“Obviously,” he retorted, unable to hide the bitterness from his voice.
“No, you misunderstand me, I think,” she said, taking his hand. “If we’d known you were home, I would have jumped on you next.” She squeezed his hand as she ducked her head, a trace of a blush moving over her cheeks. “What I’m trying to say—what both Steve and I are trying to say is, yeah, we’re in love. But the really great thing is I’m in love with you, too.”
“That’s what’s so fucking awesome about our relationship, Zach,” Steve said earnestly. “We both love the same girl. We’ve both claimed the same sub. You and I are best friends—closer than brothers—and somehow we’ve found a way to make this work.”
Zach looked from Steve to Shea, the image of Shea wrapped around Steve still burning in his mind. “Really?” he said hopefully, desperately wanting it to be so. “You love me, too, Shea? As much as you love Steve?”
She nodded. “With all my heart. I love you both.”
“This is new for all of us. We just have to trust the process, Zach,” Steve added, placing his hand on Zach’s shoulder. “We couldn’t have this amazing connection without you, Zach. It’s not just about Shea and me, or Shea and you. It’s all three of us. That’s what makes this relationship work. That’s what makes it so special. You’re a part of us. Without you, the circle would be incomplete. It would just be a straight line between two.”
“Now,” Shea said, getting to her feet. “It’s been a really long day and I’m beat. Let’s go home.”
Back at their place, Zach went to his own bathroom to wash up. He stripped down to his boxers and walked down the hall to Steve’s room. When he stuck his head in the doorway, he saw that Shea was already in Steve’s bed, Steve still in the bathroom.
Zach approached the bed, unsure of himself, unsure of her. She flashed him a radiant, dimpled smile and, in spite of himself, he smiled back. “Take off those boxers,” she commanded. “I need to feel your body next to mine.”
With a grin, Zach pulled off his shorts and sat on the bed, pulling Shea into an embrace. He started to lie down beside her, but she patted the mattress on her other side. “Lie here tonight, between us.”
When Zach hesitated, she added softly, “Zach, when you didn’t come home tonight, Steve and I both felt as if we were missing a piece of our hearts. Don’t do that again, okay? Don’t leave us like that.”
“No,” he promised. “I won’t.” He lay down in the middle of the bed and Shea snuggled up against him, her sweet warmth soothing his soul.
She reached for his face and brushed his lips with hers. She kissed him lightly as she pressed her body against his. “I love you, Master Zach. I’m so glad you’re home where you belong.”
She pulled him closer, her arms encircling his neck as her tongue slipped into his mouth, and Zach abandoned himself to her passionate kiss. As they embraced, all the worries, insecurities and fears slid away like an old skin he no longer needed, and which no longer served him.
When they finally released each other, Zach felt a hand on his back and realized Steve had joined them in the bed. “Welcome home, bro,” Steve said quietly. “Now our circle is complete.”
“Yes,” Zach agreed with a happy laugh. He felt lighter than air, anchored only by the loving touch of his best friends on either side of him. “I think I finally get it. You two are the we of me.”
~*~
It was Steve’s turn, and as he took his seat in the tattoo artist’s chair, his heart began to race. His jaw was clenched so tight that it hurt. He was being ridiculous. Both Shea and Zach had undergone the process barely batting an eye, even as tiny drops of blood beaded beneath the relentless pierce of the inked tattoo needle.
The tattoo had been Zach’s idea—a symbol, he’d said, of their commitment to each other. He’d first brought it up nearly a month ago, just after his misguided solo venture to Hardcore. At first Steve had dismissed it out of hand, but over time, especially given both Zach’s and Shea’s enthusiasm for the project, he’d come around.
Shea had come up with the idea of the BDSM emblem, the triple spiral based on a triskele that symbolized the three aspects of BDSM. “Except in our case, there’s an added meaning,” she’d noted, “since the circle of our special relationship contains three.”
Steve loved the idea in theory. If only there hadn’t been needles involved.
