He put his hand on Alex’s arm. “You’re not eating.” Alex realized she was clutching her fork, listening so hard to what Liam was saying she had forgotten about the food in front of her.
She cut a piece of pancake with banana and put it in her mouth. “There you go,” Liam said with a grin. “That would make Daniel happy to see you eat.” Alex grinned back, seeing Daniel in her mind’s eye, busy over the stove making something delicious for their dinner while she chopped vegetables or polished silver nearby. She missed him at that moment with such a palpable ache she nearly cried out. Instead she took another bite of pancake.
She had never heard Liam say so much in the entire two weeks she had known him. She wanted him to continue, wondering where his long, convoluted apology, if that’s what it was, was heading. He didn’t disappoint her. “Daniel and I have talked about this a lot. You know, maybe you did the right thing. By taking off like you did you forced us to look at ourselves and what we were doing.
“Daniel said something that really struck a nerve with me. He said in a true D/s relationship you really couldn’t have submission without love. He said submission was by its very definition a kind of love. But we tried to cut that out of the equation with you. We set you and by extension ourselves up to fail. In that way I was no better than Anthony—”
“No!” Alex interjected. Several people looked around at her. She felt herself blushing and lowered her voice. “Please don’t say that. Don’t ever say that. What I had with you and Daniel was real. Yes, I agree there were aspects of it I had a hard time dealing with. You hit it on the head—being sent away each night while you fell asleep in each other’s arms… I guess that really sums up what was missing for me. But I went into it with eyes wide open. I thought I knew what I was signing up for. I thought I could handle it. It wasn’t like you tried to trick me.
“But
Anthony
.” She spit the word. “He doesn’t have a clue. What he claimed to be offering me wasn’t about D/s or love or even cheap thrills. He tried to take what wasn’t his. To demand what can’t be commanded. He stopped just short of physical rape but he raped my spirit. He tried to steal a part of me. He…”
Despite her promise to herself, Alex began to cry again. Liam moved from his side of the booth and slid in next to her, putting his arm around her. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. He’ll never harm you again, I promise. Never.”
After a moment she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I guess it’s gonna take a while to get over this.”
“I would think so. You’ve been through a very harrowing experience. I’m so proud of you for the way you kept your head and got yourself out of there. You did good, kid.”
Alex managed a smile. She appreciated his not calling her an immature reckless idiot who’d listened to her pussy instead of her head. Maybe she did good by getting out but she still didn’t feel very good. She was shaky and anxious. If Liam hadn’t miraculously shown up when he did she would be a complete mess instead of only a partial one.
Ah, but he was there. And she was so happy to see him. Not only because he stepped in with that bastard on the phone but because she’d genuinely missed him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and it felt so right. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed not only Daniel but Liam too. The thought of watching him drive away, leaving her alone to face her demons nearly made her cry again.
He said he wanted her to come back with him. To come
home
. But could two really become three? Was it possible for them to love her, to accept her as an equal? Or were they only reacting off their own guilt for trying this crazy experiment in the first place? If she returned what would be different? Could it possibly work?
“What about Daniel? What does he think about you driving all the way to Danbury to see me?”
For the first time since she’d met him Liam looked embarrassed. Then he smiled a shy smile. “He doesn’t know,” he said softly. “I wanted to surprise him.”
Daniel was pruning the rosebushes that grew on either side of the front door when he heard Liam’s car crunching up the gravel drive. Eagerly he turned to wave and was surprised to see someone in the passenger seat.
It took a second before he realized who it was—Alex! What was she doing there? Did they run into each other in town? What was she doing at their local bookstore?
He waited by the door, not sure how to react. They climbed out of the car and Daniel saw Alex had a suitcase with her. Liam leaned toward her and said something. She nodded and remained where she stood, clutching her bag.
Liam strode toward Daniel. “Hey. I didn’t go into town. I went and got her. I brought her home to you—to us. She’s willing to give us another chance. I know I probably should have told you. I—I wanted to surprise you.”
