I widened my eyes. “I did?”
“Yeah,” he said, laughing. “Don’t look so shocked. When we first saw this place, I was at my lowest point. Damn close to giving up. You said I would do it, that I’d get my place. Your certainty was contagious, what can I say? I picked myself up and kept fighting to make it happen. You have no idea what that means to me.”
I could only stare at him with a lump in my throat. He was thoughtful, sensitive, warm, and generous. I loved how easygoing he was. Hell, I even loved his bad jokes. Yeah, no denying it. I loved him. Once again, as I looked at him, the question popped into my mind: If forced to choose, would he be my choice?
Evan narrowed his hazel eyes. “What are you thinking about?”
I spoke without thinking. “I love…”
His face went blank and he tensed. “Yeah?”
Shit. I sucked in a breath. “I love this place already.”
Evan averted his eyes for a moment before smiling at me. “Good. I hope you’ll be spending a lot of time here.”
I nodded. “Definitely. Show me around?”
“What’s to see? You’ve already had a look at the ladies’ room.”
“Ha-ha.” I grabbed Nina’s hand just as she was walking off. “Where are you going?”
She scoffed. “To the bar. I don’t want to stick around for anymore ‘I believe in you,’ lovey-dovey crap. Y’all are killing my buzz. You know I indulge in pre-night-on-the-town drinks.” Shaking her head, she walked off.
We laughed and I turned back to Evan. “Justin made it yet?”
“Not yet. Probably had a last-minute carburetor to fix or something.”
I smiled. “Want to christen your dance floor with me?”
“In front of patrons? You dirty girl.” He clucked his tongue.
I gave him a light punch in his rock-hard stomach. “Dancing, pervert. Dancing.”
Evan let me lead him to the dance floor. “I’m not sure the owner is supposed to be out here partying.”
“When the owner’s girlfriend says so, it’s allowed.”
“Is that right?” He twirled me and I laughed. We swayed to the slow, sexy R&B song as he held my face in his hands.
I wrapped my arms around his waist. There was nothing overtly sexual about what we were doing. But the tender look in his eyes as he stared down at me had my pulse pounding. Thank goodness I was wearing a dress because I was about to drag him somewhere and have my way with him. Private, semiprivate, public—it really didn’t matter at this point.
“Evan,” I said on a fevered sigh.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Stop looking at me like that.”
He smirked, giving me a hint of one dimple. “How am I looking at you?”
Like I’m far more important to you than I really am. Don’t get my hopes up. I cleared my throat and gave him a flirty smile. “Like you’re going to eat me.”
His voice thickened with desire. “Maybe I am.”
I couldn’t stop the shiver that coursed through me.
Evan bent down and placed his mouth next to mine. “Have I shown you my office?”
I shook my head slowly, brushing my lips against his. “I’d love to see it, though.”
“Follow me,” he said, grabbing my hand.
Nina walked up. “Dude,” she said, grinning. “There’s a karaoke machine!”
I groaned. Nina, bless her heart, couldn’t carry a tune if someone placed one in a box and handed it to her. I looked at Evan. “Of course, you’d have a karaoke machine.”
Nina waved me off. “She swears I can’t sing. I can sing. Check me out.” She sashayed over to the DJ booth. “Hey, you got any Patsy Cline?”
“Dear God,” I said. “Let’s escape to your office. Now.”
Evan laughed. “It can’t be that bad.”
I only looked at him. “You know how cats sound when they’re mating?” He nodded. “You’d prefer that.”
He cringed. “Damn. Let’s go.” Laughing, we made it to his office just as Nina burst into a hilariously off-key version of “I Fall to Pieces.”
Smiling, I hopped onto his desk. He came to stand between my legs and I fumbled with his jeans, in a rush to pull them down.
Evan caught my hands. “Not so fast.” He pushed me down and lifted my dress. “How was I looking at you earlier, again?”
I smiled and stared up at the ceiling. “Like you wanted to eat me,” I dutifully repeated.
