Page 40 of Two For the Show (Trapped On The Tightrope Duet #2)

Rex gives a wave and a bow before striding out of the ring to thunderous applause. He’s always impressive, but it seems like tonight, he and the rest of the troupe have brought their ‘A’ game. They understand the importance of this and want to ensure it works out for us.

It needs to be the best show we’ve ever put on.

After rescuing Alex from the aerial hoop, the twins went on to deliver their most awe-inspiring performance yet. I’ve never seen them move their bodies that way, and the way they leapt and spun from the Wheel of Death had even me worried for a moment there.

But they’re the best in the business for a reason.

Guy’s masked man routine was a hit, and he even lost his shirt this time, showcasing a pattern of scars that glinted in the stage lighting.

Some of the audience were dragging their hands over him like he was a stripper, but we planted one of our young Beta roadies in the crowd for him to restrain and haul off.

He’s like a sexy clown type of intermission. I’m not going to pretend like it does it for me, but it doesn’t not do it for me. It’s also not a routine I would have ever thought to include in the show, and yet he’s the one people request for private shows all the time.

Calvin, our fire breather, brought the house down, too. Not literally, because that would be bad. But I, more than anyone else, can appreciate the artistry of a good oral routine.

Alex struts into the ring on Jude’s arm, bantering with him like the audience isn’t there. Despite her nerves, no one would know she’s uncomfortable in her role. She’s performing beautifully, and I know I’m not the only one enamoured by her.

Matteo adjusts his hat, a larger version of Alex’s, and smiles at me. “Are you ready, Alpha?”

I slide my arm around his waist and pull him flush to my body. “Ready to claim our Omega in front of everyone? Yeah, yeah, I am. The real question is, are you ready?”

Matteo has the hardest job of the three of us tonight. It’s a lot of pressure, but he’s risen to the occasion in every rehearsal.

“I’ve never been one to shy away from hard things,” Alex says suggestively from the center of the ring. “But sharp ones? There’s a reason why I’m not a surgeon.”

Jude chuckles, and it booms around the tent. “It’s lucky for the audience that this next act doesn’t share your hesitancy, isn’t it?”

She squeals a little and turns to face him with excitement. “Oh, does that mean-”

“It does. Welcome to the ring, Quick Cut and Maestro!”

Jude and Alex both spread their arms wide and create a path between them for Matteo to stalk into the ring .

“Maestro?” Alex asks tentatively. “Where is Quick Cut?”

He snags the back of her neck and pulls her close as Jude backs out of the ring. He looks delicious in his vest, with his bare chest, and tight leather trousers. Their bodies pressed together is a sin that I am dying to commit.

“Oh, he’s giving me a moment with my Omega.”

The crowd makes a happy little squeal. Not every Omega claims a Beta, but Matteo is a crowd favorite, and I’m sure they’re delighted to know he’s a part of her pack.

“You’re making me nervous, Maestro,” she says through a breathy laugh. “I’m not supposed to be a part of this act.”

He walks around her slowly but not taking his hand off her neck. His eyes drag up and down her body, and he’s practically purring when he says, “Did you think you could escape me?”

From the wings, I can nearly see the goosebumps that erupt on her skin. She doesn’t answer him. But that’s okay.

She’s not supposed to.

Music turns on to one of the hottest songs I’ve ever heard. It’s toxic and dirty, and it’s perfect for the act.

When the chorus kicks on, he pulls her back against his front, dragging his hands across her body as she melts into him.

As soon as the singer mentions tearing each other apart, he drops one of his arms, and she nearly falls to the floor.

He doesn’t let her hit, of course, but the move is so sudden that it seems like she may.

He grabs her hair, and she reaches up, hands around his wrist to relieve the pressure and create the illusion he’s dragging her by it to the target. As he straps her into it, she whines, and every Alpha in the audience must perk up at the noise. A few even growl.

She gives an exaggerated wink to the audience to let them know she’s okay as Matteo takes a few steps back and unrolls the strip of leather that holds his knives.

The target starts to spin, and Alex squeezes her eyes shut.

No matter how many times we practiced, she couldn’t keep them open, which is fair.

It’s nerve-wracking watching the blade fly right at you.

After a few warm-up throws, the lights begin to flash, strobes making the two of them appear to be moving in jerky, uncoordinated motions.

And then the lights cut out.

A scream.

The music stops.

“What happened?” Jude’s terrified voice shouts. “Get her out, get her out.”

The audience is murmuring, terrified, and wondering what happened to the pretty Omega.

