Page 3 of Worthy: Cassius and Faith

“I want to talk about how the club will run Monday through Friday,” Sterling said. “Most of our patrons left this morning. I expect the house to be quiet except for the girls, and then members will return either Thursday or Friday evening. I have a meeting in New York tomorrow, so I’ll have to fly out for that. But then I’ll be back.”

“I have to head to Boston for a few days to check on a project, but I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Rhodes said.

“Everything’s already taken care of,” I said. “Gina will be in charge of the day-to-day operations on weekdays. We have security on the premises at all times. You are both free to return to your normal lives.”

“What about you, Cass?” Rhodes asked.

“I’ll be staying here.”

Rhodes raised his eyebrows. Sterling started tapping his pen on his chin again. Neither of them said a word.

“What?” I asked, finally. “Why are you both looking at me like that?”

“I was hoping you’d bring it up first, but since you’re stalling—what’s going on with your virgin?” Rhodes sat back, assessing me. “We know you were with her again last night. We know she spent the night at your house. We know she’s why you’re late this morning.”

“And we know she’s why you’re staying here this week when you’d normally be flying to Manhattan, L.A., and London for work,” Sterling said. “So why don’t you just tell us what’s happening?”

“Why do I need to tell you anything? It sounds like you’ve been busy making things up all on your own,” I said testily.

“Brother, please stop deflecting.” Sterling put down his pen. “We’re the owners of the club. We have to lead by example. And right now, your relationship with the girl violates club policy. Like we discussed last night—you need to buy out the girl’s contract.”

“Faith,” I said. “Her name’s Faith.”

Sterling and Rhodes shot each other a look. “Stop doing that!” I snarled.

“Fine,” Sterling said. “But nothing’s changed. We need to know how you’re going to handle this.”

“Obviously, I am going to buy out Faith’s contract,” I said. “I don’t have a choice. My interactions with her violate club policy, and I must follow the rules.”

Neither of my brothers said a word. But they both gaped at me.

“For the love of God, stop looking at me like that.”

“What does it mean?” Rhodes sat forward, his gaze intently focused on me.

“It means Faith won’t be working at the club anymore.”

“And?” Sterling asked.

“And that’s all I have to say on the matter.” I stood to go. “I’ll see you on Friday. And I’ll update you on employee status after speaking with the Madam.”

I left the conference room quickly, heading back to my house. My brothers were so nosy. They wanted to know what buying out Faith’s contract meant. In other words, they wanted to know what was going to happen between us.

But I didn’t answer them. I couldn’t.

Because I had zero fucking clue what would happen.

I’d never intended to let things with Faith go this far. When I opened the club, I wanted a private pleasure playground for adults—most notably myself. I wanted a sanctuary where I could indulge my fantasies without the worry of any strings attached. More than anything, I wanted a virgin—someone who was pure, innocent, and wholly mine for a short time. There would be no obligations outside our contractual agreement: no strings, no ties, no games. That was my version of happily ever after.

That is, until I met Faith.

From the first time I’d seen her, Faith had entranced me. Her simple, unselfconscious beauty captivated me. As soon as I secured her V necklace around her throat, I knew my attraction was undeniable. When I tasted her sweet lips, something inside me gave way. She opened me up to a desire I’d never experienced before.

I obsessed over her—her scent, her hair, the smooth feel of her lustrous skin. I couldn’t get her out of my head. When I brought her to orgasm for the first time, and she’d showered me with the depths of her pleasure, she ignited a deep fire. That’s when I knew she was mine. No one would ever be able to touch her like that, to reach her that way, to shatter her from the inside out.

So when I’d taken her virginity, I’d all but sealed my fate. I was her first, her only. And whenever I imagined her with anyone else, all I felt was pain, a knife twisting inside my gut.

But she was my employee, and I knew my actions were wrong. Not only was it against the rules to have more than three consecutive interactions with a girl, but it went against my code. I didn’t want to get attached to Faith. I wanted to enjoy my club and stay far from the dangers of real intimacy. I knew what that was all about. I had zero interest in a repeat performance.

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