The Velvet Ribbon

by Christie Adams

  Breathing heavily, Alex rolled to one side, taking her with him so he could hold onto her as they both came back down from the heights. Waves of emotion crashed over Beth; over the last few hours she’d gone from hating what he’d asked her to do and hating herself for doing it, to daring to hope that she and Alex might have a chance for the long term after all.

  She’d never felt his ownership of her more keenly than she did now, in her Dom’s arms, naked save for his collar. Still caught in a post-orgasmic euphoria, she pressed closer to him, warmed by the ensuing deep male chuckle that vibrated through his chest.

  “My sweet little sub,” he murmured into her hair. “You see what you do to me, my love? I can’t keep my hands off you.”

  ~~*~~

  That night, Beth found it difficult to fall asleep, even though Alex was by her side and Cam was just down the hall. What was keeping her awake was the news Cam had brought back with him.

  A scruffy-looking stranger had been spotted in the area, his presence of note simply by the fact that strangers were a rarity in the villages around Winterleigh. People passed through, but this one was hanging around, to the extent that one or two of the locals Cam spoke to had wondered about calling the police to send him on his way. From their descriptions, the man sounded enough like Jimmy Underwood to be his brother, and therefore a cause for concern.

  There had been a heated discussion about video surveillance. Cam wanted to put closed-circuit cameras around the estate, but not only did Alex not want them, regarding them as an invasion of his privacy, he maintained that it was too late, with the threat literally on the doorstep. In parts it was an almost word-for-word replay of the conversation they’d had twelve months earlier, when Cam had supervised the installation of the security system.

  Beth slipped out of bed, pausing only to make sure that she hadn’t disturbed Alex. She pulled on her dressing gown, a warm, fleecy and completely unalluring garment, and tiptoed out of the room, heading for the kitchen and that universal panacea, ice cream.

  Okay, so it wasn’t going to solve anything, but it would divert her attention for a little while, and she knew there was an unopened tub of her favourite flavour—chocolate—in the freezer. She was savouring her third spoonful when Alex appeared at the doorway. He was leaning against the frame, naked except for the black pyjama bottoms he wore slung low on his hips. He looked as sexy as hell. Beth felt an instant surge of lust set her pussy alight.

  “I should spank you for sneaking off like that.”

  Beth’s smile was half-hearted. “I couldn’t sleep. Now that it looks like he’s out there,” she shivered, “I can’t stop thinking about what he might be planning to do, and when. I’m sorry—I tried not to disturb you.” Her tone was apologetic.

  “I know. Beth, you should have woken me up—it’s not your job to worry.” He pushed himself away from the doorframe and padded over to her, his stride a hypnotic, sensual prowl that was more than enough to get her soaking wet with wanting him again. He sat down at the kitchen table opposite her and swiped a finger through the ice cream, scooping up a modest mouthful. He contemplated it for a moment; Beth expected him to polish off the dollop of luscious dessert himself, but instead, he offered it to her.

  Her eyes never leaving his, Beth held his hand and slowly, seductively, captured his finger in her mouth, relishing the melting treat almost as much as she relished the improvised spoon. Now that tasted especially delicious.

  “Your job, Miss Harrison, begins and ends with pleasing your Master. You know I’ll have to discipline you for this. You, it would appear, have a thing for chocolate,” he observed, with a lazily raised eyebrow and half-suppressed smile.

  “Of course I do,” she admitted, licking up the last of the ice cream. “I’m a woman—chocolate’s one of the five main food groups and essential for those of us with a second X chromosome. Isn’t it?” Her eyes were full of wicked innocence, letting him know that she hadn’t missed his comment about discipline.

  “Looks like. Is this going to help you sleep?”

  This time, his tone was serious—serious enough to make Beth wonder where this conversation was going to lead. “Probably not,” she admitted on a sigh.

  “Then why don’t you put it back and come with me to the family room?”

