Belonging: Book Two in The Everett Gaming Series

by Drew Sera

  “Yeah, turns out two Doms made her come pretty hard just with their tongues.”

  We took Sydney into the shower where Anthony and I took our time with washing her and playing lightly with her. Neither of us could keep our hands off the little kitten. She responds so well to our hands and it brings me great pleasure to see her enjoying and open to receiving our touch. I stood with her leaning against me while Anthony knelt and licked her pussy until she came again. When I felt that she was close, I tweaked her nipples and took her mouth with mine. She writhed and whimpered as she quietly released a gasp into my mouth and then sagged in my arms. That was sexy. She got a chill, and snuggled against me.

  I was a mess. I needed to not allow myself to get into these sexual situations with her. But I knew the end was coming. It could quite possibly be today. When we got out of the shower, I went upstairs to finish getting ready. All I could think about while I shaved was Sydney and Anthony. Anthony deserved happiness. Both of them did. I knew she’d be safe with him, cared for and cherished. That’s priority one. That’s what I had planned on. What I hadn’t planned on was falling in love with her.

  And fuck, I was very much in love with her.

  I pulled on jeans and a navy knit shirt. That would do for now and I’d change before dinner tonight. When I got downstairs, I could hear the hairdryer in their room and went to the kitchen for some coffee. Anthony was sitting at the breakfast bar with a mug already. He was just sitting there and I could tell he was deep in thought. Oh fuck, this was it. His good-bye speech was being prepared. I didn’t want him to worry about making me angry or hurting my feelings. He was still my best friend and no one would ever come between him and I.

  “Good to be home, huh, Col?”

  “Yes. I knew you’d take good care of her.”

  I poured a cup of coffee and sat down beside him. He looked down and then rubbed over his chest. Chest pain, that’s right. I decided to tackle that conversation first.

  “What’s up with the chest pain? How long has it been going on?”

  He laughed and flattened his hand over his chest. I was annoyed that he found humor in that.

  “I had been having weird chest pains that were sometimes followed by stomach pains. It felt like a dull aching pain in the chest and my stomach felt like I was in a free fall. It had been sporadic for a few weeks and then last week it started getting much worse. I was just going to let it go. Then you and Matt talked to me last Saturday about Sydney and I. I decided I needed to make sure I was healthy and wasn’t going to up and die when she needed me to be there for her. The pain was getting more frequent Sunday, and then that shit with Paul happened. I left work early Monday to go see Matt.” He paused and sipped on his coffee while I hung onto every word.

  “He checked me over and did an EKG. He wrote my diagnosis down and handed it to me. Col, I was scared to fucking death. I figured that if he couldn’t even talk to me and tell me what it was, that I was fucked. I got in my car and read the paper.”

  Anthony stood up and pulled a piece of paper from his wallet and handed it to me. Whatever was wrong with Anthony was written on a prescription pad in Matt’s handwriting. My eyes read the paper once and then again. He had been in love and didn’t know it. All the air left my lungs. I was losing Sydney. Not that I ever had her, but she had become very important to me and I was hopelessly in love with her.

  “Anth, you’re in love.”

  “I had no fucking clue love could do those things to you.”

  I knew exactly what he was feeling. I told Anthony that I was happy for him, and I truly was. While my heart was filled with happiness for him, it was also breaking. I now knew my time was very limited with Sydney. She obviously was head over heels for him. I felt him looking at me but I didn’t look up.

  “Anth, I knew you loved her.” I looked towards her room and then back down at the kitchen floor. We couldn’t prolong this much more. “Anth, you and I need to talk.”

  I looked up at him and saw him nodding. He knew something had shifted with the three of us. This morning’s play session had been fun and intimate. It was incredible. And just like a rainbow in the sky, it was gone.

  “I know. I’ve been thinking…”

  “Wait, let’s talk later,” I said to him. He and I would talk this afternoon. We had to.

