Delicate Ties (Trinity Master Book 8)

by Mari Carr

  Christian looked stricken when Juliette mentioned the blood. “Do you think he was talking to Rose? Do you think…she heard?”

  Juliette shrugged. “We have no way of knowing that for sure, Christian.” Then she turned to Charlotte. “I have someone taking care of your condo. But now, you need to finish your task if you want to finalize this trinity and lead normal lives.”

  “Juliette.” Sebastian put a hand on her arm.

  She shook him off, and then left the room.

  Sebastian looked at his brother. “What do you need?”

  Christian leaned against Vincent, and Vincent could feel him trembling.

  “Fuck, Seb. I shot him.”

  “I know, Christian. And you can deal with the fallout later. But we’re in the middle of a war, and right now you have a job.” Sebastian pointed at the map. “When Devon calms down, I’ll ask him for the name of a code breaker. They’ll have to come to us. We’re not letting the map or that book out of our sight.”

  “So much for our key. We’re in the same boat now that we were before we broke the cipher.” Charlotte dropped into a chair and carefully pulled the book of poetry and map toward her. “If I could just figure it out without the damn genius artist and his weird pet. Sebastian. Is there a current map of this place? I need to be able to compare it. Are the tunnels you know about on the map?”

  “There isn’t a map.”

  “No map?” Charlotte yelped.

  “No. That would be a security risk. But I can sketch something out for you.”

  Sebastian sat beside Charlotte at the table. He took a piece of paper and started to sketch.

  They were there for nearly two more hours, until the darkest hours of the night blanketed Boston, before Sebastian had sketched a map with the amount of detail Charlotte required.

  As they worked, Christian played with the clue, listing artists of the time period, trying to figure out their connection to the secret society. And gargoyles. He’d nearly run the battery on his cell out as he did Google search after Google search.

  Sebastian clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s late, brother.”

  “There are still a few things I want to look up.”

  Vincent sat next to Charlotte, trying to convince her to call it a night. She was attempting to match the map Sebastian had drawn with what was on the blueprint, with limited success. The library itself was easy enough to identify, but everything else was such a mess of lines it was nearly impossible to make sense of.

  Charlotte looked limp, like a wilted flower. Even her hair was subdued. “I still can’t make sense of it.”

  Juliette appeared in the doorway. “It’s late. Go back to the hotel.”

  “The hotel?” Vincent asked.

  “For tonight, yes. We’re not quite done with Charlotte’s condo, and I’m not certain…”

  She paused, but Vincent was able to fill in the blanks. Caden may have been taken care of but Rose was still out there, and none of them knew which side of this war she was on.

  Charlotte frowned at the map, clearly unhappy at not being able to piece things together.

  Vincent tugged her from the chair. “It’ll be okay, Charlotte. And if you don’t ever want to go back to your condo, I’ll buy you a new one.” Vincent hoped that would make her smile, but she just kept looking at the map.

  “Oh my God. I’m an idiot. He signed it,” she said.

  “What?” Sebastian and Juliette both came around to stand by Charlotte’s shoulder.

  “These initials ‘CFM’—Charles Follen McKim. The firm was McKim, Mead & White, which means they didn’t sign work individually. Everything they created was property of the firm as a whole.”

  “So why did McKim sign this?” Vincent asked. “Is he the artist the clue alludes to?”

  Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t think so. More than one person created this monstrosity. It doesn’t make sense to create a cipher about someone whose initials are on the damn thing. It’s like overkill.”

  “So the clue is directing us to someone else?” Christian asked.

  “I don’t know. McKim was in the Trinity Masters, so that means…” Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t know what that means.”

  Juliette stood up and stretched, yawning exhaustedly. “It means it’s time to go home. Franco is going to use his scanner to make a copy of the poetry book, the cipher and the clue we discovered. Devon will take that and a copy of the map to some people he knows. Charlotte, we may need you to help us interpret whatever we find. You’re not done yet, but we’re close.”

  What no one said was that the Caden Anderson investigation had come to an end.

