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  “It’s terrific. You know I’m really getting the hang of this whipping stuff. At least Kevin says so.”

  “Works for me,” her husband piped up, and grinned.

  As the others chatted about the music and the Maple Leafs, Rick noticed two male subs walking past. They looked at Brenna with undisguised longing. Rick got that. He also got the hard looks they shot him and Malcolm.

  Rick didn’t have too long to contemplate those looks because somebody shoved their shoulder into his back.

  “Sorry, buddy.”

  Rick turned around. The guy was about his age, a bit shorter but built like a linebacker. The sneer on his face and the disdain in his voice told their own story.

  “Yeah. No problem,” Rick said. He grabbed the guy’s thumb and angled it just so. “See you around,” he added but didn’t let go.

  “Why you…”

  “Denny.” Brenna spoke quietly but there was no mistaking the displeasure in her voice.

  “It’s okay, Brenna,” Rick said and applied just a bit more pressure to Denny’s thumb. Enough to make the man pale and his knees bend awkwardly before he righted himself. “Denny and I understand each other. Right?” He glanced at Denny’s thumb, which was turning purple.

  “Yeah. My bad.” Denny exhaled raggedly when Rick finally let go. “Sorry, man. My apologies, Mistress,” he added to Brenna before hurrying away.

  She cocked an eyebrow at Rick.

  “Judo lessons when I was a kid.” Rick shrugged. He settled his hand on the small of her back, said goodbye to Tracy and Kevin and led the way to the door.

  Chapter Seven

  Rick dropped a filter into his coffee machine then fished the scoop out of the tin of grounds. Soft jazz, muted conversation and Brenna’s gentle laughter drifted into the kitchen from the living room.

  The radio station had been Malcolm’s doing. Malcolm was smooth with the ladies and the tunes set an intimate mood. When Rick listened to the radio it was usually in the car and he picked the all-news station or country music…and he sometimes had trouble remembering which button that was.

  Malcolm probably had all the make-out music stations memorized.

  After adding the water and flipping the switch, Rick hurried back to the living room before Malcolm scored any more solo points.

  “So he says ‘that’s not my girlfriend’s, it belongs to the cat’.”

  Brenna’s eyes shone as she laughed. Rick shook his head. He’d heard that joke dozens of times. In fact, he’d been listening to Malcolm’s pick-ups since college, and had reaped the co-benefits more often than not. This was the first time he’d resented his buddy’s gift for charming the ladies.

  “So tell me how you got into cosmetics?” Rick asked as soon as the laughter died down. He claimed the available spot on the sofa beside Brenna.

  “Do you sell them?” Malcolm asked.

  Yesss. Fumble from the twit who liked his women below his income bracket. Way below.

  “I do. In a sense,” Brenna answered. “I started off in the quality-testing lab of a chemical manufacturer.”

  The furrow in Malcolm’s brow telegraphed a WTF. Leaning back into Rick’s leather sectional, Brenna ran her fingers over the buttery-soft upholstery. Unable to resist touching her any longer, Rick picked up her hand, smoothed his lips across her knuckles then let their lightly entwined fingers drift back down to the cushion.

  Brenna continued, “A job opportunity came up after I’d finished my master’s.” One corner of her mouth quirked up. “By then I’d racked up enough student debt to keep me awake at night so I figured I’d work for eighteen months, pay down my debt, then seek admission to a PhD program.”

  “Best-laid plans, huh?” Rick prompted gently.

  She nodded, glanced down at their hands then back up at him. “The job turned out to be one of those right-time right-place opportunities. I moved up the ranks at the lab until my supervisor said he wanted to submit my name for a job at the head facility in the States. He said there were going to be a couple of retirements in product development down there in a year, and wanted to know if I was interested.”

  “I hear that’s where the big money is,” Malcolm interjected.

  When Brenna turned to look at his buddy, when she flashed him a smile, Rick told himself to get over his adolescent jealousy. His libido didn’t listen.

  “It can be. Depending on performance, my salary was going to eventually include percentage-of-sale bonuses.”

  “Why didn’t you stay?” Rick asked, curious now.

  “I’ve always been too independent for my own good. I figured if they were willing to pay to ship me to the States to dream stuff up, why couldn’t I do it here? On my own.”

