by Marla Monroe
She laughed and turned when the bell over the door signaled their first customer.
Chapter Eleven
Tessa couldn’t stop the nervous shakes as she waited on the men to make it home Saturday afternoon. They’d talked her into agreeing to go downstairs to the basement after dinner that night. Why did she think she would be able to handle letting them play with her down there? Couldn’t they just move it upstairs?
I’m the one who told them not to. It’s ridiculous to move it. They went to a lot of expense to put it down there and it makes sense. Anyone visiting who wasn’t in the lifestyle wouldn’t accidently stumble in on it. Of course with the state-of-the-art lock on the door, they couldn’t have gotten in anyway.
And she was rambling in her own head. If they ever had children, it was safer for it to be down there under lock and key. She just had to get over her aversion to basements. Then she’d have to get over her aversion to being tied up.
She checked her reflection in the mirror one last time to be sure she looked decent to go out. They were going to a barbeque joint in a small town not far from them. Zander had assured her it wasn’t a dressy place so she could wear her jeans. They hadn’t gone shopping yet, choosing instead to wait until they’d gotten to know each other better. Of course it hadn’t stopped either of the men from bringing home little gifts for her every day. In fact, the top she was wearing now had been a gift from Tag the day before. She couldn’t fuss about it since she’d fallen in love with it.
Now as she hurried out of the bedroom to wait for them in the den, Tessa could admit to enjoying their thoughtfulness. They knew she didn’t have much in the way of clothes or anything else for that matter, but recognized her pride and independent spirit. Instead of pushing her about going shopping, they were slowly adding to her wardrobe with little gifts and presents.
The sound of a bike driving up the long drive set her heart to fluttering again. Would she ever stop feeling this way when one of them made it home? She sure hoped not. She enjoyed the feeling of anticipation. It reminded her of how much she loved them.
As soon as Tag opened the kitchen door, Tessa was up and all but running to the kitchen to meet him. His eyes lit up when she hurried toward him. He threw his arms up to ward her off.
“Whoa, there baby girl. I’m nasty. I was going to shower upstairs before I came home but didn’t want to be away from you any longer than I had to. Let me clean up, and then I’ll give you a hug.” His smile might have looked a little lopsided, but she knew from the look in his eyes that Tag wanted to hold her as much as she wanted to be held.
“Hurry up, but don’t fall,” she told him. “I’m going to wait in here for Zander.”
“Be sure he isn’t dirty before you go and jump on him. Sometimes he ends up with ink spilt on him. You don’t want that shit on you, baby.” Tag’s long stride took him out of the kitchen in less than a second.
As she waited for her other man to make it home, Tessa climbed up on the barstool and thought about cooking them something for dinner the next day. She knew they’d probably stay in bed till nearly lunch time, anyway. They’d probably eat a quick toast and egg breakfast to stop the hunger pains. That left dinnertime for her to cook for them. She was so caught up in recipes and grocery lists that she nearly missed the sound of Zander’s truck as it pulled into the garage.
Tessa jumped down from the barstool and waited to see if he was clean enough she could hug him or not. Heat immediately burned through her bloodstream when he stepped into the kitchen pulling off his shirt. Sculptured abs teased her as did his broad shoulders and hard, wide chest.
“Hey there, kitten. As much as I want to hug you, better hold off till I’ve had a shower. I had to work on the bathroom at the shop and got hot and dirty.” He eyed her up and down. “Don’t want to mess up that pretty top you’ve got on.”
“Hurry, Zander. Tag’s in the shower now. I can’t believe I got dressed to wait while you two shower and dress. I could have waited and shared it with you two,” she said with a pout.
“Nope. We’d have never made it out to eat. You’re too much of a distraction, sweet thing. Why don’t you watch TV while we get ready? Otherwise, it will take forever,” he said.
She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was right. If she followed him to the bedroom, they’d end up screwing around instead of getting ready. While that idea had merits, she was hungry and already knew they were going to screw around later regardless. If she could deal with being in the basement, that is.
Forty-five minutes later, the three of them rode down the highway to Myrtle, a small community not far from Perkins City. Tag swore she’d love the food at the little joint. Right now, Tessa was hungry enough she figured she could eat burnt shoe leather.
When they pulled up in front of the building, she wasn’t too sure about the place. It didn’t exactly look like a place she wanted to eat out of. Granted it was dark, but the place looked to be at least a hundred years old and someone needed to do some work on the place before it fell down around them. When she mentioned this to the guys, they just chuckled.
“Food’s worth it, babe. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” Tag said.
“I promise it’s better than it looks,” Zander added, giving Tag a shove on the shoulder. “Get going, man. I’m starved.”
Once inside, Tessa wanted to punch both of them in the stomach. The place wasn’t a dump or even old. It was a clean, down-home restaurant that had obviously been made to look that way. The smells coming from the kitchen were going to kill her before she got a chance to try anything. Her stomach growled loudly, causing the men to laugh and the waitress to smile at her. Warmth crept up her neck to settle in her cheeks.
“Sounds like baby girl might be a little hungry. Think she could tackle the Chuck Wagon?” Tag asked.
