Make Me Yours (18 page)

Needing to move, she walked up to them, admiring the artists’ talent. “These are lovely. Someone is very gifted.”

“Yes, she is. Morgan did those.” Marc was glad she had moved away from him. He needed the space from her to get his thoughts and emotions in order.

“Morgan?”

“Jack’s fiancé. She’s the one you saw me fucking downstairs,” he admitted bluntly to see her reaction. When she didn’t respond, just continued to peruse the paintings, he found himself needing to know what she thought of what she had seen. After all, it was a similar situation she had fled from before. “No comment, Cassie?”

Cassie turned back to face him and flinched at the cold, tense look on his face. “No, Marc, no comment. I didn’t come here to berate you for your lifestyle or to interfere with any relationships you have going.”

“Why, exactly are you here? The last time we spoke, you informed me you were getting married and could no longer stay in touch with me.” Five years later he could still recall the gut wrenching feeling he had experienced upon hearing she was getting married. Even though they hadn’t seen each other since that third night in Wade’s club, they had become friends via the phone and emails, or so he had thought.

Downing the rest of her beer, she padded back over to him and set the empty bottle on the counter. Hopping up on a stool, she folded her arms and faced him across the counter top. Leaning against the kitchen island, his beer dangling negligently from one hand while the other was braced behind him, he watched her out of steady green eyes.

“My marriage lasted less than three years and was just another mistake in a long line of mistakes I’ve made where you’re concerned.”

“I’m sorry about you’re divorce,” he replied even though he wasn’t.

“Are you really, Marc?”

Releasing an exasperated sigh, he ran a hand over his face feeling the end of the day stubble and then noticed the redness of Cassie’s chin. He once demanded honesty from her. He needed to be willing to give it also. “Hell, no.”

Cassie smiled at him, relieved. “Me either. I know that sounds awful, and he’s a nice man, but he’s…” She stopped short from saying her ex wasn’t him. Too much information might have him turning her away instead of fucking her up against the wall.

“Vanilla?” Marc asked, figuring that had to be a big part of what went wrong in the relationship. Cassie was definitely submissive. Or, at least, she had been with him.

“Yes, which just reinforced what I knew I couldn’t hide from any more. I had more satisfying sex with you in three nights than I had with him in three years.” She could feel herself turning beet red, but she promised herself she would be upfront about everything with Marc if he was willing to give her a chance again. “I think I logged on to your website at least once a week in the last year, reassuring myself that you were still here. I also researched the area, the towns around here and the employment opportunities.”

When he just raised a black brow, took a swig of his beer and didn’t comment, she continued. “I don’t know if I told you or not, but I worked my way through college in a bakery. When I graduated and couldn’t find a job, I was promoted to manager. I quit a month ago when I bought the bakery in Bear Creek.”

“You’re the one who bought Marge out?” he asked incredulously. What a fucking coincidence, he thought with undeniable pleasure. His fondness for sweets from Marge’s bakery was well known and he had spent the past few weeks wondering who, if anyone was going to keep the place going when she retired.

“Yeah. Do you know the place?”

“I have intimate knowledge of everything Marge has made over the years. I hope you’re as good a baker as she is.”

Cassie hadn’t forgotten his sweet tooth and she often wondered how much that had to do with her decision to stay on at the bakery instead of being more diligent about seeking a teaching position. Not that her education as an English major wasn’t coming in handy with her second career in writing erotic novels. But she wasn’t ready to share that with him yet.

‘I think I can appease your sweet tooth. It will give you a reason to come in to town to see me,” she admitted, feeling her face flush.

It seemed they were both floundering with uncertainty on where to go from here, Marc thought, unable to keep his eyes off her. He still couldn’t believe she was here, not only here, but here to be with him. He didn’t know how he felt about that, if he wanted to go there with her again or not. He had barely survived the remorse and pain of losing her the first time. The second time he had sworn he was glad she had moved on, but when he still found himself wanting to call her or send her an email, he knew he had been lying to himself. A third time would probably kill him.

“I need to get back downstairs,” he said abruptly, ignoring her comment. “It’s Morgan’s birthday and they’re going to wonder where I ran off to.”

