He tilted his head and reached forward. She didn’t flinch when he used a finger to catch one of her tears—tears she hadn’t even realized she’d cried.
“Come on, my little sub. First you’ll have a shower and then a nice soak in the tub.”
On her own she might have just fallen face-down on the bed, clothing and all. She might even have indulged in a crying jag first, because that felt like something she very much needed to do right now.
But she wasn’t on her own and she didn’t know if she wanted to cry in front of these men.
Robert led her up the stairs and into the master suite. He waited while she kicked her shoes off and set her purse on the dresser. Once inside the bathroom, he quickly got her clothes off her. Was it her imagination that he sighed as if in relief when she was naked again?
Likely. She wondered whether or not she was losing it completely.
“One of the things I have always envied in women is their ability to cry.” He stripped, leaving his own clothes in a neat pile on the sink counter.
A part of her felt like an idiot, just standing there, waiting for him to lead her into the shower as if she were incapable of doing even that on her own.
But another part of her seemed to soak up his attention with thirsty greed.
Robert took her hand and led her into the large glass enclosure. As the water poured down on her, it revived her a little. She shook her head, trying to clear her mental fog.
I’m tired. Aside from the personal, emotional events I’ve been navigating, I’ve moved to a new town, and a whole new life in the last few days.
Of
course
she was in a fog and stressed. Anyone would be under such circumstances.
Jillian sighed as the heat of the shower began to work on her, and as her thoughts assured her she was really okay and not turning into an emotional wreck. Recalling Robert’s recent comment, she said, “I’m not one to generally give in to tears.”
“You didn’t have to tell me that, sweetie. I know you’re not. More’s the pity, in my opinion.”
He turned her so that he could wash her hair, and because it felt so damn good when he did, she let him.
Robert’s fingers seemed to hit all the right spots, as they worked the shampoo into her hair. Jillian felt her flesh pucker everywhere. It was all she could do not to shiver. She kept her eyes closed as he rinsed the lather from her, sighing as the suds shimmered down her body. He moved her again, and she could smell the light floral fragrance of her conditioner. He worked the cream into her hair, taking the time to ensure he got every strand. He rinsed her hair again, and Jillian sighed with the pleasure of his care.
Then she heard the sounds that told her he was working to create lather between his hands with the soap. He ran his hands over her breasts, then down her abdomen to the soft folds between her legs. When he turned her back to face him, she moved closer to him and laid her head on his chest as he proceeded to wash her back.
“Let’s rinse you and get you into the tub, sweetie.”
“Mmm, wait.” Jillian straightened and reached for the soap. She’d done little enough each time she’d gotten into the shower with these men. They’d cared for her exquisitely every time they got their hands on her.
High time I showed that I can give and not just take.
“It’s my turn to play bath maiden.” The soap didn’t smell particularly masculine to her. Instead, the scent reminded her of fresh air and sunshine. Her excitement grew just thinking about what she was about to do.
The sensation of Robert’s hard planes and angles under her lather-covered hands did more than arouse her, it pleased her on a basic, feminine level—a level that spoke to racial memory, of the nurturing role of womankind.
“Do you know that in medieval times, the lady of the manor was expected to bathe the important male guests who visited her husband?”
Robert grinned at her. “I wonder what those ladies did if their male guests sported a hard-on from their tender ministrations?”
“You’re a doctor, and you ask that? Didn’t you learn the value of a good finger flick in med school?” To demonstrate, she lifted her right hand where he could see it and rested her index finger on her thumb.
Laughing, he covered her hand with his. “I did, but unlike some of my female colleagues, I’ve never had to use it.” He bent forward and kissed her lightly.
“To answer your question, I would guess that in most cases, the lady would simply ignore the man’s erection.”
“Perhaps her husband would have loaned her out to his important male guests,” Robert ventured.
“Who’s to say? Women in those days truly were considered chattel.”
“I don’t consider you chattel.” Robert’s tone missed matter-of-fact by that much.
“I know.” She wasn’t certain all that was involved in this dynamic she found herself in, but she was pretty certain that when he said she was his, he meant in a more intimate way.
Jillian finished bathing him. She thought briefly about taking advantage of his obviously aroused cock and the privacy of the two of them in the shower, but she didn’t really understand whatever it was happening among the three of them. Did their sexual adventures always have to be three? Or would there be private time?
Robert seemed to sense her dilemma. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, Jillian, not taking advantage of you.”
Why wonder? Why not just come right out and ask? “Maybe I want to take advantage of you. Or am I not supposed to where there’re just the two of us?”
Robert’s smile settled somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. When he looked at her that way, she just felt all warm and good inside. “It’s difficult for me to remember how new we are to each other, because having you here feels so natural and right. Of course you can have some private time with each of us, sweetie. And you will. Later”—he bent over and kissed her again—“when you’re not so worn out. You practically fell asleep in the car, love. Come on, let’s soak in the tub and then grab a nap. At the very least we should feed you before making you expend energy again.”
He rinsed off, and just like the night before, neither of them bothered to dry themselves between the shower and the tub. But unlike the night before, Jillian walked on her own two feet to the hot tub.
“Oh, I could
so
get used to this.” Jillian felt every muscle in her body begin to relax as she settled deeper into the heated water.
