Double Entendre: (City of Steel 2) (The Vault)

by Katherine Rhodes

  “Currently?” Morgan asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. That’s not his birth name or assumed name.”

  “What is his birth name?”

  “Denise Nash.”

  “Thank you. Can you please tell us about the events that transpired on the night in question?”

  Lys nodded and ran down the events. It was kind of like a flashback, but from someone else’s point of view. And with more information. The whole thing was utterly insane when all the chips were down.

  “Detective, may I interrupt you a moment?” Morgan put a hand up to stop Lys. “You keep vacillating between he and she, him and her. Could you clear up the situation here? Why we’re bouncing back and forth?”

  Lys nodded. “The Baron Grand was an alias. Denis Merriville has admitted on record to taking over the persona from a man named Harlan Robbins. But to go back further, Denis assumed the name after his sex change seven years ago.”

  “Repeat that, please?”

  Lys had to choke back her grin. She and Morgan had planned this dance. “Denis Merriville had a full medical and surgical sex change, seven years ago.”

  “So Denis was born Denise?”

  “No. Denis was born Danielle. As a child, he assumed his sister’s identity of Denise. There is a wrap sheet and convictions list that’s unreasonably long for the person of Denise Nash. However, the real Denise wanted to escape the crimes that had been committed under her name. So while Danielle assumed Denise and went on crime sprees, Denise assumed Danielle and ran from her sister. The two sisters landed in Maine, and Denise was able to have Danielle arrested for manslaughter.

  “The lawyer got Danielle committed to a behavioral facility, where he stayed for the next thirteen years. It was there he convinced the medical staff that he was trans and wanted a sex change.”

  The defense lawyer stood. “Objection, hearsay.”

  “Sustained. Detective?”

  “Apologies.” Lys cleared her throat. “While in the facility, Danielle was diagnosed as transgender and started to live as a man. He was released within a year, at which time he opted for a full sex change, including a legal name change to Denis Merriville.”

  My mind was reeling again. I’d heard this four or five times, at this point, and it still blew my mind. The man who had held me captive as a sex pet, had gloried in his masculinity, had been born a woman. He had murdered Mistress Dee—his own sister—and left his DNA indiscriminately everywhere because even though he was male, there was nothing that could change his chromosome from being XX—genetically a female.

  If he hadn’t gotten greedy, there was a good chance he would have been able to get away with everything.

  Including me.

  “…and at that point, one of the men working with Mister Merriville shot a dart that was supposed to land in my buttock. It didn’t. It struck and lodged in my shield wallet, and I took the opportunity to be removed from the room. Once I was out of the line of sight of the Baron, I was able to neutralize his assistants and move back into the room where Mrs. Garabaldi and Ms. Carmody were being held and neutralize Merriville.”

  “I still get a kick out of her being shot in the ass and them missing completely,” Laicy whispered.

  “I’m so damn glad they did,” I answered.

  “Ssh,” Simon hissed at us.

  We both smiled at the same time. He would always be Detective Garabaldi, and neither of us had a problem with that.

  Simon

  Morgan tapped her files together and grinned. The court room had drained. Vanity and Laicy fled quickly, heading home.

  They had needed to see this murder trial, just like they had needed to see the Baron convicted for their kidnapping, torture, and abuse. It was a closure.

  “You look pleased,” I said.

  “I am,” she said. “He’s such an arrogant prick it was easy to let the evidence convict him. And I adore that the judge assigned Doctor Billings to him. Peter will not take an iota of shit from him. No one will manipulate him.”

  “No, they won’t,” I agreed.

  “And you?” she asked. “How are you doing?”

  “Good.” I nodded. “Really good.”

  “How much longer?”

  “Oh, fifteen weeks. We have some time yet. The two of them are having too much fun with the nursery.” I shook my head. “I’m glad I told them no final decisions until Laicy is thirty-six weeks. I would have repainted at least four times already.”

  Morgan laughed. “True story.”

  “So, are we all done?”

  Morgan nodded, after a hesitation. “Yes. Well, in the world of Denis Merriville, we’re done. He won’t see the light of day again. Maine wants him for a trial and Colorado wants him for a murder charge. I’m going to let the DA make those decisions. As long as I know that he won’t be getting out of Pennsylvania prison. Ever. Even if Maine and Colorado never get him, or can’t convict.”

  “Excellent.”

  “Exactly.”

  I scratched the tip of my nose and she laughed, patting my cheek. “You’re transparent, Simon. Everything is set up for next weekend. Cece and Emmy have everything together and everyone is set up.”

  “Thank you.”

  She waved me away. “Go, do your part in this.”

  Nodding, I headed out of the courtroom and down the hall. My department car was sitting in the police lot and I hopped in. The sun had already set, and I pulled away from the courthouse.

  I’d be back later that week for two drug busts and another domestic violence charge. I had to put a few hours in tomorrow at the station to make sure everything was lined up and see if anything came up on another ring I was dealing with.

  But I didn’t even have to be there until after lunch, and this was the first night that all three of us had a night off together. I had to insist that Vanity start taking Monday off every week, because she was working herself to death.

