by Jenika Snow
That was how long it had been since she had last seen Masters Jere and Nico. After her incredible and intense night with them, they had bathed her in a tub of warm, rose-scented water. They had used the softest sponges on her body, and when they were done they had toweled her off and helped her dress. Their actions certainly weren’t what she expected from them, and she had felt something inside of her open up. After all of that they fed her, right from their very hands, and made sure she was full before they walked her to her car. For several long moments they had done nothing but kiss every exposed piece of flesh on her, whispering how she was far more beautiful than any other creature. Their words of adoration had sliced right through her heart. Of course she wondered if they said these things to all the women they bedded, but she was too much of a coward to confront them on it. No, she let them shower her with sugary phrases and when she drove away she saw them standing there, side-by-side, watching her departure. She let the thought of them actually wanting her for more than just that one night play in her mind.
Now it was going on two weeks since she had last seen them and her disappointment had morphed into anger. How foolish she had been to permit the idea that they might want her as more than a piece of pussy. She had even found herself seeking them out on the Internet, seeing if they had already replaced her. She hadn’t seen any new photos of them circulating the Web, of their arms filled with beautiful women, and she hated herself for the fact that she was relieved. She shouldn’t give two shits about what they did, but the fact that they had dismissed her so easily wouldn’t settle inside of her.
Did you really think something would have come out of your time with them? You stupid, foolish girl!
She had already replayed everything to Rose. The mortification and humiliation that had surfaced within her over the things they made her do hadn’t been easy to confess, but she knew Rose was well versed in dishing out the humiliation. Mara also admitted that her mortification had aroused her far more then she thought possible. Rose had listened to her, had even given her comfort when Mara told her how she felt about Master Jere and Master Nico. God, she wasn’t even with them and she still thought of them that way.
Closing her laptop, she knew she was being ridiculous. She was only making herself angrier thinking about those two, but in all honesty she had never felt the kind of things she had felt with them. Even after only one night they had shown her what she had been missing in her life. She knew without a doubt there would be no man, no sexual encounter that could compare with what she’d had with them. What she needed was a good, stiff drink, but that wasn’t going to happen with Rose still in Europe. She didn’t have many other people that she would want to go get good and sloppy with, not when she tended to run her mouth when she was drunk. The things she did with them, what she would have done with them if they asked was not something a lot of people would understand or feel comfortable about. No, she’d just go to the store, get the biggest bottle of wine she could find and get a good Johnny Depp movie. Yeah, that would at least help her tonight.
Feeling marginally better, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door. She didn’t care that she wore a pair of ratty shorts and a ten-year-old shirt that hung off one shoulder. It was comfortable and it wasn’t like she had to impress anyone.
Once at the store she made a bee-line to the liquor section and found an extra-large bottle of red table wine. She contemplated buying it for the size alone, but in the end she was more of a moscato drinker. With her wine in a paper bag and her movie in her purse she took the five-block walk back to her apartment building. She passed a new restaurant, one that had salads costing fifty bucks. Certainly wasn’t her scene, but that didn’t stop her from glancing in and looking at all the finely dressed people inside. It definitely was a black-tie establishment. As she went to turn back around and keep walking her gaze landed on the two men that had consumed her thoughts since she had seen them almost two weeks ago. Seeing them dressed in their dark suits, surrounded by beautiful women and other men dressed just as elegantly as them, had the longing and anger she had momentarily thought buried rising right back to the surface. She shouldn’t have let herself get in so deep with them, but she never would’ve thought one night could impact her like it did.
Tightening her hand on her bag, she was about to make her escape. As if they sensed her standing there, watching them like some kind of freaking weirdo, both Jere and Nico lifted their eyes to her. For a heartbeat everything stilled, until there was just the three of them once again. The need and want came back and she hated herself for it. Turning on her heel, Mara all but speed-walked back home. She hated that tears came to her, hated that she was so weak when it came to them. Wiping her cheeks, Mara decided she was going to down the shit out of that wine as soon as she made it through her door. That thought vanished as fast as it came when someone grabbed her arm and spun her around. A scream was in her throat, but it died when she looked into Nico’s face. For several long seconds they did nothing but stare at each other, and then she realized Jere had stepped beside him. Things had just turned from bad to worse.
Chapter Eleven
Because Mara had no damn filter in her mouth she blurted out, “What in the hell do you want?” She crossed her arms over her chest, the paper bag holding her dinner for the night crinkled against her body. She remembered the horrendous outfit she wore and felt her cheeks heat. She refused to back down, though. Both of them smirked and it pissed her the hell off.
