A/N: I know I said it was the epilogue, but my characters had other ideas as usual... sigh.  So here's another chapter! 

~ ~ Zack ~ ~

One month later.

With my phone pressed to my ear, I twisted the door handle and pushed the door open.

Why the hell wasn't she answering?

I was trying to reach Ivy but so far she wasn't picking up or she was avoiding my calls.

Stepping inside my office I inhaled the familiar scent welcoming me like an old vintage scotch. 

I dropped my phone on the desk shrugged off my jacket and draped it over the back of my chair, then unbuttoned my cuffs, rolling up my sleeves. It felt weird being back in London, but it was also grounding, a reminder of who I was before everything changed.

Before them.

I settled into my chair and reached for the bottle of Macallan single malt in the cabinet behind me. I poured myself a generous amount, lifting the glass to my lips just as the door handle was turned.

"James," I said, lowering the glass as I saw him standing in the doorway, his expression a mix of surprise and something else I couldn't quite place. "I thought you would be downstairs already. I was just trying to reach Ivy."

Tonight Risk was having its first lock-in by invite only.

"She's doing final checks," James replied, blinking away his surprise. "I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow."

"Plans changed," I said, leaning back in my chair. "We got back early."

"We?" he queried with a frown creasing his forehead.

I didn't answer. James nor anyone else here was aware of my relationship with Ellis and Sasha, and I intended to keep it that way. It was no one's business but ours. I gestured to the bottle. "Drink?"

I poured another for myself.

"No, thanks, I'll be heading downstairs soon," James said, stepping further into the room. He placed a thick folder on my desk—more reports, I assumed. I'd kept in touch with him every few days via email and Zoom, so I wasn't expecting any surprises.

With my drink, I got up walked over to the large leather sofa and sat down. "Anything I need to worry about?" I motioned to the folder on my desk.

"No, nothing urgent," James said, but there was something in the way he squared his shoulders like he was bracing himself. I also took in his complexion which looked paler than usual and beneath his eyes were dark purple smudges and his hair was a disarray of dark tufts.

He looked exhausted and dare I think it, unhinged.

His tone didn't escape me either—something was off. I put my glass down and just stared at him, waiting. The silence stretched and I watched him fidget.

Had something happened?

"Maybe I will have that drink," he finally muttered, avoiding my gaze.

"Help yourself, and fetch the bottle back here," I said, leaning back in my seat, watching him as he poured himself a drink.

He walked over to the sofa, putting the bottle on the table and lingering awkwardly before asking, "May I?"

"You don't need to ask if you can sit, James."

He sat down, but his posture was stiff, and uptight, like he was balancing on the edge of a knife. My patience was wearing thin. I hated this kind of shit—if you had something to say, just say it. I narrowed my eyes on him. "Spit it out, James. You're starting to look constipated."

He didn't flinch, just took a sip of his drink, still chewing over whatever was on his mind. "I hired the new bar manager, and we now have a wait list for membership."

Good. I'd been right about the last manager, asshole, and many of the other bar staff had complained about him too. But, James was dodging the real issue, and it was pissing me off, although I allowed myself a small smile. The wait-list news wasn't unexpected, but it was always good to hear that my clubs were thriving. Still, I wasn't about to let him off the hook that easily.

I put my glass down, intending to pour another when I felt James's presence closer than expected. He placed his glass beside mine, and before I could react, his fingers clasped the back of my neck, pulling me toward him. His dry lips pressed against mine.

For a moment, every muscle in my body went on lockdown. My mind stuttered to make sense of the situation, however, a part of me had always known this was a possibility... but why the fuck now?

"Jesus H. Christ!" The voice that cut through the room was packed with fury, barely coherent, but unmistakable. A low growl followed, forcing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. "What the fuck, Zack? Actually, you know what—fuck you, asshole."

"Ellis?" James said, his voice betraying his shock. Clearly, he hadn't expected to see Ellis again.

I pushed James aside and was across the room in seconds, but Ellis was already halfway out the door. "Ellis, it's not—"

I caught the door just before it could slam shut, holding it open with one hand as I looked back over my shoulder. James who was now standing up, cheeks flushed, his expression a mix of embarrassment and regret.

It took a whole lot of self-control not to wrap my hand around his throat and throttle him.

Breathing out heavily. "That was unacceptable, James," I said, my voice controlled, but the edge in it was unmistakable.

James opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off with a lethal stare. "We will talk about this later, but understand this: you and I will never happen. Do you hear me?"

James's face fell, but he managed to ask, "Are you and him? Are you with Ellis? Is that why you stayed in the US for so long?"

"Even if I wasn't, James, it was never on the cards for you and me," I turned to the door but he was fast to stop me moving to stand in front of me with his face a riot of emotions—anguish and hopelessness being at the forefront.

