Chapter Ten
Charlotte
He has freckles, she realizes in the hazy fog of her afterglow.
Light coloured ones dotting his chest and shoulders.
He had fairer colouring than the other two, and she cannot help pressing a kiss to the flesh in front of her.
Like little stars dotting his skin, as if they were the only two people in the universe, and he was the sky above her.
She turns her face a little so it’s pointed towards his neck where she can breathe in his spicy woody scent even deeper from his scent glands. It soothes her, and she feels her body relax beneath him in response.
When she feels one of the other alphas reach beneath him to try and extract her, Tomas snarls a terrifying sound from his chest that makes them quickly withdraw their hand.
She shrinks in response, even as she knows deep in her chest that that sound was not directed at her. He would never hurt her. She knows this the same way she knows that the bed is beneath her back.
"Charlotte? Are you okay?" It's Silas, and his voice sounds concerned.
She takes stock of her body before she answers. Where she's stretched around the knot, there is a grating soreness, but she doesn't think it will be too bad once she gets used to it.
"I'm okay," she responds, a little strained with the weight of him against her.
At the sound of her voice, Tomas' chest starts purring and she feels his chin rubbing at the top of her head, scent marking her. She feels herself relax even further at that, all the omega instincts she has purring contentedly with the knowledge that she is his. He's claimed her.
Even though she knows that isn't true. Even though she knows she's just a placeholder, a no strings attached arrangement until they find their mate. Yet even still, she melts beneath him and the minutes slip away like honey down her throat.
She feels when Tomas comes back to himself, knows the exact moment as it happens with how closely they're pressed together. He freezes, his entire body tensing at once as he yanks his chin away from the top of her head where he was still lazily scent marking her.
There is a whispered curse and he adjusts himself, pushing himself up onto his forearms and putting some space between them as he takes stock of the two of them.
She resists the urge to whine. She doesn't want space between them. A horrible sense that she has been exposed clams up her body without his bulk settled atop her, even if her lungs appreciate finally being able to take a deep breath of air now.
More air rushes against her damp, flushed skin as he rears up fully to look down at her and meet her eyes. It presses his cock deeper inside of her and she squeaks a little, fighting the urge to cover her face at the vulnerability she feels with his knot filling her out like this.
It feels like he can see through her, see all the scary shameful cracks beneath her veneer straight down to her ragged soul.
"Charlotte," he says hesitantly, and she can hear fear in his voice, which only makes her more anxious.
She winces, her arms wrapping around her torso to cover her breasts. Her shoulders hunch as her whole body tries to curl in on itself like a little grub that had been removed from its warm, dark burrow.
They're still joined together, his knot holding her to him, unable to escape even if she wanted to. She can feel where his cock is still twitching every so often as he fills her womb with more of his seemingly never-ending cum.
"I'm sorry," he rasps, and his face looks horror struck. "I don't know what came over me. Are you okay?"
Her eyes dart between him and Silas and Alex, all of whom are looking at her like she's something on a petri dish.
"Yes?"
It comes out as a question.
"I should have asked before knotting you," he says, and then apologizes again, and she feels like she's back in his office discussing another round of edits on a missive he's told her to type out.
It feels strangely sterile, despite the fact that he is still inside her, his semen absorbing into her womb as they speak.
"Fuck. I forced you. I am so, so sorry, Charlotte.
I seem to lose all my control with you. This was unforgivable of me. "
"It's okay," she says quickly. And surprisingly, she realizes it's true. She has to admit she kind of likes the way they kept losing control with her, the way they seemed to crave her so much that they couldn't help themselves. Besides, wasn't that what she was here for?
"I mean, that's what you paid me for, right?
" She attempts to joke, but it falls flat.
She resists the urge to flinch when she sees their faces fall.
They probably didn't want to think about that.
Really, who would? What a stupid thing to bring up.
She was supposed to play a part, and she was doing a terrible job at it.
Tomas' knot falls away quickly after that, and she feels a rush of cum flood out of her in his absence.