“Doesn’t matter. If she wants it, we can eat whatever she can’t squeeze in,” Zander told him.
Tessa ignored them and looked up at the waitress who couldn’t be much older than she was.
“What do you suggest? I’m obviously hungry, but I can’t eat a lot,” she told the woman.
“Actually, I think you should try the Chuck Wagon. It has a little bit of everything on it and all of it can be warmed up again if you can’t eat all of it in one sitting,” she said with a warm smile.
She narrowed her eyes at the two men watching her and nodded up at their waitress. “That’s what I’ll have, then. Thank you.”
After the woman had finished taking the guy’s orders and left, Tessa shook her head at them. They were going to drive her crazy, but she didn’t want to change anything. She wanted to be with them. They had to follow the rules they’d set on Monday. That meant compromise and picking her battles. She had agreed that if they were afraid for her life or safety, what they said was law. She had to trust them enough not to abuse the power she’d given to them. They had to trust her to be honest with them and follow their edicts. That was going to take some work on her part.
“How was work today?” Zander asked her. “Were you as busy over there as I was?”
“For a Saturday, it wasn’t that bad. Usually I’m worn out by the end of the day, but not so much this time.” She turned to Tag. “You sure looked busy when I walked in. Don’t you have someone helping you in the front part?”
“No. There’s just me and Brent there. We’re usually both working in the back and listen for the buzzer we have rigged for the door. Some days we’re so busy one of us has to stay up front and some days no one comes in at all.” He shrugged.
“When I’m not working at Heavy Trinkets, I’ll take care of the front and maybe do some paperwork for you until you’re ready to go home. You get free labor and I get a ride home.” She grinned at him.
“That’s a great idea!” Zander said.
“You don’t have to work, baby girl. You can just hang out with me, or I’ll take you home like I’ve been doing,” he said.
“It’s wasting tim
e and gas to do that. Besides, I’d rather be there with you than sitting at the house all alone. If I want to read, I can read at the shop.” She grinned, pleased that she’d thought of it. It gave her something to do and she would be helping Tag in the process.
“We can try it out and see, but if you start getting tired, you’re going home. I don’t like that you work anyway,” he groused, having already lost that battle during their conversations at the first of the week.
“I told you. I’d go crazy with nothing to do. I’m used to being busy.”
He just huffed out a breath and took a drink from his beer. It was obvious he still hadn’t accepted it. He would, though. She’d prove that he needed her there. More than likely people didn’t stop by just to look because they knew it would bother him. If someone minded the front, he’d get more business. She couldn’t wait to get started on that.
Their food arrived and Tessa did her level best to eat some of all of it, but the men had to help her finish everything off. Next time they came here, she’d know what she wanted to order though. The ribs were excellent, but so was the pulled pork. She wasn’t impressed much with the chicken breast, but would have made herself sick on the baked beans if there’d been more of them.
On the way back home, Zander and Tag discussed the changes that were being made at Golden Shackles since Max and Sawyer had taken over. Both men seemed impressed by the way they ran the club. Tessa still wasn’t sure how she felt about the place but realized it was important to her men. Even if she wasn’t able to actually let them do anything to her there, she’d go with them so they could interact with their friends. There was no way she would let them go alone if there were other unattached women there. She had to protect her guys.
The moment they stepped inside the house, she felt the change in Zander and Tag. Both men seemed to morph into the Doms they were like pulling on leather jackets. It both thrilled her and frightened her all at the same time. Tessa loved the feeling of security they gave her but was afraid of what they would ask her to do, expect to her to be able to handle.
“Strip, Tessa,” Zander said as soon as he’d locked the back door and set the alarm.
“Here?” she squeaked.
“Right here. You can fold your clothes and leave them on the washer. Don’t make me tell you again.”
Tag leaned against the doorway into the kitchen and crossed his arms, legs spread wide. His dark eyes followed her every move as she slowly slipped off her shoes then started working on her jeans. She could feel Zander’s gaze on her when she bent over to shove the denim material down her legs and step out of it. The weight of it gave her the strength she needed to continue despite the bundle of nerves threatening to smother her.
She folded her jeans and placed them on the washer then removed her pretty blouse Tag had gotten for her and folded it as well. Down to just her bra and panties now, Tessa had to remind herself to breathe.
She slowly removed her panties, but when she would have folded them and added them to the pile on the washer, Tag grabbed them from her and lifted them to his nose. His eyes closed as he inhaled her scent. Immediately her pussy grew even wetter than it had been. He opened his eyes again and nodded for her to continue. She unhooked her bra with shaky hands and added it to her stack of clothes before standing straight, totally naked now.
“Beautiful,” Zander breathed into her ear from behind her. “You’re perfect, Tessa. Now follow Tag to the den.”
Tag winked at her before turning away, still holding her panties in one hand. She followed him through the kitchen into the den where he stopped in front of the couch and nodded for her to sit down. He walked over to where he normally sat when they watched TV if he wasn’t sitting on the couch next to her and pulled something from the seat. Then he returned to where she’d sat down on the edge of the couch and showed her a wide length of black cloth.
“We decided that you would do better if we blindfolded you,” Tag told her.