  A few moments later, Beth was cradled on Alex’s lap on the sofa; he was busy untying the belt of her robe so that he could caress her breast. That was so Alex—a man who now had no problem with staking a claim and turning thought into deed. Thank God. She gave a contented sigh and rested her head next to his.

  “It would seem we’re all having trouble sleeping tonight.”

  The dry voice was Cam’s; he was standing at the doorway, in a similar state of dress to Alex. His pyjama bottoms were dark red, and like Alex, he too had a stunning physique—a perfect canvas for the bold lines and curves of the tribal ink that adorned his right arm from elbow to shoulder and strayed onto his chest.

  There was something about subdued lighting and the intimacy of the small hours—the two combined to cast the kind of spell that could make a woman do things she wouldn’t normally consider in the cold light of day. Beth started to cover up but then paused—she even stayed Alex’s hand when he would have finished the task for her. She looked at him with complete trust, remembering what he’d once said about Cam possibly being involved in her discipline. “It’s all right, Master. If you approve.” Her gesture indicated a willingness to shrug out of the robe completely.

  She held fast under Alex’s searching gaze. He knew she wouldn’t dream of doing this in front of anyone other than Cam. If she had any doubts about what she intended, he would detect them; if he wasn’t happy about what she intended, he would stop her. The connection arced between them, and in that instant Beth saw pride and understanding flare in his dark eyes.

  “I approve, Beth.”

  As she pulled her arms out of the robe, she was vaguely aware of her Dom’s nod towards his friend. At that signal, Cam came over and hunkered down in front of her, one knee resting on the floor.

  “May I touch her, Alex?”

  For a brief moment, Beth knew a flare of panic, then it subsided as quickly as it came, replaced by a feeling of déjà vu. Giorgio had asked much the same thing, and she hadn’t even known him—this was Cam. Even so, she still closed her eyes at the touch of a hand other than Alex’s on her hair.

  “She’s beautiful. And brave. Beth, I would never hurt you. You belong to my best friend, and that makes it as much my duty as his to protect you.”

  Alex kissed her cheek. “He’s right, sweetheart; you are brave. And you have my word of honour that no one will ever see you like this without your consent. Now, open your eyes and look at me.”

  Beth swallowed hard. She looked straight at Alex, but was keenly aware of Cam, still crouched beside her.

  “Do you remember your safe words, Beth?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good girl. Do you trust me to take care of you? Good. Now, remember your safe words and don’t be afraid to use them. Cam?”

  Some sort of unspoken communication flashed between the two men. Cam made himself comfortable at the other end of the long sofa, where he lounged at ease with his back resting against the arm. One foot was anchored on the floor while the other leg was bent at the knee and rested against the padded back of the sofa.

  Beth was supremely conscious of her vulnerability, positioned as she was between two physically powerful, half-naked Doms. Ménage scenes from novels she’d read flashed through her mind. She knew this wouldn’t go that far. Neither man would hurt her, she was absolutely certain of it—just as she knew that, whatever was going to happen, she could stop it in an instant.

  “She’s been a bad girl, Master Cameron. She was worried and didn’t wake me, just came down here alone and raided the freezer for ice cream. I need your help to make her understand a sub’s place and her responsibility.”

  Bet
h lifted her eyes in the direction of the other Dom; a gasp caught in her throat. She’d known about him for a while, but this was the first time she’d seen warm, friendly, protective Cam fully assume the mantle of a Dom. The same sensual power emanated from him as it did from Alex and in response, like some primal beast, an enticing apprehension unfurled inside her. Her pulse began to race.

  “Take her, Master Cameron. I want to look at her.”

  Strong forearms came around her waist; Beth was lifted backwards, pulled abruptly but carefully against a hard, warm, male body. She breathed in sharply, for half a moment intending to use her safe word to call a halt, but she stopped herself when she saw the intensity of Alex’s expression.

  I’m safe.

  She knew it without a shadow of doubt. Whatever happened, Alex would ensure that she wasn’t hurt—he knew her limits.

