by Marla Monroe
“Why not? They both like you. I didn’t think you cared what people thought about you. I certainly wouldn’t think any less of you,” Jean assured her.
“I don’t know about a ménage relationship, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with dating more than one guy,” Denise said.
“We’d better get back before the guys send a search party out,” Jean said.
They left the bathroom and maneuvered around through the crowd back to their table. Roy was noticeably absent.
“Where did Roy go?” she asked as she took her seat.
“To get a round of beer,” Davis said.
“Well, while he’s gone we should ask the guys what they think about it,” Jean said.
“No way, Jean,” Cynthia protested.
“What are you talking about?” Andrew asked.
“Cynthia’s gone out with Roy’s best friend once already, but she’s reluctant to keep dating both of them even though they know about each other dating her. She is worried that they will end up resenting each other. I think she should see them both, maybe even get into a ménage relationship with them,” Jean said.
“I can’t believe you just told them that.” Cynthia looked down, certain by the burning in her cheeks that she was blushing.
“What do you guys think?” Jean asked the two men.
“Um, well, sharing can be fun as a one off, but I honestly don’t think I could share someone I was serious enough to contemplate a relationship with. What about you, Davis?” Andrew asked the other man.
“I’m with you. Of course my ideal ménage is with two women.” He waggled his eyebrows toward Denise and Jean.
Jean scoffed, “Naturally. Dream on, lover boy.”
They all laughed while Cynthia tried to get her emotions under control. As much as she didn’t think the idea wouldn’t work, she had to admit it intrigued her. But wouldn’t that just increase the chances of the two men becoming even more jealous? Not only that, but here she was thinking that either man would end up serious enough about her that it would even be an issue. The longer she sat there waiting for Roy to return, the more nervous she become. It seemed she was doomed when it came to men.
* * * *
Roy waited at the bar for the three beers, his thoughts wandering. He liked Cynthia more than was good for him. He’d started out planning to make this a one-time date to follow through with Aden’s revelation to Cynthia that they both liked her. Now he wasn’t sure he could walk away. She was smart, fun, and sexy as hell. Then there was the suggestion Aden had made that they share time with her, sort of a ménage relationship without the shared sex aspect of it. It had fueled his imagination of all sorts of possibilities. Possibilities that he was sure wouldn’t work.
The bartender slid the three bottles across to him. After paying, Aden headed for their table, the crowd making it more difficult carrying the three beers than he had expected. The girls were back when he arrived and handed the other men theirs. He took a drink of his then asked the women what they wanted to drink.
“Nothing for me,” Cynthia told him.
Jean and Denise both decided on a microbrew common to the area. Roy looked at Cynthia, noticing her cheeks were a little rosy in color. He wondered if something was wrong.
“You sure you don’t want something?” he asked. “Maybe a coke or water?”
“I’m fine. No thanks.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"Okay, I’ll be right back,” he told her, giving her hand a light squeeze.
Roy worried about her the entire time he was gone. Once he’d returned, she seemed a bit more relaxed again. That led him to believe someone at the table had caused the uneasiness he’d sensed about her. What the hell would they have said to her to cause it?
“Cynthia said you’re working out at the Dempsey Farm. How do you like it?” Andrew asked.
“Love it. Mostly I like working on the machinery and some of the maintenance work. Aden handles the actual care of the trees and such. I don’t know much about it yet,” he told him.
“They're known for the quality of their fruit. I know some of the Amish prefer to get their fruit from there if they don’t produce it themselves,” he said.
Roy nodded. “What do you do?”
“Davis and I are actually firemen,” he said.
“Now that’s a tough job. Dangerous and stressful,” Roy said with a nod.
“Did you and Aden just get out of the army?” Davis asked.
“Yeah,” he studied his beer bottle. “We don’t really talk about it.”
Both Davis and Andrew nodded. Roy was glad they weren’t pushy. He figured Nick wouldn’t be so understanding. He seemed the type to be pushy from the way he’d badgered Cynthia earlier. He had an instant dislike of the man from the start. It was a good thing he’d gotten pissed off and left because much more and Roy might have lost his temper. That didn’t happen often, but he wouldn’t stand for anyone to treat Cynthia that way.
Fuck. He was already hooked on her. What the hell was he going to do? Aden sure was as well. He didn’t want to back off, not only because it was the first time in a very long time that his friend had shown any interest in much of anything, but also because he wanted her as well. He thought that just maybe she was the one for him.
They hung around with the others for several more hours until Roy noticed that Cynthia seemed to be getting tired. He had forgotten that she had worked all day as well. He had no idea what time she started in the mornings.
“Ready to call it a night?” he asked her.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I’m a little tired,” she confessed.
“No problem. You worked all day. I’m just sorry I didn’t notice sooner that you were getting that way.”
She smiled at him, and this time it actually reached her eyes. The way they sparkled made him feel ten feet tall knowing he’d put it there. That reinforced the fact that he was totally smitten.
They said their goodnights, and then Roy helped her up and led her through the still-crowded bar out to his truck. After helping her up, he walked around and climbed into the cab, hating that he was about to say goodnight to her.
