~ ~ Zack ~ ~

Locking myself in the small bathroom of my jet I unclipped my cuffs and rolled up my sleeves and ran some cool water.  Just like earlier, when I'd felt a sudden, life-altering shift within me sending palpitations rattling through my chest. I was sweaty, hot, exposed, thoroughly out of my comfort zone and hated every second of it.

And it had fuck-all to do with being 37,000 feet in the air. 

Jesus pissing Christ.

My sanity hadn't stood a chance against the two of them.

Why did I think it would?  

And it was all my fault, dragging them to Amsterdam.

The splash of cold water did little to bring me to my senses. Or help the constant turmoil—the back and to fighting with myself, pulling me in different directions.

What the fuck are you doing, Zack? 

Ignoring the fact that I'd flogged my best-friends daughter... until she sobbed, I had also crossed that line and fucked her. 

Could I claim temporary insanity?  Under the influence of Sasha's reverent fucking gaze. Staring at me like I was the god of fucking everything. Her quiet confidence with her eagerness to please. It had been written all over her face, especially in those fucking blue eyes. Begging me. Don't be gentle. Hurt me.

And if that wasn't bad enough. Ellis.

I splashed another round of cold water as it sparked a memory. A memory that had no right to be there. The awkward discomfort of inexperienced youth. Nathaniel pleading to make it all go back to the way it was...

I blinked it away.

Why was I suddenly faced with a sense of nagging guilt? Ellis was clearly into it; he never said no, and it was completely consensual. It was part of the scene.

We fucked. So what?

Because you fucking know he's confused about his sexuality, asshole.

And yeah, he's not the first straight guy I'd fucked—not even close. Just the first one with whom I had a relationship with his father. A friend. A damn good friend.

Congratulations, asshole. Gold star for tossing out every rule I'd ever set for myself. I guess consistency was overrated, and who needs a well-ordered life anyway?

Me. I needed it.

It was there for a reason... However, the both of them were the fucking fruit of Eden. And I was eating my way through the whole apple tree.

A part of me knew this would happen.

Lifting my head, droplets of water ran down my face.  Fuck no-one you know, and know no-one you fuck. I reminded myself.

Yet here I was, my cock alive and kicking despite my better senses wondering what else might happen between the three of us. Would Ellis beg? Kneel and choke on my cock? Would Sasha sob under the cane like a broken little doll... I suspected one of those was possible and my dick hardened, again.

"You're a fucking fool, Zack," I muttered to myself, my voice sounding loud in the tiny bathroom. I should cut them both loose. Right now. Before this developed into... feelings.

I tensed up. "Feelings," I said out loud, testing the word on my tongue. Another word equally as fucked up whispered itself in that far-off dark corner of my brain. Love.

No. It couldn't be.

Could it?

I wasn't capable of it. No. It was fucking madness.

But even as I attempted to talk myself out of it, now I dared let myself think it—it started to gnaw at the edges of my well-ordered existence.

With a frustrated sigh. I pressed my palms onto the top and stared hard into the mirror.

Go to Paris. Put some space between us—them.  And hope it brought me to my senses.  Maybe.

For the rest of the flight back, I kept myself busy with messages and phone calls and thankfully they left me alone but it didn't stop me from sneaking sly peeks, observing their interaction with one another and on the plane and the car ride from the airport, Sasha and Ellis were playful, teasing with each other, but not in a sexual way.

As the car pulled up outside Risk, Ellis reached for the door handle, ready to exit, until Sasha interrupted with a huff. "What happened to 'ladies first'?" she quipped.

Ellis responded with a sheepish grin, slapping his forehead in mock realisation. "Oh, shit. Duh." With a courteous gesture, he motioned for her to go first and my driver extended his hand, allowing Sasha to gracefully exit the vehicle.

Ellis followed and I was a step behind him. He slipped a hand around Sasha's waist, tugging her closer. "Chivalry ain't dead, Duchess. It's just slow."

She leaned into him before he took her hand and headed inside.

Following behind, my eyes dropped to his ass, thankful he was still walking straight. 

Christ. I needed a drink and shutting the front door behind me, that was the first thing I did. 

The first mouthful slid down my throat like liquid happiness.

