by BJ Wane
“Cassie was here?” Marc asked at the same time, wondering what was going on. It wasn’t anywhere near time for him to pick her up.
“I’m sorry, Marc. You know how I lose track of time when I’m painting. No excuse, I know, but I’m sure she’s fine as I told her to stay on the north trail and within sight of the lodge.”
His gut tightened in dread. She didn’t know her way around these woods, had no clue about the perils lurking in the thick foliage despite doing his best to educate her the few times they had hiked. Glaring at Morgan, he snapped, “Back up, damn it. How long ago did she leave? What’s she doing here at this time of day and how did she get here?” He had a bad feeling and worry over Cassie was at the root of it.
Morgan set her paints down, her brow furrowed in thought. “I don’t know. I ran into her downstairs over two hours ago. She seemed really upset and asked if I’d set that box in the kitchen. I offered to go with her when she said she was going for a walk, but she wanted to be alone for a while.”
“You said something that upset her?” Jack asked her, his eyes narrowed.
“Yes, but I don’t know what.”
Jack looked at Marc. “Two hours ago we were discussing you helping out Jason again. You don’t think she misunderstood, do you?”
Marc tried to remember what he said. Jason Davies, a friend from their Army days who had saved his ass one night when a group of them went off base to a bar while stationed overseas and Marc got jumped, hadn’t fared well since leaving the military. On and off drugs for years, Jason had called him a few times to bail him out of jail or help him get into rehab. He had gotten a call from him that morning and planned on making one more trip to Denver on his friend’s behalf. Hell, he had even thought about asking Cassie to accompany him, the first time he’d considered testing their relationship beyond sex. It would have also given him an opportunity to grill her again about the root of her panic attack last night, the one that took ten years off his life. Recalling the short conversation, he couldn’t imagine why anything they said would have upset her. He mentioned Jason’s name, but since she didn’t know him that wouldn’t have meant anything.
Anger joined the worry churning in his abdomen. Just as he had grilled into her the first time they met about the importance of open communication, he had emphasized several times the dangers of going into the woods alone. “I can’t fathom why our conversation would have upset her, but she knew better than to take off alone. Between her panic attack last night, which I haven’t had time to get to the bottom of, and now this little stunt, that woman has taken ten years off my life.” He ignored Jack’s smirk as he paced. “I swear, she won’t sit down for a week when I get through with her. Hell, she’s been gone two fucking hours. She could be anywhere.” Picturing her lost, alone, and afraid had him breaking out in a cold sweat. There were numerous hazards that could befall an inexperienced hiker unfamiliar with this area.
“God, Marc, I’m so sorry.” Morgan had tears in her eyes as she saw the worry reflected on both their faces.
“You call Scott, I’ll round up our guests and get a search party going.” Jack took Morgan’s hand and turned to go.
“I’ll start out on the way she went. Keep in touch.” He followed them down the stairs, pressing Scott’s number as he went. A few minutes later he had the whole story of why she returned to the lodge this morning and a promise from Scott he’d be here to help as soon as possible. Hastening down the trail Cassie had taken, he alternated between cursing her for her rash flight and praying for her safety.
Traipsing through the woods he knew like the back of his hand, he had time to think with a more rational head and admit to his own mistakes, even though his anger simmered over her blatant disregard of his number one rule. From the moment she walked into the lodge and looked at him with such naked longing out of those big blue eyes, he’d refused to think of her as anything but an old acquaintance, a former sub, fuck buddy, whatever label he could think of instead of the one woman who always meant more than any other.
He hadn’t wanted to go down that road with her again, couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t bail if his lifestyle became too much for her to handle. If she had just stayed and talked to him that night when she looked at him with stunned betrayal in her eyes, he would’ve sat down with her and discussed her misgivings, her fears and concerns. And if she still hadn’t wanted to be shared, he would have respected her wishes. But she had run and refused every attempt he made to get hold of her over the next few days.
