by Various
And that was the other key. She was sexy as hell, and didn’t know it.
The combination was intoxicating.
Vance needed to be inside her like he needed to go on breathing, but it was by no means a sure thing. They could scare her off; they could hurt her, quite badly, if they weren’t careful. Which was the last thing either of them wanted.
So here they were, two worldly men, all edgy and insecure like boys at their first school dance.
“We have to do this right,” he said.
“I know.” Cort ran a hand through his hair. “I haven’t been this nervous in—well, ever.”
Vance let out a laugh. “No one who saw us now would believe it.”
“Screw them,” Cort said fiercely. “This is what matters.”
Taken aback by his vehemence, Vance didn’t reply at first. Finally, he said, “She touches something raw inside us.”
The other man didn’t deny it. They fell silent, lost in their own thoughts, until Cort spoke again. “You and I, Vance, we’ve been out in the world a long time.”
“And?”
“When was the last time you met someone who neither knew nor cared who you were?”
The truth of it sank into his bones. “Alexa doesn’t care,” Vance said. “Not about that.”
“No, she doesn’t. I doubt she’d heard of either one of us before yesterday.”
Quietly jubilant, Vance made the final turn toward CityFarms headquarters. “It’s us she wants. Not our money, or power, or prestige. Us.”
They were quiet a moment, and then Cort said, “Yeah. We gotta do this right.”
*****
Alex pulled into the CityFarms parking lot, her heart pounding. Half a dozen times, she’d almost turned around and gone back home to change. Only her determination not to give into fear had stopped her.
That, and the worry that she’d be late to work.
The black sedan was already in the lot. Alex checked the time on her phone and breathed a sigh of relief. On time, and even a little bit early.
She’d gotten up two hours earlier than usual. One of those hours was intentional, to give her extra time to fuss with her clothes and do her makeup. “You don’t need much,” Dayna had told her the night before. “You’re gorgeous as is.”
“Oh please, Dayna.”
“You are. If I were into women I’d go for you myself.”
Alex rolled her eyes, and Dayna leveled a powder brush at her. “You do that one more time, and the next time we’re out in public I’m going to kiss you in front of God and everybody.” That put an end to the argument.
The other extra hour was sheer nerves. Sleep had brought an endless succession of erotic dreams, each more graphic than the last, until Alex gave up and crawled out of bed. Just as well; she’d changed her outfit so many times that she finally resorted to Dayna’s mantra. “Don’t think,” she’d ordered herself. “Just choose.”
Now she stared at the entrance to CityFarms in near panic, wondering if she could find one of those big green trash bags to cover everything.
As if on cue, her phone signaled an incoming text message from Dayna. You at work?
Yes, Alex sent.
Let me see.
No time.
You’ve got ten whole minutes. Let me see.
Biting her lip, Alex peered through the lobby windows. Neither man was in sight. She slid from the car and hurried around to the passenger side, where she would be shielded from their view. Holding her phone at arm’s length, she took a quick selfie and sent it through.
Perfect. You’re amazing. Now go knock ’em dead.
Alex grinned. Thanks, she sent. Tucking the phone away in her purse, the smoothed away an imaginary wrinkle, muttered “Here goes nothing,” and went inside.
*****
Vance set down his paper when he heard Alex come in the main entrance, then picked it up again and pretended to read. Cort busied himself with an annual report.
If they had a lot of work for her to do, it would help distract them. But she’d been so efficient in her departmental summaries yesterday afternoon, there wasn’t a lot more for her to brief them on. He and Cort didn’t plan to reorganize the nonprofit until it was just the two of them.
Footsteps crossed the lobby, and Vance tilted his head, listening. Those weren’t the flats she’d had on yesterday; in fact, they sounded like high heels.
Had some unknown woman shown herself in without a word?
The steps went from tile to carpet, approaching their office. Frowning, Vance laid the paper aside and rose, wanting to be ready just in case—
Alexa appeared in the doorway, and all rational thought fled his mind.
*****
Why didn’t they say something?
Vance stood almost directly in front of her; Cort sat a few feet away. Both of them were staring at her like she’d grown an extra head or something.
No, that wasn’t right. They weren’t horrified.
They were stunned.
Something deep inside Alex unfurled and stretched, like a seedling reaching for the sun. A tiny voice whispered, This is what it’s like to have power.
For one giddy moment, she believed it. Then her common sense took over. Don’t be a fool. These men? Reacting that way to you?
Alex cleared her throat. “Uh, Dayna took me shopping. Last night. For interview clothes,” she added hastily.
Their mouths snapped shut; they blinked. And just like that, they were back, the two confident, in-control men she’d met the day before.
“You look … amazing,” Vance said.
Something had changed in the way he looked at her, but she wasn’t sure what it was. “Thank you,” she said. Cort still hadn’t said anything, so Alex sent him a tentative half-smile.
He rose from his chair, and she fought the sudden instinct to step back.
The man was tall, even taller than Vance, but that wasn’t why. Yesterday, when they met, he’d been standing up. He hadn’t given her this feeling then.
