I need to think of anything else except for the vibrator. I’m calm. Unaffected. A soft breeze wafts in from the open doors leading to the balcony on my right. The sun is going down, and it paints the sky and sea a brilliant orange-pink.
Landon finishes ordering our food. He joins me in the sitting area, taking one of the chairs across from me. “Our food should be up in twenty minutes or so.”
“Great, great.” I don’t think I’ve stopped blushing since I opened the box with the vibrator.
Luckily, Landon is barely paying attention to me.
The vibrations stop abruptly. I exhale. Okay. I got this. Seth and Damiano can torture me all they want, but I won’t break.
Something in the room buzzes. I jerk reflexively, thinking the buzzing is coming from my vibrator—but no. It’s just Landon’s phone. He chuckles at my surprised expression.
“Sprechter here. Yeah. Of course I don’t mind.” He flips his phone toward me. “Say hi to your Doms, Madison.”
I flip all three of them off—Landon, Damiano, and Seth.
Immediately, the vibrator starts up at an almost painfully high speed. I yelp and clench my thighs together.
“Sorry, sorry,” I gasp.
“Sorry…?” Seth prompts.
“Sorry, Sirs.”
The vibration eases.
Shit. They’re really eager to dole out the consequences.
“Can you set the phone up so we can see her better?” Seth asks over the call.
“No problem.” Landon grabs a vase of tropical flowers on the coffee table and scoots it to the center. He sets up his phone so I can see Damiano and Seth, and they can see me. For his own part, he returns to his armchair and picks up a book he’d purchased at the airport when we first arrived in Mexico.
“Bella.” Damiano’s voice is full of affection, with a touch of censure. “That’s a beautiful dress you have on.”
“Thank you.” I’m not sure what else to say, so I settle for honesty. “I’m still mad at you, but I miss you.”
“We miss you, too.” Seth’s voice is soft, his hazel eyes deep with understanding.
“But ignoring your Doms isn’t polite,” Damiano adds.
I frown and flick my gaze toward Landon. Should we talk about them being my Doms in front of him? He’s seemingly immersed in his book, but I haven’t noticed him turning any pages.
“Do you think we would talk openly about this if we couldn’t trust Landon?” Seth asks.
They wouldn’t do anything to endanger me, I realize. Every choice they’ve made over the time I’ve known them, has been with my safety in mind. That’s the whole reason I’m in this country. They want me to be safe.
“I understand.” I understand everything they’re telling me. “I’m sorry for being angry, for not trusting you.”
“You don’t need to apologize for your feelings.” Damiano’s eyes drink me in through the screen. “We all have feelings, and we have them for a reason. But please, allow us to talk with you and interact with you. Take some time if you need it, but do not shut us out of your life. These past three days have been very difficult, not being able to communicate fully with you.”
My heart thuds, regretful and heavy in my chest. I punished them. For protecting me.
“Madison,” Seth says softly, “we love you. Never forget that, okay?”
I nod.
“That said,” he continues, “how would you evaluate your own recent behavior?”
I roll my lips between my teeth. I’ve been rude and bratty, and while I crave redemption, I don’t want to admit my misbehavior out loud.
