Matter of Trust
Thane was lying in his own bed, grateful to be home and in charge of his recovery. It had been a gift from Durov, who had insisted that Thane get out of the hospital immediately, and then made it happen.
At the time, Thane hadn’t appreciated how right Durov was.
Despite the good care he’d received, there was nothing more healing to a man’s soul than being in his own home, surrounded by people he loved, eating food he enjoyed, in a familiar and comfortable setting.
In the short time since he’d been back at the apartment Thane was already seeing marked improvements in his mobility—aided by the nurse and therapist who worked with him daily.
Durov had only stayed with them at the apartment for a short time, preferring to move to his beach house and live with his new best friend, Little Sparrow. The pup who’d fed Durov scraps during his imprisonment in Russia, had apparently won over Durov’s heart based on what Brie had said.
It hadn’t been easy watching him leave. Both Thane and Brie had grown accustomed to his booming voice and passionate ways. However, Durov deserved to forge a life of his own if that was what he truly desired.
Still…the Russian was sorely missed.
So Thane was gratified to hear Durov’s familiar voice when he greeted Brie at the door. Soon he heard the sound of his steady stride as it echoed down the hallway toward his room.
“Moy droog, we have to get you out of this place,” Rytsar insisted as he entered the bedroom.
“I’m doing fine here.”
“Nyet. You are in sore need of fresh air and sunshine.” He looked around the room and shrugged. “This is only slightly better than the hospital.”
Brie walked into the room, having overheard their conversation. “I would enjoy soaking up some vitamin D.” She looked Thane over and added, “No offense, Sir, but you’re starting to have an almost vampirish complexion.”
Thane smirked. “Come here, snack. Let me sample that neck of yours.”
Brie leaned over and offered her throat to him, giggling when he pressed his teeth against her sensitive neck and bit down.
When he pulled away, he told Durov, “I’m sorry to say that we will have to wait to take you up on that offer. I need to stay focused on my rehabilitation. Until I’m able to get places by my own power, I am not going anywhere.”
To illustrate his limited progress, Thane positioned himself on the edge of the bed before pushing off while using a walker to steady himself. Although he was getting better, he still had a long way to go and did not have the luxury of interrupting his daily routine with a day at the beach.
Thane slowly walked out of the bedroom and headed to his desk. With great effort, he lowered himself into his chair and pushed the walker away, grateful for its stability—but resenting it just the same.
Picking up the letter from a client in Italy, he held it up to Durov. “Rather than spend time relaxing in the sun, I need to get caught up with my clients.”
Durov huffed good-naturedly. “You can work anywhere. Come join me, moy droog.”
The Russian was persuasive, and Thane considered it for a moment. “No, I can’t.”
Durov smirked, looking at Brie. “Radost moya, convince your man to come.”
Thane glanced in Brie’s direction and saw that she was staring at the envelope in his hand, a troubled expression on her face. She quickly glanced away when he caught her staring.
“Is there something wrong, Brie?”
She looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact with him when she answered. “It’s nothing, Sir.”
He reached out to her. “Tell me what you were thinking just a second ago.”
Brie moved over to him, shrugging. “Sir, I had an errant thought and do not wish to talk about it.”
“Being open with me is never a mistake,” he assured her. He placed his finger under her chin and tilted it up so he could look into her eyes. “Tell me.”
Brie shifted uncomfortably as she met his gaze. “I was wondering about the letter Lilly sent you. I remember seeing you tear up an envelope that looked like the one you are holding. You told me it was nothing, but was that untrue, Sir?”
Thane shot a glance at Durov, needing him to leave the room.
The Russian understood and announced loudly, “I will get us vodka. Call when you are ready for me to head back up.”
After he left the apartment, Thane nodded toward the couch. He made his way from the desk to the sofa and asked her to sit beside him.
“Before we discuss this any further, understand that the letter I tore up was not from her. It was exactly as I stated—a legal matter involving a client. It did not involve you.”
She lowered her eyes, blushing in shame. “I’m sorry, Sir.”