"Why him? Zack. Why not any of the others? What makes him so special?"

I didn't want to hurt James, well aware he'd suffered more than a few rejections and setbacks over the years, but it wouldn't stop me from setting him straight.

"You and I have been friends for a long time, James, and I value that. You run Risk effectively and make my life a hell-of-a-lot easier." I lowered my voice and leaned forward a little. "But understand this: there are boundaries—lines that you don't cross in friendship and professionalism. My personal life is not up for discussion with you or anyone else."

James flinched at the not-so-subtle warning as the gravity sank in. "I don't want us to part ways, James," I continued, my voice slighter softer, "but don't push me."

The silence in the room was heavy as I stepped around him, closing the door behind me with a finality that echoed through the management landing.

Ivy had warned me this shit might happen, and fuck me to hell, she was right on this one.

I went straight back up to our apartment and let myself in. I found Ellis staring out on the London landscape with his shoulders tight and arms folded.

He was pissed at me and I couldn't blame him.

And as if he sensed me coming up behind him he half-turned to face me. His anger tracked me as I moved deeper into the room. Then he flipped around his arms dropping with his hands balling into fists

I felt my muscles tighten, gearing up for a fight. My hope of talking this out like rational adults seemed slim.

And I wasn't wrong.

He stormed toward me and rammed his hand into the centre of my chest, shoving me back. "I thought it was the three of us, Zack. What the hell was that I just walked in on?"

"Fuck, Ellis, you think I wanted that to happen?" I dropped my head back briefly closed my eyes and released a long, tension-filled breath through my nose. "James caught me off guard and I was trying to figure out how to turn him down gently. If you'd come a moment later it would have been handled."

"Handled? You 'handle' subs all the time just fine. 'No' is actually quite effective. Did you try that?" Ellis fisted his hand in my shirt. "If Sasha had caught you, she would have ripped your balls off. This shit. Us. Would be fucking done. Over—"

I pried his hand from my shirt. "You're angry and I get that. But what happened has nothing to do with us, it was something out of my control."

"You're always in fucking control, Zack." He huffed, stepping back. "Everyone can see he's got it bad for you—might as well have it written across his forehead."

His jealousy was quite a turn-on, but it wasn't the time. "It doesn't matter. He doesn't matter."

Ellis ground his teeth. "That's where you're wrong—it does. How many people have you told about us huh?" He tossed up a hand. "Sasha keeps asking us to scene in public, she doesn't want to hide us away but you seem hell-bent on doing that.

Was I?

No.

I was just a private person.

"And even after all that shit you said, promising you were gonna try, I've still never heard you say it." The accusation in his tone spat out more bullets.

My throat seized up.

I knew what he was talking about. Love—the word, but right now wasn't the time to say it.

But keeping my mouth shut, well, that seemed to make the situation worse.

Ellis shook his head. "You can't still say how you feel. You take from us, but you're not man enough to tell us how you feel."

I moved toward him, getting right up in his face and wrapped my hand around the back of Ellis's neck, touching our foreheads together, tightening my grip when he tried to pull away. "I'm not hiding anything."

He yanked his head out of my grip and pressed his eyes shut, struggling to suppress the still-boiling rage. Breathing out heavily when his eyes opened and hitched on mine they switched to something completely different—they looked sombre, dull.

And wasn't that a kick in the balls, adding another uncomfortable weight to that muscle in my chest.

"Is this just something temporary to you? Some fun till something better comes along? Or you get bored of us, huh?" The lines of his forehead deepened. "It's not enough any more."

In the past month, I'd softened, learning things about myself that I hadn't expected. I wasn't cold and unfeeling. Now, I felt too much, so much that it in itself was difficult to process and so many times the word that would assure them that this wasn't temporary, that what we had was more than just chemistry between us, more than just explosive sex, perched on the tip of my tongue. "I love you."

Holy fuck!

There. I'd said it.

And me saying it hadn't caused the world to end.

Ellis faltered for a moment, his eyes glancing down at my mouth, then back up to my eyes.

I never saw him move but his mouth was on mine and I was lost for a second. "I love you," I said more determined this time as his hands found their way into my thick hair to hold me in place. "That's what this is for me. Not Domination or Submission. Not about being in control. That was what my life was about before you two came into it. Before I realised there was more. You and Sasha have taught me a valuable lesson and given me more than I deserve."

His reckless tugs burned sharply across my scalp and a primal urge in me arose wanting to drag him to the sofa or bed and impale him with my cock. I groaned as he pulled me closer, our mouths eating at one another before finally he slowed, with his lips now barely touching mine, but it still felt good. Too good.

"You need to fucking spell it out that whatever James thinks might happen—won't."

