In All But Name 3

taboo

part i

Summary: You go through life being told how to live it. Sometimes you choose who tells you, other times you don't. Knowing the difference and facing up to them can change not only how you view yourself, but how others view you. Neither option is necessarily easy, but is it worth it?
Many thanks as ever to the terrible trio; Fabi, Gary and Joy (in alphabetical order rather than any other *g*). Your help is, as always, much appreciated. All remaining cock-ups are my own.

Everything was prepared for Sam and Janet's visit, but that wasn't helping Daniel's mood. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, or rather, how he was going to do it. That Janet needed help with Sam wasn't in doubt. That he was prepared to help her also wasn't in doubt. Jack and Paul had been told about the problem, partly because he was stuck and open for suggestions, but mainly because he needed their permission to do whatever was necessary. Even if he wasn't sure what that was.

Paul had just shrugged at his question and agreed that he could do whatever needed to be done, including sleeping with her if it happened. Daniel had admitted to being surprised at Paul's acceptance of that, but Paul had explained that he understood Sam's position better than most, he trusted Daniel and knew that she would trust him too. It wasn't as if he was sneaking off behind their backs and having an affair.

Jack had muttered agreement, too, but Daniel hadn't believed a word. On further questioning, Jack admitted to feeling awkward about it because of what had happened with Sam before, especially with her feelings for him. After discussing it further, Daniel assured Jack that he wouldn't ask him to get involved in helping out with Sam and that relaxed his attitude. It wasn't jealousy or possessiveness that had made him not want Daniel to get that deeply involved, but a hangover from the emotional turmoil of before. As soon as they'd made the agreement that Jack wouldn't be asked to do anything with Sam, he was much happier. Daniel had even teased him about 'keeping Janet occupied' - something that Jack had answered with a wicked grin. He and Janet had always had a spark between them and he had a soft spot the size of the Grand Canyon for her.

So, everything had been discussed and planned out in one sense, but Daniel still wasn't sure how he was going to actually broach the subject with her and get her to see what she needed, and not what she thought she needed. They were due in the next few days and he needed to think of something.

Fed up and currently alone (Paul was at work and Jack was happily up to his armpits in clay), he didn't even have a translation to distract him. He could have worked on the dictionary, but to be frank, he wasn't in the mood. Flopping down onto the sofa, he picked up the TV remote and flicked it on. Straight to his favourite channels, he finally found something he hadn't seen before on National Geographic. A programme on taboos. As he watched the show - which was mainly about medical practices in different societies - a little thought permeated his brain. Halfway through the show, he wasn't really aware of what was on the screen. By the time it was over, he knew exactly what he was going to do. All he needed was an opportunity.

It was done. Jack looked at the abstract piece in front of him and grinned. It had taken ages, having been put to one side when they went on holiday and then he'd been caught up in other things when they'd got back. But now it was completed and he couldn't wait for the guys to see it.

Daniel had always been the one to make the 'grand gesture' and, Jack thought, it was about time he did something to show his own feelings. Now he had to try to explain it to them and he wasn't sure that he would be able to do that. Nerves settled in his stomach at that thought but he dismissed them. No, the guys would get it. If nothing else, they'd appreciate the work that had gone into it.

The design had changed and grown as it had gone on, as organic in its construction as their relationship was. Surely they'd get that.

He made the decision to give it to them after dinner. Talking of which, it was time to go in and clean up. Paul would be home soon and undoubtedly, Daniel would have the meal prepared for not much later.

He was a bit concerned about the next few days. Daniel was really worried about doing the right thing by the ladies and it was showing. Jack had been surprised by his own reluctance to help initially but then, after discussing it with Daniel, he'd understood that and got over himself. Daniel wasn't going to have an affair with Sam. He wasn't going to ask him to deal with her, either. He grinned again when he remembered that Daniel said he could 'play' with Janet and wondered if Daniel would want him to go further than just messing about - and if Daniel would want to watch if he did. That thought made him shudder. It had been a long time since he'd been with a woman; to be frank, there weren't that many that attracted him. But Jan was different. Her wicked sense of humour, her strong personality and her integrity were things he admired and respected. He knew it had been hard for her over the years, just wanting Sam without letting on - he knew all about loving from the sidelines after all. Not once had she ever stepped over the line and he was in awe of her restraint. He also knew that Sam made her happy, so he was happy for her. He wanted to do everything in his power to make their relationship work.

Even though Paul had been the one to empathise with Sam, Jack knew that he was the one who could identify with her the most. Her reluctance to face up to her needs was something he was more than familiar with and he knew how that could drive a person insane if they didn't allow their desires to surface once in a while. It was time to be a teammate again. Time to do whatever was necessary.

And it was time to go in.

Paul was glad to see the gate to their drive as he rounded the last corner. It had been a long week, one fraught with nasty cases. It was weird the way it went. Some weeks, the cases would seem to the outsider to be more trivial, yet, he knew, they were very real to the victims of them. But those weeks, he could calmly get through them, gently comforting his clients, figuratively - and sometimes literally - holding their hands as they dealt with the police and then the courts. His advice was sought out, listened to and acted on and he usually left the victims a lot happier than when they'd come to him and on the road to getting over what had happened to them.

Other weeks, however, there seemed to be one nasty case after another. His colleagues had noticed this, too, and they wondered if the weather or the phases of the moon had something to do with it. One of the policemen he worked with a lot once said that the full moon seemed to bring on batches of the weirder cases, a fact which had actually been documented, so it looked like that was a possibility. Whatever; this week had seen two families of murder victims turn up at the office, not to mention the three rapes and four domestic abuse cases as well as the other, less physically serious crimes that came in. It had been really busy. And whether it was a coincidence or not, it had been a full moon on the previous Saturday.

Paul had been assigned a rape case - something he seemed to be good at. He hadn't told his colleagues why he could empathise with the victims and their families, he just seemed to them to have a natural understanding. They were impressed by the way he would seek out help for the partners, parents and children of the victims as much as the help for the victims themselves. He didn't seem to say much to the families, either, but would let them talk, gently assisting them to order their own thoughts - a process which then helped them see that they needed proper counselling, too. More often than not, the families were so caught up in the victim's plight that they forgot themselves. With Paul's kind prompting they were shown that they were affected almost as much as the victim. Of course, he wouldn't be ignoring the victim. He was there for them, taking them through the legal process, shielding them, explaining everything, organising a psychiatrist to help start the healing process... But that was a well established system. Families weren't catered for as well as they could be.

To help in that side of things, Paul had made a donation to the centre, specifically aimed at hiring another psychiatrist so that they could offer free counselling to the families as well as the victims. He could have left it at that, he knew. Could have just given them the money and then disappeared, allowing others to take the stress and strain of dealing with people that had been hurt. But he couldn't. He needed to do this, needed to make a real difference. Throwing money at the centre wasn't enough. They needed people that could help - people that understood.

He wasn't feeling too bad, though. Even though the week had been one emotional storm after another, he had been carrying Daniel with him as he always did. Daniel had had a special 'outfit' made for him, one with no metals in it that would set off metal detectors at the courts or anywhere else he went. A set of the Devil's rings had been made out of thin strips of leather and that had other things connected to it, too. His balls fitted snugly into two circles of leather, a thong was attached to the rings, went between his legs and was attached to a plug in his ass. Where there was a need for metal studs or rings, Daniel had had them made of pure silver, something which didn't set off the beeps of the detectors. He wore other jewellery underneath his clothes, but nothing could be seen by his colleagues. All they saw was the sober, serious, but very nice man they worked with.

Paul grinned as he remembered Daniel handing his new outfit to him on his birthday a couple of weeks before, not long after they'd got back from Abydos. Paul had thanked him - profusely - in only the way he could. Daniel hadn't been able to shut his mouth for ages, he'd just lain there on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling while Jack fell about laughing as he'd watched. Thinking of that moment made him wince as he started to harden, being reminded quickly of just what he was wearing. Thank God he was home.

Dinner was its usual thing; the three chatted about the mundane, not mentioning Paul's day at all. Jack and Daniel knew that if Paul wanted to discuss his work, he'd bring the subject up later, usually over a drink in the living room. Mealtimes were 'their' time. The outside world had no place there.

As Paul cleared up the plates and put them in the dishwasher, Jack requested that they stay in the kitchen for the moment and he left them, heading straight for his workshop.

"Any idea what he's got in mind?" Paul asked.

"None whatsoever," Daniel replied. "You know Jack, he doesn't tell us anything until he wants to."

"And you're any different?" teased Paul.

Daniel just laughed. "Who's talking?" he joked back. "As if you ever tell us anything until you want to."

Paul sat back down and poured Daniel another glass of wine and then topped his own up and shrugged.

"It's a guy thing."

Daniel raised his glass to him but any further teasing was forestalled when Jack reappeared with something in his hands, which was covered with a cloth.

"Uh, Jack? Have you bought a parrot?" Paul asked.

Jack sniggered and then put it on the table, leaving the cover on it for the moment.

"Not a parrot," he replied. "Um... Look, guys, I had an idea and..." He stumbled over his words, unsure what he was going to say. If he wasn't careful it could come out all wrong.

Daniel took pity on him.

"Jack," he said quietly. "Why don't you take the cover off?"

Nodding slowly, Jack carefully pulled the cloth and dropped it onto the table, showing the strange object to the others for the first time. He watched their reactions closely and was surprised by them. Both men reached out to it gently, stroking their fingers over the twists and turns of the glazed pottery.

In front of them stood a stylised tree. At the base stood a trunk a few inches thick, from which came three branches, all starting on different parts of the trunk; one from the centre, which was thicker at the bottom and spiralled upwards, thinning out at the top. From it were smaller branches that seemed to be cut off in their prime, the main branch they came from visibly thinner above each one. Another branch came up from one side and which had a single stunted branch on it before it twisted in and joined the central branch, weaving in and out of the spiral. A final branch had a similar pattern, its stunted branch at a similar level to the other single one and just before it, too, twisted in and out of the spiral of the central branch. Just before the top, the three branches were squashed together and then the tiniest of twigs seemed to grow out of the peak. It was glazed in black and had some details painted in gold, making it look like a lacquered Japanese wooden carving.

Daniel couldn't take his eyes off it. The workmanship in it was stunning. Jack's talents had blossomed over the years to the point where he was extremely respected by local artists. Clay seemed to just find its shape in his hands. He put that down to his being happy and not feeling any pressure, but Daniel put it down to an innate talent, one he hadn't known he'd had to start with.

Paul was equally enamoured with it. Much as he knew that Jack had talent, he could see that this had come out of his heart and not out of his mind. There was something special about the object that he couldn't define in words.

"It's beautiful," he finally settled on saying. "I'm stunned, Jack. It's just beautiful."

Jack blushed a little. Even though the guys were always kind about his work, he still found it hard to accept praise.

"It's us, isn't it?" Daniel blurted out suddenly.

Paul looked at him in confusion but Jack just smiled.

"I hoped you'd get it," he said quietly. "I'm not very good with words," he offered.

Carefully, so as not to knock the tree, Daniel reached out and took Jack's hand, holding it in his tightly.

"You are," he countered. "But you're even better with images."

"I'm obviously not as artistic as you two," Paul sighed. "I can see three branches... er, I take it that it's a tree?" he asked, wincing as he did.

Jack nodded.

"The Tree of Life," Daniel said with a little laugh. "Or at least, the tree of our lives."

"Jack? Please explain," Paul begged.

Jack shifted awkwardly on his seat and then sighed. "Okay. The trunk is two things. Us - or rather our relationship - and our childhoods. When we were all surrounded by people, so it's the thickest bit."

Paul nodded, unwilling to interrupt Jack but needing to say that he understood.

"Then the branches, as Daniel guessed, are us. The central one is Daniel. This one," he pointed out the one nearest Paul, "is you. The other one is me. When they're apart, it's how we were before we got together. Initially they're thick, when we were with family, then thinning out later on. When we were alone... thin, not very strong."

He stopped for a moment and drank some of his beer (he only gave in and had wine on Daniel's insistence) then continued.

"We're all still thin and fragile even when we all start twisting together. Your branch twists with Daniel's first, but mine touches the outside of his before yours, representing our friendship as well as our relationship. Even though all the branches are still thin, if you look at them from certain directions, they look like they're one branch and really strong."

Paul reverently turned the tree until he saw what Jack meant and he let out a low whistle when he saw it. With his clever use of the glaze and touches of the gold paint, it really did look like one branch from some angles, yet at other angles, you could see each branch individually.

"That's clever," he praised, his tone of voice underlining his feelings.

"Thanks," Jack replied, drinking some more beer to hide his awkwardness.

Then Paul asked the question he'd been dreading.

"What about the twigs on the sides?"

He didn't answer straight away, drinking some more beer to aid his thoughts.

Finally, he admitted, "They're people we've lost. Your father, Charlie..." he started, looking at the small stumps on his and Paul's. He looked awkwardly and sadly at Daniel as he saw how many twigs there were on his branch, but he said nothing more about it, continuing on instead. "I needed to show how we could have gone in different directions..." His voice trailed off but Daniel stroked his shoulder and arm as if to say he didn't need to continue.

"I get it," he said quietly. "If those we've lost hadn't died, we may have grown in different ways, needed different things. We wouldn't be us if they hadn't gone."

"That doesn't mean I'm glad..." Jack interrupted.

"No, Jack. Of course it doesn't. Much as losing you would break my heart, if I could bring back Charlie for you, if I could turn back the clock, I'd do it in a heartbeat. So would you for me, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

"So don't feel guilty. We all feel that way. We wish we hadn't lost them but none of us would lose a minute of the memories we have of them and none of us regret them being in our lives for one second. But it's how it is and we've been given another chance at happiness and we're taking it with both hands. Right?"

Jack smiled brightly. "Right."

He looked at Paul and saw understanding in his face, too.

"But what about that little twig at the top?" Paul asked, confused by that image.

Jack shrugged. "Like the base, it's two things. It's new growth. From us coming together a new family has started, I guess."

"And the other thing?" Paul prompted when it didn't sound like Jack was going to continue.

He sighed deeply. "We're not getting any younger. Me especially. One day, there'll be two of us, then just one. I guess I needed to show how whoever that last one was would be a shadow of his former self."

There was a silence then, the whole meaning sinking in. None would admit that that day would come, yet they all knew it would eventually. Jack felt he had to break the silence after a few minutes.

"So you really like it?" he asked, still a little unsure.

"Like it?" Paul asked incredulously. "I love it! I wish I was half as talented as you," he moaned. "I could never show you guys how much you mean to me in an artistic fashion. Daniel's done it with the rings, you with the tree..."

Daniel interrupted him and said, "Paul, you show us every day. I couldn't submit to you, I don't have that sort of strength. That gift is more than anyone could ask for."

Paul didn't reply, he didn't want to talk about that for the moment. He felt like he should do something. He'd had an idea of his own for a while, had planned it out even. Now, though, he figured that he'd have to mention it soon or else he'd never get up the nerve.

Ignorant of Paul's mental ramblings, Daniel said, "Where should we put this? I want it somewhere safe but on show."

"Uh, the display cabinet with your artefacts?" Paul suggested.

"But that's for the really important stuff," Jack put in.

Daniel grinned. "It's perfect."

Daniel stood back and looked at the tree inside the cabinet. Protected by the glass door, it wouldn't get as dusty as things outside and wouldn't need so much care. Inside the cabinet were his most precious artefacts, things that he didn't want to touch more than necessary. He wouldn't let on to Jack, but now that they had the tree it was important to him that it didn't break. It would be like breaking up with the guys symbolically and that was not something that he could face. So he'd needed to keep it safe the moment he'd realised what it was. This was their best bet.

Besides, it looked good in there.

Feeling someone standing just behind him, Daniel continued to look into the cabinet as if he hadn't noticed that he had company. After a few moments, though, he said, "What's on your mind, Paul?"

Paul couldn't help but laugh a little as he heard the words but he spoke soon after.

"Can we talk?" he asked, a little - not quite nervously but certainly edging in that direction.

"Of course," Daniel replied, turning to him immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Paul answered with a sigh. "I... I just need to talk to you."

"Where do you want to do it?" Daniel asked kindly, getting a little worried now despite Paul's assertion that there wasn't anything wrong.

"Can we lie down?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Daniel teased, taking Paul by the hand and leading him to the bedroom.

The new bedroom was ready, as were the gym and bathroom. They'd christened the new bed a few nights before and pronounced it extremely comfortable. Paul had pointed out that seeing as both it and the double-thickness mattress were handmade to their specific instructions - even the sheets and covers had been especially made for the nearly eight foot wide bed - and seeing as it had cost a not-so-small fortune, it had better have been comfortable. They lay down together, happily sinking into the mattress as it seemed to wrap itself around them. Daniel took his cue and wrapped his arms around Paul, holding him close and waiting silently for him to speak. He knew that whatever it was that was bothering him, it was at least fairly serious. This he could tell by Paul's choice of where to speak. If they needed to lay down, it wasn't his choice of clothes to wear for the following day that was on his mind.

A noise from the bathroom reminded them that Jack had gone in there, newspaper in hand. They couldn't help it but turned to each other and grinned.

"Hope he remembers to open the window," Daniel joked.

"Hope he remembers to spray," Paul added with a grin.

Silence fell again but they continued to look at each other.

"Do you want to wait for Jack?" Daniel asked quietly eventually.

"I think I'd better," Paul replied, not settling Daniel's mind one bit with that answer.

He said nothing, though, just hugged Paul closer to himself as if reminding Paul of where he belonged.

Finally, the bathroom door opened and Jack was surprised to see the two of them looking at him from the bed as he emerged.

"Yes, I opened the window and sprayed," he said before they could speak. "You know me, I always remember."

