After the End Ch. 11

Author's note:

"After the End" Part 1 is an original erotic novel set in a dystopian future about one hundred years from now. It is a fantasy about the progression of a romantic relationship, with a focus on fully-developed characters, emotional connection, and sizzling sex. Part 1 consists of chapters 1 through 7.

Part 2 begins with chapter 8 and explores the addition of a new sexual partner to the central relationship between Avery and Julian. Part 2 will consist of chapters 8 through 12.

I would like to continue the overall story with a Part 3, but I can't make any promises about whether/when I might be able to work on it. Part 3 would most likely conclude "After the End" as far as I have imagined it.

The timeline of this chapter fell during the holidays, and as I was also writing it during the holidays, I had the idea to do a "Christmas episode." Since I only started Part 2 in November, I couldn't quite get this to you by Christmas, but we're still close. :) I had fun, and I hope you will too.

Feel free to drop in on specific chapters or sections based on your mood or interest, but the dramatic tension is strongest if you start from the beginning of Part 1. As always, I appreciate hearing your reactions and feedback. It truly does help me create the best stories that I can for readers to enjoy.

Tags for this chapter include: #bisexual male, #threesome, #dystopia, #novel, #romantic, #teasing, #denial, #submission, #male submissive, #christmas

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Avery:

On the first night of December, Lamont and I had worked up a sweat, climbing all around the main hall to hang evergreen garlands from the rafters and over the fireplaces and everywhere else Rowan thought they should go. It wasn't just us; quite a few of our friends and neighbors had gathered to decorate our communal meeting place for the holiday season. We'd all helped cut small sections from spruce, loblolly, and shortleaf firs, then we'd carted the fragrant branches indoors and bound them together into heavy strands. Living pinecones, holly with its ripe red berries, and seasonal vines were mixed in with the greenery, under the watchful direction of our more artistic residents. Candles and lanterns were arranged on every table and counter, with shiny metallic bases that reflected the flames.

I certainly didn't qualify as artistic, but I enjoyed the annual tradition of bringing light and life inside during the darkest weeks of the year. There was often little enough else to celebrate, when the days were so short and our food supply chains were at their thinnest. We had months still to get through until plants would begin to grow, animals would give birth, and we'd be able to replenish our stores. Thankfully crops this year had been relatively abundant, so we didn't anticipate too much hardship before spring. Still, winter was haunted by memories of the bad years -- hunger, illness, death, despair. It was nice to be distracted by the festivities.

"Is this high enough, Rowan?" I asked, balancing on a chair with my nail and hammer poised at the corner of a doorway. One of my closest friends for many years, no one took to the task of coordinating our decorating efforts like Rowan. Her fireball personality and insatiable need to drive every project led to a fair number of arguments with anyone who had a different approach. Most of which she won, and not on the merits of her platinum blonde looks. Though they didn't hurt.

"Yes, but Lamont needs to move up half an inch to match you," she replied. My other best friend was at the corner across from me, also deploying hammer and nails. He was more at home with the greenery in its natural habitat, being a biologist, but he gamely went along with Rowan's ventures like I did, despite that she was a couple years younger than us.

"Come on, man," I joked while Lamont made the prescribed adjustment. "Get with the program. Half an inch? That's well outside the margin of error."

He threw me an amused glance before we both pounded in the nails.

"Yes, yes, the Decorating Witch is impossible to please, I know," Rowan returned when the banging stopped. "I hear it every year." She handed up a long strand of greenery.

"Did I say anything?" I replied with mock contrition as we arranged it over the entrance. "I was backing you up! Lamont here is the problem." I shot him another playful look.

Rowan spared us both a fond grin. "Uh huh. He's a mouthy one."

Aside from having an opposite complexion to Rowan -- ebony where she was ivory -- Lamont was also opposite in personality, by far the most reserved of us three. I was the one who got a kick out of baiting Rowan or battling her for control. Or just debating anything from where humanity had gone wrong to the practicality of various old technologies. She was always up for a lively discussion and super helpful for talking through ideas.

