Healing the Wounds

by M. Q. Barber

  Jay beamed. “I love you, Henry.”

  “As I love you, Jay.” He pressed one more kiss to Jay’s lips. “I’ve a task for you now. Can you guess what it is?”

  “Ice pack and washcloth.” He listed her need before his own without hesitating.

  “My brilliant boy.” Henry rolled to the side and let Jay escape. “On your way.”

  Jay edged off the bed with care, an utter mess from face to thighs. He raised his arm with a salesman’s flourish and lowered his hand. “This model comes—”

  “I can see that,” she interrupted with a giggle. “I think I’ll talk to the owner about buying the demonstration model. They put on quite a show.”

  Jay sauntered around the bed. “Told you it’d be worth staying awake for.”

  “I can’t wait to see the encore performance.” She winked at him and ogled his half-hard cock. “It seems like there’s always one in the works.”

  His gasp dared her to laugh. “Is there an encore, Henry? If Alice wants an encore, I can be ready.”

  “Tasks first, my boy.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He raced toward the door. “Don’t start the encore without me.”

  “It’s a two-man show,” Henry called after him. “I’d hardly attempt it alone.”

  He laid a hand on her cheek. “How are you feeling, truly?”

  “Good. Really, really good.” She tipped her face into his hand and nuzzled closer. “And looking forward to that ice.”

  “I’m pleased to see you in such high spirits, sweet girl.”

  “You mean after you just fucked Jay’s mouth?”

  “Such a quick study,” he murmured. “And so willing to speak the truth with blunt precision.” He kissed her, tender and soft. “Yes. I mean after I fucked Jay’s mouth. Tell me how you felt watching.”

  “You made sure you wouldn’t hurt him. I saw your hand. And he couldn’t get enough of it.”

  “Your feelings, dearest. Did those things reassure you?”

  “I had a split second of panic, when I figured out what you were doing. But then it was okay. Better than okay, because I knew Jay was safe and you were giving him what he wanted. It’s not the acts. It’s the people. The intentions.”

  More kisses, sprinkled across her forehead and cheeks. “Good girl.”

  Positive reinforcement. That and repetition. He’d work to make sure his lessons sank in the way he must’ve done with Jay to build his confidence. Teach them both to accept their sexual desires and their emotional needs and find greater fulfillment. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I love you, too, Henry.”

  “You had better.” He mock growled at her. “You’ve signed me up for a second show tonight.”

  She giggled. “Am I going to get one?”

  He lay beside her and took her hand in his. Pressed it to his cock, soft now but still slick. “If you play nicely while we ice your back.” He nodded past her. “Hand that here, please, my boy.”

  She spent twenty minutes with the ice numbing her back and her fingers dancing along Henry’s cock. Jay’s fingers joined hers once he’d settled himself beside Henry. By the time he trotted off to toss the ice pack back in the freezer, he and Henry were ready for their encore.

  A tussle this time, mock wrestling at slow speed before Henry pinned Jay to the bed. He held Jay’s thighs down with his hands and Jay’s arms with his legs. Mouths closed over cocks in the same moment.

  Henry, solid and commanding, carried the weight of his authority, taking hard pulls.

  Jay, supple and slim, writhed like smoke in search of a chimney. Drawn upward, a helpless slave to his own nature.

  Fuck, she’d watch this show every night. Listen to the whimpers and groans and the harsh breaths. Inhale the heady musk of two men eager for release. The maleness hung so thick in the air she tasted it in her throat.

  They shouted as one, Henry working his magic. Holding off Jay’s climax with his hand and driving himself toward his own so they could share the moment together.

  Cleanup was quick, while they iced her back and readied for sleep, cocks at rest. Henry settled beside her, on his back as she was. Jay curled along Henry’s far side with an arm and leg flung over Henry, his hand brushing her arm. She slept.

  * * * *

  Low laughter rippled in her ears. A slight chill hardened her nipples. She fumbled for the covers.

  “You’ll wake our canvas, my boy.”

  “But she’d be sorry to miss this. I know she would.”

