CHAPTER TEN
Joanie
I was confused, my thoughts swirling.
So mixed up that I ran.
Because there was something in the air, but it had nothing to do with me.
Or it did, but I wasn’t the cause?
I’m not sure how to explain.
All I know is that when Nick and I got back from our sightseeing, the twins were there. Waiting. Looming. And angry as fuck.
They practically assaulted Nick, pushing him against the wall while balling their fists. I was on the verge of calling the concierge, a doorman, or even 9-1-1 when their gazes flew to me.
“Take it off,” Aaron rasped. “Take it off and let us see.”
What?
They wanted to see if Nick and I had gotten it on?
Why would it matter? I was here to serve all of them.
But evidently, the alphas are real territorial, and they don’t share well. Supposedly, the “extra” day off that Nick told me was okay, wasn’t okay at all. The twins were livid that I wasn’t in Atlanta with them at that moment, enjoying myself on their dime.
And there was no way to deny it.
Because once the sweatpants came off, it was obvious.
My ass was leaking cum still. Rivulets ran down my thighs, my bottom hole still sore and achy.
But it just amped the twins up even more. They were on me in a moment, devouring my bottom, determined to get their loads in as well.
And I loved it.
Absolutely welcomed it.
If this was the only way to soothe my men, then I was gonna let them, no questions asked.
So my little asshole was pummeled twice more, by two gorgeous, dominating twins who crammed my bottom full with twenty inches of hard fuckshaft.
Oh god.
It was so good.
Even now, the semen’s still spilling down my leg, my rim sticky and tacky.
But the boys don’t know where I am. Because I left Nick’s penthouse in the middle of the night, stealing away as everyone else slept.
I’m confused.
I’m supposed to service six men, I get it.
But at the same time, the situation was spinning out of control. The men were fighting over me. Threatening one another with promises of death and destruction.
This isn’t what I want.
I’m not sure what I want, but not this.
So how’s it gonna work? Aaron, Andrew and Nick were half the party. There was still Tom, Damien and Charlie. Things could only go downhill.
So I snuck out, taking just my few meager belonging, and I’m at my friend Karen’s dorm now.
Yep, dorm. Not apartment, but the Hudson University dorms.
Because I haven’t seen Karen in about four years. We were best friends in middle school, but then her family up and left for the City. We stayed in touch via email and text, but I haven’t actually seen Karen in a while.
So I was relieved when she picked up.
“Joanie?” her familiar voice rang out over the phone. “It’s three a.m. What’s going on?”
Good thing college students stay up late because there was pounding music in the background and Karen sounded wide awake.
“I’m good,” came my trembling voice. “This is weird, I know,” came my rushed voice. “But can I come stay with you?”
“Now?” Karen asked dumbfounded. “Like tonight? I didn’t even know you were in the city.”
I nodded miserably.
“I am,” came my whisper. “And my housing fell through. I don’t mind sleeping on your floor. Please, Karen?”
And my middle school buddy came through for me.
“Of course,” she said. “I’m at the Zapata dorms, on Thirteenth and Second. Know where that is? Room 501 like Levi’s 501s.”
I nodded gratefully.
“Thank you,” was my choked voice. “I’ll be there soon.”
And with that, I crept out of Nick’s apartment. It was tough. These billionaires meant so much to me now. But I’d just witnessed a massive fight, almost resulting in bloodshed. With six of them, how would we manage?
So clicking the door shut behind me, I took the high-speed elevator down, getting onto the NYC subway. The trains trundled on their tracks, fluorescent lighting making all the passengers look gaunt and ghost-like.
But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was clearing my head.
And knocking on Room 501, Karen answered immediately.
“Joanie!” she said, sweeping me into a hug. “How are you? This is unexpected.”
I had to say the same. Again, I haven’t seen my friend in about four years, and she’d changed a lot. Instead of the little girl with braces and spunky red hair, that hair was now dyed black. Like goth black. And even though it was three in the morning, Karen had a full face of make-up including deep brown lipstick and painfully stenciled eyebrows.
But her voice was the same, as well as the welcoming look in her eyes.
“I haven’t seen you in forever!” she exclaimed, pulling me into her room to sit on the narrow twin bed. “What’s going on?”
I looked at her tearfully, my gaze grateful.
“Thank you so much for letting me stay here,” I said in a whisper. “I know this is unexpected.”
“It is,” she nodded. “But still. Best buds forever right? BFF, girl!”
And I laughed a little then, the sound a little strangled. But all the same, I was grateful to be here.
“Thanks Kar,” I murmured, wiping a little at my eyes. “I really appreciate it.”
She shook her head once more.
“Seriously girl, it’s no big deal. Everyone has emergencies.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, I’m so sorry I haven’t had time to come down to Manhattan,” I said apologetically. “But work has just spiraled out of control and ….”
Karen cut me off.
“This is about work?” she said disbelievingly. “Joanie, it’s Tuesday night! You’re worrying about work? I mean, I get it. Everyone in this city slaves away, but still,” she said, shaking her head while clucking like a hen. “It can’t be that bad. Remember, you can always find a new job.”
