Triple Booked

by Mardi Ballou

  Seeing her like that, hearing her greeting, feeling her soft warmth, Gabe felt his insides clench up with emotion. God, he wanted her, now. He moved closer so all of him pressed against her. “You are so beautiful.” He stroked back some hair that had fallen across her face and kissed the path his fingers took.

  Rapsos woke up. Gabe would deal with him later. Right now, he wanted—needed—to make love with his lady.

  Though Alex hadn’t expected to be able to sleep much even with his spell, once in the bed beside Jade and near Gabe, he’d fallen into a deep, refreshing sleep. Now he woke to find himself in the midst of the other two people’s lovemaking. And no one invited him. Gabe and Jade were going at it in a traditional style, face-to-face, with Gabe thrusting his cock into Jade. Much as he enjoyed having the chance to be a voyeur, this time Alex wanted to play, too.

  “I see you two have started without me,” he growled.

  Gabe grunted. “You sleep, you weep.”

  “I’m awake now, and I have an idea.”

  Jade put a hand on Gabe’s hip to motion him to stop. “I’d like to hear Alex’s idea, Gabe.”

  Gabe made a derogatory sound.

  “Well, if we don’t like it, we can just continue on,” she pointed out. “We won’t have lost anything. After all, just lying here with you in me is hardly a hardship.”

  “Hardship?” Gabe laughed. “No, it’s not.” He sighed. “Very well, Rapsos. Say your piece. If we want to play once we hear it, we’ll invite you to stay. If we don’t, we’ll invite you to go.”

  “Fair enough. How about this. Jade, darling, if you’d get on your hands and knees, Gabe could enter you from behind and be able to enjoy looking at your beautiful ass while he fucks you.”

  “Veto. I want to be in her pussy, not her ass this time.”

  “Of course. You can enter her lovely pussy from behind. The position is perfect for that.” Alex stopped, realizing both his partners in pleasure looked blank. “You have done it this way before, haven’t you?”

  Gabe cleared his throat, and Jade remained still.

  Hmm. These two really were in need of some educating. For some reason, instead of feeling contempt at their inexperience, it endeared them to him even more.

  “I’m willing to try, Gabe. Sounds like fun. Okay?”

  Gabe nodded. “For you, babe, because you want it. We’ll try it. But if you don’t like it, we don’t have to stay like this. I love looking at your ass, but I also love looking at every other part of you.”

  The two slowly separated. Jade looked so sexy and lovely as she got on her hands and knees that Alex wished the moment could be preserved, preferably by a great artist who could do her beauty justice. In moments, Jade was on her hands and knees, provocatively wiggling her ass in invitation.

  A most eager guest, Gabe got behind her and slid his hard cock along her cleft. Judging from the looks on both faces, Gabe very quickly had his cock exactly where they both wanted it.

  Watching the two of them, Alex felt nearly swept away by the sensuous beauty of the act. Watching was almost enough. But his own dick sprang to fullness, and Alex’s desire led him to seek a more active role.

  Jade, who clearly enjoyed the new position Alex had guided them to try, now watched him with a very sly smile and glittering eyes. “What a lucky girl I am. Two gorgeous men with big, hard cocks to wish me a great start to the new day.” She licked her lips, and Alex knew what he wanted. If he knelt, his erection would jut out at just the right angle and height for Jade to take him in her mouth…if she were so inclined. He asked. She was.

  With a shiver of satisfaction, Alex used his hard-on to trace the line where Jade’s lovely lips met. Jade’s lips parted in clearer invitation, and Alex thrust himself into her. Gods be praised, her warm, moist mouth closed over the portion of his shaft that fit. She tongued the glans and the shaft, sending shooting stars of sensation rocketing through him.

  Though he normally closed his eyes to savor such pleasure, now, to fully give himself over to the multiple stimuli of being with her, with them he watched everything. The sight of his cock disappearing into her mouth could have launched a thousand comes. That plus seeing Gabe pumping into her from behind—felt almost like an embarrassment of riches. Luckily, he didn’t embarrass easily.

  “How’s that for you?” he murmured to Jade.

