(Shan's POV - Sat. 6 December 2014)

"I wonder if I shouldn't lock these cocks into chastity devices when I'm away..."

Alex and I startle at the unexpected sound of Mark's deep voice, splashing water all around us as we sit up in the bathtub. With the music blasting from the speakers, we didn't hear him arrive, but in any case, we weren't expecting him so early.

The second Wine & Cheese Bar opened on Monday as planned thanks to all the efforts Mark put in. The brasserie is located in the northern area of the Loop, amidst business buildings, and only operates on week days, but Mark convened all his employees for lunch today in order to debrief on this first week and celebrate the excellent results.

Alex and I thought he wouldn't return before 4pm and since my Pumpkin was feeling cold, I decided to run a bath for us, thinking it would be a nice change to laze in warm water rather than on the couch of the media room. What started out as an innocent cuddle quickly turned into a hot make-out session. First, I made Alex sit between my legs to massage his shoulders, but his moans of content quickly brought my little soldier to harden, which of course had to make him laugh as he got to feel my penis grow against the small of his back.

Soon enough, he turned around to straddle my thighs, our erections rubbing against one another, but then sensual caresses and wild kisses quickly turned us into moaning messes, and that's when Mark decided to show up.

The startle is more due to his unanticipated arrival than to fright, of course. Alex and I have completely gotten around the rule that says we're not allowed to come without our Master's permission, and honestly, it doesn't bother us at all. It's not like Mark doesn't fulfill all our needs for bliss on a daily basis. On the contrary, he's such a horn dog that there's scarcely a morning or an evening without an orgasm at stake, but even if we needed more, we would only have to call him and ask for his permission – like I almost did last week after I edged Alex a little too far.

"We haven't breached any rules, Master..." I reply mischievously, peeking at Alex who is biting his lower lip to fight a grin.

"It would be an unfair punishment, Master..." he adds in his shy voice.

Yet, I can hear the impish and playful undertone in his words, and I simply love it. I love how Alex has grown more and more confident around us over the past few weeks, and as much as he remains very timid, still blushing a lot, I swear this little minx is much naughtier than anyone would think.

"Who's talking about a punishment?" Mark huffs once he has switched off the music.

Thank goodness, I can also hear the playfulness in his voice, but I wouldn't expect any less. Ever since the fiasco on the eve of my birthday, Alex and I have been on our best behavior. Mark hasn't had to complain once about us in nearly two weeks, and although our last punishment wasn't the hardest, I believe it made us learn our lesson well.

The corner time, kneeling almost naked, was so humiliating! It reminded me of archaic punishments – less the naked part of course! – that kids endured in old times, but at the same time, I can't deny that it was efficient. I have known Mark for long enough now to read his expressions – at least I think so – and seeing the deep worry on his face when we got back home clearly hurt me to the core. I don't think I had realized how much he cares for us and I suddenly understood how he certainly worried when he didn't see us come back on time and couldn't reach us.

This is something we discussed with Liam last weekend while we were in the Subs' room and he helped us to understand it even better. He explained that Joshua is actually ten times worse than Mark and that beyond his extreme possessiveness, Joshua just doesn't deal well with the stress of not knowing where Lili is at all times. And what my friend told us is quite true: our men are busy guys with successful but stressful careers, so they like to avoid additional and unnecessary strain to their lives. Of course, it's their role – and their choice – to be Dominants, but it's also why they establish rules that we are to follow, and if these can ease their lives the slightest bit, then we should just abide by them.

So, between this and the other punishment I went through a few days before – which involved my privates being locked into a cock cage – I have strived to behave as the good Submissive I can be when I really want to. Oh, I am still being my old self and the chirpy Shannon won't go anywhere, but I'd rather avoid the damn chastity device again for as long as I can. Even if I had it on for only a few hours, I found it uncomfortable enough to steer clear from a repeat.

"What else?" I ask cheekily.

