Complicated Love

Chapter 3

Cassie sipped her champagne, and tried to compose herself. She had agreed to a marriage, not a reception. Yet, here she was, standing in a large room filled with the richest, snobbiest people in the planet, all of whom seemed to be focusing their attention on the bride. On her. She forgot all about sipping, and went right ahead and gulped her champagne down. She looked at the crowded room again, and reassessed the people there. Well, snobbiest wasn't right, there were some nice people here, like Chris's sister, his father and a few of his friends. There was a large bevy of girls, especially a beautiful blonde, who kept shooting her dirty looks and this made Cassie uncomfortable.

Chris came up to her then, and asked. "How're you holding up?"

"Not too well. Large parties are not my thing," Cassie said wryly, stiffening up almost immediately when someone came by to wish her well. She managed a stilted smile and a strange hand spasm that Chris took to be the beginning of a hand shake.

"You're good with clients," Chris remarked. "And they can be hard asses. Why does this room filled with people who do not want to push your asking price to something below the legal minimum wage make you nervous?"

"I'm at home with the people who play hardball," Cassie said nervously, looking around almost wildly for another champagne glass. "I'm just nervous around the kind that actually go to balls. In fact, I'm so nervous, I'm punning. Punning."

Her voice rose at the last word, and she looked at him, her eyes half wild.

Chris couldn't help it. He grinned and picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and pushed it into her nerveless fingers.

"I'm just nervous," she murmured,

"Yeah," Chris grinned, "I can see that."

Cassie glared at him.

"I said yes to a paper marriage, not this. If I had known this would happen, I would have torn that contract up into tiny pieces and stuffed it into Clove's litter box." Cassie said vehemently, narrowing her eyes at Chris when he laughed silently.

He slid a friendly arm around her waist and gave her a brief hug. Cassie stiffened. Chris sighed and said, "Just a little while longer. This had to be done for the sake of appearances. I'm not a fan of big do's either. But just look at dad. He's in his element."

A grin softened the harsh lines on his face when he spoke of his father, and Cassie felt herself relenting. She supposed he was right.

"You know, your dad is one great person. You're really lucky." Cassie said softly, looking at Chris's father as he sat at one of the tables, with a group of people around him.

"I know."

"How did he react to the whole wedding thing though? I mean, you guys are pretty close and he didn't think it was strange that we was meeting his son's fiancée on his son's wedding day?"

"I told him we were keeping it quiet because of the office, and that I wanted to keep you all to myself for a while," Chris replied. "After that though, I resorted to the truth. I said that his condition made me realize that life's too short for secret relationships, and that I proposed impulsively and you accepted."

"And decided to get married a few days later, instead of waiting for a wedding," Cassie said, the incredulity clear in her tone.

"Well, you decided that it would be lovely to get married as quickly as possible, borne on the tide of my whole 'life's too short' wave, and we decided to impulsively go down to the courthouse and do the deed. Oh, and then, for appearances, we had the reception," Chris informed her. "I did think this out, you know."

Cassie sighed. The story had too many holes in for her taste, but if Chris's father bought it, well, that all that mattered.

"Look at him," Chris murmured. "He wouldn't be so cheerful if he thought we were pulling something like a fake wedding."

Cassie supposed that he had a point.

"You'd better stop him from tiring himself though." Cassie warned. The man seemed slightly tired.

"It's like trying to stop a demolition squad." Chris said, with a slight grimace. "Why don't you try? When he saw you this morning, he acted as though you were his long lost daughter. Heck, he doesn't pile so much affection on anyone, even me."

"Are you jealous?" she asked archly, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.

"Of course not...." Christ started to say, but then trailed off, suddenly finding that green eyes peering up at him from under thick lashes were very sexy.

Cassie looked to him, waiting for him to finish his sentence, but when no answer was forthcoming, she rolled her eyes and made her way to Chris's father, no, James, as he'd asked Cassie to call him, to gently extract him from the party and get him into bed. She could see that he was tired.

"Cassie!" James exclaimed as she got nearer, and got up unsteadily to pull her into the group. Cassie quickly stepped beside him to support him in case he fell. He leaned against her slightly. "Here, let me introduce you to everyone."