“Have you forgotten your place, little sub?” Jere’s words were dark and deep and she flicked her eyes to him, feeling her throat tighten.
“I think she has. I think these twelve days have made her forget who is in charge.”
The fact that they knew how long they hadn’t seen her made butterflies flutter around in her belly. “I--”
“You think because we’ve given you time to think that we have grown lenient and don’t expect complete compliance from our sub?”
Their sub? Jere’s words replayed in her mind over and over again. She had thought they forgot about her, but they spoke as if they hadn’t, as if she actually meant something. No, don’t be stupid, Mara. These men are professionals in this game.
“We aren’t playing.” She swallowed roughly at the look they gave her.
“No, we aren’t playing, Mara … not in the least.” Nico’s thumbs brushed back and forth over the bare skin of her arm. His touch was gentle but his words were hard.
She turned to look at Jere when he moved to grab something from inside his jacket. Her pulse was in her throat and in her ears. She could hear her blood flowing rapidly through her veins. What he pulled out was something she never thought she’d see again. He held out the ivory-colored invitation and she reached out, stopping right before her fingers touched the paper. She knew it would feel expensive and smooth to the touch. Did she really want to take it? Yes and no. It was a bittersweet moment. They had awoken something inside of her that refused to rest, and honestly, she didn’t want it to sleep. She had embraced it to the fullest, damning the consequences. In the end she dropped her hand and took a step back. She couldn’t let her heart be put in that situation again. Of course there was a part of her that wanted them desperately, but she was too proud to be the plaything to Jere and Nico.Who's to say they wouldn't toss her away when they were done having their fun?
“I don’t think I want to play the game anymore.” This was reality to her, and one where her heart was taking the beating. Men like them only wanted one thing from a woman: total submission without the baggage of commitment. She was a selfish idiot to think that they might want more than what they were willing to give her. She turned to leave, hearing them call her name but refusing to stop fleeing. She had run away from the two men that she wanted with a passion. Hadn’t seeing them again been what she wanted? Yes, but actually faced with her desires, her own reality had set in. She didn’t want to give herself up over and over again and then just be pushed to the side when the next available piece of t
ail came along. No, she was better than that and if they couldn’t see that, even if it was after only one night of passion, then fuck ‘em.
When she finally made it to her apartment she popped the cork on the wine and drank it straight from the bottle. She ordered some takeout and put in her movie, ready to get lost in the world of gorgeous men and a little under-the-covers sex. A loud knock on her door made her pause the movie and get up, but not before she took one more swig from the bottle.
She should have known it wasn’t her food as soon as her hand curved around the handle, but before her brain realized that she had the door open and was staring into the very handsome, very angry faces of Jere and Nico. She had a million and one different things she wanted to say to them, namely what the hell they thought they were doing when she had made herself perfectly clear. Her mouth opened to say just that, but before anything could come out, they were striding inside her apartment and kicking the door shut. Mara stumbled back and bumped into the back of the couch. Nico was the first to speak.
“You don’t walk away from your Masters, Mara.” He sounded so angry, and that was something she wasn’t used to. Nico had always been the sweet one, but right now he acted like Jere. Not really a bad thing, but definitely surprising.
“We never thought of any of this as a game.” Jere smoothed his hands down his suit jacket and he looked damn good doing it. “This is our lifestyle. Nico and I not only work as partners at our firm, we also enjoy the pleasure of women…together.”
“Master Jere and I will always have these desires, Mara. We have always shared our women. It has always been this way and always will.”
Nico’s words were like a slap to her face. What was he saying? They would always share their women so therefore there was no room in their life for her, unless she was accepting of that, accepting that she would most likely not be the only one in their lives?
“Do you understand what we are saying?”
Humiliation and anger swirled inside of her. Why couldn’t they have just left her alone? Why did they feel the need to seek her out and explain this?
“She doesn’t understand, Jere.” Nico breathed out and took a step toward her. His hands cupped each side of her face and everything inside of her stilled. “It has always been like that and always will, but what you don’t understand is that you are the woman we want to share, Mara. Only you.” A gasp left her as she watched Jere move beside her, his fingers brushing her hair away from her face.
“Our dominance is in our blood, just as your submissiveness is in yours. We have been seeking a woman that shares the same passion as we do. You are that woman, sweetheart.” The way Jere said this last healed the crack in her heart.