“You are right, however, that I should have spoken to you after receiving Lilly’s threat to blackmail me. I failed to appreciate the extent of her delusion and how dangerous she truly was.”
“We all did.”
He caressed her cheek. “I thought it could be handled without incident through Thompson’s legal team. There was no point in upsetting you over something so trivial. I never suspected she would be capable of taking it as far as she has. But she did, and that…” His hand dropped to his side as he looked at her with sorrow. “That is on my shoulders.”
“I don’t blame you for what happened, Sir. I just didn’t expect to be left in the dark when we promised to be open with each other.”
Thane wrapped his arms around her, his heart aching. His desire to protect her had almost cost them everything. “I failed to keep my promise to you, Brie.”
He was overcome by a sense of remorse and deep shame for breaking her trust. Thane fought the dark thoughts that hovered on the edge of his consciousness, knowing what could have happened. Keeping his voice light, he asked her, “Since rice is not an option due to my current condition, what do you deem a worthy punishment?”
She frowned. “I don’t want to punish you, Sir.”
“It is something I welcome, and is only fair, téa.” By invoking her sub name, he was stressing the importance of honoring his request.
Brie pouted her bottom lip. “But you have been through so much.”
“As have you.”
She looked at him critically. “If I must, it needs to be something you will never forget, like the rice punishment was for me.”
“Agreed.”
“But not physically taxing, as I don’t want to add more stress to your body or hinder your recovery in any way.”
Brie spent a long time thinking about it, but kept shaking her head as if she were dismissing each idea as it came. He would have found it amusing, but for the profound shame he felt.
Finally, Brie gave up in frustration. “I need more time to think about this, Sir.”
“That would probably be best, since Durov is still waiting downstairs for a call.”
Brie looked at him with alarm. “Poor Rytsar! I completely forgot about him.”
“Don’t let him know that.”
“No,” she giggled. “I won’t.”
“You should be the one to call and let him know it’s safe to return. No doubt he’s worried and will appreciate hearing from you that everything is okay.”
As she got up from the couch, Thane reached out and touched her arm. “It’s important to both of us that you choose a consequence for my breach of trust. You need the reassurance I understand my mistake, and I need a physical task to release the guilt I feel.”
“I understand, Sir. I’ve never forgotten how much I hated and appreciated the rice.” She smiled mischievously, adding, “However, I don’t think like you do. My punishment will be uncomfortable, but in a completely different way.”
Brie laughed as she picked up her cell phone to call Durov.
Thane watched her with a critical eye, still concerned.
Brie had endured the wrath of his mother, Ruth, and her attack on Brie’s film career. The girl had also suffered through his own dark demons, unleashed after his dealings with Lilly in China. Soon after that, Brie was left fighting to support him both physically and mentally because of the plane crash. At the same time, she was forced to deal with the threat of Lilly.
He’d known the day Brie offered her collar to him that he was unfit as a partner. It was the reason he’d refused initially, even though he desperately loved her.
Unfortunately, everything that had happened since then had only proved he’d been right. And, yet, Brie had remained beside him every step of the way, giving him her heart and devotion without reservation.
She was a remarkable woman—a condor in every sense of the word.
Thane thought back to that moment when he’d doubted her back when she was newly collared and they were still adjusting to their new life as D/s partners.
He’d caught Brie reading his mother’s vile note, which he had strictly forbade her from opening. The profound sense of betrayal he’d felt had been all-consuming and had almost destroyed their relationship…
“You have betrayed me on a level I’d never thought possible,” he told Brie in disbelief.
Striding over to her, Thane snatched the note, crumpling it into a ball before turning on the gas stove.
“She’ll destroy the violin!” Brie blurted.
Thane closed his eyes, hesitating for a second before tossing the paper onto the flame. As it burned, he growled darkly under his breath, turning on her.
“I commanded you not to have any contact with the beast, and yet I find you here, seeking out her correspondence behind my back. I have purposely disregarded every attempt at contact, and then you do this…?”
He could hear the desperation in her voice, but remained unmoved as she explained, “Sir, I wanted to destroy the note myself.”
“The fact that you disobeyed a direct order on something so vital speaks volumes, Miss Bennett.”
