Page 16 of Doubling Down

“Sure. Thanks. Um… where do I start?” She begins rummaging in a dresser that I recognize from her old house. Glancing around, I realize it’s basically her old room, except in a different location. No evidence of a man in sight. “You don’t share a room with them?”

“God, no. They’re the worst cover hogs. Can you imagine trying to share a bed with two Doms? We each have our own room, but we have our room where we play when we’re in the mood.”

“I guess the twins are different,” I muse.

Casey tosses a sports bra, some underwear, a pair of shorts, and a T-shirt my way, then heads to her closet, returning with a pair of cute thong sandals.

“Well, for starters, the twins aren’t Doms.” She plops down on the bed while I rise to change my clothes. “Unless they’re different with you, anyway.”

“They said they were in training. I thought that was what they meant.”

“They’re Rick’s apprentices, but not for the dominance stuff. BDSM means different things to different people. Some are more into the BD side—bondage and discipline. Some into the DS—dominance and submission. Some are way into the S and M stuff. I don’t think I’ve met many people at the club who love it all.” She cocks her head and squints. “Well, maybe Adam, but he loves everything. The twins are really just all about the bondage. And the devices. Wait till they show you some of the stuff they’ve built.”

“Sounds complicated.”

She pats the bed, waving her hairbrush at me. “Sit. Let me braid your hair. It’ll be like when we were kids.”

I sit and close my eyes, relaxing as she works her expert fingers through the damp tangles in my hair. It feels just as easy and familiar being here with her as it felt sinking into a routine with the twins.

“I guess I just don’t know enough about the whole scene. You probably know them better than I do, at this point.”

“Not really. I know they were in the foster system. It didn’t click that they were your foster brothers until I’d known them a while, but they didn’t ever talk about you, so I didn’t think anything of it. I just figured you weren’t close.”

I wince at that revelation.

“Sorry, did I pull your hair?” Casey asks, peeking at me in the mirror on top of her dresser just across from us.

“No. I keep getting reminded about how I fucked up, that’s all. After you and I lost touch that summer after graduation, I connected with them. Like… really connected. Deeper than I have with anyone. Then everything went to shit, and I kind of ran away to college without really trying to reach out to them. It’s no wonder they wanted to forget about me.”

“I don’t think they succeeded,” she says. “If it’s any consolation, they always seemed like they were holding out for something. Two of their hard limits at the club were kissing and fucking. They’d do just about everything else during training days. But the equipment they build is designed to be as hands-off as possible. It’s a mind-fuck when you’re strapped in.”

“I don’t even know what that means,” I say, a queasy sensation filling my belly.

Casey snaps a tie around the end of the long French braid she put into my hair, draping the tail over my shoulder. She scoots close and wraps her arms around my waist, propping her chin on my shoulder.

“Sarah, honey, what they do at the club is business. They’re professionals. Yes, they’ve seen me naked, but they’ve never laid a finger on me. Max and Rick are the only ones allowed to do that. If the twins have ever touched me, it was to make adjustments to the equipment while I was in it to make it safer for their paying clients. I guess I’m what you’d call their beta tester. But I imagine now that you’re here, they’ll prefer having you take over.”

That makes me wince even harder. “That’s the thing, Case—I’m not here. Not long-term. I’m going back to California at the end of August. Whatever this is, it’s only temporary.”

She narrows her eyes and smiles. “Well, then I guess they’d better take full advantage while they have you.”

Chapter Nine

Despite the wild thoughts Casey’s suggestion has put into my head, when we go down to breakfast, it feels as comfortable as my first morning home. Max and Simon tag-team our breakfast, which turns into a decadent spread with French toast, bacon, fresh fruit, and coffee. Rick breaks out a bottle of bubbly to celebrate my return, and we toast with mimosas in fancy glasses.

I feel like there’s an elephant in the room, but the longer we spend together, the more I realize there are no secrets here. It’s driven home when Rick praises the twins for an upgrade they made to some device that was integral to their show last night. I have no clue what a “gun machine bench” is, but I’m afraid to ask. Casey helpfully fills me in that it’s like a mini pile-driver for getting fucked with a dildo, which leaves me blushing while the guys all grin at me.

“We can show you later,” Jude offers.

“Which reminds me,” Rick says, “how did the demo go last night? Did you land the client?”

Simon drops his fork. “Fuck!” My heart leaps into my throat at the sudden shift in his mood. He shoves back from the table, grabbing his phone and jabbing at the screen.

Jude groans. “The fucking demo. I can’t believe we forgot.”

Rick’s eyebrows rise and he glances between the twins, then smiles at me. “I guess you had a good reason.”

“What happened?” I ask, not sure whether I should feel guilty for distracting them.

---