The Martinis and Chocolate Book Club 2
Her Game, Their Rules
After the unexpected death of her husband, Sara Jameson was finally ready to move on with her life. When she finds out he was keeping secrets, Sara travels to his hometown. She hopes that his brother, Jeremy, can help her find the truth.
Jeremy and his longtime lover, Cole , kept their dirty little secret for years—they desired Sara. Now that they have her in their home, they’re going to do everything in their power to convince her to stay.
Sara didn’t expect to find love and passion in the arms of Jeremy and Cole. The trio heats up the nights playing Master and Slave, Pirate and Captive, and Sara’s favorite, Mistress and Slaves. With her men, Sara’s never felt freer to express her desires, especially the naughty ones. Will finding out the truth about her late husband tear the three lovers apart just when they’ve found happiness?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 36,178 words
HER GAME, THEIR RULES
The Martinis and Chocolate
Book Club 2
Lara Valentine
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
HER GAME, THEIR RULES
Copyright © 2012 by Lara Valentine
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-180-1
First E-book Publication: September 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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DEDICATION
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HER GAME, THEIR RULES
The Martinis and Chocolate
Book Club 2
LARA VALENTINE
Copyright © 2012
Chapter 1
“I’m not really sure what you need me to do, Mr. Martin. I can’t be overdrawn.”
Sara Jameson juggled her purse, her car keys, her diaper bag, and her almost-two-year-old son, Jack, before dropping into a guest chair across from the very nervous-looking bank employee. This stop was the first of many today. It was going to be a long day. She needed to get Jack to preschool so she could run the myriad of errands she had saved. The call from the bank had been unexpected, and now she was trying to squeeze this errand in with all the others.
“No, no, Mrs. Jameson. It’s just that, well, this is an unusual matter. I wanted to speak to you in person.”
Mr. Martin looked very uncomfortable. She knew that as a widow, especially a young widow, she often made people uncomfortable. They never seemed to know what to say after they found out her marital state. She had been married for five years to a wonderful man.
Scott had been taken unexpectedly fourteen months ago by a rare, undiagnosed heart defect. They had never known they were living on borrowed time. They had so many dreams that would go unfulfilled. However, one dream they had achieved was tugging at her hair and dropping cereal bar crumbs on her once-pristine white blouse—Jack.
“What is the unusual matter, then?”
“Well, one of your husband’s accounts has a zero balance. We need to know whether you want us to transfer funds into that account and continue the monthly fund transfers.”
Sara frowned. “Zero balance? Fund transfers? I don’t understand, Mr. Martin. My husband and I had a joint checking account and joint savings account, which reverted to me upon his death. If I’m not overdrawn, then how can our balance be zero?”
Mr. Martin fidgeted in his chair. “Your husband had an account in his name only. I looked into the history of the account in preparation for this meeting. The account has been open for four years. Your husband deposited twenty-five thousand dollars in the account every January. The reason no red flag was raised before this is that the account had funds in it for the transfer.”
Twenty-five thousand dollars? That was a lot of money. Scott had been paid extremely well. He was a partner in his family’s very successful business. Still, why would he deposit that kind of money in an account?
“How could Scott have an account that I didn’t know about? We never received a statement.” Sara was sure this was a mistake.
“Your husband had the statements sent to an e-mail address. This one.” Mr. Martin handed over a small piece of paper. Sara shook her head.
“I don’t recognize this e-mail address. You say the account is at zero? Where has the money gone? I didn’t spend it.”
When Scott had died the finances had been in pristine condition. No unpaid bills were found, the mortgage was up-to-date, and the savings account was healthy. Scott had been extremely conscientious about taking care of his family.
“Each month, a two-thousand-dollar fund transfer was made to a bank account in Champaign, Illinois. Do you know anyone in Champaign, Illinois, Mrs. Jameson?”
Sara sighed in relief. “Yes, I do. My husband is originally from Champaign, and his brother still lives there and runs the family busines
s. Scott worked remotely for the company. This account probably has something to do with the business.”
She and Scott weren’t short any funds so the money must belong to the company. Sara shifted Jack to her other knee. He was behaving beautifully, but as soon as the cereal bar was gone, he would be squirming and raring to go.
