Vested Interest

by Bethany Jadin

  I close my eyes tight, trying to squeeze the fantasy out of my head, but when I reopen them, Emma is holding more plates out to me, and that grin of hers is no longer coy. She gives me a seductive smile as I take the stack of plates, her fingers lifting from the dishes to caress mine ever-so-slightly. She’s happy and relaxed, which is wonderful to see, but she’s also letting out her flirty side, and it’s hot as hell.

  As I place the dishes with the others, I remember a gift I picked out while shopping for new suits. Some smart marketer had gotten permission to display an entire velvet-draped table of For Your Sweetheart chocolates inside the store. All throughout my perusal of red silk ties and tailored dress coats, I couldn’t keep my mind off Emma and those chocolates.

  One of the selections was a box of eclectic samples, and not knowing what Emma enjoys, that’s the one I had opted for. I retrieve it from my pantry and turn back around the corner to a wonderful scene.

  My guys. My best friends. And Emma.

  All in the middle of my kitchen, laughing and smiling. I stand at the edge of the room, watching quietly for a moment, my heart full.

  Gunner has twisted his wet towel into a whip and is snapping at Trigg’s ass while Trigg fights back with the water sprayer. Jude is shaking his head, but he and Jax are sharing that twin smile as they work together. Jax has leaned into Emma, his hip against her thigh. And Emma — she’s laughing with the most gorgeous smile that makes her eyes light up.

  Striding into the room, I clear my throat, drawing her attention, and present her with my little gift.

  Her eyes ask the question, and I answer, “I was thinking of you when I saw them. I hope you like chocolate covered cherries and almond clusters. I believe there’s hazelnut and a couple others in there, too.”

  Those glowing eyes of hers settle on the box, making my heart race. Her words come out excited and sweet as honey. “Are you kidding me?! I love chocolate! If you cover grasshoppers in chocolate — I’d eat them.”

  “You don’t say?”

  She reacts to my expression with a giggle. “It’s actually not that bad, just a little crunchy.”

  Her enthusiasm is so candid and endearing, it makes me chuckle, but I try to keep my laughter to a minimum, lest she think I’m making fun of her tastes. “That sounds... different.”

  “Don’t knock it till you try it.” She unwinds the ribbon on the little box of chocolates. “Wow, these look amazing.”

  She flutters her fingers over them as if conflicted on which to pick first then goes for the biggest — the cherry cordial. Her eyes roll back, and she lets out a moan that makes my cock stir. Jax notices, too, fumbling the salad bowl, nearly dropping it.

  “You like?” I ask.

  Emma’s mouth is full, and she lifts a hand over her lips, mumbling, “Oh my God, Daniel — this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

  I doubt that, but it still makes me swell with pride — in more ways than one.

  22

  Emma

  This view is glorious. All of it.

  For starters, there’s the floor to ceiling panel windows covering the entire west side of Daniel’s apartment. The sun has set, and now the city nightlife is in full swing. Neon lights and massive, shining billboards, an endless stream of white and red lights from the traffic below. Buildings of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye can see, with the skyscrapers glowing against the black of night, jutting high into the stars.

  And there’s this room. Daniel has luxurious taste, and it shows in the soft, hand stitched fabric of every piece of furniture, the rich mahoganies and dark black walnuts of the tables and trim work. It’s simple and sparse, yet warm and inviting. The feeling is opulent, right down to the lush Persian rug that’s bigger than my old bedroom, which lays in front of the largest gas lit fireplace I’ve ever seen.

  The lights of the room are dimmed, and the fire projects a lovely hue, illuminating what may be the best view of all — five gorgeous men who have all been the perfect companions this evening as we relax in Daniel’s penthouse after the dinner cleanup.

  Gunner and Jude are deep in conversation, seated in plush arm chairs across from the couch I’m on. Gunner is loudly explaining in an animated voice — I don’t believe he has any other way of speaking — to Jude about a motocross event he’s attending soon. Closer to the fire, Jax and Daniel have taken up a game of chess on a marble table that has the board inlaid into the top.

