“You know I don’t punish you.” Shane chuckled. “But I can always tell Dante to make that paddling you’re going to get harder than normal.”
“He’d just make me cum quicker than I already do.” I giggled and shrugged. “But do what you have to do.”
It was the end of my time in Bakersfield, no matter how much we wished it wasn’t the reality in front of us. We made light of it and tried to maintain our normal jovial approach to life, but the sadness did linger. It would be months before I got to see them again, especially since I had my internship to look forward to when summer break finally came. I would get a couple of weeks at home, but that would be about it. There would be some time for us to see each other, but I still have to visit with my parents and I definitely couldn’t ignore my best friend. Those were challenges, but they weren’t impossible to overcome. I would do everything in my power to keep the three of us together.
All I can do is make sure the last night we spend together is one that none of us forget until we’re together again.
Epilogue
Brianna
One year later
“You’re here! Oh my gosh!” I ran towards Dante and Shane when I saw them standing outside my apartment. “I’ve missed you both so much!”
“You act like this is the first time we’ve been to see you.” Shane laughed as he embraced me.
“Yeah, but you’re not leaving this time!” I turned my embrace to Dante.
“I know, now open this door and show us your new apartment.” Shane nudged me with his elbow. “I’m really excited to see the king-sized bed you can’t stop talking about.”
“It’s the best part, trust me!” I nodded and pushed my key into the lock.
My life took an interesting turn after I left Bakersfield, and it was Overlook Mansion that set the stage for a future I never expected. I went to college, finished my first semester, and then started my internship. I did my best to socialize with all of the writers that were working on the television shows, but they didn’t seem to pay much attention to me unless I was bringing them a cup of coffee. I learned a lot, but the main thing I learned was that I had no desire to work with people like that. I still wanted to write, but my heart was in my words, not in the drama that went along with bringing my words to the screen. I saw enough of that in the television studio to last a lifetime. Even if I got a voice, it would just be one of many, and by the time the words were actually recorded on air, they wouldn’t be mine.
“Okay, this place is nice. I hope you kept some of that advance to pay the electric bill.” Shane chuckled as he walked into the living room.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already got another project in the works, and I’m busy turning Abigail Herrington’s story into a book to go along with the release of the movie.” I looked over my shoulder and winked.
“I feel like we should get some of the proceeds—especially me. I found the damn diary.” Dante gave me a half-hearted growl, but I knew he wasn’t serious.
“You two are going to make plenty of damn money when the house goes on the market after the movie comes out. People are going to be clamoring to buy that place.” I walked up to him and grinned. “Especially when they find out some authentic stuff is still left in the punishment room.”
Dante and Shane had a lot of people interested in buying Overlook Mansion once they finished restoring it and turning it into the masterpiece of their dreams, but one particular buyer proved to be more interesting than the others. He was a former movie producer named Dallas Stanford who was looking for a place to retire, and Overlook Mansion caught his eye when he saw the pictures on Dante and Shane’s website. When he saw one of the screenplays I had given them to read laying on a bookshelf during his tour, he was intrigued. He was even more intrigued when he found out it was a screenplay about the house he was interested in buying. Needless to say, I almost lost my mind when Dante called to ask if it was okay that the producer took a copy with him.
A few weeks later, I got a call from Dallas asking if I would be willing to sit down with him and discuss the script. I was nervous, frantic, and nearly threw up before I made it to the meeting. His offer was generous. Apparently, Abigail Herrington’s story was the kind of movie he had wanted to produce his whole life. He called it authentic and real, with enough grit to make people nervous. He wasn’t sure if it would be a hit, but he was willing to make one more movie before retirement, and it was going to be the one I wrote.
That put a full-stop to the plans in front of me, and school was temporarily put on hold because the opportunity was too amazing to ignore. The advance was enough for me to get my own apartment which was big enough for three, because there was no way I was going to stay in California unless Dante and Shane joined me. Dallas convinced them not to sell Overlook Mansion because it was going to be worth a lot more once the movie came out. While Dallas was interested in the place, he didn’t want a house that would ultimately become a tourist attraction. It was going to be a waiting game until the movie was finally released, but if there was one thing we were good at, it was finding ways to spend our time when we were together.
“Before we take this to the bedroom, since it’s obviously going to end up there very shortly, we have a question for you.” Dante smiled and looked at Shane.
“You do?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Yes.” Shane nodded and started walking towards me.
Before I really knew what was happening, Dante and Shane took a knee and opened a small black box to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring. I thought I was going to fall out of my high heels before I got my composure. It would be a different kind of ceremony, but it didn’t matter to me. I took the ring, put it on my finger, and hugged the two men that wanted me to be their wife. Meeting them had completely changed my life, and there was no way I was going to decline their proposal. We belonged together, even if our relationship was what some would call unconventional. My heart was equally shared between them, and I got both of theirs in return.
“So, this other project you’re working on. What’s it about?” Dante pulled me close and started kissing my neck.
“Is it going to be an original story, or are you going to find someone else to write about?” Shane started kissing the other side of my neck.
“Well…” I gasped and smiled. “It’s sort of a sequel to Abigail’s story, I guess you could say. It’s about a woman who falls in love with two incredible men.”
“I like it already.” Dante nibbled my earlobe. “Is it a true story?”
“The truest story I know.” I moaned when I felt Shane’s lips moving up to my other ear.
“Maybe we should go act out the good parts right now.” Shane put his hand on my stomach and slid it down towards my legs. “It’ll give you some inspiration.”