Chapter Five

Rhea

When we got back to the house, I went to the basement and laid down. Everyone thought I was asleep, but I wasn’t. Someone would come down and check on me, but I would never roll over to see who it was. I feel so out of my mind right now. Why would my father hand me to someone who was going to kill me? Why would Marvin hand me off to David to kill me? Why not just kill me himself? If those women weren’t there by choice, what happened to them?

We pull into the parking lot of The Cherry, and Quinn tugs me out of my seat to stand. “You and Theo are going to go talk for a minute before Casey gets here. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” I say simply.

Theo gestures for me to walk with him. Emma unlocks the door and he and I walk in. The others go to sit at the tables near the bar, but Theo and I go back to one of the private rooms. “Why are we here?” I ask, staying by the door.

“I just want to show you something and talk for a moment,” he says. “Come, sit.”

“You aren’t going to tie me up, are you?” I ask.

“Do you want me to?” he asks with a smirk.

“Not right now,” I laugh.

“Deal. Talk now, restraints later,” he says with a sweet smile. When I get closer, he picks me up and sets me on the table. “Okay. I’m going to show you a few items that we all frequently use. I want you to tell me the difference between what he used and what we use.”

“Okay,” I say.

Theo walks to the wall and grab something off of the shelf before laying it in my lap. “What is this?”

“A flogger,” I say.

“What’s the difference?” he asks.

“This one looks much nicer,” I say. “Marvin has the metal one and this is just leather.”

“Right,” he says. “What about this?” he takes the flogger from me and lays another item in my lap.

“It’s a whip. This is leather. Marvin used metal,” I say.

“Exactly. Do you understand what I’m getting at?”

“Impact play with you guys doesn’t hurt,” I say.

“No, it does. It just doesn’t make anyone bleed, Rhea,” he says. “That might be a kink for others, but I’m inclined to think that it’s not yours. Did you enjoy when he would make you bleed?”

“No,” I say. “When he switched to metal a few years ago, I stopped enjoying it all together. I used to be able to escape my mind, but he's just gotten more and more violent as the years went on.”

“Rhea, what he did was not impact play. It was not kink. It was torture,” he says. “He got off on hurting you. Sometimes just making you bleed was not good enough, and there’s a good likelihood that he went after other women.”

“Why not just kill me, if that’s what he wanted to do?” I ask.

“To put it bluntly,” he says. “He already had you trained. If he killed you, he would have to start over with someone else. People like him need that constant stimulation. Having you around allowed him to suffice those urges.”

“What is it supposed to feel like then?” I ask.

“After we talk to Casey, I’d like for Quinn and Jace to show you just the flogger,” he says. “There isn’t anyone here, so we can go to the main room so everyone can do their own thing.”

“Okay,” I say.

“After, we need to talk as a group,” he says.

“About what?” I ask.

“About how involved you’d like to be with everyone,” he says.

“Oh,” I say. “No one has to include me out of pity.”

“What? That isn’t it at all,” Theo says. “We want to include you in this dynamic because you are sweet, beautiful, and smart. You get along well with everyone. Quinn and Jace love you. We do not include people out of pity. In fact, we’ve never included anyone else. Quinn and Jace would occasionally play here in the club, but even that was rare. They are incredibly selective about who they involve themselves with.”

“I don’t understand why anybody would want to include me,” I say quietly. “I want to understand… I just don’t get it. I’m not used to this much kindness without there being a catch.”

“Casey is here,” Quinn says from the doorway.

“Come on,” Theo says, patting my thigh. He pulls me off the table and puts the items away before we all go to the seating area with couches. Jace pulls me into his lap and Casey sits across from us on the other couch.

“Okay. I’m going to record this, but only I will ever hear this recording. Even if this goes to court, no one else will ever hear it,” she says.

“Okay,” I say quietly.

“We talked earlier about how he’d bring others over to the house. Can you tell me about that?” she asks.

“He said he had other submissives. Sometimes he’d go to them, but sometimes he’d bring them to the house. When they would be at the house, I was instructed to sit in the closet and meditate. He would put me in there before he’d go pick them up and let me out once he took them home and got back,” I say.

