Chapter Three

Rhea

We get to a table off in the corner and Marvin pulls a chair out before pushing me down to sit. “David,” Marvin says, shaking his hand.

“Good to see you, Marvin. This must be Rhea?” David asks, looking me over.

“Yes. Rhea, say hello,” Marvin commands.

“Hello,” I say softly, keeping my head bowed.

“She is obedient. I like it,” he says.

“Shall we get to why we are here then?” Marvin asks, sitting next to me.

“Yes,” he says. David produces a stack of papers and lays them in front of Marvin. “Would you like for me to go over it?”

“Sure,” Marvin says, glancing at me with an evil smirk.

Fuck… This is bad. Emma, are you even coming back?

“So, this is simple divorce paperwork. It will give you everything and she won’t be able to claim anything. This one is for you. It is releasing you as her caregiver. The next set is a contract between her and I,” David says.

Divorce? Because I went to the bathroom without permission? This is good though. Divorce is good. What’s the contract, though?

“The contract is her legally giving herself to me and allowing me to make all medical, financial, and personal decisions. In layman’s terms, it’s a conservatorship,” David says. “She will reside in my home. You and the other listed individual, Marcus Langston, will have free use of her. You should also have the deposit for payment already.”

“Good deal,” Marvin says, sliding the paperwork to me. “Sign, Rhea.”

“I… Why are you doing this?” I ask, looking up at him.

“Sign the first set, and we can talk,” he says. I nod and read over the divorce paperwork. It is exactly what he said it was. I sign the paperwork and Marvin takes the pen to sign his name. David signs last before handing him the next paper.

“This is for you to give up your rights to sign for her so that she may legally enter the conservatorship with me,” David says. Marvin reads over it. He takes his hand off my thigh to sign and I make a split-second decision.

As soon as I see him sign the paperwork, I abruptly stand and jump back before Marvin can grab me. “I’m going to go to the restroom,” I say. Marvin is glaring at me but doesn’t lunge at me as expected.

“Hurry back,” he says simply. I nod and practically sprint to the bathroom. When I get in there, tears flood my face.

He’s selling me off to whoever the fuck this man is. I have to get away, but I don’t know how. I have nowhere to go. The door comes open and I back myself against the wall when I see Marvin come in. He calmly locks the door and walks over to me.

“You are going to take your fat ass out there and sign that paperwork,” he says.

“No,” I say tearfully. “I’m not doing it.”

“Excuse me?” he asks, grabbing me by the throat and slamming me back against the wall. My head smacks against the tile and I whimper, afraid he’s going to cause damage again. “I fucking own you, Rhea. You are mine to do whatever the fuck I want to do with. If I tell you to do something, you fucking do it.”

“No,” I say firmly. “I’m not a fucking object you can sell.”

“You either leave here with David, or in a body bag. Your choice,” he growls.

“I’m not letting you sell me,” I say.

“Wrong choice, bitch,” he says as he tightens his grip and cuts off my air. He pushes me up the wall slightly, so I am hardly on my tiptoes and my vision floods with stars. I start clawing and hitting him, trying to draw a breath.

I hear the door slam open, but my vision is too blurry to see who grabs Marvin and throws him across the room. I drop to the ground and start gasping and coughing, trying to blink away the haze. The room erupts into chaos and I look up and Emma is in front of me

“You’re okay,” Emma says as she pulls me up. She tries to comfort me, but when she steps to the side and I see who grabbed Marvin, I shove past her and try to stop what’s about to happen.

“ Quinn, Don’t!” I scream and step between Marvin and Quinn. He doesn’t look at me. He keeps the gun pressed to Marvin’s forehead and I am nearly sobbing. “Don’t. Please, stop it. Stop it, Quinn. Please stop.”

“Rhea,” Jace says, gently touching my arm.

“No,” I snap and put my hands on Quinn’s chest. “Quinn, Dad is a sitting judge. Please, don’t. Please, Quinn. Don’t do this.”

Quinn grits his teeth and finally breaks his stare to look down at me. “He hurt you.” Quinn growls. “He hurt you, Rhea.”

