The Masters of Falcon's Fantasies [BDSM Menage Fantasies 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (15 page)

Daphne thought about it. “I guess it wasn’t so much what he said, as the way he made us think about how we are with each other and why that’s not working. He gave us some new things to try, sort of. I have a feeling it’s going to be a lot better now.”

Allie didn’t say anything as she stacked several pans and put them away. Then she turned with a slight frown. “Does that mean you’re going to be submissive to both of them?”

“Umm—” Daphne felt a smile creeping over her face, although she wasn’t sure exactly why. “I don’t think so. Although I wouldn’t mind, to be honest. He’s kind of hot. For such a serious dude.”

Allie rolled her eyes as Daphne giggled. “He’s got a good reason to be serious. Do you know his history?”

“He told me that his wife died. How long ago was that?”

“About a year, I think. He took it pretty hard, and I don’t think he’s really gotten back ‘in the saddle,’ so to speak,” Allie said. She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not—just playing with him, are you? Using him to make Finn jealous, or something like that?”

Daphne knew it was a fair question. She did have a reputation for not taking anything seriously. In a way, she admired Allie for having the guts to ask. She considered the situation.
Was
she just trying to make Finn jealous? What if Decker decided he wanted a relationship? With her? It wasn’t an unattractive idea, she realized. She could see herself walking into
The Keep
on his arm, wearing his collar, stripping so he could tie her to that big cross.

But what about Finn? Finn would never go for the polyamory thing. She was sure of that. He was much too traditional, too vanilla. He’d been a little shocked at what they’d seen on Friday night, although he hadn’t said anything. She sighed. But she’d always had the feeling that Finn was the one for her, even if he did always try to act like their relationship was strictly business. Decker wouldn’t want the hassle of her traveling all the time, rehearsing and performing and partying all night. He would want a good little submissive who would stay home and take care of him. Bake him unusual things like Allie did. He seemed to really enjoy trying her experiments.

“Decker isn’t in any danger from me,” she said, ignoring Allie’s worried frown. “How did you make that amazing bread we had at dinner? Will you teach me that sometime?”

When the dishes were done, Daphne wandered into the living room, wondering what her guys were doing. She probably shouldn’t be thinking of them as “her” guys, though. Finn had admitted that he cared for her, but they were a long way from anything like a relationship. Decker hadn’t expressed any interest in her as anything other than a project. A familiar feeling of loneliness began to steal over her. She hated spending evenings by herself. She needed people around her, social interaction. It was only about eight o’clock. She remembered that fun little bar in town. Maybe—

“Daphne, come here, please.”

It took her a few seconds to identify the voice as Finn’s. They had been together so long that she’d thought she knew his every tone and inflection. This was something completely new. He sounded—commanding. Not like he was issuing orders, or was angry about something, but as if he expected to be obeyed without question.

She stopped dead in the doorway, becoming aware of the two men on the couch. They were positioned near the center and about a foot apart. That struck her as slightly odd until she noticed the cushion on the floor between them.

“We’re going to watch a movie. We’d like you to come and sit on the floor between us.” It was almost hesitant this time, but still had the same note of power. Their eyes locked as Daphne considered her options. She might ordinarily have made a smart-ass comment and flounced away to find Blaze and go to the bar. But this was intriguing, and she had just been wishing for someone to spend the evening with. Given a choice, these were the two people she would have chosen. So really, there was no reason to act like a child about it. They obviously wanted her to be submissive. She didn’t ordinarily think of herself that way, but she reflected that Allie was submissive to Karl
,
and Allie was no doormat. She was strong and capable. Look at the way she’d handled Blaze. Apparently she acted that way because she liked it. Maybe there was something to this.

She moved slowly toward them, suddenly intensely aware that she had the full attention of both the men on the couch. That wasn’t a bad thing. Coming to stand in front of them, Daphne bit back the “What movie are we going to watch?” question that popped into her mind. The atmosphere was too solemn for that, almost ritualistic. She looked from one to the other, then very deliberately she lowered herself onto her knees. She considered looking down at the floor in order to appear more submissive, but she was too interested in watching their reactions to her.

Finn had an odd look on his face, but he smiled solemnly. “That’s very good. Before we start the movie, could you get us something to drink and maybe a snack?”

Without a word, Daphne rose and went into the kitchen. Her mind was whirling. Should she let them treat her like this, like a servant? Surely she should feel demeaned, humiliated, demoralized, to be ordered around and forced to sit on the floor between them.

And yet—the people she had seen at the club did it regularly, and something about the situation kind of felt good. She wasn’t sure why, but she found that she was turned on. They had both been watching her, gauging her reactions. She had been the center of attention, and she had felt the desire from across the room. Desire from both of them. She might not be Decker’s idea of a perfect partner, but there was an undeniable physical attraction between them. She wasn’t sure why he was there, or how he fit into Finn’s plans, but she realized that she wanted to play along and see what happened.

She reached automatically for beer in the fridge, but then she stopped. Beer was too casual. It felt more like a coffee night. Curling up between two men’s knees with a cup of coffee would be much cozier. And it would show Finn that she wasn’t just interested in drinking and partying. Yes, definitely coffee.

She finished the pot that Allie had made and started another one. It made just enough for two cups for the guys and about half for her. She found some cookies and a tray and took everything into the living room with an excited flutter in her stomach.

They were still sitting in the same places, and their heads swiveled toward her as she came in. Finn looked nervous, but now Decker was smiling. He looked as if he did this kind of thing every day of his life. Women probably lined up to submit to him. As she distributed the coffee and lowered herself to the cushion on the floor, Daphne tried not to think about what kind of women he would normally play with. It was confusing. Was she attracted to Finn or to Decker? How did Allie handle this two-men thing?

