Chapter Fifteen
“You guys have to go.” Ramsay was turning into a broken record. Spider had climbed onto his lap and was currently scaling his torso, trying to get onto his head. The only reaction Ramsay had to being the boy’s jungle gym was he held out an arm now and again to be the boy’s safety net if he fell.
“We’re not going, Ramsay. I don’t care what you threaten us with for later, if we can’t take this on together, it’s not the right opportunity for us.” By morning Winter had become adamant, and Mack was proud of her for deciding that staying together was more important than getting ahead.
As for himself, he hadn’t been sure about what to do at first. After thinking about it, it became obvious that each of them was important enough to the band that replacing even one with an outsider would throw off the balance and the chemistry would disappear. Relationship-wise things were even more critical. They each had a role in keeping the others happy and content. Sure, there was always the option for him and Winter to break off with Ramsay and Saya, but they had so much fun together that it seemed like a crazy idea to end things. It was so much more now, too.
There was no question in his mind that he was in love with Ramsay. It had taken him ages to admit that it wasn’t simple lust between them. If it was all dominance and rutting, snuggling up to him on the couch when they stayed up late to watch TV, and talking until the wee hours of the morning wouldn’t make him feel like it did. As taciturn as Ramsay was about their relationship, his feelings were real enough. His actions showed what he was too straight to say aloud.
And sweet little Saya. He’d never been attracted to women who were soft and mild-mannered. Winter had been his absolute fantasy girl, and still was, even though it’d been years. But there was a spot for Saya in his heart. Maybe it was slightly smaller than the piece he set aside for Winter, but that was probably just a time thing. She and Winter balanced each other out. Not that Saya was weak where Winter was strong – Saya just had a different kind of strength, that was easily bent but sprang back. She was resilient where Winter was hard. He felt as though his affections had been divided in three, but now there was this tiny fourth vying for his attention.
Spider leapt unexpectedly into Mack’s lap, and Mack somehow managed to simultaneously protect his junk and catch the kid before he toppled off.
“Mack, Uncle Ramsay is being boooring! You don’t want to talk about band stuff, do you? Spinning me on the chair would be waaay more fun.” He blinked up at Mack, like a cute, mini-Ramsay that he could put in his pocket and carry around to entertain him all day.
Not his kid. Not even Ramsay or Saya’s kid. Somehow Spider had wormed his way into Mack’s affections. If bitchface Bronwyn ever showed up on their doorstep, Mack would be hard pressed not to kick her in the ass. If Spider had been an annoying little git or if his mother had faced serious issues like addiction or a difficult upbringing, maybe he could have forgiven her. In this situation it was more like the kid had been in the way, so she’d dropped him off at the pound and forgotten about him. Sucked to do to a dog, but doing it to a kid? That was fucking cold. Especially this kid.
A somersault demonstration got underway at his feet, and he applauded with the others every time Spider bowed, which was often. It had only been a few months and he was like a different child. Wild and outgoing, affectionate, but relatively well-behaved. The Spider who chattered incessantly and wouldn’t make eye contact hadn’t really been him at all.
Later, when he plopped Spider in the computer chair and spun him until he shrieked, he caught Winter frowning at him and wondered if she’d ever get over her aversion to children.
He didn’t have the guts to tell her that Spider had changed things, and now he wanted to be a father. Someday.
“I’m calling Divine Gorgon tomorrow and telling them that we appreciate their offer, but it’s not a good time for us to go.” Winter arched a brow, daring someone to disagree.
Ramsay grunted, but no one argued.
*
The discomfort he was in warred with his excitement. How often did a guy with no kids get to shop at a toy store for presents? He hadn’t set foot in a toy store for about ten years – at least not the rated-G kind. As for the rest, he was horny, his nipples ached, and the plug in his ass was highly distracting. Mack had tried to talk Ramsay out of piercing his nipples, but after he’d seen the equipment he’d insisted on being shown how to use it. He’d done a good job, considering Mack had never entertained the thought of piercing himself with the stuff. It had been to use on Winter.
The up side was both Winter and Saya had decided guys with nipple piercings were drool-worthy, and had been pawing at him all day. The down side was Ramsay had told him he wasn’t allowed to get off until he said so, which meant a perpetual boner for Mack. There was a chance the lack of blood flow to his brain was causing damage he was too horny to be aware of.
And the plug? That was his punishment for teasing Ramsay when he took a third helping of mashed potatoes at supper, although Mack decided it was more that the girls had laughed along with him, than anything else. Making the Dom the butt of the joke had not proven comfortable for his own butt.
Almost every movement, now, reminded him who the bitch was in their relationship. It also reminded him that Ramsay was standing close, looking at the same display, his scent making Mack feel crazy and out of control. Luckily the store was almost empty and the girls were in another department. For the moment he had Ramsay to himself.