“I know, Quinny. I know. Please. I am begging you. Don’t do this,” I say, trying to push him back. He is a huge man, so there is no way I actually can, but I’ll do anything to prevent him from getting himself put in jail for the rest of his life. My dad would fucking jump at the chance to put him and Jace in jail.

“You’re coming with me,” Quinn says, leaving no room for argument.

“I’ll come with you. I swear to God, I will. Please, Quinny. Don’t do this,” I beg. Quinn lets Jace take the gun from him before pulling me out from between them. Quinn grabs Marvin by the throat and slams him against the wall beside the sink and pushes him up the wall, making sure his feet aren’t touching the ground.

“If you ever come near her again, I’ll fucking gut you. Understand, bitch?” Quinn says with a near snarl.

Marvin nods rapidly, and Quinn drops him to the floor. I grab Jace and pull him out of the bathroom to go back to David. He has that paperwork, and I want a copy. Marvin could have me locked in a facility if he destroys the paper.

“What’s going on?” Jace asks.

“Paperwork,” I say, shoving David. “Give me a copy. Now.”

“What paper…” David starts to say. Jace grabs him by the throat, not even knowing what I’m talking about, and drags him so they are nose to nose.

“What the fuck did she just tell you?” Jace asks with a low growl.

“F-Fine,” David says. Jace lets go of him, and David pulls the stack of papers out of his briefcase. I snatch them from him and look them over.

“Sign it,” I say, handing him the paper that releases me from a conservatorship under Marvin. “Now!”

“You’ll regret this,” he says, carefully taking the paper from me.

“Shut the fuck up and sign it,” I snap. I don’t know if it's Jace and Quinn finally finding me, but something has snapped in my head, and I refuse to back down. David signs the paper, and I take it back.

“Get the fuck out,” Jace says to David. “And don’t come back.”

David practically runs away, and I turn to see two men walking Marvin out. Marvin stops to look at me and one of them smacks the back of his head before shoving him toward the door. Quinn walks over to me and wraps me in a hug. A sudden wave of relief hits me and I fall apart in his arms. When he picks me up, I cling to him as he takes me somewhere. Quinn sits with me, and I can feel Jace rubbing my back as I sob into Quinn’s chest.

“I am so confused,” Emma says.

“Give them a second,” a man says.

“You’re going to have to give us something here, Quinn,” another man says. Quinn pulls me up and I am straddling his lap as he sits on a couch. He has tears in his eyes as he gently takes the collar off of me. He is ignoring his friends and stays focused on me. Jace isn’t speaking as he continues to rub my back.

“Oh, Rhea,” Quinn says softly as he gently touches the bruise on my throat. “What did he do to you, Little Star?”

“A lot,” I admit. “I tried to leave once a long time ago, but… I’m sorry, Quinn. I’m sorry I disappeared.”

“Alright,” a girl says as she sits beside Quinn to talk to me. “Can you explain what’s happening?”

“Anika,” Quinn says softly.

“No, sir. I just watched you almost blow his brains out, and I’m sad you didn’t. Now, I’ve known Marvin for a long time and never knew the dumbass was married. How do you know her? You hardly know Marvin.”

“Jace and I grew up with Rhea,” Quinn says. “Kinda. We were nine when she and her family moved into town. My mom used to clean for her parents. Jace and I would take care of Rhea because her parents didn’t. She disappeared when she was eighteen. The last time I talked to her, she called me from the hospital when she was twenty, begging me to come get her because her boyfriend beat the fuck out of her. When I got there, she was gone.”

“What happened?” Jace asks me. “When you were eighteen?”

“Uh… Well… Dad wanted something published. He gave me to Marvin as payment,” I say. “Marvin convinced me to sign paperwork to be under a conservatorship. I disappeared because Marvin had me put in a facility for about six months.”

“Sounds like my parents,” Anika says.

“Your parents are saints compared,” Quinn says vaguely.

“Well, shit. No wonder you almost shot Marvin,” Anika says.

“He hurt you,” Quinn says to me.

“I’m okay, Quinny,” I say, cupping his face. “I’m okay.”

“You’re coming home with me and Jace,” he says.

