He scrambled from the covers. Be her. Be her.

It was.

Be good. Be good.

Hi! she’d written. An encouraging start.

Bern sat at the edge of the bed and a new message appeared.

Long time no text. Okay if we chat a little? she asked. If not, no worries.

He typed back, Of course. Want me to call?

Brrrzzz.

Sure.

He pulled up her number and hit TALK, heart beating quick.

She answered immediately. “Hey, you.”

“Hey. What’s up?”

“I kind of wanted to call and take the temperature of everything, I guess. Since we haven’t talked since Saturday.”

“I’d been wanting to do the same, but I figured I better let you guys make the first move. Just since it was so intense last time.”

“Yeah, sorry about that – about the wait, I mean. Mike woke up to a break in one of his cases, and he’s barely been home except to sleep. I didn’t even know myself exactly how he felt about Saturday until tonight.”

“And?”

“And it was awesome.”

He grinned, flopping back across the bed. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. We both think so. Did you have a good time?”

“It was fucking crazy. And yeah. I had a great time. We took things pretty far, I thought. Were you two cool with all of it?”

“You mean when he put his mouth on you?” she mumbled, sounding a touch shy.

“Pretty much. I knew that stuff was sort of at my discretion. I wasn’t sure if I called it right or not, taking us all there.”

“You did fine. Mike’s okay with it – a little uncomfortable, but that kinda goes with the whole scene, you know?”

“And you were fine with it, too?”

A pause. “I was more than fine with it.”

“Oh?”

“I’d always been fine with it, in theory, but when it actually happened… Holy shit, that was hot.”

Bern laughed. “Well, good. That makes it hotter for me, I guess.” Knowing she was watching, and that it excited her? Fuck yeah, that made it hotter for him. He might prefer her own mouth on his dick, but he’d take her watching eyes just as readily.

“So all that stuff,” she said, “feel free to take it that far again. But not much further – not unless Mike changes his mind. I think we butted right up against the edge of what he’s comfortable with.”

“I’m kinda with him there. But cool – good to have some boundaries spelled out.”

“And good to hear you sounding like you might like to do it again…?”

“Absolutely. Just name a night.”

“I’ll have to look at my schedule tomorrow, but I’ll text you. Maybe this weekend, if you’re free?”

“Friday or Saturday night can work. Monday I go out of town for a few days, so Sunday’s not ideal.”

“That should work. And actually, I wanted to float one other thing past you.”

“Shoot.”

“It’s a lot to ask – let me say that up front. But would you consider ever making a commitment to us? Not super long-term,” she added quickly. “Just for a month or two, enough to make it worthwhile for the three of us to feel comfortable forgoing the condoms?”

He blinked, surprised. “Oh. Jeez.”

“I know, it’s a lot to ask of you. You should absolutely say no if it’s too much, and we don’t need to know right away or anything. But Mike’s so into the whole fluids thing…”

“Sure.” Bern knew that shit was key to the whole cuckolding scene – he’d even read some articles about sperm competition syndrome, intrigued to have found a biological explanation for Mike’s kink. “You must be on birth control already,” he said.

“I am, and I’m religious about it.”

“I figured.”

“And also, if you did decide you were okay with all this – and no pressure – we’d pay for your blood tests, obviously.”

“Now, that’s just silly. But whatever the case, it’s intriguing, I’ll give you that. And I’m not sleeping with anybody else right now, so it’s not a crazy request. Just feels weirdly… serious, you know?”

“It feels a little like I’m asking you to go steady with us.”

He had to laugh. “Kinda, yeah. Anyhow, I’ll think on it. And I’ll see you this weekend, it sounds like.”

“I sure hope so. I’ll text you which night, after I check the calendar.”

“Cool. And, um, should I go back to texting you like we were while I was away?”

“That would be very nice.”

He grinned from ear to ear, glad she couldn’t see. “Will do, then, Mrs. Heyer.”

A theatrical gasp. “I never told you my last name.”

“It’s on your mailbox.”

“Oh, right. Not all that scandalous anyway, huh?”

“Not since the topic of blood tests came up, no.”

“Anyway, nice to hear your voice again, Bern. We’ll see you soon.”

“Sam, wait.”

“Yeah?”

He licked his lips, feeling hot just asking the question. “Did you guys watch it?”

“Yeah, we did. About an hour before I texted you, in fact.”

“And?”

A giggle answered him first, then a little sigh. “And it’s pretty fucking hot.”

“You guys fuck, after?” His hand drifted down to settle over his rousing cock.

“We didn’t even make it to the end.”

“So it’s almost like I was there with you, in a way.” He warmed all over.

“It was. And we were talking afterward, and Mike was thinking that some weekend when he’s stuck working, he’d like us to make another one – you and me. Like he’d set up a hidden camera, to catch us.”

Just him and Sam, and a camera. “Keep talking and you’ll give me a heart attack.”

She laughed again, lighting him up and bringing his cock to full attention. “Anyhow, ideas for the future.”

“You’ve given me plenty of ideas for right after we end this call.”

“Have I, then?”

“You want pictures?”

A warm little laugh. “I want video. But I’ll take whatever you feel like sending.”

All at once short of breath, Bern said, “Night, Samira.”

“Good night. See you soon.”

“Sooner than you think.”

Another quiet huff of a laugh. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

He ended the call, and headed straight for his laptop. Lights, camera, action.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

They saw Bern that Friday, and again the following Thursday, then Saturday… At least once a week for the next month. It was nearly July now, and Mike could sense the changing seasons in intimate ways – in the scent of their sex and sweat, in the light that lingered between the bedroom blinds late enough to paint Sam and Bern’s skin gold as the games began.

Things had changed among the three of them, too, slowly and steadily. They’d grown comfortable with one another, but not in a way that cooled their collective heat. On the contrary. It was Mike and Bern who’d needed to get good with their own dynamic, and they had. Mike could touch the man without much hesitation at all now, and he’d…

And he’d learned to suck cock. Like, properly. Not with the limp receptivity of that first time, but with obedient purpose.

He shivered at the thought, caught as always between arousal and unease. But that was his kink in a nutshell – most any kink, really. Skating along that sharp edge that separated power and helplessness, control and surrender, pain and pleasure. He desired Bern, in a way, as much as he hated him in another. That man’s cock was the ultimate symbol of what got Mike hot – the usurping of his wife. And with the trust now feeling implicit among the three of them, he could drop to his knees and take that man’s orders, provided there still remained a trace of Sam in the act. And Bern never failed to deliver that.

You taste her on me?

Come over here, honey. Show him how I like it.

You know what you’re sucking? That’s the cock that’s gonna fuck your wife tonight.

He’d gotten used to the weight of Bern’s hands on his head, used to the smell of him, even to the rhythm he liked. Insanely intimate. The only thing they hadn’t done was have Bern finish with Mike, and they likely never would. Cuckolding was all about the rival’s intrusion, the marking of the woman. It was a primitive head trip with paternity all twisted up in its core. It wasn’t quite right if Bern didn’t come inside Sam, and if Mike didn’t remedy that violation.