Triple Booked

by Mardi Ballou

  “I’ll just find out exactly what we need to do to get off this island to an airport—” Gabe started.

  “No need for that.” Alex had returned to them so silently Jade almost jumped when she heard his voice.

  When Jade caught sight of Alex, who looked dejected, her heart did a funny little jig. Goddess, he was so hot. But there was more about him than that— Much as she adored Gabe and loved every aspect of their lives together, she’d miss Alex. The prospect of leaving him hurt so acutely, she almost felt physical pain. Surely they’d see each other again— But how?

  Gabe had his lips clenched tightly together. He shook his head. “Fine. Much as I hate to encourage you in whatever the hell it is you do, send us home.”

  “Give me just a few more minutes. You see, I’ve been showing you, but I haven’t told you my message—what we need to put in our writing to bring you the prophesied success.”

  “Our writing, Rapsos? I think not. The only our writing Jade and I are involved with is what we produce ourselves. As we’ve told you from the beginning, two’s company.”

  “And three’s a ménage,” Alex finished. Gabe looked startled and not at all happy.

  Would these two men who meant so much to her ever be able to be together for more than two minutes without sparring—or fucking?

  “Gabe, I’ve agreed to leave with you, but I want to hear Alex’s message. Alex, I’m assuming you can tell us the short, quick version?”

  “Of course. Jade, Gabe, I’m sure you’ve sensed the unique character of the Isle of Manikis.”

  They both nodded. Alex wet his lips. “This is the home of the Order of Dionysian Oracle Mages. When I complete my mission to become your writing partner, I will also have completed the requirements for my initiation rite and be set to be admitted as a full-fledged Mage.”

  “A Mage?” Jade’s mind whirled with the possibilities and powers this word conjured up. “So that’s how you created the earthquake and brought us here?”

  Alex nodded. Gabe watched him with furrowed brows as if he couldn’t quite get his mind around what Alex was saying.

  “But you said you must complete your mission?” Gabe prompted.

  Alex sighed. “What I’m telling you is a secret. I’m not altogether sure why I’m opening myself up to you this way, but I find I can’t continue to keep you in the dark.”

  Jade felt like she couldn’t totally assimilate the enormity of what he was telling them. She figured she’d take it all in now to analyze later.

  “All right. So you’re a Dionysian Oracle Mage. What the hell is your mission?” Gabe made a face. “You guys aren’t into any weird kind of sacrifices, are you?” He cast a worried glance at Jade, whom he knew couldn’t believe Alex could be a bloodthirsty barbarian.

  Alex actually laughed. “Of course not. No. Like our patron Dionysus, members of the Order are devoted to Pleasure and believe in the Primacy of Pleasure.”

  “That’s it?” Gabe sounded disappointed.

  Jade had been expecting something a bit more dramatic, too. As she thought about the time she and Gabe had spent with Alex, she certainly could see his point. If Alex was typical of the Dionysian Oracle Mages, these guys had a genius for pleasure. She’d enjoyed getting and giving pleasure with Alex and Gabe since they’d met. But pleasure as the fundamental principle?

  Surely there was something more.

  As Gabe mentally reviewed everything new in his life since Alex’s arrival, he could hardly deny the pleasure he’d felt. But Alex kept trying to connect this to their writing. “Alex, a lot of what we’ve done together feels good, smells good, tastes delicious, looks appealing, and is amazing to touch. But what does any of it have to do with our writing and steering us to the success of our dreams?”

  “You already write about mythological figures. Now if you—with my collaboration, of course—would incorporate the Dionysian primacy of pleasure principle, your stories would take off.”

  “That’s your mission, to convince us?” Gabe asked.

  “Alex, what happens if you don’t convince us?” Jade hoped no dire consequences would come his way.

  Alex slumped. “Then I haven’t? Despite all we’ve experienced together?”

  Both Jade and Gabe shook their heads.

  Alex shrugged. “Back to the drawing board. Don’t worry. I will have another chance to complete this last step and become fully initiated another time. In a decade or so. It won’t be much fun watching Demetrios be fully initiated before me, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big setback.” He thought for a moment. “You’ve both fully savored the delights you’ve experienced with me, and they’re only the beginning of what I can provide you. Why don’t you agree with the message of the Primacy of Pleasure?”

  Jade felt almost sorry for him now. She put her arms around Alex and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Because what our books and our lives about is the Primacy of Love. Much as we enjoy all the sensuous delights, our bottom line in our lives and in our books is love.”

  Gabe nodded. “When we achieve our success, it will be with our message, not yours. When it comes to what’s meaningful, even for the gods, love trumps everything else. Even pleasure.”

  Alex looked a little green around the gills. “I don’t suppose I can shake you by telling you my way is how the Tarot prophecy is supposed to come true?”

