Page 2 of Any Which Way

T he late morning sun pours in through the oversized storefront windows of Steeped in Pride.

All around me, people bustle about. Several couples sit at cozy bistro tables to the left of the entrance, a nearby counter serving as the point of sale for patrons choosing to dine in.

To the right, a small retail section carries a wide variety of teas—both loose leaf and in the more consumer-friendly tea bag—along with small gifts and gizmos for the sophisticated and novice tea drinker alike.

An aroma of peppermint and bergamot collides in the air with the scent of the baked in-house pastries and scones. While they would normally have me salivating, today they do little to bring forth any appetite.

It has been nearly two weeks since Brynn’s performance of Swan Lake —also known as her tumble off the stepstool and into a mountain of photos neither of us ever expected to find.

And in those two weeks, I have been able to sense the walls going up around Kai all while Brynn desperately tries to claw them down.

Something has to give.

I can’t keep living in a house where both my long-term partners are unhappy.

Not even a first date with a beautiful new woman has been enough to make Kai smile the way he normally does.

Nor has a new painting project or puzzle helped Brynn to stop the nervous energy that seems to radiate off her in waves.

Thankfully, I don’t have time to further spiral when a beautiful woman I recognize as Ryan steps up to where I am standing at the small check out podium on the retail side of Steeped in Pride.

We don’t cross paths more than a few times each year, but as both the owner of the building I rent space from as well as the owner of Glittering Vices, we’ve become casual acquaintances over the years, and I always make a point to keep her favorite darjeeling tea on hand.

“Anything else I can get for you?”

Her smile is near blinding in a way that I know instantly makes people feel at ease.

As I place her items in a canvas tote and run her card, she takes a flyer from a folder and places it on the podium.

“Actually, I was hoping I might be able to leave you with a flyer for your community board for my upcoming workshops.”

I pass over her tote before reaching for the flyer, quickly reading its contents as a plan begins to form in my mind.

“This is a fantastic idea. My partners and I have been to Glittering Vices several times and have always enjoyed ourselves and the performances. In fact, could I grab a second one of those?”

“Got someone in mind you think could benefit from learning the art of radical self-love and acceptance?”

I can’t help but smile as she hands over a second flyer. “As it happens, I think I just might.”

I’m thankful the morning passes quickly after Ryan leaves, a steady stream of customers coming and going.

With my store manager, Polly, and two other employees, we handle food and beverage orders for the cafe and retail shop while chatting with both new and returning customers.

I order inventory for the upcoming summer and place the last of the spring products on sale.

And when I look up after a particular busy stretch of the early afternoon to see Kai leaning against the far wall of the tea shop, I smile, excited to share a quick lunch with him before he returns to his office.

His strides quickly eat up space between us, and before I can open my mouth to say hello, he lifts his hand to present me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers I hadn’t previously seen.

Peonies and ranunculus in shades of pale pinks and purples mix with light yellow carnations.

Bits of greenery fill in the spaces between the blooms, and a thick butcher’s paper holds the bouquet together tied with a ribbon from the local florist.

“Please tell me you have some of those cinnamon-toffee bagels? It’s all I’ve been thinking about since you texted me.

” His smile is enough to melt the panties off most women.

Clearly, not even I was immune to his charms, and now here I am three years later not just sharing a partner with my wife but sharing a man with Brynn.

Our relationship developed much slower than the initial one that grew between Kai and Brynn, but over time, he’s become just as important to me as Brynn is, and I couldn’t see myself existing without either of them in my life.

We grab food from the counter and take a seat at one of the small tables.

Thankfully, the rush has passed, only a few stragglers still shopping on the retail side of the store.

Kai takes a bite of his bagel, managing to cram about a quarter of the dough into his mouth in one bite.

Meanwhile, I pick at my food, silently praying I’m not misreading the situation we’ve found ourselves in, that I’m not about to send not only my relationship with Kai to a watery demise but Brynn’s relationship with him as well.

I take a bite of my croissant, a healthy serving of chicken salad heaped between the layers of flaky pastry I normally can’t get enough of. “We can keep pretending nothing happened, that nothing has changed in the last few weeks. But I really don’t think that’s going to solve anything, do you?”

