Page 85 of Undoing

“No.” Cass reached across the console to take Rebecca’s hand. “I know for a fact that you did nothing wrong. I’m sorry, but this is one thing I won’t let you relive, Becca. I proved to you that nothing you did caused Samantha’s death, and I cannot let you live with that guilt again.”

“You… proved it? How?”

“That’s a story for another time, but maybe that’s why you feel different than you expected. Because somewhere deep down, you know it wasn’t your fault.”

Cass had no idea if she was doing the right thing. Hell, this whole night could have been a terrible idea. She probably should have discussed this with Aunt Wills, but the important thing was that Rebecca wanted this, and Cass was most loyal to Rebecca.

“Maybe you’re right,” Rebecca said, interrupting Cass’s inner meltdown. “Maybe there’s something subconsciously directing my feelings. I’m not sad or angry. I thought I’d feel much more guilt. I’m really just… confused about everything. That’s not the greatest feeling, but I suppose it’s better than the alternative.”

Cass hoped that feeling would last once Rebecca understood where they were going. Ugh, she really should have thought this through more. How would seeing the club affect Rebecca? Or her psyche? She was about to find out, and that wasn’t the greatest feeling for her.

Rebecca looked out the window as soon as Cass turned into a long driveway and recognized it immediately. “Why?” Her heart began to race, and panic bubbled up inside her. “Stop the car!”

“Becca.”

“Stop the car, Cass!” Rebecca pulled at the door handle, but it was locked. “Let me out, please!”

Cass quickly pulled over and cut the engine. She disengaged the locks so Rebecca didn’t feel trapped. She got out when Rebecca did, and while she followed a visibly upset Rebecca, she kept a comfortable distance.

“Becca!”

“Why would you do this to me? Do you have any idea what it’s like for me to be here?” Rebecca cried. She brushed a tear from her cheek, furious with herself for falling for Cass’s ‘nice girl’ facade.

Cass jogged past Rebecca and stopped in front of her. “Becca, please stop.” She sighed when Rebecca walked right past her. “You asked me to bring you where we met,” Cass called out.

Rebecca stopped. That didn’t make sense. She didn’t know Cass’s age but guessed Cass was significantly younger than her own. The math didn’t add up.

“I don’t understand. Why would I ever come back here? I don’t want anything to do with Samantha or her club ever again.”

“It wasn’t hers, Becca,” Cass reminded her softly as she stepped closer. “It’s yours.”

Rebecca shook her head slowly. Then remembered it was true. “I kept it? Why in the hell would I keep it?”

Cass took another step. She was close enough now to reach out to Rebecca if she felt it would be okay. “You told me before why you kept it, but I think there was another reason. I think you kept it so those scars on your back wouldn’t be in vain.”

Rebecca bowed her head in shame. “You know about those?”

“Yes, I do. Baby, this place,” Cass pointed toward the club. “This is your triumph, not your tragedy. You built this club into something prestigious and sought after. From what you told me, I can only imagine what this place was before. It was you who came in and made it what it is today.”

“You know what it was before? A sex club?”

“A BDSM club, yeah. And it’s still one.” Cass touched Rebecca’s arm gently. “I fucked up, yeah? I should have warned you. Something in my gut wasn’t sitting right about all of this, but I ignored it and did the one thing I never wanted to do. I hurt you.”

The sincerity in Cass’s eyes and words eased Rebecca’s tension. She felt terrible for her knee-jerk reaction, thinking Cass was anything but pure and sweet.

“Hey.” Cass bent her head slightly to look into Rebecca’s eyes. “I probably don’t deserve it after this, but I’m asking you to trust me. We exorcised the demons out of this place before. If I have to do it again, I will.”

“I’m sorry I ran. And for yelling at you.”

Cass smiled sadly. “It’s okay. I understand.” She held out her hand. “What do you say? Wanna give this another go?”

Rebecca inhaled, blowing it out slowly. She took Cass’s hand, feeling stronger with that simple touch. Yeah, this was all very weird. “Let’s go.”

Rebecca’s bravado faded slightly when they walked inside. Then, her eyes adjusted to the low light, and she truly saw the place. This was nothing like how the club was under Samantha. It was upscale, clean, and… sexy. The women didn’t walk around with their tits out the way Samantha made them. The men wore silk pajama pants and robes instead of barely there bikini underwear. And the ones Rebecca assumed worked for the club all wore masks. The atmosphere was sexually charged, and Rebecca felt inexplicably powerful.

Cass felt Rebecca’s grip on her hand tighten, and she pulled Rebecca closer. The one thing she did think to do before they got here was call ahead and warn the staff not to refer to Rebecca as Mistress. Cass had a feeling Rebecca needed to come to find Mistress within herself on her own terms. Not by someone throwing that name out there at her. There was no predicting how Rebecca would react to being in the Pink Room again. But there was one thing Cass did know, and that was that she’d be with Rebecca every step of the way.

“You okay?”

---