2. Dark
Cassius
Sterling and Rhodes were waiting in the conference room. They were already half-way through their respective coffees.
“Did you start the meeting without me?” I asked as I sat at the head of the table.
“Not on purpose.” Rhodes grinned at me. “But you’re late. I wonder what was keeping you, Cass?”
Sterling tapped his pen against his chin, feigning a thoughtful expression. “I wonder what—or who—it could be? It’s not like our fearless leader to show up last.”
“Enough.” I sat back in my chair. “This meeting isn’t about me; it’s about our opening week. Walk me through the numbers, please.”
Rhodes pulled out his tablet. “It’s been even better than we anticipated. We’ve already earned out on our investment multiple times. Outside of operations, everything is profit.”
“That’s… That’s incredible.” We’d spent significant money on the mansion and its improvements. “The fact that we’re doing so well after one weekend is something to be proud of. Good work, you two.”
“It was your vision, big brother,” Sterling said. “You’re the one who pursued this. I have to give it to you: the club’s even more than I hoped for. The members love it—I’ve never gotten so much positive feedback. Many of them said this was the best weekend of their lives.”
“The girls seem happy, too,” Rhodes added. “Everyone had a good time. I heard zero complaints.”
I nodded. “I’m meeting with Gina later this afternoon, so we’ll have more data from the employee side. Were there any other platinum purchases?”
Rhodes shook his head. “Every platinum membership’s been bought out. I hope Gina will bring in some new girls—a lot of patrons have been requesting more virgins.”
“Gina’s sister, Elena, has been busy in Boston,” I said. “She’s been actively recruiting virgins, so hopefully, we’ll have a fresh batch by our next big weekend.”
Rhodes nodded. “It’s one of the things that sets our club apart. Our members are so rich they love the idea of spending even more money to purchase platinum rights. It’s a status thing.”
“It can be,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. It wasn’t a status thing for me with Faith, but that was none of their business.
“I want to talk about how the club will run Monday through Friday,” Sterling said. “Most of our patrons left this morning. I expect the house to be quiet except for the girls, and then members will return either Thursday or Friday evening. I have a meeting in New York tomorrow, so I’ll have to fly out for that. But then I’ll be back.”
“I have to head to Boston for a few days to check on a project, but I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Rhodes said.
“Everything’s already taken care of,” I said. “Gina will be in charge of the day-to-day operations on weekdays. We have security on the premises at all times. You are both free to return to your normal lives.”
“What about you, Cass?” Rhodes asked.
“I’ll be staying here.”
Rhodes raised his eyebrows. Sterling started tapping his pen on his chin again. Neither of them said a word.
“What?” I asked, finally. “Why are you both looking at me like that?”
“I was hoping you’d bring it up first, but since you’re stalling—what’s going on with your virgin?” Rhodes sat back, assessing me. “We know you were with her again last night. We know she spent the night at your house. We know she’s why you’re late this morning.”
“And we know she’s why you’re staying here this week when you’d normally be flying to Manhattan, L.A., and London for work,” Sterling said. “So why don’t you just tell us what’s happening?”
“Why do I need to tell you anything? It sounds like you’ve been busy making things up all on your own,” I said testily.
“Brother, please stop deflecting.” Sterling put down his pen. “We’re the owners of the club. We have to lead by example. And right now, your relationship with the girl violates club policy. Like we discussed last night—you need to buy out the girl’s contract.”
“Faith,” I said. “Her name’s Faith.”
Sterling and Rhodes shot each other a look. “Stop doing that!” I snarled.
“Fine,” Sterling said. “But nothing’s changed. We need to know how you’re going to handle this.”
“Obviously, I am going to buy out Faith’s contract,” I said. “I don’t have a choice. My interactions with her violate club policy, and I must follow the rules.”
Neither of my brothers said a word. But they both gaped at me.
“For the love of God, stop looking at me like that.”
“What does it mean?” Rhodes sat forward, his gaze intently focused on me.
