GladYouCame (12 page)

Even friendship was better than nothing at all.

He should count his blessings he’d been given the moment
with them that he had. That sliver, that glimpse, of how things could truly be,
had made him happier than he’d been in a long time. If that was all he ever got
then he would be content.

He’d felt what they had, experienced that precious gift of
how things felt when they clicked into place. When emotions and feeling felt
right and complete. They’d invited him into their home. Into their bed. And
given the conversation he’d just had with Tony, it wouldn’t be the last time.
This wasn’t some kind of one-time occurrence. Which meant even more dangerous
ground because he risked exposing his love for the couple. But yet he had
negotiated with Tony without a second thought. He didn’t usually act so rashly.
Didn’t agree to this kind of arrangement without serious consideration.

Then again, he’d wanted this—them—for a long time. Years, in
fact. Maybe now was the time in his life he needed to stop thinking, stop
rationalizing every detail and enjoy the gift he’d been given.

They’d all had fun, had some kind of connection.

No reason they couldn’t continue.

No reason at all.

After finishing the dishes, he changed and headed out to the
ranch to run through the color palette Grant said he’d have ready. Why they
couldn’t just put everything back to the way it had been before Grant’s crew
had gutted the house was beyond him. As an artist he understood the intricacies
in designing something from nothing, but since when had carpet squares become
such an integral part of his life?

Several frustrating hours later, but satisfied with the way
Grant was progressing with the house, Dade decided to swing by another
construction site. As he crossed the street he kept his distance from the
bustle of activity. He didn’t have the necessary personal protective gear to
walk onto the site. Last thing he needed was to jeopardize Patrick’s rebuild of
the warehouse by violating some OSHA regulation.

He leaned against Ryan’s truck, catching sight of his best
friend talking emphatically to Patrick. Yelling was more like it. Ryan didn’t
lose his cool often and even less so when it came to Patrick. They were
probably two of the most levelheaded guys he knew. But Ryan kept pointing to
one corner of the worksite and then to Patrick who was doing his own fair share
of yelling.

Something was definitely out of whack.

A few minutes later Ryan stalked toward him, pulling off his
hard hat as he popped the rear gate. “Tried calling you last night.”

“Was busy, sorry. Was it important?”

“Nah. Had a free night and wanted to see if you wanted to
grab a few beers at Brogans. Beckett got in a new microbrew and offered up a
few bottles for us to try. You get caught up working on a new project?”

“Something like that.” Dade watched Patrick gather the
construction crew and start issuing orders for the day. “Bit early in the game
for you two to be yelling at each other.”

“Yeah, well, if the guys working the late shift would lock
up my equipment like they were supposed to so it wouldn’t get stolen, I
wouldn’t have to turn into a raging asshole. Better I do it on Patrick than
them.”

The hairs on the back of Dade’s neck stood at attention.
“Stolen?”

“Two new professional-grade saws I invested in especially
for this build were left out overnight. Should have been in the trailer around
the block. No surprise they weren’t here this morning. Guys have no explanation
why they didn’t put shit away. Just pure laziness if you ask me.”

Odd. Gatlin Falls was as small town as it could get. Crime
wasn’t something that ran rampant in the area. Even with the influx of tourists
throughout the year. More often than not, the highlight of Sheriff Batty’s day
was pulling a cat out of a tree. Or chasing off some juveniles who’d wandered
into some yard they weren’t supposed to be in. The most excitement the old man
had seen in years had been arresting Alex’s ex-wife for blowing the warehouse
sky-high last year.

“Batty got any leads?”

“Nothing so far. Damn things will probably show up on eBay
before dinner time.”

“Ryan is discovering how big of a difference this is from
building boats.” Patrick tossed his hard hat onto the tailgate, running his
fingers through his matted hair. “And it also reminds me I’d rather be slinging
shots of espresso. Worth it though. Just to see this place in all its glory
again. Figured you’d be holed up at your workshop working on those panels
today. Due to be delivered soon.”