“Put you in there, how?” she asks.

“Uh,” I say. “He, uh… he would generally restrain me. There is this metal hook in the floor where he attached the chain from my wrists to the floor… Most of the time, he would put that full face leather mask thing on me. It had holes in it to breathe, but otherwise it fully wrapped around my head, kind of made things muffled to hear, but mostly I hated it because I couldn’t see.”

“What would you hear when he’d have people over?” she asks.

“The same thing as when he would do scenes with me. I was never allowed to be that loud, though. I would’ve been punished for it,” I say.

“Loud how?”

“Well, they would yell and scream. Eventually, I wouldn’t be able to understand what they were saying. I think he would put a gag in their mouth,” I say.

“When you could hear, what would they say? Do you remember anything?”

“They would just beg him to stop,” I say. “Again, it’s basically the same things he did with me. The only difference is that I learned how to keep my mouth shut. They didn’t.”

“Did you ever hear anyone else?” she asks.

“Yeah. He would sometimes have a friend over. I never met them though,” I explain.

“What’s the longest he kept you in the closet?” she asks.

“Uh… A few days,” I say. “The closet was always locked, so when he would keep me in there for more than ten hours or so, he would leave that mask thing on me and put bottles of water and a bucket in there.”

“How often did you leave the house?” she asks.

“Every few months,” I say.

“So… here’s the problem we are having,” she says, picking up the tablet from the table and tapping around on it.

“What?” I ask.

“When is the last time you saw your mother?” she asks.

“When I turned eighteen and married Marvin,” I say.

“Your mother, stepfather, and Marvin filed a missing persons report,” she says.

“I don’t understand,” I say.

“You mother thinks you are dead,” she says. “Two days ago, they filed to have you considered deceased.”

“How did I never know about this?” Quinn asks. “It was never on the news or anything. Her family was well known enough that it should have been on the news.”

“They were well known enough to get away with it,” Theo says. “Have you talked to her mother and stepfather?”

“I did,” she says. “I had to come forward and explain that you are no longer a missing person, so the court wouldn’t consider her dead.”

“I am so confused,” I say. “Was I not under a conservatorship?”

“No,” she says.

“I was in the hospital and at a facility,” I say.

“There isn’t a record of you anywhere,” she says simply.

“Dad knew I wasn’t missing though,” I say. “He would come to the house and-”

“And what?”

“It was expected of me since I was twelve that when he wanted, I was to let him take me,” I say. “He fucked me regularly, so there is no way he would say I was missing if he knew I wasn’t.”

“Rhea… He didn’t want anyone to know you were alive,” Theo says. “If you were listed as deceased, David was free to give you a new identity and move you somewhere else.”

“David mentioned that Marvin has a deposit. So, I guess David paid for me,” I say.

“If Quinn and Jace hadn’t known her,” Emma starts.

“It’s a good thing they did,” Casey says. “I need for you all to keep an eye on Rhea. Do not let her be alone. The lab is going to run DNA as fast as they can. I need a DNA sample from you, Rhea. We need to rule you out of any findings so that if we find anything, we will know if it’s you or someone else.”

“Uhm… okay,” I say. Casey gets what she needs out of her bag before asking me to open my mouth. She swabs the inside of my cheek before sealing everything up.

“I’m taking this straight to the lab. Any chance Marvin will know where the house is?” she asks Emma.

“No. We have a gate and a wired alarm system anyway,” Emma says.

“It’s probably a good idea that we work from home,” Rowan says.

I stand up and back away from everyone. I am not letting everyone turn their lives upside down for me. Quinn reaches for me, but I pull out of his grasp and go toward the door.

“Rhea,” Quinn says. He touches my arm, and I snap.

“Stop,” I scream as I turn and shove him backward. “I’m done. I can’t do this.”

“Yeah, gonna just run back to Marvin?” he snaps.

