by Tara Sue Me
“Green, Sir.”
“Shall I continue?”
“Mmm,” she hummed, and swayed, causing the rope to hit a new spot. “Oh!”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Master.” She sounded dreamy. “If it pleases you.”
I ran the feather down her side. She hummed and tried to get closer. Apparently, that shifted the ropes in a way they hadn’t rubbed before and she sighed and began rocking back and forth again.
“None of that, now,” I chided. “You don’t have permission to come.”
“Verflucht,” she said, which I guessed was a curse word. But she stopped rocking.
I knew she’d start with the German at some point and I wanted to play with her mind a bit. So I glanced to my side and nodded at Cole.
“Watch your language. I know more German than you,” he said.
“Entschuldigung, Herr,” she said in apology.
“I was mentored in Germany by the most badass Dom you can imagine.”
She swallowed a laugh at his accidental reference to the nickname given to him by submissives who’d played with him.
“Let’s just say I know all the German words,” Cole said.
She stopped trying to make the ropes move and went back to gently swaying. I kept her in subspace for a few more minutes and then began tickling her less and less. Her movements slowed and finally, I set the feathers down and unbuckled her arms from the cross. She dropped to her feet with an “Ouch!”
I immediately picked her up and carried her over the pegs until we reached a thick rug I’d placed on the platform. There I gently put her back on her feet while I undid the ropes. She let out a deep breath as they fell away from her.
“Move your legs, if you need to,” I said. Though the sensation of the rope had been pleasurable while she was in the scene, she’d probably be in some discomfort once it was over.
“Do I need to massage your legs?” I asked.
“No, Master.”
When I set up our new playroom, one of the things I’d done differently from our playroom in New York was add a large aftercare area. I’d furnished it with a plush couch and minifridge stocked with juice and bottled water. The night before, I’d set out a large blanket, and once we sat down, I draped it over her.
The three men took their cue to leave the play area. I’d told them earlier to wait for us in the kitchen and Abby had laid out snacks for them to enjoy.
Once they were gone, I turned my entire focus on her. One of our aftercare routines involved me rubbing her feet, so this was familiar and calming for both of us. She sighed as I took a foot in my hand. It was red on the bottom, but while the skin was tender, it wasn’t broken. I massaged a soothing lotion into her arch, gently moving down to her toes and across the ball of her foot.
“You have the most amazing hands, Master,” she said. “I’ve told you this before, yes?”
I kissed her big toe. “You have, my lovely. But feel free to tell me again.”
“Your hands are amazing, Master.”
“You’re pretty amazing, too.” I slowly worked the lotion into her skin and took a pair of supersoft socks I had waiting. I slipped one of them onto her foot.
“Makes me feel a bit like Cinderella,” she joked as I placed that foot down and motioned for her to give me her other one.
“Does that make me Prince Charming?”
She brushed her hand down my arm. “You’ll always be my Prince Charming.”
We shared a smile as I cared for her other foot. Reconnecting like this after a scene always made us closer. Usually, we’d take our time and even curl up in bed for a catnap, but since we had guests, I thought it was time to make our way out of the playroom.
“Can we go check on the kids before we head to the kitchen, Master?” she asked.
“Of course. Are you ready to go now, or do you want to wait a bit longer?”
“I can go now.”
I stood up and helped her into the outfit she’d brought down earlier. While we got her dressed in jeans and a soft sweater, I watched for any sign that would tell me her feet were in too much pain. Satisfied she was okay, I took her hand and we went to pop in on the kids.
Lynne, Elizabeth, and Henry were in what we called the nursery. It was really just the children’s playroom, but neither Abby nor I was comfortable calling it that. Lynne and Elizabeth were playing house in the large dollhouse my cousin, Jackson, and I had made for her last birthday. Henry was pushing his dump trucks and tractors around. Abby giggled when she saw he had one of Elizabeth’s dolls on top of the tractor, acting as if she were driving. Nothing like doing farm work in a silver cocktail dress.