Ellis came into the room and from my side view he'd changed into a different t-shirt and sweats, minus footwear. I twisted to face him head-on.

Standing there, he ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Is there something you wanted to say to me, Ellis?" I asked continuing to stare at him, waiting for eye contact. We hadn't talked about earlier.

"Nope." He flicked his chin up. "I'll take one of those if you're offering?"

I reached for another glass and poured him out a shot.

"Ah. The good stuff." He knocked it back with one gulp.

Half expecting him to want another he put the glass down and moved away. I watched his head dart from side-to-side. "What are you looking for?"

"Ah. This." He picked up the remote control for the TV and with one click the screen came to life. Pressing the tip of his tongue to his top lip, he began flicking through channels as he walked backwards, until his knees bumped the sofa, and he flopped down lifting his feet to rest them on the otterman.

I poured myself another drink as Sasha joined us. "Don't suppose you have any wine? White preferably." I didn't. But I found myself wanting to indulge her. Slipping my hand into my pocket I pulled out my phone and fired off a message.

"One bottle of white wine on its way."

Her smile was infectious. And when we heard the knock. Sasha was quick to answer it. She returned and lifted onto her toes and kissed me, softly. "Have I mentioned I like this sweeter side of you?"

I assumed it was rhetorical as she didn't hang around for a reply, skipping off to the kitchen.

My eyes shifted to Ellis.

He was watching me and my breath hitched in my chest, not only because he was so fucking intense and gorgeous. He was looking at me with renewed interest, the way a man looks when he wants to fuck...or fight.

I had to admit It was hard to tell with Ellis.

Pretending to be oblivious of his stare I sat down on the furthest part of the L-shaped sofa turning my attention to the TV. Interestingly Ellis had put on a show I liked. I had a thing for legal dramas—couldn't tell you why.

Sasha breezed in and sat next to Ellis. She pulled her long legs up and popped them underneath her. With her wine-glass in one hand, her other lazily ran up and down Ellis's thigh. He in turn ran his arm along the back of the sofa, his fingers tangling themselves in her loose hair.

As they watched the TV. I watched them. And their affection for one another was real. Palpable.

And over the next hour, surprisingly, I found myself relaxing. Sitting there with them, chilling, sharing my space, wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

In fact, I would say I enjoyed it.

This was the most normal  I'd experienced with anyone in years.

And whilst I enjoyed watching legal dramas, I found I liked watching them touch each other in a non-sexual way more.

It was an interesting twist to all of this, and another swift thump to my chest had me confronting the uncomfortable truth. Something was happening between us—the three of us.

Which left me with another fucking problem if I continued down this road.  How did I handle Ryan and Max?

By the time Sasha yawned twice, and let her head fall onto Ellis's shoulder, I knew it was time for me to head downstairs to my office. I had shit to deal with before I left for Paris first thing in the morning. And mornings always came far earlier than I wanted.

Pushing to my feet. "You will have to excuse me, I still have a business to run. Can I trust you both to entertain yourselves?"

Ellis smirked. "Don't worry, boss. I'll keep our girl out of trouble."

Our girl.

"Awe... will you be long?" Sasha pouted, lifting her head. "We could wait up?"

"No, and tonight I need you to sleep in Ellis's room. I will need to pack and be up early and I don't want to disturb you."

Sasha unfolded her legs, standing up she slipped her arms around my waist burying her head in my chest. And against my better judgement, I hugged her back. "Will you promise to call me tomorrow to tell me you've arrived safely?" Her head lifted, those blues bright and eager.

Was hitting the big, fat "No" button really worth it? "Yes. I will call you."

Sasha's eyes widened with delight. A grin spread across her face, starting from the corners of her lips and stretching to her cheeks, which flushed. "Well, I think I'm gonna run a bath." Her head flipped over her shoulder. "You want to join me?" she asked Ellis.

"Does a cat have whiskers?" he grinned.

Sasha rose onto her toes, saying. "I will miss you." and with a quick press of her lips on mine, left.