“Fuck you,” I yell at him as I start to cry. Jace steps close, and I stop him. “Don’t fucking touch me. I’m done. Y’all did fine without me for nine goddamn years. You’ll be fine. Everyone will be better off without me here.”

“Is that what you think? You think we were okay without you?” Quinn says, raising his voice.

“Why does everyone care so goddamn much?!” I scream. “Why is everyone so fucking nice? I’m not worth any of this bullshit. You’re turning your lives upside down for someone who is broken. I’m fucking broken, Quinny. I am not the girl you secretly fed and rocked to sleep until she was eighteen and disappeared because her parents would beat and starve her when she got in trouble. That girl is long fucking gone. She had hopes and dreams of happiness. What’s left is fucking worthless. You should have just let him fucking kill me. Why did you have to fucking save me, Quinn? Why?”

“Rhea,” Quinn says gently.

“I’m sorry, but I’m done. I shouldn’t have let anyone help me,” I say as my tears take over. I turn to run from them but smack into Theo. “Move.”

“Kneel,” Theo says with aggression seeping into his tone. It stuns me, so I just stare at him. “Now, Rhea. Kneel.”

“No,” I say defiantly.

“Kneel or I’ll make you kneel,” he growls at me.

“Theo, stop it,” Jace scolds.

“No. I told you two to meet her where she is comfortable. I have watched you two coddle her and give her free rein when that is not what she’s used to. She’s scared out of her mind, and she doesn’t know how to function without control. You can guide her without abusing her. You can still show her the same level of affection and compassion while still helping ease her out of total control,” Theo says. “Rhea, kneel. Now.”

“Okay,” I whisper and dip my head. Before I can kneel, he lifts my chin.

“Sir,” he says. “I don’t even want to hear you call any of us master because you are not our slave. You will address us as sir. Understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” I say, relaxing a bit. He nods and steps back to watch me. I kneel in front of him and sit back on my heels with my head bowed.

“Look at me,” Theo says. “When someone is speaking, you look them in the eye.”

“Yes, Sir,” I say.

“Girls, come here, please,” Theo says to Anika, Mia, and Emma.

“Casey, I appreciate your patience,” Theo says.

“It’s not a problem. It’s intriguing,” she says. “I have the recording off, so take your time.”

“Kneel, please,” Theo says to the girls. They kneel beside me and match how I’m sitting. “I need all of you to be honest with me, okay?”

“Yes, Sir,” we all say at once.

“Okay. That was hot,” Rowan says.

“I need you all too,” Theo says to the guys.

“I’m not kneeling,” Quinn says.

“Oh, but you’d look so pretty on your knees, Quinny,” Jace teases.

“Bunch of children,” Theo jokes. “I wanted to wait to have this conversation, but we are going to have it right now. Rhea, what is your level of comfort with everyone?”

I go to look at Quinn and Jace, but he grabs my chin. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“The difference between total control and abuse is consent,” Theo says. “I’m asking you, not them. This has nothing to do with them. What is your level of comfort?”

“I am comfortable,” I say. “With anything. I trust everyone.”

“Okay. Then you are to submit to every man in this room. Quinn, Jace, Max, Rowan, and myself. If we tell you to do something, the only thing we should hear is 'yes sir', and you doing it. If you are a brat to one of us, you will be punished by that person. Above all, Quinn and Jace have the final say over you. Anika, Mia, and Emma. I want you to help ease her into this, which requires you to move along with her. Is this something you are comfortable with?”

“I’m not submitting to Max, but yes,” Emma laughs. “I love my brother and everything, but I don’t do incest.

“Obviously,” Theo laughs. “Also, Rhea, don’t ask for permission to use the restroom or to move rooms. If you want to leave the house or building, ask. Otherwise, you can do whatever it is you need to do.”

“Yes, Sir,” I say softly.

“I want you writing again. I don’t care what it is or who you show, but I want you writing,” he says.

“Will you see it?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says. “Is that okay?”

“Yes, Sir,” I say.