  Cam held her captive, her back against his chest, her bottom nestled between his thighs. If her proximity was affecting him, she felt no evidence of it. Her legs stretched out along the sofa, feet tucked against Alex’s hip.

  “Open your legs, Beth.”

  Dear God in heaven.

  Alex sucked in his breath at the sight of Beth in his best friend’s arms. He sensed her nervousness. She wasn’t scared exactly—he knew she’d have used one of her safe words to slow things down or stop them altogether. It seemed more like she was just a touch anxious, but no more than that. And maybe a little—just a little—excited.

  He’d never forgotten that her one fear had been that he would make her have sex with another man as a form of discipline, and while he, Alex, could enjoy the aesthetic image of his woman under the control of another Dom—Cam being the only one whom he would trust with her—Alex was the only one who would ever have her. She belonged to him and him alone.

  She did look exquisite under Cam’s control, though—pure sub, with the heavy gold chain he now allowed her to sleep in. Her eyes were chastely lowered, her pose elegant, revealing her pussy as he’d directed.

  “Beth, I want you to bend your knees and let your legs fall apart. That’s right.”

  Alex could feel his body tightening in response to the picture she made. She was the only woman who had ever reduced him to a mass of primitive male impulses, emotions and heated needs, and she was the only woman who could satisfy them.

  He had to touch her. A couple of fingers slipped between her folds told him that she was getting aroused, as did the way she squirmed, causing the muscles in Cam’s arms to flex as he held on to her. Alex was waiting for one of her safe words, but none came—she simply looked straight at him, absolute trust in her striking green eyes, along with a smouldering hint of arousal that he found intoxicating. He could be wrong, but she seemed barely aware of his friend—her focus was on her Dom, just as it should be.

  And now he had a decision to make—to stimulate her to orgasm or not. He’d asked a lot of her, Alex knew. What stunned him was how well she was handling being naked and held by another Dom. Perhaps he would challenge her limits just a little; he would keep her orgasm for when he carried her back to their room, but right now, he found the prospect of seeing her in Cam’s arms, restless with restrained arousal, quite appealing.

  He leaned forward to kiss her mouth, uncaring that his closest friend would witness the love and intimacy of his relationship with his sub. “Isn’t she beautiful, Master Cameron?” He twirled a lock of her hair in his fingers.

  “I’ve always thought so, Master Alex,” the other man agreed easily, his tone low and intimate. “You’re lucky—I envy you.”

  Now, that was surprising. “How so?”

  “You have love and a beautiful submissive, all wrapped up in one sinfully delightful package. I hope you’ve left a little of that luck for me.”

  Alex looked at his friend, took in the faintly sad quality of his wry, unguarded smile. In all the time he’d known Cam, he’d never imagined the time would come when he’d see the other man thinking about settling down.

  Turning his attention back to his woman, Alex was stunned to see that her expression had taken on a slightly dreamlike quality. Then, as if she could feel his gaze upon her, she lifted her head to look at him. For a moment their eyes connected, and then she looked down again.

  A muscle twitched in his cheek. She was aroused all right—he could see it in the way her nipples were beading. He didn’t need to slide his fingers into her pussy to know how wet she’d be, but he did need the breathy moan in response and the way she leaned back against Cam for leverage to push her hips towards him. He slid his middle finger upwards, finishing the movement with a flick of his fingertip over her hypersensitive clit.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a responsive sub, Master Alex,” Cam commented as his arms tightened around her quaking body. “How’s her training going?”

  “So far, I’ve barely scratched the surface with her.” Alex intensified the torment with stronger, faster strokes. “I love her. And I’m enjoying her too much.”

  While talking to his friend, Alex continued to tease Beth’s pussy and nipples. He was completely aware of the way he was arousing her, pushing her closer and closer to climax. Intimately acquainted with her tells, the little signs she gave as she neared orgasm, he knew exactly when to draw back…and how frustrated she was, even though she didn’t show it.