  Her fingers flexed gently and Rick liked the feel of her skin against his.

  “I had a year before the job would open up anyway, so I spent weekends and most evenings in a makeshift lab in my basement. I hung out at the mall, checking out which stores were busiest and what products were moving.”

  She was talking faster now, as if her enthusiasm for her work was energizing her. Her free hand moved through the air, punctuating her words. For Rick, it was a contact high.

  “A couple of my friends from college were working in marketing and I picked their brains endlessly. I’m surprised they still talk to me. Anyway, aromatherapy was starting to come into its own and I had the know-how to design a line of upscale personal-care products around that. Once I got the formulas stable and harmonized the color palate between product lines, it was all about presentation and image marketing.” She grinned wryly. “Bored out of your skull yet?”

  “No,” Rick answered quickly. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I liked my chemistry courses in college. Frankly, I’m in awe when someone’s able to realize a dream to start their own company.”

  Malcolm’s expression said he thought Rick was being a suck-up. Rick didn’t care.

  “So what does your company make?” Malcolm asked, drawing her attention back to him.

  “Oh My Darling soaps and body powders.”

  “No shit! My wife loves that stuff.”

  “Your wife?” Brenna repeated. Her tone was cold and she leaned away from Malcolm.

  “Ex-wife,” he corrected himself quickly. “She left me over a year ago and the divorce came through this winter.” He shrugged. “She never could get into scening like me. In fairness, I should have told her I liked pain before marrying her.”

  “You think?” Brenna asked, shook her head then touched Malcolm’s cheek in a conciliatory gesture.

  “She tried Doming me. I’ll give her that. Finally, she said it was too weird for her. Neither of us contested the divorce. Huh. Irreconcilable differences. Now there’s an understatement.”

  Rick held his tongue. Cheryl was a beautiful woman who’d gone to college to earn her Mrs. degree. Maybe that was harsh but, honestly, what else was she doing studying art history with a minor in phys ed? Planning on outrunning other bidders at an auction? He and Malcolm had been in their last year of med school when Cheryl came into their lives. She was fun to hang out with and had a great sense of humor. Still did as far as he knew. But only three months after they’d finished their residency, Malcolm was sneaking out to BDSM clubs and talking Rick into coming along as his wingman.

  He would have mourned the breakdown of his buddy’s marriage with him but Malcolm seemed more at peace with himself now.

  “What about you?” Malcolm asked, changing the subject. He brushed a lock of Brenna’s hair over her shoulder. “Ever married?”

  “No. Maybe someday I’ll meet a man who deserves me but until then, I like being single just fine.”

  “Speaking of fine…” Letting his voice drop a tone or two, Malcolm slid closer, laid his hand on her waist and kissed her gently. “Hmm. I like the way you taste.”

  “That’s certainly a change of subject.” Although Brenna’s voice was dry, humor and, if Rick wasn’t mistaken, interest resonated in her ton
e.

  He decided now was a good time to lay his cards down. “I’d like to make love to you, Brenna.” That brought her attention back around to him, fast. Malcolm’s too, although his buddy turned gingerly, as if he didn’t want to rub his back against the sofa. “Some Dommes I’ve met though, they’re all about the power and the pain. With you, I don’t get a sense you’d feel diminished by engaging in some hot, old-fashioned, do it ‘til we drop coitus.” Oh yeah. That was definitely interest sparkling in those baby blues of hers. “I hope I’m not wrong.”

  Collectively, they held their breath and it felt a lot longer than the few seconds it probably took Brenna to answer. Rick would have preferred to have Brenna to himself. What guy with a working dick wouldn’t? But Malcolm and him, they shared. They always had. At times, the co-dependency was weird and sometimes, it felt old. But now was not the time to change the status quo. Not with the beautiful Brenna between them, warm and—hopefully—willing. The potential kink factor was giving him an off-the-charts erection.

  “You’re not wrong. Just don’t make me take a long walk on the beach tonight.”

  “No problem.” Rick grinned and touched his lips to her throat. “Seeing as we’ve already done dinner, I vote for getting straight to the sex.”

