“No smartass remark?” Shay cocked a brow.
I shook my head and tapped a pen against the armrest. “Nothing to refute. We prefer to pay for our possessions.”
“Kinda weird otherwise to call you our whore,” River said casually.
I pointed my pen at him in a silent “Excellent point.”
Shay smashed his lips together the way he did when he was part annoyed, part aroused, and part knew very well he wouldn’t get anywhere by arguing.
It was funny.
“We didn’t bring you in here to discuss your status as our whore, though,” I said. “For the next few minutes, we’re first and foremost two of the founders of this community, and we have to talk about your punishment.”
The topic change sobered Shay, and he straightened in his chair and nodded with a dip of his chin. “I understand, Sir.”
I side-eyed the legal pad next to our private laptop. River and I had drafted the terms of Shay’s punishment there, and I started with the first one.
“You’ll be on probation for six months. Which means you won’t be allowed at events and parties without a chaperone.”
“That would be me or Reese,” River clarified.
I slid the notepad closer and read the next item. “During these six months, you will partake in at least twelve scenes, where you will follow—and initiate—protocol and negotiate terms, limits, and aftercare.”
“Before each one? Even though you already know everything?” Shay asked, seemingly to make sure. He wasn’t questioning our method.
“Before each one,” I confirmed. “It’s important to establish a new habit.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
River cleared his throat and sat forward a bit. “You won’t do all these scenes with us, though.”
Shay slid me a look with some wariness in it.
“We won’t get you involved with people you don’t know.” I wanted him to know that, so he didn’t walk around thinking we’d order him to bend over for someone he’d never met before. “At this point, we only have two scenes in mind. Kit has asked Colt about waterboarding, but the boy’s not ready to try it out. So we volunteered you for a nonsexual, private waterboarding scene in a few weeks. How does that sound?”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Will you two be there?”
“Absolutely.” In fact, there was something else I could add. “I can tell you right now that you’ll never participate in a scene with anyone else without River or me overseeing.”
That appeared to relax him. “Okay, thank you.” He smiled a little. “Then I’m game. It sounds like a rush.”
He was fucking perfect. With or without fears, he was the type of man who at least wanted to try things, and he did it eagerly.
“Kit doesn’t strike me as that kind of masochist,” Shay mused.
The kind that was into waterboarding? Christ no. “I think his curiosity will be satisfied pretty quickly.” I shook my head, the thought of Kit even attempting a scene like that amusing. But his interest was adorable, and most fantasies—big or small—were worth exploring. “Moving on to the second scene in mind—our group play in a couple months. You need to think about whether or not other limits will apply. Riv and I will do the same.”
It felt strange to want to limit my own play, but I had to admit I did. While I’d never view monogamy the way others regularly did, I still wanted boundaries with Shay and River. I wanted our triad to be sacred and exclusive to some extent.
Shay shifted in his seat and pinched his bottom lip. “Is it, um, okay if I also feel possessive? You said you felt that way…”
I smiled and shook my head, unable to describe what he did to me. “Nothing wrong with that at all.”
“It just puts us on the same page.” River linked his fingers together with Shay’s and squeezed his hand. “All of this is new to Reese and me too, pup. We’ll negotiate and renegotiate until we find our happy medium. Okay?”
“Yes, Owner.” Shay bit his lip as if that would hide his grin. It didn’t. He was too goddamn sweet.
It was easy to forget we were discussing his punishment.
I straightened in my seat and sighed. Forty-one years old, and I was acting like a love-sick idiot.
A love-sick idiot who was fairly certain that something smelled like garlic in the house.
“In addition to probation and your tasks before those twelve scenes, we want you to log some community hours in the names of the two Sadists you approached for unsafe play,” I told him. “August, for instance, often contributes by handling online administration. You’ll offer your assistance.”
“Yes, Sir.” Shay nodded firmly.
“Good. We have one more thing, and it’ll be between us three,” I said. “As your Doms, we have the privilege of being able to punish you further.”
“How fun for you,” he joked. “What is it?”
I shut my mouth when I saw Riv sitting forward. He wanted to take this.