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To be fair, I had no clue what would come out of their mouth, but it was better to be prepared.

“He makes me feel safe and warm. And horny, in a safe way.” They moved so they could nuzzle my neck as they spoke. I moved my arm to keep them steady around the middle. It was reflex at this point. “He anchors me, I think.”

Fuck.

I didn’t expect that last part.

The shock had to still be on my face when Tony gave a gentle tug to my hair. “What about you, pup? What does Cece give you?”

I gulped. The question wasn’t a hard one to answer. It wasn’t one I had to think hard about. I just wasn’t used to putting it into words—definitely not with an audience or when I wasn’t feeling my most confident.

Speaking of… “Cece gives me safety and warmth, too, but… they also make me feel powerful and give me a boost of self-confidence. I like the feeling of control, in a way, too. They balance me out? Like, I know I can be more aggressive and impulsive and shit. Like when I went to your place the other day. When Cece is around, they talk me out of stuff like that.”

Tony chuckled. I really wasn’t that funny, but it didn’t bother me. I supposed keeping him entertained wasn’t the worst thingin the world. No, it actually made me feel all kinds of warm in my gut.

I hated it.

“At the expense that this is speaking too much too fast, I don’t want to get between the two of you.” Tony sighed. “It’s not my first rodeo with people who already have their own dynamics going on, platonic or sexual.”

I frowned. If I thought about it, Tony had always been with more than one person. Even before Marga and Jen, he’d always been in triads, quads, or any other arrangement. I supposed it made sense then.

There wouldn’t be as much pressure on him to perform—or fully commit—if the people around him didn’t see him as a primary partner.

“I don’t want to lose Jaime.” For the first time since Tony showed up, Cece’s voice went back to that broken, small thing. I shrunk. “Not just because of the Alpha stuff. He’s my kink sib, first and foremost.”

“I understand that.” Tony ran a hand through my hair. It was subtle, but there. “I have watched the two of you together with others at the club. But do you think I could watch the two of you alone?”

I froze. “Why?”

Cece barely reacted other than tightening their hold around me. I turned so I could watch Tony’s face more properly.

“Part of it is I’m a voyeur.” He shrugged. “A bigger part is I understand the world around me by watching it. The Alpha/beta thing you’ve got going on means nothing to me until I can actually see what it looks like and what it means. Another part is, if we’re going to discuss long term already, a big thing for me is being responsible for you.”

“I’m okay with watching, Sir, but nothing else. No offense,” Cece piped in. “You’re too masc for me.”

Tony’s eyes widened for a second as he brought Cece into focus. It kind of stole my breath, that someone forgot we weren’t the only ones in a room.

“None taken.” Tony chuckled. “I’m not interested in you that way, either. It’s not about that.”

My throat felt too dry. I cleared it before I opened my mouth to speak. “What is it about, then?”

Tony made himself more comfortable on the couch, spreading his thighs just a bit more. Manspreading really shouldn’t make me hot. If I had a red flag, this had to be it.

“You know how you just mentioned feeling in control?” he asked. I nodded. The question didn’t help with my dry throat. I wondered if I could reach the boba tea from here. I could use with the distraction—and the sugar high. “That’s the feeling I’m after when I’m with someone. I want to control, to own. I want to feel responsible. That doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you what to do to Cece, but it may mean I tell you to clear a weekend to spend with them. Or I punish you when you haven’t been there for them in the way they needed you to be. But, to do that, I need to understand better what you do for them and how the two of you work.”

I swallowed.

“Oh. Can I go to you to punish him?”

Of course.

I glared Cece’s way. “Et tu, Brutus?”

They stuck their tongue out.

Tony clearing his throat saved them from my revenge. “Does he punish you? Or discipline you in any way?”

We both snorted at that. Just imagining it made me cringe.