Bonds of Friendship

Summary: A year or so after Sam's visit to the guys and she realises that she has a lot more to learn. The question is, will she upset the guys while she does it? There are more things that she discovers than she thought was possible.
Warning: this fic contains graphic scenes of toy use, flogging and fisting. However, it is not dark or heavy.
Many, many thanks to Gary, Fabi, Joy and Wadj for kicks up the proverbial, betaing, ideas and support. You guys are amazing.

Daniel handed out the coffees to Jack, Sam and Janet and then flopped into the big, soft armchair.

"I never thought we'd get all of Cassie's things into her room," he moaned, feeling the after-effects of lots of box shifting.

"Don't blame me," Janet sniped, the tiredness getting to her too. "I tried to persuade her to go to the local university and live at home, but you know what she's like. Had to strike out on her own. At least with her being here in San Francisco, she's got you guys to turn to. I can't tell you what a relief that is," she added.

"We're relieved, too, Jan," Jack told her, a big warm smile on his face. "Knowing that we can be with her in a short time if she needs us makes us feel better. Do you think she's going to enjoy it?"

Sam snorted. "Oh yeah. She's going to have a lot of fun," she said, remembering some fun times of her own. "Who'd have thought she'd have chosen anthropology, though? I'd have thought she'd have taken medicine."

"I was thinking physics," Janet countered.

Daniel just grinned.

They'd spent the day moving her in and settling her down, Sam and Janet having driven a U-Haul van over from the Springs. They'd taken their time, doing a little sightseeing on the way so that they wouldn't be so tired. That had been the plan, but their bodies were telling them differently. They ached. A couple of days on the road had been a good idea in the planning, but in reality, they were regretting it. At least the hired van had been left at the agent in town and they'd be flying home.

"How about we get the hot tub filled when Paul comes home, Jack?" Daniel suggested. "I think we could all do with a soak tonight."

That got grateful murmurs from all present. For the moment though, they decided to stay put. More or less. Daniel looked over at Jack and saw the need in his eye for contact, so he got up and moved to the sofa where he was sitting on his own. Daniel put his mug on the coffee table, kicked off his shoes and lay back against the arm. Jack saw his cue and moved until he was sitting in-between Daniel's now outstretched legs, and rested his head against Daniel's chest, sighing almost inaudibly when Daniel's arm wrapped around him.

"You two look happy," Janet said with a smile. "How are things working out for the three of you?"

"It's great," Jack said emphatically. "Seriously. There would have been a time when even the slightest hint of being in a relationship with two guys would have sent me running for the hills, but I can honestly say that this is the best time of my life. I'm really enjoying it."

"Me too," Daniel agreed. "It's not perfect, but then is any relationship?"

The two ladies shook their heads as he continued.

"We all know each other well enough though. Paul and I have been together for five years, Jack's been with us for just over three. After all of the years we knew each other before that too, it's not as if there are any surprises in store."

"You still manage to surprise me," Jack chuckled.

"I do? Oh good. Glad to know I haven't lost the ability to shock you," Daniel teased back.

"You haven't lost the ability to scare the crap out of me, that's for sure. I mean, what the fuck were you doing on the roof the other day?"

"I told you. I was cleaning out the gutters. Someone had to do it; Paul was at work and if I waited for you to do it, we'd have leaves clogging up drainage pipe and you'd be the one complaining about it."

"You could have waited till I was out there to watch the ladder," Jack growled.

"Jack, you could have left the ladder where you found it. I mean, stranding me on the roof was a bit much, you know."

Sam and Janet listened to the banter and laughed. They realised that the men hadn't changed one bit.

"Why don't we settle you into your room?" Daniel suggested. "That way you can just fall into bed tonight without worrying about unpacking. I'm really glad you've decided to stay for the week, it's going to be fun."

He pushed Jack to sit up, then wriggled out from underneath him. Dropping a kiss on Jack's cheek, he stood and led the way into the spare room.

"Are you sure you won't mind sharing a bed?" he asked, sounding a little guilty that that was the only bed they had.

"No, not in the slightest," Janet answered. "It's big enough."

"It is that," he agreed. Then he swallowed hard when she opened the top drawer of the chest. It was supposed to have been emptied earlier, but he'd forgotten to do it. Janet's face was a picture when she saw the contents. So was Sam's.

"Daniel?" Janet squeaked. "Dare I ask?"

He picked up the leather bindings, the collar and riding crop that he'd been hiding in there and actually blushed.

"Shit. Um, well, they're a surprise."

"I can see that," she teased. "For who?"

"Paul."

"You going to model them?"

"Er, no," he whispered. Sam said nothing. She'd known about their lifestyle but hadn't told Janet as it wasn't her place to say anything.

Jack took them from Daniel's hand and left the room, taking them to the men's bedroom. Sam wisely exited too.

"You're into S&M?" Janet asked, surprised.

"No, not that. Not really. We, er, we live a D&S lifestyle," he admitted. "Not heavy, not constantly anymore. Usually it's more for play now."

"All three of you?"

"Yeah."

"Given your manner with Jack earlier, I'm guessing that you're the dom, eh?"

Her tone of voice was inquisitive, but there was no condemnation there. She put her hands out and pulled him into a hug.

"I've played," she said with a shrug. "Sometimes as a domme, sometimes as a sub, depending on my partner and what I feel like at the time."

"Oh?" Daniel's eyes opened wide with surprise.

"Yeah, so I'm not judging, honey. And I understand why you keep it quiet. Does Sam know?"

"Yes, she found out on her first visit here. It's not for me that I keep it quiet, it's for the guys."

"I know. Few people understand how strong a sub has to be to give up control. They see them as weak."

"They couldn't be more wrong. Jack and Paul are two of the strongest humans I've ever met," Daniel said with pride.

"How did it start?"

"Oh, I was always this way. I saw a need in them when we were at the SGC, a need to have a safe place in which to let go. I was honoured to be that place for them, their safety net. I'm always blown away by the trust they show in me."

Janet smiled, grabbed his shoulder, pulled him down and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, hun, I won't say anything to Paul or tease Jack or anything. If it comes up, it comes up, but I don't think any less of them. If anything, I think more of them for knowing their own minds enough to acknowledge it."

Daniel hugged her, then he retreated to his own room. Sam saw him exit the ladies' bedroom and went in to meet up with Janet.

"Are you shocked?" Sam asked carefully.

"No, not at all. A little surprised to find the stuff, but it's cool. How about you?"

"I've had over a year to get used to it. I've read up a lot, but I still don't understand them. I wish I could. I don't judge them - they're happy, they're not harming anyone, what do I care what they do in the privacy of their own home? There are plenty of weirdoes out in the streets. These guys are not weird."

"Not much," Janet sniggered. "Well, no more than they were."

Sam giggled, setting Janet off, which in turn made Sam laugh louder.

-

Hearing the laughter come from the other room, Daniel sighed.

"You think it's going to cause problems between us all?" Jack asked.

"No. Not really. Janet said she'd played," he shrugged.

"There's a difference between playing and living," Jack said carefully.

"Do we do that anymore? Live it? If that were the case, you'd be on your knees, Jack O'Neill." His words were harsh but his voice was light and his eyes were dancing.

"Not a chance, Daniel. Unless you want to lift me up afterwards."

Chuckling to himself, Daniel tripped Jack up and tipped him onto the bed, falling down with him and landing nose-to-nose.

"Love you," he whispered, capturing Jack's lips between his.

"Love you too," Jack replied, answering Daniel's kisses with his own.

Before they could take it any further, they were interrupted by the phone. With a groan, Daniel got up and answered it, Jack hearing Daniel's side of the conversation. It didn't sound good.

Daniel put the phone down and dropped his head into his hands.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked. "Is Paul all right?"

"Sort of. He got called out to take a statement from a sailor that had been hospitalised, apparently. That was his secretary. He's worried about him."

"Oh crap. You think he's going to need...?"

"By the sounds of it - I can't see him wanting to think at all this weekend. What about the girls?"

"They'll be fine. C'mon, let's go explain it to them before they unpack further. They may decide to change their minds about staying."

Daniel nodded silently then stood up and made his way directly into the ladies' room. He asked them to stop what they were doing and to meet him in the kitchen. He was going to need a coffee to get him through this. Maybe something stronger a bit later, but for now he needed a clear head.

"I'm going to have to be brief," he started when all three were sitting. He gave them a drink then joined them. "I had a call from Luke, Paul's secretary. I know he does mainly political work these days, but apparently, there's a bug going around and those lawyers that weren't off sick were all very busy today. As Paul has law degrees and understands the legal process, he was asked to go take an initial statement at the hospital - he's done it before." He stopped to take a drink and then took a deep breath before continuing. "A sailor was beaten last night. His boyfriend didn't make it. From what Luke just told me, the sailor's in a bad way, though lucid. Paul is very angry and upset, as you can imagine. It's why Luke called. He thought that Paul may go to a bar and get drunk or something."

He looked at his companions and saw understanding in all their eyes.

"Bastards," Sam hissed. "Did they get the perpetrators?"

"I don't know. I'm hoping so. Pity they still don't hang them from the yard arm," he spat. "Anyway," he continued, knowing that time was running out, "Paul, as I say, is upset. He's going to need to forget today, at least for this weekend, if he's going to deal with this when he returns to work on Monday. I don't want him to bottle it all up."

"I thought that Paul dealt with things coolly," Janet put in.

"He managed that before we met, but he wasn't happy," Daniel explained. "But when I started to take care of him... let's just say you didn't see how much he needed me to take control."

"You're going to have to get like that with him this weekend?" Sam asked, a little unsure.

"From the moment he steps through the door. If you can't act as if this is perfectly normal, can't accept that this is how we are without judging us, then I'm going to have to ask you to stay somewhere else. I'll pay for the hotel," he offered, "but I will not have Paul be made to feel like he's some sort of freak."

The strength of Daniel's tone shocked both women into silence for a moment. Jack spoke up. "Will you want me to help out?" he asked.

"Jack?"

"C'mon, Daniel, they know it's not just Paul. If it will be easier on you, easier on him, then it's okay with me. I don't give a rat's ass what people think of me, you know that."

Daniel reached across the table and took Jack's hand in his gratefully. "It will help," he said.

Janet spoke. "I have no problems with your lifestyle, honey. I'm happy to stay. I promise, there will be no awkwardness."

Sam nodded, adding that she would play her part in helping out, though she wasn't as sure as Janet in her own mind about it. They'd never been overtly in their 'D&S mode' when she had been with them before.

"Thank you," Daniel whispered. He took a sip of his coffee then said, "Whatever I do or say, do not question it. However I treat him, do not interfere. I will do only the things that I believe will make him feel better, I will never do a damned thing to hurt him. You may think you understand this now, but when you see us together, you may think that I'm being cruel at times. If you can't take it, leave. I don't mean to sound harsh or unwelcoming but..."

"It's all right," Sam soothed. "It's our call. We won't hurt him, I promise."

"Thank you," he reiterated. Even though Daniel was always the dominant member of the triad, he had a way of letting Jack know when he was going to become 'the dom', not as if he was playing a role on stage, but to underline his status. Just as Paul and Jack wore symbols of their submission, his next move would mark his dominance. He did what Jack privately nicknamed the 'Tok'ra head dip' and when he raised his head, Sam and Janet saw a different look, a more steely and determined Daniel than they'd seen in a long time. His back straightened, his head was held high, and when he spoke, it was quiet but there was an undeniable strength there. Both women had to hide the shudder that went through their bodies as they felt the change in him. It was incredibly erotic.

Jack had to hide a grin. That look always went straight to his groin.

"Jack," Daniel said, "please go to the bedroom. I shall be with you in a moment to instruct you. Ladies, perhaps it would be better for you to retreat to your room for a while. I will need some time alone with Paul when he comes home. He will be here soon."

"Yes, Daniel," they chorused, somehow coming under his spell. Shaking themselves, they hurried off, missing the secret smile that he had when he saw their reaction.

He strode into the bedroom to get himself ready. Heading to the en suite bathroom, he stopped, pulled Jack into a hug and kissed his cheek before stripping off the dusty clothes he'd been wearing all day. Throwing them into the laundry basket, he instructed Jack to get out some other clothes for him and then marched into the shower. A few minutes later, a naked Jack was at his side, soap in his hands, washing him down. It was perfunctory, not sexual. Jack knew that Paul would be getting the lion's share of the attention that weekend, and that was all right with him. Daniel didn't want to leave Jack out of it though, so he turned around to face him, and as Jack continued in his ministrations, Daniel took hold of Jack's cock, stroking slowly, loving the feel of it as it hardened in his hand.

"I love you," he reminded him, "and I'm grateful to you. You may come when you're ready, Jack. I doubt I'll be in much of a position to get you off for most of the weekend, and this is my reward to you for being so good."

Still trying to concentrate on his own task, Jack started to thrust his hips and fuck Daniel's hand. Soon, his job was forgotten and he draped his arms over Daniel's shoulders, resting his head on his own right arm as he panted, fighting for breath as he got closer and closer.

"Go on," Daniel urged. "That's it, my baby, come for me."

Jack thrust harder into the firm grip, tilting his head and searching for Daniel's lips with his own. Daniel gladly allowed him access to his mouth, hungrily stroking his tongue over Jack's, loving the gasps of breath that brushed his teeth. Suddenly, Jack pulled back, Daniel felt him stiffen in his hand and then Jack came, pouring hot and heavy over his fingers.

"God, thank you," Jack sighed. "You want me to...?"

"No. I'll leave that for later. I'd better get out of here. You too. Hurry up - Paul's going to need some hot water when he comes in."

Jack finished with washing them both, switched off the water and then took a towel and dried Daniel down. At Daniel's nod, he dried himself and then followed him back into the bedroom. Daniel nodded in approval at Jack's choice of clothes for them all - Paul included.

He started to dress, then stopped, cocked his head and listened. A car pulling up on the drive, stopping harshly. Hurriedly, he threw on the rest of his clothes and headed directly for the door. Paul's face said it all when he opened it. Blank to those that didn't know him, filled with fury to those that did.

"Go straight to the bedroom," Daniel ordered, his strong voice getting straight through to his lover. "Strip, shower, clean yourself for me, then dress in what is there for you."

Paul opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but Daniel shook his head. No questions.

Gratefully, Paul hurried into the bedroom, nodding in greeting to Jack but saying nothing. He stripped quickly then entered the shower. Without thinking, he mechanically prepared himself, cleaning himself inside and out. That day had been horrific, the mess left on the surviving sailor had turned his stomach. Given that he'd seen a lot of injuries and deaths during his time in the Air Force - especially pre-Pentagon days - it was saying a lot that the injuries could make him that queasy. Luke must have called Daniel in warning, he realised. He made a mental note to thank him on Monday, then a frisson of worry shuddered down his spine. Surely Sam and Janet were there? What would they think if they saw him like this?

He bit down on his fear, knowing that Daniel would never do a damned thing that could hurt him, either physically or emotionally. In minutes, he was ready and he roughly towelled himself off, glad of the small amount of pain that the harsh actions caused. He was numb and he needed to feel.

While he was in the shower, Daniel was finishing off a few things. First, he retrieved a single leather collar and the wide leather wrist bands that both Jack and Paul had chosen as symbols of Daniel's possession of them. The bands served a dual purpose, in that they had straps and rings on them that let a rope be threaded through for bondage purposes. Jack liked them because they looked pretty macho, Paul because they were secure.

Daniel spoke to Jack, giving him warning of what was going to happen that night.

"I'm going to take him out," he said in a low voice. "I was thinking Kelly's."

Jack's eyes opened wide but he didn't question Daniel.

"You don't have to come, Jack," Daniel reassured. "I know the music is too loud and too modern for you. But it's a good place for Paul to be himself without question. I can take the ladies with us too. In fact, if you stay here, you can get a few things ready for when we come back."

Jack still said nothing, so Daniel gave him permission to speak.

"I'll stay then, if it's okay with you, Daniel. I don't mind some of the places we go, but that place is way too loud. What would you like me to do?"

Daniel gave him a list of things he wanted done without Paul knowing, then, when Jack nodded that he had that all in his head, he told him to go and speak to the women.

"They may have questions about tonight, what I'm likely to do to Paul and so on. Answer them as best you can, Jack. I'd rather not have them question me in front of Paul."

They heard the water of the shower being turned off, so Jack left the bedroom and Daniel waited for his other lover to come back to him.

Jack knocked on the other bedroom door, not entering until Janet called. Sam had decided to follow Janet's lead. As a some-time domme, she had a much better idea of what was going on.

"Jack. What can we do for you?" she asked, her voice calm and steady.

"Daniel asked that I prepare you for tonight," came the reply. Sam was surprised by the unemotional tone of Jack's voice, as if he had switched off and was now running on autopilot. "He suggested that you may have questions, and that I am to answer you as best I can. He is intending to take Paul out tonight. You are both invited."

"Aren't you going?" Sam asked, unable to keep completely out of it.

"No. Daniel has given me permission to remain here. The club isn't my style." Janet said nothing when she detected a twitch of amusement on Jack's face as he announced that.

"Thank you, Jack," she replied. "Now, this club. What should we wear to it?"

"Modern clothes," Jack frowned in thought. "If you have leathers with you, then they would be suitable. If not, whatever you feel comfortable in. Any clubbing clothes, really. It is a club which caters to all tastes," he added, fighting down a smirk.

Janet felt she needed more from him and sat on the bed, patting it and making him come to sit.

"Talk, Jack. I know Daniel won't want you to keep anything from us."

"It's an easy-going place," Jack shrugged. "There are gays and straights there, those in the Scene and vanillas. Daniel will not be questioned about how he is treating Paul, and Paul will be safe."

"Safe? What do you mean?" Sam asked.

Jack sighed. "Not everyone is accepting or understanding of a D&S lifestyle," he explained. "Some would think that a sub is an easy mark, there to serve anyone. It's not like that. We are bound to Daniel and no one else. Yes, we will be polite to another master, but we'd be polite to anyone. No other master has the right to touch us, unless Daniel wishes to lend us out."

"Does he do that?" Sam asked in horror.

"No! No, of course not. Some masters might do that, if, and only if the sub has agreed to it to begin with. However, Daniel would never do that."

"You seem happy in the lifestyle, Jack," Janet prompted. "Are you?"

"Yeah. We don't live it all the time anymore, but it suits us," he shrugged. "We're not what you would call 'stereotypical'. Everyone has their own ideas of how they should live this life. This version fits us and our personalities."

"I can't see you like this," Sam sighed. "I know I've known for over a year, but the more I read about it, the more I learn, the less I can see you happily submitting to anyone."

Jack laughed out loud. "Oh, so nearly thirty years in the Air Force were spent not taking orders?" he replied with a grin. At Sam's face, which was a visual 'groan', he continued. "I can give orders, Sam. I have proven that time and again. But sometimes the responsibility got to me. Daniel gave me a safe place to be, to relax, to not have to think. I'd have gone insane in those last months at the SGC if I hadn't had him taking over the minute we stepped into his apartment."

"Not at your place?" Janet asked.

"No, it wouldn't have seemed right," Jack replied thoughtfully. "Sure, he could have been my dom there, but we kept it away from my place as a rule."

"His place was your playroom?"

"We never thought of it in terms like that, Jan. We don't consider it playing, we live it. C'mon, we've got three guys living together, each one a leader in his own right. Me with my military position, Paul with his. Er, you don't know what he's done in his past," Jack added at the querying looks he got. "We don't know much, just that he's always been involved in stuff that he can't talk about. Anyway, there's Daniel in his own position - teacher, head of department, chief civilian and so on. One of us has to be in charge or you'll get three ways of doing things, three opinions on how something should look, yadda."