“Exactly.” He pushed my panties aside and buried his face in my pussy.
My smile faded as I closed my eyes. “Evan,” I said, panting. “More, yes. Like that.”
He slid his tongue between my pussy lips again and again before sucking gently on each one. I bucked my hips against his face as he began lightly flicking his tongue over my clit.
Grabbing a handful of his hair, I held his face to me. “Oh shit,” I whispered furiously, knowing someone could come waltzing in at any moment. I couldn’t lie: that only heightened my excitement more. Doing things the old me would never dream of doing always gave me a thrill. I pulled lightly on my halter neckline, to expose my breasts, while writhing under the skill of his tongue.
Evan slipped his fingers into my pussy and brought his lips to one breast, then the other. “You’re so fucking sexy,” he murmured against my skin.
“Now, please,” I said, barely recognizing my own voice. The need in it was clear.
He opened a condom and put it on. Showing me both dimples, he grabbed my hips and pulled me so my ass was at the edge of the desk.
“Evan, I swear…” I warned when he rubbed his cock between the lips of my pussy.
He chuckled. “Okay, okay.” He eased into me before he began to move. Slow and gentle but only for a little while. “Shit,” he said through gritted teeth as he started thrusting harder.
I moaned when he bent down to suck my nipple as he fucked me faster. His fingers found my clit and I screamed.
I held him to me as tightly as I could as he continued to flick his tongue over my nipple. I cried out as the orgasm shook me to my core. My pussy tensed and released around his cock.
“Ah, fuck,” he yelled as his body went rigid. He slammed into me as he came.
I welcomed the weight of his sweaty body against mine as we fought for air.
He lifted off me and smiled. “I think we just christened my office.”
I laughed. “I’ll say.”
* * *
Justin entered 50/50 and immediately winced. The screeching was similar to the worn brake pads he’d replaced earlier that day for one of his customers. He glanced at the stage, realizing it was only Nina’s singing. If his mom ever heard the way she butchered a Patsy Cline song, she’d probably weep.
He had to commend Stacy’s friend for not giving a shit whose ears she hurt, though. That took balls. It helped that her crowd was full of mostly inebriated folks too. Liquor’s been known to dull all sorts of senses, including pain.
Glancing around, he didn’t see Evan or Stacy. He headed for Evan’s office. Never bothering to knock unless a door was locked, he opened it. Whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips as he watched Evan fuck Stacy right there on the desk.
Justin forced himself to close the door gently, rather than slam it like he wanted. He re-entered the main room of the bar and stared, unseeing, at Nina up on the small stage. He ran a hand roughly through his hair as his breathing accelerated right along with his heart rate.
He had to get it together. Jealousy had no place when you were dating the same woman as your best friend. Still, knowing that didn’t stop the emotion from slithering its way through his veins and leaving fury in its wake. Who the hell was he mad at? Evan? Stacy? Himself?
Knowing it would be impossible to keep calm, he headed for the exit. Mentally accepting that Evan fucked Stacy and seeing him do it were two different things. He cursed under his breath as he made it back outside. He was pissed at himself mostly. The irrational mixture of emotions hittin
g him was overwhelming. Shit. None of it made sense even to him, which was why he knew he’d made the right choice in leaving.
Eleven
Nina cracked open her eyes and blinked at me slowly. Her voice was barely a croak. “My head is killing me.” She lay on my couch, where she’d passed out the night before.
“I bet. You drank quite a bit last night.”
She sat up gingerly. “I was celebrating the bar’s opening.” Groaning, she looked around. “I’m gonna hit the shower.”
Evan came out of my bedroom. “Look who’s finally up. And”—he glanced at the clock on the wall—“just before noon too.”
“It’s your fault for serving such strong drinks,” she grumbled, padding barefoot toward the bathroom.
“Have you heard from Justin?”
“I texted for the tenth time since last night,” Evan said. “Nothing.”
