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Luke was exhausted. He’d been at Nathan and Olivia’s almost every night this week and his entire body ached from being thrown around and contorted. He liked being with the two of them, and they seemed unable to get enough of him. Last night, Nathan and Olivia had both dropped to their knees in the alley outside the Chinese takeout place and given him a double blowjob. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced. He’d tried to bite his fist so he wouldn’t be so loud, but Nathan had gripped both Luke’s hands behind his back, and the moan that came out of his mouth when he’d come probably had all the takeout customers blushing. Luke’s own cheeks certainly had burned in embarrassment even if his cock loved the attention.

Afterward, Luke tried to talk to them about maybe toning it down in public, but Olivia cut him off and forced Nathan to drive her to Lake Minnetonka for skinny-dipping. Luke nearly freaked at the possibility of her getting hypothermia, and only after promising to join her in the summer when it was warm enough was she finally dissuaded from her plan.

Luke always seemed to be walking an edge with them. When he was with them, he was ridiculously happy, but afterward he filled with doubt and concerns. His head shut off during sex, but the minute he snapped out of it and thought about what they were doing, he was plagued by guilt. How could they keep going on like this? Every new thing they did was titillating and exciting, but exhausting at the same time. Sex, day in and day out, anywhere, hell, everywhere. Luke worried about himself. He hadn’t been watching porn anymore, but had he simply traded one semi-addiction for another? Who on earth got turned on by such wanton public displays? Surely this couldn’t last forever. When would ménage summer camp end and he be forced to make some decisions about his life?

Luke locked his bike up outside the Loft and went inside, waving to Kathryn but not stopping to talk. She’d twice this week given him a look that said she was very interested in what was causing the dark circles under his eyes, or maybe the awkward way he walked—damn Nathan and his anal-beads-are-fun assurances.

Andrew, one of the drawing instructors, was in the hall when Luke arrived. Something had caused a rift between Andrew and Morgan right before Morgan resigned as executive director, but Luke didn’t want to pry, particularly because he wasn’t interested in sharing information about his night with Morgan and Julian. All Luke could figure out was Andrew had taken a leave of absence from the Loft until Kathryn became the executive director. And now, if anyone even mentioned Julian or Morgan, Andrew left the room. It caught Luke’s attention, making him wonder if Andrew had slept with the pair also. It certainly wouldn’t be hard to imagine. Was anyone at the Loft engaged in any normal sort of relationship?

He thought about Kathryn and shook his head. No way was that woman also into BDSM. The idea made him cringe.

“Hey, Luke. How’s class going?” Andrew yanked him from his thoughts with the question.

“Good. It’s a great group this time. Lots of interesting ideas for projects. These kids are really talented.”

Andrew grinned. “They must have a good instructor.”

Luke felt his face flush, so he looked at his feet. “Yeah, I hope I can keep doing it. I’ve been looking for part-time work. I can’t save for college without another job, but the places I’ve found don’t work with my hours at the Loft.”

“That sucks. Have you asked Kathryn for another class?”

“Yeah, she mentioned summer camp and maybe more in the fall. But I’m not sure I can wait that long.”

Andrew nodded. “There’s some work-at-home stuff you can do, probably. You should look online.”

Luke had looked online, but every time he started job hunting, he got so frustrated. And he had so much trouble concentrating. His every waking moment was spent thinking about Nathan and Olivia. Luke knew Nathan had been working him up to anal sex. Fingers, anal beads, the dildo. But every time Luke was ready for Nathan to just do it, the guy would pull back and fuck Olivia instead. It was maddening. If he was in ménage summer camp, then he wanted all the perks before it came to an end.

“Yeah, I’ll check that out. Thanks,” Luke said to Andrew. Then Andrew turned and ambled down the hall, pausing outside Kathryn’s office before shaking his head and walking toward the exit.

Class seemed interminable today, not in any way helped by Luke’s exhaustion. The kids were punchy because they were all getting ready for a week off for Spring Break, and Luke was distracted by his need to figure out a second job soon. When Luke finally dismissed his students—ten minutes early—he slid his beat-up laptop out of his messenger bag and Googled part-time jobs in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Before he knew it, he’d been online for a few hours, writing down possibilities, figuring out how to redo his resume so he was more marketable, checking forums for ideas for good work-at-home options.

