Read Comforting Touch (Touch #5) for Free Online Page A

gladiator, now being sold off as a common slave. He's been instructed not to use his right foot much. Another sub is to play the part of a former teacher who got his tongue cut off for teaching his Domina's children the wrong things, and therefore he's not allowed to speak tonight.
    The list goes on.
    No thief, though. Either we missed that one, or something else is going on.
    The confusion grows when Dante returns. Miranda scurries toward the back of the house with tears streaking her cheeks, but no explanation is offered.
    Dante grabs the leash again, and we follow Miranda past the large living room and out onto a patio. Wow . A huge tent covers the area, and now I see what Miranda meant by atrium. Heaters, richly colored fabrics, low sofas, cushions, and small fire pits make up the framework, and a rectangular waterhole sits in the middle. It's shallow with blossoms and candles swimming in the water. Just like I've seen in TV shows and documentaries about Ancient Rome.
    It also reminds me of the Chamber—the new playroom added at Switch.
    A couple subs are kneeling near the little pool while three Doms are chatting in a corner. There, two more subs are making sure their owners have drinks and snacks.
    Rio is one of the Masters, and he rises from his seat as he spots Dante. The Tops are all wearing pretty much the same outfit, a Roman tunic in various colors, with or without metal ornaments. Dante's tunic is green to match Gretchen's dress, and he only has a simple rope around his midsection. Rio…oh, fuck me twice. Please. He looks primal in his dark red outfit with some kind of armor over his chest, cuffs on his wrists, a leather strap tied to his bicep, and a short-stranded flogger attached to his belt.
    I'd hit that.
    I stifle my grin and lower my gaze.
    "Dante, my friend." Rio and Dante greet each other warmly and talk about this and that as if Gretchen and I aren't here. And it works; it changes my mind-set. I sink into my submission, the place I love the most.
    "A shame Mark didn’t join us tonight," Dante comments as the doorbell rings.
    Miranda hurries out.
    "Aye," Rio chuckles. "He's never had a problem sharing before."
    Dante huffs a laugh. "That’s what love does to some."
    Me, included. Sharing is fun on occasion, but when I'm in a committed relationship, I have a rule that turns me into a hypocrite. Sharing my Master with a male sub is hot because we can offer the Dom different things. But sharing him with another woman would turn me into an insecure mess. I honestly don’t know how Gretchen can handle it. Not only that, but she loves it. She and Dante are perfect for each other, their love and bond so strong.
    "Yeah," Rio replies quietly, almost as an afterthought.
    The silence that follows doesn’t last long. Miranda comes back, this time with six or seven guests, and shortly after, the doorbell rings a final time. Over thirty guests fill up the patio nicely, and everyone finds a seat as Rio takes a stand in the middle.
    Gretchen and I kneel on the wooden floor next to Dante.
    "It's been a long time since I hosted regular play parties," Rio says, and a few Doms holler in agreement. Rio grins. "No dramas, mates. I'm getting too old to hike through jungles with too few supplies and too many rebels, anyway. I hope to make this a quarterly event, at least. Jeremy, you requested a university theme—perhaps for the next party we'll have a bunch of students and professors running around here."
    It's definitely more than just the Doms exclaiming their approval this time, though the subs pipe down quickly.
    University theme… Heh. Would Rio turn rooms into lecture halls? Hot . Maybe the dean himself would roam the halls and make sure no student was left behind.
    "But let's focus on this party first, shall we?" Rio lets out a whistle, summoning Miranda. "Tell the kitchen slaves to start bringing out dinner." He faces his guests again. "In the meantime, we have an auction to attend. Every Dominus and Domina have