“It really wasn’t him?” Alice was skeptical, but it was possible she had the wrong impression after all.
“It is true, my darling. You’d be surprised how far some people would go to get what they want.”
And that she could believe. Everything that had occurred in the past few days surprised her. The only thing she could be sure of now was her own heart. And it twisted in agony for the two men she loved. There was no way she could show them how she felt for them, not now. The pair-bond ritual seemed like the only logical, and final, way she could bring the friends back together. Cherise was right about one thing, at least. It was best for Julian and Anderson. And as long as she knew that, Alice could make it through anything.
* * *
“This is the Twilight Room.” Cherise guided her down the empty corridor with a steady hand at her back. The heavy velvet cloak Alice wore completely engulfed her figure and the silver mask covered all of her features. She could barely see a thing and she was nervous to the point of bolting. Maybe that’s why her friend stayed so close, pressing against her side until she opened the door into the darkened room.
“You remember the words I told you to say, my darling?” Cherise whispered through the thick folds of the hood, and Alice clutched the rose tighter. Thorns dug into her fingers, but she barely noticed as she nodded in answer.
Beads of perspiration gathered on her skin. Cherise had dressed her in a thin silk dress before they left, so sheer it was almost a nightgown. When she objected, her friend said she would be thankful she was scantily clad later on. And she was right. Alice was suffocating.
Cherise gave her an aggressive push when she lingered at the entrance and she stumbled into the room. What the heck? She turned to look at her friend, but the door closed between them and she found herself inside a tiny planetarium. Gorgeous star patterns outlined the walls and ceilings, and Alice felt like she was floating in space.
As her eyes adjusted, she made out a figure at the center of the room. He was very tall and cloaked just as heavily as she. It was Cherise’s master! Oh God, the only thing she knew about this man was his first name, and she was about to give herself to him!
Breathe, breathe… The presentation altar was silver and it shone in the pale starlight. Easy to make out as she approached. She didn’t dare look at the man standing there. Keep your eyes down. That was the rule, Cherise had said. She wasn’t sure she wanted to look at him, anyway.
Her hands shook. Alice awkwardly knelt down in front of the silver table. Pillows lined the floor and cushioned her clumsy curtsey. The master coughed slightly. Had he laughed at her? She was probably imagining things, too.
Alice brought forth the rose with both hands, holding it above the silver altar.
“This rose is my offering. The stem of which is my body, for you. The thorns of which bind my soul, for you. The leaves of which crown my mind, for you. And the bloom of which shares my heart, for you.”
There, she’d said the words. They were right. At the time she thought she would never remember, but it came naturally as she knelt before the cloaked stranger. Now all that remained was for her to place the flower on the surface, and for him to accept. It was almost over. Julian and Anderson would never have to worry about her again.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Alice held out the symbol of her submission, but couldn’t bring herself to place it on the surface. In fact, she wanted to pull it back before he could take it up. If he touched it, was she committed then? Had she thought this all the way through? Cherise had given her an awful lot of the advice the past few days, and all of it seemed to lead in this direction. In the whirlwind of grief and excitement that followed her night in the Persian Room, Alice had lost sight of what she’d wanted all along.
Now was a hell of a time to realize it, but there it was, nonetheless. She couldn’t go through with this. Her head was much clearer without Cherise there whispering in her ear. Holy crap, she’d almost made the worst mistake yet. Would Cherise’s master be angry? There was only one way to find out. She would give him the truth, something she hadn’t been able to do with anyone since this whole thing started. He wasn’t Anderson and he wasn’t Julian. She could confess everything to this stranger without affecting any of them.
“I have to tell you, I can’t do this.” Alice struggled to her feet in the heavy robe, holding the rose protectively against her chest. “I’ve undertaken a long, and probably unbelievable, journey to get here. I came here for a reason, and you’re not it.”
Ugh, forget all the ceremony. She couldn’t breathe behind the mask and stripped it off. It was beautiful, the mask. So was the room and the ritual, but she wasn’t in the right place. Her heart wasn’t.
“I love Julian Brax and Anderson Cain. Both of them, very much. I didn’t understand it at first and I’m not saying I get it for sure now. But I can tell you that because of my feelings, I don’t want to be with anyone else. Their love has affected me, changed me into the person I’ve always wanted to be. This is nothing against you…I’m sure you’re a great master. But I need something else—someone else. I’m sorry, but it’s either them, or no one at all.”
Just spilling the forbidden truth her heart had been harboring all along was freeing. Alice felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her transformation was complete. She had finally become who she’d longed to be. Even if Julian and Anderson weren’t there to share it with her, her heart was full of them still, and she would take it.
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” A familiar voice spoke from behind the master’s mask. It was a southern accent with a slow Cajun drawl. Alice’s heart dropped into her stomach as Julian pulled the mask from his face and shrugged the hood back. She was torn to pieces all over again by the sight of him. All the love she felt welled up to the surface, but Anderson’s tortured blue eyes came to mind, tempering her desire.
“I can’t do this to you. Not you, or Anderson. Please understand. I love you both too much.” She took two steps back, afraid her body might betray her and reach for him. The robe hindered her progress and she stumbled into something in the dark.
