Room at the Edge

by Jane Davitt

  He tried splashing cold water on his face and just got water down the collar of his shirt and wet hair. His dick was persistently rigid and visible through his jeans.

  Ugh, forget it. There was nothing he could do about it except leave his shirt untucked and hope for the best. He stepped out of the bathroom, expecting to be alone in the bedroom, and instead saw Austin and Liam making out. Behind them, the bedroom door swung slightly—must be a cross breeze.

  “Hey,” Jay said indignantly. “I didn’t leave so you guys could go back to messing around without me.”

  “We weren’t,” Austin said.

  “I was just going,” Liam said, but he kissed Jay before he left.

  When Austin and Jay rejoined the party, Austin’s mom and brother were nowhere to be seen. “Oh, Tim said to say good-bye. Your mom didn’t look like she was feeling very well.” Adrienne made a sympathetic face.

  “I hope she doesn’t throw up in the car,” Austin said. His face was still flushed from kissing.

  Adrienne shook her head. “God, no. She wasn’t that out of it. Just tired, maybe. Now, Danny’s getting that way, lurching all over the place and knocking into people. If he even tries to open another beer, cut him off. Seriously wasted.”

  Austin looked at his watch. “He said he had to get up early tomorrow to work on his car. Maybe I’ll remind him.”

  “There’s no way he’ll be up before noon,” Adrienne said, “but you can try. I think a few people are going to be making a move soon, including me, but it’s been a great party. Really enjoyed it.”

  She gave them both a hug and drifted off, leaving Jay hoping she was right. It was relatively early, just after ten, but the invitations had been for six to ten, so if some people left, others would follow.

  “I love them all, but I want them to go,” Austin murmured into his ear.

  “Laura and Chris are coming over,” Jay whispered back. “Liam’s probably going to keep them upstairs if he sees lots of people leaving.”

  Austin sighed. “I want to see them, but I want this all to be over even more. God, I can’t wait for whatever Liam has planned.”

  “What do you want to bet Liam keeps them around until midnight just to torment us?”

  “He’d suffer too.”

  Jay laughed. “He loves watching us squirm. I don’t think he’d be suffering that much.”

  “After you talking dirty to him, he might.” Austin’s lips quirked in a grin. “You do know he’ll make you pay for that?”

  Jay sighed, a long, satisfied exhalation. “Counting on it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “And I suppose that’s all,” Liam said. “Would you like some more wine?”

  Laura was sitting on the small couch, her sub Chris kneeling on the floor beside her. His wrists were crossed behind his back, his head bowed. He hadn’t moved in the past half hour except for breathing, and from what Liam could see, the line of his shoulder was utterly relaxed. “I would, thank you. Chris can get it.”

  Chris didn’t move until she reached out and touched his hair; as soon as she did, he rose gracefully and took her glass, walking to the other room without a sound.

  “He’s very obedient,” Liam said. He wanted to ask the same question he’d asked earlier but wouldn’t. It would be rude, like an accusation that Laura might not know Chris as well as she thought she did, to verify—again—that Chris would keep anything he overheard in confidence. It would be questioning his loyalty to his Domme.

  Laura gave him a shrewd look. “You don’t have to worry. He does as he’s told, and even if he didn’t, he’s been tuning out our conversation. If I had any doubts, I’d tell you.”

  “It’s just that, well, Jay requires a firm hand, I suppose. I wouldn’t put my trust in him in the same situation.” It was hard to admit that out loud, knowing Laura had Chris perfectly trained, but part of getting together with them was to help Liam sort out how to change things so they worked more smoothly.

  Chris came back with the refilled wineglass, handed it to Laura, and knelt back in his previous spot.

  “We’ve been together for a long time,” Laura said, resting her hand briefly on the back of Chris’s neck. “It’s normal for the earlier months to be rocky. Be patient—with them, but even more with yourself.”

  “That’s not easy,” Liam admitted.

