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Jax catches the expression flashing across my features. He steps toward me. He lifts a large hand and cups my cheek. I lean into his warm palm instantly, my eyelids fluttering shut.

“You remain my favorite,” Jax murmurs. He pitches his voice to carry across the room, ensuring Ari hears every syllable. “My first. My best. Do not forget your place.”

The validation washes over me. The reassurance extinguishes the jealousy burning in my throat. I am special. I hold the primary spot in his world. I open my eyes. Ari watches us. A complex storm of horror and buried fascination swirls in his green irises.

Jax drops his hand from my face. He turns to the operative.

“Come here.”

Ari hesitates for a fraction of a second. The defiance flickers in his eyes, then dies. He crosses the rug with dragging steps. Jax reaches out and grips the back of Ari’s neck. The hold is firm. Unyielding.

“Tonight you learn what belonging to me entails,” Jax states. “Both of you. Together. You will discover the exact dynamic where you find your true purpose.” Jax releases the grip and steps back. He steps back so he can see us both. “Undress each other. Take your time. I want to watch.”

I move without a second thought. I step toward Ari. My hands lift, eager to fulfill the instruction.

Ari freezes. A violent conflict wars across his exhausted features. He clenches his jaw. He refuses to lift his arms.

“Remember the rules, Ari.” Jax keeps his tone conversational, devoid of any anger. “Your defiance brings consequences for Liv. Does your pride outweigh her punishment?”

The threat shatters the last remnants of his resistance. Ari’s shoulders sag. He lifts his shaking hands and grips the hem of my silk nightgown. He pulls the fabric over my head. The cool air hits my bare skin. I stand entirely naked under the harsh glow of the overhead lights. Shame vanished weeks ago. I feel no modesty in front of the operative. I only feel the burning heat of Jax’s gaze tracking over the curves of my hips and the bruises on my collarbone.

I reach for the waistband of Ari’s sweatpants. His muscles lock under my fingertips. He hates this forced intimacy. The humiliation radiates off his skin in waves. He refuses to meet my gaze, keeping his eyes fixed on the wall behind me. He does not stop my hands. He lets me push the fabric down his hips. I step back. We stand bare in the center of the suite.

Jax circles us. He evaluates the contrast. My eager compliance measured against Ari’s reluctant surrender.

“Beautiful,” Jax remarks, his voice a low rumble. “Two different canvases. You will learn to move together.”

Jax reaches for his own buttons. He unfastens the shirt, exposing his scarred, heavily muscled chest. He discards the garment onto the velvet chair. He unbuckles his belt. The metallic clink echoes in the silence. He steps out of his slacks and stands before us, fully aroused and demanding absolute reverence.

Jax steps into the space between us. He places his right hand on my hip and his left hand on Ari’s shoulder. He establishes absolute dominion over our bodies. I melt into his grip. Ari stays rigid but refuses to pull away.

“On the bed.” Jax points to the massive mattress. “Both of you.”

We climb onto the sheets. Jax arranges the scene to his exact specifications. He presses me flat onto my back. He nudges my knees apart, spreading my legs wide. He positions himself between my thighs. The thick, hot length of his cock brushes my entrance. I whimper. My hips jerk upward, chasing the friction, but he holds his weight back.

Jax turns his head. He addresses the operative hovering near the edge of the mattress.

“Behind me. Get on your knees.”

All the blood drains from Ari’s face. He shakes his head, backing up an inch. “No. I cannot do that.”

“You can.” Jax hardens his voice into a lethal blade. “And you will. Otherwise Liv does not eat tomorrow. Or the next day. Make your choice, Ari. Defend your pride or protect her.”

I watch the agony rip through Ari’s eyes. The rational part of my brain knows I should hate this dynamic. I should despise Jax for using my basic needs as leverage to break another human being. Instead, a desperate hope floods my veins. I pray Ari complies. I need him to give in so Jax will finally push inside me.

Ari’s resistance crumbles entirely. He crawls across the mattress on shaking limbs. He moves behind Jax. He drops to his knees. Jax reaches backward, guiding the operative with terrifying patience. The orchestration is devastating. Ari will take Jax while Jax takes me. A human chain of absolute submission binding the three of us together.

“The lubricant sits on the nightstand,” Jax instructs. “Prepare me. Do not rush.”

I watch Ari reach for the bottle. His hand trembles so violently the plastic rattles against the dark wood. The shame contorts his handsome face, but his physical arousal betrays his horror. He is fully hard. He is trapped in the same paradox I inhabit, his body responding to the dark dominance of the man controlling the room.

Ari applies the slick liquid. He positions himself. He pushes forward, breaching Jax’s entrance with a ragged, tearing breath.

Jax lets out a dark, guttural groan. The sound sends a violent shockwave of heat through my core. I have never witnessed Jax surrender even a fraction of physical control. Yet he remains the absolute master of this moment. He orchestrated the entire dynamic. He chose this vulnerability.

“Push into me,” Jax commands Ari. “Let me feel the weight.”

Ari thrusts his hips forward. The moment he does, Jax drives his own hips down. He sinks into my wet heat in one brutal, claiming strike.