“We feel the same way.” Arms encircled her waist from behind, supporting her before she could tumble over. Anderson’s clean-cut scent enveloped her and it felt so right, so perfect, to be in his arms.
Was she dreaming? She was in the same room with both men and they weren’t fighting. In fact, they seemed closer than ever before. Julian slipped off his robe and came close, taking the rose from her hand. Alice released it easily. She was past the point of denying either of them anything.
“You see, we can’t do without you, Anderson and I.” His slow, sexy drawl sent shivers up her spine. They intensified with her back cradled against Anderson’s chest. If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up.
“But we can’t ask you to choose between us.” Anderson ran his hands up her robed arms, then pushed her slightly away, turning her to face him. “That’s why it made sense for us to be together.”
“All of us.” Brax leaned in from behind and whispered in her ear, pulling down her velvet cloak at the same time and allowing it to puddle on the floor at her feet. Alice was aware the sheer dress clung to her glistening figure like a second skin. Anderson sucked in a deep breath as he took it all in, his eyes the darkest blue she’d even seen them.
Before she could say anything, Julian’s strong hands clasped her shoulders and guided her back against the length of his body. Once he solely supported her frame, he ran his fingers down her side and firmly took hold of her hips, grinding against her lower back. Her lips parted, breath rapidly accelerating. Alice felt how hard he was and the thought made her thighs clench together with desire.
Anderson watched Brax seduce her from behind, his eyes alive with emotion. Alice was acutely conscious of him, just inches away. Brax cradled her and slowly peeled the sheer gown off her shoulders, exposing her breasts. She arched her back, thrusting her aching nipples forward. So close
to Anderson. She could almost feel his breath on her delicate skin.
“Our girl needs you, Anders. We wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.” Brax’s voice was rough with lust, and he bit the back of her neck firmly enough to send a wave of sensation through her body.
“Please, give it to me…” The words escaped her lips in a ragged whisper. She hadn’t even thought them. This was the moment she’d dreamed of understanding, the passion she’d longed for since her first night at Damsels. It had taken both men to unlock her secret heart. What she’d been resisting all along was her savior in the end.
Anderson closed the gap between them the moment she spoke. He tenderly took her face in both his hands and kissed her in a way she’d never experienced before. His touch was deeply laced with love and tenderness. Her heart melted for him, because of him, and ran through her veins with a warmth that filled her emptiness.
Alice was captive between day and night, love and desire. Both men held her, both worked together to drive her into a frenzy of need that she was desperate to fulfill. Brax took her breasts in both hands, firmly, his rough fingers stroking her swollen nipples until they were huge. She couldn’t take any more. Alice wrapped her fingers in Anderson’s dark hair and lowered his mouth onto her sensitive nubs. He licked them delicately at first and she could barely stand it. She needed more.
Brax groaned from behind, his hands lifting her heavy breasts. He fed them to Anderson, guiding them into his mouth and his friend responded, devouring her flesh. Alice was near orgasm, her hips rocking back and forth between both of them.
“Now it’s my turn,” Anderson said, tearing himself away long enough to drop to his knees. Brax wrapped both arms around her hips and spread her thighs with two large hands. Her muscles quivered, and Anderson ran one finger along the length of her exposed cleft. He teased her clit with his tongue, lapping up her sweet juices. She pressed hard against his face, riding his mouth. Alice ached for him to be inside her. She was so close to coming, she needed to feel him inside her, to fill her up all the way when she climaxed.
Anderson framed her sensitive slit with both hands and penetrated her with a teasing probe. Alice lost control immediately and clamped down, exploding with the most intense orgasm she’d ever experienced. He fingered her deeply with each wave that over took her senses, his mouth on her clit the entire time. Expertly…masterfully. His studies had apparently taught him well.
Alice collapsed onto her hands and knees. She could barely manage to support herself when Brax reached from behind and took a fist full of hair in his hands. He pulled softly at first, then harder. Her whole body convulsed with desire. She was still sensitive, her senses heightened after the experience she’d just had.
“Cher, I can’t wait anymore. I won’t make it another night without being a part of you.” Alice felt the head of Brax’s enormous cock against her throbbing flesh. He pressed gently at first and her muscles tried to take him in, but it was tight. She was desperate to feel him inside her. She rocked back and forth, working herself onto his towering erection. She wanted to share with him the pleasure she’d just been given. Both of them.
Alice reached out with her right hand, even as she took Brax deeper inside, and undid Anderson’s belt. He watched her, and she could see the desire in his eyes, the same desire she knew he could see in her.
She wanted both men inside her. She needed to feel it when they came, the same way they drank her in. Alice drew him out of his pants, his cock heavy and stiff in her hands. He pulsed as she hugged the length of him in her fist. It felt natural, right, to hold him in her hands like that.
Alice brought his slick head to her lips and kissed him gently, the way he’d done to her earlier. A primal moan escaped his mouth, and his head tipped back. Alice slid him between her lips, running her tongue down the flat part of his cock, touching and tasting his salty, hot skin. Brax delved deeper inside, his rough hands on her hips as he rocked her in a rapidly increasing pace.