Leave it to Patrick to be a worrywart. “Contract is for
delivery in a month. You don’t even have any walls yet, Conners. Not that can
you seem to hang onto the tools necessary to get that job done.”

“Should have them this time next week. And my tools have
nothing to do with your glass.”

“The stuff will be delivered in time, don’t worry. I’ve
never delivered anything late before and I sure as hell ain’t gonna start now.
Not with something this important.” Ryan offered him a sandwich. “No thanks.
Just ate.”

“Well, excuse us. Not everyone gets to sleep in until noon
and have a live in chef at their beck and call. Most of the time I’m lucky to
get peanut butter and jelly.”

Dade took the soda Patrick offered. “Wasn’t Genevieve.”

“Wasn’t aware Tony could cook.”

“He manages well enough.” He felt both Patrick and Ryan’s
gazes boring through him. Their reaction was expected even though he hadn’t
told them what had happened at the comic book store. Side effect of being
friends for so long. Too nosy for their own good.

Ryan poked him in the shoulder. “Does he seem almost…chipper
to you, Patrick?”

“I was just going to ask you the very same thing. It’s such
an anomaly, I’m not sure how to respond. Like I’ve been transported to
The
Twilight Zone
.”

“Cut it out, knuckleheads. I’m just sitting here with you
two drinking a soda.”

“Exactly. You’re not grumbling about something. Laying down
your trademark existential bullshit about the true meaning behind us yelling at
one another. You’re…quiet.”

Dade finished his soda and crushed the can. “Trash?”

“Talk,” Ryan and Patrick demanded at the same time.

“Nothing to talk about. Unless you want to tell me where the
trashcan is so I don’t litter our build site.”

“On the corner. But you better come back here prepared to
talk about why you’re walking around with a smile on your face. Total mood
change from yesterday. And the past year. Hell, past several years. Some kind
of major upheaval had to take place for that to happen.”

Talking now would eliminate fielding reasons why he hadn’t
told them sooner. Especially considering the fact Christine had seen them this
morning. Better to mitigate the damage while he could. After tossing the can,
he hopped onto the tailgate next to Ryan. “Might as well tell you guys before
your or your ladies hear it from the gossip train.”

“What sort of bullshit do they have their claws into now?”

Dade heaved out a breath, checking to make sure the crew was
still on the other side of the construction zone and too engrossed to listen.
“Ran into Christine Claremont this morning in front of her store.”

“Okay, so what is so unusual about that?”

“Ran into her as I was leaving 616.” He glanced up at the
sound of approaching footsteps. The fresh-faced kid who appeared too young to
wear a hard hat handed Patrick a clipboard, waited for him to sign something
and walked quickly away. Dade continued when he was out of earshot. “At four in
the morning.”

Ryan choked. “Something tells me you weren’t delivering a
new glass window that early in the morning.”

“No, but something tells me he was giving Tony a hand.”

Both men burst out laughing, causing Dade to roll his eyes.
“Bunch of perverted fucknuts, you know that?” Despite his exasperation, he’d
forgotten how it felt to joke around with his two closest friends. Had he
really been that caught up?

“Well, were you?” Ryan made a rude gesture with his hand.

“No. I was not at the store giving Tony a blow job, a hand
job or any other kind of job after hours.” He wanted to, but he hadn’t picked
up a signal Tony held any interest in men. He’d barely given Dade a glance
during the threesome. That fact wasn’t a game changer for him. Dade had been
with plenty of men who’d never thought of having sex with a man before he’d
come along.

One step at a time.

“But clearly something happened. Why else would you, of all
people, be at a comic book store at four in the morning? Sure as hell wasn’t to
buy my son something. And why else would you be worried about Christine seeing
you coming out of there so early, or late, in the morning, unless there was
something more going on?”

