Submission for Skeptics [Club Libertine 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Diane Leyne

  She felt the bed dip on each side and knew that they wanted to snuggle up to her, and she panicked. Sitting up, she wriggled past them and slid off the foot of the bed.

  “Where do you think you are going?” asked Damon sternly. “You don’t have permission to leave.” He voice went from demanding to afraid as he saw her expression.

  “I need to be alone.” As she walked around the end of the bed over to the counter, Brad reached out for her.

  “Red. Red. Red.” She found herself rushing out of the room naked and afraid, heading down the stairs to her apartment, slamming and locking the door behind her. That was when the shaking started, when she leaned back against the door. The adrenaline had finally worn off, and she felt empty and scared by how much she loved the two men and how much she desperately wanted to submit to them. She had to think with her brain and not her pussy, and to do that, she needed time away from them.

  She looked at the clock in her apartment. It was only 6:00 p.m. They weren’t due at the club until ten tomorrow. She had time.

  For long minutes, she remained leaning against the door, breathing heavily and waiting. Finally she heard a heavy tread on the stairs. The steps stopped outside the door, and then there was a knock.

  “It’s me, Damon.”

  “Go away.”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  “I’m fine. I just need to be alone to think.”

  “Are you sure? Is there, is there someone I could call if you don’t want me or Brad?”

  “No. I’ll be fine. I just need time and space. Can you give me that?”

  “You need anything, anything at all, you just call, you hear?”

  “I will. Now just go. I’ll meet you at the club tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. I don’t want to see either of you before then. I need to think.”

  * * * *

  Slowly Damon walked up the stairs. Brad was sitting on the top step.

  “It’s my fault, isn’t it? I pushed too hard, too fast.” The tears started falling. “I pushed her away from us. I’m sorry.”

  Damon sat down beside Brad and held him tight, Brad’s head on his shoulder as he wept. Damon did his best to comfort Brad, but he realized he was crying, too. Their dream of a happily ever after with Kris had ended so quickly, and his heart was breaking, too, but he tried to stay strong for Brad.

  “There, there. We still have each other. We’ll make it through this. We’ve made it through worse together. We’ll be okay. We just need some time.”

  Chapter Nine

  When Damon left, Kris walked over to her couch and curled up on it and started sobbing. She almost didn’t hear her cell phone ring. It was a special ring tone, the one she’d assigned to the prepaid phone she’d given her sister. It had only rung twice in the last three years.

  She scrambled off the couch to grab the phone before it stopped, but was too late. She held it, not sure what to do. If she called the number and Frank heard it, there’d be hell to pay. But what if it was urgent?

  She took a chance and dialed. The phone was answered promptly, but she didn’t recognize the voice at the other end.

  “Who is this?”

  “Kris. Who is this?”

  “This is Nancy. I’m a friend of Katie’s.”

  “Katie doesn’t have friends. She has family.” Kris was suspicious.

  “Katie said to tell you Marshmallow.”

  Kris sat down abruptly. Marshmallow. That had been what Katie had called her when she was little because she was so plump.

  “How do you have this phone? Is my sister okay?”

  “I’m sorry I scared you. Katie is fine. She wants to talk to you before she goes underground.”

  “Underground?” Kris was stunned. She knew what that meant from the articles she’d written. She’d tried to convince her sister that if she feared for her life, then she could go to one of the groups that specialized in helping woman in just these situations.

  “Is she okay?”

  “A couple of broken ribs and sprained wrist, but a recovered spirit. She’s in good hands.”

  “Can I talk to her?”

  “Not right away. It’s better until things settle down and we understand just how hard her husband will look for her and the kids if you legitimately don’t know where they are or what name they are going by. Once everything settles down, we’ll make arrangements for you to talk to her and maybe even see her again, but now is not good. I hope you understand.”

  “I do. Can you give her my love?”

