Alexa's Web [Mastering Holly Oaks 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Rayna Stone

  Ryan’s emotions were coming closer to the surface with each inch of skin James exposed. It was like he was finally being freed to open up to James. “I want to dominate her. I never wanted that and I…I don’t know what that means for us.” Finally saying it brought relief and more panic. Relief that he was communicating again, but fear over what James would say.

  James finished slicing every last shred of clothing away from Ryan’s body and came back to face him. “I see. First, you’re getting ahead of yourself, Ryan. We have to get to know her. She may not be interested in what we want. It isn’t like we met a woman in the scene who wouldn’t bat an eye at our situation. We have to befriend her, let her know who we are. She may not be able to accept the kind of relationship we want to try. This is going to be a new experience for all of us to wade through, so I’m going to need your patience and your help.

  “You know the odds are against us in this. But I see we need to talk about how I expect things to go in the unlikely event that we get the opportunity to open our relationship to her. I’m going to explain it to you, but you’ll take your strokes first. I won’t have this happen again because you’re confused, so I plan to make damn sure that by the time I’m done, we are crystal clear on my expectations and yours. Right now, our relationship comes first. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Ryan hung his head in relief. He would be punished and he knew it would hurt. He needed it. He felt like shit for behaving the way he had. For letting James down and questioning their future. He needed James to make him hurt and help him get his head on straight. They would talk about Alexa later, but James was right, Ryan had earned punishment for the way he treated James and James should deal with that before they could move on.

  James started by warming him up with the flogger. He wasn’t hitting hard, just bringing the blood to the surface and preparing him for what was to come. All the while he circled and flicked, he was talking. “I love you, Ryan. What we share, what we have worked for, is too important to lose.”

  James was now bringing up the tempo and strength of his strokes. “We established a long time ago that we wanted a D/s relationship. Our roles may have been stable for a while, but that doesn’t mean our relationship is not fluid. We can survive changes, Ryan, but not if we’re fighting each other and our nature.” This last fact was said with a stinging pop to Ryan’s left ass cheek. It woke him up and made him think about what James had said. James took his time setting down the flogger and going to the crop. He was going easy and slow so Ryan could pay attention. Ryan knew that James wanted to make him feel secure about their relationship before he really punished him for his disrespect.

  “I’m going to lay lines of fire on you, Ry. I want you to remember today. I want you to know that you can only push me so far before I rein you in. And you will pay dearly for it each and every time. I may not dominate you full time, but I am still your Dom. I won’t accept attitude from you like you demonstrated today. And I will not let your worries consume you. Next time you feel unsure, you talk to me before you start convincing yourself there are problems where none exist. Do you understand? Are you ready to submit with the grace I know you possess?”

  Ryan’s heartbeat started to slow down. James was right. He had worked himself into a frenzy. They had learned over the years how to adapt their relationship to their needs whenever changes in life occurred. This, anything really, was no different. They would work it out together. James would be able to lead them when he felt uncertain. “I’m ready, Sir.”

  Ryan’s breath hissed out with the first strike of the crop to the back of his right thigh. James was finished with his warm-up. The stinging slaps came in rapid succession, laying a blanket of fire on Ryan’s ass and thighs.

  Ryan could feel the sweat rolling down his sensitive skin as James began working the rest of his body. James had made sure to hit practically every safe zone available. His shoulders, ass, and thighs were pulsing with heat and pain. His chest and the front of his thighs weren’t as bad, but he’d definitely feel the sting tomorrow there as well. He was sure he’d have more than a few welts to remind him of this night. He enjoyed the pain when they played like this, loved how alive it made him feel, but he was too guilt ridden to relax, and this was not play. He was definitely feeling the punishment.

  James stopped behind him, and the silence let Ryan know that James expected an apology. It only took him a minute to gather himself enough to give it.

