In All But Name 3

taboo

part ii

Summary: Time to break the remaining taboos. But will Sam cope?
Thanks to Fabi and Gary for their usual assistance and Teand for hints and tips.

She was there again, in the same dark room, her hands tied to the iron-framed bed. There was no other sound except her own breath and, she figured, her heart which could probably be heard over a mile away, it was pounding so hard.

She knew what was going to happen, it was the same thing every time. She would come in. 'Mistress', she though. 'I must remember to call her Mistress or she will be angry with me again'. She would have to behave or else she would be punished again, just as she had been every single time she'd been there. Why she kept going back, she didn't know. 'Yes, she did,' she scolded herself. Of course she knew.

It was time. The barely-there footsteps of her Mistress informed her that it was about to start again. Trying not to look like she was moving, she tilted her head slightly towards the door, the fact that she was tied face down to the foot of the bed making it a little easier than it might have otherwise been.

Mistress was there again, at once looking terrifying and incredibly sexy. Her leather corset had been laced tightly, holding her curved shape in the classic style, the tight black silky skirt she'd put over it barely reached her thighs. Even though she was wearing little, her clothing made the slave even more aware of her own nakedness.

"You're back?" asked Mistress.

"Yes, Mistress."

"Can't keep away, eh?" came the expected taunt.

She knew she would be treated like that for a while but it was okay, it was what she came to hear. In Mistress' voice was always a hint of pleasure that her slave had returned. Mistress was glad she was there. She wanted her there.

With each taunt she replied politely, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. Yes, she would do her best this time. Yes, she would make her Mistress happy. No, she wasn't there for her own pleasure, she just wanted to do her Mistress' bidding.

Mistress had her long leather gloves on again, she felt them as the hands started to rub up and down her legs, lingering on the insides of her thighs, massaging her cheeks outwards, moving steadily up and over her back...

She had to fight back a moan of pleasure, worked hard at it, but it wasn't easy. She knew what Mistress would do to her next, that she would find a way to make her fail so she could punish her. She had to show that she could hold out longer than before, show that she was learning. She knew that in the end she would fail, that she would make the noise that told Mistress that she was enjoying it. Mistress knew it, too, and Mistress had endless patience when it came to getting what she wanted.

The gloved fingers pushed inside of her and the next taunt came.

"Wet, eh? Not here for your own pleasure?"

"Mistress... for you," she gasped. "Only for you."

"Don't believe me? Here."

The leather clad fingers were held to her mouth and she opened her lips, sucking the gloves clean as Mistress wanted her to do, making the mistake of moaning with pleasure as she did. The inevitable came next, the first spank of her punishment. She bit her lips so that she wouldn't cry out with joy. The sting seemed to end up inside her, tightening her, making her clit feel electrified. Another smack came soon after, followed by another. Each one built her up, she tightened her leg and ass muscles, pulling them together in an attempt to get even closer to climax.

Of course, Mistress knew she was doing that, she was watching her closely. When the slave was nearly there she stopped, waited at a while, let her calm down.

"You want to come?" she purred.

"If you wish it, Mistress," the slave replied cautiously.

She knew Mistress liked to see her come, liked to hear her cry out, watch her back arch, loved to hear her scream "Mistress!" at the top of her voice. But first it was Mistress' turn.

"Turn over, lie on your back."

Awkwardly, but as quickly as she could, she turned herself, feeling pulled closer to the foot of the bed as the rope that bound her two hands to the one bar twisted.

"You get me off, you hear?" Mistress barked. "Don't you dare think of coming until I have."

"No Mistress, I won't," she promised.

"We'll see. I know how much this turns you on. You come without being touched, don't you?"

"Yes, Mistress."

There was no point in lying. Mistress knew her all too well. Her mind was filled with erotic images and each one made her squirm. She tried to banish them, tried to concentrate on making Mistress happy.

The bed dropped low as Mistress climbed onto it, straddling the slave on her knees. The slave couldn't help but gasp as she felt a mouth descend onto one of her tits, sucking the nipple and licking the top of it at the same time. Her back arched as if she was trying to buck Mistress off.

"I'm sorry, Mistress," she gasped. "I didn't mean to. Couldn't help it."

Mistress laughed at her cruelly.

"Such... a... pretty... little... slut!" she announced, punctuating each word with a twist of her nipples.

"Yes, Mistress. For you."

She tried not to writhe around, but didn't try too hard. Mistress loved to see how she reacted, even if she said otherwise.

"My turn."

She worked hard at getting her breath back under control as Mistress made her way nearer to her face. Her skirt hitched up, she saw that Mistress had nothing on under it, the hair glistening wet already.

Her mouth opened involuntarily, her head tilted up ready to go to work. Mistress lowered herself slightly, holding onto the foot of the bed and the slave's tongue started to move.

Sam woke with a start. She'd had that damned dream again. Night after night for the last few months there had been one form or another of it and it was bothering the hell out of her. What did it mean? Did it mean anything at all? Whatever it meant it was making things awkward between her and Janet. She'd had it on Saturday night - or was that Sunday morning? Sunday morning. It had to be. It had woken her then as well, throwing her for a loop as it did every morning. It was why she'd run to San Diego, hoping that getting away from Janet would stop it and give her a night's sleep. It hadn't.

Trying to put it out of her head, she looked at her watch and cursed when she saw that it was only seven o'clock. She couldn't lie in bed, even on her days off.

A noise downstairs told her that Mark was up, probably getting ready to go to work. She really hated Mondays.

"There is no way in hell you're going to get Sam in these," Janet laughed as Daniel put some clothes down on the counter of Simon's shop.

"Watch me," he grinned. "One day this week she'll wear them."

"Want to bet?"

His face turned sly. "Sure. What's the stake?"

Janet thought for a moment and then said, "You ever had a domme?"

"No," he grimaced. "I can honestly say not and I've never wanted one, either."

"Well, if you can't get her in them, you're going to get one," Janet answered, picking up the cane that he'd also added to the pile.

She hid her shock as she realised his face had gone white. Daniel turned his head away from her, not letting her see his expression until he'd got himself back under control. He wanted to turn her down but he knew that if he did she'd want to know why. He couldn't face that. It was worse than the idea of actually submitting to her for a while for some reason. Schooling his face, he turned back and nodded.

"You're on," he answered calmly - a lot more calmly than he felt. "If you lose, I get to play." He took the cane from her and waved it about a bit. "No holds barred?" he suggested.

Still wondering why he'd reacted like that, she covered for her thoughts and put her hand out.

"Done."

Simon took the cane off Daniel and put it in a large bag along with the clothes, totting up the total as he did. Something big had just happened and he wasn't sure what it was. Maybe he'd ask one of the other guys at some point. Maybe he wouldn't. Whether he did or didn't, he still wanted to know why Daniel seemed to be so afraid.

He announced the total and Daniel handed him a card casually, concentrating hard on not allowing his hand to shake. He scolded himself fiercely. After all, considering what he'd done on the weekend, a short scene with Janet would just be fun. Wouldn't it?

He thanked Simon and ushered Janet out of the shop, once again promising to meet up in Misfits.

"Misfits?" Janet asked as they walked down the street. "What's that?"

"Oh, remember I told you we were partners in a new club?"

"Yeah."

"That's it. Somehow the name seemed to work for us as none of us fit in with the main crowds in whatever scene we're into. It's a personality clash rather than a philosophical one. It's a great club," he enthused, glad to think of something else. "It's fairly small and intimate but the crowd that go there are an eclectic bunch. It's not just D&S that you'll find there, it's pretty much any fringe lifestyle. Each person is just accepted for being themselves and as a result, it's a pretty happy place. The music is easy on the ears, not too loud but loud enough to dance to if we're having a dance. We also have demonstrations of various, er, arts," he added with a grin. "Next month a well-known mistress is coming along to demonstrate the art of bondage."

"Pity I won't be here," Janet sighed. "I could do with some pointers. Or to act as a volunteer," she muttered the last bit under her breath.

"It'll be on a weekend, um, I think it's on a Saturday," Daniel offered. "If you could get the weekend off there's nothing stopping you coming."

"Except Sam," Janet whined. "I can't see her wanting to go to that."

They arrived at the car, Janet hiding her amusement when Daniel, ever chivalrous, opened the car door for her. He made such a change from some others that she knew.

"You never know, Jan," he said as she swung her legs into the car. "Maybe she will."

He shut the door and walked around the car to get to the driver's door. Inside his stomach was churning. Somehow he had to make sure he won this bet they had. He couldn't afford to lose.

Watching TV that evening, Daniel lay on the sofa, Jack lying with him, wrapped up in Daniel's arms. Paul was draped over the arms of the armchair, sitting sideways so that he could see the screen without moving the chair. He was tired out from the day and, quite frankly, he couldn't be bothered to do anything he didn't have to. Janet was on the other sofa, lying down but not as comfortably as the others.

"Jan? What's up?" Jack asked after a while.

She turned and looked at him, curious as to how he'd known she was bothered for a moment, then she ignored her curiosity. The guys knew her too well.

"Oh, I guess I wish she was here. I could do with a cuddle, too," she laughed, pointing at himself and Daniel.

Before anyone could say anything, Paul swung his legs around and hauled himself out of the chair, flopped onto her sofa, lay down and pulled her into his arms.

"Paul?" she queried, at the same time snuggling back into his arms.

"I's more cmftbl than chair," he muttered with few vowels.

Janet looked at Daniel to make sure he was okay with this but all he did was wink. Paul was unaware of that, his eyes were already closed.

-

She'd loved the evening, it had been very peaceful. Unfortunately, the big bed she was in seemed ever so lonely. Part of her wanted to go into the boys' room and crawl into that gigantic bed of theirs. Somehow, she was sure that they wouldn't mind if she did. But she couldn't. It was too absurd for words, she thought. Besides, it smacked of cheating, even if it wasn't.

Instead, as she tried to drop off, she went through the things that they'd discussed in preparation for Sam's arrival. Limits had been set, a verbal contract made between Janet and Daniel - and therefore with Jack who would act in lieu of Daniel as and when necessary. She knew more or less what Daniel had in mind and agreed with his plans, yet they left her nervous. She was glad that he was prepared to take the heat off her as she couldn't bear the thought of losing Sam - a possibility if things went wrong. She also knew that if she, if they didn't do something soon, her relationship would be over anyway. Not because she'd end it, but because Sam was pulling away from her. One day, she'd pull so hard the string would snap.

These thoughts didn't help her settle and she tossed and turned, bunching the sheets up as she tried and failed to get comfortable.

Giving up on the idea of going to sleep, she got up and headed to the kitchen. Maybe some hot milk would help.

-

Light from the kitchen seeped under the door to the men's bedroom. Paul didn't notice it, he was out cold. Neither did Daniel as he was staring at the ceiling while he ran his own version of the day's talk through his mind. But from his side of the bed, Jack saw it, doing his best to hear what was going on over the soft, snuffly snores from Paul, noises dampened by his having his face down on Daniel's chest. He heard a chinking noise and concluded that Janet must be in the kitchen.

Carefully, so as not to wake the others, he got out of bed and pulled on some boxers. He didn't realise that Daniel was still awake.

"Jack?"

He heard the quiet whisper and turned around.

"I think that Janet's still up. I'm just going to see if she's okay. You go to sleep."

Daniel thought for a moment then said, "Okay. You do whatever is necessary to help her. I mean..."

"I know what you mean," Jack soothed.

He leaned over and kissed Daniel's head then turned and left the room as quietly as he could. Not that he needed to. Paul was so tired he could have slept through an air-raid.

-

Janet heard the noise of a door being opened and turned to look to see who was coming out. She half-expected it to be Daniel so she was a little surprised to see Jack.

"Hey," he said, heading directly to the fridge to get some milk for himself. "Can't sleep?"

The microwave beeped and she took out her mug, stirred some sugar into it and then sat at the table before answering.

"No. It's not the same. It's crazy. I spent years sleeping alone and now I can't seem to settle without her."

Jack laughed, not unkindly.

"I know what you mean. When I got together with Daniel, most nights I stayed with him, or he stayed at my place. Of course, whenever possible, Paul was with us, too. It was surprising how quickly I got used to having two guys in the same bed as me. But on the nights we had to be apart..." He put his mug into the microwave and pressed the button. "Let's just say I didn't sleep very well."

Janet nodded with a smile.

"I know," she agreed. "It's different if she's at work, though. Sometimes I'll work the night shift and sleep during the day, and that's okay. I don't expect her to be there then. But when we're supposed to be together and she isn't there..." Her voice trailed off and she picked up her mug and sipped the hot milk. "I shouldn't get like this," she said bitterly. "It's not like she's there all the time she is there."

"Huh?" Jack muttered, impatiently waiting for the beep to alert him. As soon as it was ready, he sat next to her.

"Oh, don't mind me," she countered.

"No, go on. Tell me what you mean."

"Well, it's all to do with this..." She waved her hand in the direction of the stairs to the playroom and he nodded. "It's been getting worse this last month or so. She's somewhere else in her mind even when she is with me in body. If I try to initiate anything more than a kiss she gets really jumpy." She let out a sigh. "It's not like we haven't done anything before. She was much more adventurous - at least for Sam - right at the beginning of our relationship. I'm beginning to think that Daniel is wrong, you know."

"In what way?"

"He says she needs direction, she needs someone to tell her what to do. I just think she thinks she's made a mistake. That she doesn't want to be with me in a relationship that's anything more than what we had before."

Jack shook his head. "I'm sure Daniel's right." He grinned at her. "Come on, Jan. How often is he wrong?"

She smiled weakly back at him.

"Yeah. You're right. He's never wrong, right?"

"Right," he nodded, as much in hope as in conviction. "Come on, let's finish this and go to bed. You up for some company?"

"Jack?"

"It's okay, Jan. Just to sleep, right?"

She was about to ask if it would be okay with Daniel but then she realised that Jack wouldn't have suggested it unless Daniel had previously agreed.

"Right. Sleep. I could do with some."

They finished their drinks, then Jack put their mugs into the dishwasher and took her hand, leading her to the bedroom they permanently thought of as 'the girls' room'. Without a word, he got into the bed, shifting over until she had enough room to get in next to him. Thinking that it was probably a bad idea, she lay down, finding herself pulled into his arms and held gently but closely. Jack's strength gave her some peace and she wished him goodnight and shut her eyes.

Jack remained awake until he heard her breathing even out. He couldn't help but like lying there, holding her. She was way more comfortable than either of the guys, that was for sure. But even as he thought that, his body belied his mind. It was like it ached for them.

He ignored it, shutting his eyes and relying on his military ability to drop off to sleep to order, he shut off his mind and was asleep in moments.

This time the dream continued. Mistress moaned and groaned, calling out as the slave's tongue worked her hard, pushing inside her, licking, sucking, desperately trying hard to make her Mistress come. She felt Mistress push down against her mouth, urging her on. Her jaw ached but she kept on going, not daring to smile when she felt Mistress tighten, hearing her breath start to rasp as she got closer. The iron bedstead chinked faster as Mistress thrust against her more rapidly.

"Yes, yes," Mistress gasped out. "That's it. More!"

She redoubled her efforts, trying to show Mistress that she was only thinking of her. Eventually it happened, Mistress came, calling out her satisfaction as she did.

Panting, Mistress crawled back, still holding onto the bedstead as she moved. This had the effect of lowering her body so that she eventually lay on top of her. She ground her pubic bone against her slave's and the slave felt the effect straight away. Her back arched as the pleasant shock thundered through her body. She had to work hard to not push up, knowing she wasn't allowed to. Mistress was going to allow her to climax, wanted it to happen, but on her terms, not the slave's. It wouldn't be long, she could feel it building up. Soon... soon...

-

Sam awoke with a groan, feeling immensely frustrated. Cautiously, her hand moved between her legs, her heart beating hard both from the effects of the dream and nervousness. What if her brother's kids came into the room? Should she continue? Should she stop?

Her fingers confirmed that she was wet and hot. Involuntarily they pushed inside herself, her hand responding to her body's needs even as her mind tried to stop it. She shut her eyes tight, her mind immediately flashing back to her dream. In response her thumb rubbed her clit as her fingers slowly fucked her. The chill of her skin clashed with the intense heat inside and she had to bite her lip to stop herself crying out.

A wave of guilt washed over her when she came down off her high. She knew, intellectually, that the guilt was a crock, but it didn't stop her feeling it. She was sure that all of this dreaming had something to do with her visit to the guys. All she had to do was work out what that something was, and soon. She was due to fly up there that afternoon.

Paul opened his eyes and squinted at the clock, groaning quietly when he realised that he still had a whole hour before the alarm was going to sound. He wondered if he should just get up and get ready, but as he did, he somehow managed to wake Daniel.

"Hmm?"

Daniel's voice sounded thick with sleep and Paul responded by moving closer to him. "Go back to sleep," he murmured. "It's early."

Daniel opened his eyes despite Paul's words.

"Why are you awake then?"

"Don't know. Just woke. Sorry for disturbing you."

"It's okay."

He lay on his back and pulled Paul into his arms so that he lay on top of him. That was when Paul noticed that Jack wasn't there.

