Beck is in the foyer near the front door when we descend. He’s already put both our suitcases in the car. I pass Abby off to him and carry her belongings out the door ahead of them. She sniffles again as Beck pulls her in to his side.
We’ve cancelled all our appointments for the next week. Any lingering issues, Julius will handle. We can reschedule our photo shoots. People will understand.
Randle drives us to the airport. I sit in the front passenger seat, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds. Beck is behind Randle. Abby is strapped into the middle seat, leaning into Beck. Her eyes are closed, but I know she’s not sleeping.
Beck murmurs to her every once in a while. Nothing I can hear, but it doesn’t matter. He’s just trying to soothe her.
Abby manages to pull herself together when we arrive at the airport. She says very little as I get us checked in and we make our way through security. Her eyes are red and swollen, but she’s aware of everything and manages to keep moving forward. A few people glance at us with sorrowful looks, but I try to keep her blocked from as many eyes as possible.
For one thing, I know she doesn’t want to be recognized. For another thing, I also know she would not be as malleable if it occurred to her that both Beck and I are guiding her around in public. I know we look like an odd trio to anyone who sees us. A pale white man, a black man, and a much younger gorgeous woman. I don’t give a fuck personally, but Abby would. So I’m being as discreet as possible.
Julius has secured us first-class seats, and we board the plane first, settling Abby into a window seat while Beck takes the one next to her. I sit across the aisle. I hate not being able to touch her. Not just because she wouldn’t like the PDA, but also because I’m not next to her.
I’ve given this time to Beck. By silent agreement, we keep trading spaces, passing her off. I held her for a while in the library while Beck found Julius and made travel arrangements. Beck carried her to her room and curled her against his chest on her bed while I packed. I swapped places with him while he packed.
We both gave Julius time with her after he finished filling her suitcase.
It’s not unusual for us to share a woman in this fashion. We’ve done it dozens of times over the years. What’s different in this instance is that I’m constantly making sure we’re getting equal time.
Because this isn’t some random submissive. This is Abby. She’s ours. All of ours. Even if Julius chooses to pretend otherwise.
Chapter 43
Master Beck
Abby twists her hands in her lap over and over during the flight. It takes everything in me to avoid wrapping my arm around her or holding her hand in mine. As soon as we stepped out of the house, Abby was not our submissive. She was our employee. Someone whose grandfather died that morning.
She needs comfort, but she does not need publicity. I will play the concerned employer as we travel. I can’t visualize what arrangements we will make once we arrive, but somehow, this woman will end up in my arms. It kills me to lean just close enough to speak to her without holding her.
I’ve spoken twice to her grandfather’s staff, both Geraldine and Joseph. Geraldine couldn’t stop crying, so she passed the phone off to their butler, Joseph, both times. They know we’re arriving. It will be late. They said they have plenty of room for us to stay in the house.
Levi and I have made no plans beyond arriving. From what Abby has told us, her grandfather’s home rivals Julius’s family home. I have no doubt there are plenty of guest rooms. I pray to God I don’t end up actually sleeping in one of them. I’m sure Levi is thinking the same thing. No way would we leave Abby alone in any bed anywhere. Not on any day. But especially not tonight.
We don’t have return tickets yet. The thought of returning without Abby makes my skin crawl. I can’t fathom what is looming in front of us. She’ll need to make funeral arrangements and play the hostess. That will take several days. We will help her, of course. But then what? Will she feel like returning to Seattle to resume her summer with us? Or will she be too distraught to let herself enjoy the rest of her break?
I also know nothing about her grandfather’s will or what arrangements he made for Abby. He was an extremely important attorney. I have no doubt he had his own lawyer and his estate is in order. But one never knows.
There’s no doubt Abby will be facing a pile of responsibilities when she gets home. She has no siblings and her parents are both gone. Her only living relatives are distant cousins she hasn’t seen in years. This is going to be a hard time for her.
Except for a hand on the small of her back and an occasional stroke of my fingers against her arm or her shoulder, I do not touch her as we land and make our way to baggage claim. Levi doesn’t either. His face is strained. I see the haunted look in his eye that matches how I feel. We haven’t gone this long without touching her for weeks. Even when we sleep, we hold her. It’s excruciating.
Abby is hurting, and no words can fix it, but I know she would marginally relax if I could pull her into my arms.
Levi pulls our suitcases off the conveyor belt one by one. Finally, we have them all, and I reach for his and mine. He takes Abby’s as he adjusts her carry-on on his shoulder and we head for the exit.
Joseph is picking us up. I have no idea what to expect from him. The only butler I have experience with is ours, Randle, and he’s a discreet man who looks the other way when it comes to our private lives. I’m wondering if Joseph and Geraldine will hover over Abby and prevent Levi and me from getting too close.
Abby has told us the two of them practically raised her. I know they love her as their own. Her face lights up when she speaks of how Geraldine attempted to teach her to cook and how Joseph patiently taught her to drive. She loves them. They’re her only family.
Abby rushes forward as we exit the airport, jogging the last few yards to throw her arms around an older man who has to be Joseph. He hugs her back, tightly, kissing the top of her head as a grandfather would. I assume he’s probably the same age as Alistair Wise was.
