41. Max
CHAPTER 41
MAX
I shouldn’t be this wet and angry watching Caine leave my bedroom. I think he may turn around and come back. He’ll say he’s kidding and then do what he does best, which is take complete control of my body. But when I hear the front door close, I know he really left.
Collapsing back on my bed I cry out, “What the fuck?!”
Adam and Drew may have made me come enough that I should be completely sated. Then Caine just had to go and get me worked up again and then had the audacity to leave. For a man completely obsessed with me, he sure likes to leave me desperate.
It’s probably because he knows that will only make me want him more.
And the fucker is right.
Because here I am, ready to call him back and beg him to fuck me. But I can’t—I’m too proud to give in yet. Plus, the exhaustion is taking over, and I sink into my soft bed, feeling how heavy my eyelids are. I want to shower first, but maybe if I just lay here for a couple more seconds, then I’ll get up. Except sleep ends up winning.
Maybe I was na?ve to think that after everything that has happened, that the awkwardness would be gone between the four of us. But when I get to the gym for BJJ the next day, I find out that’s not the case. Everything feels tense.
Adam and Drew are short with each other. Caine is across the gym staring daggers at them. I’m just here trying to learn a new sport and how to feel comfortable defending myself.
After class is finished, I’m a sweaty mess as always. I try to say something to them, but the next group of students is coming in and I feel like I can’t. Caine is in the cage, prepping for his own practice and I know better than to get involved there.
As I collect my things, I look up to see him already watching me while he warms up. I watch him trail my body with his eyes, and he gives me a knowing look—one I don’t reciprocate. Next, I see Adam, who looks at me like he wants to tackle me. Then, Drew gives me that smile of his that sends a chill down my spine.
I leave before I can say anything, but I know this won’t be the last I see of them today. If there’s anything I’ve learned when it comes to these men, it’s that I’m clearly never getting rid of them. Good thing that I don’t want to.
I’m at work when I see the group of guys from Uncaged come in, just like my first shift, and it feels so weirdly different now than it did that first time. I never would have expected for things to be how they are, but I can’t find it in me to worry about it like I have been.
I’m not wanting to care about what I should do, how I should feel, or how things should be. No, the only thing that matters right now is what I want. Who I want. Things I want. For the first time in my life, the only thing that matters is myself.
And it feels so fucking amazing.
And freeing.
“Your fan club is here,” Danner teases.
I roll my eyes. “Why are you here so often? Did you get a job here that I don’t know about?”
“Hah! Hilarious. Someone has to keep you company.”
Danner isn’t here every night, it really is only once or twice a week, but I can’t help but give her some shit for it. Even after our slumber party, I’m still trying to work up the courage to hang out with her more outside of the bar. To be friends with someone. It’s weird, but I figure if I’m willing to open myself up to being involved with three guys, I can be open to having a friend for the first time.
“Is that what you’re doing?” I joke and she barks out a laugh which has me smiling.
“You’re in a good mood, any particular reason why?” she asks knowingly, leaning her head toward the table where the guys are sitting.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smile innocently as I serve one of the other customers.
“Oh, yeah you do, you little liar,” she says a bit too loudly. I don’t care, I laugh anyway, knowing the guys can likely hear.
By the time I’m done with a set of customers that came up to the bar, I turn and see Drew leaning against the bar talking to Danner which shocks me a little bit. I approach slowly, looking skeptically between them because I’m not sure what Danner would be saying to him or vice versa.
“Can I help you?” I ask Drew and ignore the way my body reacts when his green eyes lock onto me. Even more so when they rake over my entire body in a slow, deliberate way. The air around us has shifted lately, and it makes me so reactive to him. To all of them.
“We’ll take a round at our table, you know what we like.” He winks before walking back over to the other guys.
Danner turns toward me slowly with the most shit eating grin on her face.
“Don’t,” I tell her.
“I’m not saying anything.”
I get several glasses of water to bring to the table. It doesn’t matter that some of them drink, I want to do what I did that first day just to fuck with them. And maybe it’ll result in a punishment for me. Either way I win.
When I approach the table with the platter full of water, I notice a different sort of tension between the three of them. Alexander and Cal talk to each other, clearly not entirely aware of whatever is happening on the other side of the table.