“I figured,” I say, smiling softly. “Come on, Quinn. You saved me. Please, relax.”

“I am relaxed,” he says.

“You’re still a terrible liar,” I say, and he finally cracks a smile.

“Fuck, Rhea,” he says, hugging me tightly. When he releases me, Jace pulls me into his lap to hug me.

“Who is everyone?” I ask Jace.

“That is Rowan, Max, and Theo. They’re Anika’s partners. You met Emma. She is married to Mia, who is best friends with Anika. He is Quinn… and I’m Jace,” he says with a grin.

“Smart ass,” I laugh and lay my head on his chest. He wraps me in a hug again and kisses the top of my head.

Quinn Puipui is a huge man that stands six feet seven inches and is easily three hundred pounds of muscle. He is Samoan. He was born here, but his parents weren’t. Jace Hale is half-Samoan. His father was, but his mother is white. He is almost as big as Quinn and stands six feet four inches. They were my saviors as a child. I dreamed of marrying someone like them, or them. I was convinced that I was in love with them. When I was forced to marry Marvin, I gave up on that dream.

“Wait,” I say, sitting up and looking at Anika. “How do you know Marvin?”

“I work with the dumbass,” she says.

“Did,” Rowan says. “You did work with him. I texted Arthur and told him. He is firing him in the morning.”

“I… thought he was the boss,” I say, confused. Anika and Mia giggle, and Rowan smirks.

“No. Arthur owns Genesis. I run things. Anika and Mia are the top publishers,” Rowan says to me.

“Ah, well now I know I was lied to,” I frown.

“What did he tell you?” Anika asks.

“When I was first made to marry him, things weren’t all bad. He kept telling me that when I proved to him I could do it, he would help me publish,” I say.

“What do you write?” she asks.

“Nothing now,” I say. “He stopped letting me write a long time ago. He said I was choosing my characters over him, so it was easier to stop.”

“What did you write?” she asks.

“Uh…” I say. “It was like… Romance, but everyone’s life was shit. Like mine is.”

“Was,” Quinn says.

“Is,” I say. “If you think for a second Marvin will give up, you are insane.”

“What do you mean?” Theo asks.

“He’s about to analyze you,” Mia laughs. “He’s a psychiatrist.

“You hush, woman,” Theo laughs.

“The paperwork I got from that man was… I don’t know if I should say this,” I say.

“Quinn will be a good boy, won’t you, Quinn?” Jace picks.

“Mhmm. Maybe,” Quinn says.

“So…” I start to say. I am still clutching the papers. “It’s divorce papers, Marvin releasing me from the conservatorship and the last one is me resigning for David to be my caregiver.”

“Can I see?” Emma asks. “I’m a lawyer.”

I hand her the papers and she reads over them. “I made him sign the second one,” I say. “I don’t know what to do now, but I think I’m free from that bullshit.”

“You said your dad is a sitting judge?” she asks. “Who is he?”

“Marcus Langston,” I say carefully.

“Hold on,” she says, going to the third set of papers. “He’s listed…”

“Quinn doesn’t know,” I say, interrupting her. “Jace doesn’t either.”

“Know what?” Quinn asks.

“The contract with David includes a sex agreement where she is acknowledging that she consents to sex with Marvin Miller and Marcus Langston,” Emma says.

“He’s my stepfather, if that counts for anything,” I say. Quinn grits his teeth and lays his head back, trying to stay calm.

“Rhea… I don’t give a goddamn who the fuck he is. The man fucking raised you from birth,” Quinn says as he sits up and looks at me.

“Quinn…”

“No, Rhea. When did it start?” he demands, raising his voice at me. I instinctively bow my head when I see he’s mad and tear up. “When?”

“Quinn, stop for a second. You’re scaring her,” Theo says softly. “Let her sit by herself for a bit.”

Jace moves me to sit on the ottoman. I keep my head bowed, trying to not cry. I hiccup and sniffle, trying to calm down. Quinn moves to sit in front of me. “Rhea,” he says softly. “Please look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” I say as I try to hold back my tears. Quinn lifts my chin and remorse is painted all over his face.

