Cain felt her pussy pulsing against his hip, and his shaft stiffened in response to her arousal. He knew his silence was damning her to an anxious emotional hell. Cain had never pushed her so far, or inflicted such agonizing pain. He waited for her to ask, knowing that her mind was grasping through a maze of terror and possible answers. She wanted him to tell her what it was he needed, but Cain was determined to make her search within herself for the way to end her torment.
Cain felt her breathing begin to change into staggered, quivering gasps while her mind whirled in confusion and panic. Did I do something wrong? Why won't Master Cain speak to me? What does he want? Why doesn't he tell me that I did okay? He was not caressing her in a preamble of arousing desire. It seemed more like the patient way that Master Dwain comforted Sallie. Sallie… who could still barely ride through the needling pain of the nipple clamps. Nicki let Cain go much further with his erotic desires.
She felt dread that she might not have responded the way that he wanted her to from the whip. "Master Cain," Nicki's voice shook, and she fought tears. "Did I disobey you? Did I do something wrong? I tried to do as you ordered me to. I want to please you."
Cain had not realized that he had been holding his breath, until he exhaled deep from his lungs as she whispered the words. 'I want to please you' would become her first desire, and a consuming need. With all of her fear and his erotic torments, it had taken three lashes from the whip for her to realize this. Now she would be able to ground. Instead of the confusion his world had brought to her, she would always return to the comforting knowledge that pleasing him, would be enough.
"You pleased me, Nicki." He held her tighter in his arm, pulling her against him.
Nicki's balled fist opened, and her trembling hand brushed across Cain's chest. She turned her head and kissed him where his heartbeat, and he felt her lips form a smile. Relief loosened her belly, and her mind reeled with pleasure. "Thank you, Master Cain. I was so afraid I had done something wrong."
Cain's hand moved from her waist to her bottom, caressing each raised mark. His marks… and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, trying to pull her into him, making them one. Nicki curled a gentle grip with her fist onto his chest and rubbed her head against the broad expanse of warm muscle. She was relieved that she had given her Master what he had wanted. Her back throbbed mildly in time to her heartbeat, and the sensations folded together. She had never felt so at peace. The small, insignificant part of her brain that fought for independence, collapsed under the burden of months of terror and uncertainty. She sighed at its loss.
Nicki turned her head and kissed his jaw, and Cain looked down and smiled into her pretty blue eyes. He dipped his head and found her lips, and they searched each other's mouths with slow deliberation. Cain's grip tightened and his kiss became demanding.
He rolled Nicki on top of him and she spread her thighs, gently stroking his shaft with her slick pussy. She tried to maneuver her entrance over him, and she became frustrated when he shifted his hips, avoiding the contact. She managed light strokes of his cock along her folds that aroused her to an impassioned frenzy.
Inwardly, she bemoaned this new game of denial, but outwardly, she relaxed in his embrace and waited for his next demand. If he only knew how badly she needed him inside her. Her core was drawing deep empty pulls as her juices flowed in preparation, permeating his groin with the smell of her passion.
Cain knew. He could feel her trembling need while he embraced her with one strong arm and locked her mouth to his with the hand on the back of her head. Her lips opened and she tried to press into him, to take back some control. He parried her demands by retreating his own assault to a slow, deep promise. Tears of her frustration dropped onto his cheek as she quieted her kiss to match his pace. Her pussy stopped its chasing, rubbing demand, and settled into a slow roll along surface his cock.
Everything… Cain demanded it all from her… and agony flew through her veins and nerves as her passion waited like something wild, preparing to strike at his first indication of weakness. Cain could feel her outrage arousing him further. She would learn that he would never allow her control.
He would always keep her on edge, always waiting, always begging for the guiding sign of the next game. Their kiss continued for a few moments, and then his hands began pulling and pushing her gently down. As much as Nicki wanted to scream at the unfairness, her overriding concern was to please him. Her mouth feathered soft kisses down his chest, belly, and at last, to the pulsing shaft she wanted captured between her own thighs.