Cassie made him sit down and resigned herself to a round of introductions. She knew he would never consent to leave until he had made her known to everyone present.

"These," he said indicating a kindly couple on his left, "are the Meyers. And that lovely couple there," he said indicating to his right, "those are the Franks."

Cassie smiled and acknowledged them. In this way, James introduced her to several other couples, a few young people and some others. He had just finished his introductions when a silky voice interrupted.

"Won't you introduce me, James?" the woman who had been glaring at Cassie all evening asked. She was perfection, right from her silvery blonde hair to her ice blue eyes. She radiated a cold, icy beauty that most women would kill for.

"Ah yes..." James said, clearing his throat and looking at the woman with disapproval. "Cassie, this is Rosalie Peters..."

Rosalie thrust a delicate hand forward. "Oh, you can call me Rosie." Although she was friendly, Cassie sensed a subtle challenge in her tone. "Chris's ex-fiancé. I'm sure Chris has told you about me."

Cassie did not like the woman. And she didn't back down from the challenge thrown her way either. "I'm Cassandra Quentin. And I'm sorry Rosie; Chris hasn't mentioned you even once."

Ignoring the pure venom in Rosie's eyes, Cassie excused herself and led James away to his room. Rosalie was one woman that Cassie would have to be careful of. Very careful of indeed.

---

After Cassie had made James get into bed, she wandered back towards the party. She hesitated at the door; she did not want to go in yet. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she smiled as she saw Chris's younger sister, Ann.

"That was excellent." Ann said, grinning mischievously.

"What was excellent?" Cassie asked, puzzled. She had forgotten all about Rosalie.

"The way you handled Rosalie. I haven't seen her so furious before. I wish I had had the guts to do that to her sometime."

Cassie tried to look stern, but a giggle escaped.

"She was getting on my nerves, is all. I do hope I haven't alienated anyone."

"Only those who already hated you before they came are alienated, and they don't matter." Ann said, squeezing her arm reassuringly. "Let's go in shall we?"

"Honestly, I'm kind of apprehensive about going back in there." Cassie admitted. "Such big social dos aren't my thing."

"They aren't ours either." Ann grinned, "But it has to be done. C'mon, Chris has been there un-defended long enough. Let's go rescue him."

This remark made Cassie chuckle and they both entered the room, only to spot Chris knee deep in a group of women. His eyes met theirs, and they could clearly see what was written in them. Although he was uncomfortable, he did not let it show and handled them smoothly.

Ann and Cassie made their way to the group. Cassie sidled up to Chris, earning a few glares from the women around her.

"I'm a bit tired," she said, her voice clear and loud enough for people close to her to hear.

Some people took the hint and began to leave, and dragged the people who didn't get the hint with them. Within the hour, everyone had gone. Chris was standing at the doorway, saying his last goodbyes when Cassie pulled him away. Ann took over and sent everyone off.

"I'm so tired, I could curl up on the floor and sleep." She told him as she dragged him away.

Chris chuckled, but she could see that he was equally tired. "C'mon, show me my room so I can get some sleep."

Chris nodded and led her upstairs. The room he showed her into was huge, with a bed that dominated one side and a wardrobe and a desk that occupied the other. It was obviously a man's room; Chris' room.

"But...this is your room." Cassie said when Chris told her that this was where she would be sleeping.

"Yes it is, and being my wife, you should be sharing it." Chris replied.

Cassie felt herself blushing, and stammered. "Why can't I have another room? This is platonic, I want another room."

Chris looked at her, tiredly, and said firmly. "You will sleep here."

Cassie glared at him, her cheeks still red and said, "No."

Chris sighed, and said, "Cassie, we are supposed to be man and wife. If we don't share a room, the staff will start talking. And do you want my dad to ask us why we are supposedly happy yet we never share a room?"

Cassie saw the wisdom in this, but she was still uncomfortable. "But where will I sleep?"

"On the bed dummy," Chris said. Then, noting her expression, "Oh Cassie, that bed is huge. Ten people could sleep in it and not notice the other person. I promise I won't do anything improper."

Cassie looked at him, sighed, and nodded. Chris then said, "I need to get some work done," and left.