“Stand up. All of you,” Theo says. As soon as I’m up to my feet, he grabs me by the throat and pulls me closer. “If you ever suggest again that you’re worthless or are better off dead, you won’t be able to sit for days without remembering your punishment. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir,” I say softly.

“Now, Quinn and Jace,” he says, turning to them.

“Please make them kneel,” Anika giggles. Her laughter is infectious, and I start laughing. Mia laughs with us, and soon Casey’s laughter drags everyone else in as well.

“You two have got to stop coddling her,” Theo says. “She trusts the two of you, but when you try to force her out of her comfort zone, she panics. Her comfort zone is the Dominant having total control. If you want to help her, match her where she is. You’ll either grow to stay there or help ease her into independence. Shocking her with free roam is how you’ll lose her.”

“I understand,” Quinn says.

“Fuck her up. Got it,” Jace says.

“May I…” I start to ask. I can’t get the words out before Quinn grabs me and wraps me in a hug. “I’m so sorry, Quinn. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he mutters. “I promise, it’s okay.”

I turn to hug Jace, and he squeezes me in a hug. “Come sit down,” Jace says.

“Okay,” I sigh, but yelp when he smacks my ass. “Yes, Sir…”

“Good girl,” he says. “Come on.”

We go back over to sit with Casey, and she smiles at me. “Ready?” she asks me.

“Yes,” I say. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she says. “Basically, guys. I need for everyone to stay as far away from Marvin and David as you can. Rhea, your mother wants to talk to you. I told her I would let you know.”

“Does she know that dad knows?” I ask.

“Unless he told her, no. I need to find hard evidence that he knew, and then I can charge everyone with human trafficking,” she says. “I’m trying to find out what else Marvin has been up to, but I need a warrant for that. I was able to obtain the… makeshift toys… because they were presented to me,” she says. “If any other DNA is found on them other than Marvin, Rhea, or those who disclosed that they touched them, I will have probable cause to get a warrant. If we spook him, he could spiral and hurt people.”

“We will keep our distance,” Quinn says.

“I need for everyone to be very nice and friendly to her mother and stepfather. Don't mention anything about any of this. Play along, and I can catch him in a lie,” she says. “Just don’t let them at the house.”

“Anything else?” Emma asks.

“Just don’t make waves and tell me every detail of everything that happens involving any of them,” she says. “I’ll go so you all can spend some time together. Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do. Thank you,” Emma says.

When Casey leaves, everyone is silent for a minute. I am chewing the inside of my cheek, watching my hands as I pick at my nails. Quinn lays his hand over mine and I sigh.

“Look at me,” Quinn says. I look up and he tucks my hair behind my ear. “You talked to Theo about doing a scene with us, yes?”

“Yes, Sir,” I say softly.

“Speak up, Rhea,” Jace says.

“Yes, Sir, I talked to Theo about doing a scene with just a flogger with the two of you,” I say louder and more confidently.

“Is this something you are consenting to?” Quinn asks.

“Yes, Sir,” I say. “I am consenting to it.”

“Understand that the purpose of this is for us to find your limit,” Quinn says. “The scene will continue until you call your safe word.”

“But I… yes, Sir,” I say.

“What were you going to say?” Jace asks.

“Just that I would rather it stop when you two want to stop,” I say.

“I understand, but right now we need to learn where your limit is so that we are comfortable pushing you further, if that’s what you desire,” Jace says.

“How about this,” Quinn says. “The flogging will go until you call it. After, we will both take you, and that’s when we will allow you to forego a safe word.”

“Really" I ask with a smile.

“Yes,” Quinn says. “You give us your limit, and we will fuck you into a coma. Deal?”

“Deal,” I say. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Little Star,” he says, cupping my cheek. After a second, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me to his chest. “If I ever hear you suggest your death again, you’ll never walk the same again. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Sir,” I breathe.

“To finish what I was saying earlier, we were never okay without you, Rhea. I prayed every night for you to come back to us. I regretted every day not trying harder to find you. We never should have assumed you picked up and left.”

“We can’t change any of that,” I say. “I’m glad I’m here now, even if I do keep melting down like a crazy person.”