"Oh no you don't," Paul muttered.

"I so do," Jack countered with a grin, moving towards the bed and dropping his newspaper on the bedside table before sitting on the side. "Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

"Not just anyone," Daniel replied. Then with a wicked grin he added, "I was thinking of inviting that new guy from the club. You know, the one with the tight ass."

As he spoke, Paul poked him and he started to laugh, Jack joining in as he lay down next to Paul.

"So, what's up, guys?" Jack asked eventually.

"Paul wants to talk," Daniel answered, again hugging Paul close as if to say that whatever he was to say, it was okay.

"Uh huh? Well, shoot," Jack urged with a smile.

"Okay," Paul replied, taking a deep breath and shifting to lie on his back. "I guess I want your permission to do something."

"Oh? What's that?" Daniel asked, staring at Paul's face for a clue.

"I..." He stopped and decided the sitting up might help, so he did, propping himself up against the pillows. Daniel was about to follow him but Jack caught his eye and flagged a 'not yet' to him. He picked up on the fact that Paul wanted the security of the two of them there, but he still needed a bit of space. As a compromise, both he and Daniel put their hands on his legs.

"It's nearly our fourth anniversary as a triad," Paul said as he started again.

"It sure is," Jack agreed with a smile, looking up to Paul as he spoke.

Daniel said nothing but beamed at them both.

"Also, a few weeks later, Daniel and I will have been together for six years. It's not an inconsiderable amount of time," he added, rather unnecessarily, but saying it anyway.

He looked down and saw his lovers smiling warmly at him and he took heart.

"Well, I've been thinking about this a lot and it feels like I've started a new life recently. Not just the job, not just moving out here a few years ago, but it's something..." He searched for the right word and then said, "Within me. That's it. Like there's a new me."

Daniel's blood ran cold for a moment, but he said nothing, schooling his face so as not to give his fears away. Did Paul mean that he no longer wanted to sub for him?

No matter how blank his face, Jack could read him like a book.

"What do you mean?" Jack urged, feeling it couldn't be as bad as Daniel feared.

"Okay, if I tell you want I want your permission for, it should explain it better," Paul sighed. "I want a tattoo."

His statement was greeted with stunned silence and he had to look at the men to make sure they were still both awake.

"Guys?"

"Uh, why?" Jack asked, able to recover his composure first.

Daniel slowly unfroze. Of all the things that had been rattling through his mind at that moment, a tattoo hadn't even been close to being one of them.

"A rite of passage is probably the closest I can get to it," Paul answered with a shrug.

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Daniel scrambled to sit up with him, Jack following him quickly. Now that Paul had said what he needed to say, they could surround him without worry.

Daniel took the paper off him and saw a coloured sketch of what Paul wanted and was surprised.

"Uh, I asked Dizzy," Paul admitted when Daniel looked back at him, an eyebrow raised. Paul could do many things, and to be fair, he had good taste when it came to decorating and so on, but he couldn't draw a line to save his life. The image in front of them was good.

Daniel couldn't help it, he burst out laughing and then, giving the paper to Jack, he pulled Paul into his arms and hugged him hard.

Jack looked at the image with as much surprise as Daniel had. On it was a sketch of the top side of a forearm with the underside of the same arm next to it. On the top was a beautiful monogram of three initials, J and P right next to each other with a D intertwined with them both equally, the lines of each initial touching and going under and over, twisting and turning so that they were interlocked, unable to be undone. That wasn't the surprising thing. What was, was the image of Paul's collar, the leather band he wore around his neck, including the buckle with the D ring on it to which Daniel attached the dog leash. Both men knew what Paul was saying by this and they were stunned.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, pointing to the collar.

"Absolutely," Paul replied firmly. "Look, like I said, it's like I've been reborn in a way. I feel different. I am different. When we were at the SGC, submitting to Daniel was a relief for me. I didn't think it was me though, just a means of escape from our daily life. Over the last couple of years I've come to accept that this is me, that I am submissive."

He shrugged as he spoke, dismissing his own words in a way. Catching the looks of concern on the others' faces, he shook his head.

"I don't think it's a bad thing, guys. I'm happy with it. It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It's beyond cool," he added with a grin.

"Well, I'm glad about that," Daniel said carefully. "But are you sure you want other people to know it? This is going to be somewhere it can be seen if you're wearing short sleeves."

"I'm not ashamed," Paul put in forcefully.

"Neither should you be," Daniel interrupted quickly. "But others may not understand. They may think you can be easily dominated in everything."

Paul laughed out loud. "Then they'd be in for a big shock."

"I know that," Daniel sighed. "I just think you're going to be... not quite asking for trouble, but getting there. I just don't want you to be creating possibilities where you could end up either stressed out or even harmed."

"I get that, Daniel, believe me, I get that," Paul soothed. "I've been thinking hard about this for a while and I know it's what I want. Yes, the initials are to show the rest of the world that the three of us are together. That in itself will raise more than a few eyebrows. And yes, some idiots may read the collar unwisely. Having said that, I believe that I am more than capable of coping with whatever comes my way."

The others thought on his words for a moment, then Daniel nodded slowly.

"Okay. I must admit to being very touched by this," he said. Then he shot a glance at Jack and grinned. "And no comments from you, wise guy."

Jack burst out laughing. "As if I would." He wrapped an arm around Paul and gave him a hug. "I think it'll look way cool," he added. "By the way, why the Celtic lettering?"

Paul smiled. "Well, I could have been clichéd and gone for the Gothic," he admitted, "but I know how much you hate clichés."

Jack laughed again then urged him to go on.

"I guess it's because both you and I have Celtic blood..." He winced a little as he looked at Daniel. "Uh, I wasn't really thinking," he said. "Gothic would suit you better, wouldn't it? What with your background and all... It's just I know you don't like to be conventional so I was looking for something different."

Daniel shook his head. "It's just right," he soothed. "I prefer this script anyway. I love the way the letters are smooth and curve around each other. The Gothic script would have been too..."

As he looked for the right word, Jack put in, "Straight?" with a mischievous glint in his eye.

That did for Paul and he fell about laughing, taking the others with him.

"Yeah," Daniel gasped. "Way too straight for us."

When they'd calmed, Paul asked, "So, you're really okay with this?"

Daniel shrugged. "Paul, I'm not the Air Force. I don't own your body in the way they did. It's your skin. If you want a tattoo, go ahead. I must admit that I wouldn't be too happy if you covered your body in them or..." He looked over at Jack with a wink and continued, "...had pictures of naked women on your back."

"More likely to be naked men where he could see them. Preferably in mirror image so he could look at his reflection and ogle himself," Jack put in.

Paul poked them both in the side in response.

"It's fine, Paul. What you have designed is tasteful, not too big and the content means so much to me. To us," Daniel soothed, pointing at first Jack then himself. "I understand what you're doing and why and I appreciate it. It's like your answer to the rings or to Jack's tree, isn't it?"

"It is," Paul answered thoughtfully. "But it was something you said a few weeks ago which triggered it off."

"Oh? What was that?"

"That you would like us marked for you. With your brand. I know you were just saying it at the time to get us going, but it really got me thinking and I decided that I did want that. After all, as you said, when I was in the Air Force, a tattoo wasn't going to happen, neither were piercings or even a beard without permission! I'm free to express my feelings the way I want to and now, since we were all at the SGC, I think I've finally realised that I'm no longer a major in the Air Force and I can do what I want. I asked your permission because... well, just because," he finished with a shrug.

"Because you are mine and because you belong to me," Daniel said quietly.

Paul just smiled in response.

"Want to know how much you belong to me?"

"Yeah!" Paul's enthusiasm was infectious and both Jack and Daniel grinned madly.

"Go get yourself ready for me and come back out here as soon as you're done."

Paul was off the bed and in the bathroom in moments.

-

Jack looked over at Daniel, laying down again and resting his head on his hand which was propped up on his elbow. Daniel mirrored him and faced him, waiting for him to speak.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jack finally said.

"Well, Brain," Daniel grinned, "I think so. But last time we did that we couldn't get the stains out of the couch."

Jack chuckled and then waggled his head in a 'I'm being serious' way.

"Yeah. So. What do you think?"

"It's cool. You wouldn't do the same would you?"

"Not exactly. You?"

"I'm thinking it's a bit of both for me. As usual."

"Typical, you were never any good at making up your mind, were you?"

"Oy!" He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. "You want me to make the call?"

"Could be a good idea. I'll keep him occupied. You make the call and then come back here. You want to join in?"

"Depends on what you're doing," Jack answered wryly.

"Oh, I think you'll like it, Jack. In fact, I know you'll like it."

"I'll just go make the call. Will you want me to, er, get ready, too?"

Daniel shook his head. "I think I have other plans for you." Before Jack left the room, he told him what to do.

-

Paul returned to the bedroom a short while later and saw a piece of paper on the pillow. Picking it up, he grinned when he read the words written on it.

"Go into the gym. Make sure you're wearing nothing more than a smile."

That, he thought, he could do.

With a huge grin on his face and nothing else, he strolled into the gym, excitement inside him starting to grow. Daniel wasn't in there, neither was Jack, and the silence of the new room added to that excitement. They hadn't used that room for anything other than working out, yet, and Paul was more than curious as to what Daniel had in mind. He looked around at the various bits of equipment in the room and tried to use his imagination.

The floor mats were obvious choices. He could see the three of them rolling around naked on them without any problems. The treadmill wasn't so easy to place in a fantasy but that didn't stop him thinking. Maybe Daniel would make him hold onto the sides while he fucked him? Maybe, he thought. But that didn't sound like a Daniel thing to do. He could do that anywhere. Just as his eyes and his mind strolled to the weights, a sound from the doorway distracted him. He turned and looked and saw a hungry-looking Jack standing there and staring at him.

"Hey," Jack said casually. "You goin' to work out?"

Paul shrugged. "I have no idea," he sighed. Then with a grin, he said, "Undoubtedly I'm going to make out, though."

"I sure hope so," Jack muttered, then he stepped inside the room and moved stealthily towards Paul.

Paul knew better than to move so he remained on the spot. Jack got closer, looking Paul up and down as if he was inspecting some merchandise. Paul couldn't help it, he shuddered violently as Jack got so close he could feel his hot breath on his skin.

"You want it," Jack whispered. "You want it real bad."

"God, yes."

"What do you want?"

"Hnng?" Paul was incapable of saying anything coherent because Jack started to kiss the back of his neck.

"What do you want?" Jack demanded.

"Anything! Fuck me! Suck me! I don't care!" Each short sentence was given out in a gasp as Jack dropped a kiss each time he spoke.

"Soon," Jack promised. "We have to wait."

All Paul could think was that he didn't want to wait too long.

A cough from the doorway caught their attention and they both turned to see Daniel standing there, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and with a paddle in his hand. It was long, leather on one side, suede on the other, and he waved it about softly, indicating that Jack should step away from Paul.

"Paul, I think you should warm up on the mat before you exercise," he purred.

Paul swallowed harshly and made his way to the mat, sitting on it without further instruction and then starting his warm up exercises.

Jack moved right next to Daniel and they watched Paul as he stretched his limbs then, when he was ready, he started on some sit ups, his abs tightening as he pulled himself up.

"How're your knees?" Daniel whispered to Jack.

"Just fine," Jack assured him.

"Good. Strip off and then help him," came the order.

With a wicked grin, Jack did as he was told. In moments he was naked and then he crossed the floor and knelt on the mat so that he could straddle Paul's thighs.

"Just going to assist you," Jack said, almost innocently.

He shuffled up a bit and as Paul pulled himself up the next time, he gasped as he felt his balls brushing Jack's. Already hard, he was getting impossibly so with each repetition of his exercise. It didn't help that Jack's face was full of both lust and amusement at his predicament.

Daniel couldn't take his eyes off the scene in front of him. In his imagination, they were back at the SGC with a gym full of half-naked airmen, all gaping at the men on the mat; some egging them on, others stunned. The image was so real he could almost smell the surge of testosterone and it made him want to join in there and then. It was time to move it up a notch.

"Enough!" he called out. "Jack, get up. Paul, you look like you need to lift some weights."

Jack fought down a groan as he creakily got himself onto his feet, reaching down to catch Paul's hand in his and pulling him up. Both wondering what Daniel had in mind now, they moved from the mat and Paul lay on the bench, readying himself to lift some weights.

"Spot for him, Jack," Daniel ordered.

Jack checked that the weights were correct for Paul and then, guessing where Daniel wanted him to be, he stood over Paul's chest, his legs straddling Paul but not touching him except for right on his sides. He helped lift the bar down from its resting position and Paul took it and started to do his lifts.

Daniel strolled behind Jack and saw Jack's eyes roaming towards him. Using that as his cue, he brought the paddle down on his ass.

"Pay attention to what you're doing, Jack," he scolded.

Unfortunately for Jack, the tingle from the slap made his body tense and he looked upwards, earning himself another spank. He couldn't help but move, the stinging sensation spreading through his body. Daniel picked up on his pleasure and carried on, watching Paul as well as watching Jack, making sure that both men were safe.

Paul's body started to glisten with sweat as Jack's ass started to glow, both things making Daniel harder and harder. When he could stand no more, he stopped spanking Jack and stood back before bending over and whispering something in Jack's ear.

Jack's face was soon covered in a smirk as he stood more upright, staring intently into Paul's eyes. Paul nearly faltered as he lifted the weight again but the heaviness soon reminded him to keep concentrating on what he was supposed to be doing. When Jack started to slowly jerk off over him, he shut his eyes and tried to focus slowly on his arms.

Up, down... He shook himself. Even the lifting was reminding him of what Jack was doing.

Jack knew that he wouldn't last long. How could he? His ass was still stinging pleasantly, his cock was throbbing, desperate to come; Paul's arms were tense with the weights, his muscles standing proudly as he pushed the bar up again and again. Daniel was right behind him, saying nothing for the moment but his hot breath caressed Jack's neck as his hand worked harder, speeding up in his desperation to come.

"That's it, Jack," Daniel finally whispered. "Keep doing that. I want to see you come all over him. I want to see you cover his chest. Make him shine, Jack."

He did. Within moments he grunted as he spurted all over Paul's chest, hitting his face and dripping down his throat.

"Stop lifting," Daniel ordered and Paul put the weight back on the bar gratefully with Daniel's help.

He was painfully hard, his body reacting to Jack and Daniel's orders without his mind's agreement.

"Up," came the next order.

Gingerly, he tried to stand up. Jack backed off him, his legs a bit shaky but he put his hand out to help Paul sit up. Paul took it, glad for the assist. As soon as he was standing up, Daniel told him to bend over and put his hands on the end of the bench, which he did without comment. He knew what was coming and he did his best to relax himself.

Daniel didn't keep him waiting. Paul heard the popping of the buttons of his trousers and he reacted by opening his legs a bit further. The sight made Daniel smile. There wasn't a better sight for him; either one of his men, willingly readying himself for him always sent a warm feeling to his groin. He lubed himself up and pushed himself inside Paul's waiting body without a word.

Paul did his best to send his mind elsewhere. He knew he wouldn't be allowed to come until Daniel had, unless he got permission that was. What he wasn't expecting was Daniel's next order.

"Jack. Lay on the bench. Head up this way."

Paul couldn't help but smile, he knew that Daniel was ordering Jack to suck him off. Jack, meanwhile, lay on the bench as instructed and shuffled until his head was right at the end. Daniel pushed into Paul, urging him forward as he filled him. Paul moved as best he could and soon found his cock brushing over Jack's face.

There were no words being spoken in the gym, only the sound of skin on skin and a few grunts and groans from the men. Still Paul tried not to come, however, but now it was because he didn't want this to end. He knew that if he did, Daniel would come too, and that would be the end of it.

Inevitably, it had to end. Desperate to come, Daniel slammed into Paul time after time, pushing his cock further down Jack's throat with each thrust. Jack, taking Daniel's hint, sucked harder, raising his hands so that they could run up and down Paul's thighs, stroke his balls, generally wind him up...

Paul didn't think he'd ever been more disappointed by coming. Something about the gym setting had set his skin on fire and he never wanted it to stop. He held himself up, holding onto the bench as Daniel rested his head on Paul's back, his arms wrapped around Paul's body and holding him closely.

"Wow," Daniel finally gasped.

"Yeah," agreed Paul.

"Ditto," came from Jack.

Daniel emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, confusing the guys. They'd thought they'd be having an early night.

"Uh, Daniel? Are we going somewhere?" Jack asked as he moved towards the bathroom to clean up, Paul on his heels.

"Um, no," Daniel replied, his finger pointing to himself vaguely. "I've got to go see someone. I won't be too long. You two get cleaned up then get ready for bed. You can watch TV in here if you want." He moved right next to them and kissed their cheeks. "I'll be back soon. Promise."

With that, he left, neither of the others feeling any the wiser.

"Jack? What do you think he's up to?" Paul asked as he walked into the bathroom.

"I have no idea," Jack sighed, moving directly to the shower. As he switched it on he added, "Undoubtedly we'll find out soon enough."

With a shrug, Paul joined him under the spray.

"Daniel," he sighed, "is an enigma."

Jack chuckled as he agreed, then said, "But isn't it fun trying to figure him out?"

-

Daniel sauntered into the dark club, his eyes roaming around the floor as he searched out the man he wanted to see. He was pretty certain he'd be there, he usually was on a Friday night. As he looked, he took in the sights and sounds of the club, watching the various masters working with their slaves, picking up a few ideas for working with his own men. A familiar face crossed the floor and he greeted him warmly.

"Hey, Si. How's it going?"

"Daniel! Good to see you. I'm fine. How are you? Where are the guys?"

