Safeword: Arabesque (Safewords Book 9) (11 page)

“I’m Cassie, not ma’am,” she corrected. “So, you’re bi, and not gay?”

He shook his head. “I’m not really sure what I am, after last night. I need to talk to Frisco and get his help figuring it out. I mean, I’m not attracted to women, and I’m not sure I’d get an erection if it was just you and me. But, with Frisco telling me to do it?” He smiled. “I had an orgasm inside of you...I’ve never done that with a woman. Never came inside of anyone, actually.”

She was touched, and pulled him into a hug. “I like you, but I don’t want you having to do anything with a woman if you don’t want to.”

Chapter Eleven

Cam wasn’t sure why Cassie wanted to have lunch with him, but was curious enough to agree to meet at a local pizza joint.

“I can’t believe you know about this place,” he said as they took their seats.

“Why?”

“Because, it’s…” He’d been about to say because only younger people seemed to go there, and stopped. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I love it, and I come here with friends sometimes. It’s just kind of off the beaten path, is all.”

She seemed to accept his answer, and said, “Are you okay with meeting me here, since your friends might come in?”

“Of course.” It hadn’t occurred to him to worry about what his friends might think. He had study partners, and people he occasionally did things with in the evening, and several friends in the dance company, but he didn’t really worry about what anyone thought of him.

He’d had to learn long ago to respect himself, even if others didn’t.

“I want to see you dance.”

He wasn’t sure what to say, and after a few awkward moments, she added, “If you’re comfortable dancing for me?”

“Oh, I’d love to dance for you. You said you were familiar with my safewords? The terms?”

She nodded. “I want to see you doing them. Something tells me you can do fouettés forever.”

He laughed, “Not quite forever, but I can do them a while. How do you know what they are?”

“I danced in high school and college. Now, I just do martial arts.” She shrugged. “I enjoyed it, but didn’t have the talent. Martial arts come easier, and I can sink into it, lose myself. I always wanted to with dance but, it just didn’t happen.”

Cam knew what it was like to sink into dance and lose himself, and he nodded. “Whatever speaks to your soul. Yes, I’ll dance for you.” He searched his mind for a place, and said, “I’m not really sure where, though. I mean, Frisco put in a ballet bar for me in his workout room, but I have a feeling you want it to be just you and me? Without him?”

“I have a place. Tom doesn’t have class during the day, and I can likely get the dojo. There’s floor space and mirrors, but no ballet bar.”

He wasn’t sure what to think of this woman, but he was intrigued with her and wanted to get to know her better. “I’m free until three o’clock today, and day after tomorrow from eleven until a little after two.”

“Hang on. Let me see what I can work out.”

She texted someone, let Cam know their options, and the two agreed to meet at her dojo at noon in two days.

They ate companionably, and Cam answered all of her questions. He told her he was studying graphic arts at the University and needed three semesters to graduate but might end up doing it in four to keep his workload manageable. He was already getting a decent amount of freelance work, and felt confident he’d be able to land his dream job after graduation.

He loved to dance, but had no aspirations for leaving Chattanooga to try to make it big. He was paid to dance in local shows, and occasionally took part in larger productions in Atlanta and Nashville, but had no desire to travel farther.

“What about you?” he asked. “What do you do?”

“I’m the director of a mental health institution.”

He processed her words and asked, “Do you enjoy your job?”

Her smile told him he’d asked the right question.

“I do. Very much. I have a Master’s degree in nursing, I hold an RN, and specialized in Nursing Administration.” She took a breath. “But, what I do is so much more. We provide a stable life for people who aren’t capable of surviving in society. We don’t lock them in a room, or drug patients to keep them from causing problems. We have activities for our residents, we help them find hobbies to fit their personalities and skills, we provide pleasant surroundings and support staff. I know every one of our guests, and my staff works hard to treat them as guests instead of patients. We’re responsible for them, but we don’t have to shove it in their faces.”

He could see the passion for her work in her eyes, and was intrigued. “I hope I can find a job I’m as excited about.”

She reached for his hand and he liked having her hold it. She wasn’t trying to dominate him, but was just being his friend.

“Do you think we can maybe have lunch more often?” she asked. “I mean, I like Frisco, and I’m discovering maybe I need the kind of sex he offers, but I really like you, too. I want to get to know you better, and spend time with you away from…”

She trailed off, and Cam finished her sentence. “Away from Frisco? Because you don’t think I can be myself around him?” She nodded and he said, “I’m more myself around Frisco than away from him. I can survive in the world, making my own decisions and living my life, but I prefer to be on my knees for him, subservient.”

“I’m sorry if it came out wrong, but I guess I want to get to know both sides of you? I’m fascinated by your relationship with Frisco, but I want to get to know this part of you, too.”

* * * *

“I think punctuality is so sexy,” Cassie said as she opened the dojo door for Cam at almost exactly noon.

He smiled, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips. Not a romantic kiss as much as one of familiarity, and Cassie liked the feeling. She wrapped her arms around him for a hug, and the two stood together a little longer than friends normally embrace.

Cassie reluctantly pulled back and motioned him towards the workout area. “Tom’s in his office but will probably stay there.”

Cam nodded, sat, and took his shoes off. He slid some flesh colored jazz shoes on and lifted a small speaker he’d brought as he asked, “I’m assuming we can play music?”

“Of course,” she smiled. “I’m really looking forward to this. It’s a little embarrassing how much, actually.”

He stood and pulled her to him again. “No, it isn’t. I like you, too, and I’m totally on board with us getting to know each other better, away from the sex.”

