by Cara Dee
I raised my brows. “Yeah?”
He shrugged a little. “That’s a well-known limit of theirs.”
“To be fair, I never asked,” I replied. “After they told me to sleep in the single bed the first night—and after they explained it’s where their play partners sleep—I snuck into their bed when they were downstairs.”
Given how frequently rumors flew around in this community, I wanted to make sure I didn’t star in any.
Tate laughed quietly and swept some water up his arms. “Since when are those two in the habit of agreeing to something they don’t want?” He offered another shrug. “I think there’s something special about you. It’s a good thing. Just…don’t postpone the discussion on limits, perhaps. But if you prefer open relationships, you’re golden.”
I didn’t know that I had a preference either way, because I’d never really been in love. So far, I hadn’t cared enough. I’d been in monogamous relationships, I’d been in poly relationships, and I’d been in open relationships.
“Have you had a relationship with the twins?” I asked curiously.
“Me? Oh no.” He let out a laugh. “I’ve had some casual play with them, but they’re too intense for me.”
I grinned. “They’re definitely intense.”
His humor faded some. “I’m also not a fan of open relationships, despite that I recently spent six years in one.”
Ah. That sucked. “I’m sorry to hear that. I thought you and…whatshisface were solid.”
“We liked to think so.” He smiled ruefully to himself and averted his gaze to the water. “Our kinks didn’t line up awesomely, so we were supposed to be temporary. Then we fell in love and tried to make it work, but… I don’t know. It was always there in the back of our minds that it wouldn’t work forever.” He sighed heavily. “Plus, I want children. He doesn’t.”
I inclined my head in acknowledgment. Love was already complicated. Add kink to the mix and…yeah.
“Anyway. That’s why I’m gonna hide out here in Penelope’s cabin for a while,” he said. “I’m not handling the breakup very well, and neither is Kingsley.”
Kingsley. That was his name. I remembered now.
“I didn’t realize it was that recent,” I murmured.
Tate weighed his response and squinted toward the cabins. “It’s been going on for a while, I guess. Then last week, he read my text conversation with someone else and blew it out of proportion.”
I sensed that the guy needed to talk, to get some shit off his chest, and I needed to pull my head out of my ass and make some friends. I’d pushed everyone away in the last two years.
“Was texting someone else not okay in your open relationship?” I asked.
Granted, couples had their own limits and so on, but it sounded strange to me.
“We don’t date outside of kink,” he explained. “Or, we didn’t.” He cleared his throat, visibly bothered by having to change it to past tense. “But Franklin, the man I was talking to, isn’t part of our community—or any other kink community, for that matter—so Kingsley flipped his lid. The problem is, there was nothing weird going on.” Tate became frustrated, and I got the feeling he’d tried to plead his case more than once recently. “Franklin is the father to one of the special-needs kids I work with. He’s married—to a woman, mind you—and he’s just trying to make friends.” His mouth twitched with humor. “In his own words, once you’re on the wrong side of forty-five, you wake up one morning and realize your buddies are just the husbands of your wife’s socialite friends. He’s…” Tate chuckled a little. “I don’t know. If he were into kink, he’d probably be one of those rare, submissive Daddies. He’s very sweet.”
Uh-huh. Maybe Tate hadn’t acted inappropriately whatsoever, but he sure talked about this Franklin dude with freaking stars in his eyes.
“Shay.”
Tate and I both whipped our heads toward the main house as Reese stepped out onto the deck, followed closely by River.
I submerged myself quickly and then moved closer to the edge. “Good morning.”
“Morning, baby boy.” Reese gave me a smile before eyeing Tate. “Have you eaten, Tate?”
“I had cereal,” he responded.
Reese nodded at “our” sunbed. “That ain’t sufficient. Join us. River bought breakfast to feed an army.”
I planted my hands on the edge and pushed myself up out of the water. An army seemed correct, ’cause they were both carrying bags that appeared full of stacked Styrofoam containers.
