Page 78 of Fracture

They’re both gazing at me, entranced, desire and curiosity mingling in their eyes.

“You can feel the other guy, when you take a woman like that, right?” Stella is so sweetly naive in this moment, and I smile at her warmly.

“Yes, that’s kind of half the fun.”

“But how do you fit?” Stella looks from me to Levi and shakes her head. “I don’t think I could make that situation work, you’re both hung like goddamn stallions.”

Levi and I both laugh, and Levi pulls Stella close, peppering kisses over the side of her face as she smiles.

“Guera, that’s something you ease into. We’d get you all relaxed first, make you come a few times, so you’d be all nice and wet for us. And then it’s lots of lube, making sure you feel really good the whole time.” My voice dropped way lower than I expected it to, and the way Stella’s eyes widen as she looks at me, the way Levi’s eyes drop to my crotch, his hand moving across Stella’s chest so his pinky grazes her nipple - the air in the limo has suddenly become way heavier, and I know we should be having conversations about this beyond what sex will look like.

But not only do I want to drag the two of them to bed with me for a month, the ten years of celibacy in prison are finally catching up with me. I’m no longer chasing Stella and hoping her self-hatred will abate long enough to steal a moment with me, and I’m no longer sneaking around with Levi like he’s some dirty secret.

That's why tonight is so important. That’s why where we’re going is so important. We can finally be ourselves, we can be together - and we can fuck like rabbits every single night if that’s what we want.

I reach across and take Stella’s hand. “The important thing is that you know you’re safe with us. I know it can be a vulnerable position, being with two men. I never want you to feel you can’t say no, or that we won’t stop immediately if something hurts, or makes you uncomfortable.”

“One hundred percent,” Levi agrees emphatically, running his hand down Stella’s back. “You say the word, baby girl, and it stops.”

“The word? Like a safe word?” She smiles at me, wrinkling her nose playfully. “Oh, I like that. I think my safe word will be… Hmmm. Martini.”

“Thought you’d say bikini,” Levi says, kissing Stella’s neck. “You can just leave it off next time we get in that hot tub, save you throwing it in my face.”

I laugh, looking out the window as we start to navigate busy city streets, packed with the Saturday night crowd. We’re almost there, the buildings around us industrial brick buildings, all converted into stylish apartments and chic glass-fronted decor stores.

But then between all the sleek fronts, there’s a neon sign that saysThe Basque, a Pride flag waving above the double steel doors. The car comes to a stop, and Stella and Levi look out with furrowed brows.

“The Basque?” Stella asks as I open the car door and offer my hand to her to help her out. “Isn’t this-”

“You danced here, didn’t you?” Levi interjects, climbing out after us and gazing up at the neon sign. “You gonna dance for us, pretty boy?”

I shrug. “I don’t think it’d be a good look for the owner to dance in his own club, do you?”

They both regard me with wide eyes, and then Stella squeals and lunges at me, throwing her arms around me.

“Oh my god,papi, you bought it? That’s amazing!”

Levi puts his hands on his hips, shaking his head, his mouth opening to release a huffed laugh. “Dylan fucking Kovac, nightclub owner?”

“The city said it needed a backer, and this place, well…” I shrug, gazing up at the frontage. “It’s where I found myself, you know? It means a lot to me.”

Levi’s mouth quirks into a smile. “I’m proud of you. This is great.”

The apprehension I couldn’t explain to myself dissipates in an instant, because they don’t think it’s stupid. They’re proud of me. This place was my safe haven, away from the Catholic ramblings of hell and brimstone that my grandfather flung my direction any chance he got. And now I’m here with the two of them, with these two people I love, as our relationship is new and burgeoning and beautiful, and I want it to be a safe place for them too.

“Come on,” I say as I take Stella’s hand and Levi wraps an arm around her waist. “Let me show you my place.”

The bouncers at the door pull the cord aside with a nod and a “Good evening, Mr Kovac.”

The floor vibrates under our feet as we walk into the black and steel lobby, music thumping in the club. The tell-tale smell of the smoke machine is carried on the air, a smell that throws me back in time to that summer when I’d come here and dance til the sun came up.

Stella and Levi look around with wide smiles, their gazes meeting every now and then, filled with excitement. I can’t stop grinning like a fool.

“Drink?” I ask, gesturing to the shiny black archway that leads to the club.

Stella nods and bites her lip, taking Levi’s hand as they follow me to the bar.

The dance floor is already packed even though it’s early, and by midnight it’ll be a sweaty, heaving mass of bodies. The dancers are up on their podiums, dressed in a variety of lingerie, and Levi leans in to me.

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