Chapter 8
“Eat it, bitch!”
Malachi’s booming laugh filled the condo. Without looking at him directly, Scarlet could still see his arms jerking. He sat on the edge of his seat.
“Only Cross gets to call me bitch, Scarlet. Be nice or I’ll take my X-box and go home.”
“Awww. Sorry. Next time I’ll be more creative. If we play a few more rounds maybe I’ll let you win one or two.”
“Let me? Yeah, it’s on.”
Across the room, Reece looked up from her sketch and laughed. “This is the third time this week that you two play video games for hours. Scarlet’s been dragging her ass out of bed in the morning. Jude hasn’t complained about her falling asleep at work yet, though, or Sabrina would have told me. I think I should pitch this as its own sitcom. You’re too funny.”
Malachi quirked a brow, his dark eyes serious. “I think your kitten needs petting, Scarlet. She’s sounding neglected.”
“What? I’m fine. You two have fun. I have work to do. I’m just glad that Scarlet has found a little friend to play with.” Reece snickered and leaned over her sketchpad.
Scarlet cleared her throat. “Come here.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at the spot between her and Mal on the couch. As expected, Reece’s glare was tempestuous and foreboding. She didn’t take shit from anyone.
“Come on,” Scarlet coaxed. She patted her lap. “Come here. You know you don’t want to sit all the way over there if you can be curled up over here.”
“I’m not actually a cat, you know. Offering to give me catnip and pet me won’t work all the time.”
From the corner of her eye, Scarlet saw Malachi shake his head slightly as he frowned at Reece. She sighed and walked over. What was that about? Because it was her birthday?
Reece eased herself gently down between them as though she was afraid to touch anyone. Scarlet pulled her sideways until her head was in her lap. She ran her fingers through Reece’s hair, combing out little knots and running her short nails along her scalp. Reece sighed and shivered, snuggling in.
“Put your legs up on Malachi. I’m sure he won’t mind.” Scarlet’s gaze slid to him. He looked pained.
“But I’m wearing a dress.”
“Now, Reece,” Scarlet growled sternly. “Are you afraid he’s going to see your sexy blue panties?”
She gasped then blushed.
Malachi smirked. “Did she tell you she showed me her panties the other day?”
“Oh, did she?” Scarlet wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“I almost fell out of the chair. It wasn’t intentional,” Reece grumbled. She put her legs up on his lap then shoved her skirt down tightly so he wouldn’t see anything. “Leave it to the pirate captain, here, to take advantage of an innocent damsel in distress.”
“If I really was a pirate captain I’d keep you tied to the mast where I could play with you for hours. Can you blame me? Have you looked in a mirror lately? Besides, I only looked. I didn’t touch. That’s not against the rules, is it?”
It was obvious to Scarlet, at least, that Malachi wasn’t joking. He wanted Reece in a bad way, but was doing his best to be polite and hide it most of the time. His gaze strayed to the girl’s bare calves, and Scarlet saw his hand twitch. The heat in his eyes should have melted off her clothes.
“No,” Scarlet answered. “Especially not if she’s deliberately flashing you her cute underthings. You’re only human.”
His big hand came down on Reece’s ankle, swallowing it. How did a man with such big hands make such beautiful art? He’d shown them some of his sketches the other day and they were so colorful and expressive that Scarlet was sincerely moved.
The muscles in his arm played under his sleeve of tattoos as Reece tried to wriggle her ankle to freedom. “Let go!”
“Do you really want me to? I’m not hurting anything,” he said quietly. Reece looked up at Scarlet and she smiled back reassuringly.
“It’s only your ankle, beautiful. We aren’t Puritans. If you don’t like it tell him. I don’t mind his hand being there if you don’t.”
Reece gave a one-shouldered shrug and relaxed back onto Scarlet’s lap. She drew her fingertip from Reece’s chin, down her neck then wrapped it lightly around the base of her throat. The girl shuddered and squirmed almost imperceptibly. She loved this.
