by Daisy May
What Reuben had said just now was true. I loved the bratty way he joked around and teased me. But my feelings went deeper than that. Sometimes I felt like I loved him. Not that I was going to tell him that and terrify the poor guy—but I was almost ready to bring it up to Jasper and see what he thought. See if he felt the same.
When I did go back in, I found Jasper on the couch, watching a documentary with wireless headphones—or pretending to, because he was clearly spending more time watching Reuben flow through a series of yoga poses on the other side of the living room.
I shook my head at Jasper, letting him know he wasn’t being as subtle as he thought. Then again, why bother to be subtle? That was our boyfriend over there. I joined Jasper on the couch and eyeballed Reuben shamelessly as he stuck his butt high into the air. Downward Brat pose, if I remembered correctly.
Jasper’s hand found mine, and we shared a grin of appreciation. I could practically read his mind—look what a sexy, strong, bendy man we’ve found. I especially enjoyed the short-shorts and tank top Reuben had changed into for his work-out. Given the outfit change, maybe he was just trying to turn us both on.
He appeared oblivious to our stares as he got onto his hands and knees. I craned forward to watch what he was doing. Turned out there was no need, because a second later his legs were tipping straight into the air, his arms supporting his headstand.
“He’s just asking for it now,” I said to Jasper.
I strode over to Reuben and grabbed him from behind. He made a little squeak—I guessed he wasn’t used to being groped while he was upside-down. I raked my hands over his body, enjoying his taut muscles even more than usual in this new position.
The sounds he kept letting out made this even better. Apparently he couldn’t speak too well with his feet flailing in the air. I should’ve thought of shutting him up like this earlier.
Jasper slipped off his headphones. “What exactly are you planning to do to him?” he asked with a sly grin.
“Depends,” I said. “Reuben, how long can you stay like this?”
“Not! That! Long!” he panted out.
I cupped his groin lightly, wondering how much it would take to get blood rushing up from his head. “You sure about that?” Positioning my cock along the length of his upside-down crack, I held onto his hips as I gave him a few gentle thrusts. “Because I could definitely fuck you like this if I just bent my knees a little.”
He kicked down to the ground, and a second later he was on his back with a flushed face and a slight erection. “Not going to happen,” he said breathily. “Although… maybe we could work up to it.”
“Oh-h-h!” I liked the sound of that.
Picking him up, I brought him over to the couch and plopped him down on my lap. Jasper tugged him over until he had part of him too. Just the legs, though, so I didn’t swat his hands away when they ventured onto Reuben’s abs. He did have the short end of the stick, so I figured I could be generous.
“How is it that I’m the one who works out all the time and you’re still the strongest out of all of us?” Reuben asked with a pout. “Seriously, you pick me up like I’m a feather.”
“Genetics,” I said. “And the fact that I’m lifting heavy shit all day at work.”
“Hmph.” Reuben closed his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. “I would feel sorry for you, but I had to spend a long time serving assholes at work.”
“And now you just fight for workers’ rights and get hit on by cute guys, huh?” Jasper asked.
I stiffened up. “Excuse me? Who hit on Reuben?”
“You didn’t tell him?” Jasper asked him.
“I knew he’d freak out,” Reuben said, and twisted to look at me. “It was nothing. Just a guy trying to flirt with me because I didn’t want to tell him my relationship status.”
“Tell him you’re taken,” I growled.
“And then what?” he asked. “I can’t tell him I have two boyfriends, and I’m not going to tell him I have one. He’d want details.”
“Then make some up!”
He gave me a hard stare. “I’d never lie like that.” Rolling over both of us, he managed to get his feet on the floor. As he stood up, he sighed softly. “You two have it easy. You can tell anyone and everyone that you’re married.”
“You could tell people you’re in a relationship,” Jasper said quietly.
“Again, then what? The second I try to explain I’m with a married couple, they’re going to think I’m a sexual deviant or a homewrecker. No one’s going to believe this is just like any other relationship.” He hung his head. “And it isn’t, because it’s not going anywhere.”