  Jax keeps sending me the most intense, penetrating glances between moves — as though he’s hungry for something delicious, and my clothes are in the way. My mind goes to that dirty place with him, wondering what that tattoo peeking out of his left sleeve looks like as it rides up his sculpted arms and onto a very bitable shoulder. Lost in a lustful haze of curiosity, I wonder if that dark edge he has comes out to play in the bedroom, and if he fucks fast and furious or hard and slow. My pulse races as images flood my mind, and I picture myself submitting to him completely, his tight, strong body moving over mine powerfully, fully in control.

  Trigg returns from pouring himself a gin and tonic. He flips a leg over the footstool my feet are propped up on, straddles it, then sits on the end. I pull my mind away from illicit daydreams about Jax and turn my eyes to watch Daniel, willing the flush on my face to retreat before Trigg notices.

  Across the chess table from Jax, Daniel looks completely blissed out and has taken to tracing figures on the marble top with a distant look between turns.

  I lean forward and whisper to Trigg, “Daniel’s doing that running-code-thing, isn’t he?”

  He checks the scene to our right and nods. “Oh, yeah. He’s in his own world. I’ll bet a hundred bucks he’ll be up till two in the morning, and by the end of the week he’ll have come up with something brilliant.”

  “Part of his process, huh?”

  “When he gets like this,” Trigg waves his fingers toward Daniel, “something good is stirring in that mind of his.”

  I watch Daniel for a minute then turn back to Trigg, automatically running my eyes down his chest, his waist. Lingering on those toned thighs straddling my footstool, I can’t help but notice how near my feet are to Trigg’s... inseam.

  Realizing I’m staring, I try to cover it by wiggling my toes and asking, “Should I paint my nails?” What the hell, woman? This man does not care about your feet.

  Trigg opens his knees further — not helping to lessen my interests in what lies between his legs — and bends over to study my nails. “I like them natural like this,” he says.

  Then, his warm palms engulf one foot, and he massages. His unexpected touch makes my breath catch, and every nerve from my big toe to the nape of my neck goes on high alert.

  My eyes dart around the room, but Trigg’s attention doesn’t seem to be rousing disapproval from the other guys. No sideways looks. Maybe it really is all in my head, and I’m misinterpreting the vibes I’ve been picking up from some of the other guys. Having all of their attention on me over the past few weeks has been both addictive and nerve-wracking. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the chest-thumping testosterone to kick in, causing rifts between this group of tight-knit friends, or for them to decide perhaps I’m not the lady they think I am, not if I’m going to be flirty with five guys at once.

  But Trigg’s the only one who’s actually made a move.

  That kiss, though.

  It makes my lips tingle every time I think about it, just like his touch is doing now. The rest of the guys have been a little flirty at times but nothing that crosses the boundaries of friendship. There’s an intoxicating tension in the air whenever I’m around them, but it might all be coming from me. Even Gunner said he’s keeping things professional now.

  Glancing around at the guys again, I realize I’m almost holding my breath. It’s all me. I’m the one creating a tension that does not exist.

  But then my eye meets Jax’s gaze, and a hot shiver runs through me. His jaw is set firm, a hint of mischief on his lips, thos
e gorgeous blue eyes piercing through me. Hell. Maybe I am crazy. Because I swear that look on his face says ‘I want to tear your panties off and eat you for dessert’. My overactive imagination might be reading way too much into that smoldering gaze, but goddamn, that man makes my knees go weak. Every fiber of me responds with yes, please.

  Trigg rotates his hands, pulling my attention back to him. He places my heel on top of his thigh and works his thumbs into the sensitive muscle lining my arch. Before I can help it, I moan, long and slow. And then I cover my mouth, embarrassed at the sounds of pleasuring escaping my lips involuntarily.

  Trigg seems to think it’s great. He’s starting to give me this look that says he has a few ideas of his own about what he’d really like to be massaging. “Feels good?”

