by Jane Jamison
Brody shook his head. “They’re not yours any longer. Besides, I want you going without them for the rest of the day. That way you’ll think about us and know what you’ve got coming tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight at your place. Like I said, you’d better have dinner ready when we get there. We’ll have dessert,”—he licked his lips—”after that.”
“I like to eat dessert first.”
Wiley’s steaming look made her skin burn. If only he’d put his hand between her legs again. Or better yet, his cock.
“This is how it’s going to be between us, Michelle.” Brody scanned his hot gaze over her. “You are ours to command. What we say goes from this point on. The car and now this was a taste of that.”
“Are you saying I’m your slave?”
“Naw, not a slave. You’re more than that.” Wiley groaned, then eased away from her. “You’re our woman and we’re your men. As such, you’ll treat us with the respect we deserve. You’ll do as we say, when we say it and how we say to do it.”
“And if I don’t?” Would they spank her? Would they torment her with more delicious public interludes?
“If you don’t, then we’ll have to punish you.”
God help her, but she loved the sound of that.
“And what do I get out of this arrangement?” She wasn’t sure what else to call it. Was it a relationship? Were they dating now? Or hooking up? Friends with benefits? It was all new territory for her, but it was territory she couldn’t wait to explore.
Brody swept his thumb over her lips and moaned. “What do you get? You get us. Us giving you all the pleasure you’ll ever need or want.”
Wiley brushed her hair back over her shoulders, then gently pulled a part of her blouse back into place. “Michelle, you get what all women want. You get two men who will make you theirs in every way possible. You get two men who will treasure you like the sweet prize you are. Trust me on this. You’ll get as much as you give and more.”
“Miss Michelle? Where are you?”
Brody and Wiley stepped away from her. Fortunately, they’d gone back far enough that Elbert couldn’t have seen anything.
“Uh, yes, it’s me. I’ll be there in a sec.” She skimmed her hands down her skirt, lifted her head and led the way out of the shadows. “I was just thanking the guys.”
She paused, her eyes growing wider as she realized how that had sounded. “I mean…for everything they’ve done for the boys.”
“We were looking for a good place to put the dog food.” Brody pointed back into the shadowed area between the buildings. “If you get a metal garbage can, you can keep some of his food in the shade here. That way it’s not that far from the pen, but it’ll keep it out of the elements, too. Be sure to use a metal can to keep it fresh and other animals out of it.”
She let out a small, hopefully unnoticed sigh of relief. Brody’s cover was perfect.
Elbert thrust his hands in his pockets, then frowned. She followed his gaze to Brody’s pocket and saw the tip of the lacy material hanging out. Brody caught on fast and shoved it all the way inside his pocket. Hopefully, he’d done it before Elbert could figure out what it was.
“Okay. Sure. We’ve kept the boys out of this area before now, but I guess we can loosen that restriction a bit. It is the perfect place to keep the dog food. I’ll get a big metal can for out here.”
She was more than thankful that Elbert didn’t suspect. Or if he did, that he wasn’t calling them on it. “And it’s even better since there’s a water faucet nearby. They can drag the hose over to fill up his water bowl.”
“Again, a good idea.” Elbert stuck out his hand. “I can’t thank you two enough for doing what you have. You’ve made a real difference for the boys.”
“No need to thank us.” Brody’s gaze slipped from Elbert to her. “We were more than happy to do it.”
He leaned over to her, turning his head just enough that Elbert couldn’t see. The glint in his eyes sent another tremble of lust rushing through her. “Seven. Be ready,” he whispered.
Then with a quick handshake from both the men, they were striding away, leaving her to handle her tumultuous emotions.
“Miss Michelle, are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She cleared her throat, hoping to make herself sound more confident. “I’m great.”
Oh, my. I can’t wait for tonight.
