Cass slipped off her high heels and climbed onto the bed, the springs creaking lightly. “Are you suggesting something other than sleep, counselor?”
Reed stripped off his tie, then the jacket. Each piece of clothing was removed with speed and efficiency, until he could feel the cool night air on his heated skin. Climbing onto the bed beside Cass, he let the natural sway of the ancient springs propel him towards her until she was in his arms. Her breasts pressed against his chest. The soft and newly shaven mound of her sex pressed against his hip. Her long legs tangled with his and his hand coasted over the lush curve of her hip and over her bottom. It felt so right and so perfect to touch her. “I don’t see sleep coming on for quite some time.”
She smiled and pressed a kiss against the whisker roughened skin of his jaw, “Then I think we’ve found a perfect starting point for our negotiations.”
Reed shifted onto his back, pulling her on top of him. She straddled his hips, and their bodies strained against one another, seeking. At that point, Cass had lost count of how many times Reed had been inside her. He’d had her every way imaginable and she’d enjoyed every last minute of it. But as she rose above him, his hands coasting gently over her hips as he nudged his swollen cock inside her, she recognized that it was different. Whatever had passed between them that night, whatever line she had crossed in taking their relationship public, had changed the dynamic between them dramatically. There was a weight, and intensity to their touches, there in the moonlight on that porch. His hands were gentle as they coasted over her skin, his mouth was soft and sweet as he tugged gently at the hardened buds of her nipples. When he thrust inside her, there was no rush to finish, there was no desperate climb toward an impending climax. She rode him slow and easy, rocking her body against his, and he responded in kind.
In spite of the gentleness of their lovemaking, and how very different it was from all that had gone before, the orgasm that swept through her was not a gentle one. It was hard and deep and left her shaking in its aftermath as he erupted inside her. The heat of him inside her, triggered another rush of warmth and soft tremors that only heightened the lingering pleasure. Collapsing atop him, Cass nuzzled her face against his chest. His arms tightened around her even as his heart thundered beneath her cheek. The fear was there, coiling inside her, but she ignored it, refuting the urge to simply bolt. She’d run from men her whole life--some, like her mother’s perverted boyfriends, because they’d repulsed and frightened her, and others, because they hadn’t. Trust didn’t come easily for her, and somehow, without even trying, Reed had wormed his way inside, to that place where she didn’t let anyone in.
Reed held onto her, and planned to for as long as she would let him. He could sense the wheels turning inside her head, and knew that she was analyzing, picking things apart and anticipating every disaster that could occur. “Stop thinking,” he said.
She looked up at him, propping her chin on her hands. “That’s sort of impossible to do.”
“Stop overthinking,” he corrected.
Cass’ smile was sweet and self deprecating. “Am I that obvious?”
Reed rolled her to her back, looming above her. “Yes. Your face is an open book.” He kissed her then, claiming her mouth, nipping gently at the full curve of her bottom lip.
“So which is the real you, Reed?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you the small town attorney and all around nice guy, or are you the dark, dominant man who ties me to beds and makes me scream?”
“Why can’t I be both? We all have a dark side, Cass... I just have the option of letting mine show when I’m with you.”
“I don’t have a dark side,” she protested.
He smiled, a sardonic grin curving his lips. “Oh, really? What we have, Cass, is only the illusion of me being in control. I don’t do anything that you don’t want me to do. So, if I have a dark side, sweetheart, you can bet your sweet ass that you have one too.”
Cass knew that it was true. She wasn’t a virgin by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn’t the slut others had always assumed she was either. Still, nothing in her experience had prepared her for the lengths that Reed pushed her to. “So, how did you discover that this was something that you were in to?”
He rolled to his back and sighed, staring up at the beadboard ceiling of the porch. “You really want to do this now? Dissect our sexual histories?”
“Yes, I do.”
“It’s quid pro quo, Cass. Every secret I reveal means I get one back.”
She thought about it, briefly considered withdrawing the request, but then she knew she couldn’t. She had to know. “Okay.”
“When I was in the army, I became involved with a woman who... well, let’s just say that she outranked me, by a lot. I was a kid. Maybe nineteen. When she told me what she wanted, I was stunned... but gradually, she introduced me to a world that was totally outside of anything I’d ever imagined.”
“Do you miss that?”
“No... I don’t. I like what we have, Cass. I like the fact that I can spank you, play rough with you and fuck you until we’re both mindless... I also like the fact that I don’t have to do that. That I can climb into a white, ruffle covered bed and make love to you....Now, it’s my turn. Why the questions, Cass? Why now?”
“This just isn’t what I thought it would be. I figured we’d have a little bit of fun, maybe a few weekends here and there, but that eventually we’d get bored with one another and go our separate ways.”
Reed rose up on his elbow, staring down at her. With her flaming hair fanned out on the pillow and her skin still bearing the red marks from his whiskers, she was a feast for the senses. “And you’re not bored yet?”
