Cassius had thought about how he would punish her when he arrived. She was stubborn, disobedient, and his crazy little rebel.
So many thoughts dove into his head the moment he saw her draped in just a towel. Fucking perfect.
His eyes scrutinized her from head to toe. Her wet hair glued to her face made her look incredibly hot, her skin begging for his attention, and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing those wet lips that had him addicted. The thought of her driving him crazy made him kiss her harder, demanding her response.
When she didn’t respond, he went to the next level, pulling up the towel only to find that she had been resisting. She told him to stop, which only added to his anger.
He wanted to pin her to the bed and drive some sense into her, but that would be moving too fast.
Instead, he held her neck with his other hand and whispered dirty words in her ear. She finally spilled out what she yearned for: “Please, fuck me with your fingers.”
He drove one of his fingers into her, her body shook, and a moan tore from her lips. Damn, that sound. He wanted to hear more.
As his finger moved in and out, her moans intensified. His hand clutched his shirt hard. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, kissing and inhaling her intoxicating scent.
He wanted to punish her, but instead, he was pleasuring her.
He added another finger, increasing his pace. Then another, and her moans filled the entire room. In three minutes, he made her spill her wetness.
His gaze met her face as she tried to catch her breath.
—
Realization hit Tatiana, and she immediately pulled away from him. Her eyes met his, and she snapped.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” he asked.
“Doing whatever you’re doing,” she said, her face reddening.
Cassius found her amusing; she looked angry and confused, unsure of what she wanted to say.
“I’m a guest, Little Rebel. Aren’t you going to welcome me?”
“Are you teasing me right now?”
“Do you want another punishment? This time, you won’t be draped in a towel,” he said, and Tatiana knew he meant every word.
“I’ll get us coffee after I freshen up,” she quickly said and hastily headed to her room.
After she left, Cassius’s eyes scanned the comfortably clean living room. There were pictures of Dylan and her, along with some paintings everywhere. The wall paint was white, the same as the couch and kitchen counter.
Cassius’s eyes settled on a trophy with the words “Best New Actress” written on it. How come he didn’t know her for so long?
After a while, Tatiana came downstairs, and his brow furrowed.
“What are you wearing?” he asked, raising a brow.
Tatiana looked down at her oversized sweater and sweatpants. Clearing her throat, she replied, “It’s cold.”
Was she really fluent in lies? He could see a bead of sweat on her forehead.
“I’ll make the coffee,” she replied and went to the kitchen.
As Tatiana made the coffee, she watched the man pick up her trophy-the first one she ever got in her first year of acting.
“Do you like it with sugar?” she asked from the kitchen, and he looked at her.
“Make it like yours,” he simply replied and put down the trophy.
“Little Rebel,” he called. “How’s your research on your sister’s killer going?”
“Why do you care? You said you were going to find the person for-”
“And you promised to be obedient, Little Rebel.”
“Can you stop calling me that? My name is Tatiana. Tatie, for short.”
“Little Rebel,” he repeated.
‘Asswipe,’ she wanted to hurl at his face, but she had no idea what this man could do.
“A man named Zero killed my sister.”
Cassius paused for a moment, and the look on his face changed. It was unreadable.
“Do you know him?” Tatiana asked, noticing his reaction, but he didn’t reply. She sighed and took the coffee to him.
Cassius accepted it and stared at it. He gave Tatiana one look before taking a sip.
Immediately, the taste reached his tongue, and he pulled it away, his face squeezing slightly.
“No sugar?” he almost snapped.
“I like black coffee,” Tatiana smiled and took a sip. “Hmm, so amazing.”
If Cassius loved cookies like Dylan, then the man definitely liked sugar.
“Tsk… You’re one of a kind, Little Rebel.”
Before Tatiana could respond, Cassius’s phone rang. It was Butler Conrad.
“Sir, Miss Indigo is here to see you,” he heard from him. Tatiana heard too, and her face dropped a little, but she was quick to compose herself.
“I’ll be right there,” he responded and looked at Tatiana.
“Why did you break up with her? If I may ask,” she inquired, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I didn’t want to waste her time. Especially when I knew I couldn’t return the same feelings she had for me,” he replied.
Tatiana felt conflicted.
—
Returning to the mansion, Cassius found Indigo waiting in the living room.
“Cash,” she smiled and moved to hug him, but Cassius held her hand, stopping her. “I can’t even hug you anymore? Aren’t we friends too?”
“It’s not like that, Dee. I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not changing my mind,” his voice was firm as he stared at her.
“You were coming from her place, weren’t you?” she asked, guessing.
“Go home, Dee. I thought I told you not to come here without my permission-”
“Dad!!” Dylan’s voice boomed from a distance. As the boy ran across to hug Cassius, Indigo’s gaze remained on him.
The little boy Tatiana bore for Cassius had the same jet-black hair, blue eyes, full lips, and features as him. Even if she badly wanted to believe Tatiana didn’t bear the child for Cassius, the resemblance was enough to shatter the last thread of hope.
“What’s up, little man?” Cassius smiled at him, a smile she hadn’t seen in years. Her eyes welled up with tears.
“Conrad said you went to see Mom. How is she?” Dylan asked.
“Fine. She asked me to give you this.” Cassius handed him a teddy bear, and Dylan gasped. He exclaimed, ‘Thank you!’ several times as he jumped.
‘Adorable,’ Indigo found herself thinking. Even her lips stretched into a small smile. The boy really had a charm that could win hearts, but then, reality crashed down on her, and her smile slowly disappeared.
“Hello, Auntie. I’m Dylan, and I’m cute,” Dylan’s introduction snapped her back to reality. His words forced a chuckle from her lips.
“I’m Indigo,” she introduced herself concisely. ‘Your mother stole my man and took the only thing I cherished, which is your father,’ her subconscious added, and her chest clenched.
“We’ll watch a movie later, alright?” Cassius said, and Dylan nodded.
“I’ve got something to show you, Dad. It’s a secret,” Dylan whispered cutely and left.
Indigo’s eyes never left him until he was out of sight.
“He is adorable,” she said, meeting Cassius’s gaze.
“Hm,” Cassius grunted in response, returning to his usual cold self.
“I’ll leave. Take care, Cash,” she said and left the mansion. As she drove, tears welled up in her eyes and cascaded freely down her face, wetting her blouse.
She badly wished she were in Tatiana’s shoes. Tatiana had the man of her dreams and also the child of her dreams. Yes, she had pictured herself having a family with Cassius just like this.
She stopped at a nearby bar to find solace in beer.
After two hours, Hudson appeared and immediately spotted her. She was all drunk and wasted, her face red as she mumbled random words.
“Thanks,” Hudson thanked the bartender who had called him and left with Indigo.
On their way to her apartment, Hudson heard Indigo calling Cassius’s name several times. ‘I want you, Cash. Why can’t you want me?’
Oh, poor Indigo, he thought as he took her inside her place. He greeted the maid and took her upstairs to her room.
After putting her to bed, he turned to leave, but she held his hand back.
“Do you need something-” His words were cut off when she pulled him to herself and crashed her lips on his.