The Dom With the Perfect Brats (37 page)

She slumped, sighing. “Yes. I’ve been thinking that too. I want to see him again.”

“Good. That’s settled then.”

“I won’t tell him about us, though.” Izzy shot her a firm look. “Not yet. Maybe not ever. But I’ll go see him.”

“Great. That’s enough to start with. Cross’s ideas about family being worth
preserving has rubbed off on us.” They exchanged smiles. Funny how right he was. Now that they had something special between them, she could see that.

As the room quieted down, the conversation became more intimate. Q described plans for the house, including more kinky furniture Jude was making. Fredrick, the
ir old landlord and close friend, asked for a bed like he’d heard Jude made for Cross. Izzy bragged about it, making Gemma’s cheeks heat.

Jude and Cross returned. After a long perusal around the room, with an especially heated g
lance at Sabrina and Q, Jude declared, “Party’s over. Everyone out. I love you all and I thank you for coming, but it’s been a crazy day and I miss my girls.”

There were a few awws but most everyone chuckled and collected th
eir things. Fredrick and a girl named Ivy congratulated the family again. The rest of the guys clapped Jude on the back and made some smartass comment about him kicking them out in order to get some action.

Gemma and Izzy went to the spare
bedroom to retrieve their coats while Cross policed the guests leaving. She spotted a white plastic coat hanger sitting one of the pillows. Izzy had her back turned as she shuffled through her purse for something. Quickly, Gemma picked up the hanger, snuck up behind Izzy, and gave her a firm whack.

“Yeouch!” Izzy swung around, clutching her ass and
almost fuming from her ears. “What the fuck was that?”

“Did that hurt?”

“Yes, it fucking hurt. Bitch!”

Gemma laughed at her outraged expression. Just when she started to explain about Sabrina, Cross walked in.

“What’s going on in here?” His gaze landed on the hanger still in Gemma’s hand. She had the urge to hide it behind her back. Stupid as he’d already seen it.

He arched a brow. “I hope you two aren’t playing without me. You know you’re supposed to ask for permission first.”

“We’re not,” Gemma rushed to say. She didn’t need to accumulate anymore punishments tonight. All the teasing she and Izzy had done in the car on the way over was enough to make her sore for a week.

“She hit me with that thing!” Izzy
pointed to the hanger.

“Traitor!”

“Hand it over,” Cross commanded in full Dom mode.

Shit. She gulped but handed him the hanger. “Sabrina said it hurt and I didn’t believe her so I tried it on Izzy.”

He looked at the hanger then back at her. “Well if you didn’t believe her, don’t you think it would make more sense to try it yourself?”

She opened her mouth to protest but cut off when he gave her The Look. With a sigh, she hung her head. “Yes, Sir.”

“Turn around.”

Panic fluttered in her chest. “But –”

“I won’t let anyone see,” he assured her.

Slowly, she turned
toward the bed, silently cursing Sabrina while also ignoring the warm flutter between her legs. Fuck. If he called her girl, she’d melt into the floor. And now he was going to hit her. How was she supposed to stay standing?

“Hands on the bed.”

A soft whimper escaped her as she lowered her upper half onto the bed and placed her hands on the mattress. Cross was up against her in less than a second. He wrapped his arm around her waist and shoved his hand between her legs. She squeaked at the suddenness then moaned when he pressed on her swollen clit.

“
Fuck. I can feel how wet you are already.” He moved his fingers over her clit and she ground against his hand. He let her for a moment then drew away. “Dirty girl. Let’s see how you like the hanger before someone walks in.”

The first whack stung and she hissed in a breath. Apparently there would be no
warm-up. The second and third were harder. “Fuck!” The hanger was fucking whippy. Another two whacks made her rise on her toes. “Sabrina was right. This is fucking evil.”

So was his laugh as he delivered three more.

“Somebody’s coming,” Izzy said from the doorway.

So sh
e was the lookout? Though instinct said to flee, she didn’t dare move from position. She willed Cross to release her.

“You can get up,” he said. When she stood, he took her in his arms and kissed her. “I’
m proud of you.”

Her ass hurt and
she’d almost been caught, but that didn’t stop her from grinning up at him like an adoring fucking puppy. He was proud of her. Such a simple sentiment but it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“I should let Izzy have a turn,” he said.

“Yeah,” Izzy agreed. “After you sneak attacked me!”

“Another time,” Cross said and swatted them both on the ass. “We have to go.
My dick is going to mutiny if I don’t get inside one of you soon.” He put on his coat and sighed. “Courtesy of Gemma’s sexy ass.”

Izzy laughed. “Patience builds character, oh Domly one.”

Cross grabbed Izzy by the back of the neck and kissed her hard. “Your ass is next, oh subly one.”

Her eyes widened. “Yes, Sir. Just no hangers please.”

Another evil laugh made Izzy scowl. “You can blame Gemma for the hanger idea,” he said.

Izzy turned her scowl on Gemma
.

