They dined together, chatting about what Samantha had been up to on the island.
“So you’ve completely overridden all the designs you hired a designer to do?” Alexei’s blue eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Not all of them,” Samantha protested. “I liked a lot of her ideas. They just needed a little tweaking.”
Stefano shrugged. “I can’t argue with your taste.”
She’d redecorated their Miami home, even Stef and Lex’s bedrooms, and they’d loved everything. However, she knew Stef meant his comment as a self-compliment. She grinned at him. “No, you really can’t.”
When they finished eating, Stef put their tray in the hall for room service to pick up.
Lex put his hand over hers. “How are you feeling, honey?”
He was asking about her physical health. She smiled. “Fine. I have a couple of welts on my ass, but that’s all. I put some cream on them.”
Lex nodded, but then he lifted his gaze and had one of those telepathic conversations with Stefano. This was it. They were going to talk. They very much needed to talk.
“Should we go over to the sofa, or do you want to do this at the table?” She directed the question to Alexei.
He rose to his feet without answering, so she got up as well. When he went down on one knee, her jaw dropped. This? Now?
“Lex,” she began, trying to warn him not to do it, but her voice came out as a whisper.
“Samantha, you are the other half of my soul.”
Stefano got down on his knee next to Lex. “Sammy, you’re the other half of my soul.”
“We love you so much,” Lex added. “Loving you has been the single greatest thing we’ve ever done.”
“Marry us,” Stefano said.
She shook her head. They were not doing this now.
“Yes,” Stefano continued. “We found someone to do a triad ceremony, though legally you’d be married to Lex. We flipped a coin.”
She wasn’t upset that they’d chosen such an arbitrary method for selecting which one would have that honor. Thank goodness they weren’t going to make her choose. No, that’s not why she was pissed.
“No. I won’t marry you—either of you. Please get up.” Her feelings boiled. Everything they’d done to help her reach emotional equilibrium vanished. She clutched at her throat, bringing attention to the elegant collar they’d given her years ago.
They both shot to their feet, but Stefano was faster. He grabbed her hand, jerking it away from her body. “Think long and hard before you take that off, Sammy.” His tone was dangerously low.
“I’m not taking it off,” she said, grinding the words through her clenched teeth. “I’m not refusing to be your submissive. I’m refusing to be your wife.”
“Samantha, don’t be rash.” Alexei put the ring on the table. She hadn’t looked at it closely, but it was definitely to her taste. The bastards.
“Of all the cheap, underhanded things, you chose this! I can’t believe you would stoop this low!”
Lex’s gaze followed hers to the ring. “I assure you it wasn’t cheap.”
The world washed in red. She’d thought that was only a thing in books, but it looked like she was mistaken. “Not the ring, you son of a bitch! I don’t care about the ring!” They could have spent ten percent of what they made in a year and bought a ring worth millions, and it wouldn’t have mattered.
“Then what?” Stefano asked. “Why are you overreacting?”
“Overreacting?” Was there another word that could have escalated her temper even further? Probably not. “The last time you thought I was unhappy, you bought me this island. You thought it would divert my attention from the fact that you’re never around, only it worked a little too well. Now you offer me a ring? Why? Because planning for a wedding would keep me busy and in Miami where you want me? Fuck you, Stefano. I’m not a problem you can fix by throwing expensive things at me!”
She pushed past them, shoving at their chests with all her might. Both of them moved out of the way, and she wasn’t sure if it was from her awesome, pissed-off strength or because they were too stunned to stay put.
“Samantha.” Alexei used his Dom voice, the one that could send chills or shivers up her spine.
She whirled to face him, her temper drawn down a few notches by his tone, and crossed her arms. “What?”
“You came down here because you felt unwanted. We haven’t been paying attention to you like we should. The proposal and the ring signify our commitment to changing that. We never want you to feel like you aren’t the most important thing in our lives again.”
