Chapter Eleven
When Cassie saw Blaine dressed up for the first time, she had to remind herself to breathe. His suit was gray, his shirt was white, and he looked like a dream.
There was only one problem.
“Your tie,” she said. The navy color was nice, but…
“Did I do it wrong? I don’t wear a tie very often.”
“It’s crooked.” She stepped toward him until they were very close together. She could feel the heat radiating off him. “Let me fix it.”
He put his hands at his sides as she untied it, looped it around his neck again, and knotted it correctly. Her fingers itched to unbutton his shirt and touch his chest, but she behaved herself. They had reservations in half an hour, and she wanted to go on a proper date with him, something they’d never done before.
And then he would have his way with her.
Her skin prickled almost unbearably.
“Thank you,” he whispered. He held out his arm, and she put her hand in the crook of his elbow.
He drove them to an Italian restaurant. Dim lighting, white tablecloths, a single red rose on each table.
So romantic.
As they followed the hostess to their table at the back, Cassie noticed a couple of women looking in their direction. Looking at Blaine.
Yeah, sorry. He’s with me.
At least, for tonight.
He pulled out a chair for her, and she felt almost giddy as she took a seat. It was all perfect. It felt like they should be in a movie.
They each ordered a glass of red wine. Once again, he clinked his glass against hers.
“Cheers to us,” he murmured.
She couldn’t help smiling.
She read the menu over and over. Everything looked so good. Eventually she decided on tagliatelle with wild mushrooms. No puffballs, though.
The waiter returned, and Blaine ordered short ribs, as well as the antipasti board.
“I want you to have lots of energy for tonight,” he said once they were alone again. He took her hand and slid his fingers up her wrist, gently brushing her skin.
How could he make her feel so much with so little?
No wonder she’d struggled to get over him, when every touch was so meaningful. He sought explanations for everything, enjoyed unraveling the mysteries of how the world worked, but this thing between them seemed beyond explanation.
A memory suddenly came to her. She’d made herself pasta with a mushroom cream sauce for dinner, maybe a month after he’d left—soon after she’d realized she wasn’t pregnant with his baby. After a week of eating junk, she’d decided she needed to eat proper food.
And she remembered listlessly twirling her fork in the linguine or spaghetti or whatever it was, barely able to consume the nice dinner she’d cooked for herself.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his finger sliding farther up her arm.
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
For tonight, they were together, and she would live in the moment.
…
Cassie placed some cured meat on a slice of bread. There were four types of meat on the platter, but she hadn’t paid attention when the waiter explained what they were, too distracted by the man in front of her. Although she’d always preferred to draw and paint nature, she was filled with the sudden urge to capture Blaine’s face with charcoal. A quick sketch of how impossibly handsome he was.
Their date was wonderful. They talked, they laughed. The pasta was delicious, as were his short ribs. But the best part of the meal was the flourless chocolate cake that he insisted they order for dessert. Honestly, it was the most amazing thing she’d ever tasted. She groaned and closed her eyes in ecstasy as she put the first bite in her mouth.
“I take it you like it,” Blaine said, slicing the small cake down the middle. “This is to ensure you don’t eat more than your share.”
“Come on,” she said. “Please?”
“Maybe for you. But I don’t usually like it when other people eat my chocolate. When I was young, I thought liking chocolate was a guy thing, like beer and wings. My father and I loved chocolate, but my mom never had much of a sweet tooth.” He looked down. “Hey!”
She’d snuck the plate to her side of the table. “Finders keepers.”
“Don’t you dare.” He grabbed the plate back and took a big bite.
She watched his Adam’s apple as he chewed. She could be mesmerized by him doing the simplest things.
He picked up a forkful of cake from her half.
“Oh no, you don’t,” she said.
But before she could say anything more, he held the fork up to her lips. She wished he could feed her with his fingers, but this was probably as far as they ought to go in public. She took the bite he offered and chewed slowly. He watched her mouth.
A lock of hair flopped over his forehead, and she reached out to push it back. Any excuse to touch him. Under the table, she slid her other hand up the inside of his knee, and she could tell he was struggling for composure.
