“I’m getting up to close and check on a couple of things. Then we’ll need to get home.”
“Uh-huh. We both work tomorrow. Come wake us when you’re done and we’ll just get dressed and head out. We can shower at home in the morning. And, ’Stair? Tonight was amazing. All of it.”
“It was indeed. I was just thinking we should get married pretty quick. Jackie will probably want a big deal, so the sooner we start planning, the better. I want those kids we talked about. I’m a whole lot older than either of you.”
“We’ll talk once we find out about the house. Okay?”
He had no doubt that Jackie would get her way over the house, but he didn’t debate the issue, nodding, and then got out of bed. Ash watched him get dressed and he marveled at how comfortable he was with her. It was like she was his new best friend. He quietly let himself out of the bedroom as she settled down again beside Jackie. They both needed rest if they had to work in the morning, and he’d take care of the dog and the house so that they could sleep as late as possible.
He found the Club empty with the exception of Max and Meredith who sat on one of the couches in the Club entrance, and Dave, still behind the bar, looking at the pair with an interesting expression on his face. Max still appeared sex drunk to Alistair’s experienced eye, but really happy, and Meredith looked as serene as ever, although her hair wasn’t as carefully arranged and her makeup seemed less perfect. Belatedly he remembered his plan to introduce Dave. It seemed that all coherent thought fled when he was with his girls. He went to remedy the situation.
“Dave,” he called. Dave put down the glass he was polishing and tossed the cloth on the counter. He eased his bulk around the edge of the bar and walked over.
“This is Meredith Massey. Dr. Massey. And Max.” He still wanted to punch the asshole but pushed the feeling away. “Dave Cutticio.”
Dave took Meredith’s proffered hand and shook it gingerly and then vigorously shook Max’s. Alistair hid a grin when Max’s obviously strong and firm grip belied what Dave had assumed. The man would have to learn how to conceal his thoughts and feelings if he was going to be an accomplished Dom. Right, like he’d been doing really well at hiding his own feelings this past while.
“Dr. Massey? You a family doctor or something?”
“I’m a psychotherapist.”
Dave took a step back, and his eyes flew to Alistair’s face and back to Meredith’s. Then he looked at Max. His confusion was clear, and Meredith gave him a kind smile.
“We all live our lives in different ways, Mr. Cutticio. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Dave’s eyebrows suddenly drew together. “Hey, I thought it was first names only here.”
Alistair nodded, pleased with how Dave’s intelligence had obviously not suffered. “True. But in this case, I think it’s only fair that you know your instructor’s name and she know yours. And Max is hers, so he won’t breathe a word.”
Max sat up a little straighter and his eyes widened a fraction at the silky threat in Alistair’s voice. Meredith effortlessly overrode the moment, giving ’Stair a glance that had him remembering her equal status.
“Max and I have sorted out his need to chatter, haven’t we, my love?”
Max looked at Meredith the way that Jackie looked at him and Ashley, and Alistair let his grudge go. It was over and done with. Max nodded to confirm his Domme’s comment.
“I’m going to do my best, Ma’am. And if I slip, I know you’ll bring it to my attention and correct me.”
Dave followed the exchange with a kind of sick fascination on his face. He then turned to Alistair again. “She’s going to teach me? Top me, you said?”
“Correct. But in private, Dave. If you go to Kyle and Andrew’s club, it will be public because it’s a training club for the most part. I think you’ll prefer this way.”
Dave stood for a long moment, a myriad of emotions chasing across his face. Meredith waited with that patient poise of hers, and Max kept out of it. Finally, Dave nodded respectfully to Meredith.
“Thank you. I think. I saw you and Max tonight, and it was special. Never seen anything like it before, but I got it.”
Alistair didn’t correct Dave’s peccadillo. It was bad form to discuss a claiming, at least with the claimer, especially when that person was going to be training one, but the honesty in Dave’s comments clearly touched Meredith. He knew she had read Dave already and he was now in her more than capable hands.
“I’m taking my girls home now. They both work tomorrow, and it’s been a long night.”