I knocked on the doorframe. Elizabeth turned and, seeing us, hopped up and ran over to give us hugs. “Mommy! Daddy! Lynne is fun. Can she stay? For always?”
I kissed the top of her head. “We’ll see. Are you playing dolls?”
“Yes, I’m the mommy, Lynne’s the little girl, and Henry’s the daddy. But he won’t play with the boy doll, so Lynne’s being the daddy, too.”
Henry picked up the silverly clad doll and nodded. “Pretty.”
“You can’t wear a fancy dress on a tractor,” Elizabeth told her brother.
He held the doll to his chest. “Mine!”
“Just let him play,” Abby said. “At least he’s not throwing everything in the trash can.” She looked over to Lynne. “How’s everything going? Do you need anything?”
Lynne and the kids had eaten lunch earlier. She’d told us they were going to play for a bit and then watch a movie.
“We’re good,” she said. “I promised cookies during the movie.”
Abby nodded. “Elizabeth helped me make sugar cookies yesterday. I think we have a few left. Do you want me to set them out?”
“I know where they are, Mommy,” Elizabeth said. “I can show her.”
“Okay, princess. You two be good and I’ll see you after the movie.”
Abby smiled at me, content now that she had seen the children and satisfied they were happy. From everything I’d observed so far, it appeared hiring Lynne would be a great thing for everyone involved. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Simon yet, but I planned to soon. I didn’t understand why he’d broken up with her. Especially since they had appeared to be so happy and compatible when we last saw them together.
But I knew as well as anyone that things weren’t always as they seemed to be and people often did things for reasons not understood by those not involved.
And seriously, you have enough to deal with concerning your own relationships. No need to borrow anyone else’s problems.
Cole, Luke, and Jeff were standing in the kitchen snacking on the array of sandwiches Abby had left out for them. At our entrance, they stopped talking and greeted us, and then Jeff made Abby a plate.
She took it from him with a big smile and sat down. “Thank you.”
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.
I wanted to tell him not to bother, that I’d get her a drink, but it occurred to me that this was probably his way of providing some sort of aftercare. No, he hadn’t done anything in the scene other than watch, but if he needed to get my wife a drink, I’d let him.
I was reminded again of why I didn’t share my submissives. I enjoyed being the one, the only one to do aftercare. Which was silly, I told myself. It was only getting her a drink. It really shouldn’t bother me the way it did.
In fact, it had never bothered me before. Jeff had done a lot more with Abby when we were in Wilmington for the first time and I hadn’t minded when he sat and talked with her once the scene was over. That day, I’d actually left them alone while I cleaned up and prepared the bedroom for the aftercare I had planned.
It raised the question, why was it different today?
I didn’t have an answer for that.
Jeff and Abby talked for a few minutes with Luke and Cole joining in occasionally. I simply watched, but I noticed Cole looking my way a few t
imes. It was a bit unnerving and I wondered briefly if he could read something in my expression.
Jeff glanced at his watch. “I hate to be the first one to leave, but Dena and I have an appointment this afternoon and I need to swing by the house to pick her up.”
Luke stood up. “I need to be going as well.”
Cole made no move to go and after the two other men left, he approached me. “Can I speak with you for a minute?”
Abby hopped up and started clearing the dishes. “Let me get these in the sink and I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll go see what the kids are up to.”
“Something wrong?” I asked Cole after Abby left the kitchen.
“I was going to ask you the same thing. You seemed different today.”
Was I that transparent? I shrugged. “Just a lot of things going on at the moment.”
“Abby certainly appeared to enjoy herself.”
I snorted. “She loves playing in front of people.”
“And you don’t?”
“No, I’m fine with it, usually.” I decided to tell him some of what had been going on. My own feelings were somewhat bewildering to me, and maybe he had some experience with this kind of thing that he could share with me. “It’s just that her need to play publicly is growing lately and I wonder if I can keep up with her.”