She imagined him sliding his hand all the way up her leg, dipping his finger inside her. Pulling off her clothes and tossing her, naked, onto the bed, while his blue eyes pierced her. Jerking her arm to the side and tying it to the bedpost.
As she looked at him in his suit, he seemed not so much like a geotechnical engineer, but a very powerful man. Like the billionaires in some of the books she read.
A man who always got what he wanted.
She squirmed in her seat. “I have an idea for when we get home.”
…
Blaine was confused. Didn’t they already have a plan? He was going to tie her up and screw her six ways to Sunday. He did not like the thought of changing things.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “It won’t be all that different from what you already want to do to me. Just a little more…intense.”
He popped another bite of chocolate cake into his mouth. It really was the greatest dessert in the world, but all his attention was on Cassie in that slinky brown dress, her beautiful hair spilling over her shoulders. She’d told him it was a pity she didn’t have any makeup with her, but he thought she looked perfect tonight.
A little more intense. What could she mean? Desire pumped through his body.
“What are you muttering under your breath?” she asked.
Shit. He’d done it out of habit.
“To calm myself down,” he said, “I recite the geologic time periods. Sexy, I know.”
“And why do you need to calm yourself down, right now?”
He raised his eyebrows over his glass of wine. “I think you know.”
Her gaze locked on his. “I’m not going to tell you my idea yet.” She glanced to the left and right. “Too many people around.”
They finished the chocolate cake. He paid the bill, then he took her hand and stepped outside.
“Now you can tell me,” he said, not wanting to wait any longer.
“In the car.” She winked at him.
Christ. This woman drove him mad.
Fortunately the car was only a three-minute walk away. He opened the door for her, and once she was in the passenger’s seat and he was behind the wheel, she spoke.
“If you’re not comfortable with this, I totally understand.” She hesitated, then said, “When we get back to your house, I want us to pretend that we went on a nice first date together.”
He frowned. “But that’s more or less the truth, isn’t it?”
“Except the difference is, I won’t want to sleep with you. I’m not ready for that yet. We’ll pretend that your house is my house, and I don’t want to let you in. But you’re a rich asshole who’s used to getting his way and won’t take no for an answer. You think because you bought me dinner, I owe you sex, and you force yourself on me.”
“I…rape you.”
She hesitated. “I know it might sound weird, but lots of women have that kind of fantasy.”
“So I’ve heard.” He cupped her cheek with his hand and stroked his thumb over her upper lip. “You would trust me to do that?”
“Yes.”
He swallowed a stab of desire. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I won’t fight too hard. You don’t need to be much rougher than usual.”
He pictured her under him, whimpering, “No, no, no,” and thrashing her arms. “What’s your safe word? Because you’re going to say no, and I’ll keep fucking you.”
“Puffball,” she said with a wobbly smile. “And one more thing. Don’t rip my clothing. I like this dress. I want to keep it.”
He nodded. “Deal.”
A little light from the streetlights filtered into the car. He could see her worrying her lip now.
“You’re not disgusted by this?” she asked quietly.
“No. I’m just… You’ve acted out your fantasies before, right? With that guy you met online. And you didn’t enjoy it.”
“This isn’t the same sort of fantasy. Being whipped and flogged…” She glanced away for a moment. “I think I just wanted to feel some sort of pain that wasn’t heartbreak. But it didn’t push you out of my mind. I couldn’t help but think of you when I was naked on a cross, my legs spread wide.”
Jesus.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his own heart breaking that he had caused this amazing woman such emotional agony. “So fucking sorry.”
She didn’t say anything.
But she trusted him enough to describe her dark fantasy and act it out with him. And that was precious.
His cock hardened unbearably at her trust in him and at the scenario she’d suggested, though this wasn’t the sort of thing he ever thought about when he got himself off. He definitely liked being in control in bed but not with an unwilling companion.
Except Cassie was willing. Very willing. This had been her idea.
And God, he wanted it, too.
Now.