Cassie's New Plan(23)
Rob was pleased and eagerly escorted her around the rest of the house. The living room had high ceilings with polished dark wood flooring, a large fireplace and sectional couch. Cassie laughed; the centerpiece, of course, was the 72”plasma TV. Men.
There was an office, two large guest bedrooms and a full bathroom downstairs, each reflecting Rob’s personal style and masculinity. Warm woods, cranberry tones and a sense of safety. Cassie felt that vividly. Finally, he took her upstairs to the loft master bedroom which occupied most of the upstairs space. It was HUGE.
She gasped. “This is perfect,”she whispered. The room had a large wall length window that overlooked the lake. The vaulted ceiling was made from cedar wood planks and had a fan hanging from the center, and the king sized bed was made of carved cypress knees and raised high off the floor. The floors were polished hardwood and covered with thick, soft area rugs. Finally, an antique iron pot belly stove rested on a brick platform near the bathroom door. What really surprised her, though, was the color scheme. It was old-fashioned and unusually feminine—lilac and cream, her favorites. In fact, the whole room had a soft quality to it, despite the heavy furnishings. It was almost like he had designed it with her in mind. No…impossible.
The bathroom complemented the decor, with a high claw-foot tub and hand held shower. The old-fashioned toilet with a pull down chain was in a‘water-closet’and the dual sinks were deep. Cassie did not fail to notice the amount of counter space and cabinets, including a colossal walk in closet and dressing room. The upstairs and downstairs were like Rob’s personality. Downstairs, for the view of the public, had been very modern and up-to-date while the upstairs was old fashioned and a step back in time.
“Did you make these?”Cassie asked, running her hand along the dresser. Rob nodded proudly.
“Almost all the furniture in here. I wanted this room to be special for the day I would bring my future wife here,”he admitted quietly. Cassie looked at him, not commenting on his statement.
“I never knew you had this type of creativity. It’s amazing. You really did this?”she whispered, running her hand along the large dressing mirror whose frame was carved from a single slab of cypress. She went to the roll-top desk with straight backed chair. “And this?”
“No, that I refinished. It has a special purpose. Open it.”
Cassie complied, blushing when she saw her essay lying under the desk top. Rob pulled the chair out. “Please sit down and read it to me,”he requested firmly. Slowly, Cassie sat in the hard seat, wincing. Her bottom was still so tender from that morning!
“Rob, it hurts...”
“That’s why I have that chair. It’s perfect for me to sit in while I warm a naughty bottom, and later it can make that same bottom remember why it was warmed. Now, read.”
Cassie fought back tears as she obeyed. Things were going so well and now Rob had to turn it around to be a jerk again! He sat on the chaise lounge to listen attentively as she read about trust and what it meant to her. He sighed, knowing it would take a long time for her to accept that she could trust him on every level. She was sniffling when she finished.
“Come here, baby girl,”he ordered, patting his lap. Reluctantly, Cassie approached him and he pulled her onto his lap, holding her snugly.
“I’m sorry I didn’t cuddle you after your punishment this morning. I won’t do that again. I promise.”
“You won’t spank me again?”she asked hopefully.
“No way. That will happen many, many times in our future, I’m certain. No, I promise not to neglect comforting you afterwards. You’re my baby and deserve lots of cuddles,”he chuckled.
Cassie slumped, her hopes dashed. She winced as a sudden clap of thunder shook through the house. “That was LOUD.”She grimaced, seeing the downpour begin.
He nodded, holding her close. “I like storms. They muffle the sound of crying.”He smiled, feeling her tense.
“Mycrying, you mean.”
“Yes. Let’s take care of this unpleasantness so we can enjoy the rest of the day.”
Cassie knew that tantrums, pleading or begging would not help her. She also felt guilty, watching Rob start the fire in the stove to warm the room up some more. Did he really do all this with her in mind?
“Rob, why? I mean, all this…”
“I’ve known for years how I felt about you. So did my dumbshit brother; but Bry never said anything. I would have expected him to at least make some comment or get in my face about it; especially since he and I share everything and have no secrets from each other. I tried to avoid it, but it kept coming back. I hoped that after I finally took an active part in your life, you would either reject me completely so I could move on, or that you would show interest in me so I could move forward. Believe me, I got an earful about that from Bry.”