by Shayla Black
“Or another ring. We could run a chain through her nipple rings down to her clit. It would stimulate her every time we yanked her chain,” Reid continued.
They were sitting together on the bed now looking ridiculously decadent together. Gideon leaned in. He looked comfortable being so close to Reid. She gulped down the nice Bordeaux and wondered where her martini was. They talked about how they could stimulate her, and all she could think about was jumping in the middle of them and begging them to take her. This was the man who ripped her heart out of her chest and pissed on it, and her best friend.
What was she thinking? She really was a masochist.
“Don’t you two have a public orgy to attend?” she asked irritably.
“That’s not until Friday,” Gideon replied seriously.
Reid laughed. “He’s joking, love. Tonight is just a mixer. Everyone will be fully clothed. We’re all going to eat, drink, and mingle. It’s a nice way to meet people who have the same interests.”
“He means it’s a good way to meet a Dom.” Gideon was still looking at her boobs. She had a bad feeling her nipples were hard as rocks and he could see the outline of her gold rings. She gave in to the urge and crossed her arms over her chest. “Everyone’s passed a background check and, unlike you, everyone else had to talk to our resident shrink before being allowed to attend.”
“Lisa talked to her at the club,” Reid explained. “It wasn’t formal, but Lisa didn’t have any problems passing her.”
It had seemed to be the safest way to meet people in the lifestyle. Reid had made it sound like one big, relaxed party. “Well, I’ll have to take out a personal ad. Now go to your mixer.”
Gideon gasped and shot off the bed. He reached for her before pulling back, obviously thinking better of putting his hands on her. “You’re not putting out a personal ad. What the hell are you thinking? That’s a good way to get yourself killed. Fine. I don’t seem to have any control over anything these days. Get dressed. Reid can escort you.” He sighed and leaned over, his face softening. “I’ve thought about it, Jessica. You’re right. I have no reason to keep you away except for the fact that looking at you makes me feel bad about what I threw away. I was an idiot. I can’t fix what happened between us, but I can offer to show you around.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she wanted to go to that mixer. She’d been excited about it for weeks. She knew she should hole up and follow through with her plan to leave in the morning. Being in the same room with Gideon was far too dangerous. He stared down at her expectantly, and she found herself nodding. “Okay.”
Gideon gave her a smile that set her heart to pounding. “Good. Then I’ll see you in an hour. I’ll come and walk you down.”
She shook her head. “That is not necessary. I can find my way.”
“No, I think it’s best if you stay with me or Reid. Sweetheart, these people are hard core. Some of the men here are 24-7 and looking for a slave. I would feel better if you spent the first couple of days with one of us to advise you.”
“I’ll go with Reid,” she said stubbornly.
Gideon looked like he would argue, but finally agreed. “All right. I’ll let you get ready. Reid, let’s give her some privacy.”
Reid seemed surprised but got up and joined his best friend. “I’ll be back here in an hour.”
The men left, and Jessica poured herself another drink. It looked like she would need it.
Reid followed Gideon out of Jessica’s suite, wondering exactly what would be waiting for him in the hallway. He clenched his fist to try to stop the fine tremble in his hands. He’d been plotting this reunion for weeks, plotting to get the three of them together forever, and now that it was here, he was so nervous he could hardly breathe. This was either the breakthrough he’d been waiting for, or the ass-kicking he’d been dreading.
His lover walked halfway down the hall and then rounded on him. Gideon’s face was tight, his voice tortured. “Are you fucking her?”
Breakthrough! Reid had to contain his almost savage sense of satisfaction. “She still doesn’t know I’m bi. It was the only way I could stay close to her.”
“Good, keep it that way for now.”
Reid felt his eyes narrow. He’d been patient for years, but that trait was deserting him. “Keep it that way? Are you telling me to keep it in my pants? After what you did?”
Gideon took a step back and his face turned to granite. “Watch your tone with me. I know we’re not 24/7, but I’m not putting up with disrespect.”
