Friends and Lovers

by Vristen Pierce

  They shook their heads.

  “And your friendship won’t suffer because of me?”

  “No,” they said.

  I nodded. “Then I’ll stay—with both of you.” I smiled as they pulled me into an embrace. I wrapped an arm around each of their waists as they held me tight.

  Justin pulled back to give me a wicked smile. “How about staying with both of us… literally?”

  I widened my eyes. “Could we do that?” I couldn’t deny I’d fantasized about sharing a place with them. It just seemed so much more logical than my bouncing around from place to place.

  Evan laughed. “Yeah. I think we’ve gotten through the worst of it.”

  My smile faded.

  Justin frowned and Evan tilted his head. “What?” they asked.

  I managed to groan and laugh at the same time. “Uh,” I said sheepishly as I stared up at them. “Don’t be so sure. Y’all have yet to meet my family.”

  None of my relatives had met the new Stacy in all her glory. Nothing would give them an introduction like meeting the two white men she was simultaneously dating. It was sure to be interesting, but I’d dwell on it another time. Right now, the new me was being ushered off to my bedroom—with the two men I loved more than anything. I sent a silent thank-you to Nathan.

  Being dumped had never worked out better.

  About the Author

  Vristen Pierce has been crazy about books for as long as she can remember. Romance has always held a special place in her heart, which is why she loves to write about it! She believes love should come with no color boundaries and she stays true to that belief by writing the characters as they come to her, no matter the race. She resides in Oklahoma, where she’s constantly entertained by the quirky characters also known as her family.

  Please see the next page for a preview of Between Friends

  Chapter One

  The music pumped its steady, pulsating beat as bodies writhed on the dance floor. Blaze was the hottest nightclub in Oklahoma City and, as such, the place was packed. I threaded my way through the crowd, all the while holding on to my best friend’s hand for dear life. If I lost her in this place, going out to the parking lot and waiting by her car would probably be my only shot at finding her.

  “Come on,” Nina yelled back to me. “Let’s head to the bar!” She pulled me along with her as I struggled to keep steady on the six-inch heels that made my height an impressive five feet, eight inches. We finally made it to the bar and I dropped onto a stool, grateful to give my feet a much needed rest. “Jack and Coke,” Nina called out to the bartender. She looked at me. “What are you having?”

  I rarely drank anything strong, but tonight wasn’t a usual night. I was looking to lose myself in something. Or someone. “Long Island,” I said, giving the bartender a flirty smile. He returned it before walking away to make the drinks. Hmm… not bad. He looked to be around six feet, two inches tall. With dark brown hair a little on the long side, hazel eyes, and a killer smile, he could do nicely. Yeah, I was on the rebound, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. That, however, was just part of what compelled me to be here tonight.

  I was beginning my very own sexual revolution. Being dumped by a man who all but called me an uptight clinging vine was just the kick in the ass I needed. So maybe I’d never been a wild child, so what? Casual sex had never been my thing. I’d always needed an emotional connection. Well, look where that got me. I was over the whole love-and-romance thing. I was finally ready to focus on the physical aspect of what men could offer. At thirty-three, I may have been a late bloomer, but one thing was for sure: I was about to bloom.

  My family would be absolutely horrified. Well, my parents would be. Conservative, upstanding citizens wouldn’t want any child of theirs blooming in the ways I planned to. My younger sister, Tessa, on the other hand, would find it funny. Since she was so big on doing things to purposely freak our poor parents out, she’d be sure this was my way of finally joining in the fun. It wasn’t. As a matter of fact, I didn’t want my parents—or anyone else I knew, besides Nina—finding out. I was probably safe. While my family wasn’t estranged in the least, we weren’t particularly close either. A few phone calls per week, one Sunday dinner a month, when even my older brother drove in from Dallas, and we were good. No, new Stacy didn’t have to be anyone’s business but mine. Oh, and Nina’s, of course.

  The bartender placed the drinks in front of me and Nina. “Thanks,” she said before taking a sip of her Jack and Coke.

  “No problem,” he said, letting his eyes give me a slow once-over. His gaze lingered on my breasts, the tops of which peeked out from a snug white blouse with a seductively low neckline.

  A tingle worked its way down my spine. “What’s your name?” I asked before I could think better of it. Being assertive with men was something else that had never been my thing. I was a fast learner, you see.

  “Evan. What’s yours?” He leaned forward with his hands on the bar.

  “Stacy. And this is my friend, Nina.” But Nina’s attention was on the hunk of man who’d sidled up next to her.

  “Nice to meet you, Stacy.” His voice was deep and sexy enough to cause my stomach to tighten. “What are you looking to get into tonight?”

  I gave him a shy smile. “Trouble.”

  He nodded. “Well, if you need any help with that, let me know.” His stare warmed me all over. The heat eased its way down my body, pooling between the tops of my thighs.

  I sipped my drink and willed my hand to keep steady. “Will do.”

  “Hey, man, can I get a tequila shot and a Bud?”