“I’m sorry, Rhea. I shouldn’t have raised my voice,” he says softly. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Rhea.”

“It started when I was twelve,” I whisper. “Mom doesn’t know.”

“Your mother starved you. She’s just as guilty,” Quinn says. “How often does Marcus assault you, Rhea?”

“I don’t say no, Quinny,” I say tearfully.

“How often?” he asks again.

“Uh… Every few weeks he will come to the house,” I say, wiping my tears away. “I’m sorry I keep crying.”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing,” Jace says.

Quinn looks up at Theo. “I don’t even know what to do here,” Quinn says. “How do I not trigger her?”

“You just need to be aware of her habits,” Theo says. “How old are you, Rhea?”

“Twenty-seven,” I say softly, dropping my eyes to my lap again.

“She’s spent nine years being abused by Marvin and twenty-seven by Marcus and her mother,” Theo says. “You need to find out what her habits are and go from there. She has gotten used to being abused, so she will expect it from whoever is near her. You should tell her where you live.”

Quinn nudges me and I look up at him. “Jace and I live in the basement of their house,” he says.

“We all live together and force Quinn to come up and act like he loves us,” Anika says.

“Why are you such a brat, Anika?” Quinn asks Anika, smiling.

Quinn can’t be like that. The Quinn I know wouldn’t hurt a woman. I abruptly stand and back away. I don’t want to be close to him if he wants to hurt Anika. She’s so sweet. She doesn’t deserve a beating for that. She didn’t do anything wrong.

“Don’t!” I yell as tears flood my face when Quinn stands to come to me. Jace stands and I panic. I don’t want to see them mad like that. That’s not who they are. Why would they want to hurt her? Would they hurt me because I didn’t keep my thoughts to myself?

I can feel myself spiraling and it feels like I’ve been punched in the chest. I suddenly can’t breathe, and I claw at my neck, trying to find a way to breathe. Someone grabs my hands, and I instantly start gasping and sobbing as I try to pull away from them. I can hear people talking, but they sound distant. Max and Rowan are holding Quinn and Jace back so they can’t get to me. Someone grabs my face and makes me look away from them.

“Rhea, breathe,” Theo says. I can hardly hear him, but I try. I stop fighting him and try to focus on why I can’t breathe. Every time I look at Quinn and Jace, I can hear Marvin’s voice. “I need to get her away from them for a second.”

“No,” Quinn says. I can hear the tears in his voice.

“Anika?” Theo says.

“I’m with you,” she says. “Mia. Emma. Come with us.”

Theo scoops me up, and I am still gasping as he carries me away from Quinn and Jace. When we get into another room, he sits me on a table and puts his hands on either side of my legs so I can’t run away again. Mia, Emma, and Anika are around me as well.

“Rhea. It’s just us,” Theo says. “Count to ten for me.”

“One…” I choke out. “Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten…”

By the time I get to ten, I can breathe again. “Good job, Rhea,” Theo praises. “Look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, my bottom lip trembling. “I don’t know…”

“You had a panic attack, Rhea. Don’t apologize for needing support,” he says. “What happened?”

“Quinn… He called her a brat and… Marvin…” I start to lose grip on myself again, but Anika seems to understand. Her voice cuts through to me and I can focus.

“What did Marvin say about brats?” she asks.

“He… He said brats are just submissives that need to be beaten,” I whisper. “I read once that they… I’m so fucking confused. I don’t know what to believe.”

“What did you read?” Theo asks.

“That brats are a brat when they need something specific and when they are supported properly, they submit,” I say. “But… Dominants have all the power. So, if they are a submissive, shouldn’t they just do what they are told?”

“Both parties hold power equally,” Theo says. “That’s why submissives have safe words.”

“Marvin always said that submissives don’t need safe words because they are expected to submit no matter what,” I argue.

“How do you think it should be?” Theo asks me.

“I… I shouldn’t have to do something I don’t want to,” I say. “I always wanted to please Marvin, but he always caused me so much pain that it was no longer pleasurable.”

“How so?” he asks.

