Jeremy turned to Liam, his hands out in a helpless gesture. “Should I have not told her?”
Ginny’s head snapped up and she gasped. “Of course you should have told me. When did all of this happen?”
Liam spoke up. “We’ve been working on it for a few days now. That morning we all woke up together in your apartment. That was the phone call I got.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Maybe we could have avoided all of this,” she said, waving her hands around.
Jeremy took a step forward and knelt down next to her. “No, honey, we couldn’t have. You would have still had to decide if you wanted to be with us, with your friends, or without any of us. This is a huge decision and we didn’t want to influence it. Besides, I was too busy acting like an ass to have time to tell you.”
As he waited he watched her face closely. He saw the tears slowly coursing down her cheeks, he watched the internal struggle behind her eyes, and he saw her eventual comprehension of the situation. Her hand rose toward his face, not quickly like she was going to hit him but slowly, as if she was unsure of herself. He wouldn’t have blocked her slap had that been her intent. He knew he deserved it for the way he had behaved. Instead he felt her fingertips trace the curve of his jaw from ear to chin and heard her soft voice say, “Yes, you were.”
Jeremy hoped from the wonder he heard in her voice that she had forgiven him. “I don’t want to pressure you, love, but I think we all need an answer.” He swept his hand in a gesture to include not only Liam and himself but the battered couple as well. He closed his eyes for a moment, only opening them when he heard her ragged intake of breath. Ginny slowly rose to stand before Rick and Cindy, so Jeremy stood, too, taking a step back to give her space.
“Rick, Cindy.” She reached out and took one of each of their hands into hers. “I love you both. You have been two of the best friends I’ve ever had and I will always treasure our time together. I know now that coming back at this point and trying with you again would be a disaster. You need time free of pressure to do some honest soul-searching together to find what the right path is for you both.”
She leaned forward and placed a light kiss on each of their lips. Cindy began crying then and Jeremy had to give Rick credit for the way he reacted. The other man turned a sad smile on Ginny and then gathered his wife into his arms and led her a short distance away where she had some privacy to collect herself. He didn’t argue with Ginny or bluster at Liam or himself. He handled himself with dignity and calm, even though it was obvious from the look on his face that he had been hurt by her decision.
Jeremy returned to his place next to his partner to see what their fate would be. Would they get the woman of their dreams or be crushed like the poor couple standing ten feet away comforting one another?
Ginny took the single step to put her front and center before them. She met his eyes but he couldn’t quite read her decision in her expression. She wasn’t smiling as she looked from him to Liam and back. “Why would you give up your lives in Fresno to move here?”
Liam beat him to the answer. “Isn’t it obvious? Because this is where you are.”
Jeremy didn’t know if Liam was holding his breath waiting for her next words, but he was. She glanced almost desperately around the room and then back to them, as if she were trying to steel herself to say something. He wasn’t sure she could even see them with the tears welling in her eyes. He saw her lips move several times before any sound came out and then the world flipped as he heard her whisper, “I love you. Both of you.”
Her next words flipped it again. “But I don’t want to be in a relationship with people who can’t control their anger.”
Neither man said anything for a second. Then Jeremy held up one finger and turned around to face the dungeon. Almost everyone was watching them, anyway, so he acknowledged them with a nod before calling in a loud, clear voice, “Hello, everyone. My name, for those of you who don’t know yet, is Jeremy—otherwise known as The Asshole—and this is my partner Liam. We are moving here and hope to be part of this community. I know many of you witnessed my meltdown at the Crafty Dom Competition the other night. I apologize to all of you for that. I know our issues tonight have interrupted some of your scenes as well. Again, I am sorry and I—we—want you to know that this will not be our habit. I need to ask a favor of you all.” He stopped and looked at the crowd, who had gathered around them. Their faces didn’t look angry, for the most part, simply interested. He took that as a good sign.
He turned to Liam and another unspoken communication went between them. After a moment, Liam nodded gravely and Jeremy turned back to his audience. “Is there anyone here who can teach a couple of monkeys like us some meditation tricks for anger management, to help prevent stupid outbursts?”
He stood, facing the assembled group, who began murmuring among themselves. Then Jodi, Phoenix’s girl, stepped forward. “I run a small community center where we teach yoga, tai chi, and several other things that might help. We’d be happy to work with you.”
Jeremy bowed to her. “Thank you. That’s exactly what I was looking for.” He turned back to Ginny. “Will that start to alleviate your concerns?”
She blinked at him, obviously weighing the totality of the situation in her mind. He finally started breathing again when she held out her arms with a breathy, “Yes.”
He and Liam stepped forward in unison and crushed her in an embrace that seemed to last forever. He knew he never wanted to let her go again and suspected that Liam felt the same, since his arms hadn’t loosened at all either. They stayed like that as the crowd broke into applause and cheers around them.
Chapter 14
Liam looked across the small table at the woman who was now his and Jeremy’s. They had moved to the back porch of the house for a private chat. He knew they had to have some long, hard conversations about the future, but he knew just as certainly that now was not the time for them. Now was the time to show her once again how good it could be. Tearing his gaze from her beautiful face, he looked at the barn and then back at the other two at the table. “I’m sorry your friends were hurt by all of this.”
