8. Chapter 8
Chapter eight
Brad
I told her to stay away from him. I told her that she’s ours, but Katie loves riling me. She loves not listening. And seeing her talk to him, seeing her mentally check out while he was looking her over like she was his for the taking… that’s not allowed.
Each time she opened her mouth, I read her pretty pink lips, waiting for her to say she has a man. I’d take that since explaining ‘boyfriends that started as step-relatives’ might be a little difficult. But she didn’t.
She said ‘later’, and I know how a college-age kid will take that. He’ll think she wants to run into him again and he’ll work hard to make it happen. I have no doubt that he’s eager to strip her down, to taste her comments instead of listen, and to sweep her up into a relationship she’s not available for.
Logically, I know that it’s not Katie’s fault. She’s beautiful and men want her. She could wear sweats and oversized hoodies and it wouldn’t keep dicks away, and Dan is a dick. I saw it while Katie was watching me. He couldn’t pry his eyes from her ass.
All that warmth and excitement, that sweet energy that would normally make a woman like Katie drop her guard, had been gone and he became just another frat boy wanting to fuck a woman. He’d eyed her like I’ve seen dogs eye meat.
I should be pissed with him, should be ready to beat him to a pulp, rip out his eyes for how he looked at her, to choke him with his own tongue. But that isn’t as easy.
Right now, I want to grab Katie from class, pull her into an office, an alcove, somewhere that we just might be seen and fuck her like the naughty slut she is. I’ll take her ass, finger her pussy, choke her with whatever I can find and make sure she comes all over my cock while thinking of this Dan watching.
She’s mine, and if he’ll only respect that through violence or my arm wrapped around my slut, then the options are clear. So, I follow him instead of letting Katie find me. He lives in a frat house, and that night, I hear him talking.
Lucky me, they’re pot heads who leave the windows open to ventilate.
“Dude, I’m telling you, this innocent little senior is begging for my cock. She was so tuned out when I was talking to her that I know she was fantasizing,” Dan the Dick says.
Another guy scoffs. “You’re full of it. You said that about another girl and never got laid.”
“This one’s different,” Dan argues. “She looks innocent, but there’s this glint in her eyes, this edge to her that says she’s naughty. I bet I get a few drinks in her and she spreads her legs like a good whore. Hell, I bet we could all have a taste of it and she’d thank us then ask for more.”
I grit my teeth and curl my hand around my keys. The pain of the metal biting into my palm grounds me. Going in there and stabbing him in the cheek with my keys, then decking each of his friends who are laughing, would get me tossed in jail. Carter wouldn’t tolerate that. He’d let me sit there at least overnight and brag about getting more time with our girl.
Not an option.
Not an option.
My phone buzzes, distracting me for a minute and inspiring the next idea. It’s currently not a possibility to walk in there and ruin them, but I can record what they’re saying.
I hit record while still telling myself that walking in there and ending this problem before it can get worse is not an option.
I repeat it even as Dan’s comments get more and more disgusting, more and more humiliating.
I want to ruin them. I want to break them in a way I’d never break Katie. A few broken noses, some well-placed punches to bruise bones, to break fingers…
Not an option.
Not an option.
My phone buzzes, and I stop the recording. It’s already after dark, and I need to get home… but I don’t trust myself. I’ll lash out at Katie. I won’t be able to be logical or rational. I’ll either fuck her so hard she cries, then walk away, or yell until Carter gets involved.
If I hadn’t overheard this shit, if I hadn’t trusted my gut and listened, then she would have dismissed me as being jealous and possessive—two things I am, without question—but obviously, Dan has worse plans for her than Carter, Dad, or I could ever put into place.
And all she had to do was say, “I have a boyfriend, stop talking to me.”
Eight words. Eight and he’d move on, get caught, get kicked out, and suffer all by himself. Now, even if she does say it, he’ll assume she’s playing hard to get. She’s let too many opportunities slip by.
I grit my teeth. “It’s best for Katie if I don’t go home. Dad will give me shit for stalking her on campus. Carter will want to know what’s going on, and I won’t edit the situation, and he’ll be pissed too. Best to stay away. Cool down. Just cool down,” I say as I stare at my phone.
Katie will be worried, but Carter will tell her that it’s fine. I’m a big boy. I don’t have a bedtime, and it’s not an issue if I don’t come home. It’s not a problem that I’ve ignored every text from Katie and now Carter.
I’m trying to get my shit together. I’m not feeling anything close to nice, and with all the shit going on, all these family issues and Katie losing her appetite with even a little stress, it’s best that I’m not there.
“Don’t worry, little slut,” I say as I ignore Katie’s ringtone. “I’ll come back to you and take care of all your needs soon enough. You can survive a night or two without me.”