  Vincent grasped Charlotte’s hand, and then did the same with Christian’s.

  “We need food and sleep. Let’s go.”

  Shepherding his partners out of the Grand Master’s office, Vincent felt the weight of his responsibility to them. They were his to love. To protect.

  The sun would be rising in an hour or so. Regardless of his lack of sleep, he wasn’t tired. Adrenaline was coursing through him, alongside a more than healthy amount of lust. He wanted Christian and Charlotte. Badly.

  When they looked at him, he didn’t bother to hide his desires. Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise for a split second before she gave him a sexy smile. Meanwhile, Christian was on the exact same page. His eyes were dark with need, and Vincent saw the brief shadow of his cock thickening beneath the sweatpants he’d tugged on earlier.

  Vincent wrapped his arm around Charlotte and maintained his grip on Christian’s hand. The city streets were empty and for a moment, he could almost believe Boston deserted, that they were completely alone.

  “When we get back to the penthouse,” Vincent said slowly, measuring each word as well as his lovers’ reactions, “you’ll both take off your clothes, go into the bedroom and kneel at the foot of the bed. You’ll wait for me there without speaking.”

  Christian’s grip on Vincent’s hand tightened as he adjusted his sweats to accommodate his full-blown erection. So far so good on sub number one.

  Charlotte’s posture hadn’t changed. She was still relaxed, still comfortable. He took that as a good sign. Caden’s and Rose’s pasts weren’t the norm, weren’t representative of what he wanted to share with Christian and Charlotte.

  “Charlotte,” Vincent said.

  “I’m not afraid, Vincent. And I swear I want to try. I’m just not sure, I mean…” She bit her lower lip nervously.

  “Say it.”

  “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  Vincent laughed. He couldn’t help it. He was ready for her to balk, to say she didn’t want his dominance, didn’t want to submit. Christian laughed as well.

  “Oh man, Chuck. I think you’re sort of missing the obvious.”

  She stopped as they stood just outside the Boston Park Plaza. “The obvious?”

  Vincent cupped her face in his palms. “You couldn’t disappoint me if you tried. You’re perfect.” Then he reached over to Christian, including him in their embrace. “You both are.”

  Charlotte was the first to break away, grasping their hands. “Come on. I’m really horny.”

  Vincent let her lead the way, equal parts amused and aroused. She was never going to get the hang of submission, but that didn’t bother him. At all.

  He glanced at Christian, who winked, then lowered his eyes deferentially. Vincent had to take care to reposition his own hard-on, sucking in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. He needed to get control of himself if he hoped to have a snowball’s chance in hell of controlling them.

  This was too important to his future, his dreams, his desires.

  When they entered the penthouse, Christian and Charlotte clasped hands, walking to the bedroom together.

  Vincent leaned against the front door to watch, silently counting to a hundred in his head. By the time he reached triple digits, he’d managed to center himself and he let the night play out in his head. He n
ever went into a scene without a plan.

  But this, this was a hell of a lot more than a scene.

  He retrieved the items he’d bought at the sex shop in New York from his duffel bag. The thing was still lying in the living room where they’d all dumped their stuff this morning. Or was it finally yesterday? It was as if they’d squeezed twelve lifetimes into twenty-four hours.

  When Vincent entered the bedroom, all the control he’d fought to regain by the front door was swept away at the sight of them kneeling, naked, side by side.

  Either Christian had offered some instruction or Charlotte was a natural, because her legs were parted, her hands resting palm up on her thighs. However, unlike Christian, whose head was bent, she was looking straight at him like a hungry wolf eyeing a fat calf.

  “Lower your eyes, beauty.”

  She did so, with obvious reluctance. Something told him he was going to spend a lot of time spanking her pretty round ass. And when she peeked back up at him through her long, thick lashes, he knew she’d enjoy those spankings.

  He narrowed his eyes, letting her know he’d spotted her peeking. “I hadn’t planned to start out with a punishment, but that can certainly be added if you keep disobeying me, Charlotte.”