Ginny met his eyes with a small, sad smile. “Thank you, Liam. That is very sweet of you and that’s one of the many reasons I love you so much.”
Liam just shrugged his shoulders and flicked a glance at Jeremy to see how he had reacted to the comment. Sharing someone was still unfamiliar ground to them all and even though they hadn’t had any jealousy problems so far he wasn’t convinced it wouldn’t happen at some point. He was relieved to see that his fears were unfounded and his friend was smiling broadly.
“See, you do have a heart. I knew all of the bad guys who constantly tell you that you don’t were wrong.” Jeremy laughed, breaking the undercurrent of tension that had been clinging to them all since the showdown in the dungeon.
Ginny’s hand reached out and she stroked a finger down Jeremy’s bare arm from elbow to hand, chuckling. “And that is one of the many reasons I love you, you goofball. You always make me laugh.”
He was pleased that her words only stirred a feeling of affection for the other two and not a single twinge of jealousy. “Okay, then,” he said. “You love us, we love you. Now what?”
Ginny answered him without hesitation. “Tonight we play, then we fuck our brains out. But first we need to talk about something that is very important to me. I have been thinking about this a lot and the little performance you two did in there cinched it for me. I need more structure if I’m going to be able to make this work. I would like to be your submissive. I think that the negotiated structure of a power-exchange relationship would help me to thrive and the authoritative way you arrested me in there has my panties so wet I may leave a puddle when I get up from this chair. What do you say?”
Liam shifted in his chair, a little surprised at her words. “Do you mean like a Master/slave kind of thing?”
“It can be like that. It can be anything we want it to be. That
’s what makes it negotiated.” She laughed. Liam made a mental promise to himself that he would learn to make that happen as easily as Jeremy seemed to be able to.
He pulled his attention back to her words. “Okay, then. What are you interested in it being?”
Her eyes flicked from his over to Jeremy and then back. “Well, a couple of things really. First, I do not want to move. I have spent a lot of time and energy building a life here in Grandpointe. You said something in the dungeon about you two moving here. What was that all about?”
Before he could answer, Jeremy piped up excitedly. “Chief Roberts asked us to transfer here and start their SWAT team. That has always been our dream job, and since it meant getting to be with you, we jumped at the chance. He’s been working on arranging it ever since.”
“Okay. Well, that solves that problem nicely.” She chuckled then went on. “Secondly, I have been seeing just how amazing the people in this lifestyle really are. I always thought that people who were into the whole BDSM thing would be scary and that anyone who would call themselves a Dominant or a Master would be manipulative and take advantage of the other person. I see now just how wrong I was. They are funny and caring and some of the most giving people I have ever met. The Dominants here are definitely not manipulative assholes. In fact, they go out of their way to make sure their partners are not only well taken care of but that they have the opportunities to grow personally, spiritually and, often, professionally.”
When she paused for breath, Liam took a chance and asked, “I agree with you, but what has that got to do with us?”
“It has everything to do with us, don’t you see that? This is exactly the kind of thing I have been searching for my whole life. I have always wanted to belong to something bigger than myself. To be a needed part of a team that shares their goals and desires.”
Liam frowned thoughtfully. “That’s great, honey. I think we all want that. Hell, that’s part of why we’re both on the SWAT team. I have to ask again, though, what does that have to do with us?”
Jeremy backhanded him in the arm with an incredulous look. “Dude, really? You don’t get it? Unless I am way off-base, she wants that team to be us specifically and the whole community in general.”
“Exactly!” Ginny all but screamed.
Liam was completely lost. He shook his head and looked from one to the other of his new partners before saying, “But I thought we had already agreed to be a team, to be in a relationship. Hell, you’ve even called us ‘Master’ a few times.”
Jeremy looked at him like he had grown a third arm out of his forehead. “We did, dude. This has to do with what she mentioned earlier about needing more discipline and having damp panties.”
“See, and here I thought Liam was the smart one.” Ginny chuckled.
“That’s right, baby. When you look as drab as I do, you have to make up for it in other ways. I have to be both smart and funny.” Jeremy’s voice was light, but he looked down at the table instead of at either of them.
Ginny leaned across the small table and laid her hand on Jeremy’s cheek. When he looked up, she said, “You are gorgeous and sexy. Why else do you think my panties are wet?”
“Okay, before this becomes a pity party for Jeremy, what does this actually mean for us?” Liam asked.
Ginny gave Jeremy a quick caress and then turned to look at Liam. “It means I want you two to be my Masters. For real. All of the time, not just when we’re playing. I’ve talked to Allie and Carly about this quite a bit and I think we can use it to make all of us better. You two set the goals within the boundaries we negotiate and then we all work together to make them happen.”
“Okay, that sounds reasonable,” Liam said. “I’ve always been intrigued by the whole power-exchange thing, so why not? Let’s give it a try. Where do we start?”
