by Laura Morgan
“I never cared what she wanted, I just told her where and when. The fact that she kept coming back when I called was enough to convince me she was enjoying herself with me, but we never talked other than for me to issue my orders. Sometimes I’d gag and whip her, other times I’d beat her.” Leo turned to face Cassie, and she could see the regret in his stare. “I’d gone back to the old me, and then some. I paid her well, and I guess she must’ve been a masochist, ’cause she came back day after day. Always wanting more of the monster, the legend that was Leonardo Solomon.”
“Many a woman, both weak and strong, has bowed before you, Leo. Even I wanted a piece of that monster I knew was lurking beneath your gentlemanly façade,” she told him. It was the truth, and dangerous or not, she could see the attraction. “Did you enjoy beating her while thinking of me?” Cassie couldn’t help asking the question, and she bit the inside of her lip in anticipation of his answer.
“No, love. By that point I think I’d stopped associating her with you at all. I’d tried to force you away as much as possible, to mask my feelings, and the cocaine was helping with that.” Cassie nodded in understanding. Although it killed her to think of him fucking that whore, she was relieved to hear that she hadn’t been on his mind while he was beating her, and felt herself relax again. “We started dabbling in more BDSM, and I liked it, but then one day I discovered something else.”
“Please tell me it’s nothing to do with golden showers or ball gags?” she teased, and Leo let out a gruff laugh as he turned to face her.
“Well…” He pulled her close and laughed again, and Cassie was glad to hear that he was staying calm and on top of his emotions. “No, it’s something often referred to as ‘ravishment fantasy.’ You’d given me a taste of it the morning we’d woken up at my place. Do you remember?” She sure did. Cassie thought back to that first night together with a smile, and remembered how she’d asked him to force her after her intense dream the following morning. They’d been refused any other chances to be together after that, as just hours after they’d cemented their relationship at last, she’d caught the attention of the monster who made it his mission to tear her away.
“Rape?” Cassie asked wide-eyed.
“Kinda, but consensual of course. We started out small, and I enjoyed forcing her. Having her completely at my mercy was a thrill. I ended up texting her to meet me behind one of my clubs one night, where I jumped her. She knew it was me, and went along with it. I liked having her at my command, but I liked it too much. One night I beat her badly in the throes of the roleplay. After that, she was never safe, and I even put her in the hospital.”
“Jeez.” Cassie peered up at him. “I was getting all hot and bothered until you said that.” She meant it. Although she hated that he’d been indulging in those darker fantasies without her, especially with “whore Cassie,” the sheer thought of him ravishing her that way had her body aching for him to show her exactly what he meant.
“I was a mess back then, but now I can control it—control myself. I’d love nothing more than to show you,” Leo replied, kissing her deeply. “But we need to take it slowly, love. Explore your limits.”
“I’d like that,” she replied, snuggling into his hold. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but Victor showed me some of the things I hadn’t thought I’d like too.” Leo tensed.
“I saw for myself.” His tone was bitter and full of venom. “When I came to visit after you’d just gotten married, he linked the camera feed from your room into mine. I was forced to see and hear the two of you going at it.”
Cassie gasped in shock. “Leo, I had no idea about that,” she told him honestly, and stepped away with a shudder. “You know I only did what I had to so he’d believe I loved him? I had to be the wife he wanted me to be, or else I’d end up another whore to be used and abused by his men and their clients.”
“I know, love. I know.” His tone was soothing now, and he recaptured her in his embrace. “At the time I believed it. I’d been bested. I don’t normally admit defeat, but in that moment, I was done with you. When I got back to New York, I buried myself in work and pussy. The last time I was with her I wrapped my hands around her neck and screamed at her until she passed out. I saw your face again, and felt my anger at you come pouring out of me.” He winced, and Cassie knew it was a hard memory for him to relive, either awake or asleep. “That’s what I was dreaming about the other day. I almost killed her that night, and after that I never saw her again.”
