Overworked

by Dark Angel

  I forgot how to speak, I forgot my business and all my responsibilities, and I forgot how to move without his command. All I could think about was doing as Killian said.

  I put my everything in his hands the moment I let him collar me. I didn’t know I could do that, I didn’t know I might want to.

  That’s what it comes down to now.

  What do I want next?

  What do they want next?

  I write their names on the blank sheet of paper. They’ve given me facets of myself I didn’t even know existed. So what’s next?

  Do I go back to New York with everything I’ve learned and turn it into new experiences for my clients? Do I go back to my apartment by myself and masturbate to the memories I made on my whirlwind worldwide fuckfest?

  Or…

  Do I give myself to them?

  After all this, I know they want me: their Angel, their Princess, their Gem, their Sweets. There’s more to this than just fucking.

  I want more, too, but am I ready for what I think more with the four of them is?

  Am I ready to submit?

  The life I built myself from the ground up—how do I just let that go? Can I trust other people with it and fly into the sun on a lavish private jet and on the backs of others doing the day-to-day grunt work?

  Can I allow myself to be told where to sit, when to eat, what to wear? Knowing that any infraction can and will be swiftly punished? Could I even go back to my old life with the knowledge that I like those punishments more than I would have admitted a week ago?

  Can I wear the collar and still have my life?

  Not as I know it, no. Giving in to them means giving up part of what I thought my life was. But what am I really giving up?

  I would be giving up the control I’ve held so close to me for years. I’ve been strong and independent for a long time—and alone. I’ve pushed away anyone who tried to get close to me, both at work and in my personal life.

  I needed to stand on my own, but now…I’m starting to forget why.

  On the other hand…what do I have to gain?

  There’s a gentle knock on my door that pulls me from my thoughts. One of the attendants pokes her head in the door to let me know that we’ll be landing soon. I nod and she steps in, quickly fastening my seatbelt for me, before disappearing out the door again.

  I’m grateful for a few more minutes to think before I see all four of them together for the first time since this whole thing started. I lean back in my seat and sip the last of the champagne.

  The only things on what was supposed to be my new bucket list are four names:

  Spencer

  Xane

  Derek

  Killian

  Somehow, that feels right.

  Chapter 28

  Julia

  I have never actually seen a mega-yacht up close. This thing is like a floating city, and it’s absolutely swarming with hot people. I know the guys only hire gorgeous people, but I think they save the best for their own pleasure island.

  It’s like fashion week in New York—if all the models wore lingerie, swimsuits, and fetish gear.

  Derek insisted on ferrying me over in his new speeder. It’s beautiful, and of course, it’s his signature English racing green.

  We fly across the sparkling blue Mediterranean water. He pulls the lovely, little craft into his personal docking bay in the Quatre Profonds.

  Tall, muscular men in white linen shorts tie up Derek’s speeder and meet us to help me out of the craft. I’ve been on sailboats in the New York harbor, so I brace myself, expecting to feel the roll of the boat as I step off. To my surprise, there’s no pitch or roll at all on the Quatre Profonds.

  “Welcome to our little paradise, Princess,” Derek calls out, stepping regally onto the ship. “What did you think of my little Corolla Foramen?”

  “She’s a thrill, Derek,” I say, smiling.

  I give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  Xane leads us to a rich elevator and up to the top deck.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet. The Quatre Profonds is our haven. Everything you could ever desire can be found here,” Xane whispers to me while we walk down a wide, softly lit hall.

  “Now, this isn’t a part of the tour of our properties; don’t think we’re bringing you here to sell time on it to your customers. This part of the trip is just for you, my Gem.”

  At the end of the plush carpets, there are double doors carved with four crests.

  I recognize Killian’s cuffs and whip. A shiver runs up my spine, and I touch my throat where the rose gold collar rested.

  Opposite Killian’s crest is a Japanese dragon coiled like a rope, which must be Xane’s.

  Below that is a Tiki-style wave crashing on an island curved like a woman’s profile. I chuckle to myself thinking about Spencer commissioning that.

  The last is a very traditional coat of arms with skis forming the St. Andrews cross and a very thorny rose in the middle. I wouldn’t expect anything else from my Brit.

  More than their offices, this is where my four come together as a group.

  This is who they are, and—if I’m being honest with myself—who I’m falling for.

  Derek opens the double door with a flourish. We’re suddenly standing on a wide white deck, overlooking a deep pool with a high diving board off to the right.

  We have a stunning view of the coastline. The high white sun is warm, but the breeze off the sea is cool and salty. Derek takes my arm and leads me down a set of spiral stairs to the pool deck below.

  Killian meets us and hands me a cool glass of cucumber-scented ice water. I thank him and smile, a spark of electricity running down my spine when our fingers brush.

  Spencer’s lounging in a hammock. I can see the condensation dripping from his beer.

  “Relax, Sweets, nothing to worry about,” he calls over to me. “There’s some shit these dudes want to hash out later, but I told them we needed to let you experience everything this old boat has to offer.”

  “But we’ll be having a serious conversation during dinner, Angel. Spencer may be giving you free rein, but be sure I’ll be catching those reins later,” Killian’s commanding voice sends that same electric jolt up my spine.