Levi and I approach slowly with the bags. Joseph meets our gaze and removes one arm from around our girl to reach out a hand. “Joseph Kindleson. Thank you so much for getting Abby back here so fast. We can’t thank you enough.”
I shake his hand. “Beck Lewis. No problem at all.”
Levi fills the back of the black SUV with our luggage and then introduces himself to Joseph, also shaking his hand. “Levi Romano. Sorry to meet under such sad circumstances.”
Joseph nods and discreetly brushes the corner of his eye. He’s been crying. Not surprising. This death is an unexpected, hard hit to the family unit and society. Alistair Wise was one of the most respected attorneys in the country. His funeral will be attended by many.
It takes every ounce of strength in me to make my next decision, but I hold the front passenger door open for Abby. She should sit with Joseph. It will make me seem rather chivalric while also preventing me or Levi from fucking with her head by touching her in the backseat.
Luckily the drive is short, and half an hour later, Abby is in the arms of her beloved cook, Geraldine. More tears. More kind words. More introductions.
Joseph takes our suitcases upstairs even though I protest and insist we can carry them ourselves. He makes three trips while Geraldine ushers us into the kitchen and makes tea which Abby graciously accepts while Levi and I decline.
I learn that Geraldine lives in the guest house out back and Joseph lives only a few miles away. This means no one will be in the main house except the three of us. I’m elated. I’ve gone too many hours without holding my girl in my arms.
I realize our relationship is tenuous at best. We’ve been sleeping together for six weeks. She’s been sleeping with all of us for six weeks. We’ve made the most of that time. I’ve noticed Levi taking slow cleansing breaths for the last hour, fisting and unfisting his hands. The desire to comfort Abby with our bodies is palpable in the room, though I hope neither Geraldine nor Joseph are awa
re.
They easily accept our explanation that we have so thoroughly enjoyed our intern that she’s already a member of our team, and therefore there was no way we would have put her on a plane to Massachusetts alone in her grief.
Shocking Abby, I assure them we were already planning on making the trip to look for a second studio location.
Abby’s face is blank while I tell this semi-truth, but her eyes are slightly narrowed. It’s not entirely a lie. I do stretch the truth, however, considering Julius’s suggestion was just a few hours ago and neither Levi nor I have discussed the idea since then. Levi smiles as I tell the fib, nodding his head in silent approval.
Geraldine gushes with concern over us finding our guest rooms and settling in on the second floor, but Abby actually perks up and ensures her cook that she can handle showing us around. She walks Geraldine and Joseph to the back door and locks it behind them.
Finally.
I need a gold ribbon for my restraint over the past eight hours.
Abby remains at the door for several moments, seemingly staring out into the darkness, though I’m certain she can see nothing but her reflection in the glass.
I glance at Levi, uncertain how to proceed.
He inhales deeply and tips his head back, appearing to seek guidance from the ceiling.
Abby sets her forehead on the glass door, her shoulders sagging.
Finally, we move in unison.
I reach her first and slide one arm around her middle, pulling her away from the door.
She sags against me, turning in my arms at the same time. “Can we please go upstairs, finally? I’m exhausted.”
“Of course, angel.” I brush a loose lock of hair from her forehead.
Levi steps behind her and tucks his arms around her body under her breasts. He kisses her neck.
She sighs, her eyes falling closed, her head tipping back to rest on Levi’s chest. “Longest day of my life.”
“Agreed.” He kisses her forehead this time.
She rights herself and wiggles out from between us. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”
We follow her out of the kitchen and down a hallway back to the front of the house where she climbs the ornate winding staircase. All the flooring I’ve seen so far throughout the downstairs has been a dark hardwood. I judge the home to be about a hundred years old. The flooring has been refinished, but it is about fifty years old.
The stairs leading to the second floor are carpeted in a modern beige with darker flecks of several shades of brown.
I resist the urge to swing Abby into my arms and carry her up the stairs. She’s dragging. Drained. But I don’t know for sure how she might react to me taking control of her like that. I’m taking my cues from her. Levi is too. He keeps glancing at me as we reach the second floor. A lamp sits on a small end table in the middle of the hallway, illuminating the passage with a low-watt bulb.
Abby passes several doors before stopping at an open one. She enters the room. A light is on inside on a bedside table. My suitcase is at the foot of the bed. Abby strides across the floor with deliberate steps, tugs the covers down on the bed and jerks them around.
For a moment, I’m too stunned to move a muscle, uncertain what the hell she’s doing. I remain in the doorway next to Levi who is frowning when I glance at him. There’s no chance I’m spending the night alone, but now I’m worried about Abby’s state of mind.
Seemingly pleased with herself, she heads back toward us, smiling for the first time all day. She brushes right between both of us, and steps across the hallway to another room. It’s a similar guest room, a light also turned on inside. Levi’s suitcase is on the carpet at the side of the bed.
I swallow several times as Abby messes up the blankets on this bed too. She blows out a breath when she finishes. “There. Come on.”
There what?
“Abby?” Levi questions. “You okay, sweetness?”
