Grim shoved his hands into his pockets. “That would be me, Sir.”
“And you are?”
Pulling his hand free, he held it out. “I'm Grim Harkin.” He shook the man's hand. “And this is my roommate, Liam Krespig. Thanks for giving us a place to stay for the weekend.”
The man nodded. “Of course. Since Analise is only going to be here for the weekend, it was no problem. Besides friends of Analise are always welcome in my home. Although I was surprised when Analise told me she was bringing two guests with her. The boy-friend I expected…but his friend as well was unexpected.” Erik pressed a kiss to his daughter's temple, even as he kept a close eye on both of them.
“Like I can choose between two sexy men, Daddy. If I spirited Grim away for the weekend that meant that Liam would be alone.” She stepped back, her smile forced.
“And my baby is just too kind-hearted to do that, even if Mr. Krespig probably would've enjoyed a weekend of peace and quiet.” Erik looked back and forth between the men. “Well, why don't you come inside? I was just getting ready for lunch.”
“Sounds good, Mr. Rochon. Just let me grab our bags.” Grim suddenly felt uneasy. Analise had been right, her father was sharp. There wasn’t any way they were going to be able to pull off this ruse for the entire weekend.
“Nonsense. It can wait til after lunch. Lunch is nearly ready. I just need to put it on the table. I threw some pulled pork in the crockpot this morning before I did chores.” Erik's voice was firm as he guided his daughter up the steps of the porch.
“Okay.” He shrugged his shoulders before following the man inside the cool house. Moments later as he entered what was obviously the living room, the loud shouts of surprise sent a wave a dread through him. So much for Erik getting to know him and Liam. The man had thrown a surprise party for his daughter.
* * * *
Analise accepted the plate of food from Grim's hand. It seemed so odd to have him bring her food. She was used to being the one who served her Sir. But that wasn't what bothered her the most. It was the air of forced levity around her Sir that worried her. He was putting a show for her family. The last thing she'd expected her father to do was to arrange a surprise party for her. As she scanned the crowded living room, she had a sneaky suspicion that her uncle was partially behind the get-together, since some of her college girlfriends had made it.
“Here.” Grim handed her glass of punch. She accepted it, watching her Master across the room. He was surrounded by several of her cousins and...Elizabeta Romanski, her old college roommate. And one of the biggest skanks on campus. I swear she had a different man in her bed every weekend. She had to force her jealousy down as her former roomie placed her hand on her Master's arm, while batting her eyes at him.
“Dammit.” She turned away from the sight before she did something stupid like stomp across the room and demand the woman take her hands of her man. She trusted her Master, but it didn't mean that she had to like the fact that he was letting some floozy hang all over him. As she sat her plate and drink down on the mantle above the fireplace, Grim growled beside her. He must've have caught sight of their Master and his harem. Not that she blamed the women. Liam was sin incarnate with his shoulder length hair and gorgeous eyes, even if you discounted the dark predatory aura that seemed to cling to him. Hoping to defuse the situation before Grim fucked up their Master's plan, she tugged on his hand. “Come with me.”
She nudged him forwards. He resisted until she pinched his side. “This isn't an option, Sir. We're leaving.”
“Where are we going?” Grim tore his gaze away from their Master. When she stomped her foot, he finally looked down at her. She gave him a not so subtle shove towards the kitchen.
“Away from temptation.” She retorted, backing him through the swinging door separating the kitchen from the living room. When she finally had him out of sight, she plastered her body against him. “Kiss me, Sir.” She begged, refusing to take what she wanted. She needed to feel his dominance, even for a moment, to counter the ruse Liam had forced on them.
Grim's blue eyes darkened. “Hands behind your back, slave.” He uttered the words softly.
“Yes. Sir.” She whispered back, doing as he ordered. Her nipples tightened against her t-shirt. She needed this.
“Good girl.” Then he dipped his head to take her mouth. Unlike his usual playful kiss, he ravaged her mouth, his need just as desperate as hers. As his tongue tangled with hers, lust clouded her mind and she almost reached for him. The only thing stopped her was his hands wrapped around her wrists. She moaned into his mouth, loving the taste of him.