“Morgan. Is she someone special to you?” Cassie hated to ask, but she needed to know if she’d made a horrible mistake in coming here.

“Yes, but not like you mean. Her and Jack are very much in love and committed to each other, and they’re both good friends.” He almost smiled at the relief on her face. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to her. You’ll like her.”

“Maybe I should head back to town. I don’t want to intrude on a private party.”

Laughing, Marc grabbed her hand and led her back downstairs. “Darlin’, you’ve already intruded. You may as well stay and enjoy yourself.”

Cassie felt self conscious returning to the party without panties, but then she remembered what was going on and knew if anything, she was still over dressed. The large club room was dimly lit except for the scene areas on the far end which were well lit up and currently in full use. It had been over six months since she had been to a club and had trained under Master Greg in preparation for seeing Marc again and her response to the charged sexual atmosphere had never been this strong. She could only credit being with Marc again with her intense reaction and prayed once again that this wasn’t a mistake.

The pretty, full figured brunette was now clothed in a man’s flannel shirt and sitting at the bar. Cassie now recognized the man she was smiling at as Marc’s friend and partner. Jack Cutter looked even bigger than he had seven years ago and was still as ruggedly handsome. The contrast between his light hair and dark beard was striking and it was easy to see why his fiancé was looking at him with such desire. As Marc led her towards them, she found herself holding back, as unsure of her welcome with them as she had been of Marc.

‘What’s wrong?” Marc asked as she balked at approaching Jack and Morgan.

“Is Jack going to be upset that I’m here?”

He might be, Marc thought, but didn’t tell her that. She looked ready to bolt as it was and, though he didn’t know what or how much he wanted from her, he knew he didn’t want her leaving yet. “It was a long time ago, Cassie, and we’ve put it behind us. Come on.” Moving swiftly, he stopped next to Morgan and then grinned at the shock on Jack’s face. “Jack, you remember Cassie. Cassie, this is Morgan, Jack’s fiancé.”

“Hello,” Morgan greeted her warmly. “Are you here on vacation?”

“Uh, no. I just moved to Bear Creek. I knew Marc a long time ago and decided to drop in on him,” she answered before shifting her attention to Jack. “Hello, Jack.”

“Cassie. It’s been a long time. How are you?”

Jack’s dark eyes were assessing, but kind, which made her relax. “I’m good. I hope I’m not interrupting your birthday party.”

Morgan laughed. “No, not at all. Come sit by me and tell me how you know Marc.”

“Can I get you something, Cassie?” Jack asked.

Cassie asked for another beer and then sipped this one slower than the last while she visited with Morgan. Jack and Marc had their heads together, talking quietly. She tried to ignore the way their eyes shifted to her periodically, but with her nerves already shot, it was difficult to do. A cry from the chain station drew their attention.

“That’s Jan,” Morgan said, grinning. “Jeremy likes to make her wait for her orgasms so when she’s finally allowed to come, she really let’s go.”

“My last Dom made me wait and I hated it. That is until I came, and then I understood the advantages of holding back.” Cassie could have bitten her tongue at the startled look on Marc’s face. When his jaw tightened in anger, she knew she had made a mistake.

Marc could kick himself for succumbing to her like a lovesick fool. Apparently she hadn’t fled the lifestyle all those years ago, only him. Which made a lie out of why she was here now. “Fuck this,” Marc said to Jack before walking back over to Cassie and once again grasping her arm and pulling her from the room. Out in the lobby, he dropped her arm as if burned. “What’s the matter, Cassie? Did your last Dom ditch you and you couldn’t find anyone local to replace him? What did you think, that I’d be so happy to see you after all these years of silence that I’d gladly pick up where we left off?” he bit out angrily.

“No, it was nothing like that, Marc. I swear.” Cassie felt tears threaten as she tried to explain her relationship with Greg to him. “Greg, Master Greg, was my only Dom since you and I only sought him out because of you.” How could she explain to him the utter failure of her previous relationships, including her marriage, her inability to reach the plateau of pleasure that she had reached with him and her need to discover if it was the domination she craved so much, or the Dom? But the quick fuck against the wall earlier told her everything she needed to know. She hadn’t come like that since the last time he fucked her and now she knew it was him she wanted, and she had made the biggest mistake of her life when she ran from him so long ago.