  “Seconded,” Malcolm growled and Rick felt Brenna’s body shift just a little, as if Malcolm had pulled her shoulder into him. “But just because I didn’t make you buy me dinner first doesn’t mean I’m easy.”

  Her laughter stirred Rick’s hair. Her breath was warm and tickled and felt good, especially for a guy who spent a lot more time getting spanked than snuggled.

  Still holding her hand, he stood. A gentle tug brought Brenna to her feet. The coffee would have to wait. Malcolm followed without being prompted and Rick led their naughty conga line down the hallway to his bedroom.

  Brenna liked the smell of Rick’s bedroom immediately. It smelled like fabric softener with a hint of sandalwood, much like that light, woodsy cologne he wore. He flicked on two bedside lights, bathing the room in a soft glow that reflected off the floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was decorated in shades of cream and black and his bed was more than big enough for three. Far below the lights of hundreds of cars lit up the Parkway like a ribbon within the ravine.

  She felt her shoulders relax when Rick touched a wall switch and a bank of room-darkening shades began to unfold themselves down to the floor. Although she admired the lack of inhibition of exhibitionists, she didn’t know who might be watching from the far side of the ravine and didn’t want to wind up on YouTube.

  “Thank you,” she said and cleared her throat. “Usually I’m not self-conscious.” Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat again.

  “I’m a bit nervous too,” Rick admitted. He looked away from the shades and watched her face. “I like you. A lot. I can be as big a horndog as any guy but you’re something special. You being here with me…us…is far more intimate than anything we’ve done before.” He sucked in a deep breath, as if he was trying to cut off a building ramble. “I don’t want to screw things up by rushing. Damn, I can’t believe I said out loud we should think about slowing down.”

  Brenna chuckled and with it, felt her neck relax. Malcolm remained silent. He didn’t look or act nervous and, she realized, she didn’t expect him to. Although as complex as any individual’s, Malcolm’s current needs were simpler than hers. Perhaps Rick’s too. She envied Malcolm’s patience as he watched and waited.

  “I think,” she said, “we have been taking it slow. It’s taken awhile for us to get to this point. I don’t actually sleep with my subs unless we’re in a relationship.” Tipping her head, she watched Rick for his reaction.

  He nodded slowly. “I never thought we weren’t. In a relationship.”

  Stepping up to her, Malcolm brushed her hair aside, kissed her neck, her shoulder. He’d be the wildcard or, rather, what he wanted out of tonight remained to be seen.

  Brenna spoke up. “The three of us…our communication’s always been great. That shouldn’t stop now. I’m turned-on like crazy by the idea of being with two handsome, built, intelligent men, but I want to make love, not role play.”

  Malcolm’s lips stopped moving on her skin. “Yes, Mistress.”

  Smiling, she again offered her mouth to him.

  “May I?” Malcolm murmured as he brushed her hair over her shoulder. She felt his fingertips on her back, resting on the top of her zipper.

  “Please.” Angling her arms behind her, she rested her fingertips on Malcolm’s hips as he began to slowly unzip her dress. At the club she’d changed out of the linen dress she’d worn to dinner into the fitted leather number she was now wearing. Looking up, she met Rick’s gaze. Those firm, expressive lips of his were parted. His eyes twinkled in the artificial light. The focus and need in his expression made her pussy clench. When he touched his mouth to hers, he inhaled sharply as if he liked her scent.

  Brenna wanted to believe it was more than a trained sub’s reaction to the smell of leather.

  Scent aside, there was no doubt the man enjoyed kissing her. Long, strong fingers slid into her hair, holding her in place. His tongue stroked hers. No more tentative forays for Rick. He filled her mouth, tasted her fully, retreated with a tease that made her nipples harden…and lured her to explore his taste in return.

  In the right atmosphere he might embrace his submissive tendencies but Rick was also a confident lover. A confident man.

  Jackpot.

  When she let go of Malcolm to wrap her arms around Rick’s neck and pull him closer, Rick groaned in obvious appreciation.

  She shuddered delicately. Malcolm had unzipped her dress and was pressing warm, wet kisses to her bare back. Equally nice, he was also holding her waist and rocking his hips just enough for her to feel his impressive hard-on.

