Falk’s beautiful lips twisted. “My adult life. My mom could barely afford to put food on the table when I was a kid. I didn’t eat in a place like this until I had a job in New York.”
Ava couldn’t contain her surprise. He carried himself so easily and confidently, she would have thought him born into wealth.
“Surprised you? Most people think I came from money. That’s Brayden. He comes from big bucks. Old Money. Me? I’m from No Money. When I went to Harvard, I wanted to fit in. So I learned how to blend in with the others. It’s my talent.”
“Your talent?”
Falk nodded. “Observing people. Watching them. Figuring out how to make them comfortable and think you’re the same. It was important to me then.”
“Not now?”
“Not really. It’s still important to observe people and figure out what makes them tick. It’s not important to me that they think I’m the same. I outgrew that.”
His relaxed posture spoke of a quiet self-confidence she admired. He had certainly come a long way.
“Well, you look very comfortable now.”
Falk leaned forward with a twinkle in his eye. “You’ll have to ask Brayden sometime about when he had to teach me and Josh about a full table service. Fuck, there must have been five forks, several different knives, and some funny-looking spoon. He was getting us ready for a formal dinner with some Wall Street tycoons. I thought he was going to hang himself, he was so damn frustrated.”
“You’re lucky you had him to help you. I didn’t have anyone to help me. I had to navigate the forks myself.”
“You had humble beginnings, also?”
She fiddled with her wineglass. “We were pretty much middle class. We weren’t poor, but we sure as hell weren’t spoiled. I paid for my own nursing school. That’s when I met Mike.”
Falk picked up her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “Mike, the ex?”
She nodded. “He was already a successful surgeon. I was flattered that he paid attention to me. When we got married, I learned quickly how to navigate cocktail parties with catty wives and predatory husbands.”
“Sounds deadly dull.”
Ava laughed. “It was. I hated those parties. I wanted to be able to relax and have fun. Those parties weren’t about having fun, they were about seeing and being seen.”
Falk lifted her fingers to his lips and brushed her knuckles, sending shivers through her. “Are you relaxed and having fun now, beautiful?”
She gave him her best flirtatious smile. “Yes. You’re handsome, charming, and a great date.”
“But?”
Ava shook her head. “No but. You’re a great date.”
Falk arched an eyebrow. “But…you miss Josh and Brayden?”
“No, I’m having a great time with you.”
“Good. Then are you ready for the dessert room?”
Dessert room?
Falk paid the bill and offered her his arm as they walked across the restaurant and up a flight of stairs. The phone in her purse vibrated before they reached reach the top. Falk smiled.
“It’s okay. You can answer if you want. It doesn’t bother me.”
Ava grabbed her phone and pulled a face. It was her ex. She rolled her eyes and pressed the Accept button.
“What do you want, Mike?”
“Just called to see how you were doing, Ava. Tina and I are heading out to a party at the Chief of Surgery’s home. Oprah Winfrey is supposed to be there. Oh, and also to ask you what contractor you used when we did those renovations. Tina wants a new master bath.”
Ava had renovated the master bath less than three years ago, but if Mike wanted to throw money around, he could go right ahead.
“I don’t remember. I kept all the receipts in a binder in the office. I’m sure you can find his name there.”
“I threw all the stuff you left behind in the trash. You’re not being very helpful.”
I’m not trying to be.
She gave Falk an apologetic look. “Sorry. I have to go. We’re headed to the dessert room.”
“Who’s we? What dessert room? Are you on a date, Ava?”
Ava pressed the End button and dropped her phone in to her purse.
“I’m sorry, Falk.” She pressed her lips together in distaste. “That was my ex. He wanted to brag about a cocktail party with Oprah Winfrey and get the name of our contractor. Tina wants a new master bath.”
“Why did you even answer?”
“If I don’t, he just keeps calling back and making me crazy. I didn’t want him interrupting my chocolate dessert.”
Falk laughed. “How do you know you’re getting chocolate? Maybe you’ll see something else you want.”
“Then I’ll have two desserts.”
“Done. And, beautiful? Next time your asshole ex calls, hand me the phone.”
She shook her head. “I can handle him.”
“So can I. Seriously, you have three men now. Let us handle it.”
His expression was completely serious.
“I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can. We want to help, that’s all.”
She shouldn’t like his overprotective attitude, but she felt warm inside at his obvious care. She put her hand though his arm. “You can help me by feeding me dessert.”
“Your wish is my command.”
The room they entered was beautiful, dark oak trim decorating the walls and subdued lighting creating a romantic atmosphere. The tables were tucked into little alcoves, creating total privacy for the inhabitants. When they were seated, the waiter handed them thick menus and explained the amenities of the private booth. A phone was along one wall to request a song from the piano player. If piano music wasn’t your thing, you could choose any type of music that would drip in unobtrusively from hidden speakers somewhere in the booth.
Ava opened her menu, in awe at the luxury surrounding her.
I have died and gone to heaven.
“I hope you saved room for dessert, beautiful. Because they have a lot to choose from.”