“You mean, will she want to push the envelope faster and further than you’re comfortable with?”
“Something like that. I’m just not sure what to do next. How to keep her on her toes and excited.”
He nodded. “It’s hard to be creative and think up new ways to torment our subs sometimes,” he said with a grin. “And the two of you have been together a long time.”
“Yes, exactly. And I’m afraid the things I do think up, I won’t be comfortable with.”
“Have you considered a threesome?”
I had always shot down the idea in the past. Me share Abby? No way. But instead of blurting out “Hell, no,” I gave it some thought. She’d enjoyed the session with Jeff even though I had placed limits on what he could do. A threesome would be different.
Would a threesome satisfy her? Was it something she’d want? Maybe not a scene where she actually had sex with another man, because I knew there was no way in hell that would ever happen. But something like what we did with Jeff and maybe let him go a little further.
“A mild scene, perhaps,” I said in answer to him. “Would you want to participate?”
“Oh no.” He held up his hands. “It was merely a suggestion. I don’t act as third in the group I’m a member of.”
I nodded. “Makes sense.”
Who would I invite into our playroom? Should it be someone she’d worked with? Or someone who was a complete stranger to her? Or would someone like Luke be better? A man she knew, but not too well and one she wouldn’t see on a regular basis. Someone I wouldn’t see on a regular basis.
I didn’t need to think about what would be best for me. This would be for Abby and I needed to put my thoughts and emotions to the side for her. It was only fair she got to experience two men if she wanted. I was her only Dom and for me to limit what she wanted simply because I was jealous? That wasn’t looking out for her. That was looking out for me.
I didn’t think a stranger was the way to go, though. I did know men in the lifestyle whom she didn’t, men I wouldn’t have to worry about seeing often. But I didn’t think Abby would be comfortable with someone she just met.
At the same time, I didn’t think someone she was very familiar with would be a good choice, either. I could easily ask someone like Jeff to join us. They had played together before, they knew each other, and they were comfortable around each other.
But I knew Abby would end up feeling uncomfortable around him and I wasn’t sure he’d want to join us anymore, since he was back together with Dena. Hell, this was uncharted territory for me. I honestly had no idea how she would react when it was all over. She might feel guilty and I needed to make sure I addressed that before we did anything. We would have to spend a lot of time talking about how she felt when the scene was over.
If I didn’t want a stranger and didn’t want someone she was too friendly with, that left a mere acquaintance. Simon was out. Neither one of us would feel right inviting him, not with Lynne living under our roof.
I ran through several names in my mind, but kept coming back to Luke.
He was the obvious choice. She knew him, she’d spoken to him, and he’d been in our playroom already when he took the pictures. Plus, I’d watched him in a scene before and he was more of a sensual Dominant. If I had to pick someone to join us, I’d choose someone like him over a Dominant like Cole. Cole had earned his reputation as a hard-ass in the playroom, and while I didn’t have a problem with that, I didn’t want someone like that to be her first experience with two men. Besides, it didn’t sound as though Cole was an option. And, to be honest, he didn’t seem to be the type of Dom to truly enjoy being a third. He’d want to be the one calling the shots.
The only downside to asking Luke was his history with Abby’s supervisor, Meagan. Though whatever happened between them had taken place years ago, I needed to get her idea on adding a third and to make sure she was okay with who I asked. I thought it would be fine. According to Abby, Meagan had said under no circumstances would she ever get back together with that man.
I made a note to ask Luke what had happened between him and Meagan. I didn’t think it would be anything beyond a typical breakup, but I wanted to be certain.
I would still ask Abby, though. I’d also give her the option to ask a stranger instead of Luke. This was going to be a big step for her, and I wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible. And a large part of that would depend on the man we asked to join us.
“If nothing else,” Cole said, “perhaps you could increase the intensity of your public play.”