“Yeah, all right. It did. We’re just getting a feel for
things—oh come on, it’s like you’re both twelve.” Dade jumped off the truck and
waved off their laughter. “Immature rat bastards. Better off talking to Elena
and dealing with all her mothering.”

His friends snorted at the same time. Ryan managed to pull
himself together first. “Oh yeah, ‘cause Ms. Snoop herself is who you want to
be talking to about nailing a married couple.”

“Let’s just keep it down, all right?” A few of the workers
had moved closer as they sorted through a delivery of wood. “And I didn’t.
There was sex involved, but I wasn’t the one having it.”

Patrick blinked, taken aback. “Since when do you not
participate?”

“Didn’t say that either.” Dade smiled at the memory he held
in his mind of what had gone on. Watching Tony dominate Genevieve had been
better than anything his imagination had ever conjured. Granted, he’d had to
curb most of his own dominant instincts to allow Tony to take the lead, but it
had been more effortless than he’d thought.

“So what now?”

“Don’t know. It some weird way, it worked.” He wished he
could put words to it in order to identify the situation better, but until he
got a better handle on expectations from the couple, he was determined to keep
his emotions under wraps.

“And this is where you would advise either one of us to go
with the flow and not question. Or do you need for me to quote the conversation
we had when I was questioning my methods with Beth?”

“Yeah. I know, but—”

“They’re married,” Patrick finished with a sly smile.

“Yeah.” Having friends who understood, especially ones who
had put up with a lot of his shit through the years, meant a lot. Sure they
gave him a hard time, but he’d done his fair share of doling out a ration of
shit with each of them. “Whole new ballgame. Whole new set of rules. But this…”

“As long as everyone agrees and has fun, let it play out
like it’s supposed to.” Ryan slapped him on the back. “Don’t question it, Dade.
Isn’t that what you told me once? Just let go and see where the situation leads
you.”

Sometimes it was easier to dole out the advice than to take
it. “Just feels…strange.”

“Why? Always knew there would be a triad in your future.
Even you can’t dispute the direction you clearly favor when it comes to sex.”

“I’ve known that.” Though he would have never guessed in a
million years that it would be a couple so heavily involved—let alone married.
Not that he ruled out any combination, but it wasn’t something he actively
sought. “Everything last night was…simple. Easy. No complications. No worrying
about someone getting hurt or angry. We all just became this cohesive…thing.”

“Sounds like this is exactly what you needed.” Patrick
glanced at his cell phone. “Break time is over. Gotta get back to work at the
coffeehouse. You guys take it easy.”

Ryan slid off the tailgate and set his protective hat on his
head. “You sure everything is all right?”

Dade nodded, watching a slow moving vehicle drive past. Damn
gawkers. “I’ll be fine. Just…worried I’m going to screw something up.”

“You probably will. All part of being human.”

“I meant with their marriage.”

“That is something the two of them are going to have to work
out. You didn’t elbow your way into the mix, did you?” Dade shook his head.
“All right then. They willingly accepted you into their relationship. That puts
a lot of this squarely on their shoulders, not yours. Knowing Tony and
Genevieve, this wasn’t something they’re walking blindly into.”

“No. From what Tony said this morning, having someone else
with them isn’t a new thing. Not a frequent occurrence, but enough to know they
enjoy it a heck of a lot.”

“There ya go. Now that you have what you wanted, don’t push
it away just because you’re inside your head too much. Too worried about the
fact you feel as though you shouldn’t have them. Trust them to tell you just as
you would tell them. Want to get together for that beer tonight?”

“Can’t. Having dinner with Tony and Genevieve.”

“See? Acting like a married triad already.”

Dade shoved his keys into his pocket. He still wasn’t used
to the fact he needed a key in the first place. The ranch was so far out of
town and there wasn’t a soul to be seen for miles, so the idea of locking up
was ridiculous.

He’d gotten used to the couple’s odd hours, which suited his
irregular schedule just fine. Tony wasn’t due to close the shop for another
hour. Genevieve an hour following. So he had the place to himself for a little
while. He was hungry, but not enough to actually put the effort forth to fix
himself something to eat.

