“Good boy,” I hear from behind as Arnie’s breath tickles my ear. I lean back against his leg, taking a moment to take in what just happened.
“No coming. Take Jamie to wash up, and then you both may watch a movie in the guest room, then straight to bed. No more messing around apart from kissing, okay?”
I glance over at Simmons as he gives us his instructions. Not surprised to find the look of love for his sub in his eyes as he gazes at him, his hand cupping Freddie’s face. Freddie mirroring Simmons’ look.
Chapter 42
Arnie
“That was hot.”
“Yes, it was. Think next time we can take part more than just getting off while we watch the hottest live sex show I’ve ever been present for?”
I chew my cheek as I think about it. My pinched brow must give Simmons the wrong impression, as he puts both hands up in surrender.
“Calm down. I’m not thinking that. It was hot, but let’s just take this for what it was which was fun. Then, once we are no longer post-20 minutes from a 3-way orgasm, we can discuss a next time?”
Simmons snorts but nods in agreement. Always one to get ahead of himself. Although why he still hasn’t confessed his obvious feelings for Freddie, I’ve no idea.
“I didn’t take you for a commitment-phobe,” I say before I can catch myself.
Turning from the sink in the kitchen where he was rinsing out the glasses from the water we all had before the boys headed to the guest room, he replies, “Well, you would guess right, my friend," without looking at me. He flings the tea towel into a wash basket by the laundry door and heads back to the library, where I follow suit.
We hear laughter from upstairs as we walk through and take our seats again. It makes me smile. All I wanted was for Jamie tobe happy. I guess, from what happened, that he was content in making this something we both did together in a dynamic with friends. Not something we did with strangers, and I couldn’t agree more.
Sharing Jamie, if that’s what you want to call it, was something special. To witness him take his pleasure from another while allowing us to be present was a treasure. Also, it helped that the boys were completely hot together.
But it seemed Jamie had found a friendship in this kinky world we were navigating together, and that made my soul sing. He’d never shied away from his insecurities with me, and not keeping friends out of fear of abandonment had been one he had told me about more than once.
I just hope Freddie was as good a friend as Jamie will be to him. But something tells me I have nothing to worry about. At least at keeping Jamie on his toes, anyway.
Simmons and I settle back down; sleepy piano music plays on the TV as the ambient light soothes me, and I relax into a single armchair by the window. Simmons pours us both a scotch, and he hands one over on his way to his favourite spot on the couch.
“Want to tell me more?”
A squeak from the couch tells me Simmons is wriggling about, and I turn away from my view out the window to see him cursing before shaking his head.
“I think I love him, but it’s complicated,” he confesses to me. His elbows are on his knees; his hands rifled through his usually well-kept hair.
“And he doesn’t love you?”
“I have no fucking idea. I don’t keep subs Arnie, you know that. Freddie is even worse than me. I’m his longest-kept Dom, and it’s been less than a year. I would rather not tie him down. Our agreement for this never included feelings.”
“Yeah, well, things change. Contracts change. Look at me. For God’s sake, you’re the one who sent Jamie into my path. You knew he was going to be more than a sub who needed tutoring when you met him. So why can’t you talk to Freddie, tell him you want more?”
He huffs out a sigh and leans back to neck his drink, his head rests on the back of the leather sofa.
“Because. Freddie is hyper-independent. I have nothing against that; you of all people should know that. But he loves his job; he loves being free to go where he wants, with whom he wants. Hell, half his clients pay him thousands just to enjoy his company on their yachts. How can I ask him to be exclusive with me when all I can offer him is a kinky lifestyle in a little city with a boring old professor?”
Fuck. I couldn’t answer that for Simmons. It was so much more complicated than I could have thought.
“Maybe, just tell him that?”
“Ugh. I don’t know. Maybe it’ll pass. It might not be love, you know? Maybe my feelings are those of someone who’s just kept the same sub for too long.”
“Don’t be so dismissive of your feelings here. You deserve happiness too. Even if Freddie can’t give you that, he deserves to know how you feel.”
“Fuck, I know you’re right. I’ll speak to him, just not tonight,” he says as the corners of his lips fall towards the floor.