She’s having a hard time holding back her laughter as I unhook her from the target. I feel a little bad for Jude. We didn’t warn him about this part of the act. Maybe that’s unfair, but we needed his panic and ultimate relief to be real. The showrunner sets the tone for the audience, after all.

My Omega closes the metal restraints over my wrists and ankles before giving me a soft kiss and sneaking away.

The lights finally come up, and Matteo is holding back Jude from charging the target.

“Quick Cut!” Matteo yells, pushing Jude away and stalking forward. Jude stumbles backward, looking dumbfounded. “What did you do with my Omega?”

I run my tongue over my teeth. “You mean my Omega?”

He fumes, taking several steps backward before turning the target onto full speed. It’s not so fast that I’m a blur or anything, but it’s a little uncomfortable to move this quickly.

Knives fly through the air and ‘thunk’ into the wooden target as he hurls them over and over at me.

But when his arm goes backward to launch the last blade at me, Alex grabs his wrist. “Maestro,” she purrs. “Let me.”

I can see the slight tremor in her hand. No one outside of the three of us, since Jude has retreated to the wings to lick his wounds and nurse his pride at being fooled by us, would notice. But I do.

She’s terrified she’s going to miss and hurt me.

I know she won’t. We’ve practiced this over and over. We know exactly where the target will be at the point during the song when she needs to let it fly.

But I hold my breath all the same, knowing that if she misses, she’ll never forgive herself.

As she lets the knife fly, I watch it arc through the air in slow motion, careful not to move even a millimeter.

It embeds itself into the wood right above my head, probably giving me a bit of a haircut at the same time.

The audience is screaming their applause now, and Alex nearly loses the battle with gravity in relief.

We don’t have time to bask in our success. The show must go on.

“If you’ve seen our show before,” Matteo says as a roadie unhooks me from the target, “you know that this is the part of the performance that Quick Cut shows you what he’s really made of. But tonight, he won’t be alone.”

I run across the ring and pull Alex into my arms, kissing her passionately. Our bodies press tightly together, our tongues tangling, and the audience fades away.

Since she returned, with no suppressants in her system, I’ve felt like a new man. I know the Rot is there, but for the first time in years, I don’t feel the need to medicate myself. The small aches and pains are nothing. Not with her around.

I hear more than see the suspension bar drop down to a reachable distance.

Matteo grabs my hair and yanks me backward, and I fall to my knees.

He cuts my shirt down the back and pushes it off my shoulders.

With practiced, expert hands, he gets me ready for a rope suspension.

Alex kneels in front of me, stroking my face, as he wraps and ties my arms behind my back before moving down to my hips.

Once the waist harness is complete, he hauls me up, leaving me hanging with my back arched as he runs ropes from my arms to the bar and then does an intricate tie around my leg to keep one of my feet up.

I love this moment. This feeling of weightlessness. It’s like everything around me quiets, and all I can feel is the pressure of the hemp rope against my skin. This isn’t the most comfortable position I’ve ever been suspended in, but I know it strikes a beautiful, striking image.

My brain goes to mush as I hang there, luxuriating in the feeling of submission that comes with being completely restrained.

I know I should be watching him as he works on Alex, because they’re so beautiful together, but my eyes drift closed as I travel into that quiet space I fall into when I submit.

I can hear the murmuring and gasps of the crowd and the added pressure to the bar as he hauls Alex up by her hips, close enough to me that I could touch her if my arms weren’t tied. This is when I open my eyes.

Her face is blissed out, eyes half-lidded, as our bodies reach for each other. With both of our arms restrained, we can’t reach for each other, but our faces are close enough that we can arch our backs and press our lips together.

I want to kiss her deeply, to show her how much she means to me without words, but we’re literally restrained in a way that we can’t. We can only brush our lips against one another.

Matteo walks between us, grabbing Alex’s face and kissing her passionately. She lets out a soft little moan that has me nearly begging Matteo to cut me down so I can take care of our girl. But of course, I can’t. Not with all these people watching.

Besides, we fucked enough times after the rehearsals for me to know that we’ll scratch the itch once we’re done here.

When our Beta switches his attention to me, dragging his tongue across the seam of my lips and then biting down on my lower one, my brain finally clues in to the audience. There are camera flashes galore and lots of applause as he pulls away from me and straightens his back, standing between us.

“Quick Cut, Omega, you are both so beautiful like this. So perfect. Too perfect for any eyes but my own.”

The lights cut again, and the bar lowers so our bodies rest on the ground. Matteo doesn’t care about preserving his rope. He cuts us down and out of the ropes quickly, and we all slip out of the ring before the lights come up on Jude, all by himself as he prepares to announce the next act.