by Krista Wolf
It all started over a year ago, with a drunken makeout session at the company Christmas party. I’d taken Chris home, back to my apartment, where I proceeded to have mediocre sex with him. This turned into a mediocre relationship, mostly because I was bored and lonely, but also because he seemed like an okay guy.
But then he’d moved in with me…
And things went from bad to worse.
To say Chris was weird would be the understatement of the century. Every odd quirk, every little idiosyncrasy I’d identified while dating him — it was all magnified a thousand-fold, once we were living together. As a boyfriend he was overbearing yet underwhelming, and had to micromanage everything. From the placement of my furniture to the calorie counts of every meal we shared, he never let up, never stopped pushing for total and complete command of our daily lives.
At first he was more annoying than harmful. There was the time he threw out all our condiments and bought new ones, just because he saw a silverfish in the cabinet. And the time he set all the clocks — including the one in my car — fifteen minutes ahead, just so I’d never be late for anything.
But the final straw was when he went through my closet and threw out anything I’d owned before I met him. Something about ‘not needing a past without him’ he’d said, and then grinned triumphantly as if such behavior were totally normal.
We broke up after only eight or ten weeks together. Yet it took another half year to get rid of him. Six long, ass-dragging months to have him dragged practically kicking and screaming from my apartment, thanks to an expedited eviction notice, served by one of my good friends at town hall.
Even after it was over, he refused to accept it. I’d come home to find Chris sitting on the couch, eating spaghetti like he still lived there. Wondering why the hell I was screaming at him, when he’d gone through all the trouble of cooking us both such a nice dinner.
I changed the locks. He changed them back. Special thanks to his friend Eddie the locksmith for that one, although once I had the police threaten to charge him if he ever did it again, my locks stayed mine after that.
Yeah, Chris was a real piece of work. And worst of all, he worked with me. I could go to human resources, of course, and stop this whole thing once and for all. Keep him out of my office forever, and back on the other side of the building where he worked as an editor.
There was only one thing stopping me, though.
Chris was my boss Chloe’s brother.
“Brooke!”
I drifted back to the unfortunate reality of my situation, just as Chris was snapping his fingers in my face. It was just one of the many things that made him a horrible person, much less a terrible ex-boyfriend.
“Are you even listening to me?”
I was angry now. He’d finally pushed me to that point.
“Chris?”
“Yes?”
“Get the fuck out of my office.”
My tone, and the look in my eye, told him I was deadly serious. He stared back at me for a moment, contemplating his next move. Sometimes Chris pushed me even past this point, and that’s where things got really ugly. Fortunately not today, though.
“Fine,” he said, waving his hand with a nervous laugh. “Maybe tomorrow, then.”
“Not a chance.”
“Actually Friday might be better,” he said, more to himself than to me. “I’ve got bowling tomorrow night, so we’d have to cut things short. And I’d rather spend more time with you than less. We really need to talk.”
I sunk my head into my hands, which were finally starting to shake.
Hold. It. Together…
I felt the presence of motion, and even a slight breeze as he left. My blood pressure dropped almost immediately. I took a long, deep breath…
And then finally looked up, right into my boss’s face.
“You should be working on the Cosmo article rather than bullshitting with my brother,” said Chloe. “Don’t you think?”
I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from screaming. She was standing in my doorway, hands on her hips. Not exactly angry, but not happy either.
“Yes,” I agreed. “I sure do.”
“Is that it?” she asked eagerly, staring at the back of my monitor. She took two steps into my office. “Let me see what you have so far…”
My screen was still covered with gibberish, from trying to distract Chris. I closed the window with a deft click of the mouse.
“My notes are at home,” I said truthfully. “I’ve been collating at night, when my head is clear.”
Chloe looked me over skeptically, but seemed to accept the answer. She knew the quality of my work. As a boss, I had to admit she was pretty fair.
“Fine, but it had better be good, Brooke,” she said. “I want you to take your time with it. Do whatever you have to do.”
I sank back again, steepling my hands together as she left my office. Thinking fondly ahead toward the end of the week… and Friday night.
Whatever I have to do…
Four
“HANNAH”
The Dirty Bean was booming as I left the street and pushed through its gleaming glass doors. I was punched square in the face with a wall of amazing warmth, followed by the rich, delicious smell of really good coffee.
For a moment, I forgot all about the butterflies bouncing around in my stomach. Then I remembered my mission… and realized I now had to find three guys I’d never met, two of them with faces I’d never even seen.
I started looking for trios first, then narrowed it down to guys who had muscles. The pics I’d seen were amazing, almost too good to be true. If Adam hadn’t sent over the sexy abdominals pic, confirming he was who he said he was, I might’ve thought I was being totally put on. Forced into the open by some weirdo with a fetish for dragging strange girls into random coffee houses.
Instead, it didn’t take long for me to find exactly what I was looking for. They were a group within the group. A tight-knit little circle, smiling and laughing, occupying the coziest corner of the warm, bustling coffee house.