He got two understanding nods in reply to that.

"Look, you'd better get ready," Jack said. "I'm going to go and start dinner, if you have your showers and get changed, you can all go out directly after. Daniel's got something planned for when you get back," he added with a grin.

Paul stood in front of Daniel in their bedroom, a little nervous, but trusting in him to keep him safe and sane. He saw the things that Daniel had laid out on the bed and his eyes opened wide. He was naked, but the door was shut, so he wasn't afraid of the women entering and seeing him like that. Daniel placed his wrist bands on him, then a leather collar around his neck. Next, he picked up a few toys and a bottle of lube.

"You cleaned yourself?" he asked.

"Yes, Daniel."

"Good man. Bend over."

Paul turned to face the bed and put his hands on it, bending over and presenting his ass for Daniel.

"Beads or plug?" Daniel said out loud. "I'm giving you the choice," he added.

"Oh! Well, um, the beads are more fun for me, but the plug would be better for you later," Paul whispered. "So, the plug, please."

He shuddered when Daniel knelt behind him and kissed his buttocks for saying that. He groaned out loud when he felt Daniel run his tongue from behind his balls and up, all the way to the small of his back, where he placed more gentle kisses. The exquisite torture went on until Paul was squirming, wanting to get off, to be fucked, anything to take the pleasure one step further. He knew that he wasn't going to be getting off anytime soon, though, that Daniel would have plans for him. He wasn't sure if he was happy or disappointed when Daniel's tongue stopped its ministrations and was replaced with a couple of lubed fingers. He used all of his self-control to not push back and fuck himself, to just let Daniel do his thing, opening him out and ready to accept the rubber plug. It was long, thin at the top and tapering out to a wide base, a fine chain attached to it. Daniel lubed it up and then pushed it slowly inside him, letting Paul's body accommodate it before being confident that it was as far in as it was going to go.

"Good," he announced as he stood up, wiping his hands on a damp towel that he had out for that purpose. "Stand up. Is that comfortable?" he asked as Paul did as instructed.

"Fine, thank you."

"I'll make it good for you," Daniel promised. "I'll make it better." He stood in front of Paul again and then picked up a long, suede cock sheath. Seeing that Paul was hard, Daniel grinned. "Tut, tut," he chuckled. "We can't have that."

Paul gritted his teeth as he knew what was coming. Daniel grabbed his balls and squeezed, not so that it hurt, but so that he lost his erection pretty quickly. He felt the snaps being done up as the sheath was wrapped around him, then he felt the soft, suede ball stretcher being put on. A fine chain was attached between them, the chain from the plug was brought through his legs and also attached to an O ring that hung underneath his balls. If he got an erection now, his balls would be stretched and the plug would be pulled and made uncomfortable. A leather G string was then put on him, followed by some tight, leather pants.

Daniel took a step back and looked at him.

"You look so beautiful," he whispered. "Only I know what's in here, waiting for me," he said as he rubbed his hand over Paul's crotch. "But you know that others will definitely guess that you're trussed up for me," he teased. "It's tough though, they can't have you. You're mine, Paul Davis. Only mine."

At Daniel's quiet words, Paul started to relax more. He was sounding so totally possessive that Paul felt as safe as houses.

Because Daniel had got a lot out of having body piercings, Paul had taken the plunge. Daniel retrieved some jewellery that he'd had made especially for his lover and put in the platinum nipple ring and navel ring; a small, tasteful matching diamond shone brilliantly from them both. With a big smile on his face, Daniel picked up the leather waistcoat he had ready and slipped it on him. It stopped at the top of the trousers, so that if Paul stretched up, his navel would be exposed. If he turned the top of his body, his nipple would be seen. In Daniel's eyes, it was perfect.

"Damn, you look hot," he growled. "When we get home I'm going to fuck you so good."

Paul nearly melted at those words.

Daniel sat on the bed and patted it, so Paul sat next to him, sighing happily when Daniel twisted and put his arms around his lover.

"I know what happened," Daniel said. "I've explained it to the ladies too. They understand what you need and why, they won't make you feel bad, I promise. If they start to feel uncomfortable, they will leave and stay in an hotel until Monday. If you feel uncomfortable, I'll ask them to go. You are taking priority this weekend."

"Thank you," Paul whispered. "I need this."

"I know, baby. I know. I want you to stop thinking and just feel your way through this weekend. By the time it's over, you're not going to know which way is up. I promise you'll feel good before you return to work. Now, Jack's getting dinner ready. We're going to eat, then we're going out to Kelly's and the ladies are coming with us, I think. I haven't asked them, but Jack has prepared them."

Daniel finished his own preparations, dressed as he was in his own black leather trousers, a skintight black T-shirt, which showed the outlines of his own body jewellery. He gave his hair a quick brush, swapped his glasses for contacts and put in his earring. By the time the men had their boots on - Paul's calf-length black leather, buckled up biking boots, and Daniel's favourite hiking boots - they were ready to go.

"Oh my God," Sam moaned when they entered the kitchen.

"I'll say," Janet leered. "You two look sexy," she added with a smirk. "Forget hot, you're steaming!"

Daniel chuckled. "You," he said deliberately huskily, "are a lech."

"Guilty as charged," she admitted. "Anyway, do we pass muster for tonight?"

Daniel looked them both up and down and grinned. Sam was in a pair of midnight-blue silk pants, a white blouse and jacket which matched the trousers. Janet was wearing a short, red dress which hugged her body, low cut but not too revealing, thin straps holding it up. She also had a matching jacket.

"I'll say," Daniel replied. "Very nice indeed, ladies," he added with his own lecherous grin.

Jack coughed and attracted Daniel's attention.

"Jack?"

"Dinner's ready," he said, pointing to the table where it waited for them.

Daniel held back the comment that he wanted to make. A look of jealousy had been on Jack's face as he'd complimented the women.

-

They ate, the women and Daniel chatting animatedly, but Jack and Paul stayed out of it. Sam picked up on Janet's lead and spoke only to Daniel, questioning him rather than the men directly if she wanted to know anything. She found it odd, awkward even, but surreptitious looks at the men confirmed that they expected this behaviour. Internally she sighed. How would she ever understand this?

As they were about to leave, Daniel caught hold of Jack and whispered some further instructions. As soon as he was finished, he kissed Jack deeply, not letting him loose until they were both fighting for breath.

"We won't be late," Daniel promised.

"I'll be ready for you," came the reply.

Jack looked at Daniel for permission, which was granted. He put his hands out and pulled Paul into a hug, kissing his cheek. "See ya later," he whispered, then let him go.

Paul felt a touch exposed when they walked through the street from their parking place. He couldn't understand why, as he'd been dressed like this before when they'd gone out. He even had more company than normal. He looked around himself and realised what it was. No Jack. He was surprised, but the lack of presence of the big man made him feel almost alone. He moved closer to Daniel, who stared at him and knew that something was up.

"Paul? What's wrong?"

Paul shrugged. "Jack's not here," he replied. "It feels odd."

Daniel understood immediately. As much as he'd always looked after himself, Jack's presence had always made him feel safe. He wrapped his arm around Paul's shoulder and hugged him close as they continued to walk.

In the club, Sam looked around, trying not to stare at those on the dance floor and sitting at the tables. Some were dressed ordinarily, others in the full S&M gear; leather harnesses, leashes, the works. Couples danced, a pair of dancers were on the stage sensually moving to the music, some slaves were crawling around, being pulled on leads by their masters. It seemed that Jack had been right. Many lifestyles were represented there, from plain, straight vanilla, through to total S&M, and all points in-between. Contrary to how she'd perceived the club when first told of it, she actually didn't feel out of place there.

Daniel led them to one of the few empty tables and asked them what they wanted to drink. Both women asked for dry white wine, so he and Paul headed to the bar.

At the bar, Paul stood one step behind Daniel, at his shoulder. Daniel attracted the attention of the barman and ordered their drinks; the wine for the women, just juice for the men. As Daniel was driving and also had a few things planned for their return home, he wanted to remain sober. Paul, in his sub role, wouldn't be drinking alcohol unless Daniel allowed it.

"When he returns for more drinks, it will be the same order," Daniel told the barman. He nodded in understanding, knowing that Paul would not be allowed to speak to him - it was something that happened a lot there, so he and the other bar staff had to memorise the requirements of the masters. As a slave himself, the barman just accepted the situation.

A tray was handed to Paul and the drinks were put on them. Daniel paid for them and then Paul carried the tray to the table. Daniel sat on the bench seat, Paul on a lower stool at his side.

Janet was enjoying herself, but Sam was feeling awkward. It wasn't as if she wasn't used to seeing Daniel being openly affectionate towards Paul, but seeing the younger man resting his head on Daniel's thigh and having his hair stroked and played with as if he were a pet seemed strange. Remembering Daniel's words though, she said nothing and continued to talk only to him and Janet, almost, but not quite forgetting Paul's presence.

About an hour or so into the evening, a woman and man stopped by their table and the men stood up, Paul moving so that Daniel could step out from the table and onto the pathway that separated the tables from the dance floor and stage. When Daniel was clear, he stood behind him as he had done at the bar. Sam and Janet remained seated and watched the men and their visitors.

She was mistress, he was her slave. His body was covered in leather straps, which made him look much more overtly submissive than Paul. Neither sub looked directly at each other or their dominant.

"Mistress Eve, it's good to see you," Daniel said, his voice formal and polite.

"Master Daniel, it is good to see you too. Where is your other pet?"

"He has remained home at my request," Daniel answered with a smile. "I had some things that needed organising for tonight."

"Something special?" she purred as she enquired.

"Oh yes," Daniel answered with a smile. "Paul's not going to know what hit him."

"You spoil him," she scolded, but her eyes were also smiling.

"Not really," Daniel countered. "He's so well-behaved that sometimes he deserves a treat."

"What do you have planned?"

"Ah, that's a secret. I can't go telling him now, can I? It would spoil the surprise."

They continued in this vein, neither of them even looking at or directly addressing the other's sub. They exchanged some gossip, then Daniel asked if she would like to join them for a drink. She declined politely, stating that she was just on her way to do a little spoiling of her own.

"You may come and observe, if you wish," she offered.

"Here?"

"Yes. In the back room."

"May I bring my friends? It's their first time here and I want to show them around."

"Please do, the more the merrier."

"Good." He turned to Sam and Janet, who took their cues and stood up. "This is Doctor Janet Frasier," Daniel said, "and Major Sam Carter, old friends of ours."

Mistress Eve smiled warmly in greeting. "Did you work with Colonel Jack?" she asked.

Janet answered in the affirmative, stating, when asked, that they were both still active in the Air Force.

"Are you friends?" Eve asked, her voice implying the subtext.

"Not in this man's Air Force," Janet replied with a hint of wistfulness. "We're just here to keep the guys company."

"Ah, got you. Well, if you will come with me, you can see my pet's treat. He's been such a good boy this last week, I haven't had to punish him once. He gets what he wants on occasion. I don't spoil him as much as Master Daniel spoils his pets though. One of these days, Master Daniel, you'll rue your gentleness."

Daniel shook his head. "I doubt that, Mistress. I've had Paul with me five years and never regretted it for a second. He's never let me down."

She looked directly at Paul for the first time and getting Daniel's permission first, reached out to stroke his face. "A rarity," she said. "You are a lucky man to have a master like Daniel. Such love and devotion is to be treasured."

Paul flicked his eyes at Daniel and got a nod in return. "Thank you, Mistress," he answered. "I've never been happier in my life."

"Come on then, boy. If your master allows it, you might wish to play when my pet has finished."

They followed the mistress and her slave out of the main room and to a back room, set aside for just this purpose. Sam was wondering what would happen, but Janet already had an idea. It took all of Sam's powers of self-control not to gasp when she entered the playroom.

It was dark, lit only by huge candles placed in Gothic-style holders around the wall. The only electric light was a red fire escape light above a door at the back of the room. Sam looked around and saw a whole rack of items next to the fire escape, including bolt cutters and a very large first aid kit. Janet whispered to her that despite appearances, safety was always taken extremely seriously in places like this and that the chances were that all of the employees of the club had at the very least, basic first aid training. No matter how it looked, the slaves were never in real danger. Sam tried to accept this but looking around the room at the other items, she found it hard.

A slave was in attendance, polishing the leathers and the metal implements. A rack was the centrepiece of the room, a wheel was on the far wall. Other chain and manacle devices were spread around, and a big wooden St. Andrew's cross stood alone to one side.

Mistress Eve's slave went to the cross at her bidding, stood in front of it and raised his hands.

"Master Daniel, would you assist me, please?" she asked.

"Of course. Would you like me to bind his hands?"

"Please, I'm not very good at reaching those high bindings," she said, kneeling down and binding her own slave's feet to the cross. He was able to stand on the floor, just, but mainly stood on his toes to remain comfortable.

Sam would have said something... anything about this scene in front of her, except for one thing. Mistress Eve was about Janet's height. Her slave was taller than Jack. No way could she make him do anything he didn't want to. Undoubtedly, he could snap her in half if he so chose. Also, he was smiling as the various bindings tied him to the cross.

"There," Daniel said. "All done up tightly." He looked at the mistress and asked, "Is he tied to your satisfaction?"

She ordered the slave to move and saw that he couldn't. "Yes, perfect. Thank you. Now, let's see, what shall I start with?"

Daniel retreated and stood with the women, barely concealing his amusement at Sam's face. He looked at Janet and saw a similar reaction.

"Jan? What would you use to start with?"

"Maybe the paddle," she said. "Warm his ass up a little. Then progress to the cat? What do you think?"

"Maybe," he agreed. Then he turned and looked at Paul who was staring intently at the scene in front of him. The mistress had indeed started with the paddle. He winced after the first few blows and Daniel wondered if it was turning Paul on. It was, and with his own bindings and the plug, it was making him uncomfortable. Slowly, Daniel moved behind Paul and placed his lips near Paul's ear.

"Do you like the look of that?" he whispered. "Is that what you want?"

Paul tipped his head back onto Daniel's shoulder and let out a quiet moan. "Please," he said. "I... I want to..."

He couldn't finish what he was saying as a sudden pain shot through his groin, reminding him to not get an erection.

"Maybe when we get home," Daniel teased. "I've got plans for you."

Sam was torn between watching the paddling and watching 'her' men. Daniel was winding Paul up and he was obviously in pain as a result. She knew she wasn't allowed to interfere but couldn't bear to see Paul like this. Eventually, she felt she had to say something.

"Daniel, may I have a word?" she hissed.

"Of course. Janet, please take care of Paul," he added. Janet knew what he meant, as did Paul. Reluctant as he was to leave Paul alone, he felt that Janet could be a proxy 'master' until Daniel returned.

At the far end of the room, Sam spoke in a low voice to Daniel. "What the hell are you doing to him? He's in pain!"

"I thought I asked you to stay out of it, Sam. If you can't do that, then we'll have to forget this holiday arrangement. I know what I am doing."

"Do you? He's watching someone get beaten and he's wincing in sympathy. It's hurting him to see it, for crying out loud. Don't you think that after what he saw today he's not going to appreciate seeing someone else get hurt?"

Daniel took a deep breath. He could see how Sam would draw that conclusion, but he also knew that she couldn't be more mistaken. He kept his voice very calm as he spoke, unwilling to get into a fight over this.

"Sam, he's wincing because of something that I'd done to him before we left the house, not because he doesn't want to watch."

"What? What did you do to him?"

"That's not for you to know. Suffice it to say, he's getting turned on by the scene and being turned on isn't a good idea for him at the moment."

She stood open-mouthed for a moment and then shut her mouth, regrouped, then spoke again.

"How do you know he's being turned on?"

"I know him, okay?" he replied with exasperation. "He wants the same thing. And don't ask why, please. There are way more reasons than I can give you, and undoubtedly they'll have nothing to do with whatever reason's in his head at the moment."

"Are you going to beat him?"

"Beat him?" Daniel was shocked. "You have no idea about this, Sam. I thought you'd been reading up."

"I had. But I thought it had to be safe and sane, not to mention consensual."

"You think that Mistress Eve's slave isn't there out of choice?"

"I'm sure he is, but what about Paul?"

"Ask him yourself," Daniel harrumphed and turned back to his lover.

Sam followed him closely and then went straight to Paul. "Are you here out of choice?" she asked.

Paul looked at Daniel and got the nod. "Answer her truthfully, Paul," he said with a sigh.

"Of course I am," Paul answered, confused by the question.

"What about that?" she said, nodding to where the mistress had moved on to a leather strap, carefully slapping her slave in all the safe places. Red marks, none of them deep or angry, appeared on his shoulders, across his exposed buttocks and thighs... none where they could do damage.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Paul replied.

"Do you want that? Do you want to be abused?"

"It's not abuse!" Paul only just managed to keep his voice down, unwilling to distract the mistress and her groaning slave. "Mistress Eve loves her slave. Daniel loves me. How could doing something I want him to do be construed as abuse?"

"I think we'd better go," Daniel said quietly. Paul was becoming distressed by Sam's attitude and he kept looking at Daniel for reassurance. Before they left, Daniel sat on a bench seat that was there for observers and pulled Paul to straddle his lap. Holding him close, he crooned soothing words. "Don't worry, baby. I told you, you first, okay?"

Daniel made his excuses to Eve and then led them out, silently fuming at Sam. He knew she meant well, was just trying to protect Paul, but she'd promised not to interfere and she'd gone back on that.

On the way to the car, he asked Janet to explain things to Sam when they got home. Janet, who understood the desires all too well, agreed that she would.

-

Sam had said nothing on the way back to the house, something for which Daniel was grateful. No matter how much he tried to justify her attitude, he got crosser and crosser with her. Paul was feeling awkward and she had promised Daniel that she wouldn't make him feel like that.

He refrained from slamming the car door, entered the house, his face like thunder, he barked for Jack. Jack appeared, took one look at Daniel and was stunned. He hadn't seen him this angry since they'd left the SGC.

Not saying a word, he stood in front of his lover, waiting for his instructions.

"Lead the ladies to the hot tub," Daniel ordered. "Make sure they have everything they need, then meet me in the bedroom. Paul, go to the bedroom now."

Both men complied quickly, Paul scooting into their bedroom and just standing in the middle of the floor and waiting for him.

Jack took the women outside, made sure that the towels were there and so on, placed an open bottle of wine and two glasses on the side and then left them.

"Sam, you really know how to fuck things up, don't you?" Janet scolded as they stripped, changed into the swimming costumes that they'd brought and Jack had taken out for them, and settled into the tub.

"I thought that Paul was hating it!" Sam argued. "Didn't you see the pain he was in?"

"Oh boy," Janet muttered. "You didn't look at his groin, did you?"

"Why would I do that?" Sam was shocked.

Chuckling to herself, Janet informed her of a few things. "Sugar, you are just too pure to live. Given the look on Paul's face and the fact that his tight trousers left little to the imagination, I think he was tied."

"Tied?"

"Ye-ah," Janet drawled. Then proceeded to explain, in great detail, about the likely scenario and the toys and straps being used. She bit down on her laughter as Sam got redder and redder by the moment. Then she explained about endorphins and the use of pain in the pursuit of pleasure. Slowly, Sam began to understand.

-

In the bedroom, Daniel was desperately trying to calm down. He wasn't angry with the men, but playing in a bad mood was not safe, and he knew it. If it hadn't been for the fact that Paul needed this, he'd have stopped it.

