“I know the breed, Jackie, and I don’t know if you’ll be firm enough for him.”
“You just watch me, Alistair Frayne. Beau will turn out just fine. And you’d better not call him such a stupid name. You’ll give him a complex.”
The consensus was, with absolutely no input from her, that the puppy was staying and that Jackie was calling him Beau. And then of course Jackie remembered that Ashley should have a say and was prepared to find another home for Beau if Ashley didn’t want him. The dynamics of this threesome would make a saint shake his head. She reassured Jackie that Beau could stay but that she wasn’t going to be involved in his care, although she knew that would be a big fat lie when it came to buying stuff for the stupid little troublemaker. A dog had been her best friend growing up, and Ashley wondered why she had waited so long to get another. Except best friends got old and died or left, and it hurt too much. But now she had far more going on in her life that she could count on, she hoped.
The kitchen was cleaned with an economy of movement, each of them seeming to work effortlessly around the other, and when it was done, they moved into the living area. Ashley quickly took the chair facing the couch so that she could see them both without playing head tennis. Jackie carefully lowered herself to one hip and arranged herself so that her bottom wasn’t pressing against anything. Ashley noticed that she left Alistair lots of room but didn’t turn her back on him as she could have. Jackie didn’t hold grudges. When she screwed up, she made amends, and if somebody else annoyed her, she told them off and then moved on. It was nice that despite the intensity of her connection to ’Stair, her attitude wasn’t any different. She’d taken her punishment and didn’t harbor any ill will. Ashley didn’t intend to remind her of it again in any event. Bozo/Beau would do that once the sore ass healed. Ashley wasn’t able to let things go quite as easily, although Jacks was teaching her, just by setting the example.
Alistair came to sit with Jackie, Beau tucked under his arm. Jackie took him and cuddled him close, and he relaxed into her. It had been a big day for him, too, and Ashley made a mental note not to let Jackie walk him around here. If his previous owner saw them and caused any trouble, Alistair would kill him. Ashley hadn’t missed his deadly skills and knew that he had pulled his blows or there would have been a corpse in the street. She waited another moment and then told them.
“I’m from a small place in Utah called Elderwood. Population two thousand on a good day. Jackie knows that my father’s kind of a religious nut and that my mother is a spineless wonder. I have two brothers and a sister who moved out as soon as they could, but they stayed and got married to folks in the area. I got to college for some education and then became a cop. But I moved here to be one.”
She paused and wondered how to continue. Alistair and Jackie were silent, waiting for her to say it all. She figured she’d give them some more history, just so ’Stair knew what she would be asking in the end. So he would know what to base his decision on. “I got out because of some good people there. Teachers, neighbors, and the local law enforcement. You would have thought my dad would have run out of energy by the time he worked his way through my sister and brothers, but he seemed to see the devil in me. Probably my red hair. It didn’t help that neither he nor my mother had red hair and no one else in the family did either. I used to fantasize about some other guy being my real dad. Somebody wonderful.
“The neighbors called the cops when they heard him beating me and ranting about the devil, and the sheriff investigated. The doctor made a case, too. Anyhow, they made him send me to school. I don’t know how they did it, but the old man backed off and sent me. My mom had homeschooled the rest of us kids. I was smart, and that helped me connect with the teachers because the other kids at school were okay but already established in their own cliques. I didn’t care. I just wanted to learn and stay out of that house. I got a scholarship because of those teachers, and some other folks put some money together for me to go away to college, giving me a start until I could find work to support myself while I attended.”
“Ashley?” Jackie’s sweet voice made her realize that she’d been lost in the memories again. “Has something happened back home?”
She laughed. “Something’s happened for sure. Not with my family. I don’t think. I don’t have contact with my parents and just a couple of times a year with my sibs. But they, the sheriff and the school people, want me to come home and run for the sheriff’s job. He’s retiring, and they figure I’d be a shoo-in. I guess it’s like my old man said. Cast your seed on fertile ground and all that stuff. I guess the old markers are being called in. I owe them.”
Neither Jackie nor ’Stair said anything for a few minutes. Ashley waited for them to process it. She had been trying to assimilate the information and everything it meant, and was no further ahead. She knew what the right thing was to do, but wondered if it meant the end of her happiness.
