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His grin was lopsided and mirrored her own.
Her lips might be stuck together, but her cheek muscles still worked just fine.

“That wasn’t what I found though, was it? I
found a horny slut ripe for the taking. A few strokes of my fingers and you
flew off that edge so fast you broke the laws of gravity.”

She chuckled, but with the tape, it came
out only as a snort. He moved and she bent to see where he went.

“Just going to untie you. This is a type of
hogtie and it’s hard to maintain for long. I could feel the tension in your
shoulders and I don’t want you to be too sore to play with later on.”

Lauren stretched her legs out as he
released them but noted he didn’t take the rope cuffs off. He left those and
went straight to her arms. Actually, she was glad he did. Not having her legs
stretching out her arms anymore allowed the muscles to relax. Her shoulders did
ache and when her arms were free, she slowly lowered them to the ground as she
flexed her biceps and tested where she might be sore.

But nothing hurt like she was afraid it
might and she pushed herself into a sitting position. The ropes crisscrossing
her breasts had fallen loose and she helped John untangle the clothesline.
Despite the warmth of the afternoon and the stuffiness of the tent, she
shivered.

“Here, put this over you.” John pulled a
bath towel from his duffle bag and draped it over her shoulders. “A chill isn’t
uncommon after what I just put your body through.” He wound the clothesline and
picked up the second one to wind as she moved to sit cross-legged on the
sleeping bag. A small tell-tale spot on the bag gave evidence to her recent
arousal. They’d be taking these bags to the Laundromat before returning them.

“Go ahead and peel off the tape. It’s
better if you do it. Won’t hurt that way.”

Lauren nodded and felt for the edges of the
top piece. It pulled at her skin, but if she worked slowly, it didn’t hurt. Not
much different than taking off a Band-Aid. A very large Band-Aid.

She flexed her jaw once it was off and
folded it, adhesive side in. When he came to sit beside her again, she took his
hand and pressed a kiss to his palm.

“Thank you for that. You have a way of
giving me the most unique experiences.”

“So it’s safe to say you don’t mind being
tied up?”

She laughed. “Yeah, that’s a safe bet to
make.” She shook her head and looked up at him. The afternoon’s activities had
dampened his hair at the temples and a sheen of sweat gleamed on his face.
Fresh air would do them both good, but she had a question to ask first and the
tent at least gave the illusion of privacy.

“You said my reaction wasn’t what you
expected. Were you…disappointed?”

“No, not at all.” He took her other hand,
his thumbs absently rubbing across their backs. “I just didn’t expect it.”

“Because I’ve been so uptight about other
things.”

John shrugged. “You’ve a reason to be
uptight about your experiences. I’m still a little concerned about tomorrow.”

Lauren nodded. “I am too. What did you mean
when you said I’m an exhibitionist? I was terrified they’d see me in here all
trussed up like a turkey ready for the oven.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Ahhh.
And yet you were nearly coming on your own from the very thought of them seeing
you like that.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“No buts about it. You’re not ready to
actually
do
it—be shown in public. But the
thought
of being on
display—that you find very tempting.”

She blushed. “Yeah, I do. That must say
something terrible about me.”

She’d tilted her face down and he reached
under her chin and pulled her it up to his. “Not something terrible, something
honest.”

“Oh?”

“It says you are a woman with strong sexual
fantasies who is truly coming to grips with the fact that she’s a sexual being.
A very sexual being.”

The towel had slipped unnoticed from her
shoulders. Unnoticed until John pulled it back up to cover her. Protect her
from a chill. Just as he’d protected her from his friend’s eyes. She liked the
feeling of being cared for. Very much.

“It’s not exactly a revelation, you know. I
knew what I was doing. And I knew what I was getting into by coming away with
you this weekend.”

He didn’t say anything. All he did was bend
down toward her. She lifted her face, sliding her arms around his waist as
their lips met. Only then did she realize he still wore his jeans.

“Hey,” she said, breaking the kiss. “You
gave me a great orgasm and yet I haven’t returned the favor.”

He laughed and bussed her nose with a small
kiss. “Later. Right now, I’m hungry and I told Will and Jill we’d meet them for
dinner.”

The mention of food made Lauren’s stomach
growl. “You’re on. I can do food.” Her stomach chimed in again and she laughed.
“A lot of food.”

John helped her dress, turning her clothes
right-side-out. She gave her hair a once-over with his comb since her bag was
still in the back of the truck and headed out to meet his friends.

Chapter Sixteen

Lauren blushed through the first five
minutes of meeting Will and Jill. Knowing they were also involved in what Beth
had called “BDSM activities” both made the friendship easier and harder. Easier
because they had a common ground. Harder because Lauren didn’t like thinking
about what other couples did in the bedroom.

Even knowing Beth’s and Sarah’s
predilections didn’t mean Lauren wanted to know about every detail. Having the
knowledge that Jill had recently been tied and pleasured by her husband much
the way she and John had been occupied almost crossed a line. Almost.

“You don’t mind traipsing after the men and
watching them out on the battlefield?” Jill asked her as Will flipped steaks on
the small gas grill they’d brought along.

“Let’s just say this is an experiment,”
Lauren hedged. At Jill’s quizzical look, she explained. “John’s gone a long way
toward convincing me this isn’t just men acting like boys who don’t want to
grow up. I’m still not entirely convinced that the portrayal of war, minus the
bullets and the cannonballs, brings home the horror of what war really is.”

Jill handed her an iced tea. The coolness
felt good in Lauren’s hand and she held the dripping glass to her forehead,
allowing the condensation to wet her brow. Jill sat in the folding chair next
to her and gestured with her own glass.

