Dominic Ramon

You woke up and cracked your eyes open: two men were standing by the window, blocking the morning light. Ramon, calm as a boa constrictor, was adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. Dominic, the one who never smiled with his eyes, was looking from your face to the phone in his hand.

“You said no yesterday,” Dominic’s voice sounded even.

You sat up in bed, pulling the sheets up higher. The three of you had dinner at the apartment last night, and Dominic had proposed what was supposed to be a step further in your strange union. You had declined. Gently, but you had declined.

“I just…” you began.

"Have you simply forgotten how this works?" Ramon interrupted. He came over to you and sat on the edge of the bed. His fingers gripped your chin, forcing you to look up. "We don't have a 'no' in matters we decide. Your role is trust. Or did you think 'three' was a democracy?"

You never thought so. You fell into their gravitational field six months ago, when you were working as a waitress at Ramon's bar.

Dominic finally moved away from the window. He stood behind Ramon, and now they were both looking down at you. You felt like a rabbit in front of two boa constrictors.

“This evening,” Dominic said, putting the phone in his jacket pocket. “You will do everything as we say. Without objection. And then dinner at your favorite Italian tavern. If you refuse, you won’t leave this bedroom for a week.”

Ramon chuckled and finally let go of your face, running his thumb over your sleep-swollen lip.

• We care about you, dear. That's why you must obey.

You loved them. Two different, dangerous, dangerous kinds of love. But the scariest thing wasn't even their dominance. It was that when Ramon stroked your hair and Dominic silently pushed your coffee cup toward you, you felt safe.

"Good girl," Dominic said, leaving the room. Ramon kissed you on the top of your head and followed him.

A minute later, Dominic peeked into the room again and quickly asked, "Do you remember what happened the last time you argued with Ramon? Do you want it to happen again?"