"Oh, I'm okay," Daniel answered with a smile. "I've left them at home. I'm not here to play, I need to see someone."

"Oh? Anything I can help with?"

Daniel shrugged. "Have you seen Ray?"

"Yeah, he's over in the corner. He's putting Nigel through seven shades of hell on the rack."

"Poor Nigel," Daniel laughed. "Thanks, Si. I think I'll be seeing you in a few days, by the way. Jan and Sam are coming to stay."

"You'll come in with Janet?" Simon asked, his eyes lighting up.

"That's the likelihood. We'll have to see how it goes." With a smirk he added, "And remember, Janet's spoken for."

"Yeah, I know. Ah well, you can't have everything. See you at Misfits?"

"You bet!"

Daniel patted Simon on the shoulder and made his way to the rack. When he neared it, he saw a grey-haired man standing next to the rack, a whip in his hands, looking intently at a younger man, a guy in his forties, lying face up on the rack to his side. He didn't disturb them but took to watching Ray closely. The man had been a master for nearly forty years and there wasn't much about the art that he didn't know. Nigel was being held on the brink of orgasm, his cock and balls exposed and obviously bound so that they stood proud from his body. Sweat was pouring down his whole body, his face contorted with the strain of not being allowed to come and yet being taken to the edge constantly. Ray dragged the whip over the prone body, not hitting him but taunting his slave, not letting him know what was going to come next.

Leaning against a pillar nearby, Daniel started to feel a bit turned on. He half-wished that one of the guys was with him as he could do with a mouth on his cock right about now. Pulling himself together, he caught Ray's attention in a manner that said, "I'd like to talk to you when you have a moment, but don't stop on my behalf."

Ray nodded, acknowledging him and then turned back to his slave. Nigel was his full-time slave; living with Ray, he served him willingly, doing everything from the housework to acting as Ray's PA when Ray worked. At nights he was his bed slave - Nigel's favourite job. He'd been working hard that week so Ray was giving him a reward. He'd been on the rack for the last two hours and Ray wasn't finished with him yet. He knew that when Nigel was finally allowed to come, he wouldn't be in a fit state to move, let alone think, and that he would be pliant and happy for the entire weekend. He'd get a treat that night, too, in that he would be allowed to sleep in Ray's bed instead of on a mattress on the floor in front of it. During the week, Nigel worked hard to ensure that his Friday night treat would be granted him and it was something he looked forward to intently.

Ray teased him and taunted him with the whip, occasionally bringing it down on his thighs or arms, dragging it down his stomach and over his chest. Nigel knew better than to make any sound, the only indication that he was enjoying this were the small movements in his body that the tight bondage allowed and a contented look in his eyes.

Thinking that Nigel needed a break, Ray stopped and called Daniel over to him.

"Master Daniel," he boomed, his deep voice shaking Daniel out of his reverie. "You wish to speak to me?"

Daniel stepped closer to him and nodded slightly, a gesture of respect to the older master.

"Master Ray, it's good to see you again."

"The same for me. Where are your men?"

"They're at home. I just need some information and I think that you're the best person to ask."

"Shoot."

Daniel looked at Nigel and pointed at the tattoos that covered his arms.

"They're excellent work," he said. "I was wondering who did them?"

"Thinking of getting one done on your pets?" Ray asked.

"Yes. I just want it to be something special. We know the design we want. It's really only a simple one, but it's more the manner in which it's to be done that's the difficulty."

Knowing he had Ray's attention, Daniel continued, explaining precisely what he wanted and why. A broad smile developed on Ray's face as he heard his explanation, Daniel's words meeting with his approval.

"I think I know just the man for you," he said when Daniel was finished. "I'll call him tomorrow morning for you. He doesn't have a shop but works from a room in his house. Only customers recommended to him get past his front door."

"Oh? Is he... open-minded?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Very. You will find yourselves most welcome. He does all of Nigel's tattoos. I wouldn't let the boy go anywhere else, to be honest. I can guarantee that his artistic abilities are matched by his insistence on hygiene. You would have nothing to worry about."

"And the rest of it?"

Ray laughed out loud, attracting the attention of nearly everyone in the club.

"Fear not, Daniel. Your plans will not go awry. I will call you tomorrow when I have arranged everything with him. If he's free, would Sunday be any good to you?"

"Sunday would be perfect. I appreciate this, Ray."

"It is my pleasure. Now," he said with a sigh. "I feel I must return to Nigel. It would seem he's been resting too long. I think he's going to sleep!"

This time Daniel laughed. "And we can't have that, can we?"

He looked down at Nigel and winked, then he shook Ray's hand, thanked him again and left.

-

"So, you going to tell us where you've been?" Jack asked as Daniel joined them in bed.

"Hmm, not yet. Don't worry, I behaved myself."

His voice was light and teasing and the others groaned, shifting themselves so that they could lay in their favourite positions, heads on his chest, his arms around them, holding them close.

"You okay, Dan?" Paul asked when he heard Daniel let out a sigh.

"Oh yeah. Sleepy. A bit horny but I'm not in the mood to do anything about it. What about you guys?"

"Sounds about the same for me," Jack agreed.

"Me, too," added Paul. "Maybe do something about it tomorrow?"

"Undoubtedly," Daniel replied with a yawn. "Um, by the way, Paul. Would you mind if I organised where and when your tattoo is going to be done?"

Paul raised his head and looked up at Daniel's face in confusion. He'd imagined that he would have to find a place to go and then just go get it done.

"Dan?"

Daniel shrugged. "It's just me being a mother hen and I know it," he admitted. "I just need to know that where you're going is a good place. Please?"

Paul dropped his head and snuggled back down. He should have known that Daniel would react like that.

"No problem," he said with a smile. "Are you going to come and watch it being done?"

"Try keeping me away," Daniel replied with a growl.

Paul chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it. Jack? You coming?"

"Absolutely. I like watching you suffer."

Paul poked him in the arm and then shut his eyes. Jack looked up at Daniel who looked back at him and winked. Jack got the message. Plans had already been made and were well underway.

As Daniel had predicted, he was in the mood when he awoke. They'd turned in the night and he was facing Paul who was facing away from him, Jack facing his back, his hard dick poking Daniel rather urgently. Daniel figured that waking up gently would be a good way to go as he wasn't really feeling particularly energetic.

He wriggled until the base of his cock lined up with Paul's ass, lifted Paul's top leg and pushed until his penis nestled between Paul's thighs and brushed Paul's balls. Paul stirred as he knew he would but he didn't attempt to actually wake him yet. Then he reached back and after lifting his own leg, he grasped Jack's cock and put it between his own legs, dropping his top leg to trap it. Jack opened his eyes, realised what was going on and dropped a kiss on Daniel's shoulder to let him know he was awake. Daniel didn't speak but responded by squeezing his legs together and pushing back a bit. Jack took the hint and started to move his hips, Daniel picking up the rhythm and moving towards Paul, at the same time, he reached around and took Paul's cock in his hand and started to stroke him with the same rhythm and intensity that he and Jack were moving.

Paul opened his eyes, slightly bewildered but soon catching on to what was going on. He let out a quiet moan and tilted his head back, exposing his throat for Daniel who stretched around and started to kiss and bite it. Jack saw what he was doing and joined in, biting and licking at Daniel's shoulder and neck, thrusting harder and urging the others on.

Jack loved waking up this way. He'd dreamed about waking up with Daniel almost from the start of SG-1.

A few months into their new routine of exploration, SG-1 had found themselves on a hot planet. Because it had held some scientific interest for the team they'd had to stay on it for a few days. Somehow, the team had settled into a night-time habit of Sam in a pup tent, Teal'c in his own tent and Jack and Daniel sharing one on the grounds that both were too lazy to put up individual tents and besides, they could take it in turns to carry the one between them. It had seemed right, too. Their friendship was easy back then, with no tensions.

The first night, however, had proved difficult for Jack. Daniel, hating the humidity, had bitched and snarked his way through the evening. Jack had got him to do the first watch on the grounds that it would mean that the others would get a chance to sleep before Daniel attacked them with his sinuses (which were playing him up badly on this planet) and he snored through the night. Unfortunately for Jack, he'd drawn the second watch and when Teal'c had taken over, he'd entered the tent to see a nearly naked Daniel lying on top of the sleeping bag, tossing and turning because he wasn't comfortable, even though he was sleeping. For as long as he'd dared, Jack had watched him, committing to memory each inch of flesh that he could see, his mind filling in the blanks of those he couldn't. Daniel's boxers hadn't exactly provided a great deal of cover, either, as they had moved down a bit, the top of Daniel's pubic hair sticking out, the cloth dampened from sweat and Jack had seen the outline of a half-hard cock. To add to the torture, Jack had known that he couldn't sneak out of the tent with the excuse of going out for a pee as Teal'c's ears, especially on night-watch, were particularly sharp and he would easily hear Jack beating off as he'd so needed to do.

He'd lain down next to Daniel, hard and uncomfortable. Like Daniel, he'd stripped down to his boxers. The planet was uninhabited and there hadn't seemed to have been a Goa'uld visit in centuries, so he'd felt safe enough to do that. It was too damned hot to leave any other clothes on, anyway. Facing the roof of the tent, Jack's mind had run riot, fantasising about being with Daniel, about burying himself in Daniel's ass and licking the sweat off his neck. It hadn't helped when Daniel had turned in his sleep and had wrapped his arm around Jack's waist. All Jack had been able to do had been to turn on his side, facing away from Daniel and willing his cock to go down.

When Daniel had woken in the morning he'd appeared embarrassed that his hard-on was poking Jack in the ass, his arm wrapped tightly around Jack's waist. Jack had, of course, dismissed it as nothing, but it had been the start of Jack's serious sexual interest in Daniel. Up till then, his attraction to him had been nothing more than a passing fancy, their friendship being too important to him for anything more to have a part in his life.

However, when they were back home, Daniel had gone to Jack's house to talk to him. There, he'd apologised again for what had happened, admitting to his bisexuality when Jack had decided to surprise him by admitting to his own.

"Daniel, it's okay. Yours wouldn't be the first dick near my ass."

Daniel blinked at him, his mouth open in surprise. Then he grinned and asked, "Deliberately?"

Jack shrugged. "Yeah."

"You're bi?"

"Yeah." Again Jack shrugged as if he was shrugging it off.

Daniel surprised him by laughing out loud. "Me too."

"You?"

"Surprised?"

"Well, yeah. No. Actually, I'm not sure."

It was Daniel's turn to shrug. "It's irrelevant, Jack. I'm looking for Shau're and I'm not going to give up on her. Or cheat on her."

"Hey, I wouldn't think that you would. I'll keep on helping you."

Daniel put his hands out to Jack and the two ended up in a hug.

"I know you will. I can't tell you how much that means to me, Jack."

Jack hadn't known whether Daniel's revelation had helped him or not. Thinking that Daniel was straight had capped his attraction to him, whereas knowing he wasn't - and, as he'd discovered later that evening, that he wasn't without plenty of experience with guys - allowed Jack's night-time fantasies to take on a life of their own. He'd used Shau're as the stopper that kept that particular genie in the bottle, right up until Shau're had died. By then, things had got complicated between them and her death was the trigger for Jack to need to withdraw from him or else the fantasies would get out of control.

Back in their bed, Daniel noticed a hesitation in Jack but rather than say anything then, he pushed back, urging Jack to move. Getting Jack's attention again, he sped up his hand on Paul's cock, thrusting his hips faster against Paul.

They didn't know who came first, it didn't really matter. But one led to another who led to the third more or less straight away and soon the three were panting, eyes shut, hands searching each other out so that they could connect.

Eventually, Daniel whispered, "I think we need to clean up."

-

Jack decided he needed a bath and Daniel reckoned he'd join him. Paul settled on having a quick shower and then volunteered to make breakfast.

As he was leaving, and as the others lowered themselves into the deep bath, Daniel said, "Don't get dressed, Paul. No one's due here today. Um, you'd better make a cold breakfast though. I don't want you taking the chance on hurting yourself."

"I'm going to be naked all day?" Paul asked with a grin.

"More or less," Daniel replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "If anyone does turn up, you may put on a pair of jeans. Nothing else. After breakfast I want you to polish your leathers and so on. Same for you, Jack. You can take care of my things between you. I have a few things to do this morning but we should have this afternoon free."

His voice was so matter-of-fact that neither man questioned his orders or his morning's activities. Instead, Paul nodded and left the room and Jack settled into the water next to Daniel.

"Your mind was elsewhere this morning," Daniel stated as Jack picked up a facecloth and some soap and started to wash Daniel down.

Jack froze but then he nodded. Daniel never missed a trick and neither would he let Jack get away with keeping it to himself. He told Daniel what had been going through his mind, how he'd felt about him back then and how guilty he'd felt later on.

Daniel's response was to take the cloth off him and pull Jack to sit on his lap.

"I know," he murmured, hugging him close. "I knew then, too."

"I still feel bad about it from time to time," Jack admitted.

"Why? It's over and done with, Jack. It's not like you really wanted to hurt me. You've apologised, I accepted it, it's finished. It's not going to come between us again, so stop feeling guilty. If I were still hurting about it, I would never have made a move on you."

Jack dipped his head until it rested on Daniel's shoulder.

"How did you feel about me?" he asked quietly.

Daniel surprised him by laughing out loud.

"Danny?"

"Jack, don't you know?"

"I guess I do."

"I'll tell you something I don't think you know, though."

"Oh? What's that?"

"How you used to turn me on at the SGC."

"Huh?"

Daniel thought for a moment, searching for an example in his memory. He smiled when he remembered one.

"Do you remember Airman Schenck?"

Jack tried to rack his brains and finally asked, "The tall, skinny blond?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"What about him?"

"About a week after we got back from Netu," he started, placing the dire time in Jack's memory, "you were telling him off for something or other. I don't know what it was, it doesn't matter. You were in the gym changing room, I was just about to come out of the showers but something told me to hang back. Your back was towards me, Schenck was facing my way but he didn't see me. You were doing the 'colonel thing' and he was both scared and turned on by it. The more you yelled at him, the harder he got, and he couldn't hide it because he was in his gym shorts. Just as well you guys were the only ones in there."

"I don't remember that," Jack shrugged. "I'm sure I'd have noticed someone getting hard when I yelled at him."

"Hell, Jack, I don't think you ever noticed. This wasn't the only time it happened."

"It wasn't? Oh! So, what happened then?"

"I got as hard as Schenck. I found I had a kink for watching you dominate the others on base. And given that apart from Hammond, you were officially dominant to every single member of military personnel there, I got hard a lot," he chuckled.

Jack couldn't help but join in then he asked, "Go on. Something happened with Schenck, didn't it?"

Daniel nodded. "I wasn't with Paul then and quite frankly, I was getting a bit desperate for contact of any sort. As soon as you'd finished with Schenck, you left the changing room and he stripped off, thinking he was on his own. I stayed in the shower area, I was on my own in there. Schenck came in and stopped dead when he saw me. He was still naked, still hard and desperate to get off."

He took a break, indicating that Jack should move and continue with cleaning him. He did as he was told, waiting impatiently for Daniel to continue.

"I looked him up and down deliberately, giving him the option to walk past me without saying anything. He stood still, swallowed hard... I saw his cock twitching. He was so interested."

Jack felt his own lax cock stirring as he imagined the sight. Daniel looking him up and down like that had the same effect on him.

"I turned away and walked into a cubicle, leaving the door open. Sure, I'd already had a shower but I wasn't exactly going in there to get clean if you know what I mean. I took my robe off and slung it over the top of the door so that he knew I was ready for him if he wanted to come in. I had to wait a few moments, I guess he was thinking about it, but he did come in and shut the door behind him.

"He stood right in front of me and I spoke to him for the first time, keeping my voice low so that I could hear if the door to the changing room opened.

'You like being told what to do, don't you?'

'Yes, Sir!'

'Good. On your knees.'

"He dropped to his knees and got to work pretty quickly. It wasn't as if we could hang around. I grabbed his hair and he shuddered like Paul does when I do it to him and I knew then I was right. I told him to jerk himself off and as he did, I started to move."

Jack groaned, his cock started to harden, Daniel's responding as he saw it.

"You may get off if you want, Jack," Daniel soothed, getting a response from Jack in the form of a hard kiss before he grabbed his dick and started to work himself. Daniel's hand snaked to his own cock as he remembered the day and he copied Jack's movements.

"Go on. What happened next?"

"I fucked his face," Daniel stated. "He beat himself harder and faster the rougher I was with him. I managed to hold off, though. He came, I was still hard, he tried to make me come in his mouth but I pulled back and hauled him to his feet."

'Have you ever been fucked?'

'God, yes, Sir.'

'You want it?'

'Yes!'

'Yes, what?'

'Yes, Sir!'

'Good, turn around and put your hands on the wall.'

"He did as he was told, I grabbed the conditioner I'd taken back into the shower, stuck some on my fingers and pushed them inside him. God, he enjoyed that," Daniel laughed. "The slut pushed back on me, begging me in whispers to get on with it. The more time it took, the more likelihood we'd get caught so I just did it, pushed inside of him and fucked him hard. I didn't build up, didn't give him time to adjust to me or anything, I just took what I wanted. He was really young, really horny. He got hard again so I took pity on him and grabbed his cock and jerked him roughly."

Jack gasped as he pictured that in his mind. The danger of the scene added to his already heightened sense of the erotic and he worked himself even harder. Daniel copied him, remembering how good it felt to finally have his cock inside someone after so long on his own.

"Somehow I managed to wait until he had come before I let go. Don't know how I did it but I did."

"I'll bet he was impressed," Jack panted.

"Yeah. He was." Daniel laughed again, this time it was low and filthy, the noise going straight to Jack's groin.