  He gives Spencer a sharp look.

  Spencer flashes him a hang loose sign and a smirk, then drains his beer in a long swig.

  I can’t help but laugh.

  Killian looks at me sharply as well, but smiles when he realizes I’m laughing at Spencer. While Killian’s looking at me, Derek pushes hard on Spencer’s hammock suddenly, dumping him into the pool.

  He sputters and quickly gestures to a woman in a white cutout swimsuit. She tosses him a pool float shaped like a cartoonish narwhal. Spencer arranges himself on the float and resumes lounging, now on the pool’s tranquil surface.

  Killian and Xane join in laughing with Derek and me. My heart flutters as I realize I have connected with each of them in their own environment. Seeing them together is incredible; they’re so very different, yet mesh so well as a strange unit.

  When I met them, I didn’t understand how these different men even knew each other, much less how they were friends who ran a vacation empire together.

  Now I know.

  They’re pieces of a puzzle, complementary colors building on each other’s strengths. Any woman would be lucky to have one of them in her life, and somehow, I have the eye of all of them.

  We spend the afternoon in the pool. Snacks and drinks are almost unending; a simple gesture to any of the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous attendants surrounding us, and they appear at our sides. They’re some of the most delectable things I’ve ever tasted, even compared to my worldwide trip.

  I swim and snack. I nap and, at Spencer’s urging, even do a body shot off a woman named Stacy.

  A bell rings, signaling an hour until dinner. We disperse to get cleaned up for a formal dinner with just the four of us. Stacy leads me to my stateroom and closes the door.
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  The room’s cool, dark, and quiet—refreshing after the day in the sun by the pool. With the door closed, I’m alone with my thoughts again.

  Dinner. Killian said he wanted to have a serious talk at dinner. The cool room suddenly seems cold, knowing that this is the last time I’ll be free and falling in love. I know what they want to talk about.

  Am I theirs?

  Do I submit?

  Will I give myself to them?

  They already have my heart…can I give them more?

  An hour passes quickly, but I have myself put together. I’m wearing a long, white backless dress. The collar traces the line of my collarbones, and the skirt’s multiple layers of sheer fabric swirl around my legs.

  I can’t find any shoes or underwear, so I go without either. An attendant I haven’t seen yet comes to collect me and take me to the dining room. He’s wearing a white uniform with shorts that show off his muscular legs.

  A lifetime ago, I would have appreciated how attractive he was, and those legs alone could’ve fueled many lonely nights in my loft, but now…he isn’t nearly as tantalizing as the four men he’s taking me to.

  The dining room’s smaller and more simplistic than I thought it would be. The motif is all dark wood and white linens.

  My four paramours stand when I enter. They’re wearing stunningly handsome tuxedos.

  Even Spencer—can you believe that?

  I see the longing in their eyes as they take me in.

  “You really are a Princess,” breathes Derek as he steps around the table and pulls out a chair at the head of the table for me.

  The men sit a half second after I do.

  A troupe of attendants in crisp, white uniforms serves plates of beautiful seafood with couscous and warm, fresh pita. They open a couple of bottles of wine, first pouring for Killian to taste. Upon his approval, they leave without a single word.

  The silence in the room is thick after the bustling attendants shut the heavy wood door. All four of them look to me. I catch Killian’s gaze and hold the stunning blue depth of his eyes.

  We’re locked in a staring contest.

  No one’s hungry; more primal needs are on the table.

  “I’m truly not hungry for food at the moment,” Killian says, shattering the silence with his commanding voice.

  “Julia. You have been our guest. You have learned—we all have learned—an incredible amount about us over the last week, and just as much have we learned about you. You know who we are, Angel.” His voice softens. “And we know who you are. I speak for all of us when I say we want you to be ours.”

  My breath catches in my throat. My skin feels tight, and I really wish there had been panties I could’ve worn with this dress, because hearing Killian say those words out loud has me worrying about the integrity of this obviously expensive dress.

  “We’re not ordinary men, Gem,” Xane takes over. “Not one of us would think to take a treasure like you away from the others.”

  I nod happily.

  “And, Princess, because we’re not ordinary men, we need you to understand what we’re asking of you. Spencer, the agreement?” Derek says, motioning to Spencer.

  “Sweets, I mean, well...here,” Spencer pulls a heavy piece of grey paper from his inner jacket pocket. “Ya gotta understand, Sweets, this is kinda new for us too, and ya’ know, it’s a bit formal, not usually my style, but...”

  I unfold the thick paper as he trails off.

  At the top of the dove grey sheet is the same four crests from the door. Written in heavy black ink are what appear to be a set of rules for an ongoing relationship with the men around the table.

  Basically, it comes down to fidelity and obedience: I won’t fuck anyone but them, I’ll do as they ask without hesitation, I’ll be punished at their pleasure, and I’ll refer to the four of them as ‘Sir’ at all times.

  I raise an eyebrow; it reads like something out of an Alexis Angel novel.

  “And what do I get? You’re asking me to be your devoted sex slave, what do I get in the deal?” I ask after I’ve read their list twice.

