by Tara Rose
“Well, frankly, yes. I did. It was a cowardly thing to do.” She recognized the increase in volume and pitch. It was the hallmark of Leo in a very pissed-off mood because he’d lost control of a situation.
“It was the brave thing to do.” By contrast, she kept her voice soft and neutral, knowing that would piss him off even further.
“Brave?”
“Yes, brave. I walked out of an abusive, nonconsensual relationship. That’s brave, not cowardly.”
He opened his mouth but nothing came out. For a brief second, she thought he was going to try and argue that what he’d done to her was consensual, but Leo wasn’t naïve. He knew it hadn’t been.
She glanced toward Jake and Gary. “I’m done here.”
The admiration in their eyes made her pussy wet. When they got back to Racy, she was going to rock their world all night long. As they moved toward her, she turned around and reached for their hands. Just before they crossed the threshold, she heard Leo snort and glanced over her shoulder to find him sneering at her.
“Don’t try and work in an orchestra in this country again, Ava. I’ll make sure that no one will ever hire you.”
She turned her head toward the front and smiled. “I don’t need to, Dimitri. I have my own business now.”
Ava’s legs began to tremble again as they made their way out to the parking lot and Gary’s car. Her parting remark in which she’d used his real name had been an impulsive thing to do, and one which she’d been certain would lead to him coming after her, but no one followed them.
Once they were safely inside Gary’s car, she collapsed into his arms, laughing and crying at the same time. Jake leaned over from the back seat and hugged her as well. Both men couldn’t stop saying how proud they were of her, and how much they loved her.
She talked nonstop on the way home, reliving every nuance of Leo’s reaction. She couldn’t stop telling them both how much she loved them, and how grateful she was that they’d encouraged her to do this.
She glanced toward Gary. “I owe you an apology. I had no idea you were still so in touch with the music community here.”
“Don’t be silly. You owe me no such thing. I’m just thrilled that I had a part in making this happen.”
Ava turned around and faced Jake. “And you…playing the family card. I love it. How did you know that he knew your uncle?”
Jake gave her a sheepish grin. “Um…I sort of asked around my family in Chicago because I knew I’d heard his real name before. But I swear I told no one his scene name.”
Ava laughed. “Oh screw that. I don’t even care anymore. I don’t know how I ever would have done this without you two. And that goes double for the shop. I couldn’t have opened it so successfully without you. Thank you.”
Ava smiled all the way back to Racy. Her past was where it belonged now, and it could never touch her again. She’d faced her greatest fear, and now she could move forward in her relationship with Gary and Jake, giving them both the submission and love they deserved.
Chapter Twenty-Two
They barely got in the door at Jake’s house before Ava kissed each one like she never would again. She felt free—totally free—for the first time in seventeen years. They loved her. That thought reverberated in her brain. And she was finally able to say the words to them. She thought her heart would burst with happiness.
Jake practically dragged her up the stairs and into his room. She lost track of which man removed which piece of clothing as they both became a tangle of hands and mouths on her body. She undressed them, they undressed themselves and her, and the three moved as a unit into Jake’s ridiculously luxurious bathroom. The room was larger than the entire first floor of Gary’s condo.
They left behind a trail of clothing, and when Jake pulled her under the water, she leaned into his embrace and shivered from joy and love. Gary moved behind her, brushing his hands up and down her naked body. At one point she knew that one of them had filled his hands with shower gel, but she didn’t know who and she didn’t care. She closed her eyes and moaned loudly as teeth and tongues teased her nipples and clit into a frenzy. Someone’s warm, wet finger filled her asshole, and she didn’t force her thoughts to focus until Jake asked if she was on the pill.
“What? Yes. Why?”
“Because I don’t want to stop to put on a fucking condom.”
“Oh…then don’t. We don’t have to use them anymore if you don’t want to.”
“We will for anal.”
