by Tara Rose
Ava laughed. Gary had such a witty sense of humor.
“It was popular in what…the Carter administration?”
“Maybe it’ll make a comeback?”
Both men chuckled at her comment then Jake pointed south. “Do you know where Dogwood Trail is?”
“Yes, I do.” Dogwood was close to Birch Lane, where Maddox’s club was. She’d driven past his house but hadn’t yet gone inside. “I’ll follow you.”
“And I’ll follow Ava,” said Gary. “Between the two of us, she won’t get lost.”
Ava shivered at his words and at the look in his eyes. In addition to the obvious double entendre, she realized that she would be alone with both men for the first time. Was she ready for this? She knew she could trust them. But was it too much, too soon?
“Ready to go?” Jake gave her a look filled with uncertainty. He was very sensitive to her moods. She’d have to remember that. But she didn’t want either of them to think they hadn’t earned her trust. Neither one had done anything to give her a second thought.
“I sure am. Lead the way.”
Chapter Ten
The decorating inside Jake’s house looked and smelled like old money. Ava walked through the rooms as he prattled on about various prints and pieces he’d picked up in places like Chicago or Denver. She knew each item and place he spoke about so well, she didn’t feel the need to comment. Gary kept silent as well, and Ava tried to imagine how being inside this home made him feel.
She hadn’t been inside Gary’s condo, but she knew enough about the complex where he lived to know that most of the units were occupied by retired teachers or sales clerks. The rest were occupied by single men and women who worked in the court house as paralegals, or who worked at City Hall as administrative assistants. They were the least expensive condos in Racy, and they were in dire need of modernization and repair.
They both knew where her family lived, which also meant if they were at all familiar with the Chicago area, they knew she came from money. She couldn’t tell if Jake was trying to impress her with his wealth, was just that pretentious, or if he simply took it for granted.
She sneaked another quick glance at Gary as they entered the back den, which looked very much like the media room above Tye Me Up, except for the shape of it. He looked bored, not upset. That was good. Then again, she realized that he’d probably been here before.
“Would you like a drink?” asked Jake.
“I think I had enough tonight, but thanks.”
“I’ll take a beer,” said Gary.
Jake opened a mini fridge under the bar and took out two bottles, tossing one to Gary. Then he took a seat next to Ava on the sofa. Gary sat at right angles to her in an armchair he pushed closer to both of them.
“Your home is beautiful.” She felt as though she should at least acknowledge it.
“Thank you. How often do you get back to Lake Forest?”
“Not much anymore.” She settled back against the cushions, took off her boots, and curled her legs underneath her body. Might as well get this over with. “And it’s unlikely I’ll be returning anytime soon.”
She told Jake the same thing she’d told Gary about her years with Leo. As she spoke, she watched his eyes turn dark and threatening, and several times his hands curled into fists. A muscle began to twitch under his left eye, and while she loved it that he was angry for her, she also wanted to tell him that she was only doing this to put it behind her, not that she wanted or needed sympathy from either man.
“He’s a pig.” Jake’s voice was hard and mean. It sent shivers down her spine, but not from desire this time. She could only imagine what kind of revenge he’d exact on an enemy. But at the same time, having a man like that on your side and sworn to protect you would be a huge advantage. Jake was the kind of person who would never let anyone mess with a friend, or a sub.
“Yes, he is.”
Jake moved closer and took her hands in his. He gazed into her eyes with intensity, and Ava felt powerless to look away. “I want you to tell me his real name. And I don’t care which orchestras he’s been involved with, or how many countries he’s been to. He needs to be held accountable for what he did.”
She glanced sideways at Gary, who held the same determination and conviction in his eyes. The temptation to give them Leo’s real name was so strong. But that would out him, and she couldn’t do that. If she presented her objections in that context, surely they’d understand. “If he wanted to be out to the music community, he’d have done that himself.”
At first, she thought Jake was angry with her. He stared into her eyes while Ava listened to a clock chime softly in the house. The smell of his cologne and Gary’s mixed with the scents of leather and sage in this room, conjuring up images of her parents’ home. It would be so easy to give in. The comfortable, familiar atmosphere filled her with a sense of peace and contentment.
But if she told them who Leo was, how would that make her any better than him? Even after all he’d done to hurt her, he’d never outed her to anyone. It was the worst betrayal any of them could do to another because it took away the person’s right to consent to others knowing about their lifestyle choice. And she felt certain that even here in rural Racy, Indiana, the members of the BDSM community held consent sacred.
Finally, Jake sighed loudly, gave her hands a squeeze, and then let go of them and settled back against the sofa cushions. “You’re right. I’m not happy about it, but I agree with you. I can’t out him. It wouldn’t be right.”
“So that’s it?” Gary glanced from one to the other with incredulity. “He just gets away with what he did to her?”
Ava could have kissed him. She’d never expected that either man would want revenge for this. She was so happy she’d told them because a weight had been lifted now that the story was out. But with that came guilt, washing over her at the realization she’d caused them grief. Wouldn’t it have been better to keep it to herself?
“He won’t get away with it.” Jake’s voice was sure and determined.