  She bent her head lower, so that all he could see was the top of her head. He walked toward them, running his hands through each of their hair. “Very good,” he murmured.

  Christian’s cock was rock-hard and pointing directly upwards, right toward him.

  “Sit on the edge of the bed, Christian, and part your legs. Charlotte’s going to suck on your dick while I watch.”

  Christian moved into position quickly, as did Charlotte. Their dirty little girl had no problem doing as she was told when it was something she wanted as well.

  She had just taken Christian in her hand, her lips parted, when Vincent grasped a handful of her hair and tugged on it. “Don’t make him come. If you do, you’ll both be punished for it, and trust me, neither of you will enjoy it.”

  “But—” she started.

  He pulled her hair harder, forcing her face up so that she could see his. Her cheeks were flushed, and the way she pressed her thighs together tightly told him she liked the pain. It turned her on. That knowledge was a gift, one he intended to explore, to relish. “I mean it, Charlotte. Play with him, get him close, but don’t let him go over the edge.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered.

  Fuck. Vincent had to lock his knees to remain upright, certain he’d never heard anything sweeter. Oh yeah. Oh hell yeah. He was going to be her master. Forever.

  He looked at Christian. “There’s a leather slapper in my suitcase. I can make it feel good or I can make sure it hurts.”

  Christian shuddered, as Charlotte gasped.

  Vincent didn’t say anything more. They both knew what he wanted. And what the consequences would be if they didn’t obey.

  There was a desk in the corner. Walking over, he pulled the chair in front of it over to the bed, putting himself perpendicular to them so he could see all the action and so they could observe him with their peripheral vision.

  Charlotte opened her mouth, taking Christian in deeply on the first pass. What she lacked in experience, she more than made up for with enthusiasm. She’d confessed to a fairly vanilla past. That sweet existence was going to be shattered tonight.

  Not that Charlotte appeared to mind. She used her free hand to grip Christian’s balls.

  Christian reached out, gripping her head. “Easy, Chuck, or we’re both going to be in trouble.”

  “Squeeze his balls, Charlotte. And suck harder. I’ll know if you’re faking it,” Vincent warned, fighting to hide his grin when Charlotte flashed Christian an apologetic look.

  Vincent studied the two of them as she continued to fuck Christian with her mouth. Christian was red-faced and breathing heavily, fighting his climax with everything he had. However, Charlotte was just as affected. Her nipples were tight buds and she’d begun to squirm, squeezing her legs together in search of stimulation.

  “Cup her tits, Christian. Pinch her nipples.”

  Charlotte released Christian with a loud moan when he did exactly as Vincent demanded. Christian wasn’t shy about issuing a bit of pain himself. He pinched her nipples again, and Charlotte tried to slip one of her hands between her legs.

  Vincent rose, unable to resist taking part a second longer. He grabbed her wrists and pulled them over her head, caging them together in one of his hands. The new position thrusts her breasts higher. Christian took advantage, bending his head to take one nipple between his teeth.

  “Did I tell you to use your mouth?”

  Christian reared back at Vincent’s quiet inquiry. “No, Sir.”

  “That’s right. I didn’t.” Vincent kept a firm grip on Charlotte, who was wriggly, desperate to have her pretty pussy fucked. “Hold still, Charlotte. Now!”

  She stilled, but her heavy breathing proved it wasn’t an easy task for her.

  “Turn around, Christian. Hands and knees.”

  Christian moved quickly.

  “Now put your head on the mattress, reach back, and pull apart your ass cheeks. Charlotte and I want to see you.”

  Christian lowered his head and once again, did as Vincent said. He was the perfect submissive, even though something told Vincent that Christian would be just as comfortable playing the Dom.

  They’d explore that another time, the two of them working together to drive their naughty, sexy wife out of her mind with pleasure.

  But not tonight. Tonight he wanted to possess his partners completely, their bodies, their minds, their souls and, God willing, even their hearts.

  Charlotte was still on her knees, her wrists still trapped in his grip. He used that hold to tug her to her feet in front of him before he released her. “There’s lubrication in that bag by the door, beauty. Go get it.”