Cam’s jeans were a little snug but looked so well worn they appeared to mold to his body without being tight.

He moved a little, not so much stretching as warming up, and then plugged his cellphone into the speaker and started the music.

When Cam moved to the music, Cassie was speechless. He was truly an artist, painting movement through the air and bringing the music to life with his muscles, sinew, grace, and raw power.

He soared, he spun, he powered across the room. There was nothing feminine in his dance; it was one of the most masculine displays of strength and agility she’d ever seen, and yet it was so fluid and graceful and…
damn
, he was truly sex on a stick.

When he started the fouetté series she counted in her head to four and then started counting aloud. He stopped when he reached thirty-two, though he clearly could have continued.

“Wow, you can do the famous thirty-two fouettés en tournant! I’m impressed.”

He moved to his cellphone and turned the volume down. “And I’m impressed you know about them. Can I see some of your stuff?”

She hadn’t expected him to want to see her do any martial arts, but couldn’t see how she could refuse after he gave her such a show.

“Sure, but I don’t need music.”

He smiled, turned it off, and sat on the floor as if waiting for his show.

She laughed and stood, considering for a moment what she should do. One of the lengthier katas came to mind, and she settled into her stance and let her limbs and body flow through the motions. She bowed to him when finished, not because of respect for him, but because it was the end of the kata.

He rose in that impossibly fluid motion she still couldn’t figure out, came to her, and pulled her into another embrace.

“You’re beautiful, Cassie. Frisco gets to see you do this in class?” She nodded and he shook his head. “I don’t know how he survived, watching you without being able to touch.”

Cassie laughed, a little embarrassed at the praise. “He looks pretty hot when he does it, too, but it’s different during class.”

She looked at her phone. “I wish I could stay and talk longer but I need to get back to work.”

He backed out of their hug and nodded. “I like spending time with you. Thanks for asking me here. Should I thank your Tom for letting us use the space?”

Cassie smiled at his thoughtfulness. “Sure, we’ll walk back and thank him together.”

* * * *

Cassie’s phone rang a few hours later on her drive home from work.

“Do you have plans for dinner?” Frisco asked.

She’d intended to grab a quick meal at home and then take Jake to the park for a run before the two of them found a quiet spot on the riverwalk for her to read her book. Her large German Shepherd stayed in her back yard when she wasn’t home, but was an indoor dog the rest of the time.

However, dinner with Frisco sounded appealing.

“I was going to take Jake for a run.” He’d met her dog when he brought her home the other night.

“Well, we could take him for a walk and it’ll be nice to talk during a leisurely stroll, but I’d rather take you out to eat.”

She smiled, happy he was willing to include Jake if she wanted him to, but okay with going on a regular date. “What did you have in mind?”

He picked her up, even though she offered to meet him at the restaurant.

As he pulled out of her driveway, he said, “I understand you and Cam met for lunch earlier in the week, and had a dance date today?”

Cassie laughed. “I wouldn’t have called it a dance date but I suppose it’s accurate.”

He smiled and caressed her hand. “Cam and I’ve talked about his reaction to you. He’s always considered himself gay, and is perplexed.”

“Yeah, we talked about it a little, too. What did the two of you come up with?”

“I think it has more to do with power exchange than gender. He’s turned on by me, and since I’m telling him what to do to you…” He shrugged.

They came to a red light and Frisco turned to Cassie. “You understand? It isn’t you he’s reacting to. It’s my orders.”

Cassie stared at him. Speechless. “So, what is it you’re trying to say? Exactly?”

“Don’t try to make this something it isn’t. He isn’t in love with you. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Cassie shook her head. “You’re right, it can’t be love. We’ve only known each other a few days. However, there’s an attraction there — Cam and I both feel it. Maybe the sex won’t work without you, but it doesn’t invalidate what we feel.”

Frisco shook his head, almost a mirror image of Cassie’s. “Cam’s young. You remember what it was like to be young and naïve, right? He still has stars in his eyes. I’m only in his life because I trust myself to be responsible with his psyche. I’m here to lead him in the right direction so he can eventually find a relationship that works for him.”

“And it isn’t me, because I’m not a Dom. I get it, Frisco, but I also know I like Cam and I want to get to know him better. Trust us to figure it out, okay? I don’t have stars in my eyes, and I know the sex only worked because you were directing us.”

Another thought hit her. “And I wouldn’t call him naïve. Young maybe, but he said he’s almost twenty-two, which means I’m eight years older, but I think I might be more naïve than him about…some things.”

Cassie took a breath and realized it was possible Frisco was jealous of the time she’d spent with Cam.

“You know I like you, too. Right?” she asked. “You and I are almost the same age, and we have a lot in common. I like Cam in part because he’s a package deal with you. I mean, I like him as a person, too, now that I’m getting to know him, but to start it was all because of you and that damned leash I couldn’t get out of my head.”

Frisco pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot, found a spot near the door, and parked. “I’m not going to tell either of you to curtail whatever it is you have going on. However, I want you both to be careful and think things through. Okay?”

Frisco’s voice was serious, as if he wanted to be clear he had authority in the matter. It rankled, but she knew Cam would do as told so it wasn’t entirely her decision.

Cassie nodded and changed the subject. “Have you shown him any martial arts training? Can he defend himself if necessary?”

Frisco smiled. “Yes, and I regularly reinforce the training. Our contract says I can require exercise and a certain level of conditioning. Fitness level isn’t an issue with him because he keeps himself in shape, but I require he spar with me enough I’m sure he’ll have the reflexes if someone comes at him.”