Chapter Seven
As they drove back to Sterling’s chateau, a heavy, suffocating silence filled the cab of the black Mercedes G-Wagon.
Cassidy stared out the window at the passing pines.
Illuminated by the sweep of the headlights, they looked like jagged teeth against the darkness.
She was gripping her fingers so tightly in her lap that her knuckles were white.
Sterling drove with one hand on the wheel. His profile was carved from granite and he had not said a word since they left the restaurant. He had simply guided her out the entrance, bypassing the valet and ushering her into his vehicle.
She recognized by the set of his jaw that he was in “executive mode.” He had identified a defect in his product and was preparing to eliminate it.
The car turned off the main highway and climbed a private access road that wound up the cliffside to the gated Ironwood Point Estates neighborhood. They pulled up to his standalone chalet at the crest of the ridge, and Sterling killed the engine.
“Get out,” he said calmly, breaking the silence.
His voice was low, and it terrified her more than if he had shouted.
Cassidy opened the door. At the chalet, the ambiance was opulent. Heated pavers kept the walkway clear of ice, and subtle lighting highlighted the architectural landscaping. The biting mountain air smelled of snow and pine, but it also smelled of money.
He led her to the front door, unlocked it with a key card, and pushed it open.
The interior was vast. It mimicked Sterling’s stark, masculine aesthetic.
The floors were polished black marble. A massive leather sectional dominated the living area facing floor-to-ceiling windows which offered a panoramic view of the dark valley below.
A gas fireplace flickered in the wall, casting long, dancing shadows across the room.
Sterling walked to the center of the room, took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the sofa, then loosened his tie. He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and turned to face her.
“Come here,” he commanded.
Cassidy walked toward him, her boots clicking on the marble, but she stopped three feet away. She felt out of place in her jeans and flannel shirt. Her appearance was rugged and worn compared to the pristine lines of the chalet.
“You lied to me,” Sterling stated.
Cassidy swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to make a scene.”
“In the barn,” Sterling continued, taking a step closer. “You told me it was a vendor, a wrong number. But it was him.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out the black business card, and tossed it onto the glass coffee table.
“Travis Miller,” Sterling said. The name sounded like a curse coming from his mouth. “Black Ridge Security.”
“He’s crazy, Sterling,” Cassidy whispered. “You don’t know him. If I told you, you would have…”
“I would have handled it,” Sterling cut her off. “I am handling it. But I cannot manage a crisis if my partner is dishonest.”
He looked at her, his eyes were blue ice.
“Dishonesty is a breach of contract, Cassidy. It undermines the foundation of the acquisition.”
“I was scared,” she argued. “I am scared.”
“Fear is an emotion,” Sterling said. “Lying is a choice. You chose to protect a secret rather than trust me with the truth. That requires a correction.”
He walked past her toward the bedroom.
“Follow me,” he said.
Cassidy hesitated. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and she looked at the door. She could run to her truck and leave, but where would she go? To the dark ranch house where Travis might be waiting?
She looked at Sterling’s broad back. He was dangerous and controlling, but he was also the only solid thing in her world right now.
She followed him.
He opened a door to a cavernous master bedroom. A king-sized bed sat on a platform in the center of the room covered in a silk charcoal gray duvet. The lighting was dim, and the air smelled of sandalwood and control.
Sterling stood by the bed, watching her enter.
“Close the door,” he said.
Cassidy pushed the heavy door shut until the latch clicked.
“Undress,” Sterling ordered.
Cassidy froze. “What?”
“Take off your clothes,” Sterling said. His voice shifted and dropped an octave. The corporate edge softened into something darker, more raw. “You need to be reset, Cassidy. You are in your head and vibrating with panic.”
“I’m not doing this,” Cassidy said, crossing her arms.
“You are,” Sterling said. “You want this. You want to stop thinking, to stop looking over your shoulder. You want someone else to carry the weight for ten minutes.”
God help her, he was right. The noise in her head was deafening. The fear of Travis, the debt, the dinner; it was a cacophony that never stopped.
“Undress,” he said again. “Or I will do it for you…and I will not be gentle.”
Cassidy saw the promise in his eyes. He wasn’t going to hurt her. He was going to own her.
She reached for her buttons with shaking hands. She undid the Pendleton flannel shirt and let it drop to the floor then she shimmied out of her faded Levi’s and kicked off her boots.