  “I trust you, James. I’m so sorry that I let insecurity and confusion interfere with that trust. I needed you to remind me of how strong we are together. I needed to know that we could figure this out. I’m yours no matter what happens. Please, show me I’m yours.” Ryan was barely whispering at that point. He hated that he’d put James in a position where he had to defend himself and reassure Ryan, but he loved that James would never fail to do just that if it was what he needed.

  James engulfed Ryan in his arms. Ryan tilted his head so his face was snugged up under James’s chin and buried in his neck. He didn’t even care that the pain flared anew with the press of their bodies. “I love you, Ry. I will always take care of you. I will always do everything in my power to give you what you need.” James gripped his hair again and forced Ryan to look him in the eye. “And now you’re going to take five more for me. Then, I’m going to fuck you so hard there won’t be a part of you left that doubts me. You’ll feel how much I own you until you believe it again.” He growled.

  Jesus. He already believed it. Now his cock was starting to get into the scene along with the rest of him. He needed everything he was getting tonight. He watched as James uncoiled the single tail and took a few steps back. Yup, he’d have welts all right. But he wanted this pain. He wanted to let go of his guilt and insecurity with every lash.

  Ryan could hear the pop of the whip right before the lash of fire. His whole body shook and he knew that his legs wouldn’t be able to support him much longer. The two strikes on his shoulders weren’t so bad, but the ones that cut across his buttocks were like lava flows. The pain seared deep into the muscle and he grunted with each impact. His relief was growing, the pain making every part of him feel touched by James. When the final lash popped him right where his ass cheek met his thigh, he let his legs give, and James was right there to support him while he unlatched the cuffs. The tears that rolled down his face were rare, but they were necessary to shed the last of his guilt. He’d been punished, and now he was forgiven. He was also horny as hell.

  James helped him over to the small bed they kept in the basement and threw him on top. He quickly climbed to his knees and let his face fall to the mattress. “You better hold on to the headboard, Ry.” Ryan stretched out his tired arms and clasped the metal frame. He locked his elbows and waited with his knees spread wide. The breath already sawing in and out of him.

  He heard James spit into his hand and grunt. Then the cold lube was soothing his ass. For a second he worried that James would only use his own saliva, but that would never happen. James was too careful to do something that might put Ryan in danger. James grabbed his ass in both hands and squeezed as he pulled the cheeks apart. Ryan wasn’t sure if he was groaning because his skin was so tender or if it was pure lust. He really didn’t care.

  James eased the head of his cock past Ryan’s tightest muscles and then slammed the length of his shaft home so hard it pushed the air right out of Ryan’s lungs. He used his locked arms to help him push back into James with every driving thrust. They weren’t making love tonight. They were fucking with the intensity of animals claiming their mates. James’s hands were everywhere. Pinching and slapping, reminding Ryan that he had marked him. That he owned every inch.

  The friction between them and the sensitivity of Ryan’s skin had him climbing the peak fast. He didn’t know if he could hold back his orgasm, and he was pretty sure James wouldn’t even need to touch his cock for him to go. He started shaking when James changed his angle and folded himself over Ryan. Every movement ru
bbed his prostate perfectly, and he began to plead and beg to come.

  James clamped his hand around Ryan’s pulsing cock and squeezed tight. With his free hand, he collared Ryan’s neck. James was pumping Ryan’s cock with as much aggression as he was fucking his ass. “I want you to come, Ry. I want to feel you strangle my cock in your ass. You. Belong. To. Me.”

  Ryan roared out his climax and felt every muscle in his body lock down. He felt and heard James growl out his own release before he relaxed, and they both fell to the bed, racing to catch their breath. Ryan couldn’t move. He didn’t need to. He was happy to stay just like this for the next week.