“Okay.” She kissed him, and when he picked her up and pushed her against the wall, Ava screamed as he plunged his dick into her pussy. She’d always wondered if having sex up against a wall would actually work, and had to fight not to laugh as joy once more overwhelmed her senses. Apparently it did work. But then, Jake was very strong, so she wasn’t surprised he was able to hold her up and fuck her at the same time.
After he came, he gently placed her on her feet and she barely had time to catch her breath before Gary kissed her. Instead of fucking her against the wall, he turned her around and bent her over one of the built-in seats, fucking her pussy from behind. Ava loved it like this, and when he reached around to play with her clit, she exploded in a mind-numbing orgasm that seemed to go on forever.
When he finally came, he helped her out of the shower, and both men dried her off as if she were a child. It was such a sweet, intimate thing to do, and Ava couldn’t stop touching them and gazing into their eyes. She’d never felt this kind of emotion toward Leo. Not even close. She understood now that she’d never really been in love. But she was now.
They led her to Jake’s bed and took turns holding her, telling her how proud they were of her, and whispering their love for her. It didn’t take long for both men to become hard again, which never ceased to delight her. Their stamina was beyond amazement on most days.
Ava lay in between them on her back, and both turned on their sides to face her, one on each side. They propped themselves up on one elbow and gazed down at her, nearly identical grins in their faces. She couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling up inside. “You look like bookends.”
“Bookends?” Jake took her hand and placed it on his cock. “Ever read a book this big before?”
Ava nearly choked with laughter. “Why no, Sir. I haven’t. It’s huge. I’m not sure I can get through this in one night.”
“Hey, over here, sub.” Gary took her other hand and placed it on his dick. “I have a big book, too.”
Ava couldn’t stop giggling. “Oh my…yes, you certainly do, Sir. I’ve never read two big books in one night before.”
“Yeah, I think you have.” Jake grabbed her left breast and began to tease the nipple. “I think you’re a book whore. I think you’d rather read books than do anything.”
Gary began to play with her right breast, and Ava fondled their dicks, but she still couldn’t stop giggling. “I’ve never been this happy.”
“Neither have I,” said Jake, his gaze dark and intense.
“Same here, love.” Gary’s voice was filled with tenderness.
Ava moaned as both men rose up and began to rub their cocks on her face, her breasts, and her abdomen. She played with their balls and opened her mouth like a baby bird, searching for something to fill it. They teased her a bit more before finally taking turns fucking her in the mouth, gently, and then diving between her legs to suck her clit and lick her pussy.
It went on for long, luscious moments and when she came it was slow and sweet. She thought they were going to come in her mouth, but instead they came on her breasts, which she loved just as much because it marked her as theirs.
Ava didn’t bother washing it off. She curled up in their arms and fell asleep with a smile on her face, happier than she’d ever been in her entire life.
* * * *
Jake sat in his car outside Harmony Music on Friday afternoon, one week after he and Gary had taken her to Indianapolis to confront Leo. Gary was in the passenger seat. “Well? You ready
for this?”
“Yeah. I’ve been ready for it since I met her.”
Ava had asked them to go into business with her. She wanted to make them co-owners of Harmony Music, an honor that Jake hadn’t felt worthy of. He’d told her that he hadn’t contributed to the business the way Gary had, but Ava had proven him wrong. Somehow he knew that she would. She’d told him that without his strength of character, she never would have had the guts to do half the things she’d already been able to accomplish. He hadn’t stopped grinning for hours.
“Are you ready?” asked Gary.
Jake chuckled. “Yeah. I am. It’s a solid plan, and she’s had a great start. The rest of these shops will be done by the time summer arrives, and right now she has no competition.”
“She’s going to need more help or we’ll never see her.”
“I have that covered.” Jake took a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. “This is a list of kids in the high school English classes who want to interview for part-time sales positions. I went over the names of the kids who had expressed interest with their teachers, and we handpicked this bunch. All she has to do is make her decision, and she’ll have all the sales help she needs.”