His intention had been to use some of the new things that he had bought for Paul. Recently, Paul had admitted to wanting to go further, do more in the bondage and discipline line than they had done before. Daniel was uncomfortable with the idea of flogging and so on, but he agreed to try out a few things. Jack had no interest in it at all, so he was allowed to stay out of it.

Jack's biggest turn on was Daniel's quiet voice, persuading him to do things, telling him to bend over at unpredictable moments, ordering him to suck Daniel off when he least expected it... Daniel never let him down like that. These days, he and Jack rarely had sex at bedtime, but during the day it could and would be anywhere, anytime. Jack wasn't into humiliation, but he had found a heretofore undiscovered kink. Nothing got him off faster than being made to take Daniel (or Paul if the order came), in any way he was ordered, when someone else was around and watching. One of the few clubs they went to that Jack liked - a private one - had a back room where public sex was commonplace. Jack had discovered his kink almost by accident. Daniel had been feeling very turned on, but as he had something planned for Paul later that night, he'd taken Jack to the back room, faced him away from him, opened Jack's trousers and fucked him whilst Jack held himself up, his hands on the wall. He knew they were being watched and that thought went straight to his groin. He came hard without ever being touched. Daniel surmised that it was a reaction to having had to hide out for so long. Now Jack was free, he wanted to prove it to himself.

Jack, did, however, enjoy watching Daniel at work with Paul. This time, he noticed how angry Daniel was, so he did everything he could to make it better. Before Daniel could give a single order to Paul, he put out his hand and caught Daniel's with it. Then he pulled him into a hug.

"Don't bottle it up, Danny," Jack whispered. "We're both here for you."

Then he let him go and went back to his role.

Daniel smiled, his temper starting to fade.

"Jack, if you wish, you may jerk off," Daniel said with a grin. "You, on the other hand, are going to go through seven shades of hell tonight," he teased Paul, who answered him with a groan.

Daniel stood back and gave the order for the men to strip. They did so, sensually, just for him. Daniel's face softened and he smiled warmly at them, loving the sight that they presented.

When they were done, Jack lay on his back on the bed, his legs spread slightly, his left hand tucked behind his head as his right hand went straight to his groin. It had been a few hours since he'd last come and he was already starting to feel turned on.

Paul was naked except for his bindings and jewellery. Daniel got out the ropes and tied him to the panic hook in the ceiling.

"You know, I was thinking," he said quietly. "How would it be if we were to build a proper playroom? We have a spare space in the cellar that would do nicely."

"Sounds good," Jack agreed. Much as he understood Paul's need to go further than they used to, and as much as he got off on watching the guys together, he was starting to feel a touch uncomfortable about it happening in their bedroom. Jack knew that Daniel had picked up on that.

"Paul? You may answer," Daniel prompted.

"Agreed," Paul gasped. Just the thought of it had threatened to make him hard again.

Daniel smiled, then reached down and unhooked the butt plug's chain from the front. "I'm just going to take it out now, baby," he said quietly, his voice soothing. "Just relax for me."

As best he could, Paul relaxed his ass muscles and the plug came out smoothly.

"Jack, could you clean this up for me, please?" Daniel asked, his voice a little distracted.

Jack got up off the bed and took the plug from Daniel and into the bathroom, where he scrubbed it and then put it inside a baby bottle sterilising unit, filled it with water and then added a sterilising tablet to finish cleaning it up. No matter how roughly the men played from time to time, Daniel refused to take chances. Their biggest chance was the fact that they tended to go bareback, but as they were all clean, could prove it, never went with anyone else at all, and had regular check-ups with a doctor that was well-versed with their lifestyle, they allowed that to ride. First hint of an infection in any part of any of the three's body though, and Daniel ordered them to cover up. It was also a part of the discipline that Daniel imposed on the men, part of the routine and one of the rules that he had set out.

He went back into the bedroom and saw just what Daniel was planning for Paul.

"I know you're going to hate me for this, babe," Daniel murmured, "but you're not going to come tonight. I promise you, you'll understand why when the time is right."

Paul said nothing, but his face gave off a groan.

"I bought you a treat," Daniel continued. "I know the plug and ring set-up were new, but this should be better. Can you tell what it is?"

He was standing behind Paul and his lover felt something softly stroking over his buttocks and lower back. Leather, floppy, but a hint of something firm behind it. It felt like the soft bit was about a half inch wide and an inch or two long. It was taken away from him for a moment, then he felt something long, firm but flexible being drawn down his back.

"A riding crop," he gasped.

"Got it in one, babe," Daniel purred. "You want to try it?"

"Please," came the whispered reply.

"Okay, but first I'm going to warm you up. Try not to yell too loudly, I don't want Sam charging in to the rescue," Daniel warned with a chuckle.

Paul braced himself and Jack settled back to watch the show. Daniel got out a paddle that he'd had made especially. It was made out of a flexible, thin piece of wood, but it was covered with suede. No matter that Paul's ass would undoubtedly sting, he'd also be stroked with something soft to mitigate it. It helped Daniel salve his own conscience.

The paddle was placed in a different position each time, Daniel spreading the pain and pleasure throughout Paul's backside. The muted thwack of each placement of the paddle managed to resound through a room that otherwise was silent. Jack watched with a private amusement (that he would never have let on to Paul for fear of hurting his feelings) as Daniel worked, concentrating totally so as not to make a mistake and potentially do damage. After five smacks, Daniel stopped, then gently rubbed his hand over Paul's red backside.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice calm, but full of concern.

Paul nodded.

"Speak to me," Daniel insisted. "I have to know you are okay."

"I'm fine, Daniel," Paul answered firmly. "Please," he begged, though he wasn't really sure what he was begging for.

Daniel picked up the crop again, ran it over Paul's back and his ass which was stinging as the life came back to it. Heart in his mouth, he flicked the end and it landed on one of Paul's buttocks, making him jump.

"Paul?" Daniel's voice sounded both worried and curious.

"More," Paul gasped.

Knowing that Paul wouldn't ask for this if he wasn't happy, Daniel surrendered and utilised the experience he had gained. Over the previous few weeks, he had been meeting with Mistress Eve and learning how to do this. Every master needed guidance and Daniel was no different - and there was no substitute for hands-on practise. Her slave had willingly offered himself as a test subject, knowing that his mistress would not allow any harm to come to him. The only complaint that the slave had had was that Daniel hadn't caused enough pain. Daniel knew that his own past experiences were blocking his ability to let loose and prayed that Paul would understand why he couldn't take it as far as others might.

After a few more whacks, Daniel had had enough, he couldn't take any more. Paul's ass was bright-red, long stripes criss-crossed his buttocks.

"Jack. Help me, please," Daniel called out, trying to keep his emotions under control.

Jack, who still hadn't come, awkwardly stood, his erection bobbing as he moved. They took Paul down and lay him face down on a towel on the bed.

"The ice," Daniel whispered to Jack.

Jack reached into an ice bucket that he had brought in as part of the preparations. He removed a cube and handed it to Daniel, watching in amazement as the heat generated by the smacks and whip strokes melted it quickly. Paul moaned as he felt the freezing water running over him, cooling the marks right down. When Daniel finished, he rubbed some aloe gel into the marks.

Daniel noticed that Jack was still turned on and in need of some relief - as was Paul, though he wasn't going to get any that night. To increase the feelings that Paul had, Daniel decided to do something else.

"Paul, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you, Daniel. I'm fine," Paul replied.

"Good. Get on your hands and knees," he ordered.

Groaning quietly, Paul pulled himself up into that position.

Daniel moved closer to Jack who was on the floor behind Paul, and kissed him long and slowly, letting Paul hear, but not see what was going on. Jack responded, as he usually did, by moaning into Daniel's mouth as the kiss became more heated. Eventually, Daniel pulled back and reached for the lube. He coated his finger and pushed it inside Paul, getting as much of the gel inside him as possible. Then he covered Jack's cock with it.

"Fuck him," he said, his voice filled with amusement.

Jack got into position, standing on the floor and pulled Paul back until he was right next to him. As Jack found kneeling hard, they'd discovered that this was the best way for him to 'perform'. Daniel got onto the bed in front of Paul and his younger lover was faced with the fact that Daniel was going to jerk off, virtually in his face, as Jack took him from behind.

"You know what will happen if you come?" Daniel asked Paul.

"I know, I won't," Paul answered.

Jack grasped Paul's hips and pushed inside him, taking it slow, trying to make it last as long as possible. Paul shut down his mind, only letting himself feel and see, watching Daniel intently and licking his lips as he saw Daniel's cock getting harder and redder by the moment. It seemed to last forever, with Jack using every trick he knew to keep from coming to prolong the enjoyment. When Daniel watched his lovers, he knew that he himself would have a hard time holding off. He got onto his knees and took Paul's face in his hands. Paul knew what was coming now and he opened his mouth to take Daniel inside.

Jack looked up and saw Daniel fucking Paul's face, a look of amusement on his own. He sped up when he got the nod from Daniel, letting loose when he heard the words, "You may come now, Jack."

A few hard thrusts later and he came, spilling inside Paul's ass. Daniel let himself go and Paul swallowed quickly as the liquid poured down his throat.

"That was incredible," Daniel praised as they pulled out and collapsed on the bed. "Did you come?" he asked Paul as he wrapped his arms tightly around him and cuddled him, soothing him and trying to bring him down off his high.

"No, Daniel, I held off."

"Well done. I promise I won't let you hang all weekend, baby. Go get yourselves ready for bed. I'll be with you in a few minutes."

He grabbed some wet-wipes off the bedside table and cleaned himself up quickly, then he threw on a pair of jeans that were draped over a chair. As soon as they were buttoned up, he stepped outside of the room and went to see the women.

Jack led Paul into the bathroom and helped wash him down, keeping the water from his leathers as they hadn't had permission to remove them.

"You okay really?" Jack asked.

"I'm fine," Paul answered. "Horny, frustrated, but fine."

Jack chuckled as he dried him off. "You do know he's going to torture you this weekend, don't you?" he teased.

"Oh, I know. But it's going to be worth it. Come on, Jack, he's had me going for a couple of weeks before now. I'm getting used to it."

"True, but he's never used a whip on you before. How can you stand that?"

"I can't really explain it, it's just something I seem to need once in a while. My tastes seem to be getting more, not extreme, just heavier, I guess. I'm just grateful that Daniel's prepared to do this for me."

Jack said nothing for a moment as he cleaned his teeth, but then he stared into Paul's eyes and said, "Paul, you know that he loves you, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"And you know he'll do anything to make you feel good, don't you?"

"You know I do. What's the problem, Jack?"

"No problem," Jack shrugged, "just don't push him into doing anything he seems uncomfortable with, please. He'll push himself as far as he thinks you need to go, but I'm afraid that if he goes too far, his past is going to come back and bite him on the ass."

Paul was silent for a while, then he went white and started to shake. "Oh, God, you don't think..."

"No!" Jack answered firmly. "Not yet. He's prepared to do what he is doing, but please, don't ask him to do too much more. I'm afraid that he can't say no to you."

Paul nodded, worried now by his desires. Jack pulled him into his arms and held him closely, rocking him gently as he did. "It's okay, pal. He's okay at the moment, I just..."

"I know, I'm glad you mentioned it. God, how could I have been so selfish?"

"You are the least selfish person I know," Jack countered. "Fuck, I wish I hadn't said anything now."

"No, I'm glad you did. Thanks, Jack."

"It's going to be all right, babe," Jack whispered in comfort. "He's doing what he is prepared to do, and if you tell him to stop now, he'll think that we're treating him with kid gloves. It's taken us a long time to get him to the stage where he doesn't have to be master for his own sake. If you stop now, it could undo that good work. I just want you to take this into account when you feel your desires growing, okay?"

"I get it," Paul answered, equally quietly. "I'll let him do what he planned this weekend but I won't ask him to go further. I just wish that you could get involved. I feel like we're leaving you out of things."

"Do I complain?"

"No, never."

"Do you feel left out when Daniel gives me some attention?"

"Of course not."

"Well, then, neither do I now. I love you, you know. I know what happened, how terrible it must have been for you. I'm all for taking your mind off things. I'd much rather watch him flog you than see you go out and get drunk or have an ulcer or something. Come on, finish up here and let's get to bed. He'll be back in a minute. Just let us take care of you this weekend, eh? We need to do it as much as you need it done."

"Thanks, Jack. Love you too," Paul replied, hugging him tightly before letting go and finishing getting ready for bed.

Sam swallowed hard as Daniel appeared on the deck near the hot tub. He was barefoot and clad only in his button-fly jeans, the top one undone. His body jewellery glistened in the deck lighting and his well-developed muscles seemed outlined in the shadows.

Janet, however, reacted the way she usually would.

"Well hel-lo lunch," she drawled. "You gonna just stand there or join us?"

Daniel snorted as he knelt next to the side of the tub. "If you think you could put up with me, I'd join you. The guys might get jealous though," he added with a grin. "I don't have my trunks on."

Daniel bit down a smirk as Sam looked away, trying to hide the fact that the wine and the hot water were adding to her tendency to blush.

Before Daniel could say anything, though, Sam spoke. "Uh, Daniel, I want to apologise for my actions at the club. I was just overwhelmed by it. It's one thing reading about it, it's another thing seeing it for real. I've been hit and hurt too many times to figure out how people could get pleasure from it. I overreacted and I'm truly sorry. If you want me to apologise to Paul, I will. I had no intention of making him feel bad."

Daniel considered her words for a few moments, then he replied. "Thank you, Sam. I think we've overcome that, now, so it's probably best if you say nothing to him. Tomorrow, he's going to need your support even more. The news will undoubtedly be in the papers or on the television or radio. I'm thinking that I'll keep him away from news reports, but there is the possibility that he will be made to face it again in one form or another. You really cannot react to how I help him through this."

"I promise. I've made Janet promise to get me out of any situation that could possibly lead me to misunderstanding what's going on before it happens. How is Paul now?"

Daniel smirked. "Sore. Probably won't be able to sit tomorrow," he added. "And don't ask. I'm not telling you."

Janet snorted into her glass of wine, trying hard not to comment.

Sam stared Daniel in the chest and curiously put her hand out to him. Without really thinking about what she was doing, and with Daniel and Janet watching her every move, she touched his nipple ring, pulling it slightly as she did. Daniel responded with a gasp.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly, snatching her hand back as if burnt.

"No, it's okay," Daniel replied, his voice sounding a little strangled. "It's nice."

"Nice?"

"Oh yeah."

"I was wondering why you had it done," Sam said. "I've heard it's supposed to be good, but to me, it looks painful. Is it?"

"It was when I had it done," Daniel explained, "but not now. Like having your ear pierced," he added. "The first couple of days, it can hurt, but when it's healed up, it doesn't."

"Not even when it's touched?"

"Uh, no, not even then. It has a different effect."

"Oh? What?"

Daniel looked at Janet in disbelief.

"Uh, Sam? Don't you like it when you're touched there?"

"Well, yeah, of course I do," she said. "You mean it's the same?"

Daniel shrugged, then answered. "Not quite. I mean, it's pleasurable, but seein' as you don't have a dick..."

"Got you," she giggled in reply. "Does that one do the same thing?" she asked, pointing to his navel ring.

"Yeah. Both are, er, hardwired direct to the groin," he explained. "In the right circumstances, a couple of touches and, well..."

"Yeah. Right. I think I'll pass on having that done," Sam said with another snigger.

"Don't know what you're missing." He stood up and sighed. "I'd better go. Leave those two alone for any length of time and there's no telling what mischief they'll get up to. Besides, I shouldn't have even left Paul."

He wished them goodnight and left. He felt bad. Normally, after that sort of play, he'd hold Paul for a long time, needing to offer the comfort as much as Paul needed to be comforted. But as Paul hadn't been allowed to climax, he'd thought that moving away from him for a few minutes would help Paul to come down calmly.

As soon as he returned to the bedroom, he saw the two men in bed, snuggling closely. Nodding in approval, he hurriedly got himself ready for bed and then got under the covers with them.

"Everything okay?" Jack asked as Daniel wrapped Paul in his arms.

"Everything's fine."

They wished each other goodnight and lay still, all three awake but silent, listening to the muffled noises of the women as they packed up for the night themselves. Paul felt safe and secure in-between his two lovers, and they felt happy that he was relaxed.

The next morning, Sam and Janet appeared for breakfast and had to bite down on the gasps that threatened to escape them when they saw the scene in the kitchen. Daniel was sitting at the table, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, his earrings in and still wearing his body piercing jewellery as apparent by the fact that his T was tight and not leaving anything to the imagination. Jack and Paul were also in jeans, but wore sleeveless T-shirts, bright-white and as tight as Daniel's. Both women knew how strong Jack was, and how well-developed his muscles were, but the effect was almost exaggerated as he stood behind Daniel in a guard-like position, his hands behind his back, standing almost to attention. What surprised the women was the fact that Paul's own physique was every bit as well-developed as Jack's. He was also standing behind Daniel, as if awaiting instructions.

Daniel saw them come in and put down his newspaper and mug of coffee, then stood up politely to greet them. A quick look at the men had them moving and pulling out the chairs to the table so that the ladies could sit.

"Good morning," Daniel greeted them. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Morning, Daniel," they replied in a chorus, then Sam asked for some toast whilst Janet asked for some grapefruit. Jack went straight to the bread and Paul retrieved a grapefruit and cut it in half, placing the one half in a bowl and placing it in front of her with a small spoon. He then placed the other half of the grapefruit into another bowl and covered it with sugar, wrapped some cling film over it and placed it in the fridge. It was one of the things that Daniel liked to eat for breakfast, particularly liking it when sugar had soaked into the fruit for a day. As Jack prepared the toast, Paul stood to one side of Daniel and waited to be acknowledged.

"Ah, of course. Coffee? Tea? Juice?" Daniel offered the women.

Both asked for coffee so Paul got it for them. Jack placed a rack of toast on the table and stood back. There were already the necessary accompaniments for it on the table, so he had no need to place anything else there.

Daniel spoke to the women about different things, but never once looked at either man. Or so it appeared.

About fifteen minutes into breakfast, just when the women were finishing, a flash of pain ran across Jack's face and with it a small moan from his throat. Daniel was out of his chair in a moment.

"Jack? Is your leg hurting?"

Jack shook his head.

"Jack. Speak to me. And don't cover anything up."

"Just a little, Daniel. It's nothing."

Daniel stared into Jack's eyes for a moment, then growled, "Bedroom. Now."

"It's fine," Jack started to argue, but he backed down quickly.

"I told you to go to the bedroom," Daniel said calmly, his voice commanding. "Don't disobey me."

"Yes, Daniel."

He moved off without another word and went straight to the bedroom. Daniel, meanwhile, turned to the women. "It's nothing serious, but I know what to look for. If I massage his leg now, it will prevent it becoming worse. He's been on his feet a lot this last week and I think that yesterday's moving hurt him more than he will admit. He's very stubborn." Shaking his head as he spoke, he turned to Paul and said, "Please, take care of our guests until I return. You may speak when spoken to."

"Yes, Daniel."

Paul's face was almost blank, something which surprised Sam. Even at his most placid or most icy moments, the times at the SGC when he'd had to shut down on his emotions to insist on Pentagon policies being carried out, whether they were liked or not, Paul's face had always been more animated. There was absolutely nothing on his face at that moment in time.

"Can I do anything to help with Jack?" Janet asked.

"No, it's okay," Daniel replied. "He only needs a rub down and a rest. I'll make sure he gets it."

