Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Corbin
I t was hours later when I woke up on that cold basement floor. All the intense emotions I had been feeling coursing through my veins had stopped. Thank god my cell phone had been returned and was lying next to me on the floor, or my walk home would have been over two hours. I was too fucking sore to pull that off.
The ride I’d ordered on the Take Me Home app finally picked me up and safely delivered me back to our front door.
“Thanks,” I said to the driver, stuffing an extra hundred into his hand for a tip.
Anyone willing to allow a person into their car, looking as beat up as me, deserved the extra cash. A sense of relief washed through me as I walked into our home. Making my way back to the kitchen, I grabbed a desperately needed bottle of water.
While I downed the bottle, I hobbled my sore body up the stairs and jumped into the shower.
Man, I had a serious bruise on my chest from where the bullets hit the vest. Thank god, it was bulletproof. Ari was a good shot, but then again, she’d been hunting with her dad for the last ten years. Pulling on a pair of clean sweats, I jogged back down the stairs with a new book and cracked its spine.
I had no idea when the other three would be back home, but I hoped it was soon. Forming a poly quad with Ronin and Ari had been the best decision Tru and I had ever made in our marriage. The love between the four of us knew no bounds. Fulfilling each others’ fantasies had been such a binding force for the four of us.
Just as worry had set in, I heard my beautiful wife’s voice outside on the front porch, giggling with Ronin. Tru opened our front door and ran over to me. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me like she hadn’t seen me in years.
“Where is Ari?”
“Where do you think.” Tru motioned out of the open front door, and Ari was slumped over on the front porch.
Ari was sweet and felt everything so deeply. I bent down and picked her up. My insides clenched when I saw the shiner on her beautiful face.
“Thank you, Corbs,” Ari said, sniffling.
“You’re welcome, my Beauty.” She giggled at the nickname and play-slapped my chest.Turning to see Ronin right behind me, arms out, I handed his wife to him. She willingly went to him and snuggled into his chest. He quickly walked her over to the couch and set her between Tru and himself.
“Ari, babe…you’re adorable,” Ronin said.
She leaned back between Tru’s legs, resting her head on her chest as Ronin grabbed one of her ankles and began to rub the arch of her foot.
She turned her head, and a big shiner began forming on her face. “Thank you, Ro. I’m so done.”
“You okay?” Tru said over the top of Ari’s head as she ran her fingers through her black mane.
Ari gave a quick nod.
“Mad at me?”
My heart ached for my beautiful wife. I really wished she didn’t worry so much about us. We all loved her fiercely.
Ari glanced up at her. “Never. I love you.”
A quick knock sounded at our front door.
“Perfect, the Butler is here,” I said, opening the door.
Tru perked up at that, a smile blooming across her face.
The Butler came to stand before all of us. “Welcome to the end of your fantasy. I must ask, did each one of you have your fantasy fulfilled in every way?”
Ari spoke first. “Yep. Being the big bad Mafia boss was fun, but now I want to sleep for a week.”
The Butler stepped toward Ari, resting his hand on her bruised eye. He pulled a small vial of red liquid out of his pocket, handing it to Ari.
“Drink up, Miss. It will heal all your wounds from your fantasy excursion. Do the rest of you have any injuries that need healing as well?
We all nodded.
The Butler paused but handed the rest of us identical bottles.
“I’m so happy you had a bulletproof vest on,” Ronin said, staring at me.
“Me, too.” I nodded, then inspected the liquid in my hand. After a moment, I unscrewed the cap, and everyone else followed suit.
“Cheers?” Ronin said, holding up his tiny bottle.
“Cheers,” we all said, clinking.
Swallowing, I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth, berry taste. It didn’t taste like medicine—just a natural concoction with a bit of a metallic tang like blood, which made sense. I’d bitten my tongue pretty hard during some of the ruckus, and it was still sore.
The Butler’s eyes turned to me, and I grabbed the envelope with our final cash payment. “Your company did an excellent job. Thank you for a fun-filled month.”
“Shall I book you all for another fantasy for this time next year, then?” The bald man was tall but clean-shaven and dressed in such an old-world Butler suit that it was almost hard to take him seriously.
Ronin touched my shoulder.
“You know, I’m in.” His deep voice rolled through me, making me shudder. I’d missed his touch.
“I’m in, too,” I said, grinning back at him.
“Mistress Tru?” The Butler bowed toward her.
“Hell, yes, we’re in.” Tru smiled, and Ari nodded her consent as well.
“Perfect. You all have one month to reply with your wish for your next fantasy endeavor. Charles will be waiting for your call at Fantasy.com headquarters. And as always, it was our pleasure to serve you.” He set a top hat on his head and quietly slipped out the front door.
“So, who’s hungry?” Ronin clapped his hands together. “The grill in the back is waiting to be used.”
“Me,” I said. “Beer?”
“Yep.”