Indulgence (197 page)

When I nodded my consent he quickly released me and I rolled
to my stomach. He attached one arm and slid his warm palms down, across my
shoulders and up my other arm to hook it to the bed. I buried my face in the
sheets and found his scent lingering on the pillow. His hands were gliding down
my back then he removed my panties and I waited for him to restrain my legs but
it didn’t happen. He left the bed and before I had a chance to look for him, he
was back and I felt a hand on the back of each leg.

“Get on your knees, lady, but leave your chest on the bed.”

I took my position with his assistance, my ass in the air
and fully exposed to him. I blushed knowing that his eyes were devouring me and
couldn’t help but try to press my legs together.

“Not so fast. Spread them wider.” I was thankful I couldn’t
see his face and that he couldn’t see mine. I was mortified. “You’re
beautiful.” His hands smoothed over my bare ass and down my thighs as his
thumbs ever so gently brushed my labia on each side.

“Oh,” I groaned into the bed and swiveled my hips, seeking
more of his touch.
Smack!
“Shit!”

“Hold still.”

“Yes, sir.” My tone was mocking.

“Don’t push it, Cassidy.”

I immediately smiled, wondering what was wrong with me. I
wiggled my hips a little more and was rewarded with another
smack!

“That’s your last warning. You move again and spankings will
cease and I’ll leave you here.” Immediately I stilled. “Good girl. Someone
enjoys being spanked.”

He began caressing my cheeks simultaneously before playing
the game where he would smack one and then the other before rubbing them. This
game continued for a long time, until my ass was numb and on fire at the same
time. Every smack spread more tingles further through my body. I swore I might
come from him spanking me alone and the drunken dizzy feeling was taking me
over again.

“James.” I was panting and didn’t even know what to ask for.

“You’re close, aren’t you?”

I nodded into the pillow as he inched closer to me and I
felt him rubbing the head of his erection across my moist inner thighs. It took
all my strength not to move as his chest was now hovering over my back.
Reaching around, he tugged on my nipples before pulling on my hair resting at
the nape of my neck.

“Oh Jesus. Please.”

“Tell me what you want.” His voice was smoldering.

“You inside me, please. Fuck me, James.”

He didn’t speak, only took action as he slid his head all
over my clit as my thighs began to shake. Then he slammed into me; it was utter
relief.

“Fuck! You’re so wet and tight.” I clenched around him even
more. “Minx!” He smacked my ass again.

His assault proceeded and I could already feel my orgasm
swimming back to the surface. My stomach muscles were tense—every muscle in my
body was tense—and I couldn’t breathe.

“Breathe, Cassidy.” I struggled, but did as I was told and
after I released the breath I was holding, I breathed in deep as he reached
around and began rubbing my clit while pounding away with stealth determination.

It was my undoing,
he
was my undoing. I screamed his
name, and some other obscenities, while he pounded away, my toes curling and I
became as limp as a dishrag. I couldn’t hold myself up much longer and began
slipping, my head still thrumming and swimming through the aftershocks of my
release. He pushed us down flat to the bed and continued pumping in and out of
my swollen flesh. His pace started to slow some but he was nowhere ready to let
go.

Smack!
“Oh. No. I can’t take any more, James.”

I could almost hear him smile behind me as he continued my
punishment. The vibrations immediately sparked my core anew.
Sweet Jesus, he
was going kill me with sex.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, I
was aware that I was building up again. He was breathing on my neck and
reaching up my arm to release my bonds, but never missed a thrust, and soon
both my arms were free.

I cried out when I felt the loss of his body, but he flipped
me over before I could figure out what he was doing. He straddled me across his
lap and was lifting me up while my back was pressed against the cool fabric of
his headboard.

On his knees, and wrapping my legs around his waist, he told
me, “Hold on, Cassidy.”

Somehow I found the energy to wrap my arms and legs around
him as my head fell to his shoulder and he plunged back into me. My breath
hitched and my nails dug into his back.

“Yes. Oh, James.” I sought out his hair and set it free,
tugging and twisting my fingers through his dark locks, pulling his head back.
I found his lips and bit down on his upper lip after sucking it into my mouth,
my energy renewed.
Would I ever get enough of him?

