by Rena Marks
“I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone. Is it someone I know?” Kelly asked.
“Well, it’s Beau Piersen.”
There was a roar behind her and a red-faced Mike appeared.
“You’ve been seeing Beau? My Beau?” Mike shrieked.
Sara felt her face redden. “He’s not yours, Mike,” she said, her voice low, trying to quiet him. It didn’t work. He was such a drama queen.
“You knew how I felt about him! And now just to piss him off by cheating on him with that other guy,” he yelled. He stomped toward her, as close as physically possible without touching and because he was taller, he peered down at her.
Intimidation.
By a gay man.
“Guess what, Mike? I have a vagina. That’s what Beau wants and you don’t have it, so back off.” She punctuated her words with a shove against his bony, underdeveloped chest and he took an involuntary step backward.
Thankfully, it was during the slow time before the dinnertime customers arrived, because the constant babble of voices was steadily rising in volume.
“You can’t move in on his territory,” Louise from the cleaning crew yelled.
“Just ‘cause he said Beau was his doesn’t mean he is,” someone else yelled back.
“Is everyone here forgetting the fact that Beau’s not gay?” Sara asked and the room exploded.
The steady roar of voices was ear-splitting and too much to catch all at once.
Thankfully, the calming force of Mrs. Alizo entered the room. “What is going on here?” she snapped. “Back to work, all of you.”
The room cleared until only Sara and Mike remained.
“Is this over Mr. Pierson?” Mrs. Alizo asked, her formal tone reminding them both that Beau was a customer.
“That tramp stole him from me!” Mike whined, his voice high-pitched.
“He was never yours to steal,” Sara reminded calmly.
“While I don’t approve of an employee dating a customer, especially one of my biggest accounts,” Mrs. Alizo said with a glare toward Sara, “I must agree. Mr. Pierson is a grown man able to make his own decisions and obviously he chose. Now, I’m going to offer you both the rest of the day off, so you can go home and cool down. I expect you both to return for your next scheduled shift and I expect professionalism at all times.” Her voice rose with the last sentence and this time she glared at Mike.
Mike stormed off and Mrs. Alizo turned to Sara. Her face had gentled somewhat as she took in Sara’s pale skin and her trembling hands. She could afford to be gentler now that Mike was gone.
“Relax, my dear. It’ll be fine. Enjoy the rest of your day while you have it.”
“Thanks,” Sara said automatically and went to retrieve her purse.
This had turned into a crappy day. Tension with the guys, a fight with Mike at work, maybe she could just relax in the tub.
And if those damn guys hadn’t been fighting with each other, she could have called one of them up to spend the rest of the day with her. Instead, her extracurricular activities were over.
Sara arrived home to a ringing telephone which delivered its last ring as she unlocked the door. She kicked off her shoes and went over to the old-fashioned, box-caller ID.
Twenty-five numbers were stored. As she flipped through them, she saw that there were actually two callers.
Beau and Aric.
Over and over, even as she checked, the phone rang yet again.
The answering machine wouldn’t pick up. The green light that usually blipped on it was steady, indicating it was full. It took at least an hour’s worth of messages to fill it.
She sighed and decided to leave it alone for now. Then she reached out and unplugged the phone from the wall, stilling its constant ringing.
Pouring herself a glass of wine, she headed into the bathroom, where she lit candles around the tub. Then she dimmed the lights and slowly undressed.
She peered at herself in the mirror. High, firm breasts perfectly rounded, with pink nipples. Nipples that poked hard as pebbles while she watched. Francesca was right, she did have beautiful breasts. Long legs, curvy hips. A waist that dipped into an hourglass shape. Flat belly and a narrow strip of red hair she kept waxed for convenience.
Stepping into the tub, she sank into the fragrant steam, feeling her muscles almost immediately relax and loosen. She polished off her wine, feeling slightly dizzy from the combination of alcohol and the heat of her tub.