He stalked off and followed Jack into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him as he entered it.

"Jack, what am I going to do with you?" he asked as he saw his lover sitting on the bed.

"I'm sorry," Jack answered, his head dropping. "Guess I'm not much help, am I?"

Daniel sat next to him and pulled him into his arms, holding him close.

"God, Jack, you are silly," he murmured. "I couldn't do this without you, but you have to take care of yourself. You are my rock, Jack, you always have been. You give me the strength to be who I am, what I am. You encourage me to face my fears and my past, and you help me in more ways than you could possibly imagine. Do you really think that hurting after a busy week is not helping? Is a cause for concern between us? The only cause for concern is that you hurt. I want to take your pain away, Jack, not add to it. I'm sorry I asked you to stand this morning. If I'd been spending more time with you, paying more attention to your needs, I'd have realised beforehand that you were hurting. I'm really sorry. Now, lie down."

He gave the order because he didn't want Jack to argue with him. There was a sufficient enough age gap between the two men that occasionally it jumped up and smacked Jack between the eyes. When he had been active, it hadn't been a problem, but now he had the recurring aches and pains, he was reminded that he had seen his fiftieth birthday and his lover just about to hit forty. The fact that Paul was a little younger than Daniel just reinforced his feeling of 'getting old'. Daniel never did anything to make him feel like it was a problem, but for a man of action, taking life easier wasn't a simple task. He still worked out every day, still went to the gym whenever he could. He'd always taken pride in his body, but now his body wasn't taking so much pride in him.

Daniel pushed him to lie on his back, undid Jack's jeans and pulled them off, then got out the massage oil from the bedside table drawer. Rubbing it into his hands first to warm it up, he then started to firmly but gently massage it into Jack's legs, knowing from experience just where it would do the most good. Jack gave encouraging moans of pleasure and pain as he worked, but nothing was said. Years as friends sometimes negated the need for speech, words sometimes becoming redundant. Daniel could tell from the quiet sounds Jack was making just what his actions were doing to him. After a while, Daniel noticed that Jack was half-hard, getting aroused from the warmth of the massage as well as the movements. With a grin on his face, and while Jack wasn't looking, Daniel pulled Jack's boxers down past his knees.

"Don't want to get the oil on them," he said unconvincingly.

Jack snorted as he tipped his head to look down at Daniel, flopping back onto the pillow and waving his hand in a 'do whatever you want' way soon after. Taking him up on the offer, Daniel did.

He moved his hands further up Jack's thighs and pushed his legs apart, continuously massaging whilst stretching Jack's muscles. Then he dipped his head down and licked a stripe from Jack's balls and all the way up his cock, which got harder in response.

"You want me to massage that?" Daniel teased.

"Hmm." It was the nearest thing to a coherent reply that Jack was going to give him.

Daniel poured some more oil into his hand, then started to stroke Jack's cock, slowly, firmly, pulling up and down as he did. With his other hand, he fumbled at his own zipper and undid it, continuing to work Jack as he wriggled his own pants and briefs down. As soon as he had exposed his own penis, he got on the bed, never letting up as he continued his ministrations. He pushed Jack to lie on his side and got behind him, then letting go of Jack's prick for a moment, he grabbed the oil and covered his hand again, then used it to open Jack up for him. Whispering to Jack, telling him that he was going to fuck him so well, he oiled himself up and pushed in, hooking Jack's top leg up and resting it on his own before returning to jerking Jack off.

The only sounds in the room were the quiet grunts from the men, the slap of skin on skin and the gentle creak of the bed.

"I'll bet you wish you had an audience, eh, Jack?" Daniel whispered after a few minutes. "You, me, some strangers watching me nail you. Somewhere sleazy, nasty, they're cheering us on as I push harder and harder into you." He accompanied his words with an increase in the tempo of his thrusts, only getting Jack pushing back further to encourage him.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Daniel taunted, knowing that Jack loved it when he talked like that. "How about you and I go to the baths?" he asked. "When the girls have gone home, I'll take you there. You can wear your leathers and your bands, Jack, they'll know you belong to me. I'll find some guys and invite them to watch. You want that?"

Jack let out a low, hungry moan. He couldn't believe how much the idea turned him on. Considering he was usually a very private man, this new kink of his had taken him by surprise. Daniel being Daniel had picked up on it quickly and was ready to exploit it. Anything to make his lover happy.

"Maybe they'll want to fuck, eh? You can be bent over, I'll fuck you long and hard and they'll get so excited that they'll fuck too. You can watch them, see how much they're getting off on watching you. When we build the playroom, we'll put mirrors all around it. You'll be able to watch me fucking you. You could fuck Paul, I'll fuck you at the same time, and we'll watch it all the way. Video it even? Better than boring TV, huh, Jack? When there's nothing on, you can watch me nailing you hard."

As he said the last word, Jack could hold on no longer. With a louder grunt he spilled over Daniel's hand, milking his lover as he did.

They lay together for a few minutes, panting hard and trying to get their breath back. Eventually, Daniel got some wet wipes and cleaned them both up, pulling himself up and off the bed before hitching his pants back up. He bent down, pulled Jack's shorts up and kissed him hard, letting his tongue dance over Jack's until he had to stop.

"I love you so much," he whispered against Jack's mouth.

"God, love you," Jack gasped back. "You have one very dirty mind, Daniel," he added with a grin.

"Hmm," came the reply. "I'm inspired. I'd better get out there, see what's going on. You rest up. I'll get you some painkillers in a minute, okay?"

"I'm better now," Jack replied, struggling to sit up. Daniel pushed him back down flat.

"Lie down. Don't argue with me, Jack. You've had a hard week, now take it easy. You know I'll only worry about you otherwise."

Jack acquiesced, concerned that Daniel had enough to worry about without worrying about him.

"Get your clothes back on. I'll be back in a minute, or I'll send Paul in. If I do, don't be afraid to cuddle him if he looks like he needs it. I think that he's going to want a lot of contact this weekend."

"Will do, Daniel. And Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, babe. You're incredible."

"Like I said, baby, I'm inspired."

He dropped a kiss on Jack's nose, then slipped out of the door.

Daniel left Jack lying on the bed and headed straight for the others. As soon as he entered the living room, however, the phone rang. Paul answered it, his voice steady and unemotional. Daniel's heart sank as he heard Paul's end of the conversation.

"Hey Ben," Paul said, greeting the caller. Daniel knew that that was one of the lawyers that would likely be aiding the sailor.

"Yeah, I did... uh, huh... you got my report?... good... oh God... if you want me to help... okay, I'll do what I can... see you Monday... yeah, thanks for calling."

He put the phone down firmly and steeled himself to bite down on his emotions.

"Paul?" Daniel was at his side in moments, holding him tightly. He sent a glance directly to Janet and she raised an eyebrow.

"Jan, could you take a painkiller into Jack, please? His prescription is in the top left cabinet in the kitchen. Uh, you may want to knock to let him know it's you."

"Will do, Daniel. If there's anything else?"

"Not for now, thank you."

Sam took the hint and retreated outside. Daniel took Paul's hand and led him to the sofa.

"What's the news?" he asked gently.

"They got the bastards," Paul whispered.

"That's good," Daniel encouraged, but he knew that there was more.

"David, the sailor I met," he said, his voice cracking, "he took a turn for the worse last night. It seems that a blood clot moved and got into his brain, or there was one already in there. Anyway, he's had a severe stroke and is currently in a coma. We don't know if he's going to live or not."

"Shit," Daniel hissed. "I don't know what to say."

Paul said nothing for a moment, he just turned himself until he was tightly in Daniel's arms. "Make me forget," he pleaded after a moment. "Please, Dan, make me forget."

"I promise, baby, I'll do my best."

He took Paul into his arms and held him tightly, then let go and stood up. "Give me a few minutes and then come to the bedroom, please," he murmured.

Leaving him there, Daniel marched straight into the room. He saw Janet sitting on the edge of the bed, talking quietly to Jack. Quickly, he explained the developments of the day then made a request. "Jan, could you take Sam and leave the house for a while, please? I think that Paul needs to let go and I don't think he will be able to relax enough to do it if you're here. Jack, if you're feeling up to it, you may go with them, but if you aren't you can stay. It's your call, but I will not be paying you any attention until I have helped Paul, I'm afraid."

"That's okay," Jack replied. "I'm feeling better thanks to you. If one of the girls can drive, we can go up to town or visit Cassie or something. I'll take my sticks to be on the safe side."

"Thank you." The words were barely audible but the meaning was clear. Daniel leaned closer to Jack and kissed him gently. "I love you so much," he insisted, desperately trying to reassure Jack - or was that himself? He knew that there were times, when he was concentrating on one of his lovers, that he felt guilty about leaving the other one out. He also knew that they understood and didn't mind, but sometimes it didn't help.

"We'll go shopping," Janet announced. "Uh, Daniel? You know any good lifestyle shops?"

"Jan?"

"Well, it's not as if I can stock up on my equipment in the Springs, and even Denver is a bit too close to home at times," she answered with a shrug.

He nodded in understanding. "Jack knows one. Jack, take them to Simon's place. Treat them to whatever they want. Tell Simon to put it on my account, okay?"

Jack grinned wickedly. "C'mon before he changes his mind, Jan," he said, getting out of bed as quickly as he could. "You have to make the most of his generous moods."

Janet turned to leave the bedroom and she saw Paul standing in the doorway. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "Everything's going to work out, honey. Daniel's gonna take good care of you." With that, she kissed his cheek and left.

Jack finished getting dressed and promised to take care of the ladies on Daniel's behalf.

"I know you will, Jack," Daniel answered before kissing him soundly. "Take them to lunch and don't come back till late afternoon. I think we'll go out again tonight, maybe Fogies? If you want to, that is. I'll go by whatever your leg says."

"Fogies sounds like fun," Jack agreed. It was one of his favourite clubs, the music was pre-1980, not too loud, the lights weren't too bright and the beer was good. It was a gay and lesbian club, but straight-friendly and had a warm atmosphere. They didn't tend to dress in their D&S gear when they went there, but it wouldn't have been too out of place if they did.

Daniel asked Jack if he wanted his wrist bands removed before leaving the house. Jack looked at them and shrugged. "Nah, they're a part of me. Besides, they look pretty butch," he added with a smirk. He looked at Daniel, an eyebrow cocked, then getting a nod in agreement, he pulled Paul into his arms and kissed him hard, making both of them pant when they broke for air.

"Be good," Jack said to Paul with a wink. "I think he's gonna get tough on your ass."

"Lucky me," Paul answered wryly. "I'd rather be here than shopping with women."

"Hmm," Jack replied. "I think you've got a point there. Ah well, no rest for the wicked."

"Surprised you ever get any sleep then, Jack," Daniel cracked, making 'shooing' motions. Jack laughed and left the two men, pointedly shutting the bedroom door. He'd noticed Sam and Janet in the corner of his eye as he was kissing Paul. Sam had looked a little surprised, though she had seen them kiss before.

"Sam?" he said as they left the house. "Why were you looking so shocked when I kissed Paul?"

She blushed a little at having been caught. "Oh, um," she stalled. "It's probably because whenever you've kissed before it's not been that passionate. Do you do that a lot?"

"SAM!" Janet howled. "Don't you think that their relationship is private?"

"Oh God, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Jan," Jack interrupted. "Look, you know how the set-up is. Daniel's the one that I'm with and he's the one that Paul's with, right?"

They both nodded.

"Well, we've been together as a triad for over three years now. Don't you think that Paul's grown on me?"

"I know you love him..." Sam insisted.

"When you first came here and found out about us, we told you that we loved each other but we weren't in love with each other. That holds - to a point," Jack continued. They got into the car and Sam took the wheel. Following Jack's quick instructions, she turned out of the drive and headed into town. As she got onto the main road, Jack continued.

"How can I put this?" he wondered out loud. "There was a time when if something had happened to Daniel, Paul and I wouldn't have stayed together. Neither of us would have been able to go there. We'd have remained friends, we're sure, and we'd have turned to each other for emotional comfort, but the physical would have died there and then. These days, that wouldn't happen. We're in it for life. Not so long back, Daniel was away for a couple of days - remember when he visited the mountain?"

They agreed, remembering the days he'd stayed at Sam's house - and the parties that they'd held almost continuously after work.

"Well, Paul and I naturally continued to share a bed, but this time, we let nature take its course."

"Huh?"

"God, Sam, you have no imagination," Janet growled.

"OH! I get you. You mean you'd never done that without Daniel?"

"Never. We hadn't often really been in a position to, and when we had, we didn't think about it. Oh, we'd snuggle up together, as you do, but apart from a goodnight kiss, that was it. This time, we realised that there was more to our relationship than just Daniel. He's still the mainstay of the three of us, still the heart of us if you like, but now Paul and I have our own developing relationship too. It's cool."

"How does Daniel feel about that, Jack?" Janet asked, her voice serious.

"Actually, when he found out, he picked on us something terrible for ages. Acted up, made us feel like we were leaving him or something. Needless to say, we did everything we could to stop him feeling like that. Only then did he crack up with laughter and tell us he was really happy about it. He was just winding us up. And what with his ability to keep a straight face, he tortured us for about three days."

"The swine!" Janet hooted.

"Yeah, we called him that. Among other things," Jack snorted. "To tell the truth, it made him very happy. The thought that Paul and I didn't feel that way about each other hurt him at times, made him feel bad for splitting himself between the two of us, I guess. I know there were - are times he wishes there were two of him, so that he could give 100% attention to us both at the same time."

"Can't be easy loving two people at once like that."

"It's not. But he doesn't love Paul any less than he did before we got together. If anything, he loves him more. He's just got an amazing capacity to love. I'm glad that I've learned the same."

Daniel told Paul to stand by the bed, then he left the bedroom and went and locked up the house, harking back to their days in the Springs. He silenced the phone and when he re-entered the bedroom carrying some things, he shut the curtains and lit some candles before putting some quiet, classical music on the CD player. Then he went into the bathroom and retrieved some items and put them on the bedside table.

"I'm going to make you feel good," he told Paul. "It will take time, but I promise you'll feel better soon."

Paul said nothing, he just stood there, willing to let Daniel do whatever he wanted. First, Daniel removed Paul's clothing and bands - rather perfunctorily - then said, "We need to get you ready, baby. This is going to go deep."

A low, hungry moan came from Paul at that. He had a vague idea of what was going to happen.

Daniel sent him to shower and cleanse himself, inside and out. Mechanically, he went through the motions, not allowing himself to get hard at the prospect of what was coming. He did hope that he'd be allowed to come, but he wasn't really banking on it.

As soon as he was done and dry, Paul re-entered the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed. Daniel stood up and replaced Paul's wrist bands, kissing them both as they were done up, then he put a thick collar around his neck.

"This shows the world that you belong to me, Paul Davis," he said, his voice totally possessive. "I love you so much it hurts, you know? I want the world to know that they don't get you and only I do. I own you, Paul. Are you mine?"

"Only yours," he replied firmly. He didn't think that Daniel would want to debate Jack's role in their lives at that moment, and that this time was their time only.

"Good answer," Daniel teased and moved in to kiss him. Paul stood stock still, letting Daniel take complete control, enjoying his lover making a meal of his mouth and tasting him. Then, when they broke apart, he fitted the ball stretcher and cock sheath.

"Lie down now," came the instruction. Doing as he was told, he lay on his back, his legs apart, knees bent so that Daniel could see all of him.

"Good," he praised. "Mistress Eve is right, you are a pet," he teased. "Such a good pet, so well-behaved. You'll do anything I want you to do, won't you?"

"God, yes, Daniel, anything."

"Will you let me blindfold you?"

Paul tilted his head up in answer.

With a smile on his face, Daniel placed the blindfold over Paul's eyes then gently guided Paul's head back to the pillows.

"I'm going to gag you," came the next words. Paul knew why. He wasn't as loud as either Daniel or Jack could be, and that was mainly because he had always had to keep his lovemaking a secret. With a gag in place, he felt more able to let loose and give voice to whatever he was feeling. He had no idea what sort of gag Daniel would use, as it appeared that Daniel had been spending rather a lot of time in their favourite shop. He moaned when he felt a short, stubby dildo enter his mouth and sucked on it as a natural reaction. He didn't see Daniel smile at the sight.

"I'm going to tie your hands above your head," Daniel said next. Paul nodded in agreement and understanding. First Daniel picked up some strands of silk material and drew them over Paul's naked body so that he would know what he was being tied up with. Then he attached the one end to one of the wrist bands and ran it through a ring that was embedded in the wall behind the bed. It was then threaded through the other band and tied off, holding Paul in place.

As Paul was now no longer in a position to call out his safe word, Daniel picked up another item, a small rubber ball with a bell inside it. He placed that in Paul's hands. If he heard it rattle in any way other than in the rhythm of lovemaking, he would stop and assume that Paul had used his word. If Paul had the presence of mind, he would be able to throw it a little way, just enough to alert Daniel to his distress.

Daniel knew now, however, that he had to be totally focussed on Paul and Paul alone. It was why he had locked up and switched off the ring to the phone and turned down the volume of the answerphone. Nothing could disturb them.

Now that Paul was ready, Daniel got onto the bed in-between his legs and started to play with Paul's nipples, pinching them till they hardened, twisting them till his body jerked, sucking on them and biting them until he writhed around on the bed. It caused a little pain, not too much, but it enabled Paul to focus anywhere other than on his dick. He let out a loud groan and had to suck the gag as his mouth watered in response to the pleasure.

Daniel smiled as he watched Paul respond. His entire plan consisted on not letting Paul think. He was even considering letting him come, even though he'd initially planned that it wouldn't happen until the following day. Given the news, Paul needed some relief.

Having worked on Paul and turned his nipples red, he placed some clamps on them, making him yell through the gag. Daniel got off the bed and picked up some more toys. He put a fur glove on his hand and stroked it gently over Paul's body, causing him to arch off the bed with the featherlight touches. A slow ring from the ball in Paul's hand had Daniel stopping his ministrations immediately and undoing the gag within seconds.

"Paul? You okay?" he asked as he started to undo the blindfold.

"I'm fine," Paul insisted. "I just need a break for a minute, please. The gag was making my mouth ache."

"Shall I leave the blindfold on?" Daniel asked, stopping what he was doing.

"Hmm, please. It's nice to guess what's going on. You're using the glove, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah," Daniel answered with a smirk. "It's only one of a few things that I'm going to use on you today."

He said nothing for a moment, then he dropped a kiss on Paul's mouth. "I'm going to leave the gag off you. There's no one here but me, the doors are locked, no one's going to hear you, so if you want to yell, do it. Make as much noise as you want."

Daniel spent the next hour driving Paul mad. He used every trick he knew to build him up and set his senses on edge. He kissed him, trailed bites all over his body, licked him... then he poured oil onto his lower stomach, letting it run around Paul's balls, making him twitch until Daniel massaged it in. He used the soft glove, a feather, some silk... all being drawn over Paul's entire body, barely connecting with his skin, sometimes only just touching the hairs on his arms and legs, giving Paul a body full of goosebumps. With every stroke, he crooned to him, speaking words of love and reassurance. He suckled on the head of Paul's cock, but never granted him relief.

When he thought that Paul could no longer continue, he would pull back and let him take a break, getting his erection back under control. Eventually, Daniel decided that the time was right. Paul wasn't really with him, his moans were getting more and more incoherent and his obvious need to get off was dominating the proceedings.

He stopped what he was doing and undid the blindfold.

"You with me?" he murmured.

"Hmm."