I frowned. “That’s so weird.” The bouncer had mentioned seeing Justin arrive, only to leave shortly after. I’d tried calling, but to no avail. “Why would he ditch your opening?”
Evan shrugged and dropped down on the couch. “No telling with that guy.”
I snuggled up beside him and he pulled me close.
“Wanna hang with me tonight at the bar?” he asked.
“I thought I’d do something with Justin tonight, but since he’s disappeared… who knows.”
Evan leaned over and kissed my neck. “His loss.” He began nibbling at my skin.
“Stop,” I said, laughing. I tried to pull away, but he held me close. “You know I’m ticklish there!”
He chuckled. “Say you’ll hang out with me tonight then.”
We started an impromptu wrestling match that landed us on the floor.
“God, y’all are too much,” Nina said as she walked in. “I borrowed some clothes. Can I take your car, Stace? I’m going to run home for a while. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Still giggling at Evan’s playful fingers skimming over my ribs, I nodded. “That’s fine.”
After grabbing my keys off the end table, she opened the door just as Justin walked up. “Hey,” she said, “there you are. We missed you last night.”
“Yeah? I showed up just as you were falling to pieces on stage.”
Evan and I laughed.
Nina rolled her eyes. “Everyone’s a critic.” She flipped Justin off before leaving.
Straddling Evan and struggling to keep his hands from my ticklish zones, I smiled up at Justin. “Why’d you leave last night? I was starting to get worried.”
He gave me a cool look before his gaze drifted to Evan. “Were you?”
My smile faltered. “Yes.”
Justin smirked. “You don’t seem all that worried.”
Frowning, I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” The hard set of his jaw indicated otherwise. “I didn’t know you and Evan were still together since last night. I can come back.” He turned to go.
“Hold it,” I said as I walked up behind him. I grabbed his hand and he faced me. “What happened? Tell me.”
He stared down at me, his blue eyes guarded. “I’ll pick you up around seven, okay? We can hit up The Biker Alley or…” He shrugged. “Just have dinner somewhere—doesn’t matter.”
Evan got up off the floor. “Bring her by 50/50.”
Justin tilted his head as he regarded his friend. “And why would I do that?”
Giving him a confused smile, Evan shook his head. “What?”
“Why would I take her to your bar so she can spend more time with you? Tonight’s my night with her.”
Evan sighed. “Whatever, man.”
I held up my hands to stop them from going any further. In the last few weeks, they’d bickered more and more about who was spending time with me when. At first, I thought it was sort of flattering, but now it was just getting exhausting. “Stop. Justin can take me wherever he wants tonight.” I glanced at Evan and gave him a warm smile. “Maybe we can do something tomorrow?”
He nodded just as Justin scoffed.
I turned to Justin. “What now?”
“Tomorrow?” he asked, incredulously. “Tomorrow?” He let out a bark of joyless laughter. “Well, shit. You just spent yesterday with him and half of today. Should I just check in with you next week sometime and see if you’re free?”
“Justin,” I said, my voice taking on a curt tone, “I didn’t know you wanted to spend tomorrow with me. If it’s such a big deal, fine”—I turned to Evan—“not tomorrow. Maybe we can do something on—”
“No, please,” Justin said, walking toward us. “Don’t let me be an obstacle. See him tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.”
I frowned. “What is wrong with you?”
“He’s just being an asshole. Figured you’d be used to that by now.”
“Fuck you, man.” Justin took several deep breaths, which, unfortunately, seemed to do nothing to calm him. “I have to get out of here before I kick his ass.”
Evan laughed. “You mean, before you try to?”
In a flash, Justin advanced on him and Evan pulled back his fist to hit him.
“Stop,” I yelled, putting myself between them. My heart pounded in my chest and, for the first time since I’d begun dating them, it wasn’t due to lust. “What the hell is going on with you two?” I focused my gaze on Justin. “With you?”
He backed away, shaking his head. “I thought I could do this.” Giving me a sad smile, his eyes softened. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Can’t do what?” A thread of apprehension wound its way up my spine.
