“We all know who Alex wants.” Lara looked right at Emily when she spoke this time, and everyone else seemed to as well.
Before Emily could figure out what to say, Alex turned and immediately cussed Lara out. The tension in the room seemed to shoot up by about a hundred notches when Lara spat back a string of her own choice words.
Shay murmured, “Shit’s getting real,” and then added something about an old disagreement. When Emily looked again at Alex, her jaw was clenched, as were her fists.
“Al, if you want to fight, bring it. We both know this isn’t really about—”
“I don’t want to fight,” Alex said, cutting her off. “It’s not cool to pressure anyone and you know it.”
“I was helping you out.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need your help.” Alex looked right at Emily and said, “I’m sorry. Whatever you do, don’t raise your hand.”
“What if I want to?” Emily couldn’t believe she’d spoken the words aloud. Her voice sounded so even and calm. Thank god. But her hands were shaking, and her heart pounded as if trying to break out of her chest.
Alex held her gaze and then shook her head.
“Would you not pick me now?” Emily asked.
“No. I wouldn’t. Because I wouldn’t know if you wanted to do it in the first place or if you were only doing it because you felt pressured.”
Emily raised her hand.
“Put your hand down.”
Emily only raised it higher.
No one spoke for a long moment. Finally, Katherine cleared her throat and said, “Shall we go back to the beginning? Sex in front of the fire. Any takers?”
Everyone else had lowered their hand when the argument between Lara and Alex started, and no one seemed ready to get in the middle of it now. Besides, Alex was only looking at her.
“You sure about this?” Alex asked.
Emily nodded. She could hardly swallow but knew it wasn’t a mistake. She’d signed up to have sex with the one person who intimidated her the most, but also the only one she was drawn to. Maybe fighting it had been pointless all along.
“Then I pick you,” Alex said.
“What a surprise,” Lara said flatly.
A beat passed, then another. Alex didn’t look at Lara, but her anger was palpable.
“We have a few more fantasies to read,” Katherine said, shaking the hat.
Shay leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry about Lara. You’re gonna have a blast with Alex. And don’t be surprised if Katherine wants to watch. You know Alex is her favorite, right? She thinks you two are hot together.”
Emily forced a smile even as her mind spun with questions. What had she gotten herself into? Was Katherine part of the deal because of Alex?
“Finally, a proper request for an orgy,” Katherine said, holding up the slip of paper she’d pulled out.
“From Shay?” Lara guessed.
TJ shook her head. “Nicola.”
Nicola held up her hands. “Guilty.”
“Everyone likes a group activity,” Katherine said.
It was quickly settled that Nicola’s request would be fulfilled on Monday as the culmination of the long weekend. Emily wondered if she’d make it till then. With an orgy she could at least hang in the background and watch the others. But now she’d agreed to have sex with Alex, and there’d be no chance of simply watching.
Katherine held the next slip of paper she’d picked for a moment before reading it aloud: “Katherine.”
“Wow. No beating around the bush.” Shay’s mouth was open in awe. “Wait, was that you, Ava?”
Ava hesitated. “Depends on the answer.”
Katherine met her gaze. “My room, my rules.”
“Tell me when and I’ll be there,” Ava said without hesitation.
Shay shook their head. “I can’t believe you went right for it.”
“Gotta go for what you want in life.”
“On that note,” Katherine said. “Who wants to be Queen Guinevere?”
“That one’s definitely Shay’s,” TJ said. “We all know how much Shay likes princesses.”
“For the record, I also put in for an alien abduction.”
“But that one didn’t get picked,” Katherine said. “I like this one better, Sir Lancelot.”
“Does that mean you’re volunteering to be Queen Guinevere?”
Katherine cocked her head, eyes locked on Shay’s. “Maybe I am.”
Shay clapped their hand to their hip. “I need a sword.”
“When you find a sword, come find me,” Katherine said.
The others laughed as Shay fell back on the sofa cushions in a mock-swoon.
“As for my fantasy,” Katherine said, holding up the last slip of paper. “You’ll know what I want when I give this to you.”
“Ooh, I like that,” Nicola murmured. “A little mystery.”
Several others echoed Nicola’s sentiment, and then the next minute everyone was standing up and talking at once. TJ and Nicola met in the middle of the room. Shay went to join Katherine and Madison. Ava and Lara had paired up and were already laughing. Before Emily had time to decide which group to join, Alex was heading her direction.
Chapter Fifteen
“Hey,” Alex said. “Is it okay if we talk for a minute?”
“Considering what we’re going to do later, I hope so.” Emily tried to sound flirty, but she knew it didn’t quite meet the mark.
“About that, I don’t feel great about how things went down. I kind of lost my temper with Lara and I’m sorry you got dragged into it. If you want to back out—”
“You regretting your choice?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Good. Me neither. Glad we got that settled. Shall we go fuck?”
Alex opened and closed her mouth. After a moment, she said, “I was hoping we could hang out first and get to know each other better. Maybe go to my place?”