She stared at him in tight-lipped silence. He still didn’t get it. “Lex, I know you love me. I know I’m important to you. Otherwise you’d ask for this collar back and fill your nights with any of the dozens of women willing to take my place. I’m not here because I think you’re falling out of love with me.”
“Then why?” Stefano said. Both of them came two steps closer, but they left plenty of space for her cloud of fury.
“How many days were you home last month?”
Stefano shook his head. “Does it matter?”
“It matters.” It was the whole point, and he was missing it.
“I don’t know. We were in the middle of putting together the Resto deal, which we finished up late last night. Twenty?”
She swallowed back the bitterness. She could give a flying fuck about whatever deal they were working on. “Eight, Stefano. You were home eight days. Not full days. You worked in the Miami office four of those eight. Lex was home ten days, and he worked seven of them.”
Alexei held up a placating hand. “Are you saying you want to end this because we’re not home often enough? Samantha, we’ve asked you repeatedly to come to New York with us.”
Hostile acidity burned her throat. “No, that’s not what I’m saying, Lex. I’ve been very clear with what I’m saying. You’re never home. Why should I sit in that house and wait for the few days each month when you visit?” Alexei opened his mouth to respond, but she held up a hand. “Don’t mention New York. That’s just another city for you to dump me in. You’ll want me to sit in a hotel room all day and wait for that twenty minutes between the time you get home and the time you fall, exhausted, into bed. Maybe you’ll use me for a quick fuck a few times a day.”
She actually didn’t have a problem with the last part. She loved making them come. “And then there’s this marriage thing. For what purpose? You want kids? Well, I don’t want to be a single mother. You barely have room in your lives for me. You’ve got nothing for a child.”
Stefano took her hand. She flinched, but she didn’t pull away. “Sammy, we want you to find an apartment for us. We’re going to be doing a lot of business in New York over the next few years, and it makes sense to relocate there. If we’re all living there, then we’ll get to see you more often. Daily.”
Alexei took her other hand. “We love you, honey, and we’re ready to prove it. Let’s put the question of marriage on the shelf for now and concentrate on fixing our relationship.”
That’s exactly what she wanted, and it made her heart swell that they finally understood. “I love you, too,” she said. “So much.”
She tried to look at both of them, but tears clouded her vision.
“So it’s settled. We’ll stay here for the rest of the week and prove to you that you are the most important thing in our lives. He pulled her closer, putting her between him and Lex. “There’s no reason for us to be apart.”
They sandwiched her in a hug, and though it felt great, she couldn’t shut down a nagging sense that it wasn’t going to be as easy as they made it seem.
She spent the night with Stefano, who surprised her with vanilla sex. He wasn’t one for straight vanilla, preferring to hold her down or somehow dominate her during the act. Other than to guide her to sit astride him, he didn’t attempt to exert his true nature. He was gentle and reverent, letting her do whatever she wanted. When she aske
d to come, he merely nodded and gripped her hips harder, as if the choice wasn’t up to him.
It was unsettling.
* * * *
The next morning, they prepared breakfast together in the kitchenette. Stef didn’t say much, but that wasn’t unusual. He wasn’t much of a talker before his second cup of coffee. That feeling something was off kept bothering Samantha.
“Stef, your coffee is ready. We don’t have any cream. Do you want it black or with milk?” She opened the refrigerator and bent to get the milk. Whether he wanted some didn’t matter that much. She wanted milk in her coffee, lots of it.
He took the carton from her and set it on the counter next to the sink. “Bend over the table. Put your hands above you, and hold on to the other side.”
She did as he directed. The shirt she’d thrown on when she got out of bed rode up on her hips, and she wasn’t wearing panties. When she had a night with Stef, Lex often liked to have a quickie before he headed out to work. He preferred for her to keep easy access.
Stefano lifted her shirt higher so that it bunched under her breasts. Using his foot, he nudged her legs into a wider stance. The table was narrow, and so her head reached almost to the other side. She turned her face to the side and rested her cheek on the surface. Even if he did nothing else, this had addressed the uncertainty that had plagued her all night.
