Us: Book Three in The Everett Gaming Series

by Drew Sera

  “After I moved in with my dad, I’d have nightmares and would thrash around in the bed. I’d end up rubbing my stitches, and so for a while, there was blood when I’d wake up. Freaked me the fuck out. I’d panic and run to the bathroom to look at it and fix it. My goal was to always get to the bathroom before my dad heard me. I didn’t want him to think I needed help. But it was stupid of me to be afraid of help."

  “Your dad was nice to you though, right?”

  “Yes, he was a doctor like Matt. When I first moved in with him, he’d wake me up from the nightmares if I was being loud with them. He’d sit in my room with me until I fell back to sleep. When I’d wake up and freak out at the blood from rubbing the stitches, he’d clean it up for me and bandage it back up."

  “Did you ever cry?”

  “Fuck yeah. I was a wreck by the time my dad took me to live with him. I had years of pent up shit. I didn’t have anyone to help me when I was little, and I learned to deal with things on my own and push past the pain. Sound familiar, sunshine?” She nodded. Sydney was the same as I had been with no one to help her. She dealt with it all on her own. Just stick a bandage on it, pull on long sleeves and go to work. “When I got to my dad’s, I felt like I could breathe. I cried some. Sometimes it would just happen out of frustration, but other times it was with nightmares. I tried to do it alone and away from him, but he always knew. He’d try to talk to me, but he knew I needed to talk to a doctor like Chris and Matt’s dad. It helped me quite a bit.”

  “Do you still have nightmares?”

  “Time is a healer, Sydney. You’ll learn that. Every now and then, I’ll have one though.”

  “Who do you talk to now when you have one?”

  “Well, until very recently, I lived alone. And also, until very recently, I kept that part of myself locked up. Matt and Colin didn’t know much about it - very little actually. But I told them. You remember that night I was a jerk and left? That next morning, I told Colin and Matt about some things I kept locked up. They were there for me. And they are both here for you too, Sydney. Anytime you need an ear, you’ve got several to pick from.”

  “Thank you. It’s hard sometimes.”

  “I know, sunshine. You’ve been doing good with talking to us. I’m proud of you.” We sat quietly for a few minutes, just relaxing in the safety and comfort of one another. I could feel her fingers moving in circles on my chest while I stroked her arm.

  “Sydney, how long had Howard been cuffing you to hot metal? Was it just a recent thing? Like after you started at Openin or before?”

  I was curious about the cuffing and burning. She has so many dreams about being cuffed and burned. She went stiff in my arms which concerned me. “Eyes.” I tilted her head so I could see her eyes. I searched for any indication of what could be wrong. Was it just the question? We knew she had started getting involved with him when she was around twenty-one. But that didn’t necessarily mean the burning and cuffing started then.

  “Talk, sunshine.”

  “Howard had been doing that for quite a while. Before I started at Openin. A lot before.”

  Bile was working it’s way up my throat. How long had that shit gone on? I asked her to be more specific and quickly learned that the mother fucker had been burning Sydney since she was twenty-one. Fucking twenty-one! I just held her. I couldn’t move or speak for a few minutes. I didn’t dare speak, because I knew my voice would come out sounding rough and angry.

  “Tell me more about your nightmare tonight, sunshine.”

  “I was in trouble and bad. I was always bad in his eyes. He took a knife and made a slice on my wrist to make it bleed. Then he pressed the metal against my skin.”

  She began to shiver, and I held her close. Enough talking now. Now she needed to try to relax or else she’d never be able to fall asleep.

  “Shh, you’re safe, sunshine. I have you.” I wanted to tell her that I loved her and that I’d always have her and she didn’t have to worry. I planned to tell her soon. Colin wasn’t having a problem expressing his feelings towards her like I was. But she needed to hear it from me, and I needed to say it. I continued to rub on her back and arms and felt her snuggle closer to me. She felt vulnerable, so I spread my fingers wide and placed both hands on her back. She needed to feel protected and safe. The best way for me to help her with that was to cover her as best as I could so that she felt protected. I wanted to get her talking or at least thinking about something pleasant.