And they were absolutely gorgeous.
I spied them before they spied me, which gave me the chance to observe their dynamic. They were obviously very close friends. Comfortable and casual with each other, as they settled back into their seats and unwound from their day.
Adam was in the middle, looking every bit as delicious as in the pics we’d exchanged. Probably even more so, since he was actually here and I could physically reach out and touch him. Not that I should reach out and touch him, but a part of me definitely wanted to.
On his left and right were two equally yummy guys. One had curly dark hair and striking blue eyes, with pretty-boy good looks and a flawless mocha complexion. This was offset by his white button-down shirt and red silk tie, leaving him looking like some impossibly sexy business man torn right out of a magazine.
The other was taller, and a lot more casual. He had soft-looking brown hair that was just long enough to flop down over his eyes, but in an adorable Clark Kent way.
Both of Adam’s friends were incredibly built, almost to the point of ridiculousness. There was no doubt these were the hard bodies pictured in the ad I’d answered. There was also little doubt all three of them were gym rats, and probably together.
When my eyes had finished drinking my fill of them, I sauntered on over. They glanced up as I slid into the one empty chair, shrugging my coat off in one smooth motion and crossing one leg over the other.
“Hey boys.”
The two men on my right and left didn’t know whether to stand and greet me or remain sitting down. Adam however, held his ground and smiled.
“Been waiting long?” I asked.
“Our whole lives,” Adam said smartly, without missing a beat. “Thank God you’re finally here.”
I smiled back and settled in. “Cute.”
On a whim I leaned forward across the low table and kissed Adam on the cheek. His stubble tickled my lips. He smelled ev
ery bit as delicious as he looked.
“You’re even more adorable than in your pics,” I said smugly.
“I am?’
“Um-hmm,” I confirmed. “And that virtually never happens.”
I reached left and right, extending my hand. The others took it firmly between their thick fingers, and shook it gently.
“I’m Hannah,” I lied through my teeth.
“Dante,” smiled the GQ magazine model who looked good enough to eat. “And he’s Trey.”
Trey grinned and nodded, and for the first time I saw his eyes. There was something special there. A deep-seated intelligence, hidden behind a pair of beautiful chestnut orbs.
For a moment we just sat there, sizing each other up. Three handsome guys and me… sitting across from them. I felt like I was at some really weird job interview.
“We ordered you a latte and a coffee,” said Adam. “I’ll drink whichever one you don’t want.”
I stared down at the two steaming mugs on the table in front of me. My lips curled into a bold grin.
“Maybe I’ll just have both.”
There was a short pause, and then Dante broke out laughing. “I like this girl already.”
Picking up the latte, I brought it to my lips. I blew on the foam — not worrying about how sexual it looked — before taking a sip of the rich, brown liquid.
“So… how does this work?”
Adam leaned back comfortably. “What do you mean?”
“I mean there are three of you, but only one of me. And… well…”
“You’ve never done anything like this before, have you?”
I thought about the poly dating site, and how I’d joined it just to contact them. I couldn’t really lie.
“No,” I admitted.
“Think of it just like any other date,” Dante spoke up. “You talk, you laugh, you flirt. Hopefully you have a little fun.” He shrugged. “Only instead of doing it with one person, you do it with three.”
The others were nodding their heads, as if it really were that simple.
“Okay…”
“So when you joined the site,” asked Adam, a little suspiciously, “were you actually interested in poly? Or just us?”
“Both,” I answered truthfully.
“What’s attractive to you about the lifestyle?”
Lifestyle… Now there was a word I needed to remember for my article.
“Well aside from the obvious,” I said coyly, “I like the idea of three times the attention. Three times the friendship, the companionship, the fun and excitement. Having three different boyfriends, there’s always going to be something going on.”
My answer must’ve been acceptable, because they seemed to like it. Besides, it wasn’t that far from the truth, anyway.
“I’ve dated guys,” I went on, “who told me I was just too much for them. I was too demanding. Too overbearing. I wanted to go out more than they did, or I had more energy than them. And if I’m being honest, I haven’t found a guy who could keep up with my sex drive,” I finished. “Not even close.”
I stopped, and realized all three of them were staring at me. Looking me up and down with all new eyes.
“Uhh, maybe I said too much,” I giggled.
Adam only shook his head.
“Not even close,” he smiled.
Five
ADAM
She was as sexy as she was beautiful, with brains to match. Adorable and funny, not to mention wildly flirtatious, even on a first date as intimidating as this one.
In other words, she was absolutely perfect for us.
“So… what happens now?”
It was cute, seeing her struggle through the motions. Watching her curiosity override her caution, as she moved ever closer to what she wanted. We’d decided beforehand to go slowly. To not overwhelm her, or scare her away.
Then again, she’d answered our ad. She knew exactly what she was getting into.
“We finish our coffee,” I said, answering her question.
“And then?”
“Then we take you out,” Dante cut in. “Buy you dinner. Charm the pants off of you.”
She laughed, and it was musical. “And what if I’m not hungry?”