  Donny finally kicked her off the schedule. She was upset, but she needed time at home with us.

  The lights were out in the living room as I pulled up. I had the feeling that the all lights downstairs were off. Once I walked in the front door, I could tell I was right. There was no one downstairs.

  “Vanessa? Laicy?”

  The faint giggling floated down the stairs. Of course they were in the bedroom.

  I took my time, hanging up my coat, putting away my shoes, locking up my service piece, hanging the holster. I finally headed up to the bedroom. “Nessa? Lace?”

  More giggles and a very satisfied sigh drifted out to me. I walked into the bedroom and found it glowing with candlelight. The two of them were on the huge bed we had bought a few weeks before—the harem bed Laicy had mentioned.

  I had to admit, it was great. There was always enough room for the three of us. It would also be good once the baby was born.

  The two women who meant the world to me were on that bed, sharing a deep kiss and wandering hands. I stood at the foot of it, watching them for just a moment.

  “No clothes allowed, Simon,” Laicy said.

  “I see panties,” I pointed out.

  “Come and get them,” Laicy teased.

  Vanessa lifted her head from where she was feasting Laicy’s breast. “Get naked and get over here, Simon. I adore these breasts. She tastes amazing today.”

  I shed my pants and shirt, tossing them on a chair, and crawled up on the bed to join the two of them. Without much thought, I pulled Laicy’s panties off and tossed them off the bed.

  But with Vanity, I ran my hands up her sides, enjoying the feel of her skin. I pushed her away from Laicy and rolled her onto her front.

  “Oh, someone had fun tonight before I got home,” I whispered, moving up the bed. I kissed the bright red blooms on her back, slowly moving up her skin. “Did you have fun, Vanity?”

  “Yes, sir,” she whispered.

  “Was she good for you, Mistress?” I asked, still trailing my lips up her back.

  “Oh, she was v
ery, very naughty,” Laicy said, settling against the head of the bed. “Very naughty. I’m afraid I had to punish her.” She pointed to Vanity’s ass, and I finally saw the plug in there. She smirked and motioned for me to leave it there.

  I also saw the hand prints on her cheeks and smiled myself. I did love to watch the two of them in the basement room. Laicy was so good at giving Vanessa everything she needed.

  We had also agreed that most of the submission in the house would be contained to that room. It was only light games that got played in our bed.

  Light games like this teasing. Laicy and I had planned this out carefully. They had left the courtroom early and had a short scene in the basement while they waited for me.

  “I see you have been naughty, Vanessa. Do you enjoy being bad?”

  “I do,” she whispered. “I love when you and Mistress punish me.”

  “Mmm, and I like punishing you,” Laicy said. “You know what else I like?”

  “Mistress?”

  Laicy shifted a leg so she sat with one on either side of Vanessa. “I like when you put those lips on my pussy and make me come.”

  “I like that too,” she whispered and took the hint. After only a moment, the two of them adjusted a bit to allow for Laicy’s growing stomach. It was a bit of a giggle for the two of them, but I finally heard Laicy gasp and sigh, and I knew they were in the right place.

  I grasped my own shaft and stroked a few times. “So, wife, what should I do with this?”

  “Oh, you should fuck her with that,” she breathed. “She needs to be fucked. Who better to do it?”

  Wrapping my hands around Vanessa’s hips, I moved her ass into the air. I heard a giggle and slapped her ass hard. The giggle turned into a groan, and I fitted myself against her entrance.

  Ever so slowly, I pushed inside her and once again, I remembered just how damn good this felt. Moving slowly, I watched Laicy huff and moan from Vanessa’s lips and tongue on her. She teased her own nipples, but lightly—they were starting to be painfully sensitive from the pregnancy.

  “God, that feels so good,” Laicy breathed. “Fuck her faster, Simon. I want her to come soon. She wasn’t allowed to downstairs.”

  That got me going a little more. She’d edged her the whole time. It was one of my favorite ways Laicy tortured her—because I usually got to make her come afterward. And it was always a very, very satisfying orgasm for both of us.

  I did as Laicy asked and I could tell that none of us were going to last long. Scratching my fingers down Vanessa’s back, I grabbed her waist and started a more punishing rhythm.

  Laicy gasped. “Damn, she’s so good at this.”

  “She really is,” I managed to pant and used one hand to press the plug in a little more. I could feel it against me as I slid in and out. “She’s amazing.”

  “Tease her clit,” she panted. “Tease it. Come soon, babe. Please come soon.”

  “I’m close,” I managed. Gripping her waist with my one hand, I leaned down, snaking my hand to Vanessa’s clit, and pressed it. I used the little ball of her hood piercing to tease her as well. She just felt so good wrapped around me.

  With my lips near her ear, I whispered to her, “Make her come, Vanessa. Use that marvelous tongue to make her come.”

  Laicy moaned and grabbed the headboard. “Yes, baby, yes, yes!”

  And a moment later, Laicy came, and I was able to make sure that Vanessa came right after her, pulling the plug out of her ass. The motion of her sex over my erection finished me off, and I came inside her with a growling grunt of satisfaction.