“Because of me? You ran from me, and what I wanted from you only to end up right back there with someone else. You don’t know what the fuck you want, but I’ll tell you what you’re not getting. Me. Go home, Cassie.” Before he could give in to the hurt shining in her expressive blue eyes, Marc turned and went back into the club room, shutting the door behind him. Too bad he couldn’t shut her out of his mind as easily.

Striding to the bar, he poured himself bourbon, straight. Before he could down it, a hard hand clamped around his wrist. Glaring at Scott, he snarled, “What the fuck do you want?”

“Your hide if you sent that girl back to Bear Creek after she’d been drinking and while visibly upset.” Scott’s grey eyes bored into him with a combination of understanding and accusation.

“Ah, shit.” Marc set the glass down and rubbed a hand over his face. “I was so mad I didn’t think.”

“I’m ready to leave myself. I’ll follow her and make sure she gets home all right. She’s living above the bakery, so I know exactly where she’s going.”

“Well, you know more than I do.” Guilt and worry twisted his insides as he thought of Cassie driving in the dark along these mountain roads while upset. Even though she wasn’t drunk, she had drunk enough to impair her reflexes if something were to happen. “Call me when she gets there, would you?”

Scott nodded while he pulled out his keys. “Jack told me she’s important to you, which is the only excuse you could have for having your head up your ass.”

“She was important to me, at one time. Now, now I don’t know what she is.”

“Well, if she doesn’t make it home safely, you’ll never know,” Scott answered with brutal candor. “I’ll call you.”

Cassie waived to the sheriff as she got out of her car at the bakery. Between her tears and the dark unfamiliar roads, she had been a nervous wreck leaving Marc’s lodge. A mile away, the sheriff had pulled her over and, much to her relief, offered to let her follow him, She recognized him from the lodge as the third man fucking Morgan, but wasn’t about to let her embarrassment keep her from accepting his welcome offer.

Locking the door behind her, she went upstairs to the small one bedroom apartment, took a quick shower and fell into bed. Sleep eluded her as memories assailed her, memories of both past and present mistakes.

Seven Years ago…

Cassie entered the club, her eyes automatically seeking out Master Marc. Last night, it had taken all her nerve to attend the first of three beginner’s nights at this popular BDSM club in Omaha. In truth, if her roommates hadn’t found her researching the lifestyle on the internet and practically dragged her here, she never would have had the nerve to come. There were more people here tonight, probably because it was Friday. Sounds of slapping flesh followed by high pitched screams of release rent the air and caused a shiver to course through her.

Last night Master Marc had shown her explicitly how the pain of a spanked bottom could arouse her and lead to a shattering climax. Her embarrassment over being spanked quickly abated as the pain bled into heated pleasure, quickly throwing her into a maelstrom of sensations, sensations she was already craving to experience again. But not with any Dom. Her sights and her heart were set on Master Marc. Just the way his green eyes focused on her could cause her to dampen her panties. When he commanded her in that deep voice she was helpless to refuse him anything. She craved him like a drug, which should worry her. He wasn’t from here and would be leaving soon. Nothing could come of spending these few evenings with him, nothing that is except experiencing the supreme pleasure of being fucked by him.

Spotting her friends sitting at the bar, Cassie quickly joined them. “Did you think I wasn’t coming?” she asked when they looked surprised to see her.

“I bet Courtney you’d chicken out,” Liz said. “Where’d you disappear to last night?”

“She was with me.”

Cassie swiveled around on the stool, her heart speeding up at hearing that deep voice. “Hi.” She smiled up at him and damn if her nipples didn’t pucker and her pussy didn’t clench in need at just seeing him again. Dressed in jeans and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show his strong forearms sprinkled with black hair, he was devastatingly handsome and way out of her league.

“Hi yourself.” Cupping her face between his palms, he lowered his head and gave her a devastating kiss.

“Well, I guess that explains why she didn’t chicken out tonight,” Liz commented dryly.