“Do you think they’ll flip out if we get him guns?” Mack said, fully intending on putting several in the cart before they went to a checkout.
Ramsay moved behind him. “They’re only Nerf guns. No one can object to them. You can barely feel the darts when they hit you.” He leaned in closer and Mack could feel his breath on his ear. “That’s the first thing you’ve said since we got here. You seem distracted.”
Damn. Suddenly he didn’t care where they were – it only mattered that they weren’t home or somewhere else they could fuck. Getting the girls in the truck now, before the shopping was done, would be difficult, but he couldn’t stay any longer.
“We should go.”
“What’s the matter, Mack? We just got here.”
The growl in his ear was the last straw. He turned and grabbed Ramsay’s wrist to pull him out to the truck.
A throat cleared behind him. Mack dropped Ramsay’s arm like he had burst into flame.
“Can I help you find something?”
Ramsay flushed slightly. “Uh,” he said brilliantly to the attractive young woman wearing the toy store smock. “We’re shopping for my nephew.”
“How sweet! How old is he?”
“Four.”
“He might be too young for these then.”
Mack and Ramsay exchanged knowing glances. Their women would likely say the same thing.
“He’s very smart for his age, though,” Mack objected.
“Well, either way, he’s lucky he has two special uncles that will play with him.” She beamed. “And just so you know, our store is very gay friendly, so if anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable here, please tell a staff member and that person will be asked to leave.”
Mack blinked at her, unable to think of anything to say.
“Uh...good to know.” Ramsay bestowed a dazzling smile upon her, and Mack followed suit.
The woman looked at one, then the other, and sighed regretfully. “Always the hot guys.” She waved briefly and moved off into the Lego section.
“She thinks we’re gay,” Ramsay whispered, incredulous.
“As soon as Spider left for school this morning, you pierced my nipples and put a plug in my ass,” Mack replied. “Maybe you can understand her confusion.”
“It’s just weird.” Ramsay shook his head, as though he needed to clear out some cobwebs. “I’ve always thought of myself as straight, but here a total stranger saw through the ‘we’re just friends’ charade we play when we’re in public in about a half second. But her automatic assumption is that we’re gay. Is it just me, or do people always guess that someone is either gay or straight. Like there’s nothing in between?”
“Being bi is like that. Either you just let it slide or you’re constantly having to explain your sexuality to complete strangers.” Mack was surprised at how calmly Ramsay was taking it. He’d assumed Ramsay would flip out if his heterosexuality was ever called into question, but maybe all of the teasing they did had gotten him used to the idea.
Ramsay raised a brow. “How would you know? You didn’t have a male partner before I came along.”
“I can read, unlike some people I know.”
“Why waste time reading when there are so many other things to do?” Ramsay’s feral grin made him melt.
For that smile Mack would gladly burn every book he owned.
*
Between the four of them, in Spider’s bedroom, they’d re-enacted the story of the three little pigs, then tucked him in. Saya sat guard duty outside his bedroom door, waiting for him to stop giggling and fall asleep. Winter had made a very convincing Big Bad Wolf for a woman who hated kids.
The performance had been yet another way for Saya and Winter to avoid the inevitable. The longer the boy stayed awake, the longer they were safe from whatever punishment Ramsay had in mind.
Mack sat next to Ramsay on the couch and tried to watch TV, but was too keyed up to relax and enjoy it. Their Dom had been cryptic about the punishment plans he had for later, and for Mack the anticipation, itself, was torture. That Mack was being punished by being kept in the dark didn’t matter to Ramsay, even though he hadn’t been involved in the infraction.
After supper, when the men of the house had their turn with the dishes – a novelty that Saya still had trouble accepting, since they were usurping her place – the girls had wandered off. When he, Spider and Ramsay were done, they’d gone into the living room, then the practice room, but there had been no sign of them. Ramsay had stalked off upstairs and later told him he’d discovered the women whispering together in the master bedroom. Neither would tell him what the big secret was.
Mack could tell the curiosity was killing Ramsay. He’d paced around, snapped at everyone but Spider, and now he was fidgeting on the couch.
“It’s hard to sit here with you when you’re doing that.”
“I’m not doing anything,” Ramsay grumbled. “You just like mocking me. Are you in on this with them?”
“What? No. I’m not that good an actor.”
“True. I can usually tell when you’re lying or when you’re trying to be polite.” Now he looked smug. “You frown and search for your words too much.”
“Fuck off.”
With lightning speed, Ramsay grabbed Mack’s nipple through his shirt. The piercing being there made him nervous, although the stimulation was even more arousing. Mack shivered.
