by Marla Monroe
“Relax, Tessa. You’re entirely too tense. I’m not going to jump you here on the dance floor.” Zander’s whispered words did little to ease the torture he was inflicting on her body just by touching her.
“It’s hard,” she hissed back.
“Yeah, well. I’m a healthy male who is attracted to you in the worst way. Just because I’ve got a hard-on doesn’t mean I can’t control myself.” His soft chuckle told her that he’d deliberately misinterpreted her words.
“Asshole. You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Face it, kitten. You’re ours. We’re going to claim you no matter how much of a fight you put up. All you’re doing by resisting is making the chase that much more fun and the ultimate catch so much sweeter.”
“Why? Zander? Why me? You’ll get tired of me in no time, and then there I’ll be, alone and having to pick myself up again. No. Not going to happen. I swore I’d never let another man use me and then toss me aside.” She tried to jerk out of his arms, but he tightened his grip just enough to keep her from pulling away.
“That’s it. We need to talk. We can wine and dine you later.” Zander grasped her hand in a tight grip before walking off the dance floor back to where they’d left Tag only minutes before.
Tag saw them coming and stood up with a frown on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Let’s go. We’ve got to settle this before we can go any farther,” Zander told him.
Tag’s half smile didn’t settle Tessa’s pounding heart one bit. He looked almost gleeful at the prospect of settling things. Somehow she was sure he would take great pleasure in watching her squirm during the impending conversation. Why were they so insistent on claiming her as their slave or submissive or whatever they wanted to call it? They hardly knew her and she hadn’t given them any reason to, nor had she encouraged their interest in her.
Tessa couldn’t deny how their insistence that she was perfect for them thrilled her inside, but it didn’t mean it was true. Did it? Was she really a submissive person? Maybe she was to them but only because of how she felt for them. Maybe giving a little to them wasn’t the same as her letting her ex control it all.
By the time they’d made it outside, Tessa was exhausted. Between worrying over what the two men had in mind and trying to squeeze between all the people while keeping up with Tag and Zander, it was a wonder she could even walk straight.
Once they were back in the truck, her in the middle of course, she tried to calm her nerves. That went right out the window with Tag and Zander’s next exchange.
“Where are we going?” Tag asked as he started the truck.
“Home. To our place,” Zander told him.
* * * *
Tag smiled. Really smiled. He could feel his face tighten with it. They were taking her to their new place. The one they would all three share once they got Tessa on board. It was the right place to have this conversation, and he was glad Zander felt the same way.
“M–maybe we should go back to my place or we could go to the diner and talk. That’s a good place to talk. There won’t be many people there at this time of night.” Tessa’s nervous chatter didn’t get on his nerves like most women’s did. It was one of the reasons Tag knew she was the right one for them.
“We need complete privacy for this conversation, baby girl,” he told her.
“I don’t think this is a good idea, guys. Please take me home.” Tessa’s voice had changed.
Tag looked over at her and saw that she was staring straight ahead with a blank expression on her face. Hell no. They weren’t taking her home until they had this settled. She was already pulling inside herself—away from them. Wasn’t fucking going to happen.
Twenty minutes later they pulled down the long drive to the house they’d had built. It didn’t have a lot of furniture yet since they wanted Tessa to decorate however she wanted to, but it had enough for what they needed to do. When they pulled into the three-car garage, Tessa finally seemed to wake up from whatever trance she’d been in.
“This is your house? It’s huge!” she said.
Zander opened his door and helped her out. “We had it built for when we found our woman. We wanted her to be happy here.”
Tag noticed she didn’t say anything in response to that. He made sure the garage door had securely closed then followed Zander and Tessa inside. They entered through the garage into the combination mud room and laundry room then continued through to the kitchen. The counters were a shocking black granite tile with warm wood cabinets with glass doors. The appliances were all state of the art in stainless steel and black.
Zander led them through the in kitchen dining area to the den with its massive wall-mounted HDTV and completely wired sound system. There were shelves full of DVDs, CDs, and an ass-kicking music system that was tied into the speaker system throughout the house. He and Zander had worked long and hard to design the sound system for the place. There were two separate systems so that if Tessa didn’t like what they were listening to, she could listen to her own music in her room.
He smiled. Her room didn’t have a bed in it. She would sleep between them, but they knew she might need her own space from time to time, so they had created a room off the master bedroom just for her. It wasn’t decorated yet since she would want to pick out her own colors and furniture, but it had built in bookshelves and cabinets so she could store her personal things there if she wanted to.
Evidently Zander wasn’t planning to show her the entire house yet since he’d stopped in the den. Tag was all for getting everything out in the open and settled once and for all. He was tired of waiting and walking on eggshells around her.
“It’s really nice, guys. The kitchen looked like a chef’s dream. Do either of you cook?” she asked, walking over to the shelves where she pretended to look at the DVD titles, when in fact, she was only trying to put more space between them.