The girl whimpered and hastily explained, “Sir, your mother threatened Mary and Faelan for not delivering the message. I wanted to protect them—and you—from its contents. But before I destroyed it, I was overcome with hope that she wanted to make things right by you.”
Black rage filled his heart. “Things will never be right between us!”
Brie fell to the floor, bowing to him. “I’m sorry, Sir.”
Her pleas fell on deaf ears, his shock and disgust at her disloyalty making it impossible to deal with her fairly.
Thane asked in an icy tone, “Do you realize what you have done?”
She only shook her head, her forehead remaining pressed to the floor.
“You’ve forced me to react. Now I am obligated to liberate my father’s violin from the beast.”
The idea of having to face his mother after everything she had done to him made Thane’s insides burn with fury. But, even worse, was having to deal with the emotional betrayal of the woman kneeling before him, the woman he had entrusted his heart to.
Thane knew he had to leave Brie’s presence before he did something they would both regret.
Turning his back on her, he headed back to the bedroom to deal with the excruciating pain of the headache he was suffering from, as well as this unwanted complication.
He sat down on the bed, pressing hard against his temples, trying to alleviate the ever-mounting pressure building in his head.
“I should never have collared her,” he growled out loud.
But, damn it, I love her…
That day when Thane had told Brie that he was a condor, it wasn’t a declaration made in the moment, but a simple statement of fact. Even now, knowing she had disobeyed him on something so fundamentally crucial, he still loved her—he always would.
But how could he ever trust her again?
Thane had wanted to spare them both this emotional nightmare by refusing her collar, but Brie was so genuine in her affection. It was because of her that he had begun to believe love still existed in the world, despite seeing it decimated in his own family.
He sat there, suffering alone in the bedroom in unbearable pain.
Why, Brie? Why would you betray me like this?
Pressing harder against his temples as the pain became intense like white-hot fire, he closed his eyes, contemplating his next step.
He was a condor.
Thane would never love another. If he let Brie go now, he would be condemning himself to a life alone. He had to find a way for them to make it through this together.
He had to—there was no other option.
When Brie hung up the phone after inviting Durov to return, she looked back and caught him reminiscing about that difficult moment in their past.
“What’s wrong, Sir?”
He shook his head.
Brie immediately walked over and knelt beside him, placing her hand on his knee. “Please tell me.”
He looked at her tenderly. “I was simply remembering where we started, and appreciate how far we have come.”
She scolded him gently, “But that would not explain the expression I saw on your face.”
Thane cradled her cheek in his hand, gazing into those honey-colored eyes. “I wish being partnered with me didn’t have to be so challenging, babygirl. You deserve a carefree and stable life.”
She kissed his hand. “I’m grateful to be here with you now—after all we’ve suffered. It’s worth everything it took to get here, because it makes simple moments like these even sweeter. I’ve never looked back with regret, Sir.”
He lifted her hand to his lips. “It is an honor to love you, Mrs. Davis.”
Durov returned with two bottles of vodka. “Vodka solves everything,” he announced, grabbing two shot glasses and bringing them to the coffee table.
“Sorry, old friend. Neither Brie nor I are drinking alcohol until the baby is born.”
His jaw dropped. “What?”
“I felt it was only fair since she is abstaining.”
Durov looked at Brie. “Is he serious?
Brie smiled sympathetically and nodded.
Durov looked at the two bottles forlornly. “But I do not care to drink alone.”
Brie got up and headed into the kitchen, coming out with a carton of coconut water and another shot glass. “This is what we drink these days.”
“Let me try it.”
Brie filled each glass and winked at him as she handed out the shots to each of them.
Durov watched Brie intently as she put the glass to her lips and took a sip. He then turned to Thane. “You really drink this, moy droog?”
“Da,” Thane answered with a grin, downing the shot and placing the glass on the coffee table. He raised an eyebrow in challenge.
Durov stared at the glass in his hand suspiciously for several moments before tipping it back. He immediately sputtered—a spray of liquid escaping his lips and flying through the air. “That is revolting, comrade!”’
Brie giggled as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, a nasty expression on his face.
