Erin on the Gambling Table Ch. 03

Erin on the Gambling Table (Overhauled).

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Chapter III. Do ends justify the means?

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"Here, wear this," Cassius unceremoniously told her as he handed her a paper bag. He seemed mentally busy; his thoughts focused on something else.

The fact that he was handing her clothes after he had forbidden them completely was strange enough, but the contents of the bag only deepened her surprise.

The outfit itself was similar to the ones he used to give her during the first few days; a slim-fitted, sleeveless white crop top, and a thong, both white. However, for the very first time he was handing her actual clothes, nothing transparent or minuscule. It was revealing, but not more than anything she would've comfortably worn at the beach.

Erin didn't protest. She obediently put on the clothes and stood up to model them for him. Cassius was looking at her dispassionately, with the expression of someone who's trying to objectively assess the merits of something.

"I think that will work," he said after a while. His lips drew a small smile of satisfaction at a job well done, then, without giving her the chance to ask, he went out of the room to retrieve a few more items: a couple of 4-inch white stilettos, some make up, and a new bottle of perfume.

"I have a few friends coming over tonight. In fact, Ryan, the one I talked to you about, the one who owns the house, is coming. I want to... display you properly, without letting them see too much."

He said it like it was supposed to be an explanation, but it only managed to give her more questions.

"You know how this works. Vermillion lips, no foundation, don't go crazy on the makeup. Also, make sure to style your hair nicely. I need you ready by 20:00. I'm a little busy but I'll come back later to check on you, OK?"

Before she could reply, he gave her a wet kiss, then left the room without saying anything else. Erin lingered for a bit, unsure whether she should feel nervous about it. Then she put her thoughts behind her and started getting ready.

The guests started arriving at 20:00 sharp. It was only a handful of people. A few guys in expensive clothes plus the girls they were probably sleeping with. Ryan was one of the first ones to arrive. Tall, blonde, blue eyed, slim guy in his early thirties, with a sharp angular face, wearing a fake embroidered cowboy shirt and jeans. His pose was that of an aristocrat. His demeanor was friendly enough, but she didn't like the way he looked at her; it was clear that the man had taken an interest in her instantly, and she didn't feel comfortable standing around him in these clothes. Cassius, however, didn't seem to notice. He mostly looked enthusiastic to see the man.

She couldn't help but feel excited at first, it was the first time she had seen anyone besides Cassius and Justine in almost a month, but the evening went by slowly. She found the girls to be empty and uninteresting, even when talking about topics she loved. The guys, on the other hand, she found intimidating. All accomplished millionaires with whom she had very little in common, and who kept looking at her like she was little more than meat. She couldn't believe those were the people Cassius considered his friends. More than once she thought about asking his permission to simply go to bed, but she knew it was important for him, and decided to make an effort.

At least the food is good, I guess. Justine had put a lot of effort into preparing a wonderful assortment of sushi for the evening.

They ate and drank, then set the table for a poker game.

Cassius told her to sit on his lap for good luck. Erin had no idea how the game was played but figured it could be interesting to watch him. About an hour went by and a few thousand dollars changed hands. It looked like Cassius was winning.

At one point in the evening it came to a showdown between Cassius and Ryan for the biggest pot yet. Ryan looked very confident, but in the end, Cassius had the better hand.

"I hate playing this game with you," he complained, throwing away his cards, "It's not normal to have the kind of good luck you have."

"I have a very good lucky charm," Cassius replied while caressing Erin's thigh. She was a little surprised about how affectionate he was being, but it was nice to see him like that.

Ryan fixed his eyes on Erin. She turned away from him but could feel his eyes all over her. "A very nice looking one as well... I hope you lend her to me sometime."

"No, man, that's not going to happen," he promptly replied while dealing the next hand.

"So, that's how it is between us?" Ryan huffed sarcastically, "I let you stay in my house but you won't share your toys with me?"

Cassius couldn't help but chuckle. "If I ever get a house, you're more than welcome to stay, but I don't share my toys. That's a bit more intimate than I'm interested in getting with you."

All the guests at the table laughed. Erin laughed as well, but more out of nervousness than genuine amusement. She was not comfortable being discussed like that.