“Let’s go play,” Quinn says, kissing me softly.

“Yes, Sir,” I say happily. He pulls me up to stand and Jace walks with us to the play area. I have all but forgotten about the others by the time we get to a bench in the center of the area. Quinn and Jace pull my dress off and have me kneel on the bench. I’m straddling a narrow platform. It has me positioned so that my knees are far apart. Quinn has me lie across the platform before they both use leather straps to secure my legs and arms to the bench.

“Theo is going to be here, but he’s just watching for now, okay?” Jace says as he leans down and kisses my shoulder.

“Yes, Sir,” I say.

“Have you ever had a wand used on you?” Quinn asks.

“No, Sir…”

“Well… You’re about to,” he says as he attaches something to the bench that presses against my clit.

“What does that do?” I ask.

“It’s going to make you come,” Jace says. “A lot.”

“The wand will allow you to focus on the pleasure so that the pain is more tolerable,” Quinn says. “What is your safe word?”

“Banana,” I say.

“Good girl,” he says as he starts rubbing my back. “Relax for us.”

“Mmm. That feels nice,” I groan when he digs his thumbs into my muscles.

“You can turn it on,” Quinn says.

“High it is,” Jace says. Vibrations shoot through my clit, and I scream. It’s not painful, but it sounds like it is.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” I yell. “Fuck, what the fuck? Oh my God!”

“We could just leave her like this,” Jace suggests.

“Wonder how long it would take before she passes out?” Quinn asks.

“I thought I was the sadist,” Theo laughs.

“Alright. Alright,” Jace laughs. “Ready, Little Star?”

I open my mouth to respond, but an orgasm suddenly crashes over me, and I moan loudly as I pull against my restraints. Quinn starts gently rubbing my back and I scream out again, mid-orgasm, when Jace smacks my ass. Hit after hit, I get more and more relaxed. They’re forcing orgasms out of me in rapid succession.

The smacks stop and Quinn leans down to be at eye level with me. “We are both using a simple leather flogger, okay?”

“Yes, Sir,” I moan. “Fuck.”

“They will be continuous until you call it,” he says.

“Yes, Sir,” I say, trying to not yell.

Quinn steps back and seconds later, the first hit with the flogger slaps across my ass. If this is all it is, I’ll tap out from too many orgasms before the things that should be hurting me.

Quinn and Jace alternate hits. They are scattered from my upper back to the backs of my thighs. It sounds like I’m speaking in tongues from the orgasms. I am so overstimulated that it's overwhelming.

“Fuck,” I scream out when they hit in the same spot on my ass over and over again.

“Say it, Rhea,” Quinn says. “That’s all you have to do.”

“No,” I grunt.

“Stubborn little girl,” Jace says. They strike in the exact same spot again and tears well up in my eyes. I've been through this time and time again. I can handle the pain. They will stop on their own and be content. If I interrupt, they’ll be mad. They say they want me to speak up, but speaking up hurts worse than this.

They stay on the same spot and my ass is on fire. They give no reprieve between hits, and I can’t breathe. They are hitting so hard now that the vibrations no longer register in my mind and the pain is all I feel. I hate this so much. I hate how it reminds me of Marvin. I hate the way the pain never dissipates.

“Say it, Rhea,” Theo says.

“No,” I whimper. “I’m not a failure.”

“Fuck, Theo,” Quinn says.

“Don’t stop,” Theo says. “She needs to say it to understand.”

“It’s going to break skin,” Jace says.

“Make her say it. She’s not in danger,” Theo says. “She needs to see how you two react when it’s said.”

I can’t give up. I don’t want to fail them. All I can think of is how much more pain I’ll be in if I resist. Quinn and Jace keep at it until I am sobbing. I can’t focus on anyone’s words now. They suddenly hit much harder and I can’t take it anymore. I’ll take a moment of reprieve before it gets worse, but I have to take a break.

“Banana,” I whisper through my tears.

“Again,” Quinn says. “Louder, Rhea.”