"The staff will start talking," Cassie muttered to herself as she surveyed the room. She didn't realize that people still had 'staff' in their houses. Although, this house was huge, and with James requiring a full time nurse, a staff with a chauffeur, maids and a housekeeper seemed prudent. It still seemed pretentious, but it was understandable.

Cassie decided that sleeping on the bed with Chris was not the best of ideas, even if he promised to do nothing. She opened the wardrobe, only to find all her clothes neatly hung up by one of the maids. At the bottom, she spied a change of bedclothes. She pulled these out, an idea forming in her head. An hour later, Cassie was fast asleep.

---

Chris walked down after leaving Cassie in his room to tell Mrs. Potts, the housekeeper, to hold the cleaning until tomorrow. He didn't want the maids to stay up late, it wasn't fair to them after the last minute party they had had to prepare for. They had families and lives to get back to, and Chris didn't want them staying behind just to finish up.

He found her in the hall, and after telling her and bidding goodnight to Ann, he made his way to his study. Once in there, he finally had time to think and reflect on the day's happenings. Now, when he looked back, it all seemed so unreal.

That morning, true to her word, Cassie had shown up with a friend of hers, Melissa, at the court. After signing the necessary papers, they were pronounced man and wife. Then, sending Melissa and his friend off, they had gone to the office where Rowan was waiting with the finalized agreement. Cassie signed it and went off to work as though it was any other business day.

At around 12:30, Chris had called her and told her about the reception in the evening. At first, she had flatly refused, but after telling her why it had to be done, she had relented. After that, he took her home. They had to stop by at her apartment first, to pick up her things and her kitten, Clove.

That done, they had driven to the estate where Cassie and Clove were welcomed whole-heartedly into the Quentin household. His father had been ecstatic when he met Cassie, and she had taken to him remarkably well. Clove fitted in too. His father had been charmed by the kitten, and she now resided in his room.

Ann had also warmed to Cassie quickly. Usually, she was reserved, but she talked to Cassie with no inhibitions. When he saw his family's reaction, as well as that of the staff, he congratulated himself on his good taste. As he had predicted, Cassie had been an instant hit with everyone. Including him, although he didn't admit it.

That evening, when she had come down for the reception, she had been a vision. Ann had lent her some of her looser clothes, and these fit her like a glove.

She wore an off-the-shoulder green gown, and with her long, chestnut hair down from its usual bun and tumbling down her back in lustrous waves, she looked like an earth Goddess. Chris had told her so, and had had the pleasure of seeing her blush prettily at the compliment.

It was at this moment that he began to feel attracted to her. Her character was unlike anyone else's, and her quiet beauty had more lure than the obvious charms of the other women at the party.

Although she was uncomfortable, she had never let it show, interacting with everyone. But what Chris really liked was the way she handled Rosalie. When he had heard her, he had almost applauded, only held in check by Ann who had nudged him quite hard when he smiled.

He also liked the way she handled his father, quietly and firmly. All in all, he liked her quite a lot. "It's dangerous," he reminded himself. "Remember what happened the last time."

"But Cassie isn't like that." A small part of him whispered.

"All women are like that. Besides, this is a paper marriage. Complication is not necessary." His reasoning retorted.

Chris sighed and went upstairs to bed. When he entered the room, he was surprised to find the bed empty. For a minute, he thought that she had found another room, but then he spotted the bundle of blankets on the floor.

Chuckling, he picked her up and deposited her on the far side of the bed, and after changing, slid under the bedcovers himself. Sleep claimed him instantly, and he slept un-interrupted till the morning.

Chapter 4

When Cassie woke the next morning, she was disoriented. For a minute, she couldn't figure out where she was. Then she remembered. She was in Chris' house. And in his bed. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright. How had she gotten into the bed? Had she climbed in unconsciously during the night? Or had Chris carried her?

Her cheeks reddened, and she glanced at the man sleeping in the other side of the bed. His chest was bare, and he had turned to one side, the covers at his waist. He slept peacefully, not aware of her wakefulness. He looked like a little child.

Quietly, so as to not wake him, she slipped out of bed and went to clean up. After a bath, she made her way downstairs for breakfast. She found Ann in the kitchen, having a cup of coffee. Ann smiled at her and offered her a cup.

Cassie took it gratefully and sat down opposite her at the kitchen table.