“All of the impact things he used on me has little metal things on them,” I say. “They would cut me and it would hurt. He would get upset when I’d cry, so he’s pour alcohol on the cuts until I stopped crying.”

“What the fuck,” Mia says. “I hated the prick, but now I want to hurt him myself.”

“Can you go get the others, please?” Theo says to Emma. She nods and leaves the room.

“Did I say something wrong?” I ask quietly. “I’m…”

“No, Rhea. You’ve not done anything wrong,” Theo says. I nod and bow my head. I chew on the inside of my cheek as I pick at my nails. When the door comes open, arms wrap around me.

“I’m so sorry, Rhea,” Quinn says quietly. “I’m so sorry I scared you.”

“It’s okay,” I whisper.

“Hey,” Jace says, nudging me. I look up at him, and he grins. “You can punch him if it’s makes you feel better.” I laugh at his remark and they both hug me.

“So… What I am getting here is that Marvin is a fake Dom,” Theo says. “She got triggered because Marvin would tell her that brats are submissives who need to be beaten. You called Anika a brat and she panicked.”

“Oh, Rhea,” Quinn says. “I’d never hurt Anika. Ever.”

“Do you think she’s a brat?” I ask, looking up at him.

“Yes,” he says. “Mia is a bigger brat. You are a brat. Emma is a brat. Max is the biggest brat. I’m surrounded by brats, baby girl. That’s not a bad thing.”

“Quinn is a brat,” Anika laughs. “Rhea, honey. Brats just need more reassurance in different ways. For example, I have a tendency to say shitty things about myself because I know it will get their attention. I do it without thinking. Sometimes I do it on purpose because I like to see Theo’s face turn red when I run away from him. But you know what?”

“What?” I ask.

“Not one of them has ever hurt me,” she says. “Quinny here is a fucking monster, but he has never once done something I wasn’t okay with.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Let’s not go there right now, please,” Quinn says.

“No, I am,” Anika says. “She deserves to understand everything. Marvin used BDSM to abuse her. She needs to know that it’s not what he made it out to be.”

“I’m confused,” I say.

“Okay,” she says. “I am submissive. So is Mia. Emma is a switch, so she is also dominant sometimes. Rowan, Max, Theo, Quinn, and Jace are dominant. They all like to pretend they are bothered by us being a brat, but they love it. They are brat tamers, and all go about taming differently. Quinn and Theo fuck like monsters. I’m sure Jace does too.”

“He does,” Mia laughs. “He’s fun to piss off.”

“Back up,” I say.

“See? I told you not to go there,” Quinn says.

“Do you know what polyamory is?” Anika asks me.

“Yeah. Kinda,” I say. “I know Marvin had other submissives.”

“Were you okay with that?” Theo asks me.

“I just felt left out when he brought them to the house. I was made to go to the guest room until they were done,” I say.

“We are all poly,” Anika says. “Quinn doesn’t do much with us, but he has. Jace is afraid of me, so he’s only been with Emma and Mia.”

“I’m not scared of you, you little shit,” Jace laughs.

“What Marvin did to you is not a dominant-submissive dynamic. He abused you and called it BDSM,” she says.

“She wasn’t allowed to have a safe word,” Theo says. “She also likely has scars from what he was doing.”

“What was he doing?” Quinn asks me.

“He has a flogger that has metal pieces on it,” I say. “The bullwhip did the most damage, I think.”

“I’ve never wanted to murder someone so badly,” Quinn sighs. “May I see?”

“Yeah,” I say. I go to move off the table and he stops me.

“Slow down, Rhea. Do you actually want me to see?” he asks. “You are under no obligation to do anything you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “I mean…”

“What?” he asks.

“It’s not like my dress hides my fat, so it’s not a secret that I…”

“Please, don’t finish that sentence,” Quinn says. Anika and Mia giggle, and he glares at them.

“What?” Mia asks. “It’s just cute to see you so soft with her. If that was one of us who said that, you’d already have us bent over.”

“Must you?” Jace asks.

“Yes, Jace. I must,” Mia says. “Walking on eggshells and hiding reality from her won’t help her heal.”

“Do you…” I start to ask but stop.

