by Cara Adams
Somehow that idea didn’t really appeal to him.
Which brought him back to a thought he’d had a while ago about checking out the empty rooms in the main building to see if there was one big enough for the three of them to use as a “home.”
But how could he do it without embarrassing Larry?
Carey decided to go looking by himself. He wandered through the main building and up the stairs to the top floor. The basement was one large communal dungeon, with several small dungeons that community members could book and use. The first floor was the communal kitchen and dining room, with some shared lounging areas and the offices of those who worked there. The next two floors up were the bedrooms of those single people who worked at Carnal Connections, plus a number of guest bedrooms, which people like Leticia, Autumn, Serena, and Verity were still using.
He had no idea what was on the top floor. In fact, he couldn’t even remember going up there before. I hope to God I’m not imposing on someone’s private space!
It was perfectly silent on the top floor. There were no sounds of bathrooms or people working or playing. Everything seemed muted. This main building was a solid stone house, quite old and built to last. Well, it had lasted. Likely it was a hundred years old, although the electricity and plumbing had been upgraded. The community was too fond of the Internet and air-conditioning not to have renovated to bring that sort of thing up to date.
Cautiously, Carey knocked on the first door on the left before trying the door handle. The door was unlocked and opened onto a standard single bedroom just like on the previous floor. The next room was exactly the same, obviously unused, then came a bathroom, followed by another bedroom. Carey continued pacing his way along the hallway. At the end of the hall the door opened into a much larger room, intended for more than one person. It was quite clean but had an aura of emptiness. He thought no one had lived in it, or even stayed in it as a guest, for some time.
Leaving the door wide open in case he was wrong and it was someone’s personal room, Carey walked inside. This was a large room, and even though a big double bed was against the far wall, there was plenty of space around it for a table and chairs or a couch and television or whatever they might want. Carey moved over to the windows and looked out. There was a good view over the property from this height. The room was at the back of the house, overlooking the rundown garden Leticia planned to work on, and then with a view out to the trees of the uninhabited area. A really nice, relaxing view.
Carey turned and opened what he assumed was a closet door, but it was a connecting door into the next room. Here were two twin beds and a wall of closets. Carey opened the doors and was certain there was more space than he would need three times over. Of course, as a female Jubilee undoubtedly had far more clothing than he did, but even so there should be more than adequate space for the three of them. The shelves went from floor to ceiling and they could put boxes of out-of-season clothing on the upper shelves, leaving the lower ones for the things they’d need.
If the twin beds were removed there’d be more than enough space for his long desk and he could work from here. He crawled along the floor looking for electrical outlets. Hmm. There weren’t enough, but he could get around that with power strips. Maybe he should check with JB first, though. He couldn’t risk tripping the house’s circuit breaker or anything like that.
Now what about a bathroom?
The first room heading back down the hall on the left side was a bathroom. Carey walked in and out of the inner bedroom and in and out of the bathroom two or three times, trying to measure distances with his arms. He thought there was space to knock a hole in the wall between the two rooms and put in a connecting door, but he couldn’t be sure. It really wouldn’t be good if the shower was too close and the door opened into it.
And what about the other rooms on this floor? There was a bathroom between the third and second rooms on the right, but was there one for this side as well or was this bathroom the only other one?
Carey closed the doors again and looked in the rooms on the left side of the hall. They were exactly the same as on the right, with a bathroom between the second and third bedrooms. So the end bedroom was the only large one, evidently intended for a family. Was it fair to ask for it? After all, Larry was the business manager. If he’d been a married man with a child, presumably that would have been his room.
But still, would it be rude or unfair of Larry to effectively allocate the only big room to himself? No, Carey didn’t think so. After all they’d be getting back the use of the room Larry already had, which came with a bathroom, and Jubilee’s room, which had a tiny half bath, and his own small house as well. So, all in all, he reckoned it was a fair exchange. Provided it was going to be possible to cut a doorway from the inner room to the bathroom. He didn’t fancy running naked down a public hallway in the middle of the night just to use the facilities.
Carey left the building and hiked down the road to the maintenance barn JB used as his office. JB wasn’t always there, but if he was out, someone would know where he was or when he’d be back. Carey was almost there when JB exited the barn and started walking toward him. Carey waved to attract JB’s attention then stood and waited for the man to reach him.
JB was a stocky, dark-haired man in a relationship with Omar, the big black panther, and Ramona, a puma and one of Jubilee’s friends.
“Hi, Carey. Do you need something fixed?”
Carey realized he was going to have to tell JB more than just what he wanted done. He’d have to give an explanation. He took a deep breath and said, “This is very private, JB.”
The stocky man nodded.
“I’m planning a commitment ceremony with Jubilee and Larry.” Carey kept his gaze fixed on JB’s face, but the other man didn’t even blink.
“As you know, they both just have rooms in the main building and my house is tiny. So I was looking on the top floor of the main house, wondering if we might move in there.”
“You found the family apartment, I gather. I’ve never known it to be used in all the time I’ve been here.”