  An answering chuckle from Henry. “Yes, she might wish to open her eyes before the fun ends.”

  She struggled to raise her eyelids, blinking rapidly. What was she missing? Ah, fuck, a matinee. “So this is what middle-school boys do every morning before breakfast. Mystery solved.”

  Henry laughed. “I usually managed to wait until I’d gotten in the shower.”

  Of course. Clean, discreet, thoughtful. The three corners of the Henry triangle. Except when she and Jay made up two of the corners. That was a good triangle, too.

  Jay shrugged, one shoulder higher than the other, not interrupting his rhythm. “I fucked my pillow and hid the pillowcase in the laundry.”

  She giggled, imagining him tiptoeing through the halls and stuffing the hamper to overflowing with wadded-up pillowcases. His poor mother. “But today you decided to share? Lucky me.”

  Waking up to the two of them kneeling side by side, Jay’s left knee pressed to Henry’s right, their hands moving over a pair of gorgeous erections, was a sight she could get used to.

  Henry knelt closer, his cock angled toward her breasts. Jay seemed to be targeting her stomach, though his wandering gaze roamed beyond her body. He checked in with Henry every few seconds, an adorable tilt of his head as he watched Henry move and adjusted his own grip.

  God, she’d wondered for months, and here was the answer. Jay followed Henry’s lead, even in this. She loosed an appreciative sigh, half a moan, and laced her hands behind her head.

  “One for the road,” Henry murmured. He winked at her.

  Jay came first, popping like a champagne cork under pressure and whimpering with relief. Warmth dotted her stomach. Henry came more slowly, with tighter control, in long arcs across her breasts.

  Kisses followed. “Good morning, sweet girl. How are you feeling?”

  Her back ached when she tried to move. Hardly unexpected. She sat up, with help, and joined them for a shower.

  Henry held her against him, supporting her back with his chest. The water rinsed the evidence of their passion from her body while he brought her to a gentle climax with his fingers.

  “Mmm. All praise to Henry, bringer of the endorphin rush.”

  Jay laughed, and Henry chuckled and kissed her cheek. “We’ll add ice and more ibuprofen while Jay and I square away the cabin, my dear.”

  She took it easy, walking to stretch her muscles before the long car ride ahead, while Jay followed directions with good cheer. Towels and sheets into the washer, running as Henry made breakfast and Jay returned yesterday’s games and puzzle to their cabinet. The dryer declared the linens done as the last breakfast dish was washed and set on the drain board.

  Henry demonstrated exceptional familiarity with the cabin. The location of extra towels and sheets. The laundry room and detergent. He’d been here often. He and Santa might’ve brought other players here.

  Jay loaded the car, making trips back and forth as he filled the trunk with the bags Henry had packed and zipped.

  Henry pulled the ice pack from the freezer. “I believe a final application is in order.”

  “You know this place really well, huh.”

  Raising an eyebrow, he beckoned her into the kitchen and cuddled her to his chest. “Many years past.” The ice chilled her lower back. “Before Jay came into my life.”

  “Were they special?” The girls, she meant. Or boys. The ones he’d brought here.

  “Will’s picks, for the most part. Victor’s, ages ago, when
he and Em had submissives in training.”

  “You didn’t come alone? I mean, not alone, but—”

  “For a weekend away with my dear ones? No, Alice. Never.” He stroked her hair with his free hand. “They were all of them special in the moment, and in the moment only. You and Jay are special to me in every moment, whether your lips are around my cock or across town speaking to a coworker.”

  “Car’s packed.” Jay’s shoes squeaked on the floor. “We ready to go?”

  “Are we ready, Alice?”

  Time to go back to the real world, carrying a deeper appreciation for both of her men and their needs. “Ready.”

  The ice pack went back into the freezer. Last-minute bathroom breaks for all. Henry took a final look through the rooms and declared Jay’s cleanup successful.

  She held back a sigh as Henry locked the door and left the key atop the frame. “It’s been a wonderful weekend, Henry.” Santa’s cabin had been good to them. Good for them. “Thank you for bringing us.”

  “Fantastic weekend,” Jay added. “And I didn’t watch a single bird.”

