Intrigued Out of the Office

by Nicole Edwards

  “How long did I sleep?” I wiped my eyes and noticed it was dark outside.

  “Four hours.”

  I jerked upright. “Really?”

  Master seemed genuinely amused by my reaction. “Really.”

  Holy shit. Obviously, tired was an understatement. Which was odd, now that I thought about it. Before they’d arrived at my doorstep, I had spent most of the afternoon chilling on the sofa. Then again, I’d spent the morning at the mall.

  Rather than dwell on that, my brain latched on to the fact that we had flown for approximately seven hours based on my calculations. I had no idea where that put us, but it could’ve been almost anywhere in the United States. As for outside of the U.S., I wasn’t sure.

  As the three of us sat there, I stared out the window into the darkness. There were twinkling lights down below, but not as many as I would’ve expected had we been over a big city. When I looked up, I noticed they were watching me.

  “Can I ask where we are now?” I directed the question at both of them.

  “U.S. Virgin Islands,” Sir said simply.

  Well, there you go.

  “Are we going to St. Thomas?” I inquired. I’d never been, but I’d heard a lot about it. A beach holiday. Wow. That would be awesome.

  “Private island,” Master replied.

  Why I was surprised, I wasn’t sure. These men obviously had money. And I was pretty sure that the private jet belonged to the company, and quite possibly the island as well. It seemed to make some sense considering what they did.

  Not that I really cared. In fact, I would’ve been happy wherever they took me, just as long as I was spending time with the two of them.

  I knew I was getting in over my head, but it was hard not to. After all, they had showed up at my apartment and whisked me away on a private jet to a private island. Somehow, I’d hit the Dom jackpot. I considered myself pretty damn lucky.

  We landed without incident, but since it was dark, I couldn’t tell where we were or how big the island was. I knew that many of them weren’t much more than five to ten acres.

  Not that any of that mattered.

  We were at our destination and now I was anxious to find out what they had in store for me.

  •

  Turned out the house on the island was far nicer than anything I would’ve expected. It was an eclectic mix of rustic and modern. Like the melding of all four of my bosses, which led me to believe that they did in fact all own the place.

  “Are you hungry, little one?”

  I turned to Master as I gauged my stomach’s reaction to the thought of food. It rumbled softly, making me chuckle. Then again, it was late and I hadn’t eaten dinner. I’d also bypassed most of my lunch, and popcorn didn’t go a long way.

  I nodded. “Would you like me to make something?”

  “No need. We have a cook who’ll handle all of that while we’re here. This is a vacation; therefore, you are not to work unless we specifically assign you a task.”

  I was curious as to what tasks they might assign.

  Master spoke to Sir, then disappeared from the room. I took a moment, checking it all out. The living room space was overly large, with vaulted ceilings and two solid walls of windows that I guessed would likely overlook the ocean. I couldn’t wait for morning to find out.

  The furniture was cozy, nothing pretentious in this place. It all seemed to get some use, which I took to mean they frequented the island.

  Sir moved over to the sofa and took a seat. His gaze followed me around the room, but he didn’t say anything. That seemed to be their M.O. And I liked that they watched me; it let me know that they had an interest.

  When I had satisfied most of my curiosity, I walked toward him.

  Sir pointed toward the spot by his feet.

  “Kneel.”

  I nodded, happy that he’d requested for me to do so. It probably seemed unusual to some, but it felt natural to me. After all, it wasn’t the first time they’d asked me to kneel.

  I knelt by his feet, and Sir put his hand on my head, pulling it toward his thigh. He brushed my hair back from my face and caressed my cheek. Although I had never knelt at anyone’s feet until I met Master and Sir, I found something uniquely soothing about the act. Sure, it probably wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t touch me. However, they did, and through that small interaction, I felt cherished.

  “It’s late,” Sir said softly.

  I hadn’t checked my phone, but I figured it was close to midnight. And it had been a very long day, both mentally and physically.

  “Still tired?” he asked.

  “A little.” I had no idea why, since I’d taken a long nap.

  “We’ll have dinner, then hang out in the hot tub for a bit.”

  I lifted my head. “There’s a hot tub?”

  Clearly my genuine surprise at all the details was entertaining them to no end.

  He chuckled, then gently urged my head back to his knee and continued to pet me. It was a foreign sensation, both soothing and comforting. I found all the tension I’d felt since I left work yesterday afternoon had disappeared entirely. I still couldn’t believe that I was here with them.

  Master reappeared. “Dinner’ll be served on the back patio in five minutes.” His eyes dropped to my face. “I expect you naked before you join us. In fact, whenever we’re alone here, I expect you to be naked.”

  “We’re alone?” I thought he’d said they had a chef.

  “For the most part. So, let me clarify. As long as we don’t have guests, I expect you to be naked.”

  I lifted my head. “Yes, Master.”

  I hadn’t been sure what the dynamic would be with both Master and Sir taking charge. However, it seemed that they worked in tandem, neither of them feeling the need to overrule the other. I wondered if that was something that happened naturally when there were two Doms or if it was merely the way they chose to handle things. I thought about asking, then realized I would save that for later.