“Don’t ever give that to me again,” he warned them.
Thane made a mental note to surprise Durov with coconut water at some point in the future.
Brie left the room and came back with a towel. Durov took it from her, cleaning himself first before wiping the floor. “I do not know how I will get that disgusting taste out of my mouth.”
Thane opened one of his bottles of vodka and poured a small amount into Durov’s glass, swirling it to rinse it out. He poured the used liquid into his own glass before refilling Durov’s shot glass with pure vodka. “I’m sure this will help.”
Durov gladly took the shot glass and downed it, holding out the empty glass for Thane to refill. “I think two more times will do.”
Thane refilled it willingly. The look on Durov’s face when he downed the coconut water kept replaying in his mind.
“What are you smiling about, comrade?”
Thane only chuckled, steering the conversation away from the question. “Téa, would you get my belts off the nightstand?”
Brie’s eyes widened as she bowed to him before heading down the hallway to their bedroom.
“Moy droog, what are you up to?” Durov asked lustfully.
“Although I have no time for a day at the beach, I think a short break will prove refreshing for all three of us.”
Brie returned naked, holding the four leather belts that had lain on his nightstand for months, waiting for use.
Thane took the belts from her, handing three to Durov. “I always say when you can’t get drunk on vodka, get drunk on Brie.”
Durov took the belts from him and stared at her hungrily. “How should we play with her?”
“Bind her with two of the belts, and you and I will take turns teasing with her with the others.”
“Oh, I like the way you think, moy droog.”
“I do, too, Master.” Brie grinned as she shifted her gaze to the floor, waiting for their attention.
The first belt he placed over her eyes and measured the needed length before creating a new hole in the leather with the tip of a sharp blade. He placed the belt back over her eyes and cinched it tight. Grabbing the extra length and pulling on it, he forced her head back so he could kiss her on the lips.
“That was my most expensive belt,” Thane informed him as they stood, admiring his handiwork.
“You are welcome, comrade.”
“Hands to your sides, radost moya.” Durov commanded as he took the second belt and placed it just under her breasts, binding her arms against her body. He leaned forward and tweaked one nipple, telling Thane, “This way we can thoroughly enjoy those impressive breasts.”
Thane made his way over to Brie, and asked, “How do you like being blind and bound, knowing two men are about to play with you?”
“I like it very much, Master.”
“Even though we will be using belts?”
He remembered her initial aversion to them, believing belts were a form of punishment—not pleasure.
She hesitated. “I trust you with belts, Master.”
“And Durov?”
A small sigh escaped her lips.
Thane glanced over at his friend, who was grinning.
Durov leaned toward her and said in a low, sultry voice, “Radost moya, I will show you how a man loves a woman with his belt.”
Brie moaned softly.
“Guide her to the window,” Thane instructed Durov. “I want her to feel the cold chill of the glass as she presents herself to the world.”
Durov took her arm and guided her to the expansive window overlooking LA. Thane came up behind, and pressed his hand against her upper back, gently forcing her to lean forward so her breasts made contact with the cool glass. She let out a small gasp.
“Press your cheek against the window for balance, but do not let any other part of your body, including that sweet, round belly of yours, touch the glass,” he told her.
Brie adjusted herself, leaning forward, her ass now properly presenting itself—begging to be whipped.
Thane stood back, appreciating the look of his submissive. Her arms were bound to her sides with his dark brown belt, her eyes covered in black leather with the tail end trailing down her back invitingly, and those succulent breasts pressed against the window.
Brie’s bare skin beckoned to him and he nodded to Durov. “Make love to her with the belt.”
Thane headed back to the couch, needing to rest before his turn. He had no problem sitting back to observe their exchange.
Durov folded the belt in his hand into a loop. Rather than striking her with it, he let it glide over her skin as he whispered to her. Thane could see Brie physically relaxing as his friend used the belt like an extension of his body, caressing her skin with it.
“Radost moya, give into my love for you…”
He glided the belt over her legs and thighs, back and shoulders, taking special care to lightly caress her neck and lips with the leather. By the time he was finished, she had goosebumps on her skin.
