Valentine, Laura - Plenty to Come [Plenty, FL] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Laura Valentine

  “Uh…guys…can I…um…take care of you?” She let her hands trail down their chests toward their straining erections. She wasn’t ambidextrous, but she would give it a try.

  They both caught her hands before she got to her destination.

  “Not this time, Cassie. We wanted to give you pleasure tonight. We’ll be fine. Don’t tell any of your girlfriends because men don’t like this to get out, but a case of blue balls won’t kill us.” Zach grinned, and she could see the dimples that she loved so much.

  “I won’t tell anyone. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble from the Secret Society of Sexy Men.”

  “Sexy men, huh? I like the sound of that.” Chase grinned and leaned back on the truck seat.

  “I am sure you two haven’t had much trouble attracting the opposite sex,” Cassie said with a roll of her eyes.

  Chase laughed at Cassie’s expression. “No way are you going to get us talking about other women when we’re with you. But, we don’t date around. While we are dating you, we won’t be dating anyone else. You can count on that. We’re not kids anymore, and we know how to respect a woman.”

  Cassie was shocked at his straightforward honesty. This was far from her experience with men.

  “I appreciate your honesty and respect. I’m not really used to it. I haven’t had the best luck with men.”

  That’s an understatement.

  Zach’s gaze was intense and direct when he spoke to her. “Men in Plenty respect women, angel. You best get used to being treated that way.”

  Chapter 5

  Cassie sipped her wine and recounted the evening to Jillian and Becca. It was their girls-night-in.

  “They really said that? What the fuck? And they promised you an exclusive relationship?” Jillian looked amazed.

  Becca answered for her. “Yep, the men in Plenty respect women. They don’t run around behind a woman’s back. That’s not how they’re raised.”

  Becca laughed at Jillian’s shocked expression.

  “Boy, are the men here different than Chicago. No man there would ever be caught dead expressing a feeling that he wouldn’t fuck around or tell a girl that she wasn’t a casual relationship. It kind of freaks me out a little. Does anyone do casual?”

  Cassie knew that Jillian was terrified of anything that even came close to commitment. Cassie and Jillian had dated many men in Chicago. Cassie had always been looking for Mr. Right, someone she could have a real family with. Jillian, on the other hand, didn’t want to get serious. She just wanted to have fun. When a guy got serious, Jillian dumped him, and Cassie never saw the poor bastard again.

  She knew Jillian had good reason to be scared. Jillian’s parents had been pretty much miserable every single day of their marriage. Her father had cheated on her mom for years. Jillian had been caught in the middle of their tug-of-war and always swore that she would never live like that again.

  Becca shrugged her shoulders and poured more wine into their glasses. “Yes, but everyone knows it up front.”

  Cassie shook her head and took a large gulp of wine. “I need to move slowly. I’ve made mistakes in the past with men. I don’t want a repeat.”

  “Dated some losers, huh? We all have I think,” Becca said sympathetically.

  Cassie stared at the ceiling thinking about the past. “Well, one loser in particular. I used to date a lot. I liked to go out and have fun. Jillian and I have had some epic double-dates.”

  Jillian laughed at the memories. “Oh yeah, remember the one guy who wanted all his food on separate plates? He didn’t want his food to touch.”

  Becca frowned. “I don’t like my food to touch.”

  Jillian shook her head. “I don’t either, but this guy took it to the limit. He brought his own silverware and ate his food clockwise.”

  Becca’s eyes went wide. “Ohhh, he sounds…well, weird as shit, Jillian.”

  “He was. My brother, Mark, introduced me to him as a joke. Mark has a wicked sense of humor.”

  Cassie giggled as she remembered how they had gotten their revenge. “We got him back though. We put BENGAY in his boxers. I swear, he chased us around the entire neighborhood. Do you remember the guy I dated that constantly had to high-five every one? Or the guy that you dated that had an unnaturally close relationship with his mother?”

  Jillian doubled over in laughter, tears running from her eyes.

  “Oh shit. I think we have drunk too much wine, eaten too much cheesecake, and told Becca way too much.”

