by Tl Reeve
Thomas nodded. “Thank you.” He held his hand out to Amelia and she took it. Her fingers trembled as they slid across his palm. He glanced down at her. Her dark-brown eyes were wide with trepidation, but as he stared at her, they darkened with resolution. She might still be afraid of him, with good cause, but some part of her trusted him, or so he hoped.
They exited the room and started down the long opulent hall. The place was too rich for his tastes. Too over the top. Too fake. A person only owned a house like Luca’s if they were trying to boast or impress. With Luca, Thomas had a feeling it was both. They stopped outside the room their host offered to them. Thomas needed to address some of the building issues between them as Murray and Luca had been so delicate in reminding him. However, seeing Amelia’s pain, only made it more difficult. Anything he said to her would be taken out of context, but he had to try. They’d only have one shot of freeing Scotty, and they couldn’t be at odds with each other.
“Guess we should go in?” Amelia drew her bottom lip between her teeth before letting it go, as though she’d been caught.
“After you.”
She pushed into the space and came to a stop. Compared to the rest of the place, their bedroom was different. The space reminded him of a mission. The exposed eight by eight beams crisscrossing the vaulted ceiling, gave the area an intimate setting. The walls were done in a cream-colored stucco and a replica arched mission window overlooked the desert landscape.
“Wow,” she murmured.
“Indeed.”
Their bags were already in the room. They lay on the seat at the foot of the bed against the southern wall. The bedframe was made out of hardwood and a tongue and groove pattern. The thick frame held at least a king size mattress and also had hidden treasure within the four posters holding up a wrought iron canopy frame. For a moment, Thomas wondered if she saw the little O-rings dangling from headboard or the ones positioned at the footboard.
She turned to him then. “So, now what?”
“We’re going to talk.” He took a seat on the bed and patted the spot beside him. “Sit with me.”
She frowned. “Talk? About what?”
“Amelia.” He drew her name out and cocked a brow. They didn’t have time for power plays or games.
She blew out a breath and stomped over to the bed. She sat as far away from him as she could. Any other day, he’d have laughed at her petulance. Today, however, they had work to do.
They had to figure out a way to deal with his transgressions and move forward, or else he feared nothing would work for them.
“Tell me how you’re feeling right now,” Thomas said when she’d gotten comfortable.
“I can’t even think,” she replied. “Guilt. Confusion. Anger at myself and you and Scotty. I want to burn it all down and walk away, yet I also want to save my best friend.”
“Good.” Thomas nodded. “I feel the same way, but most of all I am angry with myself because I allowed both you and Scotty to be hurt.”
Amelia looked away while blinking rapidly. “Why?”
The one word tore at his conscience. “Because I let us go too far. I threw everything away. I didn’t make you the priority in the sense of your safety.”
She whipped her head in his direction. “I freaked out and caused this.”
He sighed. “No, Amelia. I did. I pushed. I was a right bastard, and I should have stopped. I’d been so determined to push your boundaries. I went beyond what you were comfortable doing. Fuck, you told me your foster parent raped you, and I still wanted to have sex with you. Who fucking does that?”
“To be fair, it was a long time ago.” She picked at the hem of her shirt. “I am seeing a therapist, too. I...” She rolled her shoulders. “Like I told you, I use sex as a shield. I go as far as I am okay with and leave. It’s fucked-up to think about, because in the long run, I’m hurting people, too.”
“I want to help you,” Thomas murmured. “You were glorious when you weren’t stuck in your head.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “Yeah?”
Thomas nodded. “Yeah. We have so much shit to work through, but I promise we will, if you give me a second chance to guide us through this mission.”
She stared at him for a long moment, and he worried she’d say no. “Yes. I mean, we should probably take it slow, though. Right?”
“Sure. We’re already past the basics. I think you’re ready. All we have to do is polish the dust off and reconnect.” He held his hand out to her. “Deal?”
“Deal,” she answered. “When do you want to start?”
A knock came at the door, and Thomas went to answer it. Murray stood there, a sheepish look on his face, as though he expected to be interrupting them—if only. Thomas had wanted to help Amelia unwind, but she was also battling her own demons. It would have to wait. “What can I do for you?”
