by Jane Jamison
“He said Georgia had a feeling about the three of us.”
William eased his horse back onto the trail when it tried to detour off the path for a juicy patch of green grass. “She did, huh? Is she using her police officer instincts or her womanly intuition?”
“I didn’t ask. What if she’s right?”
“I wouldn’t mind that at all. Would you?” He checked Gage, but couldn’t read him. They’d talked about sharing a submissive. Finding out that it was a common practice in Pleasure for two or more men to have one woman had come as a surprise. Yet judging from the people around town, he could see that it worked.
“Folks around here are into the ménage thing more than they were back home.”
William waited as Gage paused. His brother was thinking, weighing his words carefully.
“We’ve always figured if we found the right woman, it could work.”
He was almost afraid to ask. If he got the wrong answer, then what? “And if Eva Marie’s the right woman?”
“Then I’d think sharing her would be better than never having her at all. Even if it meant sharing her with you.”
“Hey, will you get a load of you? Still making jokes even after getting attacked by a man-eating goat. Get!” William had his horse in a full gallop a few seconds before Gage dug his heels in and raced after him.
“Damn it, William. You go flapping your yap to anyone about that damn goat and I’ll skin you alive!”
William laughed, keeping ahead of his brother as their horses pounded the ground, racing neck and neck. Life was good, but if Eva Marie became a part of it, life would get even better.
* * * *
Ever since Gage and William had left her house, Eva Marie hadn’t been able to think of anything else. They’d done more than turn her on. They’d somehow taken her heart and twisted it around, until she was sure no one else could ever untwist it. Was it really true love? With both William and Gage? And did they think of her more than as a submissive?
When at last she couldn’t stand it, she slipped off her stool, then hurried over to Paul. “I hate to ask and it’s not my break time, but I need to get outside and make a phone call.” No cell phones were allowed inside the club.
Paul gazed around at the half-empty room. The place would fill up later on. “Go ahead. Belinda can man your tables until you get back.”
As she had before, she felt guilty about what she’d said about Belinda. All of it was true, but it didn’t make her feel any better about gossiping. “I’ll make it as quick as I can.”
“If you’re calling Gage and William, they’re already on their way.”
“Why would you think I’m going to call them?”
Paul’s attention jumped to his permanent submissive, Georgia, who stood at the other side of the counter chatting with Belinda. “Uh, no reason.”
“Uh-huh. Tell me, Paul.”
“Okay, but if this comes back, I’ll deny I told you.”
And they say women gossip more than men. That’s a load of horse shit.
Instead, she smiled and put him at ease. “No one will hear it from me.”
He leaned closer, his gaze going from her to Georgia, then back again. “Georgia got the idea in her head that you three would make good partners. As Doms, subs, and everything else two men and a woman can be.”
“Really?” That meant a lot coming from Georgia. She had good instincts.
“I’m only repeating what she said.”
She wasn’t ready to let him off the hook. “And what about you, Paul? What do you think?”
He chuckled. “I’ll say this. You can’t find two better men than the Langham brothers. Aside from Destin and me, of course.”
“Oh, of course. So you like them, huh?”
“Yeah. I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t let them start being Doms here. How’s that coming anyway?”
“It’s coming.” The subject had taken a turn she didn’t want to take.
“Just so you know, Destin and I are helping them out.” He chuckled, drawing Georgia’s quick smile. “Not like you’re doing, of course. But from one Dom to another.”
“Excuse me, but I need to make that call.”
“Sure. Go ahead. I’ll get Belinda to cover for you.”
Belinda yet again. Was it her paranoia, or was everyone talking about Belinda nowadays? She’d heard other employees talk about how much Belinda had changed recently. And not for the better.
She hurried to the foyer and the employee lockers where she’d left her cell phone. Once she’d gotten it, she slipped outside, then around the corner taking her away from the member and employee parking lots.
She hit the speed dial for her mother, then counted each time it rang. “Pick up, Mom.”
She considered her mother her most valued advisor and told her everything. But what would her mother think about the Langham brothers? Did she want to tell her mother all of it?
“Hello?”
“Mom?”
“Hey, honey, how are you?”
Her parents hadn’t had much, but they’d given her the best they could and she’d always be grateful. “I’m fine. Do you have time to talk?”
“Ooh, this sounds serious. Should I come over? Or you could come here. I’ll make your favorite, shepherd’s pie.”
“That sounds great, but I’m at work right now. Plus, I ate a steak a little while ago.”
“Now I know it’s serious. You’d never spend money on a steak. What’s going on?”
“Hey, I’m not that cheap.”
“Thrifty’s the word. Don’t ever be ashamed of trying to save money. And you shouldn’t try and change the subject, either.”
She paused, unsure of how to continue. As usual, her mother wasn’t about to let the subject drop. Her mother’s antennae was up and searching.
“Just tell me, honey.”
“Mom, how do you know when you’re in love?” She could imagine her mother gripping the phone tighter and sitting up straight.
“Oh, honey. Do you think you’re in love?”