* * * *
Michelle was more nervous than she’d ever been. And why shouldn’t she be? After what they’d done at Hope House, who knew what they were planning on doing tonight? Before she’d met them, she’d never have allowed two men into her home, especially two who treated her like she was some kind of submissive woman to their domineering male types. Yet she couldn’t resist them any more than she could’ve resisted her favorite Belgian chocolate. There was only so much self-control a woman could have and she’d reached her limit with the Russell men. She craved them and tonight she was bound and determined to get as much of them as she could.
She checked her apartment. Thank goodness she’d picked it up the day before. The open-concept apartment that had the small kitchen to the right with a pass-through bar spread out behind her to the comfortable living room and on to a small balcony. The hallway off to the left only ran for a few yards before it dead-ended into her modest bedroom, the only room with a bed, since she used the second bedroom as an office. Her place wasn’t much and she didn’t have expensive furnishings, but it was cozy and fit her needs.
She caught her reflection in the mirror hanging over her sectional couch. The green silk sundress was one of her favorites since it was comfortable, stylish and brought out the blue in her eyes. It clung to her curves and showed just the right amount of cleavage, and even a little side boob. Although it was longer than the skirt she’d worn earlier, the lack of a slip underneath it made it possible to see her long legs. If they couldn’t tell that she wasn’t wearing underwear because of the absence of panty lines, then she’d know they weren’t paying enough attention. She doubted that would be the case.
Her doorbell rang at seven on the dot. The men were nothing if not punctual.
Taking another quick look at herself, she hurried to the door, then brought herself up short. Why not make them wait a minute? They’d taken control earlier and she’d loved it, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get the upper hand—if only in the slightest way—every so often.
They rang the bell again and she stayed where she was. A few moments later, a knock came. She stuck to her guns and counted to twenty. When she hit eighteen, she started worrying that they’d turn around and leave. In a panicked rush, she opened the door.
Wiley held out a bouquet of flowers that had her favorite carnations dominating the mix. Brody stood next to him, his station T-shirt hugging his body every bit as tightly as his brother’s did. He held a bottle of wine in each hand.
“Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” Brody lifted the bottles. “We came bearing food and wine. Well, at least wine.”
“That’s okay. I’ll supply the food. And thank you for the flowers. I love them, especially the carnations. They’re my favorite flower.” The hungry way they perused her body made her feel like they had another kind of food in mind. Would they spread her over her table and feast on her? Her body tingled at the idea.
She wondered if any of her neighbors were watching. Especially Linda Cartrell in the apartment next to hers. Linda was a gorgeous brunette, a former Miss Texas winner and Miss America runner up, and she never let Michelle forget it. She liked lording her long line of dates over Michelle’s head and often pointed it out in not-so-subtle ways.
She glanced at Linda’s closed door, willing it to open. If Linda saw Brody and Wiley, both of who wore jeans that fit them to a T and shirts that hugged their firm frames, she’d turn green with envy.
She cleared her throat and spoke a little louder than she normally would have. “Hi, guys. I’m so glad you’re here.” Anothe
r glance at Linda’s door was as disappointing as before. “I just know we’re going to have a great time tonight. But let’s try and keep the ruckus down. I wouldn’t want to disturb my neighbors.”
Okay, that sounded stupid. And kind of slutty. But damn, did it feel good! If only I knew if Linda heard me.
She wasn’t the type to get catty, but Linda had made her feel so badly, so often, that she couldn’t resist. Even the nicest person went to the dark side every now and then, and she was no exception.
But she couldn’t make herself go any farther. Guilt washed over her. She shouldn’t and wouldn’t drop to Linda’s level.
Just as she was about to invite the men inside her apartment, Linda opened her door and stuck her head out. “Oh. I thought I heard voices.”
Her expression went from disgruntled, you-are-so-not-worth-my-time to a pageant-bright smile in less than three seconds. She closed her door, then opened it before swaying into the hallway. The skin-tight shorts and shorty-short top revealing her toned abdomen made Michelle want to wrap a blanket around her gym-phobic body.