Murray stepped forward, entering the room. “I hate to do this, but Luca has some information. I know we were supposed to be working on our skills; however, this takes priority over the other. Can you join us in the library again?”
Thomas nodded. “Sure, we’ll be right there.”
“Great.”
“Can you give us a hint of what we’re dealing with now?” Thomas hedged.
“Do you know anything about a cartel called Los Trios?”
Thomas frowned. He did. Since he’d been working on the Aguila Cartel, gathering information about the other Cartels in play had been something he’d done in his spare time. Sometimes, Cartels worked together, and sometimes, they created plots against the others. The intel he’d gathered on the Los Trios Cartel was still sketchy as was the location of their stronghold, but the rest of it, turned his stomach. “They’re new. Deal in sex trafficking, why?”
“Seems Luca has some information and he’d like our help to sift through it.”
“I knew there was an ulterior motive for coming here,” Amelia snarled. “This is what I warned you about.”
“Do we know if the information he has can tie back to our operation with the Nieto Cartel?” Thomas asked.
“I guess this little impromptu meeting is supposed to shed light on that.” Murray shrugged. “Plus, it’ll pass the time before we leave for Absolution.”
“Abso-what now?” Amelia stood, crossing her arms. “Where are we going?”
Murray blew out a breath. “Luca said he’d like to take us to a club. He said it might help Jaqueline and I if she can see a Dom scene with a submissive.”
“How do you feel about it?” Thomas hedged.
The man snorted. “I’m at a loss. Jaqueline doesn’t have a dominant bone in her body, if this can help her at least understand the dynamic, better than I am able to show her, I’m all for it.”
“Then we’ll go,” Thomas said. “Besides, maybe it’ll help AJ, too.”
Amelia glanced at him. “Help me with what?”
A smug sense of purpose filled Thomas and the corner of his mouth curved upward. “Letting go.”
Murray cleared his throat. “Anyway, I need to get back to the library.”
“Fine,” Thomas said. “We’ll meet you there in a minute.”
Scotty stumbled into the communal shower. His whole body ached like hell and the welts on his ass didn’t help take his mind off his broken ribs, nor the raw ache in his balls. Following behind him as they ambled down the hall was Oscar. Once Mistress Orozco grew tired of edging him, Raul had instructed Oscar to help Scotty to the shower. The session, as far as Raul was concerned, went longer than it should have and at least the bastard gave Scotty a break. However, deep down, he knew if he had been in tip-top shape, the woman would have kept going until he blew his load for her.
Oscar came up beside him and grabbed his face. “I’m taking your bindings off and your bandages. If you need me shout.”
Scotty gave a curt nod and signed, Okay.
“Good.” Oscar grabbed one of the clips. “Hang on, this is going to hurt like a bitch.”
Scotty b
raced for the pain as best as he could. Though everything was healing, albeit slowly, the sheer agony of having the wrappings taken off was worse than anything anyone in the filthy fucking place could do to him. He gritted his teeth as the binder came off then regulated his breathing so as not to cause any undue stress on his ribs or lungs. He let out a moan and Oscar hissed. He glanced down at the spot where the fucker had kicked him and frowned. The whole side of his body was a giant bruise.
“Sthexy,” Scotty muttered.
Oscar laughed. “You’re crazy and loud. Keep your voice down.”
Scotty grinned. “Othay.”
“Better.” Oscar finished with the final roll of bandage. “You always been deaf?”
Scotty shook his head and held up his hand. Five.
“Shit. That’s rough. You miss it?”
Scotty bobbed his fist up and down and mouthed, All the time.
“I bet.” Oscar started for the door then turned back. “Shit!” He hurried to Scotty’s side. “Like I said, you need me, yell. I’ll hear you.” He took Scotty’s glasses and exited the shower.
Scotty turned on the water and while he waited for it to warm, he inspected his side. It did look better. Not so angry or purple, more so black and blue. Breathing was still difficult. If he inhaled too much, his breath hitched, and his head pounded because of pain and the strain to his body.