S
he gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

Cross slung his arm over each of their shoulders and escorted them through Jude’s house.
As they left the happy family and cooing baby, Gemma couldn’t help but wish that someday this would be her life. Well,
their
lives. Izzy and Cross firmly by her side, baby on her hip. Maybe one on Izzy’s. And one on Cross’s shoulders too. She snickered. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. But, more than anything, she wanted permanence. She wanted a future with the two people she loved most.

She grinned as they walked
hand in hand through the slushy snow to the car. Cross and Izzy may not know it, but they were on their way toward wonderful things, even if she had to drag them there, kicking and screaming. She was keeping them for good.

Gemma

“No peeking!” Gemma scolded when Cross lifted his head from the table.

He sighed and
stretched back out. “I can’t believe I’m letting you do this.”

She chuckled. “Me neither.” In fact, it was damn near a miracle she’d convinced him to submit to a surprise tattoo. It had taken a few days but eventually she’d worn him down and he reluctantly agreed to be her victim. That he trusted her sent a swell of joy straight down to her toes.

Izzy sauntered into the little booth, carrying two drinks from the coffee shop. After closing the curtain behind her, she peered over Gemma’s shoulder. “Cute fairy!”

Cross twitched. “What?”

“Don’t move!” Gemma held the machine precariously over where she was tattooing on his ribs. “She’s lying.”

Izzy giggled and placed Gemma’s coffee on the table.

“Brat,” he mumbled and pinched Izzy’s ass as she came around the table. “Just remember you’re next.”

Izzy shook her head then sipped from her coffee cup. “I changed my mind.”

Cross winced when her needle went over an especially tender part. “No way, sweetheart. If I have to lie here for hours while Gemma does god knows what to my body, you do too.”

“Yeah.” Gemma smiled up at her. “You promised. No going back now.”

She’d gotten the idea for Cross’s tattoo first, then decided it was time to color in Izzy’s phoenix. After wiping away some blood and ink, she surveyed her work and smiled. It was perfect. And almost done. Poor guy. Ribs were rough but it was one of the only uninked spots left on his body.

“I still owe you a tattoo from a looong time ago.” She looked up at Izzy. “Remember that bet?”

“I do, yes but...” She got a pained expression as she stared down at Cross. “The blood is giving me doubts.”

“You’ll be fine and it’ll look so pretty on you.”

“Pretty? Awesome would be better.”

Gemma grinned. “Awesome then. Besides, this is something I want to do for my girlfriend.”

Her eyes softened. “Okay then.”

“
What was this bet?” Cross said. She couldn’t see his face but she pictured him arching a brow. “Why haven’t I heard about this?”

Izzy gasped. “I forgot about that!”

“What was the bet?” Cross sounded curious.

Gemma gave her best evil laugh. “You’ll never know.”

“Gemma bet I wouldn’t flirt with you,” Izzy told him easily.

“Izzy!” So much for teasing him about that. “Spoilsport.”

She shrugged. “He would’ve tortured me for the answer later anyway.” Sighing wistfully, she stared into space. “Damn, I should’ve gone with that option.”

Cross
chuckled, which made his body shake under her needle.

“Stay still!” On impulse, she smacked his ass then immediately regretted it.

His low growl seemed to fill the whole shop, even with the curtain closed. Good thing they were alone. “You’ll pay for that later.”

She sighed then dipped the needle into the black ink. “I know
...Sir.”

Though he’d loosened up volumes since their tumultuous start, there were still lines she knew not to cross.
Now that she’d embraced submission and accepted that part of herself, it became easier on all three of them. D/s wove through their relationship in such a complex way that it was impossible to separate out. It was just them.

Cross hadn’t erased her personality but he did demand she give herself to him, trust him, submit to him. It was scary how fast she’d grown to need and crave it.
He settled something in her soul.

Leaning over his body, she placed a soft kiss on his shoulder. “I love you, Sir.”

He turned his head to face her. “And I love you, beautiful.” Since he couldn’t quite reach her lips, he settled for a chaste kiss to her forehead. “That doesn’t get you out of punishment though.”

She
chuckled. “I know.”

Izzy stepped to the edge of the table in front of Cross and pouted down at them. “What about me?”

Gemma put the machine down on her table and stood up, bending a bit over Cross’s body. “I love you too, sexy girl.” They met for a kiss, more passionate than the sweet one between her and Cross. It started slow with little pecks but quickly became a full on make-out session.

Finally, Cross placed his arms between them, pushing them apart. “Enough. You’re going to give me a fucking hard-on in the middle of Malachi’s shop.” Somehow he managed to reach an arm around Gemma and smack her ass. “Get going, girl. My shoulder is going numb from laying like this for so long.”

“Poor baby.” She sat on her chair and got back to work.

“I’m close to calling Malachi in to finish the job, slow poke.”

She mock gasped. “Betrayal!”

Izzy laughed. “You must be close to done, Gemma. It looks beautiful.”

“Beautiful?” Cross craned his neck.

“No looking!” Izzy and Gemma said in unison.