“Ahem.” A cough intruded and Grim slowly released her lips. As he freed her lips, he rested his forehead against hers, tugging her arms forward so she could wrap them around his waist. Her face reddened. She should've been more aware of her surroundings. How the hell was she supposed to explain this to her dad? Deciding to brazen it out she turned to look towards the door. Relief flooded her as she saw Uncle Paulie standing in the doorway.
“I can't believe you snuck out at your own party to neck with your man, Analise.” He tsked softly. “And without telling your Master where you were going.” He shook his head. “You're just asking to be punished.
She stiffened at the reprimand in his voice. “Talk to Liam. He's the one insisting on this ruse. I can't in good faith cater to him, when he wants Dad to think he's nothing more than a friend.”
“What?” Shock washed over Paulie's face. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Why on earth would he deny your relationship?”
She rolled her eyes. “He wants Dad to get to know him before Dad goes off the deep end when he finds out I'm in a ménage relationship.”
Paulie groaned, dragging his palm down his face in frustration. “Have you warned him about it backfiring?”
She nodded. “Hell yeah. I'm not stupid, nothing pisses Dad off more than being lied to.” She pulled away from Grim and shrugged. “I got tired of arguing with the stubborn son of a bitch, and figure he can dig himself out of the hole he's dug.”
“So you're supposed to treat Liam as nothing more than a friend? How's that gonna work?”
She shrugged. “Don't know. It's only been a couple of hours since we got here. He seems to be handling it fine.” She gave a smirk. “And he hasn't had a lack of company. Alexa, Samantha, and Elizabeta have been more than happy to hang on his every word.” She would've said more but at that moment Liam stormed into the kitchen, a fierce expression on his face. He must've ditched his harem.
His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Grim, Analise and Paulie. “You two. Front and center.” The command in his voice made her instinctively move to do his bidding but a part of her, the part that was pissed that he was denying their relationship, kept her feet cemented in place even as Grim released her to move to their Master’s side.
A frown crossed Liam’s face. “I said...”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “No.” She was going to make a stand here. He wasn't going to have it both ways.
“What do you mean no?” His eyes narrowed. “Are you safewording?”
She shook her head. “No, to be safewording I'd have to be in a scene. I'm not.”
Understanding dawned on him. “God dammit Analise. I've explained why...”
“I know you have.” She stood her ground. “You want to be my friend. Fine.”
“You act like I’m asking for the impossible.”
She took a breath and made her stand. “You are. I'll be your friend, but I can't play both roles. You can't expect me to put on an act for my father and then expect me to revert to my normal role when we're alone. I just can't turn it off and on at will, Liam.”
He growled and took a step towards her. “You mean you don't want to.”
She cocked her head. “Yes. I won't play both sides of the fence. It cheapens what we have. I’m sorry Liam, you’re not going to have your cake and eat it too.” Then she slipped out of the kitchen via the back door
. Even though she'd stuck to her guns and should be happy, why did she feel like that by standing up to him, it was the beginning of the end?
Part Three: The Wedding
Slipping free of Grim's arms, Analise paused to look down at her Sir. He was sprawled out on her childhood bed, her rose print sheets looking utterly feminine against his tan skin. He made her mouth water. The only thing that would make the picture complete was to see Liam wrapped around him. It was one thing to see him slumbering by himself on the rare occasions Liam was out of town, but another altogether when she knew her Master was sleeping down the hall in the guest room across from her father's. Damn the man. It's his fault that he's not with us.
Tip-toeing out of the room, she softly shut the door behind her. It was early. Barely six but the familiar sounds of the farm around her were better than any alarm clock. Lightly padding down the stairs, she expected to find her father in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee as he read the morning paper. Instead it was Liam cradling a cup of coffee between his hands, wearing nothing more than a pair of drawstring pajama pants, his massive chest bare.