Emily had tried for a more assertive tone, trying like she’d done earlier to act more confident than she felt. But going to Alex’s to hang out sounded a lot less intimidating than jumping right to the sex. Plus, she wouldn’t have to worry about Katherine being around to watch. Losing her nerve and not having sex at all was still a real possibility.
As Emily was debating an answer, Alex said, “We’ve got all weekend, you know. Nothing needs to happen tonight.” She offered a half smile and added, “Unless you’re worried you won’t like me once you know me better.”
Emily told herself to relax and play along. “That could happen.”
“If it makes a difference, the hot cocoa offer still stands.”
“I almost forgot about my secret mission to steal your recipe.” So much had happened since the flight. It didn’t seem possible that the Alex standing in front of her—the one more than half the party wanted to have sex with—was the same person who had made herself seem like a dork just to get Emily to smile.
“So, is that a yes to my place?”
Admittedly, she was curious about what Alex’s house might be like. Would it be a mansion like Katherine’s? That didn’t seem to fit her, but clearly she had money. And clearly, she was out of Emily’s league. For one night, though, none of that mattered.
“How else am I getting that recipe?”
“Good…Also, I don’t really want to bring this up, but if you want to talk at all about what you walked in on earlier, I’ll answer any questions. I know you didn’t expect to see me here, especially like that. It was a little awkward for both of us.”
“A little.” Emily could see the tension in Alex’s face and she suddenly wanted to ease it. “I thought you were interesting when I first met you. Turns out I completely underestimated how interesting.”
“Interesting? I’ll take that.” Alex chuckled. “So, no questions?”
“I don’t think so.” In fact, she had lots of questions. Could she actually relax enough to have sex with Alex? Was she playing into some plan of Katherine’
s? And, if so, was a threesome the next step? Although she’d briefly entertained that fantasy, she didn’t really want Katherine. She only wanted Alex.
“If anything comes up, just ask. I know it can be hard coming in as the new person. A lot of the drama has been going on for years. It’s a lot to walk into.”
Emily wasn’t sure if Alex was referencing her fight with Lara and how she’d gotten pulled into that, or the threesome she’d walked in on. She didn’t care about Lara, but keeping Katherine happy was an issue. Nicola’s comment about Katherine being territorial regarding Alex replayed in her head.
“Well, one question. Katherine won’t mind us leaving the party, right? I don’t want to seem rude ditching.”
“I doubt she’ll even notice. She’s got plenty of others to entertain her tonight.”
“Maybe, but I’ve heard from more than one person that you’re her favorite.” Emily had tried to keep her tone playful, but as soon as she saw Alex’s expression, she immediately regretted her words. Unfortunately, once it was out there she couldn’t simply pretend it wasn’t an issue. “I don’t want to steal you away and get in the middle of anything.”
“I’m not dating Katherine. And I’m not sure what you heard, but I definitely don’t belong to her. Madison and Katherine are a couple. Considering what you saw, I could see how you might think I was with them, but I’m not. That was…well…a favor.” Alex shook her head. “That sounds bad, doesn’t it?”
“You getting called in for sex favors? It doesn’t sound bad. More like intimidating.” Emily sighed. In a way, though, it felt good to get everything out in the open. “It’s none of my business if you’re with Katherine or not, but I work for her and I don’t want to do anything that will piss her off. Again, that doesn’t make what you do with her, or with Madison, any of my business, but—”
“You need to know what you’re getting yourself into. That’s completely fair.” Alex took a deep breath. “Madison and Katherine have an open relationship. They both sleep with other people, and, yes, sometimes I’m one of those people. They also have threesomes and sometimes I’m the third.” Alex met Emily’s gaze. “If any of that makes you change your mind about me, I get it. Or, if it’s better that we stay here, that’s fine too.”
Emily wished she hadn’t brought any of it up. She didn’t want Alex to feel like she had to explain herself. After all, she was the one who only wanted tonight to be about sex. Now she’d made that more complicated. “I still want to go to your house, but maybe we should skip to the sex. I think I mess things up when we talk.”
“I like talking to you.”
“That might be all you like,” Emily said, half joking, half serious. “It’s been a while for me. Even if I hadn’t complicated everything bringing up Katherine, you’d probably be happier with someone who—”
“Stop.” Alex reached out and caught Emily’s hand.
The unexpected warmth of Alex’s hand gripping hers instantly triggered a shock of desire. Emily didn’t have time to get her bearings before Alex let go.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed your hand. Or interrupted.”
Emily held her breath. She was still too thrown by the feel of Alex’s hand, and by her body’s response, to think of what to say.
“The truth is, Lara was right, even if she’s an asshole. You’re the only one I wanted.”
Emily could feel the heat between her and Alex build as the seconds passed. She held herself back from stepping into a kiss, but it was suddenly all that she wanted.
Alex continued. “I wasn’t sure coming to this party was a good idea. I’ve had a lot of meaningless sex and I’m kind of over it. But I kept thinking I’d meet someone one of these weekends. Someone I connected with. And this time it actually happened. And I know you’re gonna say that I don’t know you well enough to know if we really connect, but I’ve never wanted to get to know someone more.”
A long moment passed, and Alex’s brow furrowed. “Now you’re not talking. Did I say the wrong thing again?”