  Becca joined in the laughter. “You guys haven’t cornered the market on strange dates. Have you ever been on a double-date with your brother? We’d be out to dinner, and Jack would suddenly yell ‘hand check’ to make sure my date hadn’t put his hands anywhere near me. I was so embarrassed, I could have dug a hole and crawled in it.”

  Jillian nodded in agreement. “Brothers can be so protective. Mark still asks me about my boyfriends and offers to do background checks on them. I worked for the Public Defender office in Chicago. I could have done a background check myself. Mark’s great, though. I couldn’t ask for a better brother. Although, that stunt with the BENGAY got Cassie and I grounded for a week.”

  Cassie huffed indignantly. “She wasn’t even my mom, and she grounded me.”

  Not that my mom paid enough attention to ground me.

  Becca was puzzled. “Why didn’t your mom ground you? Why did Jillian’s mom do it?”

  Cassie felt her heart ache a little. Suddenly, she was that teenage girl trying to get her mother’s attention. She had never succeeded.

  “I’m not really all that close to my family. I spent most of my teenage years at Jillian’s house. I just exchange cards at the holidays with my family.”

  “That’s so sad!” Becca looked heartbroken for her. “I can’t imagine not being close to my dad and brothers. And of course, Zach and Chase are like brothers, too. They hung out with Ryan and Jack pretty much all the time. I miss my Mom, too. She was wonderful.”

  “You’re lucky. My mom just wasn’t the motherly type, even with her other children. She married money and had a nanny raise the kids.”

  Sometimes, Cassie wondered if things might have turned out differently if she had a mother’s wisdom and guidance. Would she have met men like Zach and Chase earlier?

  “We’re getting too maudlin. Let’s get to the good stuff. How was the sex last night?” Jillian asked waggling her eyebrows.

  “I did not have sex with them! I just…well…we started kissing and…” Cassie stammered and felt her face getting red.

  “Oooo…you’re blushing. That’s a good sign. Obviously, more than a kiss, but less than sex. Hmm…Are they as good as they look?”

  Cassie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Oh god. They are better than they look. I have never felt that way before. It was like nothing I have ever experienced. And well, two sets of lips, two tongues, four hands…unbelievable.”

  “I am so damn jealous, I could just spit, Cassie Ames. If you weren’t my friend, I would have to hate you.”

  “Seems to me, Jillian, that you could have a couple men any time you wanted to. Becca’s brothers sure seem interested.”

  Cassie and Becca laughed at Jillian’s outraged expression. Apparently, Jillian didn’t want to talk about it. “Let’s get the subject back to you, my friend. Did you tell them about Danny?”

  Cassie’s grew serious at Jillian’s question. “Who’s Danny?” Becca asked.

  Cassie’s lips tightened in distaste. “We’ll need more wine if you want to hear that story. And no, Jillian, I was enjoying myself so much, I didn’t want to ruin the evening. We came here for a fresh start, and I don’t want the specter of Danny Trent ruining my happiness. He doesn’t get to fucking win. I refuse to carry around this baggage for the rest of my life.”

  “Everyone has baggage, Cass. Yours just has a name and a prisoner identification number.”

  * * * *

  Danny Trent leaned back on the bunk of his cell and stared
at the picture taped to the bottom of the upper bunk. The paper was starting to yellow and was looking worn from his fingers. It was the only thing in this fucking cell he cared about, and he wondered if he could sneak it out when they transferred him in a few weeks.

  Danny’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the blonde in the picture and blew out the breath he was holding. The picture was from the media coverage of his trial, and it didn’t do Cassandra justice. He liked to call her Cassandra. Other people called her Cassie, but she would always be Cassandra to him. He was special to her, so he got to call her a special name.

  He heard from a friend at the accounting firm that Cassandra had quit her job and moved to some small town in Florida. He wondered what she was doing right now and if she thought of him. He thought about her every day. Cassandra belonged to him, but she didn’t seem to understand that. She kept pushing him away. That would never do. She needed to understand that she belonged to him and should behave that way. He didn’t want to have to punish her again. He hated when he had to punish her. But if she continued to defy and disrespect him, he had no choice. He remembered his father telling him that women were whores and sluts until they found the right man to make them behave. Then they needed to obey that man or be punished.

