“Wolf, you’ve spent too much time in that town,” Leo said, his mouth firming to a flat line.
“I like Bliss,” Wolf admitted. He looked down at Shelley. “And your brother is in a happy threesome. You probably shouldn’t judge.”
“I wasn’t judging, Sir.” But she was thinking.
“And she did put down ménage on her list of sexual fantasies,” Julian added. “It was one of the reasons I decided Master Wolf would be perfect.”
“Julian, hello, perfect sharing twosome right here,” Dom Number One said.
Julian turned to the twin Doms, bowing slightly. “I apologize, Benjamin. I hadn’t heard you and Chase were looking for a permanent submissive. I will immediately begin looking for the perfect woman.”
Dom Number Two, who she’d figured out was named Chase, turned a little green. “Don’t you dare, Julian. Monogamy. The word makes me a little sick.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be monogamy, would it?” Julian pointed out. “The two of you can’t have a separate thought much less claim a woman on your own. I believe the word you’re looking for is polyandry.”
Ben shook his head. “Nope. Don’t like that one either. They both mean the same thing. One pussy for the rest of my life. I intend to live a very long time.”
Chase was quietly petting Kitten who had gotten back to her knees. Chase held her leash in his hands. “My little kitten doesn’t want commitment, does she?”
Kitten shook her head. “No, Sir. Kitten would like to try as many Masters as Kitten can.”
“Good, Kitten.” Chase stared at Julian like the man had threatened to hang him.
Julian waved it all off. “Come along, my loves. Let’s play until we can’t anymore. I suspect our littlest one is going to curb our playtime when he comes along,” Julian announced with a little grin.
“Julian, it’s a girl. The doctor said she’s a girl,” Dani insisted. “We had a sonogram last week, but Julian hasn’t gotten the message yet.”
Now Julian was the one who looked a little green. “No. This child is going to obey me not some sonogram.” He got down and spoke directly to his wife’s belly. “You will be a boy. Girls scare Papa. Grow a penis and quickly.”
He stood and sighed, seemingly satisfied that the fetus would do his bidding. Then he turned and walked up to the stage.
Finn covered his laugh. “You’ll have to excuse the Master. He’s in denial. The thought of having a daughter has, well, scared the crap out of him.”
“I’m a little worried he’ll try to exchange her,” Dani said.
“No, baby,” Finn replied, taking her hand. “He’ll take one look into her perfect little eyes and fall madly in love, and then the world had better watch out because he’s going to be a scary-as-fuck father. I fear for the teenaged idiot who tries to date our daughter.”
“Finn!” Julian’s bark had the whole room silent.
Finn straightened up quickly. “Come on, baby. He’s going to need a little something, if you know what I mean.”
“Really, Wolf?” Leo asked the minute they were gone. “Didn’t I teach you properly?”
Wolf grinned his brother’s way. “Yes, you told me to share my toys when we were kids.”
“Well, I certainly didn’t mean it that way.” Leo crossed his arms over his chest. He finally looked directly at her though there was a blank look on his face. “Is he treating you well?”
Her heart ached. He was so beautiful and so remote. “Yes. He’s been perfect, Sir.”
Sir. Not Leo. It was easier this way. Yes, Julian had been right. This was the right path.
Leo’s face tightened. “Good. Wolf, you have a key?”
Wolf shook his head. “Nah. I’ll find a motel. No problem. In a couple of weeks, I’ll start looking for an apartment. Don’t worry about me.”
Leo wasn’t having it. “You’ll stay at my place, Wolf. Logan already moved his stuff in. I have another bedroom ready for you, unless, of course, you want to share with Logan.”
Shelley stared at Leo just about ready to tell him off, but there was a little smirk on his face.
Wolf shot his brother the bird. “Fuck off, man.”
Leo’s smile grew. “Well, I know you like to share, brother.”
“You’re such a fucker.”
They seemed to be having some sort of brotherly moment. The kind no woman could really understand.
“Come on, Wolf. If Ma finds out you’re not staying with me, she’ll give me hell.”
Wolf turned away, his eyes going back to the stage. “Fine. I’ll stay with you until I find my own place.”
“Good.” Leo nodded her way and turned back to Logan as Julian strapped his partner to the St. Andrew’s Cross.
The crowd hushed, and the show began. Shelley forced her eyes to the stage, forgetting about the fact that she might be able to give up Leo, but it didn’t look like he would be out of her life anytime soon.
Chapter Seven
She watched as Julian Lodge’s perfectly formed body wielded the whip. There was a crack through the air and a snap back, and then a thin, red line welled on the white flesh of Finn’s back.
Shelley took an unconscious step away from the stage and right into Wolf’s chest.
“Shhh, it’s all right, sweetheart,” Wolf whispered against her ear. “Finn loves this. From what I understand, Finn has been Julian’s submissive for years. They know what they’re doing and just what it takes for Finn to find his subspace.”
She gasped as the whip cracked again, the sound violent, like a snake striking from nowhere. She kept her voice low. “I don’t see how Finn isn’t screaming.”
“It sounds worse than it is.”
She looked over and Leo was standing right beside them. She thought he’d walked away, felt more comfortable with him walking away. But he was standing right there beside his brother, dressed almost identically. Two amazingly gorgeous men.
Yeah, if she hadn’t had ménage fantasies before, she sure as hell had them now. Why had she ever put that down on the questionnaire?
Because there was a part of her that wanted what Trev had found. Because there was a part of her that wanted the balance of two men just in case one of them turned out to be a criminally minded douchebag. Because she didn’t trust herself anymore.
And because the whole month she’d spent talking to Wolf, she’d had fantasies about Leo suddenly turning around and both men wanting her. But that was all it was, a fantasy.
“Don’t be afraid, sweetheart,” Wolf said, his arms encircling her. He was so protective, but could she really trust him?
“She isn’t afraid. She’s worried. That’s her worried face. Her brow wrinkles, and she gets this deep line right in the middle.”
Trust Leo to have noticed that.
“Sweetheart, we don’t have to play with the whip if you don’t want it,” Wolf assured her. “But you should know that what you hear, that cracking sound is something Julian controls with the flick of his wrist. Really look at Finn’s back. Julian is in complete control. That whip can be horrible if he handles it wrong. Or it can whisper across Finn’s back. It can bite with just the right side of pain. It can be what Finn needs it to be. Do you see any blood?”
She didn’t. There were several pink lines on Finn’s flesh, and now she could see the way he’d relaxed, his shoulders slumping and head lolling back. Finn seemed to be getting what he needed.
“He feels like you did when I spanked you.” Wolf’s voice was a deep rumble over her skin.
“You spanked her?” Leo sounded like Wolf had said he’d beaten the crap out of her.
Julian turned and stared back because Leo’s voice had carried through the dungeon.
“Sorry,” Leo said, holding a hand up.
Shelley felt Wolf move behind her as Julian turned back to his task. That crack split the air again, but she saw it differently now. The spanking Wolf had given her had been so different. It had changed her world.