Plenty to Give [Plenty, FL 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Lara Valentine

  “Yes, you did scare us. Looks like they gave you the good stuff. You don’t appear to be in any pain whatsoever.” Meyer smirked.

  Logan smiled. “I feel great.” He turned to Sadie. “Where’s my kiss? I got one from lover, but my sexy girl didn’t kiss me.”

  Sadie was speechless, not sure how to respond to Logan’s playfulness. It wasn’t her habit to kiss her employer although she’d fantasized about it more than once. Her nights were tortured with visions of Meyer, Logan, and herself doing naughty things she’d only read about.

  Before she could answer, he reached up with his untethered arm and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her toward him with surprising strength. She lost her balance and practically landed in Logan’s lap. His lips captured hers before she could back away and his tongue demanded entry to her mouth. His hand wandered down to her bottom and he squeezed her butt cheek, much to her consternation. The kiss was short but thorough and when he released her, she was breathing hard, her heart pounding in her chest.

  She straightened and pushed her hair back from her face. “Um, well, I’m glad you’re feeling okay. You get to come home tomorrow.”

  Her voice sounded shaky and she mentally shook herself. It was just a kiss for heaven’s sake. She’d been kissed before. Plus his hand on her ass. She’d had a hand there before as well but somehow she couldn’t remember anyone before these two men.

  Logan slapped the mattress. “Awesome. Did you know I was in an accident?”

  Meyer smiled and shook his head, clearly trying not to laugh out loud. “You were? How did it happen, babe?”

  “I had to lay the bike down to avoid a car. I don’t remember anything after that. I’m okay, though.” Logan turned back to Sadie. “I was in an accident.”

  Now that the room wasn’t spinning, it was kind of cute. “I heard something about that.”

  “I’m okay, though. Someone said I can go home tomorrow.”

  Sadie bit her lip to keep from laughing. “That’s good. Can I bring you some magazines or something?”

  Logan shook his head. “Nope, I have television and my head hurts too much to read. This show is pretty bad, though.”

  Both Sadie and Meyer looked up at the television that was switched off. Meyer flicked her a questioning glance.

  “What show, babe?”

  Logan pointed to the large framed photo of a beach scene hung a few feet from the television. “I don’t know but it’s boring as hell.”

  Meyer rolled his eyes and reached for the remote, pressing a few buttons. The television sparked to life. “Watch this show instead, babe. Here, why don’t you take the remote? You can change the channel if you don’t like this show.”

  Logan watched the flickering screen intently. “This is better. Thanks, lover.” Logan yawned and his eyes drifted closed. He was snoring in moments.

  Meyer beckoned to her and they walked back into the hall. Meyer was laughing and Sadie couldn’t help but join in. Meyer laughing was a rare sight. He looked younger and almost carefree when he laughed.

  “Shit, he thought the picture was a television. I can’t wait to razz his ass about this. I wish we’d taped it.”

  “You shouldn’t tease him about it. He’s injured, and when that pain medicine wears off, he’s going to be in a lot of pain.”

  Meyer ran his fingers through his hair. “I wouldn’t tease him until he felt better. You have to admit he was pretty funny, and he would definitely give me hell about it if the positions were reversed.”

  That was true. Logan had a great sense of humor and he loved to have fun.

  “Yes, he would. Do you want me to fill that prescription now?”

  Sadie was anxious to get out of the hospital. She’d seen Logan and he was going to be all right. She could sleep easier tonight knowing he was getting the care he needed. Meyer tilted his head and regarded her steadily.

  “Are you in a hurry? I thought we could get some dinner and then bring something back to eat for Logan. We can get the prescription filled while we’re out.”

  “No,” she replied. “I’m not in a hurry. I was just trying to be helpful, that’s all.”

  Meyer’s face relaxed into an easy smile. “You are helpful. I don’t know what we would have done without you these past weeks.”

  They would have been fine. Women all over town were panting to work for them. She was much envied for her access to these two fine men.

  “I’m sure you would have managed.” Sadie stared down at her purse, twisting the handles between her fingers.