"Well..." Mark lingers on as he closes the distance and comes to crouch in front of the bathtub, "I could keep your privates locked in cock cages and free them only when I deem you worthy of an orgasm..."

"That would make you a Sadist!" I accuse playfully, remembering the Sub that Master Camden used last weekend and who was wearing one throughout the entire evening.

"I think he's spending too much time around Master Camden..." Alex whispers to me with mock horror.

"Come on, Boys!" Mark bursts out laughing. "The chastity device is not an accessory restricted to Sadists and Masochists. It can also be used by Dominants who want to exert a huge control over their Sub. And some Subs like to entirely surrender that part of their anatomy to their Dom. But you know that it's not my case, so don't worry, I was only teasing you," he adds, leaning over for a kiss from us.

Alex and I shift to rest on our knees, still snuggled against one another, and also lean forward to brush our lips with his in turns.

"Glad to hear, Master!" I cheer. "How did your day go?"

"I love your skills at changing topics, Babe," he chuckles. "The meeting went very well, and lunch was nice. This first week has been such a success thanks to all the flyers distributed at the companies of the area. The staff is really cool and there's already a nice harmony between the employees, so all is good!"

Mark gently pushes us backwards and smirks at our still-erected members.

"Look at these naughty boys..." he tsks, grabbing our erections. "Didn't you have enough last night?"

Since Alex finishes earlier than I do in the evening, Mark always picks him up first and they drive together to the Black Diamond. They often wait in the car or in Aaron's office, but they also sometimes go inside the club, like they did last night. The evening was rather quiet for once compared to other Fridays and as I finished a bit earlier, I joined them at the usual spot.

Mark was deep into a conversation with Master Camden, so Alex and I patiently waited, but since the shows were over, a lot of Dominants and Subs had engaged in sex on the couches of the lounge area, and it turned us on to no end. Alex is still new to all this, but it seems like he's trying to make up for the years he lost in his extreme loneliness, and if I often call Mark a horn dog, I swear that our little Pumpkin is not any better. He might be worse, actually.

Anyway, by the time the Doms eventually stopped talking, Alex and I were sporting such raging hard-ons that we begged Mark to take us to his private room at the Black Satin. The good thing is that the lust in our pleas turned him on too and he yielded. Needless to say, we finished tied up to spreader-bars, on all fours on the floor, and Mark enjoyed four rounds of hard pounding into our asses.

"Hmm... We did, Master..." Alex replies, "but today is another day..."

"True!" I concur. "Can we come now?"

Just thinking about last night has entirely revived my earlier horniness. Not that it had really dwindled in any case, but with Mark's hands stroking us, it doesn't help.

"Nope," he replies firmly, letting go of our cocks and standing up. "Once again, you've managed to get me horny, you naughty little minxes," he continues while undoing the buckle of his belt and the buttons of his fly. "I might let you come, though, if you give me a mind-blowing blowjob."

Well, Alex and I don't need more motivation than this to do our best, and as soon as our Master has lowered his jeans and boxer briefs to his knees, we immediately set to worship his smooth balls and his gorgeous manhood, enjoying its manly musk. As usual, we make sure to sensually lick his length, looking up at him, and we take turns either sucking on his balls or swallowing his shaft.

Alex has gotten better at deep-throating, but he still sometimes has difficulty to control his gag reflex. However, he surpasses himself today and even manages to bury his nose in Mark's trimmed pubes.

"Fuck!" Mark grunts. "I'm going to come in your mouth, Baby, but hold the cream, I want Shannon to swallow my load!"

I could almost explode at the way he firmly grabs Alex's hair and pushes himself inside his mouth, groaning loudly as several streams of cum shoot. He then pulls out and pushes Alex toward me, making us kiss and share his juices.

"You are so perfect, Boys... So hot..." Mark purrs when Alex and I part. "Finish your bath and go lie down on the bed."

