* * * *
Meanwhile, Beau was pacing the floor in their suite at the Hilton. They were driving back to Atlanta the next morning and planned to get an early start. “I really don’t want to leave Savannah without seeing Cassie, but I’m going to take Devon’s advice and let things simmer down a bit. I’m coming down next weekend to have it out with her.”
“That’s probably a good idea, given your history with her. She probably doesn’t want to hear it from you right now. Maybe by next weekend she will have calmed down enough to listen. I know Devon will tell her what I said about Stephanie.”
“I can’t believe Stephanie was at the dock waiting for me. How could she have known exactly when we’d pull in? She had to be sitting there for a while.” He sighed. “That woman is certifiable. I’m glad I broke off with her when I did, but she didn’t seem to get the message. I wish she’d find some new ‘Master’ to torture.”
“You should have seen the look on her face. She was in her element—all that drama and attention focused on her. I don’t think she’s finished—not by a long shot.”
“She’d better be finished. I wasn’t kidding about the restraining order. Who would have thought that sweet, submissive Stephanie would turn out to be a psycho? It boggles the mind. You never know what you’re getting into with women.”
“I don’t know. From what you’ve told me, you seem to attract all the nutty ones.”
“That’s the damn truth, at least until now I hope.”
* * * *
Sy called Devon to say good night and get the scoop on how Cassie was dealing with the upset at the dock.
“Hon, Beau’s a wreck about this. He had no idea Stephanie would be there to meet the ship. He was floored.”
“Ha. Not as floored as Cassie. Those two have the world’s worst luck. Maybe they’re the reincarnation of Romeo and Juliet. I could almost feel sorry for the guy—if I hadn’t lived through the trouble he caused fifteen years ago.”
“Come on, Dev. He was a dumb-shit kid. Dumb shits do shitty things. Do they have to live with them forever?”
“I guess not…”
“I can’t wait to see you in two weeks. I’ll line up some fun stuff for us to do when you come up. If we get out of bed that is.”
“Dream on, buddy. I’ll expect to be wined and dined.” She laughed. “And screwed to within an inch of my life!”
* * * *
Beau was tossing and turning. He wished he had Cassie’s address, but it was probably a good thing that Devon hadn’t given it to him. He didn’t think there was any way he wouldn’t be knocking her door down in the middle of the night if he knew where to find her.
He had finally found the woman he wanted, and it had all gone to shit in about one minute flat. It was unbelievable. After all that had happened aboard—the sub auction, the Sadie Hawkins night, all the time he had spent with her trying to make up for his mistake all those years ago—and now this. It was all shot to hell because of one psycho woman who didn’t know when to call it quits. He had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was he some psycho guy who didn’t know when to call it quits? No, he didn’t think so. He thought this relationship was worth fighting for, and he was going to put up one damn good fight to save it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Workshop of Jewels of Savannah in the Carriage House of the St. Clare home off Oglethorpe Square on Abercorn Street in the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia, Saturday morning, May 31, 2014
Cassie looked up when Devon walked through the door of her workroom on Saturday morning. She had been hard at work on crafting the Mayan sun figure she had admired at Tulum and used as an inspiration when sketching on the cruise.
“Hey, girlfriend. How’s it going? Oooh, let me see. That’s going to be gorgeous. I liked this design when you drew it, and I love the turquoise and the translucent green jade together.”
“Thanks. I think it’s going to be a good one. I’ll probably put it in the front window for a while. It will be an eye catcher, but I don’t think I’ll want to sell it.” It would be a memento of her time with Beau. She didn’t think she’d be wearing the blue topaz nipple clamps any time soon. Cassie had shaped the rough turquoise stones on her grinding wheel and then lightly polished the rough edges in the tumbler. She was now fitting them into the intricate inlaid pattern with molten bronze similar to a stained glass technique, making minute adjustments to the shapes as she went. Later she would add large dollops of fourteen carat gold at the intersections of the sun design to further secure the stones in place and add a little glitz to the design. The smooth, light-green jade was a pleasing contrast to the rougher turquoise stones.
Cassie had her wild mop of hair pulled back into a messy French braid, and she wore a pair of old, worn denim overalls over a white tee shirt, her standard work attire. The crafting of the beautiful, polished jewelry pieces was often a time-consuming and messy affair. Ha! Just like life.
“Have you talked to Beau?”
“Nope. I’ve left my answering machine on the land line, and didn’t answer my cell when he called.” She sighed. “I’m not ready to talk to him. I don’t know if I ever will be. I think I should leave it alone. Don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. But that’s up to you. Do you want to continue to hide from your feelings forever?”
“I’m hardly hiding from my feelings. They’re right out here on my shirtsleeve for everyone to see, all crushed and dented. I’m just glad I didn’t let him into my heart any further than I did.”
“Come on. You’re kidding, right? You know darn well that you are in love with Beau. Period. End of story. You can lie to yourself if you want to, but I don’t think that’s the way to handle it.”
“Oh, well, Miss I-know-How-to-Handle-Relationships. How would you handle it?”