  Evan walked away as I looked to my right. There stood a tall, broad-shouldered man with tattoos snaking their way down his left arm, his dark blond hair a nice contrast with his light blue eyes. He glanced at me before giving me a longer, second look.

  I sat there staring up at him while I continued to sip my Long Island. Well, well, well. Tonight could be interesting.

  Evan brought the man his drinks and sauntered off to greet someone who’d called him over.

  Never taking his eyes off me, the man gulped down his tequila.

  I shot Nina a look. She was still engrossed in conversation with her hunk. I turned back to the stranger and took a deep breath. It was time to bloom some more. “Hi,” I said, tossing my long brown hair over my shoulder.

  “Hi.” He leaned down close enough for me to smell the faint trace of his cologne. “Who are you here with?”

  “A friend.”

  “A male friend?” His blue eyes sparkled.

  I shook my head and pointed to Nina. “She’s very much female.”

  He looked at Nina’s long-legged form that was currently encased in a short, tight, steel-gray dress. “Yeah, she is.” His eyes bore into mine once more as he took my hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m Justin.”

  My gaze lingered on his lips as he spoke. “Nice to meet you. I’m Stacy.”

  “You want to dance, Stacy?” His hand slid down my back and came to rest near my waist. There was that heat again. What do you know? I may be pretty good at this revolution thing after all.

  “Sure.” I gave Nina a heads-up before making my way to the dance floor with Justin close behind. The pulsating beat from before was still present, only it was a bit slower. This was music to grind to, and I wasn’t about to disappoint.

  Justin’s hands held a firm grip on my waist and I instinctively pressed my back against him. I felt his cock stiffen and it only gave me incentive to be bolder. I swayed my hips and he moaned against my neck. I may not have been well-endowed in the chest department, but according to more than one ex, I had an impressive ass. Only now I wasn’t afraid to use it.

  His breath tickled my skin, and as he rubbed his hands up and down my sides, my nipples tightened in response. He whirled me around to face him and pulled me closer as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I thought back to something I’d seen Nina do a million times, and though it had always made me gag, I
figured, Why not? This was the new me. So I did it. I batted my big brown eyes at my sexy dance partner. Nina evidently knew the score, because the play at coyness worked.

  Justin leaned down and my lips immediately parted. His tongue, warm and firm, claimed my mouth with abandon. I moaned, but the sound was muffled. Shedding what was left of my inhibitions, I allowed one hand to slide down the hard muscles of his chest. It slid past his stomach as well. My hand didn’t stop until it was caressing his hard shaft through his jeans.

  “Damn,” he said, voice rough against my ear. “You go after what you want, huh?”

  I continued to work my hand up and down the length of him as I gave him a wicked smile. “That’s my motto.”

  He buried his fingers in my hair. “I like it,” he said before kissing me again. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Now, the old me would have said, in no uncertain terms, “Hell no, are you crazy?” The new me? Well, she agreed with Justin’s bold suggestion and made her way over to tell her friend about the latest developments.

  Nina glanced at Justin before leaning in close to my ear. “Are you sure?”

  “This is the new me, remember?”

  “I’ll say. You just met this man, Stace.”

  I crossed my arms. “What about the guy you’ve been glued to since we got here?”

  “I’m not sleeping with him!”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Nina…”

  She sighed. “Okay, well, maybe I will. But this ain’t my first time at the one-night-stand thing. You, on the other hand, don’t know what the hell you’re doing.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I glanced back at Justin before meeting my friend’s eyes again. “You dragged me here to get laid, right?”

  Nina’s brown eyes grew big. “I did not!”

  I gave her a pointed look.

  She threw her hands up. “Fine, maybe I did, but I never actually thought you’d have a one-night stand.”

  I smiled. “New me.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Nina grumbled. “New you. Well, have fun. Call me in the morning.”

  “Okay, see you.” I turned to walk away and she grabbed my hand. “What?”

  She leaned in close. “Be safe.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Mom.” Evan caught my eye before I turned to leave again.

  “You outta here already?” he asked with a sly smile.

  “Yeah, um, I just might see you again, though.” In fact, I was counting on it.

  “I hope so.” His hazel eyes held a sparkle of amusement barely discernible through the undisguised lust.

  I felt a pang of indecision. Who to choose? I quickly brushed the feeling aside. There was no choice to be made for the new Stacy. Justin now, Evan later. This no-strings-attached thing was exhilarating.

  Justin appeared at my side. “You ready?”

  I gave Evan one last look. “Yeah.”

  “Hey, Evan. Stop looking at her like that,” Justin said. “She’s mine for tonight.” He shot the bartender a teasing smirk.

  I frowned. “You know each other?”

  “Unfortunately,” Evan said.

  Justin smiled. “He’s one of my best friends.”

  Well, that was a twist I hadn’t been expecting. Before I had time to ponder what this meant for my future plans for Evan, I was being pulled away by Justin’s large, steady hand. We fought the crowd and eventually made it outside. The night air was cool, but not uncomfortably so.

  Justin turned to me with a lascivious glint in his eyes. “So,” he said, leaning down close to my ear, “your place or mine?”

  Also by Vristen Pierce

  Between Friends

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