  “You get us, Angel,” answers Killian. There’s an edge at the back of his words.

  “You have us already, Gem; this is merely so we understand each other,” Xane continues for him.

  “She knows that,” Killian interrupts. “Fuck, you know you have us. And I know you want this. Julia, you’ve never been as free as when you put on that fucking collar. We’re offering it to you forever. Take the deal, Angel. We know you want it as bad as we do.”

  His eyes betray a flash of hesitation, but only for an instant. He hides his fear that I won’t agree well.

  “We’ve got the feels real bad, Sweets. Tell me you have ‘em, too?” Spencer reaches a hand out to me. I hesitate briefly, but grasp it tight.

  “It’ll be lovely, Princess. You know that. Killian, give her the present. Show her we mean it, for fuck’s sake,” Derek interjects.

  Killian stands up and pulls out a flat box from inside his jacket pocket, then comes around the table. He kneels next to me.

  “Say yes, be ours, let us cherish you as you deserve.”

  He doesn’t open the box, he doesn’t move.

  “Sir?” I whisper, trying it out.

  A flutter in my heart and a shiver up my spine.

  Something about saying that feels so right. I know what’s in the box. I know when I open it that it’ll be the end.

  I’ll be theirs, and they’ll be my Doms.

  I nod as Killian opens the box, giving my answer before I even see it: a silver filigree collar with an open ring clasp in the back and a diamond teardrop in the front.

  Killian takes it out of the box and stands to put it around my neck. That satisfying click again. The silver’s cold on my skin, but warms quickly with my beating heart.

  “Stand up and show your Masters your pretty collar,” Killian commands from behind my chair.

  “Yes, Sir,” I breathe.

  Chapter 29

  Julia

  I’m standing by a table in the dining room of the most beautiful ship I have ever seen. We’re miles from shore, heading towards New York from somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, and I’m wearing a collar.

  I don’t know how I got here, but this moment feels so right. Killian stands close behind me, the warmth of his body radiating as he leans into me. His breath blows cool in contrast, the mixture sending shivers up and down my spine.

  I look around the table at the men I have agreed to submit to.

  Spencer’s tousled blonde hair falls in front of his burning eyes. He leans back in his chair, affecting an air of relaxed ease, but I can see his breath’s coming fast; he’s tense beneath his surfer boy charms.

  Xane watches me, matching his breathing to my own—even and tempered. He’s coiled like a cat, ready to pounce at the first sign of my readiness.

  Derek takes a slow sip of his wine as he looks at me with anticipation. His fingers run down the stem of his wine glass, and I imagine them running down my spine in the same way.

  “Not here,” Killian commands from behind me. “We’ll go to the next room, Angel. We’ll show you what you’re getting out of this.”

  The others nod and stand. Killian sweeps me off my feet, literally. I suddenly find myself wrapped in his strong arms, whisked away like the Princess Derek calls me.

  Spencer opens the door for us. The hallway is empty. The servants and attendants have gone for the night.

  We’re alone. I’m alone with my men.

  Derek opens the next door, leading the five of us into a large room lined with toys and restraints.

  “Welcome to our playroom, Princess. This is where we make your skin sing and your cunt drip,” Derek announces with a joyful but mischievous tone in his voice.

  Killian sets me down just inside the doorway. The others file in behind me and find seats on the various couches around the room. Killian kisses my forehead gently before sitting on another couch.
r />   “Take off the dress, Gem. Slowly,” Xane commands.

  I reach behind me and unzip the short zipper across my ass. I turn in a circle as I slide the shoulders of the gown down my arms. The soft white fabric falls faster than I thought it would, fluttering to the ground, leaving me completely bare.

  Naked but for the silver collar around my throat, I turn to face them.

  They want me. Four pairs of eyes are completely devouring every inch of my naked form.

  “On your knees,” Killian barks.

  I obey, falling to my knees without even thinking.

  “Crawl over here and undress me,” he continues.

  I crawl on my hands and knees across the thick carpet to where Killian is sitting on his couch. I look up at him, his blue eyes aflame with desire as I sit up on my heels and undo his tie.

  With careful fingers, I unbutton his tux shirt and drag the fabric from his toned shoulders. I take my time, relishing the unveiling of the beautiful man in front of me.

  When he’s naked as I am, Xane calls me over.

  “Now me, Gem. You’ll learn to serve four masters.”

  As I crawl towards him, Killian smacks my ass hard. I jump a little but try not to react. I know if I do, Killian will take it as defiance and ‘punish’ me.

  I don’t want that…yet.

  I undress Xane the same as Killian, running my fingers along his chiseled abs as I unbutton his shirt. He cups my face with his hands then points me to Derek.

  I crawl towards my delightful Englishman and start with his pants first. I catch his zipper with my teeth and pull down; Derek chuckles but doesn’t touch me. On my knees I rotate my hips.

  Just undressing them has my pussy flooding. I can feel drops of my juices running down my thighs.

  “My turn, Sweets,” Spencer calls from his spot.

  He’s fully lounging, unlike the others. I have to climb up onto the couch to reach him. As I straddle him and unbutton his tux shirt, I can feel his cock harden through his pants.