“How did you get from there to deciding to save me?” Cassie absolutely had to know, otherwise she suspected she’d grow scared of him. Leo had shocked her with his explanation of how dark things had gotten for him, and she needed to find out how he’d gotten from there to now.
“I became so terrified of what I’d become that I had no choice but to sort my life out at last. It was only when I was clean and sober that I could see the truth. You were just surviving, of course you were. Anyone would do the same in your position. I did in prison.” He stopped short, and Cassie detected a hint of deeper agony there that she knew was a conversation for another time. No matter his nonchalance before, prison was a trigger for him, and she could see it.
Leo had done well opening up as much as he already had, so she wasn’t about to push for more. This was a vast improvement on the stubborn silence she’d had from him so far, and Cassie appreciated that he was trying so hard. She wrapped her arms around his waist again and squeezed, offering support and love wordlessly, and she felt him relax around her. Leo kissed the top of her head and leaned into her, and she just continued to hold on to him.
After the longest time, they finally broke apart. Cassie peered up at her man, wanting nothing more than for him to claim her again. “So, tell me more about this ravishment thing,” she said, and her request made him grin from ear to ear.
“Sure, but only if you agree to tell me what other things you’ve discovered you like. I promise not to get jealous.” Leo took a step back and reached out his hand for her to shake.
“Deal,” she agreed as she shook it. He then grabbed her again and pulled Cassie up into his arms. She shrieked loudly but didn’t stop him, planting kisses all over his face and neck as he carried her back to the bedroom.
He laid her down on the soft duvet and peered into her face adoringly, and Cassie stared right back at him. Leo’s arched eyebrow told her he was waiting for her to deliver on her part of the bargain, and she cringed. She felt her cheeks burn as she turned sheepish under his intense gaze, but he didn’t budge. Leo continued to stare down into her eyes expectantly, and she found him intimidating, but in a sexy way instead of scary. Wanting everything he had to give, Cassie opened her mouth at last. “I liked it when…” She took a deep breath and held it. “When he spanked me.” Cassie screwed her eyes shut in anticipation of his response.
He didn’t even acknowledge her.
“Okay. So, let’s talk ravishment,” Leo replied cheerfully, and Cassie peeled open her eyes to find him watching her with a playful smile. “The basis of the idea is consensual force. You’d willingly let me take you in whatever way I wanted, and whenever I want. You’d be free to fight back, and try to escape me, of course. If anything, I’d like that even more.” He winked and slid his hands over her scantily clad body on the bed. Cassie moaned and arched her back, thinking she liked the sound of that too.
“I could run? Fight you?” she checked, and Leo nodded. “I’m guessing that when it’s on, there’s no stopping the game?”
“Quite the opposite, you’ll have a safe word. But if you ask me to stop or scream for help, I’ll ignore it.” Cassie’s body heat turned up about three notches. She liked the sound of that more than she’d ever admit to anyone but Leo. “We need to take things one step at a time, slowly at first. We’ll start with basic dominance and go from there. If you like the extra element of the ravishment the first few times, we could then intensify things.”
“How?” She was panting now, and
knew her body was sending off some serious signals because Leo was short of breath too. His hands roamed over her breasts and down to her soaking cleft, and he took a sharp inhale when he discovered her readiness. He slid two fingers inside and slowly stroked his way up and down her more than ready sex.
“Timing can be part of the fun,” he answered, leaning down to give her nipple a quick bite before continuing. “For example, I’d tell you in the morning that at some point over the day I’ll strike. You won’t know when or where, and the anticipation will drive you crazy.” His thumb caressed the swollen bead at the apex of her thighs, and Cassie felt her climax building.
“No matter what?” she breathed, desperate to know more.
“You know me, I’ll get creative,” he replied with a gruff laugh. “Do you want me to give you a taste?” A groan was her response, and Leo pressed his mouth around her nipple hard enough to let her know it wasn’t a good enough answer.