  “Sadie, look at me.” Meyer’s voice was soft and gentle. She raised her eyes and chewed on her lower lip. “Are you upset about Logan kissing you?”

  “No!” Sadie stepped back. “No, I’m not. It was the pain medication.”

  Meyer smiled and slipped his hand into hers, leading her down the hall toward the elevator. They were both such warm and kind men. “I doubt it was all the medication. You’re very attractive.”

  Sadie felt her face get warm. “I’m not his type, I’m sure,” she mumbled. Meyer was his type.

  Logan and Meyer are gay. Get over it.

  “Every man can appreciate a good-looking woman, Sadie.”

  “Thank you.” Sadie kept her eyes on her shoes as they entered the elevator and Meyer pushed the button.

  “How about the diner?”

  She nodded and breathed more easily when they stepped outside of the building. The air was fresh and the temperature mild even though it was November. Meyer walked her to her car, well, Sami’s car really. She’d borrowed it for the day.

  “Meet you there?” Sadie unlocked the door and started to get in but Meyer’s hand on her shoulder stayed her movements.

  “Are you really okay? You looked very pale in there.”

  “I’m okay. Really.” Sadie smiled. “I’m not a big fan of hospitals, that’s all.”

  Boy, is that the understatement of the year.

  “I’ll meet you at the diner.” Meyer opened the car door for her and gave her his hand as she sat in the driver’s seat. She could get used to these old-fashioned gestures of chivalry. “And Sadie? I really envy Logan.”

  She frowned. Logan was in the hospital hooked up to world-class painkillers. “Envy him? You envy that he was in an accident?”

  Meyer laughed and leaned in so he could speak into her ear. His breath was warm against her skin. “I envy that he’s kissed you. Lucky man.”

  Meyer straightened and headed for his own car at the other end of the parking lot. Sadie sat stunned for a few minutes until she shoved the key into the ignition and started the car. These men were obviously unapologetic flirts. They’d been subtle in the last few weeks but outside of the office they were more playful and open. She’d need every bit of willpower she could muster not to fall for them. A crush on her bosses would be deeply embarrassing. A crush on her gay bosses? Just pathetic.

  She drove to the diner repeating those words in her head over and over. She would be cool, calm, and immune to their charm. How hard could it be? Meyer and Logan were in love with each other and only being sweet to her because they felt sorry for her pathetic self. Even if they were truly attracted to her, which they weren’t, she had nothing left to give to them.

  She was empty.

  She of all people knew what happened when you gave and gave. People took and took, giving nothing in return. This little trip to the hospital was a huge reminder just in case she’d forgotten.

  She couldn’t face that again. She wouldn’t. One more time might just destroy her.

  * * * *

  “I’ll have the pot roast.” Meyer handed the menu to the diner waitress. “Sadie?”

  Sadie was still perusing the menu, a little crinkle between her eyebrows. She was cute when she was concentrating. Heck, she was cute all the time. She sighed.

  “I’ll have the pot roast as well. Thank you.”

  The waitress bustled away to put in their orders. The diner was busy on a Saturday nig
ht. They’d been lucky to find this booth in the corner. Meyer liked the old-fashioned feel of the restaurant. In fact, he liked the entire town of Plenty. The decision to move from LA had been a good one.

  Meyer looked closely at his assistant. She’d seemed very uncomfortable when they were visiting Logan. She’d said it was because she didn’t like hospitals but the vibe he was getting from her was far more than that. She’d been pale and quiet.

  And shocked.

  Meyer had had to hide his grin when Logan had laid one on her kissable lips. They were both attracted to Sadie but she’d been through so much they wanted to give her time to get used to them. Thanks to a buttload of painkillers, Sadie’s time appeared to be up.

  “You didn’t sound sure about the pot roast.”

  Sadie giggled. “I love their pot roast. It was just that I was reading this article when I was in Becca’s today and it was talking about how we should limit our red meat intake. It’s a good idea, but I’ll start tomorrow.”

  Meyer reached across the narrow table and picked up a strand of her pale blonde hair. “That’s what’s different. You cut your hair.”