  She nodded to indicate approval. Good. Gabe was stroking Jade’s back with his hand while he pumped into her. Judging by the look on Jade’s face, it was all good for her. Gabe’s face reflected the same. The other man was so totally engrossed in making love this way and in pleasing Jade, he could scarcely spare a drop of attention to Alex. All to the good.

  Alex put one hand on the back of Jade’s head and tangled his fingers through her lovely flowing black hair. He loved how Jade was getting into pleasing him with her talented tongue, her energetic ministrations. He expected she was putting equal effort into pleasing Gabe, and that warmed him.

  But all good things must draw to a close. After withstanding the delicious tongue play, Alex realized he could not delay his release for much longer. Determined not to come in Jade’s mouth unless she indicated she wanted him to, Alex communicated his imminent come to give Jade sufficient time to withdraw. Fortunately for Alex, Jade indicated she wanted him to stay the course.

  His mind reached for poetic words, but his brain went into meltdown as sensation overwhelmed his senses. “Ahhhh,” he groaned, a sound far from poetry but evocative of his current state. Jade stepped up the speed of her delicious tongue licks, which threatened to drive him out of his mind. In moments, she sucked up every last drop of his copious cum.

  Only the sight of Gabe still pumping away from behind kept Alex from collapsing into a mindless puddle. Not that he felt competitive or anything, but how could Gabe last so much longer than he had? Alex prided himself on his abilities as a lover. He felt as if Jade had surprised him into coming, much the sort of thing he’d grown out of years before.

  Fortunately, Alex didn’t have to explore self-doubt for very long because Gabe obliged him by coming—loudly and vociferously.

  Only Jade hadn’t come yet. The rosy spots on her cheek and her heavy breathing told Alex she was turned on. But Alex didn’t intend to make her wait much longer—and he expected Gabe would feel the same. When the other man returned to some semblance of lucidity, Alex said, “I have an idea for something very special.”

  Jade grinned at him. “I like the sound of that.” She glowed in anticipation, which inspired Alex.

  “Jade, we’re yours to command. What would make you feel good?” Alex watched as Jade appeared to entertain and reject several possibilities. She blushed even more strongly, and Alex suspected that, despite her recent experiences and all the time she’d been with Gabe, she felt a bit shy about clearly articulating her desires. On the other hand, he suspected she knew exactly what she wanted.

  Gabe looked inquiringly at Jade. “Come on, babe. No false modesty at this point. After the way you’ve just pleasured us, helping you come would be the least we can do.”

  Gabe’s easy acceptance now of Alex’s participation both surprised and pleased Alex. He fleetingly wondered if Gabe’s implied welcome was a conscious signal of his thoughts or if Gabe had spoken without any strong conviction. For now, Alex chose to accept the acquiescence and run with it.

  “I feel as if I’m floating in a bathwater warm ocean of emotion,” Jade murmured. “And that’s almost enough to make me come.”

  “The key word there being ‘almost’.” Both Gabe and Alex said the same thing at the same time, which Alex expected he felt better about than Gabe.

  “Great minds and all that,” Alex noted.

  Gabe rolled his eyes and shrugged, but he didn’t refute Alex’s words.

  “We’re here, your passionate love slaves,” Alex continued. “Let us turn that ‘almost’ into the breathtaking, earth-moving climax we both want for you.”

  Gabe nodded his apparent agree
ment.

  Jade exhaled hard. “Talk about an offer I can’t refuse. What I want is to straddle Gabe while I watch Alex play with himself. Of course, you both need to be hard again for that to happen, and I know it hasn’t been long.”

  Just hearing Jade express her desire turned Alex on. In moments, he was good to go. Gabe also quickly showed himself equal to the task.

  Now Jade directed Gabe to lie down on the bed. His erection shot up proudly, and Alex would have loved to take a taste. But this was Jade’s turn, and he found himself intrigued. He hadn’t played with himself in ages, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d brought himself off in front of an audience.

  Jade lay down flat on top of Gabe, her body extending over his, both of them lost in a kiss. This was Alex’s turn to be observer. Though he felt left out at first, he savored the sight of Jade’s beautiful body pressed against Gabe’s. He took himself in hand.