  “Tomorrow we can go over to the ski slope and ride the lift to the top.”

  “That sounds like fun. Do you ski?”

  “I haven’t in years. Matt, Gina, and Colin ski though. They might get a few runs in tomorrow. You and I can ride the lift, and then we can go to the lodge and drink coffee. We can wait for them in the warmth.”

  She gave me a content sigh. I smiled and closed my eyes, feeling quite content myself. I opened my eyes a short time later to the sound of bare feet on the floor. Colin was approaching. He sat on the coffee table and reached down to stroke her back through the blanket.

  “How are you guys doing?” he asked quietly. “I couldn’t sleep. Not with you guys down here, nursing a nightmare.”

  “She talked about it some.” I looked down and saw that she was asleep and breathing softly and soundly. I looked back up at Colin and filled him in on the content of her nightmare. He winced after hearing about it. Colin carried her back to our room, and before I got in bed, I turned the light on in the bathroom and pulled the door half closed. The room had been pitch dark, and Colin and I should have thought to leave the bathroom light on like we do at home. We were so tired last night, but there’s no excuse for Colin and I being irresponsible. If that light had been on, she wouldn’t have panicked the way she did when I woke her up from the nightmare.

  39

  Monday, December 23rd

  Colin

  Gina was making breakfast when I came down stairs. I crept out of bed and let Anthony and Sydney sleep. We had been up late and then Sydney had the nightmare, and they dealt with that for a while. They needed to sleep. I had taken a shower and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and wore socks - no shoes. One of the nicest amenities in the cabin is that the floors are temperature controlled and feet never get cold.

  “Coffee, Col?” Matt asked me as he pulled down a mug for me.

  I poured my coffee and sat down at the table across from Matt. That breakfast smelled so good and got my stomach growling.

  “How’s Sydney? I heard her crying last night and Anth go downstairs with her. I went down to see if they needed anything but just stayed out of sight on the stairs. Anthony hadn’t seen me, and he had it under control.”

  “This nightmare seemed worse than the usual because when she woke up, it was dark in the room. We forgot to leave the bathroom light on with the door partially closed. So she freaked out because she couldn’t see. The dark scares her. You saw a bit of that last night in the car. She slept through the rest of the night once they came upstairs.”

  We sat quietly for a while before Matt commented on the connection that Anthony has with Sydney. He understands her fears because he went through them himself, to some degree at least.

  “He’s so gentle with her and he gets it, Col. She’s brought out something special in him. And you. Both very good things indeed.”

  I agreed with Matt and told him how happy I was. I knew Sydney turned Anthony’s and my life upside down. She’s been incredible, and I can’t imagine my life without her.

  “Once the tough guy gets up, want to shoot some hoops?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  It was our tradition. There was a basketball hoop outside on the driveway, and Matt, Anthony, and I always played our version of the classic driveway basketball game, H-O-R-S-E. Only, our version was some word in the lifestyle. Sometimes we played F-L-O-G-G-E-R or S-P-A-N-K or anything we could come up with. While Matt always kicked our ass in golf, Anthony usually won our basketball games.


  “Speak of the devil,” Matt lifted his head up, greeting Anthony as he sluggishly walked into the kitchen. He was barefoot with wet hair and just in his lounge pants. He greeted everyone and grabbed some coffee and leaned against the counter.

  “Is Sydney still sleeping?” I asked and looked back at the stairs.

  “She’s up and drying her hair. We took a shower, and I didn’t want her to come down until her hair was dry. I’m going to go back up in a minute and help her get dressed and bring her down for breakfast.” He turned towards Gina and sipped his coffee. “Smells good. Hope there’s enough for these other guys. I’m starved.”