His mouth was dry, though, and thirst was easier to sate.

Stepping into the kitchen, he didn’t bother with the light.
He’d lived here nearly two months and he was already familiar enough with the
layout that he could walk around in the dark. He liked the dark better anyway.

It comforted him.

Much as living here did.

He’d gotten settled more easily than he’d expected. They’d
welcomed him into their home. Their lives. Their bed. Dinner the night after
the encounter at the comic book store had been a relaxed evening with friends.
Great food. Wonderful conversation. And friends who worked out the finer
details of the unusual arrangement then sealed the deal by adjourning to the
bedroom.

Tony had sat in the rocking chair in the corner of their
room, directing Genevieve to ride him while sucking Dade. The clever woman had
used the rocking motion to please herself as well as both men. Most nights
since the encounter at the comic book store had been much the same.

Smiling at the memories, he opened a bottle of water, and
tossed the cap into the trash. The cold water refreshed his parched throat. He
guzzled the rest, and then tossed the empty into the recycling bin. Before
leaving the kitchen, he grabbed another bottle. He glanced at the darkened
television with little interest. Late-night TV wasn’t high on his list of
things to do. Video games were Tony’s forte.

He could use a shower, though.

Things were finally coming along with the design for the new
warehouse. In addition to the glasswork Patrick had ordered for the building,
Dade wanted to add a glass enclosure that would remain permanent even when the
space was being utilized for other things. He also wanted to give his design
muscles a workout and create a special focal piece for the entire project. One
that would sit outside and catch the morning and afternoon light.

Glasswork was painstaking, hard labor. And on days like
today where the temperature had soared into the nineties, messy. No doubt his
shirt reeked with sweat.

A shower sounded like a damn fine idea.

Taking another long pull on his water as he walked toward
his room, he glanced to his left and got an eyeful of naked skin. “Whoa—holy
shit. I didn’t know either of you were home. I’ll get out of the way.”

Tony lifted his head from where he’d had his face buried
between his wife’s legs. As he licked his lips, he dipped his hand between her
spread thighs to continuing working. “Honey, do you want Dade to leave?”

Genevieve whimpered, shaking her head. She couldn’t verbally
answer Tony because she had a gag shoved between her teeth. Heavy black,
leather cuffs circled her wrists and ankles, restraining her. A complicated
network of knots secured the cuffs to the head and footboards, holding her legs
and arms in place. She clutched a small black square between her trembling
fingers, her thumb held in place over the center.

A clicker since she couldn’t speak.

Clever.

And smart of Tony.

“Guess you’ll just have to stay.” Tony’s gaze met his. “Or
go listen in the other room and jack off.” Without waiting for an answer, he
dipped between her legs again. Genevieve jerked, her body arching against the
mattress as she moaned around the gag.

Dade’s dick stirred at the needy sound.

Hell of an invitation.

One he wasn’t about to refuse.

Dade stripped away his shirt as he stepped into the room.
Genevieve whimpered around the gag. A low, throaty noise that made his dick
throb. He’d thought about being the cause of that sound ever since that first
night a month ago. He loved hearing it. Loved hearing the high-pitched wails
and gasps for breath she made whenever an orgasm rolled through her.

He’d always loved the sounds of submission.

Especially when those sounds came from someone he cared
about.

Even more so when he was the cause.

And with the way the three of them had been going at it at
for the past month, he’d been hearing her voice quite a bit. They’d even blown
off the traditional movie and dinner gathering with their friends a few nights
ago to hole up in the bedroom. Right about the time Cooper’s movie overload had
been slated to start, Genevieve had been riding his mouth while she’d had her
husband’s dick shoved down her throat.

Life in the Fitzgerald home was anything but boring.