As a tattoo artist swabbed the skin on Steve’s inner arm, Shea took a seat on the chair on his other side and took Steve’s free hand in hers.
Zach, just behind him, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Relax, bro,” he said. “Take the advice that we give our trainees. Embrace the pain and flow with it. Find the courage to submit.”
Steve nodded, drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.
“All good?” the tattoo artist inquired.
“As good as it’s going to get,” Steve said, attempting to laugh.
The tattoo needle buzzed like a dentist’s drill as it pricked the sensitive skin on Steve’s inner arm again and again and again. It hurt like hell, and without a single masochistic bone in his body, Steve wasn’t able to find any pleasure in the process. Instead, sweat breaking out on his forehead and upper lip, he powered his way through it.
“You’re doing great,” Shea said, and Steve realized he was holding her hand so hard that he was probably hurting her. He made an effort to ease his grip and somehow managed to smile back.
Mercifully, the tattoo artist was skilled and quick, and the quarter-sized emblem was done in twenty minutes.
Steve leaned back in the reclining chair with a sigh of relief as the needle ceased its demonic buzz. Happiness began to bloom in his chest like strong liquor as Shea and Zach both held out their arms to compare the three identical tattoos. The euphoria he experienced went beyond the release of endorphins caused by the pain, or from relief that it was over.
As his two best friends smiled down at him, he understood his happiness stemmed from the simple but profound joy of loving and being loved.
~*~
Shea lay naked on the bondage table, the small box of jewelry balanced on her flat stomach. Her nipples, dark pink gum drops in the centers of her creamy, soft breasts, beckoned to Zach. Her eyes were wide with anticipation, nervous energy radiating from her like an aura.
Steve stood at the head of the table, his hands resting lightly on Shea’s arms. His shoulders were hunched, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Take a deep breath and let it out slowly,” Zach counseled, speaking as much to Steve as to Shea. He set down his piercing kit on the small, portable table he’d placed nearby, along with the large hand mirror so he could show Shea afterward.
He focused on the girl, a thrill of power surging through his loins as he held up the piercing needle. “It’s not too late to change your mind, S,” he said. “Do you still want this?”
“More than anything, Sir,” she breathed, some of the tension leaving her body.
Zach looked at Steve, wondering how to calm down his friend, who had turned slightly green at the sight of the needle. “And you, Sir Stephen. Remind us all why we’re piercing our sub girl’s nipples today.”
As he had hoped, Steve seemed to rally at this invitation to be a more direct part of the process. Steve smiled down at Shea as he stroked the tattoo on her inner arm, identical to Zach’s and his, that they’d gotten two weeks before. “All three of us share a tattoo, a mark of our commitment to each other, but only you will be pierced today, S.” Steve moved his hand from her arm to the necklace they had given her. “While this collar is a symbol of your constant submission to Master Zach and me, the nipple piercing symbolizes an even deeper D/s commitment.”
Zach smiled to himself, pleased to realize his old kneejerk resistance to anything approaching permanence of commitment had completely fallen away. Gone, too, was the jealousy at the love between Steve and Shea, the closeness he had once wrongly believed he was incapab
le of sharing. Though Shea, as their submissive, was the natural focal point of the relationship, it truly was a circle, each of the three of them an integral, necessary part of the whole.
As Steve talked, Zach unwrapped two cannula needles and set them at the ready on the tray. Confidence had returned to Steve’s voice as he spoke, his natural dominance reemerging. “Though hidden from the vanilla world, these ruby hearts will be a constant, secret reminder that you belong to us. This permanent mark of ownership is an honor that you have earned, sweet girl, and one we are, in turn, honored to bestow.”
Zach tore open a Betadine pad and swabbed Shea’s right nipple, which instantly stiffened to his touch. He took one of the pieces of nipple jewelry from the open box still balanced on Shea’s belly. Removing the small ruby heart, he threaded the stud to the end of the piercing needle. Gripping Shea’s nipple, he pulled it taut.