“What?” Jace asks me.

“Do you two fuck them as a punishment or something?” I ask, and Theo laughs.

“Yes, but it’s not a punishment,” Jace explains. “You are free to tell them to shut the fuck up. A lot is being dumped on you right now.”

“It’s okay,” I say.

“We are getting off topic,” Rowan reminds.

“Right,” Quinn says. “Can I see what he did?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“Max, hand me that blanket,” Jace says. Max tosses him a blanket as Quinn pulls me off the table and turns me around. Quinn pulls my dress off and Jace wraps the blanket around me so that everything is covered but my back.

“Christ,” Anika says. “That’s intense.”

“May I?” Theo says to me, and I nod. He runs his fingers along the scars and sighs. “How new is the one on your shoulder?”

“Uh… A few weeks,” I think. “The bullwhip also has metal on it.”

“What the fuck is wrong with this guy?” Max asks.

“I knew he was bad, but…” Anika says. “This is just cruel.”

“Turn around here,” Theo says. I turn to face him, and Quinn picks me up and sits me on the table again. “Do you want to be submissive?”

“Theo,” Quinn snaps.

“Stop,” Theo says. “Let her make her own choices. I know you want to protect her right now, but she needs to find something she can connect to and grow with.”

“I do,” I say. “I like pleasing people. I like to make people proud.”

“You like to be praised,” he says.

“Yeah,” I say.

“What about the impact play?” he asks.

“In the beginning, he didn’t hurt me like that. The scenes were pleasurable. It turned into him not stopping until I was in real pain,” I say.

“I am thinking that learning what true BDSM is would be helpful. You need to learn your own limits and learn how to express those limits. You need to pick a safe word and find out when to call it,” he says. “Pain doesn’t have to be painful, Rhea. You can mix the two and stay within your level of comfort. You also need to learn how to see yourself in a positive light.”

“Light doesn’t make the fat go away,” I frown.

“God, you are a brat,” Theo says with a smile.

“Is that bad?” I ask.

“I don’t think so,” he says. “I think everyone in this room, especially Quinn and Jace, will understand what you need if you allow yourself to be a brat.”

“He’s saying you should learn how to tell them to fuck off for fun,” Mia laughs.

“That’s fun and all, but isn’t BDSM a lot about sex?” I ask.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Max says. “It just depends on your limits.”

“I just…” I start to say. “You guys are talking like you all want to teach me these things, which is fine. I want to learn. If Quinn and Jace trust you, then I do. I guess I am just confused on why you’d want to if it’s meant to be sexual for you all.”

“First of all, no one will do anything to or with you without your consent,” Quinn says. “Second, I hope you are not implying what I think you are.”

“I just don’t understand why…” I say but stop and sigh.

“What is it?” Jace asks.

“Do you all mean it in a sexual way? I’m struggling to understand why any of you would want to have sex with me. Marvin hardly wanted to unless he was hurting me or didn’t have to look at me.”

“You okay, Theo?” Anika asks with a giggle.

“Mhmm,” he says.

Jace takes my face between his hands and kisses my forehead. “You need to get dressed.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“He’s saying you need to get dressed because he’s struggling with trying to not touch you,” Quinn says. “Rhea, you have to understand that we have to learn how to navigate your trauma along side you.”

“Why don’t you have Theo help?” Anika says. “He’s literally a BDSM therapist.”

“That’s not the help I’d like to give, but yes,” Theo says. “I can help how ever you need me to.”

“This is a lot,” Quinn says. “We’re going to take her back to the house so she can rest.”

“I’m going to work on filing this,” Emma says.

“Thanks,” Quinn says as he helps me back into my dress. “Let’s go home, Little Star.”

When we get into the basement, I stand and wait for someone to tell me what to do. “Rhea,” Jace says. “Why are you standing there like a creep?”

“No one has told me what to do,” I say quietly. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well… you can start by sitting,” Quinn says. “They can be intense. I’m sorry if they overwhelmed you.”

“I learned a lot. It’s okay,” I say. “May I use the restroom?”

“Yeah,” he says, giving me a confused look. “It’s in the bedroom.”