Behind her, she heard him resume his activities in the kitchenette. He pulled out a chair at the table and set his plate and mug down. Then he settled in and ate breakfast. They’d heated up cinnamon rolls, and the scent of hot cinnamon made her mouth water. Her tummy rumbled. Though she could hold out for a little while longer, she was hungry.
He watched her as he ate, his eyes roaming over her form as if he was reading the morning paper. When he finished, he sat back. “Would you like a spanking or do you want to give me a blowjob?”
His question made her forget about food. Both options sounded nice. “Whatever you prefer, Stef.”
“Can I get in on that action?”
Lex had come in from behind her, so she hadn’t seen or heard him. She didn’t answer. When two Doms both wanted something from her, she’d found it best to stay out of negotiations.
Stefano smiled at his brother. “Morning, Lex. I was leaning toward blowjob. She hasn’t had breakfast yet.”
Samantha felt Lex’s hands skim over her skin, caressing her butt and lower back. “We can’t have her starving. Blowjob it is.”
“Sammy, get on your knees, honey. Can you do us both at the same time?”
It had been a while since she’d had the pleasure of practicing her dual technique, but she was certain she could still get them both off. “Yes, Stef.” She lifted herself from the table and knelt on the floor. They both came to stand in front of her with their drawers conveniently lowered. Two erections faced her, so she spit on her palms and got to work. She was careful to keep her hands in play as she alternated sucking the two cocks. As it was morning, they were both easy targets. Stef came first, ejaculating so hard that some dribbled down her chin. Lex climaxed soon after, and his semen spread the mess across her cheek.
Stefano wiped her face with a warm cloth. “Still hungry?”
She smiled up at him. “Always.”
* * * *
They went to work with her, trailing in her wake as she spoke to Skip Morin about the progress the crew had made the day before. Tessa tracked her down, and this time, Samantha introduced her to Lex and Stef.
“Tessa Blue, meet Alexei and Stefano Morozov.”
Tessa stuck out her hand. “Pleasure, gentlemen.” She put her hand on Peaches’ arm. He was dressed the same way as the day before in jeans, work boots, and no shirt. The only change was the addition of black knee pads he wore over his jeans. His back and chest bore evidence of a recent flogging. “This is Peaches, but you can call him Nick. Say hello, Peaches.”
Peaches waited for Lex and Stef to offer their hands, but his handshakes were not at all subservient. “Great to meet you, Sirs.”
Tessa threaded her arm through Samantha’s. “I have the revisions you wanted, and I need you to look at some fabric samples. Gentlemen, you don’t mind if I steal her, do you?”
Alexei crossed his arms. “We mind. We’ll come with you.”
The dining hall had been cleared out, so their only options for tables large enough to seat five were outside. Tessa had her things set out near a pool that had been drained. Peaches pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down. Stefano did the honors for Samantha, but there was a marked difference in his bearing. Where Peaches was seeing to the needs of his Mistress, Stefano was choosing Samantha’s place and putting her where he wanted her to be.
Lex sat down and watched his brother take care of her.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Tessa said, “but how do you tell them apart?”
Samantha looked from Lex to Stef. They’d dressed identically. Both men grinned at the question. “Subtle differences that most people don’t notice.” She pointed out who was whom. “They’re mirror images. Alexei is left-handed and Stefano is right-handed.” There were other clues, of course. Alexei’s balls were a little heavier on the right side, and Stefano’s hung a little lower on the left, but she wasn’t sure they even knew that.
Tessa waved her pointing finger between them. “Have you guys ever considered dressing differently?”
“Sometimes we do,” Lex said. “Samantha likes when we dress the same. We’ve been trying for years to catch her off guard, but she never makes a mistake. Don’t worry, Tessa. We’re both used to answering to the other’s name, and we don’t get offended. Even our parents could never tell us apart.”
