“I walked into that kitchen and she was totally frozen, thinking we were expecting her to wake up early and cook us all breakfast.”
Trent snorted softly. When the other two turned their gazes to him, he continued. “She’s fucking difficult. She doesn’t want to talk, but look what happens she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do. Girl has herself a panic attack. Clearly we fucked up and need to actually give her our expectations.”
Daniel rubbed his hands against each other, staring at them as though they’d make the whole situation easier. “I’m going to be honest here and say… I’m not feeling entirely professional about her.”
I sure as hell get that.
Kyle huffed. “Who could? Girl looks way too tempting in a collar and cuffs.”
“We’re talking about giving her expectations, but that feels way too much like getting close to a line I’m not sure we can walk.”
“So what? We throw in the towel?” Kyle crossed his arms, pausing only long enough to send Daniel a withering look.
“No. We just need to be aware of it. Treat her like we would a sub we were watching for someone else.”
Sure, in a perfect world that would work. If she had a Dom of her own, if they were only supposed to be taking care of her, they’d have clear boundaries. In reality, he didn’t lie to himself well, and he knew she didn’t belong to anyone.I want her to belong to me.
Which was exactly the wrong thought to have.
“Ground rules for us,” Daniel said, listing them while lifting a finger for each, counting them off. “No kissing. Nothing sexual. Even if she offers, we don’t take her up on it.”
“Do you really think you’ll be able to say no if that girl offers anything?” Kyle asked.
Daniel pressed his lips together, then sighed. “I’m trying to keep us all from getting fucked over here. You’ve seen her react already. Do you really think she’s going to be in any state of mind to decide anything in the moment?”
Trent wanted to argue that point, but it was fair.
Subs who got a taste of something they liked, who had never experienced it before, often craved it. Normally that wasn’t abad thing. Hell, how many had he shared with Daniel and Kyle over the years? Women who had begged for a little more, ones who Trent had been able to watch as they experienced it for the first time?
Too many to count.
Still, Daniel wasn’t wrong.
When Alison had her pupils blown wide, when she smelled like delectable arousal, that wasn’t the time for her to make any decisions.
“Anything sexual has to be agreed on by us all,” Trent offered as a compromise. At their looks, he shrugged. “I’m not an idiot. If that girl decides she actually wants any of us, we aren’t going to be able to just turn her down forever. But if we all agree beforehand, it gives her time to rethink it and makes sure it’s all on the up and up. Fuck, maybe dealing with all three of us will help her stay on good behavior, too.”
Daniel and Kyle exchanged looks, the closeness of the two grating on Trent’s nerves. Hell, it pissed him off. After everything, he was the outsider. He was the one cut off from the trio they’d been.
He pushed that hurt from his mind—now wasn’t the time to deal with it—as he waited for them to make up their minds.
Finally, both other alphas nodded.
“Sounds like as good a plan as any other,” Kyle said.
Even as they agreed, as Trent’s idea seemed to please everyone, he winced as he thought about just how appealing the stubborn, surprisingly fragile omega was turning out to be. If shedidwant to try anything with them, if they explored that together, how the fuck would they walk away at the end of the case?
He only had to hope she had more sense than it seemed he did, because he doubted there was any fucking way he could resist her.
* * **
Daniel went over the list with the other two alphas a few times until they’d all agreed, which wasn’t something that was always easy for alphas.
They tended to like to get their own way, and even when they were a group, even when they didn’t get jealous, when they were closer than brothers, they still wanted to win.
However, after some push and pull, they’d come up with a general idea of expectations for Alison.
They’d decided to give it to Daniel to deliver.