  Gina smiled and promised him there was plenty. Anthony had turned back to face us, but was still leaning on the counter. He was rubbing his hand over that side scar of his. I think he naturally does it from time to time and isn’t even aware that he’s doing it. We were talking about shooting some hoops, but I noticed Matt’s gaze didn’t leave Gina. When I looked at Gina, I saw that she was staring at Anthony’s scar. Anthony also traced my gaze to Matt’s and landed on Gina’s. He knew she was staring at his scar but didn’t say anything. He finished his coffee and headed back upstairs to get Sydney. When Anthony disappeared upstairs, Matt went over to Gina.

  He put his hand on the back of her neck and kissed her cheek.

  “Pet, it’s not polite to stare at his scar.”

  Matt hugged her but gave her butt a swat. I had to suppress a laugh.

  “Sorry, Sir. I didn’t mean to.” Gina had apologized and went back to putting food on the plates.

  I understood how she got caught up looking at it. It’s like a magnet. Gina isn’t used to seeing Anthony shirtless outside of the club. Plus, he was standing here rubbing on it. When I looked over at Gina again, her face was red with embarrassment.

  As she was setting plates of food down on the table, Sydney and Anthony came down. I stood and went to her with open arms. She smelled like vanilla, and her body was nice and warm. I’ve been accepting the fact that I need to physically touch her often. I know it’s a need of hers, even though it started out on her want list. But it’s very much a need for all three of us.

  “Morning, baby.” I pulled back and framed her face in my hands so I could look her over. “Are you tired?”

  “I’m not too tired. I’m sorry I kept you and Anthony up last night.”

  “Stop, baby. No apologies for that. Now, come and eat.”

  Thankfully, Anthony was dressed now. This would keep Gina from staring at the scar and getting herself in trouble. Breakfast was great and after we ate, Matt, Anthony, and I went outside to shoot some hoops. We decided to play F-L-O-G-G-E-R-S.

  While we played, we talked about our plans for the day. Matt and I were hoping to do a few runs in on the slopes today. Anthony said he would take Sydney to relax in the lodge.

  “Hey, I’m going to take Gina out in the woods later today for a whipping scene. We’ve been wanting an outside scene in the woods. This will be different for us in the element.”

  Matt explained as my shot hit the rim and bounced off.

  “Fuck!” I complained.

  “Ha! I think that’s the second “G” for you, Col,” Anthony reminded me.

  I nodded, flipped Anthony off and looked over at Matt. “Knock yourself out. So do you have it planned out some?”

  “Some. She’s been wanting a session in the woods. I just don’t want her on the cold ground.”

  “You can take a tarp and then drop a blanket over it. The tarp will keep the dampness away, and the blanket will give her somewhere soft to kneel,” Anthony suggested as he sunk a shot perfectly.

  “I might do that, thanks. I was concerned about Sydney and wanted to talk to you two about this. I don’t want Sydney to see Gina bound to a tree, gagged, and me flogging her. I don’t want her vision of us to tarnish or to see me as a monster. I don’t want Gina to worry about Sydney seeing her, otherwise Gina won’t fully let go."

  I understood completely. The more we talked about it, the more we agreed to keep Sydney from seeing. Matt was going to use rope to tie Gina to a tree and then flog her. We helped him plan, and Anthony said he’d help him get the tarp and blanket ready.

  The five of us headed over to the ski resort parking lot. It was windy and overcast and Anthony and I decided that the lift would be too cold for Sydney. So they went inside the lodge to have coffee while Matt, Gina, and I hit the slopes. After three runs, my body was tired and I ached for Sydney. Matt and Gina went back for another run while I went looking for my best friend and our fragile kitten.

  They were sitting together in the lodge on a big comfy chair by the fireplace. He had his arm wrapped around her protectively, and she was leaning on him. Anthony was talking to another man and woman opposite them. Turns out they had started polite conversation with Anthony and Sydney and were from Vegas too.

  Once we got back to the cabin, Matt headed out into the woods with Gina and his bag of his supplies. Anthony and I were going to shoot some more hoops while Sydney sat outside with us to write in her journal. There was a nice teak bench by the basketball hoop, and there was a heat lamp behind it. We turned it on for Sydney so she’d be warm. The sun had been absent for most of the day but now it would have been behind the mountains, and it was starting to drop in temperatures. I wasn’t worried about Sydney though, because she was bundled up and was sitting under the heat lamp. Anthony had abundant lights outside to light up the driveway, so we played on despite it getting dark.