“You will be by the time we eat,” Dante countered.
Hannah seemed to consider this, squinting slightly while looking us over. “I see. And what if I’m not wearing any pants?”
She wasn’t. She had on the cutest blue and white skirt that ended mid-thigh, showing off a very shapely pair of smooth, freshly-shaved legs.
“Then we’re already halfway there,” I winked.
I saw her open her mouth, probably to ask what we were halfway to. She didn’t though. The latest bout of flirting ended in a wry smile.
“Fine,” said the beautiful blonde goddess sitting before us. She set down her coffee cup, which to our surprise, was already empty. “Let’s go.”
She stood up, smoothing her skirt in one practiced motion. Over the scent of freshly-brewed coffee, I caught a delicious whiff of vanilla.
“So that’s it?” asked Dante. “No other questions?”
“Like what?”
“Like how we learned we loved sharing a woman,” said Trey. “Or what happens when we share her.”
Hannah hooked a finger into one corner of her mouth. It made her look even sexier, if that were possible.
“Do you want to tell me about those things?”
Dante shrugged. “Well, since you never—”
“Maybe I should tell you about them?”
She sat back down with a little sigh, as another wave of vanilla washed over us.
“It started in college,” she began. “The three of you were friends. Not just friends, but more than that. I’m guessing you were fraternity brothers.”
Trey abruptly cleared his throat. She smirked at him briefly, before going on.
“You partied a lot, obviously. And judging by your looks, you had no shortage of girlfriends. Long term…” she squinted. “Nah, that wasn’t really your thing. Maybe Trey, but not you two.”
She was pointing at Dante and I. Leaning back, I tried my best to keep my expression flat, but I saw him raise an eyebrow.
“I’m thinking you shared a hot, horny girl one night, and it just ‘stuck’. It was so good it became a thing, at least for two of you. The third,” she nodded toward Trey, “came in a little later. Maybe when he was between relationships. Maybe because he was feeling bored, or a little loose, or the alcohol was just really flowing that night.”
It was unbelievable, how accurate she was. It had happened exactly like that. Almost to the letter.
“From there, you liked it so much you wanted to keep it going,” Hannah continued. “Only by then you’d graduated. The party was over. There were no more frat girls willing to bed more than one guy at a time, and so you started looking online to find women with similar interests.”
I glanced up, and Hannah was staring back at me smugly, proudly. Like she was handing back a puzzle box it had taken her ten seconds to open.
“That about the size of it?”
I looked at the others. We were all sharing the same slow nod.
“Something like that,” I admitted. “Only it happened first with Dante’s girlfriend. We shared a bedroom, the two of us, back in the fraternity house. One night they were going at it — I mean really screwing their brains out — and she crooked a finger at me, inviting me over. I laughed at first… until Dante smiled and moved over for me.”
“Just like that?” Hannah asked coyly, turning to Dante.
“Just like that,” he confirmed with a grin.
“After that, we began getting together pretty much on the regular,” I said. “She was insatiable, inside the bedroom and out. And the sex was so good we couldn’t stop.”
Dante nodded. “She became girlfriend to both of us,” he said. “Everything we did, we did together. And then one night we brought Trey in. It was almost exactly like you
said, him being between relationships. He was alone. Lonely. Horny from watching us, and—”
“And hearing all their stories,” Trey admitted in a low voice. He drained his own mug and set it down. “I was curious,” he shrugged. “They talked the whole thing up so much. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Alex was hotter than hell.”
“Alex…” Hannah said, tasting the name on her tongue. “So what happened to her?”
We were all staring at each other again, this time in silence.
“She went home,” I said eventually. “Back to Alabama. One of her friends found out she was dating three guys at once, and ended up betraying her trust. She told her parents.”
Dante sighed and shook his head. “That was bad. Really bad.”
“Why?” asked Hannah.
“A good Christian girl, with Christian morals?” said Dante. “It was unheard of. Her family freaked. It became them or us.”
“In the end, we had to let her go,” I said. “We couldn’t keep her. Not from her family.”
“After Alex, everything was bland,” said Dante. “One on one relationships were flavorless. They did nothing for us.”
“We went backward instead of forward,” I went on. “Called up a couple of old girlfriends each. Some of them were into it — a least for a night or two. They were fulfilling a fantasy. Having fun with us, two and three at a time.”
I shook my head, remembering how quickly each of them had come and gone. How once they’d gotten what they came for, they all flew away.
“They weren’t interested in us,” Dante said. “Not in a relationship sense at all. They just wanted the experience. Like Adam said, they were in it for the fantasy.”
“And so here we are,” I cut in. “Trying to recreate what we had before. Looking for a woman every bit as insatiable as the one we had, only looking to date us, rather than only going to bed with us.”
Hannah nodded, finally understanding. “You want a relationship,” she said. “A girl who’ll date all three of you, as one.”
“Yes.”
Silence settled over our little corner of the coffee house. After several long seconds, it was Trey who spoke up.