Once in the bedroom, Mark sits against the headboard of the bed and asks me to lie on my back across the bed, and then Alex to hover over me, head to tail. While in a 69 position and pleasuring each other, it doesn't take long before we are begging for our release through our moans, especially as I can see him jack off in my peripheral vision. Seems like he is enjoying the show!

"You may come, Pets."

When the permission comes, both Alex and I erupt in powerful orgasms and once we have milked each other dry, we go and lick our Master's release that he spilled all over his chest. And to think he promised us an intense scene tonight!!

In this respect, we spend a good two hours napping in bed, and then, while Mark goes to work in his office, I help Alex to prepare sandwiches and salads that we will bring to the club.

"What do you think he planned for tonight at the club?" Alex asks suddenly.

"Dunno, Pumpkin," I reply, trying to focus on the slices of cheese I'm cutting for the sandwiches. "He just said that we'd swing, so I guess it'll involve the swing, but there's only one, so I have no idea who's going to use it."

"Maybe both of us... in turns?" Alex suggests. "After all, he's always full of stamina..."

Alex is so right. I met quite a few men in the past, and although I was never in a relationship, I can't remember a single guy who could go for more than two or three rounds of sex in the same night, but Mark is definitely something else. I've often been said to be a sex on legs too, but my asshole can only take so much, right? And when it turns too sore, I must admit that sex gets much less pleasant. Of course, hand jobs and blowjobs are here to help in such circumstances, but I'm really glad that we now have Alex to help fulfill our man's insatiable urges. It's not only about sex obviously, because there are deep feelings uniting us, but sexually speaking, I can't deny that his presence helps.

Alex has been with us for about a month now and things have quite naturally settled between the three of us. As much as he feeds on my liveliness, I do on his quietness, which allows a fair balance of personalities at home. Mark is our legitimate leader and I love the way he treats us equally, managing the household in a masterful fashion that befits him so well.

Alex is getting more and more comfortable too, especially around Mark, slowly overcoming his extreme shyness and no longer hesitating to show how clingy he can be. This results in frequent cuddles and hugs, mostly at night when we all snuggle in bed, or in the mornings after Mark has dragged us to the gym or the park. Passers-by often give us weird looks when they see the three of us walking hand in hand in the streets, but to be honest, we don't really care.

The only people whose judgment Mark fears a bit are his parents'. He still hasn't told them about Alex, and yet, he has been talking about taking us to New Jersey around Christmas, so they will eventually find out. However, with his father's current health issues, he'd rather wait a little bit and tell them face to face rather than over the phone, which is understandable. Neither Alex nor I have that problem since none of us has family anymore – in different ways, obviously. Though it could be fun... to introduce two boyfriends to my dumb homophobic parents...

A long and firm hand suddenly grabs mine, prying it open to retrieve the knife I'm holding.

"Spacing out while cooking can get seriously hazardous, Babe," Mark whispers in my ear as he presses himself against my back.

Remaining there, with his arms around my torso, he resumes what I was doing while I assemble the last sandwich. His delicious cologne is reaching my nostrils and I just relish in his hold.

"What were you thinking about, by the way?"

"Hmm... nothing in particular..."

"Really?"

"I was just thinking that the three of us are really doing great as a... throuple, as you call us," I reply thoughtfully.

"We do, indeed," he states, dropping a peck on top of my head before he moves to Alex and wraps his arms around his waist. "How about you, Baby? Are you happy?"

"More than ever, Master..." he replies without hesitation.

A bit later, the ride to the Black Diamond is quite cheerful. Alex and I are both excited and keep bugging Mark about the scene he has planned for tonight. He has warned us that we wouldn't stay to watch the show for once because he'd need more time to prepare us, and yet saying that it won't be anything that extravagant. By the time we reach the club, we still don't know much, and he leaves us in the corridor with a smirk on his face before he walks into Master Aaron's office.