Wow. He was done. Reid felt that fine tremble he’d had before become a raging tremor. “Disrespect?”
Gideon’s face fell. His shoulders slumped. “Reid, I…”
“I stand by for years while you play the straight boy wonder. I let you keep me in the closet. I was willing to let you marry a woman and never hear the words ‘I love you’ in public. And you want to talk to me about disrespect?” Reid turned, unable to look at him a second longer. The hall was lined with floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a spectacular view of the winter wonderland outside. Reid leaned his forehead against the glass to catch his breath. It was cold against his skin.
Gideon pressed against his back, his arms winding around his middle, enveloping Reid in his embrace. “I am sorry.”
Three little words, and his rage started to loosen. He blinked back tears. Why hadn’t he left? Because he loved this man with his whole heart. Despite Gideon’s maddening attempts at living in two worlds, he knew Gideon loved him. He proved it the only way he knew how. Gideon was the one who made sure the oil was changed in his car. Gideon was the one who made sure his security system worked and forced him to stop for dinner when he was immersed in a case. For years, Reid had had faith. He wasn’t going to give up now. “I thought being the Dom meant never having to say you’re sorry.”
Gideon’s breath was a welcome heat against his ear. “Well, I’ve been a terrible Dom. And you’re possibly the worst sub ever.”
He chuckled. He really was a bad sub. Like most things in his life, he found himself trapped in a fluid role. He wasn’t submissive enough to truly be a subbie. He enjoyed playing the Dom far too much for that. He liked men. He liked women. He’d given up on trying to figure himself out. He was simply Reid. He found he was much happier when he stopped trying to label himself. Jessica had given that to him. Jessica’s open acceptance of him had shown him the way. How was she going to react when he told her he’d been lying to her for years? He couldn’t stand the thought of losing either one of them. “I love you, but I love her, too.”
“She belongs with us.”
Reid threw up his hands in frustration and turned. “I believe I’ve been saying that for three fucking years.” He’d known the moment he saw her that Jessica was their perfect third, but Gideon had tried to please his family.
“I am sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I can only thank the universe that you didn’t leave me.” Gideon forced his chin up, his eyes filled with promise. “I love you. I’m just a man. I’m a dumb man, who needs to make up for years of wasted time. You were right. She’s everything we could want in a woman. I’ll get her back for us.”
“It won’t be easy.”
Gideon ignored him, preferring to take on a thoughtful look. “I don’t think she believed me when I told her she was lovely.”
It took everything Reid had not to smack him. He could be dense. “No, she was humoring you. She thinks she’s fat because you told her she wasn’t your type, asshole. Do you have any idea what I’ve gone through trying to convince her she’s hot? I’ve had to sit through her trying on lingerie and playing the supportive friend when all I wanted to do was rip it off her and eat that pussy of hers.”
Gideon sighed. His eyes slid closed and Reid could tell whatever memory was playing in his head was a nice one. “It’s really sweet. She gets wet incredibly fast.”
Reid smiled as he noticed his partner’s boner. It tented his jeans. Reid ran his hand over that har
d piece of flesh. He was happy with the way Gideon pressed into his hand. It was a complete turnaround from six months before when he would have been worried about people watching. Now he seemed more interested in getting off than hiding his inclinations. Reid felt himself getting hard at the thought of easing Gideon’s discomfort.
“So, do I understand you correctly?” He slid his hand inside the waistband of Gideon’s jeans. He closed his palm around Gideon’s thick length. “We’re going after Jessica?”
“I love her.” Gideon’s hips moved. “I think I always have. She’s perfect for us.”
He brushed his fingers over the wet head of his lover’s cock. “She’ll probably be pissed when she realizes we’re bi. You know that, right?”
Gideon laughed. “Hell, she’s so pissed at me she can’t see straight. We’ll be lucky if she talks to me, much less actually lets us fuck her.”