“Thanks for the meal and humoring me about going to Hogg’s. I hope you didn’t make plans for something else,” she told him.
“Nothing that was special. I was happy to go and meet your friends. They’re really nice people.” He looked over at her and smiled. “I’m glad you had a good time.”
He reached over and took her hand lightly in his and kept it there while he drove back to her shop. He knew from Aden that she parked in the back. His friend had warned him not to leave until she’d gotten in her car and pulled out, like he would have done that anyway.
She waited for him to open her door before she got out. When he helped her down, Roy couldn’t stop himself from holding her close for a few seconds. Then he lifted her chin and gently kissed her. When he pulled away, he could tell that she hadn’t minded one bit. As much as he wanted to go back for more, Roy wasn’t about to push things.
“Thanks for letting me take you out, Cynthia. I really enjoyed your company. Don’t suppose you’d give me your number, would you?” he asked.
She smiled and ducked her head. When she looked back up and nodded, Roy wanted to whoop for joy. It gave him some hope that she wasn’t going to refuse to go out again. He pulled out his phone and programed her cell number and the one to her shop into his phone. He hesitated to ask but figured he needed to.
“Um, do you mind if I give it to Aden as well?”
She smiled with a surprised expression. “No, that would be okay.”
“Let me see your phone. I’ll program our numbers in yours.”
She fished in her purse and handed her phone to him. “I already have Aden’s number.”
“Good.” He handed it back to her and walked her over to her car. “Be careful driving home.”
She nodded before he closed her door. He watched as she strapped in, then start
ed the SUV, and pulled out of the back parking lot. He didn’t move right away. Just stood there thinking. Finally, he got back in the truck and headed home. He had no doubt that Aden would be waiting to hear how things went. He wasn’t sure what to tell him. Anything he said might give his friend false hope now that he realized he didn’t think he could let Cynthia go.
Chapter Seven
Aden heard Roy’s truck drive up. He checked his watch. It was only a little after eleven. Was that good or bad? Had they hit it off, and how did he really feel about it if they did? Right then, his emotions were all over the place. On one hand, he wished that Roy decided that he wasn’t really all that into Cynthia, but on the other hand, he had sort of gotten attached to the idea of sharing her.
The stomp of Roy’s boots as he mounted the steps and crossed the porch had Aden scrambling back to the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot. They needed to talk. He only hoped Roy would be interested in sharing his feelings.
The door opened and shut softly as if the other man thought Aden might actually have gone to bed. Surely he knew better than that. He walked into the living room to find Roy standing in front of the rack where they hung their hats and coats just staring off into space. He’d taken his hat off, but he hadn’t moved.
“You’re home early,” Aden said.
Roy turned around and shrugged. “She got tired early. I think she actually had gotten tired earlier than this but hadn’t wanted to say anything.”
“Where did you end up taking her?”
“Her friends had asked us to join them at Hogg’s. She asked if I was interested, so of course that’s where we went. Her friends are pretty cool. Well, there was one that I didn’t particularly care for. Name of Nick. He made a nuisance of himself, but he got pissed off and left,” Roy told him.
“What about Cynthia? Did you guys hit it off?” Aden asked, trying to make it sound casual.
“Yeah, I think we did. At least I know I liked her. She’s great.” Roy didn’t look at Aden.
“I made coffee when I heard you drive up. It should be ready by now.”
“Sounds good.” Roy followed him into the kitchen.
Aden poured them both a cup, and the two men sat across from each other at the table. His friend looked conflicted. He hated that but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he waited Roy out, letting the other man start the conversation. After a while, his friend sighed and spoke.
“I don’t know what to do, Aden. I really like her. I want to get to know her, see where it takes us.”
“I know how you feel, man. I like her, too. Have you thought anymore about what I said about sharing her?” Aden asked.
“Aw, hell, Aden. That idea scares me. I’m not sure I can handle that. I know we’ve shared a woman in the past, but this isn’t the same thing. She matters,” Roy said, looking up from staring down into his coffee.
“I get that, but if we both want her, we don’t have a chance with her unless we consider it. She’s going to refuse to date us both if we don’t convince her that we want to do this. Individually, she’ll refuse. She’s basically already said that.”
“Yeah, I got that, too. If the only way to see her is to share her, I guess I’m willing to try.” Roy looked up once again. “I can’t promise anything. I don’t want this to screw up our friendship, Aden.”
“Neither do I. But she’s worth taking the chance, and I don’t think either one of us is going to be happy if we don’t see where it will take us.”
Aden watched Roy sip his coffee. He couldn’t tell what the other man was thinking by the expression on his face. He had always been good about covering his thoughts. Most of the time, Roy was an open book, carefree and easy to get along with. He’d handled the last two years of their deployment much better than Aden had. He still had nightmares many nights. It got to him.
“What do we do next? We know she isn’t going to agree to going out with us again. How do we convince her?” Roy finally asked.
“We present a united front and go see her at the shop Tuesday or Wednesday. Even if I had her number, I don’t think a phone call will cut it.”