Reese gave no fucks about my having come straight from the water, and he pulled me in for a hard, wet kiss. “That sweet little ass of yours drives me batshit.” He kneaded my butt cheeks, then told me to lose the briefs. He wanted me naked.
“Aye-aye, Daddy.”
He rumbled an appreciative sound and kissed me again. “That shy grin on your face when you call me Daddy might be the most precious thing I’ve ever seen.”
I slapped my hands over my cheeks as if to hide a blush, and he laughed warmly and continued toward the lounger. Christ, he was lethal. He made my stomach and chest feel all weird.
The four of us gathered on the sunbed, River and me up by the reclined backrests, and Reese and Tate shared the foot of the cushion. Between us was a feast of waffles, blueberry muffins, bacon and eggs, and a six-pocket to-go drinks container with coffee, juice, and…something. I didn’t know what it was, but it said River on the side of the cup.
“I didn’t tell you to strip so you could disappear in a towel, little one.” Reese reached over to me and parted the towel that pooled around my middle. “Much better.”
“I’ll say.” Tate smirked.
I didn’t know how else to react. I wasn’t sure I had an ounce of shame in my body when it came to exhibitionism and nudity, but it was a big adjustment, nevertheless. Everyone here was so open and unabashed.
“I gave Shay a warning about your weird limits,” Tate went on.
River quirked a brow but was busy sipping his coffee. Espresso, maybe? The cup was smaller.
“There’s nothing weird about our limits.” Reese pulled his tee over his head. “Not that many of them will apply to Shay. He’s different.”
They. Were. So. Fucking. Blunt.
Tate shot me an “I told you so” look.
I decided to just sit there and nibble on a waffle. I wanted to listen and figure them all out.
Reese took a swig of his coffee, then tilted his head at Tate. “What limits exactly would be weird?”
“It’s more of a combination of multiple limits,” Tate responded, chewing on a strip of bacon. “Last relationship I remember y’all having was with Emilio. There were several of us who tried to figure out the structure of your dynamic and what was allowed and not.”
River chuckled quietly to himself.
“It never occurred to you that he came up with many of them?” Reese asked. “That relationship deteriorated quickly for a reason. Sweet boy, but he could never relax. He wanted us to work around his insecurities instead of work our way through them.” He shook his head and exchanged a mildly amused glance with his brother. “For some reason, the guy trusted River more than me, so River could go off and have scenes with other bottoms, but I couldn’t. He started crying if I even hugged Ivy.”
Jesus.
“When was this?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Hmm, about four or five years ago?” Reese guessed.
“Four,” River confirmed.
And that’d been the last established kink arrangement they’d been in?
Reese extended a napkin to me. “If you want, we can hammer out some of this now. I already know what I want for the time being.”
For the time being… Yesterday, he had said that this kink dynamic was a “good start.”
What were his plans?
“I’m all ears.” I tried not to sound too eager.
“Maybe you don’t go pedal to the metal right away,” River advised pointedly.
I grinned.
Reese scoffed. “Have some faith.” That was funny. “I’d just like to get the sharing of partners out of the way.” He wasn’t the only one. I was anxious to find out too, and I couldn’t pinpoint why. I shouldn’t care that much. “Can I speak for you here?”
“If it’s what we discussed last night, then yeah.” River nodded once.
Reese gave my foot a squeeze. “I think the best way to explain our preferences is to talk about our kinks. Sadism—both mental and physical—puts the masochist at the center. You’re our focus and our toy. Same with Daddy/Little Boy. You’re my focus there too. You draw out that part of me. And as River admitted to me last night, you make him want to explore dominance and servitude.”
Whoa, that was news to me.
“Every puppy needs an Owner,” River murmured.
I bit my lip and suppressed a shiver. Why was everything they said dripping with sex? They could read from a phone book and make it sound like porn.
“You’d be the focus there as well, Shay,” Reese continued. “All our fetishes place you in the leading role. It’s you we will use. Our pleasure will come from you, one way or another.” He paused. “My brother and I are also voyeurs.”
