by Marla Monroe
Marx held out her bags. “Where would you like me to hang this?”
She stepped forward and reached for the bags. “I’ll take them.”
He let her have them but followed her when she disappeared into another room. He heard a yelp, and then both of them hurried back through the door. Marx had a grim look on his face. Kelly still looked pissed. She sighed and walked over to the bar that separated the kitchen area from the living area and leaned against it, putting the scrap of wood and cheap Formica between them.
“Why won’t you take no for an answer? I’ve already told you that I’m not interested, but you continue to bother me.”
“If you didn’t respond to us when we touch and kiss, you would have a better chance of convincing us you weren’t interested.” Jackson walked up to the counter and placed his hands flat against the surface and leaned forward. “Since you do respond so sweetly, we aren’t backing off.”
“Just because you’re good at seducing me, doesn’t mean anything. All that says is that we’re physically attracted to each other. It doesn’t mean I want to be.”
“Why are you fighting it?” Marx spoke up this time. He stalked across the room until she was backed up against the little fridge.
“Because you’ll smother me. I don’t want to live that way again.”
* * * *
“What do you mean we’ll smother you and you don’t want to live that way again?” Jackson was watching her closely as if waiting for her to bolt.
Kelly bit her bottom lip and tried to still the tremble that had begun in her hands. She clasped them together at her waist.
“You’re both Doms. Just because I may have once been a submissive, doesn’t mean I want to be that way now.”
“Honey, you’re a natural submissive. You can’t change your basic nature. Are you saying you want to try your hand at being a top?” Jackson asked.
She shook her head. She had no interest whatsoever in that. She just didn’t want to lose herself again. If she allowed Marx and Jackson into her life, they would expect her to become their submissive and maybe even their slave. She didn’t want to live that way again. She had just gotten her life back in order—sort of.
“I guess I don’t understand. Explain to me what you are talking about.” Jackson looked genuinely confused but sincere with the question.
She looked up at Marx and swallowed hard to get rid of the knot clogging her throat. Marx seemed to realize he was making her even more uncomfortable standing over her because he backed up and leaned against the doorway that led into her bedroom.
“I don’t want to be a slave.” There. She’d said it.
“Neither one of us wants a slave. We don’t have the time or energy to take on that sort of responsibility.” Jackson smiled at her, looking relieved.
“We would never agree to such an arrangement, kitten.” Marx nodded toward his brother.
“I don’t want to be told what to wear or who to talk to. I want to work and be my own person. You are both Doms. You aren’t going to want a submissive who has her own life outside of yours.” She clasped and unclasped her hands as she looked from one man to the other.
“Kelly, you’re presuming a lot without actually talking to us about it. We don’t want someone who has no personality. We don’t want to make you into something that you’re not. Give us a chance and get to know us and what we are looking for. Don’t jump to conclusions based on whatever is in your past. That’s not being fair to us or yourself.” Jackson shook his head and glanced over at his brother.
Kelly desperately wanted to believe them. She had never felt so attracted or drawn to anyone like she was to these two men. Even her old Master hadn’t appealed to her to the point that she was almost ready to give in to anything he wanted just to be near him. It both frightened her and excited her to feel something so intense for another person. And for her it was for two people, two people who wanted to share her.
The two men watched her as she slowly wrapped her arms around herself. They seemed to have enough patience to wait forever for her answer, but realistically, she knew they wouldn’t. They expected her to make a decision on whether to trust them or not, now. Kelly wasn’t sure she could give them her trust so soon.
Memories of kneeling by her old Master while he fucked another submissive brought tears to her eyes. She couldn’t give up that sort of control again. She wouldn’t share if she ever chose another Master. Could she live a vanilla lifestyle and be happy? What if she found someone who would fulfill her needs but wasn’t really into being in the scene? Too many questions raced around inside of her head.
As if realizing she was overthinking everything, Jackson walked around the tiny island and pulled her into his arms.
“Shh, kitten. Don’t try to think so much right now. Let’s go slowly and see how things go from there. We’ll come get you Saturday and take you to eat. Then you’ll be busy with the show and we’ll bring you back home. No pressure. It will give you a chance to be around us without feeling overwhelmed.”
“I–I want to believe you.” She looked up into his eyes and saw only kindness. There was no arrogant gleam in them.
“Let us have just a small part of your trust for Saturday and we’ll show you that we aren’t looking to smother you.”
Kelly looked over at where Marx still leaned against the doorway. She couldn’t see what he was thinking in his face. He rarely showed his thoughts so easily. It made her nervous while, at the same time, she did trust him not to hurt her. Looking up, she nodded. She could give them one night. She would have Steve and probably Ben there to act as a buffer should she need help.
“Good girl.” He ran the back of his hand down the side of her face, stroking her like the kitten he kept calling her.
She found herself turning her face in to meet his hand. She realized how much she had missed the simple comfort of being touched. She had always loved skin-to-skin contact, and her previous Master had often used it as punishment by denying her of it, knowing how much more it hurt her than withholding orgasms or spanking ever had.