“TMI, ’Stair!” Dave’s protest had Max laughing, and Meredith cut him off with a look. She motioned him to his feet, and he immediately obeyed, reaching down to help her up, helping her on with her coat. He escorted her to the door after they exchanged their good nights, and Alistair accompanied them to see them out. Max stopped and hung back for an instant.
“I didn’t fuck her, Alistair. She wouldn’t have me once she’d seen you. Just so you know.”
Alistair couldn’t frame any words. He managed to incline his head and absolutely didn’t look at Meredith. The couple left, and he threw the deadbolt. When he had his thoughts and face under control, he spun on his heel and stalked back to the room where Ashley and Jackie still slept. He stared down at them both, wondering why Ash hadn’t told him, and then realized that she expected him to let it go, that the past couldn’t matter. And he had let it go, albeit only a precious few minutes before Max’s revelation. It gave him such a sense of satisfaction. He touched them both on a shoulder, and Ash woke instantly again. Jackie whined and complained, and he had to drag her up and help her dress and convince her to accompany them to the truck. It was a privilege to be able to do so, although his hand itched to smack her bottom to move her along.
Chapter Twelve
“Where do you want this very interesting piece of furniture?” Jackie well knew what the bench was for, but thought she’d give Alistair the gears. They had obtained the ranch house for well under the asking price, sold their little one for a fair deal, and managed to arrange possession dates to coincide with vacation time for her and Ash. Alistair left Dave in charge of the Club for a week, kind of a trial, and painted while she and Ash cleaned carpets in preparation for moving their belongings in. Beau investigated the yard, established a corner of it as his own personal toilet, and seemed quite content. The kitchen got a face lift with paint and new countertops. Jackie figured the proposed gut job would eat into their capital and wasn’t really necessary, although it had had that realtor looking. The house swallowed up their furniture, and ’Stair insisted on buying the master bedroom suite, including the bench and a wardrobe that had a lock on it. She knew he intended to store things in there that little people didn’t need to see, and figured Ash would put her weapons in there when she was off duty.
The bed was massive, a California king, with four posters and wooden sides. It really didn’t suit the house at all, but Jackie knew that it meant a lot to Alistair, both because he could attach his beloved restraints to it and because he wanted to contribute something special. She settled for choosing paint colors to keep the room light yet warm and found some lamps that detracted from the heavy look. All in all, it turned out well, except for the bench. The movers had raised their eyebrows, and Ash had snorted with laughter and abandoned Jackie. She in turn had put it back on Alistair.
“We’ll put it at the foot of the bed for now, darlin’. It’s a heavy piece, and we won’t want to be moving it too often.”
Alistair was clearly not at all uncomfortable with the fact that the two big guys who shifted the boxes and carried the furniture were now trying to hide amusement. Jackie gritted her teeth and left him to it. There hadn’t been any more punishment spankings since the one on that memorable day, although he’d given her a few erotic ones. Ashley loved to watch ’Stair work, as she put it, and Jackie had introduced her sweetheart to anal play under his guidance. Their sex lives were bec
oming increasingly adventurous and full, but the sex wasn’t the most important part. It was the sharing and the deep connection they forged.
Alistair had broached the subject of marriage, and Jackie knew she had surprised both him and Ashley by her lack of enthusiasm over having a big event. She didn’t need a fancy wedding. She had what she needed. They agreed in the end to have a simple ceremony in the backyard, and Jackie hesitantly asked about something at the Club. Alistair’s reaction was well worth her request. He pulled her against him and kissed her soundly and smiled so widely his gorgeous eyes nearly squeezed shut. Ash kept saying she wanted to be her maid of honor until Jackie pinched her nipples and threatened to make her wear a pink, fussy dress. Jackie had her priorities straight, and she didn’t want to spend more money than necessary or waste any time. ’Stair hadn’t been using condoms for awhile now, and she was pretty certain she had conceived. It was more a feeling, like something had changed deep inside of her, but she respected it and had adjusted her lifestyle accordingly, if subtly. No more wine with meals, more greens and less fat, an increased calcium intake, and more sleep. God she was tired, and it probably wasn’t just from the stress of moving. Alistair had turned out to be a fair painter, and she’d stayed far away from the fumes, too, glad that he’d taken that task on. He’d help her unpack boxes, too, and Ashley would put things in their proper place. Jackie would supervise.