She stiffened, catching her breath. Zach glanced at Steve, who understood. He stroked Shea’s cheek and said, “Breathe deeply and slowly, S. Remember, flow with the pain. Accept it as our gift to you.”
“Yes, Sir Stephen. Thank you, Sir.” Shea’s voice was calm, her body relaxed. She was ready.
“Stay very still,” Zach said, fully focused now on what he was doing. “You’ll feel a pinch and some heat. Just a few seconds.”
He pushed the needle through the soft, spongy flesh of her nipple, pulling the threaded stud through the tiny hole. Shea yipped, but remained still, and in a moment, it was done. A tiny bead of blood appeared in the wake of the needle, which he quickly dabbed away before reattaching the ruby heart.
He placed his hand on Shea’s heart, which pounded against his palm. “You did great,” he said, beaming down at her.
“It’s done, Sir?” Shea said, lifting her head to see. “That was so fast.”
“It’s done,” Zach said, “and it’s beautiful, right, Sir Stephen?”
Some of the greenish tinge had returned to Steve’s face, but he managed to smile as he agreed, “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
The second one was completed just as quickly, without even a single drop of blood. “Want to see?” he asked Shea, who nodded eagerly. He picked up the hand mirror as Steve helped Shea into a sitting position on the table, cradling her from behind.
“Oooh,” Shea breathed, her face glowing with submissive radiance as she stared into the mirror at the ruby hearts at her nipples. “They’re perfect. Two hearts from my two Masters.”
~*~
Six Months Later
“Good job, O’Connor.” Shea’s boss slapped her on the back. They stood together in the hall just outside the conference room of their newest prospective client’s corporate office in Seattle. “Your presentation was excellent. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to clinch the deal over dinner. Sorry I can’t bring you along,” he added insincerely. “You know, with the budget cuts and all…” He shrugged helplessly, though she knew he was full of shit.
Whenever their client rep was female and even remotely attractive, Mr. Carroll found a way to exclude Shea from any social activity. Ms. Baxter, a very attractive forty-something woman with no evidence of a wedding ring was right up his horn-dog alley. Hopefully he wouldn’t queer the deal in the process of his attempted seduction.
Meanwhile, Shea vastly preferred returning alone to her hotel room. She would order room service and then check in with her Masters. “No worries, Mr. Carroll,” she said with a smile as insincere as his. “Wrapping up the deal is your strong suit. I’m just happy to be a part of the process.”
“That’s the team spirit, O’Connor,” he said heartily, again slapping her on the back. “We’ll get an early start back to the office in the morning.”
Feeling pleased with how she’d handled herself, Shea stepped out into the summer sunshine and took a cab from the client’s office to the hotel. It was hard to believe nearly a year had passed since she had met her Masters. Though she had only left them that morning, she already missed Steve and Zach a ridiculous amount, and couldn’t wait to have a little FaceTime with them. Maybe they’d want her to strip and masturbate for them, something they often had her do when she had to be away on business.
Her clit pulsed, her pierced nipples tingling at the thought. She had to resist the sudden urge to slip her hands into her bra to fondle the beautiful rings Zach had placed there. The tattoos they’d gotten had been nothing compared to the pain the piercing had caused, but it had been worth every second.
It had been a reversal of their usual roles—with Sir Stephen offering incredible support and love as he helped her through the process, while Master Zach had been masterful in his role as sensual sadist. Between the two of them, in spite of her fear, they’d managed to make the process deeply erotic and enormously satisfying.
How far she had come from the awkward, painfully shy girl who had laid herself over Sir Stephen’s lap at the club, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. How wonderful it was to submit to two men who loved and cherished her. How amazing to feel fully actualized and content with herself in all aspects of her life.
The cab pulled up in front of the hotel. Shea paid the driver and entered the hotel lobby. As she waited for the elevator, she took off her tailored suit jacket and draped it over her arm.
A handsome older man with silver hair and dark eyes entered the elevator along with her. He smiled appreciatively at her, his gaze sweeping her body before returning to her face. She smiled back, thinking how, just a year ago, she would have blushed beet red at his attentions.
