Page 62 of Their Wicked Ways
“You said your family hasn’t had any contact with you since you left home. Is that because they found out about you?” Wes asked.
I shook my head. “No. That was because of my divorce and all the drama from that. I’d be dead to them if they knew I liked dick. Pretty sure they’d try to figure out a way to have an exorcism performed on me if they knew I liked two dicks at the same time.”
Ez snort-laughed as Wes choked on the sip of water he’d just taken.
“Can I ask you guys something?” I asked when Wes had finished coughing.
Ez nodded.
“How did you start this? Like, the thirds thing?”
They glanced at each other.
“Is that not okay to ask?”
Shit. Had I overstepped? Why hadn’t I kept my big mouth shut?
“No, it’s fine.” Ezra smiled reassuringly. “We just don’t talk about it often.”
“Or ever,” Wes added.
“But it’s nothing crazy. At least we don’t think so.” Ez slipped his hand under Wes’s, where it rested on the table, and laced their fingers together. “A few years ago, we were talking about our fantasies and looking for ways to spice things up. We tried all the usual things, like handcuffs and role-play. Then we found Envy and the back room and added exhibitionism and voyeurism to our list.”
I nodded, hoping they’d keep explaining things.
“From there we realized we were both interested in group stuff, so we used toys to simulate having a third person there, and eventually we decided to try it with a third,” Wes said.
“You weren’t worried about jealousy or anything like that?” I had to ask. “I told my ex-sister-in-law she looked beautiful on her wedding day, and my ex-wife got mad and accused me of secretly wanting her sister over her.”
“That doesn’t sound like something someone in a secure relationship would say.” Wes’s tone was light, but his eyes were serious.
“We were the last thing from a secure relationship.” I dropped my gaze to my nearly empty plate. I didn’t want to talk about my failed marriage. I wanted to keep learning about them.
“We are. And that’s the only reason this works between us.” Ez squeezed Wes’s hand. “I’ve loved him since I was sixteen. He’s mine, and I’m his. Being with thirds doesn’t change that because it’s something we do together. Some people watch porn or wear sexy lingerie or whatever their particularthingis. Ours is playing with strangers and living out the fantasies we can’t indulge in when it’s just the two of us.”
“It doesn’t bother you to see it?” I asked. “Even with it being a couple thing. You don’t get jealous?”
“Nope,” Ez said simply.
“It’s hard to explain, but seeing Ez with someone else turns me on. I love being able to watch him explore his fantasies because I get to explore mine too. Maybe it’s because we’re both exhibitionistsandvoyeurs, but that’s never been an issue for me.”
“Me either,” Ez said. “But it only works because we’ve talked about every possible scenario, and we have clear boundaries and rules for what is and isn’t okay. It’s not the sexiest thing, but we pretty much run off scripts, so there are no surprises. We check in with each other, and we break down every encounter after to make sure we’re still okay with what went down.”
“The thing with an arrangement like ours is that we talk about everything,” Wes said. “We have open communication, and we’re honest with each other. The moment either of us feels the need to hide something, or we stop talking about it, is when we know we’re in trouble.”
“Has that ever happened?” I asked.
They glanced at each other. “Only once,” Ez said.
I waited for him to elaborate.
“But we talked it over, figured out what was wrong, and came up with ways to fix it,” Wes said.
“It’s so weird to me that everything you said makes total sense.” I couldn’t help chuckling softly at the irony. “And it’sobviously working for you if you’ve been doing this for so long and you’re still rock solid. It goes against everything I was taught, but you two are one of the only long-term couples I know that seem to actually love each other.”
They exchanged a look.
“You’ve been together for so long, and you still hold hands and give each other secret smiles and do all the stuff that usually stops when you get past the courtship phase.” I shrugged lamely. “I’m not explaining this right.”