She thought she’d slip out that afternoon and buy a home pregnancy test, and if it was true, she’d tell them both at dinner, now that they were officially living in their new home and had a date and a plan for the wedding. Beau was close to full grown, kind of like a small pony, and he was an amazingly smart and kind dog, well mannered and accepting of his place in the household, probably tied in third place with her, if quite protective. Jackie smiled to herself. Alistair was very much the man of the house, followed by Ashley, who wore both her feminine and masculine sides effortlessly. Beau loved them all and was happy not to be alpha male, in part due to his little trip to the vet last month, but Jackie knew who the cog was in this particular wheel, the glue who held them all together, and she didn’t take her responsibility lightly.
Dave was becoming a whole man again, apparently under Dr. Massey’s excellent tutelage, both in the Club and out of it. It seemed really strange to Jackie, but it worked, and Max mentored Dave, too, although Dave was clearly destined to be a Dom. He was going to give her away at her wedding. Most of her immediate family cautiously agreed to attend, having read her letter and taken some time to adjust to the idea, but her dad couldn’t make himself give her to Alistair while knowing she was also going to Ashley. That was okay. At least they hadn’t disowned her, and Jackie hoped that when they saw how happy she was they would cope better. She called her mom and dad weekly now, and while they never talked about her sexual orientation, they did ask after both of her “partners.” Her other siblings thought she was weird, but aside from her oldest sister, they appeared to have shrugged and gone with the flow. Life had indeed rolled out inexorably, and one either rolled with it or got cast by the wayside.
She heard the movers leave for the final time and moved to open the fridge and consider the options for dinner. Alistair came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“Care to try out the new bedroom furniture, darlin’? Ashley is in the shower and will wash your back.”
Her stomach chose that particular moment to lurch, probably because of the smells emanating from the fridge, and she hurriedly backed away, into Alistair, and shut the door. He turned her in his arms and stared into her face. His eyes narrowed, and he reached to one breast and hefted it. Jackie couldn’t read the expression that crossed his face, but then he was shouting for Ashley, turning and heading that direction, dragging her behind him.
Ashley rushed out of the bathroom to join them in the bedroom, her hair streaming water, wrapping a towel hastily around her. “What’s wrong?”
“Pull some clothes on, Ash. Right now.” Alistair’s voice bordered on sounding both exuberant and terrified.
Ashley stared at him for a moment and then crossed to the closet. She pulled out a sweatshirt and then went to the dresser to find a pair of jeans. Jackie managed to extricate her hand from Alistair’s.
“What are you doing? We can’t go out. I need to make something for dinner!”
Alistair grabbed her hand again and watched with impatience now cloaking his features as Ash struggled into underwear, the material catching on her still-damp skin. “We’re going to the drugstore. I think our girl needs to pee on a stick.”
Ashley froze in the process of stepping into her jeans. She stepped out of them and gave ’Stair a look that made Jackie want to laugh despite how disappointed she was that she wasn’t going to surprise them with the news at dinner. And she had such a happy plan worked out, too! Hormonal tears filled her eyes as Ash stalked back into the bathroom and then reemerged with a box in her hand. She came up to Jackie and offered it to her.
“Here you go, sweetheart. Go pee. We’ll wait out here.”
Jackie nodded, the tears now escaping to trickle down her cheeks. ’Stair cursed and reached for her, but Ashley forestalled him.
“She’s going to cry a lot for the next few months apparently, and act really moody, so be prepared. And you spoiled her surprise.”
“Oh. Jackie. Damn it, honey. It’s just that I was so…” He stopped, apparently at a loss for words.