“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m calling.” The excitement in her mother’s voice was unmistakable because it matched the swirl of emotion inside her.
“Who is it? Or is there more than one?”
“I’ll keep their names to myself for now. But how do I know?”
“Is it the two new ranch hands Myrtle was telling me about? Langton? Landon? It’s something like that, right?”
Leave it to Myrtle, owner of Myrtle’s Salon and the town’s biggest gossip, to have already filled her mother in on the two new men in town. Forget the Internet. Myrtle was a more reliable and faster means of communication.
She smiled. Why’d she think she could ever keep anything from her mother?
“It’s Langham. William and Gage Langham. But I swear, Mom, if you so much as breathe a word to anyone, I won’t ever tell you another thing.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
She relaxed. Her mother’s promise was as good as gold. “Good. So how do I know, Mom?”
“Let me ask you a few questions.”
“Okay.” If only her mother could just tell her without going into a lot of questions. But that was her mother’s way.
“Do you think about them all the time?”
“Yes.” Thinking about them had kept her up the night before. And after what had happened in the field, she doubted she’d ever get them out of her mind.
“If something were to happen to one or both of them, would you be there for them?”
It was a tough question, yet surprising even herself, the answer came fast enough. “Yes.”
“Do you care about the whole man and not just his body?”
“Mom!”
“Answer the question, honey.”
“Yes.” The sound of a car coming up the drive had her pulling back against the wall. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want anyone to see her talking to her mom. The call was too important for interruptions.<
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“Then you have your answer. Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you.”
She didn’t answer at first. Instead, she watched as Gage drove a Range Rover around to the back parking lot on the other side of the building. William sat in the passenger seat but didn’t look her way.
“Honey, are you there?”
“Yeah, but I need to run. Thanks, Mom.”
“No problem, but as soon as you can, I want you and those boys over for dinner. No arguments. Promise?”
“I promise.” She wasn’t always successful, but she hoped one day her word would be as good as gold, too. “Talk to you later, Mom.” She ended the call, then slipped inside.
Tonight, she’d do one of her shows. And when she did, just maybe afterward, she’d let Gage and William practice being her Doms again.
* * * *
Eva Marie didn’t consider herself to be a great dancer or a professional entertainer. She was, however, very good at giving the members an erotic show. As far as she was concerned, it was her way of showing them a good time without having to participate in a scene.
When she’d first approached Paul with the idea during her first day of work, he’d been skeptical. It had all sounded a little like wanting to be a stripper and The Club at Pleasure Ranch wasn’t a strip joint. Its primary goal was to give members somewhere they could come and live out their fantasies or just get a much needed release from the stress of daily life. What they did, as long as they followed the rules, was up to them. The same went for the wait staff. They could join in—as long as they kept up with all their customers’ orders—or they could stay out of the mix and only serve drinks. Most of the staff members, unless they were already in a permanent Dom/sub relationship, liked having fun and making the members happy in whatever way they could.
William and Gage would make it inside in a matter of minutes. She hurried over to Wilson and leaned over the counter. The dance floor was empty, giving her an opportunity to do what she wanted. “Hey, Wilson, can you lower the stage, please?”
“Sure thing. Are you doing a show?”
“Yes. Along with letting William and Gage get an idea of what it’s like to be on stage.”
A stage was suspended above the dance floor with various sexual tools like chains, cuffs, and whips hooked to a rack that hung from the ceiling. Anyone could ask for the stage to be lowered as long as it didn’t interrupt those on the dance floor. Not many people did, preferring to do their scenes in either the more secluded areas of the main room or in the private rooms, but some of the Doms and waitresses would act out scenes in front of the crowd, adding the element of exhibitionism to the delight of the members.
“Yeah, I heard you were helping them get used to things. How’s it going?”
“All right. Although it’s only been a short time since we started.” She wouldn’t tell him or anyone else about what had happened in the field.
She caught them coming in through the back door that led to the parking lot. “Right now, please? Oh, and put on a little slow, sexy music, too.”
“Got it. Here it comes.” Wilson hit the switch next to the end of the bar, then punched a button on the sound system underneath the counter, keeping it all under his control.
She stood back and waited for what seemed like forever until the stage was lowered. A slow, sultry song flowed from the speakers overhead. If the sexy music hadn’t caught the attention of the members, then the lowering of the stage did.
She reached over the bar and snagged a bottle of tequila. Why was she so nervous? She’d given shows several times, yet she’d never taken anyone on stage before. Was that it? Yet she knew she could trust William and Gage to handle themselves. Still, the thought of getting together with them was enough to send her nerves hopping.
Taking a swig from the bottle, she leaned back and checked on their progress. And immediately felt like using the bottle for another reason. Like crashing it over the top of Belinda’s head.
Belinda must’ve come out of one of the private rooms and caught the Langham men as they’d started down the hallway. She wasn’t a big woman, but she was a determined one, and she was keeping them from continuing on their way.