Durov looked back at him, letting him know his turn had come. “Now let your man love you,” he growled.
Before he left Brie, Durov gave her a single snap of the belt on her ass.
She cried out from the unexpected lash and then giggled nervously.
Thane returned to her, letting his hands begin their dance over her skin before he applied the belt. “You are a beautiful girl,” he whispered huskily. Moving to the other ear he said, “You are a good girl…”
Brie purred, “Thank you, Master.”
Thane stood beside her, pulling on the blindfold to force her head back. It caused Brie to arch her back as her chest became the sole contact with the glass.
She was now dependent on him to keep her balanced, as he held the blindfold tight and gave her the first lash of his belt. He watched her skin dance from the contact as the satisfying crack of the belt filled the room.
“Color, téa?”
“Green, Master.”
“Harder?”
“Yes, please.”
He alternated his strokes, pinkening both buttocks. When his muscles began complaining, however, he lowered his belt, pulling harder on the blindfold to tilt her head and give her a passionate kiss.
He gently released the hold he had on the blindfold so she could settle back against the glass, and then ran his hand over her ass, growling in admiration.
Durov seemed inspired after watching their exchange, and took the belt from Thane, grinning at him as he told Brie, “I have loved you with the belt, and now I will astound you.”
“Oh…” she said, a hint of fear in her voice.
“Tell me what you want, radost moya,” he demanded.
“I want you, Rytsar.”
“You mean my belt?” he teased.
“And your belt.”
Durov stepped away from her, a folded belt in each hand. He positioned himself behind Brie and stared hungrily at her ass.
He glanced back at Thane and winked.
Thane shook his head, knowing it was not a good idea, but Durov was a stubborn soul.
Using the belts like dual floggers, he began striking Brie double time with the leather. Just as she started squeaking in pleasure, he froze up.
Durov was forced to stop because of the pain and looked over at Thane for help.
Thane gestured to the tantra chair, and Durov nodded his agreement.
He laid his large hand on Brie’s ass and said in a deep, guttural tone, “You are a good girl, radost moya. Do you know what happens to good girls where I come from?”
She shook her head.
“They get punished.”
Brie whimpered.
“Come.”
Brie obediently followed him, although her fear was easy to read.
Durov left her standing by the tantra chair as he slowly undressed. Thane followed his lead, and soon, both men were naked, standing together, staring at Brie.
Without speaking, Thane laid down on the tantra chair while Durov help guide her wet pussy onto his hard cock.
Durov then sat behind Brie on the tantra chair, fingering her ass while Thane enjoyed her spirited up and down motion as she thoroughly fucked his cock.
Pulling on the belt around her eyes, Durov brought her lips to him and kissed her as he eased his thumb into her ass.
“When you are no longer with child, I will be pounding this ass while you fuck your Master.”
Brie moaned, seeking his mouth again, needing his kiss.
“Until then, I will content myself with this.” Durov released the belt and wrapped his arm around her to play with her clit.
Thane watched Brie tense. The combination of his cock deep in her pussy, Durov’s thumb in her ass, and his fingers vigorously rubbing her clit, proved too much and she cried out, “Master, I’m about to come!”
Thane nodded to Durov.
The Russian bit down on her throat, and her whole body seemed to freeze. Growing still, both men waited. A few seconds later her body exploded in a forceful orgasm.
Thane held her tight, savoring the strong muscle contractions as her body coaxed his own orgasm. He began to pump her, wanting Brie to feel his orgasm during the last pulses of hers.
After he was spent, Durov lifted Brie off and pushed her against the higher end of the tantra chair. He coated his cock with lubricant.
With his other hand wrapped around her throat, he asked Brie. “Do you remember the first time I claimed you?”
“Yes, my warrior.”
He growled lustfully, spreading her ass cheeks apart before slowly penetrating her tight hole. Thane changed positions, grasping the back of her head while Durov still held her throat.
Kissing her deeply, Thane ravaged that mouth with his tongue, then teased and tugged on her nipples as Durov fucked her in the ass.
The two men worked in unison, dominating her body for hours.