I cut him off. "It's done already."

He grunted something then said, "I still want to fucking beat the shit out of you."

Ellis dropped his hold on me and I stepped back and chuckled, holding my arms wide. "Then hit me. Do your worst. Hurt me if it will help."

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. "I'm not sure it would make either of us feel better," he huffed.

"I disagree. It might make me feel a hell-of-a-lot better." My smile faded at Ellis's level glare. "I'm going to fix this."

Ellis inhaled roughly. "What do you mean?"

Sasha took that moment to saunter into the room wearing nothing but a towel. Her hair was in wild disarray on top of her head with a few loose curls trailing over her shoulders. Her flesh was flushed pink and still damp from the shower. She slowed her steps letting her feet sink into the thick, silver-white strands of the rug and my body tightened with need at the swell of her breasts beneath the towel.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

Ellis turned her way and made a low whistle sound. "It's better now, Duchess."

His reply didn't satisfy her. "I heard raised voices whilst I was in the shower. What's going on?"

What had happened didn't matter.

What was going to happen—did.

"I want you dressed." I turned to Ellis. "Both of you and meet me downstairs."

"Huh?" he said.

"You want us downstairs in the club tonight?" Sasha shot a look at Ellis and then back to me. "But I thought it was the lock-in?"

"It is."

"What, and we're gonna scene—play?"

That smile of hers never failed to stir things in me that I didn't understand. "Yes."

And after the bombshell, I didn't hang around leaving them with shocked expressions and gaping mouths.

If they wanted everyone to see us together and what that meant. Then they better be fucking ready because it was happening, tonight.

"You've got fifteen minutes," I shouted over my shoulder, already halfway out the door.

"If you're heading downstairs alone," Ellis's voice halted me in my tracks. I turned to find him smirking. "Do we need to stick a reserved sign on your dick?"

I caught Sasha's giggle. "He's got a point and there will be plenty of willing subs tonight!"

They were referring to that time in Amsterdam when I'd given in to temptation in the submissive pool to get them out of my head—a one-time thing that would never happen again.

I crossed my arms and shot them both a look. "Relax. I've retired from extracurricular activities. But if you're that concerned, maybe I should get a tattoo—' Property of Ellis and Sasha' right above my dick. How's that for a reserved sign?"

Ellis mulled over the idea, and Sasha laughed.

"Just don't make us come down there and remind everyone," Ellis added, his tone was playful but I heard the warning loud and clear.

My face turned serious. "Trust me, you won't have to. I've got everything I need right here."

Downstairs it was almost ten and the lock-in was about to start. No one would be leaving before six am. Debauchery was the word for tonight and walking into the main viewing lounge I scanned the area. The décor screamed hunter, an insight into every Dom's and Domme's wishes and desires to ravage and ruin.

And tonight I was about to do just that.

I spotted Ivy, who excused herself from Master Mike and wandered over, her lips curving into a sly smile.

"Is there something wrong with your phone?" She had it in her hand.

Ignoring my snark, she asked, eyebrows raised. "I thought you were flying in tomorrow?"

"Plans change," I said, looking around her. "Are you alone? Figured you'd drag Alex and Josh with you."

"They're getting changed," she said excitedly.

I eyed her Domme gear. "So, you're running the show tonight?"

She paused, giving me a once-over, eyes narrowing like she was sizing me up for something I didn't know I'd ordered. "Something's different," she said, grinning like a spider who's already spun the web. "I think I might be feeling a little love in the air."

She was using that freaky in-built thing she called her mojo... Scared the shit out of me sometimes how right it was.

"Let me guess," she hummed. "Operation Get Zack's Head Out of His Ass and beg was a success?" Her grin grew wider, practically unstoppable, as she stepped closer, patting my chest like she was checking for a heartbeat. "Yup, definitely sensing love."

Ivy stepped back and glanced around, eyes scanning the room like a detective. "So where are they?"

There was no point in pretending. "They'll be down shortly."

"Ohhh," she teased, her eyes firing up. "And you're gonna play out in the open, tonight?"

"That's the plan."

"My, my," she said, tapping her chin with mock concern, "so you're announcing to the world that you're officially off the market?" She glanced toward the bar where a lineup of subs stood like a row of rejected applicants. "You do realise there'll be a lot of shattered dreams tonight. Risk's most eligible Dom, now a taken man. Some poor souls might need therapy after this."

I groaned as she gave out a dramatic sigh. "The rest will be drowning in tissues and heartache by morning, I better give the heads up to the rest of the Dom's about the fallout."

I rolled my eyes as Ivy's looked over my shoulder. "Nice..." she smiled, her eyes filling up with mischief. "Looking good, USA."

