Page 16 of Collin, Episodes 13-15 (The Residency Boys #5)

émeric made a face. “I’m certain she was happy she was already planning to move, then.”

Collin raised his cup and tilted it in confirmation.

The house was every bit as beautiful as Collin had been led to believe.

At the end of a long winding and very private drive, the woods opened up on a grassland lawn through which a creek flowed.

The house was built into the landscape with one wing connected by a bridge over the creek.

There was a covered bridge on the second story and an open bridge framed by an arch on the first story.

The landscaping was all-natural worn stone, local trees and shrubbery, and bits of stone-built statuary, picnic tables, and carved-out grottoes.

Collin slid out of the SUV and put his foot on the ground with a feeling of awe.

The air smelled crisp, clean, and fresh with the scent of trees.

The house itself was rambling, two and three stories in various places, and fronted a three-car garage at the end of the drive.

The peak of a high roof pointed south, hinting at massive windows somewhere, but the house curved away, and the driveway didn’t grant a view into the house.

Even right there, getting out of the car, it felt like the house was keeping its secrets from anyone casually approaching.

Holden and the rest of the security team pulled up.

They checked in with Richard and then took off again, going back down the driveway to the cabin allocated to staff.

The groundskeeper had her own house somewhere nearby.

Holden and the rest, including the two-man team that had come up two days earlier, would be watching the cameras and checking the perimeter, but the house itself would be just for Richard, émeric, Damian, and Collin, and eventually their guests in another week when Linda’s crew and Hypatia and Matthew joined them.

Hypatia and Matthew were coming a bit earlier so they could play.

Collin was looking forward to that with both excitement and trepidation. He was fairly sure Richard and émeric were entirely too thrilled at the idea of turning him into a whimpering, embarrassed mess in front of friends.

They only had a few bags to bring in. Most of their things had been sent ahead, and émeric had ordered groceries delivered, which Collin had been told the housekeeper would put away. Collin carried his own bag in and an extra sack of wrapped presents he’d bought last minute.

“You get to pick a room to be yours whenever you’re here,” Mr. Reevesworth announced, letting them all into the house through the garage. They went up the stairs and over the bridge into the main house.

Collin chose a third-floor room under the eaves with a view of the lawn and the creek, but he didn’t bother to leave much there.

He changed into lounge clothes and padded barefoot toward voices until he found Richard and émeric in a master suit.

They’d also changed and were making out, Richard kneeling over émeric’s lap in the window seat.

The room was dominated by a massive king-size bed built entirely out of what appeared to be steel.

It was high enough that there were steps to reach the top of the mattress, and beneath, it was enclosed as a cage, perhaps two.

Collin wasn’t sure if he was seeing bars separating the space down the center or not.

He left his doms to each other and explored the rest of the house.

Damian was in the great room, where massive three-story tall windows framed the grassland lawn and a giant fireplace filled the center southern wall.

From there, he found a stone staircase down to a vast kitchen crafted in old-world pavers, rockwork, and wood with deep sinks, large pantries, and four ovens.

A little beyond that was a beautiful breakfast cave of a room with pink, green, purple, and blue stained-glass flowers and hummingbirds worked into half of one wall and part of the ceiling.

A large raw-edge table filled most of the space surrounded by benches built into the wall on two sides and a freestanding bench on the side by the glass.

The bottom half of the exterior wall was stone, and the top half was glass and stained glass.

It felt like a cave had been cracked open and then enclosed in crystals.

Indoor plants spilled down from shelves built near the ceiling, taking advantage of the treehouse-like effect of all the light.

The house had clearly been built as both a retreat and a place where one could entertain.

There was a large deck but also a lofted ledge for a single person built halfway up a wall in the living room where one could hide, complete with handholds built into the log wall.

There were half a dozen half-baths on the first floor but also a small TV room with a sunken pillow nest for no more than four.

It was almost as if the house had gone through multiple owners and each had left their mark, and then someone had come along and harmonized it.

If Collin had to guess, it was émeric who had made the place make sense and Richard who had guided some of the authority and imposition that some of the rooms offered.