She froze in the doorway. She should back out, go back upstairs. She wasn't ready to deal with her Master this early. After she'd walked away from him the day before yesterday, he'd been polite but distant. It'd hurt, but at least she'd kept busy helping Reed with last minute arrangements yesterday, and today was the wedding. Soon they would be on their way back to home. If she could call their place as home. After the cold treatment Liam had given her since she'd made her stand, she wasn't so sure that anything would be the same when they returned to Chicago.
“Are you going to just stand there or are you going to join me?”
Her eyes flew up to meet his. The amber depths were unreadable. Pushing off the frame, she decided to go for normal. She entered the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Standing at the sink, she looked out the window as the farm slowly came to life. A few pigs wandered around their pen and she could see her father filling the trough for them. Such a normal sight when everything seemed to be coming apart. When her dad headed back towards the barn, she turned away from the window and nearly ran into Liam. While she'd been watching out the window, he'd come up behind her.
“We need to talk, Analise.” His tone was firm, a reminder of the beginning of their relationship. Of the time before he and Grim had accepted her into their lives.
She licked her lower lip. “Does it have to be right now? There are a million things I have to do today for the wedding.”
He leaned forward until his body brushed over hers. “Do you miss it, piccola? The closeness? The rightness of our being together?”
A low whimper built in her throat as one hand came up to cup her breast. His eyes darkened as his thumb rubbed the tip of her nipple through her light tank top. The need to wrap her arms around him was hard to resist but she did. Her father would be coming in shortly. The last thing she needed was for him to witness what he would assume was her cheating on Grim.
“You know I do, but I can't do this.” Unable to resist, she rested her palms on his bare chest. “Let me go, Liam, before my father comes in and finds us.”
He nuzzled her ear. “Are you now ashamed of being with me?”
She squirmed as his voice gave her goose bumps. “You know I'm not. This is your doing. You want things to return to normal, let me talk to my father about us. Explain to him...”
“How you're screwing around on your boyfriend?” The cold tone from back door had her flinching.
“Daddy...I need to...” She pushed away from Liam, her heart pounding. This was what she'd been afraid would happen. Dammit why had she'd allowed Liam to convince her to this cockamamie scheme?
Her father held up a hand. “I don't want to hear it, Analise. I will not let you ruin your Uncle's day.” He tossed his battered work gloves on the table. “We'll talk about this after the wedding. Maybe by then, I'll have calmed down and won't be so disappointed in you.” He walked over to the fridge, tugging it open.
Pain hit her hard, but she managed to keep from spilling everything. Her dad was right, she didn’t need to ruin Uncle Paulie and Reed's wedding with her fucked up situation.
“Erik, this is my fault. Analise told me to tell you...” Liam looked defeated.
“Tell me what? That you're fucking your own friend over by making the moves on his woman? Where I come from a man doesn't sniff around his friend's woman.” Her father slammed down the pitcher of juice on the counter.
“I wasn't doing anything that Grim would find objection to.” Liam stood his ground, his arms crossing over his chest.
“So I didn't just see you pinning my daughter against the counter or your palm on her breast? I may be old but I'm not blind. Those are things you do with a lover, not a friend. I knew there was something fishy about you coming here this weekend.”
“There's nothing fishy about it. If you'll just let me explain.” Liam kept his voice low. A tactic she knew he used for effect. At the club it kept all the-would-be Doms and subs away from them.
“I don't need an explanation right now. I never thought my daughter would do something like this. But I don't have the time to deal with it right now. I need to finish up the chores so I can get cleaned up for my brother's wedding. I'll deal with this later.” Then Erik spun around and stalked out of the kitchen.
A tear slipped free, followed by a second and third. Her dad thought she was nothing more than whore.
* * * *
Walking into the pavilion at one of the local state parks that the men had rented for Paul and Reed's wedding, Liam wanted to kick his own ass. Analise had warned him. And like the arrogant fool he was, he'd ignored her. He'd tried to protect her, to ease her father into accepting their relationship, but instead managed to convince the man that his daughter was no better than the bitch who'd been stalking him since they'd arrived.
