by Tara Rose
Wyatt clinked his coffee mug against Trent’s. “It’s a deal. Now let’s make breakfast. I’m hungry.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ria woke up to Wyatt and Trent both tickling her, and she could hardly breathe from laughing so hard before they finally let her off the bed. They told her to shower and be downstairs in half an hour. “Half an hour? It takes me half an hour to do my hair and makeup.”
Wyatt kissed her, then gazed into her eyes with tenderness. “Stop worrying about your hair. We love it messy like this. You look like you’ve been rolling around in bed all day.”
“And you don’t need makeup,” said Trent. “You’re beautiful. Don’t you know that?”
She didn’t know what to say. The men she’d dated hadn’t showered her with compliments like this or made her feel sexy when she looked a mess and smelled like sex. It was overwhelming, but she loved it. “Thank you, Sir.”
Trent grinned, and her pussy grew wet again. Every inch of her body was sore, but right now if they’d told her they were going to fuck her all day long she wouldn’t protest. He handed her the bag she’d dropped on the living room floor last night. “You can use my shower. You already know where it is.”
She cut her gaze toward Wyatt, but he didn’t look surprised, so Trent must have told him. Was he okay with that?
“And by the way, do you drink coffee?” asked Wyatt.
She nodded, still wondering what he thought about her and Trent’s midnight rendezvous. His expression was neutral, and the question had sounded innocuous as well.
“Okay. We’re making breakfast, so hurry up or you’ll miss it.”
“You’re making me breakfast?”
“Yes. Now get going.”
As she brushed past Trent, he smacked her right ass cheek. “But don’t expect it every day. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.” Ria realized she’d better get used to taking quick showers when she was with these two. When she came downstairs, they had a feast spread out on the dining room table, and the smell of strong coffee permeated the air. “This is too much. Are you two for real?”
“Don’t tell me your brothers can’t cook,” said Wyatt.
“Oh, they can.” She’d been about to say that she couldn’t imagine them doing so now for their subs, but realized two things. They might very well do that, and she didn’t want Wyatt or Trent thinking she’d just made a huge assumption about what her role was with them. They hadn’t asked her to be their sub.
As they ate, she watched the easy way they chatted with each other about nothing. When they started talking about their friends, Ria realized again how little she knew about the everyday lives of people who were in Wyatt and Trent’s circle.
Kari and Alexa owned and operated Tye Me Up, and Peppi worked part time for them now, but Ria had set foot inside the shop just one time. She’d never had a reason to go, but it would have been nice if she’d at least visited it once in a while. It had been open for over a year now. Luke and Chase lived above the shop with Alexa now, and Ria had never been up there to visit them, even though Luke was her brother.
Ria had heard from Bonnie and Leela that Chase had been sick with a nasty flu bug for almost a month right after Thanksgiving. She also had heard from Luke that Alexa had caught it, and that’s why she hadn’t been working as many shifts as usual lately at Luke’s Bar to help out, like she’d always done before. But Ria hadn’t said anything to Alexa about how sick she’d been, or even asked if Chase was feeling better. She should have done both.
She knew that Olivia was pregnant, and she’d also heard through the grapevine that Storm and Cameron had taken turns sitting up with her during the first four months because she’d been so sick she could barely keep anything down. She should have gone to visit Olivia and made sure she was feeling better. She was due in two months, and Ria had yet to congratulate her, Storm, or Cameron on the pregnancy.
And she knew that Annalise’s uncle Dominick had died last summer, but not that Annalise, Dustin, and Chad had gone to Passion Peak, Colorado for the funeral. She should have sent Annalise a card, at the very least.
Each time Trent or Wyatt asked if she knew about one of these events already, explaining they couldn’t very well ask her not to gossip if it came across that they were doing the same thing, she told them she already knew. But when they asked if she’d spoken to any of the people about the particular news since finding out, and she admitted she had not done so, their reactions were the same. They were surprised.
These were their friends, but they were also people that Ria saw nearly every day on the streets of town, or in her brother’s bar, yet she remained uninvolved with their lives. They were all so close, and knew everything about each other. How would they ever accept her into their fold if she couldn’t so much as ask if they were feeling better? Would they ever accept her? And if they didn’t, where would that leave Wyatt and Trent? Would they be forced to make a choice?
Was apologizing to Marisol enough of a start, or should she do something else? She and Annalise had started to grow close last summer, but then once Annalise had started Giolanna Design Solutions with Gina and Olivia, they’d stopped hanging out. Should she try to renew that friendship as well? Should she reach out to the others, too?
“Where did you go just now?” Wyatt’s question snapped her back to reality.
“I’m thinking about everything you’ve just said, and I realize that I’ve taken in all this news, but I’ve made no effort to seek anyone out and congratulate them, or tell them I’m sorry about bad news, or even just to ask if they’re feeling better. I’ve isolated myself from everyone.”
“This is going to take time. You don’t have to take on the weight of the world all at once.”
His gaze left her feeling like a bug under a microscope. Was she that transparent, or was it the attorney in him that had noticed the shift in her mood? And didn’t he have to work today? “Did you take a vacation day?”