What if he went further? Scarlet envisioned him sliding Reece’s skirt up her thighs to run his finger along the lace border of the blue panties that Scarlet had bought her a few weeks ago. Reece loved being touched. If there were two of them touching her, instead of just one, it would blow Reece’s mind. The screaming orgasm she imagined they could give her had Scarlet ready for almost anything. Being horny made her way too open-minded some days.
She stroked along Reece’s throat as Malachi drew little circles along her anklebone and foot. Reece sighed contentedly and her body went limp. She looked relaxed, but Scarlet could tell otherwise. Her breathing was unsteady and the bump of her nipples stood out clearly on her shirt.
Scarlet slid her arm under Reece’s shoulders and pulled her up for a kiss. Reece grabbed onto her and their tongues met. Her hand went to the hem of Reece’s dress. The garment had crept partway up her thighs and Scarlet let her work-roughened fingers slide along just under the edge before snaking upwards. A moment later, Reece gasped and slapped her hand away.
“What?”
Reece’s face was flushed and her eyes motioned to Malachi.
“He’s seen you come before, baby. I don’t think he minds.”
“Not at all. Feel free to forget I’m here.”
Scarlet almost snorted. As if Reece could forget. As if she could, herself.
“Malachi, this isn’t what we talked about.” She squirmed in their grips and Scarlet watched in fascination as Malachi’s good-natured features sharpened. Something about this had just thrown his Dom switch. He looked sexy mean, not that she was into guys...much.
She didn’t talk about it often, but Scarlet had gone through two crushes on guys in her entire life. One was an A-list actor who was hotter than any man had a right to be. The other was a guy she’d hung out with for years in high school. They had friend-zoned each other early on, but she’d loved his brain so much that his gender had become inconsequential. Mal actually reminded her of him, except that Mal was both funnier and had more of an edge to him – like there was something dangerous lurking behind the dazzling smiles and sexy tattoos. It was a miracle he was single.
No, it was easier to pass for a lesbian, rather than explaining she was bi but wasn’t attracted to ninety-nine point nine percent of men. Her experience with guys showed her that if they thought they had even a small chance of bedding her, they’d mess up a perfectly good friendship. Except for her buddy Caleb, who’d never looked at her that way after the first week or so.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t throw Reece under the bus. She knew Reece liked him, and the idea of watching Reece and Malachi together was fucking hot.
Wait a minute. Had Reece just said she’d talked to Malachi without her?
“What are you talking about, Reece? Have you two been hanging out and not telling me?”
Reece looked contrite. “Don’t be mad. You’re making it sound so clandestine. I went to his shop and talked to him about your birthday present. That’s all.”
“What does my birthday present have to do with your current predicament?” Scarlet tightened a fist in Reece’s decadent tresses. The girl’s eyes hazed over and her mouth softened, begging to be kissed.
“I asked him to top you,” Reece whispered. “Just to see how much you like it with someone who knows what they’re doing.”
“He used the crop on me the other day. You do a fine job, Reece. You just need practice.”
Fuck. No, no, no. If they used him for anything, it would be as a teacher. And maybe to fuck Reece once in awhile, while Scarlet watched. Not that Reece was ready to hear that idea yet. Could she domme Reece into letting him fuck her? The idea turned her on so much that she berated herself for being a pervert.
Reece watched her, looking a little disappointed. “Just for pain, not sex. You and I can have sex afterward, if you want. But never mind. I can see your answer is no. I just thought it would be fun for you, and interesting.”
Fuck. Reece had gone out of her way to set this up, and here Scarlet was dismissing the idea out of hand. This was supposed to be part of her birthday present? Could you even say no to a present without looking like an ass? And Mal had said yes, even knowing there’d be no sexual payoff?
She looked from Reece to Malachi. He had leaned back against the couch and was smirking at her – daring her.
“You think I can’t handle it?” She arched a brow at him.
His shoulder moved in a vague shrug. “I understand why you’d be scared. I’m pretty irresistible.”