And I let out another choked laugh then.
“I could, but what if I told you that my job is borderline illegal? That I’m not sure how they get away with it?”
Karen’s eyes grew wide then, her lashes like big, gummy spiders.
“Get away with what? Oh my god, are you dealing pot? E? K? It’s not that big of deal,” she said solemnly, eyes serious. “Lots of kids here do it.”
What? No! Why would she think I was a budding drug dealer? Maybe the kids at Hudson were selling narcotics, but I’d never consider doing anything like that.
“No Kar,” I said, biting my lip. Somehow, I knew it was okay to tell the truth, even if reality was scandalous. We’ve been through a lot together, even as young girls. Her parents had divorced in seventh grade, and I’d stood by her side. My great-aunt Millie passed away, and Karen had let me cry on her shoulder, even doing my homework when I too much a mess.
So I tried again.
“Kar,” I said slowly. “I work for a private airline. One where there are only male passengers.”
She shot me a long look.
“Really?” she asked, brows scrunched. “What kind of gig is that?”
“I signed up a career fair believe it or not,” was my admission. “Elite Air seemed like any other job, except better. I’d only have to fly short legs between cities in the U.S., so it was a dream come true what with the generous salary and benefits.”
Karen looked puzzled still.
“Okay, but still. Why are there only male passengers?”
Here, I took a deep breath.
“It turns out that there are six guys who founded the company. They’re CEOs who travel a lot, so they figured using their own private jet would be more relaxing. So there are only six male passengers.”
Karen’s face relaxed then.
“Oh okay, that makes a lot more sense. I thought you were going to launch into this whole gender discrimination thing. But no, if it’s the six guys who own the company, then that makes sense.”
I nodded hesitantly.
“But there’s more Kar. I’m more than a flight attendant.”
Her nose wrinkled.
“Totally get it,” she said, waving a hand in the air. “The way corporate America is these days is completely shameless. They expect their workers to be everything and anything, from janitor to handyman to secretary, you name it. Of course you’re not just the stewardess,” she said sympathetically. “Are you the cleaning staff and the chef too? You have a ton of “extra” responsibilities that they play off as “part of the job,” right?”
I nodded again slowly.
“Yes, to an extent,” were my hesitant words. “I do have a ton of extra responsibilities, but it’s not cleaning or cooking.”
Karen scrunched her nose.
“Then what could it be? Do they expect you to fly the plane as well? That’s bullshit Joanie, you have to call them out on that.”
I took a deep breath.
“It’s not flying the plane, Kar. No, it’s that … I make love with them. With the six men, I mean,” came my stammer. “When we’re up in the air.”
For once, my chatty friend had no words. She gulped, eyes wide and staring.
“Wha--?” was her slow exclamation. “Are you --? No way, girl. That can’t be true.”
I nodded miserably again.
“It kind of just happened,” I said sorrowfully. “I did it with one, and then another, and pretty soon, it was all six of them.”
She cut me off again.
“You don’t mean six at once, do you? Just one at a time, right? You know, like in a line.”
My eyes looked down, afraid to face her judgment.
“No, I do mean six at once,” I whispered. “It just happened, kinda sorta. But it felt really good!” my voice rose a little then, eyes pleading. “It’s not bad. In fact, it’s really good, please don’t judge.”
My voice broke then. I understood how ridiculous this sounded. I was admitting that I was sleeping with six men, and not only that, but enjoying it too.
“It’s not so bad,” I said, my tone stronger this time. “I like it,” was my admission, “and that’s why I’m in New York right now. Because one of the guys has a penthouse in Manhattan, so I was staying there.”
Karen’s eyes narrowed.
“So what went wrong?” she asked slowly. “If you like it so much, and this is what the guys want from you, then what went wrong?”
Okay, this was the hard part.
“Me and one of the guys went out for the day, and two of the alphas were waiting for us upon return. They were jealous. Real jealous, like got into a fight in the hallway jealous. I thought I was gonna have to call 9-1-1,” I confessed in a shameful whisper.
But Karen didn’t think this was embarrassing at all. Instead, she tilted her head back and laughed, her tongue ring glinting under the fluorescent light.
“So? They like you, sweetheart. They think you’re sexy. You’ve got a pack of men fighting over you, and you’re upset about that?”
I sat there stunned.
“Well, yes, kinda sorta. Because it’s not cool,” I said slowly. “I don’t like fighting. I don’t like war. I like peace and harmony, and this was only three of them. What happens when all six fight? How are we gonna work it out?”
Karen eyed me, a little skeptical.
“Yeah, but isn’t that their problem? Why is it so upsetting to you?”
I took a deep breath. Why? I guess because I’m just me, and tension in the air makes me nervous. It makes me jittery and unstable, and I hated feeling like Helen of Troy. I hated knowing that nations were going to war because of me. This isn’t what I wanted at all.
“I guess I’m just a peaceful person,” I mumbled, looking down at my hands once more. “I guess it makes me upset and uncomfortable. I want everyone to be happy, and that wasn’t the situation tonight.”
