The Dom with a Safeword

by Cari Silverwood

“You better make sure your mouth doesn’t write checks your ass doesn’t want to cash,” he growled. He narrowed his eyes and added, “Or maybe I should spank you right here. Is that what you’re asking for?”

  She shook her head, terrified at the idea. In front of Q was one thing, but there were still stragglers on the beach that could see them. “No.”

  “No, what?”

  Her throat closed up. She swallowed hard. “No, Sir.”

  A smile then he kissed her lips. Hard and panty-melting, but he stopped too soon. “That’s my good girl.”

  Setting her right again, he steadied her ‘til she got her bearings. “Now be nice,” he said and gave her ass a swat.

  She slowed her heavy breaths. God he could make her hot so fast. Maybe she could entice them back to the house to play earlier. Her insides already felt warm and her clit throbbed in time with her pounding heart.

  “Hey!” Q called from behind them. “Wait for me.”

  Sabrina turned to see Q jogging toward them across the beach. Oh great. Now she had to try to suppress her sexual appetite with two Doms. Q was just as adept at getting her turned on as Jude was. And, despite Jude having called Sabrina a tease, Q was as bad, or worse.

  “It’s Brat one,” Jude said with a smile at Q. “Come on up, sweetheart.” He held out a hand to help Q up the rocks but she ignored it, quickly making her way up on her own.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said, a little out of breath.

  “No problem.” Jude gestured to the other side of the rocks. “Sabrina was just taking me to a secluded part of the beach. Can we really trust her though? She’s small but has a vicious look about her in a scrappy kitten sort of way.” He flashed a dimple. “Is it a good idea to follow her to a mysterious place away from any witnesses?”

  Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha. If I wanted to murder you, I’d have done it while you were sleeping. I often sit up at night and watch you.” She pointed to Jude. “You snore. And you,” she motioned to Q, “you talk in your sleep.”

  Q’s eyes widened. “What do I say?”

  She bit back a grin then raised her voice an octave in a silly girly voice. “Oh, Jude. Sex me up, baby! Oh yes, feed my disturbing need for violence!”

  Jude chuckled. “Nice.”

  “Sex me up?” Q arched a brow. “Who even says that?”

  “Nineties pop songs. Can we go?” She gestured impatiently down the rocks.

  “Go on,” Jude said. “Lead us to your beach sex cave.”

  Q and Sabrina laughed then the three carefully made their way down the rocks. Back on the sand, Sabrina walked closer to the water, enjoying the cool wetness on the bottom of her feet. Despite the beach breeze, it still felt muggy. Her dress clung to her body and she fought the urge to strip it off and go for a swim. Maybe she should have put on her bikini instead of the fancy bra and underwear set.

  She looked back at Jude and Q, walking arm in arm and smiled. So cute. She didn’t even feel a twinge of jealousy. She’d always been the jealous type so it surprised her. But with Jude and Q…she didn’t know exactly…the three of them just fit. Though the Nico thing was getting on her nerves. It terrified her to think that Q might give in and go back to him. For some reason, Q seemed to need a man in her life frequently. What would happen when Jude left after the summer? Her heart ached for a moment but she pushed it away. Enjoy their time now. That was all she could do. What future did she have with two lovers anyway?

  Ugh. She wished it wasn’t so hot. And Q was wearing jeans again! She stopped and waited for them to catch up. “I can’t even look at you in those jeans,” she said to Q when they came close. “Aren’t you hot? What happened to the shorts I made you?”

  “They got paint on them. And I’m used to wearing jeans. It’s not a big deal.”

  A thought came to mind. “What do you have underneath them?”

  “Underwear, of course.”

  “What kind? They might look like bikini bottoms.”

  “They don’t,” she answered too quickly.

  Sabrina sidled up to her with a sly smile. “Let me see.” She placed her hands in the waistband of her pants and undid the button.

  A soft grunt left Q’s lips and she grabbed Sabrina’s hands. “What do you think you’re doing, little girl?”

  Jude stepped in. “Not a bad idea. Take them off Q.”

  Q let go of Sabrina and faced Jude. “You take them off.”

  Oh boy.

  A fleeting look of amusement crossed Jude’s face before he traded it for a stern glare. “Brat.”