  “Of course, and she and the kids send you theirs. Don’t worry. They are safe now. I’ll give you a number you can call in an emergency, but remember, it’s not for you to use to call and chat.”

  Kris felt her body sag with relief. She dropped down on to the couch and fell into an exhausted sleep until she was awakened by a pounding at the front door.

  She looked at the clock. 2:00 a.m. Who on earth would be knocking at this hour? Had Damon or Brad forgotten their key? She got up, wrapping herself with the throw on the couch and flung the door open. She immediately realized her mistake and tried to shut the door, but he was too strong for her. He shouldered the door open, and when she tried to run, he grabbed her arm and flung her against the wall. She was stunned momentarily and lost her grip on the throw.

  “Where’s my wife, bitch!” screamed Frank, and he grabbed her by the arm and shook her. “What has she done with my son?”

  When she didn’t answer, he twisted her arm, and Kris screamed with pain. Frank laughed. He was enjoying this, she realized. He liked her pain and her fear. He pulled her close and then backhanded her across the face.

  “I can do this all night, bitch. Where’s my wife, you stupid bitch? With your hair hacked off like some kind of lesbian feminist and”—he looked down, and his eyes widened—“your pussy bare like some kind of porn slut. Is that what you are now, a slut? Have you lured my wife away to join you in your depravity?”

  He looked around at her apartment door and then up the stairs. The door had closed behind her, she realized, and he wasn’t sure which apartment was hers.

  “Which one is yours, bitch?” He patted his crotch. “I’m going to show you how a real man fucks his bitch, and then I’m going to use my belt on you until you give her up. Now, last chance. Where’s my wife?”

  Kris whimpered again as he squeezed her wrist, and then she looked upstairs just for a second and then looked down again.

  “Is that where she is? Are you hiding her upstairs? Well, I’m going to teach both of you a lesson neither of you will forget.”

  He turned and stomped up the steps, dragging Kris behind him by the collar on her neck. She struggled to stay on her feet until they reached the landing and started up the next flight of stairs when the collar broke, and she tumbled back, landing on her injured wrist. Frank made a sound of disgust and grabbed her arm, pushing her up the stairs in front of him.

  The door at the top of the stairs was open. Clearly Frank thought she’d left it open when she came down to open the door. He didn’t realize that it was always left open. Triumphantly he flung her against the wall and stomped toward the door. She waited until he was almost at the living room, and then she sprinted up the steps to Brad and Damon’s bedroom. Frank heard her running feet and quickly followed, barreling into her as she flung the door open, knocking her to the ground.

  Brad and Damon were asleep, but wakened quickly, especially Brad, who was routinely awakened and summoned to emergencies.

  “Who the fuck are you?” snarled Frank. He turned to Kris and lifted his hand menacingly. “You running to two gay boys for help? You think two queers can protect you?”

  Those were the last words he said before Brad’s body slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Damon rushed over to help, but Brad had the situation well in hand, so Damon pulled Kris close while he called 911.

  “Don’t kill him!” Kris cried as Frank tried to curl into a ball to get away from Brad’s punis
hing fists. “That’s my brother-in-law.”

  Brad paused and looked up. “Then he deserves it even more for attacking family.” He stood up and looked down contemptuously. “If I had shoes on, I’d kick him in the nuts. A dirtbag like that deserves to be a eunuch.”

  Sirens could be heard in the distance. Damon grabbed the bedspread and wrapped it around Kris, and then he grabbed his pants and threw a pair to Brad, who quickly donned them while watching Frank closely, hoping for another chance to beat on the fallen man. It hadn’t been much of a fight, really. Men who enjoyed beating on women were usually cowards who ran from a real fight.

  “I should go let them in.” Damon was reluctant to let Kris go.

  “I don’t think you need to. The door’s probably still open.”

  Sure enough, soon there was the sound of feet rushing up the stairs. Three armed men entered the room. Looking at the situation, they zeroed in on Kris, gesturing her over to them and keeping their weapons drawn on all of the men until they knew exactly what happened.

