by Rose Nickol
Talking quietly in her ear, Mike explained that what they were watching was a Dom giving his sub aftercare. The fruit and drinks would help the sub avoid the drop some people experienced after the endorphins from being in sub space wore off. It also helped the sub recover quickly.
They walked to the next stage and Gavin explained that it was a piercing scene. He told her the Domme was certified in piercing and showed her all the steps, the woman was taking to ensure the safety of herself and her sub. She squeezed Mike’s and Gavin’s hands and shuddered. No way she was ever getting anything pierced—nope, not happening.
The men quickly led her to the next scene telling her they would talk later. Matt and Bethany were doing this scene. Gavin and Mike hadn’t talked to her much because they wanted to see her reaction first, but Matt was a sadist and Bethany was a masochist. A sadist received pleasure from giving pain, and a Masochist got pleasure from pain. There were different levels of each, but Matt and Bethany were pretty well matched and had been together long enough that Matt knew her limits and how far to push her. Tonight Matt was going to be using a six-foot bullwhip. Mike occasionally liked to use a whip on a sub, and he wanted to see how Shelby reacted.
Matt carefully fastened the wrist and ankle cuffs Bethany was wearing to the St. Andrews cross on the stage and double-checked to make sure they weren’t too tight and that Bethany wasn’t stretched too tight. He quickly braided her long golden-brown hair and threw the braid over her shoulder leaving her back bare.
Mike and Gavin led Shelby to a couch placed to one side of the stage where they could watch, but not disturb the scene. They sat on the couch with her between them. Mike leaned over to her ear and explained everything Matt would be doing and why he was doing it. After the scene, they planned on meeting Matt and Bethany in a private room and giving Shelby some time to talk to Bethany and ask any questions.
At first, Shelby was horrified by what was going to happen. How could anyone be willing to be whipped, let alone receive pleasure from it? She watched as Matt carefully prepared Bethany and could see the love in his face and the cautious way he handled her. Although Shelby couldn’t hear everything said, she could see Bethany’s face when she turned to look at Matt and how much she loved him.
When Matt asked if she was ready, she nodded enthusiastically. Shelby tensed at the first strike of the whip on Bethany’s back, cringing and waiting for the scream. When Bethany just moaned, she relaxed a little and watched intently.
After the scene, Gavin and Mike took Shelby back to the private room, which had been stocked with water, juice, fruit, and cheese. Gavin, Mike, and Shelby talked while they waited for Matt and Bethany to join them. It wasn’t long before Matt and Bethany walked into the room, Bethany giggling and Matt laughing, looking very much the happy couple. Shelby was amazed to see how happy Bethany was considering what had happened to her. They sat and talked for several minutes munching snacks. Bethany and Shelby planned a lunch and shopping trip for the next Saturday, and then Gavin walked Matt and Bethany out. Gavin and Mike had a punishment to administer.
While waiting for Gavin to come back, Mike found a soft scarf, wrapped it around her wrists, and tied her hands together. “Now when Master Gavin comes back, I want you to kneel before him and apologize for your misbehavior.”
When Gavin entered the room, she did as Mike instructed and was rewarded with a kiss from both men. After the kisses were done, Gavin sat on the bed and pulled her across his lap. Quickly he gave her ten swats telling her that next time it would be double and the amount would double every time she wore panties when she wasn’t told to. After the spanking and cuddling, they talked for a while before they went home to cuddle and play in the big bed.
* * * *
Gavin was off on a Wednesday and Thursday, so Mike took those days off and got some buddies to help with moving the beds around. With Mike away from the garage, it was necessary for Shelby to be there and she really wasn’t much help moving anyway.
Shelby got along with all of the people at the garage but one. Earl was too friendly. It was almost creepy. Earl was two years younger than she was and started at the garage right after she did so no one knew him very well. He worked hard and everyone liked him. They just didn’t know very much about him even though he was friendly and talkative. He never said much about himself or his life. After he had worked there a few days, he asked Shelby out to lunch. She explained that she had plans and thought that was the end of it. He asked her out daily until she explained she was involved with someone. Mike asked her if she wanted him to handle it, but she declined, not wanting to see Earl in trouble. She thought she could deal with it.
Shelby tried to keep things professional on the job as did Mike. It really wasn’t anyone’s business, and while they were working, Mike and Shelby kept things cool. Everyone in the garage knew she was or had dated Gavin, but even he agreed and kept things cool when he picked her up from work or for lunch. Shelby didn’t try to keep the fact she was seeing Gavin and Mike a secret—that would have been impossible—but they did try to be discreet.
It was a busy day at the garage, Shelby had several customers to deal with and spent much of her time on the phone trying to get the parts they needed at the best price for the customers. She didn’t even realize she had worked through lunch until Earl was at her desk with a sandwich and drink for her. She looked up at him thanking him. It really was considerate of him.
“I noticed you worked through lunch and no one brought you anything. I guess Mike and Gavin are busy today?”
“Yes, they had something planned. This is great.” Shelby ate the sandwich; she hadn’t realized how hungry she was. “How much do I owe you?” she asked, not wanting to leave Earl hanging for the cost of her lunch.