The menu was to die for. Every kind of dessert that one could possibly think of was on the menu and several that Ava had never heard of but wouldn’t mind trying. The sound of soft jazz was drifting above her head and the smell of chocolate was tickling her nostrils, making her mouth water. She looked up at Falk’s smug smile in amazement.
“Do I know how to romance a woman or what?”
She almost felt faint from the delicious scents wafting in the air.
“Falk, you win the romance prize hands down. Let’s eat.”
* * * *
The elevator was swift and silent as it whisked Ava and Falk to their room. She had protested when Falk had surprised her with an overnight stay in Tampa. Only when he had explained the wisdom of staying overnight, instead of driving back in the wee hours of the morning, had she relented. It did make more sense to get some rest. After all, Falk was the one who would have to drive and if he wanted to get some sleep, it certainly wouldn’t be polite to deny him.
He’d pulled a familiar suitcase—hers—from the trunk of his car. With a smile he said he’d had the girls pack her a bag. He’d immediately been relieved of their luggage by a deferential staff member of the obviously five-star hotel he’d chosen in downtown Tampa.
The elevator doors opened and Falk put his arm around her to guide her down the hall, following the bellman. He began to open the door marked Presidential Suite when Falk waved him away.
“We’ve got it from here. Thank you very much.”
Falk tipped him generously and quickly unlocked the door, holding it open for her.
“I think you’ll like this surprise, beautiful.”
A five-star hotel and the presidential suite was a pretty big surprise already. She wasn’t sure she could take much more. Her high heels sunk into the deep pile of the carpet as she walked slowly into the suite. It was huge and incredibly gorgeous, decorated in gold and white. Her attention was c
aught by a huge bouquet of pink roses in a crystal vase sitting on top of a large dining room table. She pressed her nose into the blooms and inhaled, closing her eyes to savor their sweet fragrance.
“Flowers, chocolate desserts, mood lighting over dinner. Is there anything I’ve forgotten?”
She gave him a delighted smile. “Oh, I don’t know. What about champagne?”
He pointed behind her. “Taken care of.”
She heard some deep, masculine chuckles and turned to see both Brayden and Josh standing there. Josh was holding a bottle of champagne and both of them were grinning. She launched herself at them, giving them both hugs and kisses, surprised by how much she had missed them. She’d loved her time alone with each of them, but it was even better when they were all together.
“Hey, what am I? Chopped liver? I’m the one who planned all this.”
Ava giggled and beckoned to him. “You’re the king of romance. Come here and get your reward.”
She didn’t have to tell him twice. He pulled her into his arms and pressed his beautifully shaped lips to hers. His spicy male scent mingled with the sweet fragrance of the flowers, making her senses reel even as his tongue ran over her lips and delved inside. She pressed herself closer as the kiss deepened, making her want more. She clutched at his firm biceps, her fingers digging in when his lips made a sensual journey across her jaw and finally nipped at the lobe of her ear.
“Break it up, you two.” Josh laughed. “The champagne will get warm.”
Falk raised his head with a scowl. “Then pour the champagne. We need to toast to romance.”
Ava gave him one last quick kiss. “I’ll drink to that.”
Josh popped open the champagne and poured out four bubbling glasses. Both he and Brayden were dressed much more casually than she and Falk. They were in jeans and T-shirts, feet bare. She wondered if they’d received any strange looks when they checked in downstairs in that fancy, highbrow lobby.
Brayden handed her a glass and she let the bubbles tickle her nose. “What are we drinking to?”
The men were silent for a moment, giving each other a look with meaning. She just didn’t know what the meaning was.
Brayden held up his glass. “We’re drinking to trust. Let’s raise our glasses to trust, faith, honesty, and belief.”
They clinked their glasses together and she sipped at the fizzy, cold beverage. It was smooth, sliding down her throat like liquid gold. Brayden captured her hand and led her into the large living room area of the suite. For the first time, she noticed the view from the windows and was taken aback by how beautiful it was. The lights from the skyline weren’t Chicago or New York, but it was still lovely. She sat down on the couch and sunk into its comfort. Brayden sat next to her, with Falk on her other side. Josh pulled up the ottoman and sat right in front of her.
Brayden placed his large hand on her thigh and her body jumped to attention. The heat from his hand penetrated the thin fabric of her dress, warming her skin, and sending arousal to her belly.
“Baby, the three dates are up. We’re hoping you’re going to want to keep seeing us. We hope that we’ve showed you that we’re nothing like your ex.”
Ava placed her hand on top of Brayden’s. “You have. No one has ever put this much effort into making me happy before. I can see that you really are different. I know I had that moment of weirdness about those two women. I can’t say that I won’t ever be jealous. I can say that it’s my issue to deal with, and I will deal with it.”
Brayden twined his fingers with hers. “Time will take care of that. Once you see that we aren’t interested in any other women, you won’t be jealous.”
She believed him. She could see the sincerity in his expression and in the expressions of Josh and Falk.
Ava nodded. “I’m ready to let go of my past.”
The men looked at each other again and Falk grabbed her other hand. “The past is what we want to talk about, beautiful. Our past. There’s something we want to tell you. Something you need to know about us before the relationship continues. We hope it won’t turn you away from us.”