“Fuck off... Sir?”
“Are men even allowed to be brats? Isn’t that a girl thing?”
“I don’t think it’s gender specific, Sir.”
Ramsay’s face got close to his. “In this house maybe it should be gender specific. I just spank Saya and Winter, but I don’t have such delicate sensibilities with you. You, I could tie up and beat without guilt.”
“Yes, Sir.” Mack pressed his lips against Ramsay’s. By the time Mack had his tongue in Ramsay’s mouth, Ramsay had him by the hair and was controlling what had started off being just a friendly thing.
Winter was on her laptop, sitting on the couch kitty corner from them. “Seriously? I whisper a few words to Saya away from boy ears and we’re treated like criminals. Meanwhile, you two start making out on the couch and I’m just supposed to accept that?”
“Sometimes being a sub sucks. Same thing goes with being a Dom. Winter, you get the best and worst of both worlds. I don’t envy you.”
She opened her mouth in that way that suggested she planned on telling him off, then shut it again. Winter had turned out to be a learning creature.
“Is there something you want to say to me, Winter?”
“No, Sir.” Her frown was explicit even if her words were mild.
“That’s what I thought.”
Saya walked in, looking exhausted. She sank down on the floor by Ramsay’s feet and leaned her head on his knee. “I think he laughed himself to sleep. If he wakes up with a stomach ache in the middle of the night, we’re all taking turns.”
“Hey now, I didn’t sign up to be a mommy. I take pills for that.”
“You know Ramsay and I are both up for helping.” Mack frowned at Winter. This was the life they’d chosen, being with Ramsay and Saya. Sure they had separate places, but Spider had a bedroom in each, and they usually all stayed together now. In relationships a person couldn’t pick and choose. Spider might actually become Ramsay and Saya’s forever, if the court date next week went as they were hoping. He was afraid to ask her what would happen if and when they got permanent legal custody of him. Would she insist on breaking things off with them?
Sure there was the question of where that would leave the band, but really that was the least of Mack’s concerns. The uncertainty of having no control over whether they broke off with Ramsay and Saya sometimes kept him awake at night.
Often, when that happened, he’d bump into Saya prowling the hallway, checking on Spider. She was an attentive mother, and the slightest noise from the child would send her running to his room to see what was the matter. They sat up, talked, sometimes ate ice cream directly from the carton. It was the kind of love bond that didn’t need grand professions of feeling, but had evolved over time to become something deep and meaningful in its own right.
Mack leaned on Ramsay and played with one of Saya’s curls. She sighed and tilted her head into the caress. She loved when they played with her hair.
“Ramsay, if Bronwyn shows up at court next week and tries to take him back, can we mail her back to France? I don’t think I can...” She scrubbed at her face with one hand.
“I know, princess. I feel the same way. You know I do.”
Winter rolled her eyes. “The woman doesn’t even know him anymore. Why does anyone even have to ask her?”
Saya sighed. “Well, we could have just kept him and hoped she didn’t come back, but we thought this would give all of us some peace of mind.”
“Speaking of which, did you turn on the baby monitor?” Ramsay patted her head like she was a pet.
“Yes, Master.”
“Good. You three go downstairs and strip then.”
Mack was surprised but held his tongue. This punishment wasn’t supposed to be for him, but arguing with Ramsay when he had his Dom on was a bad move.
Saya turned and looked at Ramsay, confused. “Mack too? But he didn’t do anything, Master.”
“He was being bratty before you came downstairs. How about you let me be the Master, and you can be the pretty little slave girl. Isn’t that how things are supposed to work with us?”
Mack forced himself not to laugh. She was getting just as bad as the rest of them, bratty slave.
They rose and Mack unlocked the new padlock on the dungeon with the key Ramsay made him wear around his neck. Filing down the stairwell took no more than a moment, and Ramsay locked the door behind them all.
Saya put the other half of the baby monitor on the work bench, cranking the volume so it was easily heard.
The three of them stripped in silence, with Mack acutely aware that Ramsay was still dressed. Being naked in front of a man wearing a t-shirt, jeans and sturdy black boots made Mack feel nervous and vulnerable, but really, what more could he do to Mack that he hadn’t already done? Right?
“Kneel.”
They all obeyed, even though Mack could see that Winter was thinking of balking. She’d come so far in her submission to Ramsay, but her mind still fought it at every step.
Ramsay went to the work bench and grabbed three sets of cuffs, then brought them back.
“Present your wrists.”