  A second later, Q fled. Jude followed her. Sabrina watched with an equal sense of humor and trepidation for her friend’s fate – though she’d asked for it. Typical Q.

  It didn’t take long for Jude to catch her. He wrestled her to the ground. Pinned face down, he yanked down her jeans, Q kicking and fighting the whole time. He managed to get them all the way off then gave her a smack on the ass before helping her to stand. With a glare, she brushed the dry sand off her face and neck.

  He traded a grip on her hand for one in her hair then growled something in her ear. It must’ve been good because she watched her friend’s eyes glaze over and her body melt into him.

  “You’re lucky I’m letting you keep the underwear on after that,” he said louder, walking toward Sabrina with Q’s jeans in his hand. “What did I get myself into?” he mumbled to himself. “Brats. The both of you.”

  Sabrina smiled at Q, taking in her long, lean legs and black boy shorts. “Cute Q. And totally passes for bikini bottoms.”

  Q stalked toward her, wearing a determined and somewhat frightening expression – her turned-on face. Sabrina gulped and took a half a step back. Without a word, Q grabbed the front of her dress and yanked her in for a kiss.

  Though Q was often gentle, this time, as she crushed her mouth onto Sabrina’s, she thrust a hand into her hair and dragged her head back. The take, the dominance, blew away Sabrina’s last fragment of resistance. She shut her eyes. For what seemed like forever, Q kissed her, hard and without mercy.

  When Q pulled away, Sabrina caught her breath. “Fuck,” she whispered, staring into Q’s lustful eyes.

  “Mmm,” she murmured. “I plan to.”

  “Hey.” Jude placed himself between them, looking from one to the other. “You starting without me? That’s not very nice.”

  “No,” Sabrina jumped in quickly. She took a quick survey of the beach to make sure no one had wandered over. “No more. Not here.”

  Jude frowned. “I thought you said this spot would be empty.”

  “I said maybe. Anyone can wander over.” She touched her fingers to her lips, the taste of Q still lingering. “It’s just…I have family close by. And friends…” The hurt in Q’s eyes made her trail off. Guilt rose up in her belly. It killed her to cause her friend even a touch of pain. But she just wasn’t ready to reveal this situation to people. Even she didn’t understand what fucked up thing they had going on.

  “It’s just a kiss, Sabrina,” Jude said.

  “No, she’s right.” Q inhaled a breath then let it out slowly. “It’s not fair to force her to come out.”

  Jude nodded. “Okay. Then let’s find somewhere truly private and quick. That kiss was fucking hot.”

  Q and Sabrina laughed. “Come on, tough guy,” Sabrina teased. “We just got here. Suck it up.”

  “I want some sucking alright,” he mumbled, hissing in a breath.

  Q gave him a sideways glance. “Later. If you’re nice.”

  He arched a brow. “Or maybe I’ll string you up again and keep you on edge for so long you forget your own name.” With a twinkle in his eye and an evil grin he added, “Or maybe until you tell me your real one.”

  Q shook her head hard. “No way, sunshine. You’re getting nothing from these lips.”

  “Except them wrapped around his cock,” Sabrina added. They both looked at her in shock. She shrugged. “What?”

  “I think that’s the dirties
t thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Q answered.

  She shrugged. “You must be rubbing off on me.”

  “Hey, there’s a nice flat spot up there.” Jude pointed up the beach to where an outcropping of rocks made a ledge over the sand, shielding it from view unless you stood right in front. “I’m gonna run back to the car. I think I have a blanket in the trunk.”

  Sabrina and Q nodded and watched him walk away.

  “So,” Sabrina turned her attention to Q. “You had the bride from hell, huh?”

  Q grimaced. “You have no idea. She freaked out the flowers were the wrong color of white and stomped all over them. Who knew there were different colors of white?”

  Chuckling, Sabrina took her hand and squeezed it. “We must have the same client. I had a diva today too.” When she tried to pull her hand away, Q gripped it tighter.

  “Let’s walk.”

  She looked down at their hands then swept her gaze over the beach. It was empty. “Okay.” Two girls holding hands wasn’t a dead giveaway like it used to be. Lots of platonic friends did that nowadays.