“Yes, I did. I want to ask you about the electricity there since I use computers all day long for my translating job. But the main question is, can you knock a doorway from the inner room into the bathroom? Is that possible?”
“I can’t remember that much detail about the rooms, to answer you right off the cuff. Come back to the maintenance barn and I’ll pick up a couple of things and we’ll look.”
“Is it okay to do that now? You were on your way somewhere.”
“Now’s a good time. I haven’t got any big projects going on, just the never-ending maintenance,” JB replied.
Carey watched him grab some things and put them into a crate standing nearby, then they walked back to the main building and up the stairs. Carey stood beside the window, out of the way, as JB bustled back and forth muttering numbers.
JB penciled a few marks on the wall and said, “Your door will be here. We’ll use the existing hall door to the bathroom as the new door and put up drywall in the hallway to make it your personal bathroom. Now what did you want to ask about the electricity?”
Carey had to think fast. He couldn’t help smiling. “That’s wonderful. I’m so pleased. I need eight electrical outlets for my computers and so on. There’s only two here. Is it okay to use power strips for the rest, or will that trip the building’s circuit breakers?”
“I can change the plates, make each one a multioutlet for you. No problems.”
“Great! Thank you so much. I haven’t said anything to Jubilee or Larry yet. I wanted to make sure it was all possible before I said anything.”
“That’s not a problem, either. Just let me know when you’re ready to start. It’ll only take a day to redo the doorway and another day to repaint the walls. That interior wall’s not load bearing. I’ll go get the new electrical outlets and the drywall and I’ll be able to do it pretty much as soon as you’re ready.”
�
��Thanks.”
Carey felt happiness welling up inside him. They would be together like a real family. Now all he had to do was plan a ceremony that would honor his partners and arouse them to new and exciting heights.
* * * *
Sam was planning something, Larry just knew it. The old panther was as evasive as hell, and even though he was complying with his court-ordered instructions, he wasn’t actually doing anything to change his attitude. The counselor had given up on him because although he attended the appointments, he remained completely silent, refusing to answer any questions or say anything at all.
Omar always had one of the panthers with Sam, watching him, but Larry was convinced something was going on in the old man’s mind and there’d be trouble sooner or later. Larry wished the old man had been issued an electronic bracelet so they could track him by GPS, but they were forced to do it the old-fashioned way at the moment. Still JB’d planted a bug on the old man’s car, so if Sam drove off at least they could follow him.
“I wish I knew what was going on in his head, though,” said Larry.
“What’s going on in whose head? Carey wants to see you. Can he come in?” asked Lucy.
“Sure. Hey, Carey.” Larry ignored the start of Lucy’s sentence and hoped she’d forget what he’d said.
“Hi, Larry. I’ve been planning the commitment ceremony and went looking on the top floor of this building. There’s a nice little apartment there that’ll fit the three of us. JB said he can cut a doorway from the inner room into the bathroom and block the bathroom off from the hallway so it’s part of our apartment. If we all give back to the community our existing rooms, I reckon it’s a fair swap. Do you agree?”
“Wow. Where did that all come from? Let me think.” Larry dragged his mind away from his worries about Sam and pictured the top floor of this building. It’d been a while since he’d been up there, not since the trouble with the rogue panthers first began and he went counting rooms to see how many people they could take in. But there were far more male panthers than female and the unmated men all shared an apartment out n the grounds, so most of the guest rooms hadn’t been needed.
“That’s a damn good idea. Those rooms are ideal. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it first.”
“Likely because I’m more aware of just how tiny my house is. I’d use the inner room for working and there’s a lot of closet space as well.”
“There’s storage bins out in one of the barns if we need more space. Quite a few of the panthers have got their winter gear stored out there and we could do that as well. It’s not like we need snow boots or skis in our bedroom really.”
“Not on the top floor, no.”
“So when are we going to commit to each other?” As soon as he’d said that, Larry’s dick hardened and he thought of Jubilee’s naked body. Jubilee’s mouth circling his dick. The loud stomp of Carey’s boots on the stone floor of the dungeon and the crack of the cane before it landed on his ass. Damn, he was ready for a good fucking.
“I’m planning to book the dungeon next Wednesday. We’ll do the commitment ceremony in the barn with everyone watching and give Jubilee her collar then move into the dungeon for our own private celebration.”
Larry’s dick was doing its best to drill a hole in his jeans. His balls ached with need. He forced himself to ignore his cock and answer Carey. Then he caught a glimpse of Carey’s cock and knew the Dom was just as aroused by what he was planning as Larry was.
Wednesday couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter Seven
Long ago Carey had seen the perfect collar for Jubilee on a website and bookmarked it. He’d known for a very long time that she wanted to be his, and he loved her deeply, but until now, he couldn’t make the decision that would tie her to him because he’d always known he needed more. Larry was that something extra that fulfilled him, and he knew Jubilee was coming to love Larry as well. He’d seen the love in her eyes when she looked as Larry, just as when she looked at him. And he knew the last time she’d been baking cookies for the community she’d taken some to Larry’s office, just as she’d delivered some to him. She was a generous, loving person and deserved something special.