She ducks under his arm as she passes between us yet again at the door. “Not even close,” she says over her shoulder. “That’s why I’m not sleeping alone. You coming?”
I glance at Levi again. Both his brows are raised high. We follow her as it dawns on me how calculated her actions were. She wanted both beds to look slept in. I could kiss her. And I fully intend to.
Chapter 44
Abby
I know I’m acting out of control, but I simply don’t have the energy to explain myself. I just want to get to my bedroom with both men in tow, lock the damn door behind us, and curl up in their arms. No other option is acceptable. I hardly care at this point if Geraldine comes upstairs in the morning and finds us this way. I have no intention of being alone.
I haven’t been alone in six weeks. Not for more than a few minutes anyway. I’ve grown used to always being touched by someone. The only time none of them have touched me during the day were the hours I worked. And worked is a stretch since I spent a great deal of time each day editing lengthy tapes of myself being well-fucked in one way or another by one or two of them.
A ball forms in my throat as I realize no one taped our foursome from earlier this morning. I want that playback. I want to relive it over and over. I want to edit it until it’s burned in my memory. I have no idea why it hurts so badly that I will never get to watch that last scene, but I suspect it’s because I fear an opportunity like that will never present itself again. My life has just been turned upside down. At the moment, I can’t imagine picking up where we left off.
I’ve changed in so many ways over the past six weeks, but the most significant alteration to my personality is that I’ve gone from total panic at the idea of being filmed to looking forward to editing the playback after our scenes. I’ve reached a point where I get just as aroused watching myself hours after I’ve been thoroughly debauched as I did during the act itself.
Levi and Beck, true to their word, have never captured my face well enough for anyone to discern my identity. They have no idea how far that alone went toward earning my trust.
I think of Julius and wonder how he must be feeling right now. Alone in that big house. I’m not sure what went into their mutual decision to send Levi and Beck with me, but it bothers me. His absence is a huge hole.
Arms come around me from behind as I stride across my bedroom, heading for the bathroom. “Slow down, sweetness,” Levi whispers. “We need you to stop moving and talk to us.”
I relax my shoulders and lean against his chest. “Is it true?” I ask, recalling what Beck explained to Geraldine and Joseph.
“Is what true, angel?” Beck asks as he steps in front of me and sandwiches me with Levi.
“Are you really looking into locations in Cambridge to branch out your business?” His words shocked me when he spoke them downstairs. I can’t process the idea. I’m both concerned and elated.
Beck lifts my chin with two fingers. “It wasn’t a lie exactly. We have discussed the idea. No one needs to know it came up for the first time this morning.” He gives me a lopsided smile, and then his arms slide around me, and he pulls me against his chest. “Don’t worry about it right now. There’s no need. We have taken no action. We fully intended to speak to you first. I only said that to create a legitimate reason why Levi and I are not leaving here immediately.”
I tip my head back again, glancing at him and then over my shoulder at Levi. “You’ll stay? Can you do that? For a few days?”
Levi nods. “Of course.”
“I can’t even begin to process how I’m going to mix my regular life with you two in it.” I shake my head. “I want you here. So badly that the thought of you leaving me scares the hell out of me. But I also can’t submit to you in front of other people, and I’m quite sure I would shock the hell out of everyone I know if they thought I was sleeping with an older man, let alone three. Plus, I get that you have lives, and you had to cancel appointments for me, and—”
Beck sets a finger on my lips, stopping my rambling. “Shh. Angel, we’re here. We have no pla
ns beyond holding you tight right now. We also totally understand your position, and we won’t do a thing to raise suspicion.”
“He’s right,” Levi agrees. “All you need to do right now is let us take over and get you into bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day. You need to sleep.” He begins to unbutton my sweater, his hands coming from behind me to start at my waist.
“I’m not sure I can face tomorrow at all,” I admit. The list of things I’m suddenly responsible for is daunting. Funeral arrangements. My grandfather’s will. His staff. His home. It’s overwhelming to ponder what I’m going to need to face.
“You won’t be doing it alone. We’ll handle as much or as little as you’d like,” Levi adds.
His words and the fact that they’re here with me push me over the edge yet again. A tear slides down my face, followed by another.
Levi finishes unbuttoning my sweater and slides it off my shoulders.
Beck cups my face and brushes the tears away with his thumbs. “Shhh. He’s right. You’re not alone, Abby.”
I wonder how long that will hold true. I’m too tired to consider that loaded question. Obviously, they can’t stay in Cambridge. At least that’s what I assumed before finding out they might be looking for local properties to expand. I can’t wrap my head around this idea right now. Their business is on hold while they help me out. In addition, I need to take care of my grandfather’s estate, and I’m certain that task is so daunting that it will eat the rest of my summer.
The thought of Levi and Beck leaving me here to face my life alone is more than I can handle, and I grip Beck’s waist with my fingers at the unimaginable pain that’s going to cost me.
Their departure is inevitable though. I probably have them for only a handful of days. And not even the days. I can’t possibly lean on them for physical support when people are around. That means all I get are nights. How many? Two? Three?
Teaching Abby (Surrender Book 2) Page 22
