by Mari Carr
He wasn’t sure how long he let the fantasy wrap itself around him, but it was full night outside when he pulled himself to the surface. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch, his cock pulsating against the constraining denim of his jeans. He was tempted to free the rock-hard flesh and administer a bit of relief with his own hand.
The idea of dominating Lauren in the bedroom was simply too powerful an aphrodisiac to resist. He’d always felt a vein of strength at his core. Always fought to restrain this uber-masculinity that society didn’t seem to embrace anymore. His sisters jokingly called him and his brothers cavemen, but he couldn’t fail to notice they’d all married men just like the Collins males. Take-charge men who would give anything, do anything, to protect their wives. It was an old-fashioned notion and though Sean fought to hide it, it didn’t mean it wasn’t there.
Fuck. For years he’d let Lauren call the shots in their relationship, let her determine their limits because he’d always known what he’d want from her and suspected his desires would scare her.
Now she needed to learn about submission and his restraint was in tatters. Maybe he could restate the offer to master her. He could tie it up in an “in the interest of research” bow to make her feel safe. He wanted Lauren, wanted her for the long haul, and was terrified of losing her. That kiss with Chad had changed something. He could see it. He just couldn’t figure out how to fix it.
He rose slowly and paced around the living room a few times in an attempt to ease his erection. He couldn’t go up to their bedroom like this. Once he’d gotten his arousal under control, he’d go upstairs and talk to her.
The only thing he couldn’t figure out was where Chad fit into the equation, and that was the true setback to his problem. Because Sean knew for certain his friend was a big part of the solution.
Shit.
Chapter Four
Lauren sighed and forced herself to work on her assignment, dragging her laptop to her bed. She was grateful for the distraction. This past week she’d been living in a self-imposed hell, trying to pretend she wasn’t in love with two men. Chad’s kiss had changed the question mark behind her feelings to a definite exclamation point. She was a goner.
Foolishly, she’d believed confessing about the kiss would make things easier, better, but it hadn’t. Try as she might, she couldn’t force her life to return to normal. She couldn’t be with Sean without wishing Chad was there too and she couldn’t hang out with Chad without wondering what Sean was thinking, remembering his desire to watch her kiss his best friend.
Stop it, Lauren. Do your damn homework.
She began typing key phrases into a search engine and before long she’d found a BDSM site with pictures. After studying several submissive poses, she clicked through a few links until she found the diary of a woman who lived as a sex slave. She was captivated by the woman’s descriptions of her lifestyle, by her feelings, her needs.
Lauren closed her eyes after an hour of reading, putting herself in the woman’s place. Only in her mind, Lauren didn’t see one Dom, she saw two. Chad and Sean were standing before her as she knelt, naked. Her hands were tied behind her back and they were taking turns thrusting their hard cocks into her mouth, demanding she suck them, take them all the way.
She gasped at their strength, at the power of the moment. She was close, so close to coming, and she could tell they were too. Her fingers drifted inside her pants and she stroked her clit, gently at first, then harder and faster.
Just a few more rubs and—
Her cell phone rang.
Fuck.
Glancing at the caller ID, she suppressed a groan before answering.
“Hi, Riley.” Her voice came out more breathless than she’d intended.
“Hey, chickie, what’s shakin’?”
“Nothing.” Lauren cleared her throat. “Just doing some research.”
“Research? It sounds like you’ve been running on the treadmill. What kind of research?”
Lauren closed her eyes and prayed for patience. “What do you mean what kind? Just research.”
“Your voice sounds funny.”
Lauren feigned a cough. “I think I’m getting a cold.”
Riley laughed. “Liar, liar, pants on fire. You were having sex, weren’t you?”
“No. Absolutely not. I’m sitting here by myself.”
“Fine. Then you were masturbating,” she deadpanned.
“There’s no way you can tell that from my voice.”
“Dildo or hand?”
Lauren shook her head. “You are a perverted woman.”
Riley wasn’t swayed. “Must be watching porn. Video or internet?”
“I’m not having this conversation,” she said. Then Lauren heard a male voice in the background. “Is Aaron there? Jeez. Is he listening?”
“Yep. He told me to leave you alone.”
Lauren smiled. Aaron rocked. “Tell him thanks for me.”
“You know you don’t have to play alone. You’ve got a boyfriend and a spare living in that house. Seduce one or, better yet, both of them.”
Lauren reclined on her bed, Riley’s words reminding her of her earlier conversation with Sean and Chad. For a moment, as the three of them talked about her assignment, she got the sense both men would be more than willing to help with her homework.
“You’re right. I should.”
She heard Riley’s quick intake of breath. “I’m right? You’re finally admitting you want a threesome?”
“I never said I didn’t want it. I just said a threesome would be too complicated. I still stand by that belief. The thing is…” She paused, uncertain if she should tell Riley exactly where her desires were leading her now.
“The thing is what?” Riley prodded.
“I have a new assignment in my Human Sexuality class.”
Lauren could just picture Riley’s excitement. “What kind of assignment? Something kinky?”
“Sort of. I have to put myself in the mindset of a submissive.”
