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“Of course. You don’t have to ask.”
“Cool!” He smiled and darted off.
I returned my cookie to the plate, not in the mood, and pressed the Netflix button on the remote.
I was halfway through the list of dramas when Archie reemerged from the bathroom, and he wasn’t alone. Master Greer was on his phone, and the look he sent me had me sitting ramrod straight in my seat. It was worry and sympathy and…something else.
“He’s…” He sighed and disappeared into his and Archie’s bedroom.
Goddammit!
He’s, what? Was he talking to Lucian? Were they talking about me?
Archie reentered the living room, and he righted his clothes and sat down on the couch.
“Is he talking to Master?” I had to ask.
He nodded slightly. “Yeah, he called.”
I swallowed hard.
God, I wanted to listen in so bad. Nerves tightened in my stomach, and I felt closer to him at the same time as he’d never felt so far away. I mean, I could barge into their bedroom right now, rip the phone from Master Greer’s hand, and hear my Owner’s voice. And then what? I’d cry my eyes out. My anger would come out. I’d sob how much I missed him.
Nobody needed tickets to that freak show.
“I can tell you’re impatient to watch a movie, so I’ll go ahead and pick something quick.” Archie sent me a knowing little grin and took the remote from me.
I managed a croaked, “Heh.”
Corey returned to us, skipping in his pajamas—a onesie with a bunch of…fighter jets on it?
“I thought frogs were your thing,” I said.
He grinned and jumped up to sit next to Archie. “Kit and I traded.”
Oh. I should’ve guessed.
“Are you dating?” I wondered.
Corey scrunched his nose and hesitated, then shook his head. “No, that’s not the word. We’re each other’s crushes! We have a playtime dynamic.”
“They’re adorable together.” Archie smiled.
I wouldn’t know. But they had epic banter going on online, and I’d heard a lot about their arrangement. Corey made Kit bolder, and Kit sometimes helped Corey think twice before speaking. Before bratting off, more accurately.
It didn’t always work.
They were living proof that relationships changed over time—and they could still thrive. New rules and boundaries had been decided; Kit, Colt, and Mr. West could find playtime freedom in a restricted space with people they trusted, considering neither of them was into traditionally open dynamics.
They were similar to Master and me in that regard. We considered ourselves close to monogamous, with KC and Noa as the only exceptions. Kit and his Daddies were the same. Their one exception was Master Greer’s family. But even there, they had limits.
Lucian and I faced changes too. I only hoped our boundaries would remain the same, because I didn’t want to share him with anyone outside our foursome.
I chewed on my lip and flicked a glance at the TV.
On the other hand, that was probably the least of our worries. Lucian had never indicated he wanted to explore with anyone else. Our changes would likely be about trust and…I didn’t know. Somehow restricting our play? We kind of had to, didn’t we? My heart couldn’t take a twenty-four-seven total power exchange when I was constantly afraid my Owner was going to drop from a heart attack.
My eyes smarted for the millionth time today, and I clenched my jaw and swallowed hard. Blurry gaze fixed on the screen, I did my best to get my shit together, but I was just getting worse. Everything felt so damn hopeless, and no solution was permanent or long-lasting. Because, yeah, sure, I could ease off a bit. Maybe Master and I didn’t play as intensely anymore, and I would…miss it. Crave it. So would he. Maybe he would be like, “We’ll be careful, slave. You can trust me.” And I would hesitate, knowing what was smarter, knowing that I shouldn’t, and risking it all. At some point, I’d get hurt. The rift was already there, and it would continue to grow.