Without missing a beat, Ginny spoke up. “That’s easy. The first thing we do is go into the barn over there and have a fantastic scene together and then go back to your rooms and fuck our brains out. This whole submissive thing has me so horny I can’t see straight.”
Jeremy rubbed his hands together gleefully. “What kind of scene would finish soaking those panties, love?”
“Something Carly mentioned that I want to try,” Ginny said, looking suddenly shy. “She was telling me how she uses pain to release pent-up emotions. I think if we did an intensive spanking scene I might be able to let go of a lot of the anger, anxiety, guilt, and fear that I have bottled up inside. If it works I can start with a clean slate. I know it isn’t very erotic but it will help me feel better. Besides, I have no doubt you two will correct the lack of eroticism when we get to your rooms.”
“Oh, you know it, baby.” Jeremy leapt up, grabbing her hand.
Ginny stood, looking expectantly at Liam. After a moment he grinned and joined them, taking her other hand. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
* * * *
As they walked in, Ginny scanned the dimly lit dungeon for any sign of Rick and Cindy. She didn’t see them and was grateful for that small mercy. She would have to talk to them in the morning before they left, but didn’t want that emotionally charged conversation to ruin her time with her new Masters tonight. At a touch on her elbow she glanced back at her men and saw Jeremy motioning for her to follow them. They stopped in front of a heavily cushioned spanking bench.
It looked very similar to a wooden saw horse but there was an extra board running the length of the device on each side mounted approximately twelve inches below the top. Both the top rail and the boards attached below it were padded with a thick blue cushion and it dawned on her that the lower rails would support the arms and legs of anyone straddling the top. She could also see an eyebolt mounted to each corner of the lower boards.
She tore her gaze from the spanking bench and back to her Masters. She did a quick double take and then turned to face them directly and dropped to her knees. In the short time she had been looking at the furniture their entire demeanor had changed. No longer were they a pair of fun-loving guys. Their body language had transformed them into gods of discipline. Their backs were ramrod straight and there wasn’t even the ghost of a smile on their sensuous lips. They were the very embodiment of rigid control.
As they stood there in their leather police uniforms looking down at her, she turned into a soft, gooey puddle of lust. There was something about a man in uniform with that attitude that conveyed control and safety laced with danger. She knew some people liked firemen, with their hoses and calendars. They can keep them, she thought. Give her a cop any day—and now she had two of her very own.
Liam dropped the full intensity of his gaze to hers and she had to wonder how many bad guys had confessed to their crimes just from receiving that look. She knew she would admit to anything they asked, whether she was guilty or not. That look had a weight to it as if it were a physical thing. She wanted to look down but felt completely helpless while caught in its power.
Liam’s deep rumble pulled her back into the present. “You have been a very naughty girl.”
“Yes, Sir.” It was all she could seem to say.
Jeremy’s voice, just as deep and commanding as Liam’s, then pulled her attention to him. “You need to be punished.”
“Yes, Sir.” Again it were as if that was the only word she knew. Their presence overwhelmed everything. It filled her entire mind and every thought.
“Stand,” Liam barked.
She immediately complied. No thoughts of disobedience existed.
“Strip,” Jeremy commanded next.
She undressed as quickly as she ever had in her life and within seconds stood naked in front of them, completely unaware if anyone one else was in the room or even existed at all. Her complete attention was focused on her Masters. Her only thought was to obey their every command. She was so lost in their power that she barely even noticed her own juices dripping down her thighs.
Without warning they stepped forward in unison and each grabbed one of he
r arms. They weren’t rough, but she could feel the strength pulsing through their hands and knew there would be no escape—not that she wanted to escape. The thought caused her to grin to herself.
“So you think this is funny?” Jeremy’s voice was a warning.
“Oh no, Sir.” She was suddenly embarrassed, as if she were a small child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“I think we can find a way to impress upon you the severity of the situation.” Liam’s voice boomed from beside her.
Suddenly she was lifted into the air and placed firmly but gently facedown along the top edge of the bench. She was essentially on her hands and knees, her arms and legs supported on the runner boards with the top board running the length of her body.
A soft snap on either side caused her to glance at Liam, whom she was currently facing. She saw that he had opened the leather pouch on the front of his belt and withdrawn a pair of metal handcuffs. Without warning, they were efficiently secured to her wrist and then to the nearby eyebolt. She felt the same sensation in her other wrist and knew without looking that Jeremy had mirrored Liam’s actions.
Jeremy leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Do not move your feet off the bench without our permission. No matter what is being done, do not move them. Do you understand?”
She gulped. “Yes, Sir.” His voice was doing funny things to her body. Even though the situation was a little frightening, she could feel herself responding. There was a tingling in the lower part of her abdomen and her pussy began to throb with anticipation. She wiggled a little to get more comfortable and to rub her swollen clit against the padding, in hopes of relieving some of the desperate need that was building inside her.
There was a sharp smacking sound and a flash of pain suddenly engulfed her right ass cheek. As quickly as it had come, the pain started to fade. “You were not given permission to fuck that bench,” Liam’s voice growled in her ear. “Get that pussy up and off of the cushion. You will not be given release until you have begged for it and been given our permission. Do you understand?”
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