The movie started
,
and gradually Daphne’s thoughts and uncertainties faded away. Decker took a cookie from the plate and broke off pieces for her. After a few minutes, Finn did the same. She would ordinarily have resisted dessert, but in this case she thought it would seem rude. It even began to feel very sensual, being fed small treats. She giggled a bit each time and snuggled closer to whichever man had offered the last one.

After the cookies were gone, one hand from each side found its way down and began caressing her hair, neck
,
and shoulders. They settled into a cozy group, Daphne feeling like a pampered pet. She lost interest in the movie, closed her eyes
,
and began to purr, half jokingly and half instinctively. Decker’s hand began to twist itself through her hair, pulling it into one large handful, which he then tugged backward. The pressure, which had been pleasant at first, intensified until it turned into pain.

Daphne wasn’t sure what her reaction should be. The way he was pulling on her head was starting to hurt. Maybe she should say something, ask him to stop. Before she could decide though, he pulled even harder then released suddenly. Her head slumped to the side, landing on his leg just above his knee, and a wave of endorphins coursed through her body. The almost-pissed-off feeling drained away and was replaced by a sleepy sense of peace and comfort. He chuckled softly behind her and leaned forward slightly, his hand moving over her cheek and down to her neck. He pressed very lightly on her throat and whispered, “Did you like that, little one?”

“Mmm.” She sighed heavily, keeping her eyes closed, more than half dozing. The slight constriction of her breathing gave a hint of danger, but not enough to cause her any fear. She knew that he could hurt her if he tried. She could feel the strength of his fingers and the muscles in his thigh under her head. But she also knew that he never would. It was strangely erotic and relaxing to let herself sink into his control.

His voice was deep and thick as he pressed a tiny bit harder, then let go. “I thought so.”

Finn (she thought) pulled her hair back and started playing with it, running his fingers through the strands, pulling gently, almost as if he were massaging her scalp.

She was next aware of someone shaking her softly and Finn’s voice slowly penetrating the fog in her brain. “Time to wake up, sweetie.” She opened her eyes to find that her head was still resting on Decker’s knee, which moved a little restlessly underneath it.

She sat up, trying to unobtrusively look to see if she’d drooled on him. “Is it over?”

Decker smiled, rubbing his leg. “I take it we shouldn’t ask how you enjoyed the movie?”

“Oh, believe me, I enjoyed it.” Daphne stretched her arms over her head, looking from one man to the other. She had never felt quite like this, she realized. It was completely different than being a couple. The energy felt magnified, as if a circuit had been completed between them. It was a silly way to feel. They weren’t together, any of them, in that sense of the word. Decker would leave in a day or two, and Finn—well, she and Finn would probably go back to their love-hate relationship. But for tonight it had been wonderful. She had belonged to a small, loving group for a couple of hours
,
and it had been a fantastic feeling.

She met Finn’s eyes and wondered if maybe, possibly, there might be a chance that not everything from tonight could be over. He had given her some affection
,
and she wanted to give something back, to show him that she felt affectionate toward him as well.

He got up, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. As she rose, she pulled him forward so that their bodies collided, her arms slinging themselves around his neck.

“Come on,
b
abe. Off to bed. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.” Finn reached up and disentangled himself, turning her toward the staircase and giving her a little push.

She turned back with a pout, trying to come up with the best thing to say. Did she want to seduce him? Or Decker? She would certainly have been up for both, but she had the feeling that if she casually said, “How about a threesome?” they would both just laugh.

She gave up. Neither man seemed to have the slightest interest in being seduced. It was too frustrating. She went up the stairs, only vaguely aware that the two of them were starting a conversation in low tones. Great. They would probably turn out to be into each other
,
and she’d be left in the cold. Again.

* * * *

“So, what do you think? It went okay, right?” Finn watched anxiously as Daphne headed upstairs, then turned to Decker.

“Take a deep breath, buddy, and relax. Yes, I would say things went very well.”

“Are you sure? She fell asleep. Doesn’t that mean she got bored?”

“Not at all. It means she trusted us and enjoyed what we were doing. She was relaxed.”

“Great. But now what?”

“Well, now the real work starts. If this is what you both want, then you need to know what it means to be the Dominant in a relationship.”

Finn sighed in exasperation. “Isn’t it mostly what I do now? I thought it was pretty much just being a manager.”

Decker chuckled. “How has that been working out for you?”

“Oh, yeah.” Finn ducked his head.

“It isn’t that bad,” Decker said. “You’re closer than you think. I’ll help you.”

“I guess.” Finn stared morosely at the blank television screen. He could hear the bitter note in his voice but couldn’t help it.

Decker’s voice got sharper. “This isn’t an ‘I guess’ kind of thing. Damn it, man. Either you commit to this or walk away and let someone else help her.”

Finn’s temper flared. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? I’ve seen how you look at her. You would love it if I fell on my face so you could move in and save the day.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not trying to take her away from you. I had my shot at happiness
,
and I blew it. I’m not ready to try having a submissive of my own again.”

There was a note of pain in Decker’s voice that made Finn pause. It seemed too personal to ask for more details. Finally, at a loss, he said, “Uh-huh.”

“Whatever. Look, do you want my help or not?”

His anger gone, Finn said, “I don’t have a fucking clue what I’m doing with this stuff. She obviously gets off on it, so I suppose I’d better learn how to do it. So, yes, if you’re still willing, please help me. I’m sorry for being an ass just then. It wasn’t fair.”