Watching the sway of her hips till she left the room, I picked up my phone from the table and slipped it into my slacks. Ellis rose and stretched out. This was the first time we'd been alone since we fucked. It hadn't been awkward between us, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. Deciding to test the waters, I moved toward him, fetching our chests together. I had to give him props because he remained rooted to the floor even as I invaded his personal space. I liked that he wasn't like any male sub I'd entertained before.

My thumb brushed his chin, rasping against the two-day beard growth, my eyes skimmed his face to watch for the slightest reaction. "Does this make you nervous, Ellis?"

Ellis's Adam's apple bobbed slowly as he swallowed, "No, it's just..." He stopped obviously searching for the right words. "I don't regret it, y'know, what went down earlier. The scene."

That admission both surprised and pleased me. But I wasn't sure I believed him and waited for the but.

"But—" he started.

I cut him off by gripping his jaw firmly. "Did I mention you looked good with my cock buried inside your tight ass, Ellis?" He inhaled sharply, but the way his cock was hardening against my thigh said enough. "But, let me guess you're about to tell me it won't happen again?"

Yeah, I was pushing him and his eyes narrowed a little. "Ready to run away yet?"

He didn't say anything for a long drawn-out moment, and just when I thought he wouldn't, he finally spoke up. "Do you see me running?"

But he wanted to. It was written across his too-handsome face. Ellis had never been good at masking his emotions.

I lowered my voice. "Tell me something, Ellis. Next time. Will you let me tie you up and use you for my pleasure?"

Just as I expected, his eyes dilated, and his breaths became choppy.

His answer was a simple shrug.

I instilled dominance in my tone when I said, "Answer me."

"I don't know," he rasped, his eyes bouncing all over my face.

A smile pulled at my lips and I let him see it before I moved my mouth to his ear letting his rough cheek rub against mine. "I won't do anything you don't want, Ellis." I forced myself to take a step back trying to remind myself this whole thing was flat-out crazy. Turning away, I left him to think on it.

~ ~

Downstairs in my office, I was dealing with outstanding issues when I had a call from my head of security. Jon. "Yes."

"Sorry to bother you, Zack. But I have a guest with me, asking if you're available."

"Who?"

"A Miss Strickland," he said, before adding. "She said you're related."

Fucking Tabitha and my eye roll deserved its own zip code. What the hell did she want? 

"Send her up." It would be easier to deal with this now.

Walking around my desk, I planted myself in the middle of my office with my signature fuck-you scowl in place.

Not even knocking she waltzed in, but she wasn't alone.

Eliminating the space between us, she smiled at me, her fingers curling into my shirt. "Hello, brother."

"Tabitha," I replied, then dipped lower so I could speak into her ear, feeling a shiver roll through her body as my deep voice vibrated against the sensitive shell of her ear. "Why are you here?"

Stepping back I watched a pleased expression sweep across her features as her caramel mane of hair swished over a shoulder with a coquettish flick of her manicured fingers. "I brought you something."

It wasn't rocket science to figure out the man behind her was the something.  And when he saw me looking at him, he quickly lowered his eyes. 

Cocking an eyebrow I asked. "What could you possibly bring me that I might want?"

"This is Calvin Haynes," she announced with those brown eyes glittering all the more.

I didn't recognise the young man and shifted my gaze back to her. "I thought I'd made it clear you aren't welcome here."

She arced her brow in a challenge. "No, you told me you wouldn't give me a job." 

Someone help me. "Do I need to say it now?"

"Semantics, brother."

"How did you get into my club this time?"

She wiggled her eyebrows. "You don't know?"

I didn't react and turned my attention to the poor guy she'd brought with her. The first thing I noticed about Calvin Haynes was that he was submissive. How did I know that? For starters, he did not offer his hand for me to shake; instead, he waited for me to do so. Any submissive worth their salt knew it was inappropriate to make such gestures to a Dominant. And when I grasped his hand firmly in mine, he kept his eyes lowered.

He was an attractive man. Young. Probably early twenties if I had to guess. Short blond hair, green eyes, skin tanned.

I held on to his hand for a few seconds longer, swiping my thumb across his knuckle. It was my way of gauging his obedience level, as well as his interest, and if I wasn't mistaken—and I rarely was—Calvin Haynes had been trained well. And he was most definitely interested.

And yes, if I wasn't involved with Sasha and Ellis, he would have been my type.