Mr. Martin looked relieved. “Ah, excellent. Do you want me to transfer funds to that account then? We can get the paperwork together to transfer the account to you if you like.”
Sara was anxious to get going. “Yes, go ahead and transfer the funds for this month. I’ll call my brother-in-law today and find out what the account is for. I’m sure Jeremy will be able to take care of this before we need to worry about next month’s transfer.”
Jeremy, Scott’s older brother, could take care of just about anything. He was one of the most competent men she had ever met. It was too bad he didn’t want to run for president. He had made the family business one of the most successful video game companies in the country. Jeremy was the brains behind the business. Jeremy’s partner and husband, Cole, was the artistic genius, and Scott had been the sales talent. The three of them had built a very successful video game company.
Jeremy was also one of the kindest men she had ever met. He and Cole had stayed with her for an entire month after Scott’s death. Even now, they talked on Skype every Sunday.
Mr. Martin was smiling now. “After you talk to your brother-in-law, please just call me and let me know how you want to handle this going forward. I do appreciate your coming in to talk to me today.”
“Talk!” Crumbs went flying out of Jack’s mouth.
Sara smiled at her son and pulled a wet wipe out of her purse to clean up his face.
“Yes, Jack. Mommy came to talk to Mr. Martin. We’re going bye-bye, now. Say bye-bye.”
“Bye-bye.” Jack smiled, showing pearly white front teeth.
“He looks just like you.”
Sara shook her head. “Except for his hair, he looks like Scott, actually. I don’t see the resemblance.”
“He does resemble you. Very much.”
Sara knew that Mr. Martin was trying to be kind.
“Well, thank you. He’s a handsome boy.”
Jack was handsome. He had her dark hair and Scott’s striking blue eyes.
“C’mon, Jack. I’m taking you to preschool.”
“Pee-skool.” Jack grinned.
Sara grabbed up her belongings and headed to the parking lot. She needed to get all those errands done, and now a call to Jeremy had been added to the list.
* * * *
Their hands were everywhere at once. Luke’s rough fingertips stroked her hard nipples while Tom’s digits fucked her sopping pussy. Each stroke was like a wire tugging at her clit, making her shake and moan with arousal. Luke leaned down to capture her lips with his own. His mouth dominated hers, his tongue sweeping her mouth as if he owned it. In a way, he did. She couldn’t have stopped him if she tried. They both played her body like fine musicians.
She reached down and cupped the bulge in his jeans. His cock hardened further under her palm. She rubbed the outline of his erection until he groaned against her mouth.
“It’s all for you, baby. I can’t wait to bury my cock in your cunt. You’re going to be screaming my name before this night is over.”
“Pretty sure of himself, isn’t he?” Noelle teased.
“Does she even know his name? She just met him! I don’t care how good he smells.” Sara popped another Godiva in her mouth. She’d missed lunch running errands.
“I feel bad for Tom. He’s doing the hard work but not getting any attention.” Lisa smirked.
“There’s always the unsung hero.” Brianne smiled.
“I wouldn’t mind two or three men doing me.” Tori laughed. Her eyes had lost their shadowed look. It was now more than two years since her own husband had died after a long battle with cancer.
The women shrieked in laughter at Tori’s outrageous statement. Their book club met once a week to read some fun smut, eat fine chocolate, and have a girly cocktail. Needless to say, the women had become close friends and had few secrets from each other. Sara was grateful for the support she had received from them after Scott died. They were like sisters to her. After her father had passed away a few years ago, she had no close relatives left.
“Brace yourselves. I’m changing the subject, ladies.” Sara sipped her pomegranate martini. Brianne had made an entire pitcher for the group, although she was abstaining.
“We’re listening,” Tori said.
“I had a weird trip to the bank this morning. Apparently, Scott had an account in his own name and was transferring money to a bank account in Champaign each month. I’ve tried to call Jeremy, but I keep getting voice mail. This must have something to do with Jameson Family Entertainment.”
“How much money every month? Are you sure Scott never mentioned it?” Brianne nibbled at a truffle.