A few rooms were locked. Collin left them alone. He ended his tour on a massive blue couch in front of the fireplace in the great room with Damian. He crawled over to his kink brother and nuzzled his way into the lawyer’s lap, demanding snuggles.

Damian gave in by degrees, eventually spreading his legs so Collin could lie between them with his head against Damian’s belly. “Are you trying to tell me something, kitten?”

“You need to rest.”

Damian groaned very quietly. “I know. It feels like I can’t come down.”

“You said you were doing well after the incident.”

“Not that. I am handling that. Seeing Bernstein get eviscerated in court and knowing reparations to Reevesworth Industries are going to be in the billions has been good for my mental health. Having you around all the time has been good.”

“Then what?” Collin played with the collar of Damian’s shirt. Damian took Collin’s hand in his, spreading Collin’s fingers and pressing their palms together.

“Honestly, I do need to disconnect from work. I’m usually better at it than this.

It’s my not-my-person person. They’ve gone really quiet, and I’m pretty sure they’re not happy.

And working was the only way I could trick my stress into thinking I was doing something about it.

Honestly, I could have knocked off yesterday, but… ”

“But you at least felt like you were being useful if you kept doing things.”

Damian grimaced and nodded. “At least I didn’t get you in trouble this time.”

“No, but I’m probably going to get you in trouble.”

“How?”

“By telling Richard he needs to put you in puppy mode and wear you out.”

Damian laughed wryly. “He already called me out. I agreed. He’s giving me some time to stew, but tonight I gave him permission to take me down. No dom training, just pup time. Fuck, it’s going to be rough at first.”

“Why?”

“Because I haven’t submitted in a while. “

“Neither have I?” Collin shrugged, uncertain of Damian’s issue.

“You’re always submitting, kitten. I’d bet a hundred dollars émeric ordered for you this afternoon at the café and didn’t even ask you what you wanted.”

Collin flushed. “Er…um…you’d win that bet.”

“I would.” Damian chuckled and stroked Collin’s nose. “When’s the last time you came?”

“Weeks and weeks ago.”

“Exactly.” Damian reached down and cupped Collin’s groin. “I bet you’re full.”

Collin squirmed. “Maybe.”

“There’s a pillory and some stocks around here somewhere. I bet émeric can use them to milk you nicely without putting any strain on your right arm.”

Collin whined in the back of his throat. “Okay, okay. You’re right. I am always submitting. I’ve missed doing anything more intense though. And I know I’m going to regret saying that but also I won’t.”

Damian grinned and stroked Collin’s cheek. “You thrive on embarrassment, little brother.”

Collin nodded. “Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you when you start submitting again?”

Damian huffed and sank back against the couch.

“If Mr. Reevesworth does what I think he’ll do, he’ll put me in the cage under his side of the bed tonight in my puppy gear, naked.

It’s what he usually does on our first night here so I can spend some time getting into headspace.

If I fret or don’t sleep, he’ll take me out and spank me until I’m tired and then put me back.

Don’t fret about it. Sometimes I need to fight it a bit.

Huffing and whining and acting out is kinda my Pup’s thing when I’m stressed.

The rest of the time, if I’m stressed, I don’t make it anyone else’s problem, but when I’m a pup, yeah, I make it someone else’s problem, and he puts me in my place. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it.”

“Are émeric and I allowed to be around for this? Now that you have a new contract?”

“Only you and émeric. Not even Matthew gets to see that anymore or Hypatia.” Damian rubbed Collin’s head. “You’re special.”

Collin grinned. He felt special. “Do you think they’ll put me in a cage too tonight?”

“There is a second cage on émeric’s side of the bed. A long, long time ago, Matthew used to sleep on one side, and I was on the other. But you’ve never indicated that you’re okay with being left in a cage overnight.”

Collin thought about that. If he had to guess, his doms needed to reconnect.

But they’d been so careful with him, keeping him close and doting on him during healing, he’d started to worry they weren’t taking enough time for each other.

The fact they’d tumbled into each other’s laps as soon as they’d arrived pointed to unmet needs.

And if he wasn’t alone under the bed and was that close to everyone… “It would be totally hot if they had sex above us while we were down there unable to do anything.”