15. Thomas

THOMAS

She's his only chase, he cannot replace …

S eeing Kenley play with that guy accomplished one thing and one thing only. It made me realize I'd done nothing but fuck things up. I took something amazing and tossed it aside. I missed them both desperately but I had to shit or get off the pot. I could either handle Shelby being a switch or I couldn't. Either way, I had to decide before there was any point in talking to either of them. Hell, I didn't know if either of them would talk to me.

Being part of a ménage relationship wasn't a problem for me. I enjoyed watching every bit as I enjoyed taking part. After all, wasn't it every guy's dream to see two women fucking each other? I wanted to believe I could let Shelby have it all to make the relationship work. It was time to have a conversation with Chase. He and Seb were both Doms and shared Raven without issue. They'd been together for years and even had a couple of kids together.

That night, I showed up an hour before my shift started and found Chase in his office.

"Hey, man. Got a few minutes?" I asked, knocking on the open door.

"Always. Come on in, Thomas. What can I do for you? Is there a problem you need me to take care of?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. It's actually of a more personal nature."

"Ah. You want to talk about Shelby and Kenley."

"How on earth did you know that?"

"Because I know the three of you have been dancing around each other for a solid couple of months. If I had to hazard a guess, you want to know how Seb and I share Domming."

"That's exactly what I want to know. The girls and I work really well together but I've never had to share like this. I don't know if I can do it long-term."

"I think you're looking at this the wrong way. When you're playing, it's not just about your pleasure, right?"

"No, of course not. It's actually more important for me that my partner is fully satisfied."

"When Shelby is in her Domme role, does she stop being your partner?"

"No, she doesn't."

"Do you see where I'm going here?"

"You think my focus should be more on the fact she's getting pleasure from the play than about myself."

"That's exactly right. When Seb and I are playing with Raven, I don't think about the fact Seb is Domming as well. What I think about is Raven and how I can give her pleasure. Ultimately, you need to decide whether that logic works for you and you can give them both what they need. It's not like she's trying to Dom you," he chuckled.

"Oh fuck no. That's never gonna happen."

"No, I don't imagine so. Look, you need to figure out what you want. From what I understand, it may well be too late, so I wouldn't take too long if I were you."

"I really fucked things up."

"That you did, my friend. That you did. I saw Carlos and Kenley playing. How did that make you feel?"

"I saw red, Chase. It was all I could do to control my temper."

"You were jealous as fuck," he laughed. "Keep that in mind too. Could you stand seeing the two of them with other people?"

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about that. Thanks, Chase. It looks like I have some soul-searching to do."

"Good luck, my man. I really hope everything works out for you. You deserve to be happy."

"We'll see. Catch you later."

I headed to my office to think about what he had said. He had made some very valid points. They were things I hadn't even thought of. I missed the girls dreadfully. Maybe the fact I sought Chase out meant I was bothered enough by this to man up. I needed to talk to them. I needed to apologize for causing so much strife. More than anything, I needed to tell them I was all in. I could share with Shelby. Chase had laid things out so simply, I couldn't believe I hadn't been able to come to that conclusion on my own.

I hadn't seen Shelby at the club since the night things blew up and I feared she wouldn't come back at all. In her place, I wasn't sure I would either. So, my next step was to seek out Kenley and grovel at her feet. I needed her to forgive me, both for acting like an asshole when she played and for doing a scene with someone else. I never should have done that. I headed downstairs to look for her, hopeful that she would be here tonight and willing to talk with me. After a couple of minutes, I spotted her on the dance floor and made my way toward her.

"Kenley, can we talk?" I shouted over the music.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about, Thomas ."

"Please. Just five minutes and then if you still want nothing to do with me, I'll respect that decision."

"Fine. Let's go."

I led her off the dance floor and up to my office where we could speak in peace. I didn't think she'd want to talk in my room.

"What do you want, Thomas?"

"First, I need to apologize for acting like an asshole when you played with Carlos. I had no right."

"You're right. You didn't. Why did you?"

"I was jealous, Kenley. I didn't like seeing you with someone else."

