Seduction by Justine Elvira Page B

best friend’s new look.
    Cassie steps off the last step and is now
standing with us on the hard wood floor. I'm forcing myself to keep
my hands at my sides so I don't touch her.
    God, I want to touch her.
    "I'm stuck spending the evening with your
boring uncle so I decided to dress up to make the evening more
interesting."
    "I'm boring now, am I?"
    She turns and smiles at me. "I'll give you
tonight to prove me wrong."
    "Oh, I look forward to it," I respond
roughly, looking her body over before winking at her.
    How quickly I forget that this relationship
is supposed to be platonic.
    "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?" Alyssa
blurts out, looking back and forth between us.
    I look at her inquisitively. "And what do you
know about boyfriends and girlfriends?"
    Alyssa giggles. "Mommy said if a boy likes
you he usually teases you. That happens with my friends at
school."
    "And are any boys teasing you?"
    "Nope," she replies smiling. "So do you tease
Cassie? Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"
    "Absolutely not," I say at the same time
Cassie says, "No."
    The room grows quiet and it's clear Alyssa's
not sure whether or not to believe us or not, but thankfully she
drops the subject.
    "I'm going upstairs for my bath." She skips
past us and starts hopping up the stairs two at a time. "Bye,
Cassie. Bye, Uncle Theo."
    Once she's completely up the stairs I turn
back to Cassie. "You look beautiful, little ninja."
    "Thanks," she whispers shyly.
    "Are you ready to go?"
    She walks into the foyer and grabs her coat
before turning back to me. "I am now."
    I open the front door for her and she walks
out of the brownstone with me following. I put my hand on her lower
back as we take the steps down and veer to the right towards my
car.
    I'm glad to finally be with her and get to
know her better, but I'm scared to death because everything I learn
about her makes me fall for her even more, and she doesn't need a
man like me in her romantic life.
     
    ***
     
    We're sitting at my dining room table
enjoying the delicious steak dinner that was dropped off twenty
minutes ago. I've lit a few candles and am pouring myself a second
glass of wine when I notice Cassie hasn't even taken a sip of
hers.
    "Do you not like the wine?"
    She glances at her glass and then back up at
me before saying, "I prefer water with my dinner."
    I stand up from the table. "Regular or
sparkling?"
    "Sparkling, please."
    I leave the dining room and walk into the
kitchen, grabbing a clean wine glass and filling it with some
sparkling water I have in the fridge. Walking back in the dining
room, Cassie hums in pleasure as she takes a bite of her steak. I
set her glass down in front of her and join her back at the
table.
    "I'm glad you like the food. This is from one
of my favorite restaurants in the city."
    "It's delicious. I never ate steak as a kid
and I've only had it a handful of times as an adult. It's my
favorite."
    I've had steak at least once a week for as
long as I can remember. It's just a reminder of how different
Cassie and I both are.
    We finish our dinner, enjoying each other's
company and the food in front of us. Afterwards, when we settle
down in the living room Cassie makes sure to sit down after me. She
scoots right next to me, making sure our legs touch. I'm not sure
if it's deliberate on her part, but I know it's not something I
should dwell on right now. I need a distraction.
    "Movie?" I blurt out.
    "Huh?"
    "Do you want to watch a movie?" I
clarify.
    "Oh, sure."
    I grab the remote and click my online
library. There is no way I am putting on anything romantic, so I go
for one of my favorite comedies that hopefully distracts us both
from each other.
    "Have you ever seen Pineapple
Express ?"
    "Nope."
    "Alright, prepare to watch a stupidly
ridiculous comedy that will have you ashamed to be laughing so
much."
    Clicking on the movie we settle into the sofa
and begin watching. We're only a few minutes in when Cassie turns
her body slightly into mine. As hard as I tried to