I put my arms around him. I wished I could tell him things weren’t really like that. But I didn’t see how they could be otherwise.
Jasper
Weeks floated by, peaceful and content. Charlie and I were busier now that we had Reuben in our lives. Only in a good way, though. He was a joy to be around, and I loved hearing his stories from his new job. His happiness radiated off him and made me and Charlie happy, too.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon about a month after Reuben started the new job, he went out to a yoga class, leaving me and Charlie to take care of things around the house. Real life didn’t come to a halt just because I felt like I was living on a cloud. All the chores still had to be done.
Charlie took out the trash. Back inside, he handed me the day’s mail. I usually dealt with bills and all those kinds of things, since I didn’t mind bringing my analytical mind home from work. He preferred to deal with the household tasks that required more brute force.
As I sifted through envelopes, I frowned at an unexpected return address. “Do you remember someone named Fiona Wylie?” he asked.
He flipped through the most recent edition of his favorite vintage car magazine, which had also come today. “Who’s that?”
“I think I might’ve gone to college with her. If she’s the one I’m thinking of, she was the redhead who was really into rap music. Every time we saw her, she had to tell us about the hottest upcoming rappers on the east coast.”
“Oh, yeah. That was Fiona. So what made you bring her up?”
I handed him the piece of fancy card stock I was looking at. “We’ve been invited to her wedding.” Apparently Fiona was marrying someone named Theo, and Jasper-plus-one was on her guest list.
“You want to go?” he asked.
“I guess it could be fun,” I said with a shrug. “If she’s inviting me, she’s probably inviting the rest of the old college gang. Could be a chance to reconnect with old friends.”
“Sure, your old friends.” He tossed the invitation back at me. “But if there’s an open bar, I’m okay with it.”
I smiled at him. “Do you still have the number for the tux rental place?”
“I have no idea.” I’d wanted him to buy one years ago, but he’d put his foot down. At this point, I’d accepted he’d never own a tux—but he compromised by renting one whenever it was necessary.
The front door creaked, and I perked up. We’d left the door open so Reuben wouldn’t have to knock after getting back from his class. He strolled into the kitchen a minute later, glowing with a fine sheen of sweat.
After giving each of us a peck on the lips, his gaze travelled to the letters on the table. “What’s this?” he asked, picking up the invitation card.
“That’s from someone I knew in college,” I said. “Charlie and I are invited to her wedding.”
The smile disappeared from Reuben’s face. “Oh,” he said. “Charlie and you.”
Charlie bit his lip, and I found myself mirroring the action. Surely Reuben wasn’t sad about that, was he? The invitation said plus-one, not plus-two. And Charlie had met Fiona, even if it was years ago. Reuben had only been seeing us for a couple of months.
The wedding was just one night. Charlie and I would pretend to be a normal couple—one that didn’t also have a shared boyfriend in the picture. Then we’d come home a
nd return to Reuben’s arms.
That kind of pretending wasn’t exactly new. We’d all gone out together several times now, but we still restrained ourselves from showing affection. Even Jasper and I were less obvious about our relationship when Reuben was with us. If anyone looked at us closely, they’d probably assume we were three good friends, and if they saw our wedding bands, they’d think we were married to other people.
“Don’t look at us like that,” I said softly. “It’s a wedding. We’re going to be bored out of our skulls the whole time, wishing we were here with you.”
“You could be here with me.” Reuben’s voice quivered.
“And at the end of the night, we will be.” Charlie put his arm around Reuben’s waist, pulling him down onto his lap. “Trust me, baby. You might have to spend a couple of hours without us, but when we get back here, we’ll make you forget we were ever apart.”
Reuben shifted around, and I could tell Charlie was already making him forget his hurt feelings. “It’s not about being alone for a few hours,” he said… but when Charlie squeezed his thigh, the gasp he let out told me he wouldn’t be able to continue this discussion for long.