“Malachi Johansson, you are such a cocky bastard.” Reece slapped his arm.
In a heartbeat Reece was over his lap, her sexy ass in the air and looking very vulnerable. How did he move so fast, and how did he flip her over like she was a doll? Awareness suddenly lit his eyes and he deposited her back between them on the couch. “Sorry, Reece. You’re not mine to manhandle like that.”
Reece looked thunderstruck. She smoothed her skirt down over her bare thighs then ducked her head to hide her red cheeks.
“You wouldn’t allow that from her if she was yours?” Scarlet asked. Lord knew she’d wanted to do precisely that to Reece about a million times over the past year.
“No. Not when I’m in this kind of mood anyway.”
“What would you do?” Scarlet asked.
“Probably spank her then make her kneel at my feet. If she didn’t have a good apology ready, she’d get the clothespin.”
“Clothespin?” Reece asked. “Where? We’ve tried those and I don’t like them.”
“Go get one.” Scarlet growled.
Miraculously, Reece shot to her feet and moved down the hall without a word.
She was back again before they said anything more. When she tried to hand the clothespin to Malachi, he shook his head and pointed at the floor in front of Scarlet. “Give it to your Domme, kitten.”
“She’s not...” Her words trailed off as she took in Malachi’s expression then sighed and knelt at Scarlet’s feet.
Scarlet grabbed Reece’s chin and tipped her face up until their eyes met. The girl shrank back but didn’t pull away from Scarlet’s grasp.
After a few moments, Reece averted her gaze. “You look mean.”
“You insulted our guest, even if it’s true that he’s a cocky bastard.” Scarlet chuckled, basking in the feeling of having Reece in this position.
“What do you want me to do? Apologize?”
“You’re going to kneel here, hold that clothespin, and think about what I might do with it.” She grabbed a couch pillow and threw it on the floor beside Reece. “Kneel on that. Right now I’m going to talk to the nice man about what you were sneaking around to talk to him about. Doms don’t keep secrets for other Dommes’ subs, right Mal?”
He smiled blandly. “It’s bad form. Besides, nothing she said was really a secret, per se, other than her wanting to surprise you for your birthday.”
“With you?” She gave him a derisive smirk. “I don’t like men that way.” Liar, liar – at least where this man was concerned. But Reece didn’t know that.
“She thought you’d have fun with me topping you. Just to see what it’s really like. She’s also worried that if you never try playing with someone that can tap into your masochistic side, that you’ll always secretly wonder what it’s like and never be content with her.”
Talk about laying the cards on the table.
Scarlet stood then looked down at Reece. She seemed so tiny and soft there. Reece stared at her own knees as though there was something fascinating there. Part of Scarlet wanted to shake Reece for being so unsure about her hold on her. Another part wanted to hug her and never let her go.
Then again, it was exactly how Scarlet felt about Reece. She absolutely adored her but feared that Reece would never be completely happy giving up men.
And here was the man that could either answer all of their questions, or completely destroy their relationship. Yet they had welcomed him into their home – this incubus in their sitting room.
After staring at her girl for long enough to make her squirm uncomfortably, she took pity on her. They had to deal with this little insecurity issue. She knelt down in front of Reece so they were eye-level. She wanted her to see the honesty in her eyes when she told her this. “There is no kink issue big enough to make me give you up, Reece. Nothing. You don’t ever need to worry about that. And while I appreciate your effort in giving me a memorable birthday, receiving pain isn’t something I need . Especially not as much as I need you. Do you understand?”
Reece looked half a second from bursting into tears. “Yes. And I’m sorry if this is making things awkward. I just thought you’d...maybe like it and...” She trailed off and stared at her hands on her lap.
“Come here.” Scarlet wrapped her arms around her girl for a tight hug. She kissed her head and neck.
“Maybe you should give it a try,” Malachi said. “I’m already here. Unless you’re scared.”
