“Uh, I’m not sure I know
what
I’m thinking right now. I mean, it’s hard for me to say what’s on my mind, when I don’t even really know you. And I’m just not used to talking about stuff except with my friends,” she replied.
“We know it’s hard, darlin’, but it’ll get easier the more you do it, so you need to try. We can be patient, as long as you’re tryin’ and not lyin’ to us. Okay?” Logan questioned.
“Yes,” she answered, not knowing any other way except to blurt out what she was really thinking.
“I, uh, pretty much can’t believe you’re real.”
That honest enough for you?
“I mean, I would
like
you to be real, but I don’t think it’s possible.”
“Go on, sugar,” Caleb coaxed. She looked down at her hands.
“I’m afraid I’ll get hurt because that’s always what happens and, and…” A tear ran down her cheek.
“No, baby, don’t cry,” Caleb whispered, wiping away the tears.
“No!” she said, louder than she intended, as she pushed his hand away. “You want me to be honest, fine—but you have to hear it
all
and you can’t talk until I’m done.” Both Caleb and Logan nodded their heads, letting her know they wanted her to continue. She went on to tell them about her experiences with men and trust and all the promises that had been broken. All the tears she cried over the years, just wanting someone to truly love her for who she was. She told them her heart was cold because of all the hurt and she didn’t know if she could ever change that. She even told them how bitchy she could be when she was PMS-ing and how she might even scare them away. She told them everything from A to Z and it felt good inside when all those words were out. Her last question to them was to explain exactly what they wanted from her, because she didn’t want to make any assumptions. What she thought they were wanting was a relationship with her—both of them at the same time, but she wasn’t for sure, first of all, and second of all, does this sort of thing actually happen? She had heard of a ménage à trois, but never in a million years did she think she’d ever try it—and much less, live it! If this was indeed what they wanted, it was not a decision she could make lightly.
The Wade brothers answered her questions and very clearly stated that was
indeed
what they wanted from her. They also said they would give her time to think about it, because they acknowledged that this was not a game to them and they wanted a long-term commitment. They did add, however, that she would not be going anywhere until they had the opportunity to show her who they were and what they were capable of.
“I need to call my friend, Myka. Is it okay if I use your phone outside?” she asked.
“As long as you’re not feeling dizzy and your head’s not hurtin’,” Logan answered. “There’s a swing on the side of the porch you can sit on, but now if you start feeling bad, you just holler and we’ll come get ya.” He directed her toward the door and showed her where the swing was.
“Thank you, Logan,” she replied politely.
My gosh, I need to get away from those two. It feels like I’m in a fog. Myka is
not
going to believe this.
She went and sat on the swing and dialed the number.
“Hello?” Myka answered.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Oh, my God, are you okay? I was getting worried—you are in
so
much trouble!”
“Myka, I’m fine, really—but you are
not
going to
freaking
believe what I’m about to tell you. I still can’t really believe it myself.”
“So, should I sit down?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, go on, you’ve got me curious now.”
“All right, well first of all, I lost control of my car last night and ended up in a ditch out in the middle of nowhere. I’m okay though. I just needed a few stitches in my head and my arm is sprained.”
“Wait a minute, you got
stitches
?”
“Yes
, I
got stitches, but that’s not the strange part, believe me, so just let me talk a minute because you are absolutely going to fall out of your chair. So, the accident and all was the bad part, but the not-so-bad part and kind of amazing part actually, is that I was rescued by two cowboys who happen to be brothers and who are both single.”
“No way!” Myka yelled into the phone with excitement.
“Yes way! And that’s not all, sister. Myka, I’m in
Texas
—this placed called Haven’s Crossing. They have their own damn ranch, girl! And they named it ‘Wild Ways.’ Can you believe that?”
“Keep talking,” Myka said eagerly.
“Myka, I can’t even believe this. They’re really nice looking, both of them. Logan is forty-six and Caleb is forty-seven. They seem so nice and their eyes are honest and caring. I just don’t know what to do.”
“What the hell do you mean you don’t know what to do—you pick one and go for it!”
“That’s the part that you’re
really
not going to believe. Are you, like, sitting down and holding on to the table, ’cause you definitely need to be. This, uh, town—it’s just a little community that’s tucked away and not really what you would come across every day. It’s a little different. I mean, the people are all normal and friendly and everything, but their relationships—not so much. They have a lot of ménage families here.”
“Ménage?”
“Yeah, ménage. You know—like ménage a trois. Three together in one relationship.”
“Are you
fucking
kidding me?” Myka was in complete shock at what she was telling her.
“No, I’m serious. But I want you to listen and keep an open mind before you tell me what you think, okay?”
“Are you
fucking
kidding me, Kimberlee Mason? You’re telling
me
that
you’re
considering a freaking ménage à trois or whatever and you want
me
to keep an open mind? I just can’t believe I’m hearing this from you. Little Miss Responsible, Miss ‘Oh, I need a plan, because I can’t do anything spontaneously.’ My God, I think we created a monster! You definitely don’t do anything half-assed, do you?” Kim could hear Myka laughing on the other end of the line.
“I guess it does sound crazy coming from me, huh? And, it’s just weird. I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone or something. I need to finish though. These brothers grew up with a mom and two dads. Their dads are also brothers and mom came through town one day and then she never left. They’ve been happily married for over fifty years and live in a house about a mile down the road.