She stood before him in her simple cotton bra and panties. They were practical, not sexy.
“Everything,” Sterling said.
Cassidy reached behind her back, unclasped her bra, and pushed her panties down her legs.
She felt exposed and vulnerable standing naked in the center of the luxury suite. The air was cool against her skin.
Sterling walked around her, inspecting. His gaze felt like a physical touch.
“Beautiful,” he murmured. “And tense. You are holding so much tension, little one.”
He stopped behind her.
“Hands on the bed,” he commanded. “Bend over.”
Cassidy did as she was told and placed her hands on the silk duvet. She bent at the waist, presenting herself to him.
She heard the sound of leather sliding through loops and tensed.
“Relax,” Sterling ordered. “Trust me.”
He doubled the belt in his hand and snapped it. Cassidy flinched at the sharp crack, and it echoed in the quiet room.
“Count for me,” Sterling said. “I want ten to clear the slate.”
He swung the belt, and it connected with the fleshy part of her bottom. The sting was immediate, sharp and hot and burned through the numbness.
“One,” Cassidy gasped.
“One, Sir.” Sterling corrected. “Louder.”
He swung again.
Crack.
“Two, Sir!” Cassidy cried out.
The pain was a shock, but it was also a relief. It focused her world down to a single point. There was no Travis, no bank. There was only the heat on her skin and the man standing behind her.
Crack.
“Three, Sir.”
“Good girl,” Sterling praised her in a rough velvet voice. “Take it for me.”
Crack.
“Four, Sir.”
Tears pricked her eyes. They weren’t tears of sadness; they were tears of release. The emotional pressure valve in her chest popped open.
Crack.
“Five, Sir.”
“That’s it,” Sterling growled. “Let it go. Give me the fear.”
Crack.
“Six, Sir.” She was sobbing now.
The belt fell with a rhythmic cadence—a metronome of sensation.
Crack.
“Seven, Sir.”
Her ass was on fire and blood was rushed to the surface. She felt alive but grounded.
Crack.
“Eight, Sir.”
“Almost there,” Sterling said. “You are doing so well.”
Crack.
“Nine, Sir.”
He paused to let the silence stretch. Cassidy panted and waited. She needed the last one, the closure of the final lashing.
Crack.
“Ten, Sir!” Cassidy screamed the words.
Sterling tossed the belt aside. He didn’t wait; he just moved in.
He gripped her hips, his large hands covering the red marks he had just made. The heat of his palms was soothing and maddening all at once.
“Mine,” he growled.
He pressed himself against her. He was fully clothed, but she could feel the hardness of his cock through his trousers. He was rigid and ready.
“Spread your legs,” he ordered.
Cassidy widened her stance. She could feel wetness dripping onto her thighs. The punishment had turned her fear into pure, molten need. Without being told, she reached back, spreading her ass cheeks to invite him in and turned to him.
Sterling fumbled with his zipper then freed himself. His dick sprang free, heavy and throbbing in the cool air.
Cassidy’s breath hitched as she stared at his erection.
The last time, in the tack room, everything had been a blur of frantic energy and torn fabric, but now, in the stillness of the luxury suite, she truly saw him, and he was magnificent.
His cock was thick and imposing, a shaft of rigid muscle that curved slightly upward, the skin smooth and flushed with blood.
The head was broad and flared, a deep, dusky purple that glistened with a single drop of pre-cum at the slit.
Thick, ropy veins wrapped around the length of him like vines, pulsing with every heavy beat of his heart.
Below, his balls hung heavy and low in a tight scrotum that was completely hairless, the skin smooth and pale against his thighs.
He was meticulously groomed, dark blond his pubic hair trimmed neatly, framing the base of his erection.
The sheer size and power of him made her core clench with a mixture of intimidation and overwhelming desire.
He was a weapon, honed and ready, and he was all hers.
He didn’t tease or edge her this time. He turned her away, grabbed his shaft, and lined the broad head up with her soaking-wet slit.
Then he thrust his hard cock into her.
Cassidy screamed into the duvet as he penetrated her from behind.
He was so big, he stretched her pussy beyond capacity and filled every inch of her tight cunt. The sensation of their bodies rubbing together was incredible. Her sensitized skin throbbed with every impact.
“You take it all,” Sterling commanded, grabbing her waist and driving his shaft into her with powerful, deep strokes. “You take every inch of my dick.”
