Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Penny
I took a seat away from everyone else. My mind was already wandering and I feared my note taking would be minimal again. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Atlas, Everest, and Phoenix being brothers… but what?
I made it through the first few classes, enjoying the thirty-minute break to walk outside, taking in the sunshine, the fresh air, and even engaging in an occasional conversation that someone from the class initiated, comfortably cutting them off when I hit my limit.
Before I knew it, I’d wandered to the area where the unicorn party was going to be held. The location where my trio happened to be working. Coincidence?
My heart raced.
They’d stripped their shirts off and their bodies glistened with sweat. I was torn between staring and asking for a piggyback ride. This was the first time I’d seen any of them without their clothes on. Did that mean my attraction was more than physical?
Everest called, “Hey, Penny.”
How embarrassing to be caught staring. I cast my gaze down. Why were hay bales strewn all over the grass? Perfect, I can use that. “Why are the hay bales all over the place like that?”
“It’s a maze.”
Suddenly, my brain made sense of the layout. Duh.
Atlas added, “Only two bales high so no one can get lost, but too much to climb over.”
“Good plan. I didn’t mean to interrupt your work.”
“We can take a fifteen-minute break.” Atlas tried to speed walk ahead of his brothers but they were fast too and were getting close to me.
“I have another class in a few minutes. I better get back to the 101 Room.”
“What does this class cover?” Phoenix asked.
Why did my insides feel so wiggly? Why couldn’t I breathe?
Looking toward the building the classes were held in, I took a few calming breaths. I’d never see these guys again after three more days. Discomfort wormed through me. Not my usual discomfort, but sadness at the prospect of never seeing them again.
I could do this. “It’s a class on Doms.”
Phoenix thrust his fingertips into his pockets, his thumbs tucked into the top of his jeans causing just enough of the waist to pull down that I could see the V-cut of his muscular abs.
Everest chuckled and I realized I was fanning myself. He said, “We could all strike that pose, if you like.” Without further explanation, he tucked his fingers into his jeans pockets and used his thumbs to pull the top down, but deliberately pulling a little more than Phoenix did.
Two impeccable bodies. They had to be brothers to both be built like that. Shamelessly, my gaze moved to Atlas’ waist. He wasn’t doing it.
A second passed, and he copied them. “Like what you see, babygirl? I’d be happy to show you more later once I’m cleaned up.”
These men were definitely cut from the same cloth but since when did I draw so much attention?
“We all could,” Phoenix added.
Atlas said, “If it’s too much to have the three of us in one room with you, we can keep it to one.”
The pointed nature of his words were clearly designed to corral his brothers.
My gaze shot up to each man’s eyes in turn. Atlas had brown, penetrating eyes. Everest had green, playful eyes. Phoenix had deep blue eyes.
That made me feel a little more sane for not noticing they were brothers. But they all had rugged jawlines, they were all muscular, and their noses were the same.
“I better get to class.”
We parted ways and I tried to process if they were serious. Three brothers with the same woman? Does that really happen in places other than Eggplant Canyon and the Christmas Cherry Auction? Did they really all want me?
A sinking feeling washed over me as I neared the 101 Room. Had my friends figured out where I was? Had they put these guys up to being nice to me? Surely not.
But it made me think of home. I hadn’t seen a picture of my mom’s new husband or his sons. My friends were so certain that I’d fall for my stepbrothers, but that kind of stuff didn’t happen to me.
I made a mental note to ask my mom for a picture of them once I got home.
Or I could ask her to text one to me. No.
For now, I needed to focus on my classes and learning.
As Atlas pointed out, learning by doing was the only way to truly know if you liked something, or whatever it was that he’d said.
It was the other thing they’d said that helped me round out my plan though. They were only here to help with the busy week. They weren’t here for anything else.
Today’s mission would be to try something with someone who wasn’t a part of my trio.
The class on Doms opened my eyes to the wide world of Dominants. Their subs didn’t have to be on a leash, wearing a collar. Subs didn’t have to be completely at their Dom’s mercy at all times. They didn’t have to play the 50s housewife… many arrangements were simpler.
I did as before and surveyed the classroom, noting if I even remotely wanted to interact with a man… or woman. After all, I was learning, and maybe I’d missed the mark the whole time.
As I continued considering each student, I turned slightly, and my eyes drifted up a row. A man was staring at me. Oh, my heart skipped a beat.
I darted my gaze to the instructor, noting that my deviant heartbeat wasn’t the same kind I got with my trio. That one was from shock at being stared at.
The lecture turned to Daddy Doms. I needed time to process if one of my trio would make a good Daddy Dom. Atlas was the most likely.
Did that mean I couldn’t have the other two? My mind wandered until class ended. I had to use my thirty minute break to consider what I wanted. I found a quiet space at the end of the hallway, sat on the floor, and pulled out my bookgami.
Easing some of my anxiety with the repetitive nature of folding pages, I finished another section, still slightly unsettled. I checked the time. If I started a new one, I might be late to the Subtle Kink in Public Settings class.
If I arrived late, too many eyes would turn to me. I opted to take my seat early and used the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to finish settling my nerves.
Five things I could see: the empty theater-style seats, the wooden flooring, the podium, the blank board the instructor would write on, and my bookgami project in my bag—that was begging me to go back to my cabin.
Four things I could touch: my bookgami project—I peeled my fingers off of it. My notebook that I pulled out of my bag instead, my pen that I placed on top of my notebook, and the fabric of the seat.
Three things I could hear: chatter from the hallway, the hum of the air conditioner, the door as other students started to file in.
Two things I could smell: I held my notepad to my nose then brought my hair closer to smell my shampoo.