And
, that’s not all. It’s not just ménage here. There’s, like, a lot of BDSM stuff, too.”
“Like whips and chains and leather?” Myka asked, concerned.
“Well, from what I understand, each family kind of agrees on their own terms, depending on their preferences. Some may be just a single couple, but heavy into the BDSM, some may do it on the lighter side.”
“So what are you?”
“Well, I haven’t really explored all that yet, but I think I would be BDSM lite,” Kim said giggling. “There’s actually a club here that does the BDSM thing, so it’s just whatever you want to do. Caleb and Logan both told me they’re not into any heavy BDSM, but they definitely want a Dominant/submissive relationship.”
“Okay, hold on. You need to explain that part very clearly, because I have to tell you, Kim, that’s got me a little worried.”
“Calm down—it’s not like you think. Not as far as Caleb and Logan are concerned anyway. Apparently, the men in this town are
real
men, nothing like Michael. They not only love their women here, but they respect them and protect them, no matter what. From what they say, if they claim me as theirs, then the entire community will accept that and I’m pretty much taken care of anytime Caleb or Logan can’t be around. They’re all gentlemen here, Myka. They open the doors for you, carry your bags,
carry you
…You just don’t see that around anymore, which makes it that much more special. Now, about the whole Dominant/submissive thing. This is what I’ve got so far. They’re really nice and all, but they watch me constantly, like they can read my mind or something. I don’t think I like that part very much because they even knew when I was lying. They always want me to talk about my feelings or they want to know what I’m thinking. Who the hell does that?”
“Wow, I think I’m speechless.”
“Oh, my gosh, Myka Lambert speechless?” Kim teased. “But, since you
are,
I’ll keep talking. Okay, so the watching-me thing gets on my nerves a little, but dammit they are so freaking observant! I know
they
know exactly what they want, but it’s like they know what
I
want, too, even before I do. That’s weird, right?”
“Well, not necessarily. Look at how confused we get sometimes—should I or shouldn’t I—yes or no? I think I could actually appreciate someone telling me what I want or need so I wouldn’t have to mess with it.”
“So them being bossy wouldn’t bother you?”
“Not as long as it’s not all the damn time. Hell, I’m in charge all day long. It’d be nice to find a real man who would take over when I’m home—especially in bed.” Myka laughed as she poured herself a glass of wine.
“Yeah, I agree, I guess. I would never wish someone like Michael on any woman, that’s for sure. He wouldn’t even be able to function without someone taking care of him.
Pathetic
. All right, I’ve told you
almost
everything.”
“Kimberlee, you’re
killing
me here,” Myka urged.
“Okay, okay, when I said they were bossy, it’s not just that. They give me this look they have when they say something. It’s like an ‘I’m not kidding’ look and then they said that any time I needed a spanking, they’d be the one to give it to me. Myka, I got
wet
when they told me that! I’ve never had a spanking as an adult, but damn if it didn’t turn me on. So…that’s all of it.” Kim finished with a sigh. Kim waited for Myka to respond, but there was only silence. “Are you there?”
“Oh, I’m here, sister. I just spit wine all over myself when you said ‘spanking.’ Are you kidding me? I’m getting wet
for
you! Kim, you can’t walk away from this.
No
, I will kick your
ass
if you walk away from this. At least give it a try and then if it’s not for you, then we’ll talk. You
need
this. You deserve to be taken care of—and screw the world and what they might think. You’re just a woman who needs
two
men to love you, that’s all. Which brings me to the question—how does the sex thing work out with two men? Do they just take turns or is it literally both at once?” Myka couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of that.
“Myka! I am not a
total
slut! I just met them last night, for heaven’s sake. I will, however, let you know when I find out!” Kim began to laugh. She couldn’t remember the last time she had really laughed. “Okay, I really need to go ’cause I’m using their phone, but save their number ’cause I lost my phone and write down Haven’s Crossing and Logan and Caleb Wade. Got it?”
“You’re getting a little bossy yourself, hanging out with those two. Yes, I got it. Now, please go and have some fun, okay?”
“Okay. I love you. Thanks for talking me through this.”
“You’d do the same for me. Now go!”
After the phone call ended, Kim sat there on the porch enjoying the nice breeze and all the beauty.
Gosh, it’s nice out here. So peaceful
. She then took a deep breath and went back inside. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but they were talking at the dining room table and didn’t hear her come in. She heard Logan tell Caleb, “This
will
work—we’ve waited
too
long for her to come into our lives and we’ll just do whatever we have to do to make her see things our way.” She tried to make some noise so they would know she was in the house and then headed in their direction. Both men stood up when she walked in.
This can’t be real.
“Uh, thank you for letting me use the phone. My friend was getting a little worried about me.”
“Sweetheart, you use that phone anytime you need to. Would you like something to drink?” Caleb asked as he pulled out her chair.
“I would love some iced tea please, that was really good.”
“How’s your head, darlin’?” Logan asked, looking at her stitches.
“Oh, it’s better. Really. I’m uh, sorry I got a little freaked out about the needle. I guess you probably think I’m just a big baby, huh?”
“We would never think that, sugar,” Caleb said, handing her the glass of tea. “You’re a brave woman, darlin’, going through everything you have.” Logan was looking at her with such sincerity that she almost wanted to cry. As she sat there drinking her tea, they remained silent. She knew they wanted to know what she was thinking about their proposal, but she couldn’t say anything at the moment.