The elevator door opened at her floor, and she stepped out, fishing in her bag for her key card as she walked to her room. She inserted the card into the slot and, just as she opened the door, someone grabbed her from behind, placing one arm against her throat as he pushed her forward into the room.
Startled and terrified, she tried to scream, but her cry was muffled by a large hand clamped hard over her mouth. As she struggled in her assailant’s grip, something was placed over her eyes, plunging her into darkness.
Her heart was smashing in her chest and her legs felt like rubber as she was half pushed, half carried through the room. She was thrown down hard against the mattress, the man behind her falling on top of her, his heavy weight pinning her down, his hand still clamped hard on her mouth.
When he took his hand from her mouth, Shea again tried to scream, but this time a rubber ball was shoved between her teeth. The man was still holding her down and, she realized as the ball gag strap was buckled around the back of her head, that there must be two men in the room with her. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought she might faint.
Still holding her tight, the man on top of her rolled to his back, pulling her with him so she now lay face up on top of him, blindfolded and gagged. He held her arms while a second pair of hands ripped at her blouse in a spray of buttons. Something cold and hard slipped between her breasts, just beneath her bra. As it was yanked upward in a tear of fabric, she understood it was a knife and her blood turned to ice in her veins.
Her skirt was torn from her body, her pantyhose and panties pulled down her legs. Rough hands kneaded her breasts, tugging lightly at her nipple rings as she squirmed, her panic rising.
The man beneath her shifted, sliding away so she now lay flat on her back on the mattress. She lay helpless, naked, blindfolded and gagged—at the mercy of two men she couldn’t see.
The man holding her arms now grabbed her wrists and, pressing them together, drew them over her head, while at the same time her thighs were forcibly parted.
As she bucked and struggled, a hand slid between her legs, hard fingers pressing inside her. In spite of her terror, or perhaps partially because of it, her vaginal muscles contracted hard against the invasion, a gush of moisture opening and softening her.
The hands fell away as she was lifted and turned, forced to straddle bare, muscular thighs. The mattress bounced beside her, the second man apparently joining them on the bed. The man beneath her pulled her f
orward on his body, settling her so that the head of his huge cock pushed against her opening.
She screamed against her gag as she was lowered slowly but inexorably onto the hard shaft. She banged ineffectually against the man’s broad chest with her fists, but he barely seemed to notice.
Her cunt spasmed involuntarily against its girth as the man’s cock filled her. Still gripping her hips with strong fingers, he moved inside her, causing a convulsive shudder of pleasure to hurtle through her body.
Meanwhile, the second man repositioned himself just behind her on the bed. His breath was hot against her neck as he pushed a lubricated finger deep into her ass. Shea squealed against her gag, drool splashing down her chin, her heart thudding like a drum.
The finger was withdrawn, only to be replaced by the unmistakable pressure of a man’s cock against her sphincter. He entered her ass slowly as the first man continued to pummel her cunt. The two cocks rubbed against each other inside her, separated only by a thin membrane, filling her completely, the sensation at once almost painful and deliciously pleasurable.
They began to move in tandem, Shea trapped between them, her body shuddering with each incredible dual thrust. She was so wet her inner thighs were slicked with her own juices as the supine man’s pubic bone rubbed hard against her clit. Someone twisted her nipples, the added zing of erotic pain heightened by a hand gripping her hard just beneath the jaw.
She couldn’t help it. It was going to happen, with or without permission.
Tuned to her body, the man behind her unbuckled the gag, while the man beneath her pulled the gooey ball from her mouth. She understood what was expected of her, and as the pleasure became nearly unbearable, she managed to gasp out the words.
“Please, Sir Stephen. Oh God, Master Zach. May I come?”
Shea opened her eyes, for a moment disoriented. She lay on her back in the hotel bed, Zach on one side, Steve on the other. They were both facing her. Zach was lifted on one elbow, his hand resting lightly on her breast, Steve with his head next to hers on the pillow.