Us: Book Three in The Everett Gaming Series

by Drew Sera

  The girls finished eating and then headed out on their dress journey. Before they left though, they were assaulted by their Doms with kisses and hugs. Sydney waved to us from the passenger seat of Gina’s Mercedes SUV.

  I sat down at the table to start our project of planning when Matt started teasing us.

  “Blake, I’m glad you were here to witness this. You’ll recall how they busted my balls about being in love with Gina.” Matt made a gesture with his hands towards Anthony and I. “This is something else. Especially from the tough guy.”

  We all could laugh about it despite Anthony flipping Matt off. I wasn’t going to deny it. I was finding that with each passing day, I was falling more in love with her. Matt reached into a folder he brought and pulled out a few documents and tossed them on the table and nodded upwards at them.

  “Almost forgot. Your test results are all clean. Go wild with your naked willies.”

  Blake looked over at me while Anthony took a look at the papers. Sydney’s was also in the pile.

  “The boys wanted to start going commando with their girl,” Matt said to Blake.

  “How’s Sydney’s stuff coming, Matt?” I asked him while looking at her results, which was like looking at something written in a foreign language. “I want to make sure Anthony and I aren’t hurting her or causing more damage.”

  “Colin, she’s healing. You guys aren’t hurting her.”

  “I’m throwing all the condoms out,” Anthony announced.

  I took the test results over to the counter out of the way. I wanted us to be able to talk to Sydney about them this evening.

  Blake had a nice list of all the members donating items or services, like private lessons, to be auctioned off at the party. He already had the catering set, so I’m glad we didn’t have to mess with that. Even though I knew we had a lot more to do, I kept finding my thoughts drifting back to Sydney and how Carlos said she felt guilty about taking a meal.

  “Cathy came up with the idea of collars stacked on top of one another for the center pieces at each table and then filling them with small toys, lubes and that sort of thing. What do you guys think?” Blake asked us. My mind went blank, and then I felt like I was hit with a bolt of electricity.

  A collar.

  I wanted Anthony and I to collar Sydney. Anthony and I both wanted her, and she reacts so positively to it at Irons. In fact, now that I think about it more, she almost gets upset when it comes off. Why hadn’t this become so obvious to me before now?

  Part, if not most, of Sydney’s self esteem issues stem from Howard telling her she wasn’t good enough and disappointed him. She still sometimes thinks she doesn’t belong and that she’s not good enough. I even think she worries that we’re going get tired of her and kick her to the curb. Collaring would alleviate that worry. She’s not a novice to the lifestyle, she’s just had bad experiences in it. But Sydney understood the meaning of a collar. Plus, Anthony and I loved her to pieces.

  I couldn’t help but smile. Now wasn’t the time to talk about it, but I’d chat with Anthony soon about this.

  “So are you guys going to let your little ones help for the charity party and auction?” Blake asked.

  Matt spoke up and said he was going to let Gina play the sub in distress role for his safety class that he was auctioning off. He was also offering to shadow a Dom to show him how to safely administer medical play.

  “How do you think little Sydney will feel about Anthony roping up another woman?” Blake tossed that question out in the air. It hung there and none of us answered. I knew it wasn’t sitting well with Anthony, and I told him that if he decides at the last minute to pull out, then it’ll be fine and not to worry about it. I didn’t want him to feel obligated, but I knew he was torn because he knew it fetched good money for charity.

  Once we were all pleased with the auction list, Blake wanted to hit some golf balls while he was here. I knew that he wanted to use that time to check on Anthony and see how he was doing after the recent Paul incident. I’ve been trying to keep an eye on him too. He seems okay but he won’t talk about it. At least the welt on his chest is healing up. He cleans it but doesn’t cover it and Matt messes with him about not being able to stand being human. His parents are to blame for that. Fucking bastards. I wondered how much Blake knows about Anthony’s upbringing.