Finally, Jackie asked cautiously, “Do you want to go back home and be the police chief like Jace?” Trust Jackie to see that parallel.
She shrugged. “I feel like I have to go. I haven’t had a chance to consider anything more than that. I wanted to tell you first.”
“Well, if you want to go, even if you feel that you are obligated to go, I’ll go with you. But if you go, I’m going, too.”
Jackie’s answer might have made no sense to anyone else, but Ashley felt like she’d been punched in the solar plexus and a huge weight lifted off her shoulders at the same time. It must have reflected in her face because Jackie was up from the couch and hugging her in the next breath, the dog crushed between them. Ashley managed to hold back her tears.
“I couldn’t stand thinking about it, that you wouldn’t want to leave here.”
“For God’s sake, Ashley! I love you! Did you think you could leave me behind?” Jackie’s face fell, and she clutched the little dog harder. “Or did you think I wouldn’t go with you?”
“Jackie, sweetheart. I won’t say I wondered if you’d balk, but only because of what life will probably be like there for us. It’s full of people like my parents.”
“Well it can’t be so full if people rescued you from them!”
Well, there was that. Ashley somehow made room for Jackie to cuddle with her on the chair even if sitting was clearly uncomfortable for her. She looked at Alistair, who looked impassive. “’Stair?”
“I’m blown away, Ashley. Ever think that kismet is having a joke at our expense? I’m not letting Jackie go again, so I guess I’m coming, too.”
Ashley stared at him. “But the Club. You can’t just walk away from it. It’s been your livelihood!”
“I’ll find someone to run it. You know the members do most of the grunt work in order to keep it anonymous, so that part’s easy. You’ll just have to hire me as a deputy. I haven’t used weapons in awhile, but that’ll come back to me.”
“Holy shit, Alistair! You’d be more suited to the sheriff’s position! You can’t be just a deputy.”
“I’d be fine with deputy status. It’ll give me more time with Jackie. And with two of us working and running one household, she’ll be able to stay home with Bozo and the kids.”
Jackie sputtered and gaped at him. “Kids?” she asked faintly.
Ashley wrapped an arm around her. “We both want kids, Jackie. And you most of all. It sounds workable to me. But we need to think about this in a careful way. You’ll have to marry Alistair, and I’ll live with you as the spinster aunt.”
“No! That’s bullshit! We’re in a ménage, and I’m not ashamed of it. Those people in that stupid town will just have to suck it up.”
“Then I’ll be put in the unfortunate position of arresting us all, sweetheart. Definitely against the law in Utah. At least having two wives is, and I’m not real sure how that would play out—having one wife and two husbands? Nope, that’s not right.”
Jackie giggled and then sobered. “Well, it’s silly. You’ll never be able to hide it from that kind
of community, though, Ashley. I won’t be able to hide it.”
Ashley thought for awhile and then eased Jackie off her lap. “Go sit with Alistair for a bit. I need to make a phone call.”
It took about five minutes. The first three were catch-up comments, the fourth an explanation of her present relationship dynamics, and the fifth a sad withdrawal of the job opportunity. She should have known that some things never change, even when good people are involved. Bucking the system took too much effort in such a narrow-minded community. She felt a curious sense of mingled relief and disappointment. She would have made a great sheriff, but moving back home really wasn’t what she wanted. And if she ever had any doubts about Jackie and Alistair in this relationship, and where that might leave her, they were erased.
When she returned to the living room, Jackie had her head on Alistair’s lap, and he was stroking her hair. Beau was sleeping on his back beside his rescuer. All three heads lifted when she walked in, and three sets of eyes settled on her.
“I told the sheriff about us, and he withdrew the offer.” She held up her hand against Jackie’s immediate protest. “I’m good with it, Jacks. If I hadn’t been so tired from our sexual escapades the past couple of nights, I would have been clearer in my thinking.”
“But you talked it over with us first, Ashley.” Alistair’s deep voice got her immediate attention, and he reached out a hand. “Because we’re in this together. It was a big decision, and one that required all of our input. I’m honored, partner.”