"Fair enough. How about selling her then?" Ryan kept prodding.

"Not happening," Cassius repeated. The conversation was eerily casual. Both men were talking in a slightly amused tone, the kind of tone people use to poke fun at each other and discuss trivialities. Erin wanted to scream at them both. At Ryan for talking about her like that, and at Cassius for not defending her.

"Oh, come on. Don't be so stubborn. I'll pay you well. In fact, tell me how much she cost and I'll double it. You can get two just like her."

Cassius was not looking at either one of them, seemingly absorbed in his cards, but his lips produced a warm smile that was clearly unrelated to the game.

"No, I can't," he replied. Most of the guests on the table were not paying attention to the conversation but two people fixed their eyes on him: one was Ryan, slightly intrigued; the other was Erin.

They played the hand and progressively, Cassius forced everyone to fold, until it was only him and Ryan again.

It was Ryan's turn to bet, but he didn't immediately play. He locked his eyes on the couple and lingered for a moment. Even at a friendly game, he was extremely competitive. After losing to Cassius all night, he was looking forward to turning the tables.

He looked at his cards, then at the couple again, and he saw an opportunity.

"You're not willing to rent her, you're not willing to sell her, I wonder... Would you be willing to bet her?"

The mood on the entire table changed. Everyone was looking around, intrigued and expectant at the new development. Erin could feel all eyes fixed on the three of them. She looked nervously at Cassius who had never looked more hesitant than he was then. She realized in horror he was actually thinking about it.

"Look, we're just playing a friendly game. I really don't want to..." Cassius began, trying to defuse the situation, but Ryan wouldn't let it go.

"What's the matter?" he interrupted, "You seemed so confident in your cards a minute ago. I'll tell you what. I know you've been trying to find a more permanent place to stay. I'll bet you this manor that you like so much, if you're willing to risk her."

Cassius' poker face cracked entirely, and a nervous smile drew across his lips. "Why... Why would you do that?" he queried, almost stuttering in his nervousness, "The manor is much more expensive than her."

"So, consider the extra cost a compensation for whatever emotional value she has to you."

He paused for a moment and took a sip of his drink; his eyes still staring at Erin.

"Look, the offer is on the table," he continued, trying to break Cassius's hesitance, "I think we both know you're the kind of person who regrets passing on these kinds of opportunities. Your call."

Cassius stared at his cards and began tapping nervously on the table. He briefly moved his eyes towards Ryan's smug smile, then went back to stare at his cards. Erin was shaking in his lap. She wanted to cry in anger and disgust but felt completely paralyzed. The worst part for her was that nobody seemed to notice. The jerks at the table were all smiling and laughing, Ryan was undressing her with his eyes and Cassius seemed completely absorbed in his own head.

"I'm in," He finally said. For Erin, the next few seconds passed extremely slowly. She could've sworn time had stopped completely.

Ryan showed his cards, never losing his smile, revealing a full house. The enraptured guests all turned to Cassius. He let an instant go by in suspense with a blank expression, then, revealed a better full house. The entire table laughed and clapped excitedly while Ryan threw his hands in the air, defeated. Erin seized the commotion to run away to her room.

The scene lasted for about a minute. A couple of people began mocking Ryan. A couple of others congratulated Cassius. Nobody seemed to notice Erin was gone. Nobody seemed to care.

When the guests finally settled down, Cassius was still staring at Ryan with a soft smile. He looked awfully calm considering what he had done.

"I really thought I had you there," said Ryan, contemplating the cards. He then reached into his pockets and put a set of keys on the table, "Well, a bet is a bet. I guess I'm going to go before I lose something actually valuable." He gestured the girl with whom he had arrived and left without saying another word. Cassius sent everybody home amongst protests, saying the night was over.

Once the guests were gone, he stood in the middle of the living room for a moment and looked around, contemplating. The silence around him like a quiet and respectful acknowledgement of how far he had gotten. A moment passed with him basking in his victory. Then, he hurried upstairs, knowing Erin needed comforting.

When he arrived in the bedroom, he found her curled up on the bed, sobbing.