We end up meeting some of our friends in the Subs' room, soon joined by Liam, and we quickly focus on other topics while we have dinner with Liam, Ed, Mick and the twins. Ed is performing a public scene with Master Aaron during the second part of the show at 10:30, so there's a lot of excitement. It's just too bad that we won't be able to watch it. I would have loved to see my boss fuck...

"It's a shame you guys aren't staying for the show tonight," Ed sighs just as I walk out of the toilets for the third time, almost bumping into him. "Can't you try and convince Master Mark to stay, at least for the first part of the show? It'll be more fun if we're all kneeling on the floor!"

"No, we can't, Ed," I reply, not even bothering to tie a towel around my waist and rolling my eyes at Liam who is chuckling.

"You could at least try!" he whines.

"But I won't because it's useless! You know Mark, Ed! He won't change his mind!"

"Just try!" he insists.

"Nope. I want you Boys cleaned inside out and perfectly smooth by 8:30 at our usual spot. And you'd better be on time!" I grunt, giving a pale imitation of Mark's deep voice that makes Liam burst out laughing and Ed growl in frustration.

"I still say you could at least try! Chicken!!" he accuses.

"And I say you should go and start getting ready, Ed," Liam chuckles. "Hadn't Master Aaron told you to meet him at 9 at his couch? You don't want to be late, do you? Unless you'd prefer a punishment scene in public..."

"Oh, shit! You're right!" Ed squeals, hurrying back to the sink to fill the pear of his enema kit.

"Alex? You're ready?" I call out from behind his door, and as if on cue, my little dark-blonde eventually walks out of his stall.

"Yep! Let's go shower!" he cheers.

Liam follows us into the large shower stall and the three of us start shaving ourselves. Alex is slowly getting over his self-consciousness and I'm glad to see that he now feels absolutely comfortable, at least around Liam. We're still far from a potential public scene, and I don't really care, but I know Mark is progressively making him work on his shyness, slowly bringing him to do more and more things in the main room of the Black Diamond during the shows.

Being blond, Liam and Alex are pretty lucky in the pubic hairiness department, but I still take care of the few hairs they have between their buttocks. I can't really complain either since I don't have that much, and Alex returns me the favor. We then proceed with our crotches, one part that I have gotten used to shave very quickly over the past few months, but Alex still struggles a bit, especially with the less accessible areas, so I offer my help.

"I'm always scared to cut myself," he grumbles as I kneel in front of him.

"It's easy, Pumpkin! Put your foot on the stool and look!" I explain for the umpteenth time, focusing on his privates and wondering why Liam is chuckling again. "See? You need to push your balls upwards to stretch the skin, and that's easier..."

As I shave the little hair he has under his scrotum, I can feel – and see! – his shaft swelling in my left hand, and as I peek up at him, that little minx is wearing a sarcastic smile that makes Liam burst out laughing.

"It feels so much better when you do it..." he smirks.

"Oh, so you want to play that game?" I snort back at him.

With that, I pin his hips against the wall and swallow his semi-hard. Despite his squirming and protesting, I manage to hold him, and he quickly reaches a full hard-on that I let go of with a loud pop before I stand back up.

"Now who's going to have a problem tucking himself into his shorts?" I ask with a smug smile.

"Ugh Shan!!!"

"You called for it, Pumpkin!" I laugh as I shower.

Alex grumbles, especially as I keep teasing his most sensitive areas while we clean up, but just as we are about to walk out of the stall, I hear Liam advise him through a whisper.

"Just use cold water, Alex..."

Such a traitor!

Half an hour later, the three of us are dressed into our leather shorts and boots, hair sprayed in a messy fashion, and we head toward the Black Diamond. When we reach our usual spot, right on time, Mark barely leaves us time to greet Master Joshua, Master Aaron and Master Camden before he rises to his feet.

"Let's go, Boys."

"Already?" Master Joshua exclaims, causing Master Aaron to chuckle.

