Evening in the courtyard.
String lights cast golden pools across the patio. The soothing thrum of the surf drifted uphill. A breeze stirred as Maddie slipped from the guest suite, hair still slightly damp from a late-afternoon swim, wearing a black lace kimono-style robe that fell open enough to promise everything yet reveal nothing.
She found them waiting: Liana and Mark nestled on a wicker sofa, legs intertwined. Dani and Theo sat on low chairs nearby, champagne flute in each of their hands.
The air buzzed—not just with hushed conversations—but with competition.
Liana caught Maddie’s eyes first, and her smile held challenge. Mark leaned forward slightly, protective. To their right, Dani’s gaze was more hesitant, searching, while Theo lounged forward, sizing up the situation.
Maddie took center stage, draped across two chairs so all four had to lean in to be near her. She held both champagne flutes.
“To a night of… choices.” She dipped her glass. “Tell me—who wants me first?”
Round One: Liana and Mark Move
Liana answered: “I do.” She slipped off the sofa, approaching Maddie slowly, her robe swaying. She stood toe-to-toe with her, placing a gentle hand on Maddie’s chest.
Mark added: “And I.” He came around the back, resting a firm palm on Liana’s waist, another ghosting across Maddie’s ribs.
They leaned in together, steam rising between mouths.
Maddie closed her eyes. Then slowly parted them.
“Nice try.”
Liana blinked. Mark frowned. Maddie sipped her champagne.
“But I won’t be claimed in pairs tonight.”
Round Two: Dani and Theo Strike Back
Dani cleared her throat, perceptibly trembling.
“May I?” she asked. The question was soft but daring. “It’s not we—it’s you.”
Theo pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and closed the mental distance, sitting beside Dani. He placed a steady hand on her thigh, then extended it to touch Maddie’s knee.
Maddie looked at her gently.
“I like that.” She ran a finger along Dani’s arm. “But liking isn’t owning.”
Theo swallowed, feeling both challenged and excited.
The Shift: Competition and Restraint
Tension crackled as both couples realized Maddie was considering each move.
Liana leaned forward, brow furrowed: “You can’t tease us like this.”
Mark reached to pull her back but paused.
Because the attention… belonged to Maddie.
Dani took another sip. “Then teach us.”
Maddie smiled. A slow, confident arc.
She drew them in closer, whispering a simple directive:
“Show me what you won’t do for me.”
Test One: Liana and Mark’s Dual Plea
Liana captured Maddie’s lips. Mark unbuttoned her robe again, body pressing warm.
They kissed her in tandem—left and right. Fingers roamed her hips. Liana whispered in her ear:
“I would stop time for you.”
Mark added:
“I would give everything.”
Maddie hummed—a sound of both surprise and pleasure.
She pulled them both back, standing tall.
“Twenty seconds of solo Liana. First. Without Mark.”
A hush fell so deep it could’ve swallowed them whole.
Liana nodded quickly.
Liana stepped in—and Mark surprisingly stayed under instruction. He reclined again, eyes flickering with feeling and longing.
One-on-One: Liana’s Moment
She held Maddie close under the fairy lights, pressing lips to collarbone, her fingers delicate—but determined—across her hips.
“I… I’ll prove it,” Liana whispered.
Maddie closed her eyes. Let the air fill with hope.
Seconds stretched.
Then two minutes.
When Mark finally rose to end it, Liana sank in semi-refuse, trembling. She’d given everything.
Shift to Dani and Theo
Theo stepped forward.
“Now us.” He lifted Dani’s hand to Maddie.
Maddie nodded.
Theo kissed Dani first. Dani turned, meeting Maddie’s gaze. Theo kissed Maddie then—then paused. The room held breath.
Then they both sank down.
Liana watched from behind, Mark’s head rested on her shoulder—but she watched, too.
A New Realization
The four circle back around Maddie.
“So what have you learned?” Maddie asked softly, robe slipping.
They looked exhausted, overwhelmed.
Liana spoke first: “That I… can’t do it alone.”
Dani whispered: “But I… want to try.”
Mark added: “I don’t know how to share like this.”
Theo swallowed: “But I will try.”
Maddie Takes Her Throne
Maddie stood in the center, body bare in the glow.
“You all want me. But here’s the thing.” She paced slowly, each footstep deliberate. “I’m not yours.”
She turned to Liana: “Want me? Learn to wait.”
To Mark: “Respect the space.”
To Dani: “Desire me yourself—without fear.”
To Theo: “Understand it’s your time, as long as you give your best.”
She stepped close—grazed each shoulder in turn.
“That’s the only way you’ll ever be with me.”
Closing the Evening: The Price of Power
The four of them gazed at her.
They nodded.
The spark in their eyes was defiance, curiosity, dedication.
Maddie reached down—took Danielle’s hand in Liana’s, Liana’s in Mark’s, Mark’s in Theo’s.
“We begin again. And this time, with rules.”
She wove her way between them, not touching except for the lightest fingers, and returned to her place among them—holding the center.
After Dawn
Later, alone in her suite, Maddie stripped off her robe next to the bathroom mirror.
She stared at her reflection—strong, untouched, unclaimed.
A message pinged on her phone:
Can’t wait for tomorrow. But don’t let me forget my place. – L & M
Another message:
Thank you—for making me feel again. – D & T
She smiled at her reflection.
“No one owns Maddie Demeter,” she whispered.
And she was exactly where she wanted to be.
XOXO
Maddie’s Page