  * * * *

  James took his time getting his breath back, but he needed to take care of Ryan before too long. He didn’t break any skin, but he had beaten him harder than usual. He knew all day this was coming. It had been years since Ryan needed him to be so aggressive. Years since they had a breakdown in communication, but he could see Ryan struggling more and more as the hours ticked by. His Ryan was so confused. Worried about what potential changes would come. What their roles would be. He didn’t handle change very well, and he tended to overreact. James wouldn’t let him get himself so worked up. He had to keep reminding Ryan to take it one step at a time, and the first step was a freaking date.

  “Come on, Ry. We need to get you in the shower so I can clean you and put some salve on you.” As he helped Ryan upstairs and into their shower, he started to wonder what his father would think of all this. He’d probably tell James he was insane to even consider opening the relationship to a third. He hadn’t fallen far from the tree. His parents were in the lifestyle, and he learned most of his skills from his father. He was never pushed into the lifestyle, in fact, his parents hid it from him until he started dating women and men in college and his dad noticed he’d brought home some kink magazines. Then he sat him down to explain a few things. Most importantly, how to treat his submissive.

  Over the years they had grown very close because they could really understand each other. Though, seeing his mother kneel for his dad for the first time sort of creeped him out. Talking was one thing, but that act of physical submission made him think of sex, and any kid would prefer to believe that their parents just didn’t have any. As in ever. James was content to believe a stork dropped him if it meant he never had to picture his mom and dad making love.

  James carefully cleaned every inch of Ryan and dried him. During the shower he was able to better assess which areas needed a soothing salve. He wasn’t very hard on Ryan’s front so that he could sleep comfortably on his stomach, so that would be fine by morning. He’d massage the cooling balm into his back, ass, and thighs and let his boy sleep.

  Ryan was already snoring by the time he was halfway down his back. His thoughts turned to Alexa. He really hoped there was something there. They would spend time with her and get to know her. He knew it was a long shot, but he also knew why Ryan had gotten so worked up. She was amazing. Beautiful, yes, but there was so much more to her. She seemed so shy and restrained one minute, and then she was all sass and fire. It was cute how she almost seemed surprised with herself when she joked with them. He was aching to get to know her better.

  When she slapped his hands away from those damn cookies he didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or take her to the floor. Both probably. He chuckled into Ryan’s neck just thinking about all the ways he could use peanut butter to train her. Damn. He needed to get some sleep before he got hard again. He let himself drift, thinking of the places they could take her and all the ways they could take her. Double damn.

  * * * *

  The next morning James grabbed Ryan’s hand while they cuddled in bed. They didn’t often cuddle, but they had to have this talk about Alexa, so James wanted to hold Ryan and make sure he knew that James took this seriously.

  “Do you know why I always have you in a dominant role with Alexa in our fantasies?” When he got the negative headshake he knew was coming, he continued. “It’s because I’ve always known that if we have a real triad, you’ll not only need that with our woman, but I’ll need that from you as well. I know you better than you know yourself, Ry. You’re not a very submissive person, and you’ve never submitted to anyone but me. You’re nurturing and caring, loyal and possessive, but you never once showed any interest in controlling the women in our bed before. That is how I knew none of them were right.”

  James continued. “I want you to express your natural dominance with Alexa. I want for us to be partners in taking care of her. But you will still be my submissive, Ryan. You will not chafe at orders I give you or try to top me. Ever.

  “When the three of us are together, I’m in charge. I may want you to help me top her for a scene, but it will be under my terms. When you’re alone with her, you can choose to top her or not. But I’ll need to know that I have you to rely on to help me take care of her.”

  James was relieved to see the calm smile spread over Ryan’s face. Then James rolled his eyes. “But first, we have to figure out how we’re even going to tell her what we want. Jesus, I haven’t tried to date a vanilla girl since high school. She’ll probably hear the words ‘bisexual’ and ‘kink’ and run screaming the other way.” That was a depressing thought.

  Ryan snuggled closer and whispered in James’s ear. “If she runs, we get to chase her.” On a sigh he said, “We don’t play nearly enough games like that.”

  James let a shiver roll through him as he chuckled. Yeah, they’d just have to chase her.