"Fuck." The strangled noise from Jack told Daniel that he was close so he added a little more to the story.

"I switched the water on and washed myself down. Then I reached down to his ass and ran my fingers through the semen that was running down his legs and then put them in his mouth. He sucked on them like a starving man and I laughed at him. Cruel, I guess, but he seemed to like it. Then I moved closer to him and told him that when I called for him, he was to come to my office, his ass ready for me just in case I wanted it. Or, of course, I might want his mouth. He wouldn't know which."

"Did he agree?"

"What do you think?" Daniel snorted, his hand working as fast as he could go. "Oh God, Jack..."

Jack understood what Daniel meant and he looked down into the splashing water in time to see Daniel come, the water clouding up as he did.

"Quick, sit up there," Daniel ordered, pushing Jack onto the side of the bath.

As soon as Jack got there, Daniel dipped his head down and swallowed Jack whole, sucking him hard and forcing him to come almost immediately.

When they'd got their breath back, Jack said, "I like this new bath."

Daniel laughed quietly, nodding in agreement. "Me too."

"You two are looking very pleased with yourselves," Paul said as they sat around the table for breakfast.

Daniel just shrugged as Jack said, "Daniel told me about some of his, er, escapades when he was still single and at the SGC."

"Oh? Do I get to hear about them?"

"If you want to," Daniel grinned. "Maybe the next instalment?"

Jack groaned. "Why don't you leave it until later when we've recovered?" He turned to Paul and added, "Believe me, pal, you want to be relaxed and feeling fit for these tales."

"Okay, I'm duly warned," Paul replied. "But I want to hear them. And what you heard this morning. Given the goofy grins on your faces I'm feeling like I lost out."

"Goofy?" Jack cried out. "Definitely not goofy. Eh, Daniel?"

Daniel looked him up and down a bit slyly as he answered, "Maybe not. In your case it's more a Donald Duck look."

That earned him a poked out tongue in his direction from Jack and a laugh from Paul.

"Come on," he urged. "Eat up and get polishing. There's so much of it now that it'll keep you both occupied for hours, I think."

-

Daniel put the phone down and smiled to himself. He finished getting himself dressed then headed to the kitchen where the others were still sitting at the table, but this time with their collars and other bands, boots and other leatherwear, cleaning and polishing the leather and the metal until they shined.

"I have to go out. I should be back in time for lunch," Daniel announced. "Finish this job, clear up and then make sure the playroom is clean. Oh, we need to make sure the girls' room is clean, too, so if that needs doing..." He waved his hands in a 'just do it' way.

They acknowledged him and said goodbye, continuing to polish as they did. As soon as the door had shut and they heard him pull away, Paul stopped and looked at Jack.

"Okay. What's he up to?"

"Hey, how the hell should I know?" Jack answered. He had a clue but he couldn't let on. Besides, he wasn't sure exactly what Daniel was up to, so it wasn't a lie as such. "You know what Daniel's like. He's got a bee in his bonnet about something and he's going to finish what he's got in mind before he lets us know."

Paul wasn't totally convinced by Jack's answer but there was enough in Jack's voice to tell him that he was at least partially telling the truth.

Jack decided that changing the subject was probably the way to go.

"How do you feel about sitting naked in the kitchen, cleaning and polishing?" he tried.

"Not sure," Paul answered obliquely. "How do you like it?"

"It's weird. It's like we're being exposed but there's no one to be exposed to." With a sigh he added, "Undoubtedly Daniel's got something in his mind."

"Undoubtedly," Paul agreed. "I think he's feeling horny and wants us to feel the same. Don't know about you but it's having that effect on me."

Jack shrugged. "I've had sex twice today already," he grinned. "I don't think I could get it up again this morning if you held a gun to my head."

Paul laughed at him but then said, "But how are you feeling inside?"

Jack thought for a moment and then nodded. "Horny. Shit," he cursed. "He's definitely up to something!"

"Ah well. Keep on polishing. The sooner this is done the better. I get the feeling we'll need to rest up as much as we can."

Jack nodded, then he smiled at Paul. "It's kind of like being in basic, isn't it? Keeping our boots polished, cleaning our equipment..."

"Except I tended to wear clothes to do that," Paul laughed back.

"Tended to?" Jack asked, his eyes twinkling.

Paul said nothing but he winked in reply.

Daniel knocked on the unfamiliar door a little nervously, a few pieces of paper in his pocket. A trip to Dizzy before he had gone on to his current destination had given him what he needed and he was pleased with what he'd got. Now he needed to organise something special for the following day.

The door opened and a young man, dressed in leather with a harness across his chest and so obviously a slave, appeared at it.

"Dr. Jackson to see Master Jude," he said.

"Welcome, Doctor," the youth said. "Please come in. My Master is expecting you."

Daniel stepped inside the house and looked around the hallway. It was decorated in a very masculine fashion, he decided. It wasn't exactly 'Victorian gentleman's club' but something about it spoke of that to him. At the foot of an imposing staircase and against the wall was an antique oak table with a dark-green leather insert in the top, a large gold-framed mirror on the wall above it. On top of it sat a black, 1930's dial telephone. Daniel got the feeling that it was the only phone in the house, something that the young man was meant to answer for his master as he had done that morning when Daniel had phoned.

As his mind started to wander, Daniel was asked to follow the slave and he soon found himself in what could only be described as an old-fashioned drawing room. It seemed strange that a tattoo artist would work in such a setting, but this man came highly recommended by someone Daniel trusted, so he sat when a seat was offered and waited for Master Jude to arrive.

It didn't take long. This man obviously held the social niceties in high regard. Daniel noticed that he was as personally imposing as his décor. Taller than Jack and broad across the shoulder, he was impeccably dressed in a suit and Daniel noticed that although he was a similar age to Ray, he seemed to work hard at keeping himself absolutely fit and healthy. His skin was almost clear of lines but Daniel didn't think that he'd ever seen a plastic surgeon in his life. There wasn't so much as a spare ounce of fat on him but he didn't look particularly muscular, either. His entire demeanour spoke of real class.

"Master Daniel. It is good to meet you at last. Master Ray speaks well of you and he says you have a special request of me?"

Daniel stood up and held out his hand, noting the strong grip that Jude had.

"Master Jude," he said with a smile, nodding slightly. "Thank you for meeting with me so quickly. You come highly recommended by Master Ray and quite frankly, I am nervous about letting just anyone tattoo my pets. He says that you're the best and I will only have the best."

"You have a long relationship?" Jude asked, indicating that Daniel should sit again. Before he let him answer he asked, "Could my slave bring you some refreshment?"

"A coffee would be fine, thank you," Daniel answered, careful not to look at the slave as he did. He wasn't sure how Jude wanted him to behave towards him so he erred on the side of formality.

The slave looked at his master who just nodded, then he left, undoubtedly knowing just what his master wanted without words.

Daniel started to explain his relationship to Jude, feeling that he was being quizzed as to his motives. He appreciated that. Too often people rushed headlong into life-changing acts without thinking them through, from permanent changes to their bodies like tattoos to emotional changes like marrying after a whirlwind romance. So he held nothing back, explaining about the men, their long-time friendship, their recent independent decisions to want to mark their triad with something concrete in lieu of an official ceremony.

"You did not go through collaring ceremonies with them?" Jude asked.

"No. It's hard to explain why," Daniel sighed. "It just wouldn't have seemed right. Initially we did talk about it when I bought them but we all felt it was a little clichéd. We understand why people go through them, have been to a few of the more elaborate and public ceremonies among our friends and have been happy for them, but it doesn't fit with our personalities. All three of us would feel awkward, I think."

The slave came in and Daniel took his coffee, pouring a little cream in it but refusing the sugar, then the slave gave his master a long glass of what seemed like fresh orange juice before placing the tray on a small table and kneeling at his master's side.

"We have been through a public joining ceremony," Daniel continued. "With my in-laws."

Jude looked confused so Daniel explained the Abydonian festivities, talking as if the tribe lived in the Sahara and not off-world.

By the end of his interrogation, Daniel felt that Jude may well agree to his request and sat back, waiting for him to announce his decision.

"I see that you are extremely serious about your men," Jude finally said. "As are they about you. It will be my honour to assist you tomorrow. Now, show me what you want done and tell me precisely how you want to go about it. All preparations will be made in time."

Daniel beamed at him and handed him the drawings. Then he told him exactly what he had in mind and how he wanted things done. Jude, in turn, took Daniel to his studio in a room at the back of the house. Daniel saw that it was scrupulously clean, the tools and equipment gleaming, all the inks laid out in what was obviously a specific order. Jude explained his attention to the sterility of his tools, resting the final worry in Daniel's mind. By the time they were finished, Daniel felt totally relaxed about putting Paul in the hands of this man. He left the house with a smile on his face and a feeling of excitement inside him.

He arrived back home a short while later to discover that the men had finished their allotted tasks. Their leathers were laid out on the table on some old newspaper for his inspection and Daniel had to admit that they were shining brightly. Then he went into the girls' room, checking for any signs of dust or dirt and finding none. Finally he went down to the playroom and saw that that was also spotless. The rest of the house was in the same clean state so he was happy with what they'd done.

"Come here," he said, leading them to the bathroom.

"Get yourselves ready for me," he ordered. "You're already shaved, so it's just..." He pointed at the enema kits and ignored the looks of dread from the others. Without another word, he left them to it, fetching the leathers and then waiting in the bedroom for them to come out.

When they emerged, he picked up the first of the bands and started to put them on them.

"I've arranged for your tattoo to be done tomorrow, Paul," he stated as he did up his collar. "Are you still happy to go through with this?"

"Absolutely, Daniel," Paul agreed, swallowing hard. A knot of nerves settled into his stomach now that it seemed to be a lot more real. He wasn't about to back out, he really did want this, but he knew that it would be his final act of severing himself from his past and naturally, he felt a touch anxious about it.

"I will be there with you," Daniel soothed, picking up on the tension. "As will Jack. We will not leave you for one moment. You will be bound," he added. "Just to make you feel more comfortable."

At Paul's querying look Daniel smiled and said, "You are going to Master Jude to be tattooed. He's the one that's done all the work on Master Ray's slave. Trust me, Paul. You will be in the best of hands."

Paul nodded. "Thank you. Nigel's tattoos are very impressive."

"They are. I wouldn't let you go to anyone else. And don't worry, I've given him the design that Dizzy did for you and he says it's easy enough. He likes the simplicity of the design, in fact. He gets frustrated with people who go over-the-top, especially if it's their first one, so he approved of your idea."

Jack caught Daniel's eye from behind Paul and got a slow blink back from him, an old signal between them that things were 'a go'.

Paul soon found himself in all his bands but nothing around his genitals. Seeing as his leather rings had also been polished he was a little confused.

"Not yet," Daniel said quietly, seeing Paul's eyes looking at them. "Later. I'll have a use for these first," he teased, running his hand softly over Paul's cock and balls, immediately having an effect on his lover. Noticing that Paul was starting to harden he squeezed his balls gently. "Not yet," he reiterated. "Soon. You don't get hard until I say so."

Paul nodded, saying nothing but trying to get his libido under control. Just knowing that Daniel had something in mind was enough to make him as hard as nails, even if he didn't know what that something was.

Daniel moved on and put the various bands on Jack and then laid down on the bed, reaching out so that they knew they were to join him.

For a while they lay there, saying and doing nothing, Daniel just holding them close and staring up at the ceiling. He was feeling exceedingly horny that day and he didn't know why. It wasn't that desperate itch that he got sometimes, more a deep seated desire to keep the guys in bed all weekend. A glance at the clock told him it was lunchtime so, with a little disappointment and also a little relief, he sent them to prepare it while he went down to the playroom to get a few things ready for that afternoon. He had something special in mind for the day's play. Tomorrow was going to be a significant day in the history of the triad and he wanted to start it that day, building up to the tattoo as the climax.

He couldn't help but grin as that phrase rattled through his brain. Paul wouldn't have a clue just how apt it was.

Daniel emerged from the bathroom with a few butterflies in his stomach. He was physically prepared for what was going to come but he wasn't sure that he was emotionally prepared. He wouldn't have decided to go through with it if he hadn't decided that it was as important for him as it would be for the guys. They had no idea what he was going to ask them to do and he wasn't even sure that they would agree to do it, but he had to ask. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing, either. He'd been thinking about it for weeks, had been preparing his body to take it without letting the guys know. He'd just been waiting for the right moment to come and now seemed like that time. All he had to do was pluck up the courage and ask.

The others were already in the playroom awaiting him. He knew they would be excited, a little nervous, impatiently waiting for him to let them know what was going on. He also knew they would be dreading it as much as they were looking forward to it as they had no idea what was in his mind at that moment. One of his mind games with them was to make them wait, sometimes whilst they were tied up to one or other of the bits of furniture in there.

He'd kept them waiting for over an hour once. Both had been blindfolded; Paul on the cross facing outwards, Jack on the table facing up. Tied up as much as he could tie them up, he'd forbad them to speak and then left the room, going directly to their old bedroom (which was still their room at the time) so that he could watch them on the cameras. Without his saying so, they'd known he'd be watching so they'd followed his orders. Both men's minds had run riot at the thought of what was going to happen and he'd watched as they'd got hard, but every time they did, the bindings around their balls would tighten and the pain would take them back down again. When he'd finally gone down to the room and done what he'd set out to do, both were so far into their own minds that he doubted that either had noticed that they'd come. He'd had to carry them both upstairs to bed, joining them to comfort them, and when they'd come back to him, shown them the results of that scene. He got hard as he remembered the way they'd attacked him on the bed after the recording had finished, both frantically needing to fuck him.

With a wince he adjusted his cock in his tight jeans and headed down the stairs. He wasn't going to make them wait long this time. He'd given some thought to having a few drinks before going down, a bit of Dutch courage, but dismissed that idea. Instead he'd switched on the answering machine and turned off the ringers on the phones so that they wouldn't be disturbed. Heart in his mouth, he entered the playroom, trying to look as cool and calm as he usually did.

They were waiting for him in their usual place; standing under the hook in the ceiling, both naked except for their bands, both staring ahead of them and not speaking to each other.

"Very good," he praised. "I see you're ready for me. The question is, are you really ready?"

They turned and looked at him curiously.

"Today," he announced, "you will get whatever you desire most. This weekend is a celebration, I think. We're celebrating us. So, seeing as you've been so good today, I feel indulgent. Of course," he added slyly, "that'll mean I get what I want, too."

Both his lovers fought back grins as he said that, their bodies reacting instantly.

"Jack? What do you want?" Daniel asked as he moved right next to him. "I know you don't like to ask for what's in your head, but today's also a day for courage. Think about what you want and ask me for it. If it's physically possible," he continued with a wink, "you'll get it."

"May I think for a moment, please?" Jack asked, suddenly stunned by Daniel's words.

"Of course. Paul? What's your pleasure? Anything at all, pet. I won't deny you if I can possibly help it."

"Um, I'm sorry Daniel, I'm as stunned as Jack. May I think, too?"

"Sure. But don't wait too long, either of you. I have my wish waiting."

"Why don't we fulfil that first?" Jack asked.

Daniel shook his head.

"No, I want you both satisfied before I get that. I'll need you to be happy and relaxed I think."

Seeing that the others were still thinking, and not a little confused, he said, "Why don't I tell you another story? Paul, do you remember if I told you about Schenck when you and I first got together - about the shower?"

Paul nodded.

"That's what I told Jack this morning. Did I tell you about that time in my office?"

This time Paul shook his head. He couldn't remember if Daniel had told him but he didn't think so. At that moment he wasn't remembering much.

Daniel moved and sat on the table, facing them both.

"Why don't you sit down?" he suggested.

They sat on the floor and stared up at him, waiting for his next words.

Daniel's voice started low and sounded sad. "It was when you were on Edora," he finally said, addressing Jack. "We were working day and night trying to find ways to get you back. I'd been in negotiations with various aliens trying to get a ship out to you, only to find that the nearest one would take two years to reach the planet, and Sam was working on her particle accelerator. Teal'c was like a bear with a sore head, being sent out with the marines more often than not as a way to keep his anger at bay. He was as frustrated as I was. I wasn't going home much, I just stayed in my office most of the time as I felt guilty about leaving the base in case there was news. Needless to say, I spent three months so wound up that my libido was running rampant."

He stopped talking for a moment and took a deep breath, taking the time to look at the others and noting that he had their attention.

"One day, one night rather, I was heading to the commissary to get something to eat. The place was pretty deserted for the most part. As I entered the room I saw Schenck and his team lining up for something to eat. As casually as I could, I engaged their leader in conversation and found out that they were just back from a pretty harrowing mission and they were all pretty annoyed that it was too late to go out and get drunk.

'Will you be staying on base or going home?'

'I don't know about the others but I'm heading out of here.'

'Can't say I blame you, Colonel. I've been on the receiving end of a few bad missions myself.'

'Yeah, Doc. I know. By the way, any news on Colonel O'Neill?'

'No, not yet. Major Carter's still working on the accelerator thing. Wish I could help but I haven't got a clue what she's doing.'

'Like anyone else has?'

"I liked Lieutenant Colonel Lockridge," Daniel laughed. "He was a decent guy. Anyway, the others agreed that they were probably going home and then I looked at Schenck."

'Airman?'

'I'm probably going to stay, Doc. Don't know where those three get their energy to drive home. I think I'd crash if I drove now and I don't want to get a lift home because I wouldn't be able to get back in tomorrow. No, I think I'll stay.'

'I understand. Oh, by the way, I've got that information you asked for. Why don't you stop by my office before you go to bed?'

'Thanks, Doc. I'll do that.'