“Fuck, Cassidy.” His own hand found my hair and pulled me
off him so he could molest my breasts. “Open your eyes.” I opened my eyes to
find him staring into them and I felt my orgasm climbing over the horizon.
“Happy Birthday, Blackbird!”

“Thank you.” He remembered and I was smiling like a fool
before his lips captured mine. “James, I’m close, again,” whispering between
kisses and desperate for him to come, too. Hammering into me harder, I sensed
he was close. My whole body squeezed him.

“Cassidy.”

Feeling him tense, I ground into him, discovering it was
just what I needed and I broke apart all over again. I grabbed his hair and
tugged while sucking his ear and he exploded inside me on a growl. Covered in
sweat and me, he shuddered inside me for what felt like forever. I was
unforgiving, continuing to squeeze him periodically to remind him we were still
joined.

“Dammit, lady, you’ll pull it off if you don’t stop that.”

I giggled into his shoulder, “We can’t have that. Though,
the thought of carrying that piece of you around in my purse is slightly
tempting. Eeek!” He was tickling my hips and flipped me to my back as he lay on
top of me. “It was a joke, please, stop.” I was smacking his hands away, but it
was useless.

He stopped his assault and fell down next to me before he
gathered me in his arms. “You’re going to be sore.”

“Then I guess you’re doing it right.” I winked at him and
the look of surprise on his face was priceless.

“Damn straight I’m doing it right.” We laid there in our
serenity for several minutes. “Let me take you to dinner tonight.”

“I can’t.” His head jerked up as he looked down at me. “Calm
down. I made plans with Anthony and Lena from work. I can cancel them.”

“No.”

“You can come with. Calvin will be there, too.” Looking to
him, I could tell he was brooding. I began kissing his chest and moved so that
I was straddling him. Finding his nipple, I began to lap at it. “Please come.”

“You’re insatiable.” I lifted my head and looked at him,
totally relaxed, his arms were up and under his head.

“I can’t help it. Look at you. You’re irresistible. I mean,
WOW.
”
He laughed a genuine belly warming laugh which had me laughing, too. “Please
say you’ll come.”

“I’ll come.”

I threw myself down to him and wrapped my arms around his
neck before kissing him. “Thank you!”

*****

A couple hours later, James dropped me off at my place. He
said he had some errands to run and that he would be back to pick me up around
six. I warned him that everyone was meeting here before we headed out for the
night.

Walking through the door, I scanned through my mail and
sorted out the bills from the junk, putting the junk in the recycling and the
bills on the counter. Chessa jumped up to greet me.

“Hey Chessa, I’ve missed you.” I picked her up and was
rewarded with a purr. Carrying her to the door, I grabbed a few of my bags
before setting her back down. We were heading up the stairs when there was a
knock on the door. “Who could that be?” Chessa ran to the door and I swooshed
her away and she headed to the living room.

I opened the door and felt the color leave my face. “Dan?”
Fucking
hell
. “What are you doing here?”

“Happy Birthday, Cassidy.”

~ JAMES ~

I had to run to the office to take care of some business
before picking up Cassidy’s birthday gift and then I was headed home to check
on Mom. Cassidy wouldn’t get much more use out of her birthday gift this year,
but she would come spring.

Spring
.

For the first time I realized that I wanted her here in
spring. I tried to shake off the tug that she had on my emotions as I pulled
into the drive at Mom and Dad’s place.

I walked in and Dad told me that Mom was resting. “She’s
fine, Son, just tired. She’s still adjusting to the time change.”

“Ok. Please tell her I stopped by.”

“I hear you and Aunt Bev pulled off quite the coup last
night at the auction.”

We shared a chuckle. “Speaking of Aunt Bev. She went a
little overboard, jumping the bid so quickly.”

“You know she has no patience. I’m sorry I missed it.” He
poured me a scotch as we sat opposite each other in his study. “How’s Cassidy?
Have you told her?”

Swirling the contents of my cup and looking down, I said,
“She knows about the funerals.”

“You need to tell her about Dan before she finds out on her
own.”