Kathryn popped her head in. “Thought your class got out hours ago?”

“Yeah. It did. Just doing some research. Hope you don’t mind me borrowing your Wi-Fi.”

Kathryn snorted. “Depends on what you’re borrowing it for?” She raised both her eyebrows.

Luke flushed and shook his head. “Nothing like that. Just checking out some job prospects.”

She slid into one of the seats at the student tables. “You really can’t hold out until this summer?”

Luke shook his head, suddenly feeling like a tired old man. “No. Mom didn’t leave much, she’d been sick for so long. Most of her savings went to the funeral costs. And I need to really buckle down and start saving for college if I’m going to get my education degree.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

Luke nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’d love to teach art as a full-time thing, you know? I love the kids and…” He shrugged.

“And you’re very good with them,” Kathryn finished. “I think that’s great. And I do understand about you not having a safety net, but—”

“Did someone say ‘safety net’? Because that sounds dirty and delicious,” Olivia said from the doorway, her body tucked beneath Nathan’s long arm.

Luke jumped up.
Shit. Not here.
“Um, Kathryn, these are my… This is… This is Olivia and Nathan. They’re…friends.”

“Really? That’s what we are? Friends?” Nathan tsked and shook his head.

Luke stood stunned. God. They were going to do this here. Heat stole up Luke’s neck into his cheeks.

How dare they come into his place of employment so cavalier and speak that way in front of his boss? He could lose his job. The Loft was a place for children. Even if Julian owned it, it didn’t mean Luke could bring all his sexual stuff here. A donor or a parent could walk by at any time. And he sure didn’t need Kathryn knowing he was involved in a threesome.

Kathryn twisted around to face Nathan and Olivia and beamed a huge smile. “Oh my gosh. I haven’t seen you guys in ages. How are you?” She stood and headed toward the door to hug Olivia and shake Nathan’s hand.

“We’re good,” Nathan said.

Luke finally found his voice. “Wait. You know each other?”

Kathryn turned around. “Of course. They’re friends with Morgan and Julian. Isn’t that how you know them?”

Luke’s eyes opened wider. He couldn’t seem to blink. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Shit
.

It got worse. Kathryn looked back at Nathan and Olivia and then returned her gaze to Luke.

He could feel his cheeks flaming redder and could do nothing to stop the embarrassment.

“Oh,” Kathryn said. “I mean. Oohh.” She seemed at least as flustered as Luke felt. But she recovered, shaking her head and grinning. “Lord, this world is small.” She nodded toward the door and inched passed Nathan, who held Olivia close to his side. “Well, I’ve got a few more things to take care of in my office.” She hesitated for a moment and then left in a hurry.

Nathan and Olivia know Julian and Morgan?
Luke gripped the edge of his desk. How friendly were they? Had they all played together? Luke looked at his feet. He was drowning, too new and too naïve to truly understand this world. Too afraid to ask the questions he should be asking.

Julian had an almost feral protective streak when it came to Morgan. Luke regarded Olivia and Nathan, and for one moment he allowed himself to wish for that from them. He wished they could be more than just sex, that they would actually take on his problems as their own like Julian did with Morgan.

“You’re upset?” Nathan asked. The question snapped Luke out of his longing and into full-on anger.

“Upset? Fuck no. I’m totally pissed. What the hell are you doing here?”

Nathan’s face fell. “What? Why?”

Luke smarted. Was Nathan this clueless or insensitive? Couldn’t he see what was happening here? He could lose his job because of them. Perhaps no one else needed to actually work hard to pay the rent or hope for a better future, but Luke was constantly teetering on the edge of losing his apartment and his employment depended on the difference between eating tomorrow and not eating. “‘Why?’ Are you even serious? Why would you show up here?”

“To get you. You’re late, and you didn’t answer your phone. We thought we’d collect you.” Nathan tried for an easy tone, but Luke could see he knew something was wrong.

“I had shit to do. Nathan, I know this will come as a shock, but not everything is about playing. There’s a whole world out there with responsibilities and financial burdens and a bunch of grown-up shit that’s most assuredly not fun.”