“Two thousand a month. I don’t think he mentioned it. But, hell, after Jack was born it was so hectic, and I was barely sleeping. I guess he could have mentioned it and I just don’t remember.” Sara’s brow knitted as she tried to remember if Scott had ever mentioned anything. She hated to admit she sometimes ignored talk about business when she was busy with Jack.
Tori shrugged. “It was probably expense money for when he traveled and wined and dined people. Wasn’t he on the road about twenty days a month? That’s a lot of airline and food expense.”
“Yeah, in fact, when you think about it that way, two thousand isn’t all that much. He probably ate out three meals a day for three-quarters of the month with several people as his guest. It’s just strange. It makes me realize that there were times I may not have listened closely to what Scott was telling me. What other little things did I not know? Are there suits at some dry cleaner that I don’t know about? Did he have library books on hold?” Sara blinked back a few tears.
Tori grabbed her hand. “Stop this shit. Stop it right now. I’ve been there, and it doesn’t lead to anything good. Don’t think about the times you lost your temper or didn’t have time to hear about his day. We’re human, dammit. Scott loved you, and you loved him. You both did the best you could. Scott wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself, you know? He would want you to be happy and be a good mom to Jack.”
Sara sniffed. “I know, I know. I just…it’s just that he’s been gone for over a year now. Shit! This is going to sound horrible. I’m a horrible person. Scott wasn’t home much, so when he died…”
The women waited quietly for Sara to find the words. Saying them was going to sound awful.
“I got used to him being gone really quickly. Fuck, the last six months I’ve been so busy with Jack I’ve barely noticed that Scott’s not there. Sometimes I would go days and not think about him. Now, I can go a week and not think about him. Isn’t that a shitty thing to do? He was my husband and Jack’s father, and I don’t think about him all the time like I should.”
There, she’d said it out loud. Hot tears trickled down Sara’s face. Tori was the first to speak.
“You are not a horrible person, Sara. That’s what is supposed to happen. Listen to me, because I’ve been there and I know of what I speak. You are alive. You’re supposed to live your life and not dwell on Scott’s memory every day. Of course, there will be times when you think about him more than others—birthdays, holidays, for instance. But we are meant to move on with our lives. It’s our survival instinct on steroids. You’re young and beautiful with a long life ahead of you. Scott would want you to live that life.”
Lisa’s eyes were sympathetic. “You’re most certainly not a terrible person.” The others nodded in agreement. “I think this means you’re healing. You loved Scott, and a part of you always will. He’s Jack’s father. But your spirit is healing and is ready to move on. Live your life, Sara. It’s the only one you get. It would be a sin to waste it, don’t you think?”
Sara knew tha
t was true. If Scott had known how little time he had, perhaps he might have lived life differently. She would be foolish to throw away her own life. When she looked at Jack, she knew she had been placed on this earth for a purpose. He deserved the best mother she could be. A happy, whole mother would be the right thing for him.
Noelle pushed the box of chocolates toward Sara. “Why don’t you go to Champaign? Visit where Scott grew up. Get some kind of closure for yourself. You can spend some time with Scott’s brother and his husband while you’re there. Haven’t they been begging you to visit for months?”
Brianne smiled. “That’s a great idea! Jeremy and Cole have been asking you to come for a visit. They would love to see Jack.”
That was true. Jeremy and Cole asked her practically every week to come up for a visit. They had come down at the holidays, and Jack had been in heaven. He loved his uncles dearly.
“You know, I think I will. School’s out, and I don’t have to be back until August. I can attend the book meetings by Skype.” Sara brushed her tears with the back of her hand.
“Gotta love technology.” Tori laughed. “You can read smutty stories with us a thousand miles away. Here’s to your trip to Champaign.” They all raised their glasses. For the first time in a long time, Sara was looking forward to something.
Chapter 2
Jeremy pushed his front door open and dropped his briefcase on the bench in the foyer. It had been a long fucking day. He was tired and still had a mountain of paperwork to look at before he could retire for the night. He also needed to return Sara’s phone call. She had left him a voice mail earlier in the day, but he had yet to have a chance to return her call.
Her Game, Their Rules [The Martinis and Chocolate Book Club 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1