  “May I freshen up before dinner, Sir?”

  “Yes, but come here first.”

  I crawled into his lap when he tugged on my arm. He pulled me in close, then fused his mouth to mine. The kiss was exploratory, not rushed or frantic. My body reacted all the same, eager to get closer, desperate for his touch.

  He cupped my face with his hand, and I melted against him.

  When the kiss ended, I pulled back, staring into his eyes. “Thank you, Sir.”

  I could see the smile in the hazel depths, although there wasn’t one on his mouth.

  “Go freshen up.” He motioned toward the stairs. “Your bedroom is the first one at the top. And remember to strip before you return.”

  The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that I had my own room. Did that mean I wouldn’t be sleeping with either of them? Was that how they handled it when they shared a submissive? The night I’d spent with Master, we had stayed in the guest room. But here they were relegating me to my own room?

  I wasn’t sure what I thought about that. But I would have to deal with those particular emotions later.

  Not wanting to be late and risk punishment, I rushed up the stairs, coming to a stop in the giant bedroom. The king-sized bed with mosquito netting pulled neatly back on all four posts stood in the middle facing one wall that was made up of sliding doors that appeared to retract all the way. I could imagine being in that bed with the warm ocean breeze blowing over my skin…

  Shit.

  I was wasting time.

  Hurrying to the bathroom, I found all my toiletries had been laid out for me. I quickly used the restroom, washed my hands, then brushed my hair. Removing my clothes was becoming second nature; however, I was concerned that there were other people in the house. What would they think if they saw me walking around with my bare ass on display?

  “Doesn’t matter,” I mumbled to myself. That had been Master’s instruction and I had no choice but to obey. Because I wanted to. The thought made me
smile.

  Although I was comfortable with the command, I was still a little hesitant to traipse through the house naked, so I paused at the door and listened. When I heard nothing, I turned the knob and stepped out into the hallway before darting down the stairs. I wandered through the living room and found my way to the back patio.

  Sir and Master were standing near a railing that overlooked the water. The moon was bright enough to light up the waves gently crashing against the shore. I noticed they had both changed out of their cold-weather attire and were now wearing shorts, which allowed a delicious view of their muscular calves and their broad backs highlighted with T-shirts.

  It was a good look for them here in…

  Paradise.

  Yep, that’s where we were.

  Master was the first to turn and his gaze met mine. He smiled, something that he seemed to be doing more of.

  “Have a seat, little one,” he urged, motioning toward the table before pulling out my chair for me.

  “Thank you, Master.”

  When they joined me, some of my nerves eased up. It helped that I didn’t see anyone else milling about.

  “Tell us about your mother and your stepfather,” Master prompted as we ate.

  Although I’d never actually thought I would be having dinner with two Dominants while completely naked on a private beach, I could guarantee, if I had, it definitely wouldn’t be when having a discussion about my parents.

  I stalled for a few minutes, situating the food on my plate before looking up again, my eyes darting between the two men. My gaze dropped back to my plate and I wiped my mouth with my napkin. “I’m not sure what there is to say.”

  “I told you she’d say that,” Sir said, glancing over at Master.

  “Since there’s plenty to say,” Master said to me, “come up with a better response.”

  I stared at him.

  He lifted one eyebrow, then promptly launched into a question. “You mentioned before that you don’t see them often. Are you close to them otherwise?”

  I shook my head. “Not really, no. I guess I’m closer to my stepfather than my mom. He’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. He adopted me when I was six, but it wasn’t until I was ten that I actually understood what that meant. At first I’d been excited.”

  “At first?” Master did not seem pleased by my response.

  Sighing, I resigned myself to telling them the rest. “I remembered thinking that it was great that my stepfather wanted me to be his daughter. Or at least that’s what I initially thought it meant. My mother not so kindly clarified that it had been for legal reasons only. She was never the type to mince words, nor did she sugarcoat anything. Ever.”

  Master and Sir glanced at each other briefly.

  “Please,” I urged. “Don’t feel sorry for me. It’s not like they were abusive in any way. I simply learned early on that my mother didn’t want children. If you looked at it that way, she did the best she could, considering.”

  “Ben said they went on a cruise for the holidays?” Master said when I didn’t say anything more.

  Well, that explained a lot about why they’d shown up at my apartment. Apparently, Ben had taken it upon himself to talk to Landon and Langston. I briefly wondered if they did feel sorry for me and that was the reason they’d brought me here.

  Apparently reading my mind, Sir reached over and touched my hand. “Don’t go making up reasons for why things happen. We invited you here because we wanted to spend time with you, Luci. The information Ben gave us simply spurred us into action faster.”

  Feeling a little better, I answered honestly. “That’s what my mom does. She works hard all year long and doesn’t take any time off until the end of the year. Then they tend to travel.”

  “During Christmas.” It wasn’t a question.

  I nodded anyway.

  “And they don’t invite you?”

  I chuckled, but it held no humor. “No. I’m a grown woman and I can take care of myself.” Not wanting to go into depth about the strained relationship with my mother, I attempted to redirect. “What about your parents? Will you be seeing them for Christmas?”