“I’m going to kiss you, Kelly.” Jackson slowly lowered his head and took possession of her mouth with his.
As he consumed her from the inside out, Marx slipped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. His lips settled against her neck where he merely rubbed them against her heated skin while Jackson explored every inch of her mouth with his tongue, teeth, and lips. She felt totally surrounded and cared for, for maybe the first time in her life. She wasn’t sure if she believed the validity of the feelings bombarding her in that moment.
Marx’s teeth nipped at her shoulder before stroking the tiny sting with his tongue to sooth it. The decadence of it made her shiver, a fact Jackson seemed to pick up on because he grew more demanding in his kiss. Kelly had no option except to respond to his demands. Even in this she felt comfortable with the need to please him. Despite not wanting to be a slave to a Master’s desires, she still felt the overwhelming need to make him happy. It should have worried her. Maybe it would when she wasn’t surrounded by them. Maybe later, once they were gone, she would panic once again. Right now, she only felt—peace.
Jackson slowly pulled back and looked down at her with heavy-lidded eyes. She saw need there and instantly became aware of their thick cocks pressing against her from in front and behind.
“God, how I want you, but you’re not ready to accept us yet.” Jackson pulled away enough that Marx was able to turn her toward him.
“My turn.” He nipped at her chin before sucking in her bottom lip to tease with the tip of his tongue.
Kelly couldn’t stop the moan that escaped when he let go. It seemed to arouse Marx even more because he pulled her tighter against him and buried his tongue in her mouth, demanding a response from her even as she gave it. She dug her hands into his hair, thrilling at how soft it felt in her hands. When he angled her head like he wanted it, she groaned in his mouth and rubbed her body against his.
&nbs
p; Warm, wet lips sucked on her earlobe. Then Jackson was whispering dirty promises in her ear.
“We’re going to fill your body with our cocks and make you ours one day soon, kitten. I’ll take that sweet pussy while Marx fucks your tight ass.”
She whimpered at the picture that played out in her head as he described what they would do to her. Need, hot and strong, coursed through her bloodstream. Marx continued marauding her mouth. He tasted so damn good. She wanted more and tried to pull him tighter to her mouth.
He jerked back from her, and she grabbed for him, screaming, “No!”
Chapter Six
Marx held her at arm’s length despite the ache in his cock to carry her into that piss poor bedroom she had and tear her clothes off of her. More than anything he wanted to bury himself balls deep inside her hot cunt. Instead, he panted, keeping a tight grip on his libido.
“Kelly, look at me.” He struggled to keep his voice steady and low. “You’re not ready for this. You would hate yourself and us in the morning. I’m not going to be the reason you push us away.”
He watched as her neck and face turned a soft shade of pink and embarrassment filled her eyes. She struggled to get away from him, but he refused to let her hide. Knowing that she wasn’t immune to them gave him hope that they could make this work, but that stubborn streak inside of her would give them a fight. He knew that he and his brother were up for the challenge, but they didn’t want her to lose her spirit in the aftermath. It was part of what attracted them to her.
“Kitten, don’t be embarrassed because you want us. We want you, too, but we can wait until you are ready to commit. We aren’t looking for a few nights of fun and games. We want all of you.” Jackson walked around to stand next to Marx.
Her head jerked up, and fire danced in her eyes once again. “You can’t have all of me. That’s why this will never work.”
Jackson swore and walked off. His brother had used the wrong words to try and convey their seriousness about wanting her. Instead of letting her know that they wanted a solid relationship that lasted, he had led her to believe they still wanted to own her. He didn’t know how to fix the situation. He wasn’t the one who normally did the smoothing of ruffled feathers. That was Jackson.
“You’re still not understanding us, Kelly. We don’t want to own you. We want you to be a part of a relationship with us. Jackson and I don’t want to take any part of your freedom away.”
“But you’re Doms! You expect obedience.”
“Yes, we are Doms. Yes, we would expect you to follow our directions when we were in the bedroom or at the club, but not all the time. Do you really want to live your life without having a safe place where you can let go and know that someone will take care of you? You have a submissive soul, Kelly.” Jackson had calmed down and was trying once again to talk to her.
Marx backed up to give him more room. His loss of control was what had caused all of this. She had been doing fine until he overstimulated her and got her so turned-on she wasn’t thinking straight. A good Dom didn’t lose control. Until she was theirs for good, he needed to back off and let Jackson handle her. Until then, he was a danger to their future.
“I don’t believe you. Now you say that you don’t want a slave, but later you’ll want to tell me how to dress and that you resent my job.” Tears slid from Kelly’s eyes.
Jackson sighed. “I can’t make you believe something you don’t want to. Let’s just take this one day at a time for now. We’ll pick you up Saturday at five and go from there. All we can do is show you what we want.”
Marx watched as Kelly slowly nodded her head. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. For a while there, he had worried she would refuse to let them take her out Saturday. It would have been his fault, too.
“Come lock the door behind us, kitten. We’ll see you Saturday.” Jackson nodded toward him, and they walked toward the door.