She didn't attempt to hide her smug tone. "I can see you're interested." 

"Is that so?" I got the feeling she was attempting to sell me on Mr Haynes. "He's young."

Not that age was ever an issue.

"You forget, I know you well, Zack," and then confirmed, "Twenty."

Calvin didn't respond, his eyes remaining lowered.

No lie, I was curious. But not for the reasons she thought.

A touch of Tabitha's fingers brushing a bold stroke across my ass drew my attention back to her. "I'm right, aren't I?" she asked, gazing up at me with eyes gleaming with an impertinent arrogance that she had me, making my skin crawl at the brazen assumption she had inside her head that showing up with a young male sub would get her what she wanted.

I moved away from them both and poured myself a drink.

Tabitha hummed. "Oh... and now that I'm a member here."

What the fuck!?

Of course. Now it clicked. And I should have known she wouldn't have liked to be rejected or ignored. No one liked to be ignored, especially egocentric spoiled princesses.

"I'm thinking of signing up to your sub-classes. Get myself a big, bad Dom." 

Ha. Tabitha submissive?

There must be a new definition of submissive I wasn't aware of—probably involved world domination and a throne made of sarcasm.

It took every ounce of restraint not to blink at her news. I should have just dragged her and Calvin Haynes right out of here. Dropped her vacuous ass on the ground there and then and walked away.

I mock-toasted her. "Well, thanks for dropping by to enlighten me with that information. Don't let me keep you and your sub from enjoying my club."

Note to self: Cancel her fucking membership, asap.

She grinned—ear to fucking ear.

I should have known better than my polite fuck off wouldn't do much as I made my way around my desk and sat down. Tabitha followed, perching herself on my desk, crossing her long legs. "C'mon Zack." She leaned forward giving me a view of her barely concealed tits. "He's straight. And we both know how much you love to fuck straight ass."

I couldn't help but notice the dramatic fluttering of her eyelashes, seemingly on a mission to create a breeze of their own. As her gaze fixated on my lips, I could feel the heat emanating from her lust-filled stare.

"Straight?" I deadpanned. The insta-lust Calvin had given me, said differently. The only time he had been straight was when he latched onto his mama's tit. "I'm not in the market for a sub."

"Ah," she pulled back. "That's right. You already have one..." she purred. "The hot young blond guy. What was his name again?" She pretended to think. "Ah, Ellis..."

She said his name like it was the answer to everything but she wasn't done yet. "Tell me. Whose the pretty female sub?"

My eye twitched. How the fuck did she know about Sasha? Nobody here knew about Sasha. It was another reason I'd taken them to Amsterdam.

I maintained my poker face, determined not to let a single furrow disrupt its calm surface. "Is that all you wanted?"

She wasn't deterred.

"Oh, Oh...Ooh," she cackled. "Don't tell me Zack has gone and caught feelings?" She feigned surprise but the way her eyes lit up was nothing short of evil.

With a flash of a dazzling smile, I lied right through my teeth. "You've set up camp in the wrong park, sweetheart." Leaning back in my chair. "Now, I suggest you enjoy your last night in my club because I will be revoking your membership come morning."

And in a flash. Her attitude changed, staring at me, teeth bared. "We both know you'll get sick of them soon enough. I think I need to have a little chat..."

Before she could say something else, I was up from my chair and got right in her face. "I'm warning you, Tabitha. And I'll only do it once."

She got the reaction she thrived on and I wanted to kick myself.  Moving her aside, I headed for my door. No sooner did I turn the handle than Tabitha spoke, her words cold as ice.

"You think they will ever love you? You're a bit of fun, something new.  In the end, they will hate you, especially him..." She sighed exaggeratedly.  "It's history repeating." 

I took a deep breath and walked out of my office. If I hadn't, God only knows what I might've done. But as I walked away, I couldn't help but wonder whether there was a grain of truth in her statement.

They were the first people to come into my life and wreak havoc with very little effort. They both messed with my head and drew out emotions I purposely ignored.

But what if it was all just a figment of my imagination? What if neither of them harboured feelings towards me? I had operated under the assumption, but experience had taught me that assumptions were often worth shit.