He’d been so quiet I’d forgotten he was still here. But he had a good point. Maybe increasing what we did in public would be what she needed.
“I like the way you think,” I said. Maybe adding a third was too much and increasing what we did publicly would be the best thing to do next. “In fact, I’m speaking at the tri-state group meeting in two weeks, the weekend after Jeff and Dena’s wedding. There may be a chance to do something more public there.”
If the upcoming meeting was like the last one, I wouldn’t reserve a balcony this time. Instead maybe I’d keep her on the main floor in the courtyard and we’d put on our show. And I would call Luke soon.
I looked up as Abby came back into the room.
“Everything good?” I asked. Her eyebrows were wrinkled as though she was thinking hard.
“Yes.” She nodded. “I had a call from Sasha. She wants to talk to me and I have a feeling I know what it’s about.”
“Miss Blake?” Cole asked. “Is she back in the group?”
It hadn’t been hard for me to pick up on Sasha’s interest in Cole. Outside of the subtle comments she made, I saw her interest the night she watched his demo with the lady who never returned.
Cole, on the other hand, wasn’t as easy to read. On the surface, it was only a question. Is she back in the group? It could have been an I’m interested because I’m now a senior member and she’s part of the group. Or it could have been an Oh yes, I remember catching her before she fell to the floor and broke her nose. But the question wasn’t spoken like either of those. It was more of an I’m going to act all nonchalant because I don’t want you to realize just how much I remember about Sasha Blake. Plus, there was the way he’d looked at her the night of the demo she watched. The sly smile and his obvious delight in her interest.
I glanced at Abby to see if she’d picked up on Cole’s comment. Sure enough, her eyes had grown wider. She looked at me, obviously wanting to say something. I nodded.
“She’s not an official member, Sir,” Abby said. “Master and I are still working on requirements to join the group, and since she dropped o
ut, she’ll have to reapply. But …” She paused, glancing at the wall behind him, not meeting his gaze. “She did go to the last group play party. I was with her as she watched your demo.”
“Oh?” he said with a smile.
I knew I hadn’t misheard that one. The Oh that was not so much of an Oh yes, but more of an I hope I left her hungry for more.
“Yes,” she confirmed to Cole. “In any case, she’s not ready to join just yet. At least in my opinion.”
With that, Cole rose from his seat and patted me on the back. “Time for me to say my good nights. I’m sure you and Abby will work everything out perfectly. I trust you two.”
I smiled to myself as the outline of a plan took form in my head.
We showed Cole out and said our good nights. Abby and I went to sit in the living room, and I brought up the plan that was on my mind. She was surprised at first. But as I explained my thought process I could see her understanding what I was suggesting.
“You have played with other men in a limited capacity. It’s not like the cane where this is completely new.”
“You want me to give you names? I wasn’t expecting that.” She shook her head. “I think I’d rather you decide.”
“I don’t want a name necessarily, just your thoughts on a few things. For instance, would you want a third and in what capacity? And if you do, do you want it to be a stranger or someone you know? And if you think you’d like someone you know, would it be better for you if they were in the Partners group or someone you won’t see frequently?”
“I haven’t given this any thought.” She was shaking her head gently. “You have to give me time to wrap my head around it. I don’t think I want a third, but I do like the idea of increasing public play and I’m not opposed to doing more scenes with another Dom. But I don’t want it to be any more than what we’ve already done with Jeff and the others. And I know I don’t like the thought of a stranger. I mean, the stranger fantasy we do is fun. But I don’t think I’d like to be in a scene with someone I don’t know.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“Those are my thoughts right now and as for who? Someone I know from the Partners group or the New York one.” She picked a pen up from off my desk and spun it around. “Daniel and Jeff are out; they’re in relationships themselves and neither of them wants to play with anyone else. That leaves Cole or William Greene or Evan Martin. I’m not sure the New York group is an option. We haven’t met with them in forever.”