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“Good girl.” I cup her jaw gently, thumb brushing her cheek. I like that we have this little code word between us. “You should take the pain just fine after the others, but the nose is sensitive. It may take a while to heal, though.”

“I can take it.”

“I know you can, Doll Baby.”

While I’m prepping her skin, Hunter comes back in with a small bowl of ice and sets it next to the other supplies before sitting next to her. “You want to hear the craziest piercing story I’ve got?” I ask, knowing she does better with a little distraction.

Ari nods, eyes bright with curiosity even as she stays perfectly still for me.

“Back when I was in one of those shitty group homes, this dude–total knucklehead–wanted his eyebrow pierced because he was trying to impress some girl who was obsessed with ‘edgy’ guys. We were fifteen, bored out of our minds, and had zero real equipment. So I did it in the bathroom with a safety pin I sterilized with a lighter and some ice from the kitchen.”

I pause to mark the exact spot on the side of her nose, double-checking the angle. “I’d barely even punctured the skin when he started screaming like I was killing him. Full-on horror movie shit. The house parents thought someone was getting stabbed. They busted in and found him writhing on the floor while I stood over him with a goddamn safety pin.”

“Oh my god,” she holds back a laugh, forcing herself to stay still. “Did you get in trouble?”

I shrug. “We all got locked down for two weeks, and I got extra chores for a month.”

“What about the girl?” Hunter asks. “Was she impressed?”

“Fuck no.” I snort. “She told him it looked stupid and started dating a teacher at our school. He still walked around bragging about it until his eyebrow swelled up like a balloon and got infected.”

Ari lets out a soft laugh that turns into a shiver as the cold wipe touches her skin again.

“I’m better now,” I assure her, voice lower now, more intimate, “I’d never fuck up like that with you.”

“I know.”

She shivers as I press the ice against the side of her nose to numb it slightly. Her hand finds Hunter’s and squeezes.

“Deep breath in,” I murmur.

She inhales.

On the exhale, I push the needle through in one smooth, confident motion.

Ari gasps sharply, fingers tightening on Hunter’s hand, but she doesn’t say the word. Her eyes water, but she stays perfectly still for me as a smattering of goosebumps rises across her arms, puckering her nipples in arousal. The trust in that moment hits me like a drug.

I slide the jewelry in–a delicate gold stud–and secure it. I clean her up gently, whispering praise the entire time. “You did so fucking good, baby. Look at you…”

When I’m finished, I sit back and admire my work. The new piercing looks stunning on her–delicate, a little rebellious, and undeniably sexy.

Ari touches it carefully, eyes shining as she looks in the mirror I hold up for her. “I love it.”

Hunter leans in and kisses her temple. “It suits you.”

I pull her into my lap again, careful of her fresh piercing, and kiss her slow and deep. She sighs into my mouth, melting against my chest, her body warm and pliant. The kiss starts gentle, but quickly turns hungry. My tongue strokes against hers as one of my hands slides up her bare back, fingertips pressing into her skin just enough to make her shiver.

Hunter moves in closer from behind, brushing her hair aside so he can kiss along the side of her neck and across her shoulders. His mouth is hot and deliberate, sucking lightly at the sensitive spots he knows she loves. Arianette whimpers softly between us, caught in the middle, her hips shifting restlessly in my lap.

I pull back just far enough to rest my forehead against hers, breathing heavier. “You think you’ll be ready for the two of us soon? Cause I’m dying to feel how tight you’ll get with the both of us inside.”

She hesitates, eyes fluttering open. Her cheeks are flushed, lips swollen and shiny. She looks between Hunter and me, desire and uncertainty flickering across her face.

“I want to…” she whispers.

“But what?” I ask gently, my thumb stroking her jaw. Hunter continues kissing down the curve of her neck, one hand resting on her hip. “Are you scared? We’ll take care of you, Doll Baby. You know that. We’ll go slow, make sure it’s good for you.”

“I know you will. I trust you,” she says, voice soft and a little shaky. “But I just feel like he should be here for that.”