  While they were outside, Matt and I talked about the Paul thing some more. I told Matt what Blake had said to me the night of his party about playing with Sydney being an obsession for Paul. Matt found that statement downright creepy.

  “Something in him just snapped that night, Col. Paul was so angry. With all the shit he was spouting off at Anthony, I don’t know how Seth and I were able to pull Anthony away.”

  Matt and I moved onto a more pleasant conversation and started making plans about the Christmas gifts for the girls. Since the five of us were going to the cabin this year, we were going to try to get our gifts in order for the girls and wrap them while we’re there. We began making lists of things to pack or pick up.

  Since we were talking about gifts for the girls, I got up from the table and retrieved the BMW brochure from my den. Anthony and I wanted to get Sydney a car, and since both of us had excellent experiences with the BMWs it made the type of car an easy choice. I returned to the kitchen and set the brochure down in front of Matt.

  “Aw, you don’t have to get me a car, Colin. I have one already.”

  I flipped him off and told him Anthony and I ordered her one for Christmas but it won’t actually be ready before we go up to the cabin. I told Matt that the dealership was going to deliver the car to the house the day after Christmas. Since Matt and Gina were only staying at the cabin with us until the day after Christmas, I asked him if he’d put a big bow on it for us so when we get home, it’ll be ready for her.

  “You do realize you’re going to scare the shit out of her with this thing,” Matt said as he ran his hand over the glossy book of BMWs. I shrugged.

  “Matt, I don’t care. Sydney drove a shitty car through college and then expenses became too much and she had to get rid of it. She couldn’t afford an apartment and everything else. Makes me sick to my stomach to know that she was hungry sometimes.”

  Matt nodded and softened his tone. He leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands behind his head, and looked at me.

  “Anthony and I love her, Matt. We want to provide everything for her that she missed out on or didn’t have. You saw how she lived.”

  “I know and I was up that entire night thinking about it too. Bare cupboards and fridge…bandages here and there…blood stained bedding…torn clothes…that fucking closet.” Matt shook his head and then leaned on the table with bent arms. “I was there, Colin. I remember. One thing that I don’t think I’ll ever get out of my head from that apartment though was the image of her sitting alone on the floor showing you the bottoms of her feet after she pulled that antenna off the T.V. That and seeing the inside of the closet and watching you and Anthony stare at the inside of it with your hands over your stomachs. I will never, ever forget it. When I got home that night, I went outside and hit golf balls around for about an hour before going inside to Gina. I couldn’t tell her about any of it.”

  “Don’t. Don’t put that apartment in Gina’s head.”

  Matt looked down at the brochure again and began absentmindedly turning pages, though I knew what he was seeing wasn’t registering. Last Saturday was rough on all of us, but I was grateful Matt was with us.

  “So which one did you get her?”

  I pulled the brochure towards me and flipped to the page Anthony and I had studied the most during work this past week. I slid it back in front of him and tapped on the metallic blue color.

  “Blue is her favorite color. She shares that with Anthony.”

  “My how things have changed for you just in a short time frame. Two months ago, this was just a girl from work. Now you’re in love and your driveway is getting busier.”

 
We both shared a laugh over it, but I found myself nodding and smiling with him. It was true though. I’ve gained so much in such a short amount of time.

  “Enough girl talk.” Matt closed the brochure and looked up at me again. “She’ll love the car and yes, I’ll put a bow on the thing.”

  5

  Saturday, December 7th

  Sydney

  “Anthony really is into you, Syd. He touches you like Matt touches me. It’s very possessive. He loves you.”

  “I don’t know, Gina. I mean, yes I know he cares. I love them both. Colin is very open about it though, and he makes sure he says it to me. Anthony though…”

  Why hasn’t he said it to me? Maybe he doesn’t love me. Anthony is a tough cookie to crumble. Mmm, but I do enjoy the pieces of him that I have. He’s very sweet and he understands so much. I began to think about my bad dream about being burned and how he showed me where he had been burned. I wondered how it happened. It’s not my place to ask, but I am curious. I wonder how old he was. He made a reference to being held down with hands of steel. Maybe he was little. My stomach started hurting, and I felt like I was breaking out in a sweat. I needed the bathroom I…

  “Syd? Sydney, are you okay?”