  Henry snorted. “As if you ever did before. You’re a much more able cock-watcher than birdwatcher.”

  Jay preened. “I play to my strengths.”

  Henry chivvied them to the car, lowering her into the front seat with care and directing Jay to take the back.

  “Perhaps we’ll make a winter visit if you’d like to ski, Alice.” Henry started the engine. “And warm up by the fire afterward, hmm?”

  Her happy moan echoed Jay’s. “Yes, please.”

  Chapter 12

  “Alice!” Jay swooped down and kissed her before dropping into the seat across from her. Twelve forty-three. Less than fifteen minutes late, but still unusual for him. “Sorry, I got pulled into an extra hand. Order yet?”

  “Pulled pork sandwiches and a shared plate of fries. Should be up in a minute.” They lunched at the same diner every Tuesday, five blocks from her office. In ten months they’d worked their way through the entire menu twice. The sandwiches were a favorite treat. “You have a good morning?”

  They traded stories and jokes until the food arrived, whereupon he wolfed his down and she took a slower approach. By the time she laid her napkin on her empty plate, Jay had reached the middle of a story about his regular Tuesday morning delivery customer whose sons lived out of state. They’d paid for weekly grocery delivery and prescription service since their mother’s hip surgery last summer.

  Sweet, can’t-say-no Jay usually spent extra time chatting with Mrs. Eickhoff when he made his weekly drop-off. But this week Alice only half listened to his recounting of the widow’s latest news. Her mind strayed back to Sunday morning. To Henry’s voice. We’ll play new games soon, Alice. She shifted in her seat.

  “Does it hurt?”

  Jay stopped in midsentence, his lowered brows and parted lips the definition of confused. “Umm, putting the groceries away or playing gin rummy? ’Cause the answer to both is ‘no,’ only I don’t know why you’d think either would.”

  “No, I mean—” Clearing her throat, she checked out the neighboring tables. “With Henry. When you’re with him.”

  “Ohhh.” He swapped attitudes in an instant, his eyes softening as he leaned in. “Nervous, huh?”

  He might think her braver than him, but he had it backward. Henry hurt her when she asked for it. Like the flogging. Anal sex might hurt the same way. Pain-with-pleasure during. An ache later. She lacked context. “Maybe a little.”

  He dodged soda glasses and condiments and clasped her hands. “It won’t hurt. Promise.” Muscled forearms flexing, he squeezed her fingers. “The first time, it’s kinda uncomfortable, ’cause it’s odd, you know? Like your body’s not sure what’s going on. And then it feels amazing. Full. If it hurts at all, even the first time, you gotta tell Henry right away. He won’t be mad if you need to stop.”

  “I know.” She did. She just needed to hear it from Jay. Her expert.

  “I think—” Concentration added tiny lines to Jay’s forehead and the corners of his eyes as he squinted. “It helps to breathe nice and slow. And relax your muscles. And listen to Henry’s voice. If you feel like you’re starting to panic, listen to Henry. He loves you. He knows what you’re ready for. He won’t try to give you more than you can handle.”

  He let go of one hand and pointed a stern finger at her. “If you’re getting your information online, stop right there, young lady. You’ll make yourself crazy worrying.”

  She stared at her empty plate with its smear of barbecue sauce. Caught. Jay sported a sweet and playful surface, and he liked things simple and decided for him, but he wasn’t stupid.

  “People do weird and unnecessary stuff. They spread stories when things go wrong.” He held understanding in his eyes, as wise as Henry about her need to research and analyze from every angle. “Things go right, they’re too busy enjoying brainless-orgasm-land to babble about it online.”

  When she needed him to play senior submissive, he stepped up and got the job done without thinking less of her. Her fears slipped away, floating free. “Thanks, Jay.”

  “If you need more convincing, I can go first. Sacrifice myself as a demonstration model for your needs.” He flashed his charming flirt smile and waggled his eyebrows. “I’m willing to take one for the team.”

  She laughed until she was out of breath. “Eager, you mean.”

  “Always. And so are you.”

  Well, that was true enough.

