Essential Master (Doms of Napa Valley) (11 page)

“Shit, the only way I’m doing this,
il mio colibrì,
is if you’re with us. If
you’re just going to listen and not participate, I’m hanging up.”

A hoarse chuckle came across the line, just
before Zeb blew him out of the water. “So, I wouldn’t be out of line if I told
you I was laying naked on my bed at the moment, with my hand wrapped around the
base of my cock to keep from coming?”

He couldn’t help it, Nicky growled deep in
his chest. “Don’t you dare come without my permission, Zebadiah.”

“I…wouldn’t dream of it….but please
tell...me…what Steph…”

“…Steph’s doing?” Nicholaus grunted, as
Steph sucked him back into her mouth. “The little minx just got done sucking on
my balls … now she’s running her tongue up….and down…my shaft.” He buried a
hand in her hair, guiding her. “Shit….her mouth is so hot…”

“Tell me more…Sir…I want to feel like I’m
there, sitting at the end of bed watching both of you….”

Zeb’s words seemed to unlock something
inside of Nicholaus. As Steph continued to orally worship him, he described in
great detail what she was doing, what they were wearing, and even what he
wanted to do to the other man if he was indeed with them. It wasn’t long before
all three were on the verge of coming, him from Steph’s amazing mouth, Steph
from the hand he was using to finger fuck her, and Zeb from his own
administrations. But Nicky was just sadistic enough to stop them each time they
came close to falling over the edge.

“Please, can I come…” Zeb pleaded again

“Shhhh, it’ll be better if we wait…” he
panted, watching as Steph, who was now kneeling beside him as she sucked him,
continued to squirm and press back against his fingers. Even as he said the
words, he knew the end was coming. His body was aching for release, and the
tightening of her sheath around his fingers told him it wouldn’t take much more
than a few strokes to send Steph over the edge.

“I….I…don’t think I…can…hold it
anymore….gotta…come…” The sounds of Zeb’s impending release were clear. The wet
sound of his fist flying up and down his cock, the breathy, harsh moans were
raw and potent. The desperation in the other man’s voice was what had Nicholaus
finally relenting. He wasn’t a cruel master…

“Come for us, Zebadiah. Let us hear your
pleasure as I make Steph come.” Nicholaus rubbed his thumb over Steph’s hard
clit, while pressing hard against her g-spot. With the way his hand was
situated …two fingers inside while his thumb was on the outside, all he to do
was squeeze the captured flesh between and she was coming, moaning around him.

His chest fell up and down rapidly as he
skated on the edge.
One down and one to
go.
“Can you hear her coming,
il mio
colibrì?
Her little pussy is clenching hard on my fingers…”

“Shit….son of a bitch! I’m coming…” Zeb’s
bellow as he came was all it took.

“Ah fuck…gonna come…” Nicholaus arched up
as she lashed at the head of his dick with her tongue, his release exploding
into her waiting mouth. Pleasure sharp and brutal washed over him, until it
left him trembling on the bed like a wrung-out dishrag.

“Damn…” The raspy tone from the phone had
him smiling.

“Yeah…no shit.” He threw his free arm over
his eyes. “Wow…you okay, Zeb?”

“Fuck yeah….I’m ready to melt into the
bed.” The sleepy tone didn’t surprise Nicholaus. He was ready for nap himself,
but unfortunately he had a dinner party to go to in…he glanced at the clock on
the wall…less than thirty minutes.

“Why don’t you catch a few Zs, and we’ll
call again later tonight after the dinner, if you want?”

“Mmm…‘kay…later…”

Curling up next to him, Steph laid her head
on his chest as the sound of the phone disconnecting filled the room. Fumbling
with the phone next to him, he managed to shut it off as she pressed a kiss to
his shirt-covered torso. “Damn, Master, if that’s how hot phone sex with him
is, we’re gonna combust when we actually get him in our bed.”

“Probably…” he muttered, wrapping his arm
around her. “But it’ll be when he’s ready, not before.”

She nodded. “I know….the waiting’s gonna
suck though.”

