One Ring (Suncoast Society #28)(18)

She went quiet for a moment. “Can I ask you guys something?”

“Sure.” He really liked Mel, and not just as a play partner. She was smart, fun to talk to, and funny.

“I joined FetLife this week, right? To get in touch with people. And I’m getting creeped on already and I haven’t even been a member for four days. I saw there are options for like ‘under protection’ and stuff. Would it be okay if I put something like that on my profile and listed you two?”

Don nearly ran into the back of the car in front of them, who’d stopped to avoid running a stale yellow light.

“Absolutely,” he said. His eyes widened as he looked over at Carl, whose eyes were also wide.

Maybe we should buy a lotto ticket before going home, too.

“Cool, thank you. I really appreciate that.”

He stared at Carl, who stared back at him.





Holy mother of farking what the hell?

Carl couldn’t believe this. A woman he was attracted to was seriously considering moving in with them and had asked if she could list them on her FetLife profile.

Um, hello, Karma? Whatever I did? Thank you!

An hour later, they were heading to the club. Yes, Mel was happy with the room. It was a little larger than the one at Derrick and Marcia’s house, and they had the pool and hot tub.

While she’d used the bathroom at the house, he and Don had stepped into the living room to talk briefly and get on the same page. Don would be lowering his rent, which wasn’t even his main concern.

He didn’t want to f*ck up their friendship over her.

“She’s not even divorced yet,” Carl said. “Let’s agree right now to keep things limited to friends and roomies and play partners until her divorce goes through.”

“You read my mind.”

They shook on it. “Let her be our submissive, eventually?” Carl asked.

“If she wants it, sure,” Don said. “I’m not going to ask her that right now, though. But I think we can have a lot of fun as play partners with her.”

“I sure hope so,” Carl said. “Because I’d really like to get to know her better.”





Chapter Eight


By the time they reached the club, Mel was wondering if she’d rushed into this. When Marcia practically tackled her at the front door and took her outside again, she knew she’d been set up.

“Well?”

Mel stared at her. “There wasn’t an electrical problem, was there?”

Marcia waved it away. “They’re nice, they’re employed, they’re single.”

“You set me up.”

“Are you complaining? You’re going to be single. You’re a hardworking, gainfully employed, non-psychotic woman who needs friends, if nothing else. Right?”

Marcia couldn’t argue with that logic. “True.”

“Okay, then. I’m tired of seeing those guys look lonely. They’re nice guys. You’re a nice woman. If something happens, great. The worst that happens is you eventually move out again once your divorce is final. Right?”

“You need to fess up to them.”

“Are we moving you tomorrow?” Marcia looked altogether too hopeful.

“Why are you so eager to get rid of me? Before, you said you were happy to have me living with you.”

“Sure, until I saw how you looked playing with them that first night. Both them, and you, looked…changed. That’s the only way I can describe it. I’ve seen them play before, and I’ve never seen them look the way they looked playing with you. It was like lightning hit all three of you. The good kind of lightning.”

The guys stepped outside. “Is everything okay, Mel?” Carl asked.

Mel crossed her arms and glared at her friend. “Tell them.”

“Fine!” Marcia turned. “Yes, I set the three of you up. Happy?”

Instead of being upset, the men laughed. “Told you,” Don said to Carl. To Marcia, he said, “You are not sneaky like Eliza and Tilly. It was all over your face. I hope you don’t play poker. Yes, we’re still happy to have her move in, but none of the three of us are going to promise you anything. You, however, have to let us live our lives. Deal?”

Marcia frowned. “This shit looks so damn easy when Tilly and Eliza do it.”

Don hugged her. “They’re a lot sneakier than you are, that’s why. And they’re both more toppy than you are.”

Marcia turned back to her. “I really do vouch for these two. Please? Just…give it a chance?”

“We’re play partners,” Don told her. “We’ve already talked about her listing an ‘under protection’ designation with us on FetLife because of creepers. But we’re adults. Let us get to know each other as friends and play partners before you and Loren start planning a damn wedding or something, all right? She might hate our guts after a month.”

“Fine,” Marcia said. “But, listen, in all seriousness, if it doesn’t work out, you can move back in with us. Promise me to give it a couple of weeks though, please?”

“Okay,” Mel said. “Deal. Just no more fiendish plots, all right?”

“Deal.”