“How can you say that? This asshole needs to be held accountable. We can’t do that if we don’t know who he is.”
Gary’s words made Ava realize that if she was going to have any chance at a relationship with these men, she owed them complete honesty. They would have been upset if she’d withheld it and then they found out later.
Jake cut his gaze toward her briefly before addressing Gary. “Let’s talk about this another time. Ava has told the story twice now in a matter of days. I’m sure she wants to put it all behind her.”
Gary narrowed his eyes, and when she cut her gaze back toward Jake, she knew in that split second that he intended to find out on his own. She saw it in his eyes just as if he’d spoken the words out loud. She glanced quickly toward Gary again and confirmed her suspicions. Understanding dawned on his face as he locked gazes with Jake. These two were going to find out who Leo was on their own.
Part of her was thrilled that they wanted to, but what would Leo do to them if they did find him? What would he do to her? Still, Gary had a point. He should be held accountable. It would be easy to just let them play detective and pretend she didn’t know anything. If she voiced it out loud, she’d have to lie to Leo if he was found out and confronted her over it. But if she sat here and did nothing, pretending she hadn’t seen the looks cross their faces, she could claim ignorance.
But that was a cop out. She was torn. What should she do?
They both watched her now, warily, as if they were afraid she might have noticed. She didn’t want this evening to turn into a discussion about Leo, and she didn’t want it to end with that topic driving a wedge between these two and her. She was alone with two sexy Doms. Why should they have to make Leo the center of their attention?
“You okay?” asked Jake.
“I’m only going to say this once, and then as far as I’m concerned, this topic is closed between us.” She took a deep breath. “If you decide to figure out
on your own who he is, please don’t rain down trouble on your own heads. I care about both of you, and I care about the community here. I don’t want this coming back at any of us.”
They exchanged a surprised glance, and Jake chuckled softly. “Guess we’re not that subtle.”
“I’m very good at reading people, that’s all.”
“We won’t let anything happen to you or to the others in Racy,” said Gary. “I promise you that.”
“Okay. That’s all I ask. Thank you.” She rose and stretched, pushing out her boobs a bit on purpose. She felt bold and sexy now. The dark area in her mind where Leo had constantly lived wasn’t gone, but neither was it filled with his memories. They were fading. She had no idea where they’d gone, and right now she didn’t care. Right now, she only wanted to spend time with these two, talking about anything except Leo.
She gave Jake what she hoped was a sexy look. “I’d love to see the rest of your home.”
“All of it?”
Jake’s gaze sent a gush of wetness to her pussy. She tried to avoid letting her attention drift to his crotch, but when he stood, it went there anyway. And he was just as turned-on as she was.
“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind showing it to me.”
Gary stood, and she gave him a sexy look as well. Lust shone from his eyes. This was getting interesting. “I’d love to see your home, too, Jake.”
Jake snorted. “You’ve seen it.”
“Not all of it. Come on. Give us the real tour. Show us the places you don’t usually show the peasants.”
If it hadn’t been for the tone of his voice, Ava would have wondered whether Gary was trying to bait Jake, but his words were filled with humor and lightheartedness.
“Let’s go.” Jake grabbed her hand, and his touch sent a thrill up and down her spine. This was much better than discussing Leo.
He’d already shown them the first floor, so now he led them back into the main hallway and up the sweeping staircase, adorned with wrought iron spindles. Ava usually preferred cherry wood and dark colors, but the combination of wrought iron, light oak, and taupe had caught her eye as soon as she’d entered the home. It was soothing and homey, which she found surprising. She’d expected Jake’s home to look and feel formidable, like he did.
He’d carried the theme upstairs, where the hallway floor was covered in hardwood at the edges. Carpeting covered the rest, and she was fascinated with the intricate leaf pattern. “This is beautiful. Is it symbolic for anything special? The pattern, I mean.”
“My love of trees.”
She heard Gary snort softly behind her and glanced over her shoulder. “Is he kidding me?”
“No, he’s not kidding you. He loves the woods.”
“I told Gary he shouldn’t discount the usefulness of that god-awful carpeting in his condo just yet. He could make that work.”
“If I was decorating a mobile home in the Reagan era, maybe.”
Ava laughed at the image Gary’s quip conjured up, and Jake gave her hand a squeeze. She wasn’t sure what it was about her response that produced his reaction, but she didn’t mind it. He opened a set of double doors at the end, let go of her hand, and stood aside to allow her and Gary to enter first.
“The inner sanctum,” said Gary, under his breath. “I never thought I’d see it.”
“How long have you wanted to?” she asked.
Gary laughed. “Jake guards his privacy like it’s Fort Knox. Ask around. Only a few have been granted access to his majesty’s bedchamber.”
“He’s exaggerating,” said Jake, crossing the room to turn on various lamps.
“No I’m not,” said Gary in a stage whisper, winking at Ava.
She stood in the center of the room and twirled in a slow circle, trying to take it all in. The same leaf pattern decorated the carpeting in here, and colors from that pattern had been pulled subtly into the drapes, comforter, and even the upholstery on the sofas and chairs. The wood in here was also light oak, and wrought iron graced everything from the bed posters to the ornamental carvings on the furniture. It wasn’t how she’d pictured Jake’s home, but now that she was here, she realized that it fit him perfectly.