Daniel saw the trepidation mixed with the love in Liam’s eyes. His heart melted but he held himself in check, mindful of the girl standing a few yards away. “It’s a good surprise. A fantastic surprise.”
She was wearing the same turquoise blue sundress she’d been wearing the first time she’d showed up at their door, her butterscotch gold hair hanging in flyaway sheets around her pixie face. Daniel felt happiness welling up, surging through his body and bursting out in a broad smile. “You brought our girl home.”
The relief and happiness on Liam’s face was worth a thousand words. He nodded and turned toward Alex, waving her toward them. She dropped her suitcase and sprinted forward, flinging herself into Daniel’s arms. He caught her up and swung her around, not sure if he was laughing or crying.
She buried her head in his neck. “Daniel,” she said and again, “Daniel.” After a few moments she released her grip and he set her down. He looked into her face and realized she had been crying. Her lovely green eyes were red-rimmed and she looked weary.
“Hey. What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
Alex took a deep shuddery breath. She looked toward Liam and back to Daniel. “I did something really, really dumb. I, uh, I don’t really want to talk about it. Not yet. If that’s okay.”
He put his arm around her and led her into the house. “Yes, sure. Of course.” Over her head he looked toward Liam with concern. Liam offered a small smile and mouthed the words,
She’s okay
.
They went into the kitchen and Daniel prepared a fresh pot of coffee. When Alex excused herself to use the bathroom, Liam gave Daniel a thumbnail version of what happened with Anthony.
“What the hell? How could she go to that poser asshole? After what he did to me?”
“Think about it, Daniel. She didn’t really know what happened at the party. She saw your back, yes, but you’ve been marked before, if not as severely. She wasn’t there for the scene and we didn’t talk about it in front of her.”
Liam sighed. “There’s a lot we didn’t talk about in front of her. We’ve kept her at arm’s length. It’s why she left. We were treating her like an object. We let our feelings for each other and our jealousies get in the way of giving her a truly submissive experience. We were playing games. Fun games, sure, but in the end they had a price and Alex is the one who bore most of that cost.”
Alex appeared in the doorway, looking shy and impossibly sweet. The thought of that bastard Campos hurting her made Daniel sick with anger. He didn’t want to upset her any more than she must already be, but he couldn’t help saying, “Liam told me, Alex. What that asshole did to you has nothing to do with erotic submission. You do know that, right?”
“I do.” Alex nodded and bit her lip, looking down.
Liam stood and walked over to her. He put his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s try to let that go for now. We’ll deal with him later. However we got to this point, we’re just so glad you’re here. We aren’t asking for any promises or commitments right now. Just a chance for the three of us to reconnect and regroup. Why don’t we go upstairs and lie down together a while? I need my two subs in my arms.”
My two subs.
Daniel rolled the words in his mind. He hoped Liam still planned to permit him to enjoy his role as Alex’s Dom while Liam was at work. But he realized with a clarity he hadn’t before one reason for the jealousy and confusion between them was his blurring of his own role in relation to Liam.
He’d forgotten his place. He’d allowed his dominance over Alex to supersede his need and desire to submit to his true Master. He’d let his ego and willfulness override his innate longing to belong to another.
Silently he vowed to himself not to let it happen again. Yes, he would continue to train and use Alex for their mutual pleasure and benefit, but never would he allow this to get in the way of what he had with Liam. He looked at the two of them standing in the doorway and his heart filled with gratitude that Liam was ready, even eager, to try again with their slave girl.
What about Alex? Was she really ready for what they offered? Would she be able to trust the two of them to guide her with a loving but firm hand even after what the son of bitch had put her through?
When he looked into her face, he saw his answer. Her eyes were shining and the smile on her face could have lit a dark room.
~*~
“I’m going out,” Daniel announced the next morning. “I won’t be long.” He didn’t ask for permission nor did he volunteer where he was going. Liam gave him a long, hard look but said nothing. He knew where Daniel was going.
