When Zeke got home, the three of us sat down to eat. Case told us about his day, how he’d walked the two floors with Ben and Justin, mapping out the floor plan for the new gym. It was apparently going to be impressive.
Zeke didn’t say much; however, he chowed down, finishing his meal before either one of us. As he sipped his tea, his attention finally turned to us.
“We’re going to be spending some time in the basement tonight.”
This caught my interest, because for the past two days, Zeke had kept us out of the basement. He hadn’t even allowed Case to go down to work out. I wasn’t sure what he’d been up to, but I was certainly curious.
“It’s time we had a talk,” he added, his eyes serious.
I frowned, concern stirring in my gut, threatening to overpower the garlic and herbs.
“Is something wrong?” Case asked, his fork halfway to his mouth.
“Depends on how you decide to handle the questions I have.”
I tried to gauge his mood. He seemed relatively laid-back. Not on edge, for sure.
I glanced at Case, wondering if he knew what this was about.
“But don’t worry.” Zeke smirked. “For every question you do answer, I’ll give you something you want.”
“I’m done!” Case shot to his feet with a grin on his face. Obviously he was eager to see what Zeke had in store.
I, on the other hand, wanted more details. “And who determines what we want?”
Zeke’s grin widened. “How did I know you’d be the one to ask that?” He leaned back. “I’m gonna let you choose.”
“What if we want to ask a question in return?”
“Then I’ll answer it honestly.”
I studied his face, trying to determine if there was a catch. But there were no shadows or any hint of deceit on his part.
“Well, y’all can talk till your hearts’ content. I’ll be the one asking for more of that whip.”
Zeke’s eyes shot to Case. “I can handle that.”
Now that we had that laid out, I had to wonder whether or not we could handle the questions.
Something told me this was going to be a turning point.
For who, I didn’t know yet.
THIRTY-SIX
ZEKE
ONCE BRAX AND CASE FINISHED eating, I sent them down to the basement while I cleaned up the kitchen. I wasn’t sure why I was compelled to pitch in around the house, but I was. Since they were more to me than merely my fuck toys, it seemed only fair.
However, I also wanted to send them down together so they could contemplate what it was I would do when I arrived. I had a few things in mind, but one clear objective. I decided today was the day I would get Case to open up. In return, I would do the same.
While I wasn’t the type to snoop in other people’s business, my conversation with Jamie had plagued my mind all week. To the point I had decided to do a little research of my own.
What I found had shocked me. More so than ever before.
Case Rhinehart, the man who craved pain unlike anyone I’d ever met, had a dark secret. A very, very dark secret. And, like Jamie, I didn’t think Brax was privy to it. I agreed with my sister. Brax was far too protective of Case. If he knew what he’d lived through, I wasn’t sure they would even be here right now.
After finishing up the dishes, I headed upstairs to change into jeans. I figured that would be the proper attire for tonight’s activities. I had no doubt Case would require something from me. And while I would give it to him because that was what I was promising, I wasn’t doing it for me.
The fact of the matter was, this secret needed to come out. It was time we all got a few things off our chest.
That was, if Case didn’t decide to bolt.
Considering what I’d learned, I had to take the risk. The darkness that man was holding back threatened his happiness. And in turn, mine and Brax’s as well.
Once I changed, I made my way down to the basement. Brax and Case were sitting on one of the benches, talking softly. When I appeared, they went silent.
“Get naked. And do it quickly.” I kept my tone firm, letting them know I wasn’t playing.
They both jumped up, watching me even as they started to undress.
While they got naked, I moved one of the St. Andrew’s crosses away from the wall. They were new additions as of this week. Solid steel and strong enough to hold the weight of either one of them. And I’d purchased two so neither of them would feel left out. They were on opposite walls and across the room from each other, so when I felt like it, I could chain them up and they could watch each other. However, tonight, that wasn’t my plan. And because I intended to have Case facing the wall, I needed to be able to walk around the one I tied him to.
“Over here, pretty boy.” I motioned to the one that I’d moved. “You over there, cowboy.”
While I did refer to them by name, I still enjoyed watching the way their eyes glazed over when I spoke to them as though they were merely my fuck toys. It was keeping things interesting, which was key.
Case ambled over, his eyes lacking the confidence he’d had at the table a little while ago. He probably had an idea of what was coming. Since this was a secret he’d been keeping, surely that was a question in his mind. He was likely wondering if I had figured it out and whether or not I wanted the details.
Yes and yes. In fact, I wanted to know everything about both of them, and oddly enough, I was looking forward to sharing more of myself with them.
I spent the next few minutes getting them situated. I restrained Case first, putting him facing the wall, his back to the room. If he was going to request that I beat on him—which he had already admitted he would—then I would need his back to me. I restrained Brax on the other side of the room, with him facing us so he could watch what was going on.
With their arms up and their legs spread, they formed the perfect X’s. Their rapid breaths sounded around me and I relished the concern, the anticipation. Neither knew what I would do, but they were willingly submitting.
That was a good start.
