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“Once in a while, if the situation warrants it. I’m sure Jack’ll get the pleasure of warming your ass before long, especially if you keep arguing with me.”
Chapter Six
Cassie’s busy Saturday morning kept getting interrupted with plaguing images of herself bent over Jack’s lap, as she wondered if she would respond to the pain of his hand as she did to Marc’s. When Marc had suggested enhancing her pleasure by allowing Jack to join them the third night they met in the Omaha club, her innocence sent her running from the man she was rapidly falling for, taking his suggestion as a betrayal. Yet now, when she pictured herself being spanked by someone else, with Marc watching, her pussy swelled and creamed with the image. She knew from the few nights she spent tutoring under Master Greg’s strict hand she got off on being dominated. She also knew from the sex she had with Marc since arriving in Bear Creek that her strongest climaxes came from his hand, his body, his dominance. Her bad experience with Master Greg drove that point home to her, more so when she realized her desire to look up Marc again hadn’t dimmed even after Master Greg showed his true colors and left her distraught over his callous treatment of her. But her instant response to Master Marc and seeing firsthand the pleasure Morgan experienced with two men had her accepting the suggestion of another man touching her with anticipation instead of betrayal.
The bell chimed over the door and she smiled at Susan Boggs, a new customer planning the wedding of her only daughter. “I’ve got it all ready for you, Susan,” she called out before turning to Michelle, her part-time help. “Would you get the bridal shower cake out of the refrigerator, please?”
“Sure. It’s really pretty, Susan,” the nineteen-year-old said with a smile.
“I know Jenny will like it. She’s so excited for her shower tonight.”
“After doing the shower cake it had me pumped about doing one for her wedding. I did them all the time when I worked in a bakery in Nebraska and had fun coming up with decorations to match color themes. I’m looking forward to it.” She loved seeing her concoctions after spending hours decorating, the visual appearance of her work as rewarding as the taste.
Michelle returned from the kitchen and set the boxed cake on the counter, lifting the lid so Susan could see it. “Oh, it’s gorgeous, and you were able to use all six of her colors.”
“Having six pastel shades for her colors was a great idea and gave me a lot to work with. I’m working on designs for the wedding cake that will also use all six colors.”
“Will you be doing Morgan Tomlinson’s cake also? I think their wedding will be in August.”
Cassie wondered if she would still be here in two months. She loved her little bakery, liked being her own
boss even if it was more stressful, and of course she loved being with Marc again. But his lukewarm greeting at her surprise return followed by his reluctance to have her in his bed despite his obvious concern over her safety wasn’t encouraging for anything evolving past a few weeks of reunited sex. He had to feel something for her, at least she thought his overbearing, overprotective attitude concerning her stalker suggested he did. But her manipulations had landed her back in his bed, not his insistence. Now she wondered where she’d be when her stalker was no longer a threat.
“I hope I get to do their cake. I’ve met Morgan and she seems nice,” she replied, omitting how she knew Morgan.
“Have you seen her artwork? She sells it at the gallery. She’s quite talented.” Michelle handed Susan her change then the cake.
“I saw her paintings at the lodge. They’re beautiful.”
Susan and Michelle exchanged a secret look then grinned at her. “Be sure you call ahead before going out to the lodge, Cassie,” Susan warned with a flushed face. “There are certain groups that vacation there that get pretty wild.”
She felt her own face turn rosy when both women smirked, then warm even more when Michelle teased, “I take it you saw firsthand what goes on up there?”
“Uh, yes. Are their activities well known around town?” She found it hard to fathom their BDSM parties being accepted without condemnation.
“Oh, sure,” Susan answered as if it was no big deal. “This is a small, close-knit community and we don’t have a problem with it as long as it’s confined to their property, which it is. Besides, the lodge brings lots of business to town.”
Relief eased her mind. Now she didn’t have to worry about losing business if details of her sex life ever got out. All she had to worry about was making her business a success, a reluctant relationship, and a stalker. Piece of cake, pun intended.
Worry over her relationship continued to plague Cassie throughout the afternoon, more so than worry over her unknown stalker. Michelle left at three when things slowed down, and Marc wouldn’t arrive until six, when she closed until Monday. As she marked down items in the display case that wouldn’t stay fresh until then, she brooded. Blackmailing him into allowing her back into his bed wasn’t how she had planned getting back into his good graces, and something she hadn’t thought through before delivering her ultimatum. She’d been so desperate, she hadn’t considered the future consequences. Now she had no way of knowing if he wanted her for herself or if he just wanted to ensure her safety. When they resolved the problem with her stalker, then what? Would he return her to her little apartment upstairs and ignore her again, or would he want to give their relationship a try for real, without her coercion and his doubts?
As Cassie cleaned her kitchen and waited on the few late afternoon customers who always showed up for the marked-down goodies, her mood spiraled from bad to worse. She ended up blaming Marc for putting her in the position of having to force her way back into his bed. If he hadn’t been so overprotective and allowed the sheriff and his deputies to do their job, then there was the chance the two of them could have one day worked their way back to each other. As much as she enjoyed submitting to him last night and looked forward to more of the intense sexual satisfaction she seemed to only achieve with him, she wished he was with her of his own accord. Though she should rescind her threat and offer to sleep in the guest room, the thought of returning to a platonic relationship didn’t improve her mood. By the time Marc entered the bakery right before six, she wasn’t pleased to see him.
“You’re early. I’m not ready,” she snapped and then regretted it when his welcoming smile turned into a frown.
Striding to the counter, Marc eyed Cassie with a cool, apprising look as he considered her foul mood. His heart had done that funny roll in his chest when he’d opened the door and he’d seen her flushed face smudged with a streak of chocolate, tendrils of her red-gold hair clinging to her damp neck. He had thought of her all day, vacillating between frustration, worry, and lust, which led him to an irrefutable conclusion. Even though her refusal to stay at the lodge unless she was in his bed had pissed him off, he had to admit she would have ended up there eventually, if not sooner, anyway. It seemed when it came to Cassie, he had as much self-control as Jack had with Morgan and he could now sympathize and understand why his friend had kept his distance from Morgan for so long. Although it was too early for him to envision a similar positive outcome for him and Cassie as Jack had with Morgan, he at least wouldn’t be left regretting turning her away without giving them another chance.
“Bad day, darlin’?” he questioned, stifling his irritation at her greeting until he heard what the problem was.
“I’ve changed my mind, Marc,” she tossed over her shoulder at him as she strode back into the kitchen.
He followed her, her evasion pissing him off. “About what exactly?” Leaning against the large worktable she began swiping with a damp cloth, he folded his arms over his chest, watching her with close scrutiny.
“About staying at the lodge. I’ll be fine here. I’ll call Scott and let him know the change of plans.” Putting away the butter and milk, she tried to ignore the way his jaw tightened and his green eyes snapped with ire, and the way her buttocks clenched in response.
“And you think Scott and his deputies have nothing better to do than babysit one woman who doesn’t have the common sense to accept a simple solution and offer of help?”
She winced at the intentional sarcasm. Making her sound self-centered and foolish increased her irritation, the fact he was right pissing her off. “You’re an ass, you know that?” she snapped in self-defense then paled when he got that dom look on his face that said she had gone too far. How had she let her worry over what might or might not happen make her forget who she was dealing with?
