by Krista Wolf
“So now that I’m staying…” she finally murmured, her emerald eyes flashing in the desert sun. “What are you going to do with me?”
Just behind her, I saw the others. I had no clue how long they’d been standing there, but they stood with their arms folded, and big smiles on their faces.
“What aren’t we going to do with you?” Corey quipped.
Thirty-Seven
LAUREN
Three days. Four nights. That’s how long we stayed out in the desert together.
It was the best three days of my life.
Originally I’d been afraid of being an extra. That the guys would go on doing their guy things, and I’d be left tagging along, feeling out of the loop. That maybe staying out in the desert during ‘guy week’ might’ve been more of a mistake than a fun time.
Of course, it was just the opposite.
For one, they guys made me the center of attention. They were thoughtful. Kind. Sweet. They took care of me in every possible way, and were sure to include me on everything they did.
And that meant everything.
They cooked dinner for me on the first night, and it was fun watching them fight their way through each other in the kitchen. I learned they were competitive. That each of them wanted to be the best, to serve the best food, to basically ‘win’ when it came to whatever we were doing. And thankfully, that extended to the bedroom as well.
Each night I stayed in a different bed, with a different ‘boyfriend’. They’d taken to calling themselves that, at least for now. Declaring that, for the entire week, I’d have three boyfriends instead of none.
Needless to say, I was more than a little okay with that.
All day we played and had fun. Each night was even more fun. I was taken, again and again, both individually and together. Double and even triple-teamed by them, all over the house, in every room, on every piece of furniture. I’d wake up in bed to find a lover between my legs, screwing me wetly, eliciting orgasm after orgasm.
You’d think I’d be begging for sleep, but instead I was begging for more. I couldn’t get enough of them. The more they took me the more I wanted them, and the dirtier things got, the more I wanted to do for them as well.
The strangest part was how it felt like a relationship. Like I really did have three boyfriends, and they really did love me. Each of them was as polite, respectful, funny, and cool as I’ve ever wanted a guy to be. And in the bedroom…
In the bedroom they were totally relentless. All three of them were unapologetically horny for me, taking me in ways that ranged from wondrously romantic to filthy hot. Everything we did ran the full gamut of emotions for me, also. Sometimes they made love to me slowly, leisurely. Kissing me with feeling and passion, while looking deep into my eyes. But other times…
Other times they made me their wanton little slut. They enjoyed taking me. Using me. Finishing inside me, or all over me, only to flip me over or spin me around so the next one of them could have a turn. It was during those sessions I came the hardest, realizing I loved every dripping second of being dominated by them. That in giving myself over so completely, so totally, I could let go of every last inhibition. That I could trust them to take care of me… which they always did.
Mason was a bit nervous at first, about the no protection thing. But Brody assuaged him. “It’s okay,” he’d smiled. “We talked this over, remember? She’s on the pill.”
“She’d better be on three pills,” Mason swore.
When we weren’t screwing or showering or eating, we were doing other things too. They’d been telling the truth about the dune buggies; we actually did ride them, and it was absolutely exhilarating tearing over the beautiful desert hills. It was more dangerous than anything I’d done in my life, but again it came down to trust. They were strangers, but they also weren’t. Sometimes it even felt like we’d known each other months and years, rather than days and hours.
The guys also took me back into town one night, to walk the strip together. Arm in arm in arm, we had drinks, grabbed some food, even gambled a little at the roulette wheel. Then saw one of those breathtaking acrobatic shows together, that had my hands covering my mouth the whole time.
It was touristy, I knew. Maybe laughably so. But I appreciated them suffering through it with me, knowing I’d never had those experiences. And I rewarded them each with blowjobs, switching through all three seats on the ride back out into the desert.
And God… doing that made me so fucking hot.
For three days we did absolutely everything together, from sunrise to sunset and beyond. It made us closer, if that were even possible. Drew us into this tight-knit little ball of excitement and happiness and sex… and yes, maybe even love. Love as it was defined for our week together, anyway. The love of three gorgeous men sharing the same willing girlfriend… somewhere out in the desert, tucked away from the world.
On the fourth morning we rose bright and early, before the sun had even split the sky. There was an excitement in my belly. A restlessness I’d felt, ever since the guys had agreed to my second demand.
“Breakfast,” Corey muttered, passing out granola bars one by one.
I smiled and kissed him, standing on my toes to do it. After that I kissed each of the others, as I always did, because it never felt right until I had.
Then, with a series of jaw-cracking yawns, we got in the car… and took off in the direction of California… and Hollywood.
Thirty-Eight
LAUREN
“So yeah,” I said, licking a smooth barrier of vanilla around the base of my ice cream cone. “I’m pretty sure that guy isn’t doing you any favors.”
I’d expected some upper-echelon agent’s office, somewhere in downtown LA. Maybe in a skyscraper. Or at least a building with a receptionist, or a doorman.
Instead, Mason had led us to a low-slung building in a not-so-fantastic part of town. The man’s office was messy, disorganized. And even though he wasn’t expecting us, he didn’t seem to recognize who Mason was, at least not right away.