“See? And you thought you had nothing to offer her.”
Jake shook his head. “You know something? I didn’t like you at all. I guess I can say that now. But you’ve turned out to be one loyal, cool friend. Thank you.”
Gary looked stunned, but he recovered quickly. “Thanks, man. That means a lot. It really does. I wasn’t crazy about you, either, but you love her. You show that in a thousand ways. And for that reason alone I’m proud to be your friend now.”
“Thanks.” Jake didn’t know what to say. He’d never had many good friends, male or female. Gary was the closest thing he’d ever had to a best friend, and he wasn’t sure how to react. “She loves us both. I know that. And I know you love her, too.”
“With all my heart, dude.” Gary opened the passenger door. “Let’s go sign some papers.”
* * * *
Saturday morning, less than eighteen hours after Jake and Gary had made it official and become Ava’s business partners, she sat in one of the large parlors inside Maddox’s house, listening to Gary and Jake teach a very entertaining class on impact play. They’d decided to share the teaching of their classes because Maddox thought it would be a good idea to have all the Doms who shared a sub do that, and everyone had readily agreed.
This class was packed, and they’d asked Ava to come with them today and address the class toward the end. They wanted her to tell her story, so that she could illustrate the differences between consensual BDSM and abuse, and she felt she was ready now to do that. Maddox had wanted her to teach a separate class, but she said she wasn’t quite ready for that yet. This was to be her testing ground. If it went well, she’d let Maddox add it as a class to his master schedule.
She admired the easy way Jake and Gary moved and spoke as they taught. They were so at ease in front of a group of people, and she imagined that was why their students loved them so much. Gary even brought his drumsticks, and Ava’s face turned beet red when he talked about using everyday items like them for paddling. She recalled their knife-and-kidnap scene, which had been the first but definitely not the last time he’d spanked her with them.
When they finished their presentation, everyone clapped and cheered, and then they introduced Ava. She walked to the front of the room to more loud applause, and scanned the crowd. Kari and Alexa were there, sitting in the back, to show their support. Ava knew most of the others in the crowd, by sight at least, if not by name.
“All of you are my guinea pigs this morning.” She gave Jake and Gary each a quick smile. “My Doms encouraged me to speak to you briefly about the differences between consensual BDSM, and abuse. It’s important that you understand there is a difference.”
She told them the things Leo had put her through, and more than one person visibly winced or muttered a few choice words about what a pig Leo was. She then explained the importance of consent, and of trust.
“It works both ways. As subs we trust our Dom not to push past a limit we’ve negotiated without our knowledge or consent, and they in turn trust us to safeword when we need to. Without trust, none of this will work. Think of it this way. Many of you are parents. If you give your kids rules and they break them, you both expect consequences. But if you punish them for things they didn’t know were wrong, or off-limits, you’ve just taught them that because you’re bigger and stronger, and are the adult, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and they have no recourse.”
She stopped and glanced around, letting that sink in for a few seconds. From the back row, Alexa hugged herself and nodded vigorously. Ava knew that Alexa’s ex-Dom had abused her for years.
“And this doesn’t only apply to impact play, bondage, or edge play with electricity, wax, or knives. It applies to everything your Dom does and says to you. It applies to any instructions he may give you. At the core of everything must be consent. And even if your dynamic is such that you obey his instructions or commands without question, that is something you’ll have negotiated at the outset. You still have to be able to trust him not to violate your limits, and to honor your safewords, or you’re nothing but a plaything. You’re a nonentity. Without trust and then consent, it’s not a safe relationship. It’s not mutual. It’s abusive, and you need to get out of it.”
Ava paused and took a couple of deep breaths. “Leaving isn’t always easy. You’re afraid. Not only of your Dom, but of the backlash from his friends or the community at large. But any community is only as good as its members, and ideally you want one filled with the kind of people we have here in Racy. But barring that support, find someone you can trust and tell them what’s going on. Get their help in leaving.”