  We had stopped walking, and Gina was trying to get my attention. I looked around. Damn. I have to stop doing that. I start thinking about stuff and get so engrossed that I don’t pay attention to my immediate surroundings. I swallowed hard, and when I brushed my fingertips across my forehead I realized I was shaking. I quickly balled up my hands and shoved them in my sweatshirt pockets.

  “Sydney, what happened? Here, lets sit down for a minute. We’ve been walking for a while.” Gina pointed to a nearby bench, and I followed while telling myself to get a grip.

  We sat quietly for a few minutes, and I appreciated that she could just let me sit for a minute. I watched people walking with their shopping bags, happily going about their business. I need to do a better job of concentrating. What if I was at home and Colin or Anthony told me to do something and I didn’t hear them? I’d be in trouble.

  Trouble.

  No…they won’t beat me.

  Get it together, Sydney. I took a few deep breaths when I didn’t think Gina was looking. My eyes focused on a cigarette butt on the ground. Anthony. Was he held down and burned?

  “Sydney?” Gina’s hand on my arm caused me to jump.

  “Sorry…I’m sorry…I…” I did it again. I lost track of what I was doing and went off in my own world again. “I’m sorry, Gina. I was just thinking of some things. I’m sorry. Please don’t tell them…Please?”

  “Syd, it’s okay. They’d understand.”

  “It’s not that. I just don’t want them to know I’m daydreaming. Or whatever it is.”

  “Sydney, they love you.”

  Love. I took another deep breath and wished I were with them right now. My stomach hurt, and I felt cold yet I was sweating.

  Come on, Sydney. Focus.

  I nodded and took one more deep breath before standing. I apologized again and told her that I was ready to continue our dress hunt. This has become a daunting task. I noticed she tried getting me to talk but kept the conversation topics safe. I couldn’t have been more happy with that.

  “Have you given any thought to your photo shoot and the kind of pictures? Any ideas?”

  “Uh, I think I’ll just let the photographer tell me where to stand or what to do. He’s the professional.”

  I tried on dress after dress after dress and didn’t think that I looked good in anything. It’s so discouraging. Both parties are important to the guys, but I especially don’t want to embarrass them at the Everett Gaming one.

  I thought I found a dress I really liked and was scared to look in the mirror. I often avoided looking at myself in the mirror. Mirrors weren’t kind to me. I knew I had to look, though. I looked in the mirror, and I could see the bruising still on my collarbones. I sat down on the seat in the dressing room and put my head in my hands to think. This was the best dress so far, but it wasn’t perfect. Gina knocked on the door.

  “So, how does it look?”

  I’d just show her so she could see for herself. I opened the door and she smiled at me.

  “That’s perfect! Syd, those guys will go crazy over this dress.” She spun me around and for a moment I forgot my huge dilemma.

  “You think they’d like it?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “Look.” I pointed to my collarbones. How could that not have been the first thing she saw?

  “So? Make up, my dear Sydney.”

  “You can fix it? I don’t want to embarrass them or make them think they’re taking a monster to the party.”

  “Syd, they don’t see these. I mean, they know they’re there, but it doesn’t change how they feel about you. They love you.”

  We got the dress and continued shopping. Now I needed some shoes. I wanted to get both dresses in black so that way I could get away with one pair of dress shoes. Gina even helped me find a new lace bra and matching thong to wear under the dress. Ugh, I had no idea how to pull something like this off. There was nothing sexy about me; Colin and Anthony both were the kind of men that deserved a sexy something on their arms. They were two of the most handsome men in the building, and I wasn’t even close to their caliber. I didn’t want rumors to start about how Colin was slumming it. I had to be perfect.