“Those two know the reality. Will tells me
stories sometimes. Not often. He keeps a lot of it in. They served together,
you know.”

Lauren shook her head. “I didn’t know. I
just knew they’re good friends.”

“Will and John were in the same unit but
they each had their own men under them. I don’t think Phillip served with
them.” At Lauren’s glance, she explained. “Phillip Townshend. Their roommate in
college. The three of them still hang out together.”

Lauren just looked over at her, feeling
like she’d entered some sort of weird loop. “So you know Sarah and Phillip
Townshend?”

Jill nodded. “Do you know them?”

She shook her head and accepted that all
this had to be fate. “Sarah’s one of my oldest and best friends,” she told her.

Jill sat up, grinning. “Really? She’s such
a cool lady. I love her like a sister.”

Another thought occurred to Lauren and her
cheeks colored. “Then you know…about…” She couldn’t figure out how to say what
she wanted to without betraying Sarah’s secret if Jill didn’t already know.

Jill saved her. “About her being a slave?
Oh yes. I know.” She gave a wicked grin. “Sarah and I are the same in that
regard.”

Lauren sat back, speechless. Yes, John had
flat-out told her his friends practiced a little BDSM. But that they went as
far as Phillip and Sarah did? She sent a glare in his direction that he’d
withheld that little piece of information.

John caught Lauren’s glare and raised his
bottle of beer to her. She only shook her head and turned back to her
conversation with Jill. John turned to Will.

“I’m glad your wife and my girlfriend are
getting along, but I think Jill’s telling stories on me.”

“Isn’t that what all women do? Tell stories
on their men?”

“As long as they’re good stories, I don’t
mind.”

Will chuckled. “You ain’t got no say in
good stories or bad ones, my friend. They’re gonna talk. Period. It’s our lot
to simply accept, apologize and move on.”

John turned back to the grill. “You need
more lemon pepper on that one.”

“Who’s cooking here?”

“If you can’t season a steak right, I am.”

Will handed him the tongs. “All right. You
finish them off.”

Grinning, John took the utensil, flipped
the offending steak and added a liberal shake of the lemon pepper seasoning.
Will just took a swig of his beer and gestured with his chin toward the two
women. They sat in the shade of the RV’s awning, looking as if they’d been
friends forever.

“Think she’ll want to play together?”

John glanced over his shoulder. “Someday.
We haven’t done much yet. Just some simple scarves and rope ties. She likes the
mind-fuck.” He grinned. “I like the mind-fuck.”

Will chuckled again and pushed John away
from the grill. “Everyone likes the mind-fuck. Move. You’re going to burn them.
Jill likes hers medium rare.”

John relinquished the tongs. “I don’t think
we’d ever go as far as you and Jill. Or Phillip and Sarah, for that matter.”

“Don’t want her as a slave?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, a temporary
slave, yes. But twenty-four/seven?” He shook his head.

“Well, you’re doing it right, introducing
her to the lifestyle slowly. If she didn’t like it, she wouldn’t be here.”

“Yeah, about that.”

Will just waited and John continued. “I’m a
little worried about tomorrow. When I asked her to come, we had a long talk
about her PTSD and how this—”

Will set down the tongs. “She has PTSD? And
you brought her here? They’re going to be shooting off nearly a hundred cannon
tomorrow. Continually. Can she handle that?”

John looked over at Lauren, who was looking
at Will and frowning. He raised his glass again and made a funny face at her.
She smiled, but John could tell she’d overheard some of their conversation.

“Keep your voice down,” he warned Will.
“Yes, I brought her here. Her doctor thinks she can take it and I think she can
too.” He gestured to the steaks, bringing Will’s attention to the grill. Fat
dripped from one of the pieces of meat and the flames had sprung up, hungry for
more. Will picked up the bottle of water beside the grill and doused the
flames. When he turned back to John, his voice was quieter.

“You know better than anyone how little
things can trigger an episode, John. I’m going to tell Jill so she can keep
watch.”

John nodded. “That’s why I’m telling you. I
don’t think anything will happen. But if it does, I’d appreciate Jill being
there to help.”

“You got it, my friend.”

Will pulled the steaks onto a waiting
platter. “And remember, if you need it, I’m here.”

John smiled, but there was no mirth in his
eyes. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Later, lying side by side in the
zipped-together sleeping bags, Lauren snuggled close in John’s arms. “Had an
interesting conversation with Jill tonight before supper,” she told him.

“Oh?”

“Seems you three guys from college all have
the same…sexual tastes.”

He pulled her closer. “Never really thought
about it that way, but I guess you’re right.”

“I still think it’s weird that Sarah’s my
best friend and you and her husband are best friends.”

“Will’s my best friend, Phillip was my
mentor.”

“There’s a difference?”

She felt him shrug in the darkness. “Not
really. The three of us would talk, but it was Phillip who actually went out
and learned about the lifestyle. Will went right along. It took me a little
longer.”

“I’m glad you came around.” She paused. “To
the lifestyle, that is.”

“Aren’t you glad I came around you?”

“Of course I am. That doesn’t even need to
be said.” Lauren kissed his chest. “It’s almost like we were destined to be
together.”

“Phillip and Sarah, Will and Jill…”

Lauren giggled.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Sorry. Their names give me a chuckle
that’s all.”

John smiled in the darkness. “Me too.”

“John and Lauren also kind of go together.
The open vowels, I mean.”

“John and Lauren go together in more ways
than just open vowels.” He kissed the top of her head where it rested on his
shoulder.

“I think so too.” Her hand slid down to his
thigh, her touch soft and sensuous, yet with purpose behind it. John didn’t
move, enjoying her explorations as her hand dipped between his legs, firmly
gripping his muscles.