”
    I avoided his gaze. “Nothing important.”
    “Did you get fired today?” he pressed.
    I sighed. “It’s a long story.”
    “And we have all night,” he said.
    Orlando took the reins. “I think Cassie makes gorgeous gowns. She’s been doing it for years. And now Pia hates them. She gives her absolutely no feedback and keeps trashing them. So Cassie has one more chance before she gets sacked.”
    “Is that even legal?” Tony asked.
    “Yes,” I said quietly.
    Tony gave me a sympathetic look. “You’ll find another job.”
    “She basically said she would make sure that didn’t happen,” Orlando said. “That woman is a serial killer by night, I swear.”
    “That’s totally uncalled for,” Stewart said. “It’s like she wants revenge.”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know what her problem is.”
    Tony grabbed my