He leaned over and whispered. “She’ll be between us by the end of the week, and you know it. She’s our sweet slave girl. We just have to prove it to her. I want her. I don’t want to play around with this. She’s a forever girl. I want one of us to live with her. I want one of us to marry her and later, I want a family. If you don’t…”
“Stop.” Gideon turned his head around and pressed his lips to Reid’s. “I love you. I love her. I’m done pretending to be something I’m not. Screw my family. They dumped me. It’s time I found my own. I want a home with you and Jessica. I should have done this a long time ago. We have to rebuild our friendship with her. We need to take this week and let her get comfortable with us. At the end of the week, we’ll wine her and dine her and make her ours.” Gideon kissed him again, and when he lifted his head there was a dirty little smile on his face. “Are her nipples really pierced?”
Reid chuckled as the cock in his hand pulsed. He wrapped his fist around Gideon’s cock and pumped slowly from the thick base all the way up to the head. “She squeals with pleasure when I tug on them.”
“Oh, god,” Gideon moaned. “Where is your room? I need to fuck.”
Reid ignored him and swiped his thumb across the head of Gideon’s cock. His hand was getting nicely slippery. Reid’s own cock throbbed in anticipation. If Jessica were here with them, he’d order her to suck it.
“I said stop. Now. We finish this in your room.”
Reid reluctantly pulled his hand out and fished in his pants for his keycard. He knew when the Dom meant business. “Your wish is my command.”
Reid opened the door, and Gideon was on him immediately. He tugged at the waistband of Reid’s pants. Reid kicked off his shoes and allowed Gideon to push him onto the bed. He worked the sweater off his chest and over his head while Gideon pulled off his pants and got out the lube he kept in the nightstand. There was a condom on Gideon’s hard cock in no time at all, and Reid groaned as Gideon spread his legs wide and thrust inside. He was rough and quick. Reid groaned as he was filled. Every nerve in his ass came alive as Gideon fucked him ruthlessly. Gideon’s hand came between them and he palmed Reid’s cock, squeezing with the rhythm of his thrusts.
“God, you feel good,” Gideon hissed as he buried himself. Gideon fisted his cock and stared down at him. “You feel so fucking good, I’m going to ignore the way you manipulated me today. I should redden your ass.”
“But I wouldn’t love it the way Jessica does,” he pointed out. The image of sweet, loving Jessica with her ass in the air waiting to take their discipline made him moan and press up. He didn’t want to lose the cock that filled him.
Between the cock up his ass and the hand squeezing his cock it took no time at all before Reid let his eyes roll back. Cum spurted out between them, staining the sweater Gideon still wore. Gideon simply laughed and then groaned as he came. Gideon fell forward and kissed him. He thrust his tongue into Reid’s mouth and they danced and played, lovingly rubbing tongue to tongue. When Gideon came up for air, there was a light joy in his eyes that nearly brought Reid to tears. It had been months and months since Gideon had looked so happy.
“Next time, she’s between us.”
Reid sighed and let the afterglow warm him. “I promise.”
3
Two days later, Jessica stared down at the questionnaire in front of her and wondered what the hell a TENS unit was and why she should be concerned about one.
“A contract is especially important in the beginning of a relationship,” the woman at the head of the conference room stated.
Jessica hadn’t actually meant to come to this particular lecture. It sounded kind of boring to her. She’d spent three years running a law office. The last thing she needed was a class on contracts. There was another discussion with subs and Doms on the best places to mix and mingle that she’d wanted to attend. She hoped she could spend a little time with one of the men she’d met the first night. She’d been walking into that conference room when Gideon waylaid her, and she found herself in here. Instead of meeting interesting men, she was staring at an extra-long contract that would outline all the things she would and wouldn’t do with a person she hadn’t even met yet.
The teacher droned on about the importance of vigilance. Jessica stared at the page in front of her, and the words started running together.