Riley whistled. “You need to talk to Keira.”
Lauren was stunned by Riley’s response. “Keira? Why?”
“Because I’m pretty sure she and Will live in a sort of Dom/sub lifestyle.”
Lauren shook her head. “No way. Your sister is the most self-sufficient, confident, take-charge woman I know. There’s no way she lets Will push her around in the bedroom.”
“Push her around? Oh man, Lauren. You really do need to talk to Keira. I think you may have some misguided ideas about BDSM.”
Lauren took Riley’s words as an insult. “Oh right, and I suppose you’re a pro at the whole submitting-to-your-man thing. I’d love to see Aaron try to—”
“Aaron totally takes charge in the bedroom—and I fucking love it.”
Riley’s admission sent Lauren’s entire world hurling off-kilter. “What?”
“Little bondage, some spanking, a few of his deep-voiced commands and he can set me off like a rocket.”
Lauren tried to imagine Riley giving anyone the upper hand. “Really?”
Riley laughed. “Really. Listen. You’re coming to Natalie’s baby shower tomorrow night, right?”
Lauren nodded then remembered she was on the phone. Her mind was whirling with all this new information about the Collins women. “Yes, I’m coming.”
“Keira will be here. You can talk to her about your assignment and then you and I are making a game plan.”
“Game plan?” Lauren asked.
“Yep. You’re gonna use this assignment to get everything you want and maybe even some stuff you didn’t know you wanted.”
“Like what?”
Lauren could picture Riley rubbing her hands together as she plotted. “You’re going to get a lesson in submissiveness from two masters.”
“Sean and Chad?”
Riley giggled. “Oh hell yeah. I have a feeling they’ll both jump at the chance. Then once you have them both in your bedroom, you just have to make sure they stay there.”<
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“This is never gonna work.”
“Oh ye of little faith. We’ll work out the details tomorrow at the shower. And Lauren?”
“Yeah?”
“Bet you get an A-plus on this assignment.”
Riley hung up and left Lauren struggling to figure out what can of worms she’d just opened. She’d inadvertently given Riley a mission. A dangerous proposition in the best of situations.
Worst of all, Lauren had a feeling she was going to go along with everything Riley said—because she really wanted to. She closed her eyes. Imagined Chad and Sean undressing her, touching her, kissing her—
“How’s the research coming along?”
Lauren opened her eyes, quickly minimizing the browser before setting her laptop on the nightstand and looking up. Sean stood in the doorframe, smiling at her. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. She didn’t need a mirror to know her face was flushed. Shit, she’d been close to slipping her hands into her lounge pants again and bringing about the orgasm building inside her.
“Fine,” she said, the word sticking in her throat. She cleared it but remained quiet, unable to say more, afraid she’d give herself away.
Sean’s gaze narrowed and she fought to clear her face of expression. Sean was too savvy, too smart. “Find anything interesting?”
She shook her head. She couldn’t have this conversation with him. Hell, she couldn’t have any conversation with him right now. She was too hot, too bothered, too fucking close to coming. “Not yet. I think I changed my mind about pizza. I’m going to keep working up here for a little while.” She’d promised Sean she’d never cheat on him, but if he touched her now there was no way she could lie with him and not think about Chad. Her gaze drifted to her nightstand drawer. The second he left, she was locking herself in, surrendering to her ménage fantasy and taking care of business with her vibrator.
Then she needed to figure out what the fuck she was going to do next. She was screwing up every relationship in her life that mattered to her.
Sean walked into the room, closing the door behind him and not stopping until he’d reached the bed. “I’ve been thinking.” He sank down beside her on the mattress.
Screw the vibrator. The moment Sean leaned closer, her body went into overdrive. Being close to him never failed to provoke a red-hot need.
“Oh yeah?” She forced an easygoing tone to her voice. “Thinking about what?”
“Your dilemma.”
She frowned. “I don’t have a dilemma.”
“You need to learn about submission.”
She waved at the computer screen. “I’m finding plenty of stuff. I don’t think this will be as hard as I thought.”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to Google for information. I thought you needed to take a more up-close and personal look at it.” He leaned forward as he spoke. She could smell the sweet scent of soda on his breath.
She loved Sean, loved being physically close to him, but most of all, she loved his kisses. He sure as hell knew his way around her mouth. It had been over two years since their first kiss, but every time his lips met hers was just as exciting and new as that original kiss.
“Up-close and personal?”
“Haven’t you even wondered, Lauren?”
Her eyebrows creased at his question. “About what?”
“Us. What it would be like to expand on our bedroom experiences. Our sex is still hot…fucking knocks my socks off, but wouldn’t you like to see if we could go higher, find more?”
“I suppose I’ve thought about it.” What would he say if she told him exactly how far her secret desires had wandered?
“I’ve given it a lot of thought,” he confessed. “And I’ve decided I’m sick of wondering.”
She knew what he wanted. She also knew it was time to stop lying. To him and to herself. When she submitted her body, her mind and her soul, she wanted it to be with him and Chad. Her heart was split down the middle and it wasn’t fair to Sean to only offer him half. “Sean, I can’t—”
“Just hear me out, Lauren. I’m offering a compromise.”