  She chuckled. “Of course not. It comes with the territory for us. We expect perfection, demand it, get off on it—and we turn that desire inward and expect it of ourselves.”

  “I can definitely say that applies to me.”

  “And you’ve taken on a lot in a short space of time,” she continued. “Two subs, a shift in your sexuality, moving them in… You take big bites, Liam. I like that.”

  “When you list it like that, it makes me wonder if I’ve lost my mind, but at the same time I can’t imagine my life without them, even if we met less than a year ago.”

  “They’ll be joining us soon,” she said. “Anything you want to talk about?”

  “Yes, but it’s difficult for me to ask for help, if I’m honest. I feel as if I should be able to figure this situation—the two of them—out for myself. That it’s my responsibility, and I shouldn’t shuffle it off onto anyone else.” Laura snorted, and he gave her a rueful smile. “Yes, I know that’s ridiculous, especially given my relative inexperience, so let’s forget I said it.”

  “Forgotten,” she said promptly.

  Beside her, Chris held position, his submission as clear and hot as a flame, burning steadily. He wasn’t doing anything but kneeling in silence, wasn’t even naked, but Liam found his gaze going to him over and over.

  “What do you see when you look at him?” Laura asked, tilting Chris’s head back, one finger under his chin, lifting it. Chris went with it, his color rising as Liam stared at him, his eyes still lowered.

  It wasn’t easy to open up, but Liam gave her an honest answer. “I see…I see that he’s happy. Glowing. That he’s finding satisfaction in being what you want him to be. He’s not fighting you, not restless or bored. He’s not trying to attract your attention by moving or sighing because…”

  “Yes?” she prompted.

  Liam smiled. “Because he knows he’s got it. That even as you talk to me, you’re aware of him, focused on him. I envy that level of trust.”

  Laura took her hand away, and Chris returned to his original position, his face serene. “It’s earned over time. It’ll come.”

  “I hope so.” He took a sip of wine, making the half glass he’d allowed himself last. “Okay, there is one thing. Jay’s really interested in fire play. Well, he’s interested in a lot more than that, and all of it extreme, but it’s what’s currently obsessing him. I’m happy to try it, but not until I’ve seen it done and had some training. I put out some feelers, made some calls, but so far there’s no one relatively close who’s available to give me some pointers. Would you know of anyone?”

  “A few people,” Laura responded immediately. “I can get you their contact information. Do you have a preference, man or woman?”

  The idea that he might have a choice hadn’t crossed Liam’s mind. “Frankly, no. Is it too desperate to admit I’d take anyone I can get?”

  Laura laughed. “No, I appreciate your honesty. I’ll check in with them and then let you know how to get in touch, assuming they’re okay with it. I’m sure they will be.”

  Outside was the faint sound of a car horn, then the dual thuds of the downstairs apartment doors being closed. A moment later Liam heard footsteps on the stairs. There was no sound as the basement door opened, although Liam knew it did because Austin and Jay appeared.

  “Sir?” Austin asked respectfully from the doorway.

  Liam stayed sitting but set down his wineglass. “Come in here, please.” He watched their faces as they took in Chris kneeling on the floor; Austin looked pleased and relieved and eager all at once. “Not yet,” Liam told him. “Come sit with me.”

  They sank onto
the couch on either side of him, pressed close as if for warmth or comfort.

  “It’s an art, not a science,” Laura said, and Liam nodded and slid his hand into Jay’s hair, his grip tight as he dragged Jay’s head into his lap. Jay made the smallest of sounds, a gasp, a whimper, and Liam felt his submission in that moment. It wouldn’t last for long, maybe, and it wasn’t as reliable a surrender as Chris’s, not yet, but it was a start.

  Beside him, Austin sat, waiting patiently, needing encouragement as much as Jay needed a firm hand, offering Liam everything he had and hoping Liam would want more.

  Liam kissed his cheek, a cool, brief kiss, feeling something inside him click into place. With them here beside him, his doubts fled, his control absolute. They gave him that certainty just by being themselves, and he loved them for it.

