Chapter 7 - Get A Hold OF Yourself

"Thanks for the ride, Sir Marty." said Cassandra as she unbuckled her belt. 

"Make no mention of it!" Marty popped out his seat belt and he turned the car key anti - clockwise and came out of the car. He subsequently took Cassandra's luggage from the rear passenger seat.

Cassandra wondered why Marty had turned the car off. Walking towards Marty, her heart is beating wildly, she can’t decipher what Marty is up to. 

She reached out and took her luggage from Marty, but he took it away. Cassandra looked at Marty inquisitively with her brows furrowed. 

“Won’t you ask me for a coffee? I like the coffee you made for me. ” Marty smiled. His smile was that of the sunlight that spread across the clouds and his eyes seemed to contain all the stars of the galaxy. 

Cassandra’s heart fluttered looking at Marty’s handsome and charming face. But she kept her demeanor calm because she didn't want him to know what he was doing to her. 

She walked while rummaging through her bag to fish out the key to her apartment. Marty followed her carrying her luggage. 

“Have a seat Sir Marty while I prepare a coffee for you.” She placed her bag on the couch and headed to the open plan kitchen. 

“Just call me Marty” he looked around the apartment. 

The apartment's interior design is a modern minimalist. It’s pleasing and soothing interior made him feel at home. Judging by the interior design, Marty concluded that it was designed by a professional interior designer. 

A phone call disrupted Marty from his train of thoughts.

“Hello Graham” Cassandra greeted Graham warmly.

“Hi, sweetheart!” Graham’s husky voice. Marty frowned as he heard Graham’s husky voice. Cassandra switched on the phone speaker while she was making coffee for Marty.  

“Are you home now?” Graham asked.

"Yes, and you?" said Cassandra, putting the coffee on the coffeemaker.

“Yep, Christine, I want to spend time with you. Can we stick around all day the next day? " Graham asked. 

Marty was bemused to hear Graham call Cassandra, Christine. 

"How badly did you miss me?" Christine/Cassandra laughed. 

“What do you expect? I haven’t seen you for a whole month. I missed you terribly." Graham was laughing as well.

"All right, I'll see you the next day.  But I just got to spend half a day with you. ” Cassandra poured coffee in the mug.

Marty felt a stung in his chest, knowing Cassandra will spend that much time with Graham. 

“Why?” Graham's voice sounded pitiful.

“Graham, have you forgotten my monthly skin care regimen at your clinic?” She poured in coffee on another mug. 

“Yeah, I remember. Basically, I will be seeing you then, but not spending time with you because it’s Karen, who’ll be doing your skin care regimen. ” Graham sighed. 

“See you tomorrow. I love you, ” Graham said.

Cassandra laughed “You already know the answer to that. Bye and Goodnight” 

Having hung up the phone, she turned towards the couch, but was surprised to see Marty sitting on the dining table chair.  

“You’ll give me a heart attack!” Cassandra blurted out. 

"So you and your boyfriend hadn't seen each other in a month." Marty's eyebrows were frowning. 

Cassandra couldn’t help but roll her eyes at what Marty said, she felt he was nosy. Why does he care about her business since he has only known her today. 

“Correction, Sir Marty. Graham isn’t my boyfriend.” She said then took a sip of her coffee. 

A surge of happiness flooded Marty’s heart, even so, he did not show that he was glad to hear it. He sipped his coffee, Cassandra couldn’t help but to stare at the man in front of her. She couldn’t peel her eyes off him while she sipped her coffee. 

He exudes an intimidating aura, but Cassandra feels she is being pulled by him. She looked at his chiseled jaw line, perfect nose, long and thick eyelashes, deep and tantalizing silver eyes and his luscious lips. Marty is an embodiment of a perfect and breathtakingly beautiful male face. 

“Are you done, memorizing my face?” Marty said as he noticed Cassandra looked at him fixedly. 

Cassandra's face blushed and averted her gaze instantly. To hide her flushed face, she took her mug and washed it. Marty smirked and sipped his coffee. 

“Do you habitually come to the film venue early?” Marty wants to break the tension, he felt that Cassandra was tense. 

“Yes” Cassandra answered in monosyllabic. She sat on the chair opposite Marty, but looked down on her hand. 

Marty stood up upon finishing his coffee. “Thank you for the coffee.” 

Cassandra’s breath hitched as she looked up to him, only to meet his silver eyes intently gazing at her. Her heart pounds wildly as if it’s going to jump out of her chest. She felt her face was hot and knew that her face was already flushed by now. 

She scolded herself by not keeping her guard against Marty. She knew from the start that Marty had stolen her heart. She is panic stricken as she didn’t want to be one of his collections of women. 

“Goodnight Cassandra” Marty’s voice was husky. 

“Bye, Sir Marty” she waved her hand and Marty drove off. 

Leaning on the door, Cassandra held her pounding chest.

“Get a hold of yourself, Cassandra.” she told herself.

She admitted to herself that Marty has so much power over her. She has to stop herself from loving a person like him as she is afraid that her heart will be broken into pieces beyond repair the moment she allows him to wield his power over her. She promised herself that from now on she has to avoid him at all times. 

Cassandra took her laptop and began working on a new design her client has asked her to do. The thought of having her interior designing company gave her much energy and inspiration to work on her design despite that she has been at work the whole day.