Chapter One

Wyatt

G azing down at the woman, I felt at war with myself. She was tied up, blindfolded, and submitting to us. This was what we’d been after since high school. So why did this feel wrong?

When I spent time alone with her, I tried to connect with her. I put in masses of effort over the past month with her. We’d each had sex with her and been on several group dates where we’d discussed our intentions. She knew what we wanted, and we knew what she wanted.

Or I thought we did. Looking down at her, practically arching her back like a desperate cat in heat, I felt nothing. I was never her biggest fan, but I firmly believed that feelings could change and develop.

She didn’t want this —not the same way we did. She claimed she was submissive, and I believed it when we were alone. As a group... she couldn’t relax. Being nervous was one thing, but her behavior wasn’t natural. This wasn’t coming naturally to her in the slightest. She was trying much too hard to be what she thought we wanted, and that wasn’t something I was interested in when it came to a submissive.

I didn’t have to try to be dominant. My friends didn’t have to try to be dominant. To us, it was the most natural state we could be in.

Letting out a silent breath, I looked away from her. Making eye contact with Niko, I saw the same disappointment written on his face.

This lifestyle wasn’t for everyone. That was why we were having such a hard time finding a true submissive. Lately, we’d captured the attention of women who like to pretend, and then when it came to the real thing, they crumbled. They just wanted to be fucked by four men. They wanted nothing deeper than sex.

Aiden shook his head, the same thoughts clearly going through his mind.

Dominic glanced between the three of us, an all too familiar look of defeat on his face before he left the room.

I walked over to the woman, kneeling beside her. This wasn’t her fault, and she did nothing wrong. She was not the woman for us; we didn’t want to waste our time or hers. I gently took the blindfold off her. “I’m sorry, this isn’t going to work,” I informed gently.

She looked offended. Not saddened or distraught, she was angry. “Did I do something wrong?” She asked.

I began untying her arms from the secure ropes Aiden perfectly tied. “No, you didn’t,” I said vaguely. I didn’t have to explain myself to her, especially when I might insult her by explaining that she was wrong for us.

Once I got the ropes off, I helped her stand up. “Do you need anything before you go home?” I asked, thankful that she brought her own car. I was glad we didn’t get past ropes and blindfolds.

She blinked a few times. “That’s it? I thought-”

“We made a mistake,” Niko stopped her. “Please dress and leave. Our... relationship is over,” he explained clearly.

Her words caught in her throat, “Oh—is there anything I can do to change your mind?” She looked at the three of us, not noticing that Dominic wasn’t in the room anymore.

Aiden sighed, looking annoyed as he left Niko and me to deal with her.

After getting the woman out of our home, I entered the living room where my friends were all sitting, their choice of alcohol in hand.

“Every time I think we’re close, their personalities do a complete 180,” Niko expressed.

“I could hardly stand her from the start,” Dominic deadpanned.

I nodded in agreement. She wasn’t horrible ; we just couldn’t find anything to connect over. Our interests were completely different.

My friends and I were all professors at a prestigious university. We’d lived in the manor we called home for four years. The university board members presented the idea that some instructors live off campus in this old manor built in the early 1700s. The vacant property was owned by the school.

Needing to escape the city and sick of running into my students, I presented the idea to my friends. Now, here we were. The manor had its problems, being old and scarcely updated. But it gave us the freedom to be ourselves, and I was grateful to call it home.

“At what point do we stop trying?” Aiden asked. I narrowed my eyes on him. He shifted, leaning forward. “Every single woman we pursue is either a fake sub or is just looking for sex,” he rolled his eyes.

From a young age, my friends and I had known exactly what we wanted. We have never and will never be sexually attracted to each other. We were all straight men who possessed the same desire to share, dominate, and care for a woman.

We’d tried having monogamous relationships in the past, individually. The relationships never ended well because they weren’t what we wanted, and we couldn’t be happy.

I gave Aiden a small smile, not wanting to add to the negativity in the room. “We had another fake submissive, and that’s unfortunate. But that doesn’t mean the right woman isn’t out there,” I tried.

“At this rate, we’ll be looking for her until we die,” Dominic took a drink. “I’d rather have monogamy and vanilla sex than chase a woman who doesn’t exist.”

I understood his frustration; we were all experiencing the same feelings of doubt. Sex clubs, dating websites, and meeting people in person had only brought disappointment. After all, the perfect submissive wasn’t just going to walk through our door.

“I agree. It would be best to take a break for a while. The constant catfishing and letdowns are starting to irk me,” Niko said. “I don’t want to give up, but every day my faith is lacking,” he admitted.

Dominic nodded. “I need a break, too,” he agreed.

Aiden glanced at me. “I don’t think the women were looking for exists,” he said just above a whisper. “If we don’t find a submissive within a year, I’m getting a girlfriend.”

“Knowing you’ll be unhappy?” I asked.

“I’m already unhappy,” he shot back.

A thick silence filled the room while we thought. Maybe taking a short break from looking would be good for us. Aiden was clearly at his breaking point, ready to throw in the towel. Dominic got colder and colder by the day, slowly losing his excitement. Niko tried to be hopeful, but even his disappointment was showing. It’d taken its toll on me as well. Kicking women out has become routine, unlike my usual respectful demeanor.

Not having someone to care for was tearing us down. All I wanted was for her to finally make an appearance in our lives and build us back up. She was out there; I knew it. She had to be, or I didn’t know what we’d do...