  With everything going on, Meyer hadn’t noticed her hair was shorter, just skimming her chin. It was a riot of curls and Meyer wanted to plunge his hands in the shiny tresses. He dropped the curl and watched it spring back into place. The shorter haircut framed her delicate features and made her chocolate-brown eyes look even larger. She licked her lips and his groin tightened in response.

  Meyer loved Logan but he was falling for this pretty miss, too. Luckily, Logan felt the same way. They may have finally found the third they were looking for when they moved to Plenty.

  “Becca cut it today. It was getting shaggy.”

  Meyer hadn’t thought her hair was shaggy but he knew women had different ideas about these things. He kept his own hair short so he didn’t have to deal with it.

  “Logan’s going to need to work from home for awhile. Honestly, we both prefer working from the home office. Neither one of us really like the temporary office space we’ve rented.” Meyer sipped his ice tea.

  “He won’t work until he gets better, will he?” Sadie’s eyes were wide with concern.

  “You know how stubborn he is. He’ll want to work as soon as he can sit up by himself. He won’t be able to work a regular schedule though. He’ll sleep some, then work, then sleep. It would be helpful if you stayed at the house with us. Then he can work whenever he feels like it.”

  “I can’t do that.” Sadie’s features were tight and closed. He’d never seen her look like this before, but then he’d only known her about a month.

  “I wouldn’t ask you to do it for free. We’d pay you for the extra time, of course.”

  Now Sadie looked offended. “It’s not about the money. I just can’t do it.”

  Meyer didn’t really know what to do about this. Dealing with people was Logan’s role. Meyer dealt with computers. He could dig deep into a program and make it do whatever he wanted, but people were a mystery. He didn’t want to make Sadie mad but he did want her to move in with them to facilitate work.

  And so they could show her they were perfectly harmless, nice guys. It was the perfect opportunity.

  Meyer only knew how to deal with things one way. “What are the obstacles to making this happen and how can I help move them aside?”

  Sadie rubbed her temple. “I’m staying with Sami, Jason, and Gabe. I’m looking for my own place.”

  “That’s not an obstacle.” If he lived to be a hundred, Meyer would never understand the inner-workings of the human brain, especially females.

  “It is. What would I tell them?” Her lips were pressed together as if she didn’t want to have this conversation. Meyer wasn’t too keen on it either but some things needed to be settled.

  “Tell them you’re going to spend a few weeks at our place.”

  “Weeks?” Sadie looked alarmed. “You think I’ll be there for weeks?”

  Meyer shrugged. “You could be. Would it be so terrible? We clean up after ourselves and we don’t make too much noise.”

  Sadie stared at her fork. “I was planning on getting my own place soon.”

  She’d told them that when she’d taken the job. As the weeks had passed, Meyer and Logan had decided they needed to convince her she didn’t need her own place. Their home would easily accommodate all three of them. They appeared to be at cross-purposes.

  What would Logan say?

  “I’ll make a deal with you. If you move in with us for a few weeks so Logan can work from home, I’ll help you find a place to live. We’ll even pay the first month’s rent as an inconvenience bonus since I’m asking you to do something out of the ordinary.”

  She twirled a curl around her finger. “I told you it’s not about the money. But I can see you’re not going to give up on this. Okay, I’ll move in with you for a few weeks.” She dropped the curl as their plates were set in front of them. “But just for a few weeks. I mean it.”

  The aroma of well-cooked food wafted from the plate and made Meyer’s stomach growl. He’d forgotten to eat lunch today. He’d been busy working on some research and Sadie hadn’t been there to remind him of the time since it was Saturday.

  “Was that your stomach? You must be hungry.” Sadie dug into her potatoes.

  “I am. I missed lunch.”

  “You were working, weren’t you? You’re going to starve to death at this rate.” Sadie shook her fork at him playfully.

  “I was. You and Logan weren’t there to remind me to eat.” Meyer grinned. “See? When you’re staying with us, I won’t miss any meals.”

  “You should set a reminder on your phone.” Sadie pushed a carrot around on the plate. “Then you wouldn’t need me.”