She shook her head, biting her lip as she considered her answer. “No. Not even close. If possible, I want you more now than I ever did before.”
“Why is that a bad thing, Cass?”
“It’s my turn to ask questions,” she said.
She wasn’t going to distract him from it, but he let her take the lead. “Fine, ask one.”
“What’s going to happen if you get bored before I do?”
So that was it, he thought. That’s where the questions and insecurities were coming from. Cass was the one who walked away, never invested in relationships, never intending to stick around, and she was afraid now that he would want out first. There were things he needed to say to her, but he knew she wasn’t ready to hear them. So instead, he said, “That’s not going to happen. How could I ever get bored with you? You challenge me at every turn. You never do what I expect you to, and just when I think I have you figured out, you go and change the rules on me. Like you did tonight.”
“Half of Gresham County will be talking about us over breakfast,” she said.
“Only half?”
“The other half are talking about us right now.”
Pulling her to him, he pressed her down into the mattress, a feral look on his face, “Then let’s give them something to talk about.”
CHAPTER SIX Reed walked into his office, noting that the place even smelled different since Cass had been around. She was out that morning, dress shopping with Evie. Still she’d come in early and organized everything he would need for the day. His files were out and stacked on his desk in order of their appointment time. She’d even set the timer on the coffee pot, so it was brewing as he walked in. It wasn’t because of their personal relationship either. Cass had a work ethic, she always had. It was one of the things that he respected and admired about her the most. Shaking his head, more than a little embarrassed that he coudn’t stop thinking about her even when she wasn’t around, and even when he’d just pulled himself out of her bed only a couple of hours earlier, he sorted through the mail that had come in on Saturday. With the mail was another package, a large manilla envelope with no postage and no return address on it. On the outside, Cass had attached a pink Hello Kitty sticky note, a leftover from Crystal’s brief stint in
the office. The note was simple. No return address, thought it might be personal. That was all it said. Crumpling the note, he tossed it in the trash, more than a little confused by why it bothered him.
Opening the envelope, the pictures tumbled out onto the desk, sprawling across the surface. Shock was his first reaction, followed by rage. There were pictures of him and Cass together, in his office, in his house, and hers, of him spanking her while she was tied to his bed, of her mouth closing over his cock while she wore a blindfold. Each one was more scandalous than the last and highlighted the kinkier aspects of their sex life.
With a muttered curse, he stacked the photos and returned them to the envelope before shoving them in the drawer. There had been no note with them, but there was only one person he could think of who would go to such lengths. It was Rowena. He should have known that her demand for money outside the courthouse would not be the last from her. She’d hung around town for a reason and apparently blackmail was it. It wouldn’t matter to her that she was destroying any lingering feeling that Cass might have for her or that she was destroying her daughter’s reputation in a town where things like that still mattered. The bottom line for Rowena was that she had to get what she wanted, and he had to find out what that was.
Looking at his schedule he noted that the first client of the day was Jackson. They’d talked about Jackson updating his will and adding Evie to all of his accounts. He called the rest of his clients and rescheduled everyone due to come in that day, anticipating difficulties.
“Damn! You look like Evie does when I leave the toilet seat up.”
Reed looked up as Jackson walked in looking almost respectable in a pair of khaki pants and a white dress shirt. “Dressed like that, I pegged you for someone who pissed sitting down.”
Jackson settled into the chair facing him and said, with a grin, “Asshole.”
“Enough with the banter... I have a problem.”
“Cass decide she’s too good for you?”
Reed thought about how much to tell him and decided to simply go for it. “Let’s just say that Cass and I have a somewhat unconventional relationship... And someone has felt the need to gather evidence to that effect.”
“You’re being blackmailed.... No offense, I know you make okay money in this town, but there are a hell of a lot more people with much darker secrets than that and they have a shit ton more money than you.”
“It’s more of a crime of opportunity than anything else. Since Cass decided to let the entire world in on the fact that we’re seeing each other, other than the embarrassment of having the whole town see you in the act, these don’t have a lot of value.”
“So who had the opportunity?” Jackson asked.
Reed knew that Jackson was brilliant, that he’d always been far smarter and cagier than most people would give him credit for. “It’s Rowena. She was at Cass’ place the first night I went over there and it got ugly. I threw her out. So she knew we were seeing each other and she also has a habit of holding a grudge.”
“So, I’ll go talk to her.”
“There’s more.”
Jackson paused, and then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Go on. I have a feeling we’re getting to the good stuff.”
“Rowena made a statement to me that Parker Remington was Cass’ father.”
A low whistle was the only response for a long moment, then Jackson said, “Rowena’s been claiming a dozen different men were Cass’ father over the years. She’d thrown so many names around, even she doesn’t know anymore for certain.”
“She does actually. I’m breaking confidentiality by telling you this, but there is documentation in Mrs. Remington’s file here that it’s true. She’d made Cass her sole beneficiary and heir. There are also letters from Parker to her, stating that he knew Rowena was carrying his child.”
