Cassandra's Conflict by Fredrica Alleyn Read Free Book Online Page A

had started to quicken and he'd known then that this was going to be a very special game. It was going to take every ounce of his self-discipline not to hurry her through the tests, but he knew that the savouring of each moment should be extended to give them all the maximum amount of pleasure possible. And pain too, of course, but to him they were the same thing, and they would be to Cassandra, he was sure of that now. There would be no repetition of the tears and pathetic whimperings of Abigail. No, this girl would understand and rise to the challenge. It was a long time since he had felt such excitement.
    The door to the upstairs study opened and Pierre, the masseur, stood in the doorway. 'Do you wish to join us, Baron? Madam is ready now.'
    The baron blinked and looked away from Cassandra. 'Yes, I wish to join you,' he said sharply. 'Tell Katya to fetch Peter as well.'
    Katya was pleased when Pierre told her that the baron wished to join her. Lately he'd seemed less interested in her body, and even the fact that Peter was to join them didn't spoil her pleasure. Peter always added to their pleasure.
    It was only when the baron came into the tiny but well-equipped gym that Katya's pleasure began to fade. He looked thoroughly irritated. Not angry, that could often be stimulating, but as though she was spoiling something for him and that hadn't happened for a long time. At the beginning it had been part of her learning programme, but it was something she'd left behind a long time ago and she had no wish to experience it again.
    'Darling, how lovely!' she said brightly. 'Pierre's wonderful, but only as an hors d'oeuvre.'
    'Why did you try to seduce Cassandra outside?' he asked, totally ignoring her remark.
    'Seduce? All I did was chat to her! I thought she should think of me as a friend, to make it more interesting later on.'
    He frowned. 'I saw you from the window. You were trying to seduce her. If Helena hadn't dropped her plate when she did, you were actually going to touch her, weren't you?'
    'Of course not!' Katya gave a small laugh, that was quickly cut off as the baron put a hand to her throat and tightened his fingers.
    'You're lying to me. I told you not to touch her before tonight and you were deliberately going to disobey me. That's cheating, and I don't play with cheats. Perhaps I should replace you before we begin.'
    Katya struggled to free herself from his grip, coughing and spluttering while an impassive Pierre looked on. Suddenly he let her go and she drew in her breath with a rasping sound and swallowed, only to feel a sharp pain from the bruised tissue of her throat.
    She wished she wasn't lying naked on the table where she'd been given the massage. Dieter was in a strong position standing over her, and there was no way she could get off the table if he didn't want to let her.
    For a moment he stared down at her, and his dark eyes were heavy with annoyance. He lifted his head as Peter came into the room. 'Peter! Excellent. Fetch my small riding crop and the black leather two-piece for Madam.'
    Katya pushed herself upright on the couch. 'No, Dieter! That's not for me, not any more. It's for ...'
    'It's for anyone I choose, my dear, unless you don't want to play, of course?'
    'Has the game begun?' she whispered.
    He smiled unpleasantly. 'It began yesterday. I must have forgotten to tell you.'
    Yesterday. Her mind raced, trying to remember what had happened yesterday apart from the scene with Abigail, but she couldn't recall anything of consequence, although if she hadn't thought Dieter was busy with Lucy she would never have attempted to lay a finger on Cassandra in the garden. Now she realised that he must have deliberately made Lucy simulate sounds of passion in order to mislead her, and she'd fallen for it.
    Peter quickly came back into the room and handed over a wooden box to the baron. Slowly he removed the contents. A tiny riding crop, which Katya knew he could handle with more accuracy than anyone would