Bind and Keep Me, Book 2 by Cari Silverwood

Her doubt stood out in flaming red letters.
    “Steph, if you try violence or to escape, and fail, Klaus will be so bloody angry.”
    She stiffened.
    “Why bother? If we will let you go anyway, why risk anything that might hurt you too. Do you really want to hurt me, Steph?” I reached and stroked her nape and soon her muscles relaxed. “This whole situation is beyond us all. We’re all in danger of criminal charges. Adapt. Do what we ask you to, and you’ll be free sooner.”
    Time edged past. But I waited, patiently. This was so important.
    “I…” She paused again. “Fuck. I don’t know.”
    Emboldened by her hesitation, I let my hand find its way into the beginning of the cleft between her ass cheeks. I toyed a little there until her breathing deepened.
    “You like this, Steph. You like me, yes? Sexually.”
    “God.” She put her head deeper into the sheets. Her toes nudged into them at the other end. I waited some more. “Yes.”
    “Good. Then this will work.” I stooped to kiss her bottom. “I like you too. Klaus wants you also. Did you know that?”
    “No. Not exactly. Um. He does? I don’t know if
I
like that.”
    I took the plunge. I didn’t want to be an equal submissive in this. “Be ours for a while. Why not? Learn to trust us. Show we can trust
you
.”
    “He scares me.”
    “You’ll find that’s part of his attraction.”
    “It is? No. No. I don’t know still.”
    I had a feeling Klaus had made up his mind that the three of us together was the only option. I’d leave it to him to convince her. Besides, we’d run way off track. “Back to my questions. Family? Pets?”
    “Huh? No. No pets.” Her head wobbled in negation. “Family? Damn them. No. Mum died five years ago and my stepfather went back to Switzerland and a UN job. My stepbrothers went with him. Maybe Thom would worry, that’s it.”
    “Thom? One of your stepbrothers?”
    “Yes.”
    For a second, I stilled my fingers. Sad, in a way. I recalled her at university as a very crazy party-goer, but happy. Scatterbrained sometimes, but she breezed through subjects I’d had trouble with. I guess she had that odd sort of smartness that just didn’t carry over into everyday life. And Leon and Melissa—how had she gotten mixed up with those two?
    “How long did you know Melissa and Leon for?” Dear god I hoped she wasn’t going to say anything bad. If they’d been close…
    “Not long.” She sighed. “I met them both at a swingers party a month ago. Melissa knew him better. I had coffee with her a couple of times after. That, the other night, was the first time I did, that. Fuck.” I heard her give a little cough like she was having trouble getting words out. “I’m sorry, I… Why am I saying that to you? I’m not sorry. Just, yeah, I’m dumb. Sad. She was a nice lady, really. Really she was.”
    There wasn’t much I could add there. I knew they had been living people but I couldn’t connect. Not when so much bad associated in my head whenever I thought of that night. Maybe one day I could. Not now. I felt nothing for them except anger. I was, oddly, grieving more for Steph. But then she was here, lying over my lap. So I patted her until she seemed to relax.
    I steered us back to calmer waters.
    “So, you work where? Last I remember you were doing the journalism course, but you dropped out.”
    She shifted, her bottom wobbling a bit. Funny how enticing a butt was. Well, to me it was, and to Klaus. He would like hers. The idea of both of us messing about in bed with Steph… I had to focus sharply. Thinking of sex right now was too distracting.
    This bottom under my fingers is severely unattractive, I told myself. I bit my lip and drew an eensy-weensy circle on her with my finger. I sighed. Not likely that argument would take.
    With her cuffed hands beneath her chin, she turned to peer back at me. “I did a nursing course after that. Dropped out again, did various jobs. I’ve been working at a car dealership