“Yes, I did. And you just changed the subject.”
“I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t mean to. I was thinking about how you noticed my mood shift, and that it must be the attorney in you that makes it so easy for you to do that, and that in turn reminded me that you’re usually at work by now. But I’m glad you’ll be home all day.”
He smiled and covered her hand. “Well then, I have more good news for you. While you showered, Sean and I talked. We’re having dinner with him, Maddox, and Julie tonight at Gino’s.”
“We are?”
“Yes.” He pointed toward her plate. “Now finish your breakfast because Trent and I have a surprise for you.”
She grinned. “Does it involve bondage cuffs and paddles?”
Both men laughed. “Give us some recovery time,” said Trent. “We’re only human.”
“No you’re not. You’re amazing. You really are. Last night was the most exciting, erotic night of my life.”
The looks they gave her were nothing short of pure lust and admiration. Trent lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “It was for us as well. I mean that.”
“Thank you, Sir.” How could this be real?
* * * *
Ria actually clapped her hands as they pulled into the driveway leading to the Wildcat Creek Winery in Lafayette. “Wine tasting on a cold day. Perfect.”
Wyatt grinned at her from the driver’s seat. “We were hoping you’d enjoy this. Trent and I came here several years ago and always wanted to return.”
As they toured, Ria asked dozens of questions about the process, and both Trent and Wyatt gave her curious looks. She ignored them until they sat down to eat lunch after the tour. “Okay. Was I not supposed to talk or something? Why the looks?”
“We didn’t realize you knew so much about how wine is made,” said Trent.
“I don’t. That’s why I asked so many questions. Processes fascinate me. For instance, when Luke was getting his new bar ready to re-open, all he planned to do was clean the place up and make it a car
bon copy of the one on Market Street. I was livid. I told him he had a chance to make it really special. Really shine, you know?”
“What were your suggestions?” asked Wyatt.
“Well, for one thing, it’s twice the size. So I suggested that in addition to tables, he put in a dance floor and invest in a juke box.”
Trent laughed. “I notice he didn’t take the suggestion.”
“No, he didn’t. He said there were plenty of honky-tonk bars, as he called them, on the way to Chicago if that’s what people wanted. He didn’t want to turn the place into a country bar. Personally, I think we need one here. More people would stay in town on a Friday or Saturday night if they had a place like that to go to. But he said that would also mean he’d have to hire more help, and he won’t do that. He’s tight with money.”
“What else did you suggest?”
“That he serve lunch as well as dinner, and not just the same greasy food you can get at Nan’s Place. So many people lost their jobs when Busler’s Department Store was hit by the tornado. People who can cook, and people who would have been grateful to have a job. Any job. Since I can’t cook worth a damn, he should have found someone who could.”
“He has Sandy now, no?” Sandy Sullivan was a high-school dropout who did most of the cooking now for Luke.
“Yes, but Sandy mostly works on weekends. There are lots of people in this town still looking for a job.” When Sandy wasn’t working, Alexa or Luke did the cooking.
“What did Luke say when you outlined all this for him?” asked Trent.
Ria sighed and placed her chin in her hands. “The same thing he tells me every time I try to give him business advice. That he owns the bar, not me, and he’ll do what he wants with it.”
The men exchanged a glance she couldn’t interpret. “Well, he does own it, but I can understand your frustration. Still, you do have a good head for details. I’m sorry Luke doesn’t acknowledge that.”
Ria couldn’t help but smile. It was so refreshing to get a compliment for her ideas. “Thank you.”
“I agree with Trent. Have you ever thought about doing anything with that?”
She shrugged. “Sure. But I need a college degree.”
“So, get one.”’
“I want to. I just don’t know where to start.”
“We’ll talk about that later. We’ll help you.”’
“You will?”
Trent lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Of course we will. Now let’s eat. I’m starving.”
Wyatt snorted. “When aren’t you starving?”
Ria couldn’t stop smiling all through lunch. She’d never felt this close to anyone, even Peppi. And to know they wanted to help her find a career was more than she’d ever expected.
After lunch, they settled on a couple of bottles of wine to take home. Ria felt so relaxed around them that she launched into a long story about something Leela had told her pertaining to several Racy residents who were involved in a dispute over property lines between their yards, and had insisted on a jury trial to resolve it. The trial was scheduled for March, and while Leela hadn’t told her the names of the parties involved, Ria knew who they were because the lawsuit and countersuit they’d filed were public record.
When she told the story to Wyatt and Trent, she didn’t mention names, but she mentioned the street and gave enough description of the residents that anyone who had even a passing acquaintance with them would know who she was talking about.
The guys let her get about three-quarters into the story, and then she realized they were both grinning like idiots and had been giving each other sideways glances. She stopped midsentence, and swore under her breath. “That was a major gossip session, wasn’t it? And I didn’t even think twice about it. What am I going to do? I can’t stop.”
Trent chuckled and took her hand. “Okay. That wasn’t really fair of us. We should have stopped you earlier. So let’s make a plan. We need a code word or something to stop you when you start telling a story like this, and we need a time frame. In other words, if you don’t realize you’re doing it within a specific amount of time, we stop you.”