"He grabbed some food and sat down. I took some back to my office and waited for him. He took about twenty minutes, I guess. Couldn't wait. By then I'd covered up the camera in the room, just in case they decided to switch it on, and cleared my desk as best I could. When he walked in, he looked at the desk and I could see that he knew what I wanted.

'It's not been easy for me, either, Airman. Are you ready?'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Good. Lock the door. The camera's covered up. No one's around. We should be safe.'

'Yes, Sir.'

"He could see that I was serious about being as discreet as two people doing this on base could be and he relaxed a little. He did as he was told, locked the door and then moved towards my desk.

'I don't know if I want your mouth or your ass. You seem to be pretty talented with both. Maybe I'll give you both again.'

"I knew that it wouldn't take me long to get hard again. It seemed I'd been permanently hard all the time you were away, Jack. Stress does that to me, you know, and I was seriously stressed out. No matter how much I jerked off I never seemed to completely get rid of that desire to fuck. Kind of like I feel this weekend, funnily enough, yet I'm not stressed now."

He hid a grin when he saw the others shudder at that thought.

"So, I decided that I'd have both. I put my hands on his shoulders and shoved him to his knees. I could see he needed to be treated roughly, that the mission had been too much for his mind. He wanted to be ordered around.

'Undo my pants. Suck me off. Make me come fast.'

"He was pretty frantic. He swallowed me down as far as he could but it wasn't enough for me so I grabbed his head and pushed further. It nearly choked him but he did what he could to relax his throat. I held onto his head and pulled it back then pushed it back down and he got the message. I wanted it hard, fast... nasty. I let his fingers work me, stroking my balls, urging me to come. But when he reached back and touched my ass I pulled him off me and grabbed his hands, pulling them behind his head and holding them there.

'You don't touch me there! Mouth only. And work harder!'

"He did as he was told and finally he made me come. He looked like he was going to spit it out but I put my hand over his mouth and made him swallow it. I don't know why, but that was really important to me at that moment. It seemed to work for him, too, as he groaned and smiled."

Jack shifted about on the floor, moving so that his hands were behind his back so that he couldn't start to masturbate.

"I told him to stand up and drop his pants and he did so, then I gave him some tissues and told him to jerk off. I wanted to watch him come. He looked at me as he started but I told him to look at his dick instead. He did, staring at it intently as his hand worked faster. He didn't see me stroking myself back to hardness. I kept watching his cock; it was okay, nothing special but a decent enough size. When I could see that he was about to come I knocked his hand away and grabbed it and he came in my hand. I caught most of it, then he saw me covering my own cock with it and he knew that I was going to fuck him like that. He'd said he was ready so I assumed his ass was already lubed."

'Turn around, face the desk, lean over it and give me your ass. Pull your cheeks apart.'

"He did and I did it. I fucked him on my desk. What he didn't know was that I was imagining you guys there. One minute it was you, Jack, the next it was you, Paul. I had to bite my lip to stop me crying out either of your names. To take my mind off it I talked to him, taunting him as I fucked him. I called him a slut, a whore... you know."

Paul shivered at those words. Daniel called him those things and he loved it. Never having been able to allow his desires to surface freely when he was in the Air Force, being treated like that allowed his inner slut to come to the fore giving him a freedom he'd never enjoyed in his life. A part of him felt a bit jealous that Daniel had called other people that before him and Daniel saw that in his face.

"I didn't mean it the way I do with you, babe," he soothed. "He was just a whore. You're mine," he added with a wink.

Paul ducked his head to avoid showing the colour that covered his cheeks at those words.

"When I came he was hard again so I flipped him onto his back and jerked him off roughly. There was no finesse there but he didn't want it. He had to put his hand in his mouth to stop himself yelling when he came. Poor guy burst into tears when it was over."

Daniel's voice gentled as he finished recounting his tale.

"I had to hold him for a few minutes. He told me how bad the mission had been and he thanked me for what I'd done for him. I couldn't tell him that I was still horny, that nothing he did for me would be enough. All I could do was tell him to get dressed and go get some sleep."

"Did you call him to you again?" Jack asked softly.

"A couple of times," Daniel shrugged. "I needed to get off when you got back, for example. Relief, I guess. So I got him to suck me off in one of the stockrooms. It wasn't long after that that Paul and I got together so I told him I was seeing someone off base. I put him in touch with one of the marine sergeants that I knew. He wasn't a master but he was renowned to be pretty dominant. Last I heard they were actually together as a couple. I saw Schenck when we were at the SGC last and he told me that things were good."

He jumped to his feet and slapped his hands on his thighs.

"Right. Jack? Paul? Which one of you will be first?"

Jack and Paul looked at each other, wondering the same thing. Eventually, Jack stood up and walked to the shelf and pulled down a bullwhip and handed it to Daniel. Then he stood under the hook in the ceiling and raised his hands.

Daniel sighed. Jack was still unable to voice his desires but he was, at least, able to inform Daniel what he wanted without words. Daniel nodded to Paul to stand up and he handed the whip to him. With his hands free, he secured Jack to the hook, making sure that he was feeling safe. When he was ready, he took the whip back off Paul and motioned that he should stand well away from him.

The whip had been bought for Daniel for his birthday by Jack as a sort of a gag gift as it was identical to the one used in the Indiana Jones films. Seeing as Daniel's expertise in aiming with a whip was becoming almost legendary, Jack hadn't been able to resist. However, there had been a serious side to this. Jack seemed to want to pit himself against the whip - or any other belt or paddle aimed in his direction. For Paul, being spanked in whatever form was a way to forget the day, using the pain to take his mind off what had gone before. For Jack it was something else; a challenge. He needed to be able to stand there and not move as if to defy the whip. Daniel figured that Jack was remembering something in his head with each stroke and this was giving him the chance to defy not just the whip but his torturers and to take back some pleasure from the pain. Knowing that Daniel wouldn't hurt him, he was able to face up to his past. Each stroke could be dealt with without flinching or screaming, unlike when he'd been held prisoner for so long. Instead of nightmares about the beatings he'd taken, now he had wet dreams of Daniel and his whips.

With a steady hand, Daniel let fly the first crack of the whip. The end of it stroked his buttocks but Jack didn't move. He did it again, this time a little harder but again Jack didn't even acknowledge the contact. Time and again Jack withstood the pain that seemed to grow with each strike, the only visual sign that he was getting something out of this was his growing erection. After quite some time, Daniel had an idea of how to finish this for Jack and he upped the ante, carefully aiming the end of the whip between Jack's legs. It didn't hurt Jack but it did get a reaction from him; a short jump and a quiet noise from the base of his throat.

"Liked that, did you, Jack?" Daniel taunted. "Hmm, you don't have to answer, I can tell."

He moved around to Jack's front and lifted the whip until it was at his shoulder height, then he draped it over one shoulder before pulling it down Jack's chest and stomach, all the way to his groin. When it got there, he let it dance across Jack's erection, teasing his balls with it and watching Jack's cock as it jumped in response.

"I'm going to give you three more, Jack," Daniel said next. "One on your right thigh. One on your left. When you get those I don't want to see or hear any reaction, okay?"

Jack nodded slightly in response.

"Then you get the last one. I won't tell you where that's going to be. When you feel it, I want you to come. I want to watch you come all over the floor. Will you do that for me?"

Jack nodded again, swallowing hard. He knew it wouldn't be easy for him to not come just because Daniel had spoken those words to him.

Daniel stood back, right in front of Jack. Jack stared at him, unable to take his eyes off Daniel's whip hand. He managed to ignore the first contact with his thigh, just about managed to ignore the second. Then Daniel moved and he was no longer able to see him clearly as he was standing to his side. All he knew now was that the next time he felt the whip he was to come.

The next few moments were agony for him. He wanted to come right now but he had to wait. However, he didn't want to hold back too far because he may be too late for Daniel. Despair started to wash over him, the thought that he may disappoint Daniel saddening him.

'I need to come', he told himself. 'I've got to come'.

He nearly missed the final contact because of his thoughts. Nearly missed but didn't, it hurt too much for that. Daniel brought the whip down hard on his already tender ass. The slap was enough and he shot across the floor, pumping everything out from his balls.

By the time he finished, Daniel had put the whip down and was quickly unhooking Jack. The next thing Jack knew was that he was in Daniel's arms and was being held closely. Daniel steered him to the table and sat him on it before kissing him soundly.

"God, Jack," he moaned into his ear. "You are amazing."

He knew he had to praise him, to reconfirm how strong he'd been throughout what could have been an ordeal. Over and over again he told Jack how much he admired his strength until he felt Jack's body relax and a sense of peace enveloped them both.

"Thank you," Jack whispered. "You get it, don't you?"

"I get it. Honestly, Jack, I get it. Now, lie down and rest. I've got to give Paul a treat and I want you to be recovered for me."

Jack looked at him oddly so he added with a grin, "I don't need your dick, Jack. I need all of you to be rested, that's all."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll just watch you from here unless he wants to use the table."

Daniel kissed him again and then slipped off the table and made his way to Paul who was propping himself up against the wall, still fairly hard from having watched Jack.

"What would give you that pleasure, Paul?" he asked as he reached him. "Do you want to be spanked? Do you want to be tied up? Do you want to be fucked hard with the biggest dildo we've got?"

Paul swallowed hard.

"Well?"

Paul shut his eyes tightly and whispered his request.

"Take away my senses, please. Don't let me know what you're going to do. Use me. Both of you." Then, his eyes wide open, he stared into Daniel's eyes and added, "I'm giving you my safe word."

Daniel smiled softly and kissed his neck before answering. He knew what Paul meant by that. It was up to him to judge how far Paul wanted to go, how far he could push him. He also knew that they were talking about the extremes of Paul's tolerance and desires. He wanted to be totally helpless; his sight, sound, voice and touch taken away from him but at the same time, he wanted his body to feel everything and more.

"Do you want to play down here or somewhere else?" he asked, wondering if Paul would need to feel a bit more secure by lying on a bed.

"Here. Please. Just do it."

"Okay, pet. Stay here."

Paul stood still as Daniel moved away to get what he wanted. For now, he motioned to Jack to stay where he was. He'd need him soon enough.

He took down some things off the shelf and made his way back to Paul. First he blindfolded him, then he gagged him and put earplugs in so that he wouldn't hear Daniel talking to Jack. This time he didn't give him the ball with the bell in it, it was up to him to know when Paul couldn't take any more.

"Where should I put him, Jack?" Daniel asked, looking at the different items in the room.

"How about the manacles for now?" Jack suggested. "We can always move him later if we need to."

"Good thinking." Then he looked at him wickedly and asked, "How nasty should I get?"

"Very," replied Jack with a grin. "He wants it."

"Yeah, I thought so. When you're ready, join us. But I really need you to be active later. What I have in mind will need mental strength."

"Are you going to tell me what you're going to do?"

"Not yet."

As he was speaking he was leading Paul to the manacles and attaching him to them. When he was securely fastened to them, Daniel took out one of his earplugs and said, "Paul, I want you to hold off from coming as long as you can. We'll finish this game when you've had enough. You may come when you really need to or you've had enough of being used."

Paul nodded his head slightly to acknowledge Daniel's words and then tried to send his mind elsewhere. He felt incredibly empowered by this. His men were doing this for him, he thought. His men, were going to spend as long as he could hold out pleasuring him. He didn't have to do anything except take what he was given and enjoy it. How lucky could a guy get?

Daniel noticed a small smile appear underneath Paul's gag and he also detected a slackening in Paul's muscles. Not that he could slacken totally because of the position he was in. He replaced the earplug and then moved away to get a few more things.

Paul felt a pair of hands roaming over his chest, trying to tempt him to move or to moan. He resisted as best he could, even when the hands pinched both his nipples and twisted them. As the delicious pain racked his body from that, he felt something being slipped around the base of his hard cock and his balls which seemed to weigh them down. That very nearly took his mind off the clamps that were then put on his already tender nipples.

Two hands continued to roam over his body, a pair of lips trailing kisses over his biceps first on one arm and then the other, then his throat seemed to hold a fascination for whoever's mouth it was as the skin got suckled in-between the lips, the tongue stroking along the skin between them. He couldn't help it but he groaned with pleasure.

His nose twitched as it detected something odd. He could smell heat, maybe a match being lit? Yes, it was that. It gave him a clue as to what was going to happen. The hands that were on him and the mouth that assaulted him moved away and the next thing he felt was the heat of melted wax as it dropped onto his shoulder and ran down his chest. More wax came on his other shoulder and then he felt a pair of hands behind his back and pushing him forward so that his chest started to lift. This was followed by more wax being dripped onto him, just above his clamped nipples and he moaned loudly as the two sources of pain merged into one.

The hands behind him pulled away and he returned to his previous position and he realised that he smelt the candle being blown out. Concentrating on his olfactory sense he was distracted from the next 'attack' on his body. Two lubed fingers pushed inside his ass without any gentle preparation. He felt a little frustrated that he couldn't push down and fuck himself on them and even more frustrated when they were pulled out not long after.

The others were using every technique they knew to distract his attention from whatever was going on and as soon as he focussed on one area, he was touched in another. As he waited for something else in his ass, the wax on one shoulder was ripped off him, swiftly followed by a mouth on the reddened skin kissing, licking and biting him. Concentrating on that, his mind was then surprised by the feel of something hard pushing inside him. He tried to ignore the feeling of more wax being taken off him to work out what it was. Remembering the sensation from other uses he knew it was the long set of anal beads being pushed inside him. The last bit of wax came off at the same time that they were all the way in.

Then there was nothing for a few seconds - seconds which seemed to drag out into hours. Just as he was about to moan loudly to complain about the lack of activity he felt the sting of the riding crop as it landed on his thigh. Despite his being manacled, he had a certain latitude of movement and squirmed, a reaction which caused the beads to rub against his prostate.

It was him against the others and he knew it. They were trying to make him come and it was up to him to hold out against it. His mind retreated into his sub-space; a sensation of cotton wool padding seemed to surround him. With no sound or sight, he could only use his imagination to work out what was happening and now that wanted to fail him.

It was like being somewhere green, he knew. Nothing was distinct, there were no real images there, but it felt safe. Green had always been the colour he'd associated with comfort and now that was all he saw in his mind's eye. The stinging sensation on his chest seemed to belong to someone else, the desperate urge in his balls to come faded and he was totally relaxed.

"He's there isn't he?" Jack said as he looked at Paul's body.

"Yeah. This is what he wanted. He's good at getting there but he doesn't usually get this deep unless he's being really worked over."

"Should we continue?"

"Sure. If we don't he'll come out of it too soon."

"What do you want to do now?"

Daniel thought for a moment and figured he wanted access to Paul's back so that he could play with that side of him.

"Let's take him down and put him on the paddling bench," he said firmly.

Quickly they undid him and carried him over to the bench. His knees were placed on the bottom step of it, his chest carefully placed over the top so that his nipples were just beyond it. Daniel knelt down and took each of Paul's hands in turn and attached his wrist bands to the hooks on the sides of the bench. Jack, on Daniel's orders, picked up the spreader bar and put it between his ankles, pushing his legs as far apart as they could go and still let him retain a sense of security.

Not wanting to break Paul out of his near-trance, Daniel decided to increase the pain slightly. He picked up two tiny weights and attached them to the nipple clamps so that they pulled his chest further down. A quiet groan came from Paul, but nothing that told Daniel that he wasn't happy.

They gave him a few moments to adjust to his new position and then Daniel started to work a lot harder. He used the crop on his butt cheeks a few more times and then ordered Jack to continue with the teasing touches and kisses that he'd been giving him earlier. Jack did as he was told, starting with Paul's head he sat on the floor in front of him and grasped either side of it, moving it this way and that as he kissed every spare centimetre of skin he could access. He moved on and worked on his neck, his ears, the back of his neck and down his spine, being careful to hit every single sensitive spot he knew that Paul had.

"I don't think he's going to be up for much later, Daniel," he said as Daniel took hold of the end of the beads and slowly started to play with them, twisting them and pulling them out so that he could put something else inside of him.

"Probably not. But to be honest, I need you specifically, Jack. I just need Paul to be there for me. If he's up to it, he can take part later."

"You're not even going to drop a hint, are you?"

"Nope. Besides, I'm still trying to pluck up the courage."

That attracted Jack's attention but he didn't stop working on Paul. He stood up and took down the fur glove, showing it to Daniel and getting a nod. In contrast to the huge dildo that was being slowly pushed inside of Paul, Jack gently stroked all of his back and what of his stomach he could get to.

"Daniel? Isn't it something you really want to do? What's so scary?"

"I want to do it, Jack. I was only joking. Look, drop the subject, will you? I want to make Paul come."

Jack did as he was asked but now he was confused. Perhaps he wanted to see if he could face being whipped, just in the same way Jack had. That would make sense. Daniel would want to take back what that bastard had taken as his own torturers had taken from him. Okay, he thought, he could do that if he needed him to.

In the meantime he concentrated on getting Paul off. Daniel had obviously decided that he wanted this to come to an end sooner rather than later. He doubted, somehow, whether Paul would even be aware of the passage of time. There was no clock on the wall of the playroom but Jack's own well-tested and reliable internal clock told him that they'd been in the room for well over an hour, his own 'torture' having taken about half an hour, the storytelling only taking up about five minutes. All of the things they'd been doing to Paul had been taken slowly, gently building him up to the point at which he could take no more.

The massive dildo was now all the way inside Paul and his mind alerted him to the intruder which was being pushed and pulled and twisted. He tried to bring himself out of his safe place and concentrate on the pain. His tits hurt him, his ass was sore. By contrast the rest of him tingled pleasantly as someone stroked him softly. His cock throbbed with the need to get off and he knew he was reaching his limit. A final twist of the dildo pushed it against his prostate for one last time and despite the gag, he yelled out loud as he came hard.