A few people asked questions about specifics that she, Jake, or Gary answered, and then the class was over. Both men hugged her and told her what a fabulous job she’d done, and she assured them that their teaching had also been wonderful.
Kari and Alexa asked her to help clean up the snacks that had been set up in the other room, and since that seemed a reasonable request, she didn’t think there was anything off about it. But when they kept her there approximately twenty minutes after they were finished, talking about nothing, Ava wondered what was going on. Kari and Alexa both seemed more animated than usual.
“By the way, who is watching your shop?” Ava had decided that rather than leave hers in the hands of people she didn’t know, she’d open it this afternoon. She still didn’t have set hours yet, but hoped to have a more consistent schedule once she hired some help.
“Peppi is there with my mother,” said Kari, “only so she’s not alone.”
Ava laughed at the image of Kari’s mother selling sexy lingerie or a paddle to someone. “Okay. But what’s going on here? Why are you two keeping me in this room so long?”
Alexa looked like she was going to jump out of her skin. “It’s a secret. You’ll find out in a few minutes.”
She didn’t have to wait long. Almost as if on cue, Jake and Gary came into the room, each beaming as if he’d just thrown the winning touchdown of all touchdowns. Kari and Alexa left the room, giggling like teenagers.
“Okay. What’s going on?”
Jake held out his arm. “Come with us.”
She took his arm, and then Gary held out his. “I hope you like surprises.”
Ava took his arm as well. “Why do I have the feeling it’s too late to say I don’t?”
Both men laughed as they led her into the main hallway and then toward the double doors at the far end that marked the entrance to Maddox’s club. “I thought it wasn’t open until tonight?”
“It’s not,” said Jake. “This is a special, private party.”
“It’s not my birthday.” Her heart raced. What had they done?
“We know that,” said Gary, winking at her.
When they opened
the doors, Ava’s eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the low light. By the time they’d descended the three carpeted stairs, she realized the room was full of people, but not as many as there had been in the class she’d just taught. These were the current nine triads in Racy.
She swallowed hard and glanced around, meeting the smiling, excited gazes of Kari, Noah, Adison, Alexa, Chase, Luke, Julie, Maddox, Sean, Annalise, Chad, Dustin, Marisol, Ellis, Rafe, Cherilyn, Thayer, Evan, Gina, Zach, Harrison, Olivia, Storm, Cameron, Ria, Trent, and Wyatt.
“I guess no one in Racy is working this morning.”
They laughed good-naturedly. “Not for a few more minutes, at least,” said Jake, moving to stand in front of her. “This is the part where you kneel.”
She did as he asked, and then he took a long box from Maddox. “Ava, Gary and I love you so much. You know that.” Jake opened the box and showed her the necklace inside. She couldn’t help but gasp. It was gold, had a delicate chain, and a trio of hearts interspersed with tiny keys graced it. Jake took it out and held it up. “We would be honored if you would accept this as your collar, and as a symbol of our love, and of our pledge to protect you, cherish you, and be your Doms and your lovers for the rest of your life.”
She put a hand to her mouth and nodded, because she couldn’t speak right now. Tears trickled down her cheeks but she barely noticed. She had not been expecting this. In all the years she’d been with Leo, he had never given her a collar or said such beautiful, tender words to her.
Jake handed the necklace to Gary who moved in front of her as well. Gary fastened it around her neck, and then gazed at her with love in his eyes. “Jake and I both love you with all our hearts. Will you wear this collar as our sub, our perfect lover, and our best friend, for the rest of your life?”
“Oh God,” she whispered. “Yes. Yes of course I will. I love you both so much…Sir…Gary and Jake…Sirs.” She laughed. “I sound like I’m drunk. I love you both more than I can say. Yes, I will be your sub, your lover, and your best friend for the rest of my life. I can’t imagine a life without both of you.”