“Don’t get mad at me, Cassie. You know I love you, and I’m always on your side no matter what. But if you will remember, I wasn’t in favor of your grand plan for revenge in the first place. But, it is what it is. Now, I think you should give Beau a chance to explain.”
“I don’t know…”
“Well, he and Sy are driving down here this morning. Sy couldn’t wait until next weekend to see me, and Beau wants to talk to you. They should be here by noon. I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I thought I’d give you a chance to get cleaned up and get your game face on.”
“What for?” She just looked at Devon.
“You know, sometimes I just want to shake you.”
“Oh, all right. I’ll get cleaned up at eleven. I want to get the rest of these turq pieces set.” She was determined not to change her routine for Beaumont Bainbridge, III. For all she knew, he wouldn’t even show up. Again.
* * * *
Beau and Sy were heading south in Beau’s Cadillac Escalade SUV with Beau’s golden retriever, Sadie, in the backseat. They had left Atlanta at six thirty that morning for the three and a half-hour drive. They should arrive and be checked into their hotel by ten thirty, especially with his heavy foot on the gas pedal. He hadn’t had the heart to leave Sadie at home with the pet sitter again after being gone for seventeen days, and he had made a reservation for a suite in a pet-friendly hotel with a doggy day care center. Sadie had been so happy to see him come home, but he knew he hadn’t been much fun to play with since his return. He had only taken her to the bark park once all week. Work had been hectic after his and Sy’s absence. He had two initial public offerings getting ready to make their debut on the NASDAQ exchange. He was worried about Cassie and whether or not he would be able to fix this latest glitch in their relationship—if one could call her holding back her emotions and his over eagerness a relationship. He desperately wanted to work this out with her. The days since he had seen her drive away from the wharf had seemed to drag despite his hectic week at work, and he had thought about her at the most inappropriate moments.
After Beau and Sy checked into the hotel and got Sadie settled, Sy called Devon to come and
pick him up for a visit to Le Club Waterfront. Beau drove to Oglethorpe Square following Devon’s directions to Cassie’s shop. It was a gorgeous little building with a bay window in the front showcasing some of her work. He arrived just before eleven and, taking Devon’s advice, just walked in the back door to the workshop. Cassie was bent over the workbench in concentration as she soldered small pieces of rock into place with hot metal. Her safety glasses were perched on the end of her nose. She looked adorable.
He thought she heard the door open, but she didn’t look up. “I’m almost done here, and then I’m going to get cleaned up.”
He walked up behind her, put his arms around her in a strong hug, and kissed her neck. She jumped and looked around. “Oh! I thought you were Devon or my mom.”
Beau let go of her. “I know Devon told you I was coming down with Sy. I hope that means you were going to get cleaned up for me, although I like the Rosie the Riveter look.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I was just going to get cleaned up to go out to lunch.” He could see she was groping for an explanation for her comment.
“Don’t lie to your Dom. That could earn you a punishment.”
“You’re not my Dom. I don’t have a Dom. Besides, I think you already have a sub named Stephanie.”
“Are you going to let me explain about that? Or are you going to just continue to be stubborn and recalcitrant?”
“So explain. I doubt there is much you can say that will change my opinion of the situation.”
“Well, that’s comforting. I love an open-minded woman.” He smiled his devastating smile, but he could see that it only made her madder.
“Of all the…self-important, conceited, annoying…Oh!”
“I would really like a cup of coffee and a chance to talk to you like an adult human being for a few minutes. If you still don’t want to see me after that, I’ll leave. I’m not in the habit of forcing my attentions on people, women in particular.”
* * * *
Cassie stood up and walked over to the coffee pot at the end of the workbench. “I’ll make a fresh pot. This has been sitting for a couple of hours.” Fussing over the coffee gave her a few minutes to think while her back was to him, and he couldn’t see her face. She knew her expressions would give away her emotions in a New York minute. Goodness, he looked wonderful, and she had to admit, to herself anyway, that she had missed him. His strong jaw was covered by a dark scruff of beard. Obviously, he hadn’t shaved that morning, and he was in need of a haircut. He was delicious. His worn jeans were sculpted to his really fine ass and the black tee shirt fit like a mold over his pecks and abs. As usual, he wore deck shoes without socks.
“Okay. Coffee’s on. What do you want to say?”
“As always, you are a cordial and polite Southern lady. I’d like to paddle your butt.”
“Try it, buddy, and see if you walk away with all of your parts intact.”
“Don’t tempt me to take you up on your gracious invitation. Cassie, I didn’t drive down here to fight with you. I came because I want to explain about Stephanie and see if we can’t work this out. It seems like I always need to work something out with you. You’re wearing me out, woman, but here it is. It’s true that she was my sub for about six months. I hadn’t known her very long before I collared her, and that was a serious mistake on my part. If I had known her better, I would have run as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Stephanie is one of those women who is a perpetual victim, and she makes an art out of playing on people’s sympathies and emotions. She’s a diabolically accomplished master manipulator with some serious character flaws. She’s always looking for attention, and any, either good or bad, will do.”
He took a sip from the cup of hot, black coffee Cassie handed him. She passed him a small china plate with some of her mom’s chocolate chip cookies. She had to smile at the trickle of awareness that skittered down her spine as she watched his straight white teeth bite into a cookie. Good grief. Even the smallest things about him drove her crazy.