"Where's Jack?"

Daniel had to think for a moment, his sleep-addled brain momentarily forgetting what had happened.

"Oh, uh, I think Jan couldn't sleep. He's with her."

"Oh? You think...?" Paul asked suggestively, a big grin on his face.

"Doubt it," Daniel answered, shaking his head. "I think she just wanted company."

Paul wriggled a bit, pushing Daniel's legs apart so that he could get comfortable. The result, however, was to make him even harder than he normally was in the morning. He was glad that Daniel hadn't insisted on him wearing his bindings overnight.

"So..." he purred. "We're on our own?"

Daniel picked up the meaning straight away and ran his hands over Paul's ass, pulling him towards his own hard cock.

"We are. Want to do something?" Somehow Daniel sounded innocent. Neither Paul nor Jack knew how he did it, but he managed to a lot.

Paul sniggered, enjoying the 'innocent' by-play but unable to keep it up.

"Yes," he agreed. "I so want to do something."

Daniel looked into Paul's eyes and seemed to understand just what Paul wanted to do - or rather, who. He grinned back at him and lifted his head so that their lips brushed each other.

"Okay," he whispered. "Soon."

Paul nearly melted when Daniel kissed him. The passion he felt coming from his lover threatened to cook his bones. He responded in the only way he knew how and kissed him back, almost eating Daniel's mouth as he took possession of it. When Daniel allowed him that access with no complaints or orders, Paul knew that this was just them and not Master Daniel with his sub. That suited him that morning; his mood was different when he needed to submit.

Daniel had, of course, picked up on this straight away and it suited him too. Sometimes he didn't need to be in control in a dominant sense and he was happy to let things just happen.

He took his time working on Paul's body, kissing each inch as it came into his reach as Paul squirmed over the bed, responding sensually to his touch. Daniel could never get enough of this reaction. Both his men served his two extreme sides; Jack with his almost dangerous stoicism and Paul with his exotic sensuality. Not that they couldn't be what the other was, from time to time they were, but this was the norm. A touch here, a kiss there, and Paul would turn to jelly, moaning and panting with the pleasure of just being touched in a certain way. Daniel tried to shut his mind off, tried to distract himself from the pleasure he took from just watching Paul's reactions. It could make him come without any physical help whatsoever. Just as watching Jack in his most dominant, dangerous mood could force him to jerk off or explode.

He stopped for a moment, to let Paul get his breath back and some control over his body. He didn't want Paul to come yet, he had plans for his dick.

Janet woke, wondered for a moment who was behind her, but when she felt the unmistakable sensation of a hard cock press into her buttocks, she remembered the night before. She should get up, she thought. Should, but to hell with it. It had been a long time since she'd been held so closely by a man.

She had to hold back a sigh. She didn't care whether she was held by a man or a woman, as long as she was held. Just once in a while, she thought. Surely that wasn't too much to ask? It was a shame that Sam had seemed to cease feeling the same way.

Jack opened his eyes as soon as he detected that Janet was awake. He didn't know how he did it but it was something he'd learned to do over the years. Sara used to complain that she never got a moment's peace from him in the mornings as the moment she awoke, he'd be there, eyes open and ready for the morning in a way she never was. Daniel, however, had learned to make the most of it, even when they'd just been friends sharing a tent. Half-asleep, he'd mutter 'coffee' at Jack, who, for some reason he'd never fathomed, had gone and made one in time for Daniel to stumble out of the tent, bleary-eyed, homing in on the mug with the unerring accuracy of a heat-seeking missile.

"Morning," he mumbled from somewhere in the vicinity of her neck.

His word came with hot air, brushing her skin and making it tingle.

"Morning," she replied, a little more stiffly.

Jack detected the tone of voice.

"Jan? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Right. And you can lie to me as well as Daniel can."

He felt her body soften in his arms as if she'd surrendered to him.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I just feel like I've cheated on Sam, that's all."

"You haven't. We didn't do anything we shouldn't have done. Besides, she should have been here instead of me."

"I know, I know," she argued. "But..."

"But, nothing." Jack let go of her and sat up. "Look, Jan, you needed to sleep, you needed company to do that. That's all you got. You haven't done anything wrong."

His tone of voice brooked no argument and she nodded, accepting his words. Maybe she'd tell Sam about it. Maybe she wouldn't. In the meantime she needed to pee.

"Gotta go to the bathroom," she said matter-of-factly.

Jack grinned and nodded, staying in the bed until she returned from the bathroom. He went in there, too, figuring that the guys would probably be asleep and he didn't want to wake them by going into the bathroom attached to their bedroom. By the time he came out, Janet was half-dressed, with a skirt and blouse on but nothing on her legs as if she really couldn't be bothered with the usual paraphernalia that went with a skirt.

"Come on, let's get a coffee," he encouraged. "Hope you don't mind me staying like this for a while?"

She looked him up and down, taking in the view of Jack only in his boxers with a big grin on her face. Then she got a curious look and he questioned it.

"Oh, it's just I didn't know you'd had your belly button pierced," she answered. "It's a surprise."

"Surprised the hell out of me," Jack admitted. "I had it done when Paul was on his course in LA. Daniel videoed the procedure for him for reasons I'll never figure out."

"Why did you do it?"

He shrugged. "Daniel and Paul seemed to get a lot out of having theirs. One night, we were talking about it, uh, Daniel and me, and he said I should get it done. If I didn't like it, I could take the ring out before the hole healed up and after a few weeks, the hole would go away. Just the same as when I had my ear pierced. I guess I got more out of it than I thought I would," he added, waving his hand in the direction of the ring.

"Daniel seems to be able to talk you into a lot of things," Janet laughed.

"Isn't that the case," he moaned.

She patted the bed and took his hand in hers.

"Does he ever make you do..."

"He never makes me do a damned thing," Jack interrupted. "He pushes me to find my own limits. He suggests we try out things I've never even heard of before. If I say 'no', he stops. No questions asked. Well, not 'no questions', but no hesitation. Only once has he not stopped and that's because I was lying through my teeth when I said 'no' and he knew it."

She laughed again, squeezing his hand as she did. "What was that?"

He heard the quiet, concerned tone in her voice, the one that said 'I'm your friend and much as I love Daniel, if he's been doing anything he shouldn't be to you, I'll skin him alive'. It amused him.

"I was watching him use the crop on Paul and I was getting really turned on," he admitted. "He saw the effect it had on me and he managed to distract me and creep up behind me. Next thing I knew he'd used it on me. Not hard. He's never as hard on me as he is with Paul. It was just a shock, ya know?"

She nodded, unwilling to say anything for a moment.

"I told him I didn't want it but he damned well knew I was lying. I just couldn't bring myself to admit it. I wanted it, all right. I needed it, too. Needed to face a few daemons, if you know what I mean."

Jan was one of the few living people that knew all the medical details of Jack's incarceration - all of his incarcerations - so she did have an understanding of what he meant. She nodded again, still unwilling to stop his train of thought.

"Eventually, just by using words, really, he got me to admit it. Then he stopped using it and held me close." His voice trailed off and he shook his head softly as if in disbelief.

"Are you glad he did it?" she finally spoke.

He turned and looked at her with a peaceful smile.

"Oh yeah. You have no idea how much good he's done me, Jan. No more nightmares, no more guilt... he's helped me take back what I lost. So has Paul, in his own way."

"How?"

"He lets me switch, lets me use him as my sub. He gets off on having two doms, sometimes. On his bad days. He's not one for showing his emotions. He was brought up to bottle things up, even worse than Daniel does for the most part. When they do come out, they can be nasty," he added with a sardonic smile. "Believe me, Jan, out of the three of us, Paul is the last one you want to piss off. I'm dangerous, Daniel's crazy, but Paul is a vicious bitch when he wants to be. Not with us," he hastened to add. "Just with people who deserve it. It's not something you see very often but I've seen him in action with his bitch of a mother. She expected him to roll over and do her bidding, he blackmailed her into getting what he wanted. What he was owed," he added with a fierce face. "I was ready to kill her when she threatened him, Daniel was preparing to help me hide the body, but we didn't need to. A few well-chosen, nasty words and she caved."

"What did he get as a result?" Janet asked, still unaware of his inheritance as it wasn't something that Paul tended to talk about.

"Over five million owed to him from something his dad had set aside on his behalf."

"Wow! That's a hell of a lot."

"That wasn't the point. The point was she was trying to stop him inheriting something that was his." He grinned as he added, "He seemed to take a great pleasure in watching her squirm."

Daniel had had enough of watching Paul squirm. It wasn't that he couldn't watch him all day like that, but time was moving on and before too long, the alarm would go off and Paul would have to get ready for work. If he was going to get what he wanted, he'd need to move, now.

"Paul," he gasped as he tried to bring himself back from the edge, yet again. "I need you to do something."

"Wassat?" Paul slurred.

"Blow me," Daniel replied, his voice filthy with lust.

"Blow you up? Blow you down?" Paul teased, glad for the respite from Daniel's lips for a moment. How he hadn't come when Daniel had been kissing the small of his back, he didn't know.

"Blow me sideways if you want, just blow me."

With a grin that matched Daniel's lustful voice for sheer dirtiness, Paul flipped Daniel onto his back and slid, very sexily down his body, taking his time to tease Daniel's nipples with his tongue to get his own back. There had been a very similar result when Daniel had done it to him.

"Coffee?"

"Sounds good," Janet replied. "Wonder when the guys are going to get up?"

Jack looked at the little clock on the side table and said, "About twenty minutes. We've got time for a peaceful cup before Daniel's nose detects the brew."

They left the room and were about to enter the kitchen when they heard a, "Yeah, right there."

Jack realised that he'd left the bedroom door open the night before and also that the guys had surprised him by waking up earlier than expected. He moved to shut the door but found Janet close by him, drawn like a pin to a magnet by the sound of sex.

With a shrug, and knowing that the men wouldn't really mind, he pushed the door further open as quietly as he could. He was glad that it was a new door and didn't squeak.

He leaned up against the doorframe and put his hand out to catch hold of Janet. In moments, she found herself standing in front of him, his arms wrapped over her shoulders, his fingers 'accidentally' brushing over her nipples. She didn't object, pretending to herself that he hadn't meant it, that it was okay.

She couldn't take her eyes off the sight in front of her. Daniel was on his back, staring at the ceiling, his hands grasping the sheet underneath him. His back kept arching as Paul worked him, one moment sucking his cock, the next licking his balls; his hands running over Daniel's body and pinching his nipples, or playing with his navel ring. All things that were designed to turn Daniel on and make him come hard.

Janet noticed that Jack was hard again, not that she was surprised. She, herself, was feeling turned on. She could feel the heat building between her legs, the uncomfortable tightening inside her that urged her to have sex, no matter the cost. It was a huge battle in her head. Her body wanted Jack - or either of the guys on the bed. Or all three of them. Preferably all three of them. At the same time if necessary.

Her mind called her a whore of the worst kind. How could she even think of cheating on Sam?

The fact was, she wasn't thinking. She was reacting to an incredibly hot scene in front of her. Daniel was responding to Paul's ministrations in a similar way to Paul's responses to his. He moaned quietly, called out words of love and encouragement, interspersed with curses to urge him on.

Daniel felt he was being watched and out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack standing there, watching them closely. When he saw Janet in front of Jack, her face flushed with excitement, her mouth slightly open, her lips red and inviting, it pushed him over the edge and he came hard, tipping his head back into the pillow and yelling loudly with relief.

Paul knelt up, panting as he tried to get his breath back. Daniel had filled his mouth so much it had spilled down his chin. He wiped his face artlessly, trying to get rid of the sticky mess as quickly as he could.

"Dan?" he finally gasped, painfully hard and desperate to get off.

Daniel's response was to reach under the pillow, grab the lube and throw it at him. Paul had to steel himself to not come at just the thought of this. He had woken up wanting to fuck Daniel - or Jack, he hadn't cared which as long as it was him doing the fucking. Daniel had, again, read his needs and responded happily to them. That Daniel was happy with the idea wasn't exactly difficult to see. He'd opened his legs as wide as he could and his face looked incredibly relaxed. The "Fucking get on with it or do I have to draw you a diagram?" that came from Daniel as he took his time also added confirmation to his assumption. Quickly, he lubed himself up, lifted one of Daniel's legs over his shoulder and pushed inside him, loving the way Daniel was so relaxed and welcoming of him.

Janet had to fight back a gasp as she saw Paul slowly make love to Daniel. He was taking his time, going deep, pulling almost all the way out and then, occasionally, he'd thrust back inside him hard. Other times he'd push slowly, never making a predictable rhythm but working the way he wanted to. Every so often, he would roll his hips, sometimes making his cock brush against Daniel's gland, other times stabbing at it hard. Daniel's soft cock twitched with each touch and eventually, he started to get hard again. Not all the way there, but enough to give him the warm glow he was wanting to reach.

Unaware of his watchers, Paul took his time to make the most of fucking Daniel. It wasn't something he did a lot, wasn't something he wanted to do a lot, but he loved to do it now and then. This was one of the nows that he wanted and he was so enjoying it.

He was, however, vaguely aware of the time. He knew he wouldn't have much time left before the nasty alarm bleated and spoiled the mood, so he sped up, desperate to come before he was interrupted in the worst way. He was already close, had been before he'd even started, so it didn't take much to make him come. Only one look into Daniel's eyes, eyes that were staring into his with such intensity that he could physically feel the love coming his way. That was it. Enough. He came.

Daniel's leg dropped awkwardly off Paul's shoulder as Paul slumped down onto his chest. His arms reached for Paul and wrapped themselves around him without any direction from Daniel's mind. He held him close, comforting him as he came down from his high.

Paul felt the semi-hard cock that was trapped between them and he raised his head.

"Dan? You want me to do anything?" he asked, pushing his abdomen against Daniel's groin.

Daniel shook his head. "Nuh huh," he grunted. "I like feeling like this. It's... warm," he decided would be a good way to describe it.

Before Paul could answer, the dreaded alarm screeched and he dropped his head back onto Daniel's chest with a moan.

Daniel hit the switch and let him go. "You'd better go shower," he said gently.

With a sigh, Paul nodded and rolled off Daniel's stomach. Somehow he failed to notice his audience as he got off the bed and headed for the bathroom.

"You can come in, now," Daniel said quietly.

-

Janet froze in horror as she realised that Daniel had seen her watching them but Jack had figured that Daniel would notice them so, unsurprised, he pushed her towards the bed. To make it easier on Janet, Daniel pulled up the cover to his waist and smiled at her wickedly.

"Enjoy the floor show?" he teased.

"Not bad," Jack shrugged. "It'll do for a morning's entertainment."

Janet was still blushing - partly from the excitement, partly from being caught watching. She couldn't answer him.

Daniel picked up on her awkwardness and grabbed her, pulling her onto the bed to lie on top of the covers next to him. A quick nod in Jack's direction had him lying on her other side, almost turning her into the filling of a very horny sandwich.

"It's okay, Jan," he soothed. "To be honest, I like being watched. Always have."

"What about Paul?" she croaked, finally getting her voice back. "Will he be annoyed?"

Daniel shook his head. "He's never been watched by a woman before but I can't see it bothering him. He's got no shame," he added with a twinkle in his eye.

She couldn't help it, she laughed. "And you have?"

He shook his head. "Nope. None whatsoever. Neither has Jack, if you're wondering."

She turned and looked at Jack who just waggled one of his eyebrows back in her direction, a large grin planted on his face.

"You guys never cease to surprise me. I know you once said that you didn't mind being watched but to be honest, I didn't really believe you."

"Not into exhibitionism, then, Jan?" Daniel asked, still grinning. He couldn't help it. Whenever he'd woken up like this in the past, he'd spent hours grinning after.

"Not really. It depends on the audience, I guess."

"Oh? Do tell."

She turned onto her back, wriggling so that the men would part a little so she could lie comfortably and then looked up at the ceiling. It was easier for her to talk like that for some reason. Daniel needed her to talk, too. He knew she played and that she switched, but he hadn't had much in the way of details of her experience so he needed to find out what she knew, for Sam's sake.

"Okay. Before I got together with Sam, there was this couple I'd play with. A married couple."

She waited for that to sink in with the guys, only slightly surprised when they didn't say anything about it.

"We all switched, it really depended on our moods on the day as to who was going to do what. Sometimes I found myself with two subs, sometimes with two doms. Other times one of them would sub with me and the other would take great delight in watching us 'perform'." The men heard the amusement in her voice as she spoke that last word.

"I get that," Daniel concurred. "To me there is nothing hotter on Earth than watching Jack work with Paul. I literally could come just from seeing it."

She tilted her head and saw a satisfied smile on his face, he was obviously remembering some event past. Then she looked over at Jack and saw that he was staring at Daniel's face with his own satisfaction apparent. Whatever the guys were thinking about, it had obviously been one, very hot scene. Jack caught Daniel's eye and they stared at each other so lustfully that Janet thought they were going to spontaneously combust.

"That sort of exhibitionism I don't mind," she squeaked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Slowly, Daniel broke eye contact with Jack, an unspoken 'later' passing between them. If Jack had been hard just watching the guys earlier, he was in agony now. All he could hope was it wouldn't be too much later.