  Danny knew that he just needed to be patient. Eventually, he would have the opportunity to get out of this hellhole. He was going to be a model prisoner. They were already calling him rehabilitated. Fuck yeah. And then, when he got his chance, he would find Cassandra and reunite with his one true love.

  * * * *

  “We should have sent flowers, bro.”

  Zach sighed and looked at his brother’s determined expression. They had had this conversation a couple of times already, and apparently, they were going to have it again. Perhaps he could cut this conversation short by changing the subject.

  “I promise next time we will send flowers, okay? Is Ryan joining us, too?” Zach pushed open the door of their favorite watering hole and was hit by a blast of loud rock music that rattled his teeth. They had been meeting Jack and Ryan every week for a beer since they were old enough to drink. Legally, anyway. The only exception had been when Zach was in the Middle East. Even then, Chase had kept up the tradition.

  “Yeah, both he and Jack are off duty tonight. Doesn’t Ryan owe us a round since he lost that football bet?”

  Zach grinned as he remembered the bet that Ryan had argued was a sure thing. He should know by now that college football was too unpredictable. He should also know better than to bet against the Gators.

  Zach spied Jack and Ryan at a table near the back. Zach led Chase through the maze of tables in the dimly lit bar, narrowly escaping being nailed by a falling beer bottle. The band onstage was doing a loud, but pretty decent cover of a Led Zeppelin song. Zach pulled out a chair and sank gratefully into it. It had been a long day at the construction site. “Looks like you started without us.”

  Jackson Parks lifted his beer in a salute. “We just got here. Ordered a bucket of beers. On good old Ryan, of course. So help yourself.”

  The men laughed, and Ryan rolled his eyes. “I would have won that bet if the running back hadn’t pulled his hamstring. You got lucky, Zach.”

  “Luck has nothing to do with it. I simply analyzed the two teams, looked at all the variables including weather and field condition, and made what I consider to be an educated call.”

  Jack snorted. “You are so full of shit. You guessed.”

  “Doesn’t really matter, does it? Ryan’s buying.”

  Zach leaned back in his chair and scanned the crowd. Evaluating his surroundings and the people around him were habits leftover from his SEAL days. It had saved his life or someone else’s more than once.

  “See any troublemakers, buddy? As the sheriff, I’m authorized to arrest them.”

  Jackson piped in too. “As a firefighter, I am trained by Homeland Security to deal with any mayhem they may be planning.”

  Chase rolled his eyes. “Don’t encourage him. Last week, Zach wouldn’t let me sell a horse to a guy that had, and I quote, non-standard body language. Shit.”

  Zach took a long draw on his beer. “You know, guys, I know over one hundred ways to kill a man. I’m thinking of a few of them right now.”

  “I know a few myself.” Ryan smirked.

  Leo, the bartender, walked up to the table and slapped Chase on the back. “Gonna give us a song or two tonight, Chase? I know my customers would love it.”

  “I’ve had a long day, Leo. I think I’ll pass tonight.”

  “C’mon, Chase. We haven’t heard you sing for a long time. Join in tonight,” Jack cajoled.

  Chase shook his head. “No. I’m just not in the mood to sing tonight. Maybe next time.”

  Leo looked disappointed. “Well, if you change your mind, we’d love to hear you tonight, especially if you’ve written anything new lately. I’ll be behind the bar if you change your mind.”

  Ryan caught Zach’s eye as Leo headed back to the front of the bar. Ryan was the only person in the world who knew how guilty he felt that Chase hadn’t followed his dream into the music business. Chase had been given a chance to join a band and go on the road. That was the same time that Zach had been given his orders for deployment overseas. Chase had given up the opportunity to stay in Plenty and take care of the horse farm. That band had recently signed a recording contract.

