My Father's Friend
My Father’s Friend – Chapter 5

-And you seem determined to shorten your life if you continue to smoke.

-At least it will be in a slow way.

-But much more agonizing, you don’t seem to care about what you’ll accuse your relatives of doing here? -She folds her arms.

-Family? -She whispers very softly. I’m smoking a cigarette, I thought it was obvious,” she rolls her eyes.

-I mean, at this meeting.

-West, I don’t seem to skimp on his invitations. Apparently I’m on his list of… friends.

She frowns, if he never attended such events. It was strange to see him attending one, that’s why she was scared a moment ago, if it hadn’t been for his voice she wouldn’t have recognized him.

-He shouldn’t be smoking in my uncle’s office, he doesn’t smoke. He’ll leave the smell everywhere,” she said, her eyes widening, she couldn’t see him clearly.

-Do you think I care about that?

-That was very rude, Mr. Acrom.

-She sees how Cauther finally comes out of the darkness looking intimidating and dangerous. So I was rude, Miss Monroe,” he throws the cigarette over the balcony.

She tries to say something, but only manages to swallow and keep quiet. She stares at him, but it’s impossible for her to hold his gaze.

-I wondered what you were doing in this place, I saw you come up quickly and I wondered what you were doing,” she asks, putting her hands in her pockets.

-It’s none of your business. And I’m going to ask him not to be following me.

-Oh! But of course it is my business,” he takes a few steps towards her. Soon you’ll be my partner, and I’m going to need all kinds of information about you. So, if I’m interested.

Casey’s heart began to pound, to the point where it might pound out of her chest without her permission. She flattens her lips and questions herself, why was she acting that way? Then, she senses Cauther’s prompt closeness, making her hair stand on end.

-I don’t understand,” she answers with fear in her voice.

-Oh no? -As strange as he was behaving that night, he kept his expression so lifeless. Tell me something, Miss Casey, why do you like to go up to the terraces?

-What? The red-haired girl, frowning, felt cornered between the balcony wall and her father’s friend.

-Do you do it because you feel suffocated by your father’s power, and you’re trying to escape his dominance a little?

Casey’s eyes widen as she is discovered by a man who never spoke more than two words to her. How did he manage to see past her? It made her feel so vulnerable and yet so nervous.

-I don’t know what you’re saying,” Cauther sharpens his gaze, shortens the little space that remained between them, placing both hands on the balcony railing, that meant Casey was in his arms, but without laying a finger on him.

-You’re such a little liar, Casey Monroe. Too bad! You’re out of luck tonight.

-Ah! -She answers in a whisper.

-I stop the lies.

The redhead opens her lips as she replaces herself cornered between the concrete and that huge body in front of her. Her father’s friend was definitely acting too strangely.

-I’m not lying to you…” She was about to answer hastily.

But her words were unexpectedly stopped, out of nowhere her lips were sealed by Cauther’s mouth. The slight contact took her by surprise, from the impact she could not even close her eyes. But, the touch only lasted a few seconds, since Cauther separated from her keeping that f*****g expression so reluctant on his face. He didn’t even grab her around the waist for a normal k**s, he just walked up to her and kissed her.

Casey watched Cauther’s penetrating gaze and felt faint, her legs were pure jelly and her heart felt like a runaway locomotive. How was it possible that her first real k**s was with her father’s partner, a man who didn’t show even the slightest affection for her father?

the slightest affection for anyone. But that wasn’t the question she really had to ask herself, the real question was, why the f**k had he kissed her?

Suddenly her innocent eyes observed a hidden and dark smile among so much seriousness, it wasn’t just any smile, it was a smile of… mockery? a game? Was he having fun at her expense? Her damned first k**s was only that man’s amusement, how dare he, the red-haired woman clenches her jaw, thinking that Cauther was the most despicable being in the world. And just as her father trusted him, what would he say if she told him that his precious friend had kissed her?

She couldn’t bear to be the plaything of an a*****e, with a shove she pushed Cauther aside and with a clear path she ran off into the office, then left it.

Cauther wipes the corner of his lips as he watches Casey run, that outburst just made her look so… relame her lips, he still managed to taste that sweetness she left on his lips. Perhaps, the sensation would last for a very long time, so he opts to take a cigarette out of his bag. He lights it and takes a puff, the taste of nicotine seeps through his functions, but still he could not get rid of that taste of innocence that he extracted from her.

Finally, he releases the smoke contained in his lungs. At first he was convinced that Casey couldn’t be as innocent as his intuition dictated, and even less so when he watched her enter the house with that slight sticking out of her dress, and damn it, that dress was a f*****g sin. If it was a crime for her to wear that kind of attire, she would have been arrested a long time ago.

Genaro West had invited him to that charity meeting that ended up being a scandal. He did not plan to attend, but unfortunately, Rafael warned him that it was very likely that he would not attend and his warning forced him to go against his principles. But the fact of attending did not mean that he had to share with the guests… nevertheless, he made an exception for one of them.

At the end of the day, his presence at that tasteless party was not so bad, he ends up smiling a little while he takes another puff on his cigarette.

With his b***d bubbling in his veins, Casey descends the stairs. Inside she was ranting curses at Cauther, he was a jerk, arrogant, selfish, a*****e who didn’t think of anyone else but himself. It’s just that if it were up to her, she’d never see the fucker again.

As she descends the last step, the young woman bumps into her uncle who stops her by the shoulders. She was so distracted that she hadn’t paid attention to who was walking in front of her.

-Where are you going in such a hurry, child?

-I was going… I’m going out for a while, uncle.

-What are you talking about? Your father has just arrived.

-What? -She looked in the direction her uncle was pointing, her father was talking to a group of businessmen.

-I was looking for you, where have you been?

-I went to… I was in the… excuse me uncle, I have to go say hello to my father” -She decides not to tell him anything about Cauther.

She apologizes to Genaro and walks across the room to where her father was. The path was a bit difficult due to the crowd of guests. She picks up the train of her dress to avoid being stepped on, and as she is about to leave the crowd, someone grabs her arm and pulls her back into the crowd.

Suddenly Casey’s chest is pressed up against Cauther’s chest, but what! How did she get down so fast? And why the f**k did he pull her so suddenly in the middle of everyone?

-What the f**k is he doing? -She whispers too low for someone else not to hear.

-Don’t tell me you can’t dance? -He asks her, squeezing her waist a little tightly.

-Don’t even think about it,” she warns, clenching her jaw, occasionally glancing around to see if they were the center of attention, or if someone was helping her to get out of that mess.

-Are you threatening me, Casey? -She focused her eyes on Cauther, he was staring at her fiercely, sending shivers down her spine.

The man’s hard features were so noticeable, but at the same time so… attractive, but what?