Alice gasped, her mouth still on Anderson. He reacted, tangling his fingers in her hair, controlling her as he worked her down deeper onto his cock. Brax filled her until her clit pressed tight against his hard flesh as he pounded into her rhythmically. Oh God, this was it! She was reaching another climax, one that rivaled the first by a thousand times. Could they feel the pleasure that was building up inside her? The world must be shaking all around them.
It started out slow, the feeling of ecstasy that began to build between her legs. Her thighs clenched tight against Brax, instinctively trying to take all of him in before she exploded. It was growing, coming on so fast she couldn’t stop it. Waves of dizzying pleasure shot through her body and she tried to scream out, but Anderson was deep in her throat. The vibration pulsed against his swollen cock and he pumped into her, sending his thick, sweet release into her mouth.
She ravenously swallowed what he had to give, still moaning as Brax thrust all the way inside. His hands grasped her hips as he lost control, shooting deep inside her. Alice convulsed against his massive cock as he filled her with his hot cum. In that moment she could feel everything. Her senses were alive and honed to a superhuman point. Her climax, their climax, was so intense she knew everyone around them must have felt it.
Alice was latched on to Anderson still, milking every last bit of cum she could from his semi hard cock. He smiled at her in the dim light and gently detached. Brax laid her down on the pillows beneath them, kissing her forehead. They came to rest on either side of her, both holding and touching her with loving tenderness. She was in a state of euphoria, knowing that the three of them together were perfect for each other. She’d barely come down from her last orgasm, when they began to arouse her again. She didn’t think she’d be ready so soon, but her body craved more of them.
“Does this go on all night?” she asked blissfully, letting them stroke her in places she’d always longed to be explored. Her hips were already responding to the seduction of their fingertips and her heartbeat picked up again.
“All night,” Brax assured her, his voice rough with rising lust.
“And every night after,” Anderson added as he engulfed her sensitive left nipple in his mouth.
While they worked together in perfect unison to bring her to the edge again, Alice finally knew her heart was in the right place.
EPILOGUE
Cherise shook with excitement.
She was just outside the Sunset Room and it was nearly midnight. Even the heavy robe couldn’t suppress the shivers up her spine as she thought about Julian Brax and what it would be like to be with him again. She’d been a fool years ago when she’d tried to make him jealous with Marius. And a fool to fall into the pair-bond with her clever master. But none of that mattered now.
This was her chance to come full circle and commit to Julian the way she should have done to begin with. Sure, he might be angry at first, that she’d tricked him into it. But once he found out Alicia had bonded with Marius over an hour ago, he would have no choice but to honor the ritual. She’d planned so carefully, watching and waiting an eternity for an opportunity like this one.
The door opened silently and she entered. The sunset on the horizon was so low that the majority of the ceiling was cloaked in a dark blue. It was beautiful. Perfect for what she had in mind tonight.
There he was. Julian Brax was at his place on the other side of the altar, masked and robed as he should be. Cherise kept her eyes down low. She didn’t want to give anything away before she completed the presentation.
Kneel. Say the words.
She whispered the bond words so low she could barely hear them herself. She prayed Julian would think it was nervousness on Alice’s part. It would make sense. Cherise found that if she thought long and hard enough about anything, it would eventually work out to her advantage in her mind.
She held the rose by her fingertips, barely visible from under the sleeves of the cloak. Oh, this had to work! She’d done everything perfectly. Cherise placed the bloom on
the golden altar.
Nothing happened. Would he take it? Minutes ticked by. It felt like hours. Was he teasing her? Her breath came more rapidly behind the mask. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest was heavy. Cherise wanted to claw the heavy disguise from her face and gasp for air.
Just as she was about to break, Julian leaned down and picked up the rose, turning it over in his hands. It was done! He’d completed the pair-bond. She wanted to jump to her feet and embrace him, but couldn’t do so unless he allowed it.
“Someone’s been a naughty kitty.” The cultured accent came from behind the mask, freezing her in her place. How could this be? She knew that voice well.
Marius gracefully removed the costume, revealing his identity at the same time.
“Tsk tsk. Did you think I wouldn’t find out what you were up to?” Her master took her gently by the wrist and raised her palm against her cheek. Her small hand was a perfect match to the bruise on her face, but she already knew that.
“Julian and I may not get along, and you might be the reason for that,” he continued. “Still, he knows I would never hurt you or he wouldn’t have allowed me to keep you for all this time.”
Cherise couldn’t pull away. She didn’t dare to. She’d just fully recommitted to her old master, and he owned her in every way once again. He slowly walked behind her and stood at her back. What was he doing? What would he do to her now?
“I want you to know that I’m glad it was you and not the blond girl. She was a bit too…sweet and innocent for my taste. But you, my little one—well, you are infinitely clever and deliciously manipulative. It’s apparent to me now that you need more training. I’m afraid I’ll have to use a firmer hand with you from now on.”
Cherise listened carefully to every word. She’d been caught and now she would be punished for her little trick. A part of her was angry to have her plot foiled, but another part thrilled at the thought of being corrected by the one who’d been savvy enough to see her plan.
The Pleasure Principle Page 14