The last two days had been weird. It wasn’t turning out like she expected. It started when Reid picked her up to escort her to the mixer. She’d been wearing her best little black dress. It was sleeveless and had a plunging neckline. It showed off her boobs. Reid had picked it out himself when they’d gone shopping not a month before. He’d proclaimed it fabulous then, but that night he’d decided what the sexy dress needed was a cardigan.
“It’s very cold, love,” he’d explained right before buttoning it up to her neck.
For a complete pervert, Reid was turning out to be quite the fuddy-duddy. Now that she thought about it, maybe she should have expected it. He was always protective of her when he took her to clubs back in Birmingham. It wasn’t different here. He’d followed her around, holding her hand and generally scaring off most of the men who might have talked to her. It was only after the greeting speech he and Gideon had given to open the conference that she managed to lose herself in the crowd. She’d been able to meet Erik. Tall, dark, and handsome Erik. There was no way he was seriously interested in her, but he’d been funny. She liked him. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to him. She could hone her flirting skills on the hot Dom.
Only every time she tried to talk to Erik, either Reid or Gideon whisked her away. On three separate occasions, one of the two had interrupted the discussions she’d started with the handsome architect. The first night Reid needed her advice on the wine selection, which was odd because Reid was practically a sommelier and often despaired of her palate. The second day, she’d started to join a group that was going ice skating. Erik had promised not to let her fall. Gideon put an end to that. She was new, he’d explained, and all newcomers were required to attend the class on the rules of the organization.
She never would have guessed a BDSM club would be slavishly devoted to parliamentary procedure.
Breakfast this morning had been a bust, too. Reid had been waiting outside her door. When they entered the dining room, Erik had looked up, and she could plainly see he held a place for her. Reid had wrapped an arm around her waist and settled her between him and Gideon. Despite her best intentions, she was rapidly becoming comfortable with Gideon again. He was sweet and funny. It was easy to remember all the reasons she’d fallen in love with him. He’d taken care of her, making sure her coffee mug was full, getting her another muffin when she mentioned how good they were. His arm had slid around the back of her chair. He’d even run back to her room for a jacket when he noticed her shiver. He was genuinely kind.
As long as she didn’t sleep with him.
“It is essential to outline exactly what you’re comfortable with and what you, as a submissive, are unwilling to do,” the teacher explained. “You should use this list as a template. This is a detailed list o
f the major areas of BDSM play. Everything should be negotiated before entering a relationship, or even deciding to perform a scene at a club. It is your responsibility to mark the boundaries. Don’t expect your Dom to read minds.”
“I thought there weren’t supposed to be any boundaries between a Dom and sub,” one of the men said. He sounded disgruntled. “This shit takes all the fun out of it.”
“Tourist,” Reid whispered, pulling up the chair beside her. “We need to check our screening process.”
The disgruntled man and the teacher were discussing the situation, but Reid took the pen out of her hand and started marking up her questionnaire. “No, yes, only a little bit of that, oh, hell yes. Absolutely not.”
“Hey,” she whispered, trying not to disturb the rest of the class. She pulled the paper out of his hands. “Shouldn’t I be making those decisions? How do you know whether or not I would like…” She looked down and picked one of the categories he’d marked as an immovable NO. “… Scat games. What are scat games?”
Reid leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“NO. That’s a firm no, Reid. Can we highlight that one?” She believed in tolerance, but there were definitely some things she wouldn’t be trying.
Reid laughed. “I promise it won’t come up, love.” He still looked entirely amused as he stood and reached for her hand. “Kelly, dear, I need to take this one with me. Master Gideon needs a guinea pig. I offered up my own sweet sub.” His hand curled around her hip, and she felt as though he was showing her off. It made her feel entirely sexy.
The instructor nodded and she found herself on her feet being led out.
“I am so not your sub,” Jessica complained as they entered the hallway. She tried not to think about the way her skin tingled where he touched her. “If you keep telling people that, no one is going to approach me. I read the rules. No touching other Doms’ subs. I’ve been here for three days, and I’ve only managed to talk to one Dom.”