And she will. I won’t give her the choice. I’ve proven I can take care of her. So has Carter. She doesn’t need all three of us all the time. She needs to be less greedy.
“The lesser of two evils. I’ll choose the lesser of two evils… for now,” I decide. “Just for now.”
But no matter what reason I come up with, the anger doesn’t subside, and I can’t help calling myself a hypocrite. I’ve been greedy for her since the start, unable to stay away even when I should. I’m the one who’s pissy and doing things that he knows will cause problems. I’m adding stress whether I go home or don’t.
I’m trying to change, to be better for her. But only time will tell if I truly can.
Katie
As I stare at my phone, I know I’m getting into ‘ridiculous’ territory. I’ve texted Brad four times since I saw him and called him twice. Nothing. I don’t get why he’s staying away. He knows that’s a worse punishment than a spanking.
When he shuts down on me, there’s nothing I can do to fix things, and that makes me feel… gutted. I can’t focus on my reading, on the lecture Dr. Morrison sent, nothing. I just keep checking my phone. It’s already seven. We had dinner without him.
Even though Carter and Henry both said it’s fine, reminded me over and over again that Brad’s an adult and likes to do things his way without answering to anyone, I saw that concerned shine to Henry’s eyes. They’re hiding something from me. I just don’t know what it is and neither of them seems ready to share.
Groaning, I go to get a shower. When I hear the door open, I pause. I haven’t really drawn boundaries with any of my men. I’ve always been ready for whatever they have planned… to some extent. At the bare minimum, I’ve always enjoyed what they decide to do.
It’s like they know what I want before I do when it comes to sex, but right now, I don’t want to have sex. My headache has been off and on, I’m exhausted, and I’m having some weird cramps that appear, then disappear just as quickly.
“Carter?” I guess when the shower curtain isn’t immediately pulled to the side.
“You know us well,” he answers.
“Are you… are you coming in?” The warm water drips down my body, and the sound of ruffling behind the shower curtain draws a smile to my lips.
“I think I can fix your headache and your stress,” he says, and his fingers grip the shower curtain. “But I also know you’re leaving something out. So, the question is… does a naughty doll deserve my attention?”
He opens the shower curtain, a soft smile on his lips, and my heart stammers. Yes, I’ve been keeping something from him. From all of them. But that’s only because I don’t believe it— don’t want to believe it.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I say softly. He chuckles and steps in beside me. It feels too small for both of us, but he grabs my throat and leans me against him, sandwiching me between him and the cold tile wall.
He’s so hot and the tile’s so cold that I can’t seem to make thoughts work. All I know is his chest moving against my breasts sends pinpricks of pleasure dancing across my skin.
“Carter, I didn’t do anything wrong,” I insist.
“I didn’t say it was your fault,” he says, his fingers lingering over my lips before they drop and he slowly edges back to turn me around. “I’m not sure Brad would agree with that, though.”
“He followed me at school. I kind of talked to Dan in the hallway because it would be rude not to, but I told him no again when he asked me to lunch. I tried to get to Brad, and he was gone. That’s it,” I say.
Carter pauses. His fingers linger on my shoulders. “He told you not to talk to him.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t exist in a world where I can’t talk to men. It’s ridiculous. I’m not going to fuck Dan.” His finger digs into my skin, and slowly, the tension fades as he massages my shoulders and neck.
“You know Brad can’t handle these things.” He sighs.
“Asking me not to talk to any man because they might want me would be like me telling you both that you’re not allowed to talk to women at all because they might fantasize about—”
His touch roughens and so does his voice. “You never saw Brad at his worst. Trust me when I say that you need to back off and make it clear to him that nothing is going on.”
“How can I make it clear to him when he’s ghosting me?”
I glance back at him and he shakes his head, his touch softening, and continues to rub my tense muscles.
“So you’re satisfied with three cocks? With being shared? You like being my doll, Brad’s slut, and Dad’s angel?”
“I like being whatever you make me. I only see you three like that. I only want you three,” I answer as he his fingers lower to my back. “All three of you are so good, even when you’re rough, especially when you’re kinky. I can take all three of you and I like it.”
“Good. But that means you say it. You own it. Tell that guy you’re taken. Tell him your boyfriend is possessive and you like it that way.”
“I know, I will,” I say and take a steady breath. “But I meant what I said. I can’t not talk to every man who exists. I’ll tell Dan I’m taken if he tries to talk to me again.”
Carter nods and his touch leaves me. “Give Brad time. He always comes home,” he says.
I chuckle. “In one piece?”
“ He’s always in one piece,” he says.
Which doesn’t do a thing for my peace of mind.