“I’m gonna ask you a question,” I explained. “You’ll answer. Before I ask the question, you’re gonna tell me what it is you’ll want me to do. It can be anything. However, if it’s physical, it will be less than a minute. I’m not here to make you come after your first revelation.”
Brax chuckled.
I doubted he would be doing so in a few minutes.
“All right, cowboy. You get to go first. You pick.”
“A question,” he answered quickly.
“Very well.” I picked up a chain flogger and walked around the space. “At what age did you lose your virginity?”
He grinned, obviously pleased by the easy question. “Nineteen.”
“Late bloomer,” I retorted.
Brax chuckled. “Tell me about it.”
I nodded. “Now your question.”
“What was your favorite subject in high school?”
“Math. It came easy to me,” I admitted, unable to hide the smile. I liked that he was curious about me. “Your turn, pretty boy. What’s your pleasure?”
“Three strikes with the whip,” Case replied, his tone cool.
“All right. Same question. How old were you when you lost your virginity?”
“Fifteen,” he said easily.
After setting the chain flogger down, I picked up the braided whip that he preferred. This one was my favorite. Red and black leather, long tails, and just enough bite to show him who was boss.
Walking behind him, I struck him once. Not too hard. Like a first date, I wasn’t going to give it up too soon. The next two followed quickly. He sucked in air but didn’t make a sound.
“Your turn, cowboy. Still want a question in return?” He nodded, so I said, “What was the name of your first boyfriend?”
“Timothy. He was the one who took my virginity and I his.”
I was glad to see he was going to elaborate. “How sweet.”
He laughed, but then blurted out his question. “How old were you when you went to your first BDSM club?”
“Twenty-three,” I admitted. “Ransom took me. He and I have been friends since we were teenagers.”
Brax looked as though he hadn’t expected that answer.
“Pretty boy?”
“Three strikes,” he said quickly.
“Same question as the cowboy. What was the name of your first boyfriend?”
“John,” he said, his voice soft.
“The one who died?” Brax asked.
“Yes.”
I gave him the three licks he requested, watching him closely. When I was finished, I walked around in front of him. He didn’t look at me as I passed.
“Okay, cowboy. What’s your pleasure?”
“Your mouth on my cock,” he said.
I smirked his way, allowing my eyes to trail over him slowly. His cock was hard, as though he’d been thinking about it.
“Very well. Did you ask Case out the first time or did he ask you?”
Brax grinned. “He asked me. But that’s only because I was a chickenshit. I met him when I went to work for Trent.”
I set the whip on the table and walked over to him. I eased down onto my knees in front of him. “Count to sixty.”
“Yes, Zeke.”
He drew in a long breath when I wrapped my lips around his cock.
“One one-thousand, two one-thousand…”
I chuckled as I sucked him. Of course he’d make sure he got every second he wanted. I sucked and licked while he continued to count. I wasn’t rushing. He wasn’t going to come for a while.
When I was finished, I got to my feet, then leaned in and kissed him. Pulling back, I stared into his eyes. “Now what do you say?”
“Thank you, Zeke.” His voice was raspy, his lust apparent.
“Okay, pretty boy. Your turn.”
“Three strikes,” he stated.
We went a few more rounds of mundane questions. Such as favorite movie, in which Brax said the first Avengers, Case answered with John Wick, and I gave up Top Gun. Come to find out, Brax and Case had never seen it. Favorite type of music was next. Brax and Case said country. No surprise there. I answered Brax’s return question with hard rock.
I ensured I kept things light, giving Case the necessary strikes that he asked for. By the time he appeared to relax somewhat, I knew it was time to drop the bomb on him.
I was pretty sure he suspected what was coming.
*
Case
(The pretty boy)
I KNEW FROM THE MOMENT Zeke came down those steps that the man was up to something. He wasn’t the type to ask random questions, so he had to have an end game. However, I didn’t mind getting to know him on a deeper level. Perhaps that was the only reason I agreed to this. Especially since I’d known all along what he was getting at.
Brax had questioned me a couple of times this past week, obviously seeing the darkness lurking inside me. For whatever reason, my past had come to the forefront as soon as things smoothed out with Zeke.
That was how it worked for me though. When things were going well, I tended to dwell on the past, fighting my own demons. When there was chaos in my life, I could focus on the here and now. The past month had been easy since the interactions with Zeke had kept me fully focused on the three of us.
Now, it appeared my past was coming back with a vengeance and I wasn’t the only one who was about to deal with it.
“Pretty boy, it’s your turn again. What’s your pleasure?” Zeke prompted.
I took a deep breath and swallowed hard. It was now or never.
“First, I need something from you,” I told him.
Zeke appeared in front of me, his eyes narrowed. I could tell he was searching my face for a clue.
“If it’s in my power, I’ll give it to you,” he whispered.
I swallowed hard. “I’ll reveal my pain if you reveal yours.”
He stared at me for what felt like an eternity before he finally nodded. “Deal.”
“And what’s your request for now?” he asked.
“Subspace, Zeke.”