Man, I needed the towel back over my cock now. If he kept talking like this, I’d be hard as a rock soon.
“So.” Reese scratched his chest and picked up his beverage. “While River and I are still service Tops to a degree—we like to administer beatings at events and help out in scenes—Tate can attest that community members rarely see us in anything but nonsexual play.”
“Not for the fuck of it,” Tate agreed.
“But given our kinks,” Reese said, “there will be times we want to see you with others.”
Wait, what?
Something snapped inside me, and I didn’t know what to say. There’d been a buildup of sorts, and I’d expected all this to lead to…I don’t know, something else. I’d misinterpreted him. I’d thought… I mean… Somehow, I’d been prepared for a “So, this is why we want an open relationship.” Instead, they would basically keep all their sexual play limited to me; they would only be with me, but…I would be with others? At their request?
“I’m confused,” I admitted. “Partly because you look guarded.”
He did. I could see it in his eyes now. And in his posture. His shoulders looked a little tense.
“Not everyone feels good being shared,” he pointed out. “We’ve had that problem before.”
“Usually, it’s one or the other,” River supplied, finishing his beverage. “Open or closed relationship.”
Ah. True. That made sense.
I didn’t see it that way, though. “I’m gonna be honest. It’s been too long since I got to experience BDSM the way I’m supposed to, so I kind of look forward to exploring. That said, maybe not right away. I’d like to feel secure in our relationship first. I want solid trust. I wanna feel special to my partner. Partners, in this case. But later on…I mean, as long as I feel like a priority, I’m all for us being flexible. With lots of communication,” I hastened to add. “I don’t want any surprises. I’d like to know beforehand if there’s going to be sharing.”
“Flexible with plenty of communicating.” Reese tested the words with a small smile and a nod. “I like that. But now you know our nature. It’s not a matter of fidelity or an open or closed dynamic. It’s about interest. I may very well want to make someone else feel good, but I’ll send my favorite toy to do the work so the voyeur in me can watch. We will play through you.”
Tate was right. These fuckers were intense.
I had to remind myself to breathe.
I swallowed dryly and pulled up feet closer to my body, crisscrossing them. “Okay.”
“Okay?” He cocked his head.
Heat spread across my chest and face, and I subtly put down the rest of my waffle and dropped my elbows on my thighs so my hands could shield my cock. “Yeah.”
Maybe not subtly enough. Reese flicked a glance downward, and the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t stupid. He knew what I was trying to hide.
“Tate, would you give us a minute, please?” River requested.
“Of course. I’m surprised you let me stay this long.” Tate quickly bit into a blueberry muffin and got off the lounger. Then he grabbed a coffee and walked away.
My pulse skyrocketed when Reese made quick work of pushing aside the Styrofoam containers. Seconds later, he was on me. My head hit the backrest, and Reese pressed himself between my legs.
“Couple more things,” he murmured huskily, his face hovering an inch or two above mine. “You’re not the only one who wants to feel special in a relationship, little fighter. River and I have spent twenty years in and out of kink, and in four days, you turn our world upside down.” He stifled my gasp with a hand around my throat. “We’ve never felt possessive before.”
Oh my God.
Desire exploded around me.
River moved in closer too, and he grazed his teeth along my jaw before he whispered in my ear, “Worship us.”
I nodded vehemently, unable to utter a single word. I’d show them. It was the single most intoxicating feeling, this raw power they handed over with their honesty, and it made me want to kneel by their feet.
“Obey your Owner like a good puppy,” River commanded in a low, rich tone that sent shivers down my spine. “Let him fuck with your pretty little head and beg him for more.”
I whimpered and struggled to breathe, but Reese applied more pressure to my throat. It was fucking insane how fast they turned me on, how rapidly my mind and body fell to their mercy.
“You’ll take Daddy’s pain, too,” Reese whispered. “You’ll be my perfect little boy. You’ll let me fuck you up, breed you, and take care of you.”
