Daniel was dressed for his consulting job in a dark blue button-down shirt and khaki pants over brown leather work boots. He hadn’t worked outside the home in over a month and while he was looking forward to the job, he couldn’t get past his reluctance to leave Alex alone with Liam.
He’d had everything all planned out before Liam threw him for a loop with his intention to stay home. He had a list of chores for Alex to do while he was gone plus an exercise routine sure to work her up to a good sweat. In addition, he was going to have her work on orgasm control, bringing herself to the edge and then stopping several times over the course of the day. He had a camcorder set up in the playroom and had planned to have her videotape herself so he could review and critique her progress later.
They’d brought Alex into their lives supposedly so he could explore and realize his dominant feelings—not so Liam could create some kind of slave harem. Until recently Liam had barely taken an interest in Alex except insofar as she could further their sex play, so what the hell was going on?
Daniel knew he was being irrational. Furthermore, he knew if he was having these feelings, he needed to discuss them with Liam. Failure to communicate was the first sign of a relationship in trouble. Wait a minute—they weren’t in trouble. They were doing great, better than ever.
Having Alex had heightened their erotic play, there was no question about it. She’d added a new dimension to their lovemaking. Not only that, she was a good companion during the day and was actually becoming useful around the house. So what was his problem? It was, he realized, his possessiveness. He had come to, or really had always, regarded Alex as his. Liam was encroaching on his territory.
But he didn’t want to be like that. He belonged to Liam, body, heart and soul. If that was true and not just romantic wishful thinking and lip service, then how could he withhold anything of his from Liam? He should offer Alex without reservation or hesitation. He should learn to control these irrational jealous feelings instead of letting them control him.
He looked at the lovely young woman waiting for inspection and silently vowed to let go of his possessiveness. He approached her and ran his fingers under her arms and over her smooth mons. “Liam says he’ll inspect you later. I just thought I’d give you a quick once-over to make sure you’re ready for him.”
He couldn’t resist pressing a finger into her tight tunnel. She was wet as always and this made him smile. “Make me proud today. Show Liam how obedient and well trained you are.”
“Yes, Sir,” Alex said, eyes still ahead. He continued to finger her until color washed over her chest and throat and her breath quickened. He pulled his hand away and for an instant thought about locking her into the chastity belt and taking Liam’s key with him.
Jesus, he needed to get a fucking grip. Liam was his Master, not the other way around.
~*~
Daniel had still insisted on making breakfast before he left for his consulting job. Liam could see he was reluctant to leave and he almost regretted his decision to take the day off. While he wanted to spend time with Alex, he didn’t want to do it at a cost to Daniel.
Before Daniel left Liam pulled him aside. “Daniel, is something wrong? Something we need to discuss?”
He didn’t want to put words into Daniel’s mouth and maybe he was just imagining it, but Daniel seemed reluctant to leave him alone with Alex. He was looking forward to it. It was a chance to explore with her for once without having to worry about Daniel’s feelings or input. Liam was always keenly aware of Daniel’s reactions, never wanting to give him cause to feel jealous or left out. Navigating a relationship of three, no matter what the defined parameters were, was turning out to be a sticky business.
“What do you mean?” Daniel asked.
Liam decided a direct approach was best. “About Alex. About me being here alone with her today. Is there something you want to talk about?”
“Me? No. No, no. I belong to you, Sir, not the other way around. It’s your prerogative to do as you wish. She belongs to us, not just to me.”
Liam nodded, not wanting to force an issue that might only be in his head. So he kissed Daniel goodbye, feeling strange to be the one staying behind while Daniel climbed into his red truck and drove away.
He turned to Alex. She stood beside him in the foyer, watching Daniel’s truck disappear around the curve. Was this a mistake? Damn it, he was in charge. He’d make sure things went smoothly.