Page 80 of Consume Me

“Yes, but he’s old and—”

“And you’re not his mother,” Nick stated in a patronizing tone.

“Stop belittling me.Both of you,” I bit out.

“There she is.”Nick chuckled.

“What are you talking about?”I asked, still fuming but totally lost.

“You,” he glowered.“The spunky, sassy spitfire who cusses like a sailor.Ever since you realized it was us after beating the shit out of us yesterday, you’ve been walking on eggshells.It’s about time the real you emerged again.Trust me, the real you is a whole lot more erotic and challenging than the little Miss Perfect we rode up here with.”

“Little Miss Perfect?”I sneered.“I can’t win with you two.I wasn’t trying to be perfect.I was trying topleaseyou.”

“You honestly don’t think you please us?”Dylan scoffed.

“In bed?Yes.Outside the sack?I honestly have no fucking clue.”

“Strip,” Nick growled as he eased in beside Dylan.

Peeling my clothes off with a disgruntled sigh, I sent them a brittle smile.“I suppose you want me to kneel at your feet now, right?”

“No.We want you to march your sexy naked ass to the kitchen,” Dylan growled.

“I don’t remember how to get there.Sir,” I snapped.

Though I knew I was simply digging myself in deeper, I couldn’t mask my snarky tone.Once ticked off, it took me more than a couple minutes to cool off.But it was more than that.I was tired and wanted to go to bed, but mostly, I was out of my element—in a new city, a new home—and suffocating with angst.

“Follow me.”An evil smile tugged Nick’s lips as he turned and headed out the door.

Apology searing the tip of my tongue, I trailed behind him along the hall and down the stairs, all too aware of Dylan right behind me.

When we reached the spacious kitchen with its shimmering stainless steel appliances, Nick open a cupboard and pull out a box of instant rice.I watched in confusion as he sprinkled a pile of white pellets on the ceramic tile.

“What—”

“Not another word, little one.In fact, not another sound.Lock your hands behind your head and kneel,” Nick barked, pointing to the thick pile of dry rice.

Clenching my jaw, I followed his instructions.I’d barely gotten into position before the hard granules bit into my knees like hundreds of sharp teeth.The longer my body weight pressed against the innocuous specks, the more painful it became.I tried not to wiggle, but it was physically impossible.

The more I wiggled, the more potent the agony became.Both men leaned against the counter, their ropey arms crossed over sculpted chests, watching me as I fought the urge to cry out.

“You please us more than any woman we’ve ever known,” Nick began, ignoring my whimpers of discomfort.“Yet, you don’t believe it, at least not in your heart.Do you think we’re lying to you when we praise you, little one?”

“No, Sir,” I whispered.

“You not giving us a chance to succeed is unfair to our entire relationship.You have to communicate your feelings with us.If you harbor the tiniest doubt about how much we love you, we need to know.Closing yourself off, anticipating goodbye, is the kind of negativity that will destroy our relationship.If you want us in your life, then you’ve got to give us a chance.None of us know what the future brings, but I know one thing, neither of us want to lose you.I told you we’d figure everything out, and we will, because we love you.We can’t be any clearer about our feelings than that.But it’s up to you to decide if you’ll believe us in your heart, or not.”

I closed my eyes and sighed as my shoulders slumped.“I do believe you, Master, and I love you both so much it scares me.I don’t want to leave, but can’t keep from worrying.Being with you both is so perfect, I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop,” I confessed, hissing as the pain radiated up my thighs and began climbing my spine.“Is my punishment over?”

“No, kitten.The rice is a tool meant to drill us, our words, and our expectations into your soul.We’ve coddled, edged, denied, and talked.Maybe a little torture will force you to understand we can’t take your trust, honesty, and communication…you have to willingly give them to us.”Dylan squatted down and held me with a pleading stare.“Don’t let your worries steal your chance for happiness, kitten.”

Tears stung my eyes.They’d talked to me about releasing my control until they were blue in the face, but I still clung to it in so many ways.I was slamming the door in their faces before I’d given myself the chance to actually live the fairy tale.

“They’re all I know, Masters.They protect me from getting hurt,” I softly confessed.

“Did it hurt when you ran away from us?”Nick asked, squatting beside Dylan and leveling his tormented eyes on me.

I nodded as fat tears slid down my cheeks.“More than I’d dreamed possible, Sir.”

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