"Someone's eager to test his newly-installed equipment..." he chirps in. "Enjoy, Boys!"

New equipment, he said? Hmm, that's interesting!

Yet, as we walk into the playroom, I briefly peek up and can't see any new furniture here, which leaves me quite perplexed. As usual, Alex and I kneel at the center of the room and patiently wait while Mark moves around and apparently checks stuff.

"Stand up, Pets, and face each other," Mark orders as he stands behind Alex.

Extending his arms, he grabs my hips and pulls me against Alex's front, then leans down to kiss me. I love the way his tongue ravishes my mouth and I bet Alex must feel his eagerness at the small of his back. When he breaks the contact, he makes Alex tilt his head to the side and shares another kiss with him, then asks us to kiss for him. While our tongues entwine in the softest way, Mark undoes the buttons and zippers of our shorts and slowly pulls them down to our ankles before he cautiously frees our feet from the leather fabric, leaving our boots on.

"You are so gorgeous, Boys..." he purrs. "Stand at display, I want to inspect these beautiful bodies."

Smiling at each other, Alex and I spread our feet further apart and lace our hands behind our backs for our pervert Master to explore our bodies. He first gives a thorough check up of our privates, verifying the smoothness of our crotches by massaging our balls and stroking our hard shafts. Obviously, this incurs a few moans of pleasure that only increase in loudness as far as I'm concerned when I feel him crouch behind me, part my buttocks and begin to lick my hole.

This sweet torture lasts for a several minutes, causing my cock to start leaking with precum, before it's Alex's turn to get rimmed.

"You taste so good, Boys!" Mark comments with a husky voice. "I just can't get enough of these tight puckers..." he adds, returning to my backside.

As I feel his tongue poke inside of me, the tingles of a fire already arise in my lower belly, making me writhe on my feet.

"Please... Please, Master..."

My pleas remain unanswered for a long moment as Mark keeps traveling between my butt and Alex's, turning us into a moaning mess, until he rises back to his feet and makes us stand side by side. With a smirk, he pulls out two thin leather straps from the pocket of his trousers and wraps the first one at the base of my shaft and behind my balls, tightening it to the maximum and locking it thanks to a snap button.

Once he has proceeded similarly with Alex, Mark returns to the back of the room where he activates a pulley and that's when I see two brand-new spreader-bars fixed to very thick chains slowly wind down. So this is how we are going to swing! Cool! He also brings new restraints that I had never seen before.

"Come here and sit on the floor, Pets," he orders, and we immediately join him under the grid, sitting on each side of the heap of cuffs. "These are new fetters," he explains, picking a pair that almost looks like shoes. "They're more comfortable as they can enfold your boots, so it should be less unpleasant during the suspension."

To demonstrate his explanations, Mark places the first one over my left foot and indeed, the restraint covers my entire shoe. He then ties it at the back of my ankle, securing the grip tightly with the help of three buckles. There is also one D ring on each side of my ankle, certainly to fix them to the spreader-bar. Mark does the same with my other foot and then with Alex's, before he shows us more restraints.

"These are called buckle hands restraints. They're better than leather bracelets that only constrain your wrists because they're a bit like wrist guards for skaters and enclose part of your hand and your wrist too. Please, stand up, Babe," he then tells me. "Baby, kneel in front of Shannon and work those beautiful lips of yours around his dick while I secure those fetters on him."

"Oh my God..." I squeal as the little minx hurries to obey and swallows me whole, smirking at me as he gets his revenge from earlier in the shower.

"Yes, that's it, Baby, use your tongue and bring him on edge..."

As Alex keeps swirling his tongue around my girth, I really have a hard time standing still and focusing on what Mark is doing, and I barely register how comfortable the fetters are. It feels like ages before Mark manages to tie the four buckles of each fetter, and when he's done, he takes control of Alex's head, making him bob back and forth faster and stirring the fire building in my groin.