“Yes,” she bit out through clenched teeth, and Leo pulled his hand from inside her trembling core. He grabbed her thigh and flipped his lover over onto her belly, and then he gripped her hands and pulled them around behind her back. Cassie squirmed when he held on tightly enough to cause a small spark of pain, and was rewarded with a sharp slap to her backside. The sting made her gasp in surprise.
“Don’t move,” he commanded, and she purposely wriggled again. A second spank brought her desires rushing to the surface, and when a third, harder slap struck her, she came. The times when Victor had spanked her, she’d enjoyed the mixture of pain and pleasure, but when it was Leo doing it, she was driven wild by his hand. The third strike had been directly to her exposed pussy, and the sting had brought with it a satisfaction she’d never thought imaginable.
Leo was inside her in an instant. He still held her hands tightly behind her back, and thrust his long, commanding cock in and out relentlessly. He was rough, hard, and powerful, and his voracious pummeling quickly solicited another orgasm from his exhausted lover.
Cassie turned to jelly in his hold, and by the time he stilled and shot his hot load into her, she could barely speak or move her spent body. He laid her down under the duvet and held on tight, not letting go for even a second as her mind and body calmed and rested in his strong grasp.
Chapter Nine
Cassie woke the next morning to a surprisingly calm Leo lying beside her. The sun was streaming in through the open curtains, landing on his huge chest, and he looked incredibly beautiful. She watched for a few minutes, loving having found him sleeping peacefully for a change. After a while, her stomach growled angrily, reminding her she’d barely eaten the last couple of days, so she slid silently out of bed and pulled on a fresh set of shorts along with one of Leo’s t-shirts. She’d made it as far as the door when she was tackled from behind. Cassie squealed, but didn’t fight as he pressed her into the wall from behind.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” Leo’s voice growled in her ear.
“To get some breakfast. I need some food if I’m going to try and keep up with you,” she replied, pushing against the wall with her hands to ensure she pressed her body back into his. Cassie was rewarded with soft nibbles and kisses to her neck, while Leo cupped her breasts roughly and ensured she stayed still. His huge erection delved between her thighs, and she gasped.
Leo curled his fingers and pulled the cotton t-shirt taut before ripping it in two at her cleavage. Cassie squealed in surprise as he flung the torn shreds to the ground, and then ravaged her breasts and nipples with those tremendously powerful hands.
“I’ll do the same to those shorts in ten seconds if they aren’t off,” he ordered, running his hands down to her waist and slipping his fingertips under the band. Cassie quickly slipped them off and kicked them aside, all the while panting excitedly at Leo’s show of raw dominance. “Good. Today we aren’t wearing any clothes, otherwise there’ll be trouble. Hear me?”
Leo leaned down slightly behind her and his hands travelled to Cassie’s knees, which he grabbed and lifted her off the ground. Her hands found the wall for support just in time for him to open her legs and wrap her ankles behind his ass. He then drove his hard-on straight into her soaking cleft. After a few long strokes, Leo pressed the head of his shaft into her g-spot and kept it there. Cassie clenched around him and trembled, welcoming the fullness, and felt her body opening up even more. “I asked you a question.”
“Yes, Leo. Yes!”
“Yes what?” he asked, pulling back just an inch or so before driving himself back against her sweet spot.
“No clothes,” she panted, desperate for him to finish what he’d started. Leo seemed to hear her silent plea, and began pummeling her, hard. He then stopped his pounding and, her hands gripping the wall and her ankles digging into his ass for support, he started moving her on top of him. Cassie was soaring up and down, and it felt amazing. It was like floating, and only Leo’s hands on her waist kept her from flying away. Her body roared with heat and toe-curling pleasure, and he didn’t stop. Only after she’d climaxed multiple times did he go still and join her in her ecstasy.
Cassie whimpered when he eventually pulled out, feeling empty. Leo untangled her legs from around him and carried her into the bathroom, where he ran her a hot shower. Cassie’s knees were weak to the point of wobbling, but Leo held her steady. He seemed to take great pleasure in cleaning her up under the cascading heat, and then toweled her dry with gentle hands and a delicate touch.
