by Voss, Deja
“I’m sorry, guys,” he says. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”
“You didn’t,” I assure him.
“Thanks. You’re really pretty, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?” I stammer. “I thought I liked you, kid, but now it’s time for you to go,” I tease.
“I didn’t mean it that way!”
“You’re fine. Thank you so much for feeding us. Have a good night, Mark?” I ask, looking at his name tag.
“Yeah, Mark. Thanks, guys!”
I slam the door behind him hard.
“He thinks I’m old,” I whine.
“No, he thinks you’re pretty. He knows you’re old.”
“You’re lucky I’m hungry. You’re not the only person in this room who knows how to throw a punch, you know.”
“I don’t think I’d hate that. Maybe you can show me after dinner,” he laughs, raising his eyebrows.
“You’re the worst,” I tell him. I start to take the lids off everything on the carts. There’s steak, shrimp, grilled cheese sandwiches, French fries, spaghetti, and four slices of different kinds of cheesecake. “I don’t even know where to start. If I eat all this, I’m gonna look like I’m six months pregnant.”
“I think that’d be a good look on you,” he says, tracing his hand over my belly. “I mean, someday.”
“Yes, someday we can think about that, but right now, all I want to think about is how much of this cake I can fit in my mouth before you notice it’s all gone.”
We waste no time eating the food, and there’s barely a scrap left by the time he’s done with it. He’s on a strict diet most of the time, and I’m fairly certain I’ve never seen him eat anything deep-fried. I can’t tell what turns him on more: my naked body, or French fries and ranch dressing.
“What do you want to do now?” I ask, as I tidy up the plates.
“I think I’m in a food coma,” he groans. “Do you care if we just watch TV and be lazy?”
“Not at all.” I am really enjoying this quiet time with him. Both of us are used to running around nonstop, and it just feels good to be able to hang out, nowhere to be, no obligations. Still, within moments of turning the TV on, he’s already passed out again, the remote clutched firmly in his hand.
I really don’t feel like getting coldcocked for trying to watch something other than an infomercial about hair loss reversal, and I’m not really quite ready to go to sleep myself, so I decide to get up and wander around the suite a little bit. That hot tub is calling my name, and I have a joint in my purse to keep me company.
Between the rough sex, mini fridge, massive feast, and a hot tub to myself, this is shaping up to be the best vacation of my life. It doesn’t hurt that I get to spend it with one of the men I love.
I can’t help but wonder what the other one is doing right now, though. There is no part of me that wants to get dressed and go out partying, but I wonder if he’s having a good time?
I strip out of my clothes on the balcony. It’s private enough, and who cares anyway? Nobody knows me here. It’s a fairly cool night, but as soon as I sink into the warm water, I feel perfect. I look up at the sky and I listen to the traffic down below and am thankful I live out in the middle of nowhere, where you can actually see the stars at night, and the only sounds you hear are coyotes howling at the moon. It’s nice to get out of town every once in awhile, but it also reminds me of how great my home is.
“Hey.” Red’s voice startles me. I look over my shoulder and he’s standing in the doorway of the balcony. “If you stay in that thing much longer you’re gonna end up cooked.”
“How long you been standing there?” I ask him.
“Long enough. I like watching you when you don’t know it.”
“Well, you’re kind of a creep.” I stand up out of the water and he comes over and wraps me in a towel.
“Are you going to come inside and lay with me?” he asks. “I promise I won’t swing at you anymore.”
“I would love to,” I say, letting him dry me off. He pulls the ponytail holder out of my hair and runs his fingers through my blonde curls. “And please don’t be worried about that. It’s not your fault.”
He pulls back the covers on the bed, and I slide in. These sheets probably cost more than my monthly rent. They’re heavenly. He turns off the light on the nightstand and the room is pitch-black. As he hugs me close to his body, spooning up against me tight, I can feel his heart racing through my back.
“Are you ok?” I whisper into the darkness.
“Don’t make fun of me?” he half asks, half begs. “I have been looking forward to this the most. I like what we have going on, Ollie. I like our arrangement and I wouldn’t want it any other way, but seeing you and Tank falling asleep together every night makes me feel a little jealous. It’s like he had something that I’ve always wanted for myself, and I didn’t deserve it.”
“Well, I’m here now,” I say, squeezing his hand, “and you deserve it just as much as anyone. You’re a good man.”
“For now,” he says. “I’m trying to be better. I promise.”
I hate to admit that I get where he’s coming from. This kind of stuff, this commitment and unconditional love and quiet calm, people like us don’t really thrive on it. It’s like claustrophobia to the extreme, combined with the constant fear that we’re going to do something to fuck it all up. So we intentionally fuck it all up. It’s not if, but when. Maybe he will change for me. Hell, these two have already changed me in ways I never thought possible, and it’s only been a matter of a week.
“I’ll take ‘for now’,” I say. He clutches my body tighter and tighter, as if he’s afraid to let go. Before I can say another word, he’s sound asleep, and I’m wide awake, wondering if maybe he’s been right all along. Maybe Tank really is the glue that’s going to hold all of us together
Chapter 15
When he wakes me up in the morning, he’s fully dressed and has a cup of coffee in hand for me.