"Enough, Baby," he eventually says, leaving me a panting mess. "How was that, Babe?"

"So good! May I c..."

"Nope, not yet. Now it's your turn to return the favor to Alex!" he teases, pushing on my shoulders to make me kneel in front of Alex before he helps him up.

Smiling mischievously at Alex, I lean forward and give a long lick to his shaft before I take him in my mouth. While Mark secures his hands and wrists in the other pair of fetters, I apply myself to give him the best head I can, and if I judge by the loudness of his moans, I think my tongue is doing a good job. I hear him exhale a long sigh of relief when Mark instructs me to stop a long moment later, and orders us both to sit back down, face to face.

Mark kneels on the floor beside us and begins to attach our limbs to the spreader-bars with snap links, our feet on each extremity and our wrists a bit further away on the inside of our ankles, though with longer slings. Once stretched, the bar is between three and four-feet long and I can totally imagine how our buttholes will be perfectly exposed once we are suspended.

"Are you ready, Pets?" Mark purrs as he stands back up.

"Yes, Master!" we both reply in unison.

"Make sure you relax your muscles and let your body follow smoothly as the chains are going to lift you," he explains as he walks to the remote that controls the pulley.

As the chains strain, both spreader-bars begin to rise, stretching our legs and arms, and our backs take off the floor until we hang almost five feet from the ground. With the long slings tied to our wrists, our bodies are not completely folded, but our backs are in an almost-horizontal position which I guess will be perfect for Mark to use and abuse our buttholes.

"You're so fucking beautiful, Pets!" Mark praises us, standing between our bodies, his fingers wrapping around our shafts already. "So exciting... I can't wait to use all these holes at my disposal... These mouths..." he trails off, extending his arms to slip two fingers inside our mouths, "these tight assholes..." he continues a minute later, pushing the same saliva-coated digits inside our holes.

His dirty talk and the delicious sensations soon cause us to moan of pleasure, and as Mark continues to tease our most sensitive areas, either with his mouth or his hands, I revel in the bliss he is putting me in, my head thrown backwards. The rubbing against my soft spot is ecstatic, as are the pleasurable stings whenever he pinches my nipples and the shivers that course down my spine each time his tongue runs along my shaft.

I am so lost in my own nirvana, so close to explode, that I barely register his own cock suddenly coming into my sight, but I still open my mouth and Mark shoves himself in. After only a few thrusts, a loud pounding echoes on the door of the playroom before it flings open with Master Aaron and Master Joshua barging in.

"What the fuck, guys!!! Get out!" Mark growls as he pulls out of my mouth while Alex squeaks in terror.

The situation could be embarrassing, even if we've almost all seen each other naked at the Black Diamond, but what I hate is the worried expression on the two Dominants' faces.

"Yes, fine Michael. Just make sure the jet is ready to take off in three hours max!" Joshua says in his mobile phone before he hangs up.

"Sorry, Mark... It's urgent..." Aaron whispers, and that's when I notice that he's holding his phone too, obviously muffling the microphone against his chest. "Your mom has been trying to reach you and she ended up trying mine after several attempts..." he explains, and my heart instantly constricts at his tone and as the meaning of his words seep into my brain. "Here, let us take care of the boys," he then adds before he hands his phone to Mark.

"Mark!!!!" Alex squeals, but Master Joshua immediately shushes him, covering his mouth with his hand as Mark escapes to the attached bathroom.

"What happened? What's going on?" I ask Master Aaron who is now standing next to me.

"I don't know much, Shannon. Mark will let you know in a few minutes," he replies apologetically as he takes in our situation and begins to fumble around my groin. "Sorry, I hope it won't hurt..."

As he unsnaps the buttons of the leather strap that Mark used as a cock ring, my balls release all their juices and long streams of semen land on my stomach. My groan echoes to Alex's as Master Joshua also frees him, but like me, I doubt he got any pleasure from his release.