  “So what happened with your client?” Q asked as they strolled down the beach. “Is this the author who wanted a book cover?”

  “Yes. She kept going on and on about wanting a masculine font. What the fuck is a masculine font?”

  Q laughed and swung their hands between them. She liked this – walking on the beach, holding hands. It seemed so very…normal.

  “I gave her several versions with different fonts I thought were masculine. But then she said they were too thin. She wanted something thick, but not cartoony. All thick fonts are cartoony!” She growled. “I could have thrown a book at her head.”

  “But you didn’t. You were calm and professional.”

  “Yes, though it almost killed me.”

  “You’re so dramatic.” Q chuckled then looked behind them. “Jude’s back. Come on.”

  “In a sec.” She dropped Q’s hand and looked out at the white crests dotting along the water. “Go spend a minute alone with Jude. He missed you.”

  Q gave her a small smile. “He missed you too.”

  “I had him all to myself before you showed up.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Don’t be long.” Then she walked to help Jude set up the blanket.

  Sabrina stayed by the water, dipping her feet into the small pools, searching for hermit crabs like she had as a child. There was something peaceful about spending the afternoon here at the beach. Even though she was hiding them from her family, having Q and Jude in her favorite childhood spot just felt…right. Like they did belong despite logic steering them away.

  A piece of green, rubbery seaweed wrapped around her ankle. She untangled it and a nefarious plan came to mind. With an evil smirk she turned around, looking for Jude. He was up by the blanket, his back facing her. Perfect.

  She crept up behind him quietly, keeping the long, slippery seaweed behind her back. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Q watching her. She put her fingers to her lips in a silent gesture. Q didn’t shout any warnings so Sabrina guessed she was in on it.

  At the last few feet, she sprinted, grabbed the back of his shorts and pulled. She stuffed the seaweed down his pants then backed way up, almost falling down in a fit of laughter.

  He grabbed his ass and spun around. The look on his face was priceless. Equal parts shock, anger, and disgust. It took him a minute to reach down and find the seaweed, grimacing the whole time.

  Her stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Even Q chuckled. Finally, after throwing the seaweed on the ground, Jude looked at her. His eyes narrowed.

  Oh shit. Now was the time to run. She spun on her heel and got about four steps before she felt her body lifted into the air. Jude scooped her up in his arms and jogged toward the open water.

  She clung to his neck when he padded into the waves, not slowing down even for a second. “No!” she screamed, trying to climb up him, away from the rising water. “No! I’m sorry. I’ll be good.”

  Jude was undeterred. He went farther in – the waves hit the bottom of his shorts. Finally he stopped then made like he was going to toss her in.

  She held him tighter. How could he even breathe with her arms wrapped so tight around his neck? “No, Jude! Please!”

  Just when she thought he was going to drop her, Q came to her rescue. “Don’t do it, Jude. She’ll be all sticky and salty and totally unlickable.”

  That gave him pause. “Are you going to behave?” he asked her.

  “Yes! Yes. I promise I’ll behave.”

  He sighed and adjusted his hold before walking back to the shore. When they reached Q, he let her down and walked toward the blanket. “Come on, brats. Let’s sit and relax.”

  Q looked at Sabrina and shook her head. “Sometimes I don’t know which of us is worse.”

  She laughed. “Me neither.”

  Jude was already sitting, legs stretched out in front of him, when they reached the blanket. Q sat down on one side of him. Sabrina bent to take the other side, but before she could make it all the way down, an arm wrapped around her waist and toppled her over. She shouted as she fell onto Jude’s lap, stomach down, ass in the air.

  “Oh shit,” she grumbled.

  When her dress went up, she was glad for the full panty coverage instead of a thong that day. Jude gave her a quick dozen or so slaps, making her grip the blanket in her fists and squeal. A moment later he pulled her up and maneuvered her to sit between his legs.

  Ouch! Her ass stung as she perched there gingerly.

  “That was for the seaweed,” he growled in her ear.

  Her stomach thunked and warmth fused with the cool dampness in her panties. She caught her breath.

  “Fuck that was hot,” Q rasped.

  Sabrina gasped. She’d forgotten they were in public! Frantically, she scanned for an audience.