He sat at his computer and pulled up the image of the collar. It was as beautiful and as suitable for Jubilee as when he’d first seen it. The collar was a mixture of intertwined strands of copper and gold wire and copper and gold chain—the wire joining the chain in almost tribal swirls, reminiscent of the band of the dagger tattoo on her leg, and the collar chains were lockable. It was completely pretty and feminine, yet anyone in the lifestyle would instantly know that Jubilee was taken.
He also knew what he wanted the three of them to do as their celebration, and he booked that as well before settling down to plan their actual commitment ceremony and time in the dungeon.
By the time Wednesday dawned, he knew everything was ready to make the day truly memorable for them all. He walked into the barn and looked around. Carey nodded at Larry, who knew what part he’d be playing in the program. Carey walked up to Jubilee and gave her a gentle hug. He could tell she was nervous and excited. This was a day she’d waited a long time for, and he wanted it to be special for her, so he kissed her lips softly and whispered, “I love you.”
Her eyes went wide as she leaned against him and nodded, understanding everything his body was saying to her. He loved that about her, too. She was very quick to understand what was happening, with body language as well as words.
Larry joined them, and the threesome crossed the room and stepped up onto the small stage.
“Thank you for joining us today. This is a very special time for us as we publicly state our love for, and commitment to, each other,” said Carey.
He nodded to Jubilee and she kneeled down in front of him, facing the crowd. Her dark-blonde hair was piled on her head in an updo, and the scoop-necked shirt she wore left her neck bare. She had dressed so that everyone could see her new collar and fair enough, too. She’d waited very patiently for a long time for this day.
Larry handed him the box. Carey opened it and held the collar high then clasped it around Jubilee’s neck, locking it and putting the key on his own key ring. He hoped the little ceremony had adequately demonstrated Larry’s position as switch, neither sub nor Dom.
They each extended a hand to Jubilee, and she stood between them, holding their hands as exchanged their vows.
“I, Carey Williams, promise to love, care for, and protect you, Jubilee Thompson and Larry Jones, respecting your needs and desires, as your Dom and your life partner.”
“I, Jubilee Thompson, promise to love, serve, and obey you all my life, Carey Williams and Larry Jones.”
“I, Larry Jones, promise to respect you Carey Williams, and to love and care for you, Jubilee Thompson, for the rest of my life.”
The community clapped and cheered, then Lucy and Bill handed around glasses of champagne as everyone drank a toast to their future happiness.
“Threesomes are becoming quite the in thing here,” said Lucy.
“I like that idea,” said Autumn.
“No big surprises there. Everyone knows Nicholas and Curtis are inseparable,” said Ramona, laughing. Autumn blushed but didn’t attempt to deny Ramona’s insinuation.
Carey gave a little push on Jubilee’s shoulder and caught Larry’s eye, and they began to move through the crowd toward the door. “Where’s your change of clothes?” he asked Jubilee softly. She pointed to a backpack against the wall, and he nodded and went over to collect it. When he reached the barn’s stoop, Jubilee and Larry were standing there, and Larry had a duffel bag in his hands. Carey nodded to them again, and they walked across the parking lot to his truck.
He was really looking forward to the next part of the day’s program. He hoped he’d guessed right and they liked it, too.
* * * *
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” Jubilee chanted, one hand resting on her beautiful new collar, as the truck
slowly climbed to the top of a hill on a narrow, bumpy, one-lane dirt road.
“Ice Cube, 2005,” grunted Carey, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
“Huh?” asked Larry.
Jubilee grinned. “It was a movie in 2005 and also won picture book of the year around then. But the movie is different from the book,” explained Jubilee.
“The movie’s often different from the book. Sometimes they totally change the ending and I really hate that. I’m invested in the movie or the book the way it was, then—bam. Everything’s changed,” said Larry.
Jubilee was bursting with happiness that she’d finally been claimed—claimed!—and collared—collared!—by the Dom she loved and worshipped, and the man she was coming to love more and more every day. She could hardly believe all her dreams had finally come true. Even touching her collar sent sparks of joy racing through her veins. For once, she could scarcely concentrate on winning the next point in their ongoing trivia competition.
Jubilee was just about to explain that in this case the book and the movie were two totally different things when the truck rounded the last curve in the road and reached the top of the long hill they’d just climbed. Ahead of them was an incredible view of miles and miles of countryside way down below them.
“Wow! Now that is really stunning. Did you bring us a picnic?” asked Jubilee.
“No picnic,” said Carey as the truck bounced along the track. About a half mile farther along they saw a small metal storage shed with an older man leaning against it, chewing a long strand of grass, just like something out of an old movie. As their truck pulled up, he opened the shed door and wheeled out a motorcycle.
“Huh?” said Larry.
“You’re repeating yourself,” joked Jubilee.
“I do that a lot when I’m confused.”
The man wheeled out a second motorcycle, then a third.
“We’re going dirt-bike riding? That would be cool,” said Jubilee.