Chapter 43: Dina Trouble
Max slept off his Sunday while Cassie worked hers. After two days of Cassie’s tips, tricks, and tools of the trade, Sunday would be Stacey’s last day shadowing Cassie. Since it was Sunday, it was definitely a slow day.
Cassie was at her first table. The way they hovered and glanced around at the table, the first thing that came to Cassie’s mind was that this was their first time here. She walked over, jovial and cheerful, like she was taught.
"Hey guys. How’s everybody doing tonight?"
The group of six looked at Cassie like deer caught in headlights. One of them snapped out of their stupor long enough to clap on the one beside him on the back.
"This is Brody; today’s his birthday. We finally managed to convince him to come out and have a drink with us. Since he’s a first-timer, what do you recommend?"
Cassie looked at the young man in front of her, sandy blonde hair and a pair of gorgeous green eyes. He looked so innocent she wanted to pinch his cheeks.
She turned to Brody, "Have you ever had anything to drink before? Mixed drinks? Beers?"
He cleared his throat. "I’ve had beer, not a big fan."
"How about cream liqueur like Pailey’s?"
He tilted his head, thinking about it. Seeing he wasn’t sure, Cassie decided to make the decision.
"How about this? As a birthday gift, the first drink’s on me. I’ll give you something special. If you like it, you listen to the rest of my recommendations for the night until you find something you like. Sounds fair?"
Stacey stood off to the side, listening, nodding like a proud master.
He agreed, and she turned to the group. "So what do you rest you want to have? Just so you know, it’s not a birthday party without tequila. Me personally, I like Sol Blanco, but you can tell me if there’s anything you prefer."
After saying this, the group asked a few questions, and Cassie took the time to answer. At the end of the chat, they ordered nearly $1000 worth of liquor.
"Alright, now that we’ve got everything set, I’ll be right back with your drinks. And don’t worry, birthday boy, I didn’t forget about you. Your drink will still be special."
She threw him a wink and a smile, then walked away.
Stacey was standing a distance away and came over to congratulate Cassie.
"My young apprentice, I have nothing more to teach you. After tonight, you will be on your own. Just remember everything I taught you, and you’ll be fine." She leaned in closer and made sure no one was able to hear. "Remember to work on your pickpocketing skills; trust me, they come in handy."
Cassie rolled her eyes and went to the bar. She called out to Noah, asked him for a Pailey’s, and made the order for the other drinks.
She had him bring out the Pailey’s first as a rush order for the birthday boy.
She was so preoccupied with her own thing that she hadn’t noticed when Dina sidled up to her. It was only when she reached for the drink that she saw a hand reach for it first.
Before she could tell the person that the drink was hers, she felt the liquid wetting the front of her blouse.
Cursing, she turned to see Dina; the satisfied smirk on her lips made Cassie pause. She couldn’t fathom the reason for Dina doing this. Besides saying hey when the shift began or ended, she hadn’t offended her.
In her hesitation, the self-satisfied Dina leaned in and whispered, "That’s the first of many if you keep fucking around with my man."
Her man? Who the hell is her man? The guy from the birthday group?
Stacey saw what happened and stalked over to Dina and boxed her in. She eyed the crowd and gave Cassie a look that asked if she was alright.
"Tell Noah to give you another drink. Ignore it for now; it’s black, no one will notice. Get back on the floor. Don’t lose your customers."
Cassie was about to protest when she saw Stacey’s face. In the end, she reluctantly agreed, got the drink, and left. As for Stacey and Dina, Stacey dragged her to a private corner.
"What the fuck was that?" Stacey asked.
Dina crossed her arms, not intending to admit her mistake. "What was what?"
"D, don’t fuck with me. Cassie’s my friend. She hasn’t done jack shit to you, so what the fuck did you do that for?"
Dina laughed. Her tongue poked at her cheek. She paced slightly before turning back to Stacey. "She didn’t do anything to me? Wrong? She’s fucking my boyfriend. You don’t think that’s something wrong?"
"Who?" Stacey looked confused. "Cassie? She isn’t fucking anyone, much less your boyfriend."
"Maybe you don’t know your friend as well as you do." Dina whipped out her phone to show Stacey the photo. "Look at this, then tell me she isn’t fucking my boyfriend."
Stacey took the phone, and her eyes widened. Dina caught her reaction and appeared triumphant. In the photo, Cassie was sitting in the passenger seat of an expensive vehicle. Both she and the man were leaning in close.
The person who took the photo timed it perfectly to look like they were kissing. The problem wasn’t the photo itself; the problem was that she was in the car when it happened. In the backseat.
Cassie and the guy were definitely not kissing; they were looking back at her.
"This guy is your boyfriend?"
"That’s what I’m saying. You think I don’t know my own boyfriend? So I’ll say it again, your friend is fucking my man."
Stacey was now between a rock and a hard place. The man Dina was talking about was none other than David.
Cassie wasn’t the one fucking him; she was.
She glanced at Dina, then back at the picture. She wasn’t sure what to say. If she said they were kissing, she would have to explain. If she said she was in the car, she would still need to explain.
But she didn’t know how to explain that she was the one fucking David and not Cassie.
So she said the only thing she could think of: "Did the person say they actually saw them kiss? Because to me, this looks like it was taken from a suggestive angle."
She pointed out the position of their heads and everything she could think of to exonerate Cassie without putting herself in the equation.
In the end, she could only get a guarantee from Dina that she wouldn’t do anything to Cassie until Stacey got to the bottom of it. She even volunteered to coordinate with her.
If Cassie went anywhere, she could check with her boyfriend to make sure. She completely vouched for Cassie to the point where Dina second-guessed herself.
When everything was finally over and Dina walked away, Stacey let out a long sigh.
Now she needed to get Cassie to drop it and not ask any questions. As for her, she needed to talk to David.
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