Tag walked over to stand between her and the door back into the kitchen. He saw Zander do the same with his back to the door leading to the front entrance hall. From the tight line of Tessa’s lips, she’d noticed what they were doing.
“Have a seat, Tessa. We need to talk. No more pussyfooting around, kitten,” Zander told her.
She started to say something, a protest, he was sure, but instead just walked over to a chair and sat down. He and Zander both grabbed a chair and slid it over in front of her so they could all see each other when they talked. This was where it was going to get tricky, especially for him. He didn’t do a lot of talking and he sure as hell didn’t talk emotions, but this was important and would require some soul-baring crap he didn’t normally do or like.
“Tessa. I think you’ve got the wrong idea of what we want for the three of us. Yes, we’re Doms, we enjoy directing a woman’s pleasure. We don’t enjoy inflicting pain or humiliation,” Zander began.
“Sometimes a little pain intensifies the pleasure, like with a sensual spanking, but pain for pain’s sake or even real punishment isn’t what we’re talking about,” Tag added.
“I’m not letting you boss me around or tell me what to wear. I have my own ideas and won’t let you or anyone try to take them away from me.” He watched her eyes flash as she spoke. She was fucking amazing and if they could convince her that they had no intentions of taking anything away from her, she’d be absolutely magnificent in their lives.
“We don’t want to boss you around, Tessa. Yes, when it comes to your safety or your health, we’re going to put our foot down, but we have no intention of taking over your life. We like you the way you are. We don’t want to change anything about you except maybe for where you live,” Zander told her.
“And that’s only because we want you here—with us, between us,” Tag said, his voice going husky at the mere thought of being buried inside of her.
“I–I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to take me to that club and tie me up and wear a collar,” she said, looking back and forth between them.
“We
want you in our lives, kitten. That means that we want you to be a part of our lives and Golden Shackles is a part of our lives. We’re Doms and enjoy being around others who have similar ideas and kinks that we do. It doesn’t mean we practice exactly the same way that they do.” Zander ran a hand over his naked head and sighed.
Tag picked up where his friend had left off. “We want to take you to the club with us, Tessa, and you’d need to wear a collar while you’re there, but it’s not something we expect you to wear all the time if you don’t want to. At the club, it would tell everyone that you are taken, like an engagement ring, only in a much more serious way. No other Dom or top can approach you without talking to one of us first. It keeps you safe.”
“As for tying you up,” Zander began with a smirk. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Allowing one or both of us to take control so that you are free to just enjoy all of the pleasure we give you can be very intense and sensuous. We’d never do anything to harm you or that wouldn’t feel good to you, Tessa.”
“Why don’t you tell us what your fears are? Tell us what in your past has you so convinced that you won’t like being in a relationship with us,” Tag finally said. He was tired of trying to convince her without knowing what they were working against. She needed to be honest with them so they could soothe her fears.
“I can’t belong to someone who won’t let me have friends and locks me up so I can’t go anywhere. I can’t ever go back to that kind of life or I’ll go crazy. I’d rather die than become that person again.”
Chapter Five
Tessa watched as her words sank in with the two men. Zander looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach, but Tag looked as if he wanted to tear someone into tiny pieces. She started to stand up so she could run, but his hands whipped out faster than she could move and pulled her onto his lap.
“Tell me who did that to you. I want his name, Tessa. Now!” His already deep voice sank even lower. A growly noise reverberated through it now.
“I–it doesn’t matter now. It was a long time ago. It doesn’t change the fact that I can’t let you take over my life like that. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it.” She hated that there were tears in her eyes. She liked Tag and Zander. They’d been nothing but kind to her, but she couldn’t be what they wanted.
“He didn’t deserve you, baby girl. He didn’t deserve to breathe the same air you breathe. No man, Dom or not, should ever treat a woman like that. No one in this town or in our circle of friends would ever allow a man to treat another woman that way. If we heard about it, we’d put a stop to it,” Tag promised her.
“Tessa. He locked you up? How? Why couldn’t you go anywhere?” Zander asked, using his finger to wipe a tear from her cheek.
“If he was going to be out of town on business, he had a room in the basement that he’d lock me in. It was comfortable enough, I guess, but I didn’t like being down there and not be able to get out.” She heard both men growl, but she continued. “He worked from home for the most part, but occasionally had business meetings. Then he’d put a chain on my collar that kept me in the bedroom. I could get to the bathroom and there was a mini-fridge in the bedroom, but I was still on a chain and couldn’t go anywhere.”
“I don’t fucking believe it! Is that where the little scars on your neck came from? He had a metal collar on you?” Tag demanded, lifting her hair so he could see better.
Instantly her hands went to her neck to cover the tiny white lines that marred her skin there. She had never realized that they were that visible before or she would have never worn her hair in a ponytail.
“I–I’d get claustrophobic sometimes and fight against it. All I did was cut myself on the rough edge of the collar. I didn’t know they were that easy to see or I would have covered them up,” she said. This time she couldn’t stop the small sob that escaped.