"But not with strangers?" Daniel asked.

"No. And if you're thinking of it, no way will Sam go for anything like that."

"I didn't think so. I'd like to see her more relaxed with you in public, but to be honest, I can't see that happening before either you guys retire or they finally change the fucking law. That's understandable."

He got quiet mutters of agreement from the others and then asked, "What toys have you used? You seem to know about canes and things...?"

She was just about to launch into a catalogue of equipment that she was versed in when there was a noise at the bathroom door and Paul came out, his head in a towel as he rubbed at his hair and another towel around his waist, just about covering whatever modesty he had left.

"I'll go to the kitchen," Janet said. "We'll talk over coffee, okay?"

"You said the magic word," Daniel teased. "Go on, I won't be too long."

Paul dropped the towel from his head with surprise when he heard her voice but said nothing, just made his way to the other side of the bed to where his bindings were.

Janet shut the bedroom door behind her, unwilling to add to her store of erotic memories just yet. First of all, she dived into the bathroom in her own room and, after shutting and locking that door, she hitched up her skirt, leaned against the wall and replayed the scene in her mind. If she couldn't take part physically, she could at least benefit from it second-hand.

-

"What was Janet doing in here?" Paul asked quietly.

"I think you should ask Jack that," Daniel answered, grinning madly.

He got up off the bed as Jack mumbled through an explanation and picked up the lube and Paul's bindings, ready to put them on him. Paul, meanwhile, was both annoyed with Jack for reasons he couldn't explain and getting turned on again. Whenever Daniel was about to put his things on him, he always started to harden, unless he'd come a moment before. He couldn't help it.

Daniel noticed the towel starting to tent as Paul hissed back to Jack that he would prefer some sort of warning in future. The more he bickered with Jack, the harder he got. Daniel figured he could go one of two ways. He could either 'deflate' Paul rather nastily, he thought. Or...

He dropped to his knees, pulled Paul's towel off him and swallowed him whole.

Paul forgot about his mini argument with Jack. He forgot pretty much about anything. He wasn't even sure why he was mad at Jack, anyway, as he couldn't care less if he was watched. The further Daniel took it, the less he cared what had happened. The only thing he was caring about now was that mouth on his cock. His right hand dropped the towel in it and made its way to Daniel's head, not to hold him in place but for somewhere to put it. His other hand was already there.

Jack watched again, wondering if he could, if he should jerk off. Seeing that Daniel was hard again, he decided to hold off. Hopefully that 'later' would be pre-coffee. He wondered how it would go, ran a few scenarios through his mind and generally distracted himself from the second floor show of the morning. It surprised him when he heard a long, happy groan from Paul which announced the fact that he'd come again.

Daniel stood up with his grin still in place. His legs were streaked with semen and he looked a delicious mess. Jack was getting desperate.

"Better?" Daniel purred as he put some lube on the butt plug.

Paul nodded, unable to form a word.

"Good. Don't know what's up with me at the moment. I don't seem to have lost that horny feeling from the weekend." He looked over his shoulder in what could only be a smouldering way at Jack. Jack swallowed hard. "Don't worry, Jack. You're going to get me off before long."

Jack could only hope that Daniel meant he was going to get them both off. He couldn't bear the thought of being held on the edge for hours on end the way that Daniel did to Paul.

It didn't take Daniel long to get Paul into his things, they were both well-versed in how to do it. When he was finished, he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss. When he broke it off, he said, "Get yourself dressed and go have some breakfast. I need a shower. I'll be out with you before you go to work."

"Thank you," Paul finally managed to whisper, his mouth still next to Daniel's. "This morning was incredible."

"You were incredible," Daniel whispered back. "Love you. Now, get dressed." He dropped another kiss on him, this time on his nose, and let him go. As he walked off to the bathroom, he stopped and again looked back over his shoulder at Jack. "Well? Are you coming?"

Jack winked at Paul and dived off the bed. At-fucking-last, he thought.

-

Janet looked up when she heard some footsteps and saw Paul, fully dressed, entering the kitchen.

"Morning," he called out, heading directly for the coffee pot. If Daniel wasn't going to be supervising him, he figured he'd get away with a minimal breakfast. He wasn't one for lots of food in the morning if he could avoid it.

"Not eating?" Janet asked as he sat with just the mug.

Paul sniggered wickedly. "I already did."

He was more than amused to see her blush bright-red at his reply.

"I'm sorry about this morning," she finally said.

"Why?"

He sounded genuinely confused and she looked up at him in equal confusion.

"Watching you when you weren't expecting it," she explained.

"Oh. That's okay." He took a sip of coffee and then looked up, his head still tilted towards his mug. "Did you enjoy what you saw?"

She grinned back at him. "Oh yeah. You guys are really hot together."

"Hmm," he agreed. "I think so, too."

This time she giggled and he joined in. She couldn't get over how relaxed he was about it but his attitude was making it much better for her. She also realised that if she could get embarrassed about things, God only knew how Sam would feel in the same situation. She made a mental note to bring that up with Daniel later on.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you about those tattoos you've all got. Every time I go to mention it, something happens that puts it from my mind."

Paul sat back in his chair and smiled as he remembered the weekend. As she ate her toast, he told her all about it. He didn't leave any details out, not even about the 'extras' in Jude's place. Despite her reaction earlier that morning, Janet found herself completely drawn in to his story and listened in fascination.

-

The water was running hard in the shower, Jack was up against the wall, his left leg hooked around Daniel, his cock trapped between Daniel's thighs. Currently he was finding breathing slightly difficult as Daniel was humping up against him, his own cock trapped between their abdomens, and he was also kissing the shit out of Jack. Not that Jack was complaining, neither was he just taking it. His arms were firmly locked around Daniel's back, he was pushing his hips in time with Daniel and giving as good as he got in the kissing stakes. By the time they both came, neither man was able to breathe steadily and they stood together under the cascade, holding onto each other in an effort to stay upright.

Eventually they regained some sort of equilibrium and started to clean each other. Normally Daniel didn't soap Jack down unless he had an ulterior motive, it was Jack - or Paul's - job to clean him instead. But he felt the need to take care of Jack this morning. Probably because he'd spent the night with Paul alone.

They kissed softly as they washed the shower gel off each other, continued kissing even when they shampooed each other's hair. It was as if they couldn't stop touching each other, as if they needed the contact.

Reluctantly, they had to stop and leave the comfort of the water. Daniel always made a point of kissing Paul goodbye as he went to work, even if he was still in bed. The one thing that had comforted him about losing Shau're in the way he had, had been the life-affirming kiss she'd planted on him before he'd left her to go to the cartouche room. He'd learned the hard way about not reminding his loved ones how he felt about them. He hadn't spoken to Faisal after they'd broken up, no matter how often Faisal had tried to contact him. Just as Daniel had got over himself and wanted to call, it had been too late. Fai was dead. He had missed his foster parents on the morning of their fateful crash, deciding to stay in bed a bit longer than he should have. The last things his real parents had said to him had been to the effect of 'go away'. After Fai, he had promised himself he would never feel like that again. It was one of the reasons he had always tried so hard to make up with Jack when they had fought as friends. And it was why he hated to miss that last kiss of the morning with Paul.

He was dressed quickly, his hair still wringing wet. Jack followed him out of the room, a bit slower but still in time. As they reached the kitchen, they found Paul ready to go off. He'd been waiting for Daniel, knowing just why Daniel would insist on the kiss and loving him more for it.

Jack and Janet exchanged winks as Daniel held him close. The kiss wasn't deep or long, it didn't have to be. But it offered great comfort to Daniel, even if he would never admit it. Even though his spoken reason for it was that he wanted Paul to remember to whom he belonged, even if his voice was often 'the voice' as he said goodbye, Paul knew precisely how scared Daniel was of losing him or Jack. It pleased him to play along. It made him feel loved and wanted, anyway.

Jack and Paul kissed briefly and then Paul left for work with a rushed 'gotta go!'.

-

Over coffee, Daniel found out what he needed to know about Janet's actual experience and discussed how things could possibly go between her and Sam as a result. Janet still wasn't convinced but Daniel's confidence was slowly permeating through to her and she was getting there. She knew she'd have to be totally confident when the time came, that no matter how nervous she felt, she could never show it. She wondered just how scared Daniel was from time to time, thinking that he must feel it occasionally, especially when trying something new with the guys, even though she didn't think he'd ever seem it to the guys. When Jack announced that he was going out to the workshop, she got her chance to ask.

"Jan? Out with it. You've been looking pensive all morning."

She grinned wryly and spoke.

"Do you ever get nervous?"

He looked at her in confusion and then asked, "What do you mean?"

"When you're working with the guys. Maybe doing something new."

"Oh, I see. Sure. Of course I do. Especially if I'm pushing myself, you know?"

"How do you keep calm for them?"

He sat back in his chair and took another sip of coffee.

"It's not easy," he admitted. "Considering that those two can read me like no one else can, it's really not easy. There are two different sorts of nervousness, one I can admit to, the other I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if we're out, in a new club for example, and..." He looked a little sheepish as he continued, "I get nervous in places like that. I don't know who's there, how they're going to act towards the guys. I also get viciously jealous if someone tries something on with them. When it's like that, I tend to hover over them a lot."

She smiled back at him and nodded. "Do they mind?"

"No. Not at all. At least they say they don't. No, they don't," he finished with conviction. "Especially if they're out in their gear. That's when they're most vulnerable. If I'm there right next to them, it makes it easier for them."

"I get that. What of the other time?"

He sighed. "Paul, Jack too, but mainly Paul likes trying new things, usually more intense things. The first time I fisted him I was scared shitless but I had to be completely calm and in control. I was so scared of hurting him."

"I've never done that," she said, a little in awe. "What's it like?"

"Amazing. I'm not afraid to do it now," he added with a grin. "It's like nothing else, Jan." His eyes twinkled and she urged him to speak up with her eyes. "Uh, well, I had it done to me on the weekend. First time."

"Wow. Who did it?"

His eyes lit up.

"Both of them."

"At the same time?" she squeaked.

"Jack's fist, Paul's fingers," he answered with a nod. "I really needed it, though I can't explain why. You know how it goes; the mind wants things but it doesn't always tell you why it does."

"Did it hurt?"

"Funnily enough, no."

"You used poppers," she said knowingly.

"Nope. I used them on Jack when I did it to him first time, but I didn't need them."

"Wow," she said again. "Could you sit after?"

He laughed and nodded. "I still know about it," he admitted, "but it's not painful, I just know it happened, if you know what I mean."

She grinned at that, remembering one or two more... active scenes she'd had that she'd known about for a few days after the event.

Her face then went a bit more serious prompting Daniel to ask what was up. After explaining how she'd actually felt a bit embarrassed that morning, she stated that she wasn't sure how she could inflict anything similar on Sam.

"Jan," he sighed, "please don't worry. I'm used to reading the guys' faces and knowing how far I can push them and when I can push them. I don't ever do anything that I believe is going to humiliate them or make them feel bad. I wouldn't do anything to Sam that would make her feel uncomfortable..." His voice trailed off and then he added, "Let me rephrase that. I won't do anything that will humiliate her. She may well feel uncomfortable initially, but she will quickly lose that feeling. If she doesn't, I'll stop what I'm doing immediately. There is often a moment of initial resistance when something new is being introduced, but it's mainly because of the unknown. Take Jack, for example. He's often reluctant to try something new, but he sticks some things out because he trusts me to know what he wants. Within a short time, he understands what I'm trying to do for him. If, however, he's still not happy after that time, I stop. My biggest challenge is going to be getting Sam to trust me to know her that well. I think I do. It's all up to how much she believes that."

Janet nodded, getting what he was saying and then gave him a verbal agreement.

"You're the boss," she sighed.

"Uh, yeah..." he drawled. "About that."

She looked at him in query and he continued.

"I really am going to be the boss, at least to begin with."

"Even mine?"

"Yeah. Trust me, Jan. You're going to love it."

He stood up, poured himself another coffee, offered her one which she declined and then sat down again. Then he explained the way it was going to go. By the time he'd finished, she was nearly squirming in her seat from the anticipation. He saw that and had a wicked idea. Downing his coffee quickly, he took her into the living room, leading her there by the hand. Sitting on the sofa, he pulled her down onto his lap so that she was straddling it, kneeling on the sofa and facing him.

"Daniel," she moaned as he pulled her further down so that her crotch rubbed against his. "I won't cheat on her."

"I know. I don't expect you to." Then he looked at her with a wicked grin. "But if I don't touch you and you don't touch me, and we don't get undressed, it's not really cheating, is it?"

She wanted to debate the semantics but he pushed up against her as he pulled her close again. The pressure sent a shock wave through her body and she reacted naturally, pushing against him in response.

Daniel kept his promise, keeping his hands on her waist. He wasn't very hard, he hadn't recovered yet from the morning's exertions, but he was turned on by her actions. She'd got the message and, having missed out for so long on having a willing, active partner, she rubbed her clit against his groin. In her mind, she was naked, he was naked, and she was riding him, he was filling her, kissing her, touching her...

He watched in fascination as she threw her head back and moaned as she came, panting hard as her body relaxed and then putting her head on his shoulder.

"You are a bastard," she whispered.

He laughed. "That's 'you are a bastard, Master'," he teased.

Her whole body shivered at those words and he reacted by holding her close.

"It's going to be okay," he promised. "I'll make it okay for you."

He said nothing more as he felt her tears land on his shoulder, just held her as close as he could as the frustrations of the previous few months spilled out.

Daniel was nervous as he waited for Sam's taxi to pull up. He'd spent the previous few hours making last minute arrangements and rearrangements. When he'd run out of things to do, he'd gone and bugged Jack in the workshop until Jack had pinned him to the wall and gone down on him in an attempt to take his mind off things. It had worked. Especially as Daniel had reacted by laying Jack backwards over his work table and repaying the favour.

Janet was even more nervous and was pacing up and down the living room. Only Daniel using his dom voice on her had calmed her a little. Somehow, it gave her confidence. She knew just what plans A and B were, but she was sure that Sam would throw a situation that could necessitate a plan C at them. Whatever happened, she knew she had to trust Daniel. If she could trust Daniel without reservation, then maybe her confidence would rub off on Sam. That could only be to the good.

If they were nervous, it was as nothing compared to how Sam was feeling as her cab drew close to the gate. She knew that disappearing off to her brother's had been a bad idea and she wanted to make up with Janet as soon as possible. One thing she had worked out in the few days away from Janet beyond any doubt was that she didn't like being away from her. She had to work this mental conflict out, one way or another.

Rather than make the cab driver go into the drive, she got out at the gate, paid him and then pushed the button for the intercom. She spoke briefly to Daniel, who sounded pleased that she had arrived and when the buzz which indicated the unlocking of the gate occurred, she pushed it and entered the premises.

Walking down the drive, she knew that not allowing the cab in there had been her way of keeping the men's privacy intact. They would only let people they knew in there, only using one cab company to ever come pick them up, one that they'd grown to trust. It wasn't that they were shy, but their fierce hold on their private life wasn't something that they let go of easily. Part of that was their pasts - they had enemies, real, tangible enemies. Part of it was the present, with Daniel's name still eliciting interest from time to time because of the book. None of the men welcomed publicity of any sort.

She wanted to keep that privacy. It gave her a sense of sanctuary, too. As soon as she heard the gate locking behind her, it was like the entire outside world no longer existed. As one barrier went up, in the form of the gate, so another barrier inside her came down. She couldn't relax in their home in the Springs in the way she could here. Knowing this, she prayed that this sanctuary would give her the strength to help her break down some more barriers.

Seeing Daniel come walking down the drive to meet her, her nerves returned for a moment. She looked behind him and saw Janet trotting a few yards further back, as if she wanted to overtake Daniel's long-legged stride and get to her first. Daniel detected that, too, and slowed down to allow Janet to pass him. He watched as she put her arms out to hug Sam and was curious to see Sam's reaction.

Her body language was crying out that she wanted to hold Janet closely. Her hands dropped her bags, her arms reached for her, her feet pointing at her, her shoulders raised in welcome... But her face was pained and her actual greeting was less effusive. She kissed Janet briefly, smiling a tight smile at her then turning to Daniel as if to escape Janet's clutches. Daniel saw a flash of hurt run across Janet's face and flagged an 'it's okay' towards her.

"Sam," he said, using his Dom voice. It attracted her attention immediately. "How was your flight?"

She was knocked a little off guard by that. His tone of voice was at odds with the question.

"Um, fine. Thanks."

"Good. Janet, could you take her bags indoors, please?"

Without a word, Janet did as she was asked and Sam found herself face-to-face with a very cold Daniel.

"Daniel? Is something wrong?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he growled. "Are you setting out to hurt Janet?"

Sam looked shocked. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Oh, because you left her with barely a word?" he started. "Because you don't look happy to see her?"

"I am! I'm very happy to see her."

He wanted to keep her off balance so he moved on.

"Right. Do you know her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know Janet? Really know her?"

"I... I... Yes, of course I do."