  He didn’t know what made him offer her the fingers that had just been inside her, but the sensation of her kitten-like tongue cleaning him gave him a hard-on that damn near killed him. Just the sight of her with his finger in her mouth as she sucked it clean made him want to plunge his cock into her body. It was only the presence of his friend that prevented him pressing her back into the sofa and taking her.

  “Thanks for indulging me, Cam.”

  The other man smiled. “My pleasure. I bet she looks something else.”

  “She surely does. Beth, you’ve done very well, but I think it’s time we went back to bed. You don’t need to worry about that bastard out there. We’ll keep you safe.”

  ~~*~~

  Back in their bedroom, Alex gently laid his cherished sub on the bed, having carried her there from the family room in spite of her repeated protests about letting her walk—in his arms was where she belonged.

  Now that she was safe in bed, he wanted to talk to her. For a long moment, though, he simply looked at her and the gentle smile that blossomed when he stroked her hair.

  “How do you feel?” he asked, finally ready to hear the answer.

  “Truthfully? I…” her voice faltered. “When you and Cam…when you were talking about me, I felt…owned. Protected. Even before, when Cam appeared…” She looked up at him, realisation like sunrise in her eyes. “I wasn’t scared. I knew neither of you would hurt…harm me.”

  She’d known it in her head and felt it in her heart—he could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice, feel it in the sense of calmness that radiated from her. She understood. “You surprised the hell out of me when you volunteered to be naked in front of Cam.”

  “I’m not sure I can explain fully, Sir. I’m not sure I know how to say this, but…I needed to…”

  She frowned. Alex watched her struggle to find the right words. Though he burned to know what she was going to say, he found the patience to remain silent. The words had to be her own.

  “I needed to show you what you mean to me and prove to myself that I can do whatever it takes to demonstrate that to anyone else. I trust you to protect me. I know it was only Cam –”

  “Shh.” Alex knew where she was going with that sentence and he wasn’t having any of it. “Don’t ever belittle what you just did, sweetheart. I’m not sure I can adequately convey how honoured I feel by what you did and the courage it took to do it.” The kiss he placed on her lips was almost reverential.

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “There you go again,” he said with a smile that was somehow both stern and indulgent, as he arranged the covers
over her before sitting beside her. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the Sirs and Masters you’ve been dropping into the conversation—against my express instructions. You know I’m going to have to do something about that, but for now would you like to tell me what else is on your mind?”

  She hesitated only a moment. “I thought you might ask him to join us.”

  Another surprise he would never have imagined. “Would you have used your safe word if I had?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps not initially,” she continued, her apprehensive gaze searching his face. “It would depend on what you intended to happen next, Sir.”

  An old memory sprang to mind, back when he and Cam had been training in the US. Under supervision, they had shared a willing sub—but only for a bondage and discipline session, no more than that.

  “I’d share our bed with him, but I wouldn’t share you,” he stated bluntly. “Sex is off the menu. But if you wanted to know how it would feel to have him touch you like this…” With his fingertips he traced the contour of her cheek, the line of her neck, continued until he cupped her breast in his palm. “How would you feel about that?”

  “After tonight, I could do that, Sir. But would it be fair to Cam…Master Cameron?”

  It didn’t surprise Alex that she was so concerned about his friend; it was all part of the woman he loved. “You bring out the protective instinct in us. Cam and I…we’ve always known that if each of us ever found our special sub, the woman who meant everything to us, then the bond we have would grow stronger, not weaker. He’d consider it an honour and a privilege—as would I, if the positions were reversed.”

  He noted the small frown that creased her brow—he wondered if she found that to be more than she could accept, but her next question surprised him yet again.

  “Does he have anyone special in his life, Sir? I’ve never heard either of you say anything about anyone. From what he said tonight, I got the impression that he doesn’t.”

  At one time, Alex would have launched into the usual waffle about Cam being a confirmed bachelor, but given the things his friend had said about their relationship and the sincerity with which he’d said them, he now found himself ready to discard that assertion. There was no doubt in Alex’s mind that the other man was well on the way to accepting that he’d been missing out on something unique.