“They aren’t that noticeable, kitten. Tag and I are super aware of everything about you. We knew something had happened to you by the way you avoided us and kept saying you wouldn’t be a submissive,” Zander said.
“How long, Tessa?” Tag asked.
She drew in a deep breath and forced her head up so she could see his eyes. “Three years. He wasn’t like that at first. When I first met him in college, he was kind and sweet. He took me out and gave me flowers and candy. I’m not even sure when he changed or when it started. After he moved in with me, I quit school to work while he finished his last year, then instead of me going back to college, I ended up staying at home to take care of him. Somewhere in all of that, I lost control of my life.”
Tag closed his eyes, but she saw the flash of rage that filled them before he did. No doubt her weakness and susceptibility disgusted him. She knew he wouldn’t want anything to do with her now. Now when she realized that they were nothing like her ex, she was going to lose her chance at something that might have been really good. She fought back more tears and tried to get off of Tag’s lap. He tightened his hold around her and stroked her hair.
“Easy, Tessa,” Tag said in a gruff voice.
“Did he hurt you physically, Tessa?” Even Zander’s voice had changed. It sounded hard, cold—unyielding.
“No. He never hit me or anything,” she said.
“Thank God,” Tag muttered.
“I know I was stupid for falling for him to begin with,” she began, but Zander stopped her from continuing.
“You weren’t stupid, Tessa. Don’t ever say that. You couldn’t have known that he was playing a part to get you to accept him and even fall for him. No one would be able to determine that until he showed his true colors. Unfortunately, by then, you already had feelings for him and wouldn’t have been able to tell what he was doing until it was too late.”
“Men like that know what they are doing. They lure women into a false sense of security, make them dependent on them then trap them. You’re not the first woman this has happened to, baby,” Tag said.
“I should have realized what he was doing,” she insisted.
“You were on your own for the first time in your life with your brother out of touch. I doubt you had many friends at first, either,” Zander began. “Anyone would have welcomed the attention he probably poured on you. Don’t blame yourself for being human. That’s in the past now. Let’s talk about the future.”
Tessa swallowed hard and nodded. It sounded as if Zander at least was still interested in having a relationship with her. She still wasn’t sure she could be what they needed, but now she wanted to try. There was just something about them that not only aroused her to the point of having soaked panties around them but also made her heart skip a beat and her soul quiet.
Tag passed her over to Zander so that now she sat on his lap. She looked up at him, afraid that she’d see disinterest in his eyes now that she’d told them about her past. Why would someone like him, strong and brave, want anything to do with someone like her who’d allowed another person to control her life? But instead of disgust, Tessa saw worry. Why would this mountain of a man be worried? Did he think that he’d be stuck with her if Tag still wanted her though he didn’t? She started to lower her eyes.
“Look at me, Tessa.” Zander’s tone brooked no argument.
When she looked up at him, he smiled. “Nothing in your past matters to us outside of the wish that we’d been there to stop what happened to you.”
“And been there to kick that bastard’s ass,” Tag added under his breath.
“All that matters is the here and now. We will never stop you from having friends. We will never tell you what to wear—”
“As long as it’s not indecent or going to get me into a fight,” Tag grumbled.
“Tag,” Zander warned.
Tess couldn’t help but giggle. “I don’t wear stuff like that, so there’s no point in worrying about it. But I do like to wear shorts sometimes when it’s hot. I don’t mind wearing a T-shirt over my swimming suit if I go swimming.”
“You don’t have to go t
hat far, baby girl. Just no miniskirts that show your ass cheeks in public. At the club, that’s a different story.” Tag brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. “We’d enjoy showing off your gorgeous body when we’re there.”
“I–I don’t know about going to the club. I’m really not into that stuff, guys.” Tessa felt the worry and anxiety from earlier creep back inside.
“Tag, you’re going too fast. Back off, man.” Zander frowned. “Tessa we’ll worry about that later. Once you’ve gotten to know us and are comfortable with us, we’ll talk more about the club and what it means to us. We aren’t sadists. Neither one of us enjoys inflicting pain, but we do like to control things in the bedroom. Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay, kitten?”
Tessa nodded but wasn’t sure if she could really handle the two men no matter how much she wanted a chance with them. She’d known them for nearly a year now and they’d always been polite and courteous to her. Even once they’d made their intentions clear, they’d never gotten rough or insulting.
“What worries you the most about being with us, kitten?” Zander asked.
“I’m not sure. I think I’m still just really uncomfortable with being around men. I don’t trust my own judgment after, um, what happened. I’m scared I’ll make the same mistake and end up just like before. I’d rather die than live like that.” She looked from Zander over to Tag to make sure they both understood how serious she was.
“We will never treat you like that, Tessa,” Tag said. “I’m gruff, I know. I can be an asshole sometimes, but I don’t abuse women and I would never take away your freedom. You will always have the ability and the choice to walk away if you don’t want to be with us.”