He snorted derisively. They hadn't moved from the spot and Sam was beginning to feel very uncomfortable.

"Do you know what she's given up for you?"

Now she was extremely confused.

"Um, Daniel, what the hell are you talking about?"

He said nothing for the moment then said, almost in a 'by-the-way' manner, "She used to be in the Scene."

"I know. She said she used to play."

"Play is such a subjective word." Now his voice had almost resorted to a seductive purr and Sam was listening to each word, every nuance, unaware of anything else around her. "Do you know why she would play?"

"Er... because she liked it?"

"Liked..." Daniel answered, as if he was thinking hard about the meaning of the word. "How about needed it?"

"Um..."

"Sam," he snapped. "Think of her job. What she does. Every day there is the potential for her to make mistakes which could cost someone their life. Every day she could be mopping up the aftermath of a battle. She needs to think constantly, be in control constantly... and some days, that control is forcibly taken away from her when someone dies despite her best efforts. Think now. Does she play at it or does she need it?" His words came at her like bullets from a machine gun and she nearly reeled back as she tried to work it all out.

She said nothing for a moment, just nodded as if to agree with him though she wasn't sure what she was agreeing to. She could see what he was saying, that was sure. She just hadn't thought that Janet's needs ran that deeply.

"What do you want me to do?" she whispered. A knot of fear tightened her stomach. Was he saying that her dreams, her pleasant nightmares would come true? Did he know what she dreamed of, night after night? Could she do it?

He watched her face, knowing that she was thinking about something. Wishing that he could read minds, he relied on his ability to read her expressions. If he'd suspected something before, now he knew that she'd been thinking about this. Needing to keep her on her toes, he once again threw her into confusion.

"I can give her what she needs. Just for a few days. I promise to do nothing without your permission, but Sam, she needs to let go."

Sam nearly fell to the floor. Her world felt like it was falling apart. She had just been psyching herself up and Daniel had told her she wasn't wanted.

"You want to have sex with her?" she hissed.

"Sam," he sighed, "haven't you learned anything since you've been visiting us here? You know that sex doesn't have to be part of it."

"Oh, of course," she replied automatically. The vision of her lying tied to the bed disappeared and she felt bereft. "Well, if you think it's for the best," she said quietly.

"I do. I wouldn't do this if I didn't."

"What about the guys?"

"They know. They've noticed it, too. They're okay with the idea if you are."

She took a few steps towards the house and Daniel walked next to her.

"What if your... scene goes further than you think it would? I mean, what if you both feel the need for sex?"

She wasn't reassured when Daniel smiled at her. "Well, I have the guys," he answered with a shrug. "Janet can come to you, can't she?"

-

Daniel was pleased with the way things were going with Sam. He kept up the subject changing, talking about easy things one minute, asking her simple to answer questions and apparently agreeing with her, then every so often he'd throw her the curved ball and catch her off guard. Over coffee in the kitchen, sitting on the comfortable chairs in the lounge, when being given the 'grand tour' of the new building... Each and every time she thought that he was settling on one subject he changed it, throwing her for a loop. By the time he'd taken her back into the living room and offered her a drink, she was totally bewildered.

If Daniel's behaviour had seemed strange, it was for a reason. There was little point in interrogating someone who had been trained to withstand it. He knew that. She knew that. But he needed to get under the surface, needed her to answer from the heart and not from the head. Over the course of the first hour of her being there, he discovered that she wasn't overly happy with the idea of Janet being submissive, that she really did love Janet (and he was glad to hear that because he had been beginning to doubt it), and that there was something there, in her upbringing, that was putting the brakes on her, emotionally. Not that he got what that was. He hadn't wanted her to realise the purpose of his questioning. But he had enough clues that led him to believe that his initial thoughts had been correct. She certainly liked being ordered around, he figured. All through their 'discussion', he'd been giving her subtle orders. 'Follow me', 'sit down', 'kick your shoes off' and so on. None of them had been things she would have been reluctant to do, he most certainly wasn't going to try to get her into bed, but she'd complied without hesitation, seeming very happy that he was giving her direction.

It wasn't helping Sam that Daniel wasn't seeming to want to start a scene with Janet, as if he was waiting for something. He was, but it was more a 'someone'. He had a suspicion that Sam would accept Jack as Janet's dom much more easily and knew that Jack was busy that day, so he was prepared to wait. Besides, he could feel the tension building in Sam and it was aiding his attempt to find out more from her. He was using his voice on Janet in a way that kept Sam listening to his every word. Most of the time, he'd use his normal voice when he was talking to her, but when he threw the odd question at her, the one intended to get the required information, it was in that voice. The one that no one could ignore.

By the time the afternoon was wearing on and Daniel knew that the guys would be coming in before too long, Sam was totally confused. She couldn't get over the urge to get downstairs to the playroom, even if she wasn't sure what it was she wanted to do when she got there. It didn't help that Daniel had given her a 'tour' of the new room, the one which would be the extension to the playroom. He'd described all the equipment he wanted to put in there; the sling, a set of pulleys and chains that would hang from the ceiling, possibly even a wheel which would be attached to the wall and on which Paul - being the most likely one to want this - would be shackled and turned upside down...

As he'd spoken, part of her mind had placed herself in Paul's position, with Janet as the one in control. Daniel had noticed, naturally, her reaction and had noted each item which had made her swallow or squirm. With each new item of information, his level of surety increased. Now, he knew he was right.

Paul couldn't help but grin as he walked through the door of the house. The day had gone well. The attacker of one of his clients had gone down for a very long time. She was happy; at least she was relieved. He couldn't hurt her again. With Paul's help she'd found a good psychiatrist to aid her with the healing. The woman, who had until recently been unable to face the outside world, had been smiling broadly as she'd emerged from the courtroom. It was days like that which made his job worthwhile, he thought.

Janet was in the kitchen, drinking coffee at the table, just as he'd left her. For a moment he wondered if she'd been there all day.

"Hey," she called out as he walked in. "Want something to drink?"

"Please," he replied. "You been here since I left you?"

His voice was light and teasing and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Seems like it. What do you want? Coffee? Tea?"

"Oh, tea, please. Later we're going to celebrate - if Daniel allows it."

"Good day?"

"Oh yeah. San Francisco is coming up short one brutal rapist. Let's just hope he gets what's really coming to him when he gets to the jail."

She nodded. "Amen to that one, brother. You know, if punishment were up to me, I'd castrate them all."

"What? All men?" he asked in mock horror.

"All rapists, idiot. Why spoil my fun?"

He couldn't help but laugh back, it wasn't funny but he was in a really good mood.

"So, you'd do it?"

"Absolutely. I'd have no moral qualms about it. After all, I'd cut out any diseased part of a body for the good of the patient, so I'd cut off the prick of a rapist to protect society. No sweat. And before you ask, who the victim is, is irrelevant. Female, male, adult or child - virgin or prostitute. None of them deserve it, so all attackers are equally sick in my view."

"Mine too," he agreed. "Wish I could let you loose in one of the local jails. If nothing else, when they got out, we could be certain they'd never do it again."

"Couldn't agree more."

They turned to the source of the voice and Paul smiled broadly when he saw Daniel standing there, leaning against the doorpost and smiling back at him. He stood up and walked straight to him, needing a hug and getting it as soon as he was in reach.

"So, it was a good day?"

"Traumatic for my client, but good in the end," Paul confirmed.

"You want to celebrate tonight?"

Paul's smile grew wider and his eyes twinkled.

"If you want to," he replied diplomatically, but his tone was pleading.

"Hmm," Daniel said, as if he was thinking about it. "Maybe when you hear what I have in mind, you would change your mind."

Paul shuddered in Daniel's arms and Daniel laughed, calling him 'pet' quietly into his ear. The only reply he got was Paul moving even closer to him.

"Please," Paul whispered.

"Promise," came the equally quiet answer.

"Thank you." Then Paul pulled back. "Can I get you something?"

"Oh, I think I could manage a coffee," Daniel agreed. "Sam? You want something to drink?"

Paul stood away from him and noticed Sam for the first time. She had been standing behind Daniel, making no sound but watching them intently.

"Sam," he greeted warmly. "I'm glad you came. Can I get you a drink, too?"

"Um, a coffee would be nice. Thanks," she replied, smiling in reply, though her smile was more one of bewilderment. She still hadn't recovered from the way Daniel had been treating her all that afternoon. One moment she had felt alone, then she'd felt safe and loved, and the next moment a little afraid. It had been like that all the time that she'd been there and she didn't like that. The only feeling she'd liked had been when Daniel had been firm with her, telling her what to do. The sense of security he gave her was immense and she didn't know why. It wasn't as if she hadn't taken care of him when they'd been on the same team, had it?

As she tried to work out her feelings, Paul put some coffee on and Daniel sat at the table joining Janet. He sat opposite the doorway and observed Sam's unsure behaviour for a moment. A sly look at Janet was followed with a wink in her direction which was returned. Using his dom voice, he called out for Sam.

"Sam. Sit."

She shook herself out of her thoughts and complied without comment. Paul looked over at Daniel, raising an eyebrow at him and getting a grin in return.

"May I finish my tea?" he asked, deciding that reverting to his sub position right away may help Daniel out.

"Of course. Then, I think we'll get you ready for me, shall we?"

"Yes. Definitely."

The excitement in Paul's voice was obvious and Daniel couldn't help but laugh quietly, mouthing 'slut' at him as he did. The wink he got from Paul was enough to confirm that they were in for a very good night.

"Janet. Would you object to Jack playing with you tonight?"

"Um, no. If Sam doesn't mind."

Sam looked at them in horror. Not about Jack dominating Janet but because they'd asked her.

"No," she squeaked.

"Good. I think I'm going to have my hands full tonight with Paul."

Paul was just about to say 'Don't stop on my behalf' to Daniel when he caught his eye. He knew then that this was what Daniel had had in mind all along, so he just smiled at Sam and thanked her.

They chatted a little, asking Sam about her family and then her work at the SGC (at least in general terms) and when Daniel had finished his coffee, he excused himself, telling Paul to go to the bedroom as soon as he was ready. He, himself, went to the workshop to find Jack.

-

He loved to watch Jack work, especially when Jack didn't know that he was watching him. Jack was currently grinning at what looked like a block of glazed pottery. So as not to frighten Jack or make him drop the block, he waited until Jack had put it back on the table. Then he knocked on the door to let Jack know he was there and again waited until Jack turned and acknowledged his presence.

"Back for another go?" Jack teased, nodding at his work bench.

"I wish. Actually, plan A is a go."

"Plan A? How many plans have you got?"

"More than you could name using the English alphabet."

Jack snorted and stood up, moving towards Daniel to kiss him.

"Ack. Wait till you've had a shower. You're covered in clay."

"So I am," Jack answered in mock surprise.

Daniel shook his head in exasperation. "What's that block of pottery you were holding and looking so pleased about? It doesn't look too impressive, if you'll forgive me for saying so."

"Never judge a book by its cover, Daniel. You of all people should know that."

Jack's voice was conspiratorial and Daniel laughed as he bowed an apology. Jack said nothing but inclined his head to bring Daniel closer. When he was where he wanted him, he picked up the block again. Daniel saw that it was about nine inches long, and three or so inches on the other sides. Then he saw that it wasn't a single block at all. On one of the small sides, the top or bottom, he didn't know which, was a plastic cover, designed for a small Tupperware pot or similar. Jack removed it and then Daniel realised that the block came in two parts, which when opened, were two sides of a mould, the shape inside hollowed out from the clay.

"Jello?" he asked, laughing out loud.

"Jello," Jack shrugged. "Melted chocolate... ice..."

"Ouch."

"Not for us."

"No, figured not. Does it work?"

"Was going to stick it in the freezer tonight. See if it cracks or leaks."

"Use juice. If it leaks, it'll be more obvious."

"Make an ice pop?"

"Hell yeah. I'd suck on it, no problem."

Jack laughed hard then put the mould back together again, carrying the plastic cap in his hand.

"Come on. I need a shower, remember? You can put the juice in."

Daniel saluted him with a laugh. "Sir, yes Sir!"

With a fond 'jerk' from Jack, they re-entered the house.

Daniel grinned as he heard the water running in the bathroom and had to stop himself from going in for a repeat performance of the morning with Jack. In the meantime, he concentrated on Paul.

"Strip," he ordered, laying on the bed but propping himself up on his elbows so that he could watch.

Paul had to hide the smile that threatened and instead, gave Daniel what he wanted. A slow, sensual strip, revealing his flesh inch by inch. He tried not to notice the effect it was having on Daniel, but couldn't help but see how Daniel's jeans were tightening.

"Very pretty," Daniel purred. "Very pretty indeed."

By the time Paul was naked, Daniel was forcing himself to not pounce on him. Instead, he slowly got up off the bed, like a cat, stretching his body languidly before pacing around Paul who had to stand still and look ahead of himself. He fought down a gasp of pleasure when Daniel stood behind him and dropped kisses on his neck.

"Beautiful," Daniel whispered in his ear, making him shudder.

Daniel moved back around him and sat once again on the bed, facing Paul, and running his hands over Paul's chest. When he got to the unpierced nipple, he squeezed and twisted it, making Paul groan out loud.

"Daniel?" Paul asked when he saw Daniel staring intently at his chest. "What's up?"

"Uh..." Daniel shook himself out of his reverie. "Oh. Nothing."

"Daniel," Paul sighed. "What is it?"

"I was wondering what it would be like if you had this nipple pierced," he finally replied. "I saw chains... One from each ring, joined together in a Y shape, connected to this..." He trailed his finger down Paul's stomach and twisted Paul's navel ring getting another groan from him.

"Okay," he whispered.

"No, it's not. You shouldn't have to do something because my imagination's running wild."

"Why not? It's not as if I'd be horribly scarred for life or become addicted to some illegal substance," Paul countered. "Besides, I like being pierced. I have no objections to it and if we decide it's not okay once it's done - if I decide that - I can let it heal over. No problem."

Daniel looked up with a grin and put his hands on Paul's shoulders, pulling him down until they were both lying on the bed.

"Thank you," he said. "Promise me you'll tell me if you change your mind or don't like it."

"Promise."

They kissed for a while, Paul happily letting Daniel explore his body with his lips. The day, while having a good end, had been stressful and he was glad to let Daniel take the lead. He couldn't help but sigh with relief when Daniel reached down and undid his cock bindings, swiftly followed by him removing the plug - all without stopping kissing him. It didn't take long for Paul to react to his touch, making the most of the freedom he was being granted.

Reluctantly, Daniel pulled back.

"It'll have to be later," he sighed. "I've got to get dinner on. But, I already know what's for dessert."

"Oh? What's that?"

With a wicked smile, Daniel waggled his eyebrows and said, "You."

Sam sat awkwardly through dinner, trying to act like everything was normal. In some ways it was. She was used to seeing Jack and Paul dressed only in jeans and with their collars and wrist bands on. What she wasn't used to seeing was Janet like this; dressed in a short white skirt, split up both sides, no blouse or other top on except the white corset Daniel had insisted she wear. Her stockings were held up with lacy garters and he'd requested she wear her stiletto heels. If she'd been wearing these items in black, she'd have had the air of a dominatrix about her, but the white made her look more like a virgin sacrifice. Like all of Daniel's actions during the day, her clothing had been designed to confuse Sam and it was working.

Daniel directed dinner, as normal. He insisted that Jack eat his greens (with a wink aimed at him), made sure the others did as they were told. The only one he didn't direct was Sam and she was beginning to feel left out.

When it was over, he stood up, mentioned to Sam that she should do the same, and then, after ordering the others to clean up, he ushered her into the living room. She followed him numbly, looking over her shoulder at Janet as she left the room.

As they settled, he picked up the remote control and lounged on the sofa, flicking the news on.

"Better keep an eye on the reports," he said with a grin. "Just in case there's an alien invasion we should know about."

She managed a weak smile at his joke and he cocked his head to one side in curiosity.

"Sam? What's up?"

"Um..." She was about to say 'nothing' but knew he knew her too well. "I'm not sure."

"Are you okay about Jack being the one to work with Janet?" he tried.

"Yeah. Of course." Then she flushed slightly.

"Sam? Tell me."

"I... I don't know why but I prefer the idea," she admitted in a rush.

He surprised her by laughing a little. "It makes sense," he said calmly.

"What do you mean?"

With a shrug, he said, "Jack was your CO. You're used to seeing people take orders from him - doing it yourself, too," he added as casually as he could.

Sam nodded slowly in understanding. That probably was it, she thought. It had to be. He said nothing more but, with one eye on the news, he kept his other, more sly eye on her as she worked it out. She knew she didn't like the idea of Janet being submissive to Daniel. But she was used to the idea of her being subordinate to Jack. It felt right. After all, he was a colonel, Janet was a major... Yeah, it had to be that.

As she worked it out, her body language told Daniel all he needed to know. Noise from the kitchen told him that the work had finished. He didn't call them into the living room for the moment, though, wanting Sam to settle into a state of relaxation.

"Want a drink?" he asked, swinging his legs off the sofa and jumping to his feet.