“What are you doing up so early?” I ask.
“It’s one in the afternoon, sweetie.” He pecks me on the cheek. “I got them to push back checkout by a couple hours, but we have to be out of here by three. Club has church tonight, too.”
“Damn,” I mutter. “I was kind of looking forward to spending the day in bed with you.”
“You can spend every day in bed with me from now on if you want. Hell, I’ll have Tank start moving you in right now. By the time we get back, all you’ll have to do is unpack.” I slide out of bed and grab some clothes out of my suitcase.
“So he wasn’t just out last night?” I ask him as I pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
“You missed him, didn’t you?” he asks, grinning from ear to ear.
“Maybe. What’s it to ya?”
“He went home after the fight,” he says. “We talked about it the other night and he thought we needed some alone time. He knew you’d feel bad not including him.”
“So he drove all the way down here to watch you fight for five minutes and drop off his girlfriend for you to enjoy for the evening? He’s pretty much way too good of a guy. We really don’t deserve him.”
“I think you know exactly how to make it up to him,” he says to me, winking, “and maybe we can still make up for a little lost time, if you know what I mean.”
The thought sends shivers down my spine. Sure we’ve all three ‘done stuff’ in some sort of formation, but now that all bets are off, I have a feeling I’m in for the wildest sex of my life.
“So are you going to move in with us or what?” he asks, picking up my suitcase for me as I double-check the room, making sure I have everything I need.
“Not if you ask like that,” I say.
“Damn, you really aren’t a morning person.”
The truth is, while I love spending time at their house, and I’ll gladly spend most days and nights there, I don’t think I’m quite ready to give up all my independence just yet. I’m definitely not r
eady to have a baby. Fortunately, my BFF is a doctor and can give me a shot once a year so I don’t even have to think about that.
I adore these guys, I really do, and I want all that stuff. I just want it on a normal timeline. I can wrap my head around the strangeness of a three-way relationship, but cohabitation is taking it to another level that I’m not quite ready for yet.
It’s crazy how this guy can be a player for all these years, but the second he’s ready to settle down, he’s all in and expects everyone else to feel the same way.
“Oh shit,” I muse. “Esther and Sloan and I are supposed to do wedding planning stuff tonight at my house.”
“Well then, let’s get out of here,” he says, grabbing our suitcases and heading for the door. I take one last look around the suite, baffled by how far my life has come in the last ten years, and all it took was being myself.
Chapter 16
Tank:
“I almost left without you,” I say to Red as he walks through the front door. Church starts in less than twenty minutes, and I don’t want to be late. I realize over the last week I haven’t really been spending as much time with the guys as I normally do, and we need to get caught up on club business.
“Sorry, dude,” he says, dropping his bags to the floor. “Let me get changed quick. You can go without me if you want.”
“It’s ok. Awesome fight last night. I’m proud of you, Red.” I am proud to see my best friend in the world finally get what he deserves. I tried to stay off the internet last night to retain some of my sanity in regards to seeing him showing off Olive like some sort of trophy wife, but I couldn’t help myself. He’s about to go places, and I couldn’t be happier for him. “Where’s Olive?” I ask as he comes out of the bedroom in a pair of jeans and his cut.
“Hen party tonight.” I know he can see the look of disappointment on my face. Going a day without seeing her is kind of killing me. “It’ll be good for us, Tank. A little night out with the boys? I haven’t done that in months.”
“You’re right,” I say, trying to convince myself more than him. I know he’s right. I also know Olive probably needs some space too.
We get on our bikes and take the short ride over the hill to the clubhouse. Red grabs us a couple beers from the bar and we walk back to the hallway outside of the war room, where everyone is gathered around.
“Well look who the fuck it is.” Heat, our club chaplain, whistles when he spots us. “If anyone ever thought they could mess with us, you put that idea to bed with one punch.”
“Seriously, Red, why didn’t you tell us this was such a big fight? You know we would’ve come down, brother,” Brooks, our president, says.
“He didn’t tell you about it because he was trying to have a sneaky getaway with Olive,” Gavin says.
“Guess you all saw the pictures, huh?” he chuckles.
“I knew there was something up with her lately,” Gavin says. “I’m personally happy for you, but you gotta stop sucking all the blood out of her neck. You’re scaring my customers.”
“I didn’t do that,” he says, shrugging, raising his eyebrows at me, a cocky smirk on his face.
“Whatever,” Gavin mutters. “You know if you hurt her, I’ll probably have to kill you. That, or Sloan will.”
“Who, me?” Red asks.
“She’s not just some dirty birdie you can throw in the dumpster when you’re done with her. She runs my business for fuck’s sake. She’s irreplaceable.”
“You just don’t worry about her, Gav,” he says. “I asked her to move in and she said no. If anyone’s gonna break anyone’s heart, it’s going to be her.”
I had no idea this happened, and I am starting to get pissed that he didn’t talk to me about it first.
“Well none of us can say you don’t deserve it,” Goob, our secretary, laughs, slapping me on the back. “You fucking dirt ball…”
“Can we start this meeting?” I grumble. “The shop is two weeks behind and I got an early morning tomorrow.”