The bathroom door burst open to reveal both Beau and Aric.
“You are not answering your phone,” Aric accused.
At the same time, Beau said, “I was worried about you, dammit.”
“Tell me you guys didn’t break my front door,” Sara said, in an uncaring tone of voice.
“You left it unlocked.”
Sara sighed. It was very possible. She’d been frazzled when she got home. “Do you two think you can play nice and wait in the bedroom for me? The bathroom’s a little crowded.”
Neither man answered, both aware finally that she lay naked in a tub of clear water.
“Or would you rather I just got out now with you both watching?”
“No. We’ll wait for you,” Aric said and Sara knew he didn’t want her getting out of the tub with Beau watching.
The bathroom seemed larger when they left. She drained the tub and left her hair curling in a carefree knot on the top of her head. She slipped into a bathrobe, naked underneath and followed them into the bedroom, where one sat stiffly on her bed and the other sat in her vanity chair.
She’d deliberately tied her robe loosely and the two folds parted, nearly but not quite exposing her breasts.
Twin sets of pale eyes followed the exposure. One pair blue, the other green.
“So tell me,” Sara said. “What is so damned important that neither of you could wait until my bath was done?”
Beau started. “I’m your mate, Sara—”
And Aric’s eyes flashed fire. “You were meant to be with me throughout eternity.”
Both men were suddenly quiet. Aric looked like he regretted his outburst, as though there was something he didn’t want her to know.
“Explain,” Sara said curtly. “Ever since I’ve known you two, I’ve heard cryptic little sentences here and there. Eternity. Mate.”
“You were my wife once,” Aric said.
“What?”
“My wife,” he reiterated.
Beau growled, “But my mate.”
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Sara asked, bewildered.
“Another lifetime. Yours,” said Beau slowly. “Aric and I are immortal. You refused to be turned werewolf to share my immortality. We met Aric, who was to turn you vampire instead. The bastard stole you from me.”
“She wanted me. Forever. It was why she insisted on marriage.”
Oh God. Her heart beat frantically, about to jump from her chest. They were insane and they were in her apartment. One believed he was a vampire and one thought he was werewolf. They’d slept with her and even now, she wanted to jump them again.
Sara took a step toward the door of the bedroom on her shaky legs. Neither man noticed, they were too busy arguing about past lifetimes and Sara being scared out of her wits.
She bolted. Out the bedroom door she flew, narrowly missing hitting her shoulder on the doorjamb. Turning into the hallway, she ran for the front door, catching her thigh on a side table.
Still she ran and had just reached the doorknob when she was caught from behind.
Falling to the floor, she was tackled in a mess of arms and legs, panting and fighting. Kicking and screaming, until a large hand clamped over her mouth to keep her quiet.
“Hold still, Sara,” growled Beau, from beneath her.
“Stop fighting us,” whispered Aric and the message got into her confused brain somehow. She stilled, her body frozen in calm shock.
“You bastard,” muttered Beau. “You’ve had her blood.”
; “Her blood remembers me from centuries ago,” Aric said. “Don’t lose her again.”
She was picked up bodily by Aric and she heard the click as the front door was locked behind them. They made their way back to the bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed, where she came out of her trance.
Her robe had parted, exposing a full breast tipped with a tantalizing puckered nipple, hard and tingling from her trance.
Lust exploded in Aric and his fangs distended. Sara stared in disbelief. They weren’t crazy. She was.
“Cover yourself, Sara,” Beau said harshly.
She moved to close the robe, but one word from Aric stopped her.
“No.” His voice was carefully definitive as if he took extra care because words seemed difficult with the fangs distended.
She froze and watched him. The fangs were sexy, California bright and his pale eyes blazed. Reaching out, he cupped a breast and she heard Beau as he hissed behind her.
She moaned, closing her eyes and basking in the comfort she needed right now. She leaned her forehead forward and rested it on Aric’s shoulder, letting him fondle her.