  Jade shook her head. “I’ve been doing a little reading up on Tarot. Every prophecy, from the most dire to the most spectacular, has wiggle room.”

  “I’ll miss you both, but I can’t keep you here.”

  In moments, Jade and Gabe were back in their New York apartment, which felt somehow bereft without Alex close by.

  Gabe and Jade hugged. Despite her sadness at the parting, Jade felt glad to be home with Gabe again. She even felt happy to get back to work. After their Alex adventure, they’d both have lots to write about. Who knew? Maybe what they’d experienced with him would indeed be the key to fulfilling the Tarot prophecy.

  * * * * *

  It wasn’t just Demetrios’ triumph, his upcoming ritual to be fully admitted to the Order, that had Alex’s nose out of joint. Despite his easy access to the pleasures that had studded his life for years, despite his satisfactory meeting with Ioannis and the promise of a new mission, maybe even a ritual sooner than ten years in the future, Alex felt empty.

  Though moping seemed impossible under the brilliant sun over the Isle of Manikis, he realized he was acting like his nephew Constantine after being denied the toy of his heart at Christmas.

  Determined to figure out what was haunting him, Alex mentally reviewed every moment of his time with Jade and Gabe. He felt an actual ache in his heart when he imagined them both. He’d think about their lives, wondering what they were doing at that moment, wondering especially of they missed him at all.

  What the hell was going on with him? Why did his heartache graduate to full-fledged agony every time he remembered he’d probably never see them or be with them again?

  Love. The word embedded itself in his psyche. Jade, his beautiful, sweet Jade, touted love to him, disputing the Primacy of Pleasure. Even cynical Gabe concurred. But as a full Dionysian Oracle Mage, Alex would formally disparage love. He’d disparage any quality other than Pleasure as of lesser beauty, lesser value.

  But a little voice deep inside kept claiming he no longer felt this way.

  For the first time since he’d committed his life to the Order, Alex felt himself foundering. Though he knew initiation would open the door to powers he could only imagine, two images kept popping into his mind —Jade and Gabe versus Demetrios. These two images personified his future—his feelings with Jade and Gabe versus his feelings with Demetrios.

  Though it killed him to have to abandon the dream that had motivated him for so long, a future without Jade and Gabe hurt worse.

  Then he knew what he had to do. Formally resigning from the Order took less than an hour. Being stripped of his powers, he’d now
need to return to New York via conventional means.

  And then all he’d have to worry about was the small question—would Jade and Gabe welcome him into their lives again, this time forever?

  * * * * *

  Gabe usually let Jade handle the romance—in their lives and in their books. He figured that was a fair division. She did the romance, he did everything else. He liked it that way.

  But since they’d left the Isle of Manikis and Rapsos, everything had been off-kilter. There was a big empty spot in the middle of their lives, like the rhinoceros in a living room. It was there, but neither of them talked about it. Though she put a brave face on all she did, Jade’s eyes showed her consciousness of what they didn’t have. Gabe would have given anything, done anything, to restore the usual expression to her beautiful eyes. But he felt the same emptiness himself.

  They were working, actually getting some good writing done. Jade enthusiastically talked about the Tarot card prediction, though she glossed over the number “three” and the picture of three people. They conducted their lives, they made love. Hell, paradoxically, they were more in love than ever. Only there was always that feeling hanging over them—

  A week after they’d arrived home, they woke up earlier than usual and realized they needed to do some food shopping. “Want to go out for bagels for breakfast?” Jade asked.

  Gabe winced at the memory of meeting Rapsos over bagels. He chided himself to get over it. After all, he wasn’t about to banish bagels from his food list. Actually, he was surprised Jade would suggest this breakfast—

  “On second thought, maybe no. We can go to the diner for eggs.” Her voice trailed off.

  Before Gabe could answer that momentous question, the doorbell rang. On automatic pilot, he threw open the door—and saw Rapsos standing there. What the hell—

  And then Rapsos was hugging him. In moments, Jade joined them for a group hug.

  Then, wiping tears away—of course she would cry—Jade asked, “Alex. Why are you here? What happened? How did you get here?”

  Rapsos shrugged. “I got here the usual way. Via airplane. I’m no longer a Mage. Just an ordinary writer who couldn’t stand to be away from you.”

  “Oh, Alex.” Jade hugged Rapsos again and planted a big fat kiss on his lips. Gabe wondered when the hell they’d come up for air. Rather than get frustrated watching, he joined in.

  “How long are you going to stay in New York?” Jade asked.

  Rapsos smiled at both of them. “That depends on how long you’re staying here. And, if you’ll let me join you even though there’s no magic.”

  Jade looked at Gabe and nodded. Gabe liked that he could pretend to keep his distance and let Jade do the work here. Most of all, he liked—make that loved—that Rapsos was back with them, where he belonged.

  “With you around, there’s always magic,” Jade crooned.