“Another one?” she joked. Her mind drifted to the foosball table that still sat in the dining room.
He grinned. “I want to dominate you and you want an A. Let’s work on your project together.”
“You honestly think I’d agree to submit to you just to get a good grade in a class? Jesus, either I’m a huge nerd or a callous bitch or both, but either way, I hardly think—”
Sean shook his head. “That came out wrong. I saw your face when I walked in here. The research is getting to you, isn’t it? I saw the flush on your cheeks. I can tell when a woman is on the verge of an orgasm. You like what you’re reading. You want to try it.”
“Some dreams are best left alone.”
His gaze sharpened. “So you’re admitting it’s a dream of yours?”
She wanted to bite off her foolish tongue. “I didn’t expect to— I didn’t realize how affected I would be…” She paused and tried to find a way to say what she was thinking. She did want to submit, but not to just Sean.
“You didn’t know the idea of submission would turn you on so much, make you so hot you could melt. If I reached into your panties, how wet would I find you?”
“Drenched,” she whispered before closing her eyes. “Shit. That’s not important.”
“I’d say that’s pretty fucking important.”
One look at his face proved he was finished asking. She’d never seen him look more determined…or hungry.
“Lauren, we’ve been together for years. I love you. I respect your intelligence and your independence—but right now, I want to possess you, show you how much more I have to offer.”
His words struck a chord. She’d been trying to play by the rules for years, becoming increasingly more miserable as each day passed. She’d been so intent on maintaining a normal relationship that she’d failed to realize how much she was missing, how much she was hurting. She owed it to Sean to tell him the truth. To tell him how she felt about Chad…but she was too afraid. Even as she sat here, she knew they were talking about two different things. He wanted to explore BDSM. She wanted Chad.
“When did life get so complicated?”
He grinned. “There’s nothing complicated about this. You just have to give yourself to me, Lauren. Submit to me.”
He backed his words up with a kiss and she let herself be swept away. For several moments, she simply let her lips say all the things she couldn’t find the words to express. She did want him. She did want this. Problem was…she wanted so much more.
The tenor of the touches changed. Sean’s lips firmed and he pressed harder. His tongue no longer seemed to stroke her mouth as much as it came in and conquered. Always a gentle lover, Sean took her by surprise with his rough kiss.
He pushed her down on the bed, coming over her, never breaking the union of their lips. He reached up with his hands, tangling them in her ponytail, tugging at her hair. Her body flew into overdrive with his forceful grasp. She spread her legs and wrapped them around his hips as he began to drive his jeans-covered cock against her pussy. Desperation seemed to lace Sean’s movement. Lauren wondered what prompted it.
He continued to lay siege to her lips and though she tried to break away, tried to put some distance between them in an effort to find air, he held her immobile, hostage to his whims.
“Sean,” she whispered, but he swallowed her words, kissing her harder, driving his tongue into her mouth.
Her mind fought him, tried to force this stranger away, but her body was held in his thrall. She tightened her legs as he thrust against her faster. He was driving her arousal higher with each touch, each unspoken demand.
She tried one last-ditch attempt at feeble resistance. Dragging her nails along his back, she scratched him. Hard. She grinned when she heard his hiss of pain. She’d scored a point.
She was surprised when he released her hair and reached for her
hands. Grasping them tightly by the wrists, he pulled them above her head, holding them against the mattress.
“Trust me,” he said against her lips, his words deep, powerful. He didn’t give her a chance to respond. He merely punctuated his command with another hard kiss.
She tried once more to free her lips from his. She needed to breathe, needed space between them so she could think. He was driving her arousal higher with each touch until she found it impossible to form a coherent thought. He adjusted his grip, holding both her hands with one of his while the other took control of her head. His implacable clasp told her he could easily possess her.
She continued to fight, to struggle—though the effort was halfhearted at best. The combined feeling of his cock against her needy center, his fingers in her hair, his lips and mouth consuming her as he held her immobile against the bed, was working some sort of magic on her.
His tongue swept along her lower lip before diving into her mouth again. Suddenly the fight went out of her. She brushed her tongue against his, letting her arms lie slack in his grip.
She understood. She knew now where it was Sean wanted to take her and for the briefest of moments, submitting to him sounded heavenly. She was tired of fighting him, fighting her attraction to Chad, fighting this incredible feeling. To hell with the consequences. She knew wherever Sean led, she’d follow willingly.
The hand holding her ponytail loosened and Sean pulled away only an inch, his gaze capturing hers.
He gave her a victorious grin. “You’re mine, Lauren.”
She tried to assimilate his words while the riotous emotions rocketed through her body. One word kept pounding in her brain, taking up the same rhythm as the blood coursing through her veins.
Submit. Submit. Submit.
Isn’t that what she’d just done? Put herself in Sean’s hands? Given him control of her body? Yes. She had. She thought she’d be more uncomfortable with the realization, but her mind and body seemed to agree on only one thing. She wanted to give him everything she had to offer, but she needed more.