Which reminded me. "I'm gonna need to cool off after all this evergreen-wrangling. You two want to snag a bottle of wine and get some air when we're finished?" Julian had not been interested in packing into a communal building crowded with holiday cheer, but he knew I'd probably be out late.

"Sure, man," Lamont agreed.

Rowan's expression turned slightly calculating, but all she said was, "Sounds great."

When the hall was fully bedecked in green, red, and silver, we talked Xander into giving up some of his wild persimmon brew and headed out to one of the fire pits. The nights were growing chill, but the burning logs took the edge off. So did the wine -- tart and warming in a way that external flames could never be.

We chatted for a while, trading stories and bits of news while the alcohol took root. Lamont and Tara were trying for a baby, and Rowan had lots of advice. It was an unfortunate medical fact that reproduction didn't happen nearly as effortlessly as it had a few generations ago, which Rowan could go on about for hours if not interrupted. We struggled just to maintain our population of a couple thousand. Not that anyone had an interest in increasing it, when we had so much trouble keeping ourselves fed already.

After a while, she turned to me with a curious glow in her bright eyes. "So, Avery, are you finally going to confirm the rumors?"

"What rumors?" I asked, though it wasn't much of a mystery.

"The rumors that Vik doesn't just visit your quarters to hang out. Especially when he's spotted coming back at unsociable hours. You know it's awkward when I see you both all the time and neither of you will confess."

I was a little self-conscious about this topic, but Julian and I had cleared it with Vik, and it was time. He was coming over again soon and planning to stay the night, which meant Rowan would have to be informed anyway. She'd been training to be a doctor for nearly a decade, but she had a few more years in her apprenticeship before she'd be ready to practice on her own. She needed to be able to find Vik and Dr. Atherton at all times, in case of an emergency that required their immediate intervention.

To date, Vik had been letting Dr. Atherton know when he might be "hanging out" with us. Even though the older doctor had no doubt been discreet, it was known in the community that the three of us spent time together. We figured it wasn't worth trying to keep the nature of our relationship secret at this point. Especially from Rowan, who was well-accustomed to handling confidential medical information, or from Lamont, who was the least likely to gossip of anyone I knew.

"Ok, this will probably be getting out anyway," I conceded, "and Vik said it was ok to talk about with you two, and Julian agreed. But you have to promise to keep it to yourselves. And Rowan, no inappropriate jokes in front of patients."

My friends used to know Julian only by his public name, Delta. Eventually he'd given me permission to share his real name with them, so I didn't constantly have to remember not to use it.

"Fine, but I'm not making any promises about jokes in front of non-patients," she grinned, unusually eager. "So are you and Julian really sleeping with him? Because I have to say, that's pretty damn hot. I'd give a lot to be a fly on that wall."

I rolled my eyes with probably a sheepish smile. "Yes...we have been every week or two since September. And it's been going well, so we probably will be for a while." I glanced at Lamont, who'd been in a committed relationship longer than I had. "But it's all very structured, and nothing happens without everyone agreeing in advance. We're very careful."

"Hmm...less hot..." Rowan mused.

My lips quirked mischievously. "You wouldn't say that if you knew what we get up to."

Her lashes widened. "Don't leave a girl hanging! Details?!"

My smile turned smug. "Obviously I can't give you details, to protect the privacy of the innocent. Bother Vik if you want to know."

"He's not going to tell me!" she protested.

"You'll just have to use your imagination, then."

"Oh trust me, I do," she smoldered, and I laughed. Ever since we'd slept together, which had occasioned my disastrous breakup with Julian, our mutual attraction had been an open secret that we were both perfectly comfortable with.

Lamont raised his hand partway as if he were in a classroom. "I personally don't need to know any details about your sex life."

Her disapproval swiveled to him. "Don't you get tired of being the only one in our group who isn't interested in men? You could try branching out once in a while."

He looked comically caught off guard by her accusation. "My wife and I are trying to have a child..." he spluttered.

I took over. "He can't control who he is and isn't attracted to, Rowan. And why don't you try branching out, then?"

"Who says I haven't?" Rowan taunted with a grin, surprising me into silence. "You don't have a monopoly on bisexuality," she added meaningfully when I didn't reply, then she took a swig from what was left in the wine bottle.