“Stay here, Jellybean. I’ll bring you something to eat,” he told her, settling her beneath the duvet before padding out to the hallway wearing nothing but a smile. Cassie laughed, for no reason other than that Leo and his domineering ways amused her. He was confusing as hell, but she loved his unpredictability and his extreme passion. She knew without words or gestures how much he loved her. He’d shown her in so many ways, and Cassie adored how they’d not only made it through their first argument, but that they’d come out the other side even stronger.
She smiled to herself at his new term of endearment for her, Jellybean. The nickname was silly, but she liked it. She’d always told him she was the “cheap wine and jellybeans kinda girl,” and he’d never forced her to be anything else since. She was reminded of when he’d delivered her with those exact gifts after saving her from a potentially monstrous lover in the musician, Otis, and then held her tight as she fell apart in his arms afterwards. He wasn’t a monster, not then, and not now. Neither of them were; they both simply needed to remember that.
“It’s true what they say about makeup sex being epic,” she told him when Leo came back in with two plates piled high with pancakes and bacon. He set them down and grinned at her before heading back to the kitchen to grab the coffee.
“I’m sure I’ll be a douchebag again soon, then we’ll have the chance for more makeup sex,” he finally replied with a small laugh.
“Or I’ll overreact about something and kick off. Either way, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Cassie said with a wink. She wanted him to know that she wasn’t a fool. He wasn’t always going to be the one causing the fights; it was inevitable that she would cause her fair share of rows too, but that was normal.
“It’s strange how I came here to take care of you, thinking you still needed me to save you, but instead it seems you’re the one saving me. You’re putting me back together piece by piece, Cassandra Taylor,” he told her, holding up a forkful of pancake and bacon for her to eat.
Her heart ached for him. Leo was finally learning to open up, and she was starting to see the truth he’d been hiding from her all this time. He really was broken and in need of someone willing to put him back together again. It was Cassie’s turn to do the saving, and that was absolutely fine.
“It’s my job to build you back up, Leo. Always and forever, I’ll be your rock, just like you’re mine.” She ate the forkful and watched in surprise as he cut her another piece, leaving the other plate untouched. Before she could object, he placed the fresh mout
hful to her lips and she took it. The food was delicious, and Cassie was impressed that he’d managed to whip up an American style breakfast so quickly. She missed lots of things about her life in New York, one of which was undoubtedly the food, and she loved how he’d taken the initiative and cooked her something both filling and nostalgic. After another bite, he caught her looking over to his rapidly cooling plate of food and shrugged.
“I need to make sure you’re good first. It’s my job to take care of you as well, and trust me—there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than here with you.” Leo scooped up the final mouthful and offered it to Cassie, and she basked in the shy smile he afforded her when she took it. His cheeks were flushed, and she could see the pride in his eyes. She’d never seen this side of him before, and wondered if his dominant alter-ego sometimes needed to control her in ways other than just sexual.
He was rewarding her submissiveness by caring for her completely now that he’d had his fun. She’d followed his orders, and was sure that this was how things ought to be. With Victor, he’d rewarded her by allowing her the things she should’ve had all along, like security, food, and affection. Her submissive behavior had earned her things like the pencils and paper to draw, or the cell phone when he’d let her call Hanna. It was all a game to him, whereas Leo was going about earning her trust in a completely opposite way. He was loving, caring, and providing for her in so many different ways. With every single thing he did, big or small, Leo always seemed to be putting her first and taking care of her needs before his own.
There was no fighting any of it now. Cassie knew she’d loved him from the moment she’d first laid eyes on him at that party, and always would.
“You’re a good man, Leonardo Solomon. I feel safe with you,” she told him, and he seemed shocked. She realized that she’d never said those words to him before, probably because back when they’d first met he was intimidating and powerful, and he had scared her. Now, though, they were both incredibly different people to who they’d been before, and she thanked God for bringing him back into her life. “Can I feed you now?” she then asked, and Leo nodded. He handed her the second plate, but he left the single knife and fork set on the empty one.