"Uh... sure, thanks," she replied with a much stronger smile than he'd had all day.

"Wine?"

"Yeah. That would be good."

"Okay. Hang on."

He walked into the kitchen and picked up a couple of glasses and a bottle of wine from the fridge.

"Go to your bedrooms," he ordered the others in a very quiet voice. "Lie down, let your dinner go down, and await my instructions."

Without a word, the three left the kitchen quietly and retreated to their rooms. Janet lay on her bed, quivering with excitement. Paul and Jack lay together on theirs, not holding each other but letting their fingers intertwine.

"What do you think he's got planned for me?" Paul whispered.

"I have no idea," Jack sighed. "I think you're going to get off light, though."

"You looking forward to working with Janet?"

Jack's wicked grin answered that one. "Sure. But it's going to be frustrating." He waved his hand down towards his groin, reminding Paul of the fact that Daniel had strapped Jack's cock into the long leather sheath he preferred to see him in.

"I dare say you'll get off tonight," Paul soothed. "If you do a good job with Janet, he'll reward you."

Jack shrugged. "I guess. But I'm not counting on it."

"Are you nervous?"

"Oh yeah. I've never been a dom without him nearby, and hell, I've never been with anyone but you. You understand me!" he whined.

Paul chuckled quietly and turned until he was laying on top of Jack and to the side, hooking one of his legs around Jack's and using his free arm to wrap around his waist, resting his head on Jack's chest.

"You never topped anyone before me?" he teased, knowing full well that between Alec and Daniel, Jack had always topped.

"You know I did."

"And you never gave orders?"

"Paul," Jack growled in a 'stop teasing' way.

"Jack, you'll be fine. Trust me on this. You're good at it."

"I am?"

Paul had to hide his amusement at Jack's genuine surprise. He tilted his head up and kissed Jack's chin before smiling and saying, "Believe me, Jack. You are."

"Cool!" Jack said, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tightly.

Sam was feeling relaxed and happy, watching a documentary on astrophysics with Daniel nearby. The glass of wine was nearly gone and she jumped slightly when Daniel stood up, bringing the bottle to her.

"Want more?" he asked.

"Please. This is fascinating," she said, pointing at the screen but getting a little annoyed when yet another commercial break came on. "I like looking at documentaries like this, they give me someone else's insight into problems I come up against on a daily basis."

He poured the wine, smiling and nodding in understanding.

"I keep telling the guys the same thing about anthropological documentaries but they don't seem to get it. Anyway, talking about the guys, it's about time I did something. You're okay here?"

She froze, realising that everything was about to start.

"Yeah," she finally gasped.

Daniel pretended not to notice her hesitation and smiled.

"Okay," he said, then waggling his eyebrows in a naughty manner, he said, very conspiratorially, "Don't worry about making any noise, later. I'm sure we won't hear it above the noise we're going to make."

With a nudge to her, he put the bottle by her side and walked directly into the kitchen where he looked in the giant fridge for what he had in mind with Paul. As soon as he'd found everything, he carried them into the bedroom, kicking the door open and then putting the things on the bedside table, he said, "Jack. It's time. I'd say be gentle with her, but I don't mean that."

Paul untangled himself from Jack's body and Jack got up gingerly.

"You want to record it?" Jack asked, standing almost to attention.

"Good idea. Set it off on your way down."

"How long should we stay down there?"

"Oh, I don't know. Until you get bored, I guess. Maybe an hour? It's up to you. When you've finished, prompt Janet to take Sam into their bedroom, turn off the recording then come straight in here. I'll make it all up to you," he finished with a smirk.

"You're on. See you guys later."

With a swagger Daniel hadn't seen since Jack's days at the SGC, Jack left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Paul looked at the things that Daniel had brought into the bedroom and couldn't help but smile.

"You said I'd be dessert," he complained seductively.

"Oh, you will be," Daniel promised. "You so will be."

Sam forced herself to look away from the others as they walked through the living room and into the kitchen. She didn't dare look. Instead she concentrated so hard on the documentary that she didn't hear a thing from the TV. Miserably, and feeling very left out, she topped up her glass again and drank some more wine.

"We're recording this," Jack whispered into Janet's ear, standing behind her as soon as they had entered the playroom.

"Recording?" Janet squeaked.

"Oh yeah."

"How?"

"Tell you later. But you can guarantee that Daniel's going to watch it."

He didn't let her answer but took her to the cross, getting her to stand on the stirrups and raising her hands, adjusting the length of the cross so that he could attach her to it. Her skirt buttoned from top to bottom and he took great delight in undoing each one slowly, peeling the skirt off her as soon as it was undone and leaving her in her stockings and corset, a pair of tiny white lacy knickers which left nothing to the imagination being the only other thing protecting whatever modesty she had.

Cautiously, he knelt down and attached her ankles to the bottom of the cross, cursing under his breath when his knees cracked as he stood back up. He stood back and looked her up and down slowly and deliberately and Janet couldn't help but feel extremely turned on. Jack's alpha act at the SGC had always given her a secret thrill, not unlike the way it did for Daniel, though no one ever knew about it.

He shook his head, as if something wasn't right. To correct the view, he stepped near her and undid the top lacing of her corset, pulling the top of it down until her breasts were exposed.

"That's better," he said, primarily to himself.

He knew that whatever he did that night, it was meant for entertainment. For himself and Janet, naturally, but also for Daniel. Daniel would get one hell of a kick out of this, especially if he got the chance to show it to Sam. So he wanted the visuals to be spot on.

He strode over to the shelf and came back with the cloth flogger, deciding to warm her up slowly and pleasantly. She smothered the smile that threatened when she saw it and shut her eyes, trying to relax and retreat into her own sub-space. He dragged the flogger over each breast in turn, teasing her nipples until they stood proud. The tightly laced corset pushed her tits up, making them look even bigger than they usually were, making them look very inviting. His instructions had been, 'no penetration of any kind, no orgasm'. Daniel hadn't said anything about 'no mouthing anything' or 'no kisses'. With a grin, he dipped his head and captured one of her breasts in his mouth, eliciting a groan of pleasure from her. He pushed it further, sucking on it, biting the nipple. Despite her bindings, she arched forward, trying to force more of it into his mouth. He pulled back and moved over to the other one. By the time he'd finished with that, she was already getting wet for him. When he brought the flogger down hard on her chest, she knew she was in the hands of an expert.

Paul loved undressing Daniel; Daniel's apparent disinterest in what was happening being a complete turn on for him. Of course, Daniel had made him take off his jeans, his only clothing, first. A noise from the living room, Sam moving from her chair to the sofa, reminded him of the company, but that only served to make him feel more turned on.

Daniel wasn't hard, Paul noticed when he'd removed his clothes. He knew that Daniel was trying to remain this way, that his immense self-control allowed him more command than most over his cock.

Paul, however, was hard, but he did his best to ignore it, as showing Daniel that his erection would bother him would be the quickest way to get his balls squeezed.

"We're celebrating," Daniel reminded him as he stepped out of his pants which nestled around his ankles.

Paul picked up his clothes and dealt with them as he usually did.

"If that's what you wish," he replied diplomatically.

"Oh, I do." He sat on the edge of the bed and patted it, calling Paul to sit with him. "Do you know what that means tonight?"

Paul looked at the items on the table and then back at him.

"I think I have an idea," he answered with a grin.

"You up for that?"

"Oh yeah. I'm so up for it," he purred.

"Good. Go get a large towel or two and lay them on the bed. No need to make more mess than necessary."

Paul scooted into the bathroom and pulled two bath towels out from the cupboard, quickly returning to complete his task. Without instruction, he lay on them, face up, expectantly waiting for Daniel to make his move.

"Face down," Daniel instructed.

He fought down a giggle as he turned around rapidly.

Daniel didn't stop himself from laughing, he just got himself into position, straddling Paul's back on his knees and leaning over to the table to pick up the first thing.

"Hands up," he ordered, still smiling. Tonight was going to be fun. Yes, Paul was going to submit; yes, he was going to be tied up, but he wanted Paul to laugh out loud, to have a great time. He didn't have to hurt him to make him forget the stress, sometimes he could render him helpless with laughter and that served just as well. This was something that Sam hadn't grasped and he was hoping that she would pick up on that this night. When Paul had fetched the towels, he'd deliberately opened the bedroom door a short way. The way that it opened meant that someone in the corridor could look in, directly at the bed. If she was intrigued by the noises, then maybe she'd see the other side of their lifestyle.

Paul's hands were firmly secured to the bedhead with a pair of leather handcuffs and Daniel set to work. First, he kissed every inch of Paul's skin, from the neck down, even taking time to kiss his hair. Paul knew he was allowed - encouraged even - to react tonight, so he allowed himself to moan and gasp, groan and squirm as he saw fit with each touch. He hoped he could reach at least a part of his sub-space, just to prolong the evening. He didn't want to come too soon, that was for sure.

Daniel missed Paul's ass until the last moment. He'd kissed Paul's feet, the sensitive backs of his knees, the insides of his wide-open thighs. Then he got a loud 'yeah' from Paul as he drew his tongue up the crack of his ass, starting from the back of his balls and not finishing until he reached the small of his back.

"That was the first course," Daniel announced, kneeling up.

"Some first course," Paul slurred.

Daniel had taken his time with this and Paul felt drunk, even though he hadn't had any alcohol all day - yet.

"Now for the main course," Daniel teased, leaning over to the table and picking up a bowl that he'd prepared earlier when making dinner.

Firm strawberries had been washed and put in the bowl and Paul grinned when he saw Daniel put them on the bed next to his head. He felt Daniel lean over again and heard the loud pop of the champagne bottle being opened followed by a large champagne flute being filled quickly.

"I know it's clichéd," Daniel mused, "but I so love champagne and strawberries. Especially when they're served sur Monsieur Davis."

Paul giggled out loud this time, waiting for Daniel's next move. He was only half-surprised when Daniel told him to turn his head to the side and open his mouth. Less surprised when Daniel dipped a large one in the cream he'd brought in and put it in Paul's mouth. However, he was extremely surprised when Daniel pushed him up onto his knees, took the largest, typically conical shaped berry, dipped it in cream, moved down Paul's body and pushed it halfway into Paul's ass.

A sound, which Daniel figured was 'oh my God!' came from the still stuffed mouth of Paul. Daniel hadn't given him permission to bite, yet, so he was fighting the urge to do it.

This time Daniel giggled as he sat back and looked at what he'd done.

"Needs a bit more, I think," he said laughing out loud.

He reached over to the bowl of cream and poured a bit down Paul's spine, eliciting a squeal from him as it spread slowly outwards. When Daniel picked up some of the smaller strawberries and placed them artistically on the bed of cream. He knelt back again and studied his handiwork, and this time, he seemed happy with it.

"You look delicious, pet," he teased.

A muffled 'hmm' came back at him and he didn't even try to hide the huge smile he had for Paul. Staring into his eyes, he saw that Paul was really happy, his eyes twinkling with delight and mischief.

"You're messy. Time to clean you up," Daniel said, this time his voice low and seductive. The noise that came back was a gagged groan of pleasure and it encouraged him to start.

First he moved until his mouth was right next to Paul's. Paul heard a whispered 'bite' and felt Daniel's lips on his. Smiling, despite his strawberry gag, Paul bit; half the berry fell into his mouth, the other half into Daniel's. They kissed as they chewed, both smiling under the contact.

When it was gone, Daniel reluctantly pulled away and knelt back up. The cream was dripping down the sides of Paul's back and he bent over and licked at it, getting gasps of delight and giggles from the ticklish Paul. When the worst of it was gone, he picked up one of the strawberries, took a bite and then popped the rest of it into Paul's mouth.

Sam wondered if Daniel had left the door open on purpose. The laughter and giggles that kept coming from the bedroom had drawn her there and she watched as Daniel took each berry in turn and shared it with Paul, sometimes using his lips, other times using his fingers which got licked and sucked on. Apart from the handcuffs she couldn't see much in the way of D&S and it confused her. Okay, Daniel was teasing Paul, perhaps he wasn't letting him... well... come, she thought. Maybe that was it.

Daniel picked up the champagne and took a sip, immediately bending down, and, Sam figured, he was sharing the mouthful with Paul. When Daniel licked Paul's chin, she guessed he was cleaning where it had spilt.

She scolded herself, telling herself she shouldn't be watching this private moment, but she didn't move. Neither did she move when Daniel 'washed' the remaining streaks of cream off Paul's back with the champagne, quickly following it up with his tongue. Paul seemed to be enjoying it, whatever it was Daniel was doing.

Her eyes were drawn to Paul's ass when he squirmed it in her direction. Something red seemed to be... Oh... my... God... she thought. A strawberry? THERE? Surely that hurt?

The men seemed to be unaware of her presence so she remained where she was, watching Daniel kneel in-between Paul's legs, pour a little champagne down his crack, lick it off...

When Daniel started to eat the strawberry, she ran to her bedroom and quietly shut the door.

Janet was in agony and in ecstasy. Jack had played her body like it was a musical instrument and she was absolutely thrumming with tension. Her breasts were covered in pale-red streaks, her legs matching them. Her ass was currently bright-red and shining from where he'd released her from the cross and eventually put her over the paddling bench. He'd touched where he was allowed, pushed one or two of the boundaries to the limit but, he figured, Daniel would let him get away with them.

Now he was getting tired. A quick check of his watch told him he'd been there over an hour and he guessed it would be okay to go upstairs.

"You okay?" he asked Janet as he pulled her to stand up.

"Hmm?"

He laughed quietly to himself and picked her up into his arms.

"Time to call it a night," he murmured. "Remember, really try to push it with Sam. Get her to make you come."

"I don't know if I can," she sighed.

"You can. You must."

She didn't answer him but wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled into him, feeling safe, warm and happy. She shut any thoughts of what may happen next out of her mind and just made the most of being taken care of like this.

-

All too soon she found herself being deposited on the big bed. Sam was standing to one side, red in the face, but Janet couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment, exertion or anger.

"See ya in the morning," Jack said cheerfully, ignoring Sam's expression. "Thanks for letting me play, that was fun." He bent over and kissed her on the nose, then left the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

After turning off the recording and quickly checking over one or two scenes, he was pleased with what was there and knew Daniel would be too. Janet had been nearly as responsive as Paul; not that he'd been as hard on her as he was with him, he couldn't be. But she'd enjoyed it, made the most of it, knowing it may well be the last chance she ever got to sub for anyone.

In the bedroom, Janet acted as if she was still a bit out of it, putting her hands out to Sam and asking her for a hug.

Unsure, Sam lay down next to her and did as requested, allowing Janet to kiss her and letting Janet's hands roam over her body. But just as Janet thought that Sam was finally going back to at least the original state they'd been in, was finally going to allow her more, she froze.

"You must be tired," Sam said. "I am."

Barely hiding her disappointment and frustration, Janet rolled off the bed and headed into the bathroom, only just managing to stop herself from slamming the door and crying with a sense of utter defeat.

It was a completely different affair in the men's room, of course. Daniel had long removed the handcuffs which held Paul to the bed and had been feeding him champagne, usually second-hand from his mouth. Both men were drunk, Daniel more so than Paul as he'd been drinking wine earlier.

"Look at you," Jack laughed. "You're smashed."

"Nah, just a little tipsy," Daniel replied, pronouncing each word with the care of a drunk. "Bytheway," he slurred, "did'ja have a good time?"

"Oh yeah. Very good, thanks."

"Did'ja behave?" Daniel asked more seriously, trying to sound more like his usual self and failing. Paul wasn't taking him too seriously because he sniggered.

"Of course. Got it all on video if you want to watch it."

"Absolutely," Daniel replied positively. Or he thought he said that. It came out more like 'abslutey'.

Still laughing, Jack sat on the bed next to them, slowly but very visibly running his thumb behind his waistband. Daniel caught what he was doing and grinned widely.

"Take 'em off, Jack," he ordered, but the order was softened by the 'hic' that followed it.

Paul laughed out loud at that. The evening had been exactly what Daniel had hoped for him. Fun, sticky, messy... and they hadn't even had sex yet. But they'd laughed a lot together.

Now, however, the atmosphere changed. Just a bit. It was still light and cheerful but now, they knew, it was only a matter of moments before things heated up.

A sly look from Paul to Daniel - and a slightly skew-whiff look from Daniel to Paul - and Jack knew he was in trouble... of the best kind.

They pounced almost simultaneously; Daniel missed, slipped and fell on the floor.

It kind of set the tone for the rest of the night.

Daniel woke up with a grin, a hard-on, and a sore arm from where he'd hit the table on his way to the floor the night before. Jack was plastered to his one side, Paul to his other and he felt warm and happy. Thinking back to Jack joining them the night before, he smiled even more broadly. When he'd managed to get up off the floor, and the others had stopped laughing at him, he'd pinned Jack to the bed and 'attacked' him; kissing and tickling him until he surrendered. Then they'd ganged up on Paul.

Poor Paul, he thought. He wondered, also, if he'd be able to sit today. They'd taken it in turns to wipe any final memories of the stress of the day from his mind. Judging by the open eyes, open mouth and total lack of any signs of life other than rasping breaths by the time they'd finished, Daniel reckoned they'd succeeded.

