Players

10. You Look Good With Glasses

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Maddie does not talk to me as I take her and her friend Gabrielle downstairs but she does say her good-bye and gives me a kiss on the cheek before boarding the bus.

She may get mad at me over this but she is my daughter and this is not the first time that I have completely shot down something that she wanted. But I am sure she knows what she needs to do to get what she wants. She just needs to be responsible and if she can do that, then she will have another ugly corn snake within months.

I stand there deep in thought.

Maybe I should get her that snake.

No no no! You are a mother, Cassidy Meyers. Act like a mother. Act like a decent, responsible mother who actually cares for the well-being of her child. Ouch, why am I taking digs at Nora in my head?

"You know, I am starting to have second thoughts at this point."

I jump, my eyes widening and my heart crashing against my ribcage as I turn to the source of the voice awfully close to me. It takes me a minute to register who this is.

Dominic Grant.

What the hell is he doing here?

"Are you okay, Cinderella?" He flashes his white pearls at me. I bet he gets them whitened and sparkling every month. "You seem to be in your world."

"You said you are having second thoughts." I shake myself out of my daze and stand tall. "Does that mean I won't have to see your ugly mug any longer?" The corners of my mouth lift up at the thought.

"You are right." He says.

I am actually excited and also curious what changed. Did he pick up on some other weakness of my mine. Not that I care, because I couldn't care less. But it would be a problem if he decided to use it against me.

"I am usually right about everything. So which one is this about?" Some people might say I am full of myself. But I like to think I am just brimming with confidence.

"You are right about being Cinderella. The magic wore off at midnight."

Umm... What is he talking about?

"We were so friendly just last night." He continues, as if he understands that I have no clue what he is hinting at. "Look at you now, back to being little miss stick up her ass."

Wow... And to think that in my moment of weakness last night, my heart skipped a beat for him.

This is why I don't date. Men change colors like Sally change her cafe's menu.

"Right." I am too tired. I am just too tired. So I let him have this row. "So you gonna get off my back now, right?"

"No." He grins down at me. I am not digging the height difference.

I narrow my eyes at him and then decides I don't have the energy to waste on him so I turn on my heels, ready to walk away.

But Dominic Grant decides to take this one step further. He grabs my arm and pulls me back to him, with me spinning around and falling onto him, our chests colliding.

So this does happen in real life, huh?

He doesn't stop there. He pins my hand to my back and a smirk makes its way to his face.

"I don't like it when someone cuts me off."

"I didn't cut you off." I say.

"Yeah, you only snubbed me and walked away." He smiles. Why is he enjoying this? How do I make this man get bored of me and move on to his next target?

I know Dominic Grant. I know the stories. He is a complete psycho who gets obsessed with stuff - both objects and people. And he always makes sure he gets what he wants.

But I am at fault too. I was in a bad mood and I indulged him yesterday. Piked his interest. And even let him drop me off. I am also the one who told him that he could pick me up today.

I f****d up. I made multiple bad moves last night and now he thinks I have given him the green light.

Gah, I can't even blame him for it.

"Get used to it, darling. Or go away if you have had enough of this." I shrug, stopping in front of the glass doors leading to the inside of our apartment complex.

"Aren't you going to invite me in for coffee?" He winks as I look at his reflection in the glass.

I stare at the both of us and for the first time, I become conscious of my appearance.

Dominic is wearing a perfectly tailored suit and exuding an air of elegance and power that I am sure the man would exude even in a clown costume. The dark fabric clings to his frame, highlighting his strong shoulders and commanding presence, and the sight marks the comeback of some of the butterflies I felt yesterday. I try to shoo them away immediately.

Meanwhile, I am in sweatpants and a fuzzy pink sweater with a glittery cupcake on the front. My hair is up in a bun with half the strands loosely framing my face and tickling my neck. And this is probably the first time that the man is seeing me without makeup as well. And I also have my, in my Maddie's words, geeky glasses on.

His reflection reveals a man who takes pride and care in his appearance, each detail meticulously attended to, from the crisp white shirt to the neatly knotted tie. He likes to make it crystal clear that he is confident in his stance and no one stands a chance.

And my appearance? It reveals a person who is simply done with life and just wants to scrape through life. The only effort I take is for the world to see. I really do not care about myself.

In this fleeting moment, I am willing to surrender and admit that Dominic embodies the epitome of refinement. The subtle play of light on his well-groomed hair and the composed expression on his face, yet with that tiny mischievous smile I have been sporting, conveys more than words could ever express.

I know this for a fact - if whatever it is between us is a game of cat and mouse. Then he definitely is the cat. I am not delusional to be unaware of how we stand. Someone once told me that the person who respected their enemy and never undermined them almost always won. And in my life, I have seen that the statement holds some truth to it.

"I don't invite strangers into my house." I turn to him. I almost jump when he brings his hand towards my face and for a moment, he looks at me surprised before his smirk disappears and he fixes my crooked glasses.

"You look good with glasses." He murmurs and then the smirk is back. "So you go on midnight dates with strangers."

"That can be called a blind date and- WAIT, that was NOT a date."

"Hey Cassie, client or date?" Griselda walks out just then, her son Grayson in her arms. She is probably off to her morning time in the park.

"Not client" Dominic says before I can even try to salvage the misunderstanding.

"Oooh... I am glad your taste finally improved."

Did I ever mention that though I do love Gabrielle, Griselda's daughter, I do not harbor the same feelings toward her mother? I mean, she is all well and good when it comes to the single mothers' club. I mean, come on, her name is Griselda. She must be pure evil under all those fluffy layers and sprinkled cupcakes.

"He's a head hunter, Griselda. One who thinks that he has a sense of humor." I smile sweetly up at him as I say the last part. I do not understand that statement just makes his smirk grow wider.

"He's a cute one. Get his card even if you are not interested in the job." She winks before walking away.

I am trying to get rid of him, Griselda.

You have no idea how lethal the wolf under this sheep's clothing is.

"Are all people around you blunt like you?" He asks and then looks up. "Maybe it's a specialty of this apartment. I should move here."

I roll my eyes.

This man is just-

I do a double-take.

"What did you just say?" I ask him, and I beg all the stars I don't believe in to do something and not make this plan.

He grins at me and I know I am done for. "I hear the penthouse is vacant."

The penthouse again. What's with billionaires and penthouses? Will their status go down in the gutter if they live on the lower floors? Oh... I get it. They want the fake satisfaction that no one is above them.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask.

"Work for me."

"No."

"Then deal with me." Until you do. He didn't say it but I know he means it.

Damn it.

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