"Since when?" I exclaimed.

"There was this girl I met last year..." she trailed off teasingly. "But we're talking about you. And your carefully-structured orgies with my colleague."

I swiped the bottle and tried to restore order to the conversation. "I'm just telling you because Vik's going to be spending the night in a few days. So you may as well know before it becomes common knowledge."

"Well you're not really telling me anything," she complained. "But I am kind of surprised Julian is cool with this, given the way he reacted after you and I were together. I thought he was one of those old fashioned types who would never share his partner."

"I was surprised too," I admitted. "But he was the one who suggested it. Well, after Vik brought it up originally. For Julian, I think it's a lot less about what I do than about what it means. And I think it's different too, now that we're married and we know how our relationship works. That wasn't the case when I cheated on him last year. There was some stuff we had to figure out."

"How does that work though?" Lamont asked. He got up to throw another log on the fire, and the new fuel blazed into the chilly night. "I mean, if Tara wanted to sleep with someone else, I'd be worried that her feelings for me had changed, or that they weren't strong enough. It doesn't bother either of you that your partner is interested in someone else?"

"Well, I don't think it would work for everyone," I replied carefully. "But in general, it's only human to be attracted to other attractive humans, not just the one you're with. In our case, it's actually brought Julian and me closer. It's made it easier to see that we're together because we choose to be, not because we've arbitrarily excluded all other possible partners, or because we believe the other person is superior to everyone else."

I considered for a moment, then revised my statement with a self-deprecating shrug. "I mean, I believe my partner is objectively superior to everyone else. No offense to you two or to Tara. But I'm certainly not. So it's helped me understand that Julian is with me because I'm the person he wants to share his life with. He can like all kinds of other people, but it wouldn't change what he wants with me."

"Sometimes it does change, though," Lamont pointed out. "Who someone wants to be with."

"Yeah. It definitely can. But that can happen whether or not you include anyone else in your sex life." I watched the flames morph from red to yellow and every shade in between. "My agreement with Julian is that we'll be together unless one of us doesn't want to anymore. And in that case, we'll do everything we can to resolve whatever isn't working. But if we can't resolve it, what's the use of forcing it? I mean, it would kill me to be apart from him. But that's because I love him so much. If he wasn't happy with me, I couldn't be happy either."

My stomach unsettled like it did any time I thought about the possibility of separating from Julian, as if the dancing flames were preying on my intestines. But I knew that what I said was accurate. And our involvement with Vik truly had helped me get over some of the fear.

"I can see that," Rowan said. "Before someone commits to a long-term relationship, they often sleep with lots of people. But they don't develop serious romantic feelings for most of them. Usually we only truly care that way for a rare few during our lifetimes."

"Exactly. As much as I love Rowan, I've never wanted to marry her. Or you, Lamont. But you make a fantastic partner for Tara. And if she were to have casual sex with me, I don't think there's any chance it would make her want to leave you." I smiled at him, hoping the conversation wasn't triggering his own upsetting visions.

His reply didn't sound upset. "So it's just casual, with Dr. Naresh? He doesn't have his own partner as far as I know. You said he asked for this originally. He doesn't...have feelings for either of you?" He backtracked once the words were out. "That might be private information; you don't have to share."

"It's ok. I don't think he feels that way about us. We all were clear on what this was going in. We're friends, and we're having fun, but we're all committed to prioritizing our marriage, including Vik. He respects us; he wouldn't try to come between us. Julian wouldn't let me get naked with anyone he didn't trust to maintain our boundaries."

"What, he doesn't trust me?" Rowan asked, back in her flirtatious mode.

I laughed. "Hey, if you were male, he might be open to a discussion. But he just can't appreciate you the way he appreciates Vik."

"Why are all the good ones monosexual?" she fake-pouted.

"Rowan, you know you could have just about anyone you wanted, as long as you didn't annoy the hell out of them with always needing to be in charge and never sitting still for more than a few minutes."

She shrugged. "I'm not that interested in 'having' anyone. Not in a committed relationship way. But as you said yourself, there really isn't anyone else like Julian here. Or Vik, for that matter. So it's pretty special that you get to be with both of them." She leaned over to pat my knee. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

"Thanks, I guess? I like to think I had something to do with it happening, though," I grumbled.