Jack stirred, still sleeping, his groin rubbing firmly against Daniel's leg. Daniel let him do it, he was feeling particularly benevolent that morning. To encourage him, he stroked down Jack's back with the hand that was wrapped around him, pulling at him in a slow rhythm. A quiet 'hmm' from Jack coupled with a more urgent thrust of his hips told Daniel that he was slowly waking up. Time to work on Paul.

Completely unbound, Paul's body was also reacting to his close proximity with Daniel. He was mirroring Jack's position on Daniel's other side, so Daniel did the same with him, stroking him and pulling at him and finally getting the same result. When he'd got what he wanted, he withdrew his arms, carefully slipped them between him and the men and then took each man's cock in his hands.

Paul opened his eyes and took a moment to work out what was going on, but when he realised what it was, he smiled and carried on what he'd been doing in his sleep.

Jack similarly woke and reacted, but he dropped his left hand onto Daniel's cock, jerking it slowly in time to his hip movements. Paul realised what he was doing and used his right hand to play with Daniel's balls.

Nothing was being said, they didn't rush it, but took their time, enjoying the sensations that came with their actions. Daniel forced himself to not thrust upwards but let the men do their thing.

Their 'enthusiastic' play of the night before had taken the urgency out of the morning and they carried on and on, making it last as long as they could. Eventually, the feeling of two men rubbing up against him and working his cock and balls pushed Daniel as far as he could go. A gasped, "Oh fuck!" warned them and Jack jerked him hard, loving the feeling of the pulsing dick as Daniel spilled. As he did, he grasped them tightly and moments later, they followed him, covering his legs and abdomen as they did.

They lay there, panting quietly, trying to get their breath back.

"Morning," Daniel finally said with a grin.

Jack and Paul tilted their heads and looked up at him, repeating the greeting and laughing softly at him. He hugged them close, kissed their heads and sent them off to the bathroom.

The women hadn't got up by the time the men had dried and dressed and entered the kitchen, so they started their breakfast in peace. All three were in an exceptionally good mood and Daniel prayed that nothing would spoil that. Paul was hoping for a good day at work, Jack had a few things planned and Daniel needed to check his email to see if there were any translation jobs waiting for him. He hoped there weren't any, or at least many, so that he could spend some more time with the girls.

"I've got to go," Paul finally said, standing up and putting his plate and mug into the dishwasher.

"Are you nervous?" Daniel asked gently. That afternoon, Paul was going to be returning to college for his part-time course which would eventually give him the final bar qualifications he needed to practice law professionally. Daniel knew that underneath, Paul was a little anxious about returning to study after such a long time away.

"A little," he admitted.

Daniel nodded slowly as if he was thinking. A noise from the door caught his attention but he ignored it.

"You have all of your things on," he stated, knowing full well Paul did as he'd been the one to bind him after his shower. "What time will you be home?"

"I expect I'll be here about seven-thirty," Paul answered, not using military time deliberately.

Again, Daniel nodded slowly. "The scene starts at seven-thirty, then," he announced with an air of finality. "Whether you are here or not." Then, slyly, he added, "For every minute you are late through this door," he pointed to the entrance, "you will receive one stroke of the cat. However. If you rush back to avoid that, I will be extremely angry. If you get a speeding ticket, for every dollar you are fined, you will be kept in isolation for a day. So, if it's one hundred bucks, you sleep alone, eat alone and basically live alone for one hundred days."

Paul swallowed hard and nodded in reply. He knew why Daniel was saying this; his obsession was their safety. His eyes flagged an 'I'll be careful, I promise' to Daniel and finally, Daniel broke his eye contact with him and put his hand out. Paul stepped closer and let Daniel kiss him hard. When they finished, he whispered, 'Love you' to him and then bent over and kissed Jack briefly.

"Sorry, I have got to go," he apologised.

Saying a quick 'morning' and 'goodbye' to the women who had been watching them closely, he grabbed his briefcase and made his way swiftly out of the house. He knew he'd be fighting a hard-on all day now, every time he looked at the clock. With a mental countdown to seven-thirty that night running in the back of his mind, he drove to the gate and out into the world about them.

"Good morning," Daniel said, turning on one heel and facing the women.

"Morning," Sam replied, about to move to the table.

Janet grunted a similar reply, immediately getting Daniel's attention. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"Jan? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, trying to keep her voice calm.

He stared into her eyes as if he could read her mind just by looking at them. After holding that position for what seemed like an age, his previously excellent mood vanished and his face looked like thunder.

Slowly, as if watching frame-by-frame, Sam saw him turn to her. She had never seen him so angry and all of a sudden, any appetite she'd had vanished. He stared into her eyes, fixing her with his gaze. She was totally frozen in place, right next to the tall fridge.

"Jack," Daniel growled. "Take Janet into her bedroom. Get out the black outfit for her. Janet, put it on and go downstairs with Jack. It's your turn to play."

He didn't allow any argument, adding, "Be quick about it!" to make them move.

Stunned, they scooted into the bedroom, not stopping to do anything else.

All the time, he kept his eyes firmly locked with Sam's. One of her hands felt behind her, looking for something solid as she thought that she was about to fall over. Noticing the fridge, she stepped back and leaned against it, still unable to break her eye contact with Daniel for reasons she couldn't explain. The silence went on for many minutes, Daniel unwilling to break it.

Eventually, Sam broke.

"Daniel? What's wrong?" she gasped.

"You lied to me," he snarled.

"I didn't!"

"You lied to me."

"How? When?" The panic in her voice was obvious now but Daniel didn't let up.

"You said you loved her. That you would help her."

"I do! I did! I let you do what you wanted to do!"

"NO, dammit. I could see it in her eyes. You didn't give her any contact after, did you? No comfort. I told you that she would need you. Did you even hold her properly when she returned to you?"

Sam swallowed hard and shook her head slightly, guilt washing over her in waves. She knew her perfunctory kiss and cuddle with Janet wasn't counting in this instance.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he barked.

"Nothing!"

"You don't love her. You don't care about her. You're not interested in her state of mind. All you want is some company at home at the end of the day, isn't it?"

"No!"

"You don't want a relationship, you want a pal. How could you lie to her like that? How could you let her believe you loved her?"

"I do!."

"I haven't seen any sign of that. You're not talking to her, you barely touch her... I'm fucking furious with you for leading her on like that."

"I didn't! I love her!"

Each of Sam's statements sounded more and more desperate but Daniel wouldn't back down.

"Crap! You don't deserve her, do you? Well that's it. You've lost your chance. I am going to take care of her from now on."

"NO! She's MINE!" Sam screamed.

"Yeah? Prove it."

"I... I..."

Sam wanted to say 'I can't' or 'I don't know how'. She needed to say 'teach me' or 'help me'. But when she saw a hastily changed Janet enter the kitchen behind Daniel, dressed almost as in her dreams, all she could call out was...

"MISTRESS!"

Daniel stepped back and watched, hiding his smile as she ran to Janet's side and dropped to her knees, just as she had done night after night in her dreams. A slightly panicked and very surprised look from Janet to Daniel was replied to with a small nod.

He grinned and mouthed, "Do it. Now."

Suddenly, everything that Daniel had said and done started to make sense to Janet. She had no idea how he'd known it, but he had. She nodded slowly to him and put her hand on Sam's head.

"Stand up," she ordered.

Nervously, Sam stood up.

"Good girl. Go to the bedroom, stand in the middle of the floor and wait for me. I will be with you momentarily."

Wordlessly, she ran to the bedroom leaving a stunned Jack and Janet and a remarkably smug Daniel in the kitchen.

"You knew," Janet accused.

"I kept telling you."

"Dammit. What do I do?"

"Be strict. She's looking for it. She needs it. But be very loving, too."

"Okay. I guess I'd better go set some ground rules. Explain about the pecking order here and so on."

"You do that. And Jan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm here if you need me."

With the biggest smile he'd seen from her in ages, she replied, "Yeah. I know. Thank you."

"My pleasure. Now, scoot."

Laughing, Janet headed back to the bedroom, completely forgetting that she had had no breakfast just yet.

-

"You reckon they could do with something to eat and drink?" Jack said after a few moment's silence.

"Probably. I'm sure Jan will send her out for something when she wants to."

"I guess," Jack sighed.

"Jack? Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "Not wrong as such," he answered thoughtfully. "I just don't get it. How could you tell?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes it's just obvious. Like the so-called 'gaydar', it's nothing tangible, but you can usually tell if another guy is gay, even if he's not blatant about it. I guess that's no different from the kind of chemical attraction you get when you meet someone and just know they're for you. You can't put your finger on why it is so, it just is."

"Like you knew with me? And Paul?"

"Yeah. Of course, with you guys, there had been hints within your behaviour that had led me to believe it, but other people, those who aren't subs, can show similar patterns. The trick is, knowing which is which."

"Neat trick if you can do it," Jack chuckled.

Daniel didn't reply but pulled him close for a hug.

"You'd better get on. Sorry to use you like that," he said, nodding towards the cellar door.

"It's okay. I wasn't really in the mood anyway. I figured you had something in mind so it wasn't a problem."

They broke the hug, kissed briefly and Jack left for his workshop. Daniel pottered around the kitchen, clearing up the breakfast things and getting another pot of coffee on. As soon as it was ready, he poured himself a mug, left two more out for the girls if they wanted one and retreated to his office.

He was full of mixed emotions as he booted up his computer. He was happy that Sam had finally admitted to what had been bothering her. She hadn't needed to tell him everything, that one word had been enough. But he was still annoyed with her for withholding her feelings from Janet. Being unable to tell the woman she loved what she needed, especially when she knew that Janet would not have been fazed by it one iota, didn't really bode well. He knew that she had more issues to face and wondered if he'd get the chance to help her.

Sam was shivering with fear as Janet entered the bedroom. She had no idea what was going to happen. It was worse than going into battle. The worst thing that could happen there was she could die. The worst thing that could happen here was she could live, still unable to voice what she needed as she didn't know what she needed.

Janet looked her up and down as if studying her for the first time.

"You did as you were told," she stated. "Good. I hope you're going to continue like this?"

Sam realised that Janet wanted an answer.

"Yes, Mistress."

"I also see that you are polite. That is good. Will you continue to be polite?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Good girl."

The praise made Sam relax slightly but she was still on edge.

Janet knew that she really did have to take total control this time, not to let Sam think or worry, but to make her do. If there were going to be any problems, they'd come up pretty much immediately. However, she did have to set out her rules, first.

"Take your clothes off," she instructed. "You wear only what I allow you to wear."

"Yes, Mistress."

Sam didn't realise that she was only saying that phrase, as if by rote. It was the only thing that seemed to be right.

She didn't have a problem with being naked - too many years in the military, even sharing showers with the guys at times, had knocked that sort of embarrassment from her a long-time past. It seemed slightly odd, though, but she bit down on that. She had to please Janet. NO dammit, she had to please her mistress.

Janet looked into the drawer where Daniel had placed the clothing they'd bought at Simon's earlier in the week and smiled. Would Sam wear the 'dare' clothes? Did Janet want to lose the bet? She laughed internally - it wasn't as if she'd mind subbing for Daniel and at least whatever it was that had seemed to scare him about reversing the roles would not come up. She still wondered about that but knew she'd never likely find out.

In a very matter-of-fact manner, she took out the clothes and put them on the bed in front of Sam, waiting for some sort of negative reaction. Despite her strict tone, she knew she could never force her into wearing something like this. But, and it was a big 'but', she needed to establish her role very quickly or else Sam may back out of it and they'd return to the way things had been for the previous month or two. No way was she going to allow that to happen.

"Put them on," she ordered.

Sam took one look and for a moment, she seemed like she was going to say 'no'. Janet stopped breathing for a few seconds, knowing that this was it. If Sam put them on, they could move on.

Sam looked into Janet's eyes as if to say, 'you're kidding me?', but Janet kept her face neutral, her eyes blank. Sam looked for any sign of anger or love but found nothing. It was then that she realised that to get a reaction from Janet, she had to do as she was told. So she did.

Janet watched, still keeping her face unmoved, but inside she was screaming 'YES!' and doing a mental happy dance. It wasn't the clothes themselves, it was what they meant. Only when Sam was finished did she allow herself to smile.

"Good girl," she praised. "You look very beautiful in that."

She took Sam's arm in her hand and firmly but gently led her to the full-length mirror and awaited her reaction. Sam stared at herself and finally blushed furiously.

She was in a red one-piece bodysuit; made of leather, it laced up the front like a corset. However, it stopped short of her breasts and they were left exposed, just underneath the nipples, 'cups' in either side having been cut out for the nipples to sit on. Lace (which was slightly elasticated for movement) then went further up, covering her breasts but so delicately woven, it left nothing to the imagination. The lace continued down one arm, ending as a glove. The other arm was bare.

The crotch area was barely more than a G-string in size, Sam's pubic hair sticking out on either side of it. Only a small triangle of red leather covered her modesty, a leather thong running from the back of the body, between her legs and through a punch-hole at the front acting as the final 'covering'. Suspender belts ran from the body and held up the red lace stockings Janet had put out with the body.

Sam was stunned. She had never worn anything like this in her life. With pain in her eyes, she turned to look at Janet.

"Don't worry," Janet said, "I won't take you out looking like this." Then she added, "I'll allow you to wear a short skirt."

"Mistress?"

Janet sighed, sat on the bed and patted it so Sam would sit next to her.

"You are beautiful," she told her. "Don't you think I want everyone to see that?"

"May I speak, Mistress?"

"You may."

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"I... I..." She shook her head. "It's not right."

"Says who?"

Sam didn't know how to answer that. Janet took Sam's hand in hers and squeezed it.

"Trust me, Sam. That's all I ask. If you want to sort out what's going on in your head, talk to me, or if you'd prefer, talk to Daniel."

Sam looked scared when Daniel's name was mentioned.

"No, I couldn't..."

"Why not?"

"He's angry with me."

"Sam, think! This is Daniel we're talking about. I know he scared you earlier but tell me, did he lay a finger on you?"

"No."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No!"

"Would he hurt you?"

"No." This time, Sam's voice was small.

Janet hugged her then said, "We'll leave that for later. For now, you must listen to me."

Sam turned her head and looked at her, intently listening to every word.

"You do as I say, when I say. Understood?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"No hesitation. I will take care of you. Body and soul. Understood?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"When we go home, I am in charge. Day and night, no questions asked." She didn't allow Sam to answer but added, "But here, there is a difference. This is Master Daniel's home," she emphasised, using Daniel's 'title' for the first time. "He is in charge. I answer to him. You answer to me. Just as Jack answers to Daniel and Paul answers to Jack when Jack switches. Daniel is always dominant to Jack even when Jack is dominant to Paul. It is the same with us. Daniel isn't my master, but, I afford him the respect he is due. If we were at home and he were to visit, I would be in charge. Do you get that?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"You do what he tells you without hesitation. You must trust him to know what is best for you." At first her voice was hard, then she smiled a little and her voice softened. "Remember what he does for the guys, Paul especially. Sometimes he seems harsh, but he never hurts him. He won't under any circumstance hurt you."

"I know," she conceded.

Janet hugged her again. "It's going to be all right, sweetheart," she promised. "I'll make it better for you."

Rather than let Sam answer, she stood up.

"First, though, there's a little something we need to tidy up."

"Mistress?"

"Come to the bathroom."

Sam followed Janet closely, wondering just what Janet had in mind. She was more confused when she saw her rooting through her spongebag and get out a small pair of scissors and a razor.

"Mistress?"

"Put a towel on the floor and lie down on it," Janet commanded. "This is messy."

As Sam went to move, Janet reached out and let her fingers stroke Sam's crotch, making her freeze for a moment.

"Lie down," Janet repeated. "I won't tell you again."

Sam dropped a towel on the floor and lay down immediately.

Janet finished her preparations, putting some water into the sink and picking up some liquid soap. Then she knelt between Sam's legs, undid the thong and pulled up the flap covering Sam's pubic area. She didn't ask permission, but started immediately, snipping the hair down wherever she found it. Then she soaped her and started to shave her.

Sam lay stock still. She'd never had this done. What did it mean? Why was Janet doing it? Because it looked good or...

She realised that this was Janet's way of telling her that she owned Sam's body. Despite her natural fear of that, the thought actually pleased her and comforted her. She belonged to her mistress now. This proved it.

Her comfort level continued, even when Janet took her down to the playroom. Daniel had given her permission to use whatever she wanted so Janet had been determined to make the most of it as soon as possible. Sam remembered how she'd felt when Daniel had shown her what he had planned for the next room and wondered what Janet would do to her.

For her.

Janet looked around the room and smiled. Unlike when she was subbing in there, Sam was more able to use pretty much anything. Janet had been too small to be attached to the manacles or the hook in the ceiling without making time-consuming adjustments. But Sam was only an inch shorter than Paul which allowed Janet more latitude.

Despite that, Janet homed in on the table. It was the most secure thing there and, Janet felt, Sam would feel more comfortable on it.

"Lie down here, face up," she instructed.