"Okay, baby. I'm going to leave the blindfold off now, and we're going to take this all the way. You have to relax, Paul. If you tense up, I'm going to stop, okay?"

"'kay."

"Remember you can stop this at any moment. Drop the ball, say stop or safe-word. You do any of those things and we will end. If you just need me to slow down, call 'yellow' or just 'slow'. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah."

All of Paul's answers seemed vague, but for once, that was what Daniel more or less wanted. It meant that Paul's mind was only on his body and nowhere else. To be sure that Paul had some semblance of control though, Daniel asked, "Tell me your safe-word, Paul."

"Rainbow."

"Good. My pet, you are going to go further than you've ever gone before. Are you willing?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want my hand, babe?"

There was a silence for a moment, then Paul nodded.

"Paul? You have to speak."

"Yes, do it."

"Okay. Just relax, baby. Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

Daniel pulled the lid off a large bottle of oil designed for the purpose and poured a good amount into a bowl.

"Spread your legs a little, baby, then raise your knees a bit more."

Paul did as he was directed, feeling as if he had been drinking and was at that state when you'd do anything but were still aware of what you were doing.

"Okay, just tell me if I hurt you, I wouldn't want to do that."

"I know. I will."

To protect Paul, Daniel pulled on a long latex glove, then a second one on top of it. Even though he deliberately kept his fingernails smooth and his skin as soft as possible, he would be going further inside his lover than before and he was not about to take any chances.

What surprised Daniel was that though he was turned on, and had been since they started, he had no desire to end it by coming. He was still in his clothes, a deliberate attempt to distance himself from the act. He'd do something about it later if he really wanted to, but for now, that was not the purpose of the exercise.

There was no way that he was going to use a water-based lube for this, it would dry out too quickly. The one he was using was an oily substance, but one which wouldn't react badly with latex. He dipped his hand into the oil and covered the entire hand surface. He pushed a couple of fingers inside Paul, coating his insides with the oil, removing them and re-coating them time and again until he was convinced that the first few inches inside Paul were well greased and relaxed.

"Going to three now," he said, adding yet more lubrication. He pushed them inside, twisting and turning them, making Paul react by pushing down, wanting more.

"No," he warned. "Hold still. Do I have to tie your feet too?"

"No. I'll try."

"Good man. Just relax, we're going to add another one now."

Every finger slid inside Paul fairly easily. A few minutes of teasing like this and Daniel was about ready to go all the way.

"I'm going to go for it now, okay, pet?" Daniel whispered.

"Yes. Do it. Please."

Paul had never been fisted, but his sexual curiosity had been growing for quite some time and he knew he loved being stretched beyond the norm. He'd heard so many tales...

Daniel was nervous. He had done this before. With Paul and Jack's consent, he had been learning more than just how to flog with Mistress Eve. They had basically told him that as long as he wasn't sticking his dick inside her slave, he could learn whatever he wanted. Daniel had howled at their terms, thinking it funny. He had no intention of having that sort of sex with anyone, but he also knew that the more intense acts had to be taught or else he could end up hurting Paul. That was not an option. However, this was the first time that he had done this without Eve standing next to him, instructing him in that matter-of-fact way of hers.

Finally convinced that Paul was well lubed and open, and that he had more than enough oil on his glove, he returned to the job, fighting his nerves in an effort to stay calm.

He scrunched his five fingers up together, making them as narrow as possible. Then slowly, millimetre by millimetre, he let them slide inside. Never pushing, never thrusting, always letting Paul's body guide him. He slid passed the outer ring, then the inner, watching in awe as his knuckles disappeared and then finally, his entire hand, all the way up to the end of the long glove.

He paused for a moment. "Paul, take a few breaths and relax," he said quietly. "I'm all the way in, right up past my wrist. How is it?"

"'sssgood," Paul whispered. "'ssss realgood."

"Good, baby, that's great. Going to make a fist now, right?"

"Godyeah."

His heart in his mouth, Daniel slowly and carefully closed his hand, tucking his thumb inside his fingers. His left hand moved to the binding around Paul's dick.

"I'm going to undo you now," he said. "Don't come just yet, but when I say you can, then you can let go as hard as you want."

Paul's head was dripping with sweat, his body also covered in a sheen, but he wasn't even aware of it. His mind was anywhere but in the room at that moment, his body felt like it had never done before. It was like they were two separate entities. Yes, there was an almost painful discomfort, but in reality, it didn't hurt. He felt euphoric, totally high, as if he'd been going through the contents of the local pharmacy.

Murmuring soothing words, Daniel moved his hand incredibly slowly, backwards and forwards, getting as far in as he could without hurting his lover, watching Paul's every reaction to the sensation, until he felt that Paul had had enough. He located Paul's prostate, he twisted his fist against it and gave the gentlest push imaginable. At the same time as he twisted his hand, he said, "You can come now," hardly making any sound as he spoke.

Paul did. His cock hadn't been touched, yet the intensity of his orgasm was such that he hit his face with his semen. Daniel thought that his hand would break with the pressure from the contractions around him. Patiently riding the waves out, he stroked Paul's stomach to soothe him. He wouldn't move until Paul had completely stopped, just in case he hurt him, though he did relax his fist as soon as he could.

When he was able to, he pulled his hand out, as slowly as it had entered his lover in the first place. The first thing he did was check for any suspicion of blood on the white glove. Seeing nothing, he relaxed a little, then took a bright-white cloth and wiped Paul's ass to clear off the oil. He double-checked the cloth and finally allowed himself to accept that he hadn't hurt his lover.

A quick wipe over Paul's face and stomach had him more or less cleaned up. Not that Paul had noticed. He was out cold.

Quickly, Daniel cleared up the toys, putting them to one side to clean later, then he lay on the bed and gathered Paul into his arms. He was rewarded by a pair of sleepy hazel-green eyes looking at him a moment later.

"Hey," Daniel said, wrapping a blanket around him and holding him tightly. "You with me again?"

"Huh?"

"You passed out."

"Did I?"

"Oh yeah." Daniel was teasing, but his voice was full of love. "Are you okay?"

"Amazing. Better than that. Incredible. Thank you."

"Thank you," Daniel answered. "It was an intense experience for me."

"You tired?"

"Fucked."

Paul sniggered, then he said, "Dan, you're still dressed. You didn't even..."

"Aht! It's okay," Daniel interrupted. "I'm fine. This was for you. C'mon, let's shut our eyes for a minute."

Paul nodded and snuggled as close as he could into Daniel's arms. They were both asleep in moments.

They didn't nap for long, or rather Daniel didn't. Paul remained fast asleep as Daniel wriggled away, trying not to disturb him. It was an undisturbed sleep, unlike the previous night.

Daniel was in a bit of a conundrum. He hadn't intended to go so far, so fast. What they'd done that morning had been planned for the following evening. Whereas he doubted that Paul was in a completely better state of mind, he was hopeful that he was at least a lot better than he had been.

His stomach rumbled, and he was minded to check the time. It was after one in the afternoon, so they were late for lunch. On tiptoes, he left the sleeping Paul and slipped out of the bedroom and went into the kitchen to prepare a light lunch.

As soon as it was ready, he went to awaken Paul. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gently roused him.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "It's time to eat."

Paul struggled to sit up and made to get out of bed, but Daniel stopped him. "Eat here," he told him. "I'd rather you didn't try to sit up for a while. After last night and this morning, I think your ass has taken enough punishment."

He added that last bit with a wicked grin, causing Paul to snort with amusement.

"How're you feeling?" Daniel asked as he placed a tray in front of Paul.

"I'm fine," came the careful reply. "A bit sore, but nothing bad," he added hurriedly. "I feel like I've slept for a week. My head's not really with it at the moment. It's like I'm still on an almighty high."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Endorphins," he said. "I've heard this can do that to the brain. I'll keep a close eye on you. If you start feeling down, if you think you're coming down too fast, let me know. Immediately," he insisted.

Paul nodded, unable to speak as he was eating.

"When you've finished eating, wait for thirty minutes to let your food go down, then take a bath. If you're sore and find bending difficult, call me and I'll run it for you and assist you, okay? I'll be in to wash you, anyway."

"Thanks, Daniel." Paul felt that a soak in the bath would help enormously.

As soon as they'd finished eating, Daniel took the dishes to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. Staring out of the kitchen window, he wondered just how far Paul would want to go in future - and just how far he could go to please him. Whispering a prayer to give him strength, he turned and headed back in to the bedroom.

"So, Jack, how're your legs?" Janet asked as they sat at a table in Oz, the guys' favourite café. Sandy, the elderly matriarchal proprietor immediately came over with a coffee and nudged Jack to shift up the bench seat so she could join them.

Jack greeted her with a hug and introduced her to the ladies.

"You didn't answer my question," Janet scowled.

"Hey, I was just being polite. And the legs are fine. Thanks for asking."

"They'd better be, or Daniel will kill me," she muttered.

"Why you?" Sandy asked.

"Jan used to be our doctor, back at the base," Jack explained. "Daniel left me in her capable, if tyrannical, hands." With a grin, he added, "You'd never guess she's a domme, would you?"

Janet bunched up a paper napkin and scored a goal with it - right on Jack's nose.

"Where are Daniel and Paul?" Sandy wondered. "Daniel doesn't usually let you out on your own - let alone with two beautiful women."

Jack chuckled for a moment, then his face fell. "He needs time to work with Paul," was all he said. Sandy was more than aware of their lifestyle (when she'd found out originally, she'd rolled her eyes and shrugged) so she guessed what he was talking about.

"Bad time at work?"

"You heard about the sailors?"

"Honey, the whole city heard about them. Paul have something to do with the investigation?"

"He took the statement from the survivor. Seems like he's not doing too well, either."

The normally mild-mannered Sandy cursed under her breath. "Poor guy," she whispered. "Can't believe that people are so nasty as to want to do that, especially in this day and age. You'd think people would learn to live and let live by now."

Jack sighed. "If they weren't picking on gays, they'd be picking on blacks or Jews or anyone else that was 'different' from them. If it's not one set of societal scapegoats, it's another. I agree with you, it's hard for any of us to accept bigotry."

He pointed at Sam and said, "Take us, for example. Sam, Daniel and me, we were on a team with a hulking great African guy. Daniel's late wife was an Arab. We all worked with people from all over the place, from different backgrounds, different religions... being different was never a problem, right? The T man was a part of us - a part of our family. Love that man like I love my brother. We all do. It never occurred to us to hate him. Understanding prejudice isn't easy, especially when you haven't held those views yourselves."

Sam couldn't look Jack in the eye. She knew that his words were holding forgiveness for her past homophobic views, rewarding her, almost, for her willingness to learn, to accept and to love the men again. He reached out and took her hand in his and squeezed it. Sandy knew that there was a story there, but she was wise enough to leave it.

Jack changed the subject and told Sandy why the women were there.

"Your daughter? Tell me about her," Sandy encouraged, smiling broadly at Janet and sitting back to listen. She loved kids, but had never had a chance to have her own, so she always wanted to hear about other people's.

Janet told her the cover story and how she'd come to adopt her, and how glad she was that Cassie was going to be near her 'uncles'.

"Bring her in here," Sandy insisted. "I'd love to meet her. When I know who she is, I can keep an eye on her if she comes up to this part of town to shop."

-

"Do you think that Paul's going to be okay when we get back?" Sam asked as they walked down the street slowly in deference to Jack's bad legs.

"Probably will be a bit more relaxed," Jack replied. "Daniel will have done something to take his mind off things."

"I'll bet," Janet sniggered.

"Jan, behave!" Sam scolded, but Jack just laughed too.

"Do you have any idea what about he's thinking of doing?" Janet asked, her voice taking on the tone of 'the doctor'. Jack recognised the tone as her 'tell me or else' attitude.

"I have some ideas, but it's not for me to say anything," he hedged. "I know that Paul's wanting to take things further, and as Daniel wanted us out of the way, I'm guessing that he's going to do something new."

"Something noisy?"

"Maybe," Jack answered, waggling his head from side to side in a manner more reminiscent of Daniel. "But it's just as likely that he didn't want to take the chance of being disturbed. The sort of scenes he sets up these days require a lot of concentration on his part. He's been studying with Mistress Eve."

"Studying?" Sam butted in.

"Well yeah. Basic bondage and stuff can be learned from books, but when you're getting more into it, it's safer to have a mentor, someone you trust to show you how to do it. He's been practising on her slave for a while now."

"Do you mind that?" Janet asked before Sam could splutter out the wrong thing.

"No. We know he's not doing anything, if you see what I mean. It's just flogging and stuff like that. The more complex bondage things, too. He's not cheating on us, if that's what you're getting at. He asked our permission before he even approached Eve about it. If we'd had the slightest reservations, he wouldn't have gone there."

"I take it he's putting his practise to good use?"

"Not on me," Jack admitted. "Our relationship is different from his and Paul's. We have a common ground for all three of us, but each individual couple - him and myself, him and Paul and Paul and me - we all have our own thing, our own way of dealing with each other. He knows I don't like the heavier things, so he doesn't even bring the subject up. He still pushes me, in his own way, still makes me find my own limits. They're further away than I thought they were," he shrugged. "God only knows there was a time that even the thought of talking about my sex life with someone else would have me going nuts. But now, it doesn't really bother me."

"You are definitely more relaxed than you used to be," Janet agreed. "You don't seem to be in so much visual control. Before, I'd look at you and I could see the mask that you wore, needing to be in control at all times. It's not there anymore."

"I know," Jack nodded, stopping outside a shop. "I feel younger in many ways. It's a pity my body doesn't agree."

He opened the door to the shop and ushered the women in. A short man with a smiling face greeted him warmly.

"Jack! It's good to see you. No Daniel?"

"No, he's at home with Paul," Jack replied. "Er, Simon, this is Sam and this is Janet. They're old friends of ours. Jan's here to get some things. Daniel says to put it on his account," he added with a shrug.

"You must be good friends, then," Simon answered. "Welcome to my humble shop, ladies. If there is anything I can do for you, please, don't hesitate to ask. Any friend of Jack's is a friend of mine."

They greeted him and then went to look around, Sam tagging on closely to Janet, unsure of what she would find. Like a heat-seeking missile, Janet homed straight in on the dildos and smiled wickedly when her eyes settled on one.

"Reminds me of someone I once knew," she said with a leer.

Sam's eyes opened wide when she saw it. Ten inches long, a couple wide, the big, black dildo seemed to hold fond memories for her friend. She mouthed 'Teal'c?' to Janet and just got a smirk in reply.

Jack watched the women curiously, amused by the scene in front of him. For all her intergalactic travel, Sam could be a real prude from time to time. It wasn't that she was virginal, either. He knew that she'd had plenty of boyfriends. It was just she had an all pervading vanilla 'innocence' about her that left him trying not to laugh at her reaction whenever sex was mentioned.

He saw something and smiled. After whispering something to his friend, the two men went in search of just the right thing.

"Uh, ladies? Have you got a moment?" Simon asked when they were ready.

"Sure, what's up?" Janet asked, waving yet another dildo about as she did.

Sam wasn't sure where to look.

"Jack has found some clothes which he believes Daniel would very much like to see you in. I've estimated your sizes and put them in the changing rooms. Would you?" he asked, pointing in the direction of the rooms.

"Yeah, why not?" Janet asked.

"Uh?" Sam wasn't so sure, but she soon found herself being dragged by the arm to the changing room.

Jack and Simon stood and waited, listening in to the women as they changed.

"Holy shit!" Janet howled. "I knew that Daniel was into leather, but this is ridiculous."

"Don't you like it?" Simon asked, calling through the curtain.

"Honey, I love it. Just hang on."

A squeak came from Sam's direction and it was all Jack could do to refrain from laughing out loud.

"You want me to wear that?" she squealed.

"Try it on, Sam," Jack encouraged. "You could do with lightening up."

He heard her muttering under her breath and then heard the noises of her removing her clothes and changing into the ones put for her. Whilst he was waiting, his cellphone rang and he went to the front of the shop to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jack. Just want to let you know it's safe to come home when you want."

"Is he okay, now?"

"A lot more relaxed. Don't know how long it's going to last."

"You gonna tell me what you did?"

"Hmm... when you come home, okay? Let's just say he's not going to want to sit for a while."

Jack held back a snigger.

"Poor thing. Give him a hug from me. We're at Simon's place at the moment. I've found a couple of things for the ladies that I think you'll approve of."

"Oh good. Can't wait to see them. Don't let Sam get away with anything. Better go, I can hear Paul making noises."

"See you soon, Daniel. We'll come home straight from the shop."

He signed off and then returned to the changing rooms in time to see Janet emerging.

"Wow," he drawled. "Damn, Janet, you look good in that."

She waggled her hips a bit and grinned.

"Why thank you, Sir," she replied, her southern tones ringing out. "You really think it suits me?"

Jack looked her up and down, as did Simon. Both men turned to look at each other and both wore matching leers. She was in a short, tight, black leather sheath which purported to be a dress. It left nothing to the imagination as it was low cut, the skirt - what there was of it - was cut up each side to the top of her thighs, showing off the stocking tops. The stockings were black silk with a lace top, held up by a garter belt. She wore extremely high heels with a distinct fetishist's air. A black satin jacket topped it off, adding a sense of the exotic to the erotic.

"You look," Simon whispered, "extremely sexy. It is difficult to put into words." He coughed shyly before asking, "Are you a domme? I only ask because you look like one, dressed like that. There is a sense of power coming from you..." His voice trailed off as he ran out of words. Like Janet, he played from time to time, mainly as a sub. As a bi man, he didn't really mind whether his dom was male or female. Though, if he was honest with himself, he got off more if there was a powerful woman in control. His choice of setting was in a club, with a set time and a set routine organised beforehand. He had a domme that he knew well and worked with a lot, though they would never step over the line and have sex. His kink was to get off later on the thought that people had watched him, bare-assed, being chained up and flogged.

"Sometimes," she shrugged. "Why, you interested?"

Before he could answer, Sam emerged shyly from the dressing room. It had taken her a little longer to get into her outfit as she wasn't as used to the style of clothing.

A low whistle rang out, and both men were surprised to hear it come from Janet.

"Jan?" Sam asked in shock. Janet kicked herself and tried to brazen it out.

"You look good, sugar," she said as calmly as she could.

Jack watched her closely and decided to question her later. In the meantime, he bailed her out.

"She's right, Sam. You look stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. Doesn't she, Simon?"

"I'll say," the shopkeeper added. "I could sell a fortune's worth of stuff if you modelled for me. You too," he added, looking at Janet and grinning.

Sam was in a mini skirt, in a deep-red leather. On top, she wore a see-through blouse, allowing everyone to see the skimpy lace bra that Simon had put for her. His years of experience had aided him to get the right sizes for both women straight away. The only thing he got wrong was the shoe size for Janet. It was one size too large, something that he'd put right later. Over that, she wore a short red leather jacket which stopped at her waist. Like Janet, she wore stockings, but hers were fishnets and instead of strappy high heeled sandals, she wore thigh length stiletto heeled boots.

"We'll take it," Jack said. "All of it."

"Jack, this isn't me," Sam complained.

"Oh, it is, it is," he insisted. "We're going to Fogies tonight," he continued. "It's a pretty easy-going place. You can wear those there."

"Jack! I'm not going out in this! I look like a slut!"

Janet raised an eyebrow. "Sam, honey, when was the last time you let loose? Nobody knows you here, nobody's gonna tell anyone. Just have some fun for pity's sake. You're right, Jack, we'll take it. But we can't let Daniel pay for this."

She'd seen the price tags and had nearly suffered a heart attack.