Seriously? Does she look like that when she’s just sitting around?
“Hi, Shelly. Are you having a party?” Her big brown eyes slid over Wiley and Brody. “If you like, I can bring over a couple of bottles of champagne. Anything to help out a friend.”
A friend? Since when?
Guilt hit her again. Maybe she’d pegged Linda all wrong. Maybe Linda wanted to make the first move toward a friendship.
Linda skimmed her hand down Brody’s arm. “Between you and me, Shelly doesn’t have much experience entertaining. But I’m always happy to help her out.” She batted her eyelids at him. “I’m very friendly.”
Damn. Why does she have to be so…so…whatever the hell she is?
She’d gotten Linda’s number right from the start.
“My name isn’t Shelly. It’s Michelle.” Taking Brody by the hand, she tugged him away from the sultry vixen. “And no thanks. It’s a private party, and I have everything I need.”
A little of her own sultry vixen came out as she slid her hungry gaze over the men. “Everything. Anyway, I hope you have a great evening, Linda.” At least she managed to hold back the “by yourself” part of the sentence. “Guys, please come on in.”
Wiley and Brody gave Linda quick smiles, then stepped inside her apartment. She told them to sit anywhere they liked, then taking a steadying breath, she turned to face them. The disappointed expressions on their faces, however, weren’t the ones she’d hoped for.
“Where’s dinner?”
She paused, unsure of how to respond to Brody. “Oh. You were serious about that? Um, I didn’t realize. The truth is, I don’t cook.”
“Yeah, we were serious about it. Besides, you said you’d supply the food,” added a ruffled Wiley.
Had she? Her mind had gotten so muddled, she couldn’t remember anything except the way their bodies felt next to hers. “No problem. I’ve got menus from all the restaurants in the area.” She tried to make it sound better. “My treat.”
Brody placed the bottles on the pass-through counter between the small dining area and the kitchen. “We told you to have our dinner ready. Why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t really think about it. I mean, who demands to have their dinner ready and waiting on the table? This isn’t the 1950s, you know.”
His eyes glittered with irritation, with yearning or a combination of both. The result was to have her pussy clenching and getting wet. She hadn’t worn any undies. At least she’d gotten that much right.
Wiley set the flowers in the middle of the table. “Relax, bro. It’s not that big a deal. Besides, like I said. I like dessert first. Afterwards, she can fix us something to eat.”
“The big deal is that she didn’t understand what we said earlier.” He wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close. The gesture was both commanding and tender, confusing and delighting her. “You’re going to understand now, right? If you want this, if you want us, to work out, you’ll have to learn what we expect from you.”
Her heart raced and more wetness flooded between her legs. If anyone had asked her how she’d react to such a situation, she would’ve told them she’d throw the men out. But throwing them out was the farthest thing from her mind. Instead, she leaned forward, loving the way his hard body pressed against hers.
“And if I don’t agree?” She asked the question, although she knew she’d do whatever they wanted. She’d love to please them in any way she could.
“Then all you have to do is say so.” Brody caressed her cheek. “I’m only doing what I know you’ll like. What I know you want. You want a man who takes charge, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Her breathing was already coming in quick, short puffs.
“I’m not trying to be rough with you.” The glint in his eye sparkled. “At least, not that way. But I want to be clear. Just say the word if you don’t like what I want from you, and we’re gone.”
“No. Please. Don’t leave.” The tougher he got, the hotter she became.
“Just know that I’ll never hurt you. Not emotionally and definitely not physically.”
“I know.” The stubble on his jaw line tempted her to spread her palm over it and see how soft or prickly it was.
“Okay, then.”
He took her hair and tugged her hair back, catching her off guard. Getting caught off guard was part of what she liked about them. “Tell me you want this.”
“I do.”
“Good. Then choose a word you wouldn’t normally say, Michelle. Something off the wall like radish.”
