by Jana Leigh
“There is something else you should know, I am not a daredevil like my father. I can do the fancy stuff, yes, and I can do it well, but I don’t take chances just because I think my way is better, I might question a decision, but I follow orders. If I take the bird up on my own time, and something makes me want to practice some maneuver, I will do it then, not at work.”
She waited until he nodded, then turned sideways looking around his body, and waved at the other two men, before walking back to the kitchen to make sure everything would be there for breakfast the next morning. She also planned to haul Keely’s ass out of the bedroom to help. If nothing else, she could learn to scramble eggs.
Chapter Six
They thought they could just take people’s dreams and crush them. Who the hell did they think they were? To make it into the training alone was an accomplishment, but when you were cut, it went on your record and everyone looked at it. Why did you get cut? Was it too hard? On and on the questions will go and no one will ever hire someone who was cut from this program. It was bullshit, we knew more about fire than anyone.
Fire was real, fire was consuming, and fire was the only thing that would ease their pain. For this reason they needed to understand that cutting someone from the program who was intimately aware of the effects of fire… Well they were going to find out firsthand how fire will affect them. Then they will be sorry not to have trusted them, they were the masters of the flame, no one knew more about it than they did.
Ever since they were children fire had called to them. It took their family, it was unrelenting and vicious, and until they were older, they would never understand why they were chosen.
“Come on, we have to hurry. They said they were going up the gondola, we need to make sure everything is ready for them or they will never understand.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, you saw them and how they reacted to us. They think we are weak and we don’t know what is going on, we have to show them.”
“Maybe we can get on another team.”
“No, it has to be this one, you know why.”
Jez looked in the mirror and frowned. Yeah, she hadn’t brought any clothes to wear to go out to dinner. Keely lay on the bed watching her as she looked in the mirror at herself.
“I wish I would look that good in a pair of jeans and a flannel,” Keely sighed and Jez turned around quickly and frowned at the woman.
“I am pretty sure you look better than I do. Hell, why they asked me is even confusing. I mean, look at you,” Jez said and waved to her friend.
She knew she was right, Keely was fucking gorgeous, and she was like a cross between a Freddy Kruger and Cabbage Patch Doll. Seriously, she could be the Bride of Chucky. Not that she cared, but still.
Keely stood and walked to her, turning her around so she was facing the mirror again. “Okay, time for a little reality here, chiquita. Look at you.”
“Uh I am,” Jez said and rolled her eyes.
“Okay, let me tell you what I see. You have gorgeous eyes; semi-long thick natural dark brown hair, a rocking body that fills out the jeans to perfection. I mean if I swung that way I would be all over your ass. As it is, you are competition and need to get with the guys so all the other men stop whacking off to the thoughts of you when we go into town.” Keely smiled.
“Please,” Jez said, turning around. “You are beautiful and you know it.”
Keely shrugged, “Shit, we are both hotties, more than spanking the monkey material, so get on with it so I can get on with it and make this shit entertaining up here at least. Next weekend it is girls’ night in town. I need a break from all this Alpha male bullshit. I need to find me a nice quiet dude who will pander to my every whim and worship the ground I walk on.”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Jez smiled.
Keely looked seriously at her. “Yes.”
Jez shook her head. “Yeah well, I am pretty sure the guys on our crew are nothing like that. More like Cro-magnon men in disguise.”
“Yeah they are a bit manly,” Keely agreed. “But still, to be in a plural relationship they have to be a bit more free thinking than some of the other duds, I mean dudes, around here.”
“Oh really? Because I was certain you had your eye on a few of the guys,” Jez teased.
“Oh hell no,” Keely said quickly, too quickly. “Bossy fuckers need to get a fucking clue about how things work. I don’t follow orders except in my job.”
The girls chatted for a bit more before Keely pushed her, yes literally pushed her out of the room. Jez slowly walked down the stairs to find the three men waiting for her by the front door. No one else was around, thank God; she didn’t think she could actually look any of them in the face. It was hard enough being a woman on a predominantly male team, but to have a date with the boss and to others? It was like waving a red flag in the face of a bull.
“Ready?” Nixon said and smiled at her.
Jez nodded but didn’t say anything as the men led her out of The Shack and to the front where a large SUV was sitting. It was spring but the nights were still chilly, she thought as she shivered a little.
“Here,” Trystan said and put a coat around her shoulders. She looked up in surprise and then smiled at his thoughtfulness.
The drive was a little stilted. Jez knew it was because of her hesitation but she seriously had no clue how to deal with it. She was going on a date with three men; she had no idea how to handle it. Apparently they guys could tell and Nix pulled into a parking lot and turned to her.
“Let’s get this out of the way,” he said smoothly and she looked at him in surprise before saying.
“Okay?”
“We know this is unconventional. Three men with one woman. We have all tried separate relationships, they were not fulfilling. We have tried this before but the chemistry for everyone wasn’t there. With you, it is. All of us are attracted to you. All of us enjoy sharing. All of us are on the same page, no jealousy, no competition, and definitely no other men, only us,” Nix said firmly and all the men held their breath waiting to hear what Jez said.