Jackie dashed the tears away and made herself smile. He was such a man. “I’ll be right back.”
She could hear them talking from behind the closed door as she pulled the contents from the package. Ashley was laughing, and Alistair was asking her all sorts of questions like how she knew and what she knew and if Jackie would be okay. And then he wondered how he could have missed the signs until now. Ashley told him that it had to be pretty early because she’d only missed one period. Of course, she and Ash cycled together, as women who lived together tended to do. Alistair had been putting up with dual mood swings, although he hadn’t complained. He just took Beau for more frequent walks or increased the dog’s training time.
She set the little stick on the edge of the sink and tossed the test in the trash. She opened the door of the bathroom and her “partners” crowded in to stand on either side of her to watch with bated breath. Five minutes seemed like forever, but they passed, albeit with excruciating slowness. Positive. Ashley held her in a close hug, and Alistair wrapped his arms around them both, enveloping her and including Ash in the moment. Surrounded.
Chapter Thirteen
The wedding went off without a hitch, despite the fact that all the members of her family who attended got hammered and fell all over themselves trying to show how tolerant they really were. Her mom surreptitiously patted her baby bump and kept saying how she could hardly wait for another grandchild, and her dad finally loosened up once he saw how truly happy she was, although he alternated between hugging Ash and shaking her hand. Alistair looked every inch the proud groom in his dark slacks and green button-down shirt, and Ashley’s ice-blue sheath perfectly suited her slender, lithe shape. Jackie had decided on an ivory lace dress in tea length, insisting that she was too short to wear something that dragged to the ground, and her partners had immediately acquiesced. Weddings were supposed to be about the bride, after all, and she secretly delighted in getting her way with the simple arrangements and in choosing ’Stair’s outfit and talking Ash into a dress. Dave even wore some decent dress pants and a shirt that fit, and she extracted a promise from him to let her take him shopping to compile an actual wardrobe. She knew she’d pushed ’Stair a bit far when he saw the enormous green bow she tied around their dog’s neck, but he’d simply smiled his threat of retribution.
Beau vetted everyone, alternating between a sniff of the men’s crotches and a goose of the women’s backsides. It seemed that the entire reception was permeated with low curses or sudden shrieks as her dog made the rounds. He also ate anything and e
verything that fell from the guest’s plates, and Jackie didn’t let herself think about what that would mean for his digestive tract in the morning.
Their wedding night was vanilla. Well, as vanilla could be considered with the groom fucking her from behind while her girl ate her pussy. In truth, Jackie had been exhausted by the day’s events and the pregnancy and had crashed immediately afterward, not even noticing that her partners left the wedding bed to clean up the yard and the house so she wouldn’t have to deal with it in the morning.
Jackie actually preferred to remember the way they celebrated their union at the Club. There hadn’t been a photographer at that event of course, and the witnesses hadn’t been at the ceremony in her backyard wedding, except for Rowan and Jace. It wasn’t a really big scene because Alistair refused to risk their baby, but it still pushed Jackie’s boundaries and pleased him to no end. She really embraced the exhibitionistic side she hadn’t known about until then, and was absolutely fine with her thickening waistline and much larger breasts and darker nipples. She’d felt like a fertility goddess.
Ashley had prepared her under ’Stair’s tutelage, ensuring she was relaxed, her skin massaged with a sweet-smelling oil, and her hair caught up to bare her neck and shoulders. He had led her to the room where the other members gathered, stark naked, with Ashley following closely behind. It was a totally freeing experience. He wore his leathers but left his cut chest bare and Ashley dressed in a leather skirt and matching bra, as close to fetish wear as she would ever get. It had been like a solemn enactment of that first night together at the Club, only with an even more special ending.
Alistair had somehow arranged a low bench for her to lean against, her baby bump not impacted at all, and then secured her hands to a contraption that held them away from her body without unduly stretching her. Then he blindfolded her and held her until she calmed and gave over to him. Gave over to him and Ash, who had nervously quipped about being the best assistant ever.
Surrounded [Running to Love 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 12