He opened the door and stepped through it. He didn’t stop until he reached the truck. He knew Jackson would make sure that she had locked up behind them. He needed some air. Seeing her living in those conditions offended his need to protect and care for her. The apartment had been neat and well kept, but nothing could erase or clean the poverty and hopelessness that permeated the walls.
Jackson opened the passenger door and climbed up into the cab. He buckled in and leaned his head back against the seat. Marx pulled out of the parking lot and turned toward the ranch.
“That place is a dump.”
Marx cringed. He had hoped Jackson wouldn’t say anything so he could let it go. Since he had brought it up, he needed to get it off his chest so he wouldn’t still be thinking about it come Saturday when they picked their woman up.
“She sleeps on a fucking mattress on the floor, Jackson. No frame, no box springs. Just a small mattress on the floor with her things in plastic boxes.”
“We can’t do anything about it until she’s ours, Marx. If we try to help her, she’ll back away even faster than she is now. She’s proud of her independence. It’s important to her. That’s why she’s fighting us so much. She’s afraid we’ll take that from her.”
“Why would she think we would do that? We’ve told her we aren’t looking for that sort of relationship. It’s fine for some people, but not us.”
“I’d wager that her last Dom started off just wanting playtime and ended up demanding her total submission, 24/7. It was a breach of contract, but more than likely they never even had one because it was just supposed to be for fun.”
“Then why did she stay with him if he changed?” Marx couldn’t understand what was going on in her head.
“I don’t know. Maybe she loved him and tried to be what he needed but found that she couldn’t. If that’s true, then we may be even more fucked that I thought. She may still be in love with him.”
“I can’t believe she would respond to us like she does if she loved someone else.”
Jackson looked over at him and nodded. “I tend to agree with you. Still, there’s no second-guessing a woman’s thoughts or mindset. All we can do is be patient and gentle with her.”
Marx pulled up in front of their house and cut the engine. He just sat there for several minutes even after his brother had gotten out of the truck and gone inside. Was any of this worth the trouble it was proving to be? He didn’t have to think long. Hell yes. She was worth it. His heart sped up just being close to her, and everything inside of him wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her. He was proud of the beautiful pieces of jewelry that she had crafted by hand. She was a unique woman and one he would give anything to have by his side.
He could only pray that his lack of control hadn’t screwed everything up for them. He was the one who kept things on an even keel in their relationships in the past. As a result, it was Jackson who got most of the attention and who the subs usually bonded with the most. When he’d felt Kelly let go and give in to her need for him, it had gone straight to his head. She wanted him. She craved his touch, and the realization had been more than he had expected to ever receive from her. Now he wondered if it was the only time he would ever feel that.
* * * *
Kelly wrapped her hands over her head and curled up into a ball by the door. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing. Why had she reacted that way to Marx? It had started with Jackson, but then when Marx kissed her and held her, something had broken inside of her and she wanted it all. She wanted all of the emotion that he was showing that she hadn’t seen before. She wanted that connection that she missed in her life. Hadn’t she learned anything from her experience? The more she gave, the more they would want. If giving everything of herself had nearly broken her, what would it do to give it all to two men?
But what if they were telling her the truth and didn’t want more than a bedroom submissive? What if they really didn’t have time to devote to a 24/7 relationship? If she could have just the parts that she wanted and still provide what they needed, wouldn’t it be worth
the chance to find out? She could always walk away if it got too intense. She’d done it before.
There were too many questions in her head to figure it all out right then. She needed to regain control and see where Saturday took her. Was it that she was afraid she would want to spend time with them or that they wouldn’t want to spend enough time with her? Did she really need what they had to offer or did she just want it? If she needed it, could she back away if it got to be too much?
Maybe that was what her real fear was, that she wouldn’t be able to break away if they asked too much of her. Was she strong enough to say no if it wasn’t what she truly wanted? Or was it really fear of her own weakness that was driving her to push them away? Kelly drew in a deep breath to clear her head. Then she forced herself to stand up. Becoming a basket case wasn’t what she needed to do. That was the old Kelly. She was stronger than this. She would figure this out and not let it beat her down.
The lingering scent of the Callahan brothers still filled her nose. It reminded her of how good it had felt to let them hold her until she’d gotten carried away. That warm feeling of belonging and safety was good. She could admit to herself that she wanted that, but without becoming a slave in the process. Marx and Jackson claimed they didn’t want to control her every thought and action. Still, it was hard to believe them when everything about them seemed to reek of dominance and control, especially Marx.
Kelly put away her new clothes and focused on cooking something to eat that would last the next several days. Once she had it put away and the kitchen clean, it was about time for bed. She took a quick shower then climbed into bed with nothing on but a large T-shirt. Her body still hummed from the brothers’ attentions earlier. She couldn’t get comfortable.
Finally, she threw off the shirt and ran her hands over her breasts, lightly scratching her nails across the hardened nipples until they itched for more. The thought of Jackson and Marx’s heads bent over her breasts, teasing her aching nipples with their tongues, flashed in her head. She plucked at the taut peeks until the pleasure-pain spiraled down toward her cunt. An invisible line seemed to connect her clit to her nipples as she pinched and pulled them.