  Being a journalist, Kris was able to succinctly tell them what happened. She told them how he beat up her sister and how she believed her sister leaving had set him off. She carefully avoided Damon’s and Brad’s eyes during this recitation. She’d told them some of her family background, but she hadn’t told them just how bad Frank was to her sister.

  The cops offered her a ride to the emergency room, but she declined. She did, however, agree to press charges, as did Damon and Brad. Frank yelled his head off about being assaulted, but the cops told him he was lucky the homeowner hadn’t blown his head off and hauled him out in cuffs.

  “You’re Brad Martin, aren’t you? Engine Company 77?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I heard how you went into that burning building to pull Mark McDonald out singlehandedly.”

  “He still ended up paralyzed.”

  “Yeah, and he almost ended up dead. I’m sure his wife and kids would rather have a dad on wheels than one six feet under. Hey, Marv. You know this guy here? He’s a god damned hero. He’s the guy who saved Mark. When you are taking that scumbag in, if you want to drop him down the stairs a bit, I won’t see a thing.”

  The officer nodded and then turned to Kris.

  “Miss, I really do think you need to see a doctor, but I can’t force you. And you are in good hands here with Brad. I’ll need the three of you to come downtown tomorrow to file the paperwork, but I can guarantee this animal won’t be bothering you or his wife anytime in the next few decades.”

  He walked over to Frank. “If you are going to pick a fight, next time be sure you aren’t picking on a decorated firefighter. Every boy and girl in blue in the city is grateful to him and won’t appreciate you hurting his girlfriend.”

  And then they were gone, and Kris was alone with Damon and Brad. Suddenly, she felt her knees collapse. Damon helped her onto the bed, and then he put an arm around Brad and helped him over to the bed, too.

  Brad’s knuckles were bruised and split, but he didn’t notice them once he got a good look at Kris.

  “Damn. You do need to go to the hospital.”

  “No. No. I want to be here, with you.”

  Brad looked disapproving, and when he eased the bedspread from around her, he looked angry. “I wish Damon hadn’t called the cops so quickly. Seeing your bruises makes me want to pound on him some more.” Gingerly, he reached a hand out to her face, touching her cheek gently.

  “Damon, go get some ice and some wet towels.”

  Damon was back quickly, and Brad tenderly dabbed a towel to her cheek to remove the blood while Damon sat down on her other side, taking her uninjured hand in his. Then he had her lay back as he carefully moved his hands over her body, noting her sprained wrist, bruised shoulder, abrasions on her neck, and shiner and bloody nose, but not detecting any broken bones.

  “You’ll need an X-ray to make sure it’s just a sprain and not a break, but other than that, you just need time and some TLC.”

  Kris smiled crookedly. “Either of you guys know where I can get some of that TLC? Maybe you can get me a prescription or something?”

  “As a doctor, even if I’m just a PhD, my recommendation is that you take two boyfriends and call me in the morning.”

  It was a feeble attempt at humor, but Kris smiled. How could she have equated anything that these two wonderful, loving men did to her to what that depraved sadist her sister married did? She’d never felt anything but love when she was with them, and she’d always trusted them to take her to the edge and even push her right up against her boundaries but to never ever touch her in anger or rage.

  “Right now, I just want a good night’s sleep safe between the two of you. But there’s one thing you need to do for me.”

  “Anything!” they said in unison.

  “I need one of you to get my cell phone. I have to call the safe line and have them get word to my sister that Frank’s going to jail and she won’t have to testify or risk her safety, but in a few months, he’ll be behind bars and she can come home.

  “The other thing I need is something I dropped on the landing when Frank was pulling me up the stairs and it broke.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll know when you see it.”

  Damon’s gaze narrowed, but then he turned and left the bedroom as Brad wrapped some ice in a towel and held it to her face.