  I knew it would be a difficult conversation. Bottom line though, Sydney would be taken care of. I hoped our talk wouldn’t mess up our Thanksgiving dinner at Matt’s. I knew they were looking forward to having us, especially Sydney. Sydney’s family had run into money problems while she was in her teens and because of that, her parents ended up working the Thanksgiving holiday for extra pay. She hadn’t had a nice sit down Thanksgiving dinner in a long time and Matt and Gina wanted to make this special for her. For that, I was truly thankful.

  Moments later Sydney came in and was ready to go. We went to a smaller, local casino that was close to my place and had breakfast. While we were out, I paid extra close attention to their interactions. I watched how careful he was with her when he touched her hands or her back. He was gentle and yet I knew that he’d fiercely protect her. I smiled at this. He was perfect for her. Because of his past pain, he’d take her fears seriously and work with her to help her heal from them, nurture her and never take her for granted. Anthony was aware of every wound and scar she had and he paid excellent attention to her without smothering her. He was playful and flirty with her and he makes her smile. They just clicked.

  By the time we got home, I felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest and was hanging by a few veins on the outside of my body. I now had a stomachache and I wasn’t looking forward to our talk. I was pretty sure he was going to say he didn’t need any help training her. And he didn’t. Anthony has been here with her and I for about a month now. He knew what he needed to know and didn’t need me. They didn’t need me. I just wasn’t ready to let go of her.

  When we got home, Sydney wanted to go outside and write in her notebook for a while and I told her to sit in the sun. It was November and cool outside. Anthony positioned himself at the kitchen table so he would be able to see her. Time to talk. No need to insult either of us and pretend that we didn’t know things had changed and he was accepting that he loved her. I sat down at the head of the table so I could watch her too.

  “What did Chris want her to make a list of?”

  “Fucked up shit, Col.” I hadn’t expected him to say that and glanced over at him. He was looking down at the floor rubbing his hands together. I regretted not being around for that appointment. I knew from talking to Matt it was a rough appointment and that Anthony seemed to come out of it worse than Sydney. “He wanted her to make a list of stuff that Howard would use on her. Shit that he used to hurt her. Unconventional things. Stuff aside from the whips or crops. Fucked up shit.”

  We both stared out onto the patio and watched her for a few moments. I opened my mouth to start to say something but Anthony beat me to it.

  “Col, it’s important for you to know that you’re helping her so much. When I took her to dinner, I learned a lot about her. We talked about movies and hobbies, things like that. One of Sydney’s hobbies is writing.” Anthony looked over at me before continuing. “She didn’t have anyone to help her with shit from Howard, her outlet was writing. You giving her that notebook to write in really helped her. I wanted to make sure you knew that.”

  Oh fuck. Why was my chest aching so badly now? My heart was breaking more. Sydney’s outlet was to write. I helped give her some familiarity by giving her the notebook.

  He looked up at me and then outside at Sydney. The way he watches her, it’s unmistakable what he feels for her. Sydney had pulled her legs up on the chair and continued to write. She had pulled one of her sleeves down over her hand so that her hand was no longer visible. It was just a sweatshirt-covered hand with a pen. A sweatshirt that Anthony picked out for her so she’d have something comfortable when she was released from the hospital. He
r balled up hand hiding beneath the sleeve reminded me of how long I had seen Sydney roam around Everett Gaming for the past nine or ten months with sleeve covered hands. She was in pain then and hid it so well. She was used to hiding. Fragile kitten. Anthony’s dark words brought me out of my own thoughts.

  “She’s been hurt so bad, Col. I don’t think there’s an inch that hasn’t been tormented.”

  He needed to talk about this stuff. I wanted him to, as painful as it may be. I looked over at him again and saw a horrible, sick look on his face. “Do you know why she favors sleeping on her stomach?” I shook my head encouraging him to continue. He looked outside at Sydney again before facing me. “She’d do it to protect herself. She does it out of habit now, but before us it was to protect herself from Howard. She’d go to sleep on her stomach with her arm underneath her with her hand covering her pussy. She said by sleeping that way, she’d feel him if he tried to hurt her in the night and it would give her a few seconds to become more alert and prepare for it.”

