Chapter 22: Dinner With Dillon
Cassandra’s POV
Twenty minutes later and we were driving through downtown in Dillon’s car. It was a Ferrari with luxurious tan leather seats. Dillon professed his love for sports car as we ripped down the street.
“Some people say they’re overpriced, but I don’t know. If you love something it has value, right? So I see their value. I have an entire collection.”
“Of sports cars?” I laughed.
“Yup. You should come see it sometime.”
I nodded. I’d been anxious at first when he hit the gas, but he was an expert driver. Dillon told me he liked to drive himself instead of using a chauffeur, and truth be told, I could see why.
He wove in and out of traffic expertly. It was exhilarating. Plus, it was nice to be in the front seat for change instead of in the back. I was so used to being driven around. I forgot not all cars come with a piece of glass that separates the passenger from the
driver.
We were listening to one of his Spotify playlists, and I was surprised to admit I liked pretty much every song. He had good taste in music. Or at least, his taste aligned with mine.
I liked being in the front seat. I usually saw the city out the back seat winndow. But from the front seat, the city looked different. It was dusk and the lights were coming on everywhere. Skyscrapers towered all around us, lit up all the way to the top in tiny
squares.
“She’s pretty, isn’t she? The city at night?” Dillon asked when he saw me looking up at the buildings.
“I didn’t know the city was a ‘she’,” I teased.
I realized that Dillon and I had never really spent much time alone together. He was always with my brother. I figured that was why I’d felt awkward. I mean, it made sense. He was my brother’s friend and although I’d known him my whole life, I didn’t
know him very well. 1
There was no other possible explanation. And I certainly wasn’t feeling awkward anymore. Dillon had such an easy-going, laid back nature about him. It was contagious, really. It rubbed off on me. I was calm and content as the lights swirled by.
Eventually, Dillon pulled up to a familiar building.
“Hey,” I said. “I’ve been here. To a bar. You know, the one I saw you in that night? When you had that asshole thrown out? We went to the VIP room? What’s it called?”
“Yes, I remember,” Dillon said sarcastically. “It was like two nights ago.”
“Right,” I laughed. Duh. Of course he remembered. I felt foolish. “What’s it called again? The bar?” I asked, trying to brush off my stupid comment.
“The Vicious Circle,” Dillon smiled.
“Yeah. That’s right. It’s on the top floor, right?” I asked.
“It is,” Dillon said, pulling up to the valet. “And the restaurant we’re going to is on the eighth floor. And on the fifth floor is a high-end shoe store. Café’s on the second floor.” He turned and fixed his sparkling eyes on me.
“You know a lot about this building,” I commented.
“I better. My family owns the whole building.”
1/3
“Oh,” I replied. His family owned the WHOLE building? It was a big building. And really well-known. I guess I should have guessed that.
Then he jumped out of the car, handed his keys to the valet, and led me into the restaurant on eighth floor.
We were seated immediately even though there was a long line of people waiting. The hostess brought us right to the window, at an elegant table for two with a lovely view.
There was already a bottle of Dom Perignon waiting in an ice bucket, as well as a basket of warm, fresh bread.
I eyed the table quizzically. How had he arranged all of this in such a short time?
“Family perk,” he winked, as though he’d read my mind. “When your family owns the restaurant, you don’t need reservations.”
I chuckled. “I suppose not.”
He handed me a menu. “Order anything you want. It’s all on the house.”
“Another family perk?” I teased. He nodded. “But I thought this was a business dinner? You were going to charge it to the company credit card, remember?”
“The company card belongs to my family, so it’s all basically the same thing,” he shrugged playfully.
I scanned the menu while Dillon poured the champagne. It was a good menu. I could tell right away. At least a 5-star restaurant. It was French-inspired, with a number of Italian infused dishes. I was no stranger to fine dining, but there were a few things I’d never tried before. I narrowed it down to two dishes.
“You can order more,” he said.
“I can’t possibly eat it all,” I replied.
“I can have the chef make you some sample plates if you want. Smaller versions?”
My eyes lit up. “Well, in that case,” I laughed, diving back into the menu.
Once our order was in, we sipped champagne and talked easily.
“I didn’t know your family owned this building,” I told him. “It’s a beautiful building. It reminds me a little of the Sanguine building. Have you heard of it? Jordyn’s family owns that one and…”
I stopped myself mid-sentence.
“Sorry,” I said, waving my hand in the air. “I shouldn’t have mentioned Jordyn.” I tried to laugh it off. But Dillon fixed me with serious eyes.
“Are you still in love with him?”
It was a brazen question and it hung in the air between us. But after a moment, I sighed deeply.
“I am,” I confessed. “I don’t want to be, but I am.”
Because it was the truth. He had hurt me so badly but still…
I just wasn’t over him.
- ༴ ཤྲུ ང ཋ ཝ་
Dillon reached over and placed his hand on mine. It was warm and comforting.
“It takes time,” Dillon said in a gentle voice. “You were married and you invested a lot of time and energy into him and your relationship. So he seems…” he looked for the right word…”Valuable. He’s not, though, Cassandra. He’s not valuable at all. In time, you’ll realize that he’s not worth it. You’ll see.”
2/3
He squeezed my hand.
“You deserve so much more,” he said. “You deserve everything.”
His words were sincere and I was genuinely touched. I felt a warmth in my heart. His hand felt strong on mine, reassuring.
I looked up at Dillon. His gaze was intense. A shiver ran down my spine.
I’d never noticed that his eyes had flecks of hazel in them before.
“Cassandra! Dillon!”
Someone called out our names. We turned to see my brother, Cameron, weaving through the tables, waving at us, a big grin on
his face.
I quickly withdrew my hand from Dillon’s.
But the heat of his skin on mine lingered long after his hand was gone…
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