Say It

Chapter 4: Flashback

Lincolns POV:

I leave her to her thoughts. If she's feeling anything close to how I'm feeling, then that won't be the last time I'll leave her breathless. Though she was allowing me play this, clearly, dangerous game, I get the feeling she doesn't just let any one between those thick thighs.

As we entered the elevator, I could feel Stacy boring holes into the side of my face. "What?"

"Oh no. Nothing.." she's stalling. I turn and face her. What is that look?

"What, Stacy?" kind of becoming annoyed.

"It's just... you look different. I don't know how to explain it, but you have this new energy to you. It's weird.."

"What the f**k are you talking about?"

"I don't know, Linc. Just forget I brought it up." she sighs, looking at the doors as they open. "Do you like her?"

"Do I like who?" I know exactly who she's talking about, but if I acknowledge it, she'll play more into it.

"Cassie? Obviously"

"What? No. She's hot, but that's it." No, she's breath-taking, witty, smart; everything you'd look for in someone, but we've only had a few encounters.

"I like her. She's funny. I don't think she knows that you're the boss." she giggles and climbs into the front seat of the car.

"Ha.. no. She definitely has her thoughts about the "boss", though; lazy and incompetent. All money and no degree." I smile thinking about how she thought I was basically a brainless oik.

"Yeahhh she told me you were only doing this to make a buck." she barely gets her words before she snorts laugh screaming. "She asked if you were even around a lot!" she starts laughing harder. Something about someone insulting her brothers is hilarious.

"She must have not done much research for her to not know who I am. But, do you know she is already done with her first manuscript? That's pretty impressive for someone who has just graduated."

Her eyes widen before looking ahead of us and nodding. Boasting, no doubt. "Damn. You must be glad I hired her."

Ass-munch. "Yeah, yeah. Take the praise. That's all you're getting. Anyway, don't tell her I'm the boss. I want to see how long it will take her to figure it out." I grin a little.

"You could be--" she begins but stops nice she realizes what's coming out of her mouth. She knows I never want to hear the s**t that's about to fall out her mouth. I always know what she's going to say and I'm never interested. I have to get this girl off my mind; it's not going to end well.

Cassies POV:

I'm finally home some time after 6. It really was a great first day, but I'm tired.

"Hey babe! I'm glad you're home-" she looks at her watch, then me. "You look off."

"Oh, thank you." I groan. Of course I look off. I had a sexy beast teasing me.

She purses her lips and tilts her head slightly. "Not what I mean. Now, what gives?"

For a moment, I thought about not telling her what happened today. I know they're was't anything other than some good ole teasing, but it's still not me. I'm the more serious, laidback, and contained friend. I never let anyone take me for a ride like that, but something about him I just couldn't push away.

I hang my things up and walk to the connected kitchen to keep from making eye contact. "Well, I ran into grocery store guy today." The drama queen gasp and jumps from the couch to sit at the bar.

"Wait, are you for real life?" I roll my eyes at her child like question and nod.

"Oh, and get this, the girl?" she nods. "That's his sister AND she works there. She's the one who hired me." Her mouth falls open.

"How weird is that she works there, right?" she asks. Hm, I guess I didn't think about that. But not really. It's just a receptionist job.

"A coincidence really, but I guess. Anyway, so around 5:30, he wonders into my office saying he wanted to see me." this goofy smirk appears on her face and she lets out a ha. "yeah, and I rolled my eyes at him so he shut the door and stalked over to my chair and implied that he would have to show me what happens when someone rolls their eyes at him; then said I wasn't ready for that."

"Wow. I mean no offense, but that doesn't sound like something you'd let someone do." she shrugs.

"What? Letting him talk to me that way or letting him actually deal with me like that?"

"Both." she shrugs again. She's not wrong. After Trey, I got the help I needed and not just for the mental s**t. I took self-defense classes up until a week before I left South Carolina. Which reminds me.

"I'm going to sign up for self-defense classes somewhere." her once playful face falls into a much serious one but allowing her eyes to stay soft. "Claud, it's okay. I'll never allow someone that power over me again. No matter how sexy he is. I can't." I turn back to the fridge and pull out the chicken I bought at the store the other day and some veggies.

I changed the subject again by asking about her day and the students and teacher. It always does the trick because she loves what she does. While she talks, I cook. Though I can hear her talking, her words are a huge blur because my mind is in a whole other place; my office. Images of his perfectly toned arms flexing, his big hands gripping the sides of my chair. His sultry expression engraved into my memory. And what cologne was that? He smelled of patchouli and lavender. The delicate aroma dictated my senses, pushing them into overdrive. Even now, I'm intoxicated by it.

"Cas?" I jump from my spot at the stove and turn.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You weren't answering me and seemed a little out of it."

"Yeah, no. I'm good. Sorry, I was thinking about my next manuscript."

"Okay. Well?" I narrow my eyes to her still unsure about what she asked. "Do you want to have lunch tomorrow with Jason and I?"

"Oh. I would, but I only get an hour and it's not enough time for me to meet y'all here." I smile apologetically.

"Oh no worries. I forgot you're uptown. Well, I'm going to go over my student sheets so I can make my baggies." she claps her hands together before heading to her room. She is a great teacher and they are so lucky to have her there with them. She worked at a small school in South Carolina until I told her I was moving and she decided to come with. I wasn't sure she would get the job her when she applied, but one of their teachers left for another school and had had a substitute in her place from November to winter break so they were edger to have Claudia join the team.

After dinner, I call my dad in hopes he'd finally answer me.

"Hello?"

"DAD!" I yell. I miss him so much already. "Damn dad. Did you delete my number already? Trying to forget me?" He never says hello to me.

