by Anise Storm
Cali was about to turn around to look at Zane when he stepped up behind her. She was now sandwiched between the two and shivered. Xavier loved her but did Zane? Did she dare hope?
“It’s true, angel. I’m ashamed of how I acted. Even though Elena wasn’t my girlfriend or my exclusive submissive, it didn’t ease the guilt I’d felt at being the one responsible for her death. I was in a dark place until the day I first saw you. In the lobby, I glanced over and couldn’t take my eyes off you.” Cali remembered that and listened as he continued. “Later, I was once again drawn to you when you were outside. I knew then that I had to meet you. Xavier found you the following day and brought you to me.”
Everything started to make sense now and she could see why Xavier was so insistent in the bar that night. She shuddered to think about what would’ve happened had she taken the cowboy up on his offer instead. Cali sensed that Zane was still holding back something, so she forced herself to remain silent.
“I fell in love with you the first night I held you in my arms,” he stated, and like the other man, she could sense the sincerity in his voice too. “I wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn’t. Like Xavier, and like myself, you were also broken. Tell me, angel, what events from the past contribute to your insecurities?”
“M-mine?” she stammered. She didn’t have a single event that turned her into the woman she’d become. Cali honestly didn’t know what to tell Zane when he nodded his head at her question.
“Yes. What caused the pain and sadness in your eyes that I spent almost two weeks trying to erase?” Zane asked. “And what demons do I—”
“Do we—” Xavier interjected.
“What demons do we need to vanquish from your life, Calista Grant?”
The tears in her eyes started to roll down her cheeks. “Me,” she said softly. “I’m my own worst enemy.”
Cali found herself in the hot seat and slipped out from between them, immediately moving over to the window. They’d told her deeply personal things about themselves and now expected her to do the same. She honestly had no idea where to even start. One of them cleared their throat, but she couldn’t tell which one it was. Turning slightly, she saw her mantle and a photograph caught her eye.
She walked over and picked up the frame that surrounded a picture of her with Emily and Natalie. Walking back over to the two Dominants, she held it up for them. They looked confused at the point she was trying to make. Pointing a shaky finger at her best friends, she took a deep breath.
“These women are my best friends, and if I’m being honest, my only real ones too. The dark-haired one is Emily Foster, who I met while in college. We shared a dorm together. The other one, the blonde, is Natalie Ward. I also met her while at school.” Cali looked down at how beautiful the other two women were. Emily was in a black designer cocktail dress, which was strapless, backless and only went midway down her thigh. Natalie was not to be outdone, in an equally flashy blue number. “This picture was taken at a party four years ago. And do you know why I even keep it on my mantle?”
“No, why?” Xavier and Zane both said at the same time.
“As a reminder that I was even there. As with most everything else in my life, I sat in the corner alone. Even in this picture, if it weren’t for the fact that I was standing between them, I wouldn’t have even been able to recognize myself in it at all.” They remained silent, and she held the picture back up to them. “Can’t you see how beautiful they are?”
Zane was the first to speak, but only after he took the picture from her hand and set it down. “They’re very lovely women, but they aren’t you, Calista. Whether you believe it or not, you’re just as beautiful, if not more than your friends are.”
Cali scoffed at that. There was no way that she could ever compete with either woman in anything. Tall, glamorous, outgoing, and gorgeous. The two were often mistaken as models when out in public. That was the one thing that no one would ever accuse her of being. She closed her eyes, hoping to hold back the new onslaught of tears threatening to spill forth. “You don’t have to say that.”
“To say what, belleza,” Xavier asked, this time in a sterner voice. “You’re a lot prettier than you give yourself credit for. Don’t you realize that true beauty comes from within?”
Cali nodded, having heard that numerous times her entire life. Even that lecture was usually reserved for others.
“I wish I could find the ones responsible for your lack of self-esteem, Calista,” Zane told her. “Didn’t your parents ever tell you how beautiful you were?” She shook her head in response. “Teachers, friends, boyfriends…”
Cali almost laughed at all the people he was bringing up but couldn’t force herself to do so. The tears rolled down her cheeks and she shook her head again before responding. “My parents worked a lot, so I spent most of my time alone. I didn’t and still don’t talk to them very much.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Xavier cursed aloud.
“In school, I made average grades, so I didn’t draw the attention of the teachers and others. That was fine too. Until college, I never really had any true friends, and even now, I feel inadequate compared to the ones I do have. I lack the worldly experiences they do. And as far as a boyfriend, I’ve never had one of those. I’m doing well if I can string together more than a few dates with a man.”
“I’m sorry, angel,” Zane told her as he stepped behind Cali and pulled her against his chest.
Xavier also moved back over to her and cupped her face between his palms once again. “Your life has been even lonelier than mine, belleza.”
“Maybe, but I’m used to it by now,” she responded sullenly. “I’ve learned a long time ago that while some people are given the world, others should consider themselves lucky to simply exist in it.”
Zane’s hand moved to her head, and after his fingers tangled in her hair, he fisted a handful and jerked roughly. “You’re my world, Calista. Never doubt that for a single second.”
When his mouth lowered to hers, he was able to swallow her broken cries. Her entire body trembled and shook with the force of each one. She’d bared her insecurities for them yet they didn’t leave, nor did they agree with her about them. Was it possible that they saw something in her that she was too blind to see herself?
As one man stole her breath with his kiss, the other stole her control with his. Zane kissed her with a tenderness he’d never graced her with before, while Xavier’s lips trailed over her throat and then lower. When the mouth fused to hers was lifted, she rapidly sucked air back into her lungs.
“Say it,” Zane commanded and her eyes searched his in confusion.
“Go ahead, belleza, before we lose our fucking minds,” Xavier added.
“Say what?” Cali asked.
“How do you feel about us?”
Flashing a watery smile at the two, she answered, “I’m sure you both already know, but if you need to hear it, then I’ll say it.” Cali took a deep breath and for the first time in her entire life, the heroines from her books weren’t the only ones to get their happy ending. Finally, the creator had found her own and in the unlikeliest of ways. Fiction had become reality.
“I love you, both.”
About the Author
Anise Storm is a new Erotica author, specializing in BDSM and Ménage.
A Southern transplant, Anise is married with children. She has a love of football, shoes, and tall, dark heroes. When not spending time with family or traveling, she can be found either curled up with a good book or writing.
More Books by Anise Storm
Nirvana Trilogy
#1 - Obsession - Available Now
#2 - Infatuation – Available Now
#3 - Retaliation - Release Date 01/24/17
SoBe Heat series
#1 – Tuscan Heat – Available Now
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter
5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
About the Author
More Books by Anise Storm