Stately Pleasures

  She gripped the duvet beneath her harder, ready to take any discomfort out on it. Jeremy’s voice came from behind her. ‘Are you ready, Alice? I’ll do my absolute best not to hurt you. But if you absolutely want me to stop, you must let me know.’

  ‘Yes … understood.’ She ground the words out, then gasped as Jeremy slowly began to penetrate her. There was a build-up of pressure – and pain, which was just the right side of unbearable – as he shoved against her resisting arsehole. Alice breathed hard and tried to relax, remembering that if she pushed back against him, it would make things easier and less painful. In theory. She was in enough discomfort that she was willing to give it a try – Jeremy’s cock was neither as slim nor as smooth as the toys she’d used up her bottom before, and therefore it was definitely a challenge to accommodate him.

  She looked down and saw she was holding the duvet so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Something touched her head and she flinched before realising it was Ethan, stroking her hair to help soothe her. He grinned again. ‘You can do it, Alice. You’ve taken everything else we’ve thrown at you. This is your last task. You’re not going to fail now, are you?’

  Frowning, she realised he was absolutely right. It was her last task. And no, there was no way she was going to fail now. She pulled in a breath through her nostrils, gritted her teeth, and bore down on Jeremy’s dick. He popped past the tight ring of muscles in her anus and pushed slowly inside her, until his balls were pressed against her buttocks. She reached round and put a hand on his arse to stop him from moving.

  He leant down and murmured into her ear. ‘You OK, sweetheart?’

  She said nothing, just nodded. Then she managed, ‘Just stay still until I say. I’m just getting used to you. You can move when I tell you to.’

  Jeremy didn’t comment on the fact she was the one giving commands, but she guessed the circumstances were different this time. She had to be calling the shots in this situation if he didn’t want to hurt her – and he kept saying he didn’t. So he’d do as he was damn well told. For now, anyway.

  ‘OK,’ he said, dropping a couple of gentle kisses between her shoulder blades. ‘Just let me know.’

  Straightening, he stroked his fingers up and down her sides, across her back and onto her buttocks. The tiny hairs on Alice’s body stood on end, and a shiver rippled across her skin. Involuntarily, she tensed her anus, wringing a strangled yelp from Jeremy.

  ‘Hey! Do that again and you won’t have to worry about me moving, because I’ll come.’

  Alice couldn’t help it; she giggled. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. OK. In a second, you can move. But go really slowly at first, until I’m used to it. I’ll let you know when you can go faster.’

  ‘No problem,’ Jeremy said. ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’

  ‘I know. OK … go for it.’

  Jeremy gripped her hips again and began to rock slowly in and out of her. The copious amounts of lube meant there was almost no friction, and Alice quickly got over the stinging sensation and began to enjoy it. She let Jeremy carry on at a snail’s pace for a little longer, just to be sure. When she was as confident as she could be she could take more, she told him so.

  ‘OK …’ he said, hesitantly. ‘But the agreement stands: you want me to stop, you know what to say.’

  ‘Yes, Jeremy. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. So just pick up your speed and I’ll shout if there’s a problem.’

  He said nothing more. Instead, he did as he’d been asked. He increased the speed of his thrusting, and Alice closed her eyes as the sensation became more and more pleasurable. More what she was used to when she used toys up there. Which gave her an idea. She opened her eyes and looked at Ethan, who was watching her face intently. In a way, she was surprised he hadn’t situated himself at the business end, watching her almost-virgin arse take a pounding. He probably wanted to be there, but he also wanted to make sure she was all right.

  ‘Hey,’ she said, beckoning him closer with a jerk of her head. He moved over to her, and she whispered into his ear. ‘Get underneath me and play with my clit. That way, you can both make me come.’

  Ethan didn’t reply verbally, but the speed at which he lay back on the bed and shuffled underneath her spoke volumes. Soon, his deft fingers parted her slick folds and sought her clit, rubbing and pinching it for a few seconds, before leaning up and closing his lips around it. She felt the brush of his hair against her stomach and thighs, and wished she could tangle her fingers in it while he teased her aching nub. But it was necessary to keep both hands on the bed; otherwise the force of Jeremy’s thrusts would make her fall flat on her face. Or, to be more precise, fall flat on top of Ethan. Which would probably ruin the mood.