  She glanced at him over her shoulder without moving.

  Vincent swatted her ass firmly. “I don’t ask twice.”

  She jerked at the blow, but she moved, returning and offering him the tube. He shook his head, and then tilted his chin toward Christian on the bed.

  “That’s for him. I’m going to fuck Christian tonight. I suspect he’d appreciate you helping ensure that ass is ready to take me inside.”

  The second he’d laid out the game plan, Charlotte went into action. Vincent rolled his eyes at her undeniable excitement. She knelt behind Christian, uncapping the lube. Her pregnant pause as she considered her next step proved she’d never done anything like this before. Vincent didn’t offer instruction. He was too curious to see where her natural inclinations would take her.

  He was impressed when, rather than slowly working the lubrication in with a finger, she pressed the tip to his ass and squeezed.

  Christian turned his face to the mattress and groaned. “Jesus, Charlotte. That’s cold.”

  She giggled. “Have you seen the size of Vincent’s dick? You’re going to thank me for that later.”

  “Did I give either of you permission to speak?” Vincent asked, working hard to infuse his tone with anger when in truth, he was hard-pressed not to laugh.

  “We need permission to talk?” Charlotte asked, aghast. “Oh yeah. I’m definitely going to suck at that.”

  Vincent swatted her ass again, five hard smacks that put a bright red blush on her white skin. “Try harder.”

  “Ouch,” she said, reaching back to rub her sore ass.

  Vincent lifted his hand again, but she pinched her lips together, twisted an invisible key and pretended to toss it over her shoulder.

  I love you.

  The words flittered through his brain, but he didn’t say them. They weren’t going anywhere. And letting that emotion slip out would only encourage his little brat to continue misbehaving. If she knew the power she had over him this early in the game, he’d lose all control.

  Vincent glanced at Christian’s ass and lifted one eyebrow. She recalled her
assignment, running her finger around Christian’s anus. Then she explored further, dipping the tip of one inside.

  “Please, Charlotte. Put it all in.”

  Vincent started to spank Christian for speaking out of turn, but before he could move, Charlotte lifted her hand and smacked him.

  “Shhh,” she admonished as Vincent stood there, in shock over her actions, watching her return to her task, pressing one finger inside, stretching him slowly.

  One finger became two. Then three. More lube was added.

  For a novice, Charlotte worked like a pro, not only preparing Christian, but driving him out of his mind with need.

  She started to add a fourth finger, but Vincent gripped her wrist. “That’s enough. He’s ready.”

  Vincent pulled his shirt off and used it to wipe the lube from her hand.

  “Lift your head, Christian. Charlotte’s going to crawl under you.” He looked at Charlotte again. “Lay on your back. He’s going to fuck you while I fuck him.”

  Christian shivered. “I was terrified I was going to die in Charlotte’s apartment earlier. Now, you two are definitely going to kill me.”

  Vincent grinned, but Charlotte frowned. “Please don’t talk about dying. I couldn’t…I don’t want either of you to leave me.”

  Christian reached for her, tugging her beneath him. “I’m sorry, Charlotte. It was an insensitive joke.”

  She smiled, forgiveness coming quickly. “Yeah. Too soon.”

  “Just like all mentions of Hamilton.”

  Charlotte giggled. “So noted.”

  Christian bent down to kiss her and Vincent saw it. The same emotion that had his heart racing, not merely with arousal, but with love.

  Vincent shed his pants and boxers, tugged on a condom, and climbed on the bed. Christian and Charlotte broke apart as he took his place.

  Charlotte opened her legs as Vincent pressed a gentle hand on Christian’s lower back. He reached around his lover’s waist to grip his dick, to guide it inside Charlotte. Once Christian was seated to the hilt, Vincent kept the pressure on his back, holding him there for a moment.

  Then he parted Christian’s ass and buried himself inside, not with one hard thrust, but slowly, with at least a dozen shallow ones that pushed Christian even deeper inside Charlotte on each pass. All three of them groaned in unison when Vincent reached the hilt.