One thing I could taste, or wished I could taste, like the strawberry fruit leather I should have eaten during the last break. Oops.
“Is this seat taken?” a deep voice asked from the aisle beside me.
It was him—the guy who’d been staring at me earlier. He was objectively handsome, but too… what was it? He was too pretty for me. Interesting. But in the interest of trying something new, I went with the friendly option. “It’s available.”
He sat next to me, which made total sense, and I was instantly overwhelmed. His proximity. His cologne. His foot that crossed the line between our seats.
I pulled my bookgami project out, and folded pages until the class started. Apparently I wasn’t feeling as bold as I thought. The important thing was that he respected my sudden focus and didn’t try to talk to me—basically allowing me to undermine myself.
Did that mean he was or wasn’t the type of Dom I needed?
The instructor asked us to name activities that we do every day that could potentially be influenced or carried out by someone else. People mentioned everything from choosing what to wear to driving a car to opening doors.
The man next to me suggested feeding yourself. My ears perked. Perhaps I should have talked to him, at least asked his name, rather than retreating to safety.
While I could have understood if my stomach wanted to flutter, I didn’t understand why it chose that exact moment to grumble about not eating the fruit during the last break. Or maybe I did… traitor.
The man turned his head to me ever so slightly, but I was ducking my head to engross myself in note taking.
As class wrapped up, I shoved my notebook and pen into my bag so I could leave immediately, but the man was right behind me as I ascended the stairs to the back of the classroom.
I made it to the hallway before he said, “Hi, I’m Damon.”
“Hi, Damon, I’m Penny.” Despite an imminent rumble brewing in my belly, I absolutely could not take my food out right now. That would look too eager, and I was decidedly… confused, at best.
“Have you enjoyed the workshops?”
“I have.” And despite knowing that common decency dictated for me to return the question, I needed to eat more than I needed to talk.
“May I ask if you’ve been trying out anything you’ve learned?”
“Yes and no.”
His brow furrowed.
“Yes, you may ask, and no I haven’t practiced. I get overwhelmed easily, and being in large groups drains me.” A perfect reason not to have a reverse harem. “So I’ve needed downtime.”
“Am I interrupting your downtime?”
How to bring this up without making it weird?
My phone dinged. “Excuse me, not very many people can break through my Do Not Disturb. I need to check it.”
Jolene: Get your kink on with anyone yet? Two days left.
Bellamie: Don’t let Jolene pressure you, she has no manners.
I shoved my phone back in my purse. Jolene was a lot, but she was also right… only two more days then back to my regularly scheduled life alone.
“Everything okay?” Damon asked.
It was now or never. “There was one thing I learned about that I wanted to try.”
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“The idea of having someone feed me is interesting.”
“Are you saying that to be polite?” He motioned toward the classroom. “Since I suggested it.”
“No, actually, I witnessed it in the cafeteria the other day. I hadn’t ever thought of that being part of a relationship.”
“Well, we share an interest. Would you like to try?”
“I’m sure you heard my stomach growl in class.” I pulled the fruit leather out of my bag.
He nodded, looked around, then pointed. “How would you feel about sitting over there? Is that too public? We don’t have much time before the next class.”
This was the perfect opportunity. It was a kink I wanted to explore. Someone kind was offering to try it with me. And it involved no sexual activity. I took a deep breath.
“It’s okay to say no,” he said. “I can leave you to eat on your own or simply keep you company.”
Trying to have more optimism than nerves, I offered an upbeat, “Thank you. Let’s try it.”
I sat on the bench and handed him the snack. Absolutely no pressure.
But also no connection.
He carefully opened the package in a way that it could be resealed, just the way I like. Bonus point for that.
He held the fruit strip up. “Would you like a bite, Penny?”
I considered how to answer—yes… yes, Sir… Daddy was out of the question. He didn’t have Daddy energy. I settled for a nod.
He moved the strawberry treat to my mouth and waited. His hand was so close to my face I could smell the vanilla musk of his cologne. It wasn’t bad, but it was the only good thing in the moment.
I opened my mouth, leaned the tiny bit forward, and had to force my mouth closed to take a bite, which was oddly awkward when someone else was holding the food.
I sat back and chewed while realizing he wasn’t the guy for me. At least I’d tried.
He waited patiently for me to finish, having lowered the bar to his lap then lifted it again, “Ready for another?”
“Actually, I don’t think this is for me.” The truth was that he wasn’t for me.
“Hey, Penny,” Phoenix grumbled from a few feet in front of us. How had I not noticed him approach?
Had he watched Damon feed me? What did he think?
“Hello, Phoenix” I said, swallowing the lump of guilt in my throat as if I’d cheated on him.
“Enjoying a snack?” Irritation radiated from him and he made no effort to acknowledge Damon.
Uncomfortable talking about what just happened, I asked, “How are the arrangements coming for the unicorn party?”
“We’re on track. I was going to see if you wanted to check it out. I could give you a piggyback ride.” His gaze never left mine, which wouldn’t be a big deal, but Damon was right there.
No matter how hard I tried not to think about what he meant, it derailed my brain.
“I forgot something in my room. I better go get it before my next class.” I jumped up so fast that I stumbled on the pebbled path. Phoenix’s firm hand caught my arm.
“Are you okay?” His words were slow and deliberate. For the first time, his gaze moved to Damon then back to me. His intent became clear. He must have noticed my discomfort and wanted to make sure Damon wasn’t pressuring me. That was the kind of Daddy energy I was looking for.
“Yes, I’m fine.” I rushed away.
Damon called after me. “Do you want the rest of this?”
I waved over my shoulder and said, “No, you can have it.”