“I know it was fast,” Noel said. “But it was like he read my mind. It was such a relief not to have to try to be…dominant anymore. It was like a weight rolled off me. And the sex was hot.”

“And are you enjoying it now, still?” Tilly asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well, there you go,” Tilly said. “Hot sex, hot Dom, hot damn. Enjoy.”

“You are not required,” Essie said, “to do or be anything other than who or what you want to be. Forgetting any preconceived expectations you have for yourself or them. If this new dynamic is working for all three of you? Great. You’re all consenting adults. Enjoy it.”

“Does Keith want you and Scott to get divorced?” Loren asked.

“No. He said he doesn’t want that. That he wanted to do whatever it took to keep me and Scott together.”

“Again,” Tilly said, “not seeing the problem here.”

“Does it bother you,” Loren started, ignoring Tilly, “to watch them together?”

She had to think about that one. “Not really. Not now. It sort of did before, in the beginning, but they were trying to be considerate about it. We all sleep in the same bed and…well, we’re a ménage. I’m almost worried about Scott becoming a little jealous because I get more time with Keith now than he does. We work at the same place and drive to work together almost every day. We get to see each other during the day, even just a little bit. Sometimes Scott works long shifts, or night shifts, depending on the rotation. Sometimes he’s got to work at night and we’re gone during the day.”

“That’s something you’ll have to work on,” Cali said. “It’s not so bad with the three of you sharing a bed. At least that’s equal footing.”

“So there’s nothing…bad about what we’re doing?” Noel asked.

All the women shook their heads.

“Honey,” Essie said, “if you’re okay with it, and they’re okay with it, then it’s okay. Sure there will be small-minded pinheads out there who don’t agree with it. You know what? Fuck ’em. They don’t matter. The only thing that matters is you and them and your happiness, all three of you.”

“That sounds too easy.”

“That’s because people try to complicate poly,” Tilly said, “and end up fucking it up as a result. Jealousy is the big one. I’ll admit I was jealous of Cris a few times when Landry first came into my life and brought Cris with him. But I worked through it. Worked past it. I had to work on my relationship with Cris, which, of course, came with a metric shit-ton of emotional baggage. Once we got through that, it’s been smooth sailing. Screw what anyone else thinks. Are you looking to us for approval?”

“I don’t know what I’m looking for,” Noel admitted.

“Then rest assured,” Essie said, “that you don’t need to explain yourselves to anyone. Enjoy each other, love each other, and let the rest of the world fuck itself.”

“Isn’t that what I just said?” Tilly asked.

* * * *

Three hours later, as Eliza walked Noel back to the car after bidding the other women good-bye, Noel felt a little more relieved, but still emotionally upended.

“What if I’ve made a huge mistake?” she asked Eliza as her friend backed out of the parking spot. “What if I’ve done something horrible?”

“By what, loving two men? Your family’s already a bunch of assholes. So what difference, seriously, does it make?”

“None, I guess.”

“Exactly. The only people who matter are you guys, that you’re all happy. If you’re happy, and it’s working for you, who cares if it’s ‘normal’ or not? Normal is a dryer setting. Nothing more.”

“I don’t know what’s normal anymore. For the past two years, my life’s been anything but.”

“And were you happy then?”

“No. Not really. I was happy before all this came to light.”

“And are you happier now?”

“Yeah,” she admitted after a long moment of contemplation.

“Well? Okay, then. Choose to be happy. Don’t choose to sit there and wallow in some imaginary emo swamp when you don’t have to.”

“Imaginary emo swamp?”

“Just work with me, m’kay? You know dang well what I’m trying to say.”

Noel tipped her a salute from her temple.

“Smart-ass. Remind me to ask your Dom to beat your ass next time I see him.”

“So you really think I’m doing the right thing here?”

“Kvetching and needlessly rending your soul over it? No. Enjoying and living your life? Yes.”

“Why do you make it sound so easy?”

“Why are you insisting on complicating it?”

Noel didn’t have an answer for that. Compared to the past two years, including the last few months leading up to the seismic shift in their situation, it felt like she’d upshifted and was now freewheeling downhill instead of struggling to get the transmission engaged.

It was difficult to relax when it felt like it was supposed to be difficult.

“I don’t know. It just seems like after everything I’ve been through, it shouldn’t be this easy.”

“Maybe that’s because you’ve already gone through the hard part and this is the reward.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Keith hadn’t revealed to the two of them what he’d planned for their collaring ceremony. He wanted it to be a surprise, and had taken charge of the whole thing.

Even Tilly and Loren had been sworn to secrecy.

Late that Saturday morning, Noel awoke to Keith deeply kissing her. When she looked, she spotted Scott sucking the man’s cock.

Keith smiled down at her. “It’s the big day. Any second thoughts?”

She reached down to stroke Scott’s head while reaching up to touch Keith’s stubbly cheek. “No, Sir. No second thoughts.”

“Good.” He grabbed Scott’s head, holding his cock deep inside Scott’s mouth as Keith’s orgasm hit him, making him groan. Then he pulled Scott off his cock and pushed his head toward her pussy. “Make her come, then you may fuck her.”

Keith pinned her wrists over her head, staring down into her eyes as Scott dove between her legs and went to town.

Keith grinned, transferring her wrists to one hand while reaching down to lightly tug on her nipple rings, back and forth, triggering her first orgasm.

“Such a good girl,” he whispered. “I’ve trained you well, haven’t I?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Scott climbed on top of her and started fucking her, hard, fast, deep, all the while with Keith still holding her wrists and playing with her nipples. She knew Scott wouldn’t take long to get off as obviously horny as he was, and wondered how long the men had been awake with Keith tormenting him before she finally opened her eyes.

As soon as Scott had climaxed, Keith snapped his fingers and pointed.

Scott pulled out and dove between her legs again, ever the good boy, cleaning her up and drawing one more orgasm out of her before he finished.

Keith smiled as he watched them together. “This is better than TV. Why are we even paying for cable?”

“For the Internet service,” she gasped.

“Ah. True.” He cupped his free hand over her throat, staring down into her eyes as Scott the overachiever started driving her toward yet another orgasm. “We do need that.” His intense gaze bore down into hers and for a moment she wondered if she’d ever be able to remember a time when Keith wasn’t part of their lives.

Not that she wanted to.

He’d become the center of her world in a way she’d never imagined possible, even more than Scott. Not that she didn’t still love Scott, because she did. More now than ever before.

But Keith was their glue. He made everything better, his presence in their lives.

His ownership of them.

The missing piece she and Scott had both needed without knowing it.

After a shower and brunch, Keith led them back to the bedroom and pulled out the outfits he wanted them to wear today. Then he hooked a finger through each of their collars and pulled them in for kisses. “Any second thoughts?”