“Yes,” Cassidy sobbed. “Please, Sterling. Please fuck me.”
She pushed back against him to meet his thrusts. The sting of her bottom mixed with the fullness in her belly. It was a heady, intoxicating blend of sensations. His balls slapped against her swollen pussy lips with a wet, rhythmic sound.
He leaned over her and pressed his chest against her back then wrapped his arm around her throat, pulling her up.
“Look at me,” he commanded, turning her head toward the mirror on the closet door.
Cassidy looked and saw a wild woman with flushed skin and messy hair. She saw a powerful man in a suit claiming her from behind, burying his cock in her hole over and over again.
“Who owns your pussy?” Sterling demanded then bit her shoulder.
“You do!” Cassidy cried out. “You do.”
“Say it properly.”
“I belong to you, Sir,” she gasped. “My cunt belongs to you.”
The words broke his control, and Sterling roared.
He let go of her neck, grabbed her hips again, and pounded into her. His pace was frantic and desperate as he fucked her with a savage intensity that bordered on ruthlessness.
Cassidy’s aroused clit throbbed with every thrust, and she felt the coil tighten in her womb. It was agonizing and perfect at the same time.
“Come for me,” Sterling ordered. “Now.” He hit her spot and ground his pubic bone against her ass.
Cassidy fell apart as her orgasm ripped through her body. It was violent, shaking her to her core. She clamped down on his shaft and milked his cock with her inner muscles.
Sterling groaned as he began to climax. He drove deep and buried himself to the hilt. Then he released his hot cum deep inside her pussy.
He held her there, staying deep inside her while the spasmic aftershocks racked her body, and his semen continued to fill whatever little space was left inside her.
He pressed his face into her hair, breathing hard. She felt his heart hammering against her back.
Slowly, the tension left the room.
Sterling withdrew his softening dick and pulled his pants back on. He didn’t walk away. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Cassidy into his lap then wrapped the duvet around her, holding her close.
“Shh,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.” He kissed the top of her head and ran his hand soothingly down her back, avoiding the tender skin of her bottom.
“You did good,” he murmured. “You’re safe.”
Cassidy rested her head on his shoulder. She felt lighter. All the anxious noise that had occupied her head was released and gone.
She closed her eyes. For the first time in three years, she felt truly safe.
Ping.
It was Sterling’s phone sitting on the nightstand. The sound cut through the intimacy like a knife.
Sterling stiffened. Cassidy felt his hesitation to check it, but he was Sterling Thorne and couldn’t ignore the notification.
He shifted, gently moved Cassidy off his lap and placed her on the bed.
“One moment,” he said. The warmth was evaporating from his voice. “The Dom” was receding and the CEO was returning.
He reached over and picked up the phone. The blue light illuminated his hardening expression. The lines around his mouth deepened and his eyes went cold.
“Sterling?” Cassidy asked, feeling the chill returning to the room and pulling the duvet tighter around herself.
Sterling didn’t look at her. He tapped on the screen, reading rapidly, his thumb scrolled roughly over the screen.
He just stood up and walked toward the door of the suite, his eyes still glued to the phone.
“What is it?” Cassidy asked. “What happened?”
Sterling stopped at the door and looked back at her. There was no softness in his eyes now, only calculation.
“The Tokyo investors,” Sterling said. “They just sent a revised offer and are demanding to close in seventy-two hours.”
Cassidy felt the blood drain from her face. “Three days? Why?”
“Because they found out about some environmental hazards from the old copper mines, not just the geological instability,” Sterling said in an icy voice.
“Someone leaked the survey data to them about chemicals and hazardous materials in the mines left over from when they were active. The investors know if the County Zoning Board sees that report, the permits will be frozen; and the land won’t be sellable until it’s properly inspected, cleaned, and backfilled for good. ”
He opened the door and continued talking.
“The game has changed. They want the deed signed before the county inspectors get to the site,” Sterling said.
“They want to buy the land so they can bury the evidence. We will go back to the ranch first thing in the morning so I can inspect this geological instability and environmental hazard for myself and also inspect the timber density to negotiate a higher value on the land. I’ve also got to figure out who’s leaking the data. ”
Then he walked out and shut the door behind him.
The sense of safety was gone and reality was back. The silence of the luxury suite pressed in on Cassidy as she sat alone in the massive bed naked, sore, and about to lose everything.