  “Next Saturday is the party for work. Do you think Matt would let you come over and do my makeup and hair?”

  “Of course he will, Syd.”

  We wrapped up our shopping trip with a stop at Tuscany and got a few warm coffees. I really enjoyed hanging out with Gina. She was so friendly and nice to me. And her guy was close with my guys. My guys. I loved the way that sounded.

  6

  Saturday, December 7th

  Colin

  “I finally found a dress!” Sydney exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen with Gina.

  “Finally,” Anthony said as he took the dress bag from her hands.

  We both were warned not to look at it.

  “Fierce kitten you guys have there.” Blake was only teasing, but I think it scared Sydney a little.

  “No, Sir. Sorry, I just meant that I wanted it to be a surprise. But if you want, you can look.”

  Anthony wrapped her up in an embrace and told her not to worry about us sneaking a peak at the dress. It didn't escape my notice that Sydney continued to hold onto Anthony after his hug. As I studied her more, I could see her eyes were busy moving around the room. All eyes were on her because I think everyone could see her uneasy demeanor. Anthony of course knew it and pulled Sydney by her hand behind him, and he sat down at the table. Once seated, he tugged her to sit on his lap, and she immediately wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in his neck. His arms wrapped around covering most of her back and a hand stroked her hair.

  “That’s my good girl. Relax.” Anthony kissed her head and rubbed on her back while I walked everyone else out.

  If there is a single phrase that affects Sydney the most it’s “good girl.” Anthony and I both know that simple phrase calms her almost instantly. In the driveway, I did ask Gina if Sydney was okay while they were out. She told me that in between stores Sydney seemed distant for a little bit but then was back to normal. I wonder if there was a small trigger that may have happened.

  When I went back inside, I could hear Sydney’s voice laughing about something. In the kitchen I found Sydney still wrapped up in Anthony’s arms and Anthony’s teeth grazing her earlobe. He was nibbling and being playful with her. I sat with them and we talked about her shopping trip. Through conversation I determined that she was doing okay. She wasn’t being distant with us, and she was welcoming and accepting physical touch and conversation.

  We showed Sydney the test results to our blood tests. I was happy to see her excitement with the results which also made me feel confident that she was doing okay. We’d practice our new freedom later.<
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  Matt was called in to fill in for a few hours in the ER tonight, so he wouldn’t be going to Irons with us. Anthony and I were still planning on taking Sydney though. She was starting to become more comfortable and familiar with Irons, and all of the members adored Sydney. Irons has been good for Sydney, and everyone made her feel welcomed and accepted.

  We checked our jackets and lead Sydney to the corner of the lobby to put her collar on. She was eager to receive it this evening, which made my heart swell. Officially collaring Sydney was going to be good for us. I stood behind her and held her hair away from her neck while Anthony buckled it into place. I felt her shoulders relax as she leaned backwards against me. Anthony did his signature move of checking for enough room between the collar and her neck and tugged her closer to him for a kiss.

  We started our evening at our couches. Usually we spent a little time sitting and talking with other members. Will always came over and chatted for a few moments. I was thankful that Evan rarely tagged along.

  “Wanna walk outside, sunshine?”

  Anthony obviously had something in mind and I was thinking perhaps the heated pools or the rock cave. Blake’s pools were all heated and he had an amazing waterfall with a path that went through the rock. Behind the cascading water, there were seats in the water for those who wanted to play more secluded. Along the grassy path, there were also a few play stations set up for those looking for a camp or outdoor scene. Anthony was going to lead us tonight, so whatever he wanted to do was fine with me.

  He and I walked on either side of Sydney as we made our way down the path outside. There weren’t many people outside but there were some around engaged in their own scenes. Near a spa was Will and a masochist, and there was a dungeon monitor lurking about as well. Anthony headed towards the waterfall and I thought it’d be perfect. Sydney loved the waterfall at work.