  Every now and then, we could hear the flogger thud echoing through the air. He must not have gone too far, though the acoustics in the woods are strange. Anthony and I would exchange glances if we heard a faint moan. When I glanced over at Sydney, I saw that she was looking in the direction of the path Matt and Gina had gone off in. I decided basketball wasn’t the best and that we should go inside with Sydney.

  “Sir,”

  There was something in Sydney’s tone that made me ignore the basketball as it bounced off my leg, and I turned to face her. She was standing up facing the thick of trees and was frowning. I know she doesn’t like the darkness of the woods, so I wasn’t sure if she was just bothered by the dark.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked as I was walking towards her. She held her hand up for me to stop so she could concentrate on the distant sounds. She turned to look at me with a frown on her face.

  “Did you hear that?” she asked me. I knew she was talking about possibly hearing a flogger. She looked concerned and worried. I didn’t want her to worry about what Matt and Gina were doing.

  “Sydney, baby. Matt and Gina are enjoying a scene in the woods. They’ve been planning it since…”

  Her frown increased as she cut me off and frantically headed over towards the path. I jogged to catch her and wrapped my arms around her to prevent her from going to the path.

  “Baby, did you hear me? They’re enjoying…”

  “No, Colin. Listen…” she said more firmly.

  Sydney was pushing away from my body, and I went down on one knee and pulled her fighting body against me. Then very faintly I heard Matt’s voice calling out for help.

  “Colin!” Which was quickly followed up with a plea with Anthony’s name. Anthony was bent over by us and had his hands resting on his knees. He heard it though and took off in a dash down the path. I stood and put my hands on Sydney’s shoulders.

  “Eyes, Sydney.” When she finally stopped gazing towards the dark woods, she looked into my eyes. “Go inside and wait.”

  “I want to help!”

  “I said inside, Sydney.”

  I waited until I heard the door shut and then took off down the path. He was deeper in the thick of the woods than I thought. I had to stop a number of times so I could listen for them and try to locate them in the dimly lit woods. I finally came up to the three of them. Gina was kneeling, head down and her arms were bound at the wrists to two trees. Her arms were bound tightly. Too tight, in fact. They were stretched alm
ost awkwardly forward with no give or lack in the rope. This wasn’t like Matt. There was blood on her back, but Matt was kneeling in front of Gina with his hands framing her face. Anthony was working on cutting the rope loose from the tree. I raced over and rummaged around in his bag, hoping to find another pair of emergency scissors. No luck though, so I went to the opposite tree and began to try to loosen the rope with my bare hands, which wasn’t working very well.

  “Matt, what happened?” I asked while I frantically worked on the rope.

  “She peaked. Went into subspace. I slipped on the wet ground in mid blow and cut her on the back. The tarp slipped with her on it and tightened the rope. She froze up on me. Probably from the blood, and I can’t pull her out.” He paused, and I could tell the situation was getting the best of him. “Fucking can’t pull her out…please Gina, pet. Please, baby.”

  The last part came out sounding frantic. Matt and Gina have had a tough bought with subspace and Gina suffering depression, and dropping afterwards and sometimes days after a scene. Gina’s Master before Matt was into heavy blood play. From what Matt had described, Gina would pass out at the sight and smell of blood. She obviously went into shock when she realized she was bleeding at the hands of Matt, and he obviously was panicking at having made her bleed and her being trapped in a bad memory. I felt her hands and they were ice cold. The rope was too tight and was cutting off circulation. And being so deep in the woods under the mass of trees, we had now lost light and were in the dark.

  “Calm down, Matt. Just talk to her. Keep telling her to look in your eyes.”

  I glanced at Anthony trying to see where he was at on getting an arm loose. Anthony had just cut her free and had removed the rope from her arms and came over to assist on my side. He pushed me away to go help Matt while he finished getting the rope loose on the wrist I was working on.