As he came to, Jack and Daniel quickly worked to undo his connection to the bar and the bench, removing his gag, blindfold and earplugs. He opened his eyes and tried to focus, noticing that Daniel's arms were around him and lifting him up. His legs gave way as he stood and he was caught, lifted up and soon felt himself being carried out of the room and up the stairs. The sense of security he got from that was so big that his body totally relaxed, his mind switched off and he fell asleep.

Jack stayed behind in the playroom, cleaning it up and taking the various toys to the bathroom to get sterilised ready for future use. Daniel had whispered that he should do that and then meet him upstairs in the bedroom, that he would tell him what he wanted when they were up there. That confused him even more. There was no facility in the new bedroom, like the hook that used to be in the old room's ceiling, for a scene like the one that he'd imagined earlier. Daniel had given no impression that he was wanting to return to the playroom later, either. He worked on autopilot as he completed his task, his mind trying to figure Daniel's desires out but getting absolutely nowhere.

Daniel lay on the bed next to the sleeping Paul, smiling as he watched him. He envied him the peace he seemed to get after such a seemingly violent scene and a small part of him wished he could do the same thing. However, he knew he couldn't. Just building up the courage to ask Jack to...

He put that thought out of his mind for that moment. It shouldn't bother him but it did. He looked angrily at the new small cut on his arm, one he'd told the guys he'd got from catching his arm on a sharp metal shelf. He was cross with himself for lying to them again, but he hadn't been able to face Jack when he'd felt the need. He wished Jack was more like Paul, more able to accept that he did it, trying to make his life as carefree as he could so that he wouldn't feel the need, but above all, not really wanting to have anything to do with it. Paul couldn't watch him, couldn't really even deal with talking about it. He was prepared to put a band-aid on the cut if necessary, prepared to hug Daniel after it was done, but that was all. That was fine by Daniel. He didn't want to talk about it; he didn't want to share it with anyone. It was his problem. It always had been.

But still the guilty feeling wouldn't go away. He'd promised Jack he wouldn't hide it and yet he was reneging on that promise. He justified it to himself by thinking that by not telling Jack he wouldn't be upsetting him. And besides, he couldn't tell Jack why he was doing it because he didn't always know why he did it. The moods weren't predictable, they didn't always come after a bad day or something stressing him out. Sometimes he needed to do it for no apparent reason. He knew that hurting himself was illogical, so in a twisted way it was logical that sometimes the reasons for him to do it wouldn't always be clear. It made some sort of sense to him anyway.

He knew why the tension had built inside of him this time, though. This was something he felt he should do. He could do it. He wanted to and he needed to, but it would mean he would have to give all of his control over to Jack. That scared him more than the actual act. The act was fine, it should be incredible. The guys always loved it and always achieved the level of peace that Paul had right now. He wanted that. He could get it. But only if he gave up his control.

He scolded himself. How many times had Jack proved to him that he could be trusted, not only with Daniel's life but his soul? What else did Jack need to do to prove it further? Could he prove it further? Daniel doubted it was possible. Crazily, Daniel knew that if he were to ask Paul to do what he wanted, he would actually feel a little more secure. That was probably because they had only once gone into battle together and never had Paul let him down. They'd only ever had one major fight in their relationship, including the two years of friendship before they'd got together as a couple, and that fight had been Daniel's fault, or so he thought.

That he loved and trusted Jack wasn't in doubt. That he would die for the man wasn't in question. But they still had that history between them. It may have helped a bit if Jack hadn't mentioned it that morning. Every time Daniel was able to banish their bad times from his memories, something came and reminded him of them. He'd been honest when he'd said he'd forgiven Jack, but he hadn't forgotten the sense of betrayal and pain caused by the man he'd considered his best friend. The lack of trust shown by Jack in Daniel at that time had hurt more than his chasing after Sam. Yes, Jack had since totally changed and now trusted Daniel in a way he'd never trusted anyone in his life, even his parents when he was a small child.

And that was why Daniel had to give up his control to Jack. If he didn't, the niggling feeling that maybe, just maybe, those bad times would come again would eat him like a cancer of the soul. He couldn't allow that. Couldn't allow his own insecurities to push Jack away. He knew Jack wouldn't leave him. Knew it. Now all he had to do was prove that he knew it.

Jack knew that Daniel was locked in his own mind. The fact that he'd been standing at the doorway for a while and watching him without getting a reaction from Daniel at all proved it. Just what he was thinking about was beyond him though. It was time to find out.

He stepped into the room and lay on the bed on the other side of Paul to Daniel, smiling at him as he did.

"He sleeps like a baby when you do this for him, doesn't he?" he whispered.

Daniel smiled warmly back at him.

"Yeah. I'm glad to see it. He's had a stressful week and he knows that next week is going to be just as bad because he has some court appearances coming up. He needed this."

Jack nodded, saying nothing more for the moment but reaching across Paul to take Daniel's hand in his. They lay silently for a while until Paul started to move as if he was waking up.

"Are you going to tell us what you want now?" Jack asked quietly.

Daniel nodded, trying to hide his fear.

"When he wakes."

They waited patiently for Paul to come back to the land of the living and soon they were rewarded by his green eyes opening sleepily.

"Oh wow," he said thickly. "Where am I?"

"In the bedroom," Daniel laughed softly. "Don't you remember?"

"Not really. I remember you securing me." His face screwed up. "My tits hurt," he complained.

Daniel laughed out loud and winked at Jack. They both bent down and took a nipple into their mouths and worked on them, kissing them better until Paul told them to stop - or else!

"Better now?" Jack teased.

"Yeah," Paul drawled. "Much." Then he looked at Daniel and asked, "If we're up here, how are you going to get what you want? You haven't come yet, have you?" he added, running his hand over Daniel's cock and finding that he wasn't erect.

Daniel shook his head. "Not yet. I will. Wait here, guys. I need to get some things."

He got off the bed and headed directly for the playroom, not letting himself stop or else he'd chicken out.

"Any ideas yet?" Paul asked Jack.

"'Fraid not," Jack sighed. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. Whatever it is, though, he's nervous about it."

Paul's face echoed Jack's in its earlier confusion.

"Oh? I wonder what it is."

They said no more, deciding to wait until Daniel told them. Instead they moved until they were laying together and holding each other, building up the courage to face what was to come together.

Daniel reappeared at the door a few minutes later holding a box of long latex gloves, a bowl and a huge tub of what Jack knew to be his preferred lubricant for fisting. The implications of this permeated through his brain rapidly and he sat up in shock.

"Daniel? Are you sure?"

Daniel nodded slowly. "I've been thinking about it for many weeks now, Jack. Ever since I did it for you that first time. I think I need it."

"You think?"

"I know." This time Daniel sounded much more sure of himself.

"Ok-ay," Jack drawled. He patted the bed in an effort to get Daniel out of the doorway and close to him. "You know I've never done it," he started, unsure of his own abilities.

"But you've seen me do it to Paul a few times and you've had it done to yourself so you know what it's like to receive it. Please, Jack, don't question me. If you don't think you can do it just say so but please don't second-guess me."

Jack looked at Paul who seemed to be flagging 'DO IT' in his eyes, a hint of near desperation glistening as if he'd figured out just how deep Daniel's need went.

"Right. I'll do it, of course I will. I just don't want to hurt you, that's all."

"You won't. You know what to do. I'll tell you if it's too much, I promise."

"Okay. Well, we'd better prepare then. Are you, er, ready?"

"Yeah. You're not the only ones who go through that particular routine you know," Daniel replied with a wry grin, lightening the tense atmosphere.

Paul sat up and stroked Daniel's shoulder and asked, "What do you want from me?"

"I need you to help me through it," Daniel whispered, dropping his head on Paul's shoulder. "And if you feel up to it later, when Jack's finished, if you want to you can..." He made a fist and pushed it through the air, illustrating what he couldn't bring himself to say.

"Um, okay," Paul said, unsure of what to say. "At the moment I'm still too woozy to concentrate enough but if I wake up, if it's what you want..."

"It is. But as you say, it's only if you feel up to it. Besides, if Jack makes this good enough it may not be the only chance you get, so don't worry if you don't feel awake enough now."

Paul smiled and hugged him, looking over his shoulder at Jack who seemed to have lost some of his natural colour.

"It'll be fine," Paul soothed, more aimed at Jack than at Daniel. He understood why Jack seemed to be so nervous because the idea of doing this to Daniel frightened him, too.

To reset the mood, he pulled Daniel onto the bed and started to kiss him and undress him at the same time. Daniel found it easy to surrender to him - he always had done. He wasn't giving up his control in the way he'd need to do soon but felt rather that he was being taken care of, pampered even. He loved that so he let Paul do what he did best; making him feel wonderful.

Paul took care to undress him slowly, kissing each inch of skin as it appeared, playing the body jewellery he found across his tongue and turning Daniel on by degrees. By the time Daniel was finally naked, his skin was on fire with the gentle touches which had been interspersed with sudden spikes of painful pleasure which went straight to his groin.

"I'm going to make you come," Paul stated, rather matter-of-factly, getting a small groan from Daniel. "You need to relax. Besides, given the mood you're in this weekend you're going to get hard again pretty soon, I think."

He looked over at Jack and got a reassuring nod off him; Jack had hoped he'd do something like this. As Paul had been undressing Daniel, he'd been putting on a glove and then a second one over it, trying not to make a sound as he did it. Somehow he knew that beneath it all, Daniel was terrified of this, even if he wasn't going to admit it. However, he got the feeling that he wasn't scared of the actual fisting but of something else. He had no idea what that was, though, so he had to just go with the flow. Daniel obviously needed this badly so he was going to get it as good as Jack could give it to him.

Catching Paul's eye, he motioned that Daniel should be turned onto his side. Paul acted without looking like he had seen anything from Jack, pulling Daniel into position and then moving down the bed so he could start to suck him off. He was sure of his own ability to take Daniel's mind off pretty much anything when he did this, and hell, he loved doing it.

Jack waited until Paul started work and then he covered one of his fingers in the lube and started his own job. He felt Daniel tense slightly as he touched him but he soon relaxed so Jack figured he had just been surprised. Knowing that Daniel always packed as much lube inside his 'victim' as possible when he did this, Jack did the same, taking his time to stretch him and grease him up.

Daniel knew what the guys were up to and he appreciated it. Besides, he loved Paul blowing him at any time and despite his natural inclination to top, he still loved feeling something up his ass.

Jack, like Paul, wanted Daniel to come before he moved on. He had three fingers inside him already and wanted to go further. Twisting his fingers, he found the gland and stroked it firmly a couple of times. He got the result he wanted, watching closely as Paul did his best to take everything Daniel could give him.

He allowed them to take a break before pulling Daniel onto his back again and then opening his legs and pushing them up towards his chest. Daniel was still panting hard, as was Paul, so Jack had to nudge Paul to move up Daniel's body so that he could hold him.

Jack knew that he couldn't ask Daniel if he wanted to continue, he just had to do it. Today had been all about how each of them knew what the others wanted, how they could read each other's body language and just do without question. He wished it hadn't taken him quite so long to get that but now he did. Daniel was giving him control of his body because he trusted him to read his body language and stop if he needed to. It nearly made him stop what he was doing as the magnitude of the revelation hit him but he was able to keep going, almost mechanically adding more and more lube to his hand and pushing it further and further inside Daniel. He had to shake himself to concentrate; he could think about it later.

Daniel felt Paul's hand stroking his hair more clearly than he could feel Jack's fingers inside of him. He didn't want to feel them, he guessed. At least not yet.

"Going to four," Jack finally spoke out loud. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Daniel whispered.

"Okay, here goes," he muttered.

Jack figured he was much more tense than Daniel was and he did his best to relax his fingers so he wouldn't hurt him. He watched as his little finger went in alongside the others, keeping it tucked in as best he could until it was all the way in and then stretching his fingers out. Daniel groaned out loud as he felt himself being pulled apart and the noise made Jack freeze.

"No, don't stop," he ordered harshly. "Don't stop."

"I won't," Jack soothed. "I'm just afraid of hurting you."

"Not hurting. Feels good. Great. Want more."

Daniel's voice started to sound dislocated from his throat and it perversely comforted Jack. The same sound often came from Paul when he was entering sub-space.

"It's coming, Daniel. I'm going to put some more lube on my hand and then we're going for it, okay?"

"'Kay."

Slowly, he pulled his hand out and noticed that it was shaking slightly as he put it in the tub of lube. He silently scolded himself and ordered himself to get on with it. He knew that if he'd been fisting Paul he wouldn't have been so fearful, it was only the fact that it was Daniel that worried him. Part of him was afraid that it would bite them on the ass later on.

Putting his hand back in place he screwed his fingers up tightly and tucked his thumb inside the others and then pushed it slowly and carefully inside Daniel. He watched in amazement as it seemed to be sucked inside him, his hand seeming to take on a life of its own, just doing what Daniel wanted whether Jack wanted it or not.

"It's there," he said with amazement. "It's all the way in."

"Feels wonderful," Daniel slurred.

Paul looked down, unable to take his eyes off the scene in front of him. He continued to stroke Daniel's hair as if he was on autopilot. Part of him wanted to do the same thing, the rest of him as afraid as Jack to actually do it.

Jack carefully pulled his fingers together into a fist and gently inched it further inside Daniel, pulling back equally slowly before going forward again. Daniel's moans got louder, his demands greater.

"Want more," he complained. "Need to feel it."

Paul slid away from him and picked up two gloves, putting them on as Jack had done and covering his hand in lube. Telling Jack to open his hand out again and to keep still, he moved right next to him and pushed one finger to join Jack's hand. That got a major reaction from Daniel.

"Yes! That's it!"

His dick stirred rapidly and started to get erect. Paul noticed that and it encouraged him to put in another finger. Words poured out of Daniel's mouth; harsh, demanding... foul language that urged them to use him and abuse him, deriding them for not going faster.

They wouldn't let him change their pace, though. They both knew how slow they had to go for safety's sake. Nothing he could say to them would make them change their minds.

Jack, using his free hand, reached up and took Daniel's cock in it and started to work him in time with the fingers that Paul was moving up and down so that he could get another one in. He now had three and he was pretty determined to go no further than four. But as he watched his little finger go in he knew that in future he'd want to see what having two hands inside himself would be like.

Daniel should have been in agony, Jack thought, but he didn't seem to be. He hadn't even used poppers to aid him. What Jack didn't know was that he'd been stretching himself for weeks with larger and larger dildos and plugs so that he could take this. Daniel hadn't expected Paul to join in but he'd hoped it would happen.

Daniel was at the point of climax when Paul's fourth finger entered him. Jack could feel it as his hand stroked Daniel's cock harder and harder. He shook his head at Paul, indicating that he should stop moving and as he did, Jack made his fist again and gently pushed it against Daniel's prostate.

That was enough for him and he came harshly, shouting loudly as Jack did his best to relax his hand inside him. As soon as Paul could, he pulled his fingers out, allowing Jack to start to remove his own hand.

Once out, Paul ripped the gloves off his hand and got back on the bed as soon as he could, holding Daniel tightly in his arms. Jack checked for blood carefully, only starting to breathe normally when he didn't see any. He picked up a cloth from the bedside table and wiped Daniel down gently, again checking the results as if he didn't believe the first look. When he was cleaned up and ready, he too joined the others on the bed, lying on Daniel's other side and adding to the sense of security that Daniel was starting to feel.

"Dan? Are you all right?" Paul asked quietly.

Daniel nodded, unable now to speak out loud. Jack wanted to hear his voice, was about to insist that he spoke but Paul shook his head, his eyes flicking down towards Daniel's face.

Jack looked where Paul was indicating and smiled. For the first time in a long time, Daniel's face had taken on a look of total tranquility. Within moments, Daniel was fast asleep.

"I wonder why he wanted that?" Paul whispered, barely audibly.

"I doubt we'll ever find out," Jack replied as quietly. "But God knows he needed it."

Paul awoke on the Sunday morning mixed with fear and excitement. He wanted this tattoo but he had the feeling that Daniel was up to something and that gave him the shivers. He knew it would be a good time for him whatever happened.

His cock ached as it wanted to get hard as it usually was in the morning but Daniel had bound him the day before and he wasn't able. He thought back to when Daniel had awoken from what had turned out to be a short, but apparently deep sleep.

Daniel had seemed more relaxed than he'd been in a hell of a long time. There was no strain in his eyes, no distance at all. Despite Paul's apparent nonability to read Daniel in the way Jack could, Paul knew that it wasn't true, that he could read him extremely well, he just chose not to comment unless Jack brought something up. He'd react to any signs of stress in Daniel in his own way, attempting to distract him rather than trying to make him talk. Daniel hated talking about what was bothering him and unlike Jack, Paul was prepared to let him keep things to himself.

But there had been nothing untoward there at all and Paul had nearly given his private ability away when he'd hugged him enthusiastically in reaction. Fortunately, Daniel had taken the hug as Paul's pleasure about the afternoon's play. When they'd got up, Daniel had informed both men that they would not be able to come or even get hard again that day and not until the time was right on Sunday. Jack had been surprised when Daniel had put a leather sheath around his cock which was then attached to two leather 'covers' that fitted snugly over his balls before being further attached to an evil looking butt plug. He hadn't complained though, so Daniel had gone ahead and put them on. Paul, naturally, ended up in his own get-up, something he was more than used to and only noticed when it wasn't there.