“Maybe.” Or too much of the right thing. Nicola’s words passed through her thoughts like another warning: “Alex is very good at being exactly what you’ve been waiting for.”
“What can I do?” Alex’s concern was obvious.
“This is my first time with sex parties, obviously, but do you always do a lot of talking first?”
“No. Usually if I know someone’s interested, I pretty much go right to that.” Alex gestured to the couch across from where they stood. TJ and Nicola were lip-locked and already undressing each other.
Emily was more surprised that she hadn’t noticed when they’d started than that it was happening. But TJ and Nicola weren’t the only ones. Madison and Shay were half naked as well, and Ava seemed intent on doing more than watching. Lara and Katherine were MIA, and Emily realized they were probably setting up the dungeon.
“We don’t have to talk at all, but just sex isn’t my thing anymore.”
“You do realize you’re at a sex party, right?” Emily had to point out the obvious logical flaw, but she wished she could simply enjoy the fact that Alex wanted her for more than just sex. “I’m not saying it’s a bad line to use to pick up dates most of the time, but in this case…”
“You don’t have to believe me. The fact that platypuses lay eggs seems pretty unbelievable, but that’s true too.”
“Platypuses?”
Alex shook her head. “That sounded better in my head. I’m a little nervous around you.”
“You’re nervous?” Emily nearly laughed, but the look on Alex’s face stopped her. She was serious, which only made her more endearing. Endearing Alex wasn’t, however, what she needed. She needed confident, horny Alex. “Why are you nervous?”
“I don’t want to screw anything up with you. Well, not more than I’ve already done, anyway.” Alex exhaled. “Look, things are complicated with me and Katherine. I’m not gonna lie. But we aren’t dating because we don’t want the same things.”
“What do you want?”
Alex dropped her chin. “To be in love with the person I have sex with. Katherine’s convinced the two things are mutually exclusive.”
“Sex and love?” Emily thought of telling Alex what Nicola had said—that Katherine did love Alex. Maybe Alex didn’t know. But it wasn’t her place to say it. “Well, they can be.”
“Right. But I want both.”
“So you go to a sex party to find someone you can fall in love with? Someone Katherine’s invited. Someone who’s probably only come to have sex.” Emily gave Alex a skeptical look.
“When you put it that way—”
“Alex, I’m completely out of my league here. But I’m not looking for love or any kind of relationship. I’m here for that meaningless sex you mentioned. If that’s a problem, maybe we shouldn’t go to your house.”
Alex was quiet for a long minute. When she spoke again, her tone had changed. “Turns out I like sex.” A little distant, and almost professional. “You should grab a coat. It’s cold outside. I’ll meet you by the back door.”
“You sure about this?”
“Until we sleep together, I won’t be able to think about anyone else.”
Emily nodded, refusing to let her tumble of emotions show. For better or worse, they’d set the groundwork. No expectations. Only sex. If she was a disappointment, it wouldn’t matter. Alex would move on to someone else.
Chapter Sixteen
“Are you at least going to thank me?” Katherine sidled between Alex and the coatrack.
“For what?”
“For the candy I picked out for you.”
Alex reached for her coat, evading Katherine’s attempt at a kiss as she did. “Jealous, huh?”
“I’m not jealous.”
“No?” Alex pulled on the winter parka. The heavyweight down seemed overkill for the two-minute walk from Katherine’s back door to her front door, but the wind had picked up and it looked like a blizzard outside. “I
f you’re not jealous, what are you?”
“Pleased that you like my present. I knew Emily would like you, but I didn’t anticipate how much you’d like her. You haven’t ever taken anyone home.”
“I’m only getting her out of here for a bit. She’s nervous.”
Katherine adjusted Alex’s collar. She caressed Alex’s cheek and murmured, “And you’re the one to help relax her. Smooth.”
Alex tried to pull back, but she was between the coatrack and the door. She straightened up and leveled her gaze on Katherine. “Speaking of smooth, we need to talk.”
“That’s what you said on Thursday. Right before you had me against my bedroom door, as I recall.” Katherine glanced down the hall at the sound of voices. She hesitated a moment, then looked back at Alex and added, “Isn’t that how our conversations always go?”
“I’m serious this time.”
“I can tell.” Katherine slipped her hand behind Alex’s neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
The kiss was an obvious power play on Katherine’s part—annoying given the timing and not even a little bit of a turn-on. Alex pushed Katherine back, but before she could say anything Katherine smiled and said, “Go have your fun. We’ll talk later.”
Alex clenched her jaw. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t put the blame entirely on Katherine. Not only had she slept with her in San Francisco—after saying she wanted to stop—then she’d agreed to the threesome with Madison. It was no surprise Katherine believed they were back at their old game. And now she was about to have sex with someone who only wanted her for that. Why would Katherine think she’d changed at all?
Emily appeared in the hall right as Katherine rounded the corner. If Emily had spotted Katherine leaving, her face hid the clues.
“This place is a maze,” Emily said. “Sorry for taking so long.”
“Is that your only coat?”
Emily nodded. The jacket she had on might be enough for February in San Francisco, but it wouldn’t cut it here.
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