Nina:

A couple of days later, while we’re eating breakfast, Scott makes an appointment with Dr. Bollington’s realtor. “I don’t know how I feel about you becoming my landlord,” I tease him. “What if I’m late with my rent?”

Scott chuckles. “I never thought of the hundreds of possibilities this offers,” he says, a wicked glint in his eyes. “I think I’ll have to bend you over the bar and punish you.”

A flash of heat hits me at that idea. “Punish me?” I ask coyly as if I have no idea what Scott is talking about. Zane’s watching the two of us with a grin on his face. “What do you mean by punishment?”

Scott gets to his feet. “What do you think, Zane? This kitchen island looks about the right height as Nina’s bar, doesn’t it? Maybe we can demonstrate.”

Zane’s grin widens. “What a good idea.” He turns to me. “You know the drill, Neen,” he says, his lips twitching. “Get naked.”

I look up. The curtains are drawn back, and anyone walking by can see us. “New Summit’s a gossipy town,” I warn.

“Fair enough.” Zane gets up and pulls them shut. He comes back with the curtain tie in his hands and an amused gleam in his eyes. “Get naked,” he repeats.

I shed my clothes promptly. I want Scott and Zane, and I refuse to pretend otherwise.

“Good girl.” Scott smiles at me. “I think I know what Zane’s planning with that tie,” he says conversationally. “Bend over the counter, Nina, and put your hands behind your back.”

I obey once again. My breasts press into the cool granite of the countertop, and the cold sends a shock through my system. Goose bumps break out on my skin. “Don’t worry, Neen,” Zane says, stroking my back, “we’ll soon warm you up.”

He holds my wrists in place and ties them together with the curtain cord. When he’s done, I test the bonds to see how easily I’ll be able to get out of them, and the answer is, not easily at all. Yet I’m not the slightest bit worried. Zane, Scott, and I did plenty of kinky stuff during our time together, and they never once made me feel unsafe. I can trust them implicitly.

“Now that we have you where we want you,” Scott teases, “I guess we should discuss the matter of your rent, Ms. Templeton.”

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Leyland,” I say, trying to sound like a tenant whose landlord has come to collect rent that she doesn’t have. “I’ll have the money for you soon, I promise.”

Zane looms in front of me, and he fixes me with a stern glare. “That’s what you said last month, and the month before, honey. And you know where I saw you yesterday? At the mall. Did you buy anything there?”

Role plays are the best. I bite back my smile and sound contrite. “Just a pair of shoes, sir.”

Scott chuckles. “Sir. I like the sound of that.”

I roll my eyes. “Of course you do,” I snark, forgetting my role for a second.

Smack. Scott’s palm connects with my ass in a smarting blow. I turn to look at him and find his eyes twinkling at me. “Given your current situation, Ms. Templeton,” he says sternly, “I don’t think sarcasm will serve you well.”

The sting is gone, leaving pure warmth behind.

“Is that so?” I ask him insolently. “I think sarcasm improves every situation.”

Zane moves behind me and takes a turn spanking me. At the same time, he nudges his foot between my ankles. “Spread them,” he orders. “If you don’t have cash for rent, Ms. Templeton, perhaps we can come to other arrangements.”

I’m about to enthusiastically vote in favor of other arrangements when my phone rings. It’s on the coffee table. “Can you see who it is?” I ask them. “Just in case it’s the bar?”

Zane crosses over and looks down. “It’s your father,” he says.

What frustrating timing. My dad and I have been playing phone tag for the last twenty-four hours. I want to tell him that Scott’s buying my building. I’m not going to hide the truth from my father; I’d much rather everything was out in the open. “I’ll call him back in a few minutes,” I murmur.

Scott smirks wickedly. “You shouldn’t ignore your father’s calls, Nina,” he says. He picks up the phone and brings it over to the counter. Swiping the Talk button, he puts the call on speakerphone.

“Hello Nina,” my dad says, his voice loud in the quiet room. “You left a message saying you needed to talk to me?”