They were quiet for a few moments, the air charged with something thick and heavy.
“I’m scared,” she whispered and felt Beau at her back, lifting her hair aside to kiss her neck, comforting her also. He murmured into her ear, “We’d never hurt you. Neither of us would.” And he looked over her shoulder into Aric’s eyes.
Aric gave the tiniest nod.
Beau began to caress her back as Aric fondled her breast, his thumb rubbing erotically over her engorged nipple.
Then, from behind Beau’s hand slowly slid up the back of the robe to feel the sleek skin of her buttock beneath.
She caught her breath and looked up into Aric’s eyes.
His jaw was tight, as though he gritted his teeth. Still, he asked, “Feel good?”
“Yes,” she said and then inhaled sharply when Beau’s fingers separated her thighs and delved into her swollen labia.
She made a tiny sound of acquiesce and turned one knee upright, encouragement for more.
Aric looked down at her spread legs and watched the darker skin of Beau’s fingers coming up around her, rubbing against the red hair.
Sara caught his chin with her hand, forcing his face back up to her. “Tell me about vampires. And werewolves. We were married?”
He nodded. “I loved you then. I love you now. I have waited and searched for years, watching for you to be reborn.”
Beau let him speak, but he wouldn’t let Sara forget he was behind her. He inserted a finger into her wet sheath, pushing forward to stroke her G-spot. The sensations were incredibly erotic, pleasuring her in front of her lover.
“You were a vampire then?”
“Yes, I was to turn you. But I couldn’t. Beau had tried to turn you werewolf and your blood was flooded with the wolf virus.”
“So…I died?”
There was a pause and even Beau’s finger, buried deep inside her, stilled.
“Yes.”
Beau’s finger resumed its slow, easy stroking. He pulled it out long enough to spread her silky moisture over her clit and when she moaned, he circled over it again.
Aric bent his head, catching her nipple in his mouth.
“No blood,” Beau said sharply.
Aric’s head raised long enough to stare at Beau over her shoulder and his eyes burned with the reddish glow of a vampire. When Sara shivered, Aric closed his eyes.
When they reopened, they were normal again.
He bent his head again to her breast and teasingly tongued her nipple. It swelled and hardened and he tenderly scraped it with his teeth.
She reached out and lovingly caressed his jaw. She wasn’t aware of the love in the caress, but Aric was. She might be scared of them right now, but the love was still there underneath it all.
“Neither of us would hurt you, baby. We just want to love you, that’s all.”
“You’re not going to turn me into a wolf or a vampire?”
Each man stilled, knowing he had planned to beat the other to it.
“Because I don’t want that,” she continued on a whisper.
“Sara,” Beau murmured, his voice soft in her ear. “Don’t you want immortality? To be with us always?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Aric asked.
“If it didn’t work out so well in that other lifetime, there’s a reason why, a lesson to be learned for this lifetime. Besides, I don’t think I can choose one over the other. I’d give up daylight to be a vampire and I’d become violent to be a wolf. I was born human and I want to remain human.”
“You were born more than that, sweet,” Aric said. “You’re psychic, not just plain vanilla human.”
“Still, I’m human.” Her voice sounded a tad agitated.
“Yes,” he soothed. “Still human. Very human,” he said, his hand reaching for her nipple again.
He plucked it gently and it elongated, then he bent his head and laved it. Sara watched as his cheeks sucked rhythmically and Beau stroked his finger in and out to the same beat as Aric’s long pulls.
A lovely, heavy feeling was growing deep in her body again, closer to the surface now with all the emotional turmoil and the previous foreplay.
She was liquid inside, her nipples on fire. She felt naughty at being pleasured simultaneously, but then Beau’s finger moved faster and faster. She moaned when she was flung over the edge, quickly without defenses.
Her body stiffened, her back arched and her inner sheath tightened around Beau’s finger.