“I always thought Brian knew what he was doing,” the tallest of my three boyfriends shrugged. “He talked a good game. And he did get me The Covenant.”
“Probably dumb luck,” I replied. “You know the sun even shines on a dog’s ass some days.”
“The what?”
“Forget it,” I chuckled, trying to remember where I’d heard the saying.
The ‘city’ portion of Los Angeles was a lot smaller than I thought it would be; a small collection of taller buildings, clustered together in the middle of a flat landscape. By comparison, it looked nothing like New York City. In those terms, Manhattan totally blew it away.
“And did you see his desk?” asked Corey. “It was a total train wreck!”
“I just figured it was because he was so busy,” said Mason. “So in demand.” We walked another half block, while he swung his head back and forth. “God, I’m so stupid!”
“You’re far from stupid,” Brody told him. “He was your first agent. Your only agent.”
“And in this town?” Corey added, gesturing around. “How the hell do you tell good from bad?”
We were on Hollywood Boulevard, walking over the stars. It was only about eight miles from downtown LA, which translated to over an hour, with traffic. As a New Yorker I thought I knew all about traffic. But I was wrong. Dead wrong.
“The good news is we can get you out of your contract,” I said, licking the drips from my cone again. “He was too lazy to lock you in, so there’s nothing stopping you from seeking representation elsewhere.”
“And the bad news?”
I shrugged. “There really isn’t any, other than you’re an out-of-work actor looking for a new agent. That said, you’re a pretty damned good actor who was the lead of a very decent series.”
“A series that got canceled,” Mason groaned.
“Hey,” I said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. I turned and put one hand on his amazing ch
est. “Was that your fault?”
He stood there and thought about it for a moment. “No. Actually, the reviews on my performance were favorable.”
“Then you should be pretty desirable, right?”
Mason’s frown faded. A grin began spreading instead. “You think so?”
“I know so,” I said, glancing down at my phone as another text came through. “From here on out, your pity party’s over. Take down the streamers and follow me.”
We walked on another two blocks until I finally saw the restaurant. As I led the guys inside, they collectively laughed.
“Juicy Burger?” asked Corey. “You’re taking us to a place called Juicy Burger?”
I ignored him and scanned the crowd. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder, whirled, and was swept up in a giant hug.
“Lauren!”
The man who embraced me lifted me from my feet, swinging me in a full circle. His smile was big and bright and full of a thousand teeth. He smelled like coconut and patchouli, but felt like a bear.
“Guys meet Nathaniel,” I grunted, using the last of the air still in my lungs. “Nathaniel, these are my friends.”
The big Samoan squeezed me one more time before putting me down. He looked happy and healthy and deeply tan. Like he’d been working outdoors, instead of running one of the bigger nightclubs in all of Ventura.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” said Nathaniel. “That after all this time, you finally dragged your ass out to the coast.”
“You know I live on a coast,” I pointed out.
Nathaniel made a sour face and laughed again. “Not the coast.”
After a round of handshakes Nathaniel led us to a table and we all sat down. There was a half-eaten burger in front of him, half the size of my head. He’d already destroyed his fries.
“Sorry I ate without you,” he apologized. “But I might’ve skipped breakfast.”
“Bullshit.”
“No, really,” he grinned again. His smile was so merry it was infectious. Even the other guys were grinning. “Anyway, is this the guy?”
He nodded toward Brody. When my brows crossed, he winked at me confidentially.
“No,” I said.
“Ah, must be him then,” said Nathaniel, poking Corey in the chest. He sipped boisterously on his soda. “Good-looking dude. Should’ve known.”
“Not him either,” I smirked, going along with it.
All eyes fell on Mason. He looked shell-shocked, maybe even a little intimidated. But then Nathaniel’s broad face broke into another crazy grin, as he pulled out a bag of tortilla chips from under the table and dangled it in front of him.
Mason’s shoulders slumped in a sigh.
“SPICYYYYY!” laughed Nathaniel.
Thirty-Nine
LAUREN
By the time we’d finished eating, we had Mason set on an all new path. He had a fresh list of contacts in his phone: agents, writers, producers, even a few budding directors Nathaniel had gotten in good with. He’d met and rubbed elbows with even more people than I imagined, while running his nightclub. And I’d already imagined quite a bit.
“I’ll put him in touch with Eddie and Fallon,” my friend said, sipping on a fresh soda. No one seemed to notice the big Samoan had ordered and finished another full meal. Or at least, nobody had said anything. “One of them will take him on for sure.”
“Really?” asked Mason excitedly. Then, more hesitantly, while raising an eyebrow. “And they’re good?”
“They’re amazing,” replied Nathaniel.
Mason looked to me, and I nodded. “They’ve been around a while,” I confirmed. “Fallon especially. She’s got some pretty popular clients.”
“Pretty popular?” laughed Nathaniel.
I shrugged, not wanting to run down the stronger people Fallon Radovic represented. Mostly for reasons of intimidation on Mason’s part, but also because I didn’t want to brag. Nathaniel had no problem bragging though. He cheerfully rattled off a laundry list of instantly recognizable names, including a half-dozen A-list actors and actresses.