Karen took my shoulders then, turning me so that we faced each other on the narrow bed.
“Joanie, I haven’t seen you in a long time,” she said firmly. “But you’ve gotta buck up! I’m not saying this situation is ideal. No one wants to be in the middle of a mess. No one wants to cause a mess either. But at the same time, how old are these guys? If they’re CEOs, they can’t be that young, right? They’ll find some way to work it out, you don’t need to get involved.”
I shook my head hopelessly.
“But I feel like I am already. If I wasn’t there, then they wouldn’t be brawling and ready to draw blood.”
She nodded thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I think it can feel like that sometimes. It’s human nature after all,” she said with a wry smile. “It’s human nature to think we’re the center of the universe, and in your case, that’s especially true. But try to step outside of yourself for a moment, and just take a deep breath. Do you really think these guys can’t work it out? They’ve lived decades more than you, honey. These guys know how to grease the wheels, they know how to make things work. You don’t need to worry.”
And I stared at my hands, still contemplating.
“Maybe,” was my small voice. “But even if they weren’t fighting, don’t you think it’s weird? Don’t you think it’s weird that I’m with six men?”
Karen was silent for a moment, black hair absorbing all the light. Wow, her dye job was intense, the strands like sooty charcoal without any shiny glints whatsoever.
“I do,” my friend began slowly. “But it doesn’t matter what I think. There are so many ways to live life, and I’ve learned not to judge.”
I sat back, staring at her unblinking.
“Really?” came my croaky voice. “You’re okay with it?”
Karen was silent for a moment, staring at the bedspread before looking back up at me.
“Joanie,” she said slowly. “I’ve learned that you have to live life out loud, and if you’re in love with six men, then it’s fine. Love is love, and we all have our secrets.” She took a deep breath before looking me straight in the eye, gaze unwavering. “Do you know why my dad moved me to the city in the middle of eighth grade?”
I nodded, confused.
“Yeah, because he got a job in Manhattan, right? And your parents divorced too. At least that’s what I always thought. Why, was there something else?”
Karen nodded then.
“My dad did get a job with a shop here,” she said slowly. “But it’s more than that. I came out to my parents, and they wanted me to be in a safer environment. Where we’re from, people aren’t so nice when they find out you’re gay. It’s not that they’re mean, they just don’t want to be friends anymore. So my dad moved us to the East Village, figuring that the boho crowd wouldn’t care.”
I stared.
“You-you’re gay?” I stammered. “You mean, like lesbian?”
Karen nodded slowly, eyes flickering a little.
“I am,” she confirmed in a soft voice. “I’ve been lesbian since I was a little girl. I always knew, even when I was small. I hope you don’t mind Joanie. I hope this doesn’t change our friendship.”
I stared at my buddy with new eyes. This conversation was insane. We’d started talking about my love affair with six men, and now Karen was coming out of the closet? How did this conversation make any sense? How was Karen a lesbian anyways? Because never would I have suspected. There were times when we hung out in my room, listening to boy bands while cooing over pictures of Justin Bieber. So this was unexpected for sure.
But friends are friends, and it doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, black, white, or covered in polka dots. All that mattered was our relationship, and Karen had my back no matter what. The same way that I had hers.
I grabbed her hand tightly, our fingers interlaced.
“I guess I’m not the only one with secrets, huh?” came my croaky voice. “We both turned out different than expected.”
Karen gripped my fingers just as tight.
“We turned out different,” she affirmed. “But better in the end.”
And with that, the two of us began to laugh and cry at once. Because life’s not simple. It’s not straightforward. It’s not a smooth path without any bumps. Instead, this wonderful thing called living is an adventure, with dozens of left turns and loopy curves.
And right now, we were walking it as best we could. Karen had come out of the closet, a goth lesbian majoring in gender studies at Hudson. And I was a flight attendant, working for a scandalous airline servicing six men.
But one thing we both know is never to judge. Because life is short, while love is long. Why waste time when you only have limited time on this Earth? And laughing and crying once more, we embraced. Nothing seemed so difficult now. It was four a.m., and bright and early tomorrow, I’d make my way back to Nick’s penthouse with a fresh perspective and a load off my shoulders.
Karen sniffled a little, holding out a pinkie. Her mascara had run, making my buddy look even more like a ghoul, but it was still my bestie under there.
“Friends forever?” she asked, voice quavering a little.
“Forever,” I affirmed, locking digits with her. And my mind swooped and whirled, even as we traded watery smiles. Because there are good people in this world. My buddy proved that now. And Aaron, Andrew, Charlie, Damien, Nick and Tom were good people as well. I knew in my heart of hearts that the alphas wanted to do right by me. Not just with the generous salary and benefits, but that they truly wanted to take care of me.
So tomorrow, I’d go back. I’d tell my billionaires that we’d work it out. That didn’t mean no more arguing, but it did mean we’d establish boundaries, whether far or near. What those parameters were exactly, I wasn’t sure … but we’d figure it out together.