Page 25 of Danger and Dominance
She didn’t have to worry now, though.
Don had no idea where she was.
Plus, something about Claudia made her feel extremely safe, as though she could take care of anything that might come through her front door… or back… or window...Especially since, out of the whole team, she was the ‘scary’ one.
It also helped that everyone was laughing and joking freely, no one watching what they said, no unspoken reminders of her ex.They were all too busy teasing Jennifer over the pickles Cassidy had brought her.Not a single person seemed to believe they were from both Jensen and Cassidy.Jensen had neglected to mention that this was not the first time he’d given Jennifer pickles, though considering the way Jennifer was being teased, she could understand why he’d tried to include Cassidy in the gift.He was in for it the next time he saw any of these ladies.
“No, no,” Naomi said reassuringly, patting Jennifer’s hand in a manner that had Jennifer narrowing her eyes at the older woman.“I think it’s really sweet that he wants to give you his pickle.”
“Pickles,” Jennifer said, emphasizing the plural.
“Little weird that he has more than one, but you do you.”Claudia snickered.
“Argh!”Jennifer covered her face with her hands, shaking her head, though she was laughing at the same time.“Ya’ll are the worst!There isnothinggoing on with us!He just wanted to give me… pickles.”
“Yeah, I don’t know why everyone is making such a big dill out of it.”
Dead silence as they all turned their heads to stare at Yasmine, then the entire room cracked up.Puns were honestly the last thing Cassidy would have expected from her, though they’d just met.Yasmine was, for lack of a better word, elegant.Built like a model, tall and lithe, she had thick, long black hair, tanned skin, and eyes so dark brown, they were nearly black.She was striking in every way.
Everyone was wearing some kind of yoga pants or pajamas to be comfortable, but only Yasmine looked like she’d just come from a photo shoot.
If she wasn’t so nice, Cassidy would find her wildly intimidating.
Scratch that.She did find Yasmine wildly intimidating, but she was so nice that some of it was rubbing off.The pun helped.Yasmine was now grinning widely as she took a sip of the dirty martini she’d made.Claudia had a full bar set up, along with a small fridge of bottled and canned drinks.
Cassidy hadn’t had a drink in a really long time.She’d been too worried about what would happen if Don showed up and she was tipsy or, worse, drunk.So, she’d opted for a cider rather than going for the hard liquor.She was halfway through the bottle and already feeling looser, gigglier.
Relaxed.
“Okay, enough about Jensen’s pickle,” Claudia announced, causing another wave of giggles through the room as Jennifer groaned and flopped back on the couch.“We need to figure out what we’re going to play.Seven Wonders?”
“No, no, I told you, I’ve got a new game,” Naomi said, jumping up from her seat, drink in hand, as she hurried over to her bag by the door.“There’s only five of us, which is perfect.”
“What is it?”Jennifer asked, calling after her, obviously desperate to keep the change of topic going.Naomi was bent over, rummaging through her bag, while everyone looked on curiously.Claudia was pouting a little at not getting her way but seemed intrigued by the idea of a new game.
“It’s called Deadly Dowagers.”Naomi straightened up, holding up a small box.“We’re going to kill off our husbands to increase our fortunes.”
“Son of a bitch, I’m in!”Claudia jumped to her feet, and Cassidy burst into another bout of giggles.
This was the best night she’d had in a long time.
10
Cassidy
Learning Deadly Dowagers was fun, and thankfully, the game was fairly easy.Although, of course, that did mean that a lot of non-game talk happened.
“How’s the job hunt going?”Jennifer asked Cassidy.“Have you picked something?”
Cassidy hesitated before answering, and not just because she was trying to decide whether to kill her current husband or if she should wait another round.She didn’t want Jennifer to feel bad.
“I’ve been looking at them,” she said.“I called a couple of the places.”She should be grateful for any job, and she knew that, but part of her wished there was a way to do what she wanted to.So many other things were going her way, why not that one?
“I’ve got another job to add to the list if you want,” Jennifer said, looking up from her cards.“It’s not a guarantee, but she’s doing interviews on Saturday.An older woman who needs someone to help her out—driving her around, keeping her company, helping with meals and stuff like that.I don’t know if you’d be interested?—”
“I am!”Cassidy said quickly.Was it nursing?No, but it sounded a lot more like what she wanted to be doing than any of the other options that had been on the list.
“Great.I’ll set up the interview for you and send Jensen the information, okay?”Jennifer beamed at her.