Sitting beside me, Corey whistled long and low. “Wow, bro.”
“Yeah, no shit,” said Brody, elbowing Mason.
I could tell he was getting excited. We were getting excited for him.
“And I guess Lauren’s taking over your publicity, right?” Nathaniel eventually asked.
I froze… but only for a moment. It wasn’t something I’d thought about, or was angling for, or—
“He’ll get someone here I’m sure,” I said quickly. “After all, I’m clear on the other side of the country.”
“So?” laughed Nathaniel. “You work all kinds of promotion for me. You’ve landed me key interviews, brought me and the club all kinds of recognition. Hell, you’ve made me so much money—”
“So what about it?” asked Mason, poking me.
“What about what?”
“Tell me you’ll be my publicist.”
They were all looking at me now, even Nathaniel. They sat there eagerly. Expectantly.
“I… I guess I could do it until you found someone local,” I said. “Maybe take over your social media accounts for a little while. Show you the basics of what you ought to be doing.”
“Forget about local,” said Mason, batting his movie-star eyelashes my way. “I want you. You’re my girl.”
My girl.
The way he said those two little words made my breath catch in my throat.
“Of course she’ll take care of you bro,” Nathaniel boomed. He rose from his chair and clapped Mason on the back so hard he almost fell out of his seat. “She’s the best!”
My friend hugged me again, nearly cracking my ribs in the process. “Next time I’m coming out by you,” he said jovially, dropping his napkin to the table. “You’ll do me the favor, and I’ll pay for lunch.”
“Dinner,” I pushed with a smile. “You’re not getting off that cheap and easy.”
“Deal.”
After a round of parting handshakes, I saw Nathaniel out. He disappeared quickly into the crowd of Hollywood locals and visiting tourists, no small feat for a man his size. By the time I returned to the table, Brody and Corey were both looking down at a phone.
I had a sudden thought… and my heart sank.
“What is it?” Mason asked, as I dropped heavily into my chair.
“Nothing.”
“That’s a bullshit answer and you know it.”
“Seriously,” I said, painting my face with a forced smile. “It’s totally nothing.”
Corey and Brody finished whatever they were doing and looked up. When they caught my eye, recognition dawned.
“Oh,” Brody said. “I get it.”
Mason shook his head in frustration. “Well then someone let me in on it, because I have no idea what—”
“She thinks we’re still fielding calls,” explained Corey. “From the flyer.”
It was something I hadn’t thought about at all in the past few days. That as much as the guys were giving me every last second of their free time and attention, there were still flyers out there. Still women pulling them down, like I did, and in a rush of sudden bravery, dialing the number.
A moment of uncomfortable silence settled over the table. Then Brody smiled… and pushed his phone my way.
“Here, honey. Look.”
I glanced down at the open text-message conversation on the screen. It was between Brody and a name I quickly recognized: Floyd.
My whole body relaxed with a rush of instant relief… followed by guilt.
“That’s not the number you’re thinking of,” said Corey. He pulled out another phone — one of those cheaper flip-phones — and held it up. “This is the phone we use exclusively for… well, you know.”
I stared at the little grey phone, feeling embarrassed and somewhat ashamed. I had no right to be jealous. They had every right to continue doing what they were doing, without worrying about my approval. After all, there w
ere no commitments. None of us owed each other anything.
“It’s been turned off by the way,” said Corey, shaking it for effect. “Ever since we met up with you.”
I didn’t know whether to feel honored or feel like shit. Before I could decide, Corey reached out for me.
“Listen,” he said, laying his hand over mine. “It’s all good. This is what we wanted, Lauren — all of us. You’re our girlfriend while you’re here, remember?”
I nodded slowly. Eventually I smiled. “Okay.”
“This message from Floyd is a good thing,” he continued, smiling back at me. “Unfortunately though, it means I’m gonna have to cut my LA trip short. I have to get back, and meet with someone about a loan.”
“Too bad,” sighed Mason. “My roommate’s out of town and we’d have my whole apartment tonight.”
“No, no,” said Brody, shaking his head. “You guys still do that. Stay here. Enjoy your time in LA. No use in all of us rushing back at once.”
“But what about—”
“I’ll head to LAX, jump on a shuttle flight,” said Brody. “They leave for Vegas practically every hour.”
“Want me to come with?” asked Corey.
“Nah, I got this. It’s a preliminary meeting anyway. Banker bullshit. When we’re ready to pull the trigger, you’ll be there.”
“I’d better be,” Corey winked.
Brody used his phone to call an Uber, which took all of ten seconds. Five minutes later we were streetside, ushering him into a white Lincoln.
“See you back in the desert,” he grinned, pulling me against his body. I hugged him tight, feeling the muscles of his big chest flexing beneath my cheek. For a few seconds I enjoyed the closeness of him. The safety and security that came with having those two corded arms, wrapped around me.
“You’ll take care of her tonight?” Brody asked the others.