She shifted uncomfortably and then looked at all of the men. She was attracted to them, all of them. Since the first day she saw them she felt something, like an imaginary string pulled her to them. How could she argue with that?
“We work together,” she said softly.
“Yes we do,” Trystan said softly. “And we took care of that. We talked to Gibs and to Jeb; we didn’t make this decision lightly. We thought it over, and then talked with them. They have no policy on dating coworkers. However, they asked we keep it professional during hours. We agree that we can do this.”
“You talked to Jeb?” she whispered with a shocked expression on her face. He hadn’t said a word. Damn.
“Yes we did,” Gray said firmly. “We are not in this to fuck and be done. What we are trying to say is all of us feel something, this isn’t just a whim. We need to take it slowly and see where it leads us. But, baby, I am hoping this leads us somewhere we can all be happy with.”
Jez swallowed and then looked out the window. Okay, heavy conversation before the date, check, this was disconcerting. She finally turned and looked back at the three men who were waiting for her to respond.
“Okay then,” she said firmly and then smiled. “Where are we going? And what do they have on the menu?”
“We are here,” Trystan laughed and Jez looked around. Shit, she knew this place and she was severely underdressed.
“What? No!” she argued.
The guys grinned and released a breath they were all holding and jumped out of the SUV. Gray was on her side in the back and he opened the door for her and helped her get down.
“Yes, we just so happen to know the owner. They are normally packed on the weekends but they have a huge group coming in tomorrow for the whole weekend, they rented the place for their conference. Since the workers were going to have to be there all day on both days, they closed for tonight. Our friend
arranged for the chefs to make our meal then leave it in the kitchen. No one is gonna serve us, we have the place to ourselves.”
“But I am dressed in jeans, you don’t go to a five star restaurant in jeans,” she argued as she tried to pull back.
“We do,” Nix said.
She smiled when he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him to the gondola lift that would carry them up to the restaurant. Wow, she was impressed. There was one man at the entrance to the gondola, he gave Trystan a key and told him to lock up when they were done.
Jez grinned bigger when they stepped into the gondola; it was a large encased ski lift that had seats all around the cab. It only held a dimly lit light so you could see the view on the way up the mountain. It was awesome. They took off with a jerk and she turned to grin at the men who had all taken a seat surrounding her. Nix and Gray were right next to her and Trystan was next to Gray with his arm stretched out behind her so he was touching her shoulder. It was amazing, the higher they got the better the view. The lights of Steamboat glittered below and the ski runs were lit in front of them. Perfection, they could see everything. The small amounts of snow still on the hill shown in the moonlight.
She had read about this place, hell, everyone had read about this place—it was the ultimate romantic experience in Steamboat. During the off peak months the businesses did a lot of things to pull tourists to their location. Ten years ago the owners of a restaurant at the top of the slopes discovered if they offered romantic exclusive gondola rides to the top of the mountain, prepared a seven-course meal for their guests then they could make a bundle. They offered romantic meals in secluded rooms they designed to give people the maximum privacy. There were only five rooms and they could be booked in three-hour increments. It was awesome, Jez had seen the pictures of the place, and it was decadent excellence. The meals perfectly prepared by a chef and served by discreet staff. The rooms draped in gold or silver cloth against the walls to give it an intimate look. Candles, wine, you name it.
“So what is on the menu?” she asked breathlessly. Nix chuckled and said.
“Saganaki to start, garlic flat bread, corn chowder, a Caesar salad, fruit, filet mignon with a stuffed baked potatoes and grilled vegetables, and crème brulee with caramel drizzle.”
“Oh my God!” She smiled.
“Yeah, Claude is the bomb when it comes to food.” Gray laughed.
They rode the rest of the way, talking about the view, and pointing out things to each other they saw. A moose, skiers doing a moonlight run, hikers who made a fire, it was all just perfect.
When they arrived on the top she was really glad she had the jacket, the nights in the mountains were brisk anyway, but it was not yet summer, it was downright chilly. Gray shut the door to the gondola and walked to a panel and locked it. When he turned, he was grinning.
“So no one can come up unless we know it,” he said and wiggled his eyebrows.
Jez frowned and looked at Nix, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No, baby doll. He is just being a dork. We are not moving that fast with you. Even though all of us can’t wait to take that step in our relationship, we know it is something we are going to have to ease into.”
Jez nodded and then smiled at the guys. “Good, I really didn’t want to end this fabulous night in the emergency room. You know, if I had to kick all your asses.”
“Wait,” Nix frowned. “Who is this sassy vixen we have here? I am pretty sure you haven’t thrown attitude like this before.”
Jez grinned. “Yeah, well that was when you were my boss, during business hours I will be professional. Afterwards though, this is what you get.”
Trystan and Gray both roared with laughter as they made their way into the restaurant. It was gorgeous, a large log cabin style building with a huge wraparound porch that during ski season people sat at to drink warm cocoa or coffee. But during the nights on the website, it showed romantic weddings, and dinners on the decks. Apparently, they weren’t using them tonight. Nix held open the door, and she walked through.