I moved my chair closer so I could touch Reuben, too. “You know we’re going to take care of you.”
He chuckled darkly. “In what way?”
I ran my hands under his shirt, savoring each ridge of his abs. “In every way.”
His lips parted slightly, his head tilting back against Charlie’s shoulder. “You two are evil. I was trying to talk to you.”
“But aren’t you enjoying this more than our conversation?”
I tugged the hem of his shirt, and he obediently raised his arms so I could lift it over his head. Charlie nibbled his neck, and he squirmed on his lap. His breath came quicker and more shallowly, an observation which made me irrationally satisfied.
“He’s hard,” I told Charlie, sliding my hand over to cup the long, straight outline pushing out from Reuben’s tight shorts.
“I noticed.” Charlie brushed his palm over Reuben’s nipples.
Reuben wiggled and gyrated. “Seriously. Screw you guys.”
All I could think about was how good that gyrating had to feel for Charlie. “I think it’s actually us who’re going to be screwing you.”
Apparently Charlie had even less patience for sitting around and chatting than I did. “Sounds like a plan,” he said, swinging Reuben up and into his arms as he stood up. Reuben yelped and batted at him, but he was already halfway to the stairs. I raced after them, not wanting to miss a millisecond of what was going to come next.
Charlie was fast, and I was panting by the time I reached the bedroom doorway. He’d already deposited Reuben on the bed and was standing over him, pinning him down as he kissed him deeply. My cock, already half-hard, went fully rigid. What had I ever done to deserve two lovers this unbelievably sexy?
And I only got more turned on as Charlie eased Reuben out of his pants. With some distance between us, I could appreciate Reuben’s slim, lithe body even better. My mouth watered and my pulse raced. Charlie was about to taste Reuben, and I wasn’t going to let him do it alone.
“Got any room over there for me?” I asked hoarsely.
Reuben located me with his wild eyes. “Oh, no. No, no, no.”
Taken aback, I took a step away. For a brief moment, I thought he didn’t want me at all.
“I mean I can’t handle both of you,” he said, a slight breathy inflection to his voice. “I can barely handle it when one of you goes down on me.”
Ahh… now I understood. Of course that momentary thought had been irrational. I smiled at him as I came closer and nudged Charlie aside. “If only one of us can do it, I say that one should be me.”
Nudging back, Charlie huffed at me. “I got here first. Wait your turn.”
“I’ll let you go first, but only because I’m nice.”
I reclined on the bed a few inches away from them, getting ready for the show. Maybe I was better off this way. As much as I wanted Reuben’s shaft sliding down my throat, I had to touch myself—and soon. I couldn’t wait for one of them to realize I needed attention.
With a few quick movements, I had my cock in my hand. Not that either Charlie or Reuben noticed. But just this once, I had no problem being ignored.
Wide-eyed, I watched as Charlie trailed his tongue along each side of Reuben’s shaft. He did it so calmly, so deliberately. And when he was done, he licked up the underside and the top. I thought he’d finally take Reuben between his lips then, but no. He drew slow, careful circles around Reuben’s tip instead.
My hand pumped up and down my shaft. I knew how good the blow job had to feel for Reuben. Charlie had used those moves on me too many times to count. And I knew how turned on Charlie had to be getting by making Reuben feel good.
“Fuck,” I murmured as Charlie finally began sucking Reuben in earnest. I could imagine exactly what it felt like to be in either of my lovers’ positions. And at whatever point I felt like it, I could throw myself into the fray along with them.
Reuben turned his head toward me. “Oh my God, you’re jerking off too. That’s so freaking hot.”
Charlie couldn’t seem to talk at the moment, but he made a soft sound of agreement. His hand came up from Reuben’s hip, where he was holding Reuben down, and waved at me. What was that supposed to mean?
“I think he wants you to come over here,” Reuben gasped out. “And for you to put your dick in my mouth.”