After dinner, Daniel had taken them to the living room to watch TV. He'd taken great delight in getting Jack to lay on the rug in front of the fire; still naked, only wearing his bindings, he'd had to lay face down initially, his arms and legs spread so that he was in a star shape, his head turned to one side so he could see part of the TV screen. Then Daniel had sat on the armchair nearby and used Jack's ass as a foot rest. Paul had had to kneel at Daniel's side, holding Daniel's whisky glass in lieu of a table.

Though neither Paul nor Jack said anything, Daniel knew that they both appreciated being treated like this. They both knew that he was up to something, Jack more clued in than Paul but even he hadn't all the details. Lack of information before they were to do something made both military men nervous and the only thing that soothed those nerves was Daniel acting like this, the stricter the better. If he gave off an air of certainty, they would have nothing to fear.

Paul had noticed, though, that the programmes that Daniel had 'chosen' to watch were ones which both he and Jack would enjoy.

He'd slept well, and, he thought, judging by the way Daniel and Jack were still out cold, they had done so, too. Carefully, so as not to wake the others, he crept out of the bed and went to a bathroom attached to one of the other bedrooms rather than make a noise in their own. Relieved and cleaned up, he walked comfortably naked into the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast. He wanted to give Daniel breakfast in bed that morning; a treat for the man that constantly treated him.

When the coffee was nearly ready he checked the time and saw it was past the time that Daniel would normally get up at. Because of his nakedness and the fact that Daniel wouldn't want him to take a chance and cook like that, he put some bread in the toaster and got out a tray and whatever he would need.

-

The smell of coffee woke Daniel slowly and he opened his eyes to see Paul standing at the side of the bed, a tray in his hands.

"I've brought your breakfast," Paul announced with a smile.

Sleepily, Daniel sat up and smiled back at him.

"Thank you. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"Okay. Get something ready for you and Jack. I'll wake him up."

Paul nodded, handed Daniel the tray and left for the kitchen. Daniel gave Jack a gentle nudge and he woke, slightly grumpily. He'd been having a lovely dream but the leather sheath that held his cock had made him uncomfortable.

"Time to get up, Jack," Daniel said. "Get yourself into the kitchen. Paul's getting your breakfast ready now."

He watched with vague amusement as Jack reluctantly edged out of bed and stiffly made his way to the door. Thinking that Jack was going to get a hell of a lot stiffer later in the morning, he picked up his mug and sipped his coffee with a sly, secret smile on his face.

-

"Finished?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen. Seeing the men nod in response he continued, "Good. Right, the plan for today is this. You have..." He looked at his watch and calculated the time. "Exactly one hour and forty minutes in which to get ready. And I mean totally ready. Make sure there isn't a hair on your bodies where there isn't supposed to be one. Be prepared to be fucked, too. I'm not sure if either of you will be fucked," he added mischievously, "and if one of you will be, which one. So I want you both ready. Then return to the bedroom as you are now. You may take each other's bindings off and shave and clean each other as necessary, but if you do anything you shouldn't and it makes you come I will punish you." He looked at them seriously. "And you know what I mean by punish. You won't be spanked, guys. It won't be something you'll enjoy, I promise."

Stunned by his words, both men scooted into the bathroom without reply. They didn't dare speak louder than a whisper when in there, either, not even with the shower running.

"He's very masterful this morning," Paul moaned as Jack's hands ran over him, spreading the shower gel over his stomach and back.

"Whoo ya," Jack murmured back. "The bastard's got me as hard as nails and there's nothing I can do about it."

"You think he's got something in mind for my tattoo?" Paul asked, turning again so that he faced Jack, his own hard-on knocking Jack's and making them both wince.

Jack looked at him with disbelief.

"What the hell do you think?"

-

Back out in the bedroom, they saw Daniel waiting for them, dressed in such a way that the erections that they'd both managed to finally get under control came back with a vengeance. Which was a pity as they both had put their bindings back on and pain shot straight into their groins as a result.

Despite wearing a suit the previous day to Master Jude's (as Ray had warned him to), this day he was in leather, head to foot. His favourite tight, black leather trousers adorned his legs, the leather having worn in a few places so that the shine had come off the tops of his thighs, the area of his calf muscles and most of all, his groin. The impression given by the wear was that the leather had thinned out in those places, as if his body was trying to escape its confines, making him look even bigger than he really was.

On his top he was wearing a skintight black T-shirt and over that was a tight black leather waistcoat. There was no jacket as yet. On his feet were his favourite hiking boots, another item which added to his overall masculine, macho appearance.

Needless to say, he wasn't wearing his glasses but had his contacts in, his hair gelled a bit so that the recent cut went a bit spiky. In his ear was the earring that matched the ones he'd given the others, ones that he wanted them to wear that day, too.

Looking them up and down hungrily, he said, "You're ready. Good. Paul, come here."

Paul stepped a little shakily towards him and prepared himself for an intimate examination. He got one.

Daniel checked that all the various cuffs and his collar were on tightly but were not constricting. Then he checked the rings and ball covers, finally running his hand over Paul's ass and twisting the plug inside him to make sure it wasn't going anywhere.

"That's good, my pet," he purred. "Very good. Put the pants on."

He picked up Paul's own leather pants and handed them to him, along with some talc to aid him. Paul got them on as quickly as he could, realising that underwear was going to be nowhere in sight that day. Then Daniel put some body jewellery on him before he handed him the black fishnet vest he so loved to see Paul wear. Once Paul had put on his biker's boots Daniel smiled.

"Very nice," he complimented. "Very hot. I'd love to walk you up and down the whole city, you know. Show everyone out there what they're missing." His voice was sexy as he spoke and Paul had to try to block the effect it had on him. It wasn't easy.

"Jack, it's your turn. Come here."

Jack did as he was told. He'd already scoped the clothes lying on the bed and he saw what Daniel had in mind for him. It would seem that Daniel was dressing them both for his own pleasure that day as Jack's bright-white T and old, tight faded jeans were waiting for him.

He tolerated the same check on his various bindings, trying to send his mind elsewhere when Daniel ran his hands over his body.

"I love touching you," Daniel whispered right next to his ear. "When you stand there like a statue and just let me touch you like this," he continued. "It's so fucking amazingly wonderful." He stood back and looked at Jack, as yet undressed. "Maybe I'll fuck you when Paul's being tattooed. I wonder if Jude would be able to concentrate if I did?"

Jack tried to ignore the image but, like Paul, he found it wasn't easy. Daniel, as ever, was playing up both of their kinks.

"Ah well, if I stand here all day we'll be late and Master Jude wouldn't like that. Get dressed, Jack."

It was easier said than done as he knew that Daniel was watching his every move.

-

Daniel drove the car, the others sitting in the back and saying nothing. Daniel said very little until he pulled the car into a parking place alongside a row of old seafront houses.

"We're going to have to be extremely formal when we're in Jude's house," Daniel sighed, turning to look at them as he switched off the ignition. "You will address us both as Master at all times. Understand?"

They both nodded, too reticent to speak.

"He has a slave. You will not speak to him unless permission is granted. You will not speak at all unless directly addressed by either of us. If Master Jude speaks to you, answer him immediately. You do not need to look to me for permission."

He got out of the car, taking a bag with him, and opened one of the back doors for them both to emerge. When they were out, he shut it and pressed the remote lock on his key ring.

Noticing that both men's heads were looking towards the floor, he said, "Look up. You may be my subs but you are nobody's doormats."

Their heads snapped up and both men stared ahead instead.

Daniel stepped forward, again checking his watch as he'd been doing all the way there. They were one minute early. That would do.

Paul's heart was racing by the time Daniel's finger pressed the doorbell. He really wanted this tattoo but he hadn't expected all of the 'extras' that Daniel had seemed to arrange, at least judging by what had gone on that morning. He still had no idea what else would happen, if anything at all. On top of that, he was nervous about the actual tattooing. He'd never had one and had only a vague idea of what to expect.

The door opened and he saw a young man wearing leather shorts and a harness on top standing inside the house.

"Master Daniel. Please come in," came the youthful voice. "Master Jude has asked that you come straight through to his studio."

"Thank you," Daniel replied. "Gentlemen. Follow me."

Wordlessly, and only acknowledging the slave with a nod, they followed him inside.

Paul's wasn't the only stomach churning at that moment. Jack's was, too. He was grateful that Daniel was being so dominant as it helped calm his nerves. If Daniel was like this, it meant he was okay with what was going on. He didn't appear nervous for his men. With no nerves from Daniel, the others could relax a bit as they could guarantee that if Daniel was nervous, he would be right next to them, his arms ready to engulf them in seconds.

Stepping inside the studio, Paul swallowed hard. It wasn't as he'd imagined it to be.

Yes, there was the usual tattooing equipment, including what looked like an old, thickly padded dentist's chair for the client to sit in comfort. What was surprising was the sling that hung from the ceiling nearby the chair and the rack along the back of the room, not to mention the manacles fixed to the wall on the side.

"Master Jude," Daniel greeted. "I thank you again for arranging this so speedily."

"It is my pleasure, Master Daniel. Now, tell me. Which of your slaves is the one that requested this tattoo?"

Jude's eyes were dancing as he looked at Daniel, as if he was sharing a secret - which he was. However, Paul didn't know anything about it and he was starting to get the feeling that something big was up.

"It's this one," Daniel said calmly, pointing at Paul. "Where would you like him?"

"I was about to ask you that," Jude replied, sweeping his arm around the room.

Daniel looked like he was thinking for a moment and then he smiled. "I think the sling would be a real treat for my pet, don't you?"

"Do you really want to spoil him that much?" Jude asked, his deep voice still managing to sound as if he was teasing.

"I think so," Daniel answered with a smile. "After all, he wants to wear my mark. I think he deserves it."

He turned to Paul and raised an eyebrow in question. Paul shut his eyes, unable to answer directly, but they both knew that the question 'Do you want it?' had been asked and answered. 'Oh, God, yes'.

"Before we start, I require that your... pet, did you call him?" Daniel smiled and nodded. "I require that your pet signs a consent form," Jude insisted. "Come here, boy," he ordered Paul. "Here is a list of things I want you to read. On it contains health and safety information, what I do here to minimise the risk of infection and so on. Read it thoroughly. When you are happy and if you still want this then you sign here," he pointed out. "Master Daniel has already given me other details but you should check them out. If you feel you wish to pull out of this, say so when you have read the information. No one here will force you to be marked for life unless it is your wish. Am I right, Master Daniel?" he asked, looking directly at him.

"Absolutely, Master Jude. It is Paul's choice and his alone."

They watched as Paul did as instructed, reading carefully before finally signing the paper and handing it back to Jude.

"Get undressed," Daniel commanded. "Jack, help him."

Paul couldn't help but shudder at the thought, his hands shaking a little as he reached for his top and pulled it over his head.

By the time he was naked, Jude was looking him up and down and smiling.

"Not bad, Master Daniel. Not bad at all. Is your other pet so... delicious?"

"Why don't you decide for yourself?" Daniel grinned. "Jack, take your clothes off."

Without hesitation, Jack did as he was told. He'd been surprised by Jude's appearance, realising that the man was older than himself by a similar gap to him and Paul. Even though Jude's hair was grey and thinning and his body was obviously not as fit as it had once been, for a man in his mid to late sixties he still looked very good. Despite his love for the other guys, Jack found himself quite attracted to him and realised that if Daniel ordered him to do something with Jude, he wouldn't have any physical objections. Emotional ones, maybe, but physically? No way.

That day Jude had, like Daniel, dressed more the part; a leather look that could have looked ridiculous on some men his age but on him looked almost elegant. As he stripped his clothes off, Jack's military eye checked him out and noticed the same things Daniel had; the clean, manicured nails on his hands, the clear skin and the clear grey-blue eyes that seemed to pierce the soul of whomever he stared at.

Also like Daniel, Jude exuded confidence and calmness, contributing to Jack's sense of wellbeing. He knew that despite being, or more likely, because he was a traditional, strict master, Jude posed no threat to either himself or Paul.

"You pick them well, Master Daniel," Jude finally declared. "Not as young as your other pet, but still very strong."

Daniel looked pleased by Jude's comments and smiled back at him.

"Just as I like them," he purred, turning his head and winking at Jack as he spoke. Then he turned back to Paul and took his hand. "Come on, let's get you into this sling."

He looked at Jude's slave - who still hadn't been called by his name in Daniel's presence - and then back at Jude, getting a nod from the older man.

"Help them," Jude ordered, turning to wash his hands and put on gloves. The youth was next to them in moments, assisting Daniel as they got Paul onto his back into the sling and then putting his feet up in the stirrups and securing the one arm that wasn't being worked on.

"Do you feel safe?" Daniel asked Paul quietly when they had secured him.

"Yes, Master," Paul replied, remembering his instructions.

Paul had never been in a sling before and had often been curious. He was distinctly curious now as to how Jude was going to tattoo him from this position, but apart from that, he didn't feel like he was going to fall. Daniel kept up the reassurance by standing on the left side of Paul. They had already decided that the tattoo would be on the right forearm.

Careful not to alarm Paul, Jude raised the sling until he was at just the right height for him to work. Then, with his foot, he pulled a table on castors in place, his slave getting trays from the autoclave in the corner for the inks. He took Paul's arm in his hand, checked to see that it had been shaved and was cut free, sterilised the skin then confirmed the location of the design and transferred the outline that he'd made ready for the tattooing to proceed.

"Are you happy with that?" he asked Paul, lifting his arm up and twisting it gently so that Paul could see the whole thing. "If you're not, say now as the next thing I'll be doing is colouring it in."

Paul looked at the transfer and smiled.

"Thank you, Master Jude. It looks great."

"Good. Now, settle back and relax. The needles I use won't hurt more than a scratch... but I guess you're used to pain, aren't you?"

"Yes, Master," Paul answered with a hitch in his voice.

Daniel decided to take his mind off the proceedings as Jude finished setting up, pouring the required inks in the trays, making sure that the brand new needle was in the machine and so on. He reached up and tweaked Paul's nipple, getting his attention immediately.

"Paul, I'm going to loosen some of your bindings," he said quietly.

Paul's face fell so he stroked his hair.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad, I promise. Just to make you more comfortable. Shut your eyes and feel what I'm doing."

Reluctantly Paul shut his eyes and then realised that he didn't know where Daniel was; until, that was, he felt Daniel's hands near his cock. Just before Jude started his work, Daniel had removed the rings and covers and slid the plug out of Paul's ass, handing them to Jack to put them in his bag. Paul didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed by the sudden freedom. As the first sensation came on his arm, he felt Daniel's presence by his head again, calming him straight away.

He scolded himself. Why was he so nervous about this? It certainly wasn't fear of pain, that was for sure. As Jude had said, it didn't hurt. Was it the sling? No, it couldn't be that as he'd been feeling this way since he had confirmation that he would be having the tattoo. He'd thought he'd squared off any anxiety he'd had about it before mentioning it to Daniel in the first place but apparently, he hadn't. This having a tattoo, which would both tell the world that he was in a three-way relationship and was a sub, was becoming more traumatic than coming out the first time had been.

Every time Jude took a break to get more ink, Daniel worked on Paul's mind, via his body. Jude had helped him plan this so he wasn't disturbing the man at work. Paul felt his nipples being pinched, sucked, bitten; the ring in his navel would be twisted and pulled slightly; not enough to hurt but enough to send a shock to his groin. When he felt a tongue licking a stripe from his exposed asshole to up and over his balls he let out an involuntary groan.

"I'm sorry," he gasped. "I'm sorry, Master."

"Shh, pet," Daniel soothed. "It's okay. You weren't expecting that, were you?"

"No, Master."

"It's going to be okay. Concentrate on what's happening but whatever you do, keep your arm still."

He tried really hard to comply but it wasn't easy. More hands than should be were on him, more lips kissed him as Jude changed the colour he was working with. Paul kept his eyes tightly shut, unwilling to look at what was happening.

Daniel had nodded to Jude's slave about twenty minutes into the tattooing process. He had previously arranged with Jude that this would happen so he didn't say anything out loud. Jack was the one between Paul's legs, teasing his cock and balls with his tongue. Daniel was at Paul's head, kissing his face and his neck, stroking his hair and so on. The young man was the one who was now playing with Paul's body. To make sure that the slave was okay with this and to ease his own mind, Daniel had caught his eye when they stopped as Jude worked and looked at him questioningly, flicking his eyes at Paul's body and asking him if he really wanted to do this. The man had answered with a nod.

It was unusual for Daniel to let anyone touch Paul in this manner, but somehow, this time it meant nothing to him. He wasn't allowing him to touch Paul's groin or face, just his stomach and chest, as if they were neutral territory. Jack was still surprised that the youth was within six feet of them, however.

Daniel was in fact testing himself. He knew how they all fantasised about others being added to the mix, but he also knew that under normal circumstances he would be insanely jealous if it did happen. Here, the atmosphere was such that he felt more secure in trying it out, knowing that the slave would do as he was told and nothing more. As Jude's work drew to a conclusion, so did Daniel. What happened here today would be fine. He couldn't and wouldn't let anyone else do anything with his men under any other circumstance. If nothing else, it ended his speculation. The only addendum to this was what was to come with the women in the next few days. Somehow, that wasn't the same; the women posed no threat to their relationship.

Paul was very nearly back in sub-space. His cock was hard and throbbing with need. His arm ached from being held out from his body, his legs ached from being suspended for so long. The constant pricking of his skin seemed to melt into one, big ache and it was easier for him to shut off his mind than focus on each individual pain or moment of pleasure.

"Nearly done now," Jude said, refilling his needle for the last time. He looked up at Paul when he got no reaction from him and saw that his head had flopped back and he appeared to be sleeping. "Is he okay?" he asked Daniel.

Daniel, who hadn't taken his eyes off Paul's face the whole time, grinned. "Oh yeah. He's in his happy place, believe me. As soon as you finish there we'll wake him for the, er, grand finale."