  Prepare for it.

  The thought of her waking up scared of what was going to happen, and some asshole grabbing at her, disgusted me. I was riddled with guilt over knowing something was wrong, especially once I saw her wrists. I should have taken her aside back then and found out what was going on. I exhaled a shaky breath and looked over at Anthony. The look of disgust was on his face and I’m sure my face showed my disgust. Anthony has heard these kinds of stories and admissions. Stuff that I pushed him into hearing and being the shoulder for her.

  “Did she fight him off?” I forced myself to stop and slow down because I realized how my voice shook. “When Howard would go to get her in the night, would she fight him or try to keep him from hurting her?”

  “She said she tried once in the beginning but he made sure she didn’t do it again. I’m still working on the info of exactly what he did to her to keep her from ever attempting it again.”

  My heart was now hanging by a single thread. I wanted and needed to help. I wanted to hear these things to lessen the burden and to be strong for her. Anthony needed an ear and I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to be part of her healing still. I cleared my throat and looked back at him. His eyes were glued to her and were watching for any sign of discomfort or unease.

  “Anth, I still want to go with you guys to her appointments to see Chris. I still want to have a part in helping with her.”

  He didn’t look at me but nodded. I was hot all of a sudden and pushed up the sleeves of my shirt.

  “Where do we go from here, Anth?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that a lot since Saturday after you and Matt made me think clearly. I’m very particular, you know that. I like kinky sex. Co-topping. Col, I don’t want her going back to that shitty apartment. You and I don’t need to worry about her there. Or with another Dom.”

  With those few sentences, it felt like my heart had detached from the thread it had been hanging by and hit my kitchen floor. This was it. The end. He was admitting his feelings for her and soon would take her. While I was happy for the two of them, I was surprised by the overwhelming ache in my chest. I couldn’t be selfish though. This was actually the best thing that could happen for Sydney, which is what I wanted. I wanted her to find a good Dom and be safe. She had the best Dom and my best friend. I knew she’d be fine with him. She’d be happy. They’d be happy. That I was certain of. What I wasn’t certain of was how I was going to move on once they moved on.

  “Say something, Col.”

  I tried to pull myself together and swallow past the dryness in my throat. I nodded and looked up at him.

  “Anth, I’m happy that you are going to proceed with her. I know you are the best man in the world for her. She loves you, you know.”

  He smiled and looked back outside at her. All I could do was rattle on about her. Maybe I was comforting myself.

  “When I first laid eyes on her, I knew she was special and different. I knew there was a spark about her, but I also knew she was very protective of her privacy. Once we found out she was into the lifestyle, I just wanted the opportunity to help guide her. She seemed so lost and I knew I could help. I wanted to help give her some self-confidence and introduce her to some good Doms. I knew she took the responsibility on her shoulders and thought that she was a bad sub and deserved what she got. It made me more determined to help her. I knew there’d be ups and downs and I anticipated a lot.” I swallowed hard and debated on continuing. I owed it to myself to be honest. “What I hadn’t anticipated though, was her grabbing onto my heart as each day went by. I knew the only way I’d feel comfortable would be if she went with you. And maybe partially because, I knew that I’d still see her and know she was okay. Matt and I waited for you to figure out that you were good for her. And now that you have, I feel like everything is going to be okay for her. And you.”

  Anthony leaned back in his chair more and was staring at me. It was his poker face. I hoped he wouldn’t sense my unhappiness for my selfish reasons. But it was hard to hide. Sydney has consumed me.