"Sorry, dear. I was trying to fix this damn sink again when you called. I didn't even look at the caller ID." I hear him grunt and then a banging noise. "And besides, I could never forget you. You wouldn't let me if I tried. And I tried because you are so annoying." I can practically see him lopsided smile plastered on his face.

"Har-Har dad. Keep on laughing you old fart. I'll get Sues on you." the line suddenly goes quiet; I think the line dropped."Dad?"

"Please don't tell on me." He whispers. "She scares me."

"Ha. Doesn't she? The woman could move a mountain with just the snap of her fingers. How is she?"

"Oh you know. She has been wallowing in self-pity since y'all left." I hear a soft plump noise and my dad chuckling. "Ouch. Mean ass."

They are seriously the cutest old couple in the whole world and were absolutely made for each other. I'm glad he met my mom first and had me because had dad and Sues met before, neither me or Claudia would be here. They are each others best friend. We can't believe they "hid" their relationship for so long or that it took them so long to actually get together. Honestly, there's no telling when they actually hooked up.

"Why did y'all try and hide from us?"

"Oh well... Really I'm not a hundred percent sure." I hear the phone shuffle before sues speaks.

"Honestly, dear, I was afraid Claudia would be angry at me for not trying to find her dad and fix things. Also, I was afraid you would hate me thinking I was trying to take your mom's place.." she answers worriedly. "And I was scared of being hurt again." She says silent for a moment; the sound of dad kissing her echoes through the phone. "And your dad was afraid, too. He doesn't like to admit it, but after losing your mom, he was scared to let someone in, too."

I guess I never thought of that. I didn't think of my mom like that and I never thought about Claudia's dad. But she did know her dad. Even though briefly, she grew up with a dad of her own. She may not have liked our parents just shacking up.

"Well, I can't speak for her, but I never looked at you like you were trying to take over. I always saw you as my mom."

"I know sweetie, and I'm so grateful to have two wonderful daughters."

"Okay, enough with you sappy girls." My dad chimes in. "Sweetie, go get Claudia." I Move from my bed to Claudia's room.

I shake the phone a bit for her to understand. "Okay dad."

"Girls, we're getting-" he begins.

"MARRIED!" Sues finishes for him. I'm not really shocked, that is until Claudia squeals, busting my ear drums. I jump and drop the phone; it crashing to the floor.

The rest of the hour-long phone call goes on about the wedding. After some persuading, they agree to come here to get married. Neither of them have family there and they wanted to come visit us some time, so why not?

Finally, I'm able to go to bed. Hopefully I'll dream of Lincoln.

*** Dream***

I'm sitting in his living room looking around, trying to understand why I'm here. Suddenly, Trey bursts through the front door, fuming. I can smell the alcohol from here.

"Wow, babe. I think you need to lie down," I said. Finally, I understand why this feels familiar; it's the first time. His aloof red eyes find mine, causing a ripple of shivers and bumps to erupt on my skin. He practically hurtles towards me, gripping my neck with a plenitude of force, ripping the air from my lungs. I push myself deeper into the couch in the hope I'd be able to escape his grip on my throat, but with no luck. His fingers tighten; his eyes full hatred. And I'm sure mine is filled with fear.

I scratch at his hands and try to kick my legs but they're trapped between his and the ocuch.

"You were always just a w***e, weren't you?" my eyes widen. He slams the back of my head into the wall and finally releases my throat. I fell to the floor clenching my surely bruised throat and gasping for the air my lungs were deprived of. My face wet with tears, I looked at him unsure of what had just happened. He fake lunges at me "ANSWER ME!"

"NO! No, I don't know what you're talking about." My mistake? Speaking the truth. He grabs my throat again in a hurry and spits his words in my face.

"Jody," His high school "friend". "told me you let him have fun with you under the bleachers at a football game." he runs his disgusting hand down my body before stopping on my hip, squeezing; leaving what I'm sure would be another bruise. I didn't even know Jody in high school. He and Trey went to a different high school than me. "Now why don't I just make you forget about his touch?"

***end***

I jump from my bed screaming and drenched in sweat. I haven't had a nightmare in 7 months and 4 before that one. They are slowly leaving my system, but not fast enough. I pull myself from the bed and head to the kitchen for a glass of water and medicine.

Claudias POV:

I was startled by her scream, but not entirely surprised; though, I thought she had stopped having nightmares. I get up once I hear the faucet running, knowing shes up.

"Are you okay?" she just nods. She is the strongest person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing; so it's almost odd, more heartbreaking, to see her so broken sometimes. But she was broken and demoralized for so long by that monster. I swear if her dad hadn't involved the cops, they never would have found his body; that's a promise.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she shakes her head slowly as if not to shake the dream free for the world to see.

I made my way to her, wrapping my arms just over her shoulder around her neck and just hold her. Her arms reach up and grab mine and for a moment I think she'll remove mine, but she just flips herself and squeezes me. She's shaking; small sobs escaping her mouth.

After a few minutes, she pulls away, wiping her face; turning back to the glass sitting on the counter and taking a few sips.

"I don't know why I had one," she says thoughtfully. "It's been 7 months."

"Maybe the close call with Mr.Mysterious just triggered something in your mind." I tell her. Maybe more self-defense classes will make her feel better and therapy. She takes a few more sips and dumps the remainder. She flips back hands placed behind her on the counter. She looks tired, sad, and confused.

"Maybe," she takes a deep breath before pushing off the counter. "Anyway, it's 5am. I think I'm gonna go to the gym before work."

I nod at her and watch her walk back to her room and I go back to mine. She could never go back to sleep after a night terror. I hope this new guy and new place doesn't set her back.