  In the beginning it had been vital she treat her subs equally. Tonight would change that and both men seemed okay with that. They obviously liked sharing women and she would not upset the friendship and symbiosis they shared. They were offering her a night of crazy-hot loving. What girl in her right mind would turn that down?

  For a moment or two they stood in a clutch with Rick kissing her with a sensuality that made her belly clench in anticipation and Malcolm making soft love to the skin on her back. She shivered when he kissed her neck then scored her shoulder with his teeth.

  “My turn,” he whispered and spun her.

  Obviously unhappy about giving up her mouth, Rick followed, pressing stinging kisses to the corners of her lips. He conceded only when Malcolm nudged Rick’s face aside with his own.

  Malcolm’s kiss was tender but no less enthusiastic. His warm breath washed her cheek, his hands cupped her face, gathered up her hair and held it without demand. She liked his taste, loved his verve. When she reached for his shirt buttons and began undoing them slowly, he grinned against her mouth and leaned back to give her room to work.

  Rick didn’t show signs of being knocked out of the game. He made her tremble when he slid her dress off her shoulders, eased it down and off. Brenna’s nipples hardened against the cool air. Now wearing nothing but silk panties and stilettos, she shivered, and shivered again when Rick steadied her, helped her to step out of the dress and kissed the backs of her thighs before he draped the black leather over a chair.

  Before he returned to her he angled his body beside hers and Malcolm’s and, out of the corner of her eye, she watched him slowly unbutton his shirt. He was beautiful and sexy and everything she’d ever dreamed of in a sub.

  In a lover.

  In a man.

  By now Malcolm’s shirt was hanging loose. For the moment she was going to treat them equally. In the morning though, they were definitely having a talk.

  Gathering up the tails and pulling them free of Malcolm’s waistband, she licked her lips and watched Rick. Beneath her palms, Malcolm’s waist and chest were smooth. Carefully, she tested the still-pink marks the wax had left on his skin. His
only reaction to her touch was pleasure so she caressed him freely. She kissed his nipple, drew circles around it with her tongue, and felt her eyelids grow heavy as Rick revealed his broad chest. Aching to run her fingers through the soft curls peppering his skin, she held out her hand.

  With the corner of his mouth quirked up, he just smiled at her with those dark-blue eyes of his, stepped back, slid his shirt off and laid it over her dress.

  Tease.

  Oh yeah, this was definitely promising to be a good night. She might be a little nervous, maybe even awkward as she explored the logistics of what they were doing, but both men were obviously doing their best to arouse her interest.

  She inhaled sharply then sighed when Malcolm trailed his mouth across her jaw, pressing light, stinging kisses to her skin before moving down her throat. Stopping, he stood in her arms with his head bent. She felt his eyes on her breasts, felt her nipples grow prominent, liked how beautiful he made her feel.

  Rick’s approach was more aggressive and she loved him for it. He stepped behind her, caressed her waist, buried his nose in her hair and inhaled until his chest swelled and bumped her back. Then he slid his hands forward and cupped her breasts.

  Sighing with pleasure, she let her head drop back on his shoulder. Rick simply held her for a moment and she was enthralled by the contrast between her pale skin and his. When he squeezed gently, when his thumbs passed over her nipples, she grabbed onto his hip with one hand, the back of Malcolm’s neck with the other.

  As he plumped her flesh, Rick dipped his head, bit her shoulder with just enough force to sting, then stood still. She felt his eyes on her—his and Malcolm’s—and her back arched when Rick pinched her nipples and rolled them lightly between thumb and forefinger. It was wonderful and erotic. They made her feel cared for, sheltered, even adored. Bracketed between their hard bodies, their shared warmth helped her relax into the delicious feel of Rick’s hands on her breasts.

  When Malcolm finally stepped back his gaze was glued to her. Licking his lips, he pulled off his clothes, let them fall wherever, then dropped to his knees in front of her. He looked up at her and she saw the hesitancy in his expression. As much as she adored Malcolm, she realized his submissive’s heart would find true pleasure only when ordered around by a sexually dominant partner. He obviously preferred being dommed to straight-up sex, and despite that was meeting her more than halfway. That willingness to give should go both ways.