Chapter Six #2
Sterling’s hand did not stay on her knee. It began to move up her thigh. The rough denim of her jeans created friction against his palm. He moved with a slow deliberate pace, exploring “his territory.”
Cassidy stopped breathing and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Sterling was looking at Mr. Tanaka and nodding politely. He took a sip of his wine, looking completely engaged in the conversation about municipal codes. But under the table, his hand was moving higher.
He reached the junction of her thighs.
Cassidy clamped her legs together, trying to trap his hand to stop him. Sterling didn’t even flinch. He used his strength. He forced her legs apart just enough to slip his hand between them.
He pressed his palm against the seam of her jeans and found the heat there.
“The zoning board meets next Tuesday,” Sterling said to the men with his usual calm demeanor. “We have preliminary approval.”
He pressed down, rubbing the heel of his hand against her clit through the denim.
Cassidy choked on a gasp. She turned it into a cough and grabbed her water glass.
“Are you quite well, Ms. West?” Mr. Sato asked kindly.
“Fine,” Cassidy managed. Her voice was strained. “Just…dry throat.”
“The air is dry at this altitude,” Sterling said.
He traced the outline of her zipper then found the button. Cassidy’s heart was hammering against her ribs. He was going to undress her right here in the middle of the restaurant.
She reached down and grabbed his wrist to pull his hand away. Sterling gripped her fingers and crushed them gently. He intertwined his fingers with hers and held her hand against her own crotch. He made her feel the heat radiating from her body.
“You are warm, Cassidy,” he murmured. It was low enough that the investors couldn’t hear.
He released her hand and went for her zipper. The sound was masked by the clinking of silverware and the ambient noise of the dining room. Then he lowered her zipper and slid his hand inside her jeans.
Cassidy squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t believe this was happening. He bypassed the elastic of her panties without even looking at her.
He touched her skin and found her wet.
She wasn’t just slick, she was soaking. Her body had betrayed her again. The fear, the adrenaline, and the proximity of him had combined into a potent cocktail of arousal.
Sterling paused when he felt the moisture and turned his head slightly to look at her. His eyes were dark with satisfaction.
“We anticipate a high yield,” Sterling said to Mr. Tanaka. “The market is hungry for this kind of product.”
He slid one finger inside her.
Cassidy bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Her hands gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles were white. He filled and stretched her then began to move in a slow, rhythmic circle.
“Tell me about the water rights, Ms. West,” Sterling said.
Cassidy’s eyes widened and she looked at him in horror. He wanted her to talk now?
“The…the water,” she stammered.
He pushed deeper and added a second finger then curled them upward. He hit a nerve that sent a jolt of pleasure straight to her spine.
“Yes,” Sterling encouraged her. “The creek access.”
“We have…senior rights…” Cassidy gasped. “dating back to…to 1902.”
“Excellent,” Mr. Tanaka said. “That is a significant asset.”
Sterling sped up relentlessly. He was fucking her with his fingers under the table while discussing legal precedents.
Cassidy felt the tension building in her belly to a tight, hot coil. She was close…so close. She wanted the release. She wanted to stop thinking about Travis, the ranch, and the debt and disappear into pure sensation.
Sterling knew. He felt her muscles tightening around his fingers. He found her clit with his thumb and circled it while applying pressure.
Cassidy let out a small whimper.
Mr. Sato looked up. “I beg your pardon?”
“Spicy,” Cassidy whispered. “The…the appetizer. It’s spicy.”
Sterling had a shark’s smile. He kept working and playing her like an instrument. He brought her to the point where she was hovering on the edge then dangling over the precipice.
Then he stopped abruptly and withdrew his fingers.
Cassidy almost sobbed. She was in physical pain from the loss of pressure. She slumped in her chair, looking at him with pleading eyes. Sterling wiped his hand on the napkin in his lap without looking at her.
He had punished her to show her that he controlled her pleasure just as completely as he controlled her ranch. He took a sip of his wine.
“Now,” Sterling said. “Regarding the security protocols for the construction site…”
Cassidy tried to slow her breathing and pull herself together. She zipped her jeans with a trembling hand under the table.
“Construction sites are vulnerable,” Mr. Tanaka agreed. “Equipment theft, vandalism. We need a robust presence.”
“Agreed,” Sterling said. “I intend to bring in a private firm.”
“We took the liberty of looking into local contractors,” Mr. Sato said pulling a folder from his briefcase. “There is a highly rated outfit based in Wenatchee that knows the terrain.”
Mr. Sato opened the folder and retrieved a black business card with silver lettering.
“Black Ridge Security,” Mr. Sato said, sliding it across the table.
Cassidy froze, and the air left her lungs.
“The owner is a local man,” Mr. Sato continued. “Travis Miller. Do you know him, Ms. West?”
The name hit her like a grenade. Cassidy couldn’t move or speak. Her vision tunneled.
Travis.
He wasn’t just calling or stalking her. He was trying to get on the payroll. He was trying to get access to the ranch—access to her. She felt the bile rise in her throat as she gripped the edge of the table to keep from falling out of her chair.
“Ms. West?” Mr. Sato asked.
Sterling sensed the change in her and went still. Since he was sitting right next to her, he’d instantly felt the way her body turned to stone. He’d seen the heat drain from her face to be replaced by cold, clammy terror.
He looked at the business card then at Cassidy. He saw the absolute panic in her eyes—the same panic he had seen in the barn when she’d answered the phone.
He looked back at the card—Black Ridge Security, Travis Miller—and the pieces clicked into place. The phone call, the fear, the lie.
Sterling didn’t say a word, though. He simply reached out and picked up the card between his long fingers.
He feigned reading it. “We will review all bids,” Sterling said icily. “But I prefer to vet my own security.”
He slipped the card into his pocket and gazed Cassidy intensely. He wasn’t looking at her like a prop anymore. He was looking at her like a problem he needed to solve.
“Are you unwell, Cassidy?” he asked quietly.
“I need…” Cassidy stood up. Her legs were shaking. “I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
She didn’t wait for permission; she turned and fled the table. Cassidy walked as fast as she could without running. At that moment she needed to get away to breathe.
Sterling Thorne watched her go and touched the pocket where he had put the card. He knew she was hiding something. And Sterling Thorne did not like secrets on his property.