I choked on a moan as I clawed at his chest and tried to rub my cock against him, but he didn’t let me. He planted a knee on my thigh.
“Only we get to fill your ass with come.” Reese kissed the corner of my mouth, and all I could do was nod. “Only we get to wrap our hands around your neck and squeeze the air out of your lungs.”
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
I remembered how they wanted me.
Completely fucking breathless.
Eleven
Reese Tenley
“Man, this is so good,” Shay groaned.
River hummed appreciatively, on the same page.
I shook my head and finished the last of my burger.
Who in their right mind turned down home-grilled burgers for a goddamn ramen cup?
No one. Absolutely no one. I had told them explicitly about the dinner I’d been preparing, and River had “suggested” I take the night off from cooking and just “nuke some noodle cups.” For the record, boiling water was poured into those cups; there was no nuking involved, and it was a reminder not to let him near our microwave.
They’d received their damn noodles—along with some grilled cheese sandwiches—but I had prepared my own meal anyway.
Unlike those two, I had standards.
Checking my watch, I guesstimated we’d have the patio to ourselves another half hour or so. The group play was in full swing, and the attendees had disappeared into one of the suites on the third floor that consisted mainly of mattresses and pillows.
To be honest, I was relieved we were sitting this one out.
I’d recommended Tate sit this one out too, but he’d insisted on joining the others. Getting under several others wouldn’t help him get over Kingsley.
Almost ten o’clock… Tate had lasted longer than I’d expected.
“You’re looking at the time a lot,” Shay noted.
“He’s worried about Tate.” River drank the last of the disgusting broth straight from the cup.
I made a face. “You’re animals.”
Shay found that funny and drank from his cup too.
“And it’s not just Tate,” I drawled. “I’m waiting for Greer to get back to me. He s
aid he’d text the shipping confirmation before he went to bed.”
“Ah.” River nodded in understanding and reached for his smokes.
“Is Greer the founder who wears a black kilt sometimes at munches?” Shay asked.
I inclined my head. “When he comes straight from work. It’s a utility kilt.”
“Is he Scottish?” Shay waggled his eyebrows. “He’s not a ginger. Much, anyway.”
“Not all Scots are gingers, you nut,” I chuckled. “He’s of Scottish heritage, at least.” It wasn’t like he had an accent. He’d been born and raised on the East Coast. “He and his brothers run a company together, and he’s the warehouse manager. They sell supplies to bars and restaurants. It’s through him we keep our bar stocked.”
“Got it.” Shay bit his lip and side-eyed River as he lit up his smoke, and I waited for the boy to ask… “I’m gonna go get a lollipop.”
That’s my boy. The urge to reward him hit me right in the chest, and I stood up. “Follow me. I’ll show you something better—speaking of bars.”
He gave me a curious look but followed me inside the main house without question.
Shay and River had stacked all the chairs and tables in the club area today, then covered all the kinky furniture and implements with black sheets. Tomorrow, Ivy and her Little Crew would come to clean the downstairs area for a series of demos that were taking place this weekend. A vendor who made his own leather straps and whips was coming too, and I just might buy something for Shay. He’d been mesmerized by our wall of floggers and whips earlier.
“Here we go.” I stepped behind the bar in the corner and grabbed the key I needed next to the register. One wall was reserved for shelves upon shelves of alcohol, but the other wall belonged to our community’s precious Littles. I removed the bright pink padlock Ivy had given us and pushed aside the sliding doors to reveal what we called the Little Bar.
Because we were funny as shit, we’d had a massive decal of a white van affixed to the doors.
“Holy crap,” Shay exclaimed.
The entire cabinet was roughly the size of a pool table, and it had several shelves of everything a Little could want. Fun-size was the theme, obviously. Ivy was in charge of it, though I could admit I enjoyed adding items to it as well. Lollipops, syrups for sugary drinks, enough cocktail decorations to make a bartender in Hawaii proud, little candy bars, miniature glassware, edible glitter that made drinks sparkle, cotton candy…