She rested on her haunches with her head lowered, and a tentative lick circled his crown. Her tongue followed his fleshy length to the base, where one of her hands began caressing his tightening sack. Her tongue tasted and discovered, circling and gently nipping around the ridge until her mouth finally devoured him.
Nicki's pussy squeezed in answered desire, and he moaned while her mouth worked his cock deep into her throat. Focusing on his pleasure, the clenching of her weeping channel became part of the act itself, and Cain enjoyed her suffering. At last, he erupted and Nicki swallowed, determined not to allow one drop to escape.
She rested her head on his thigh for a moment, until she felt his hand reach down to hers and guide her back up onto his chest. He kissed her and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her while they lay side by side. Silent tears of frustration leaked down the sides of her face, and she fought the urge to lower her hands and stroke herself. It was against Cain's rules… Rule number six. She stifled a moan and lay awake, long after Cain's breathing had slowed to the regular rhythm of sleep.
Autumn was still sleeping and inhaling Cain's scent from the sweater, when a hand caressed her arm. She turned towards the touch with her eyes still closed and rubbed her chin against it. Joanne smiled down at her. "Autumn? Autumn, we have to leave now."
Autumn bolted up, grabbing the sweater. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's five o'clock, and Benny says we have to go. I've packed us some sandwiches for the trip."
Autumn walked out wearing her usual garb, but she had her duster over her arm and she was wearing Cain's sweater over her knit top. The sleeves were bunched up and it hit her mid-thigh. She followed Benny out to the SUV, with Joanne being led by Dee Oh Gee who was thrilled to be going for a ride. He was loaded into the back and his wagging tail kept batting the back of Autumn's head. Either that, or he weighted down her shoulder with his blocky head, to check on Joanne and look out through the windshield.
"Where are we going?" Joanne asked.
Benny laughed. "I was wondering if you were going to ask. I mean, you load up with a complete stranger after signing over your house, and you never even asked for the money."
"It doesn't matter," Joanne said. "I wasn't leaving Autumn, and I was already working on getting out of Tyler."
"We're going to Cain's." Benny heard Autumn gasp, and he smiled at her through the rearview mirror. "Ironically, his main house was never checked by the authorities. I guess he has it listed in some minor company name, and somehow it was never connected to him.
CHAPTER VI. SECRETS
"Pinch me, I've died and gone to heaven," Joanne exclaimed. Her eyes wandered up the driveway of the huge estate.
"Just the housekeeper and driver are here, right now. Actually, they've been running the place since Cain took off," Benny informed them.
Autumn looked at the wide lawns. Benny asked her if she wanted to be called Nicki again, but she said it would not feel right until Cain was with her. The orderly shrugged and told her that was all right.
Dee Oh Gee bounded out the back, chasing a rabbit only his eyes had been following, while the rest of them were looking at the house. Benny waited for Autumn to show some indication of being impressed. Instead, she walked through the marble foyer and studied the large rooms and frowned.
She walked out by the pool and narrowed her eyes. There was a path on the other side of the patio, leading through some gardens. At t
he end of the trail was a small cottage with a fenced in garden of its own. The door was unlocked and Autumn walked in. Benny found her sitting on the window seat. Her hat was on the table and her duster hung on a hook by the door.
"Cain said you could stay in his room," Benny offered.
"No. I like it here. The house is too… big. I won't feel comfortable in his room without him."
"Davis is coming for dinner. We're meeting in the lounge around six."
"Okay." Autumn looked up at him. "Benny, thanks for everything. I mean, for helping me and taking care of my friends."
"I'm getting paid for it, Autumn," he reminded her.
"You've done more than that, Benny. Thank you."
Autumn watched Benny walk towards the house, until he disappeared behind some maple trees. The leaves were turning color, and it reminded her of the mountain.
Nicki was becoming compliantly complacent and tried to follow Cain's orders. She was not scared all the time, and unless he was training her, she no longer cried. He liked to devise games for them, and Nicki found herself trying to outwit him. The first time he suggested one of his playful scenarios, she was confused.