She released Reece, “Kneel, pet.” Then she shifted to face him. “I’m not afraid of you, Malachi.” Had she already said that? She hoped not. If she was repeating herself it would be a sign of weakness, and he’d know that she was lying. She thought it had come out pretty convincing.
He stood too, coming closer. Looming – that was the word. He loomed well for a man who wasn’t insanely tall.
“After you play with me, you might be more afraid of me than you’d care to admit.” He winked. “Has anyone other than Reece topped you before?”
“No. I didn’t know I was kinky until a few months ago.”
His mouth quirked. “No history of hurting yourself for the fun of it? Not even as a child?”
“Do I need a safeword?” she asked, deliberately ignoring his question. Her childhood weirdness was none of his damned business. Yes, she’d hurt herself on purpose as a child, but she’d never thought it meant anything other than that she had an odd idea of fun.
“Of course. Pick one.” His face was impassive, but his body was coiled tight – muscles flexing and giving away his tension and...possibly excitement?
Was she really going to do this? The easiest thing to do would be to walk away from the opportunity, but two things were stopping her. One – disappointing Reece. Two – her own intense curiosity. She was being handed the chance to answer questions about herself and if she backed down, she’d always wonder.
“Salt.”
His brows rose and he looked amused. “Salt?”
“Too much salt isn’t good for your health.”
From her place on the floor, Reece groaned. “Oh my god, Scarlet. You’re so weird.”
Scarlet nudged her with her foot. “Quiet, little slave girl. The big people are talking.”
Reece protested, outraged, but silenced herself when they both gave her a look.
“Salt is fine. Do you have toys I can use on you?” She could almost hear his mental hands rubbing together his enthusiasm was so thick.
“One sec.” Scarlet walked sedately down the hallway, stalling for time. What the hell was she doing, playing with this man? How was this a good idea? She kept hoping Reece would pipe up and say that she couldn’t let her do it – that she was too jealous. It was starting to look like that just wasn’t going to happen. She was screwed.
Scarlet snorted. Not screwed. She didn’t need to make this any more awkward for herself.
Forcing herself into autopilot, she grabbed an empty laundry basket off of the bedroom floor and took it to the closet, dumping in every toy they owned. They’d bought everything they’d heard of, hoping something would click for them. The basket got heavy quickly. Maybe she should only bring out the things she wanted him to use on her? But that hardly seemed fair. Having a selection for him to choose from seemed polite. Was there a BDSM Guide to Good Manners? There should be.
Every step she took back to the living room, lugging the overflowing basket, made Scarlet more aware of her body. Yes, he’d seen her body before, but that was when she was being topped by Reece. This was different – getting undressed for him. The idea of having someone new see her partially naked was difficult. She and Reece had been dating so long Scarlet had let herself go a little. She was still relatively trim and muscular from working construction, but that didn’t mean she was the type of woman who traipsed around half-naked a lot. The day she’d stripped off her pants so Malachi could show Reece how to use the crop often played over in her head, and it made her feel like a slut.
She dumped the toys onto the couch and he started to sift through them. A few things seemed to surprise him. He picked up a small jeweled butt plug and held it up with a questioning look on his face.
“Who is this used on?”
Scarlet snickered. “Reece was having a crabby week a few months ago, and I warned her to smarten up several times, then finally bought that and left it in the middle of the bed as a warning. She had to ask me what it was.”
“Shut up, Scarlet. You didn’t even know what it was when you went to the sex shop.”
“I knew about butt plugs at least, even if I didn’t know this was one. You thought it was a fancy wine cork.” She grinned and Malachi burst out laughing. She had to wait until he’d settled down before she could continue. “The lady at the desk suggested it after I told her all the other toys we had weren’t working to make her more respectful. Apparently it’s a beginner one.”
“You’re going to let her tell you to shut up?”
Idiot. She was so terrible at this. Embarrassed, she snatched up a crop and smacked Reece once on each thigh with the shaft. Reece hissed but didn’t move or complain. “Insulting me when I’m in domme mode and I have back-up is a bad idea.”