  Meyer smiled. “I need you for far more than just reminding me to eat. The office has never run so smoothly. You’re a wonder.” He pointed to the carrot she was torturing with her fork. “Eat your veggies. They’re good for you.”

  She pulled a face. “I don’t always do what’s good for me.”

  “Is that a warning?” Meyer laughed.

  “Just a fact.”

  “Eat your dinner and then we’ll go back and see Logan. We’ll take him some soup. That should be easy on his stomach.”

  Sadie nodded in agreement and continued to eat her dinner. Her eyes were boring holes into the plate instead of looking up at him. Something was definitely up with her, and he didn’t know how to get her to talk about it. Her mouth was tipped down at the corners as if staying with them was a fate worse than death. They’d change her mind about that. They’d make it so wonderful she’d never want to leave.

  Now he just had to figure out what would make it that wonderful for her.

  Chapter Two

  Sadie snapped the lid of her suitcase shut, zipping it closed. It was Monday morning and she didn’t feel any better about moving in with Logan and Meyer today than she had on Saturday. Luckily, Meyer had agreed today would be soon enough.

  She dragged her suitcase down the stairs and into the foyer.

  “Come join us for breakfast!” Sami’s voice carried from the kitchen. “Becca brought Noah!”

  Noah was Becca’s son and cute as a button. When Sadie joined them in the kitchen, he was sitting on Becca’s lap, munching on a bagel. Some of it was actually staying in his mouth. Sadie dropped a kiss on his forehead, breathing in his baby smell before pouring a cup of coffee.

  “Aren’t you worried your yelling will wake up Gabe?” Gabe owned the local BDSM club and worked nights.

  Sami’s eyes twinkled. “Not today. He grabbed a couple hours of sleep then headed into town for a morning council meeting. They’re talking about tourism today.”

  Sadie settled into a chair at the table and filled her plate from the platter of eggs and bacon. She usually settled for toast but the aroma woke up her hunger. “I love it when you aren’t working at the B&B. You make the best breakfast.”

  Sami laughe
d. “It’s eggs and bacon. Anyone can make eggs and bacon.”

  Becca handed Noah a bottle. “Anyone can, but food always tastes better when someone else makes it.” Becca gave her an appraising look. “You don’t seem to be too excited about staying with Logan and Meyer. I thought you liked them. They’re really nice men.”

  “I do like them,” Sadie protested. “I like them a lot. I just don’t like…” She wasn’t sure how to explain it or if she even should. She’d never told anyone her story before, but Sami was the best friend Sadie had ever known and Becca was fast becoming her friend, too.

  “You don’t like what?” Sami prompted. “Handsome, smart, sexy men who treat you great? You’re right. Who do they think they are?”

  Sadie swallowed her eggs. “Logan’s hurt and just out of the hospital.”

  Becca’s eyebrows went up. “And?”

  Sadie sighed. It was going to sound terrible. “They’ll expect me to help out. You know, help with the meals, dishes, taking care of him.”

  Sami and Becca exchanged a glance. “You don’t like helping people?” Sami asked. “Honestly, Sadie, that doesn’t sound like you. You were always trying to help me and Trisha.”

  Sadie drank her coffee, the hot liquid burning her throat. “I do like helping people. I just don’t like taking care of people. Logan will need care.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with not being the motherly type.” Becca patted her hand. “I’m sure if you explain it to Meyer it will be fine.”

  “You think I’m terrible.” Sadie felt miserable and ashamed of herself. Good people didn’t act this way.

  “We don’t.” Sami shook her head. “But can I say you don’t look all that happy about this? Are you sure you don’t like taking care of people?”

  Sadie wanted desperately to trust someone. “It’s just when you give to someone, you don’t get it back. They take advantage of you. They take everything you have.”

  Becca’s expression was horrified. “Oh, honey, it’s not like that. When I give to Mark or Travis, I always get more back than I give.” She squeezed Sadie’s hand. “I’m sorry that someone took advantage of you. Who was the bastard? We’ll go kick his ass.”