“We also discovered,” Ethan added, “that he tends to have a bad habit of topping from the bottom.”
Chloé frowned. “Meaning?”
“I would try to get my way more often than I should’ve.”
Ethan eyed Zayne, a genuine smile curving his lips. “That’s a polite way of putting it. But once I understood what he needed, we were able to accommodate his rebellious streak.”
“Now who’s being polite?” Zayne nipped at her ear. “He usually calls it my fuck you streak, because I’d fight not only him but myself in submitting, until I learned the ultimate power in letting go. You see, I like to give as much as I like to receive.”
Wow. She never would’ve guessed that until she’d seen it tonight with her own eyes. Zayne was such a force, an intimidating and powerful man. He had muscles for days and could wield a rope better than anyone she knew. But tonight, she’d seen a whole other side of him. A beautiful, compliant, willing side that did Ethan’s bidding in a way that made her want to live up to it.
Zayne was an enigma, just like the man at the other end of the tub, and suddenly she wanted to learn everything she could about them.
“BUT ONLY WITH Ethan?” she asked.
Zayne looked over at his master, lover, best friend in the whole fucking world, and nodded. “Yeah, he owns me.”
The affection in Ethan’s eyes made Zayne’s heart thump a little harder, but that was nothing new. It had been that way from the moment they met. A racing pulse, fire in the veins, the insistent urge to get closer—and be closer—to the quiet boy who watched him from across the room.
But now that he understood and embraced what those feelings meant, the sense of fulfillment and belonging he got from Ethan’s attention only strengthened their bond.
“A responsibility I take extremely seriously,” Ethan said. “Nothing is more important to me than Zayne’s well-being. He belongs to me, and I will always do whatever needs to be done to look after him.”
Chloé nodded as though she understood, and considering she was so new to this, it amazed Zayne how easily she’d adapted to the dynamic of him and Ethan together—not to mention being added as their third.
It wasn’t always as easy as a person thought. Sure, the idea of being in a threesome might be appealing and a little bit naughty. But once they got to the actual act, sometimes things changed, emotions got in the way.
Not with Chloé, though. She fit in with them as though it was natural as breathing. Even now, when they were discussing the personal nature of their relationship, she didn’t seem uncomfortable in any way.
There was no kind of jealousy there.
“Do you have any other questions about what happened tonight, Red? Maybe something you’re curious about or that you liked?” Zayne asked.
Chloé opened her mouth to say something but quickly fell silent.
“It’s okay,” Ethan reassured her. “You can ask anything. Tonight was quite different to that first night in the apartment. It would be unusual if you didn’t have questions.”
“I do have a couple of things on my mind.”
Zayne took the sponge from the side of the bath and began to rub it lazily across her body. “Tell us, and let’s see if we can answer them for you.”
“Okay.” She took in a breath, and when the tips of her pretty breasts flirted with the water’s surface, Zayne couldn’t help himself from gently cupping and squeezing them. “When we first talked about doing this, I wasn’t sure that I’d like being told what to do.”
Ethan nodded. “We remember, don’t we, Zayne?”
Zayne chuckled and dipped one of his hands under the water across her smooth stomach, and Chloé moaned. “Definitely. Such a little wildcat.”
“Until you pet her right, then she turns into a kitten. Look at her.”
A soft little sound left her, and she hid her face in Zayne’s arm.
“Look at you being all shy.” Zayne reached for the sponge and drew it across her collarbone. “You have no reason to be embarrassed, Red. Your body and sexuality are so fucking hot it makes me hard as a damn rock. You feel it, right?”
He pushed his hips up, and Chloé nodded.
“That should be impossible after what he just did to it.”
“Careful,” Ethan warned. “Or I might do it again, and make it last longer this time.”
Zayne winked at him, and Ethan’s eyes narrowed, before shifting back to Chloé. “You were saying?”
“Just that—I guess I didn’t realize how much I’d like being ordered around.”
“But you did—like it, that is?”
“Yes. God, yes. I also liked when you, um…”
“You can say it.”
“When you whipped him.” She paused and looked back at Zayne. “It looked like you…liked it?”
“I did. I fucking love it, actually,” Zayne replied.
Chloé bit down into her lip, and Zayne brought his thumb up to free it, gently rubbing the swollen flesh.
“You’re curious why.”
“I… Yes, I guess I am. Doesn’t it hurt?”
“It can, and usually does, for the first few blows. But after that, any burn or pain I feel only adds to the high of whatever else Ethan’s usually doing to me. Tonight, for example, he ticked all my boxes in giving me what I needed. I love to be restrained. I love to suck his cock. And more than anything else, I love to be watched. So when you add all that together—”
“Everything’s more intense.”
“Exactly.” He pressed a kiss to her ear and lightly pinched her nipple. “Including my orgasm, as you saw.”
Chloé let out another soft moan, and Ethan said, “Just how curious are you?”
“It turned me on to watch, but…I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m brave enough to be the one to actually be whipped.”
An immoral grin tugged at Ethan’s lips. “It doesn’t have to be a crop or a whip—even if it’s a hand, if the idea makes you wet, then you should explore it.”
“Tonight?” Chloé sounded alarmed, and Zayne couldn’t help but chuckle. The idea of a whipping was slightly alarming until you had time to wrap your head around it.
“No, not tonight, petite fille.”
“Then when?”
“I don’t know yet. But if I have your consent, I sure am going to have fun thinking about it.”
ETHAN LOOKED AT the pair lounging in the tub and wasn’t surprised that his cock had hardened. All this talk about whipping and spankings had his hand itching and his dick excited.
He’d been right—naked in a bedroom together, these two looked stunning. And here in the bathtub—after being thoroughly used—they looked languid and blissed out. Just the way he liked his subs.
Chloé was looking at him now with an expression of confused lust etched into her features. Her mouth was parted, her nipples hard, her flames of hair were piled on top of her head, and a fierce frown was pulling between her brows. But he wasn’t about to pressure her—this had to be her choice.