It was her turn to laugh. "Of course. I didn't mean to imply it was random. You deserve every happiness."

"Ok." I kicked her foot playfully. "Thanks, then." I glanced at my other friend, who was watching us in silence. "Lamont, I hope I didn't say anything...offensive. Whatever I do with my relationship, it doesn't mean I think anyone else is doing theirs wrong."

"No, I get that," he reassured me. "I honestly hadn't considered the possibility of being in a healthy marriage and having sex with other people. I think it's interesting. I'm glad it's working for you."

"Vik is probably an exception," I said cautiously, not wanting to reveal too much about his preferences. "As far as what works for him. And I don't think this is super long term. But yeah." I couldn't suppress a grin when I thought of our last adventure, and the next one we had planned.

"Look at him, beaming away over there," Rowan teased. She got to her feet. "I have a patient I need to round on before I turn in. Can one of you drop the bottle off for Xander?"

"I'll take it," Lamont volunteered. "It's on my way home. Where I should probably be going." He got up as well, so I joined them.

Rowan hugged me and stood on her toes to kiss my cheek. "They're lucky to have you, Avery. You remind Julian of that for me."

"Sure," I chuckled.

She kissed Lamont in turn. "Always sending good vibes for a miniature you-and-Tara to join us."

"We appreciate it," he replied. He slung an arm around my shoulders for a quick squeeze, then we each went our separate ways.

"Rowan says to remind you that you're lucky to have me," I told Julian when I climbed into bed next to him. It was already toasty under the covers, and I nestled against his skin for the dual warmth of his muscular frame and his affection.

He adjusted his position to welcome me in and found my face for a kiss. "What have I done now?" he asked with amusement.

"Nothing, she's just protective. And eternally skeptical. And I think the only person in the world who's still not sure you're good enough for me."

"Well, I'm probably not." He was using that fond tone that made my chest glow. "And I'm not likely to forget how lucky I am."

I fell asleep listening to his lucky heart count the seconds until midwinter.

Three nights later, I was lying naked, spread, and bound to the bed, with my own heart beating double-time while my partner's smoking-hot predatory gaze traveled my helpless body. He and Vik were both fully dressed, standing at the foot of the bed in front of my very solid, very exposed erection. God, it had been a while since I'd been at Julian's mercy like this, the single focus of his wicked imagination. And I'd never been quite this vulnerable before -- my limbs tied to the four corners of the frame, my knees bent over the mattress to bring my private pelvic area within easier reach.

My skin was crawling, I was flushed from cheekbones to chest, and I already wanted to beg, for who knew what. For touch...for protection...for this to start...for this to end...for Julian to keep me here forever. It was all the same: vivid excitement, blind terror, unbearable agony, and above all, intense arousal. A swirl of out-of-control emotions masterfully manipulated by my sex-god of a husband.

"How you doing there, babe?" he asked me, sounding like he already knew.

I tried not to squirm. I wasn't that tightly bound; I could pull my arms and legs several inches in any direction. He hadn't even touched me yet, and somehow that had a stronger impact than anything he might have done.

"I'm good," I forced out of my tight diaphragm.

"You're looking positively delectable," he told me in that same sultry tone. "Whatever shall we do to you first?"

Julian hadn't set a lot of rules for tonight. Obviously I had very limited control over what would happen to me, but the one condition we'd negotiated was that I didn't want to be tortured. Maybe that was unfair, given what we'd subjected Vik to at our last meeting. But I wasn't him; I was me. And I was ok with being restrained and played with, but at this point, I wasn't interested in the depths of submission Vik dove to.

Julian had agreed to my definition of "not being tortured," which included getting an orgasm. He was allowed to tease and edge me, as long as he gave me satisfaction in the end. Denial is its own kind of high, but I wasn't ready to combine it with ropes.

For his part, Vik was subject to Julian's commands like usual. And he'd already agreed he wouldn't get to come until morning. He was watching me with the same worshipful expression he'd worn the first time Julian stripped me naked in front of him. Like he was just waiting for permission to bathe me in kisses.