“Oh, I got her phone number. I asked if she minded if I shared them with you, and she was fine with that.” Roy gave Aden the numbers so he could program them into his phone.
“Thanks. Why don’t you text her and be sure she got home all right,” Aden said.
Roy nodded and sent Cynthia a message. Aden hoped she would check her phone and answer Roy back. He really worried about her driving home at night alone. Excessive worry about things like that had followed him back from Afghanistan, along with the nightmares and a general bad attitude. It occurred to him that since he’d met Cynthia he hadn’t felt quite as uncomfortable as he had before. Another reason he was almost a hundred percent sure she was the one for him.
They drank their coffee in silence until Roy’s phone beeped. He checked it and smiled before he texted back.
“She made it home safe and said thank you for checking on her. I told her to sleep well,” Roy told him.
“Good. I wonder where she lives. Did you find out?” Aden asked.
“No. I didn’t ask. We should ask the next time we see her.”
“What was she wearing tonight?” he asked, unable to help himself.
Roy smiled and described her outfit. “Wish I knew what she was wearing underneath.”
“Yeah. She seems to like nice underthings,” Aden said.
“And heels. I like that she wears them. They really make her legs look a mile long.”
“Imagining what they would feel like against your ass while you fucked her?” Aden asked with a smile.
Roy frowned. Aden half expected him to jump on him for being so crude, but instead he slowly nodded.
“Can’t help but think about exploring all those curves. She’s sexy as hell.” Roy stood up after draining the rest of his coffee. “I’m going on to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Aden nodded but continued to sit with his hands wrapped around the mug. His thoughts jumped around from how he felt about Cynthia to what it would feel like to make love with her alone and with her between him and Roy. To his surprise, both images circling in his head turned him on. After a few more minutes, he, too, headed to bed. Visions of Cynthia in various sexy outfits from her shop followed him into the shower, and then to bed. He hoped he dreamed about her and not the past. It would be a hell of a lot nicer, hands down. Anything to do with Cynthia had to be awesome. She was amazing.
* * * *
All the way home, Cynthia argued with herself about what to do. Should she date them both for a while or choose one of them? Should she say no to both of them and stay away from the heartache she was sure would be the inevitable outcome? Every time she thought about not seeing them, either of them, she felt almost ill. They’d somehow managed to sneak a hand hold on her emotions, if not her heart, and after only one date.
She pulled into her drive and cut the engine with a sigh. Dropping her head to the steering wheel, Cynthia tried to put it all from her mind. A sudden knock on her window made her jump with a startled yelp. Right outside of the car stood Nick, a serious expression on his face. She looked around but didn’t see his truck anywhere. The pained expression on his face worried her. She couldn’t imagine what was wrong, but hoped there wasn’t anything serious wrong.
It never occurred to her to worry about why he was at her place, so she opened the door and got out of the car, dragging her purse with her. Nick was one of her good friends. They all met for lunch or dinner every week. He was the most jovial and friendly man she knew. To see him standing there looking so serious worried her. Something was wrong, and she wanted to help him if she could.
“Hey, Nick. Where’s your truck?” she asked.
“I wanted to talk to you. Can I come in with you?” he asked.
“Sure. Let me unlock the door.” Cynthia walked up on the porch and quickly unlocked the door.
Stepping inside, she dropped her
purse on the couch and started in the direction of the kitchen. “How about some coffee, Nick?”
“Uh, yeah. That would good.”
He followed her into the kitchen, and Cynthia nodded to the bar stools. “Have a seat. It won’t take long for the coffee to make.”
He pulled out one of the stools and sat down, watching as she quickly set up the coffee pot. When she looked up, it was to see an odd expression on his face. What was going on with him? First he’d been rude at Hogg’s, and now he had showed up at her house looking serious. Nick had never acted serious a day since she’d known him.
She poured them each a cup and handed one to him before leaning on the bar and taking a sip of her own.
“What did you want to talk about, Nick?” she asked.
“Are you serious about that Ronnie guy?”
“His name is Roy. What’s going on, Nick? Why do you want to know?”
“Because it’s always been me and you. Anytime we all go out together, you and I always ended up together, danced with each other. He’s new here, and we don’t know a thing about him.” Nick folded his arms, looking aggravated and almost belligerent.
Cynthia took another sip of her coffee, trying to figure out what to say. She’d never given Nick any reason to think that she liked him in a romantic kind of way. In fact, she’d always thought they were just good friends. He’d never indicated that he was interested in her in that way. Why now? What had set him off?
“Nick, I just met the man. He asked me out, and I said yes. I’ve dated guys in the past. Why are you so upset this time? I thought we were friends.” Cynthia tried to keep her voice casual. Something was going on with him.
“You haven’t dated since we started seeing each other. You look at him as if you’re in love or something,” Nick accused with a sour expression on his face.
“Nick, we haven’t been seeing each other. You’ve never asked me out, so I don’t think of it as seeing each other. We all eat together and have fun as a group. There’s no us to it.”
“So how do you feel about him?” Nick asked.