"Kitten..." he called sweetly.

"Go away!" she rasped, her voice seething with rage. It didn't matter to her anymore if she angered him or if he punished her. She felt betrayed.

"Kitten..." he called her again, softer this time.

"I said go away! And don't fucking call me kitten!" she yelled. Cassius could tell she was making an effort to keep her voice from breaking.

"Kitten..." he repeated a third time, this time extremely soft.

"I said don't call me that!" She screamed again. For a moment she stared at him with a choleric expression, almost snarling, trying to look intimidating. Cassius remained calm and silent. Slowly, her expression began to crack. When she couldn't hold his gaze anymore, she buried her head in the pillow and continued weeping inconsolably.

Erin cursed herself. She was telling herself that she should be hurling insults at him, not crying; he wasn't worth crying over, he wasn't worth her pain. But even then, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken. It seemed like every time she saw something positive in him, she stupidly allowed herself to feel hope, only to be let down.

She had thought she'd seen something in his eyes back on the table, especially with everything he was doing lately, something that had instantly made her feel that maybe things wouldn't be so bad, only for him to immediately bet her.

Cassius let her vent for a couple of minutes, until he couldn't stand watching her cry anymore.

"You told me you wanted the house."

He paused for a moment to let the words sink in her mind and take her out of her distress. Erin wiped her tears and tried to find some composure to face him again.

"You told me you wanted the house, didn't you? I can't afford to buy you this house, kitty. But I could trick him into giving it to me."

The words almost sound like an apology. Erin stared at him blankly for a second, then started shaking her head. "No... There's no way in hell you planned this."

"No? I know he's competitive, I know he's obsessive, I know he can't stand it when someone denies him what he wants, I know what kind of girl he likes, I knew he was going to be willing to bet the manor if that would get him what he wanted, and I know he has a gambling problem. So, knowing all that, draw your own conclusions."

"And if you had lost?" she challenged him.

Cassius gave her a tender look. "Do you really think if there was any chance that I might have lost, I would have accepted the bet?"

"I saw your face. You looked scared, hesitant..."

"Of course I was, darling. I was acting! How else do you expect me to trick him?"

Erin remained staring at him perplexed. The entire plot came alive before her eyes, from the moment he had told her he wanted to display her properly. Cassius looked in amusement as she started putting the pieces together.

"Ryan... he's supposed to be your friend. He even... lent you his house... And you manipulated him to take it away."

"Don't tell me you now feel bad for Ryan," he replied dismissively. Erin lingered in silence for a moment. There really was no remorse in his eyes. He looked quite proud.

"You're evil..." she whispered.

Cassius smirked, almost as if it was a compliment.

"To my core... but don't say I never do anything nice for you."

In a comical gesture, he walked up to her and with one finger he gently pushed her chin upwards, closing her mouth, which had been gaping for since he revealed his plan. Then he fetched some champagne from one of the cabinets and poured two glasses.

"Here," he told her while handing her one, "and liven up, kitty. There's a lot to be happy about."

Up until that point she hadn't had the opportunity to think about it, but now, and with that champagne in her hand, it all started sinking in. Her expression didn't change however; she still was very much perplexed at the fact he had actually listened to her.

"You really did this for me?" she asked a little timidly, like she was fearing his answer.

Cassius smiled sweetly and nuzzled her left cheek. "I had thought about it before, but when you told me you liked it, I decided it was time."

She couldn't help but smile adoringly at him. "That's... that's amazing... Thank you."

A moment passed in silence. He continued to caress her without taking his eyes off of her. She almost felt sad for her early thoughts about him. Cassius saw something familiar in her face.

"You want me to fuck you," he unabashedly stated, breaking the silence.

She blushed and covered herself protectively with her arms. Her expression was adorably coy. "W-What? Why would you think that?"

"I know that expression. Fidgeting nervously with your hair, very lightly wiggling your hips... that's what you do when you feel playful. You got turned on by all this, didn't you?" His tone could almost hypnotize her.

She laughed and finally broke the near-stupor state she was in, and threw herself onto him, almost knocking him backwards. "It was impressive. Please don't do it again... I was terrified."