  Jay stood, dropping bills on the table to cover the tab. “C’mon, I’ll give you a lift back to work on my pegs.”

  She let him pull her up from the chair. “You just want my arms around your neck and my breasts bouncing against your back every time you brake.”

  “Of course I do.” He tugged her toward the door. “You’re gonna say yes anyway, right?”

  She ducked her head, grinning as she followed him outside. He was such a horndog. And a sweetheart. And hers. She answered in a soft voice. “Of course I am.”

  * * * *

  On Wednesday night, Alice didn’t remove her shoes at the door.

  She was ready by far to shed her work clothes. The day had been a long one, filled with complications caused not by the nature of the work but by the client. New demands requiring revision to a project already well under way. Time constraints forcing the team into a brainstorming session of epic proportions. Wrung out, she needed more comfort than flopping on the couch until dinner could provide.

  Jay’s sweet smile proved an intoxicating lure, a reminder of the domestic tranquility she enjoyed these days. And the spicy aroma emanating from the kitchen promised another delicious dinner delivered by Henry’s capable hands.

  Her lovers greeted her with cheerful voices and gentle kisses.

  The last of the table settings found its place courtesy of Jay, which necessitated thanks and praise from Henry. Hands-free, as his were coated in some unnamable sauce. A homemade marinade. Certainly the origin of the spicy scent.

  Jay gave off his own scent, fresh and woodsy, from his postwork shower. His hair hadn’t fully dried. The ends curled under.

  She ran her hand up the back of his head, threading her fingers through his hair and shaking it out. Her frisky puppy wriggled in place.

  “It smells great in here, Henry. How long until dinner?” A casual question unlikely to draw Jay’s notice. But Henry’s brief glance at her would give him a wealth of information.

  “Oh, I think we might have an hour, my dear. Perhaps more. You might wish to relax a bit beforehand.” Yeah, he knew. The lightness of his answer, the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and the tilt of his head added up to pure Henry amusement.

  “I will, I think. I can’t wait to get out of these clothes.”

  Jay twisted to face her, widening his eyes with exaggerated innocence. “I could help with that. Chief unfastener, at your service.”

  She tapped the counter. “I think helping me with my
clothes is a task reserved for very good boys with very clean rooms.”

  Odd, how a Jay so still could be so alive with energy. The potential for action crawling under his skin, waiting for the explosive rush into kinetic energy, practically made him vibrate.

  “I’ll be going to my room to undress in four minutes.” Fair warning, enough time for him to clean up any lingering trouble spots. “If I like what I see, the person who’s done such a wonderful job taking care of my room can take care of me until dinner.”

  Jay whipped his body around. “Henry, may I be excused? The table’s all set.”

  Henry’s gentle nod came with a straight face and no hint of a tease at her game. “Of course. You’re free to amuse yourself until I call you for dinner.”

  “Thank you, Henry.” He trotted away at a more-than-fast walk. Wanted to run, probably, but Henry had a no-running policy to prevent Jay from slipping and cracking his skull open. A necessary measure, no question.

  Leaning in, she nuzzled Henry’s neck and inhaled below his ear. Sharp citrus. Musky leather. She left a kiss behind, as soft as her voice. “Yes, thank you, Henry.”

  He turned to catch her lips and gave her a more thorough kiss than a simple welcome home. Pulling away, he left her close-eyed and shuddering, drawing energy from his attention.

  “You’re settling in well, my sweet girl. The eager anticipation on Jay’s face tells me your rewards have been thoughtfully chosen. Tell me, are you comfortable with your role?”

  She leaned against the counter beside him. His long-fingered hands conducted casserole like a symphony as he layered thin strips of meat in a dish. Modified beef stroganoff, from the mushrooms and onions and sour cream on the counter.

  “He makes it easy.” No, that wasn’t right, exactly. “And hard.” She shook her head. Giving Henry the wrong impression might make him stop the game. “I mean, it’s complex, but not.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not explaining well at all.”

  Henry chuckled. “If I may?”

  She gestured with one hand, serving up the conversation on a silver platter. “Be my guest, o eloquent one.”