Tony sat back on his heels, stripping off his shirt.
Genevieve continued to writhe against the bed, tugging hard on the ropes.
Drawing closer, Dade heard a quiet hum. There was no pattern to the noise,
other than she continued to react whenever the sound grew louder. Glancing
between her legs, Dade noticed a cobalt-blue disc nestled inside Genevieve’s
anus. The round item appeared heavy and thick. Shiny. And not because of
lubrication.

Glass?

“I see you finally dug the box out of the closet.”

“Hell yeah. The gag is new though. Too many teeth marks on
the old one. Tossed it out and this one arrived a few hours ago. Thought we
should give it a test run. Seemed to be a little more than she was used to at
first, but she accommodated it well enough.”

Dade skimmed his fingers against her throat, feeling her
swallow as her eyes fluttered closed. He could see more of the item between her
lips as he leaned closer. More than just a simple ball. “Cock gag?”

“Give the man a prize.” Tony smoothed his hand over her
stomach. “Wasn’t sure when you’d be home. So I thought giving her something to
suck on while I sucked on her was a good idea. She got mouthy before I could
gag her though. Added the plug and threatened to turn it on high and leave her
strapped to the bed while you and I sat over there enjoying a drink.”

“That could still work.” Dade stripped away his pants,
tossing them to the short bench nearby. “Want me to grab some water?”

Tony studied Genevieve for a moment. “Sounds like a plan.”

Dade returned a minute later with two bottles. Genevieve
screamed at him, her voice muffled by the silicone shoved into her mouth. Her
cry morphed into a ragged groan a split second later as Tony adjusted a switch
and the humming sound grew louder. Amused, Dade settled on the couch opposite
the bed, stretching out his legs and crossing his ankles. His hardened dick
tented the front of his boxers.

The wide spaces in the slats of the footboard gave him an
unobstructed view of her glistening cunt and the plug in her ass. “Now that’s a
pretty sight.”

“You do nice work with the glass, by the way. Really nice.”
Tony reached over, stroking the damp folds of Genevieve’s pussy lips. She
thrashed and wiggled as much as the ropes would allow when he left the bed and
dropped next to Dade on the couch. “Beth showed off a few of hers and Genevieve
was hooked. Even before she found out you were the artist.”

“Nice to be so appreciated.” He rarely thought about any
item he’d produced once it went out of his workshop. But knowing one of his
pieces was nestled high in Genevieve’s ass made him smile. And gave him a
fountain of ideas. “I’m assuming your customer satisfaction with the product is
very high.”

“Oh yeah.” Tony dropped a slice of lime into his water,
waiting for it to sink to the bottom before he drank. “At least my enjoyment
is. I bet she’s plotting our deaths at the moment.”

Genevieve growled, throwing her head back against the
pillows as her lower body began to tremble. Her toes curled over the top edge
of the footboard, the wood cracking under the pressure as she pushed. Dade
sipped his water, blood heating his veins as he watched her struggle. The
footboard moved violently as she screamed, her entire body bowing off the
mattress as an orgasm slammed into her.

“Or maybe not.”

The desire to fill her the next time she came made him
clench his fingers tightly around the bottle. A quick glance off the side
showed Tony was clutching his bottle just as tightly. Amazing how a bound
submissive could have such a dramatic effect on the two Dominants watching.

Flexing his fingers, Dade swallowed past the tightness
gripping his throat. The cool water did nothing to slake his thirst because he
craved something else. Something more potent than water.

Tony shifted, setting the bottle on the floor between his
feet and rested his elbows against his knees. “We’ve done something similar to
this once before.”

“Sat with someone else and just watched her?”

“Ah, no.” Genevieve whimpered as she collapsed against the
mattress, the ropes securing her to the bed frame falling slack. The sharp
sounds of her rapid breathing filled the room. “I strapped her down to a table,
inserted vibrators in her pussy and ass, and then sat back. Made her count off
each orgasm as she came. She begged me between each one to stop, but never once
used her safe word.”

“Then she truly didn’t want you to stop.”

