Chapter 19 #2
Slade wanted for the other shoe to drop because that was too easy.
“She is precious and fragile and damaged. What she doesn’t need is my damage. I was the harshest to her. I was the one who caused the most pain. There is no way she could want me and I would only be hindering your chances. The three of you will win her over and treat her right.” Quaid stood.
Fuck that.
“Didn’t take you for a coward,” he drawled.
Quaid froze. “I’m not a coward. And you can’t bait me into changing my mind.”
“So you’re just going to step aside and let the three of us win her over, be with her, take care of her. Fuck her.” He paused for a long moment. “Dominate her.”
Quaid’s hands clenched into fists.
Yeah, the cold bastard had been dreaming of getting their girl into his playroom. Of tying her to a spanking bench and teaching her that she was to obey him.
That’s what he got off on. Control.
Slade knew that. But he also knew there was another side to him.
“I’m going to be her Daddy. Rock will be her Da. Spencer . . . well, who the fuck knows what he’s going to call himself. What are you going to be Quaid? Nothing?”
“I’m not a Daddy Dom. You know I like being a Dom because I can be in complete control of everything. Littles are . . . they’re out of control.”
“Because they like to have fun? Do you remember what having fun is like?” Slade asked.
“Do you?” Quaid asked back coolly.
“Not really. I haven’t had fun since our girl was ours. Back when she was at school.”
When things had seemed simpler.
It had taken them a while to realize they all liked her. It wasn’t until they were in their midtwenties and she was at university that they’d all gotten into a massive argument over her.
Over who deserved her.
Until Quaid had suggested a mad, crazy idea.
That they share her.
Make her theirs. All of theirs.
It had taken a while for them to let that settle. Slade was a possessive guy and he’d had a lot of issues to start with. Spencer had been on board first. Then Rock. Slade had been the last one to agree.
But now he realized that he couldn’t imagine things being any different. He wanted to share her with his three friends.
Unfortunately, they’d decided she should finish university first. That would give them time to build their empire.
They shouldn’t have waited. Because then she met fucking Billy.
“I haven’t had any fun in years,” Slade said. “But I want that lightness back in my life. I need it. We all need it. Without it, we’ve been robots. Living day to day without any sort of joy.”
“Dramatic,” Quaid muttered. “What if her one condition for being with you all is that I’m not a part of it? She has to want all of us for this to work.”
“And you don’t think she wants you?” Slade asked.
“What do I have to offer? Time in my playroom? Rules and discipline? I’m not a Daddy Dom and we all know she’s a Little.”
There had been small clues. She’d often looked longingly into the Littles room here at the club. She still sucked her thumb, especially when she was stressed.
“Then you show her what you can offer. We don’t all have to give her the same things.”
“What can I give her?” Quaid said.
“Fuck, I didn’t realize you were this insecure,” Slade grumbled. “Do you need a list of all your attributes? A hug?”
“Touch me, asshole, and you die,” Quaid snarled.
Slade had to grin. “Now, there’s the Quaid I know and love.
We all know you have plenty to offer her.
You just have to stop being so fucking self-sacrificing.
No one is jumping ship. That includes you, Rock.
If she senses we’re not all onboard with this, she’ll start doubting as well.
She needs our confidence to feel secure and . . . loved.”
Because he did love her.
And he knew these guys did too.
“Bring her Billy,” Rock rasped.
Slade glanced over at him. But Rock was staring at Quaid.
Quaid nodded. “That I can do.”
“We all want a piece of Billy,” Slade said darkly. “Quaid is going to get Shepherd to track him down.”
“I’ll get him here tonight,” Quaid said.
Slade’s phone buzzed and he checked it. “Spencer. About fucking time.”
Asshole was supposed to be giving them regular updates.
Spencer: Think I fucked up.
Slade: How?
Quaid: What did you do?
Rock: Talk.
Spencer: She needed to go to the bathroom, so I carried her in. I was careful to begin with but when I went to help with her pajamas, she flinched back and hurt herself .
Fuck.
They’d all seen how jumpy she was.
Spencer: She’s scared of me now. I don’t know what to fucking do.
Things were bad if Spencer was lost.
Quaid: Slow things down. Take it easy. Warn her before touching her. But whatever you do, do not leave her. She needs consistency. For you to show her that your touch isn’t going to hurt.
Slade stared over at his damaged friend. If anyone knew what Indie was going through it was him.
Rock: She likes praise.
Fuck. How had he forgotten that? Indie had received no kind words from her mother growing up. No praise or positivity. Now she sucked it up like a dry sponge soaking up water.
Spencer: Right. Yeah. Keep my movements slow. Warn her. Lots of praise. Anything else?
Slade: See if you can get her to eat.
Spencer: Yeah, no kidding. She’s as light as a feather. I could feel her ribs. She needs lots of care and attention .
Slade tapped his fingers against the desk and glanced over at the other two men. Then he typed out another message to the group chat.
Slade: Q is going to talk to Shepherd to get his help finding Billy. I’ll ask Church to take over the club for a while. And Ramsey and Angus can take on more responsibility at work.
They owned several nightclubs that Spencer oversaw. Slade ran Club Slade. He and Quaid were the CEO and CFO of their construction firm. While Rock was the head of design.
Angus and Ramsey were brothers and had gone to school with them. They trusted them both.
Spencer: Good. Because I don’t want to leave her. She’s so fucking fragile that it . . . it scares me.
It scared all of them.