Chapter 8 - Lily

Lily

“Girl, if your phone had a cord, you’d be twirling it,” Cassie said.

I looked up. She was sitting at her desk, doing makeup. “What?”

“You know. You look like one of those retro high school girls in an 80s movie, or something. Giggling and talking to her crush.”

I guess I had been giggling quite a bit over the past 20 minutes, as I laid on my stomach texting and swinging my feet giddily around in the air. In a flash, Cassie popped up and snatched my phone out of my hands before I could stop her. “Hey!” I yelped, grabbing wildly for my phone, but she held it out of reach.

She read aloud, “‘ ... When I asked about Adrian’s birthday, did you mean he was gonna be doing me?’ Oh, this IS juicy!” She exclaimed with wicked delight.

“Cass, that’s private!” I tackled her, successfully retrieving my phone before she could read any further. I flopped back down on my bed in a huff.

“Whatever.” She went over to her closet and started digging through the jumbled mess of clothes. “You should take a break from your freaky throuple for the evening and come to the party with me.”

“Who the heck throws a party on a Monday night?” I asked.

“Zeta Kappa, duh.”

Ew, a fraternity. “I’m sick,” I coughed, and turned back to my phone.

“Lily, horny does NOT equal sick,” she rebuked.

I ignored her, typing another text.

Lily: my roommate wants me to go to a frat party tn

Cassie was squeezing into a tight blue dress. She looked stunning, as always. My phone buzzed with an immediate reply.

Avett: Gross. Don’t go. Call us instead.

I grinned cornily. Cassie grabbed her purse from its hook and gave her herself a final once-over in the mirror. She said, “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. Just follow the smell of drunken frat boys!” I made a face at her, and she slipped out the door.

I relaxed into my pile of pillows and plushies, sighing. “I have a date tonight, Edward,” I said to my old, well-loved stuffed rabbit. He just looked at me with his beady black eyes. “Don’t give me that look,” I said. “This is all totally normal. There’s nothing wrong with their relationship.” He didn’t look convinced.

I gazed up at the ceiling. My head was still spinning from the whirlwind emotions of the day. At first, when Avett said he wanted to speak to me privately, I thought for sure he was going to profess his undying love for me. Then I was hit out of nowhere with the bombshell that they were already in a gay BDSM relationship, and I thought for sure I was done for. But then, unless I was horribly mistaken, it seemed as if they had invited me into that very relationship as well. That was the cherry on top of a very confusing, twisted, and terribly tempting sundae. I still didn’t quite know what to make of it all, especially the part about their mysterious Dom, Clark. But I knew one thing for certain, and that was that being between my two boys, holding hands with them both, had felt like heaven. I wanted to feel that bliss again, and again, and if the only way to do so was to be accepted by Clark, I was willing to try my darndest. No matter how much the thought of meeting him twisted my stomach into knots.

I unlocked my phone, my fingertip hovering over Avett’s contact. I calmed my nerves, and called him.

He picked up midway through the first ring. “Hello, darling.”

“Hi.” I giggled.

“So, what are you wearing?”

I blushed, giggling harder. “Um, pajamas.”

I heard a voice in the background, some fumbling, then Avett say, “Hey! Give it back,” his voice muffled.

“Hey, Lily,” Adrian said, his voice clear and gentle in my ear.

“Hey, Adrian.”

Avett was still complaining in the background, urging him to put it on speakerphone. I asked, “What are you guys up to?”

There was a final rustle, then Avett said, “We’re laying in bed. My phone is now on the pillow between our heads, where it will stay.” I could almost picture his pointed look at Adrian. “What about you?”

“Also lying in bed.”

“Nice,” Adrian said, before Avett had the chance to speak.

“Um, where’s your ... your guy?” I asked. Saying the words “your Dom” out loud still felt like too much.

“He’s at a stupid work dinner with a client,” Avett complained. “We’re soooo bored.”

I asked, “A software client? Or a prospective buyer of stolen artwork?”

“Software,” Adrian said, his voice drowned out by Avett’s simultaneous, “Art buyer.”

I laughed. “Well, what do you usually do when you get bored?”

“Talk to pretty girls on the phone,” Avett said. “If we’re lucky.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I dismissed, trying to hide my delight.

“What about you?”

“Oh, just talk to Edward, usually,” I said casually.

“Who’s Edward?” They both demanded at once.

I smirked. And Avett said I was too easy to rile up. “He’s a stuffed rabbit,” I explained.

“Oh, I don’t trust that guy,” Avett said, sounding relieved. “I saw him in your room. He totally looked like he was up to no good.”

I looked at Edward. “He doesn’t trust you either,” I giggled.

“He’s just jealous because I’m an intelligent being with dashing good looks and an enormous penis, and he doesn’t even have opposable thumbs,” Avett said.

“Okay, that’s enough from you,” Adrian said, while Avett shouted, “Adey! Don’t you dare take my phone again!”

There was another brief scuffle, then silence. Feeling bold, I said, “I think you’re just jealous because Edward has seen me naked, and you haven’t.”

Avett let out a low whistle, while Adrian just laughed. The gentle twang of his relaxed laughter in my ear was just marvelous. It warmed me from the inside out, like dipping into a hot bath. I remembered his dark eyes, darting for an instant to my lips. I wondered how long it would be until he could kiss me.

“So, um, about those rules...” I began.

“Ugh! Buzzkill!” Avett said accusatorily.

“Hey! I need to know what I’m getting myself into, don’t I?”

“Fine,” Avett groaned. “Adrian’s pulling them up now. He has them all typed up in a neat little list. Tell me, Lily, on a scale from one to ten, how dorky is that? Be honest.”

“Um ... one.” I chuckled. “That sounds very responsible.”

“Thank you,” Adrian said sweetly, while Avett groaned again.

Adrian cleared his throat. “Number one. Always do your homework on time.”

“Feel free to stop us at any time,” Avett cut in. “I’m sure whatever you have to say is more interesting than this drivel.”

“Okay,” I said, but I was intrigued. Being held more accountable for schoolwork could do some good for my slipping GPA. “Go on.”

“Number two,” Avett said. “No drugs. Drinking only with permission from Sir.”

Adrian read the next rule, then the two continued to alternate. “Number three. Get permission to eat snacks and sugary stuff.”

“Number four. No talking back to Sir. Generally, just being respectful, or whatever.”

“Number five. No cursing.”

“Shit,” I swore.

“Naughty!” Avett scolded. He went on, “Number six. No touching yourself or each other without permission. That only applies to like, below the belt. Cuddling and stuff is okay.”

“Number seven,” Adrian said. He cleared his throat again, lowering his voice. “No orgasm without permission.” My stomach twisted in anxious excitement at that one.

“Number eight. Don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger. Basically, don’t be a dumbass.”

“Number nine. Don’t bother Sir when he’s working unless it’s an emergency.”

Avett sighed. “Horniness is not an emergency, apparently. I learned that the hard way,” he said. “Anyway, number ten. Answer calls and texts from Sir immediately.”

“Number eleven,” Adrian said. “Never lie to Sir. And this last one, number twelve, is probably the most important. Always respect your own boundaries; don’t hesitate to use your safe word as needed. Our safe word is ‘lemon,” but you can probably pick a different one if you prefer.”

I swallowed. “I like lemon,” I said, my voice sounding small.

“Was that all too much to take in?” Adrian asked with concern. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot.”