  Moments later, he was back with the phone. Eagerly, she reached out for it and called the number she’d been given. They were surprised to hear from her so soon and started to berate her for abusing the number when she finally got them to listen. They were thrilled but cautious. They would wait until Frank was safely in jail, but they would monitor the situation closely so Katie and her kids could come home just as soon as it was safe.

  Kris hung up, tears streaming down her face, and Brad hugged her tightly while Damon stood and watched, one hand in his pocket. When her tears finally slowed, he pulled the collar out and showed it to Brad.

  “This is what was on the landing.”

  “I was wearing it when he attacked me. Is it broken?”

  “No, it looks like it just came undone.” He paused, seemingly unsure of himself. “You were still wearing our collar?”

  “I couldn’t bear to take it off, even when I struggled with my fear that I was becoming like my sister, giving myself to abusers. I know I should have talked to you about it, but I felt overwhelmed... I needed some time alone.”

  The men uttered sounds of protest, but she waved them off and stood up, keeping both at an arm’s length.

  “With my mind, I knew you were both good men, not like Frank, but my heart was afraid. Katie thought Frank was a good man when they met, and my mother thought my father was a good man, but they weren’t and they suffered every day they were with these men.

  “And then he burst in and attacked me, and everything just became clear. I ran to you two for safety. It was instinctive. I knew you would protect me with your last breaths. You would never hurt me. You will push me and challenge me and redden my ass, but you will never hurt me.”

  “We’ll torture your tits, too,” added Brad, suddenly much more cheerful. Damon elbowed him in the ribs, but Brad continued to grin. Kris found herself grinning back, and suddenly Damon was smiling, too.

  “Yes, you will cause me ‘erotic pain’ that will also give me great pleasure. You’ll never ask for more than I can give, and you’ll always honor my safe word.”

  “We’ll do more than that,” declared Damon as Brad nodded. “You are the most important thing in the world to us and we need you to know that. We thought our love was complete until we met you and then we realized that there was one piece missing and that was you. You make us complete. We’ll love and protect you forever if you’ll let us.”

  Kris heard the words but was afraid to really believe. She felt herself tearing up again as hope shot through her.

  Brad looked at his partner and then punched him in the shou
lder.

  “Damn it, Damon. For someone who lectures for a living, sometimes you aren’t very clear. Kris. I love you. Damon loves you too. We hope you love us and if you don’t, we’ll tie you to the bed and beat you until you do.”

  Kris found herself laughing and crying.

  “Those had better be happy tears! Are they happy tears?” Brad’s voice was worried. “We really aren’t going to beat you if you don’t love us. Maybe fuck you over and over until we wear you down, but only erotic pain, I promise.” He looked over at Brad, his tone slightly panicked.

  “You tell her, Damon!”

  “We love you, Kris. Will you stay with us and be ours forever?”

  She sank to her knees.

  “I love you both so much. I never thought you would ever love me back. Can you please put my collar back on, Masters? I feel naked without it. And I’ll need it for our trip to Club Libertine tonight.”

  “I’ll put the collar on you, but I fear the trip to Club Libertine is going to have to be postponed for a few weeks. If we go in there with you sporting a shiner, we’ll be drummed out of the Dom Union.”

  * * * *

  Two weeks later

  Kris kneeled on the main stage of Club Libertine. She was naked except for her collar. Dr. McLain and his sub Jillian weren’t there, as he was on his book tour, but Liam and Connor O’Hara were and Jake and Duncan and all of the others, as well as dozens of members and all of the staff. It was a Thursday night, which wasn’t as busy as the weekend, but everyone had heard about Kris’s public apology and how it had been postponed and were curious.

  The atmosphere wasn’t hostile, but it wasn’t terribly welcoming either. People were waiting to find out what she had to say first. Kris didn’t realize that the story of her sister Katie and Frank had already made the rounds and people were sympathetic and willing to give her a chance.