He looked at Evan. “Sorry, man. I have to tell her.”
Evan crossed his arms. “Then tell her. Just don’t think I won’t.”
I looked from one to the other, growing more anxious with each passing second. “Tell me what?” When neither spoke, I felt the last of my composure give way. “Shit, somebody tell me something!”
“I love you,” they said in unison.
I nodded. “I know,” I replied softly. “I love you both too.” That was the least I could cop to, now that they had.
“No,” Justin said. His head fell back and he stared at the ceiling for a few moments before looking at me again. “I’m in love with you, Stacy.”
I stared at him as my jaw dropped. “You’re… in love with me?” I eased my way to the couch on trembling legs.
Evan gave me a gentle smile. “He’s not the only one.”
My mouth dropped again.
“I’m in love with you too,” he said simply.
I dropped onto the couch before I hit the floor. “What?” I asked weakly.
“We were going to tell you,” Justin said. “But then you came up with the bright idea of dating us both again.”
“We knew then that that was all you’d ever want—with either of us anyway. We agreed to go along with it.”
“I don’t think I can do it anymore, though. Last night, when I saw you two…” Justin cursed under his breath. “When I saw you in Evan’s office, I almost lost it. I didn’t think jealousy would be an issue. I mean, it wasn’t before, but now…” He glanced at Evan before continuing. “But that’s my problem. I’m the possessive asshole—at least you don’t have to worry about that with him.”
“She does,” Evan said quietly.
Justin and I turned to him.
“I came to The Biker Alley that night. A fight had broken out so I couldn’t get in through the front entrance. I… went around back and…”
Shit. I knew exactly what he must have seen then.
“Anyway, I left. I don’t know why I got jealous seeing y’all together. It’s not like I didn’t know you two had sex when I wasn’t around.”
“I’m sorry. I never wanted to come between you guys.” Even though I was still reeling from their admissions of love, I tried hard to keep a level head before I made my own. We had to fix this somehow. I couldn’t lose
either one of them, especially not knowing they shared my feelings. “What do I have to do to make this right? Just tell me and I’ll do it.”
They stared at me, silent.
“What? Do I need to come up with some sort of schedule?” I asked lightly, hoping they’d at least smile. They didn’t.
They looked at each other for a few moments before giving one another an almost imperceptible nod. Then they turned to me and spoke at once.
“Choose.”
If I were forced to choose, would he be my choice?
The thought returned to me with the force of a hundred bricks. My heart jumped to my throat. No. I wasn’t ready. I doubted I’d ever be ready. I shook my head. “Anything but that, please.”
They merely continued to wait for my decision.
My eyes stung as I cast them down at the floor. I sucked in a ragged breath before looking up at them through a mist of tears. “I’m in love with you both,” I said, my voice breaking. “I can’t choose—I won’t.”
Evan gave me a regretful smile. “Then you just did.” He walked over and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. “Good-bye, Stacy.”
“Please,” I said, grabbing his hand. “Don’t leave me.” He held on to my hand as Justin bent down and kissed me softly on the lips. I grabbed his hand too. “Justin, don’t go, please.” I looked at them, committing their gorgeous faces to memory once more. This couldn’t be happening. My heart felt like it was being torn from my chest. If this was even half of what I’d put them through when I’d left them, I didn’t see how they’d managed to pick themselves up afterward.
Justin gave me a little smile. “Bye, babe.”
“No,” I said quietly as tears streamed down my face. And I repeated it several times to myself as I watched them walk out of my apartment—and out of my life—for the last time.
Twelve
A month had passed since I’d last seen Evan or Justin. Every day I swore I couldn’t possibly feel any lower than I had the day before. Every day I was wrong. I had gone from being happier than I’d ever been in my life to struggling with the simplest things. Just getting out of bed in the morning was a chore.
And if it was a weekend and there was no place I had to be, I often didn’t get out of bed at all. I’d come to the decision that what had worked for me once before could work for me again. I had to consider it at least. I was all out of other options.
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