The sensations of the bubbles and even the sound they made worked to drain the tension from her body. As she sighed, she realized that most of her life she’d carried a kind of underlying stress, almost like a second skin. And while it had reappeared slightly during this, her first day at her new job, it hadn’t taken control of her. In fact, it had barely registered at all.
Jillian figured she could thank her two lovers for that. She’d had so many orgasms in so short a time, stress didn’t stand a chance. She closed her eyes, and just let herself be. When Robert’s hand reached for hers, she knit her fingers with his.
“Don’t worry, I’ll save you if you fall asleep and slide under.”
“My hero.”
She heard his laughter, and couldn’t hold back her smile.
“Would you rather I scoop you onto my lap after all, sweetie?”
It had been a good idea when he first suggested it, but at the moment, Jillian no longer felt as if she was going to fall asleep. However, sitting on Robert’s lap had other advantages than merely saving her from drowning.
“I think I’d like that. Then we could talk about the first thing that comes up.”
Robert groaned, and David said, “Oh, that’s so old it has dinosaur shit on it.”
Jillian opened her eyes and looked over at him. She hadn’t heard him come into the bathroom. He wore nothing but the towel he’d slung around his waist. His chest still had beads of water, and his hair was wet.
He read the expression on her face. “Grabbed a quick shower in my own room.” He sent her a grin that she found irresistible. “I didn’t want to intrude in case you were having a little one-on-one intimacy.”
Jillian thought private time with each of these men in turn would be a hell of a good idea. David dropped his towel and eased into the tub. He made his way around so that he sat on her left side. When he reached for her hand, she gave it. She couldn’t deny the sense of completeness that filled her, holding hands with these two men.
She felt as if her entire world was right, and that wasn’t a sense she’d experienced often.
“This is a good way to decompress from an unexpectedly busy day.” David’s heartfelt sigh brought a smile to her face.
Robert snorted. “So the baby doctor has a whole slew of new patients.”
“Apparently. And the beat goes on.”
Robert nodded. “Every twenty-five to thirty-five years, Lusty’s own little baby boom happens.”
Jillian lay back and closed her eyes. “Kate Benedict tried to pry some info from me—delicately, of course. I declined to confirm or deny her suspicions.”
“Don’t let Kate fool you,” Robert said. “She likely has a calendar at home with every due date already circled.”
“The woman is uncanny in her knowledge,” David agreed.
Jillian opened her eyes for a moment, and looked left, then right. Both of her lovers had closed their eyes and relaxed back against the rim of the tub. She marveled that not only did she feel complete, she felt so at ease, being naked with these two men. She’d never been one to be comfortable in her skin, not in all the years she’d been married. She was beginning to suspect that a lot of how things were then had to do with Neil specifically, and the way he treated her.
“There are as many variations in how to live the lifestyle as there are people living it.”
Jillian turned her head to find Robert’s gaze on her. She took a moment to think about the words he’d just said. “So…we decide ourselves? Or
you
do?”
“We all do, together. Remember I told you the two very basic tenets of a good D/s relationship—nonnegotiable tenets, in fact—are informed consent, and do no harm. That means we all three decide how this is going to work, what will make all of us happy and fulfill all of our needs.”
“
I
very much enjoy what I guess you could term the kink of it.” David sat up and brought her hand to his lips. He kissed it and grinned. “Which means that basically, I like to limit the D/s scenes between us to the bedroom.”
“Or the boardroom.” Jillian smiled as she said that and both men chuckled.
Then David said, “You have a point. Actually I surprised myself today, baby. But yeah, I like the D/s relationship as it relates to making love.”
Jillian thought it rather telling that he’d said
making love
and not
having sex
or the more brazen
fucking
.
She turned to Robert. “I have the sense it’s not just the kink for you.”
He met her gaze, unflinching, and she saw hesitation in his eyes. “It’s not. Although, I can’t deny the sex is a hell of a lot hotter with it. But you’re right, it is more for me. It’s not even about power, per se. It’s about the control… Not so much my being in control of you, but—”
A sudden epiphany burst over her, and Jillian felt as if the connection between her and this man who would be her master had just now solidified.
“You need to feel in control of your entire world.”
His left eyebrow arched higher than the right, and Jillian thought that imperious look very becoming. She tilted her head slightly, letting him know she was waiting, and whether he wanted to agree with her assessment or dispute it didn’t matter to her one bit. She knew what she knew.
“Yes. That’s it, precisely. I need to feel in control of my world.”
Not
want
or
would like to
, but
need to
. She squeezed his hand and said, “Okay, so far, so good. Please tell me what you need from me.”
For how many years had she longed to give the people who were important to her what they needed, and have that giving—what she understood to be her own love language—appreciated? She’d never even dared hoped it could be reciprocated. And yet, these two men had taken care of her needs first and foremost.
Here was a chance to see what it would be like, to meet the needs of two virile men who would, no question, continue to return the favor.
Robert’s expression turned from wary to content in a heartbeat. David squeezed her hand and she thought it was a silent way of saying “thank you.”
But she couldn’t help but wonder, for just a moment, what had happened in Robert’s life to make the need for control so prominent.
Of all the other things Michelle had never done in her life, setting foot inside a man’s hotel room ranked pretty high up on the list.
She didn’t know what she’d expected, but the fact that the bed more or less dominated the room gave her a delicious sensation in the pit of her stomach. She judged the piece of furniture to be king-sized, so it certainly wasn’t the biggest bed she’d ever laid eyes on.