Daniel stood, bouncing on the balls of his feet like a boxer in the ring while he waited for Campos to answer his door. When he did, Daniel didn’t waste his time with words. Men like Campos wouldn’t hear them anyway. He hauled back and landed a good solid right against the man’s jaw. The impact of bone against bone was deeply satisfying. Campos stumbled back with a cry and fell.
“That’s for Alex, you little piece of shit. If you get up the next one’s for me and it’s gonna hurt a hell of a lot worse, I guarantee.” Daniel waited, fully prepared to carry out his threat. The coward stayed on the ground, hiding his head in his hands. Daniel turned on his heel and left without looking back.
~*~
Liam’s cock was throbbing but he savored the ache. He would wait as long as he made them wait. He would suffer along with them through the exquisite torture to which he was subjecting his sexy slaves.
Daniel and Alex were facing each other, their bodies locked at the groin, their arms pulled taut and chained over their heads. Daniel’s erect cock was buried deep inside Alex. Her strong legs were wrapped tight around his hips.
Their assignment was to make sure Daniel’s cock stayed inside Alex while Liam whipped them both with various implements of pleasure and pain. By the same token neither was to come. If they did they’d soon feel the difference between erotic torture and real punishment.
Several weeks had passed since Alex had returned to them. She’d only left once to retrieve more of her clothing and other things she needed to make her stay a permanent one. They hadn’t yet convinced her to give up her garage apartment but the rent, which Liam insisted on paying, was nominal. If it gave her a certain sense of control to keep the place that was okay by him.
Liam was happier than he’d realized it was possible to be. He’d thought he had everything a man could want with Daniel as his lover and submissive. Then when Alex had joined them as a sex slave, while the spice and excitement had been undeniable, the creeping jealousies and rising tensions had made him question if it was worth the trouble.
Since she’d returned after her ordeal with that Campos asshole, the three of them had finally been able to lay their fears aside. A little digging into Anthony’s background revealed an expired visa and unpaid taxes. Nothing the odious man couldn’t eventually set to rights, but Liam took great pleasure in making his life difficult from a legal standpoint. The last he’d heard, Campos had been forced to leave the country, at least until he got things sorted out.
Alex had been able to put the ordeal behind her for the most part. She still woke from the occasional nightmare, but when she realized she was safe in their bed and in their arms she would quiet and fall back asleep. Their relationship with her, both as Doms and as lovers and friends, continued to deepen with each passing day.
He couldn’t say he loved Alex more than or even as much as Daniel. He chose not to think in those terms. The love he felt for Daniel would always be unique and hold the most sacred spot in his heart. But the love he had for Alex was no less real and in fact it was growing all the time.
She had blossomed over the last few weeks, finally dropping all vestiges of the spoiled brat she had been when they first brought her into their home. A woman was emerging. A confident, sexy, deeply sensual and submissive woman who complemented his relationship with Daniel rather than weakening it.
Daniel too had grown, increasingly confident in his role as Alex’s part-time Dom but mindful of his proper place naked at Liam’s feet. Because they were no longer walking on eggshells to protect each other’s feelings, the passion between them was hotter than ever.
“Move your hips. Take her deeper,” Liam now commanded. He stood close, watching the two of them, feeling their lust as if it were his own. Daniel’s tongue was peeking between his lips, telling Liam he was concentrating, probably on not coming too soon. Alex was trembling and her breath came in short, whimpering gasps.
“Stop. Stay perfectly still. You’re both too close to the edge. I’m going to pull you back with the cane.” Both subs’ eyes had been closed. Both now flew open. Good. He wanted their complete attention.
He selected his favorite cane, a simple straight rod of bamboo with a black suede handle. He whipped it through the air. Daniel remained immobile and impassive but Alex winced at the sound. So then. He would start with her.
He stroked her already heated flesh for a moment, dragging his nails lightly over her ass. “Do you need this, Alex? Do you need to feel the cut of the cane?”
“Yes, Sir. Please, Sir,” Alex whispered. She spoke to him but her eyes were fixed on Daniel’s, as if by watching him she would find a measure of courage she didn’t possess on her own.