The bagel halfway to Kai’s mouth pauses, a chunk of toffee falling to the table below with a hollow thud as I continue to stare at him, waiting.

Finally, he gives in, speaking first. “Eleri, please , can’t we just forget about it?” His voice is hushed, like he’s afraid people are listening in on our conversation.

“No, I don’t think we can. There are very few boundaries between you, Brynn, and myself, and disregarding this— whatever even this is—would be breaking one of the few rules we have established to always be open and truthful with each other.”

Kai holds my gaze, his dark brown eyes holding on to something that looks a lot like shame.

Reaching across the small table, I place one hand on his while continuing to speak, hoping to show him it’s okay.

That he can be vulnerable with me much the way Brynn is often vulnerable with both of us as her Dominants when we not only scene at the dungeon, but when we’re together in the bedroom, too.

“If you would really rather not talk about it, I’m not going to push you.

That’s not my place. But I think there is a reason why you’ve held on to those pictures, Kai.

And maybe you owe it to yourself to explore that more in depth. ”

We eat without speaking for a few minutes, letting the sounds of the shop act as our soundtrack. Nearby, the sound of a spoon clinks against an antique teacup. Polly’s laughter drifts through the space as she talks to a customer, and an ad plays over the radio for a local cat beauty pageant.

It’s enough to break the tension, both of us turning toward the speaker to be sure we heard the radio advertisement correctly.

“I am not taking Brynn,” I tell him.

Incredulously, he scoffs. “Like I would miss the chance to see who takes home the crown for Ellison Harbor’s fiercest feline. I’ll get her and I tickets tonight after work.”

The rest of the meal is filled with easy back and forth.

Kai eats a second and then a third bagel, and not for the first time, I wonder how the man manages to keep his physique while juggling a successful career, multiple partners, and a busy social calendar of events.

Of course, I know it’s in part to his early morning workouts, but while he is still young and into staying fit, I’m content with my slim yet not quite as athletic build that shows my age as I creep closer and closer to forty.

I probably should feel guilty at suggesting one more thing to add to his busy plate, knowing he’s already pressed thin…

But I don’t.

For some reason, my intuition whispers that I need to push just a little harder.

Knowing Kai needs to get back to his office soon, I muster the strength to talk about the pictures one last time, hoping a different approach will work better.

I take the flyer from Ryan that has been in my pocket since this morning.

Smoothing out the creases in the paper, I slide it across the table.

“What’s this?” Kai takes the paper, scanning the words much as I did earlier. “Oh, cool, so that’s where the summer performers come from. We should check out a few again this year. I always love to watch what they come up with.”

“I was thinking that this year, maybe you could check out the classes.”

His eyes snap to mine as his jaw tenses. “I don’t need to learn how to love myself, Eleri. I’m perfectly fine with who I am.”

“Then don’t do it for yourself. Do it for me. Fuck, Kai, do it for Brynn. You and I both know this is tearing her apart. She feels like she betrayed you, but she doesn’t know why.”

“What if doing these classes has the potential to change everything?”

I smile, hoping it’s reassuring. “Isn’t that better than everything staying like it is now?”

Kai groans. “You’re infuriating when you answer a question with a question.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re kind of cute when you’re flustered.” I wink, only half in jest. The blush climbing his cheeks is cute, and not for the first time since seeing the photos of him in lingerie, I let my mind drift to what the scene would look like in real life.

He takes the flyer, folding it back into quarters before sliding it into his tailored suit pocket as he stands. “No promises.”

Together we walk to Kai’s car, the afternoon sun like an old friend as it envelops me in its warmth.

And when we reach his sleek, black Mustang, Kai takes over for the sun, wrapping me in his arms. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, a move that isn’t hard with our height being as similar as it is.

I spread my palms out over his broad back, loving the way it tapers into his narrow, toned waist. He’s strength and power, masculine without the toxicity that so often comes free with an order of male.

Brynn and I have to send his four sisters thank you gift baskets.

Their influence on Kai’s upbringing helped to turn him into the human he is today.

Our lips meet in a gentle kiss, unspoken words passing between us. Kai drops his forehead to mine.

“Thank you again for the flowers. I love them almost as much as I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he responds. “And I will think about what you said. That’s all I can promise for now.”

And if that’s all he can promise in the moment, I’m more than happy with having that as a place to start.