  Zach often wondered if Chase regretted his decision. Zach asked Chase about it once, and he had just laughed and said he never really wanted to leave Plenty, and he didn’t have enough talent anyway. Zach hoped that Chase was telling the truth. What he did know was that Chase had taken on a great deal of responsibility when Zach left to serve his country. It was true the saying that the families of service personnel make sacrifices, too.

  The new waitress brought them a fresh bucket of beers. Zach’s limit was one tonight. It was his turn to drive. He asked her quietly if she could bring him a Coke.

  “Like what you see there, Jack?” Chase followed Jack’s wolfish gaze. The waitress had lush curves and long, dark hair.

  “Hell, yeah. Maybe you and I should introduce ourselves to the new waitress.” Jack elbowed Ryan in the ribs.

  Ryan just shook his head. “I prefer redheads.”

  Chase pounced on his statement. “You wouldn’t be hankering after Cassie’s best friend would you? She is cute, if you like redheads.”

  Jackson sat straight up in his chair and scowled. “Yes, he does like the new teacher. And it’s ruining all my fun, dammit. What’s so special about this girl anyway?”

  Zach was surprised. “You haven’t met Jillian yet? She’s a sweet girl.”

  “Sweet? I suppose she’s fun and smart, too,” Jack said snarkily.

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed at his younger brother. Zach knew that look. If he wasn’t careful, Jack was going to get his ass kicked.

  “What the fuck is wrong with sweet, fun, and smart? I’m sick of dating girls that are only in it for the kinky sex. I’m thirty-two years old. Sleeping around ceased to be fun a long time ago. Grow up, Jack. And anyway, Jillian is gorgeous. We should be so lucky to have a woman like her.”

  Zach nodded in agreement. “It’s time to settle down and stop fucking around. My parents were married and had three kids by now. Don’t you want a family, Jack?”

  Jack shrugged. “Sure I do. But I haven’t met a woman yet who made me think about marriage and kids.”

  A smile played around Ryan’s lips. “You haven’t met Jillian yet. I felt like someone punched me in the stomach the first time I saw her. And we have the same taste in women, bro. Just like Chase and Zach do. Sorry, you’re a goner, man.”

  Jack’s shoulders slumped. “Well, I had a good run while it lasted, I guess. Is she really gorgeous? She’s not like Amelia is she?”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “Yes, she is gorgeous, and fuck no, she is not like Amelia. I’ve only seen her a few times, and I can tell that.”

  Chase ran a hand ov
er his face as if to rub away the bad memories. “No one is like Amelia. That witch is in a class all by herself.”

  Jack chuckled. “She’s by herself because no one wants to be anywhere near her. That woman is toxic.”

  Zach nodded grimly. That was a good description of Amelia. “I don’t want our time with Amelia to color our relationship with Cassie. Cassie is completely different. I don’t know what we ever saw in Amelia.”

  Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t? I seem to remember nonstop, kinky, sweaty sex being the main attraction. I’m surprised your dicks didn’t fall off. Does Cassie know about your past exploits? Might want to tell her.”

  Zach shook his head. “No, she doesn’t know our history, and frankly, that is probably just as well. She would think we were a couple of jerks out for a piece of ass. She’s no piece of ass.”

  Chase waved a hand toward the crowded bar. “Hate to break it to you, bro, but I am guessing the entire town has filled her in on our exploits by now. No sense regretting or apologizing for it at this point. If she asks, we just tell her it is all in the past—which it damn well is, anyway.”

  “I guess your date last night went well then?” Jack asked.

  Zach could see Chase’s eyes go a little dreamy. “Yeah, it went great. Cassie’s a sweetheart. Smart, funny, and down-to-earth.”

  Chase gave Jack a look. “Sexy as hell, too. A woman a man can be proud to be with. I imagine Jillian is the same.”

  Jack raised his hands in surrender. “I get it. I’m an ass, okay? So when are you going to see Cassie again?”

  “We invited her over for dinner tomorrow night. Zach and I are going to grill some steaks. Show her how domesticated we are.”

  Jackson almost choked on his beer. “Yeah, you guys are just like kittens. Just try not to give her food poisoning. That usually ruins the romantic vibe.”