He chuckled. Yep, it was gonna suck, but he
had a feeling being with Zeb would more than make up for their waiting.

Chapter Ten

“Babe, can you grab the door for me?” Steph
hollered as she stomped up the steps of the porch. As usual she had several
bags of groceries hanging off each arm. She hated making the long trek up the
walk more than once, so she always carried as much as she could handle, as a
result she never had a free hand to open the door.

“
Cara
mia
, how many times have I told you I’ll be more than happy to help you
bring in the groceries?” Nicky appeared behind the screen door before pushing
it open. Taking three plastic sacks and a gallon of milk from her, he held the
door open as she brushed by him.

“Probably a thousand. But you were writing
and I didn’t want to interrupt you. I usually can get the door open, but one of
the bags slipped, and blocked my hand.” Hoisting her load up onto the table,
she began to unpack the groceries as Nicky put away the gallon of milk. As she
emptied the sacks onto the table, she’d realized she’d forgotten the sack of oranges
she’d gotten from the market. “Crap. I left the oranges in the car…I knew I was
forgetting something. Damn I wish I had more hands,” she muttered before
turning to go back out to the car.

She yelped when his hand swatted her
bottom. Spinning around she glared at him, rubbing her bottom. “Go ahead, try
to protest, I dare you.” He arched a brow at her. When she wisely kept her
mouth shut, he sighed. “You know why you got that, right?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she
grudgingly nodded. She’d ignored one of their new rules. Let him help bring the
groceries in.

He moved closer. “I know you think I’m
being a hard ass but…” He pulled her into his arms. “Call when you get here, so
I can help you. I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time.”

Her cheeks flushed at the reminder of her
spill just before they’d left for Vegas. “Aw, come on Nicky. Last time was a
fluke. You had the weak step fixed, so there’s very little chance I’ll fall
again.”

He leaned back, and raised a brow at her.
“Do we need to go over the rules again, Steph?”

She shook her head. The last thing she
wanted was to revisit the topic of the rules she’d agreed to when she’d
accepted his collar, including the one about her personal safety when she
wasn’t on the job. She knew them. “No, Sir. I’ll call next time.”

His palm squeezed her bottom. “You better.”
He pressed a kiss to her nose before leaving the kitchen. A moment later the
screen door slammed shut. Reaching for a box of pasta and several boxes of
macaroni, she carried them to the pantry. By the time Nicky came back in with
the oranges, she’d put away over half the groceries. In short order, they had
the rest of them tucked away in their appropriate places.

Shutting the cupboard, she looked over her
shoulder at him. “Want to sit outside with me for a while, Nicky? Or do you
have another steamy scene just dying to be written?”

He gave her a wolfish grin. “Nope, got that
done while you were at the market. Why don’t you pour us some tea, and I’ll
grab my tablet and you can read it while we relax. It’s pure sex, promise.” He
made an exaggerated X over his chest with his finger.

She chuckled. “Why not? If it’s as steamy
as you say, then you can hose me off or toss me in the fountain to cool me
off.”

He leered at her. “Now, why would I do
that?”

“Horndog.” She lightly smacked him. “Go get
your tablet and I’ll meet you outside.”

* * * *

Rearranging
the ice filled cups and napkins around the pitcher of sweet tea on the wicker
tray, Steph finally made room for the small
petit-fours
Nicky liked. She’d managed to hide them from her Master while
putting the groceries away. He had a special weakness for the treat and she
wanted to surprise him. If he’d have seen them, the entire box would’ve
disappeared into his study never to been seen or heard from again.

“You almost ready, Steph?” Nicky’s voice
came from the hallway.

“Yeah, just about.” She wedged several of
the small cakes between the glasses and stood back. Finally satisfied with the
presentation on the tray, she carefully lifted it and made her way to the
sliding door. Nicky was waiting for her, his tablet in hand and her reading
glasses hanging from the front of his t-shirt. She chuckled as they crossed the
grass. Her Master thought of everything.

“Here you go.” He handed her the tablet and
glasses after taking the tray from her and setting it on glass stand next to
the glider.