She felt her heart start to beat faster. “Is there a chance of that happening? Are you all secretly married or something?”
Josh laughed and shook his head, placing his hands on her thighs, right above her knees. “No way. It’s nothing that would keep us apart. It’s something that happened in New York and we need to tell you about it, that’s all.”
“Okay,” Ava said. “I’m ready. At least, I think I am.”
Brayden took a deep breath. “Then we’ll tell you. It all started at Harvard, really. When the three of us met.”
Ava felt herself relax. She was actually looking forward to hearing more about the three of them at college. They were probably going to tell her a story about some silly fraternity prank or something like that.
“How did you meet?”
Brayden grinned. “In classes. We took several of the same freshman courses. It felt like we were stalking each other.”
Ava smiled. This was going to be a fun story. She couldn’t wait to hear it.
* * * *
Ava’s lips were curved into a smile. Brayden could only hope her expression would stay as happy throughout their entire story. Would she believe in their innocence?
“At the end of the last class, I was headed back to my dorm. Josh and Falk were headed in the same direction. It seemed we shared a dorm, too.”
Brayden leaned back into the couch cushions. Life certainly had been simpler back then. All they’d had to worry about were grades and girls.
“I’d like to say that I went over and introduced myself that first day. But I didn’t. We didn’t meet formally until a few weeks later, when the professor assigned us to work together on a presentation for Psych 101 class. Things just clicked from there. By midterms, we were sharing a dorm room and spending pretty much all our time together. We were having a ball at college. Everything was fun, everything was exciting. Eventually, I convinced my parents to rent me an apartment on campus, and Falk and Josh moved in there. That’s when the rock band thing started.”
Chuckling at the memories of their irate neighbors after a particularly loud and raucous jam session, he caught Falk’s and Josh’s eye. They were remembering, too. Josh had a grin on his face and Falk was shaking his head, laughing.
“Anyway, by the time we finished our master’s degrees, we were inseparable. We knew we didn’t want our careers to pull us in different directions, so when Wall Street came knocking for all three of us it seemed like fate.”
Ava nodded. “So, you worked on Wall Street. I think Falk mentioned something about it. Were you traders? I don’t know much about Wall Street honestly, except what I’ve seen on television and read about in the newspapers. What does a mathematician do on Wall Street, anyway?”
Falk groaned. “Grunt work. In the beginning, at least. Weeks and months of analysis.”
Ava wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
Brayden shook his head. “It wasn’t. But we were good at it. Really good and we were able to give the fund we worked at insights they didn’t have before. Combined with Falk’s instincts, Josh’s analytical genius, and my fearlessness, we started to make big money for our firm. Within six months, we each made our first million.”
Ava’s eyes widened, looking around the palatial suite. “Okay. I guess I’ll stop feeling guilty about the expensive dinner and hotel.”
Josh laughed. “Trust me. We can well afford it. Working at a hedge fund is lucrative.”
“It was lucrative,” Brayden said. “We made a great deal of money, worked our asses off, and partied some, too. It was a great life.”
“But you left it,” Ava countered. “Did it stop being great? I would imagine you could burn out if you worked so much.”
Brayden squeezed her hand. “Burnout is a problem on Wall Street. We never got to that point ourselves, but we did see it.”
Brayden had vivi
d memories of the stress and pressure. Some guys could take it, and some guys weren’t made for it. You found out who was who quickly.
“When you make as much money as the three of us did, as quickly as we did it, you can attract attention. Unwanted attention. That’s what happened to us. We attracted the attention of the Justice Department. We were investigated, actually the entire staff of the hedge fund, was investigated for insider trading.”
“That’s where you know something the public doesn’t.” Ava frowned.
“Yes, that’s what it is. But we hadn’t broken any laws. We’d made our money strictly by the book. Unfortunately, some of our coworkers had used insider information. Once the Feds stuck their teeth into us, they didn’t want to let go. Every facet of our life was opened to them. They questioned our friends, family, enemies, neighbors. The confiscated our laptops, cell phones, combed through our financial records and bank accounts.”
Falk’s expression turned stormy. “It was a colonoscopy by the Feds. They didn’t care about our families, careers, or reputations. They wanted blood.”
Brayden remembered well the feeling of being violated by the incessant prying into their lives, both personal and professional, knowing they had done nothing wrong. He wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy.
“Eventually, and I do mean eventually, because the investigation took about two years, we were officially cleared. In the meantime, we left our jobs, I was diagnosed with lymphoma, and several of our coworkers were indicted on insider trading and a host of other federal charges. We also lost many of our friends, upset our families, and became disgusted with Wall Street in general. We made the decision to leave and start new lives.”
Josh grimaced. “It wasn’t that easy, of course. Brayden needed treatment for his cancer. After we researched destinations, it was decided I would come down here first, start a business, and get the construction going on our new home. Brayden kept his mind off his treatments by designing the house. Falk stayed behind with Brayden to take care of him.”
Plenty of Trust [Plenty, FL 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8