  At a flick of his fingers, Austin slid to the floor, going to his knees, his sigh of pleasure audible only to Liam. He knelt as Liam had taught him to, mirroring Chris’s position, his wrists crossed at the small of his back.

  There was a moment of silence as Liam glanced at them, knowing Laura’s gaze was on them too. Then she asked casually, “So how do you celebrate Christmas, Liam? Any exotic British traditions you can’t do without?”

  “It’s barely December,” Liam told her. “I’m not even thinking about it yet, though I know I’ll be spending some time with my children.” He wanted to see them, but leaving Austin and Jay would be a wrench, and he’d do his best to let them see that. “I can’t think of much we do that you don’t do here. We eat too much, drink too much, spend too much. It’s depressing in a way.”

  “Mm.” Laura seemed to accept his statement without agreeing with it; it was clever, and Liam gave her points for tact.

  “And what about you?”

  “Oh, Chris and I will have a quiet morning at home, then visit his family in the afternoon. We won’t see my family until next week—my sister is coming with her two kids. They love Chris. Well, everyone loves Chris.” She touched the back of Chris’s neck again, another light caress, and he exuded pleasure without moving.

  Neither of them spoke to Austin or Jay directly. Liam’s intention had been for them to ask questions if they had any, to seek clarity, but now that Laura was here in the room with them, it seemed unnecessary. It was Liam who had needed the reassurance that all of this was possible. Now he had it. It wasn’t up to Austin and Jay to make him feel better or to sort out how to work through the challenges of their relationship.

  “It’s been great,” Laura said, finishing her wine and holding the glass in front of Chris to indicate that he should take it. “Thanks for having us over.” She stood, and Liam rose with her as Chris left the room, presumably to deliver her wineglass to the kitchen.

  All three of them followed Laura and Chris to the front door, where they bundled themselves into their winter coats and shook hands all around.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Laura said and briefly clasped Liam’s hand in both of hers as Chris held the door for her. Then they went off into the night.

  “Brr,” Austin said, locking the door and wrapping his arms around himself. “I guess it’s really winter now.”

  “So it would seem.” Liam tugged Austin to him and kissed his temple, then patted Jay’s arse lightly. “All right, you two. Let’s get the downstairs neatened up before bed, or you’ll both be doing nothing but cleaning all day tomorrow. And when you’ve finished that…”

  “You have plans for us?” Jay asked.

  “You know I do. So hurry.”

  * * * *

  Liam shifted slightly on the couch, pleasantly tired from a day spent doing very little. When Austin had returned from his mother’s, Liam cooked them brunch, and then they’d done their own things in the afternoon, Jay disappearing to work on a diorama, Austin tackling a stack of ironing as if it were a treat. Liam, nudged into awareness of the upcoming holiday, had done some online shopping for gifts, finding it as exhausting as pushing his way through crowded malls.

  When the movie had started, they’d all been close, touching, but as it went on both Jay and Austin had edged ever closer until Jay was nearly in his lap and Austin was using his shoulder as a pillow. Not that he was complaining—he loved that they felt so comfortable with him, and he suspected this was what they all needed more than anything else.

  Now Austin’s hand, which had been resting near Liam’s knee, was stroking idly along his thigh instead.

  Wondering if he should comment or respond in some way, he settled for staying still, tacitly encouraging the caress, aware of a gentle swell of arousal coupled with amused curiosity. Austin’s attention seemed to be on the screen, but Liam really doubted Austin was following the convoluted plot.

  Jay sighed and nestled closer, his leg sliding between Liam’s thighs, his hand coming to rest on Liam’s chest, the tip of his middle finger against Liam’s nipple. With the smallest of movements, that finger drew circles, pressing against the soft, raised flesh until it hardened.

  The lights were off, the curtains drawn, the room lit only by the flickering images on the screen. Liam waited for their next move, no longer the slightest bit interested in the movie. His arms were around them, and he couldn’t change that without signaling that he was aware of their stealthy seduction. He didn’t want to do that, even though it left him unable to return their caresses. Let the game continue awhile longer. It was pleasant to be here with them in the near darkness, the two of them showing him wordlessly that they wanted him.