  Gabe couldn’t believe she’d been that cornball. On second hand, he could.

  “You okay with me being here, Gabe?” Rapsos looked at him.

  “Yeah, sure.” So inside Gabe was doing jumping jacks. No one had to know that.

  “But what happened?” Jade asked.

  “Long story. Suffice it to say, you were right. Love trumps pleasure every time.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Gabe said. “I think they go together just great.”

  Epilogue

  Suntanned, wind-blown. Jade had always associated those words from Cole Porter’s song “True Love” with idyllic trips on yachts. Sailing with Gabe and Alex aboard their very own yacht, the Three of Pentacles, felt like the promise of the song come true.

  Hip to hip, arm in arm, Gabe and Alex were watching the sun set over the Pacific. Jade debated with herself whether to just stand and feast her eyes on the sight of her two hot hunks or to join them. But she never could sneak up on Alex. He turned and invited her to take her place at the rail between him and Gabe.

  The three of them stood cocooned in companionable silence until the sun had almost disappeared from view.

  “Do we really have to go ashore tomorrow?” Gabe asked.

  Jade rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah. Corelli, I’m not about to miss my first Oscar ceremony—even to accommodate your wanderlust or your growing antisocial tendencies.”

  Gabe snorted. “I said it’s okay for us to go to your castle in Wales next. Heck, Jade, for you I’m willing to suck it up and deal with bad weather and drafty rooms.”

  “Oh, yeah? Considering how much time we’ve spent traipsing through Italy and Greece, I’m not going to put up with your grousing about some time in my gorgeous medieval castle in Wales. But don’t change the subject. I’ve always dreamt of being at the Oscars. Having our screenplay of our book up for top honors is rich dark chocolate icing on that cake.”

  Alex watched them both with his usual sardonic expression. “Of course we’ll go to the Oscars. It’s a great publicity and lots of great parties after.”

  “It’s not like we’re gonna win,” Gabe grumped.

  Both Jade and Alex glared at him. “No negative thinking,” Jade reminded him.

  “I’d still prefer to be the silent, mysterious writers. Talk about publicity, that pose has worked amazingly well. ‘The reclusive authors of the number one bestselling novels have now taken Hollywood by storm.’” He kept dragging out that quote and repeating the words as if he didn’t quite believe them.

  Jade suspected Gabe would never completely give up his pessimistic view of life in general of their success in particular—warnings about hubris and all that. Exasperating as he could be, she still loved him—even when he trod on her last little nerve.

  Alex shook his head. “I think Gabe just doesn’t want to wear his tux.”

  “There is that,” Gabe agreed. The mood lightened.

  “Well, after days on board where we’re all in jeans, it’ll feel good to dress up.” Jade couldn’t wait to don her vintage Givenchy. Talk about dreams coming true.

  “It’s all solid, my friends,” Alex reminded them. “The Three of Pentacles, homes in all our ancestral places plus New York, Paris and San Francisco, and more than enough funds to travel first-class the rest of our lives. Gabe, you no longer have to keep careful vigil. We’re secure in the present and the future looks great. Just as the Tarot card predicted.”

  Gabe narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. Jade knew he was moments away from muttering his Italian grandmother’s anti-Evil-Eye imprecation. She locked eyes with Alex and they moved in unison. While she kissed away Gabe’s forming words, Alex nuzzled him from behind.

  Fortunately, Gabe remained distractible.

  When they broke apart, Jade murmured, “I do have a celebration dinner waiting below deck.”

  “Sounds great. But first, I know the perfect appetizer,” Alex growled. Judging by the erections both men sported, Jade knew exactly what he had in mind.

  By the time the sun disappeared in the west, Jade, Gabe and Alex were rocking the Three of Pentacles with their very own erotic celebration.

  About the Author

  Exploring the erotic side of romance keeps Mardi Ballou chained to her computer—and inspires some amazing research. Mardi’s a Jersey girl, now living in Northern California with her hero husband—the love of her life—who’s also her tech maven and first reader. Her days and nights are filled with books to read and write, chocolate, and the pursuit of romantic dreams. A Scorpio by birth and temperament, Mardi believes in living life with Passion, Intensity, and Lots of Laughs (this last from her moon in Sagittarius). Published in different genres under different names, Mardi is thrilled to be part of the Ellora’s Cave Team Romantica.

  Mardi welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

  Tell Us What You Think

  We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at Comments@EllorasCave.com.

  Also by Mardi Ballou

  Down and Dirty
anthology

  Nibbles ‘n’ Bits anthology

  Pantasia 1:Hook, Wine and Tinker

  Pantasia 2: For Pete’s Sake

  Pantasia 3: Forever On the Isle of Never

  Photo Finish

  Reunions Dangereuses

  Tingle Bells

  Young Vampires in France

  Young Vampires In Love

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

  www.ellorascave.com