He stepped under the spray and groaned. Mistress Orozco might have only worked over his ass, but he hurt from head to toe. His saving grace—she hadn’t laid him flat. He would have died like that. The other downside, his dick stood at full attention but was kind of raw and irritated from being put into a milking contraption.
That shit was wild.
He hadn’t been the only one she’d experimented on with it, though. Christian, Jaqueline’s brother had been in the room with him. Mistress Orozco made it a game, who could last the longest without blowing their load. The girl from his room had helped Mistress Orozco set up the machine, then she hooked Christian up. Mistress Orozco did his. Scotty hadn’t known what to expect, but the warm snugness caused by the suction and lube created an almost too real sensation of being deep inside a pussy.
It reminded him of being inside AJ and on the first stroke of the machine, he almost lost it. He had to focus, remind himself it wasn’t. He wasn’t with AJ. She was in some hotel room with Thomas, or back at R.O.O.T’s base. He hated himself. Scotty had been so caught up in the moment, finally able to reveal how he felt about AJ, he hadn’t even paid attention to her distress. What kind of a person was he? A monster. He belonged in that club with all of those people. He was the freak they needed to draw crowds. The self-deprecating thought took his mind off of the machine attached to his dick, trying to force him to ejaculate. When he glanced up, Mistress Orozco had a disapproving sneer on her face and her eyes had narrowed in anger.
He supposed he pissed off the Mistress because by the second load Christian gave the machine, she allowed him to sit. Scotty however, received a punishment, hence why his ass was so sore. Or maybe it was due to him escaping into his tortured thoughts. By the time Raul removed the sleeve from his dick, his balls felt like they’d explode, and his cock had been so sensitive, Scotty thought he’d go insane. He’d been overstimulated while tumbling through the blackest recesses of his mind.
Scotty placed his hands on the wall of the shower and closed his eyes. His dick continued to jerk every so often causing precum to leak from his tip and dribble down to his balls. It would be so easy to rub one out and find some peace, but he feared with as wound up as he was, one time wouldn’t be enough to empty his balls and take away the throbbing pain. Nor would it flush out the pain and self-loathing. No matter how many times he told himself he could fix everything with AJ, the smallest voice in his brain said they were irrevocably broken, and he’d never see her again.
Stop saying stupid shit. AJ is coming. Despite his errant thoughts, Scotty knew the truth. Thomas and AJ would come for him, he had to stick it out. Then, when the time was right, he’d ask Tex to be reassigned to someone else who knew ASL. The thought broke his heart, but he also realized it was for the best. Too much had happened between him and AJ. They needed a clean, painless break. Being kidnapped gave them the separation he knew they needed. The rest would come easy.
Yeah, right. Denial is not a river in Egypt.
He moaned when he glanced down and saw how red his dick was. The sound vibrated in his chest and he hoped no one heard him. Fuck, this hurts. He didn’t know which part he meant, either. The idea of never seeing AJ again or his dick. Both were equally painful.
He put his hand under the soap dispenser and waited for the foam to swirl onto his palm, then he wrapped his hand around the thickness of his shaft. He didn’t want to do it, but he needed some relief. At the rate he was going, he might have to be sent back to the clinic, this time for priapism. The idea of having a needle stuck in his dick didn’t appeal to him, so he went with what he knew. Stroking off.
Scotty pumped his hips while fisting himself. Though it was selfish of him, he thought about AJ and one of the first nights they’d spent in the hotel with Thomas, after all the poking and prodding Rae did to them. It’d been amazing. AJ got off on the things Thomas and Scotty did to her. It was fucking hot and explosive between the three of them. The one thought he’d had as they started the scene was, if it had been so intense in those few moments, how it would be when they finally fucked as one.
His cock twitched as he began to cum, but it wasn’t enough. Scotty lowered himself to the floor of the shower, his legs too weak to hold him upright any longer, and he knew Oscar would have to help him up, but he didn’t care. He still had the rest of the memory to play out, and he would use it to help him through the humiliation of being left to drain his balls after being kept on edge for so long.