  It wasn’t long before Ethan slipped two fingers inside her soaking pussy. She let out a throaty groan. Her first experience of double penetration – sort of. Alice knew she’d have to get used to the sensation, because now she’d been fucked up the arse by Jeremy, she knew actual double penetration would be on his and Ethan’s agenda. Not that she minded, though. Now she was confident that anal sex could not only be bearable, but extremely pleasurable if done right, she was more than happy to have the two men inside her at the same time.

  In fact, she could hardly think of anything more kinky.

  Inevitably, the ministrations of both men were driving her closer and closer to orgasm. Jeremy was fucking her arse at pretty much the rate he usually did her pussy, and Ethan was teasing her clit so skilfully that she thought it would burst. She gripped the duvet so tightly her fingers hurt, then squeezed it some more. Then, finally, her release crashed into her like a tsunami. Waves of intense pleasure rolled through her, and she screamed until her throat burned.

  Behind and beneath her, Jeremy and Ethan were having some erotic experiences of their own. The spasming of her body was milking Jeremy’s cock, causing him to spurt into her while cursing like a sailor. Ethan had clearly been using his free hand to stroke himself, and she twisted her head to watch as his movements almost turned into a blur as he sought his own climax. Shifting forward to gently disengage Jeremy’s softening cock, she waited until he was all the way out, then spun around and lowered her head to Ethan’s crotch, ready to catch his come. A couple of seconds later, he fed the tip of his prick into her mouth and yelled loudly as he came inside her mouth. She swallowed eagerly until he was done, then licked and sucked at him until he was clean.

  Pulling away, Alice settled back onto the pillows for a well-earned break. She had no doubt it would be short-lived, however. Jeremy and Ethan were sexy and insatiable, it seemed. Much to her surprise, though, they crawled up the bed and flopped down on either side of her. She was quickly snuggled between two hot male bodies, their arms thrown possessively – yet sweetly – across her stomach and chest. Flicking her gaze between them, she was still half-expecting one or both of them to liven up and instigate round two. Instead, though, their breathing deepened, and, within seconds of one another, they fell asleep.

  Alice was incredulous. Well, that was a first! But at least she’d come. Ethan had made absolutely sure of that, and if he hadn’t, she knew Jeremy would have. For all their kinky games, they were pretty damn good to her. She grinned as she looked down at the two men cuddled up against her. Whether it was post-sex happy hormones, she didn’t know, but her feelings bubbled up inside her, forcing her brain to address them. After several minutes of her thoughts going around and around, driving her crazy, she came to a definite – and totally astounding – conclusion.

  Whether it was right or wrong, she was in love with them both. There was no point in denying it any longer. But deciding whether she’d tell them or not was another matter altogether. She still had no idea if the men just saw her as a pleasant distraction and would wave her off happily in a few short weeks, or if there was more to it. Did they want to share her on a more permanent basis, or not?

  The pressing question was whether she would be brave enough to find out. r />
  Chapter Twenty

  Alice groaned as her alarm clock went off, wanting desperately to shut it up, pull the covers over her head, and go back to sleep. She hadn’t been sleeping well for the past couple of nights. The realisation that she was in love with not one, but two, men – men she’d have to leave in a couple of weeks and go God knows where for another job – was playing on her mind. She hadn’t said anything, figuring that it was a waste of time. There was no way they felt the same, and even if they did, how could it work if she was employed somewhere else? Granted, it could be a property close by, but equally it could be hundreds of miles away. No, it was better just to keep quiet and hope that she’d get over them. Eventually.