Living in such close quarters with Jack and Morgan the past six months, seeing how rewarding a committed relationship could be with the right person, had driven home how much he wanted the same thing. He made a mistake keeping their relationship strictly sexual once Cassie finagled her way out to the lodge and into his bed. He never would have given in to her had his feelings not already been leaning toward giving her another chance.
“Marc!”
“Over here.” He stopped on the trail and waited for Scott to catch up.
“No sign of her?” Scott asked, meeting up with him at a fork between three trails.
“No. I found where she veered off the trail though and I think I’m on the right track.” Anger and worry colored his voice as he paused and looked ahead through the dense woods. “Son of a bitch, I’m going to blister her ass when I find her,” he swore as the two of them set out again together.
“I’ll help you. What made her take off? I thought she had a lot of baking to do at your place.”
“I’m not sure, but whatever it was doesn’t excuse her rash behavior.” Pausing, he took a deep breath, trying to quell the panic threatening his composure. “Hell, I’ve made a few mistakes, avoided talking about our relationship or any kind of future.”
“Are you glad she’s here?” Scott asked him in his direct way, his gray eyes shifting from their path to gaze at him.
“Yeah, yeah, I am. I wanted the girl the minute I saw her two years ago and nothing has changed since. If anything, I want her more now than I did back then. It took a hell of a lot of guts to travel here, start a new business, and look me up without knowing whether she’d be welcome. Gotta admire her determination, even if it put me on the spot at first.”
Holding back a large tree limb, Scott smiled. “Then let’s go find her.”
* * *
Thirty minutes later, relief at hearing Cassie’s voice returning their calls threatened to weaken his knees. Moving faster, they burst into a small clearing to find her leaning against a tree, tired and worried but unharmed.
“At least you had the good sense to stay put when you found yourself lost,” Marc growled, his relief at finding her safe mixed with his anger for the grief she caused him.
Cassie stood, wishing she could fling herself into his arms, the relief sweeping through her at being found making her knees weak. But she didn’t have that right and the anger in his tone and swirling in his green eyes didn’t bode well for gaining any sympathy. Wary of facing two angry, dominant men, she had a sinking feeling she was in for another spanking, one that might not be as erotic as the others. Then she remembered his words to Jack and her own ire stirred.
“I’m not completely stupid,” she bit out, “except where you’re concerned.”
Marc saw Scott’s smile before he stepped away and pulled out his pager to let Jack and the others know they could call off the search and head back home. With slow precision, he advanced toward her, striving to keep his anger in check. She looked tired and strained, a reminder of how she must have been scared out of her wits out here alone for the past two hours.
“Before you explain that statement, tell me if you’re all right.” he asked in a softer tone when he reached her. “Here.” Handing her a bottle of water, he looked her over while she downed it, assuring himself she was unharmed.
“Thank you, and yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I bothered everyone. I didn’t mean to get lost.”
“Nobody means to get lost, darli
n’, but if you ignore the basic rules of hiking in these mountains, it’s bound to happen. Rules I believe I told you about before our hike the other day.”
Cassie wondered how far she’d get playing the ‘poor me’ act, then looked at his face and knew she may as well not bother. He looked well and truly pissed. Maybe if she explained he’d understand, but the thought of telling him she thought she meant more to him than she apparently did had her cringing in humiliation. “Can we go back now? I have a lot of work to do, that is if I can use your kitchen,” she said, hoping he’d let the rule thing slide.
“No, we can’t go back now. First, I’m going to show you how I deal with rule-breaking from my sub. Then, on the long trek back, you can explain yourself.” Grabbing her hand as she took a hasty step back, he pulled her to him, turning to see where Scott went. Always thinking ahead, his friend had already removed his belt.
“I decided you were too upset to mete it out, so I’ll do it for you,” he stated when Marc raised an eyebrow at him.
“You’re right.”
“Right about what?” Cassie looked from Scott and the wide leather belt looped over in his hand to Marc, a shiver of apprehension rippling up her spine as she imagined the sting from that leather strap.