  Jade broke the kiss and sat up, her thighs on either side of Alex’s hips. “Oh,” she moaned. “That feels so amazingly incredible.” Her voice sounded breathy, almost as if she were panting from a several-mile run. Gabe planted his hands on the cheeks of Jade’s ass and appeared to hold on tight.

  Seeing the two of them together excited Alex, who began to stroke the shaft and glans of his very erect dick. For a moment, he suspected the two of them had forgotten about him, but then Jade said, “Alex, no fair hiding. Move over so I can watch what you’re doing.”

  Alex moved so he was standing eye to eye with Jade over the top of Gabe’s head. Though he hadn’t had to resort to pleasuring himself in a donkey’s age, now he experienced a certain delicious thrill at the feel of his fingers on himself. Of course, seeing Jade and Gabe make love fed his arousal. But so did the feel of his hand on himself.

  Jade, already close to coming by the time she straddled Gabe, did not take very long to progress from big careful rotations with her hips to more frenzied and driven riding. Soon she was humping Gabe like there was no tomorrow, whooping and panting, calling his name. She reached behind herself to take hold of Gabe’s balls, which set him to groaning her name, over and over.

  Alex tried to pace himself with the two others, but he suspected he was even more aroused than they were. Ostensibly they were in this to bring Jade to release, but both he and Gabe were getting off at least as significantly. Oh, well, no sense trying to keep a scorecard of who was coming the most or the fastest.

  In moments, Jade howled out her release. Gabe and Alex quickly followed her lead. Jade stretched out next to Gabe, and the two hugged. Feeling left out again, Alex climbed into the bed with them. This time, there was no question that they—both Gabe and Jade—welcomed him with open arms and legs.

  Chapter Ten

  Drunk with lovemaking and pleasure, they nonetheless eventually managed to get out of bed. Showering and dressing were further accomplishments they somehow managed to complete.

  Over mugs of strong coffee and a fruit-and-nut-studded pastry bread, they at first sat in companionable silence. Feeling a lot as if he’d wandered into a mythological Lotus land, Gabe had resolved that today he and Jade would pull themselves away and return to so-called civilization and their lives. He realized in his heart of hearts that bidding farewell to Alex Rapsos and the Isle of Manikis would not be trivial. Actually, he’d never forget this interlude. But he couldn’t afford to tarry forever. He still had his dreams, the dreams he shared with Jade. Staying here would not bring them any closer to seeing their dreams come true. In fact, the delay hurt them and endangered their future.

  Rapsos kept mouthing off about sharing their dreams, about having a vision of how to help them achieve the as yet elusive success they hungered for. The prophecy of the Tarot card. Ha. When pressed to provide concrete details, Rapsos kept putting them off, spouting generalities. Gabe suspected Alex was leading them into smoke-and-mirror territory. For Gabe and Jade to achieve what they longed to, they’d have to continue as they started—relying on hard work and discipline.

  Now came the really difficult part—convincing Jade it really was past time for them to leave and acting quickly once she agreed. “Rapsos, it’s been an experience neither of us will ever forget. But we really have to leave and go back to New York. We were on deadline before we came. We’ve both made a solemn vow to each other that we’d never miss a deadline. I don’t want to set a destructive precedent.”

  Jade started to say something, then shook her head, pouted and drank more of the strong brew.

  “But I haven’t yet told you my vision, and I cannot leave with you right now. Surely you can stay longer and work here.” Alex looked less than confident, which made Gabe feel even more resolute.

  “We don’t have that much left to do before our deadline.” Jade frowned at Gabe, and he hated being the one to intrude on her earlier joy.

  But someone had to get them moving along. And it was totally uncharacteristic for Jade to be so relaxed about any looming deadline. If anything, she was the one who harped on him toeing the line. Later, much later, he’d question her about this. Now he focused on getting them away. “Come on, Jade, Rapsos. You both have to realize there are too many distractions here. From the start, I’ve been skeptical about your taking any role in our writing, Rapsos. My opinion hasn’t changed, even though I’ve changed my mind about other matters.”