“So you’re having an affair with the daughter of the man who killed your father... apparently a pretty steamy one. And if you don’t pony up, then Rowena goes public with all of it... not just the sex, but the fucked up geneaology as well.”
“Correct.”
“And Cass knows nothing about this because she, Evie and Margaret are out looking at wedding dresses right now instead of beating the crap out of you for keeping secrets.”
“Exactly.”
Jackson sat back in his chair and looked pensive for a moment. “The relationship is public. I can’t imagine you all are freaky enough for it to be truly shocking. So that just leaves the identity of Cass’ father to deal with.”
“The pictures might be a little more shocking than you realize.”
“I really want to see them, but I know better than to ask... Is this something that could effect your career?”
“Definitely... but I don’t care about that. Things with Cass are--complicated, I guess. If this does damage my career, she’ll blame herself for it and then there won’t be a chance in hell of making it work.”
It wasn’t until he’d said it out loud that Reed realized he’d been thinking of thinks with Cass as permanent, or at least heading in that direction. He didn’t want a fling with her or even some long term relationship. With Cass, he wanted forever.
Jackson began to laugh. “Yeah, I can see the wheels turning. Finally figuring it out, aren’t you?”
“I have to go see Rowena, Jackson. I need someone there I can trust, because that bitch will spin this thing however she can.”
“I owe you my life, man,” Jackson said.
It made Reed uncomfortable. Gratitude always had. “Well, in this instance payback really is a bitch.”
They left the office and headed for the Gresham Motor Lodge where Rowena had apparently holed up since coming to town. To say that it was shady was an understatement. It didn’t even rank no-tell motel anymore. It was like a three dimensional advertisement for things antibiotics couldn’t kill. Peeling paint, a parking lot that was more pot hole than pavement, and a sign that advertised both hourly and weekly rates made it glaringly apparent just what sort of establishment it was.
Jackson went inside to speak to the manager, and more than likely bribe him for Rowena’s room number and a key. It was only minutes later that he came back, key in hand. Reed shook his head. “I don’t want to know how much that cost you.”
“I played professional football, Reed, and that asshole inside won a lot of money betting on my arm... He just needed a gentle reminder of that.”
Reed rolled his eyes. “Hmm. All I did was two tours in the middle east and keep his shithead cousin out of prison.”
“Jimbo doesn’t much like his cousin,” Jackson responded with a shrug. “Her room is around back.”
The cut through the darkened hallway filled with a busted ice machine and a soda machine that had seen better days. Coming out the other side, they both stopped, staring ahead at the tangled limbs at the bottom of the stairs. Rowena wouldn’t be blackmailing anyone for a while.
“Fuck,” they said in unison.
ACROSS town, Cass sat in the small parlor outside the dressing rooms. Margaret Harper was seated across from her, hair perfect, clothes not daring to wrinkle and a perfect amount of makeup on her still unlined but lightly tanned face. Cass felt overdone next to her. The kelly green sundress she wore was well fitted and showed her figure well. On her feet, she wore a simple pair of nude pumps, Jessica Simpson. Even though, she’d gotten them on sale dirt cheap, they were high end enough that even Margaret couldn’t find fault with them. Her hair was pulled back and she’d used makeup to camouflage the beard burn that Reed had left on her neck. It was a classic ensemble, and she looked good, but she still felt out of place.
“I understand, Cass, that you are now working for Reed Harrison. That’s a very respectable position.”
A dozen dirty rejoinders about her position popped into Cass’ mind, but she wisely kept them all to herself. “Yes, Mrs. Harper. I’m very much enjoying working for Reed.”
Evie came strolling out of the dressin
g room then, wearing a simple white gown that clung everywhere, even to the not so tiny bulge of her belly. She was seven months along, but it seemed she was destined to have a very large baby. “She’s not just working for Reed, Mother. They’re dating.”
Margaret raised her eyebrows. “Well, Cass, I am quite impressed. An attorney is quite a catch... and Reed is very handsome.”
He wasn’t an animal in a trap, she thought. She didn’t say it, though. “We’ve only been dating a short time. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.... That dress is beautiful on you, Evie, it’s just stunning.”
“I agree, darling. I understand that women today are more proud of showing off their stomachs during pregnancy, but for your wedding, perhaps we could camouflage it just a bit?”
Evie rolled her eyes. “My wedding is the first week of November. It’s now the last week of September. By the time I get married, mother, it will require Southern Tent and Awning to camouflage my belly.”
“We could always move the wedding up.”
“No. I plan to waddle proudly down the aisle... In fact, if my belly enters the church a full five minutes before I do, I am completely fine with it.”
Cass laughed. She simply couldn’t help it. “You say that now, but when you can’t get up off the couch without help, it’ll be a different story.”
Margaret smoothed her skirt. “Well, to give credit where it’s due, Jackson is very attentive and very helpful to you... and I am grateful that you will at least be married before my grandchild is born.”
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