  Collapsing around each other, we lay still for a minute to regain our balance. I managed to move myself around to spoon Vanessa against me, and Laicy wiggled herself around so she was lying face-to-face with her.

  Putting a careful hand on Vanessa’s cheek, she smiled at the woman in our arms. She kissed her forehead softly and leaned up to retrieve one from me. I happily offered it and put my hand on her stomach.

  “I love you two,” I said in Vanessa’s ear, looking at Laicy. “I’m so very glad we worked this out.”

  “Me too,” Vanessa said with a smile. “I wish there were a way I could show you both how much you mean to me. How much this means to me.”

  “You don’t have to,” I said. I quirked an eyebrow at Laicy.

  “No, we should be doing that for you,” Laicy said, and she backed up a bit, reaching under a far pillow. “We both love you so much.” Pulling out a small envelope, she offered it to Vanessa.

  Confused and exhausted, Vanessa took it. “What’s this?”

  “Open it,” I said, reaching under the pillow behind me.

  She flipped up the back flap and drew out a folded piece of paper with a seal on it. Unfolding it, she gasped at the words at the top, sitting straight up in bed. “What is this?” Her eyes tore across the paper as she read.

  Laicy and I sat up with her and wrapped our arms around her as she sat there, reading. “Well, since it worked for Simon’s brother, we figured it would work for us,” Laicy said.

  “Adoption? By your mother?” She stared at me.

  “Yes.” I nodded. “It gives you legal standing in our life. And more than anything, that’s our biggest hurdle in all this. You need to be able to have legal standing if anything happens to either of us.”

  Vanessa burst into tears. Wracking sobs that actually worried the both of us. We exchanged glances and I spun so I could look at her. “Baby, what’s wrong? We thought—”

  She leaned forward and slammed her mouth over mine, kissing me hard. “You don’t understand. This is…everything to me. Everything. I’ve been an orphan since I was five. I don’t have a family. I don’t have parents or brothers or sisters who care. This is everything to me…”

  “Oh, Vanessa.” Laicy gasped, pulling her close. “You have a family. You’ve got more family than you can afford at Christmas.”

  “Oh my God, thank you. Thank you so much. You two are so amazing, so perfect…” She was weeping and I was only going to make it worse.

  I held out the little box I had retrieved from under the pillow “So, we kind of have more surprises for you.”

  Laicy lifted the lid and the diamond inside sparkled in the dim candlelight. “This is for you. You’re ours, and if you’ll wear this, we’ll prove that to everyone next weekend.”

  She sniffled and stared at the diamond ring. “Next weekend…?”

  I nodded. “Darien’s hosting our handfasting at Wanderer’s End.”

  “Are you—” She hiccupped hard. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Why would we do that?” I lifted the ring out of the box, and Laicy lifted her hand so I could slip the ring on. “You mean the world to us.”

  Laicy nodded as I put the diamond on Vanity’s finger. “And we just want to let our family and friends know, this is the way we choose to live, the three of us. Together.”

  Vanessa sniffled hard and looked between us. “You’re both serious?”

  We looked at each other and nodded at the same time. “Of course we are,” I said. “We love you.”

  “And we want you to be here, always.”

  She fought more tears and sobs. “How is this going to work?”

  “Whatever way we decide,” Laicy said. “Whatever way we want. There’s nothing conventional about us, and therefore we get to make the rules up.”

  “I have two requests,” she said.

  “What are they?” I asked.

  “First, that we use the word ‘throuple’ as often as possible around your brother because I’ve never seen anyone so bothered by a word as he is. And two”—she pointed at Laicy’s belly—“I get to have the next one.”

  Laicy laughed, and I smirked.

  “We’ll have to practice, first.”

  She drew us in, our foreheads all touching, and calmed herself down. “I love you. Both. Now and always.”

  The End

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  CITY OF STEEL (THE VAULT)

  Darcy

  A pink thong.

  After robbing me blind--and naked--that’s all the sub left me. Not even my socks. Just her pink thong. Just because I’m a Dom doesn’t mean I enjoy all kinks--and humiliation was low on my list. I started to think that maybe it was time to retire from my position as Prime Dom at Club Imperial. Then again, was I really ready to start suffering through vanilla sex?

  Maybe not yet.

  Of course, there was also Nicci. The adorable, sweet bartender at Club Imperial everyone called Whiskey. Always dating a new loser, I wished she was a little older, and a little kinkier. Neither stopped me from being her friend--but I won’t lie and say I didn’t wish it was more.

  Whiskey

  I found myself looking into Crazy Cat Lady starter packages.

  Well, there was nothing wrong with cats. I rather liked them. It was the men, the males, I had been dating that were the problem. Dating, loosely. One date and all of their flaws and lies on the dating site were revealed. I was getting tired of it. I had some serious classes coming up and maybe it was time for me to just wait it out. Then again, was I ready for celibacy?

  Maybe not yet.

  Then there’s Darcy--Dr. Peter Billings, psychiatrist, Dom, philanthropist and sex god. He was flat out kinky though and while I was willing to be wild, I wasn’t into submission. It didn’t stop me from being his friend--but I won’t lie and say I didn’t wish it was more.

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