  I don’t trust anything to come out as more than just nonsensical gibberish, so I purse my lips and nod. A warm flush is creeping up my neck, but thank God, Trigg returns his attention to my feet, his magic fingers working the muscle from my heel to the ball of my foot. I let out a slow breath and try to allow myself to just enjoy an epic foot rub.

  My eyes are beginning to drift shut just as Gunner bounds to the center of the room, square in front of the fireplace. “Ever been on a dirt bike?”

  It takes me a minute to recognize he’s talking to me. “Me? No, no. I mean, it seems like fun, but I’m pretty sure I’d manage to break both legs.”

  “Have you ever been on a bike at all?” His excitement is relentless.

  I tilt my head back, trying to remember. “Yeah, I got on the back of a friend’s once. He took me up the street and back, just a few blocks.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “Sure. I’ve always thought it’d be cool to have a motorcycle, but I just don’t know if I could handle one. They seem so... big, and hard to balance. And they break if you let them fall over, don’t they?”

  Jax muffles a laugh, but Gunner just keeps barreling forward. “Not if they’re built right. But you don’t have to ride a bike. I have a big quad. We can sit double.”

  Maybe it’s Trigg’s master fingers at work on my foot that have my brain all mushy, but I’m totally not tracking. “Sit double?”

  “Motocross race weekend.” He talks animatedly, his hands moving through the air as he explains. “You know, big dirt track. Jumps. Mud. Beer. Wanna come?”

  I’m intrigued, but... “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. There aren’t usually many foxy ladies like you there, but, ya know, you can class the place up.” He’s going a million miles an hour, talking with his hands, his large form bouncing animatedly. “It’s great — you’d love it. Diesel in the morning, beer by noon, a big bonfire when the sun goes down.”

  “It sounds fun, but, um... I’m not sure I’ll fit in with that crowd.” I don’t know much about bikes and dirt racing, but I do know there is a huge culture surrounding motocross, and I’ll just stick out like a sore thumb.

  He looks genuinely taken aback. “Why not?”

  I look down at Trigg, and his sexy eyes are on me. The heat from his touch suffuses me, but I try to push it aside.

  “Mud and beer sound alright,” I tell Gunner, tipping my head back up to look at him. “I mean, I don’t mind getting dirty, and beer’s not my favorite, but I can manage with it. It’s just that... I don’t know the lingo, I don’t have anything suitable to wear, and I’m pretty sure I’d come off as so irredeemably uncool that I’d wind up embarrassing both of us.”

  “Fuck that, I’m not worried about what anyone else thinks,” he proclaims. “You’d be the hottest chick there. Sorry, hottest lady. If anyone’s going to do something to cause embarrassment, it’ll be me, for sure. So really, I’d love if you would come.”

  I bite my lip. “I dunno.” Gunner’s excitement is alluring, but it’s not really my scene. A conference center full of computer geeks? I’d blend right in. But motocross?

  Gunner presses the palms of his hands together in a pleading gesture. “I’ll bring some wine coolers, and, hey — I’ll even watch my language.”

  Trigg and Jude both burst out with scoffs of disbelief, and Jax bends over in a fit of raucous laughter, almost knocking pieces off the chess set.

  “What?” Gunner spins around to look at the guys.

  “You.” Jax is recovering, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “Watching your language. That’s fucking priceless.”

  Gunner flips him the bird. “Fuck you, Jackson.”

  I feel like there should be tension in the room, but both guys are smiling. In fact, all the guys are smiling. Even Daniel has emerged from his coding trance and is shaking his head quietly at Gunner.

  “Emma, you have to go now,” Daniel says with a wry grin. “Keep track of every profane and impolite word he utters — I’ll donate a hundred bucks for each one to any charity of your choice.”

  “Me, too,” Jude says.

  “Count me in,” Jax nods.

  “Ditto,” Trigg says. “I like this plan.”

  “Oh, so that’s how it’s gunna be, huh?” Gunner crosses his arms. “Well alright.” He turns to me, a dogged look in his eyes. “Change of plans, Emma. Are you up for a challenge? I hope you’re not easily offended, because I’m gonna bleed these bastards for every penny they got.”