That seemed to surprise him because he didn’t respond immediately.
“In return, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
Zeke remained where he was, directly in front of me, and I forced my eyes to lock on his face. I didn’t want him to see the pain that coursed through me but there was no way to fight it.
He stepped close enough to touch my face. I leaned into his hand. “But you have to agree not to judge me.”
“Never, Case,” he said, his tone ripe with conviction. “I will never judge you.”
I nodded, hoping he meant that, because what he wanted to know wasn’t a memory I enjoyed reliving. On the other hand, I knew it was the reason for so many things in my life.
“Brax has to promise, too,” I whispered.
“I love you, Case,” Brax said from behind me. “I would never judge you.”
I held Zeke’s stare. “Can I have a minute?”
“Of course.”
He disappeared and I heard him moving around. I got the feeling he was releasing Brax from the St. Andrew’s Cross. Considering this entire charade had been set up for this moment, it made sense.
“Subspace, Zeke,” I said as a reminder.
“You have my word, pretty boy. I’ll let you fly.”
His words choked me up. I never thought I’d be in this place where I had the opportunity to have all I’d ever wanted. Zeke would be able to give me what Brax couldn’t. In return, I could love them both and know that I was complete.
Closing my eyes, I tried to relax. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and forced the words out. “My parents moved to Texas when I was fourteen. I left all my friends behind. People who’d become important to me, some I’d known all my life.
“When we got to Dallas, I knew no one. The school I enrolled in was overpopulated, far bigger than the small town I’d lived in. I met John on my first day there. He was in my World History class. It was ninth grade. We became friends immediately.
“I recognized something in him that I connected with. Although I suspected, I hadn’t yet put a label on myself when it came to my sexuality. I was popular with the girls, and I’d had a few girlfriends in junior high, but I had never quite connected with any of them. It wasn’t until John that I realized who I really was. With every passing day, we became closer.”
I swallowed as the memories consumed me.
“By the time tenth grade rolled around, John and I had already started to experiment. We both knew what we wanted, but we were nervous about what it meant. He was the first guy I kissed and I was his first as well. Like I said, we experimented and things progressed from there. It started out with kissing, groping, then hand jobs.
“That went on for a good six months. We were both nervous, not sure where to go from there. Then one day, while we were making out, things progressed to the point of no return. I ended up fucking him that day. In his bedroom while his parents were at work.
“I knew by then that I loved him. I wanted to spend every minute with him, so we did. Not only had we given each other our virginity, we were best friends. At the time, I couldn’t see spending my life without him in it.”
I took a moment, breathing through the familiar pain that still slammed me when I thought about all the things we’d done together, all the things we had planned to do after high school.
“Spring break of our junior year, John got sick. Really sick. His dad took him to the doctor, and shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Evidently, it was advanced. The prognosis hadn’t been good, but his parents were determined to find him the best doctors in the world to make him better.”
Tears threatened as I remembered the day he came home from the doctor.
“Less than two weeks later, John was hospitalized and it all went downhill from there. I spent every minute I
could at the hospital with him and his parents. It was brutal for all of us, watching him slip away day after day. It seemed to take him so quickly. Too quickly. I thought for sure any minute someone would find a cure and he would be back home and we would be watching movies, playing video games, and sneaking kisses when no one was looking.”
A warm hand landed on my back, then another. I drew air into my lungs, grateful that I was still restrained. I wasn’t sure I could continue otherwise.
“John lived until two days after his seventeenth birthday. July sixteenth. It was the worst day of my life. I fell apart. Completely shredded by the loss. My parents tried to help, but there was nothing they could do to console me. I went over to see John’s parents a few times before they moved. According to Lee, John’s dad, they couldn’t bear to be in the house anymore, so they sold it and moved into an apartment in the city.
“I tried to move on with my life, but it wasn’t easy. And strangely, I missed spending time with his dad. Lee had been a connection to John that I hadn’t realized I needed.”
This was the hard part, so I took a moment, wanting to get through this without completely breaking down.
“Take your time,” Brax said softly, his hand sliding over my arm. “We’re here, baby.”
His sweet words nearly broke me but I held back the sob and forced myself to continue.
“I think I was that for Lee, too. A connection to John. Someone who reminded him of his son. About three months after they moved, Lee called and asked me to come over to the apartment. I told him I would since I had a car at that point.”
I felt the warmth of Brax and Zeke behind me, so I kept going. I had never told anyone this story and I needed to get it out.
“Lee seemed different when I showed up. Angrier than the man I remembered. When I got to his apartment, he admitted that his wife had left. Said she couldn’t come to terms with what had happened so she thought it would be best if they separate. I felt bad for him, hating that he was alone. So, we started spending some time together. Nothing weird happened. We would watch television and talk. Mostly about John.
“That went on for about a month. I went to his apartment at least three times a week until one day he called and asked if he could pick me up and I thought nothing of it. When we got back to his apartment, he was acting strange. I didn’t know what to make of it. That was the day my entire world changed.”
Their Ruthless Sadist (Office Intrigue, 5) Page 36