“Banana,” I choke out. “Please…”

The restraints are being pulled off all at once before Quinn scoops me into his arms. “We’ve got you. You’re okay.”

“I’m s-sorry,” I cry. “I t-tried… P-Please d-don’t be m-mad.”

Quinn lays me in Jace’s lap so I am on my belly before he squats down to hold my face. He has tears rolling down his cheeks and it snaps me back into reality. They fucking hated doing that to me.

“Rhea, baby. We are so fucking proud of you. You hear me? You did so well. You are not a failure. You are fucking amazing. Okay? You found your voice, baby. That is fucking huge,” he says.

“We love you, Rhea,” Jace says. “So damn much. We will spend every day for the rest of our lives showing you the love you deserve.”

“I love you too,” I say tearfully. Quinn sits beside Jace, and I am moved across both of their laps to rest.

“Rhea,” Theo says. I turn my face to look at him and he smiles. “You did well, sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“Is it okay if I put some salve on your… well, everything?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I laugh as I wipe my face and lay my head back down.

“You are bleeding slightly, but it’s not bad,” Theo says.

“I hated that,” Quinn says.

“I know it’s a harsh and slightly unconventional way of helping her find a limit, but she found it. She’s being cared for, and now we backtrack to see when she actually should have said it,” Theo says. “When did you first start rejecting everything?”

“Right before Quinn first asked me,” I say. “They kept hitting the same spot and… it hurt so badly.”

“I’m glad you recognize where it started,” he says as he gently rubs the salve in, starting at my shoulder blades. “When you feel that again, say the word.”

“But…”

“No,” Theo says. “That is your limit, Rhea. Your limit is their limit too. When you said the word, what did they do?”

“Stopped,” I say. “But what if…”

“What if what?” Theo asks. “What if it’s just for show and the next time they get mad?”

“Yeah,” I sigh.

“Did you see how they reacted to your pain?” he asks.

“They were sad.”

“Right,” he says. “One, I have never seen either of them that upset before. Two, they went far beyond their limits as well.”

“Why didn’t they stop if they were at their limit?” I ask.

“Because you were the one who has been abused for your entire life, Rhea. Sometimes we have to make ourselves a bit uncomfortable to help pull someone out of the weeds. You are the one struggling to find your voice, not them. They spoke up to me many times,” he says.

“I’m…” I start to say.

“Don’t say it,” Theo says. “Don’t apologize for finding your voice.”

“My ass is on fire,” I say.

“Yeah, I bet it is,” he laughs.

His hands gently rub the salve into my ass, and I hold my breath. I didn’t realize until right now why he asked me if I was okay with this. The marks wrap around my inner thigh, inches from my pussy. He is being so gentle that it’s erotic.

“Are you okay?” Quinn laughs.

“Mhmm,” I choke out.

“Liar,” Theo says with humor in his voice. “Want to try that again?”

“Is our sweet little star getting turned on?” Jace asks with a sweet voice.

“He’s… so close,” I admit. “It’s… fucking with my head.”

“More than just your head, Rhea. You’re soaked,” Theo says, gently sliding one finger into me. I try not to, but my pussy tightens around his finger, and he chuckles. “You better get her before I do.”

Quinn and Jace laugh as they stand me up. Quinn sits on the ottoman in front of us and pulls me into his lap. “Fuck, you are soaked,” Quinn groans as I slowly lower myself on his cock.

“Both,” I choke out. “I want both of you.”

“Have you done anal before?” he asks.

“Yes. Please,” I nearly beg.

Quinn lies back and wraps his arms around me before he lifts his hips and starts to pound into me. I bury my face in his chest and let myself get lost in the pleasure. After a minute, he slows to a stop and Jace teases my ass with lubed fingers. When I relax, he grabs my hips and slams into my ass. Quinn immediately matches his movements, and I stay relaxed as they fuck me.

I am completely lost to the bliss. It feels so fucking incredible to have them both desperately surging into me. I am trapped in this constant orgasm, and I never want to escape. I never want to be without them or the family they have built among friends. To be welcome into their home with open arms is a blessing I never knew I needed.