I am going to kill them both. Zane, for tying up my hands so I can’t end this phone call, and Scott, for answering it.

“Hi, dad.” It takes conscious effort to keep my voice calm and level because Zane is running his hands all over my ass. Then he reaches between my legs and slides a finger into my pussy, and I have to choke back a startled gasp.

With difficulty, I drag my attention back to my phone. “I did want to talk to you.” I take a deep breath. “Scott is going to buy Bollington’s building,” I tell my father. “And Scott, Zane and I are dating again.”

There’s absolute silence on the other end of the line. Wonderful.

“I know you don’t approve of Zane and Scott,” I say in a rush. Part of me doesn’t want the two guys to listen to this conversation, but then again, nothing I’m saying is news to them.

“I don’t disapprove of Scott and Zane,” my father cuts in. “What gave you that idea?”

“Umm, everything you’ve ever said?” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Scott opening another package, his lips curled into a wicked smile, and I shake my head at him. I will kill you, I mouth, but he grins and pretends not to understand me. Instead, he pushes something that feels like an egg into my pussy, and when it’s seated in me, it starts to vibrate.

I inhale sharply, forgetting for a split-second that I’m trying to keep silent. When I remember, I try and convert it into a cough.

“Are you busy, Nina? You sound distracted.”

Zane and Scott are struggling not to laugh at my predicament. “I just saw an ant,” I blurt out, saying the first thing that comes to my mind. “I’m wondering if there’s a colony somewhere.”

“You saw an ant?” My father sounds skeptical. “In winter?”

I’m a terrible liar. “I know. Weird, right?”

“Very,” he says. I’m fairly sure he doesn’t believe a word of my story. “Returning to our earlier conversation, Nina, you misunderstand me.”

“In what way?” The egg is buzzing in my pussy, and I want to sink into the vibrations and allow myself to float away on a cloud of desire. What my dad’s saying is important, damn it. I glare at Scott and Zane. Payback will be a bitch, my friends. Just let me get untied.

“I didn’t like the nomadic lifestyle that you led,” my father clarifies. “And it was difficult for me to deal with the fact that your relationship was so outside the mainstream. But beyond that, I have nothing against Zane and Scott. They always struck me as polite, well-mannered young men.

‘Polite, well-mannered young men’ is my dad’s version of a glowing compliment. He’ll be awarding them the Nobel prize next.

“Oh.” The egg’s vibrations kick up a notch, and once again, I have to fight through the waves of pleasure and focus on my conversation. “Well, I’m going to keep seeing them, but you’ll be happy to know that they won’t be touring as much.”

“That’s good to hear.” My dad clears his throat. “I just want you to be happy, Nina. If that’s with Scott and Zane, so be it.” His voice turns brisk. “Joanne has always wanted to meet the two of them. Perhaps the three of you can come to lunch one day.”

“Sure.” We say our goodbyes and my father hangs up.

Once I’m certain the line is dead, I give them a death stare. “Untie me, you jerks so that I can strangle you. Seriously, a vibrator in my pussy while I’m talking to my father?”

Zane chuckles. “You were miserable the last time you talked to him,” he points out. “Don’t you think this is an improvement?”

“Besides,” Scott adds, “we heard your father. We’re polite and well-mannered, Nina. Not jerks.” He unties my wrists and massages the stiffness from my shoulders. Pulling me against him, he whispers in my ear. “Want to continue this conversation upstairs?”

I can feel his thick erection against my ass. “Finally, something I agree with.” I wriggle against him, and he inhales sharply. “How exactly do I pay three months back rent?”

“Head upstairs, Ms. Templeton,” Zane answers, “and you’ll find out.”

Everything’s great. We’re together, and we’re happy. I don’t have to choose between Scott and Zane and the Merry Cockatoo. I should be thrilled.

Yet in the deepest, darkest part of my heart, there’s still a tiny trace of fear. This feels like a really great dream. But sooner or later, I’m going to wake up.