“That I’m too put out with you at the moment to discipline you myself, so Scott will do it.”
“No. You can spank me later, when you’re not upset.” She tried to pull away from him, but his grip remained tight. While a part of her mind panicked over the thought of Scott using his belt on her, another part, the part she labeled her secret, slutty Marc part, was excited about the prospect. The erotic pain from her previous spankings always led to powerful orgasms, as did being observed. But this time would be for punishment and not with Scott watching, but meting it out. Before she could assimilate how she felt about that, Marc had her jeans shoved down and a hard arm wrapped around her waist as he bent her over. “Wait, Marc! Please!” She tried to struggle, but a hard slap on her bare ass put a quick stop to it.
“No, I will not wait. You took off alone.” The belt snapped across her buttocks and she yelped at the fiery pain. “And you didn’t stay within sight of the lodge,” he continued, reaching under her with his free hand and cupping her unfettered breast beneath her shirt as Scott smacked her again. “And you have explaining to do as to why.”
The belt stroked across her vulnerable buttocks again and she bit her lip as he continued to torment her, the slapping flesh snap of leather against her bottom echoing in the mountain air. Marc’s confusion over her reason for taking off had her wondering if she heard him wrong.
The new hope blossoming in her chest helped her accept her punishment and the accompanying pain. Her buttocks throbbed with the scorching burn and she knew right away she wouldn’t find any pleasure with this spanking. His hand on her breast soothed rather than stimulated and went a long way toward helping her bear the consequences of her actions. As if the humiliation of being bent over bare assed and punished by Scott wasn’t enough, guilt over the trouble she caused everyone ate at her conscience. Sitting wouldn’t be an option by the time the sheriff finished belaboring her butt.
A pathetic, mewling cry escaped her compressed lips when he shifted his aim to the under curve of her cheeks and then the tops of her thighs. She tried to remain stoic and accept her punishment, but the sharp strokes on that ultra-sensitive skin had her kicking out, trying to shift her hips away from the descending belt.
“She reddens to a beautiful shade,” Scott said as he landed another blow right on top of a previous one and then ran his hand over her abused flesh. “You didn’t set a number, so, unless you want bruises, I’m done.”
Marc frowned, glancing at her ass. While it was red and puffy, he knew Scott wouldn’t leave bruises any more than he would. He left the softness of her breast to join in caressing her hot buttocks. “I think she’s had enough.” Her low moan and slight lift of her hips toward their hands changed their frowns of displeasure to smirks.
“She likes to be petted,” Scott drawled then stopped her shifting buttocks by kneading the plump warm flesh.
“Ow!” Cassie cried out with the tight squeeze of her right cheek. “I thought you’d finished!” She should have scrambled to lift herself from Marc’s hold, but in truth, she enjoyed both men’s attention, their soft caresses exciting her until one of them had been callous enough to add to her discomfort and stopped her budding arousal.
Chuckling, Scott slapped her cheek then put his belt back on. “I’ll let you finish this how you see fit and see you later.”
Marc lifted her up, wiped the tears from her cheeks then ordered in a soft, implacable voice that had her leaning into him, “Cassie, kiss Scott and thank him for punishing you for me.”
Her face flaming as hot as her butt, she turned to the other man, relaxing when she looked into his sparkling eyes. He made it easier by holding out his arms and hugging her before she lifted her head away from the steady beat of his heart under her ear. “Thank you, sir.” Reaching up, she laid her lips on his. When he deepened the kiss, opening her mouth and stroking her tongue with his, she leaned into his hard chest and clasped his shoulders in a tight grip. Damn, the man can kiss, she thought as he explored her mouth and lips with leisurely thoroughness, his hands caressing her buttocks now with soft strokes, stirring her arousal again. Disappointment surprised her when he ended the kiss, removed his hands, and turned her back to Marc.
“Later, sweetie.” He grinned down at her, tapping her nose before striding off.
When she turned questioning blue eyes up to Marc, he pulled up her jeans, asking, “You ready to run?”