"Yes you will," Jack insisted, "or else you'll insult him. You know what he's like."

He ushered them back into the changing rooms and he and Simon deliberately discussed how good they looked. Simon figured that a night out at Fogies would be a good thing.

"They're on their way home," Daniel informed Paul as he soaked in the bath, revelling in the hot water as it soothed his body. The remaining tenseness started to leave him.

"Oh? Shall I get out of the bath?"

"Not yet, baby. Just enjoy yourself for a while. Lean forward, huh?"

Paul leaned forward as requested and Daniel, who was sitting on the edge of the bath, picked up the sponge and lovingly washed down his back and arms. Paul moaned quietly at the feeling, enjoying the sensations. He tried not to groan when Daniel stopped, especially as the next thing he knew, Daniel was washing his front.

"I haven't finished with you this weekend," he told Paul as he stroked the sponge over Paul's dick, alternating between soft and hard strokes up and down, making his lover harden.

"Hmm," Paul started, his eyes closing automatically as he relaxed again into Daniel's touch, then he opened one eye and grunted, "Huh?"

"Nuh huh. I told you, this is your weekend, Paul. It's only mid-afternoon on Saturday. You aren't being let off the hook until Monday morning."

Paul wasn't sure if he was delighted or frustrated by this thought. He knew that Daniel wouldn't let him come again and that he would do everything in his power to keep him turned on. He was doing that now, slowly jerking Paul as he pretended to be cleaning him. Carefully watching Paul's reactions, he backed down when he thought that he couldn't take any more.

"I'll get you some clothes out," he said suddenly, standing up and dropping the sponge into the bath. "Behave," he gave as a warning, as Paul's hand automatically headed for his cock.

"I will," Paul promised through gritted teeth. As he watched Daniel's retreating form, Paul mentally questioned himself. 'Why do I put myself through this?'. The answer came straight back. 'Because you'd go insane if you didn't and you know you like it.'

Snorting quietly, he lay back in the bath and tried to take his mind off the ache in his groin.

-

He got out of the bath a few minutes later, deciding that he'd rather be dressed for company than dressing when they'd already arrived. After towelling himself down, he strolled into the bedroom and his heart nearly stopped. Daniel had some things laid out on the bed.

"No point in getting changed twice," he said casually as Paul crossed the floor to join him. "We're going out tonight, so you can wear the clothes now."

A quick glance at the clock told him that it was only three in the afternoon. He'd have to be in these items for ages. Saying nothing, however, he waited for Daniel to dress him.

First, Daniel removed his jewellery - his leather bindings had been taken off for his bath. Then he replaced them with some new ones. A silver hoop which went through his nipple which had a fine chain attached to it. That went down to another ring, which Daniel slid through the hole at his navel's edge. When they were fitted, Daniel tugged the chain gently and grinned when he saw Paul's dick jump.

"You like?" he asked.

"Yes," Paul hissed, knowing that Daniel was well aware of how he felt.

Daniel changed his earring too, to one that matched his own. Jack, surprising the hell out of both men, had also had his ear pierced a while before and Daniel had another matching one out for him.

Then Daniel returned to the bindings. He replaced Paul's wrist bands and collar, reminding Paul that he was still in his submissive role. Then he added ankle bindings that matched the wrist, and then one for his waist. A leather strap was clipped on to the back of each ankle bracelet and then Daniel strapped two bands around his thighs. The straps were run through rings attached to them and then up to the waist band, where they went through rings before continuing up and over Paul's shoulders. The long straps were finally hooked to a single ring in the centre of the front of the waist band. Daniel had had these items specifically made for Paul and they fitted him snugly. He wouldn't be able to bend over now, he'd have to bend at the knees if he really had to get something near the ground.

Then Daniel took hold of the new ball stretcher and cock sheath and put them on him. Paul fought the urge to get hard, but it wasn't easy. Just the feel of metal, leather and suede on his naked body was enough for him - that and knowing that he was standing naked in a room with his lover.

Daniel decided to make things a little worse and dropped to his knees, taking Paul's cock head into his mouth and suckling for a while, making him as hard as nails.

"No, you can't come," he warned slyly as he backed off, licking his lips.

The only thing Daniel didn't do was place another butt plug inside of Paul, thinking that he'd probably be better off if his ass was given a chance to rest.

"You know, it's tempting to keep you looking like this for me all day," Daniel said thoughtfully, lustfully grazing with his eyes. "But it would probably be too much for Sam," he added, much to Paul's relief.

He picked up the tight leather trousers that Paul had worn the previous evening and some talcum powder. Spreading that liberally over Paul's legs, he directed Paul to stand in the legs and then worked them up, taking care not to disturb the bindings.

"Dan," Paul whispered as Daniel started to do up the buttoned fly.

"Yes?"

"You've forgotten something."

"Oh? What?"

Paul looked down and indicated that he had nothing covering his ass except the bindings. Daniel just shrugged.

"I know. I want you like this. I think that when we go out, all the guys there will know that you are going commando. And you know what? Tough. You're mine and I don't share."

He stepped back and looked Paul up and down once again and then let out a hungry groan.

"Yeah, that will do for now. We'll finish getting you ready when it's time to go out. In the meantime, the girls can get a good eyeful."

Paul's face was a picture.

"They're not going to touch you, Paul. Sheesh, man, you won't melt if one does, you know."

Scowling, Paul replied, "I know that. It's just I feel... awkward if they look at me like that."

"Paul, honey, women have been looking at you like that for years. You've always chosen to ignore it. Ignore it now. Let me get the pleasure of having others desire you, okay? Nothing will come of it unless you want that."

"Why would I want that?" Paul nearly squeaked.

"I have no idea, baby. Why would you?"

Paul scowled again at Daniel's teasing and ignored the comment. He still wasn't sure about the state of dress that he was in, but he didn't say anything.

-

Paul stood barefoot in the living room, letting his toes wiggle in the thick pile of the carpet. He had no idea of what Daniel had in mind, but he knew from experience not to ask. Daniel emerged from the bedroom a few moments later, wearing similar clothing to Paul. Leather trousers, no top. His jewellery had no chains but he, too, wore silver rings in his nipple, navel and ear. With no bindings, he just looked like he was half-dressed. And, Paul thought, very, very sexy - dangerous even.

Daniel saw the look that flashed across Paul's face and decided to take advantage of it. He put out his hand and pulled him close, then indicated that they should sit on the sofa. When they got there, Daniel shifted about until Paul was lying down, his back against the back of the sofa, and he himself was lying facing him. Without saying anything, he started to kiss Paul, just making the most of having him lying there. Paul reacted and wrapped his arms around Daniel, but all he got was Daniel pulling back from him.

"Did I say you could?" he scolded. Daniel got off the sofa and told Paul to lie face down, which he did. "Put your hands behind your back."

Complying, Paul scolded himself for reacting to Daniel, knowing now that he wouldn't be in a position to do a thing. Daniel undid a buckle on each of the wrist bands and then buckled them up again - but this time to the other band. Paul was immobilised. Daniel rolled Paul back, making sure that his hands were in the gap between the cushions and the back so that he wouldn't be too uncomfortable. Then he returned to his job and kissed Paul.

Paul shut his eyes and stopped thinking. All he could hear were the quiet moans from Daniel's throat and from deep in his own. He tried not to react, tried to stop himself from getting an erection, but it wasn't easy. He loved giving his body to Daniel, really got off on just being taken and used, being a body and not a mind. He was so wrapped up in what Daniel was doing that he completely missed the fact that they were no longer alone.

Reacting to Jack's warning cough, Daniel slowly turned until he could see the others standing nearby. He was tempted to just acknowledge them and go back to what he'd been happily doing a moment before, but he decided on a different track.

"Hi guys," he said coolly, "did you get what you wanted?"

Janet was the first to answer and she did - with a wicked grin. "Oh yeah," she drawled. "Thank you. Jack insisted on putting it on your account."

"Good, I'm glad," Daniel said with a warm smile, but still not moving from his position. "Uh, what time is it?"

"Nearly four," Jack answered.

"Right. So, what, we go out about eight?"

The conversation was so normal that Paul wasn't sure if he should continue to lie where he was or to laugh hysterically. A squeak came out of his throat, a noncommittal noise that seemed to cover all bases. Daniel turned around and scowled, reached up to his bare nipple and squeezed. It was a warning to behave or else. Paul shut his eyes and tried to shut the world out of his mind.

Suddenly, Daniel surprised them all by letting go of Paul, rolling off the sofa and jumping up to his feet. He totally ignored the looks of lust that came his way, just focussed his attention on the matter at hand.

"Paul, off the sofa," he ordered. "Let the ladies show me what they bought."

Paul knew that sitting up was going to be difficult and that bending was nigh on impossible. He sent a look of desperation to Daniel and was 'rewarded' by Daniel firmly grasping the top of one of Paul's arms and hauling him upright. Sam couldn't keep down a gasp when she saw how he looked - and the fact that his hands were bound behind his back. Daniel helped Paul get to the floor, giving a nod to indicate that Paul should kneel at his feet.

"Jack, go and rest," Daniel ordered.

Jack knew better than anyone that Daniel had no intention of listening to an 'I'm fine', so he left the living room, went directly to the bedroom, kicked his shoes off and just 'shut his eyes' for a while. As he started to doze off, he chuckled mentally as he realised that Daniel could read his body better than he could.

In the living room, Daniel was sitting in-between the two women, Paul kneeling at his feet. Despite her questions, Sam said nothing, just taking her cue from Janet. They showed Daniel what they'd bought (including the things that Janet had insisted on paying for) and he approved.

"So, Jan," he said, lifting the large dildo that she'd bought. "Remind you of someone?" he asked.

"Hey, I'm a doctor," she said with a smirk. "There's no part of you that I don't know. Or any of the other guys on base for that matter."

"Maybe so, but you never got me like that," he countered. "One look from you and my dick usually lost the will to live."

Sam sniggered, unused to Daniel's frank talk but getting accustomed to it.

When Janet pulled the dress out, Daniel let out a wolf whistle and waggled his eyebrows, setting Sam off into a fit of giggles.

"So, Sam, what did you get?" he prompted.

She pulled her skirt out of the bag and then showed him the boots and Daniel growled in approval. "I can't wait to see you in those outfits, ladies. It'll make a change from uniform, eh?"

All the time that they were speaking, Paul was kneeling and saying nothing. Daniel flicked his eyes towards him and saw that his back was sagging slightly. Without saying anything, Daniel reached towards him and jerked the chain between his nipple and navel, making him jump. He held his back rigidly again, not wanting to risk Daniel's wrath.

The talk went on and again Paul unwittingly began to sag. It was what Daniel had been waiting for. Again, he was trying to get Paul to focus solely on his body. The sagging meant that Paul wasn't concentrating on his posture and was probably thinking, something that Daniel did not want him to do.

"Excuse me, ladies," he said quietly. "I need to do something."

He stood up, reached down, grabbed the chain again and said, "Stand up."

With difficulty, Paul got to his feet.

"Follow me and be quiet."

They reached the bedroom door and Daniel opened it wide. Jack was quietly snoring on the bed, prompting Daniel to smile.

"Kneel down," he whispered, then as silently as he could, he got a metal bar from the cupboard. He kicked Paul's legs apart and fixed the clips on the pole to a metal shackle on each end. Then he attached the shackles to each of Paul's ankles. He would have attached the pole to the leather ankle bindings that he already had on but without removing Paul's trousers, he couldn't access them. He wasn't ready to expose more of his lover than necessary to the women, so he went this way instead.

Then he undid the buckles on Paul's wrist bands before reattaching them, this time buckled to the ends of the pole. Paul, therefore, found himself leaning backwards, unable to move. Daniel picked up the ball with the bell and stuffed it inside Paul's hand and Paul knew what was coming next. A cloth gag was tied over his mouth and then the silk blindfold was put on his eyes.

"If you want to concentrate on something," Daniel hissed, "concentrate on this."

Paul just accepted his fate, relieved that Daniel hadn't done what he'd done the previous time he'd locked him up like this. That time, he'd undone Paul's trousers and exposed his cock. That was worse than being nude, in a way, he thought. The exposure of his most vulnerable part (he'd been otherwise dressed in his work suit, shirt and tie and all) had been both scary and an incredible turn on. Adding the fact that that time he'd had ear plugs put in and his one connection to the outside world had been removed, he'd felt completely on edge.

He knew that the door would be open, that Daniel would be listening closely for the bell. Knowing that the women could be standing there, watching him like this sent shivers down his spine. He spent all of his time concentrating on trying not to get hard.

The soft snores from Jack offered a little comfort, a connection to the outside world. He listened intently to them.

Before long, all that was going through Paul's mind was staying still and listening to Jack.

From the door, Daniel watched, not leaving until a peaceful look passed over Paul's face. Mission accomplished.

In the living room, Daniel asked that the ladies speak only in whispers.

"I need to listen intently," he explained, his voice barely audible. "If Paul gets into any distress, he'll drop the bell that I gave him."

Janet nodded in understanding. Sam, whilst getting a better idea of what was going on, was still confused.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I still can't see how you can equate that with love."

He let out a sigh and then explained.

"When he was kneeling, I saw that he wasn't concentrating on his task. I can't allow his mind to wander, Sam. If it does, it might go back to the events of yesterday. That will upset him. Putting him in a situation where he has to use all of his concentration to stay in the one, semi-comfortable position stops him from thinking of other things."

"Is he in pain?"

"A bit. Nothing much. I wouldn't hurt him, Sam. I'd rather die."

"You say that and yet you treat him like this in front of others. Isn't that humiliating for him?"

"Only if you treat him like it's something weird or perverted, Sam. If you act as if it's perfectly normal, then it won't be. You see, it's not me that's humiliating him. It's you."

Sam blinked sharply at Daniel's words. Her natural tendency was to protect Paul, seeing him as vulnerable. She couldn't see things from his perspective no matter how hard she tried.

Daniel tried a different tack.

"Think of it this way, Sam. You are a total outsider, a one-off alien and you settle down in a new, completely different society."

She nodded - she was with him - so far.

"Now, that society can do one of two things. They can reject you, treat you like a weirdo, wonder about you and so on, or they can pretty much ignore the fact that you have two legs while they have six tentacles, you are a human whereas they're cephalopods, yadda, yadda. If they treat you like an outsider, you're going to feel odd, hurt, maybe even humiliated by the stares, right?"

She nodded a little more vigorously this time.

"But, if they go with the second option, just accepting you as being you, accepting that your tastes are perfectly normal for you, et cetera, you're going to relax, settle down, and in no time, you're going to be a part of that society."

"Yes, I see what you're getting at. It's not what you're doing but other people's reactions to it that defines what's normal and acceptable, what's seen as perverted and so on."

"Precisely. It's perception, Sam. If you perceive that I'm humiliating Paul, then he is being humiliated. But. If you perceive that I am acting out of love and concern for him, trying to take his mind off things, then that's what's happening. How can he be humiliated if you don't see the humiliation? How can he be loved if you don't see the love?"

He stood up and silently padded to the bedroom door to check on Paul, pleased when he saw that the man was in the same position that he'd been left in. He returned to the living room and saw that Janet had started to take the bags of shopping into the bedroom, leaving him alone with Sam. She put her arms out and he accepted the hug. They stood silently for a while, just looking out of the window, Sam resting her head on his bare shoulders.

"Sam?" he whispered after a few minutes. "Are you okay with this now?"

"I'm understanding it more," she agreed. "It's not all there yet, but I'm getting there. I hope you don't mind me asking questions like this."

"Nope, of course not. But there is something that you should understand, Sam. What I have with the guys isn't necessarily typical. Neither is what you saw with Mistress Eve and her slave. Each partnership has its own rules, its own 'normality'. What's right for us may not be right for some others. And that's fine. That's the whole point of 'alternate' lifestyles. What we do is good for us, it suits our personalities and our needs. We don't hurt others, we don't hurt each other. All we ask is that people just accept that we're doing what makes us happy. Paul is happy, honey. I wouldn't do this if it didn't make him happy. I'd walk from one end of the Earth to the other if that was what he wanted."

"I know you would, sweetie," she sighed. "I wish someone loved me as much as you love the guys."

Daniel hugged her tightly.

"Someone does, Sam. You're just looking in the wrong direction."

Jack opened his eyes and gingerly sat up. He knew that he should have a soak in the bath or the hot tub before going out that night or he'd be as stiff as a plank. He turned his head when he felt that he wasn't alone. Knowing that there was no one else on the bed, he scanned the floor and saw Paul. 'Ouch,' he thought. 'That looks painful.'

Saying nothing, he left the bedroom and saw that Daniel was still half-dressed and in the living room with the women, chatting almost silently. Daniel looked over to the door and saw Jack standing there and he made his way over to him.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Thanks, Danny. I needed that. But then you knew that, didn't you?"

Daniel just grinned.

"Go make some drinks. I've got me a man to untie."

Jack went into the kitchen as ordered and checked the time. If they were going out that evening, he'd need to get some food on before long. First thing he did was put some fresh coffee on and then he checked out the contents of the fridge.

Daniel, meanwhile, was in the bedroom.

He removed the gag and swooped in for the kiss; Paul's open, watering mouth proving too damned tempting to resist. Then he undid the blindfold, kissing Paul's eyelids before allowing him to see again. Next, he moved behind Paul on his knees and undid the buckles on each wrist band, kissing and massaging the entire length of each arm as he freed it. Seeing Paul on his knees with his legs wide apart was turning him on incredibly and it took a lot of his considerable self-control to not yank his pants down and just fuck him. If it wasn't for the fact that Daniel was still wary about even touching Paul's ass for a while then he'd have done it.

"Jack!" He yelled out, thinking that he had to do something or he would burst.

In moments, Jack was at the door. Daniel grabbed him and shut the door, turned Jack to face it and made him put his hands on it. Then he had Jack's pants and boxers down in moments, grabbed the lube and he fucked him. No finesse, no words, just taking the older man hard and fast. Jack bit down on his need. He knew that Daniel must have been driven to this or else he wouldn't be doing it. Not that he was complaining. At fifty, it was pretty cool to be a sex toy for a younger, hot man.

"Shit," Daniel hissed through gritted teeth as he came. Still turned on and frantic, he pulled out of Jack turned him until his back was resting on the door and dropped like a stone to his knees. Jack hadn't seen Daniel this desperate for ages and he knew just what he wanted. He wrapped his fingers into Daniel's hair and pulled tightly, loving the highly erotic moan that came from his lover, making his cock vibrate. Daniel grabbed Jack's hips and pulled, ordering him to move. Paul watched hungrily, wishing that he could be a part of this. Daniel in this mood was beyond sexy. Watching Jack slowly fucking Daniel's mouth as Daniel sucked and moved his head and his hands was amazing. Paul had to shut his eyes, knowing that if he didn't he'd come from just watching it. He was incredibly grateful to hear Jack's groan and the heavy breathing stop.

"That's your fault," Daniel said with an almost hysterical laugh as he returned to Paul and unclipped the pole. "You look so damned fuckable." He aided Paul in getting up and pushed him to sit on the bed, then he turned to Jack and kissed him hard at first, winding his tongue around Jack's and then gentling until they barely touched. "Thank you," he whispered. "You are incredible."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, I promise," Jack chuckled back. "I'd better get into the kitchen. The coffee should be ready. Do you want me to start dinner?"

"Nah, it's okay. I think we'll order in tonight. Will you want a soak in the bath?"

Jack nodded, thinking that Daniel could go on stage as a mind-reader.