Jude chuckled to himself and applied the last part of the design, wiping off the excess ink and specks of blood as he did.

"All done," he announced.

"Wonderful," Daniel purred. "Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he teased Paul, nodding to Jack at the same time.

Jack smirked as he ducked his head, taking Paul's red cock into his mouth and working him hard immediately. Paul still didn't open his eyes but he stirred a little, another quiet moan coming from deep in his throat.

"Use your hand, Jack," Daniel instructed. "I think we should all be able to see him come."

Paul heard Daniel's words and physically shook, knowing without looking that there were four pairs of eyes directly on his cock.

"You can come now, pet," Daniel said quietly.

Ever dutiful, Paul did, covering his stomach in long, powerful spurts, his body arching as each pulse came.

As soon as it was over, Jude started to let the sling down slowly, saying, "That was a fine show, boy. Tell me, Master Daniel, can he come to order all the time?"

"More or less," Daniel answered with pride. "He's always been good at following orders."

The slave quickly wiped down Paul's stomach then they got him out of it, Daniel gathering Paul up into his arms and carrying him to the chair a few steps away. He sat in the chair, holding him closely, stroking his back and soothing him. At the same time, Jude wiped down the tattoo again and showed it to Daniel, Paul's eyes still being shut.

"That looks wonderful," Daniel praised. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," Jude assured him, finishing off what he was doing before opening up a bandage and covering up the tattoo. "Remember to keep it clean and put the lotion well into the skin as we discussed yesterday."

"Of course." Daniel gave Paul a little nudge and he opened his eyes slowly. "You okay, pet?"

"'m fine," he slurred. "Thank you."

Daniel smiled at him, hugging him close. Then he said, "Okay, I'm going to have to let go for a while. Sit here until you're feeling better."

He stood up and helped Paul sit in the chair. Paul was confused. He'd been expecting Daniel to tell him to get dressed. What he wasn't expecting was Daniel to say, "Right, where should we put Jack?"

Paul watched in amazement as Jack lay on the rack, his arm being subjected to the same treatment that his own had. As soon as he'd cleaned up, changed his gloves and equipment and so on, Jude had started tattooing Jack with the same efficiency that he'd worked on Paul. Jack lay stoically on the rack, unmoving, making no sound whatsoever. Unlike the sensual Paul, he was dealing with this in his own stolid way.

He caught Daniel's eye causing Daniel to smile softly.

"You didn't think we'd leave you on your own, did you?" he asked gently.

"But... it was my idea. I wasn't expecting Jack to be marked, too."

"I know. We talked about it and knew that it was something we wanted, too."

"We? You?" Paul stuttered.

"Me, too. When Jack's done, I'm having one done. I want this, Paul. We want this. Just as you need to show the world that you belong to us, we need to show the world that we belong to you."

Paul was stunned. He hadn't been expecting this at all. His emotions, already all over the place, threatened to overwhelm him. Daniel picked up on that immediately and, as usual, gathered him into his arms and held him close.

"Are you okay with this, Paul? I mean, I know it was your idea and that it was your way of showing..."

"I'm fine," he whispered. Then he looked into Daniel's eyes and smiled. "I know what you mean about feeling honoured, now."

Daniel kissed him, unable to say anything else for that moment.

"Come on, let's go tease Jack. I want to see him get as good an ending as you did. You up for it?"

Paul looked down at his lax cock and gave a wistful grin before standing up and walking to Jack's side. He looked at Daniel for his cue and as soon as Jude stopped working, he started.

At home, the three men decided that a rest would be in order. All three were proud of the images on their arms; each one the same but different. All three had the monogram, something that Jude had managed to make identical on each. As with their rings, Jack's initial was in gold, Daniel's in silver. Paul's was blood-red as opposed to rose; a concession, perhaps, but it was closer to Daniel's original meaning. Jude had made Paul's 'collar' as realistic as he could possibly have done and it was only when one was close enough could one see that it was an image and not strapped on him. Jack, to illustrate the fact that he switched, had the collar, but he also had a bullwhip, apparently twisting around the collar all the way around his arm. Daniel's image was just a whip, the long handle over his forearm, the strap wrapping around his arm twice before the tail twisted back around the handle. It was incredibly well done and Daniel was really pleased with it, if a little sore. He wasn't as used to dealing with pain as the others were but was determined not to mention the feeling of bad sunburn he'd had. Jack had smirked as Daniel's whip tattoo was being done prompting a demand from Daniel to know what he was thinking.

"Oh, just that I think a boonie would have looked good sitting on the initials," he'd said, adding, "Master," when Daniel had mock-glared at him. Daniel had had to explain that one to Jude, at the same time as holding back a desire to have a fit of the giggles.

They lay on the bed together, Jack and Paul in their customary places, heads on Daniel's chest. Jack was still recovering from being fucked really hard, his ass still throbbing. Instead of being jerked off like Paul, Daniel had, as soon as Jack had been released by Jude, turned him over the edge of the rack so that he was face down and fucked him without ceremony. Like with Paul, knowing that he was being watched did for him and when he was given permission, he'd come hard on the floor. Still horny, despite having come, Daniel had allowed both Jack and the slave a 'treat' and had got the young man to lick Jack's cock clean. The physical reaction on the youth had clued Daniel into the fact that he seriously got off on that so when he'd finished, Daniel had told him to lick Jack's ass clean, too. The poor youth had nearly come on the spot. With Jude's permission, Daniel had taken pity on him when he had finished.

"Come here," he'd ordered.

The slave had done as he was told immediately. With a nod from Jude, Daniel had removed his cock sheath, wrapped his fingers around the dripping cock and jerked him off, fast and furiously, holding him in such a way that he was on display for the others to see. When he'd come, Daniel had held him for a moment before Jude had called him away and ordered him to clean the room up so that Daniel could have his own tattoo done in the chair.

"So, did you enjoy yourselves today?" he finally asked.

"God, yes," Paul moaned, his voice thick with lust. He was thinking back to how he'd felt in the sling and was already wanting more of it.

"Me, too," Jack agreed. Much as his taste in men didn't go as young as the slave that day, having someone else, a stranger in effect, touching him, licking him - and having Jude watching him - had returned him to the horny state he'd been in the day before. Also he wasn't afraid of Jude as he'd been of Alec; Jude didn't have that sort of control over him. But the fact that Jude was a Master and not just a Dom had gone straight to his groin. He wondered if he wanted to be Daniel's slave, wanted Daniel to be his master in that way. Thinking about it for a while, he realised that the answer to that was probably not. Once in a while, yes, it was great - incredible even. But he figured he'd get overwhelmed very quickly if it was 24/7 as appeared to be in Jude's household.

"You want a sling?" Daniel asked, unaware of Jack's mental ramblings.

Both men in his arms froze for a moment and then relaxed, somehow snuggling closer to Daniel as if to get under his skin.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then, shall I?" he laughed.

"You do that," Jack squeaked. Then he added, "Master."

The way he did it clued Daniel into Jack's mood and he had to hide the smile that threatened. Jack's stoicism in Jude's studio-cum-dungeon had intrigued Daniel. It could mean one of two things. Either Jack wasn't happy but he was putting up with it or he was so getting off on it he needed to not react or come in moments. Now, Daniel knew for sure it was the latter.

"You like that, don't you?" he asked, moving so that he could sit up, an indication that he wanted to talk seriously.

Jack wasn't sure how to answer but he knew he had to.

"Yeah," he started. "I wouldn't like it all the time."

Daniel nodded, understanding now his position.

"Paul? What about you?"

Paul swallowed hard and nodded. "Like, Jack," he agreed. "Today it was hot. You were hot. Hell, Master Jude is hot," he muttered.

Daniel laughed out loud. "Yeah, I got that from both of you there. If he'd asked you to do anything and I'd agreed you'd have been all over him like a rash, the pair of you. Okay, I get the message. Once in a while, eh?"

Two warm smiles greeted that pronouncement followed by two surreptitious glances between Paul and Jack. Moments later, Daniel found himself being pulled back down onto the bed and flattened by the two of them as they lay over him, attacking his face with kisses and grinding their hips against his legs.

He started to laugh, enjoying the lightened mood immensely.

"You two will be the death of me," he moaned, joining in with the kisses straight away.

Paul pulled back a moment and winked at him. "Yeah, but what a way to go, eh?"

Paul set off to work on the Monday morning with a grin on his face. He wasn't really looking forward to the day as he knew he had a big court case, but Daniel had helped him with his usual bindings, insisting that he keep the body jewellery on, as well. His secret 'rebellion' that he wore under his suit always amused him; a sort of 'I know something you don't' between him and the rest of the world. His colleagues knew little about him, only that he was a personable man, easy to talk to, reliable, hardworking and kind. He'd never mentioned his personal life; they didn't even know for sure that he was gay, even though where he worked meant that if he did mention it, it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever. His smile was made bigger by his tattoo, though. Despite the previous day's nervousness, he knew he'd done the right thing and he didn't care who saw it. After all, his private life was nobody else's business and he had enough chutzpah to tell them that, too. Somehow, knowing it was all there gave him more strength to deal with awkward defence councillors who picked on his clients - not unlike the way Daniel described that first cut which helped him deal with his own court case. As he approached his office, he realised that he finally got that and determined to share it with Daniel when he got home.

-

Daniel, meanwhile, was still in bed. He was exhausted from the weekend's exertions. The stronger he had to act, the more emotionally demanding it was, the more tired he got as a result. Monday mornings, therefore, were often ones spent in bed, at least longer than normal.

He was awake, just totally not bothered to get up. He knew he'd have to, the girls would be there later that day. Jan had told him that they'd be settling Cassie in over the weekend, crashing at her place until the Monday when they'd come up to stay with the guys. He was both looking forward to it and dreading it.

The coffee that Paul had brought him was finished but he didn't have the energy to go get another one. Jack was already out of bed, having breakfast and getting himself ready to go out to his workshop. He had a few things to finish firing that day so Dizzy could have them later in the week when they'd cooled down. So Daniel reached over to the bedside table and picked up the TV remote, flicking on first a news channel to see if anything had happened that he should know about.

The reporter seemed to be droning on and on about some local politician and it bored him rigid so he changed to a different channel. Different channel, different drone, he realised. It must be a quiet news day. The other channels that time of the morning were either telesales, chat shows or dire home improvement shows. He turned it off thinking that he only needed to make one more 'adjustment' to their home for it to be finished.

He lay back against the pillow again, lifting his hands so that his fingers intertwined behind his head. Casting his mind downstairs, he mentally planned the last job. In a few days' time, a builder - recommended by another friend in the Scene - would be coming to put a doorway into the side of the playroom. When the new extension had been built, they'd had some more cellar space included in it, mainly for storage. One of the new rooms could now take over the job of the old room that was right next to the playroom. Daniel had realised that they could enlarge their space so that they could have some more furniture in there and a bit more floor space. After the events of the weekend, Daniel was sure that a sling would be a great addition to the new room. He didn't want it on the normal 'swing' stand that he'd seen in other places, rather he wanted it fixed to the ceiling via pulleys so that he could adjust the height of whoever was in there more easily. The idea of a permanent fixing also added a sense of security to it.

Thinking of what he could do to the guys when either was in it, he felt himself getting seriously turned on. Raised up to just below his shoulder level, he could fist them comfortably. A bit higher and rimming could take on a new dimension. The ceiling was about ten feet high, so it allowed for plenty of adjustment. He grinned when he pictured the sling being lowered to his hip height - it would make fucking the guys better, could help him go deeper.

He shuddered at that thought. Then he thought of what had happened to him over the weekend. He was really proud of himself for asking Jack to fist him, more proud when he'd been able to take some of Paul's fingers, too. That moment had given him a real sense of achievement, and more than that, it had allowed him to give up his control to Jack without freaking. There was also a sense of connection with the guys that he hadn't had before and it meant so much to him.

His right hand snaked to his dick, gently starting to stroke it, not with the intention of getting off that moment but increasing the pleasure of his memories.

He was also pleased with himself for not getting possessive and jealous at Jude's place. He knew how destructive jealousy could be and it wasn't an emotion he liked in himself at all. Most of the time, he dealt with it without it overpowering him, but occasionally, if someone said the wrong thing to his guys or looked at them in the wrong way, it would override his sensibilities and he could explode. He knew that most of the time it was tied to the fear of losing them, but for some reason, that fear seemed to be starting to go away.

The sense of peace that he envied in Paul was starting to settle inside him and he couldn't help but smile. He thought again about the new room and imagined how it would look. He envisaged the walls, floor and ceiling as being painted darkly, probably a midnight-blue all over. But inset into the edges of the floor and so on would be small lights, just enough to highlight the shape of the room when the main lights were off. He knew that Paul would get the most pleasure out of that room, it would aid in the sensory deprivation he loved so much. As his imagination ran riot, he pictured himself using scents, probably in the form of scented candles or joss sticks, to distract Paul's mind as he set about taunting his body.

His fist worked faster on his cock as he 'heard' Paul's moans and begs, the sound being echoed in the bedroom as he started to bring himself off.

-

Jack had just finished clearing up his breakfast, planning his day's work in his mind as he did. At the same time he was wondering if Daniel would ever get out of bed and eat, having refused the offer of breakfast in bed that morning. Shaking his head to himself, he wiped his hands on the tea towel and started to go towards the bedroom to tell Daniel that he was about to start work. Before he'd got as far as the kitchen door, however, the buzzer to the gate went and he had to divert to answer it.

As soon as he discovered who it was, he pressed the button with a smile, heading straight to the door to open it in readiness for their guests.

When the car pulled up next to the house, however, he looked inside it in confusion. The door opened and only one person got out.

"Janet," he called out. "Where's Sam?"

Janet shrugged as she walked towards him, falling into his offered hug straight away.

"Long story. Come on, let's go in. I can tell you all in one go."

Jack let her go and indicated that she should enter the house, saying, "Paul's gone to work. Daniel's still in bed. He's still tired from the weekend."

At a raised eyebrow from her he grinned. "Also a long story. You'll find out later. Let's go see him."

-

Daniel lay panting on the bed, trying to get his breath back. Voices from the hallway caught his attention and he quickly grabbed the wipes from the table and cleaned himself up, suddenly feeling as if he'd been caught doing something naughty. By the time the handle on the door started to go down he was pulling the quilt back over himself and trying to look like he'd been lying there doing nothing.

Jack entered first, his nose twitching a little and his face indicating that he'd realised what Daniel had been up to. He said nothing but stepped to one side, ushering Janet into the room.

"Jan! You're early," Daniel said, more than a little confused. Then he looked at the door as if he was waiting for someone else but Jack, now standing behind Janet, shook his head.

"Uh, yeah," Janet moaned, arriving at the side of the bed and sitting on it without asking. She looked totally fed up.

"So? Where's Sam?" Daniel asked, picking up on her mood and putting his arms out to her.

She kicked off her shoes and took up the invite, lying on top of the cover and soon finding herself in a hug.

"San Diego," she said when she settled. "She decided yesterday morning that as she was in the same state as Mark, she should go see him."

"Oh? Is she going to tell him about you?" he asked, looking over to Jack, his eyes begging him to join them.

Realising that he wasn't going to get into his workshop anytime soon, Jack sat on the side of the bed and reached out to take one of Janet's hands in his.

Janet snorted in a most unattractive way.

"Yeah, right," she drawled.

"Jan, talk to us," Daniel prompted.

Janet sighed deeply and then said, "It's getting worse in a way. Sam's more or less settled into a routine. She wakes up in the morning, goes to the bathroom, gets ready for work, goes to work and comes home at night, often late. If we eat together it's a miracle. Sleeping together seems to mean just that. I'm lucky to get a kiss goodnight. I don't know what to do!"

They heard the frustration in her voice and sympathised without words, Daniel hugging her closer and Jack stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

"And now, yesterday I mean, she just woke up and said she wanted to see her family. I've got no problems with that in itself, guys. I love to see my own family. But she didn't discuss it with me, she just upped and went with hardly a word. I feel like she's just walked out on me."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it like that, Janet," Daniel soothed. "You know Sam. She's always been one to think of something and act; at least minor things like visiting someone off the cuff, so to speak. She's been alone so long she hasn't had to think of anyone else's feelings so she doesn't. When will she be joining us? I mean, will she be joining us?"

"Oh, yes, she says she'll be here tomorrow. This is partly why I don't get it. She's going all the way there only to spend two nights with her family, then she'll be back here for the rest of the vacation. If I were going to visit family I'd spend the majority of my time with them. It's like she's making a token visit to them but one that's designed to hurt me."

"Did you fight the night before?" Jack asked gently.

"No. Not exactly," Janet answered, getting looks from the men that told her to elaborate. "I just tried to initiate, well, more than a goodnight kiss."

"What happened?"

"What didn't happen?" she snarled. "She just turned her cheek and wished me goodnight."

A silence fell between them, each of them wondering what the hell was up with Sam. Eventually, Daniel spoke.

"Look, Jan. I've had a few ideas over the last couple of weeks. Why don't you relax until she comes here, eh? I tell you what, Jack's got to go work in his studio today, why don't I take you into town? We can go to Simon's shop... get you some things... get prepared for Sam's arrival..." Each pause was punctuated with a gentle nudge and finally, Janet smiled back at him.

"Okay," she sighed. "You're the expert in these matters. I'll leave everything up to you."

Daniel sighed back. "I'm playing this by ear, Jan," he admitted. "Like I said before, we'll work it so that if she blows up, she'll blow in my direction not yours. It really all depends on how stubborn she's going to be."

All three sighed this time. Sam was notoriously stubborn. It was up to Daniel to persuade her - something he wasn't sure he could do.

part ii