It was quiet, except for the soft music playing in the background. Jez grinned and turned to the guys who were staring at her intently. Jez bit her lip and then turned in a circle and looked around, trying to avoid their eyes. They were mixing up her equilibrium.
“Come on, baby,” Nix muttered and then guided her with a hand around her waist down the hallway finally reaching the last room, he opened the door. Everything was set up and Jez gasped.
It was better than she had imagined. The pictures she had seen on the web didn’t do it justice. The entire room was covered in white sheer curtains; she could see a balcony though through the curtains, mostly because the table was set out there and the entire balcony was lit up with candles. The men pushed her through before she had a chance to see everything in the room, but she did catch the large u-shaped sofa in the corner with a low gorgeous country style table in front of it with a vase of red roses.
Once they were outside, she grinned. They had a tall heater on the balcony so she didn’t feel a bit of the chill in the air she knew was there. A table was set with four plates. The table held candles, wine, and flowers. She smiled and looked at the men who were grinning and looking like they were proud of themselves. She wanted to roll her eyes but they were so damn cute she could only grin at them.
“Wow,” she whispered and Trystan leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
“You are worth it,” Trystan said.
She felt her heart melt a little and then she walked to the rail and looked out into the gorgeous mountain view. It was breathtaking, and she knew she had made the right decision to apply with Jeb.
“We are going to get the food ready and set up. How about you sit down and have a drink, then we can each take time to get to know each other more,” Gray said softly and she looked at them in surprise. “What? Did you think it was all about the three of us? You know, if this goes somewhere you have to know we are all in it for the long haul. We need to be real clear on this, there will be times that each of us will want to be alone with you, as well as together. It doesn’t mean that you prefer one of us more. We know that, that is how this works, babe.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“Good,” Nix said firmly and then walked to her and smiled. “Let me get you a glass of wine.”
He leaned over, kissed her cheek softly then squeezed her hand and walked to the table while Trystan came to her, grabbed her hand, and began leading her to the comfortable looking wicker couch that was on the balcony. He paused before he pushed her down because he kissed her softly on the cheek as well. “Sit down, honey, it will only take us a little while to get stuff going.”
She nodded and sat, Gray came and joined her with two glasses of wine and she grinned. The other two walked back into the room and she turned to look at Gray who was staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing, just looking at you. Damn, you are gorgeous,” he said.
She snorted. Yeah, this was not going to happen, they weren’t going to lie to her to make her see things she shouldn’t be. “Come on, I know this is unconventional and you want to try to make a good impression and all, but there is no need to lie about shit.”
Gray leaned forward and frowned then growled in obvious displeasure, she assumed because she called him on his lie, apparently, she was wrong.
“What the fuck? I am not lying about shit. Why would you say that? You are gorgeous, Trys, Nix, and myself all think so, damn that was the first thing we were drawn to were your hot body, and beautiful eyes. I mean, woman, you are a wet dream,” Gray said.
She froze and stared at him. Was he serious? Did he not see her face? “Um, well, yeah, that is all good, but you know most guys miss all that and look right to the scar on my face.”
“Shit, that little thing?” He laughed and she jerked in surprise. She watched with an incredulous expression as he pulled up his sleeve. She hadn’t seen that before and she though
t she had looked at everything when it came to these men, well everything she could see. But inside his wrist, a thick ugly red raised scar ran up to the crease in the elbow and then turned and went further up where she couldn’t see. “Now this, this is a scar.”
“Yeah well it is not on your face,” she pointed out. “And guys with scars are hot, didn’t you know that. Women with scars are considered deformed.”
He threw back his head and laughed loudly. “Where the fuck did you hear that?”
Jez grinned and said, “A movie about football. The lead actor at the end said, ‘Chicks dig scars.’”
“Yeah, well whatever, that is a movie, this is real life and, babe, I never even looked at the scar like a deformity. It was a part of you,” Gray said quietly.
She stared at him intently looking to see if he was telling the truth or not, and she saw he was sincere, which was completely weird. She really hoped he wasn’t going to turn out to be a compulsive liar, which would seriously suck.
“How did you get your scar?” she asked quietly.
“Fire,” he said with a grimace. “I worked with another crew last summer for one of the fires in Cali, they called and I volunteered because it was threatening houses. Went out there, and the guy they paired me with was green, he didn’t know that when he cut a tree with an axe when it was burning it let the oxygen in and blew that fucker faster than shit. I was caught it in the arm with debris. It sucked.”
“Yeah,” she said softly and took a drink. “Why did you become a firefighter?”
“Why did you?” he asked back quickly and she grinned.
“Because when I was young, my father would go out and fight fires, and when he came home he would be sad at the destruction he saw all the time. He said someday they would come up with the technology to get faster response. I just grew up knowing I wanted to help. I love flying too, it is the only thing I ever wanted to do,” Jez shared and he nodded.