“It means Faith won’t be working at the club anymore.”
“And?” Sterling asked.
“And that’s all I have to say on the matter.” I stood to go. “I’ll see you on Friday. And I’ll update you on employee status after speaking with the Madam.”
I left the conference room quickly, heading back to my house. My brothers were so nosy. They wanted to know what buying out Faith’s contract meant. In other words, they wanted to know what was going to happen between us.
But I didn’t answer them. I couldn’t.
Because I had zero fucking clue what would happen.
I’d never intended to let things with Faith go this far. When I opened the club, I wanted a private pleasure playground for adults—most notably myself. I wanted a sanctuary where I could indulge my fantasies without the worry of any strings attached. More than anything, I wanted a virgin—someone who was pure, innocent, and wholly mine for a short time. There would be no obligations outside our contractual agreement: no strings, no ties, no games. That was my version of happily ever after.
That is, until I met Faith.
From the first time I’d seen her, Faith had entranced me. Her simple, unselfconscious beauty captivated me. As soon as I secured her V necklace around her throat, I knew my attraction was undeniable. When I tasted her sweet lips, something inside me gave way. She opened me up to a desire I’d never experienced before.
I obsessed over her—her scent, her hair, the smooth feel of her lustrous skin. I couldn’t get her out of my head. When I brought her to orgasm for the first time, and she’d showered me with the depths of her pleasure, she ignited a deep fire. That’s when I knew she was mine. No one would ever be able to touch her like that, to reach her that way, to shatter her from the inside out.
So when I’d taken her virginity, I’d all but sealed my fate. I was her first, her only. And whenever I imagined her with anyone else, all I felt was pain, a knife twisting inside my gut.
But she was my employee, and I knew my actions were wrong. Not only was it against the rules to have more than three consecutive interactions with a girl, but it went against my code. I didn’t want to get attached to Faith. I wanted to enjoy my club and stay far from the dangers of real intimacy. I knew what that was all about. I had zero interest in a repeat performance.
So I’d tried to push Faith away. I’d sent her out to the club—thrown her to the wolves. I’d watched her, obsessing over her every move, until I couldn’t take it anymore. Every time a member went near Faith, I broke my word to myself. I went after her.
Last night, I’d tried one last time to push her away by taking her to a private room in the dungeon. There, I’d shackled her to the spanking bench and paddled her luscious ass while taking her from behind.
I thought Faith would be afraid of rough sex. I thought she’d shy away from it and think me a monster. Instead, she’d showed herself to be a natural-born sub. She loved being spanked. She loved it so much that she gleefully brought the paddle back to my house when I invited her over. When I used the paddle on her at home, her orgasms shook my bed.
Last night was when I’d known for sure. I lost myself in Faith’s arms. The sex was explosive, and I loved that she wanted to explore, but it was so much more than that. When I’d taken her to Boston—after she’d tried to run away from me—I’d seen her as a person. Her mother was awful, but Faith managed her well. And she’d been so loyal to her brother that she’d agreed to come back to work to make sure he could maintain his treatment.
Faith possessed a selflessness and loyalty I rarely encountered in others. I felt like I’d found what I’d been searching for since my youth—someone pure, with a good heart. Someone who could become my whole world. Someone I could… trust.
So I was absofuckinglutely going to send her away.
That was the decision I came to as I reached my house. I would buy out Faith’s contract, pay her the money I owed her, and send her back to Boston. She’d be a multimillionaire. She’d be safe.
And so would I.
There was no room in my life for an attachment like the one I felt for Faith. If I let things progress and she broke my heart, I would never recover. I had a duty to my brothers and our dead parents to put my family first.
Once was enough.I remember how crushed I was when my nanny showed her true colors. She never loved me; she loved my inheritance. Money was a blessing in many ways, but it was also a curse. Everyone wanted something from me. I’d learned long ago that remaining within myself was the only way to stay safe.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t see Faith waiting for me on my porch. She looked as though she’d been crying.
“Cassius,” she said, “we need to talk.”