  Austin’s hand slid higher, the side of his little finger brushing Liam’s rapidly forming erection. Through the loose trousers he was wearing, it was a touch that should have barely registered, but in his current state of anticipation it sent a thrill of desire through him, a groan rising that he stifled.

  He wasn’t going to make this easy for them and spoil their fun. His two beautiful, loving boys, so patient, so eager to be perfect for him without realizing that in his eyes they already were. Their rebellions and their occasional failures didn’t bother him. He wanted subs, not robots, a challenge, not a walkover. And he was honest enough to admit that for every mistake they made, he made two. He was learning along with them, and they all stumbled at times as they outpaced themselves.

  Jay lifted his face and kissed the side of Liam’s jaw, which ought to be smooth enough at least, given that he’d shaved only a few hours ago.

  Oh, hello. Now Austin’s fingertips were moving gently over Liam’s erection, and Jay’s lips had found his earlobe. Any chance Liam had of pretending he didn’t realize this was happening disappeared, and he turned his head to kiss Jay, who made a grateful sound and pressed against him even more eagerly.

  “You smell so good,” Austin murmured, slowly unbuttoning Liam’s shirt and slipping his hand inside. Austin’s fingers were cool, his palm warmer.

  “I thought,” Liam said, “we were watching a movie.”

  “We are,” Jay said. “Don’t tell me you never made out at the movies when you were a teenager.”

  “None of us are teenagers now,” Liam pointed out, but his ability to have a real conversation fled when Jay settled a hand over his cock, thumb tracing the head through his clothes.

  “That just means we can do more than make out,” Austin said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Adult things.”

  “You mean…naughty things?” Jay asked with an attempt at shocked horror that was woefully unconvincing, accompanied as it was by the lowering of the zipper on Liam’s trousers.

  “Oh yeah,” Austin said and pushed Liam’s shirt open, baring his chest. “We can be really naughty all we like.”

  “Don’t naughty boys get spanked?” Jay wondered, catching his lower lip between his teeth and looking adorably worried.

  Liam couldn’t hold back a grin. “If you two have finished reenacting the start of a porn movie…”

  “The ones we watch generally don’t have this much plot,” Jay said, slipping his hand into Liam’s trousers and making
the discovery that Liam had gone commando. “Huh. We dress like this when we didn’t do laundry.” He tugged gently at the hair around Liam’s cock, teasing him. “It’d be fun to watch one together sometime. Or one of yours, if you have any?”

  “Maybe,” Liam said, refusing to commit himself. He had a small collection of porn movies, though he hadn’t watched them in a while. They’d provided a glimpse into a world he’d turned his back on in an attempt to save his marriage and, as such, had been a source of frustration more than anything else.

  And most of the movies featured female subs, which ruled out the possibility of watching them with Austin and Jay. There had been one with a male sub, though, a prisoner attempting to avoid punishment by offering himself to a guard—and discovering he’d made the wrong choice. They’d played roughly—Jay would have loved it—but there had been a visible connection between the two actors that had saved the short movie from being run-of-the-mill. Liam had watched that one more than once, drawn to it, though he’d steadfastly refused to think about why it’d appealed.

  He knew now.

  “By now we’d all be naked,” Austin said.

  “Hmm,” Liam said. “And Jay was saying derogatory things about porn why?”

  Austin chuckled and leaned down to where Jay’s hand was still only teasingly close to Liam’s cock, breathing warm air over Liam’s skin. “There are good things about porn.” He licked Liam’s shaft so quickly and lightly that it was over before Liam could enjoy it. “We could show you.”

  “I’m sure you could.” Liam’s voice was a bit shaky.

  “We could do whatever you wanted us to,” Jay agreed, kissing him again. “You could tell us what you want.”

  “One instruction,” Liam said. “Have fun.”