Slipping into the chair next to Grim, he didn't speak as their beautiful sub began to play the wedding march on the portable piano her father had set up for her. Dressed in a short dark burgundy sheath with her dark hair pinned up with bobby pins and accented by seed pearls, she was a vision. Only if one looked closer, would they notice that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, nor did she glance once in their direction. Her hands graceful as she played seemed to be out of sorts with the tension he could feel coming off her. In the next row up, Erik glared at him when he met his eyes.
“Damn, Master, you royally screwed up.” Grim took his hand and placed on his thigh.
“What are you doing?” He hissed at his submissive.
Grim grinned at him. “I figure by this time tomorrow everyone in this small hick town will realize that not only is Analise enjoying a poly-monogamous relationship with us, but also that we're lovers.” He lifted Liam's hand to his lips. “I don't know about you, but I'm tired of hiding our relationship. It's been too long since we touched.”
Liam hissed as Grim's tongue caressed the skin on his inner wrist. The man was right. Other than Elizabeta who'd been stalking him, he hadn't been touched since the morning they'd left Chicago. He suddenly wished they were home, so he could lock both Analise and Grim up in his playroom until he had them both screaming from the pleasure of his possession.
Then the music changed and the wedding march began to play. Standing under a beautiful makeshift trellis Paul, looking dapper in the midnight blue suit, waited for his groom. Moments later, Reed dressed in a dove gray suit walked down the aisle on his mother's arm. As the woman handed off her son to Paul, it seemed a bit odd to Liam but he was heartened. It was good to see that the gay community had begun to make strives for equality. As the minister began his speech, he squeezed Grim's palm with his. The ceremony was beautiful, and thankfully quick as the temperatures which had started out as mild were now creeping up. Before he realized it, the minister was pronouncing Reed and Paulie as husband and...husband and Analise was playing again. As the men moved back down the aisle, everyone rose fro
m the white folding chairs and slowly filtered out after them.
It was a joyous occasion and soon the pavilion had changed from where the ceremony was held to the reception as food was brought out, tables were set up by staff, and a huge cake was wheeled out, its cute man/man couple gracing the top of it. The smell of good barbeque filled the air and soon the buffet was ready. Sitting down at one of the tables with a full plate of goodies, he wondered if Analise would join Grim and him. She belonged at their sides. Or preferably between us.
His eyes narrowed as she finished going through the line, but was waylaid by her old college roommate. He growled low in his throat. Next to him, Grim paused from shoveling potato salad into his mouth.
“What's wrong?”
“That damned woman.” He nodded towards Elizabeta. “She's worse than a damn tick. No matter how many times I tell her I’m not interested, she persists.”
When Analise's shoulders stiffened at something her friend said, he had a feeling World War III was about to break out. “Ah fuck. I think our sub is about to go all alpha on us.”
“Why do you say that?” Grim asked, after he swallowed his bite.
“Because I think that damn tick just told our sub that she snuck into my room last night.”
Grim's head swung around to look in the direction of the women. “Shit. She did?”
“Yeah.” He tossed his napkin on the table and rose. “I'll be right back. I have a war to prevent.”
* * * *
Analise was barely keeping her cool as she stared at Elizabeta. She mentally counted to ten before finally answering the question. “How well do I know Liam?” She longed to tell the damned truth. To tell the bitch that she knew everything from the way he took his coffee to how he loved to have his cock sucked, but only her vow to herself to keep from ruining Paulie's wedding kept her from lashing out at the skank. “Considering he lives with Grim, yeah I'd say so.”
Elizabeta hooked their arms together. “Then what do you say? Feel like helping me bag my man? So far everything I've tried has gotten me nowhere. Hell, I even snuck into his room at your place. I caught him coming out of the shower, wrapped in a towel with a glorious erection tenting it, and he did nothing more than order me out of his room. Surely there has to be a trick to getting him into my bed.” She gave a toss of her blond hair. “After all gentleman prefer blondes.”
Analise's Journey, Bundle (Doms of Chicago Serial Spin Off) Page 26