  Just then Demetrios burst in on them. Great. As far as Gabe was concerned, Demetrios made Rapsos look like the good knight in a medieval fantasy.

  “That’s right, Alex,” Demetrios purred, his voice sounding oily. “It’s time you let these good people recuperate from their diversion here. We also have a schedule to consider. I hope you haven’t forgotten?”

  “Demetrios, what a delight to see you this morning.” Rapsos looked around questioningly. “What? No hurricane? Maybe a blizzard or two for us?”

  The other man threw back his head and laughed rather theatrically. “Your sense of humor was always what I enjoyed most about you.”

  “Really?” Rapsos had a brow cocked.

  Demetrios laughed even harder. Gabe glanced at Jade. Obviously they were in the presence of two men enjoying a private joke.

  Rapsos scowled. “If you both would excuse me, I need to discuss something with Demetrios. I don’t want to bore either of you with the details.”

  In light of Jade’s extreme curiosity, Gabe knew Rapsos’ attempts at keeping his talk with Demetrios secret only raised her interest. Gabe nodded his acquiescence. It wasn’t like he could stop the two other men from their particular form of communication.

  Alex could have throttled Demetrios. The other Mage’s sense of timing was increasingly intrusive. When the two of them had walked a short distance from Jade and Gabe, Alex turned on Demetrios. “What the hell do you want now? Couldn’t you sense your presence wasn’t welcome?”

  Demetrios smirked. “It would appear my social sense is not operating at its usual high level. But, Alex, don’t lose sight of the fact that I have completed my mission. The ritual needs to take place by tonight or we’ll have to postpone for another month. I’m not willing to wait.”

  “You know I haven’t completed my mission yet,” Alex ground out.

  Demetrios shrugged. “I begin to doubt whether you ever will. Perhaps, Alex, you’re not meant to be a full mage after all. Perhaps playing with weather and teleporting is as far as your powers will ever go.”

  Alex felt something hard clench in his stomach as he listened to the other man’s brutal words. After all his dedication and training, would he really be forced to leave the initiation process at this late stage? Why hadn’t he, after all, been able to convince Gabe and Jade to partner with him in his writing and his message—the message of the Dionysian Oracle Mages—the primacy of pleasure over every other value?

  “You know I’m dedicated to becoming a full Mage.” Even as he said the words, Alex questioned their veracity. He felt like he was in a pissing contest with Demetrios over who was the best candidate for Mage.
Bloody hell, he hadn’t allowed himself to get caught up in pissing contests since high school.

  Demetrios shrugged. “I’m not willing to postpone the final ritual, Alex. Not even for you. Put up or shut up. Get them to commit or else tell the elders you’ve failed and withdraw from being part of the ritual this time. The choice is yours.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

  Alex took a deep breath. There it was, in black and white. He’d been sent to Jade and Gabe on the wings of the Tarot prophecy, to help them fulfill its message. Artistic success. All they needed was to provide that underlying message in their stories— Pleasure. Of all the positive features of the universe, pleasure had primacy. And only he, a full Dionysian Oracle Mage, could help them explore and convey the intricacies of this message.

  Once he completed this mission and took his rightful place in the Order’s hierarchy, he would have enhanced powers to experience and even create new forms of pleasure. His would dedicate his entire being—body and soul—to its pursuit.

  This had been his single-minded goal for ages. Why then, so close to its achievement, was he dragging to complete what left undone?

  * * * * *

  Jade probably would have held out against Gabe’s exhortations for them to leave if Alex hadn’t started acting so strangely and secretively. But now she was starting to share Gabe’s sense of something being off about Alex. Something besides what seemed like strange abilities and his creepy friend Demetrios.

  Despite how insufferable Gabe would be once she agreed to his misgivings and they got home, she was ready to leave. She was also ready to admit that whatever Alex promised was probably not worth all the time and energy they’d given him. With a pang of nostalgia, she remembered the flight of fantasy being intimate with him and Gabe had turned into for her. It was an interlude she and Gabe had shared, so neither could ever hold it against the other. It had been quite wonderful, maybe too wonderful to last.