Tessa shrugged. “Okay, then. Let’s get to work.” She gestured to Peaches, who set a box on the table.
Two hours later, Samantha decided she was grateful that Lex and Stef were with her. They had definite opinions on fabrics and colors, and they shared them whenever Samantha had trouble making up her mind.
By the time the three men left to get lunch for everybody, the five of them were having fun. Tessa’s outspokenness didn’t faze Lex or Stef, and Peaches turned out to have a great sense of humor. Tessa had commanded Peaches to get the food, but Lex and Stef had elected to help. Samantha knew they wanted to get him alone to grill him about why he consented to being called by such a non-masculine name.
As soon as they were gone, Tessa leaned closer. “Hot identical twins. Damn, girl. That’s every woman’s fantasy. How long have you guys been together?”
“A little over four years,” Samantha said. She traced her fingertip over her collar. “They’ve been very good to me.”
“They’re crazy about you.” Tessa laughed. “Do they fight over you?”
Samantha shook her head. “We have a fair system, and they almost never disagree about anything.”
When the men returned with food, Peaches knelt on all fours at Tessa’s feet. The day before, he’d joined them for meals, so this was a new development. Lex and Stef had never made Samantha sit at their feet for meals.
Tessa cut Peaches’ sandwich into bite-sized pieces. She picked up a fry and held it above his head. “Are you hungry, Peaches?”
He sat down with his legs bent and his hands still on the pavement, and he barked.
Samantha lifted a brow. She’d never seen animal play in action. Peaches took the fry from Tessa’s hand and wolfed it down. Then he nudged her leg with his nose until she put his plate on the ground.
Alexei closed his hand over Samantha’s, recalling her attention to her meal. “You’ve never seen that before, have you?”
Samantha shook her head. “It’s funny because Sabrina and I were talking about it at the spa last week.”
Tessa stroked her hand along Peaches’ back and patted his flank rather hard. “We play like this quite often. He loves to be groomed and trained.”
“Do you breed him?” Stefano asked.
“Sometimes. We don’t play with others
, so I do the honors myself. Pet play isn’t often sexual for us.”
Lex moved his hand and stroked her knee under the table. “What did you guys say about it?”
Samantha shrugged. “We were just talking about what kind of animal we’d want to be. She said she’d be a cat so she could be a bratty sub, and I said I’d be a pony.”
“Why a pony?” Lex asked.
Samantha noticed that everybody was listening to her answer, even Peaches. “Well, I thought I could dress up in pretty costumes, and I think the pony shoes are sexy.”
Lex inclined his head in a gesture that meant she should continue. “That’s all? You like the clothes?”
That wasn’t all, but she didn’t quite know how to explain. “I don’t know. Maybe it would be nice to be groomed and trained. It sounds fun and interesting, but I don’t know. I’ve never done it.”
“You’d make a sexy pony,” Tessa said. “If any of you have questions, you can ask me or Peaches. We’ve done pony play before, though we do prefer pet play most of the time.”
Stefano regarded her with a sinful smile. “I’d like to see you with a bit in your mouth, hobbled for breeding.”
Samantha stared at the table, mostly because she was trying not to think about it too much. Her panties were damp from the way Stef was looking at her.
“Tossing your head, whinnying, nuzzling my hand.” Stefano’s seductive voice was too full of mirth.
Her face burned. “You’re making fun of me.”
Stefano shook his head. “Never, Sammy. I think you’d make an interesting pony. Just remember, the owner gets to name the pony.”
She hadn’t thought of having another name, and she wasn’t sure she wanted Stefano to pick another name for her. With his sense of humor, he’d likely call her Sparkles or something else cutesy. She nailed Stef with a warning look. “Only if I agree to it.”
He merely gave her a smug grin. Lex studied her thoughtfully, but he didn’t comment.
Chapter Seven
Two Masters for Samantha 2: In Their Hearts [Awakenings 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7