With a wag of his eyebrows, Charlie told me Reuben had interpreted correctly. Grinning, I moved across the bed and knelt by Reuben’s face. He had to twist a little and prop himself up on an elbow, but after a second I was gasping at the contact of his tongue on my skin.
I pushed deeper into his mouth, groaning. It was so hot and tight in there, I wondered why I’d ever waited to join in. After all, I could still watch Charlie blow Reuben while Reuben was blowing me. I wasn’t missing anything by being part of the action.
“So fucking good,” I moaned. I leaned toward Charlie, stretching over to him so I could run my hands along his powerful shoulders and strong back.
Jerking off was fine and all, but it was nothing like this. There was nothing like this. I could’ve spent hours here with my two lovers. Days. The rest of our lives.
Everything felt so good that I completely forgot that Reuben had ever been upset with us.
Reuben
Getting each other off, lying around for a while, and getting each other off again. That was what the three of us did that night. And now, as I lay sandwiched between Charlie and Reuben, I realized that was all we ever did together.
In public, they were a couple. And who was I? Chopped liver.
Yeah, we hung out. We ate or watched TV or whatever. But any time we went out in public, it was secretive and strained, as if we were conducting some kind of illicit affair.
Cuddled up between them, I should’ve been more than content. The throbbing in my cock was gone… but there was a brand-new pain in my heart.
I thought about the wedding invitation again. Of course I couldn’t expect to be invited. This old friend of Jasper’s didn’t know I existed. But what about the future? Where could we go from here?
I was crazy about these two men, and I wanted to stay with them for a long time. But say we were together for ten years. They’d still be married, and I’d still be the boyfriend. The extra. The one clinging onto the actual relationship. I’d still be the secondary.
If we spent twenty, thirty, forty years as a polyamorous triad, I still wouldn’t be on level ground with them.
Right now, Charlie’s head was on my chest, his leg thrown over my thigh. Jasper had an arm resting on my stomach and a leg piled over Charlie’s.
Lying around with them like this was usually warm and comforting. Normally I would’ve felt cared for and supported.
Tonight, though? Tonight, I felt smothered. I couldn’t breathe from all the weight Charlie and Jaspe
r had on me. I was suffocating, and I had to get away from them.
“Let me up.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat to make it less obvious.
As usual, they playfully acted like they didn’t want me to leave the bed. This time I wriggled around, panicked instead of flattered by the way they hung onto me. Their hands were so strong, stronger than mine. If they really wanted to keep me here, I wouldn’t be able to get away from them.
Finally I was up, and I started to throw on my clothes as quickly as possible.
“Where are you going?” Jasper asked, shifting halfway to a seated position.
“Home.” I pulled a T-shirt on without pausing.
“What? Why?” Charlie asked. “You’re not going to spend the night?”
“Not tonight.” My words were curt and clipped.
“He probably wants to get ready for work,” Jasper told him. “His job’s still new.”
He was talking about me as if I wasn’t even here. Did they always imagine they knew what I was thinking, or assume they knew my motivations? How had I not seen this for so long?
I patted my pockets, making sure I had my wallet and keys. Everything was in order, so I headed for the door.
“Go see if he’s okay,” I heard Charlie say.
I hurried toward the front porch, but not fast enough. A minute later, Jasper raced out to reach me.
“Everything’s okay?” he asked, slightly panting.
“Uh-huh.”
Why did this feel exactly like the first time I’d been over here? The time I’d been so excited to hook up with them, but then I’d run out in fear and embarrassment.
They weren’t trying to be cruel this time, either. It wasn’t actually their fault. This inequality was innate to our situation. I’d just never realized exactly what I was signing up for.
“You’re sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?” Jasper asked.
I looked deep into his eyes and sighed. “Nope.”
That first night, I’d been running away from Charlie. Tonight I needed distance from both of them.
My heart was on the line in a way I hadn’t realized until now. And now that I’d admitted it to myself, it hurt so badly to know they didn’t feel the same way.