He pulls himself off her and she feels like she might cry at the sensation of being alone and empty without him inside her.
He disappears into the bathroom, and she cannot help staring after his sculpted muscular back as he leaves, barely resisting the urge to fling herself after him and beg him for his forgiveness, for a hug, for his bite, for anything.
"Do you want a bath, baby? Are you sore? Warm water will help with any... pain. Or, do you need a doctor?" Silas says, his voice soft, like he's approaching a wounded animal.
She looks over at him, and she wonders what her face looks like.
Is it as heartbroken as she feels? She tries to school it, but she seems to have lost control of those muscles.
She feels like if she opens her mouth, she might cry.
So, she settles on simply nodding back at him, biting her trembling lower lip as if that might calm it.
"A bath would be nice," she forces the words out, not wanting to disappoint them even more now by being unable to follow even the simplest of their instructions. Her voice sounds hoarse and unfamiliar.
"Let's go to my room," Alex murmurs as he gathers her into his arms. Charlotte cannot help the way she presses herself against him, seeking as much contact with his skin as she can get. "You want bubbles in your bath, baby? I ordered bath bombs just for our good girl."
A bubble bath sounded perfect. Any excuse for one of them to hold her sounded perfect.
"Yes, please," she whispers against his neck, running her nose up and down against his scent glands. He groans in response, and she feels his hold tightening around her. It makes her feel safer, more grounded.
As Silas walks ahead, she feels Alex lean closer to her ear, his voice barely a whisper. He's serious now, no hint of teasing in his tone. "Are you sure you're okay, Charlotte? That was a lot. He lost control. I was worried..."
"I'm sure," she responds, her voice soft as well. She squirms again in his arms with embarrassment. "It was... good. I like when you guys lose control."
He purrs in response, some of his usual humour returning to his voice. "You're just a perfect little thing, aren't you baby?"
"Perfect for us," Silas agrees with a velvety soft voice that makes her stomach flutter. He turns on the faucet and adds a pink ball to the water. Immediately the scent of cotton candy fills the air as the massive tub begins to fill with foamy pink bubbles.
She can't help the way her eyes trace over Silas' form as he putters around the bathroom, laying out towels and putting the bathmat down. He is the picture of masculine beauty and she finds herself eying his back and ass as he moves, watching the muscles shifting and bunching under his skin.
He looks back and she realizes she's been caught staring, quickly hiding her face back in Alex's chest.
"Do you like what you see?" Such smug, alpha pride radiates off him.
"I'd have to be blind not to," she mumbles against Alex's skin.
Both of them purr in response and she thinks she feels Alex's chest puffing up with the same pride at a member of their pack being admired. So stereotypically alpha, but it makes her feel giggly and giddy, not uncomfortable, the way it would on any other man.
As the tub fills, Alex steps into it and settles them in the water.
Silas follows and she feels his legs coming to relax on either side of her as Alex arranges her to straddle his own lap, her head falling on his shoulder as her body goes limp in the warm, soothing water.
He was right, the water did ease the stinging pain from where her entrance had been stretched so wide around Tomas' knot.
His body is firm and broad under her, every bit of him so strong and dominating. His cock is still half hard where it rests against her sore centre, but he doesn't seem apt to do anything about it.
It must be the pheromones from the knotting or maybe the warm water that loosens her tongue. She doesn't know what compels her to bring this up again, but, once more, she finds herself spilling her guts.
"I don't..." Her voice trails off, suddenly unsure.
"What is it, baby?" Alex rumbles under her, his voice encouraging. His hand pets her hair where it rests against him in encouragement.
"I don't understand why you're doing this," she finally settles on saying, her voice unsure.
"Doing what?" Silas’ voice is cautious, like he's worried what she's about to do.
She takes care with her words, not wanting to offend them. She's so lost, has no idea what the etiquette must be here as their sugar baby. Their companion, paid not to make things complicated or uncomfortable.
"You know..." Her voice trails off again. "This um, situation. This arrangement. With me."