" You ended things with us by playing with someone else. It was your decision to move on from us."

"I fucked up. I know that now. I just had a conversation with Chase and realize now, it wouldn't be hard at all to support Shelby as a switch. I want you two too badly to let that come between us."

"You already let it come between us! Do you think you can just snap your fingers and have everything your way?"

"No, I don't think that at all. I'm so sorry for causing all this trouble. I never should have played with her. I never should have walked away from you two."

"How am I supposed to trust that you won't just walk away again? I trusted you once before."

"All I can do is beg you for another chance to prove this to you."

"Even if I agree, Shelby hasn't been back to the club since that night. She hasn't spoken to me since she broke things off with me."

"Wait, she broke up with you?"

"She did. She said it wasn't fair to either of us to try having a relationship that didn't allow for her to also be a sub. I was selfish and didn't consider her needs."

"Shit. So, we would both need to convince her that we want this?"

"Yes, I think so, though I think I'll have an easier time than you," she chuckled. "After all, I tried to keep things going after you bailed."

"Will you give me another chance, Kenley? Please… I've never wanted anyone like I want you and Shelby. I would do anything for another chance."

She looked at me and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She hadn't said no right away, so maybe she was really thinking about giving this to me.

"Okay, Thomas. If we can convince Shelby, I'll try again. You better not break my heart again. I don't think I could bear it."

"I won't, I promise. I know it's going to take time but I will prove that I'm worthy of you both."

"Good. You can start by talking to Shelby."

"What? You want me to talk to her on my own?"

"Yup. I know I need to have a conversation with her too but there's no point if she isn't going to let you in."

"Okay, I'll do it. Thank you, Kenley. You won't regret this."

"We'll see. Let me know how it goes."

"I will. Talk to you later."

"Yup, you know where to find me."

I held my arms open and she walked into them, wrapping her arms around me. I held her close and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She smiled and then stepped out of our embrace, walking out of the office.

The next day, I found myself back at Shelby's house around five. I knew she would be home from work soon and that the last thing she would expect to find was me standing on her porch. She wouldn't have any choice but to pass me. I stepped to the side so I wouldn't be immediately visible and waited quite impatiently. I stood there for about twenty minutes before she pulled into the driveway. I stepped forward as she rounded the corner and she let out a yelp.

Oops.

"Thomas! You scared the shit out of me! What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to talk to you."

"What could you possibly have to say that I would be interested in?"

"I owe you an apology, Shelby. I fucked up and I'm sorry."

"Great, thanks," she snapped, pushing past me.

"Shelby, please."

"No, Thomas. You apologized, now fuck off."

She unlocked her door, walked into the house, and slammed the door in my face.

Well, fuck.

I walked to my car, shoulders slumped, and headed home. I would have to talk to Kenley again and convince her to talk to Shelby. I'd caused nothing but a huge fucking mess, all because of my pride. When I was home, I plunked down onto the couch and brought up Kenley's information. I opened a text screen and tried to figure out what I could say to convince her to talk to Shelby now that I had bombed.

Thomas: Hey, Kenley!

Kenley: Hey… how are things?

Thomas: Not great to be honest.

Kenley: What's happening?

Thomas: I went to Shelby's house to talk to her and it went over like a lead balloon.

Kenley: She wouldn't talk to you?

Thomas: I got like three sentences in before she told me to fuck off.

Kenley: Are you really surprised?

Thomas: Surprised? No. Disappointed? Yes.

Kenley: So, I guess that's the end, eh?

Thomas: Kenley, I'm begging you. Please try talking to her. Maybe you'll have more luck than I did.

Kenley: I'll try, Thomas, but I make no promises.

Thomas: Thank you. Hopefully, you have better luck than I do.

Kenley: I really do hope so. I'll let you know how it goes.

I tossed my phone to the side and rested my head on the back of my couch. I had a feeling it was going to be a very long night. Hopefully, Kenley would try talking to her tonight and not days from now. I didn't think I could stand the waiting. All I knew for sure was that I needed these two women in my life. Now it was all up to Kenley and Shelby.