"You played your role well. You were a very good girl tonight," he told her as he placed his arms around her. She couldn't stop herself from moaning. There was a sense of pride in his words and his look. Genuine pride in her actions. She felt a dark chill running through her body that further fueled her desire.

Cassius felt that she was standing on the edge of plunging into the depths of her submission. He gently laid her face down on the bed. She did not protest as he unclothed her and tied her down.

"This might hurt a bit at first. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

She felt him spreading her cheeks and a cold liquid spreading around the skin of her ass, followed by metal pressing against her.

"Wait!," she cried nervously, "What are you doing?"

"It's a small buttplug. Don't worry, just relax and push out a bit," he replied a little amused as he gently massaged her clit to help her relax, while he forced the plug into her.

It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would, but it definitely felt a lot bigger than he was describing. She could feel something large and cold resting against the outside of her body. He wiggled it a bit and saw her flinching.

Cassius left for a few seconds, then promptly returned waving a flogger.

"This one is a bit harsher than what I've used so far," he told her while walking around the bed. Her heartbeat became faster as she started anticipating the lashes.

The delicious sound of the flogger cracking against her skin echoed against the wall a few times. Erin's muscles would visibly tense every time, but she didn't scream. "Thank you, Master" was all she could say through ragged breaths. Her chest rose and fell as her breaths became deeper and faster.

After about five lashes, Cassius stopped hitting and instead began planting soft kisses on the marks he was leaving on her skin. Already she was getting red, and the fact that she was so pale made the color stand out deliciously. Erin could feel her eyes watering, but she didn't want to stop.

Cassius repeated the process for a bit, until her ass was shining red. He noticed that Erin was now pushing herself to meet the lashes. She was sobbing into the mattress, but there was also a wet patch under her pussy.

"Ok. Enough pain for today." He told her while lightly caressing her ass.

Erin moaned as his fingers caressed her.

"Thank you, Master. I'm grateful," she told him with some effort. Cassius grinned widely.

He turned her head and kissed her passionately, trying to stop her crying. She was trembling but found enough strength to kiss him back.

"Now, beg me," he told her while caressing her face.

"Please, Master. Fuck your little slave. Make me cum," she whispered.

He climbed on to the bed and placed himself above her. He was holding his weight with his elbows but still managed to squeeze her a bit.

Cassius teased her with the tip of his cock for a bit, before entering her very slowly. He could feel Erin's walls tensing as he entered her.

Between Cassius and the buttplug, Erin felt extremely full. The skin of his pelvis rubbing against the sore skin of her ass was a little painful, but not so much she couldn't enjoy it. He thrust very deeply, driving her mad with his slow pace.

Cassius paused for a moment, remaining completely inside her, and lifted her upper body a bit to kiss her.

"Are you my pet?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yes, Master. I'm your pet!" she cried.

He pushed her face down and continued thrusting, as fast as he could this time. She screamed into the mattress as she got closer.

"May I cum, please?" she cried

"Cum, little pet." He commanded.

Erin let out a loud scream and felt her legs trembling, followed by Cassius' cum flooding her pussy.

"Good girl," he told her while caressing her back.

After he untied her, she moved her hand to caress her ass. It was very sore, almost too much, but she couldn't deny she enjoyed it. She was becoming more and more accepting of the fact she loved the pain.

Cassius helped her get inside the bed and held her tightly. "Close your eyes, baby." He whispered softly as he continued to caress her. "This is your bed, in your house. You are home."

His voice felt almost like a lullaby. She fell asleep almost immediately. That night she would rest better than any night before in the manor.

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"What's my name?" he playfully asked, already holding the flogger in his hand.

She couldn't believe she still didn't know. She had lived with him for nearly a month, they talked every day, by then he knew her body about as well as he knew his—all the sensitive spots, the ticklish spots...— and she still didn't know who he was. At that point she was resigned that either he was going to tell her, or she would never know.

It made her more than a little nervous. She wondered if he thought she knew him more than she actually did. She didn't want to have him tell her his name only for her to stare at him blankly trying to figure out who he was. That would surely displease him.