Enlightenment dawned as she realized there had been a second reason he allowed Scott to administer her punishment. He needed to know if she’d accept the other man’s touch. “No, I’m not going to run.”
“Tell me why you took off the way you did.” Taking her hand, he started the trek back to the lodge, intending to take that time to get a few things straight with her.
Glad for the narrow trail that forced them to walk single file for now, she found it easier to answer him without those probing green eyes on her. “I heard you tell Jack you were just doing a favor for a friend and that you would be through with me once you resolved the problem.” She shrugged even though he didn’t look back. When he didn’t respond, she gave his back an exasperated look and tugged on their hands.
Glancing around, he didn’t smile at her scowl, but he wanted to. Raising a brow, he asked, “And?”
“And I thought, I had hoped we were moving toward a relationship that meant more than sex. There, are you happy now?” she snapped.
Marc stopped walking, turned and pulled her to him. “We are much more than fuck buddies, something you would know if you had listened to our whole conversation or come to me instead of running away, again.”
“I…”
“Quiet. I was speaking of a favor I intend to do for a friend next week, a friend I’ve helped in the past and have realized he’s using me as a crutch. Therefore, it will be the last time I help him out of this particular kind of bind.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Cassie narrowed her eyes at him, needing, wanting more than that now. “And how was I supposed to know that?”
Resuming walking, he tossed over his shoulder, “You assumed I had no interest in you other than seeing you safe from your stalker and sex. I admit it pissed me off the way you blindsided me with your sudden appearance and I didn’t handle our reunion too well, and I apologize for that.” Exiting the woods into the lodge’s back yard, he turned to her with a scowl. “But make no mistake, darlin’, no one can coerce me into something I don’t want to do. If I didn’t care about you, how do I know you applied to substitute teach or you befriended Ed the first day you opened the bakery?”
The surprise on her face reinforced his guilt. All the signs were there, staring him in the face he still wanted more from her, just like he had when they first met, only he’d be
en too annoyed to see them. She went to extremes to return to him, hoping for the best; he should’ve been more open to meeting her halfway.
Stifling the urge to grin at her shocked, bemused look, he said, “We’ll finish discussing our relationship later. Today, I have to see to our guests since we had to cancel their plans in order to look for you.”
“I said I was sorry,” she grumbled, still grappling with his confession. “Thank you for finding me.”
“Can’t lose my favorite girl, now can I? I gotta go. I’ll expect a pie or something after dinner.”
“I can do that.” Smiling, Cassie trotted upstairs to catch up on her baking.
Chapter Eleven
Saturday morning, Marc dropped Cassie off at the bakery an hour earlier than usual so she could meet Jimmy and get her oven going again. After setting out the items she baked at the lodge yesterday afternoon and evening, she got to work preparing concoctions for the weekend regulars and the personal orders she’d received. Opening the now toasty warm oven, she removed a large pan of brownies and slid another inside when the front door chimes pealed, signaling a customer.
“Be right with you,” she called out.
“It’s just me, dear,” Ed answered. “I’ll set your mail on the counter.”
Hurrying out front, she caught him before he left. “Wait, Ed, I’ve got a cherry tart for you.” As she handed him a small bag containing his treat, Ed beamed at her.
“You spoil me, but I’m not complaining. Have a nice weekend. I’ll see you Monday.”
“You too.” Picking up the mail, she flipped through it, her pleasant mood taking a nose dive when she saw the plain white envelope with no return address. With shaking hands, she slit it open and shook it, not wanting to touch anything. A picture slid out face up. Nausea churned inside her, threatening to come up as she stared down at a photo of herself bent over Marc’s arm, her bare ass on display for Scott standing to her side, the belt hanging from his hand, a picture perfect explanation for the redness covering her buttocks and thighs. Just the thought of this person out there with her, close enough to take this picture, close enough to harm either one of the men, was enough to make her want to run and hide. But she refused to do that. With the slow tightening of her muscles, anger overrode her fear and had her reaching for the phone.