“What do you think?” he asked, the pride evident in his voice.
“It’s stunning.” Now that her eyes had adjusted to the low lighting, she let her gaze sweep once more around the room, slower this time, and stopped when she spotted the spanking bench tucked discreetly into an alcove near the bed. Next to it was a large X with attachments on all four points. It was then she noticed the attachments under the flat canopy on the bed and on each of the four posters as well. This wasn’t a room merely used for sleeping. It was Jake’s private dungeon. No wonder he guarded it. Imagine if his students found out about this.
He moved closer to her, and for reasons Ava couldn’t understand, the smell of his cologne was more seductive in this room. Had he placed something on the light bulbs? Did he have oils on the furniture or fabrics? Did it matter? Clearly the ambiance in the room had been designed for one thing, and she was falling under its spell.
“What would you like to see now?” he asked softly.
Ava faced him, unable to look away from those intelligent, intense gray eyes. What did she want to see? Him. Naked. And Gary, too. She wanted to see them flog her and paddle her. She wanted to see them put their hands and mouths all over her body.
This was crazy. What the hell had these two done to her tonight? “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she whispered, knowing it was a silly thing to say. They weren’t stupid or blind. They knew how turned-on she was right now.
Gary moved in front of her, and when he smiled at her and cupped her face gently, she stared into his blue eyes and didn’t try to stop the soft moan this time. She wanted this. She didn’t know why, and she didn’t want to analyze it. She only wanted to go for it.
“Tell us anyway,” he said.
There it was. All she had to do was say it, and this would really happen. It was the boldest, most impulsive thing she’d ever entertained, and because of that she also knew it was right. She trusted these two. Kari would never have let her go near them if they were creeps. She knew that. She’d told them about Leo, and they wanted to exact revenge for her. No one had ever cared that much about her feelings or emotions.
“I want you both to top me.” She took a deep breath. It went deeper than that, and this wasn’t the time to hold anything back. “Not just play. I want to make love with both of you as well.”
She stared from one to the other, watching the expressions on their faces as her words sunk in. This night was going down in the record books. She knew it as surely as she knew her own name. And Ava couldn’t wait to see what amazing things it brought her.
Chapter Eleven
Gary kissed her, ignoring the voice in his head that said they needed to talk about limits and condoms and all those important, clinical things first. He couldn’t even think. All he knew was that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
But she wanted Jake, too.
He didn’t care. Even that reality wasn’t enough to make him stop moving his lips and tongue over hers as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He pulled her closer, enjoying the feel of her breasts underneath that very pretty sweater, and loving the soft moans in the back of her throat. His dick was rock hard. Surely she could feel it.
Images of her naked and sweaty filled his head. He wanted to hold her, touch her, kiss every square inch of her body. He wanted to tie her up, spank her ass, and give her every fantasy she’d ever dreamed about.
“As much as I want to do the same thing, there are things we need to talk about first.”
Jake’s voice pulled him back to reality. He released the kiss, and smiled when he looked into Ava’s eyes. They were soft and filled with lust, and it was all Gary could do not to kiss her again, no matter what Jake said.
“Sorry, dude. But it’s true.” To Jake’s credit, he sounded sympathetic.
/> “I know.” Gary took Ava’s hand and led her to the nearest sofa.
Jake pulled a chair over and sat in front of them. “Condoms. We’ll use them. Any objections to that?”
Ava shook her head. “No, of course not. It’s the safe thing to do. I have no diseases, though, just so you both know.”
“Neither do I,” said Gary.
Jake shook his head. “Same here. Okay. Limits. Give us your hard ones, first.”
“Dude, could you make this anymore impersonal?”
Ava placed her hand on his thigh, and Gary gritted his teeth to keep from pulling her into his arms again. “It’s all right. We have to talk about these things. It won’t change anything. Just so you know, I’m out of my mind right now with lust for both of you.” She placed a hand over her mouth for a second, and giggled. The effect was to make Gary want her even more. “I’ve never done anything like this. I want you both to know that. This isn’t me.”
“Neither have I,” said Jake.
“Well I sure haven’t,” said Gary. “Okay. Tell us your limits. Let’s get this out of the way.”
He frowned as a quick sliver of fear passed across her face. What was that about?
“No biting hard enough to break the skin, no kicking any part of my body, no slapping my face, and no dragging me across the floor.”
He and Jake exchanged a shocked glance. What the fuck had that asshole done to her?
“Are there any more?” asked Jake in a tentative voice.
“Yes, but those are the biggies.”
“Could you elaborate on that statement?” asked Gary. “Are you saying he actually did those things to you?”
She nodded. “Those were the ones I finally insisted be hard limits, but each one turned into a days-long negotiation that left me drained and defeated. Everything with him was a fight. Everything.”
Gary shook his head. “I don’t know what to say right now.” He allowed the images of finding Leo and flaying him open with a bowie knife, while he was tied up and helpless to do anything except scream, to course through his mind. They kept him from punching the wall.