Like he was a tiger who’d just fed … but if she was a good girl, he might make her his dessert.
His expression was opaque, but Alex was certain he was studying her. It was unnerving, flattering, and annoying all at once. “Well,” she said, turning back to Vance when his friend remained silent. “What are we working on today?”
“Alexa.”
Every nerve in her body went on high alert. The way Cort said her name … it was like a prayer.
A very, very sexy prayer.
Swallowing, she looked at him. The hunter was in his eyes now, unmasked. But so was something else.
Respect.
Whatever I do, you can handle.
It was unmistakable, and a hell of a message. Her nerves ebbed away; Alex lifted her chin, almost defiant. And Cort smiled.
Dear gods, what a smile. She was pretty sure it was the one men used with their wives and lovers, a sensual note of invitation and anticipation. Intimate, seductive, and utterly assured, the sexytimes a foregone conclusion.
Not unlike the way Vance had looked at her yesterday, only not quite as smug.
Wait a minute.
It was like having ice water thrown in her face. Why was Cort coming on to her right in front of Vance? A quick glance assured her that the man who’d had her up against a door less than twenty-four hours ago watched her now with the same sensual intent—but no signs of anger or jealousy.
That made no sense at all. Unless …
No, that was ridiculous. They couldn’t possibly.
Could they?
Yesterday, she would written her suspicions off as wild imagination. But yesterday’s Alex hadn’t left this pair speechless just by walking in the door.
She did her best imitation of a spectator at a tennis match, looking back and forth from one man to the other, gauging their expressions, their body language, everything she could interpret. And came to the same impossible conclusion.
It was so preposterous, s
he had to ask. Yesterday she wouldn’t have dared. But yesterday, she hadn’t looked Cort’s hunter in the eye and gotten his silent vote of confidence.
So Alex folded her arms and said, “Do you two want to tell me what the hell you’re up to?”
*****
God, she was magnificent.
Vance couldn’t take his eyes off the vision in his doorway. A black skirt in some soft material ended an inch above her knee, flowing with her curves but conservative enough for the office. Nude hose covered her legs, leading down to black pumps, and a button-down shirt in deep red hugged every beautiful inch of her upper body without being too tight.
Vintage hairclips that picked up the black and red notes of her ensemble held back enough of her dark mane to show off her cheekbones. A hint of mascara and lip gloss were her only makeup. So simple … but the transformation couldn’t have been more dramatic.
She looked absolutely proper, and devastatingly sexy. He’d gone hard as a randy teenager when he saw her. And best of all, she was standing there with her arms folded, one hip jutting out, calling him and Cort on the carpet.
Perfect. She was perfect.
He couldn’t wait to get her in bed.
“Well?” Alexa said when neither of them spoke.
Vance gave in to the urge to tease her a little. “What do you think we’re up to?”
Her eyes went to slits. “Don’t play games with me.”
He laughed; he couldn’t help it. “You’re adorable.”
“And don’t patronize me!” she shouted.
Vance looked at Cort. “Was I patronizing her?” The man gave him no help at all, just a look. “I’m sorry,” he told her, but it wasn’t very convincing because he was still smiling.
Alexa glared at him, and he stifled the urge to laugh again. How could he explain what a delight she was? With an effort, he composed himself. “I don’t really think that question requires an answer.”
“Why not?”
“Because you know what we’re doing.” He’d seen the exact moment the realization hit her. It was confirmation she was after, not information.
She frowned. “I know what I think you’re doing,” she said. “That’s not the same thing.”
The men exchanged glances. They’d agreed to wait until the week was out, to give them time to coax her along without offending her sensibilities. But that was before they’d seen the new and improved Alexa.
“Perhaps,” Vance said, “we should make ourselves more clear.”
They moved toward her, one step each, and she threw her hands out in the “halt” signal. “Wait a minute.”
They stopped, not retreating, waiting for her next move. “Was that transition stuff all bullshit?” she said to Vance.
“No.” She arched an eyebrow, and he elaborated. “The plan before we came here was to ask at least one person, if possible, to stay on for a transitional period.”
“Everything we said yesterday was true,” Cort added. “We did want someone who could give us an overview. Someone we could trust, with no hidden agenda, who would tell us the truth.”
Alexa absorbed that. “So yesterday—” she waved her hand in the direction of her office—“was …”
“An impulse,” Vance said. “Not a plan. I tend to follow my instincts in most situations.” Right now, he had conflicting instincts. His hunger said stop talking and fuck her; his caution warned him to hold off.
He held, but it was a close thing.
“And you,” she said to Cort. “What are you following?”
Cort didn’t like that. He stalked toward her, not stopping even when she tensed up. Vance quelled his desire to intervene. His friend had solid instincts too, and Alexa had shown she could handle herself.
He got right up in her face, stopping so close to her that Alexa had to tilt her head back to look at him. She braced her feet and put her hands on her hips, not giving an inch, and Vance smiled in approval.