“I got it today. Maybe you can pay me back another way some day,” he answered with a grin.
Shelby wasn’t sure what he meant by that but smiled in response, trying not to encourage him. Every now and then, she caught him watching her. It always sent a shudder down her spine and not the good kind.
As she finished her lunch, one of the guys called Earl back to the garage. Earl was a nice guy, but she just wasn’t interested in him. She had Mike and Gavin. They were all she wanted.
The rest of the day went fast, and before she knew it, the boys were cleaning up and it was time to close the garage. She wondered how the men were doing with the moving. They had called a couple times, but she had been so busy they hadn’t actually talked. She grabbed the phone and called to see what the plan was.
Mike answered, sounding out of breath and annoyed. “Hey, honey, what’s up?” he asked curtly.
“Nothing, I was just checking in. How’s it going? You sound aggravated.” she asked him, concerned.
“Well, we got everything out of Gavin’s room and moved to storage. We had to take the bed from the playroom apart to get it up my stairs. It’s in the bedroom waiting for us to put it back together. All we have left to do is carry in the mattress tonight. We’ll meet you at my house as soon as we’re done.”
He didn’t tell her about all the trouble they had taking it apart and that it had taken five of them to get the mattress up the stairs. It wasn’t going to be any easier to get it up Gavin’s stairs either. He just hoped they could get the bed put back together tomorrow. After they got the mattress up the stairs, they were stopping for the day.
They ended the phone call, and Shelby made sure everything was locked in the garage. Mike had given Gavin and her keys to his house, so her getting in was no problem. Shelby gathered her things, turned the alarm on, and headed across the street to Mike’s. She felt like she was being watched, but there was no one around. Just paranoia, she figured.
Shelby let herself in Mike’s house, turned the alarm off, and reset it for home mode. Kicking off her shoes, she lay on the couch and pulled a blanket over her. She was tired from the long day and just wanted to relax for a while. She didn’t mean to fall asleep but must have because when she
woke it was dark and cool in the house. She wondered where her men were and grabbed for her phone to check for messages and to see what time it was.
It wasn’t as late as she thought it. It had only been an hour. The men should be close to being done. Wondering if she should call them, she just decided to wait. She got up to turn some lights on, and none would work. The electricity must be out, she thought. That explained why the house was cold. She lit some candles and went to turn the fireplace on. She had forgotten it wouldn’t work. Even if they were gas logs, they needed electricity for the fire to light. She wrapped back in the blanket and grabbed her e-reader. At least it would work, she thought. Wondering if she should call the guys, she decided to wait a little longer. Grabbing another blanket, she settled down on the couch to read.
She was just getting into the story when she thought she heard something. Listening a minute, she heard nothing more and went back to her book. She read for a few more minutes, thinking the noise had just been her imagination when she heard something again. She stopped again and listened longer this time. Not hearing anything else, she was sure it was just the fact that she was in the house alone and went back to reading, wishing she could put some music or TV on to break the silence.
After reading the same page three times, she put the book down and grabbed her phone ready to call Gavin or Mike. Looking at it, she had no service, which was weird. She put her phone down and went to the house phone, luckily, Mike still had one, and many people didn’t. Shelby grabbed it and hit the button—no dial tone. Duh, she thought, it won’t work with electricity. Now what? She paced the room a few times and sat on the couch. It was cold in the house, and she felt colder because she was alone with no way to contact anyone if she needed help.
“Keep trying, she has to be there,” Gavin said to Mike, who was attempting to reach Shelby on the phone. They were on the way home and had initially called to see what she wanted to eat, thinking they could pick up dinner on the way home.
“She’s not answering the home phone or her cell phone, they both go straight to voice mail,” Mike said.
They were both starting to worry.
“Did you try the garage in case she’s still there for some reason?” Gavin asked as he ran his hands through his hair. “Do you think she went to the store or out to get something to eat?”
“Maybe she’s just asleep. It was a rough day at the garage from what she told me. That’s it—she’s taking a nap.” Mike surmised, trying not to worry.
“Let’s just head home, and we can order something in after we make sure she’s okay,” Gavin suggested.
Mike agreed and headed the truck toward the house. There had to be a reasonable excuse why Shelby wasn’t answering either phone. Mike drove faster than he should have, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He just needed to get to her.
When they go to the house, they could see the candles flickering in the windows, but everything was quiet. Why would she have candles, he wondered.
Gavin went first, and Mike followed quickly behind him. They found Shelby sleeping, wrapped in blankets lying on the couch. Mike squatted down in front of her and kissed her awake.
“Hi, honey,” he said as her eyes opened.
She threw her arms around his neck and almost fell off the couch onto him. Raining little kisses all over his face, she held him tight. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
Gavin knelt beside them and put an arm around Shelby. “What’s wrong, honey? What happened?”
Shelby took a deep shuddering breath and blew it out. “Everything’s okay. It’s just the phones wouldn’t work, and the power was out, and then I kept hearing noises. I’m glad you’re home.”