Coffee in hand, Daniel picked up the menu for the nearest Italian restaurant. He called out to the women and found out what they wanted, then he dialled up and ordered. The restaurant delivered and would be there in about an hour.

"Paul, take care of the ladies," Daniel instructed as he put the phone down. Neither woman commented on the fact that Daniel hadn't asked the men what they'd want to eat. "Jack, go to the bathroom, run your bath and wait for me. Paul, you may speak when spoken to."

Paul was left standing in the kitchen, waiting for instructions. Sending his mind back to the times when he'd been a junior officer, he stood almost to attention as he prepared himself to follow their orders.

"Paul, how are you feeling?" Janet asked carefully.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"Good. Do you want anything to drink?" she asked, indicating to the coffee pot.

"Er, no, thank you." Daniel hadn't given him permission to drink so he wouldn't do it.

"What's going on in there?" Sam asked, curious as to why Daniel would need to be there for Jack's bath.

"Jack is going to bathe," Paul answered with a shrug.

"Can't he do that on his own?"

Paul was unsure as to how much he should answer, so Janet stepped in. "Uh, Sam, unless the guys are given permission, they're not allowed to touch themselves, not even to get clean."

"Why?"

Janet gritted her teeth. Sometimes, just sometimes, Sam could be like the proverbial three year-old, asking 'why' to anything and everything. This time, however, Paul answered.

"Because he owns us and our bodies. Our bodies belong to Daniel. We do nothing without his permission."

"Oh! Okay," she shrugged, her voice light and forcing herself to act normally.

Paul rapidly blinked in shock, as did Janet. Both had been expecting a lot more, and neither had expected her acceptance of the explanation so quickly.

Inside the bedroom, Daniel had heard the conversation and grinned. She was getting better at this.

"Oh my God." Daniel's voice had dropped low and sultry when the women exited the bedroom. "You two are hot," he exclaimed. Sam was still feeling awkward in her revealing clothes, but the positive reactions from everyone had her feeling better about herself. Even Paul was smiling at her. Janet, naturally, was revelling in the attention, though she kept looking surreptitiously at Sam.

The women looked at the men, standing side-by-side and then looked at each other and grinned. Leather was definitely the order of the day. Daniel looking dangerous in his tight trousers, short black hiking boots, tight black T and a jacket that stopped at the waist. Jack couldn't have looked more macho if he'd been covered in automatic weapons. Tight, faded-blue jeans were topped by a similarly tight, white sleeveless T-shirt. He also wore hiking boots and his leather jacket. Both women were surprised to see the earring glistening in his left ear, matching the ones worn by the other men. Paul was still in his leather pants but his top was now covered by a fishnet sleeveless top and his short leather jacket. His boots were again his biker's boots, stopping just short of his knees.

The sound of a car pulling up outside broke the spell that had descended as the room's occupants sized each other up. Daniel made sure he had his keys and his wallet and ushered them out to the mini-van that he'd ordered to take the five of them clubbing. He told the cab driver where they were going and then settled back to enjoy the ride. And he was enjoying it, taking in the sight of his favourite people looking their sexiest - and it was all just for him. He knew that the men dressed to please him and from what Jack had said about choosing the ladies' clothes, it had been done with him in mind. Couldn't be bad. He was also glad that he had had sex not so long back, it was taking the edge off. He could so easily be turned on right now.

It took about thirty minutes to turn up at their destination. Daniel said he'd call when he wanted the cab to return and then, head held high, he led them to the door.

-

Fogies was Jack's favourite place. No strobing lights or technobeat music, just good rock and pop played at a level where you could hear it on the dance floor and you could speak at the bar or tables without having to raise your voice to a shout. The acoustics of the club had been designed that way and it worked well. There was a great age range in the club, from the young twenties (it was a members and invitation only club from twenty-one years and up) to a few in their sixties. Most of the clientele were gay men and women, but straights were welcomed with open arms. Looking across the dance floor he could see every mix imaginable. Male/male through mixed sex through to indefinable. 'Was that tall black person male or female?' he wondered. He'd never seen anyone that looked truly androgynous before but the statuesque body was impossible to place in any category. Even the clothes he or she wore were somewhere in-between male and female. He was so captivated by that person that Daniel had to grab him to get his attention.

Shaking his head, he followed Daniel to the table that the girls had quickly secured.

The evening was spent in good humour, with those that wanted to dancing and those that didn't watching the world go by. About an hour into the night, a cry went up and Jack stood up and turned, smiling at the voice.

"Diz," he greeted. "Good to see you here."

A medium height woman came across the floor and gave him a hug, then she greeted the other men.

"You going to introduce me?" she asked, pointing to the women.

"Sure. Dizzy, this is Sam and this is Janet. We worked together when we were in the Air Force," he added. "I think I've mentioned them once or twice. Ladies, this is Dizzy. She paints my pottery."

"Ah, the famous Dizzy," Sam said. "I've long admired your work."

"You have?" Dizzy nudged Daniel as she tried to sit. "Scoot over, Daniel. I don't take much room but you're not giving me any." She caught a dangerous look on his face and got in before he could speak. "And no, I'm not sitting on your lap."

"Spoilsport," he teased, and moved along the bench seat to accommodate her. Paul was sitting next to him and he automatically wrapped his arm around him, hugging him close. Jack sat back down next to Dizzy and the friends started to talk again.

For some reason, ever since Jack had met her, he'd liked her a lot. She was a no-nonsense kind of person, calling a spade a spade at whatever opportunity she got. A wicked sense of humour underlined her razor sharp tongue and few people got away with anything around her. She and Daniel spent most of their time winding each other up, saying that the other brought out the inner bitch in them both. Jack was one of the few people that she'd let advise her on anything, looking up to him as a father figure, her own father having been a waste of oxygen. She and Paul had a quiet relationship, filled with mutual respect. She always had the bossy sister air about her around him, wanting to take care of the man that had, on many occasions in his military past, killed.

After some heated and hilarious 'discussions', Dizzy's itchy feet got the better of her.

"I want to dance," she announced. Then she looked straight into Janet's eyes. "Come with me?"

"Sure thing, hun," Janet replied, getting up and walking straight to the dance floor. Sam's eyes nearly bugged out when she saw the two women catching hold of each other's hands as they started to move to the music. She couldn't take her eyes off them, feeling a bit angry for a reason she wasn't clear about.

"Daniel?"

He turned to Sam, trying to hide his smirk.

"Sam?" he asked, his voice innocent.

"Uh, is there something that Janet is trying to tell me?"

"I don't know, honey. What do you think she's trying to say?"

She reached over and prodded him in the arm. "You know," she hissed. "Is she, er..."

"I think the word you're looking for is bisexual, Sam. And I don't know. She's never said anything to me. Looking at the way she's dancing with Diz, though..."

He stared into Sam's shocked eyes for a moment and then asked, "Would it be a problem for you?"

Sam thought for a while, then she answered, "No. No, it wouldn't be. I just wish she would have told me, that's all."

"Perhaps she was waiting for the right moment? You weren't exactly receptive to the idea once, were you?"

Blushing furiously, she dipped her head and shook it. Daniel whispered something into Paul's ear and then the men swapped places, Paul going closer to Jack so that Daniel could be next to Sam.

"She must trust you to accept her now, Sam," he coaxed. "Surely you appreciate the level of faith that she has in you? That she's entrusting this secret with you? Her career is on the line here, honey. It's a big deal - a major deal for her."

"I get that," Sam replied. "I won't do anything to hurt her. She's my best friend, I couldn't..."

"No, I know you couldn't, Sam. It would hurt you, wouldn't it?"

She nodded her head vigorously, appreciating the fact that he had wrapped his arm around her and was hugging her tightly. Sam looked up again and turned her head to watch Janet on the dance floor. Something wasn't right about this and she didn't know what it was. She missed the glances between the men and the small nods that they made.

"Dance with me?" he asked her.

"Er, sure."

She stood up and he followed her onto the dance floor, carefully leading her in the dance so that she could watch Janet throughout.

"Why are you afraid?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Afraid?"

"Of your feelings."

She stopped dead and looked into his eyes.

"What?"

"Sam, it's obvious how you're feeling. You want to be with her, don't you? You don't want her to dance with Dizzy, it should be you."

"I don't know what to do."

"Follow your heart, honey. You're not a coward. Do what your heart says for once."

"I... I don't know, Daniel."

"Go dance with her. Nothing else. Trust her, Sam, just as she's trusting you."

She nodded again and nervously crossed the dance floor till she got to Janet's side.

"Jan?" she called out, her voice shaking.

Dizzy let go of Janet and looked over to where Daniel was still standing on the floor. He nodded his head in the direction of the table and she moved away. By the time the two of them had reached their seats, Sam and Janet were moving to the slow beat of the song that had just started.

"And another straight gal comes over to the dark side," Dizzy announced into her beer, getting raised glasses from the men. "How did you know, Daniel?"

"I know them," he shrugged. "Janet's body language has been screaming "SAM" at me since they turned up. They're normally inseparable but this has been ridiculous. It was about time."

"You should have seen Jan's face when Sam came out of the changing room in Simon's," Jack added. "She whistled for crying out loud! If that wasn't a signal to Sam, I don't know what was."

"Sam wasn't looking," Daniel shrugged. "It hadn't occurred to her. It was only now that she realised."

"Realised what?" Paul asked.

"That she was as jealous as hell at Dizzy dancing with Jan. She figured she should be there instead. I just gave her a push."

"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match..." Dizzy started singing.

Daniel threw beer mats in her direction until she stopped.

"I just thought," Jack said suddenly. "I know someone that's going to be disappointed."

"Who's that?" Daniel asked.

"Simon. He was way interested in Jan."

"Poor guy. Just hope he doesn't get pissed off with me," Daniel said with a shrug. "I'd hate to have to find another toy shop."

Sam was shivering by the time they'd got home. Partially because of the chill of the evening air, but mainly because of nerves. She had no idea what was going to happen now. During the evening out, she and Janet had danced a lot but talking wasn't really possible. Janet saw her face and reached out and took her hand, squeezing it in comfort. The men tactfully ignored any signs of a burgeoning relationship, allowing the women to work it out on their own.

Inside the house, Daniel suggested that they all go straight to bed, claiming extreme tiredness as an excuse. He was tired, but not as bad as he was making out. He had plans for his men and he wanted to carry them out.

Sam followed Janet into the bedroom and started to get undressed and ready for bed. They had an en suite bathroom, so they took it in turns and finally, they did what they'd done the night before and got under the covers. This time, however, it was a little different.

"Jan?"

"What's up, honey?"

"What's going to happen between us?"

"That's up to you," she answered with a sigh. "I'm not going to push you."

"I know. I don't understand this, Jan. I've never thought of this, but seeing you with her... I don't think it would have been as bad if you'd been dancing with a guy."

Janet took a chance and wrapped her arms around Sam, pulling her closely until they were lying face to face.

"Perhaps we should try something out," she suggested. "No strings attached. If you don't like it, you say stop and it never happens again."

"Try what?"

Rather than answering her, Janet tilted her head slightly and kissed her.

Sam froze for a moment, and then she realised that it wasn't bad, that the world wasn't ending. This was a woman that she loved and trusted, the woman that was raising the girl she thought of as her own daughter - the girl they'd brought up together. They'd rarely argued, agreed on many things... having a relationship with her would be so much easier in many ways. The best thing was that nobody would question it, either. Everyone knew that they were close. A few moments into her thoughts, Sam realised that her body was pretty much ignoring her mind and was responding enthusiastically, kissing Janet back without hesitation.

Finally, she pulled back, her mouth open in a 'wow' manner.

"Sam? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Surprised, but fine."

Janet bit down a laugh and turned onto her back, pulling Sam until she was lying really close. "Go to sleep, honey. We'll talk again tomorrow."

With a grin on her face, Sam shut her eyes and soon fell asleep. Janet remained awake for a little longer, thinking that she had finally got what she wanted.

In the men's bedroom, the atmosphere was very different. Paul had been allowed to relax in the club, but now he was back on his best behaviour. Jack, too, was behaving himself, something that didn't go unnoticed with Daniel. They were standing at the foot of the bed, virtually to attention, eyes front and faces blank.

Daniel got the riding crop out of the cupboard and waved it about, using it as if it were a baton and he was conducting them, orchestrating their actions.

"Strip," he said, brushing the floppy end of the crop over their chests. "Tops first."

He stood back and watched them pull off their jackets and shirts and then standing back to attention.

"Good," Daniel said with a distinct leer in his voice. He moved close and ducked his head, taking one of Jack's nipples in his mouth, sucking it and running his tongue over the tip as he did, causing Jack to hiss with pleasure. Daniel broke away and then ran the fine end of the crop behind the waistband and brushed it over the base of his dick. He felt Jack's cock jump slightly and flicked the crop a little, not getting much movement but being able to give him a little sting.

"Behave," he warned. "You don't get up and you don't get off unless I say you do."

Jack swallowed harshly and nodded briefly. "Yes, Daniel."

Daniel stood back and continued with his orders, telling them to remove their boots and socks, then their trousers, teasing them both as they went. By the time they were undressed they were both fighting the urges to get off.

Paul was still in his bondage gear and Jack still had his wrist bands on, but Daniel realised that the following day's play would need a certain thing done, preferably that night. He removed Jack's bands, then removed all of Paul's bindings and body jewellery.

"Just for now," he said. "I have something to do to you guys first."

Not letting them ask any questions, he headed for the pile of old towels that he had and lay them on the bed, not missing the looks of curiosity on the men's faces. Still, he said nothing as to the nature of his plan. Then he headed into the bathroom and filled a plastic bowl with warm water and carried it back to the side of the bed, clearing the one bedside table and putting it on the top. Finally he went back into the bathroom and came out with a few more items.

"Jack, lay on the bed," he instructed.

Jack did as he was told, lying flat on his back, only too aware of what Daniel had in mind now. Paul was told that he could watch and his cock started to twitch at the thought of what was going to come.

Daniel picked up a scissors and matter-of-factly told Jack to put his arms above his head and clipped Jack's pit and chest hair and then moved further south. He picked up Jack's cock and held it to one side, feeling it growing slightly just because he was touching it. Trying to ignore that, he clipped the long hairs down as far as he could, trimming everything in sight. Then he got a safety razor and a flannel, wet it down, covered him with shaving cream and proceeded to shave him.

Paul watched in awe as every single hair disappeared under the touch of the blade; the armpits, the chest, Jack's stomach... all were cleared. Then Daniel worked on Jack's genitals, removing every hair carefully. When the front was done and he had washed him down, he told Jack to turn over and get up onto his knees. Paul swallowed hard when he saw Daniel open Jack's legs as wide as they could go and start the procedure all over again. Knowing that this was going to happen to him was a major turn on and he was as hard as nails before long. Desperately trying not to succumb to the temptation to touch himself, he fidgeted with his hands. Daniel stopped what he was doing for a moment and said, "Lock your hands behind your head, Paul, and keep them there."

Gratefully, Paul did as he was told, ignoring the fact that his cock was sticking out, itching to get to the hole that Jack was presenting to him.

Eventually, Daniel was done. Out of consideration for Jack's scarred legs, he left those out of the shaving. Before he let Jack go though, Daniel did what he had been tempted to do throughout the second half of the shaving and licked a stripe from the back of Jack's balls, up and over his ass, lingering for a while on the perineum and pushing slightly inside of him. It took all of Jack's self-control not to cry out loud when he felt that. When he felt a soft kiss on the small of his back, he knew that the exquisite torture was over for the moment.

"You can go and get ready for bed now," Daniel told him. "If you wish to shower, you may. I will put some oil onto your body before you go to bed to soften your skin for me, so wash now."

Awkwardly, Jack hobbled to the bathroom, wishing that he would be allowed to come but not holding out much hope. Daniel was as much in an alpha mood as he'd ever seen him. Quiet, determined, leaving neither man able to turn him down. It was only the trust they had in him, the trust that he wouldn't hurt them or do anything bad that allowed them to accept whatever he did.

He heard a quiet groan from Paul and chuckled to himself. Whatever delightful tortures Daniel had in mind for him, they were nothing like as bad as the ones that he had in mind for Paul. One thing he knew was that Daniel definitely had something inventive planned for the next day.

He re-entered the bedroom and saw Paul lying on his back as Daniel sheered the hair around his cock and balls. He was virtually hairless on his chest, so only his armpits had taken any time above the waist. He watched in fascination, realising how incredibly erotic it was to watch this. Lying there with Daniel holding a blade to his skin hadn't been as nerve-wracking as it might have been, not after the knife play that they'd done on a number of occasions. Daniel had an incredibly steady hand when he let the dom take over his personality and if he hadn't even nicked either of them with a razor sharp open blade, he wasn't likely to hurt them with a wire-covered safety razor.

Daniel was acting so coolly that it was like it wasn't doing anything for him, but Jack noticed that even under his skintight trousers, Daniel was hard.

He told Paul to turn onto his hands and knees, just as he'd turned Jack, and Jack got hard again when he saw Paul's ass presented to him just as his had been for Paul. He mentally cursed because he'd only just got that under control.

"Dammit," he thought. "I'm fifty, I've already come twice in one day. Most guys would consider themselves lucky to get off once a week at my age. But those two... they'll be the death of me." He grinned as his more wicked subconscious thought, "Yeah, but what a way to go, eh? It sure beats the hell out of getting shot or dying lonely."

Paul was trying hard to keep still but he was thrumming with tension. Daniel's hands seemed to be all over him, the hard razor's edge scraping down his skin and setting him on edge. Sometimes Daniel leaned in close and he could feel the hot breath on the now totally exposed skin. He tried his best not to get hard, but his cock was pointing right at his face. The only thing on his mind was 'Fuck me!'.

"All done," Daniel finally announced. "Go clean up and get ready for bed," he told him.

Before he cleared off the towels, he told Jack to lie back down and got out some aloe gel. Jack shut his eyes and allowed himself to only feel the touch of Daniel massaging the soothing gel into his tingling skin. Every shaved area was treated making him feel incredible.

"You want to get off?" Daniel asked.

Jack opened one eye and answered diplomatically, "Whatever you want, Daniel."

"Good answer, Jack," Daniel replied before standing up, stripping his own clothes off, getting back on the bed and impaling himself on Jack's hard dick.

"Oh fuck," Jack moaned as he felt Daniel sliding down him.

"That's the idea, Jack."

Paul came back into the bedroom and saw something that turned him on and made him want to groan with frustration. If Daniel was fucking with Jack, that meant he wasn't going to come again that night. Not that he'd been expecting to, but still, a guy could dream. He stood and watched them intently, as Daniel took all of his weight on his thighs and the powerful muscles twitched under the strain. Jack's eyes were screwed shut but to no avail, nothing was going to stop him coming soon and all three of them knew it. He was too wound up from the shaving, from the fact that at the night club Daniel had spent a lot of time kissing him in full view of everyone, rubbing their groins together in a blatant display. Paul could see that it was getting close, Jack was thrusting up to meet Daniel coming down, urging him on, needing to get to the end.

"Come for me, Jack," Daniel murmured and Jack let go, stuffing his fist into his face to stop himself from howling.

Still hard himself, Daniel eased off Jack's softening cock, missing it in moments when it was gone. He bent over and kissed Jack lovingly before telling him to shift over so that he could take care of Paul.

Paul lay as instructed and soon felt Daniel's hands smoothing the gel into him. He nearly whimpered with frustration as every time Daniel noticed that he was hard and building up to a climax, he pulled back and stopped touching Paul until he was back under control.