She put on the finishing touches while Izzy and Cross discussed color palettes for the phoenix. Little did they know, she was coloring it pink, blue, and purple – the colors representing bisexuality. If Izzy was okay with it anyway. Surprise tattoos on an almost tattoo virgin was too much to ask. After a final wipe down then a layer of ointment, she pulled off her gloves and stood.

“Okay. Ready.”

Cross rose from the table slowly, groaning as he went. It’d probably been a long three hours staying in the same position except for a short bathroom break. Izzy opened the curtain and ushered him through with a grin. Gemma was too nervous to smile. If he didn’t like it...

“Wow,” he said, looking in the mirror.

She rushed to stop him before he said more. “I know it’s kind of conventional but let me explain the meaning.” Pointing to the tail of the black-and-gray koi fish up high on his ribs, she told him, “The koi fish is very brave. In Chinese mythology, it swims up a waterfall to reach The Dragon Gate and be transformed into a dragon. So a tattoo depicting a koi fish swimming upstream represents strength and determination to overcome an obstacle.” She motioned downward, where she’d tattooed splashes of aqua-colored water. “But I made yours swimming downstream because you’ve already overcome those obstacles. And the dragon head is to show your transformation and power to fight the odds and succeed.”

On the sides, were two small lotus flowers. She’d finally fed the urge to mark him – to put some claim on him to symbolize their commitment, even if he didn’t know it. “Lotuses grow in muddy water but you’d never guess it by how beautiful they bloom at the surface.” She paused as she choked back her emotions. Secretly, she’d added them to represent her and Izzy. Their relationship
had gone through some muddy patches but she hoped he felt like they were something beautiful to be proud of. “Anyway... I thought it was fitting.”

She wanted to crawl under the table and hide. He wasn’t saying anything. That was a bad sign, right? He was trying to decide how to tell her nicely that he hated it and wanted it covered as soon as possible. She closed her eyes and waited.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist. When she opened her eyes, her face was buried in Cross’s chest. Was this a consolation hug?

She placed her arms around his torso and squeezed. Even if he hated it, she still loved him.

He held her for a minute then whispered in her ear, “I love it.”

“You do?” She leaned back and stared up at him in shock. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”

“Really. It’s beautiful and I’m proud to have it. I only wish there was a more visible spot we could’ve put it.”

Izzy stepped up, smiling wildly. “You could always walk around with your shirt off. I’m sure nobody would mind.”

He laughed and scooped them both into his arms and held them against his chest, kissing the tops of their heads over and over. Gemma wrapped an arm around Izzy and stared into her eyes. She couldn’t wipe a ridiculous grin off her face but she was just so happy.

Finally, he let them go then eyed Gemma with a disturbing look on his face. “You’re next, Gemma girl. We have a surprise for you.”

She gulped and took a step back. “What?”

Izzy moved in on her other side. “We figured it was only fair that we tattoo you since you’re tattooing both of us.”

“What? That’s crazy! I wouldn’t trust you to tattoo a fucking smiley face on me.” She took another step back and bumped into the wall. Good thing the shop was empty. This might get ugly.

Cross approached her with an evil look in his eye.

She put out a hand to stop him. “No. No way. Stay away from me!” She tensed to flee – she had no idea where to – but it didn’t matter cause he grabbed her and had her bent over the tattoo table in an instant.

Izzy stood to the side, laughing maniacally while Cross held her down with his hand around her neck and her wrists trapped in his other hand.

“Izzy! This is not funny.” She squirmed but couldn’t get free. “What are you doing?”

From the corner of her eye, she watched Izzy step in behind her. She pulled down the waistband of Gemma’s jeans to expose her ass.

Gemma checked that the curtain was closed. She imagined a potential client walking in to see two people forcing a third to get an ass tattoo. That wouldn’t be good for business. But someone had closed the curtain. She exhaled a breath.

“I
’m going to smack you hard enough to leave a handprint,” Cross explained. “Malachi’s already agreed to tattoo the outline on your cheek. Now we’ll know forever who owns your ass.”

“Fuck!” She renewed her struggle to get free, digging her nails into Cross’s fingers and kicking at Izzy the best she could.

Cross and Izzy broke into hysterics and he let her go. What? They were joking?

“For fuck’s sake, Gemma.” Cross said while wiping tears from his eyes. “You really think we’d do that to you?”

Grumbling, she stood up and straightened her clothing, scowling at both of them. “Yes, you sadistic freak!”

He was laughing too hard to punish her for that. She might have punched him in the eye if he’d tried.

“I’m sorry,” Izzy said, still giggling. “It wasn’t very nice but it was funny.” When she tried to put her arms around Gemma for a hug, she crossed her arms and glared at them instead.

“That was so mean. I could kill both of you right now.”

Cross came behind her and held her still while Izzy got in her hug. His slightly unshaven cheek tickled her neck as he kissed his way down one side.

“We tease because we love you,” Izzy said, nuzzling into the other side of her neck.

Her irritation melted away with each kiss. With a sigh, she resigned not to stay angry. How could she when they were slowly turning her into a puddle of goo?

“Come on.” Cross stepped away. “
After Izzy’s tattoo, I have a surprise for you both at home.”