“Can I change? This dress is kind of tight,” I say.

“Yeah. Just grab a shirt from the closet,” he says. “Why are you asking permission for everything?”

“Force of habit, I guess,” I say. He nods and I go to the bedroom. I find a T-shirt and go to the bathroom to change. I get done as quickly as I can. I don’t know why, but I feel as though I’ll get in trouble if I take too long. When I come out, Quinn is looking at his phone by the bed. He just has pajama bottoms on. I forgot just how gorgeous he is. I missed them so much.

“You’re drooling,” Jace says, and I gasp.

“Sorry. I’m sorry,” I say quickly. Quinn sighs and sets his phone down before looking at me. “I’m sorry.”

“Rhea,” Quinn says he points for me to stand in front of him.

“I’m sorry,” I say, obeying him and walking closer. Quinn takes my face between his hands and has an amused look on his face. “I’m…”

Quinn suddenly kisses me, and I instantly melt into him. I am dazed when he pulls away. “I’m going to kiss you every single time you apologize for something you shouldn’t.”

“Now I’m going to want to apologize more,” I say, and Jace laughs. “I know it’s annoying you. I’m sorry.” Quinn kisses me again, only harder.

“I can do this all night, Rhea,” he says.

“You’re not making me want to stop apologizing,” I say softly, not opening my eyes.

“You have a choice to make,” Quinn says. I open my eyes, and he smiles. “You can go to sleep with one of us, both of us, or by yourself.”

“Both,” I whisper.

“Louder, Rhea,” he encourages.

“I want to sleep with both of you,” I say.

“I’m down,” Jace says. “Here or the living room?”

“What?” I ask. “No, I meant actual sleeping.”

“Damn,” Jace says with a wink.

“Alright, pervert,” Quinn laughs.

“You’re one to talk, Quinny,” Jace teases.

“Come lie down before Jace gets himself in trouble,” Quinn says.

“Yes, M…” I stop myself before the word comes out, but Quinn and Jace both caught it. “I… I’m sorry. I don’t know why…”

“What were you going to say?” Quinn asks, pointing for me to lie down. I move to lay in the center of the bed, and they lie down with me. Jace wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me back against his chest before burying his face in my long and curly brown hair.

“I had to reply with Master to everything,” I say.

“Sounds like TPE, but not in a consenting way,” Jace mumbles.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Total power exchange,” Quinn says. “Every dynamic is different, but in your case, I’d assume you had to ask permission for everything. He made every decision for you. That sound about right?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I had to text him during the day to use the bathroom. He had an alarm on the door so he’d get a text if I disobeyed him.”

“He’s a twat,” Jace mumbles. “You’re so comfortable to cuddle with. Damn.”

“It’s because I’m squishy,” I say. I squeal and laugh when they both start ticking me. “Stop. Stop. Stop. I’m sorry!”

“Little girl, I might not fuck you stupid for degrading yourself, but I will tickle you until you pee yourself,” Quinn warns.

“Is it because there is too much squish or because you don’t see me that way?” I ask. “I mean that seriously. Don’t tickle me, please.”

“One, you are tiny. You could literally disappear in my arms. Two, I don’t know if you are ready to hear about how I see you, Rhea,” Quinn says.

“I’ll say it,” Jace says. “I’d fuck you right now if you gave me permission.”

That’s the gentle version of what I was going to say,” Quinn laughs.

“Why didn’t you guys ever do anything before?” I ask.

“Because you were a child, Rhea. We didn’t see you like that back then,” Quinn says. “Unlike your piece-of-shit stepfather, I have no desire to have sex with a minor.”

“He has a tiny dick, if that counts for anything,” I say.

“I really hope Marvin has a small dick,” Jace laughs.

“He’s bigger compared to Dad,” I say. “Probably average, I guess.”

“I don’t like this conversation,” Quinn says. “It makes me want to murder people.”

“Damn. I didn’t think you were that mad at me,” I say with a sweet smile.

“Brat,” he says with a smile as he closes his eyes. “We missed you, Rhea. So much.”

“I missed you guys too,” I admit. Quinn moves in closer, and I relax between them.