The rest of the couples were busy, and she and Cain stood in the clearing in front of the lodge. "Just run," Cain insisted. "I'll give you a head start, but when I catch you, you'll be punished."
Nicki frowned. She did not want to be punished, but it seemed silly to run. He already proved that he could catch her. "You told me not to run downhill, Master Cain. It's Rule four."
"Go that way," he pointed to the left.
"On the trail?"
"Nicki." His exasperated tone made her nervous. "Just run, dammit."
"Okay." She jogged a few steps, and then turned back to look at him for reassurance. It did not feel right, running away from him.
"If I catch you within ten minutes, your sucking me in the middle of the clearing." Her eyes widened and she turned and bolted. Cain rubbed his cock and he chuckled. She was much better with her oral skills, but still horrified to perform in public.
Nicki ran along the trail. He'll catch me if I just follow this path. In her mind, she could see herself down on her knees, with her friends and the other men watching her. Nicki turned up the mountainside, sliding on piles of loose leaves. Her chest was already heaving from the exertion and the altitude. She looked around and saw a boulder jutting up out of the ground beneath a thick branch. She scrambled up and lay flat along the bough, waiting for Cain.
A few minutes later she saw him, casually walking and looking down, and moving brush away with a thin branch he was holding. Nicki held her breath when he was below her, walking around the boulder. He stared at the rock for a moment, and then he looked up. "Nicki, honey, if your footprints just end…" He shook his head and smiled. The girl could never escape him.
Cain studied the tree she was in. "Down."
Nicki scooted back and felt the bark lightly scraping her skin. She swung her leg over the side and dropped onto the boulder. Her feet slid on the uneven surface, and she pin wheeled her arms in a useless attempt to balance. She toppled backwards into Cain's arms. "Didn't you ever play outside?"
"Mom said it wasn't ladylike, Master Cain."
"Your mom sounds like a pain in the ass," he muttered. Several times when he coaxed her to play, her inadequacy was blamed on her mother. The men had learned that was the reason they had stumbled upon four women starting college, and only one of them had dated. Not really dated, Cain thought. Lucy had managed to get a boy to her house for an afternoon barbeque. After the interrogation by her mother and father, he never called again.
Nicki was staring at him through wide blue eyes. "No public display," Cain announced.
"Thank you, Master Cain." She knew that he was still going to punish her for getting caught, but nothing could be worse than having to suck him in front of her friends.
Cain studied the surroundings. "Put your hands on the boulder," he ordered. Nicki turned and lay her palms flat on the rough surface. "Move your feet back. Further, and spread your feet a little more."
Nicki was bent almost in half with her bottom aimed at him. She wondered if he was going to enter her this way. He had done it before, and it was deeper than the normal way. Cain watched her bottom wiggle slightly, and he wondered what she was thinking about. Not this, I bet. Cain drew back the smooth thin branch he had picked up while he tracked her. He lashed it forward and hit both cheeks and watched the pink line raise along the surface.
"Owe," Nicki yelped in surprise, and she stood and rubbed her bottom.
"Back in position, Nicki."
She bent over again. "That hurts, Master Cain."
The next strike was lower, and it stung. "Ouch," Nicki gasped. She shuffled her feet and decided that she did not like this game. "Ouch, Master Cain. It hurts," she whined. This one was across her bottom again.
Cain was enjoying the pattern of red ridges. "Quiet, Nicki."
"Ooooh. Owe," she wailed. This one was across one cheek and in the tender skin at the top of her thigh. She braced for another strike, but instead she felt the heat of his palm rubbing the welts. His other hand buried between her legs, and he was surprised she was damp.
"What did you think I was going to do?" he whispered in her ear. Her bottom was rocking into his hand. "Nicki? You sure as hell didn't get wet thinking about me caning you."
She hated when he did this. He always asked her embarrassing questions. He could also tell when she was lying, and that made him very angry. "I… I thought you were were going to… um…"
His hand kept stroking and his finger rubbed her clit. Cain discovered she was easily aroused and though her mind would not let her admit it, she did not struggle very much anymore. "Keep your hands on the rock and stay in position." Yup, there's the wiggle. Cain smiled. "Don't you dare cum before I do."