Ashley let the tears come this time and hurried to sit beside him, letting him draw her head onto his shoulder, Jackie hitching over to lay her head on her lap and pat her arm. Beau watched them curiously before sighing and dropping back into doggy dreamland. They sat together for a long time before Alistair made Jackie get up and go sit in a cool tub while he and Beau checked the perimeter. Ashley turned the bed down and changed into her favorite T-shirt and panties, setting out Jackie’s nightgown. She had no idea what Alistair slept in but took the liberty of hanging up his dearth of belongings. Jackie was so going to take him shopping.
She felt her face crease into a huge smile at the adventures ahead of them. They had a house to find and agree upon, and then cope with Jackie’s renos and decorating. Alistair had better like to paint because she wasn’t going to do it all, and Jackie was a hard taskmaster. Someone was going to have to train the dog, and then there was the issue of when to have the first baby. She wondered if Alistair would mind impregnating her as well because she’d just decided that she would want to have a child and raise it with these two awesome people who wouldn’t have abandoned her no matter the pressure. She could just imagine the look on his face when she or Jackie proposed that idea. But it would all work out. She climbed into her side of the bed and let herself fall into the beckoning darkness. Life was good, but she was absolutely done like toast.
* * * *
“Are you ready, darlin’?” Jackie jumped a little at Alistair’s question. She’d been relaxing in the tub, thinking about everything Ash had revealed that evening and how he had just accepted it and been willing to leave everything behind and go with them. How had she gotten so lucky? It seemed more than she ever deserved. And he hadn’t even blinked at the idea of making a baby with her. She had spent some time fantasizing about how many children they should have and if they’d be boys or girls. There were twins on her side, and that felt a tad overwhelming.
“Sure. I’ll get out.”
He helped her stand and patted her dry. She saw where he’d hung his towel, and it made her want to cry a little. It had been a highly emotional day, and it seemed she was still feeling the effects.
“Hush, honey. Let’s get to bed.”
She let him lead her into the bedroom where Ashley was dead to the world, her face pale against the pillow, dark circles prevalent beneath her eyes, and she wanted to cry some more. Poor Ash. What a time she’d had. She picked up her nightgown and managed to smile at Alistair’s dark look. She whispered, “We usually wear something to bed, ’Stair. Don’t you?”
“I wear boxers, but I find I don’t want anything between us, Jackie. And you’ll end up replacing that little scrap of lace.”
“Well, I like wearing sexy nightwear, mister, and you can take it off when you’re so inclined, but I’ll thank you to be careful with it!” It was hard to whisper with indignation, but she managed.
He gave her another dark look but visibly acceded, stripping off his T-shirt and jeans. He looked around and laid them across the only chair. Mr. Tidy. He looked around again, and Jackie quietly asked him what he wanted.
“Ash brought my duffel in here.”
Jackie crossed to the closet and slid one half of the door open. His things hung strategically between hers and Ash’s, although the space was really cramped. She then pulled open a couple of drawers in the dresser and pointed to his socks and underwear. The look on his face was something between surprise and pleasure.
“I’m having the next house with enormous closets, ’Stair. But you live here now, so we’ll make do until then.”
She slipped into bed and curled close to Ashley, who never moved a muscle, while Alistair ran water and generally clattered around in the bathroom. When he got in beside her and flipped off the little bedside light, she could barely keep her eyes open. Her last memory was of him kissing her good night.
Chapter Ten
Alistair again woke to an empty bed, but he could hear movement in the house. He got up and used the bathroom and brushed his teeth before wandering out to see what was going on. The back door gaped open, and Ashley stood on the stoop, exhorting Beau to do his thing. When he galloped past her and into the mudroom, she stepped back inside and shut the door and locked it. Beau skidded to a stop at Alistair’s feet and tried to jump up. He gently but firmly pushed the puppy down and ordered him to sit. To his astonishment, the animal did just that.
“He’s smart. And, incredibly, he’s starting to be house trained. That asshole didn’t get to make him mean, and it’s a good thing because he’s going to be humongous. Look at the size of those feet!” Ashley leaned down to pat Beau on the head and then made her way over to the coffee after ensuring that he would remain confined in the mudroom. He whined and then appeared to accept his fate. A bowl of water and a polished plate were the only evidence of an earlier breakfast.