He buckled a set on each of them, and Mack could hardly contain his curiosity. Ramsay led the women to the o-ring that hung mid-ceiling. He clipped their wrists together and attached them to the high ring with leather straps. The position made them both stretch up on their toes, and the gem at the base of Saya’s buttplug caught the light. Their breasts were pressed together and Winter kissed Saya quickly, as though she hoped Ramsay wouldn’t notice. Watching them make out was one of Mack’s favorite pastimes.
“Enough of that now,” Ramsay growled, and swatted Winter’s butt with one big paw.
“Sorry, Sir. She’s just so pretty.”
“So pretty you thought you’d drag her off and have a secret conversation with her tonight? What were you talking about?”
“We can’t tell you, Sir. Sorry.” Winter was amused. Bad plan.
Saya looked more upset. “Maybe we could hint or something?”
“No. Don’t cave now, Saya, or it’ll ruin everything.”
Saya looked at Winter then turned her head and scrutinized Ramsay’s expression. Now the question was whether her Master, or her Domme plus this need for secrecy would win out.
“We’ll see how you feel about your decision in a few minutes.” Slowly, he unbuckled his belt, his gaze not wavering from Saya’s. “I’m sorry it’s had to come to this, but I won’t tolerate disobedience from you, Saya mine.”
Saya whimpered pitifully but nodded. She understood but still wouldn’t budge, apparently.
He pulled the belt from his jeans, the sound making Winter shudder where she stood. A belt beating wouldn’t be a punishment for her.
“Since you’re the one encouraging her to keep secrets from me, you will kiss the belt she’s getting beaten with. He looped it in half and held it in front of Winter’s face. When she tried to turn her face away, he grabbed her hair and kept her immobile. “For every second you disobey me, she gets another blow. Understood?”
“Fuck! You fucking cocksucker! Leave her alone.”
Ramsay’s eyes became dark and hooded. He shoved the belt closer to Winter’s face and after the barest hesitation, she kissed it, looking like she’d still rather kick his ass.
“I’m sorry, pretty girl. Tell if you want to. It’s not worth this. You could tell him what it’s about, at least.”
Saya nodded. “We were just talking about a surprise for your birthday, Master.”
Ramsay paused, then drew his brows further down. “Why not just say that instead of stringing me along this far? Are you trying to make me feel like an ass on purpose?” He looked embarrassed, annoyed and hurt. “Part of D/s relationships is openness and trust. If you won’t give me the information I need to make an informed decision, I come off looking like a crazy dictator. Is that being fair to me?”
“No, Master. I’m sorry. I should have said at least that much right away.”
“Ya think? I understand this sort of thing from Winter. She doesn’t totally understand the rules yet. But you, Saya? You know how this works. And Winter should know not to interfere with you doing what’s right.”
Mack cleared this throat. “Sir, maybe...”
“Shut the fuck up and come here bitchboy.”
Great. Now he and his big mouth would be hooked to the ring too. Ramsay had never beaten him and he was hoping that he wouldn’t disgrace himself and make noise. The hard-on he’d gotten before they’d come downstairs was gone.
He went to Ramsay.
“Is it your place to interfere when I discipline the others?” He paced around Mack, like a television drill sergeant.
“No, Sir.”
Ramsay stopped behind him and Mack’s butt automatically clenched and his balls tightened.
“What’s the matter, my little pervert? You don’t want me in here?” Ramsay’s finger trailed down the cleft of Mack’s ass and brushed against his anus. The sensitive nerves there went into overload, and his cock switched directions and started to work on pointing at the ceiling again.
“You don’t like it when I shove my dick in your ass?”
Mack shut his eyes, pained. He hated being embarrassed, but for some reason, when Ramsay was mocking him, it was different. It just made him want to grovel at his feet. Not a very macho reaction to being challenged, but in the moment it was hard to care about what society expected from him as a man.
“Here.” He handed the belt to Mack.
Mack waited for him to take off his shirt, or do something to get comfortable before taking the belt back, but he didn’t do anything like that. Instead, his level blue gaze caught at Mack and reeled him in.
“Go on. Hit her seven times, each harder than the one before. Use a good part of the force you’d use on warm-up blows with Winter.”
“Sir, no!” Winter interjected. “Punish me instead. Beat me yourself, even. It’ll be more satisfying that beating poor Saya.”
“I am punishing you, silly girl. Mack too. He doesn’t really want to hurt Saya either.” Ramsay’s face was grim. “I won’t tolerate a lack of openness in this family, and I won’t tolerate bratting from you, little bitchboy.”
He was determined. No way out of this.
Mack shook out the belt, still warm from wear, and the faint scent of leather drifted up from it, sensual and captivating. He groaned inwardly. Poor Saya was so fucked if someone didn’t keep him in check. Between the feel of the leather as it slid through his hands and knowing how she would scream for him, he didn’t stand a chance of keeping it under control.