She rolled her eyes. “Domme mode? Is there an off switch for that?”
Before Scarlet could react, Malachi jumped in.“I’m going to show you how to use the plug on her at some point.” He wasn’t asking. “Maybe now is a good time?”
Reece gave him a horrified look then turned her face to hide it in the arm of the couch. “No! I’ll be good, I promise!”
Heat rose and throbbed in Scarlet’s nether regions. Her Reece begging for mercy was the sexiest thing, next to the noises the girl made when she came.
Scarlet reached down and stroked a hand through her hair. “Yes, you’ll be a good girl and let me do whatever I want, won’t you?”
Her only response was a whimper.
After a few minutes of sorting through the array of implements, Malachi piled several on the coffee table. “I think this is going to be more enjoyable for you if we involve Reece, but not as a co-top. If you allow it, I’ll direct what she does. It’ll turn you on more if someone is touching you sometimes, and I know that someone can’t be me. However, if you ever change your mind...” His smile would have charmed the pants off a lesbian.
Oh, shit.
Unable to help herself, Scarlet nodded. “Reece, do what he says unless you have a major problem with it. Use the same safeword, okay?”
Apprehension lurked in her eyes, but she smiled a little. “Okay.”
Malachi drew Reece to her feet and took the clothespin from her. He stared into her eyes and brought the clothespin up between their faces, which were only inches apart. “This will be dealt with later.”
She swallowed. “Yes, Malachi.”
Fuck. How did he do that so easily? Scarlet examined his stance, recalled his tone, and realized it was probably a combination of things – some of which she couldn’t replicate, being smaller and female. He could show her the basics, but she’d have to develop her own style that capitalized on her strengths.
“Reece, undress her.”
Scarlet backed a step and held up a warding hand. “Wait, stop! Like naked, naked? You can’t do this with most of my clothes on?”
He studied her for a moment. “You can stay fully dressed if you want, but you won’t get the full effect of doing this with clothing as a barrier. It would be like saying you wanted to know what sex was like, but refusing to take your clothes off. Orgasms might be had, but it’s not really sex.”
She rolled her eyes, knowing it had been a long shot. “I’m not big on being naked.”
“Reece should do her best to make you forget I’m here, at first.”
“I’m not getting naked while she has her clothes on. That seems counterintuitive from a Domme standpoint. Isn’t she supposed to stay at least equally undressed, if not more so?”
He smiled gently. “The answer to that question is that you’re the Domme. It’s all about what you want, so it’s completely up to you how dressed or undressed she is.”
Scarlet looked Reece over. The girl was shaking her head minutely, eyes pleading. After all this time, Scarlet knew that Reece still had some body image issues. Malachi might even figure into them. Heavily.
She walked the few steps to Reece and looked down at her with what she hoped was a commanding demeanor. She copied Malachi’s stance and expression, even if the looming part wasn’t as effective. “Remember the outfit I bought you for Christmas that you never wore? Put it on. Now.”
“Oh god. Seriously?”
“Don’t you think you’re already in enough trouble, kitten?” A staring contest ensued, but eventually Scarlet came out on top. She felt a swell of satisfaction at Reece’s defeated sigh.
“It’s the most ridiculous piece of clothing I own!” Reece growled, storming off into their bedroom.
She’d let the attitude go for now. If she didn’t pick her battles, they wouldn’t get very far with Malachi topping her today. And now she was more curious than she cared to admit.
“Ridiculous?” Malachi asked with a brow quirked.
“I have a bit of a fetish she doesn’t share. She hates it and finds it demeaning.”
He grinned. “Perfect. Nothing will make her feel more submissive than doing what she doesn’t want to because you said so. So what is it?”
“You’ll see in a sec.”
“Furry? Latex? Cheerleader?”
“That would be quite the combination.”
He laughed loudly and shook his head. “Well played. I’m supposed to be the funny Dom, Scarlet. Get your own gig.”