"So," Ann said, "You and Chris have a paper marriage huh?"

Cassie looked up. "Did Chris tell you?"

"No. Uncle Rowan did."

Cassie nodded and took a sip from her cup. "Are you angry?"

"No, I'm pleased, especially because Chris found you. I think it's great that you agreed to do this."

"I'm just helping out because I want to. That's all." Cassie said, warmed by Ann's compliment.

"Yeah, and you're doing it without a price."

Cassie smiled and sipped. She had now realized why Chris had been so surprised when she had refused the money. From what she gathered last night, the people he knew revolved around money.

"So, tell me about Cassandra Stevens." Ann said, smiling across the table at Cassie.

Cassie took another sip of the hot brew and answered. "Nothing special really. Just a small town girl who worked her butt off to get a scholarship into NYU. Then I landed this job and never looked back."

"What about your personal life? Any boyfriends?"

Cassie shook her head.

"Seriously?" Ann asked, incredulity on her face.

"But still, did you like someone?"

Cassie blushed, and cursed herself for blushing so easily.

"Yeah. Well, it's complicated. See, Gavin is my best friend and..."

"Gavin," Ann said, "Oh, you mean that guy who came with Melissa and left sort of early? He came off as grumpy and surly to me."

Cassie was quick to rush to his defence. "No, he isn't usually like that. It's just..."

"The people." Ann supplied.

Cassie nodded.

"Well, unfortunately, these people are something we must tolerate. Chris and I don't like it, Dad can handle it, because he only sees the best in people, and everyone else I know fawns over them. With the exception of you and your friends."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was a compliment. So, do you have any plans for the day?"

"No," Cassie said, "Other than having some designs I need to finish, I don't have anything planned. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Nurse Sarah has said that it'd be okay for Dad to go out today. So I thought we could go out for a picnic. The grounds here are large, and the weather is very nice. A day out would do him good." Ann said, draining her cup.

"Yeah, that would be nice. I am up for it. Just tell me if you need any help."

Ann flashed her a grin. "Actually, I do need help. Jessica, the lady who cooks here hasn't come in yet. I need to make sandwiches for us to take, but my food tends to cause instant food-poisoning."

Cassie laughed softly and finished her cup too so she could begin helping Ann. "You can't cause food-poisoning with sandwiches," she informed Ann as she took out ingredients from the fridge. "How about you learn, and next time, you can make them on your own?"

Ann groaned, but nodded. With that, the two women set about making sandwiches, neither realizing that this companionship they shared would lead to a firm and loyal friendship. Nor that Chris had been outside, eavesdropping on their oh-so-interesting conversation.

--- Gavin stretched his legs out and yawned. He switched off the TV, no longer interested in the game he was watching. No, he was much more interested in Cassie. Her marriage had been a shock, and her choice of groom even more so. Cassie just was not the type to fall for Christopher Quentin and he certainly was not the type to fall for Cassie. He just knew that something was drastically wrong here, and remained convinced, although Melissa had told him otherwise.

Both she and Cassie had told him that things had been going on for a few months, and Cassie was just too shy. When Chris proposed, she had said yes. Because of Chris's father's situation, they had decided to get married quickly. And before the ceremony, Cassie had let her friends know. It sounded like a perfect romance, but Gavin wasn't so sure. The fact that Cassie had kept this under wraps irked him. She wasn't the kind to keep something this monumental from her friends. Or maybe it was the way they looked at each other, they way they behaved. There was nothing faintly possessive about the way they viewed their partner, and nothing in their embrace and their eyes than mere friendliness and affection.

Gavin closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. He remembered going to their reception, sceptical, and having an awful time. Sure, there were many women there who caught his eye, but his eyes were only for Chris and Cassie. The way Cassie had been dressed had blown his wits to the four winds, the sight of Chris sliding a companionable arm around her waist had blown them back.

He remembered the two questions that had sprung to his mind at that moment. When did Cassie begin to look so good and why didn't her marriage seem genuine?

He went home alone, without Melissa, trying to figure out why it all felt so overwhelmingly wrong.

He sighed, and sat upright. He was not going to achieve anything sitting at home like this. He needed to ask Cassie. With enough drilling, she would tell him.