  I had no idea how long they intended to be here, but considering Sunday was Christmas Eve, there was a good chance they would be missing the holidays with their parents because of me. I didn’t like knowing that.

  “We will,” Sir confirmed, his eyes locking with mine. “They’ll actually be down here tomorrow.”

  My jaw fell open and I nearly choked on my food. “Here? Like in the house, here?”

  Master chuckled. “Probably wouldn’t be wise to force our mother to sleep on the beach.”

  No, probably not. However, this was not good news. Not for me, at least. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to act around their mother. Would she approve of me? Did she understand their lifestyle? Could I merely hide in my room for the duration?

  “She’s thinking too much,” Sir told Master in a mock whisper.

  I couldn’t stop staring, stunned to the roots of my hair by this news.

  “Ask a question, pet,” Sir ordered.

  “Does your mother… Does she know about your lifestyle?”

  Master chuckled, picking up his drink. “I’d hope so. Considering our father’s her Dom.”

  My eyes were as round as saucers. “Really?”

  “Well, technically, he prefers to be called her master,” Sir clarified.

  My jaw practically unhinged.

  “What?” Sir said with a chuckle. “Did you think that generations before ours were strictly vanilla?”

  Well…actually, I had thought that. Maybe not outwardly so, but it had been an assumption. Clearly, an ill-conceived one.

  “Don’t worry, pet,” Master said, his tone soothing. “You’ll enjoy the company of my parents and they won’t make you feel awkward.”

  “Will I be naked?”

  Sir smirked. “Of course not.”

  Well, that was a relief.

  However, my thoughts took on a life of their own. I could picture their mother wandering around naked, which would be uber-creepy and wrong on so many levels. How had they grown up in a house like that? I’d never given it much thought, but now that I had, I was a little creeped out by the idea.

  Sir exhaled loudly as he leaned forward. “Look at me, Luci.”

  My gaze shot up to his face.

  “Our parents will arrive tomorrow. They’ll be here for two days. We’ll have a regular dinner. Then, we’re having a party on Christmas Day. No, it’s not the traditional holiday gathering, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy it. We’ll have a number of guests arrive that morning and they’ll be leaving that night.” He grinned. “While our parents are here, we’ll keep it very vanilla, if you will. And they’ll leave before the dirty stuff takes place on Monday.”

  I nodded, trying to make sense of it all.

  “Do they…?” I grabbed my glass and took a gulp of water. “Do they know that I’m here?”

  “They do. We’ve told them about you.”

  That warmed me. It was unexpected and it eased some of my tension.

  Master pointed at my plate with his fork. “Now finish your dinner. We’ll soak in the hot tub, then get a good night’s sleep. The next couple of days will be the same mundane stuff that most families enjoy on Christmas. And then on Monday, we’ve got some interesting things planned for you.”

  “BDSM things?” I asked.

  “Well, of course.” Master chuckled. “After all, testing your limits is something we enjoy.”

  Grabbing my fork, I focused my attention on my food as I tried to wrap my head around it all. Testing my limits seemed tame compared to having to spend the next two days with their parents. What if they didn’t like me? What if they thought I was all wrong for their sons?

  What if…what if…what if…

  It was all too much.

  Five

  FOR WHATEVER REASON—WHETHER BECAUSE they knew I was having some r
eservations or simply because that was how they intended it—I slept alone last night.

  After spending an hour in the hot tub, Master took me to my room, then tucked me into bed. Sir came in a short time later and kissed me good-night. And it wasn’t one of those platonic kisses either. The room definitely heated a few degrees.

  But then they both left.

  And I was alone.

  At first, I was disappointed because the thought of sleeping between them was something I’d pondered for quite some time.

  Unfortunately, that hadn’t happened.

  For some strange reason, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Simply knowing they were in the same house was enough for now. However, now that the sun was rising and I was alone, I felt alone. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, what to say, so I remained in the bed, staring out at the brilliant blue water that seemed to go on endlessly.

  It wasn’t until Master came in that I stretched and turned, smiling up at him.

  “Good morning, pet.”

  “Good morning, Master.”

  To my surprise, he crawled, fully dressed, into bed with me. It was a move I never would’ve thought him capable of. The man was always so proper, so well put together. Gone was the hot tub attire from last night. Instead, Master was sporting a pair of black linen pants and a lightweight white shirt. It just seemed off that he would willingly wrinkle his clothes to be next to me.

  But pleasant at the same time.

  He pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around my naked body and pressing his lips against my neck. I inhaled his sexy scent, relaxing into his hold.

  “Our parents’ll be here shortly.”

  I stiffened as soon as the words registered.

  He chuckled. “Considering it’s already ten in the morning, it’s not that early for company.”

  Company, no. But his parents weren’t company, they were…his parents. Crap.

  “Talk to me,” Master urged.

  I sighed, then rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, enjoying the warmth of Master’s arms around me.

  “What if they don’t like me?”

  Master chuckled and as always it surprised me to hear it. He was the man who rarely smiled and didn’t laugh all that much. Although, now that I thought about it, Master had changed somewhat in the few months I’d known him. He wasn’t quite so…pretentious. At least some of the time, anyway.