Page 90 of Crave Me
I wanted to give him the respect he was due, but there was no way Cassie was going to let this go.
“I just don’t understand,” my mom repeated.
Anger burned through me until my cheeks were singed. I turned away from Cassie’s disgust and looked at my mom. Poor, sweet woman. She truly had no clue what was going on.
I had to tell them, though. If there was ever any chance of Simon and me lasting past Friday night, there had to be honesty in all areas. Especially with this. And Haley and Gabby had been right. I was an adult and when push came to shove, they had no decision on who I dated or screwed or submitted to. Not even when it came to Simon.
“We’re not dating, Mom, but I do love him. And I have been seeing him, but it’s not what you think.”
“He’s got you so tied up and twisted you’re not even making sense. Don’t you see it’s what he does, Chloe? He did the same thing to me. He made me think he was this smart, sweet and caring guy and the next thing I knew he’s throwing me over his knees—”
“I’m going to throw up.”
“Dad.”
He held up his hand and silenced me. “There are things a man never needs to know.” He turned to Cassie, his expression softening. “And this is one of them, honey. I swear, you two need to work this out but your mother and I don’t need to be witness to this conversation.”
“He beat me!” Cassie jumped to her feet and slammed her hands to the table, refusing to listen to my dad. “Simon Delgado spanked me and tied me up and abused me.”
I understood her perspective. I also wouldn’t sit there and continue to let her say such horrible things about him. They had to know the truth and if she was going to do it here, with an audience, I’d join her.
“I know.” I stood and held my hands up, palms out. “I know, and I know he hurt you. But Cassie, he wasn’t trying to. He likes kinky sex and he pushed you too far and he’s aware of it, but he’s not abusing me.”
“Then why are your wrists bruised?”
I jerked my hands back.
“Cassie, I went to him. I went to him because I knew he was a dominant and I wanted him to train me to be a submissive.”
“Oh fucking Christ.” Dad took a large swig of his beer.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” my mom said, “but your father’s right. This isn’t a conversation we need to be a part of.” She turned to Cassie first. “Honey, I’m sorry what you went through with him. I am, truly, and I’m so sorry he hurt you. And you, Chloe—” She turned to me, disappointment clear in her eyes. The pain and the fear and all of what she was feeling. “I don’t even understand the terms you’re using, but if you’re mixed up with Simon Delgado, who isn’t a good man—”
“Heisa good man.” Tears burned my eyes and I shook with fear and indignation. “He’s the best man I know, and I know you don’t understand what I’m saying, but I like what he does to me, and I ask for it, and it’s okay and it’s healthy and I’m sorry—” I swiped tears from beneath my eyes before I turned back to Cassie. “I’m sorry I’m hurting you. You weren’t supposed to find out, and things between Simon and I are supposed to be temporary, but I love him.”
Her face morphed to disgust. “You can’t love a man who beats you, Chloe. You’re smarter than this.”
“He doesn’t beat me,” I insisted. “I enjoy what we do.”
“Enough,” Dad stated. “I’ve heard enough and this conversation has gone well past appropriate. And as a man and a husband and a father to girls, everything I have heard here is the number one thing a man never wants to hear about his daughters’ lives. This ends, now. Either you two excuse yourselves to go finish your argument in private, or you sit down and enjoy the meal your mother has spent days preparing.”
“I can’t believe this,” Cassie hissed. She tossed her napkin on the table and pushed back her chair. “I have work to do and a case to work on and the fact that neither of you are taking my side on this is absolutely absurd. He hurt me and you’re ignoring it.”
She slammed her chair into the table so hard it shook the champagne glasses, and stalked past the end of the table.
When she reached my dad, he reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist. “Your choice to leave, darling girl, and I’ve always got your back, you know I do. But perhaps there’s a perspective when it comes to Simon that you don’t understand, and as much as it makes me want to puke to admit it, perhaps there’s a perspective from what happened between the two of you that you never took the time to understand, either.”
She yanked out of Dad’s hold. “He disgusts me.” She whipped to me. Her hair struck her cheek before settling perfectly at her shoulders and she glared at me. “You disgust me.”
She stomped out of the room, slammed a door upstairs, and seconds later, pounded down the stairs. She left, and slammed the door behind her. Silence thickened the air as we all listened to her car start and pull out of the driveway.
“I’m so sorry.” Dad was still green, like he wanted to puke, but not nearly as angry as he had been, and Mom was still looking at me with disappointment. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want today to go like this, I swear. I feel horrible.”
Dad chewed the inside of his cheek before nodding. “Sit down and finish your food, Chloe. We’ll talk later.”
And wouldn’t that be a conversation to look forward to?
“I love him,” I muttered, and did what my dad said. “But it doesn’t matter. We already knew we’d never be able to be together because of this, anyway.”