  I realize with a rush that I’m being included in their ribbing and teasing. They’re welcoming me into their sanctum of friendship and inside jokes. A wicked grin spreads across my face as I consider Gunner’s newest proposal. “Okay,” I nod. “I’ve got a good charity in mind. Let’s do this. When is it?”

  Gunner gets this gigantic smile and nearly starts jumping in excitement. “This weekend! I’ll get the quad on the trailer, and I’ll put a couple bikes on just in case you get ballsy.”

  “Wait, what?” I ask with alarm, realizing I might not fully understand what I’ve just got myself into.

  “Yeah, you can totally do it; there’s a practice track I’ll take you out on before the race. It just takes some getting used to, but you can totally handle it, promise.”

  “Gunner, please try not to break Emma in half,” Daniel pleads. “She hasn’t even released her invention into the world yet.”

  “Ha! I bet she has bigger balls than you do.” Gunner gives me a head-to-toe sweeping look of approval before turning back to Daniel. “She’s made of more than just good looks and computer smarts. I bet you she’ll be hitting the jumps solo before the day is over.”

  Despite my doubts, I’m getting interested. This is exactly the kind of thing I’ve watched on TV but never thought I’d ever have the brass to do, myself. But, with a big guy like Gunner to hang onto and show me the ropes, maybe — just maybe. Then the wind goes out of my sails a little. “All I have is jeans and tennis shoes. Don’t I need a helmet and some protective gear?”

  Daniel is out of his chair in a jiffy, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “What’s that website you use, Gunner?”

  “Motogear dot com.”

  Daniel has it pulled up on his phone by the time he sits down on the couch with me.

  To my disappointment, Trigg sets my foot back down on the footstool. I’m sure he’s feeling a little weird about massaging me now that Daniel has joined us — but no. He picks up my other foot, places it on the opposing thigh, and gets back to work, asking, “Do you have any lotion, Daniel?”

  “Yeah, I’ll get it in just a second. First—” he hands his phone over to me “— pick out what you need. Boots, pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, all of it. Let Gunner help; he knows his stuff and can set you up with quality gear. I don’t want you getting the cheap stuff.”

  I shake my head. “No way, I can’t let you buy me all that stuff.”

  “Oh, it’s not just for you,” Daniel counters, sweeping his hand to Gunner. “Look at that guy.”

  Daniel gets up and heads down the hallway after the lotion, and I lock eyes with Gunner. He falls to his knees in front of me. “Please. Pretty please. Girls never want to go to this stuff
with me.”

  Jude leans over the back of the couch behind me, wine bottle in hand. He whispers, “You would make his year.”

  Gunner’s joyous energy is hard to resist. “Alright, I guess I can pick a few things out.”

  Jude lays a hand on my shoulder as he fills my glass with more Pinot. He doesn’t move away after my glass is full, instead his hand rests near my shoulder, his fingers playing with wisps of my hair, and the scent of him fills the air, a seductive fragrance of masculinity, like spiced whiskey and smoky bergamot.

  Daniel returns and settles in beside me again, tapping Trigg’s leg with one of those tiny bottles of rose-scented lotion they give away at couture shops. He leans close, watching as I scroll slowly through the product categories on the site. Truth be told, I can barely focus on the screen.

  Trigg warms the lotion in his hands and then starts massaging it onto my feet, and I am in utter bliss.

  From a few feet away, Jax leans back in his chair, his beautiful blue eyes drinking in the scene like it’s the best thing he’s seen in ages, his gaze lingering on me in a way that makes my pulse erratic.

  It may be the free flow of wine this evening, but I’m done worrying for the night. I let myself fully relax into the attention they’re all giving me. It feels... amazing. And for once, I’m not blushing.

  I hold the phone up for Gunner to see. “What size helmet do I need?”

  23

  Emma

  “Foot rub, shoulder massages, and chocolates?” Zoey faints back on her side of the couch. “Why did I pick nursing? I should have gone for software engineering.”