“She never does. I think in all the years we’ve been
together, she’s used her safe word once. In the beginning. And that time was
entirely my fault. Chalk it up to a newbie Dom thinking he knew better than the
submissive. It’s a mistake I haven’t made again.” Tony licked his lips, turning
toward Dade. “Genevieve likes to be pushed as much as she likes to push back.
She gets off on the resistance, searching for faults and weaknesses even as hers
are exposed.”

Clever. And the mark of a woman who knew exactly how to
wield her power as a submissive. He’d seen glimpses of exactly what Tony
described. A facet of Genevieve that made him want the gorgeous creature even
more. As Tony continued to talk, she began stirring, quiet mewls and whimpers
reaching them.

Tony picked up his bottle again, drinking as he sat back. He
shoved his hand into his pocket, pulled something out and tossed it toward
Dade. A condom landed on Dade’s thigh. “Just remember all that when you fuck
her.”

Desire surged through Dade. Sex between the three of them
hadn’t varied too much from what had happened in the back room of the comic
book store. Except for the night last week where the couple had joined him in
the shower. Genevieve had knelt before them both, alternately sucking each of
their cocks.

But he hadn’t been inside her.

Yet.

When Dade continued to sit there, Tony laughed around the
mouth of his bottle. “She’s all yours. Enjoy.” As much as Dade wanted to slip
on the condom and bury himself securely inside Genevieve, something felt
slightly out of kilter by not including Tony. Fact of the matter was, Dade
wanted Tony to be a part of the connection he shared with Genevieve. That link
was the very reason he enjoyed relationships with two other people.

After palming the condom and setting his water to the side,
he stood. “Come on. Way she sounds right now, one of us ain’t gonna be enough.”

The mattress dipped under his knee. Genevieve wiggled and
squirmed, sweat darkening the hair at her crown. Watching her slide under, her
eyes hazing as she surrendered to ecstasy over and over again was amazing.
Truly nothing like he’d ever seen.

Tony stood on the opposite side of the bed, reaching out to
run his finger under the strap across her cheek. She dug her heels into the
pillow top mattress again, bowing her body as her eyes flared wide.

Fucking amazing.

And as much as he liked watching, the ache to be inside her
had grown to unbearable levels, stretching over his skin like a suit of armor
he needed to shed. “Free her ankles. I want her thighs wrapped around me when
I’m inside her.”

As soon as they’d released her from the rope, she planted
her feet on the bed and levered her hips off the mattress. Another orgasm swept
over her body. Dade palmed her ankle, her legs trembling as he swept his thumb
over her porcelain skin.

Seeing her so lost in her own pleasure never got old.

Slipping between her legs, her quiet groan washed over him.
“Doing all right? Need to take a break?” Her eyes flared wide as she shook her
head. “Didn’t think so.”

He cradled her lower body against his thighs, draping her
legs around his hips. Her whole body hummed, alive with a power that captured
him, drawing him in. After donning the condom, he used his thumb to press his
shaft against the glistening lips of her pussy. Her quiet sigh of pleasure
filled the air and he looked up to see Tony had removed the gag.

The impression of the bands showed on her cheeks, her lips
red from being stretched wide. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more
beautiful.”

She breathed hard and fast, panting while Dade tilted her
hips, drawing the head of his cock through her wetness. He moved precisely,
countering her movements so her slickness coated him.

“Free my hands.”

“Demanding, subbie, aren’t you?”

“Only when I see something I want.” She licked her lips,
gesturing with her chin toward the cock Tony held in his hand. “And I don’t
want to suck on that silicone gag again. Please.”

Desperation saturated the word, as heady as any drug.

“I think you should beg more, sweetheart. What do you think,
Dade?”

“More begging works for me.” Dade pressed his thumb against
her, drawing large circles around her hard clit. He avoided the tender areas,
enjoying the way she squirmed against him. He played with the oversensitive
site again, exploring her over-aroused state and grinned each time her body
jerked.