She could feel his erection pressed against her buttocks, as her breathing slowed.
Beau removed his finger and spooned her while she rested. Aric had released her breasts and his head was buried between them, letting the heaving globes act as his pillow.
“Sleep, baby,” Beau whispered into her ear. “We’ll be here when you awaken.”
“I’m not choosing,” she murmured, before she closed her eyes.
“You have to.”
She woke alone, panicking for a moment until she heard the murmuring of voices in the kitchen.
She flung an extra-large t-shirt over herself and wandered to the kitchen. She leaned in the doorway, watching her men.
Both Aric and Beau turned to look at her. The look in their eyes told her every desire they were feeling. She knew what she must look like with her red waves sleep-tousled, falling over her shoulders helter-skelter. The soft cotton shirt molded itself over her curves, outlining her stiff nipples where they poked through.
“We think you should move in with us,” Beau rasped, his eyes hot as they roamed over her body.
“You don’t live together. How would that work?” she asked wryly.
“You’ll spend time at Aric’s place, then at mine.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?” Aric asked, astonished.
“No. I just found out that you two are something I had no idea even existed. I need time to sort all through this and you guys decide between you that I’m supposed to up and move in with you? Change my whole life? I like my own apartment and I like to spend time with you two when I choose. Isn’t the real plan for the two of you to get me to choose one of you to spend the rest of my life with?”
Their silence said everything.
“What was this? A contest? Both of you would be on your best behavior while I was taking my turn at your house?” She laughed, but it wasn’t humorous. “Forget it. I told you I wouldn’t choose and I mean it.”
“Sara,” Beau began.
“I mean it, Beau. I need time and I have other issues to deal with besides this.”
“Sweet, surely you cannot want to stay here alone when you could be with us?”
“For a while, yes. It’s what I need. Time to deal with all this. Please, just give me a break and leave.”
“We’ll go for now,” Beau said. “But this isn’t over. We’re just giving you
time to rest and think about it.”
She walked them to the front door. Beau turned and grabbed her, pressing a hard kiss to her lips. The power behind his kiss forced her to step backward into the wall, until she could move back no more. He ravaged her mouth, his tongue masterfully sweeping her depths and reaching every hidden spot inside her.
He pulled away and looked deeply into her bemused face and apparently what he saw satisfied him. With a nod to Aric, he turned and left them alone.
Then Aric was in her line of vision. He’d stepped just as close to her, his broad shoulders blocking the light from the front entryway. One long, lean finger found her cheek and traced her delicate cheekbone. It trailed down to her lips, where he rubbed gently on her reddened lower lip.
“Call me if you need me?” he asked.
She nodded and watched, entranced as his head lowered to her.
His kiss was soft, so unlike Beau’s. He teased her and she opened willingly for him. His tongue stroked hers, dueling gently, before he broke away and trailed kisses down her cheek and along her jaw.
He rose back up to her mouth and he sought her more deeply this time. His forearms were up against the wall on either side of her and in her peripheral vision she saw his fists clench.
Finally, he pulled away to say, “I’ll leave while I still can.”
He was gone in a flash and Sara locked the door. Dimly, she wondered if it was the smartest move to ask them to go, or if she was cutting off her nose to spite her face.
Once she was alone, she prayed she was doing the right thing when she searched through her jewelry box for pure silver chain necklaces, hooking them together and draping it over the top of the door. While she worked, she muttered several times how she revoked all vampiric invitations to her home.
She waited a half-hour to make sure they each arrived home. Then she called Beau and Aric on a three-way connection.
“I’m taking a break to think about things,” she told them. “It’s not every day that you find out vampires and werewolves exist and that you love them.”
“How long will this break be?” Aric asked, amused.
“Yes, how long, Sara?” Beau didn’t sound so amused, she could almost feel the anger emanating from the phone, a tangible force thick and strangling. As if he somehow knew about the barrier of silver around her door, but she knew that was impossible.