  “It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it, Col? Love, that is. That vice-like feeling in your chest you get when you look at her. Or the deepest part of your soul getting rocked when she looks at you and knows that you understand her and won’t judge her. Or the jolt of electrical current you get when you touch her. The ache you get in your balls when you see her pupils dilate as she responds to your instructions. Or the strange sense of calm that washes over you when she’s in your arms at night.” He glanced over at me. “You know what I mean.”

  He hadn’t worded it as a question. I knew every single one of those feelings. It was love and I had it running through my system with no chance of a cure for it. He knew I loved her too. I nodded and leaned over resting my arms on my knees and stared at an invisible spot on the kitchen floor.

  “She loves your yard.”

  I looked up to see Sydney standing up from picking dandelions from the grass and setting them on the table. I smiled but it quickly faded when I thought about what it would be like without her laughter to fill my house.

  “Monday, I took her to Cisco’s and to my place. I made love to her there. I’ve never made love to a woman. I’ve fucked women before, but never made love. That night, I was awake thinking about us. Me, Sydney…and you.”

  Me?

  Wait, he actually said that. I wasn’t imagining things. Though it most certainly was what I wanted to hear. I looked up at him.

  “I thought about all the things I could give her. And thought of all the things you could give her. There are things that you can give her, or do for her, that I can’t. You keep saying that I have a connection with her that no one else does. You have one with her too. You’re solid, confident and can work your way inside that pretty head of hers. She’s been through so much, Col. You’ll hear it for yourself Monday. She has a lot of heavy shit in her past and four shoulders would be better than two.”

  I had to stop him. I couldn’t risk letting myself get excited over what he was getting at unless he was dead serious. Hope surged though my veins. My mind was going a hundred miles an hour. I had to be sure what he was saying before I got my hopes up anymore.

  “Anth,”

  “When I took her to my condo, she lit that place up like a hot firecracker going off in the dark. Everywhere she walked, it was like a halo of light followed her. It was amazing to have her in my bed. But it’s not where she’s comfortable. She loves it here. This has been a haven for her. It’s been a huge part of her healing. And I’ve got news for you, she loves you too.”

  “Anth, what are you proposing?”

  He turned and looked me in the eye. My world stopped along with my heart. Everything hung in the air. I held hope in my hands and prayed he wouldn’t crush it.

  “What I’m proposing is a V.” A V. I took a deep breath as I felt my heart start to come back to life. “Colin, she loves being co-topped by us. You and I have been co-topping for years. I am happy wit
h the way things are going, but I want it on a more official and exclusive level.”

  “Jesus, Anth.” I sat back in my chair and ran my hands through my hair. “I was preparing for you to tell me that you two are going off on your own and that you don’t need my help. You’re more than capable to help and care for her. But I will tell you that you just made me the happiest fucking man on earth.”

  “That makes two of us. She’s happy here. I’m happy. You’re happy. She’s getting better with both of us. There have been so many times that I can tell she wants to say something or tell me more about whatever it is we’re talking about, but I struggle with pulling things out of her. I know you can get her to talk and you say the right things to her. Plus, you and I can tap into that playful little submissive that is lurking below the surface. You and I can give her anything her heart desires sexually. But we can also give her what she needs. You and I have been sharing a bed and dungeon cell with women for years. The difference now is that we’re both one hundred percent committed in caring and loving the woman outside of the bedroom. She already trusts us and gives herself to us. Think of how she will be when she realizes that she’s ours.”

  “Anthony, think about it before you commit to something like this. Yes, we’ve done co-topping scenes, but this is very different. Remember, she’d belong to both of us. I’d be on the other end. You could roll over in the middle of the night wanting her mouth on you and you might find her mouth on me. Can you move in here and live in a twenty-four seven V?”

  “Yes, I can. And remember, I’m also on the other end. I know what’s involved. I want to be wherever she is. I’ve never been in love, Col. This is new to me. But I know that you and I can give her the world and at the same time fulfill our own desires.”

  “V’s are a lot of work, Anth.”

  “I didn’t say it’d be easy. But in case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been living like this already for the past month.”

  Very true to an extent.