  As her brain kicked into gear, another thought reinforced her wish to go back to sleep. Preferably for the rest of the day. It was her birthday. The round old number of 30 had now ticked over to 31. Not that getting older bothered her at all; it was just the actual birthday thing – she’d never liked them, not since her parents had had that blazing row on her tenth birthday and her dad had walked out and never returned. Unsurprisingly, the memory had stayed with her and hovered over each of her subsequent birthdays like a big, black cloud.

  At least, she decided, she’d be able to work today and find plenty to distract her. With that thought, she gave her alarm clock a whack and swung her legs out of bed. No sooner had her feet touched the carpet than a knock came at the door. She sighed. Yes, she loved them, but couldn’t they just let her wake up before they started in with their demands for conversation?

  Hastily raking her hair back, then rubbing her hands over her face and sweeping the sleep from her eyes, she moved to the door. Opening it a crack, she peered out. The two men stood there in their boxer shorts, looking somewhat sleepy themselves. What was this? They wanted a morning shag, did they? She certainly wasn’t opposed to that idea – what better way to forget her depressing past?

  They smiled, and Ethan spoke softly. ‘Morning, Alice. We just wanted to swing by and wish you a happy birthday. And tell you not to wear your work clothes today. In fact, a T-shirt and some tracksuit bottoms would probably be more suitable.’

  Alice frowned, struggling to process what he was saying. After a few long seconds, she noticed that the hopeful smiles on Jeremy and Ethan’s faces were waning, and turning into expressions of concern. It was then she spotted the cards in their hands, and suddenly her brain switched on.

  ‘H-how did you know it was my birthday?’ she asked, horrified. God, the last thing she wanted was for the two of them to start making a fuss of her, and wondering why she wasn’t more pleased about it. Her past family dramas were not something she wanted to talk about. Then, the other part of what Ethan had said finally computed. ‘And why shouldn’t I put my work clothes on?’

  Looking hurt, Ethan replied. ‘Your date of birth is on your employment paperwork. And the casual clothes would be better for where you’re going.’

  She raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got work to do. I’m not like you two – I can’t just skive off any time I like.’ With that, she slammed the door closed and turned the key in the lock. Not wanting to hear their knocks or pleas, she dashed to the bathroom and switched on the shower, stripping and jumping under the spray as quickly as she could. Now all she could hear was the pounding of the water against her skin, the walls and the tub. And that was just how she wanted it.

  The water pummelling at her helped the wave of anger to dissipate, and feelings of guilt to creep in. She shouldn’t have snapped at the two of them like that – they hadn’t done a thing wrong and she was taking her dislike of birthdays out on them. Just because they’d made the effort. God, what a bitch.

  As she washed her hair and then her body, she came to the conclusion that she would make the effort too. She’d apologise for being such a cow, make up some excuse for her behaviour, and be more thankful. If all else failed, she’d demand a birthday shag. That ought to distract them, right?

  Her mind made up, she wrapped her hair in a towel and slipped on her dressing gown before heading back into her bedroom in search of the clothes Ethan had suggested. Whatever they had planned, she’d go along with it. Though it couldn’t be a task. Those were complete – her references assured, and her future bright. Except for the absence of Jeremy and Ethan, of course.

  Alice dressed and towel-dried her hair before pulling it into a high ponytail. She had no idea why she’d decided to put it up like that – she rarely wore it that way – other than it seemed to go with her sporty attire. Well, as sporty as a girl like her ever got.

  Looking in the mirror, she forced a smile. She could do this. She’d damn well try, anyway. Jeremy and Ethan had been so nice to her – smoking hot sex aside – since she’d arrived at Davenport Manor, the least she could do was be an appreciative birthday girl. Her grin widened as she thought about all the lovely things they’d done for – and to – her, and she left the room, head held high, ready to face the day. Sort of.

  Moving into the kitchen, she saw the two of them were sitting at the breakfast bar, gazing gloomily into their cups of coffee. A stab of guilt lanced her heart. She cleared her throat, and their heads snapped up immediately. Expectantly.

  ‘Guys,’ she began, not quite sure what she could say to make things better. ‘I – I’m really sorry for what I said and did earlier. You absolutely did not deserve that behaviour. It’s utterly my fault. I’ve got some … issues with my birthday, and I took them out on you. I apologise wholeheartedly.’ She grinned and tried to look as contrite as she possibly could, hoping they would forgive her.

  Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, then Jeremy got up and poured her a glass of apple juice. He put it on the breakfast bar in front of one of the empty stools, then said, ‘Come and sit down. Tell us what your issues are, Alice, and we’ll do our best not to exacerbate them.’

  Alice was frozen to the spot. He wanted her to … talk about her issues? She hadn’t been expecting that, and she was now torn between sitting down and spilling her guts in the hope that Jeremy and Ethan would make her feel better, or locking herself back in her bedroom. She decided to be an adult, moved across the room, and climbed onto the stool which had her drink in front of it. Buying herself a few more seconds – so much for being an adult – she took a sip of her drink and swallowed it. She looked up to find both men watching her expectantly. She realised there was no point in making something up, plus she was hardly awake enough to do that. The truth it was, then. Gripping the glass, she sucked in a deep breath and recounted her woeful birthday story as quickly as possible, eager to get it over with.

  When she was finished, she met each of the men’s eyes in turn, wondering what they would say. And what they were thinking. A few seconds of silence passed, then Jeremy spoke.

  ‘Alice,’ he said, seriously, ‘I’m really sorry you have that crappy birthday memory, through no fault of your own. But here’s a suggestion: how about you make some new birthday memories? Better ones?’

  She tilted her head to one side as she considered his words. His idea was great, in principle. But how? Granted, just being here with the two of them was already a shit-ton better than all of her previous years’ birthdays put together, but she wouldn’t be in the Manor for her next birthday. Hell, she wouldn’t even be there next month.

  ‘Whoa!’ Ethan said as her face dropped. He got up quickly and came around to her side of the breakfast bar and slipped an arm around her shoulders. ‘What’s the matter? Jeremy’s not perfect at all this emotion stuff, but I thought he did pretty damn well there.’

  Alice fought back the tears that threatened to spill and gave Ethan a watery smile instead. ‘He did,’ she said. ‘He did really well. It’s just … hard. I want to make new, improved memories. That’s all well and good, but what will I do next year? I’ll remember this year’s events, for sure, but I won’t be able to forget the bad ones that went before.’

  The men exchanged a look. Then Jeremy reac
hed for the pile of envelopes at the end of the table and slid them towards her. ‘I don’t know about next year, Alice,’ he said softly. ‘But Ethan and I will do all we can to make you happy this year. And perhaps the happy memories will make the bad ones fade, at least a little bit.’

  Now the tears fell. But they were less of sadness, and more of happiness. She really should stop being such a sad sack and make the most of the next two weeks. Afterwards, she’d have nine fabulous months to reflect on, both from a professional and personal perspective. There were people much worse off than her, after all. So she sucked it up, and gave a genuine smile. ‘Thank you. Both of you. I don’t deserve you two. You’re so nice to me.’

  Another look was thrown across the table. Ethan ruffled her hair affectionately. ‘You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, babe. Open the top envelope.’

  She glanced suspiciously at each of them in turn, particularly since they were both grinning from ear to ear. What exactly did they have in mind? Surely not another task? No, they couldn’t do that – she’d done everything on their list. Any sexual encounters they’d had since had been purely for pleasure. Pushing thoughts of pleasure from her brain for fear of getting utterly distracted from their current conversation, she reached for the envelope. It was quite big, bordering on A4-size, and was heavy, as though it contained either several sheets of paper, or some thick card. Maybe it was just a large birthday card. She ran her fingers over the surface, searching for something that felt like a badge. OK, maybe not.

  She stuck her finger under the flap and pulled it open. She was still none the wiser. All she could see was some shiny paper, and it was blank. Damn. Quickly, she pulled out the contents and turned them so they were facing up, and the right way around. It was a folder, made of thin card. Taking in the words on the front cover, she gasped, and opened it up to see what was inside. Her eyes skimmed the characters on the smaller piece of card within, then her mouth dropped open.