Tessa wasn’t so sure about that, but wasn’t going to argue at this point. She would give it her best shot. That’s all she could do and she knew that was all they expected. She nodded and closed her eyes as Tag fitted the blindfold around her head and tied it, making sure not to get her hair caught in it so that it would pull.
“Can you see anything at all, kitten?” Zander asked.
She opened her eyes, but other than a faint thread of light, there was nothing. She shook her head. She was afraid to speak, afraid that she would beg them to remove it and wait until next weekend to try this.
She felt hands on her shoulders then her upper arms and she knew it was Tag by the calluses on his fingers. He pulled her to her feet then to her surprise, he picked her up so that he carried her in the cradle of his arms.
“I’m too heavy for you to carry this way,” she said with a gasp.
“Hush, Tessa. I’ve got you. Trust me,” he said.
She did. Really, she did, but she wasn’t light. She’d put on weight since she’d first gotten to town. At first she’d been thin, unable to afford to eat like she should. But once she’d gotten the job at Heavy Trinkets, thanks to Kelly and of course Steve, she’d regained her weight and then some.
Tag didn’t seem to notice as he easily carried her in his arms. She knew they were walking down the hall now by the sound of his boots echoing along the walls. When they stopped, she heard the electronic beeps of the keypad as Zander, since Tag held her in his arms, put his code in to unlock the door. This was it. They were going down the stairs to where the playroom was. She tried not to think of it as the basement. It wasn’t the same thing as in her past.
Still, as Tag took the first steps she stiffened in his arms. He pulled her tighter against him and kissed her forehead.
“Easy, baby girl. I’ve got you. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”
They continued down the steps. She imagined Zander was walking ahead of them just in case Tag lost his balance. Then they stopped at the bottom. Tag eased her to her feet, keeping one hand on her shoulder to steady her until he was satisfied she wasn’t going to fall.
“That was very good, kitten,” Zander said. “Are you ready to take the blindfold off now?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes, what?” Tag asked in a deeper voice.
“Yes, Sir.” She’d forgotten in all of this that she was their submissive when they were down here or at the club. It had been one of the things they’d agreed to.
She felt one of them loosen the tie at the back of her head and the blindfold fell away. She blinked a few times before she was able to see without squinting. The room appeared the same that she remembered from that horrible day a week ago. Tiny pricks of unease traveled down her spine, but she held fast. Tessa was determined to get through this. They were merely going to play a little tonight.
“Follow me, kitten,” Zander said.
She followed him as he walked over to the spanking bench. Tessa knew what it was and what would more than likely happen once she was draped over it. He stopped next to it and looked expectantly at her. She’d never been on one before and wasn’t sure exactly how to do it. Drawing in a deep breath, Tessa looked up at Zander, her lips trembling.
“I’m not sure how to get on it.”
“Tag will help you, Tessa. Just relax and let him show you what to do,” Zander said.
She looked over at the other man and waited for him to direct her. He showed her where to put her knees and how to drape herself over the padded top. Then he adjusted the height a little bit so that she wasn’t straining to remain in place. When he fastened a wide strap across her lower back, she panicked.
“Tag? What are you doing?” she asked with a soft whimper.
“Easy, baby. This is just to keep you from moving so that you can’t accidently get hurt. We’re not going to restrain your hands or legs this time. We just want to do this for your safety, Tessa. Breathe for me,” Tag said.
She fought back the fear that threatened
to break through and leave her screaming to be let up. She could do this. She would do this.
I’m not this weak. They aren’t going to leave me like this or hurt me. It’s just a spanking. I’ve had worse.
She kept repeating this over and over in her head until, finally, her breathing evened out. As much as giving over her freedom to them scared her, it was also a little exciting. Just being around them kept her pulse rate up and her body tense, but not with real fear. At last, she nodded and her body relaxed over the bench. Tag walked around to where she could see his boots. The sound of his zipper followed by the rustling of clothes let her know he was undressing. Then his cock was right there near her lips.
“Suck my cock, baby girl. Make me feel good while Zander warms that ass up,” Tag said.
Without thought, Tessa opened her mouth and Tag let his dick rest lightly against her lips. She stuck just the tip of her tongue against the spongy crown and licked across the tiny slit. At his hiss of pleasure, she flattened her tongue and swept it all around the top before sucking on as much of it as he’d given her.
“Don’t bite him, Tessa,” Zander said.
It was all the warning she got before his hand popped one ass cheek, sending a zinging sting across her ass. It burned but didn't hurt. She sucked on Tag’s thick cock, taking all that he gave her as Zander continued to lightly pepper her ass cheeks with this hand. It became a matter of pride for her to suck on Tag as hard as she could without allowing even the tiniest tip of a tooth to touch him when Zander’s hand warmed her bottom.
“So fucking good,” Tag said with a low growl. “Take more of me, Tessa.”
She eagerly accepted more of his shaft into her mouth, realizing that it meant that her teeth were going to graze him no matter how hard she tried to keep them away from the tender tissues. He was too thick to avoid it that deep.
“That’s it, baby. Damn that’s hot. Just like that.” Tag pumped his cock in and out of her mouth. Zander’s pops had slowed now.