Thomas had taken the lead and made Scotty go to his knees beside him while AJ lay on the bed in front of them, legs spread with her pussy on display for both of them. The man pressed Scotty’s head to the side of his thigh while running his fingers through Scotty’s hair. The sheer eroticism of the situation turned Scotty on. His dick had been so fucking hard, he thought he’d bust before they got back to the base, so he could jerk off—which had been a theme for him after every evening they’d spent together and nothing happened.
However, it wasn’t just what Thomas did, it was seeing the expression on AJ’s face. Her eyes had been heavy-lidded. Her cheeks were pink. Thomas told her to spread her legs wider, so he could see her pretty little pussy and... Scotty groaned as his dick spasmed through another orgasm. He found marginal relief then. His sac wasn’t so heavy. The ruddiness of his tip had dissipated.
He didn’t stop, though, because the memory was strong and clear. AJ had spread her legs like she was told to and her pussy had been glistening with her cream. His mouth watered. He wanted to taste her and fuck her. Instead, Thomas held Scotty in place and commanded AJ to put on a show for them and put one on she did. AJ started slow, running her fingertip along her slit then over her clit. He wished he could have heard her moans of pleasure, but he knew she made them. He alternated between watching her face and her hand. Her fingers speared her vagina and she rocked her hips while she fucked herself on them. It was maddening and hedonistic at the same time. Then she went back to her pretty little clit, rolling and rubbing it.
Thomas picked him up off the floor and positioned Scotty where he could see AJ while also paying attention to Thomas. We’re going to have a little fun, too.
Scotty glanced up at Thomas. What?
You’ll see. Thomas reached around to lower Scotty’s zipper and slipped a hand inside the opening. The vibration against Scotty’s back caused him to look over his shoulder. Thomas’ eyes were shut and as if sensing Scotty, he opened them and grinned. “You did as I asked. You shaved.”
Scotty shrugged. Make it good for AJ, right?
Thomas wrapped his palm around Scotty’s cock and squeezed. “Watch her.”
/>
Scotty’s breath hitched. His heart hammered. He returned his attention to AJ who’d paused to look at them. The pink on her cheeks darkened to crimson. Her eyes were glazed over in lust. Scotty flexed his hips, desperate for AJ. Needing her more than he realized. His breath came in soft pants. She began to rub her clit again and her head fell back on her shoulders. The scene devolved from there, tingles spread through Scotty’s body. He rode the edge of his orgasm, holding out until AJ could get there, because when she went flying, so would he.
“Scotty...” She said his name as she pressed two of her fingers into herself and fuck if he didn’t wish it was him fucking her until neither of them could walk.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Thomas sign. Touch me. Lost to the blinding lust enveloping them, he did. If Scotty had been hard, Thomas was granite. He cupped the man’s erection and rubbed him through front of his tailored slacks, kicking the building euphoria inside himself up a notch. He never contemplated or had any desire to experiment with another man, but with Thomas, it almost felt natural. In that hotel room away from prying eyes and judgement, they could be who they were.
It was freeing.
The tingle at the base of Scotty’s spine had been the only warning he had before he’d jerked and started coming in hard, body-shaking throbs. AJ followed him over the edge, and it’d been a sight to behold. Her sweet, creamy pussy fluttered and pulsed as she found her release, coating her slit in her nectar. He glanced behind him at Thomas who’d closed his eyes. His hand grew wet as the man climaxed and fuck if it didn’t turn Scotty on.
Oh, shit. Scotty snapped out of the memory. His hand moved faster over his dick as a bigger, more consuming climax built in his groin. Remembering that night and how nonchalant Thomas had been about coming in his pants, spurred something within Scotty. He couldn’t define it. Probably shouldn’t, either. As he stroked his cock, he thought about all the debauched things he’d done with Thomas and AJ and realized he wanted more. He needed more. His eyes slammed shut as his body tensed. A moment of absolute calm washed over him, where he floated on nothing and then he was coming hard. Even his ass pulsed with each spurt of his release. He collapsed onto his side, fighting for breath while calling himself all kinds of names.