“For the record,” Cort said, “nobody pulls my strings.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I’m following my own desires. They exist independently of anyone else’s.”
“So it’s just a big coincidence that both of you want to fuck me.”
And there it was. She’d brought it into the open of her own free will. Vance sensed the primal urge that wanted to claim Alexa coiling inside him, ready to spring when the moment was right.
“Not exactly a coincidence,” Cort said, “but not a plot.”
“What do you mean, not exactly?”
For a moment, Vance thought his friend would explain, would give her some rehash of their conversation in the car that morning. But then the other man shook his head, and Vance knew.
“There is a time for words,” Cort said, “and a time for action. I think the time for words has passed.”
Alexa went very still, her face pale, and Vance cursed himself and Cort both. But then she looked at each of them in turn, almost pleadingly, and he understood. She wasn’t frightened of them; she just didn’t know how to take the next step.
He moved in, slowly, until the three of them formed a tight triangle. “Alexa,” he said. “Let us show you.”
Her chin trembled. “I can’t—”
Vance cupped her cheek gently. “Yes,” he said. “You can.”
*****
Just his hand on her cheek was enough to make her senses riot.
Alex closed her eyes, struggling for control. Two days ago, she’d been an ordinary fat girl in dumpy clothes, all but resigned to a life of loneliness and battery-operated boyfriends. Now, the two sexiest men she’d ever met wanted to take her to bed. Together.
If she gave them the sign, they would take control. All she had to do was surrender her body, and the men would do the rest. That would be the easy way.
She didn’t want easy. Not with them. Meeting Vance’s eyes again, she said, “All right.”
The raw hunger that flashed in his eyes scared her a little but excited her more. He moved in so fast she barely had time to slap a hand on his chest before he could kiss her. “Does it have to be here?”
The men exchanged glances. “No,” Vance said. “It certainly doesn’t.” He stroked his thumb over her cheek. “Forgive me, Alexa. You fire my senses.”
“Right back atcha,” she said, and he smiled that knowing smile, but this time there was nothing smug about it at all.
The men had another one of their wordless conversations, and then Cort said, “If you don’t mind giving me your keys, I can bring your car. Unless it has GPS?”
He was being polite; her battered compact was far too old for any fancy technology. She fished the keys out of her purse and handed them over. Cort raised her hand and kissed it, his eyes on hers, his thumb brushing the underside of her wrist. Sensation trembled up her arm as he took the keys and went out.
Now that it was just the two of them, Vance watched her with blatant possessiveness, a fire he kept banked when Cort was there. “How do you—” Alex shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
He laid a hand on the small of her back, his heat penetrating her clothing to warm her skin. “Cort and I are closer than brothers,” he said. “With any other man, this would be impossible.”
“So you’ve done this before?” she said as they crossed the lobby.
“No.”
She didn’t reply, but Vance answered her unspoken question. “You’re a special woman, Alexa.”
Alex shook her head. “You’re talking about somebody else.”
“No, I’m not.” He turned her to face him at the door. “You don’t have to see yourself the way we do. All we ask for now is that you trust us.”
“I do,” Alex said. That brought her wedding dream back to her, and she felt her cheeks heat. When Vance quirked a brow, she shook her head again. “Maybe another time.”
Vance looked as though he wanted to press the issue, but all he said was, “Very well.” He set the building alarm, and they went out t
o his car.
*****
Once they were rolling, the reality—or was that surreality?—of the moment struck Alex full force. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She tilted her head. “You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who usually asks women that question.”
“I suppose not,” Vance said with a wry smile. “Though it’s not because I don’t want to talk. If I think something needs to be discussed, I’ll bring it up.”
Her mind flashed back to their encounter in her office. His hand slapping the door shut. Talk to me. No, he wasn’t the sort to let things go. “And if the other party wants to discuss something?” Alex said.
“Then it’s up to them to start the conversation.” He exited the freeway and took the car through a sedate, tree-lined neighborhood.
“Makes sense.” She paused. “So why am I getting the kid-glove treatment?”
He shot her a look. “It’s not kid-glove treatment.”
“What would you call it, then?”
Vance was silent for a few moments. “You’re not fragile, Alexa. But—forgive me if I’m wrong—I get the impression that you’re not the most worldly of women. That’s not an insult,” he added when she looked down at her hands.
She knew it wasn’t. It still left her worried that she’d disappoint them, that they’d expect her to know things, do things, that she couldn’t. “I guess you’re pretty used to dealing with the worldly types, though.”
Without warning, Vance pulled the car off the road onto the shoulder. In seconds, he’d undone both their seat belts and turned to face Alex, pulling her close until they were only inches apart. “Listen to me. You are perfect, just the way you are. Do you understand me?”
Startled, she could only nod. Vance gave her a quick, hard kiss. “Don’t change a thing,” he said, and started the car again.
Her lips, along with every other erogenous zone in her body, tingled from the brief contact. How much more would he make her feel in the hours ahead? Alex clenched her hands together, trying to control the erotic energy surging through her, and Vance caught the motion.