Page 30 of The Queen's Knights

It’s my turn to be shocked. “You know them?”

“They share a room in my residence hall. One of them dropped a Masquerade invitation in the lobby on Saturday. That’s how I found out about the place to begin with. Man, I hadno ideawhat those two got up to on weekends. They’re both so dialed in at school.”

I’m speechless, but Percy fills the silence.

“They both have very devoted Doms. Slacking in school is probably not allowed if they want to keep coming to the club.”

“Is it like, their job? Isn’t that…”

He scrunches his forehead, trying to wrap his head around the idea.

I shake my head. “It isn’t prostitution, but we aretechnicallysex workers. Though Brit, Adam, and Michael don’t get paid. Michael’s loaded so they just do it for fun. Max, Rick, and Casey earn a salary and so does Percy. I wouldn’t let Chloe pay me, since I consider my monthly visits therapy.”

“You should get on the payroll,” Percy says. “You bring in revenue. It would be a good supplement.” He squeezes my hip. “And she’d pay you too,” he says to Lance. “She might want you to go through a trial period first, though.”

Lance stares at us both, his hair a disheveled mess from my stroking. His bewilderment is endearing as hell, and I can see his gears turning.

“You’re on scholarship, but that won’t cover law school, will it?” I say.

He nods, but doesn’t say anything. I shift on Percy’s lap and rest a hand on Lance’s shoulder as I stand. “You can think about it. If you like the idea, we’ll introduce you to Chloe and pitch her a scene with the three of us. Now can you two help me out of this getup? My ribs are starting to ache, and I think we all need a shower.”

Lance rises to his knees immediately and smiles up at me. “My pleasure.”

He unzips the backs of my boots and helps me slide them off, then does away with the garters and stockings. Percy reaches around my waist to unhook the fasteners of my corset, and I can finally breathe again when it comes off. Then they stand, each peeling one of my gloves off and dropping them to the floor. I’m bracketed between both men, very aware of how naked we all are.

Happy doesn’t begin to describe how this makes me feel. I feel safe, empowered,alive, but also pleasantly exhausted and a little sore in all the best places. Andsticky.

An unholy noise fills the space between Lance and me, interrupting my enjoyment.

“Was that your stomach?”

He grimaces. “I kind of burned right through the bit of fuel I managed to put in me before coming over. Cafeteria pizza only goes so far.”

“I’ll order food,” Percy says. “I think we could all stand to refuel. Meet you guys in the shower?”

Percy pats me on the bottom, then disappears naked out the bedroom door. I take Lance’s hand and lead him to my bathroom. My shower is a decent size, but Lance eyes the claw-foot bathtub beside it.

“Wow, how cool is that?”

“It’s nice, but better for leisurely soaks. I’m guessing you can’t wait that long to eat, so we’ll shelve that thought for next time.” I’m at the mirror, pinning my hair up and securing my shower cap while he takes in my bathroom, which was one of the features that I loved most about this house when I bought it. Then I turn the shower on and test the temperature and step inside, pulling him behind me. He crowds close so we’re both under the stream, reaching back to close the door behind him and smiling down at me.

I can’t help but laugh at how giddy he appears. “You’re precious.”

“Why, because I’m excited to be here?”

“All the reasons, Lance. You’re probably the most pleasant surprise I’ve had in a very long time.”

I grip his shoulders and lean up to kiss him. He closes the distance, wrapping his arms around me and returning the kiss with so much desire I’m breathless when we stop. I’m waiting for him to comment on my headgear, but he just keeps smiling and reaches for my body wash.

He’s gentle and thorough, but careful to keep his washing businesslike. By the time Percy returns and steps in with us, I’m lathering soap into Lance’s back. We step back to make room for Percy to stand beneath the water. I can’t read his expression when he looks at us, but he seems relaxed and self-contained. When he meets my gaze, he smiles.

“Hand me the bodywash,” he says.

I do, expecting him to start washing himself, but instead he pours some into his hands and lathers it into Lance’s chest.

Lance groans and lets his head fall back. “I could get used to this.”

“I don’t know how often this will be a thing,” I say. “This shower is barely big enough for the three of us.”

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