Snack!
I nodded, squirming as River soaped up my junk. “Okay. What kind of snack?”
They chuckled.
“What?” I cracked one eye open, only to notice that Daddy had moved. My bleary gaze landed on the ceiling instead, and all I saw was white tile and shower heads. Many of them. It seemed two of them were on. “We’re in a shower room?”
“What gave it away?” River asked.
I laughed.
Then I scrubbed my hands over my face. It felt so good not to itch anymore.
I’d had a question about something…
“Let’s get you off the floor, baby.” River slipped his hands under my armpits and helped me up, but I got stuck on him calling me baby. I liked it very much.
“Whoa.” I had to grab on to his arms. Head rush. Christ. And he was naked. “There you are.” I blinked and grinned.
He shook his head in amusement and dipped down, kissing me briefly. “It bodes well for us that you can’t focus worth a damn.”
I could focus just fine. I dropped my stare to his magnificent body, and my hands sort of followed. It couldn’t be helped. He and Reese had what I decided were the sexiest bodies on the planet. They could not be more masculine, with all their ruggedness, solidness, ink, and imperfections. I let my fingers brush over his chest hair and the large tattoo that covered the left side of his ribcage. Brotherhood was the obvious theme, and I remembered seeing a similar tattoo on Reese’s shoulder blade. There were two shot glasses with amber liquid in them, two male silhouettes walking through fire, one date of birth, and…a guitar. Hm.
“Who plays the guitar?” I wondered.
“Reese.” River gathered my hands in his and kissed my knuckles. “You ready to continue?”
I nodded vigorously. “I want snacks, please.”
He laughed under his breath and guided me away from the water.
* * *
Oh wow. The halls outside the shower room were something else. It was the first time I was seeing the interior, not counting some pictures online. Red, black—mostly black—and silver were used everywhere. Black-and-white erotic photography on the walls. Each room had a silvery number attached to the door, along with a metal pocket that I knew held instructions and terms of use for each playroom. Another thing I’d read about online.
I wasn’t peering into a fantasy life from behind the safety of the screen of my phone anymore, though. I was right here, being ushered up to the third floor by two Sadists. Two very nice Sadists, at the moment. They’d toweled me off, put aloe on my back, and dressed me in a pair of boxer briefs and too-large sweatpants. They had a tee for me too, but my back felt too raw for it right now. Maybe later. I did love wearing their clothes.
Room 11 was called the Interrogation Room, and as soon as River opened the door, it was like stepping into a cop show on TV. Grayish walls, linoleum flooring, a desk at the center of the room, one chair on one side, two chairs on the other. There was…whoa, really?
“Is that…?” I pointed to the western wall, which had a large mirrored window. There was a door too, painted the same color as the wall.
“Interrogations require an audience from time to time,” Daddy said.
Pfft. There I go again with the Daddy nonsense.
I was silly.
River gestured for me to take a seat at the table while Reese disappeared into that other room with the mirrored window.
“Are you going to interrogate me?” I asked curiously.
“You are just full of astute observations today.” River smirked a little and sat down across from me.
I grinned. “Thanks.”
He chuckled, then scratched the spot right underneath the neckline of his tee and glanced over his shoulder as Daddy—Reese!—as Reese reappeared. And he brought snacks!
“Look at how his eyes light up,” River murmured.
I didn’t know who he was talking to; I was busy gawking at the tray Daddy set on the table. It was funny because it was identical to the pocket trays we’d had in the high school cafeteria. An apple—the red and yellow, delicious kind, not the super tart green one—a small bag of chips, half a sandwich, a cookie, and a bottle of water.
As Daddy sat down next to River, I was informed that I’d get rewarded with the snacks for every question I answered. Until I’d finished all the food.
I was good with that.
“We’ll start small,” River said. “Did you go to college?”
I nodded and forced my gaze off the sandwich. “Yes, Sir.”
Was this really an interrogation? Interrogations were for people who were suspected of something. Maybe they could call this an interview instead.
“What did you study?” River asked next.
“Civil engineering,” I answered. Did I get my sandwich now? My stomach snarled with hunger. “Is that turkey?”
“Focus,” River commanded. I snapped my stare to him, sheepish. I hadn’t even noticed I’d looked away from him. “Tell us a little about your college experience. More than a two-word sentence. Then you can have your first snack.”
Okay, cool. I was going to pick the sandwich first. “My mom and I would go to her friend’s beach house in Jersey in the summer when I was little. I don’t remember exactly how it became a hobby, but I liked studying the coastline.” It was where she had met Dad. He’d been in Jersey for a tae kwon do tournament for the children he coached. I lifted a shoulder. “The interest stuck, so I’m gonna be a coastal engineer one day. I have my bachelor’s degree, just have to go back and finish my last year so I can get my master’s.”
I’d get to that as soon as I had secured my brothers’ futures.
“May I have the sandwich now?” I asked.
“Of course.” Daddy slid the tray closer to me, and I quickly grabbed the snack and bit into it. Fucking amazing. Turkey, mayo, and tomatoes. “Coastal engineering sounds exciting.”
I nodded as I chewed. Too bad the sandwich was tiny. Like,