Olivia walked toward Luke and pushed him into a chair. She circled behind him, pressed her hands on his shoulders, and kneaded his tight muscles. “Do you want to tell us about it? Whatever it is that’s gotten you in this mood? It’s more than us being here,” she said in a voice much softer than he was used to from her.

“Do you want to hear?” He twisted around, shrugging her hands off him. He was in no mood for nice.

Nathan took a seat in front of Luke and spread his legs out so Luke’s knees wedged together inside of them. “Of course we want to hear.”

Luke glanced at Nathan’s semi-hard cock—the thing never seemed to be flaccid—and lifted an eyebrow. These two didn’t understand him at all. Could they not for one minute stop playing and take him seriously? “Sure about that? I’m guessing you’d rather have my mouth engaged elsewhere.” Aggravation climbed up Luke’s spine. He was stressed and Nathan and Olivia’s entrance hadn’t lessened the sensation. They’d shown up at his workplace, mocked him in front of his boss, and now they were making light of a situation that was very real and serious to Luke.

Nathan sat back and gaped at Luke. “Ouch, don’t hold back. Tell me how you really feel.”

Luke jumped to his feet. “I can’t talk about this right now.”

Nathan stood also, his face a mask of confusion. “What is it that you think we’re doing with you, Luke?”

“Fucking me,” Luke nearly shouted.

Olivia stepped closer. “I think we need to clear the air a bit here.”

“Am I wrong? Aren’t you fucking me?”

Nathan shook his head. “Is that all you think we’re interested in?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Yes. All the time. Anywhere. Everywhere. I thought when you walked in here… Jesus, I can’t lose my job. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like being with you. But we’re hardly an emotionally deep threesome here. This isn’t…” He waved his hand vaguely.

“This isn’t what?” Nathan asked, his nostrils flaring.

“It isn’t real. You don’t know anything about me. I don’t know anything about you. Not really. I know what you taste like. I know what you sound like when you come. But I couldn’t tell you what your favorite color is or if you had a dog when you were a kid or if you’ve ever broken any bones.”

“Jesus Christ. There are people who have been married fifteen years who don’t know those things about each other. We’ve been with you for less than a month.”

Luke’s hands shook. He fisted and unfisted them. “Exactly. And during that time, you’ve never, not one time, asked about my mom. About how much I miss her. About church and how it feels to slip into that confessional every week and wonder if Father George is going to tell me I’m condemned to Hell. About how worried I am about paying rent next month or saving for college.”

Crap. Where did that come from? This wasn’t their fault. In his heart, he knew it, but he was walking a tightrope, and them showing up at his workplace only made it clearer they didn’t get him at all.

“Do you want us to ask you those things, Luke?” Olivia said, her voice softer now. “It’s not like we don’t know about them. We just thought, well, we thought maybe we were taking your mind off the difficult stuff. Like we could be something that made you happy instead of worried or sad.”

Luke slumped back into his chair, the anger of a few minutes ago slipping away like water being squeezed from a sponge, replaced by a mixture of longing and sadness. “You do make me happy. But it’s not like those other things go away. You might be able to compartmentalize and not give a shit about anything, but I can’t. Always in the back of my mind I’m worried about money. I need a second job. I’ve been sitting here for over two hours looking for work online.” He pointed at his laptop.

Nathan dropped to his knees in front of Luke, gripping his thighs with strong hands. “Do you want our help?”

Luke shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. You can’t start caring because I threw a fit and asked you to. You have to care regardless. And the truth is, the two of you don’t. You don’t really care about anything.”

Nathan’s eyes flashed and he inhaled deeply. “You have no idea what we do and don’t care about. This is new to us too. But now isn’t the time for me to explain it. You’re upset, and there’s nothing we can say or do to make that better. Come talk to us when you can be reasonable.”

Luke’s eyes grew wide. “Wait. What?”

Nathan pulled Olivia toward him and tipped his head at Luke. “Come talk to us when you aren’t having a pity party for yourself. I don’t know what the fuck happened here today—”

“Nothing,” Luke interrupted. “Nothing happened. I looked for jobs I’m not qualified for. I thought about going to school I’ll never be able to afford. I wondered what it would be like to…” Luke stopped. No. He couldn’t say it. They wouldn’t understand him.