"I'm going to pull them down, Josh," I hear the Master Dom say and seconds later, both Alex and I are back on the floor, though still trapped into our restraints.

The two Doms then begin to hastily remove all the snap links, freeing us from the spreader-bars, but a terrible feeling of oppression seizes me when I see our Master walk out of the bathroom, his eyes brimming with tears and all colors having left his face. The sight of our usually-strong man looking so abashed and weak literally breaks my heart, and I start fighting with Aaron who's trying to remove all the fetters.

"Shannon, stop! Let me get you rid of those first!" he orders firmly, but I couldn't care less.

Both Alex and I manage to dodge the Doms at the same time and although our feet are still trapped inside the ankle restraints, we hurry to Mark who is leaning against the wall.

"Mark, what happened?" we ask as he pulls us into a hug.

"My father had a heart attack..." he replies with a hoarse voice. "He's been transferred to intensive care..."

Neither Alex nor I have met Mr. Murray Senior, but all the painful emotions that Mark's weak voice conveys bring the same heartbreaking reaction within us, and we both start sobbing, clinging to his body. The two other Doms thoughtfully wrap bed sheets around our frames, though honestly, I really don't give a fuck about our nakedness or the sticky mess on our chests.

"Mark, my jet will be ready to take off in about a couple of hours," Master Joshua says, leaning a comforting hand at the back of my head. "Go home and pack a few clothes. Tony is already waiting for you outside and he'll drive you to your apartment and then to the airport. Just leave me the keys of your car and I'll drive the boys home when they're ready... or they could stay at my place in your absence."

"Nooooo!" Alex screams, slightly pulling away from Mark. "We're going with you!!"

"Shhhh, Baby," Mark tries to soothe him. "You know it's impossible for now..."

"Please, Mark!!" I beg in my turn. "You just can't leave us here... You need us, and we want to be there for you!"

My body is shuddering at the thought of Mark going to New Jersey alone. We want to be by his side if anything happens.

"Hey, Buddy, don't make this more complicated than it is already," Master Aaron tries to reason, pulling me against him. "Of course, Mark needs you both, but you two know the situation and Mark can't turn up at his mother's place with you two before he has told his parents about you. Be reasonable, Boys, there's not much time to discuss anyway..."

"Josh, take Alex please while I go and quickly change," Mark says painfully, gently pushing Alex into his friend's arms while the other one tries to comfort me with a hug.

Seconds later, Mark comes back and hugs us tightly.

"Boys, please..." he whispers, his voice full of tears. "I'm really sorry, but Aaron is right, I can't take you there for now. I'll have to take care of my mother, but above all, I'll probably spend a lot of time in the IC unit where only close relatives are allowed. I'm so sorry... I know I should have told my parents about you two earlier, but you know how the situation was difficult..."

"But we could help and support you..." I offer pleadingly.

"Not this time, Baby," he replies, rubbing his hands against our backs. "Aaron needs you here tomorrow and I need Alex at the restaurant too," he then adds more firmly as we are about to protest furthermore. "And I really don't need you to throw me a fit now, so please be responsible. I promise I'll call you as often as I can. I love you, Boys..."

"When will you come back?" Alex asks through his sobs.

"I don't know, Baby. It'll depend on how things will go along. Either way, my mother will need me for a few days, but I'll come back as soon as I can. Please be good boys and take care of each other, understood?"

"Okay..." we both sigh. "I hope your father will be alright..."

"Me too, Baby... me too..." he whispers before he drops a soft kiss on our lips. "I'll call you in the morning. Love you, Boys!" he finally adds, breaking away from us.

"Love you too..." we both say as I pull Alex into a hug and watch him leave with Master Aaron after he has left his car key to Joshua.

"Liam was changing in the Subs' room and he should be here soon with your bags. Just change and then I'll take you home, Boys," Master Joshua says softly, ruffling the back of our heads. "Or you could come over to our place, I'm sure Liam would love that too..."