  Chapter Six

  Alexa was practically vibrating with energy as she ran out of her house to head to the grocery store. The long summer of fieldwork was finally over, and not only did the students manage to find and extract a mosasaur that looked fairly intact, but they had scored the ultimate with a plesiosaur. She couldn’t believe it. When she had gone prospecting before the summer session began, she knew she’d found some bones that originated from the beast’s tail, but she hadn’t really imagined that the whole creature was still buried and just waiting for them.

  She was plotting out what teams to give the remaining tasks to when she noticed that her neighbor was walking directly toward her house. Alexa quickly looked around to see if there was anything amiss. She had crossed paths with the woman a few times, but beyond a head nod or the occasional “hello,” neither had even introduced themselves yet. Though she was a little intimidated, Alexa held her head high and walked down her pathway.

  The raven-haired beauty held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Kelly Rivers. I thought it was about time to come over and welcome you to the neighborhood. Well, way past time, but we seem to keep missing each other. I take it it’s been a busy summer for you?”

  Alexa couldn’t help the little eye roll at the mention of her summer schedule. “Yeah, you could say that. But I’m done with all the traveling as of yesterday, so I can finally start to get into a more normal routine here at home. It’s nice to meet you, Kelly, I’m Alexa Green.”

  Kelly smiled at her, and Alexa was stunned for a moment at her sheer beauty. She was not a plain Jane by any stretch of the imagination. Kelly was polished from her glossy black hair to her five-inch designer shoes. Alexa had never been very good at picking out stylish clothes or even knowing what makeup best suited her. She felt self-conscious over her cargo pants and flip-flops. Before she could start to fidget, Kelly stepped back a little, like she knew Alexa needed a little breathing room.

  “If you’re free this afternoon, I’d love to take you to lunch. We can get to know each other a bit.”

  Oh, well. She hadn’t really been expecting that, but wasn’t that what neighbors did? Get to know each other and look after each other? Yes, that seemed like the normal thing to do. Normal people had barbecue with their neighbors and borrowed milk or sugar. They chitchatted while getting the mail. Since her whole aim was to build a life for herself where she was part of her world and not just passing through it, this would be a perfect step to take. She was making lunch for
her new friends on Sunday, and now she would go to lunch with her neighbor this afternoon. Perfectly normal adult behavior.

  Alexa smiled in gratitude and promised to meet Kelly at some spa right outside of town. It couldn’t be hard to find, there wasn’t much around and Kelly’s directions were simple. Yes, she would hit the grocery store and then head to lunch with her neighbor. This was turning out to be much easier than she thought it would be.

  Two hours later after sweating over every lunch meat known to man and unloading all her groceries, Alexa pulled into what she hoped was the spa. There were police cruisers all over the place, so she wasn’t sure if she had it right. What was going on? She found an empty spot not far from a group of men standing over what looked like Kelly, and was that Kat from the vet’s office? Alexa gasped as she watched Kat, yup, that red hair was unmistakable, haul off and slap Kelly right in the face. What the fuck?

  That was when she noticed James and Ryan standing in the circle of stunned faces. This didn’t seem like a good time to approach the group, but if Kelly needed help, she wanted to show that she could be a reliable person and at least offer. Alexa got out of her car and walked over to the group. When James looked up and caught her eye, he shook his head like he wanted her to go away. She stumbled a bit at the fierce look in his eye. Was he dismissing her? Why? Was it because of the drama apparently going on, or did he just not want her around his friends? She felt flooded with insecurity. She wasn’t good enough, he’d changed his mind about hanging out with her, and already she had her first rejection. Insecurity quickly turned to anger. Well, screw him. She wasn’t here to see him, so he could shake his head and stare her down all he liked but she wasn’t leaving like some unwanted child. She was going to talk to her neighbor and make sure Kelly was okay. Alexa wasn’t the little girl that nobody talked to anymore, and she was done hiding in the corner of the playground.