“You want me? Only me?”
“Mara, after only one night you’ve ensnared us.” There it was, something that seemed so impossible becoming possible. Nico leaned in and kissed the words right out of her mouth, and then Jere had her and was doing the same. Could she really give herself to both men? Doing so for one night was different than accepting a full life with them, with their lifestyle.
“We want this, Mara. We want all of you, completely and irrevocably. That invitation wasn’t for a group gathering but for another private one. We wanted to explain all of this to you then, but you can see the plans have changed.” How had everything changed so quickly? “Tell us you’ll be ours.” She smiled against Jere’s mouth. Maybe she would regret this someday, maybe she wouldn’t. What she did know was that if she didn’t at least try she would never feel complete. These men, ones that she had only dreamed of such a short time ago, wanted to give her what no man had ever given her before. This was the start of something big, and she would do it with both eyes fully open. It was fast, yes, but just because things in life went slow and easy didn't mean they were right.
“Yes. I want this. I want both of you.” Their grins were big and they both stepped back simultaneously.
“That’s good. Really good.” Nico crossed his thick arms across his chest and she had to admit that suit looked damn good on him.
“Now, strip and assume the display position, sub.”
She knew what to expect now, and she was eager to obey.
Six months later
The room was packed with Doms and their subs. The scene wasn't one of uncertainty for Mara anylonger. This was her norm now, the way she lived her life and loved the men in her life.She had just gotten off work and was in the lead, with Rose trailing behind her. Her Domme friend was in a sexy red leather corset and matching hot shorts. The five-inch heeledblack boots were laced up her calves, and the flogger she held hung loosely from her hand. It was an intoxicating site, but even Mara could admit it was alluring. She had just flashed her invitation to the doorman and was now in search of her Doms.
"I'll never get tired of this scene."
Mara agreed completely. All she felt now was total anticipation and arousal when she stepped into these parties, but it wasn't just the whole atmosphere that got her wet and ready -- it was the fact thatMaster Jere and Master Nico waited for her here.
The conquest for Rose that evening came to a stop before them. He was a gorgeous sub, with bulging muscles and an intimidating frame. Mara had seen him at numerous parties, and Rose had taken a liking to him, which of course was no surprise. He was big and tough, but surrendered himself to Rose with no thought at all.
Mara parted ways with Rose and kept moving forward, knowing exactly where she was needed. This gathering was set in the dungeon of an older mansion in the historical district. The stone flooring and walls added to the musty and grimy feeling of the atmosphere. Several, closed doors lined the hallway she walked down, and when she stopped in front of the last one her heart pounded hard behind her ribs. Inhaling deeply, she steadied her vitals and started to strip. Once naked, she gripped the cold iron handle and pushed the door open. The room was dark except for a single light illuminating a St. Andrews Cross in the center of the room. A table was beside that, the various handles of the floggers and whips covering it partially visible through the shadows. Once inside she closed the door, lowered her head, and clasped her hands behind her back.
"Good evening, little sub." The smooth drawl of Master Nico madeMara instantly wet.
"Lift your head." Master Jere's accented voice got her nipples hardening.
She did as he said and the air left her when she saw them standing on either side of the cross. Their bare chests illuminated by the overhead light, she could tell they still wore their expensive, tailored slacks. The sight of them still in their work clothes, yet their nude,rippled chests on display, did something wicked to her body. Adrenalin pumped though her veins and she found herself taking a step forward. Jere lifting his hand and Nico smirking stopped her.
"I think our girl has forgotten her place," Nico said with a hint of amusement.
"Has the week away from us made you go slack with our orders?" Jere sounded annoyed, which she found wasn’t what she wanted to hear with her body already so primed for them.
"No, Master." Could they hear her heart beating wildly?
"We planned on letting you come on the cross," Nico said a moment before he looked at Jere. "But it seems you get to experience it while you're punished." A gush of moisture left her.
If she was being honest, the idea of being strung on the cross as they brought the whips down on her sent hersenses reeling. Mara would take her punishment and hope they gave her more.
"On your knees, sub." Jere's order caused her to kneel immediately.
"Crawl to us, Mara." The thick arousal laced in Nico'svoice made her mouth dry. "Be a good girl and we'll love you good, little sub."
And she knew they would. There was no more humiliation in what they ordered her to do, just a bone-deep need for her to please them. Their pleasure was hers, and was it ever a glorious feeling.
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Other Books by Jenika Snow:
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Evernight Publishing
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