Eva Marie strained to hear what she was saying, but couldn’t. Not that she needed to. She could easily guess what Belinda was saying just by looking at the men’s expressions.
Damn it. She’s throwing herself at them again.
Everyone liked Belinda. Or, at least, they used to. She’d always tried to find a man or two—the richer, the better—but lately she’d grown desperate, as though time was running out. She’d been hitting on every new man she met. It had gotten so bad that Paul had told her to cut it out or lose her job. Obviously, she hadn’t taken his warning to heart.
“Eva Marie, everyone’s waiting.”
The song had already repeated once. If she didn’t get moving, the crowd gathering around the stage would give up and move on. She had to get started. Making sure her hair was fluffed, she marched to the entrance of the hall and called out to William and Gage.
“Hey, boys, it’s show time. Come on. You don’t want to miss out, do you?” She gave it her all, using every ounce of sexiness she could pull out of herself.
Belinda pivoted around and glared at her. “Do you mind? We’re busy.”
William took his chance to get away. “No, we’re not.” He took her by the arms and forced her out of their way. “We appreciate the, um, offer, but we’re not interested.”
“He’s right.” Gage eased past them. “Sorry, but for the last time, no thanks.”
They strode away from the angry woman and Eva Marie was thankful Belinda didn’t have a weapon. If she had, they might have ended up facedown on the floor and bleeding out.
Wow. She’s really gone off the deep end.
Thinking that way about one of her fellow coworkers, especially one who’d greeted her with open arms on her first day six months earlier, was difficult. Even so, she was thrilled and more than a little proud that they’d turned Belinda down.
All she could do was to smile as nicely as she could, hope Belinda would calm down, then turn back toward the stage. She walked onto the stage, knowing William and Gage would stop at the edge of it. Applause greeted her.
“Hi, everyone.” She was an extrovert, but she still found it difficult to talk to a crowd. Giving them a sexual show, however, was easier. As long as she stayed in control, of course.
“How about a little show?” The volume of the music was just right. Not too loud that they couldn’t hear her, but not too soft that the bass didn’t give her a nice rhythm.
More applause as well as calls of encouragement came. That was one of the nicest things about the club. No matter what a person’s level of experience or comfort, the members and staff were very supportive.
“But this time”—she paused for dramatic effect—“I’m not going it alone.”
What little talking had still been going on ended as members and staff alike centered their attention on her. Everyone knew she didn’t do scenes.
Turning to William and Gage, she crooked her finger at them. “Come to me.” She felt powerful, sexier than she ever had, when they didn’t hesitate to step onto the stage.
Taking hold of William’s shirt, she pulled him to the other side of her, making her the meat in their sandwich. Gage reached up, ready to take her by the neck, but she pushed his hand away.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Not yet. I’m calling the shots at first. Once we get going, you’ll take over. Just remember the colors.”
They didn’t speak and didn’t nod, but they didn’t have to. She trusted them enough to know they’d treat her well. It wouldn’t take them any time at all to become loving, caring, and competent Doms.
“You’re my Doms and you can use any tool you want, but what I want to do is to self-pleasure myself. It’ll be your job to give me and the others some fun without fulfilling your own needs. Can you do that?”
“Damn
straight we can.” Gage’s eyes glittered with a craving she wanted to feed.
William leaned against her shoulder and whispered, “Sure. But will you help us with our pain afterward? Maybe in a private room?”
She scanned the audience and spoke in a clear, loud voice, ignoring his question. “In case you haven’t met them, these two handsome men are William and Gage Langham. They’re learning how to be good Doms.” She winked at the ladies in the group. “And I can’t wait for them to teach me a thing or two.”
She gave them each a look, then bowed her head. “Please, masters, tell me what you’d like me to do.”
“Take your clothes off. Slow and easy like,” ordered Gage.
Master Gage. It’s time I started thinking of them in that way.
“Yes, Master Gage.”
His eyes widened a moment at her use of the title. “Then get to it.”
She reached for the clasp of her halter top. Tipping her head in a coquettish way, she looked out over the people, then unhooked it and let the straps fall. Quiet murmurs of appreciation floated in the air, but it was the hungry glints in the eyes of her men that excited her.
“Her men” was a great way to put it. Her mother had cleared up her confusion. They were the men she loved and she’d do whatever it took to get them.
They both took a breast and supported the weight of it in their hand. Gage thumbed her nipple, changing it into a hard bud that ached for his mouth. William bent over and sucked on the nipple.
She skimmed her hands along their strong shoulders. “Do you want my skirt off, masters?”
They took her clue to stand back a bit as she undid the zipper, then slowly eased the material to her hips.
“Give them a good look at your butt.” Gage’s voice was thick, needy.
“Yeah. You’ve got a great ass, sub. Put your back to them and get rid of the skirt,” added William.
“Yes, Master William.” He, too, was pleased at being called master. She turned around, then glanced coyly over her shoulder and scooted the skirt over her hips until it fell to the floor. Stepping out of it, she wiggled her ass a little, just for an added touch of fun.