His offer sounds really nice but after peeking at Alex, I understand that all he wants is to be home, certainly to feel Mark's presence and scent. I wouldn't have minded staying with Liam tonight, yet Alex is still quite uncomfortable around Mark's friends, so I'd rather avoid more uneasiness for him.

"We'll be fine at home, but thank you for the offer, Master Joshua."

"As you wish, Boys. If you change your mind, just give a call and we'll come and pick you up. I'll meet you in Aaron's office in twenty minutes," he says before he walks out.

"Thanks, Muffin..." Alex whispers in my hold, causing me to groan at the new nickname he got for me just a few days ago. "I'd rather we stay home... Do you think it's serious?"

"I have no idea, Alex..." I sigh. "I don't know anything more than you do. Mark just told us that the cardiologist his father saw had detected a weakness in his heart, but he was supposed to take more exams. All I hope is that his father will be alright, or Mark will be devastated..."

Right then, a light knock echoes on the door and Liam shyly walks in, carrying our bags. He drops them on the floor and rushes to hug us tightly. There's not much to say, so after a few more tears and brief explanations as to why we'd rather stay home – which Lili does understand – Alex and I quickly go to the bathroom to clean up and change into our clothes. Now I feel exhausted and just want to go home to cuddle in bed with Alex, so barely twenty minutes later, the three of us head to the Master Dom's office.

"Shannon, I'll be your chauffeur in Mark's absence, so I'll pick you up tomorrow at 3:30..." Master Aaron says firmly.

"I can take the b..."

"Mark's orders, Buddy. And I'll drive you back after your shift."

I could tell him to fuck off... After all, he's not my Dominant. But he's my boss and my Master's friend, so I'd rather avoid troubles. Besides, if that's Mark's orders, I probably won't have much of a choice.

"And Alex, Mark will call you, but he said you should take a cab home after your shifts."

"The Loop is not a dangerous neighborhood..." he argues.

"Well, negotiate this with Mark when he calls you, but you'd better obey, Boys."

"Okay, Master Aaron..."

"Right, let's go now, it's getting late," Master Joshua then concludes, and after goodbyes and hugs, we are on our way back home.

By the time we reach our apartment, my only wish is to lie in bed and cuddle with my men, but I know I'll only get one of them tonight. Alex looks exhausted, but I still drag him to the bathroom to help him undress, and once we have brushed our teeth, we quickly head to bed. There is a handwritten note resting on the pillow in the middle, that I grab and read aloud.

Boys,
I'm sorry again for leaving in such a hurry. Send me a text once you're safe at home and have a good night of sleep, I won't call you till morning anyway. The rules are still up while I am away, so be good boys and behave. I'll make up for the interrupted scene when I get back. I'll talk to you soon.
Love you.
Mark

P.S. You may not see it, but this paper encloses one passionate kiss for each of you.

Alex is reading over my shoulder as I hold the paper in my hand, kneeling on the bed. I hurry to Mark's office to look for some tape, ignoring Alex calling my name, and come back to the bed to pin the paper on the headboard. Alex smiles and picks up his phone to send a text to Mark from us.

"It feels weird being here without him..." Alex sighs, clutching at Mark's pillow as I spoon him, my arm wound around his waist, and I just hum my agreement against the top of his head. "I wish we could have gone with him," he whispers.

"Me too, Pumpkin... but I guess he knows what's best..." I can feel Alex tense a little and I know what is going through his mind. "Hey, it doesn't mean that he doesn't want us or need us beside him in this moment, remember what he said. I'm sure he would have liked to have us to support him... but I think it would have added too much stress for his mother..."

"I know... I just wish we could have gone there too to support him like he's been here for us each time we've needed him."

"We'll do that when he gets home... Let's try to sleep now."

Published on 31 May 2016

Below are two pics of the fetters Mark used during the scene ;)