“Anyway, I broke up with Stephanie well before the cruise. Although she continued to try to get back together, I told her it was over, and I didn’t want to continue in a BDSM or any other relationship. When you and I got together on the cruise, I had no intention of seeing her again. I certainly didn’t expect her to drive down from Atlanta to meet the ship at the dock. That was a total shock to me.”
“I was a little shocked myself. I was just turning around to give you a good-bye kiss and hug when she threw herself into your arms and kissed you.”
“If you had waited a minute, you would have seen that I sent her packing. I didn’t encourage her at all. But of course, you just thought the worst of me and took off before I could explain.” He looked tired and upset and not altogether sure of himself. “And then you wouldn’t take my calls all week. Finally, I just gave up calling and decided to drive down and see you in person.”
“Beau, I can see that you had very little control of that situation, and it wouldn’t be fair to blame you for it. However, I really don’t think we should pursue this…”
“Stop right there. Don’t you dare tell me we shouldn’t pursue this relationship. You have no idea how I feel about our relationship or about you for that matter. You are so mired in the past that you can’t see the future.”
“That’s not true.”
“Well, if it’s not true, then you’ll spend the weekend with me. We can see if we can’t talk these problems out…or screw them out.”
At that moment Cassie’s worst nightmare in the form of her dad came walking through the door. “Hi, baby. Your mom said you have a leaky faucet in your bathroom upstairs. I’m going to see what I need…” Mike stopped as a look of shock came over his face. The turquoise-blue eyes he had bequeathed to Cassie turned to chips of ice, and his face turned a deadly red. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Before Beau could answer, Mike pulled his arm back and landed a punch worthy of a prize fighter in Beau’s midsection.
Beau doubled over and gasped. When he could straighten up and speak again, he said, “Are you done now, or do you need another one? I guess I deserved at least one good shot, but I can’t promise I’m going to give you two.”
“Don’t tempt me, you little shit. I’ve been waiting fifteen years for that. Cassie, baby, what is this bastard doing in your shop?”
“Calm down, Dad. We ran into each other on the cruise. I didn’t want to tell you and Mom because I knew you would both be upset. I didn’t want you to relive all that unpleasantness again.”
“Hell, baby girl. It’s not like we don’t relive it every year on May 22nd. That’s why I was so glad to have you go on that weird cruise with Devon this year. I thought it would be good for you to be away on that day for a change.” He turned to Beau. “Do you have any idea of the havoc you have caused in our lives over the last fifteen years?”
“I’ve apologized to Cassie for what happened back then and explained why I did what I did. I’m not proud of it, and I never was. It’s been a thorn in my side all these years as well. I’m not going to go into the reasons with you right now, but I just never knew how to make it right. I was a stupid kid, Mr. St. Clare, and I’m very sorry about what I did to Cassie.”
“You’re right about that. There is no remedy for being a stupid, selfish, thoughtless bastard. You hurt my baby girl, and she’s never really gotten over it, but don’t think for a minute she never got over you. Don’t flatter yourself. She’s lived a full life and has a successful business that she built on her own gumption and talent, but what you did to her has always been a factor in her life. Cassie, honey, do you want me to throw this bum out on the street?”
“No, Dad. Please calm down. Beau and I have some talking to do about the past, and also about what happened on the cruise. Just go and tell Mom so she doesn’t come down here and take a poke at him as well. She might use a baseball bat, and that could cause some permanent damage to the man I love.”
Both Beau a
nd Mike looked at her in total shock. Beau grabbed her around the waist and spun her around after Mike stomped out the back door and headed to the main house to tell Hedy what had happened. He looked like he’d been run over by a truck. Cassie knew that Beau Bainbridge was the last person he had expected to see standing in her workroom.
“Did you mean that?” Beau had a stunned look on his face which was just now regaining some color.
“Maybe. I don’t know. It just sort of slipped out.” I wasn’t planning on saying that out loud, and certainly not now. Where did that come from? She was stunned by what she had said, too.
They stood there for a moment in awkward silence before Beau reached for her and drew her into him. He could feel her surrender as their bodies melted together. He didn’t want to let go of her, but finally he said, “Why don’t you shower and change clothes? I’ll take you out to lunch, and we can talk. Then tonight I’ll pick you up and we’ll go out for a nice dinner, maybe to the Pink House down the street. Then maybe we can go back to the hotel for some dancing. They have a club there with a band. I want to be with you, babe. I need to be with you. I really think we can get past this and have a future together.”
* * * *
Cassie went up to her apartment on the second floor of the restored carriage house to shower and change. She really couldn’t believe everything that had happened already this morning. All she needed now was for her mother to storm over to ream Beau out as well. Heck. It wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it and hadn’t earned every bit of it, but she really didn’t want him permanently damaged. She had to laugh. Although the big and brawny Mike could really throw a punch, Hedy could possibly be the more dangerous of the two.
She left a quick text message on Devon’s cell phone.
Cassandra's Revenge [Golden Dolphin 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 18