"Sorry, baby, but not tonight," he said softly. "You shouldn't have come today, but I think you needed that. Tomorrow night, I promise. You'll come then. So hard, baby. You'll come so hard. But not tonight."

As soon as Daniel had finished massaging the gel into Paul's sensitive skin, he murmured, "On the floor, Paul. Get on your knees."

He did as he was told as quickly as he could and waited for his next instruction. It didn't take long to come.

"Take it," Daniel said as he held his cock against Paul's lips. "No hands. Get me off now."

He shut his eyes to distance himself from the act and used every trick he knew. He started by suckling at the head, then alternated it with swallowing deeply. His gag reflex was well under control and he could deep-throat easily. Daniel fought down the urge to yell, to curse, to grab Paul's head and fuck his mouth hard. No one could blow him like his younger lover; no one ever had and no one else would ever get the chance. Jack was really good at it, but Paul was the best. Jack's forte was fucking Daniel hard, something that Paul couldn't do as well. Again, he was good, but that was Jack's thing. On the days that Daniel wanted to be tied down and used - almost brutally - they had a system. Paul warmed him up and Jack fucked him into the next century, no holds barred. Daniel knew that his strongest point was his imagination - along with his self-control. He could think of scenes, conjure new positions out of thin air. He could read the men and their desires better than they knew their own minds. Seeing what they needed before they knew they needed it was something that he excelled at. Finding their kinks, automatically knowing how far he would be able to push without taking them too far.

He knew that Paul was in a mind to be used, that he wanted to be a body and not a person for now. Much as it was frustrating Paul, this was what he both wanted and needed right now.

Daniel looked down and saw one of his favourite sights, Paul on his knees, his hands behind his back, sucking him hard. It was enough and he came, pouring down Paul's throat, pumping it out so much that it spilled out of the experienced man's mouth.

"Wow," he gasped when he'd finished. Paul licked him clean and then stood when ordered. Daniel grabbed Paul's face in his hands and licked his chin and lips clean, then kissed him hard, sucking Paul's tongue into his mouth and damn near eating it. When they broke away, both men were panting for breath. "You are amazing," Daniel whispered to him.

Then Daniel let him go and stepped back and picked up the various bindings.

"Jack, put the towels in the laundry basket please," he said almost distractedly as he started to redo the various bands and collars. By the time the men were all ready for bed, Paul was back in his cock and ball sheath, and ankle, thigh, waist and wrist bands with the long leather straps holding him up straight. Jack had his wrist bands replaced and then they settled under the covers for the night, Daniel in his customary central position, the men with their heads on his chest.

Sam was looking a little coy the next morning as they met for breakfast. None of the men said anything, but Daniel did give her a wink and a smile. Janet was looking as happy and relaxed as she had done in a long time. Breakfast was full of the lively chatter of the women and Daniel, and soon they retired to the living room.

"Do you have anything planned for today?" Janet asked as they settled with a coffee into the comfortable chairs.

Daniel had Paul at his feet again and Jack by his side, both men wearing T-shirts so that the women wouldn't see the results of the previous night's activities.

"Yeah, but not till later."

"Is it a private affair or can we all join in?" she teased.

"Well, you're welcome to join in," Daniel said with a grin, "but somehow I don't think that some people would like that." He flicked his eyes between Paul and Sam as he spoke. He had no doubt that if it were just him, Jack and Janet, a fun time would be had by all.

The conversation drifted to some of the less classified goings-on at the mountain, talking about people they knew but not specific missions. As Daniel was still part of the SGC, he knew a lot more than he let on. Both Jack and Paul knew a lot, of course, but they were not allowed to hear of the latest events.

"What's the new general really like?" Daniel asked, knowing that Jack wanted to know.

"He's nice enough, but he's not Hammond," Sam sighed. "We all miss him terribly."

With no SG-1 to keep him there, Hammond had retired not long after they'd left.

"It's all military missions these days. Only your efforts are being encouraged, and we all know why. How is it coming on?"

"Fine, the book for publication is almost done. It will be going to the Pentagon for approval before long. The Goa'uld dictionary and grammar will take longer because of the nature of the beast. The grammar side of things and the pronunciation tapes are easy enough, but the trouble is, there are so many dialects of Goa'uld. And without Teal'c's help, some of what I do isn't a hundred percent sure. Of course, with each mission, I'm getting more and more information to add to the database. Can you imagine how long it would take one person to do a dictionary of a language they were totally familiar with, let alone one which they were only on speaking terms with."

"It's going to be a lifetime's work, eh?" Janet prompted.

"I certainly hope so. These two are expensive," Daniel answered with a smirk.

The morning was spent quietly, chatting together, reminiscing for the most part. Jack took them all out to his workshop at Daniel's prompting and showed the women his latest project. He'd had to build a new kiln, a much larger one. A friend of Dizzy had wanted her entire body to be rendered in china. It had taken a while to work out the logistics and some experimentation. In the end, Jack had, with Dizzy's help, covered the woman's front with a liquid latex which then hardened and became a mould. Then they'd turned her over and done her back half. Jack figured that he couldn't make the clay too thick or it might not dry out evenly, so he made each side smooth and thin, and most importantly, when the two sides were joined together, it was hollow. The various natural cavities allowed the clay to bake and keep its shape and when it had been taken out and cooled, Jack glazed it, making a tone as near to her flesh colour as possible. Then Dizzy took over, painting it so well that putting the woman and the statue next to each other made it hard to tell which one was the real one.

Needless to say, when word of the new item in Jack and Dizzy's range had got out, Jack had found himself almost inundated with orders. He was making nearly as much money in pottery as he was getting from his pension, a fact that wasn't lost on him, making him wish he'd retired years before.

Janet noticed that he'd expanded in other ways, making moulds of any body part that anyone requested. He was currently working on an arm. At the women's query, he explained.

"The guy that wants it wants a reminder," he said. "See, he's recently got married and whereas his wife is cool about the fact that some of his body is tattooed, she's not really happy about the fact that he's got his ex-wife's name tattooed over a particular work of art on his arm. So, he's going to have it taken off. The thing is, he's really attached to that picture - just not the name that's on it. What he wants us to do is make a copy of his arm as it is, with Dizzy painting the tattoo on it, leaving off the name."

Somehow, they understood the man's reasoning and accepted it. It was strange, but then who were they to judge?

-

They met up with Cassie at lunchtime, taking her out for a meal and catching up with how she was settling down. Cassie was enjoying herself already, a little nervous and a lot excited about the start of college in a few days' time. Daniel made her promise to call him anytime she was stuck with her work, Jack made her promise to call him any time (and handed her a cellphone that he'd bought her, just to make sure she would), and Paul told her to stay away from boys. The others looked at him curiously.

"I should know," he sighed. "I didn't follow my father's advice, didn't stay away from boys and now look at me."

-

By the time they got back home, Paul was twanging with the expectation. He knew that Daniel had something planned, something big, but he wasn't sure what it was. Jack was quietly amused, wondering too what would happen and wondering just how far Daniel would want him to go.

They ate dinner together, Sam getting a bit nervous and excited too. Coolly, over dinner, Daniel said, "Uh, ladies, I have something planned with the guys tonight, if that's okay with you. You can use the hot tub if you like, or watch the TV, but I really need us to be left alone."

"That's fine, Daniel," Janet agreed. "What have you got planned? You keep dropping hints."

"I'll tell you tomorrow," he answered with a secret smile. "I can't let them know in advance. Oh, if you hear any yells, it will be okay so don't come running. I'll call your name if we need any help."

That got raised eyebrows from Paul, Jack and Sam and a snigger from Janet.

"You got it, honey. I think I can keep Sam otherwise occupied."

"I'll bet you can," Daniel replied with a leer.

-

It was time. The women had retreated outside to the hot tub with a bottle of champagne and Janet managed to persuade Sam to strip off before getting into it. Knowing that Sam was wanting something, but that she wasn't sure of what she wanted, Janet decided to persuade her to let her guard down. Hence the champagne. She told jokes and related funny stories about medical school, got Sam giggling like crazy, then she changed the subject and talked about ex-girlfriends at college. The more details she went into, the more Sam shivered, her body excited by the prospect of the physical even if her mind was still wary.

"Are you sure you want this?" Janet asked, moving really close to her, until their skin touched.

Sam stared her in the eye. She'd thought long and hard over the day, wondered just that thing. In the end, she could only think of one response.

"How could I not?"

-

Daniel looked at his lovers and grinned. Again, he'd made them strip for him and spent the time teasing them and turning them on. He placed a waist belt on Jack, the same as the one on Paul, as well as ankle bands. Paul's long leather straps were removed, as were the thigh bands.

"Lie down on the bed, both of you," he instructed finally. "Hands above your heads."

They did as he told them and Daniel took a long rope out of his 'toy chest'. He tied one end to the right-hand side of the bed's headboard, took Jack's left hand in his and ran the rope through the rings on the wrist band and then secured it to the wooden posts that formed the bedstead. Then he ran the rope behind the headboard and back through in the centre.

"Hold hands," he told them, and they linked their fingers together.

They couldn't see what he was doing, but they could feel it. He wrapped the rope around their wrists and then ran it between their arms and back through the bed. Finally, he finished up by attaching Paul's right hand to the headboard in the same way as Jack's left.

"God, you guys, you look hot," he growled. Seeing them both lying there for him like that was incredible. But he wasn't finished there. Mistress Eve had told him about more bondage being better sometimes, and he knew that he didn't want the guys to be able to move, so he continued. With more rope, he secured Jack and Paul's feet to the posts at the foot of the bed in a similar manner to their hands. He ended up by tying yet another rope to the ring in Paul's waistband, running it through Jack's, throwing it under the bed and scrambling to get it, and tying it back off in Jack's waistband.

Both men were now almost completely unable to move. He got two pairs of padded nipple clamps out and attached them to his 'victims'.

"I need to make you tingle," he teased and got a small cloth flogger with at least a dozen tails out of his collection. Jack knew that this wasn't going to hurt, and it wasn't the same as the sort of spanking that Paul liked, so he said nothing and let Daniel do as he wished. Somehow he knew that he'd enjoy it, no matter what it was.

Daniel watched their faces carefully as he trailed the tails over both their bodies. Part of him wanted to strip off and fuck one of them, just to take the edge off, but he didn't. The men both had their eyes screwed shut, their bodies twitching as much as their bondage would allow. He alternated flicks of the flogger with strokes of it, not setting a pattern to allow either man to prepare for what was going to come next. He ended this round of sensitisation by flicking the flogger quickly over their cocks, both of which were hard and reddening in anticipation.

Thinking that he wanted to liven them up again, Daniel retrieved a piece of rough, woollen cloth and scraped it over the chests and stomachs of the men, taking it down to the insides of their thighs in turn, and then wrapping it around each man's dick and jerking him briefly with it.

Moans and groans came his way but neither Jack nor Paul called out to stop. Daniel studied their faces closely and could see that despite the 'torture', they were enjoying themselves. To aid their control, he pinched the base of both cocks and deflated the erections.

"Sorry, guys," he said insincerely, "but I can't have you coming yet."

As a change of texture, he brought out the fur glove that Paul loved so much and spent the next half an hour driving both men demented with the softest touches, bringing them back up to the boil and almost brutally taking them back down. This was followed by a metal cat's paw being scraped over their skin, setting it back on edge and leaving faint red marks as if a claw had scratched at them. Just when they were both gasping with the tenderness of their skin, he brought them back down with the gentlest of strokes from a peacock's feather.

It had been over an hour since the men were initially secured and both were wondering when he was going to get to the point. They were relieved when Daniel removed the clamps from their chests and felt their skin tingling, parts of them feeling like they were on fire. The sound of a matchstick scratching on a box caught their attention and they turned to look. In Daniel's other hand was a long white candle, one that he had made himself.

"Lie still," he instructed, watching the flame as it started to melt the wax. "This won't hurt... much."

Jack hissed out loud when he felt the first drop hit his chest near his nipple. Daniel left it there to harden as he moved his hand over to Paul's position and dropped some wax onto him. This time, it landed directly on top of the already swollen nub. He yelped as the heat seemed to not only sit in the one place but engulf his entire body. Daniel returned to Jack and dropped some more wax on his chest, this time from a slightly lower height. He swapped from one man to the other, dripping and trailing the wax all over their chests and stomachs. Despite the pain that it produced, both men were hard again, their erections becoming their sole focus.

Throughout, Daniel whispered words and phrases that alternated between loving and harsh, soothing and downright dirty. He told them of all the things that he wanted to do to them, how he wanted to take Paul back to Kelly's and attach him to the cross, flogging him hard with the paddle, letting everyone see his bare ass as it reddened. How he would take Jack to the club and make him walk around naked, showing his body off to everyone before taking him and fucking him into the next week. He talked of the toys he wanted to use on Paul's body, how he would stretch his balls, stick a thick dildo inside him and fuck him with it. He explained in great detail the toys and equipment that he wanted for the playroom and how they would be used. How the guys would forget how to think when they were there, how they would serve him and please him.

Paul was gasping with the thoughts running through his head, with the lessening pain from the wax as he got used to the heat as it hit him. Jack was moaning as a picture appeared in his mind of him being used in front of others, being forced to service his master. The wax was more or less forgotten.

Daniel blew out the remains of the candle and started to pick the dried wax off Jack's chest. Each movement made Jack's dick jump with pleasure and he was glad that he was tied down as he knew that if he wasn't, he'd have Daniel on his back so fast...

He didn't watch as Daniel moved further down his chest to his stomach, uncaringly ripping off the hard wax and throwing it into a bin by the side of the bed. He was grateful for having been shaved, knowing now that Daniel had done it so that he wouldn't get the sort of waxing that the women would be more familiar with. So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that he didn't see Daniel licking his lips.

Paul noticed and Daniel looked up at him and winked before dropping his head and starting to suck Jack's cock as he yanked up the final piece of wax.

Jack yelled out loud with the surprise. He looked down, using his only available movement and tilting his head until he could see Daniel slowly moving his head up and down, licking his prick almost reverently, alternating between sucks and licks, sliding his mouth down the hard shaft until it hit his throat. Daniel's fingers roamed over his body, his left hand tickling Jack's balls, his right hand creeping up his stomach until he got to Jack's chest where he gripped the already abused nipples. He pinched tightly the once and pulled. That was enough for Jack, he couldn't take any more. With a harsh shout he came, pouring into Daniel's mouth, feeling himself being milked for every drop he could give him.

Daniel wouldn't let up, even when he was spent. He kept sucking, wet some of his fingers and thrust them inside his lover, finding his prostate and roughly stroking it until Jack begged for mercy.

"Please, Danny," he gasped. "I can't take any more."

Slowly and reluctantly, Daniel pulled out and away from him, kissing the soft cock as it dropped out of his mouth and flopped onto his groin. He inched his way up Jack's body, kissing and licking each spot that had been covered with wax, suckling the sore nipples gently and then going up his throat until he reached Jack's jaw. He trailed more kisses up the jawbone, sucked Jack's earlobe into his mouth and tugged the ring with his tongue. Eventually, he let it go and kissed Jack's eyelids tenderly, then his nose, and finally reaching his mouth where he lingered for what seemed like an eternity.

"I love you," he whispered when he broke away.

"God, Danny, that was incredible," Jack panted. "Love you so fucking much."

Daniel stood back up and fought hard to get himself back under control, then he undid the ropes that held the men's feet and waists, but he left their hands attached.

Standing upright, he took his clothes off, looking sultry as he stared into Paul's eyes. Paul couldn't take his eyes from Daniel's, excited by the prospect of what was to come. Naked, Daniel crawled onto the bed, over Jack, deliberately dragging his dripping cock over Jack's body as he went. He straddled Paul's chest and spent a short while teasing the younger man by rubbing his cock over Paul's lips, taking it away whenever Paul opened his mouth to suck.

"Uh huh, you're not getting that," Daniel scolded gently. "And you don't come until I tell you to."

Paul gritted his teeth and resigned himself to more teasing. He got that in spades as Daniel pulled the dry wax off him, just the way he'd done with Jack, leaving reddened and sensitive skin behind. When he finished, he returned to Paul's face and pushed his cock inside Paul's mouth for a few moments, letting his lover suck on it until he felt he had to stop or come.

Daniel wormed his way backwards, attacking Paul's body with his teeth and tongue, nibbling his ears, his neck, his arms and his chest. Paul did everything he could not to jerk off the bed. The constant building up and letting down of the previous day had been driving him slowly out of his mind.

Again he was teased as Daniel held Paul's cock against his ass, as if he wanted Paul to fuck him. With no lube, he relaxed himself and allowed Paul a short way inside his body before squeezing tightly and then pulling off him.

"Nope, you don't get that either," he teased.

Paul groaned with frustration, his only thought that of getting off and as soon as possible. He was concentrating so hard on that, that he missed the fact that Daniel had lifted a bottle of lube off the table to his side and had covered himself with it. The next thing that Paul knew was that Daniel had lifted Paul's legs until they were on his shoulders and he was thrusting straight inside of him.

Paul's left hand gripped Jack's right tightly as Daniel fucked him. His other hand moved as best it could to the nearest post in the bedstead and grasped that, needing to hold something if he couldn't hold his lover. His back arched as he felt Daniel going deep and his cock felt like it was going to explode. Daniel pulled almost all the way out and slammed back in, making Paul jump hard. He begged to be allowed to come, pleading desperately that he couldn't hold on.

"Please Dan, please, please, let me, please."

Over and over again he pleaded the words running into each other as the moments passed.

Daniel looked down at his lover and was overwhelmed by the look on his face. No way was Paul thinking of anything except the moment. He looked at Jack and saw that the older man was watching Paul intently, with so much love in his eyes that Daniel felt overwhelmed. He changed his angle slightly and slammed back inside Paul as hard as he could, yelling as he came inside him.

Panting hard, Daniel pulled out of Paul, dropped his legs back onto the bed, scooted down and swallowed his cock in one go. That was enough to push Paul over the edge; he didn't need to be persuaded. Feeling the hot, wet mouth and the gasping breath was enough. He did as Daniel had promised and came so hard that he nearly passed out, ending up lying flat on his back, his eyes open, but seeing and saying nothing.

Jack saw Daniel laying with his head on Paul's stomach, his eyes shut, his mouth open as he fought for breath.

"Danny, untie us please," he begged, afraid that he'd fall asleep and leave them tied up.

"'Kay," came the quiet reply.

Gingerly, Daniel got off the bed and undid the bindings on the headboard as quickly as he could, but his hands were shaking and he fumbled more than once. He rubbed Jack's aching arms and removed his bindings then they both turned to Paul and released the still stunned man. They pulled the covers out from underneath him and then over them all. Daniel wrapped Paul in his right arm, Jack in his left and said, "I don't know about you, Jack, but I think I want to sleep now."

Jack dropped a kiss on his chest and shut his eyes.

At breakfast, Sam was almost surprised to see Paul in his suit, briefcase by his feet, sitting next to Daniel and chatting animatedly. She studied his face and saw that the mask that he'd seemed to wear all weekend had gone. He was smiling, his eyes were dancing, and his body language spoke volumes, telling all and sundry that he was as relaxed as a man could ever get.

Jack was sitting on Daniel's opposite side, teasing Paul, bickering with Daniel and generally being 'Jack'.

Daniel was fussing over them both, flirting as if he was trying to impress them and joking with the women as he did.

Everything seemed back to normal, but then she shrugged. Normality was a highly overrated word and a highly misunderstood one to boot. She reached over and took Janet's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

the ties that bind