“Jackie’s going to have a miserable time of it at work today,” she commented with a tiny smile. “And every time she sees Beau he’ll remind her of what she did. I think between the paddling and little puppy here, she’ll stay in line or at least think twice.”
“She’d better,” Alistair said quietly, “or it won’t go as well for her.”
“Holy crap, ’Stair! What else would you do?”
He didn’t know offhand, but also didn’t want to come across as undecided, so he contented himself with a sage look and a raised eyebrow. Ash looked at him searchingly and then shrugged. “Cross that bridge if we come to it I guess. What’re your plans for today?”
“I have to be at the Club by eight. There are a couple of scenes scheduled. You might want to bring Jackie. Max is going to be claimed tonight. She probably won’t want to miss that.” Even he heard the grate in his voice.
“You’re going to have to let that go, ’Stair. Max had no idea you were interested in Jackie or he wouldn’t have been our third that night. He’s loyal to his friends, and you know it. And Jackie drank about a bottle of wine when we got home, so it wasn’t something she wants to remember, either.”
“I know, Ashley. But if say, Alysha had been invited and you were in my position…”
Ash threw up her hands. “Okay. I hear you. But it can’t be undone, so just know that it meant next to nothing. And there’s been no other man since.”
Alistair didn’t reply. He couldn’t help but occasionally think about Max fucking Jackie, and it made him nuts. He had to see the asshole at the Club because he couldn’t bar him now that the
good doctor was a member. “I guess we could talk about the areas in the city that would be conducive to raising kids.”
Ashley laughed. “She won’t have forgotten you said that, either. And I think I’d like to be a mom, too, once Jackie’s well established in the role. Alistair?”
He tried to recover quickly so she wouldn’t think he didn’t see her as an attractive woman, and was relieved to see her laughing. He tried to smile back but knew it didn’t mask his shock.
“I’m sure you and I can find a way to get it done, partner. Jackie will help us. Think of it as a sexual experiment.”
He didn’t really trust his voice, so he just nodded. He forgot all about Max in that moment. His whole world was like one of those snow globes that someone had just given a hard shake. But he had two women who cared about him, albeit in different ways, and he had equally strong, if different, feelings for them. He felt surrounded, outnumbered, but in a good way. At least Bozo was male.
He left Ashley cleaning up after the breakfast they shared. She claimed she was an abysmal cook and that was why she’d chosen Jackie, who cooked and baked like a gourmet chef if she had the chance. Alistair could only imagine Jackie’s response to that comment. He fixed them eggs and made toast, so Ash insisted on doing the dishes. He drove back to the Club using a different route. There was no point in giving that druggie another look at his truck, because the jerk obviously lived in the area. The sooner they moved, the better, and Jackie was not walking to work again, Ashley and her pistol aside. He and Ash had circled some possible listings in the newspaper, rescued from the floor of the makeshift dog pen, and made the appointments for dinner time, right after Jackie got home and before he opened the Club. Somehow they’d figured out how to work around three people’s schedules. Ashley was as organized as he was.
The Club didn’t feel much like home anymore, although he hadn’t missed Jackie’s proprietary eying of his quarters. No doubt she would have it looking as homey as their place. His only requirement would be a really big master bedroom that would accommodate a really big bed, and maybe a spanking bench. The Club would suffice for their other scenes, but sometimes spontaneity was good, too, and he knew Jackie liked the kind of spankings that led to spectacular orgasms and if she needed punishment, he didn’t want to haul her to the Club. A scratching at the door caught his attention, and he immediately checked the security cameras. Someone was trying to break the code lock. He didn’t see any overt sign of weapons on the big figure and couldn’t make out the face as it was at an angle and close to the lock. He strode to the safe behind the bar and opened it with a few quick number entries, and pulled out the little Glock. He clicked off the safety and then walked quietly to the door, easing the handle down and then yanking it open. The man spilled inside and sprawled forward before rolling and springing to his feet in a manner that instantly identified him as military. It wasn’t the asshole from yesterday. Alistair stared and lowered the weapon.
Surrounded [Running to Love 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 9