Sam did as she was told, happy to do what Janet ordered but she was still nervous. Though Janet seemed very happy and very confident, and that helped her enormously. She thought back to how Daniel sometimes seemed to be strict, confident... powerful, and how both his military men were positively devoted to him, also confident and ready to do whatever he asked. She realised that this was the key; the more confident and assured the dom, the more relaxed and happy the sub. That Janet was that confident wasn't in question.

Janet noticed a small smile appear on Sam's face and had to hide one on her own. The more she did, the further they went, the more relaxed Sam seemed to be.

"Raise your hands," she ordered, wondering what she should call her.

'Pet' was obviously out of the question, but it wouldn't have been right. 'Slave' was a no-no and Janet didn't think that Sam would appreciate 'slut'. She'd have to think of something appropriate - something non-military, too, as no way was she going to remind Sam of their other life.

She fixed Sam's hands and feet to the straps on the table efficiently and then wondered what she was going to do next. She was so amazed to have got this far that she'd never allowed herself to go further. To get an idea, she went to the shelf where Daniel had put her toys, also bought earlier in the week, rather than brought from home. Her eyes ran over them and she grinned, picked a few up and headed back to Sam. She may as well make the most of Sam's now tingly crotch.

-

Sam's breath hitched when she felt the legs and arms of the table being opened and stretched out, but she said nothing. She remained silent when Janet wordlessly blindfolded her. Janet wouldn't usually play without knowing her sub's safe word, but this time, she needed to continue on regardless. Stop would mean just that. They could discuss words at a later date but bringing Sam out of the scene, even if only for a moment, would probably bring her out of it forever.

Janet again undid the crotch lace and exposed Sam completely. She wasn't going to use a paddle on her but was going to introduce Sam to the delights of the easier toys first. Sam was surprised to find that the first of those was a glove, just like the soft fur glove that Daniel had.

She moaned with pleasure as the fur was stroked over her hairless skin. This was a mistake; a short slap was landed on her thigh.

"No sound. I didn't give you permission, did I?"

"No, Mistress. I'm sorry, Mistress."

Janet harrumphed and continued, smiling though because everything was going as well as she'd hoped.

"Ow!"

"Oops, sorry Paul."

He smiled disarmingly and forgave his unwitting assailant. Alice, his partner in crime at the office, sat next to him in their small staff room and put her mug of coffee on the table in front of them.

"Did I really hurt you?" she asked.

"Nah, it's all right. I... er... I just had a tattoo done a few days ago and it's still a little bit sore in one or two places."

"A tattoo? You?"

Her raised voice got the attention of some of his other colleagues and they all turned to look.

"Where is it?" "What is it?" "Can we see it?"

He was bombarded with questions by an incredulous group.

"Uh, it's just something small," he said, putting his hands up to quieten them. "And it's still under wraps."

"Why did you have a tattoo?" Alice took over the questioning.

"Because I wanted one," he answered honestly.

"Paul. That isn't you," she snorted.

"Isn't it?" he replied. "How would you know?"

The others were stunned into silence. He was right.

"Well, look at you. You wear a suit out of habit," she started. "You don't have a pierced nose, unlike some I could mention..." she continued, looking at a couple of others in the room.

"So a pierced nose is a prerequisite for getting a tattoo?" he teased.

"No! Dammit, you know what I mean."

"I do. And for your information, I wear a suit to work, and my ear has been pierced, even if I don't wear earrings to work. Remember, I tend to do the court work. I need to project a serious image. Probably makes me less, well, user friendly at the office but it does get the judge on my side. We win some, we lose some, depending on what we wear and where."

The others agreed with him. It really did depend on who came in as to whom they bonded with best at the centre. Some found the more casually-dressed, well-pierced counsellors people that they could more easily relate to. Others preferred someone like Paul, or Alice - a short, plump, matronly woman in her 50s who tended to mother (or smother) anyone that looked like they needed it, or even when they didn't. They had a receptionist who had an almost psychic ability to fit client to counsellor with a nearly unerring accuracy.

"So, when can we see it?" she prompted.

He shook his head. "Maybe when it's healed," he replied, almost hoping that they'd forget it, though there was a bit of him that wanted to show them all now.

One of his colleagues grinned.

"So, Mr. Davis," he teased, "what else have you got pierced?"

Paul smiled back. "That's for me to know," he replied enigmatically. "Maybe nothing. Maybe lots."

One day, they might even find out.

Sam was in agony and ecstasy at the same time. Janet had been winding her up and letting her down, just as she had dreamed of. No spanks, apart from that one on her thigh, but carefully placed strokes using soft, then harsh, then soft again items. Over her breasts, over her thighs, over her clit... she never knew where next and she didn't care as long as Janet kept touching her like that. Or when Janet changed tack and thrust her fingers inside her. Either would do.

Janet, however, was getting a touch frustrated. Doing this was turning her on, too, and it was about damned time that she got what she wanted.

Sam was taking everything she was giving her and behaving better than she had ever dreamed of. No matter how close Sam got to orgasm, she never allowed herself to come. All Janet prayed now was that she would allow her to come, and she had a plan on how to get there.

"I'm just going to tilt the table a little," Janet said quietly. "Do not be afraid, you are perfectly safe."

"I know Mistress," came the distant reply.

It was the work of a minute for Janet to get Sam in place and another to fit the strap-on to herself. She had so wanted to do this ever since they'd got together.

She didn't warn Sam, she just got herself into position, placed the dildo at Sam's wet entrance and pushed.

Janet didn't scold Sam when she gasped with shock. Instead, she encouraged her.

"Yeah, that's it. Love this, sugar. Show me how you love it."

Freed to make a noise, Sam did, calling out as Janet forcefully fucked her.

Daniel grinned. He shouldn't have gone to the spare room to watch them but he'd needed to know that Sam was really okay. So when he'd heard them leave the bedroom, he'd quietly opened his study door to listen as to whether they were going to eat or going to play. With no noise from the kitchen, he knew it was the latter so he'd gone straight to the screens.

He'd focussed in on one in particular, right above the table, he got to watch Sam's face as well as her body as Janet played with her. The longer the play went on, the more sure he was that he was right. When Janet started to fuck her, his hand automatically dropped to his groin. For a moment, he wondered if he should call Jack in but remembered that Jack was busy. This time, he was going to be flying solo.

As Janet sped up, her hands holding onto Sam's waist, he jerked himself harder, allowing the fantasy side of his brain to imagine that it was him screwing her, not Janet. Since Janet had mentioned her 'little problem' with Sam, a small part of him had wondered what it would be like, showing Sam how good it could be.

Not that he thought for one moment that sex with a man was superior for a woman; far from it. He knew damned well that it was all down to personal taste as to what was best for the individual and that there was no such thing as 'wrong' sex or 'inferior' sex, only sex that felt good or didn't. And if it didn't, try something else that did.

It was just that he knew he could teach well, no matter what subject it was or who his pupil was. And despite Sam's apparent new-found willingness to learn, he knew that she had a long way to go to progress beyond grade one.

The sounds coming from the room pushed him on; Janet's gasps, Sam's moans...

As Janet yelled out as she came, he pulsed out over his hand. He kept his eyes on the screen as he reached out to grab the tissue from the box next to the computer (there for just this purpose) and couldn't help but moan as he saw Janet pull out of Sam and then go down on her. When Sam virtually screamed out her orgasm, he smiled broadly, trying to catch his breath.

Yup, the day was definitely staying good.

Sam didn't know how she felt as Janet released her from her bonds. She couldn't believe what had happened, but it had felt so good... so damned right. She remained quiet as Janet put a few things away, not saying anything when Janet, with a sly smile, handed her the dildo and told her to go into the next room to clean it. Numbly, she did as she was told, returning as quickly as she could as if she couldn't bear to be apart from her mistress longer than necessary.

"Right, we should go back upstairs," Janet announced when the room had been returned to its previous immaculate state. "You need to speak to Daniel."

Sam froze and sent a panicked look towards Janet but Janet ignored it, just shooing her upstairs as if nothing had come her way.

Sam didn't want to speak to Daniel. She didn't know why Janet thought she needed to, either. Couldn't she... couldn't they just pretend that what had happened that morning hadn't happened? Couldn't they?

She entered the kitchen with her heart in her mouth, worrying herself sick about Daniel's anger towards her. In all the years she'd known him, she had never seen him really angry. She'd seen him upset, she'd seen him cry, she'd seen him annoyed, frustrated, scared... Sure, she'd seen him angry to a point, but never so damned furious that she'd thought he was going to kill someone... Her.

She was so wrapped up in her mental meanderings that she didn't notice that Daniel was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. She jumped when he spoke and he noticed the deer in the headlights look in her eyes.

"I dare say you two are hungry," he said calmly.

"I'll say," Janet replied, heading directly to the coffee pot. "I'd only just remembered I hadn't made it this far this morning."

Daniel stood up and put his empty mug in the dishwasher.

"Ah well," he said, "no rest for the wicked. I'm going back to my study. You know where everything is, don't you?" he asked, pointing around the kitchen.

"We'll find what we want," Janet confirmed.

"Good. I'll see you later. Sorry to love you and leave you like this but duty calls." He walked to the kitchen door as if he was going to leave, then he stopped, turned on his heel and said, "Janet, if it's okay with you, I would like Samantha to come and see me as soon as you've finished with her here."

"Of course," she agreed. "I'll send her to you directly. She'll be at your disposal."

Janet grinned. His calling her 'Samantha' really worked. The formality they needed was there in her full name. Why hadn't she seen that before?

"I look forward to it," he purred, scaring Sam further.

Janet noticed her demeanour but continued to ignore it. She knew that Daniel could help Sam through whatever worries were still in her head in a way that she couldn't do. At least to begin with. Sam wasn't going to tell Janet anything willingly - there was a barrier that needed to be broken down. She didn't know why Sam wouldn't talk to her like that, but she knew it to be the truth. She could have been annoyed by that but she wasn't. Sam had started to make progress - rapid progress - already, so she was going to take what she could get. She knew that there was a good reason Sam wouldn't tell her some things, and that was possibly because Sam didn't know what they were to begin with. Daniel had a knack of knowing people and asking the right questions. He was a vastly superior psychologist to someone like the unempathic and unsympathetic MacKenzie, who may well have been extremely well qualified to do the job but had absolutely no way of connecting with his patients. No wonder Daniel had hated that man like poison; few even liked the man. Herself included.

Shaking herself mentally, she directed Sam to help her prepare a light brunch. She could do with a few calories after the morning's exertions.

Sam's hand was shaking as she raised it to knock on the study door. Janet had told her to do it, Daniel had requested her presence... there was no way out of it. Was there?

She forgot the basic premise that she was in control here, and knocked. Perhaps, deep inside her, she knew it was something she would regret doing if she walked away.

The door clicked, letting her know the lock had been undone and she pushed it open. Stepping inside, she saw Daniel staring at the screen in front of him and scribbling messily in a notebook to the side. He didn't look over at her or even acknowledge her existence, but she knew he knew she was there. She let the door close behind her, the arm of the fire door pulling it back into place. It shut with a clunk, making her jump. While Daniel continued with his work, she let her eyes wander around the room. It was full of books on old, oak shelves - something that didn't surprise her but comforted her slightly, as it reminded her of his office back on base. What didn't comfort her was the copy of Munch's 'Scream' which sat on the wall directly opposite his desk, as if it had some personal meaning to him. Neither did the sight of a knife in a suede sheath sitting near his computer offer her any hope.

After a few minutes, Daniel put his pen down, clicked something on the computer and then shut it down. Finally, he turned to look at her.

She stood to attention, letting her military training take over to help her through this. Was Daniel going to... do something to her?

"Very pretty," he finally said, standing up.

She flinched as he approached her but was confused and not a little disappointed when he didn't touch her but put his hand on the door handle.

"Come with me," he ordered.

He left the room and marched into his bedroom, not looking over his shoulder to see if she was following him or not. He just knew she would.

-

She watched as he lay on the bed, propping himself up on the pillows and looking directly at her. She remained near the door; her means of escape. He detected her nerves and allowed her that, unwilling to push her further than she was prepared to go for the minute. If the door comforted her, then so be it - for a while.

"Why are you afraid?" he asked.

"You're angry with me," she replied.

"I was."

"And now?"

He sighed and made himself a little more comfortable before answering.

"I'm disappointed."

Her shoulders dropped and she made to walk out of the room, unwilling to find out why.

"So that's it?" he called. "You're running away again?"

She froze and looked over her shoulder in confusion.

"Just as you did when you knew what was going on in your head?" he prompted. "San Diego?"

"Oh."

She turned back to look at him, not knowing what to do next.

He waited for her to do or say something else but when she didn't, he sighed and patted the bed next to him. She didn't move straight away but before he could do it again or scold her, she reluctantly moved closer and then sat primly on the side of the bed.

He sighed again and sat up, then moved and knelt behind her.

"Do you want to sort this out or not?" he pushed.

"I... I don't know," she admitted.

"You don't know if you want to, or you don't know what to sort out?"

She looked over her shoulder with pain in her eyes and shrugged.

"Come and lie down with me," he ordered firmly. "It's more comfortable for me to talk like that."

He lay back down and she moved to lie beside him, staring fixedly at the ceiling and not daring to look at him.

"I'm going to ask you some questions," he started. "When I ask them, I expect an answer immediately. Do not think about them. Answer from your heart, not your head."

She nodded slowly, unsure if she could do that.

"Did you enjoy your time with your mistress this morning?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"Why?" he pushed.

"It was right," she finally said.

"Good. I'm glad you see that." He decided to dig further and change the subject again. "Tell me, did you ever see your parents have sex?"

Her head shot around to look at him, her eyes wide open, her mouth too, completely shocked by his question.

"Answer me!" he snarled. "Did you?"

She blushed furiously, nodding in reply.

"How old were you?"

"Eight, nine..." she shrugged, her voice quiet.

"Did they see you?"

"No."

"How were they doing it?"

Again she looked horrified by his question.

"This isn't prurience," he insisted. "I need to know to help you. How did they have sex? Was your mother on top?"

She shook her head. "No. Dad."

"Did you see your mother's face?"

"Yes."

"Did she look happy?"

Sam thought for a moment, conjuring that image up in her mind.

"No. She looked fed up."

"Tell me more."

"Dad was... you know... and she looked like she was thinking of something else. Wishing it was over, I guess."

"Did she come?"

Sam's voice got even smaller.

"No."

"How was it you saw it?" he asked.

"It was hot; we didn't have air conditioning there. It was late at night. I'd been in bed for hours but woke up thirsty, so I went to the bathroom for a drink. As I walked towards it, I heard noise coming from their bedroom. I didn't know what it was so I looked in."

"Okay. So it's not your fault you saw them. Did they see you?"

"No. I crept off and went back to bed."

"I see. What was your mother's attitude to sex in general?"

"Um... she didn't talk about it."

"Not even the facts of life speech?"

"No. Nothing like that. If the subject came up, she'd say things like 'I don't think we want to talk about that' and change the subject to something childish."

"Did she ever speak out about other people?"

Again Sam thought about it and then said, "A girl, a couple of years older than me but still in school, got pregnant. Her parents sent her away. Mom thought that was a good idea, that the girl was no better than a whore."

"Jeez. Chances are the kid was informed about sex as much as you'd been. Probably didn't even know what she was doing. Poor thing."

"I guess," Sam agreed quietly.

Daniel noticed a change in Sam's behaviour, her body was relaxing, her voice almost childlike. He took a chance and moved closer to her. When she didn't react, he wrapped one of his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She didn't act surprised or frightened, in fact, she felt the opposite and snuggled in as close as she could get.

Smiling, he kept on talking.

"What was her opinion on homosexuality?"

"Not good," Sam admitted. "It wasn't talked about, but I remember one day, Dad came home and told her that one of his men - a guy he'd liked a lot and had worked with closely - had been discharged because he was gay. I was in another room and they didn't think I could hear them, or else I wouldn't have heard them talk about it. I think Dad was annoyed, but I couldn't tell if he was annoyed that the guy was gay or because he'd been thrown out of the Air Force. Mom was saying things like 'good riddance'."

"So, you've grown up in an atmosphere where sex was... what? Dirty? The existence of which was something to be kept away from children and teenagers? That women should put up with whatever their husbands demanded of them and not complain?"

"I guess," she reiterated.

"No wonder you have had difficulties. No matter how much you know this is a crap way to bring up a child, you've been influenced by it all your life. I'll bet your mom told you what to wear, what to think, when to come home, what to eat, how to behave, even when you were at the age where other teens would be doing their own thing."

"Oh yeah. Couldn't wear jeans or anything, it had to be these horrid dresses," Sam moaned.

"How old were you when you got your first pair of jeans?"

Sam had to stop and think about that then she grinned. "I remember. I was eighteen. I'd joined up. When I was at the Academy I had most weekends off. Some of my friends made me get a pair."

"Sam, your mother died when you were fifteen. Why did you wait so long?" Daniel asked gently.

"I..." She sat bolt upright and he saw her body shaking a little. "I was afraid."

"Of what? A ghost?"

"I don't know."