Sinking into the welcoming cushions of the
glider, she turned on the tablet and accepted the glass of tea he handed her.
Taking a sip, she leaned back as he settled down next to her.

“Can’t believe you snuck these by me
again.” He neatly bit the
petit-four
in half and polished it off in three smaller bites.

“Did you even taste it?” She took a sip of
her drink, savoring the breeze against her face as she waited for the tablet to
power up.

“Yep. Good shit.” He took a long drink of
his tea. “I wonder if Zeb makes them…that reminds me. I spoke with him on the
phone earlier while you were gone.”

Her breath caught in her throat before her
pussy grew damp. All her master had to say was Zeb and phone in the same
sentence, and she was right back in that hotel room, sucking her Master’s cock
while he took both her and Zeb over the edge.

“You did?” she croaked, her hands tight
around the electronic device.

He nodded, reaching for another cake. “It
seems we’ve been invited over to Davis and Ethan’s for supper. I guess the guys
are grilling out, because it’s the club’s second year anniversary, and they’re
putting on some big shindig with the eats.”

She thoughtfully tapped her chin and forced
her lustful thoughts on the back burner as she realized the call hadn’t been
that kind of call. “Yeah, I remember hearing about it the last time we were at
the club. Something about it being a barbecue followed by a night of special demonstrations
at the club, including the one with Ethan and Bella.”

“That’s the one. I was thinking we might
want to go.”

She set her tea down. “But didn’t we decide
it was too soon after your last round of book tour dates?”

He leaned back and draped an arm over the
back of glider. “We did, but that was before Zeb invited us.”

As his sub, one of her jobs was to make
sure her master didn’t run himself ragged, as was his tendency if she didn’t
step in. She leaned her head against his shoulder before taking his hand in
hers. “Well that was nice of him, but do you feel up to it? We just got back
last night from Vegas. Do you need more downtime?”

He brought their joined hands to his mouth
and kissed her knuckles. “If you’re asking if I’m ready to do a full-on
scene…no, but he did ask if we were coming - that we come early, because he
wanted to talk to us privately beforehand.” He rubbed his thumb over the
delicate bones in her hand. “I’ll admit his request has me intrigued.”

She chuckled. “I bet it does. I suppose
there’s nothing that says we have to stay the entire night, is there? But it’s
your choice, Nicky.” She peeked at him by tipping her head back.

He gazed down at her before pecking her on
the nose. “Okay, I say we go. See what Zeb wants, and then have dinner. If it
gets to be too much, we’ll duck out after the barbecue.”

“Works for me.” She glanced at her watch.
“Do we have time for me to read this before we leave?”

“Mmmm-hmmm.” He nibbled on her ear. “We
always have time for that.” He pulled her length ways across his lap, then
unbuttoned her jeans. Delving inside, he nodded to the tablet. “Go ahead…read.
I promise I won’t distract you….too much.” She stifled a groan as his fingers
found her slippery folds, but turned her attention to the tablet and perched
her reading glasses on her nose. Yep, her Master was evil.

* * * *

Nerves
had Zebadiah
’s palms sweating before he even tracked
down Ethan and Davis in the kitchen. Standing at the counter side by side, they
were attempting to assemble the meat tray for tonight, while Bella was at the
sink washing what appeared to be fresh vegetables. Grabbing a large container
of sour cream from the fridge, he set it down on the island and slipped between
the men to snip some fresh dill from the pot hanging over the sink. Bella
smiled at him as he stepped back.

“Making some of that delicious veggie dip
of yours?”

He nodded, grabbing a sharp knife and
gathering up the salt and pepper as well several dry herbs on his way back to
the island. Sliding onto the stool on the opposite side of the men, he waited
as Bella placed a bowl and whisk next to him. He smiled and murmured a thank
you.

“So are you going to spend your night in
your room as you have the last few weekends?” Ethan continued to slice a block
of cheddar cheese with the cheese slicer.

Arranging the dill, mixed herbs, salt, and
pepper to his liking, he shook his head before reaching for the sour cream.
“No. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about that before your guests arrive
tonight.” Ripping off the plastic film off the tub, he used a spoon to dump
into the silver bowl. “I’ve personally invited Nicky and Steph.”