She let go of Mike and launched herself at Gavin. Sitting on the floor, Gavin pulled her into his lap and held her tight.
“I’m going to check the breaker box and a few other things,” Mike said. Tomorrow in the daylight, he would show Shelby how to check the breakers and how to use the backup generator he had installed.
Grabbing a flashlight, he walked out the backdoor to the breaker box. He noticed none of the other houses around was dark. Whatever it was had just affected his home. As he moved the flashlight around, something felt out of place, almost as if he was being watched. He was glad Gavin was in the house with Shelby. When he got to the breaker box, he saw it was open and the main breaker had been smashed by something.
This was a job for Gavin. He headed back in the house finding Gavin and Shelby sitting on the couch cuddling. Not wanting to upset Shelby or leave her alone, he said to Gavin, “I need you to go outside and look at the breaker box for me.”
Hearing something in his voice, Shelby sat up and asked in a panicked voice, “Why? What’s wrong? I’m going, too.” She stood and went for her shoes.
Pulling her back down on the couch, Mike wrapped her in his arms. “Let Gavin take care of it. We’ll tell you all about it once he has a look.”
Shelby relaxed into his arms and nodded, it wasn’t like he was going to let her get out anyway.
Gavin grabbed the flashlight from Mike and headed out the back door. The minute he saw what had happened, he called the station to see if he could get a CSI crew out to check and did a quick walk around the house, checking for anything else that may have been tampered with.
With only a flashlight and unable to see much outside in the dark, Gavin decided to go inside and check all the windows. He wanted to make sure no one had tried to get in the house. He also wanted to get a better alarm system for not only Mike’s house but for his also. They needed systems that hooked into their phones and into Shelby’s. He and Mike just had basic systems in case of a break-in, and now he wanted something more sophisticated for them.
While Gavin was doing his check, Mike took Shelby downstairs and showed her where the generator was and how to operate it. They might as well have heat and electric. That’s why he had bought the generator to begin with. While they were starting the generator, they heard Gavin come in and hurried up the stairs to see what he learned.
Gavin didn’t want to scare Shelby, but she needed to know what was going on. Guiding her over to the couch and sitting her between Mike and himself, he took one of her hands and Mike slipped an arm around her.
“Someone tampered with the breaker box, that’s why the lights were out. I’m going to check all the windows and make sure they are locked. Then I’ll come back and we’ll talk about the plan and what we need to do to keep all of us safe. Okay?” he asked and brushed her mouth with a quick kiss. “While I’m checking things out Mike is going to stay here with you. I don’t want you alone in the house until we get this figured out.”
Mike nodded in agreement and pulled Shelby closer. While Gavin went to check out the house, Mike thought about the things they needed to do to keep Shelby safe. He didn’t know what this person was after, but they had to keep Shelby safe regardless.
He saw Gavin come down the stairs and crooked his finger for Mike to follow him. Grabbing Shelby’s hand he led her up the stairs behind Gavin and followed him to the master bedroom.
Gavin led them to the window where they could all see it had been broken out. The window had been broken from inside the house. This meant that someone had been in the house, and whoever it was had a hell of a jump to get down from the second story. They would look for ladder marks on the ground tomorrow. Gavin also texted the CSI team so they could check, too.
Mike asked, “Do you know where he got in?”
Gavin nodded in reply, led them down to the basement, and showed them the window that had been broken in.
“Was he in the house while I was here alone?” Shelby asked, her eyes wide and a frightened look on her face.
Mike held her hand tighter and answered honestly. “I don’t know, baby, but we are going to make sure you aren’t alone again until we figure all of this out.” He wanted to reinforce the idea that she wouldn’t be alone.
Making a decision on the spot Gavin
said, “We’re going back to my place to stay tonight.” He held one hand up to stop Mike from voicing his thoughts. “I know the bed isn’t put together. For tonight we’ll just throw the mattress on the floor and all sleep there. I’ll have some of the guys head this way so we can board up the windows and get a couple of the rookies to sit outside all night. I really don’t think the person who broke in will try anything else tonight, but I want us all to feel safe.”
They went back upstairs, and Mike ordered a pizza while Gavin made his phone calls. Shelby sat very quietly while Mike and Gavin took care of business. She was a little shocked, thinking someone might have been in the house while she was alone in it.
As if he could read her mind Mike looked at her. “Honey, they were probably here and gone before you ever got home. Don’t worry about it. Gavin and I will make sure you aren’t alone until we get this all figured out. For all we know it could just be some kids playing games or someone playing a prank. It’s nothing for you to worry about.” Mike said what he thought would comfort Shelby, but he was worried about it. He had no idea why someone would break into his house .
It didn’t look like anything had been taken. Maybe it was just a prankster. Gavin would find out. He knew some of the best detectives in the city, not only the ones on the police force, but also private detectives, too. They would find out what was going on.
A knock came at the door and Shelby almost jumped out of her skin.
“It’s probably just the pizza or some of the guys Gavin called.” Mike tried to calm her and pulled her to the door with him. After they ate and got the windows boarded up, he wanted to get her out of the house and some place she felt safe.