“Okay. I can do that. I’m so sorry.”
Wyatt took her other hand. “Don’t apologize. You caught yourself, eventually. How about five minutes? Is that reasonable?”
“Less than that. Two minutes.”
“Okay. And now for the code word. What should we use?”
“How about bigmouth?”
This time, both men chuckled. “I’m not calling you that,” said Wyatt. “How about something totally unrelated, so that anyone listening wouldn’t know what we meant?”
She nodded. “Thank you. That’s kind of you.”
He stroked the back of her hand, sending shivers up and down her spine. “Our role as Doms isn’t to belittle or embarrass you, especially in public. It’s to help you. Let’s use ‘wind turbine.’ It’s not something we talk about in everyday conversation.”
“Okay. I like that.” She stared into his eyes for a second, debating, and when she spoke again she leaned closer and lowered her voice, even though no one was close enough to hear them. “Is that what you two are? My Doms?”
Wyatt’s eyes grew serious, as did Trent’s. “Do you want us to be?”
“Is it my decision?” Her heart pounded.
“It’s a group decision, but Trent and I already know that we want to be your Doms. So now it’s your call.”
Holy shit. His words caught her completely off guard Did these two realize how easily she could lose her heart to them? “I don’t feel as if I know anything about being a sub.” It was the truth.
“No one does at first. But we’ll teach you. And, once you’re on more solid footing with Marisol again, and with some of the others in the community, you can ask advice from them. All we ask is that you let us know you talked to them, and to remember the no-gossip rule.”
“Do I have a no-gossip rule now?”
Trent nodded. “I think we should make it a standing rule until you get a better handle on it, don’t you?”
“Yes.” This was a big step. A no-gossip rule meant there would be consequences for doing so. “But may I ask a question, first?”
“What is it?”
She glanced around again, then leaned closer still. “What would my punishment be if I did gossip? I mean, if you two are around we’ll have our code word, right? And there will be a time limit. But what if I do it and you two aren’t there?”
The look in Trent’s eyes nearly made her come, and she had to bite back a moan. Why had she waited so long to do something about her fantasies?
“Wyatt and I will discuss it and come up with something. We’ll talk about it later, and outline the entire plan. Sound good?”
“It sounds perfect, Sir,” she whispered.
“So then,” said Wyatt, “is your answer ‘yes’? You’re agreeing to be our sub?”
Ria nodded because she didn’t trust her voice right now. This was it. The ultimate fulfillment of her fantasy. It was everything she’d wanted. How had this happened? She didn’t feel as if she deserved this happiness, and she almost had to blink back tears again at the look on their faces. They were as happy as she was. How could these two be real?
Was this how Marisol had felt last summer with Rafe and Ellis? It must have been. No wonder her betrayal was so severe. Ria finally realized just how much she’d hurt Marisol and Rafe. Not only those two, but all of them. Because if someone were to do to her right now what she’d done last summer, she wasn’t sure she could ever forgive them.
But Marisol had forgiven her, and had said she’d give her another chance. Ria now understood how huge that leap of faith had been for Marisol, and she silently vowed not to make her regret that decision.
Chapter Nineteen
Wyatt and Trent took Ria back to her apartment so she could get ready for dinner, because she told them she hadn’t brought along anything that she wanted to wear to Gino’s. Sh
e wanted to take her time choosing an outfit, and she needed time to think about everything that had happened to her in the space of a few days.
She had to make a good impression tonight. She was determined not only to become good friends with Marisol again, but to win them all over. She was also determined not to disappoint Trent and Wyatt, and not to make them regret asking her to be their sub.
Peppi was home and she helped Ria get ready, then surprised her by giving her a quick hug. “Everyone is talking about what you did for Marisol.”
“Who is everyone?”
“Kari, Alexa, Noah, Adison, Luke, Chase, Gina, Zach, and Harrison. They were all in Tye Me Up at one time or another today.”
“And they were talking about me?”
Peppi nodded. “Yep. You should have heard them. They said it was very big of you to apologize, and that Wyatt and Trent must be good for you.”
Ria frowned. “That makes it sound like I only did it at their urging.”
Peppi shook her head. “No, it wasn’t like that at all. They know you did it on your own. Marisol told them you did.”
“Has it been uncomfortable for you working there all these months?”
“Not at all. Kari and Alexa never brought it up. They talk to me mostly about school, and I talk mostly about my lack of a dating life.”
“All the good men in this town go to Maddox’s club, apparently.”
Peppi laughed, “Yeah, except I have zero interest in doing that.”
“Really? How do you work there, then?”
“Well, I don’t have to be into kink to sell things to people who are. This is a learning experience. Kari and Alexa are brilliant businesswomen. They really are. You know they worked at a top fetish shop in Manhattan, right?”
Ria nodded. “Luke told me all about that when he and Alexa were first dating.”
“They learned a lot. Neither of them have a business degree. They picked all this up just by watching others do it. Kari drew the basic design for the Tye Me Up on a napkin over three years ago.”