“Radish?” The harder he held her to him, the harder it was to think. Her skin erupted in goose bumps. All she wanted was for him to hold her even tighter.
“Yeah. That way if we ever do anything you don’t like or might hurt, you say the word and everything stops.” He slid his thumb over her lips, his gaze intent on them. “That’s our promise to you. No matter how much we may not want to, we will stop.”
She trembled, the craving for him growing stronger by the minute. And yet when Wiley came up behind her, she knew the craving was for the both of them.
“Do you understand, baby?” whispered Wiley, his warm breath tickling her ear.
“Yes. Radish it is.”
“If you act the way you’re supposed to, we’ll give you all the pleasure you could ever want.”
She smoothed her hands over Brody’s shirt, then when she had them almost at his shoulders, she clutched the material. If he didn’t kiss her soon, she’d have a mental meltdown. “And what happens if I don’t want to do what you tell me to do?
“You say your safe word.” Wiley nibbled at her neck. “Or we give you a consequence.”
She closed her eyes and tracked her fingers through his soft hair. “Will I like getting a consequence?”
“Can’t say. You could. That’s what we’ll have to figure out.” Brody pulled away from her, tugging her hands off him. “Until then, you’ve got a lot to learn.”
She wobbled on her feet when Wiley, too, backed off. “I’m sorry about dinner, but I really don’t cook. You wouldn’t want to eat anything I cooked.”
Brody’s brown eyes flashed. “You’re still not getting it. Whether we would’ve liked it or not isn’t the point. The point is that you didn’t do as you were told.”
She wasn’t hungry. At least not for food, but if they wanted her to try and cook, she would. She’d try anything they asked of her. All she wanted to do was to please them. The sensation was strange, one she’d never had, but it made her feel more like a woman than she ever had.
Then it hit her. In her fantasies, she’d always acted submissive to the men. They’d dominated her, and yet, the more they’d demanded, the better she’d liked it. Not only were Wiley and Brody making her dreams come true, but she was doing her part as well.
“Do you still want me to make dinner? Or at least try?”
“Damn it. Forget the food
. You’re all we need.”
The sensation flying through her now made her feel like the woman she’d always wanted to be.
“From now on, you do what we say to the best of your abilities.”
“And if I fail to do it right?”
Brody face softened with his smile. “Don’t worry about failing. These are all things we’ll have to work out. We’ll tell you what’s expected of you and you’ll tell us what you want. It might not seem like it at times, but this is a two-way street. Give and you’ll get what you want in return.”
Wiley strode over to the couch and took a seat. “Now that we’ve got that covered, how about getting us some wine, baby? And make it quick.”
Brody followed his brother’s example and took his seat. “Do what he says without complaining. Either that, or we call this whole thing off right now.”
She stayed unmoving for a moment, then started on jerky legs toward the kitchen. Taking one of the bottles, she started to gather three wine glasses in one hand and the bottle in the other.
If they want to be waited on, then I’ll really wait on them.
She found the tray she used for parties and placed the glasses, the corkscrew, and the wine on it. Then, taking care, she swayed back into the living room, mimicking Linda’s sexy walk, and placed the tray on the coffee table. She stood up, proud of her presentation, and clasped her hands. “What now?”
“Do you expect us to open it?”
She almost spoke back to Brody. But if that was how he wanted to play it, then she’d go along. She found that she was enjoying the game. She’d have never guessed it, but she liked the idea of waiting on them.
She went to her knees, picked up the corkscrew, and opened the bottle. Once she had it opened, she filled first one glass, then another. She’d started to fill her glass when Wiley bent over and placed his hand over the top of the goblet.
“No, baby. We didn’t say you could drink.”
“I can’t?”
“No. Not until we say so. You don’t make a move until we tell you to. And no talking, either.”
“I don’t know about this.” Had she made a mistake? And yet as soon as the question was gone, she had her answer. This was no mistake.