“Here you go,” I announce tightly.
“I thought you knew what we like.” Drew smirks, sitting back, kicking his ankle onto his knee.
“I do.” I look at Adam, then Caine and see the tension still evident on their faces. “And I know you guys need to be hydrated after training. Enjoy.”
Looking over my shoulder as I walk away, I notice the three of them are back to being tense with whatever they were talking about before.
Throughout the night, I keep looking at their table. Alexander and Cal eventually do what they always do, which is talk to anyone who will listen. Sometimes that includes Danner. But what doesn’t change is the obvious quiet arguing between the three men that claim to want me.
At around midnight, Adam gets up and storms out. I look at Drew and Caine, who don’t stick around much longer. Unlike Adam, they stop by the bar before leaving. No one else is around, even Danner went home about thirty minutes ago.
“What’s going on?” I ask either of them.
“Nothing, I’ll see you later.” Drew still sounds tense.
“ I’ll see you later,” Caine counters, and it clicks.
They were fighting over me. Again. Even after everything.
“You both will, and make sure Adam is there too,” I say, turning around to work on stocking the bar before closing, hoping that they’re gone by the time I turn back around.
When I get home, I go about my normal routine while anticipating one or all of them to show up eventually. If they don’t, I know the hit of disappointment will come over me. It’s weird to think about that, considering my reaction has always been the opposite.
Just as I’m about to take a shower, I hear them. They aren’t even trying to be quiet or sneaky now. I did leave the door unlocked—if they weren’t here before I went to bed, I’d lock it, but I figured that wouldn’t happen.
They’re arguing the second they clear the door, and I can’t even tell what they’re fighting about. When I reach my living room, the three of them are standing there with various looks of anger and frustration on their faces as they continue to argue.
I need to do something. We’re all involved now and it’s about time they fucking deal with it. I want them all, for some reason, and they all want me. So, why shouldn’t this work out?
“All three of you sit down and shut up,” I demand resulting in a variety of looks. Caine looks like he’s about to take me over his knee. Drew looks like he is going to laugh. Adam looks like he wants me to run, but I’m not going to.
I stand my ground, folding my arms across my chest while I wait. Slowly, the three of them sit, keeping their distance from each other and I want to roll my eyes because my couch isn’t very big, and they are all huge.
“You three want me,” I state as a fact because there’s no question—they’ve made it known. Each in their own psychotic way, and now we all need to get along. “So, right now you three are going to sit there like the good boys I know you can be and watch me.”
They all react once again, and I see Drew about to argue about the good boy comment. I hold my hand up to stop him, surprised when he actually listens.
“Afterwards, you three are going to show me how you play nice together.” I pull off my shirt, revealing the lace bralette underneath. “With my body as your playground.”
I wait for any protests, but they’re all at different stages of scanning my body.
Except Adam.
His eyes are locked on mine, intently. So focused. So… primal . I fight the shiver that wants to run through me.
“If you don’t agree then walk out now, because I’m done being fought over. It’s all or nothing. That’s my decision.”
None of them move a single muscle. So, I nod in response.
“Good, now control yourselves until I’m done with my show.”
I worry that this may be a bad idea. I’ve only danced for others when I was forced to. But right now, at this moment, I want to do this. I want to show them this piece of me. Most of all, I want to tease them with my body. I want them to look and not touch.
With that, I turn on the music and let it flow through me. This time, instead of doing this for someone else or out of fear, I’m doing it for me. When I start moving along the pole, these moves are for me. It doesn’t matter that they’re watching, and it doesn’t matter that they think this is for them. It’s not—I have all the power here.
It doesn’t matter if they chase me through the woods, hold me down, and fuck me to the point of madness. I’m the one in control. It may not have been obvious, especially when this all started, but I’ve always had all the power here. It’s about time I took a hold of it and used it to my advantage.
They all sit, eyes transfixed on me as I move, practicing what I’ve taught myself. Using my newfound strength from training to be able to lift myself up on the pole.
By the time the song is done, I twirl around one more time before sinking onto the floor, breathing heavily as I watch the guys. They’re all watching intently, waiting for what I’m going to say next.
I stand up, the pole at my back, holding onto it with both hands.
“If you’re all going to play nice with each other, then you can have me.”