Ellis, rocking his leather pants I'd bought him and going completely shirtless, parked himself next to me. Sasha, stunning as always, joined us on my other side.

"Right back at ya, Canada," Ellis shot back with a smirk.

Ivy's gaze shifted to Sasha. "And you must be Sasha?"

"Yes, Mistress," Sasha replied smoothly, surprising me with her deference.

"Ooh, I like her," Ivy cooed, clearly pleased. "Turn around, let me get a good look at you."

Sasha obliged, giving a graceful spin. She was wearing a black mesh bralette leaving nothing to the imagination, paired with a skirt that could easily pass for a belt with a pair of red killer heels.

My cock jumped giving its approval.

"Puuuurfect. Hmhmm," Ivy purred. "I'm betting you only have to bat those pretty eyes, and you have these two fighting over you."

I couldn't help but slide my arm around Sasha's waist, pulling her closer. "She does," I admitted, watching Sasha's eyes widen in surprise as she sank her teeth into her bottom lip.

Christ, that mouth of hers—I wanted it everywhere. On my cock. On my mouth. All over my skin.

Head in the game.

"You are sinful, little girl."

Ivy's eyebrows shot up in exaggerated shock. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Zachary Coles?" Leaning in, whispering conspiratorially, "I might have to order a DNA test," she was clearly enjoying herself.

Another head shake. "Excuse us, Ivy," I said, not missing the mischievous glint still lingering in her eyes as we moved away.

"You kids have fun!" was her parting shot.

I led them both to the raised platform in the centre of the room. "What? We're going to scene here?" asked Sasha. "In front of everyone?" She clapped a hand across her mouth to stop her excitement from leaking out.

"Yes, and it starts now. I want you both naked and in the wait position."

"Yes, Sir," said Sasha, not wasting any time.

I expected an eye roll or some back-chat from Ellis but he tipped his head and flipped the button on his pants lowering them to reveal he was naked... and hard already.

Which made me hard.

But we weren't here for me.

In position, I stared down at them in wordless admiration and almost sighed in happiness at the sight of them both now naked.

Everyone else noticed too as from the corner of my eye they were gathering to watch.

I stepped forward so that I was standing directly in front of Sasha and Ellis with their heads bowed. My heart was doing a lot more than beating, even as a strange calm settled over me.

"Sasha," I said, placing my hand on her head. "Please look at me."

Her head tilted back and our eyes locked. As ever she was breathtakingly beautiful, but what I saw in her bright blues, the submission I saw there, had my lungs working harder than before.

I framed her heated cheeks with my hands. "Do you trust me?"

There was no hesitation in her reply. "I do, Sir."

I decided to start with words she'd said to me. "In case you haven't figured it out, I love you. So much, Sasha, and I'm standing before you telling you I will never do anything ever again to betray that trust and I swear in front of all these people that I will do whatever it takes to always be worthy of you and even when I'm challenging you I promise to always keep you safe." My heart bumped up a notch. "And by accepting me—all of me, flaws and all, I will give you in return everything that I am." She rapidly blinked, wetting her long eyelashes. "Do you accept me, Sasha?"

She nodded, swallowing. "Yes, Sir." Her chest heaved seemingly unable to get enough air. "And I love you too," she finished.

Tears now streamed down her face even as she smiled up at me.

I bent down to kiss her trembling lips and when I eased back and swiped away her tears with my thumbs I whispered thank you because I was honestly still not sure I deserved her after what I'd done.

Stepping over so that I was directly in front of Ellis, I placed my hand on his head. "Ellis, look at me, please."

His head snapped up and for the second time, my heart acted in the weirdest but most incredible way. "You were right in calling me out. I wasn't being man enough, but I'm making a promise to you, right here, right now, in front of everyone, to show them that not only do I love you but you are also my equal and I will respect the needs of our relationship above all else. I want to help you grow into the man you're supposed to be and if you also accept me, I will give you the other half of my heart and soul in return."

Everyone in the room was silent having never seen this side of me—one where I wasn't treating my subs like some faceless fuck-toys, and at this point, my heart was beating so damn hard I was sure everyone could hear it.

Ellis nodded, swallowing a few times and I didn't fight the urge to smile and I was just about to say something else when he said, "I accept you. I want this. I want us."

My lips brushed over his and nodded and stepped back. "Both of you rise."

As they got to their feet, I let out a deep satisfied hum as pride and love for them anchored itself to my chest. Seeing them here standing naked proudly in front of people they didn't know—submitting to me, was most probably the highlight of my fucking life.

Well, except for when they told me they loved me.

Nothing came close to beating that.

But now... what was I saying about ravaging and ruining them? Ah, yes... let the show start.

~ ~ ~

A/N: Now... its epilogue time... I think, hopefully.