Ethan nodded. “I’m not surprised, but
tonight’s anniversary festivities are open to all members and guests.”

“When I mentioned it to Steph last week,
she said she wasn’t sure they’d be coming because of the book tour, and the
possibility of them not getting back until late. So I wouldn’t take it
personally if they don’t show. Nicky’s been running himself ragged since his
book came out.”

Zeb sighed. “I know he has. He sounded a
bit tired earlier when I spoke with him on the phone.” Mincing the fresh dill,
he used the side of the blade to pile it on before dumping it on top of the
sour cream. “However, if he shows up, I’ve asked him to come a bit early
because I wanted to talk to him and Steph privately. I want to serve them
tonight.”

Ethan paused, his hand midair as he was
slicing the cheese. “Do you think that’s wise?”

Zeb shrugged his shoulders. “Wise? I have
no idea, but I can’t keep hiding behind you and Davis. I have to get back out
there and try.” Adding a dash of salt and grinding some fresh pepper into the
mixture, Zeb picked up the whisk. “Over the past few weeks, I’ve really got to
know him and Steph. They’re good people. I don’t think they’ll push me past my
limits.”

Davis continued slicing the summer sausage.
“They are, and I suspected as much from the first time they approached me at
the Kinkfest, but I don’t know if you’re ready to handle two Dominants at this
point.”

Whisking the sour cream and spices
together, Zeb frowned. “But how am I ever going to know if I don’t try, Davis?”
He looked up from the bowl. “I’m not talking about a permanent collar here. I
just want to take care of them for a couple of hours tonight.”

“Like a trial run,” Bella interjected as
she joined them at the island with the freshly scrubbed veggies. “It makes
perfect sense if you ask me, guys. And with a million guests being around for
the party, there’s safety in numbers.”

Ethan, of course, had to play the devil’s
advocate. “What makes you think they’ll take you up on your offer, and not
demand more, Zeb?”

Biting his lip as his cheeks flushed, he
tried to think of an appropriate response that wouldn’t embarrass him. Finally
he just gave them the truth. “They told me they wouldn’t push the other night
on the phone - that they wouldn’t take more than I wanted to offer.”

Davis sighed. “It’s one thing to be on the
phone and hundreds of miles away. It’s all together another thing to be in the
same room, where the sexual tension is bound to be high. This is something you
should think about. How are you going to react when Steph gives you your first
order?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I want to find
out.” He paused to taste the dip. “Needs more dill.” Standing, he went and
clipped some more. “I’m going into this with my eyes open. I know there might
be times I’m uncomfortable, but that has to be better than feeling like I’m
half alive.” He returned to the island. “When I’m around them, I feel almost
like I used to feel before I fucked up, and almost destroyed myself in the
situation with Allison.”

When the men opened their mouths to
protest, he held up a hand. “Don’t. I know you’re going to say I was the victim
and in a way I was, but I was the one who choose to submit to her, even knowing
how bad she could be for me. Yes, she should’ve stopped when I safeworded, but
I was the one who put myself in her hands. That’s all on me.” He gazed at
Ethan. “And as much as I appreciate what you and Davis have done for me, I need
to start standing on my own two feet, and test the waters again.”

Ethan studied him for a moment. “So this
isn’t you asking for permission. You’re telling us what you’re going to do.”

Zeb drew an unsteady breath before finally
nodding. “Yes. It is. But I’m not being stupid this time. After I talked with
them Thursday night, I did a lot of thinking. Will I ever fully be over what
happened with Allison?” He shrugged his shoulders again. “I don’t honestly know
if that’s something one can just get over, but am I going to let it keep me
from finding happiness? Not a chance in hell. I won’t give her that much
control over me ever again. Will Nicky and Steph be the ones to help me heal
the rest of the way? Maybe? But I have to put myself out there to find out -
even if it’s just baby steps like fetching drinks and waiting on them tonight
as they enjoy the festivities.” His face softened. “That’s probably one of the
things I miss the most, taking care of my Dom. Making their life a little
easier because I’m here.”