  “Relax,” Jude said and kissed her neck. “There’s nobody here. I checked.”

  She exhaled a breath. Thank god. Her face must’ve been flaming red. And her ass! Damn he had a hard hand. Ugh. As if the kiss weren’t enough to get her going. How long until play time? Last weekend Jude had cut Q off, telling her she wasn’t allowed to come until they played again this weekend. Five whole days. Q loved that sort of thing. But then Q had given Sabrina the same order. Orgasm denial was not one of Sabrina’s kinks. She was ready to combust.

  Q scooted up close to Jude. In a spontaneous moment of affection, Sabrina grabbed onto Q’s shirt and pulled her down across Jude’s leg. Q arched her brow but let Sabrina lead her head onto her lap. Gently, she played with Q’s long black hair, taking small pieces and braiding them. Jude ran his fingers up and down Sabrina’s arm, making goose bumps rise on her skin. Q kept one hand resting on Sabrina’s leg and her other hand under Jude’s. The three of them, each one touching the other, completed a circle.

  She sighed contentedly, watching the water darken in the twilight. Q rubbed soft circles on her thigh. Jude kissed her shoulder then shifted slightly to hold Q’s hand. Everything felt so…right.

  “We’re good together,” she blurted.

  “Hm?” Q asked drowsily.

  She shrugged, struggling to come up with a way to express her happiness without sounding like an idiot. “I’m just saying, we’re good together. The three of us.”

  “Mm,” Jude mumbled in agreement then kissed her hair.

  Something nagged at her, threatening her perfect moment. Maybe she was being insecure but she had to clear it up. “It’s time consuming, being in two relationships. Even if they are temporary.”

  “That’s true” Jude rumbled.

  Q turned her head and gazed up at her. “Would you give one of us up?”

  Sabrina caught the slight panic in her voice though she tried to cover it with nonchalance. “That’s not what I said,” she answered and tugged on one of the braids she’d made in Q’s hair. Q glared but Sabrina continued. “I just mean I can’t see how any of us could have another re
lationship outside of this…kind of, sort of one.” She chuckled nervously.

  “Are you trying to say you want to be exclusive, Sabrina?” Q asked with a smirk.

  She stared down at Jude’s hand, now resting on her belly, feeling her cheeks heat. She’d always been brave about certain types of feelings and shy about others. Rejection was damn scary. She swallowed hard then answered, “Only if that’s what you want.”

  “Well, I think I can agree to that,” Jude said confidently as he kissed her hair again. A warm fuzzy feeling started in her chest and a smile crept up on her lips.

  One down, one to go. “Q?”

  She quirked a brow. “Yes?”

  “No Nico.”

  Q chuckled. “No Nico.”

  She choked back the last of her insecurity and asked, “And no other girls?”

  Q turned to give her a stark look of sincerity. “You’re the only girl I need.”

  Joy bubbled up deep inside her and she grinned. How novel to be wanted. And not for her body – well, not only for her body. But Q knew her like no one else did – all of her insecurities, her annoying habits, her deepest secrets – and wanted her anyway. Her heart felt like it swelled up, making room to fit two people she could possibly grow to love. The summer was too short for an experiment like this. The kinky part had been successful. She liked it alright. Loved it. But how could she decide her sexual orientation in only three months time? Especially when it had so many complicated implications.

  Chapter 13

  Jude

  Jude counted the days. For Q it had been five days of being turned on with no orgasms. And today at the beach, there’d been spanking and a little kissing. That Q had forbidden Sabrina the same was an exquisite touch. He would’ve loved to have been inside the girls’ heads. Jude flopped back on the mock-Georgian couch and dialed Q’s phone.

  “Q? Hi. Where are you both?”

  “Home. Sabrina’s in the kitchen. Why?”

  “I think our little sex toy needs to suffer.” He couldn’t stop an evil chuckle. Time to test Q’s dominance over their pet.

  “Mmm. What did you have in mind, Sir?”

  He was sure Q could think of her own torturous plans but it was too much fun to resist being a part of it. “First, is she wearing underwear?” He’d found out recently, Sabrina was notorious for walking around the apartment without it, just to tease Q.