It’s like a lightbulb went off in everyone’s head as soon as I open my mouth. This casual back-and-forth turns into whispered mumbles and everyone rushing to pay attention to me. It makes me feel like shit.
Everyone knows how much I care about Olive, and nobody knows the arrangement.
I’ll let Red have his moment, because everyone is also right.
He’s going to be the one that fucks this up for himself. And I’ll be there to break the fall. Nice guys might finish last, but they also get whatever they deserve in the end.
Everyone starts to filter into the room, and Brooks pulls me aside in the hallway.
“Are you alright, dude?”
“Yeah,” I say, heading for the door.
“Tank, come on. I know how much you love that girl. Ever since she came around you haven’t even looked at anyone else. Is this going to be an issue?”
“The club comes first, Brooks. He’s my best friend. You know as much as I do how he goes through his phases. It doesn’t matter who the girl is, it’ll never get in the way of business.”
He shakes his head and takes a long pull from his beer.
“I wasn’t worried about business. I know you guys will take care of business, no matter what. I’m just looking out for you.”
“Thanks,” I say, “but you don’t have to baby me. I’m not a pussy.”
“Whatever,” he shrugs, walking through the door. I don’t need babied. I don’t need any special treatment. Once again, I feel like I’m on the outside looking in, poor sensitive Tank and his white picket fence upbringing. I take my seat next to Red at the table and try not to let it show that I absolutely don’t want to be here right now.
Chapter 17
Olive:
“I brought presents,” Esther says as she walks through my front door. “I figured we could get a head start before bridezilla gets here and shits all over our fun.”
She tosses me a gold foil bag filled with gummy bears.
“The guy said eat one and wait two hours,” she warns, as I open the top and grab a handful. “I don’t know who he thinks we are though.”
“These are pretty classy, Esther. Maybe Sloan will let us use them as favors at her bridal shower.”
“Use what?” my best friend asks as she joins us in the kitchen. I hold up the bag of pot-laced gummy bears.
“I’m assuming those aren’t family friendly,” she says, raising her eyebrows.
“Have you met my family?” Esther giggles. She’s Gavin’s sister, and was born into the club. Her father used to be the president, and that man was known for being one of the worst human beings to ever walk the face of the earth. Now her husband, Brooks, is the president, and she runs a brothel. She’s a short girl with fiery red hair and is that kind of pretty that makes you hate her and feel drawn to her in the same breath. She can be pure evil if she needs to be, but if you’re on her good side, you have the most loyal friend you could ever imagine for the rest of your life.
Sloan knows exactly what she’s marrying into. Strangely enough, it’s actually a life upgrade for her.
“You know we’re having two showers for you, Sloan. Don’t get yourself all twisted. You get to be in charge of the crappy boring one, and Esther and I will plan the fun one.”
“That’s not how it works, Olive. First of all, I don’t want a crappy boring anything. And second of all, I need your help.”
“I’m just playing, woman. God, eat some gummy bears.”
She pops a couple in her mouth and we start laughing. In about an hour, I have a feeling we’re going to be laughing a lot harder. “We should probably get to work before we can’t,” I say. I slide a binder across the kitchen table and her eyes light up as she begins flipping through.
“This is impressive,” she says. “Unexpected, too.”
“I know you think I’m being a brat about all this, but I’m secretly enjoying it. You know I would do anything for you.”
“Well the rate thing
s are going, she’ll probably get to be doing the same thing here soon for you and Red, huh?” Esther asks. “Looks like you guys had quite the weekend. You guys make a really beautiful couple.”
Sloan turns her gaze to the floor and I just stand there, blinking. Esther is one of my best friends, but I haven’t really told her all the details of my recent adventures. Sure, I had a feeling the pictures would make their way back to the club, everyone around here keeps an eye on Red’s fights. I just didn’t really prepare for the talk that was going to have to go down following.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Esther. It’s kind of a new thing. And it’s a little more complicated than what’s in those pictures.”
“Well I could definitely get down with that,” she laughs. “Things have been fairly calm around here lately.”
“Yeah,” Sloan says in a weak attempt to change the subject. “It’s been awesome. I get my future husband home at a reasonable hour most of the time and my kid has finally stopped asking where her grandpa is and why does mommy cry all the time.”
“You’re no fun, Sloan,” Esther teases, “and I’d be crying all the time, too, if I had to see Gavin naked every day.”
“So, bridal shower stuff. I figured we could just knock everything out in one day. We can do a Sunday brunch outside with your friends from the hospital, then afterwards we can have a little thing at the ranch with all the old ladies and birdies. Then afterwards…”
“Strippers!” Esther squeals. “Wall to wall waxed chests and giant dongs. I mean, unless you’d prefer something else. I have enough contacts in the business I can get you pretty much anything you want. You just have to give me a little notice if it’s something exceptionally exotic.”
“Do I even want to know what exceptionally exotic means?”
“If you have to ask, Sloan, you probably don’t want it,” she laughs.
“So what do you want to have for lunch?” I ask, pulling out my pink glitter pen and the notepad I have tucked in the binder.