"Sam, is that why you've been having problems with Janet?"

"I don't know."

He could feel a barrier start to go up so he changed tack.

"I'll bet the best sex you ever had was with Jonas, wasn't it?"

She looked at him in shock. How did he know?

"He took away the guilt," Daniel answered for her before she even asked him the question. "He told you what to do. Because he told you, you didn't have to face the spectre of your mother. A man, your man, made you do things you'd never normally do, would you?"

She shook her head dumbly.

"And there wasn't any guilt, at least until later. Then it hit you, didn't it? When you'd finally seen through him, through his manipulation and desire to run your life without your consent and you dumped him. You felt terrible guilt for letting him talk you into things you had always mentally warned yourself against because your mother wouldn't like it."

She nodded, still without speaking. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away.

"Sam, listen to me. You don't have to live in fear anymore. Janet it going to take good care of you. But you have to tell her that it's okay, to give her your consent. You must face up to this. You can't live in the past because if you do, it will cripple you. Believe me," he pleaded. "I know it will happen. I know better than most how the past can haunt you forever. Your mother has been dead for over a quarter of a century, Sam. Don't let her Victorian opinions rule your life. You know what you need. You need someone strong, you need direction. You need to submit," he added gently. "And you know what?"

She looked into his eyes questioningly.

"It's good to acknowledge that. It's healthy. And it's perfectly okay and normal to need someone like that. Let the guilt go, Sam. Let the past go. You've got a future to look forward to. A safe, happy one."

She listened to his words and let them soak into her mind. Images of her mother flashed through her head, all of them of her scowling whenever something sexual was mentioned. Daniel looked into her eyes and saw more tears filling them. Feeling sad for her, he pulled her into his arms.

"Forget the bad times, Sam. I'll bet you had good times with your mother, too. Think of those. Remember those. Forget the hate she spoke of and remember that love and sex are supposed to be good... supposed to be enjoyed by both partners."

She sniffed back some tears and looked up into his eyes, slightly mischievously.

"Or all partners, I should say," he amended.

He saw the first genuine smile from her he'd seen in weeks and hugged her in response.

"It's not going to be easy," he admitted. "It's not going to happen overnight. Don't expect it to. You will undoubtedly feel guilty from time to time but that's okay. Let Janet deal with that. Admit to it, tell her what's going on in your head. Let her help you."

She nodded without saying anything but he knew she meant it.

"I'm here for you if you need me," he promised. "When you're home, phone me if you need to. Anytime. Day or night. But Janet has to be your first port of call. She is your mistress now. You are her responsibility. You must trust her implicitly."

"I do."

"Good. Now it's up to you to prove it. You've taken your first step, but it's the first step of many. It's taken Paul six years to realise that it's his nature to be submissive."

She looked surprised at that.

"Oh, he knew it, he just didn't know it," Daniel explained. "Intellectually, it was there all the time. It's just emotionally things take longer. You'll submit to Janet because you know in your head it's what you want. One day, you'll submit because you know in your heart it's what you want. What you need. And I promise you that the day you realise that, you'll be the happiest woman on the planet."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I really and truly promise."

She hugged him and then froze.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I should wait..."

"Not now, Sam," he soothed. "It's okay. This is just you and me talking. When you go back out to Janet, you will be expected to behave, but here, for the moment, this is just us."

"Thank you." She snuggled into his arms again, smiling.

"You're most welcome, sweetheart," he whispered. "You're more than welcome."

Jack entered the house with trepidation. He hoped beyond hope that Sam had accepted everything she'd been offered. He dreaded to think what might have happened if she'd suddenly changed her mind. However, when he stepped inside the kitchen he knew immediately that Sam was still serving her mistress, if only because he knew for a fact, she'd never have worn that red leather outfit otherwise.

"I'll just go and clean up," he said in a hurry, noticing that Daniel had got lunch ready.

"I'll come with you," Daniel said. "You're missing something," not said but implied with a single look.

Jack said nothing but nodded with a smile on his face and moved straight away to the bathroom, Daniel close behind him. As he scrubbed his hands, Daniel told him what had happened and Jack was relieved.

"Damn, Daniel. It couldn't have gone better, could it?"

"Nope. Just hope she sticks at it, that's all."

Jack turned and dried his hands before speaking then turned back to Daniel and hugged him.

"Trust me, Danny, she won't change her mind. She's finally got what she wants and everyone's going to tell her that she's right. She needs the reassurance and there's nowhere better to get it."

"That's true," Daniel agreed. "Now, come on, I want to put your collar on you. I need her to see you guys constantly subbing for me because she's not going to be given a break all the time she's here."

"Not a problem," Jack replied with a smile. "Besides, I like it, and you know that."

Daniel squeezed him tightly then let go and led him into the bedroom.

"Shall I put my wrist bands on?" Jack asked as Daniel did up his collar.

"That's up to you. This is the symbol of your submission," he said, running his fingers over Jack's collar. "If the clay won't get clogged up in your wrist bands, then wear them by all means, but I don't want them to get messy."

"Don't worry about it. This afternoon I'm just glazing and firing."

"Have you checked your mould yet?" Daniel asked as Jack picked up his wrist bands and handed them to him.

"Not yet. I wanted to give it plenty of time to freeze."

"We'll check it after lunch?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Paul!"

Paul turned and saw Alice behind him. He was just popping into Oz, the café he and the guys frequented the most, for his lunch, and stopped, waiting for her to catch him up.

"Hey," he said as soon as she was close enough. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted company for lunch."

"Okay, I'm going in here," he said, pointing to the café.

"Oz? Well, that answers one question about you," she chuckled.

"What's that?"

"Oh come on, Paul. This morning during coffee break, I realised that we know next to nothing about you. You've been with us for a good few months now and we like you a lot. To tell the truth, you're kinda adored," she chuckled.

He looked at her in surprise but smiling warmly, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her.

"I kinda adore you, too," he teased back. He meant it. She'd made him feel so at home the minute he'd walked through the door the first time that he knew that she was a good person, someone trustworthy. So far, she'd never let him - or anyone he knew - down, and he doubted she ever would. Since they'd met, they'd worked closely together, helping each other out whenever possible and he found she was the easiest colleague he'd ever had.

They entered the little café and the owner Sandy greeted Paul so happily that Alice realised they knew each other well. After a quick chat with Sandy, Paul and Alice ordered lunch and sat down at a quiet table in the back, waiting for their food. Sandy followed them both with a pot of coffee and a couple of mugs then retreated to get their meals.

"Go on," Paul prompted. "You were saying?"

"You want more adoration?" she joked.

"Don't we all, honey," he drawled.

She raised her mug saying, "Touché," and carried on where she'd left off. "We don't know anything about you."

"Does it matter?" he asked in genuine curiosity.

"Not on a professional level," she agreed. "But on a personal one. I like to know about my friends, and I consider you to be one."

"Okay," he said with a nod. He looked around at the café's clientele and waved his hand in their general direction. "You're right," he said, when his hand specifically pointed towards a group of gay men. "I'm gay. I know I don't have to ask if that's a problem."

"Sweetie, if it was a problem, do you think that a) I'd be working in the Castro district of San Francisco or b) would have Oliver as my lodger?" Oliver was one of their counsellor colleagues. Not so much out as 'OUT!' in capital letters, twenty foot high in screaming neon. So far out, one of their other colleagues joked, he'd lost his way back to shore.

"I knew that," he smiled back. "I don't have a problem with anyone knowing," he added. "It's not like I've got to hide it anymore. But I'm just not very public about anything - my sexuality and private life is frankly no one else's business, that's all."

"You have a private life?" she asked in mock surprise.

"No," he answered blankly. "I go home to TV dinners and a cat."

She poked her tongue out at him in reply.

"So? Who is he?"

Paul smiled secretively.

"You'd never believe me if I told you."

Leaning over the table so she could get closer, she whispered, "Try me."

Lunch was over and Jack went directly to the freezer to see if the mould had worked. Taking it out, he noticed that there were no sticky leaks and no sign of frost that shouldn't be there, so he figured that it had succeeded.

"Hey," he said in triumph. "It worked!"

Janet looked at him in curiosity.

"What worked, honey?"

"The mould," he replied with a satisfied smile.

"Mould?"

"Yeah."

"Well, open it up," Daniel encouraged, still sitting at the table.

All four looked intently at the strange oblong object and watched as Jack peeled off the plastic cap from the end with the hole in it, then watched closer as he pulled one of the sides off. The reaction from the ladies was just as he and Daniel had expected. It was one of surprise initially, then laughter.

He'd used orange juice to fill it just as Daniel had suggested, on the grounds that frozen orange tended to be messy, so he'd have seen immediately if there had been a problem. As it was, he was left with a perfect, if bright orange, seven inch high frozen lollipop in the shape of an erect penis.

Janet lost it. She howled with laughter, reaching out to take it from him fairly quickly and then popping the head in her mouth.

"Hmm, delicious," she purred.

Sam was shocked by her own reaction. Until that morning, her mother's voice would have been there, tutting with distaste or even saying how dreadful it was. As it was, she couldn't stop laughing.

"Want a taste?" Janet offered.

With Janet's - and the guys' - eyes on her, she blushed slightly, but she nodded and took it from Janet, sticking it directly into her mouth, licking it and sucking on it with enthusiasm. Well... it tasted nice!

Daniel couldn't help it. He stood up, moved around the table and bent down next to her and kissed her cheek.

Alice watched as Paul made his way to his car, ready to set off to college for his first afternoon in class. She was stunned by his news but happy for him, too. Who knew? She also understood why he kept his relationship under wraps. Not everyone would get it or accept him, even though they all accepted him now. Perhaps all of his colleagues would be cool, perhaps not. She was cool about it, she told herself. Shocked, but cool. She couldn't see it herself, but as she constantly reminded herself whenever faced by people she didn't understand, it took all sorts to make the world go round. It would be a much poorer world without the variations... and all of those long used, but accurate clichés. All she knew was that she loved Paul to bits, in a motherly sort of way, and this didn't change that.

Also, the little plan that he and she had cooked up would definitely shake up a few people at the office.

Chuckling to herself, she toddled back to the fairly drab building she worked in, thinking yet again that it needed a new coat of paint to cheer it up. Perhaps some flowers in reception...?

Daniel curled up on the sofa and picked up a book he'd been meaning to read for weeks. After a couple of hours' work, he figured he deserved the peace and quiet. Janet had taken Sam out to the pool after lunch and there was currently a lot of giggling coming from that direction. He couldn't help but smile at the sound. Sam seemed to have readily thrown off the heavy burden her mother had inflicted on her. However, he knew they still had to tread very carefully with her, that she could still react with hostility to her revelation. Janet was doing the right thing at the moment, showing Sam that she could enjoy this and laugh and yet remain submissive and safe, just as he and Paul had the night before. Later, Sam would have to return to the stricter side of things, if Janet agreed to what he had in mind, that was. He wasn't going to push her into following him, now. After all, when the women returned home, she'd more or less be on her own. He'd be there on the end of the phone, but that would be all the help he could offer.

A quick check of his watch told him that it would soon be time to put dinner on. Paul had said he'd grab something to eat at school during a class break so he only had to cook for the four of them. In the meantime, he'd read at least the first chapter. Maybe the second one...

-

Jack cleared away his work for the day and left the workshop. It had been a good day. The last firing had worked well, the latest one was underway and he had filled a number of his orders which were awaiting collection. Dizzy had turned up halfway through the afternoon to collect the finished articles for the little craft shop her friend ran and in which they sold all of their products. She'd also taken the half-ready items for her to paint before they had their final glazing. Their names had spread beyond the city limits as the artists to have in the trendy homes. No longer were they just supplying the niche markets but the 'in' crowd. Somehow it had become fashionable to have your own body parts rendered in clay and painted to look exactly like the human they belonged to. It had got to the stage that Jack was too busy to do the initial mould and they were being done by the shop owner in a little back room. The mould and a digital picture would turn up at the workshop and he would set to making the basic shape. Dizzy would have her own copies of the pictures and she'd do her bit when the time came. And from time to time, they'd sit down together, maybe have a few drinks by the side of the pool, and think up new lines.

As he entered the house, he heard Daniel tinkering in the kitchen. Actually, it was more a hurried noise. Jack laughed quietly to himself. Undoubtedly Daniel had been reading again. He was notorious for getting caught up in books and not realising the time. He knew not to expect an elaborate dinner - hurried ones usually ended up being cold cuts and bread. Good, nonetheless.

A quick call to Daniel told his lover that he was in and heading to the bathroom, acknowledged by a grunt and a 'wear what's on the bed, Jack'. Jack only just heard the words as Daniel's back was turned to him, working hard at preparing a salad of some description.

Jack retreated to the bedroom, peeled off his overalls and put them in the basket then went to scrub up. A brief look at the clothes on the bed told him how serious the night was going to be and he immediately started to harden. Ruthlessly, he grabbed his balls in an effort to stall the inevitable.

"Dammit, not now," he hissed. Then, with a wicked grin as he looked at himself in the mirror, he added, "But later. Definitely later."

Paul looked at his watch again. He'd been doing it on and off all damned day. Each time he looked at it, his cock twitched, sometimes painfully within its bonds. But now, it was more important to know the time. He was nearly home.

As Daniel had obviously thought, this setting of a time to begin a scene had distracted him totally from his mild nervousness. So focussed had he been on the thought of it that he'd forgotten to be anxious and had sailed through his opening classes, answering questions aimed at him almost without thought but so naturally that his tutors had been extremely impressed by his knowledge.

Now, however, it was seven-twenty-five. To keep to Daniel's strictest rule, he was watching his speed and watching the road intently, making sure that he drove carefully. He'd much rather have twenty strokes of the cat than even one day of isolation, because he knew Daniel meant what he said. Besides, twenty strokes of the cat could be most pleasurable.

His treacherous cock started to fill at that thought and he bit down on his lip as the pain coursed through his groin, making sure he concentrated hard on the road instead.

By the time he walked through the kitchen door, he was late. Not very late, but he knew that Daniel would use it as an excuse to start the game. Of course, Daniel was there, looking at his watch, his face serious.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry," he replied contritely, putting his briefcase on the table and moving directly to kneel at Daniel's feet.

"Eight minutes. That means eight strokes of the cat."

"I know."

"Did you speed? Did you get a ticket?"

He looked up and stared into Daniel's eyes, looking for and getting a sign that Daniel had been worried about him rushing.

"No, Master." He wasn't usually inclined to use that term but for the moment, it seemed so appropriate that it just came out.

"Good. I'm glad to see that you got that right."

Despite his offhand words, Daniel's attempt at an offhand tone nearly failed; the relief in his voice was almost palpable.

"Go into the bedroom and get ready. Everything is out for you. Prepare yourself for me."

Without another word, Paul got up off his knees and went directly into the bedroom and copied Jack's earlier actions, strictly not letting himself even think about what was to come.

-

Janet had brought Sam back into the living room by the time Paul had emerged. He was surprised to see Sam dressed the way she was, but he grasped the meaning immediately and wondered how it had happened. However, he stood to attention right next to Jack, staring ahead of himself and into the distance, awaiting Daniel's next instruction.

He was wearing his usual clothing; jeans and nothing else except for his collar, jewellery and so on. He noticed that his leather jacket and boots were on the floor next to the sofa. So, he realised, they would be going out later.

No one was speaking or even moving. All four were waiting for Daniel to make his appearance. When he did, Sam let out a little gasp. Janet reacted by spanking her ass quickly, getting a "Sorry, Mistress," immediately. Janet said no more but nodded slightly then waited for Daniel to make his move.

He'd entered the living room dressed to kill. Paul had seen him almost ready when he was in the kitchen, but he'd been wearing his glasses and a shirt over his jeans. Now, the shirt had gone and he was only in a black muscle shirt and the same, black jeans he'd been wearing earlier. Also his glasses had been swapped for his contacts and his hair had been swept back. He'd gone from safe to dangerous in a few, quick moves.

The cat that he held in his hand didn't do anything to aid his 'peaceful explorer' persona.

"Put your hands on the doorframe," Daniel ordered Paul, pointing to the doorway between the living room and the corridor which led to the bedrooms and study.

Without hesitation, Paul made his way to the door, placed each hand on either side of the door, held his head up high and waited his 'punishment'.

"Count them," Daniel instructed.

Paul did as he was told. "One, Master. Thank you... Two, Master, thank you..."

Sam watched bug-eyed as Paul took each of the multi-tailed strikes without flinching, his voice not wavering with each count. His strength impressed her so much that she was almost disappointed when she heard him call out the eighth stroke. She wondered if she would have been so strong and if her mistress would ever give her the chance to find out.

She kept watching as Daniel put down the cat on the coffee table, ordered Paul away from the door, then was surprised to see Daniel pull Paul into his arms and hold him close.

"Well done, Pet," she heard him say. Further words were muffled as Daniel whispered close to Paul's ear but whatever they were, they seemed to take away any pain he may have been feeling. A kiss on Paul's nose ended that contact but it didn't wipe away Paul's small smile.

"Put your jacket and boots on," Daniel announced more audibly. "We're going to Misfits."

epilogue