Destroyer

3

"Cassidy, may I come in?" she took one last look at her reflection in the mirror and smoothed her dress. "Yes, it's open" Jason poked his head through the door, then opened it wide and took a step inside, already openly checking her out. "You look gorgeous!" he leaned against the door frame and put his hands in the trouser pockets of his black suit. "I hope it's appropriate?" she smiled and he nodded. "More than appropriate" he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to him.

"A few things" he began and Cassidy looked at him questioningly. "First off, I'm really sorry for not telling you that I have a timeline for our marriage. Second, this is a 'date' organized by our publicity department, so make sure your engagement ring is on display most of the time" Cassidy nodded, listening intently. "And if, or rather, when we find my father, whatever he tells you, remember he's just a greedy bastard who thinks everyone is beneath him, so don't take his words to heart"again she nodded and he stood up giving her a hand.

"Okay, our reservation is for 8:30, so shall we go?" Cassidy took his hand and he smiled. "Jason?" he hummed softly and turned slightly to look at her as she was walking a step behind him. "How exactly is this 'date' going to make our engagement official?" her eyes looked at him with childish curiosity and he smiled. "You'll understand when we get to the restaurant" he winked at her and her cheeks flushed.

"For God's sake, this is crazy!" Cassidy practically ran to the entrance of the restaurant, trying to cover her face, making sure that as Jason had ordered, her engagement ring would be in every picture. "Are you okay?" Jason pulled her close, shielding her with his body when the reporters got too sassy. "I'm fine, is it always like this?" he looked back at the reporters who had gathered outside the restaurant's entrance, where they had been stopped by security.

"Most of the time" he smiled and checked her, making sure she was okay, then he approached the hostess, exchanged a few words with her and they were both led to their table. "Now I see why this 'meeting' is going to make everything official" she settled into the chair Jason pulled out for her. "Sorry about that too" he smiled and sat down across from her. "Maybe you should make me an 'Expect This' list so I'm prepared?" he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then burst out laughing.

Jason watched her as a waiter took their order. "Tell me about yourself" Cassidy looked at him and sighed. "There's not much to tell, I'm 25, I recently graduated in design, I have a brother who lives in New York, but we don't talk, otherwise I'm alone" she smiled somewhat sadly and Jason gently squeezed her hand over the table. "I didn't mean to make you sad" he tilted his head slightly and looked at her frankly, Cassidy shook her head and smiled waving her hand. "I've already gotten over it" Jason, however, didn't stay with that impression, but decided not to delve further, at least for now.

"And you?" she asked and Jason shrugged. "31 years old, you know what I do, my mother died when I was 17 from cancer, my father is an asshole, I was raised by my grandfather, who is the reason we are here today" he smiled and Cassidy smiled slightly. "It wasn't easy for you, was it?" Jason shrugged. "It could have been worse" the waiter interrupted, bringing them the bottle of wine that Jason had ordered.

Cassidy took a sip of her wine and closed her eyes in delight. "God, I needed this!" she sighed and turned her gaze to the window. "Will they be there all evening?" she asked and Jason followed her gaze. "It's like wolves sniffing meat" he shook his head and Cassidy laughed. "What's your favorite color?" he asked suddenly and Cassidy thought about it. "I don't know, maybe black" she pursed her lips slightly, still thinking, even though she had already answered.

The two of them continued to ask each other all kinds of non-committal questions. Jason was mesmerized by her laugh, Cassidy seemed to find the fun in everything he said, finding the bright side of every story she heard, like a rolling optimism machine that filled you with energy and makes you smile again and again.

Cassidy was laughing, her stomach hurt from laughing, but Jason seemed to be a fountain of funny stories. How he ran away from school to smoke, funny stories with the boys on the football team, the failure of his first kiss, although Cassidy couldn't imagine a man like Jason Mallory failing with a woman. The two were eating and laughing, as if they had known each other all their lives and now met after several years of separation.

"God, I was so nervous" Jason told her about the first time he'd been alone on a date with a potential client, the wine making her slightly dizzy and Cassidy yawning, trying to cover it with her hand. Jason smiled, looking at his wristwatch and waved the waiter over for the bill. "I can't believe what time it is" Cassidy looked at him and smiled slightly. "I guess time flies in good company" giggled Cassidy.

"Are you ready to dive into the sea of sharks?" Jason carefully held her low on the waist as he led her to the door, noticing that she was slightly dizzy. "Are they still outside, my God, aren't these people sleeping?" Cassidy giggled again and walked past Jason who held the door for her. The crowd of journalists was smaller, but there were enough to press them on their way to their car. Cassidy stumbled and Jason pulled her close, their eyes met for a moment, but that moment passed quickly as lightning blinded them.

"There you go" Jason helped her into the car and bent down to fasten her seatbelt. "Jason?" he looked at her and she sighed, smiling slightly. "Can I ask you something?" he nodded and looked at her expectantly. "Why does a man like you need an arranged marriage?" Jason raised an eyebrow, watching as her eyes closed and her head dropped slightly to one shoulder. "That was a nice date" Cassidy murmured sleepily and Jason chuckled, carefully closing her door so as not to wake her.

He settled into the driver's seat and buckled his seatbelt, looking at the sleeping Cassidy. "I liked it too" he smiled and started the engine. He really liked it, Cassidy was so calm, genuine, she was funny and kind, she listened to him and genuinely cared about him. Not about his money, but about him as a person.

"Cassidy?" he crouched down, unbuckling her belt. "Cassidy? We're home" she stirred and muttered something that he thought was very cute and made him smile, he couldn't even remember the last time he smiled that much. "Cassidy, wake up" he nudged her lightly on the shoulder, which only made her turn to face him and squirm in the seat, her palms stuck together between her knees.

Jason sighed. He stood up, then bent down and ran his hands under her knees and behind her back and carefully lifted her out of the seat, closing the car door with his foot. Cassidy shifted slightly and her head fell into the crook of his shoulder. "For God's sake, girl, I'm a man, I'm not made of steel!" he snapped as her breath scalded his neck and the scent of her perfume entered his nostrils and his body tensed.

With Cassidy in his arms, he stood outside the front door, wondering how to hold the sleeping woman, unlock and enter the alarm code without waking her. His eyes bore into her face, wondering exactly how deeply she was sleeping and what a desperate fool he would look like if he made what he thought was a decision. "Cassidy?" he tried to wake her up again, hoping he wouldn't have to do what he had planned.

"God, I will never give you wine again" he shook his head, took a deep breath, held it, then let it out, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. Jason gently released her legs, holding one of her hips, he turned her body, then carefully wrapped her hips around his waist, holding her body with one hand. Cassidy rested her hands on his shoulders and her head fell further forward, her lips pressed to his neck under his jaw and Jason strained all his will to suppress the rising arousal.

He had never unlocked his door so quickly, nor had he made his way to the second floor of his penthouse so slowly and carefully. "I wish I didn't have to explain how she ended up in her bed" he thought as he carefully laid Cassidy down . Jason lightly covered her with the covers and let out a sigh of relief. "No more booze for you,little one" he shook his head and headed for his own bedroom needing a cold shower. The feel of her hips around his waist and her lips on his neck still kept his body tense.