Nicki gasped, and she wiggled again. "Yes, Master Cain." She heard his zipper. Oh, he's going to do it. She pressed into his hand and rubbed. The soft skin of his cock brushed against her, and she felt juices leak from inside of her. How Cain knew the things he did about her, she did not know. He pushed into her, and she arched her back to get him deeper.
His hand left her pussy, and his palms rested on the back of her hands, entwining their fingers and scraping against the rock. He pushed in jerking thrusts, and Nicki's pussy squeezed him when he lodged deep, trying to hold onto him. "Oh… oh, god," she gasped. He was thrusting into something inside of her that was forcing her to grind against him. She was going to climax, and she squeezed her pussy trying to stall. Cain finally groaned and grabbed her waist to thrust his juice into her channel, and Nicki gasped and stood up, blindly reaching her hands up behind her and around his neck while she came.
When this had stopped being frightening or embarrassing for her, she was unsure. It was much easier to acknowledge that it was okay to have passion, and Cain seemed pleased when she no longer fought her arousal. "Thank you, Master Cain."
Cain leaned down and kissed the side of her neck. "Come on. You need to get back and help Saundra with dinner."
Nicki walked in front, rubbing her ass. "My bottom hurts."
Cain studied the bruising thin welts. "It looks all right to me," he replied.
Autumn opened her eyes and she saw the dusky shadows. She looked at the clock. Two hours, shoot. It was quarter past six and she rose and sighed.
When she got to the lounge, she heard Davis say, "And she doesn't know?"
"It never came up, and I didn't really know her well. By the time I knew that I had to hide her, there was no opportunity," Joanne answered.
"What are the chances of Ross's men stumbling upon it?"
"Hardly anyone remembers anymore. The records have all been moved, so I don't think the investigators will think to look hard enough."
"Damn, lady. Nichole could not have walked into a better situation. You're willing to stay to testify?"
"Absolutely."
"Testify about what?
" Autumn asked suspiciously. "What never came up, Joanne?"
"Something you'll find out later," Davis interrupted. "It could mess things up, if we talk about it right now."
"I don't like secrets," Autumn said nervously.
"Secrets are what has kept you and Cain safe," Davis reminded her. "I have some news that's going to upset you."
Autumn's eyes flew to him. "Is Cain all right?"
"Shit. Yes, Nichole. Cain is fine." She was as difficult to talk to as his client. "The trial begins on Monday."
"Tomorrow?" Autumn collapsed onto the chair.
"It will take two days for Ross to lay out his case and shock the jury into fits. We chose them last week, and all four cases are using the same twelve."
"When do I…" Autumn cleared her throat. "When do I have to be there?"
"Not for several weeks, I suspect. The prosecution is going to drag out their witnesses and evidence as long as they can. Joanne will be testifying first, and I think you'll be put on after her. I expect Mike to argue that you were supposed to be called as his witness, but we filed for you and the other girls as soon as we got organized. We just never had to aggressively go after you, like Ross did. This gives me the chance to question you first, and I can keep it up until I see that your calm enough with the situation to deal with anything Ross throws at you. All you will have to do is answer my questions. You'll be fine."
"What are you going to ask me?" Autumn did not want to tell strangers about her time with Cain. Not even Mr. Merrill.
"Just answer my questions, Nichole, and don't worry about it."
After dinner Autumn walked out by the pool. Dee Oh Gee walked beside her with his head lowered, as if he were considering the momentous trial ahead, also.
Benny looked out the window. "Do you think she'll be okay?"
"She'll be fine." Davis was actually more encouraged than he had been the last time he had seen her. There was still a slightly feral edge about her, but it was more intriguing than unsettling.
Joanne whistled for her dog, and Autumn stroked his head. "Thanks for keeping me company." He trotted off, wagging his tail. Autumn walked down the path to the cottage, while Benny watched her disappear through the trees.
Flashback Mountain Page 8