“I know, Dad. Her brother is aware of most of it and has
been keeping it from her until I can tell her.”

He sighed, “You’re playing with fire James. When she finds
out, and she will, that you and her brother both know; well, so help you God.”

Agreeing with him I mentioned, “Today’s her birthday. It can
wait. Last I heard, he was supposedly in rehab, again.”

“Rehab can help the addict, but once a snake always a
snake.”

I needed to change the subject before I got angry. Downing my
scotch, I placed the glass on the table between us. “I’d like you and Mom to
meet her, officially.” Dad was just beaming at me. “Enough, Dad.”

“Anytime, just let us know when. Your mother will be
thrilled.”

“Yeah, yeah. I should go. I’ll be in touch. Give Mom my
love.” We shook hands before exchanging a hug.

“I think your Mother is right.”

“Dare I ask?”

“You care a great deal for this girl.” I just stared at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I headed out the door unable to
listen to anymore of Dad’s nonsense. Wasn’t it too soon to be feeling so many
emotions for Cassidy? We had only known each other a few months and had only
been dating for a little over a week. What the hell? This was ridiculous; I did
care for her and I didn’t know why I was denying it.

Secrets

~ CASSIDY ~

Stepping out onto my front porch cautiously, I closed the
door behind me. “Dan, what are you doing here?”

“Hi to you, too. These are for you.” He handed me a lame
bouquet of flowers.

“Thank you. Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to see you. How’d
you know where I live?”

“I have my sources. I know it’s been a long time. I’m sorry
I disappeared on you. Can we go inside?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Normally I would have
let him in, but his presence suddenly made my skin crawl.
What did I ever
see in him?

“Do you have company?”

I sighed, “Dan, what do you want? You made it pretty evident
that you didn’t need or want me around for your recovery, as did your family.
I’m glad to see you’re better, but why are you here?”

He let out an exasperated breath, “Cassidy, James is nothing
but trouble.” I flinched at his words.
How did he know about James?
“He’s just going to use you and throw you away.”

“Excuse me? You’re the one throwing people away.”

“We both experienced a trauma. My family circled the wagons.
I’m sorry I pushed you away. It was a mistake.” He tried to put my hands in his
and I pulled them away before he was successful.

“Don’t touch me. Dan, what we had, well, it was a mistake. I
don’t know what you
think
you know about James, but you don’t. Please
leave.”

“I know that he and Melissa Westin have a long and torrid
relationship. They have since high school.” My stomach started convulsing. “I’m
guessing by that look on your face you know who she is.” I must have nodded because
he continued on. “Cassidy, they’re meant to be. You’re just going to get hurt.
Everyone who gets in between them ends up hurt or dead. Just like Jason.”

Gasping at his harsh words I narrowed my eyes at him and he
answered the question in my eyes.

He started responding before I even asked the questions,
“You don’t know about Jason?” He ran his fingers through his short spiky hair
before continuing, “Jason was my best friend and James’s cousin. Jason and
Melissa were a couple before James broke them up. Melissa cheated on Jason with
James and Jason was so torn up about the whole thing he committed suicide.” He
reached for me again and I evaded him.

I couldn’t listen to any more of it, “Dan I need you to
leave. Please. Thank you for the flowers.”

“Cassidy, wait…”

Rushing back inside before Dan could stop me, I made sure to
turn the deadbolt.
What the hell just happened?
Dan’s words ran over and
over again in my head. James and Melissa had been on and off since high school?
Jesus Christ, I was an idiot. No wonder she was so upset at the auction. And
Jason, who was Jason? Dan said Jason and James were cousins.

It was preposterous. I decided to find my laptop, powered it
up and sat on the couch pulling up my favorite search engine. I typed in Jason
and James Benedict. After scrolling through a few pages I found a link for
Jason Benedict Whitford. Oh, God, this just gets worse and worse. Finding an
obituary from fifteen years ago for Jason, I noticed his death was listed as
December 31
^st
, James’s birthday. My whole body started trembling as
I scanned further through the article and stopped at ‘
brother to Jane’
.
Fucking hell. I was going to be sick. I ran to the kitchen and emptied the
minimal contents of my stomach into the sink.