Double Trouble: A Menage Romance

by Marie Carnay

  Jess swallowed. All of a sudden, her arms were gangly and her feet were too big and she felt hopelessly out of place. I shouldn’t be here.

  Gage reached out and tucked a flyaway lock of hair behind her ear, but didn’t drop his hand. It hung there, fingers a breath away from her cheek.

  “This is what we do on a Friday night in the city. Go out for dinner and drinks. Be merry. Don’t tell me you’ve never done that before.”

  She forced her lips to curve. “Not like this.”

  “First time for everything.” His fingers grazed her earlobe and her mouth cracked open. Was he toying with her?

  Gage smiled and Jess clamped her jaw shut so fast, her teeth banged against each other. “It would be best if we had a story to tell the media. A reason why I’m with you for the next few weeks.”

  “We’ve already issued a press release. The media knows who you are.”

  Jess shook her head. “You think they'll believe that I’m your, what? Biographer?”

  “That’s the truth, isn’t it?” Holt appeared on Gage’s left and for the first time she noticed the similarities between the brothers. Different heights and individual style, but both had the MacIntosh bone structure.

  Square jaw. Grecian nose. Hooded eyes that spoke more than any words. These men were dangerous. They didn't wave guns around and deal in criminal activities, but they had used up and spit out more employees and women than headlines.

  Both brothers pushed her libido buttons, but she wasn’t anything special to them. When the three weeks were up, Jess would go back to being a researcher behind the scenes and they would move on to their next conquest. She needed to remember that.

  With a deep breath, Jess shoved down the insecurities and brushed past the pair to pick a seat at the table. Middle of the booth with everything in sight would suit her just fine.

  She smiled and motioned to the empty spots. “Gentlemen? Care to sit down?”

  Three rounds of drinks, an endless supply of food, and the best banana cream pie in the world and Jess forgot her nerves. If this was what Gage meant by being merry, she approved.

  She leaned back in the booth and groaned. “That was spectacular. Do you two always eat like this?”

  Holt rubbed his forehead. “Pretty much. Sometimes we order in, but…”

  “Remind me to find time to go running. By the end of this assignment, I won’t fit any of my clothes.”

  “That’s not the worst thing.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Holt ran his tongue across his lower lip. “Women always underestimate how much men like something to squeeze.”

  What? “I’m sorry, I must have bounced into a parallel universe for a moment. I swore you said you liked women on the curvy side.”

  “My brother’s right.” Gage chimed in. Both of us prefer a woman who enjoys a good meal.”

  Riiiight. “I suppose you’re going to tell me you put your pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else, too.”

  Gage downed the rest of his drink with a grin. “Don’t get carried away now, Ms. Woodson. We might like women with an ass to hold onto, but we are billionaires.”

  “Just unconventional ones.” Holt flashed his brother a look and Jess’s thoughts ran to the driver’s comments from earlier.

  The brothers had shared a girlfriend before. It didn’t seem possible. Wasn’t there endless competition? Jealousy?

  She wanted to sate her own terrible curiosity, but she had a job to do. Jess paused.

  A researcher did have to ask questions…

  “Are either of you dating at the moment?”

  Holt made a point of checking his watch. “Right this minute? No.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “We’re both single.” Gage slid closer on the seat. The heat from his wool-clad leg seeped into her thigh. Scents of cedar and musk and liquor lit up Jess’s senses.

  Mmm. It had been too long since she’d been this near a man. One this sexy and disarming? Never.

  “Are you seeing anyone?” The rumble of Holt’s voice caught her off-guard. When did he scoot so close? While Gage’s heat and scent had drawn her in, his brother had slipped his arm behind her back and cut off half the room’s oxygen.

  All at once, she was suffocated by man. Drop-dead, where have you been all my life, man. Times two.

  Jess squeaked out a reply. “One hundred percent single.” She didn’t know where to look or where to put her hands. They sat on top of the table like limp fish, awkward and lifeless.

  “You seem anxious.” Holt’s voice poured into her ear and Jess closed her eyes. “Is there something you’re afraid to ask?”

  Her heart hammered against her ribs. Was this what they were like with other women? Was it just a game?

  She forced her eyes open. “I heard the two of you dated the same woman for a while. Is that true?”

  Holt reclined and Jess sucked in a lungful of air.

  “We did, yes.”

  “Who was she?”

  Gage replied. “Bianca Sutherland.”

  “Why didn’t it work out?”

  Holt’s eyes flashed as he looked past her to his brother. Was it anger? Resentment?

  Gage was the one to answer. “She couldn’t handle both of us.”

  “Too many demands to keep track of?”

  “Something like that.” He reached up and traced a path across her cheek with his thumb. “I don’t believe you would have the same difficulty.”

  Oh my God. Was he coming onto her? She glanced at Holt without turning her head. His nostrils flared, his chest swelled, and his hand slid over her thigh.

  Jess gasped. They were definitely coming onto her. Her whole body screamed, yes! Give in! Let them ravage you!

  She swallowed. “I—I don’t think this is a good idea. I’m here to do a job.”

  Gage tilted his head. “You’re right. It’s a terrible idea.”

  “Then what are you doing?”

  He stared long enough to make her blush. “Something I shouldn’t.”

  Oh, God. Her heart slammed into her ribs and her lungs strained to keep from gasping. This wasn't real.

  “Don’t you want to be thorough?” Holt’s hand slid further up her thigh. “It would be a shame if you didn’t explore every aspect of our lives, right?” His fingers wrapped around her soft flesh, slipping into the wedge between her legs.

  She quivered. “It’s against NNT’s policies.”

  Gage’s breath fanned across her neck. “We’ll change them.”

  Wow. How many times had she dreamt about something like this? A hot man giving her his undivided attention? Looking at her like she was the chocolate cake at her favorite restaurant?

  But this time there were two. Double the hands. Double the sex appeal.

  Double the trouble.

  Gage’s lips landed feather-soft on the spot just beneath her jaw. Her pulse raced to catch him as he pulled away. “Any other concerns?”

  That morning a million swam inside her head. But Gage’s kiss and Holt’s hands sent each and every one packing. She couldn’t come up with a single reason to say no.

  She shifted in the seat and her own slick heat answered for her. “No.”

  “Good answer, Ms. Woodson.”

  The way he whispered her name conjured up all kinds of naughty fantasies. A wood grain desk. Her bare ass as he took her from behind.

  Gage flicked his tongue against her earlobe and Jess cried out. Holt’s fingers dove beneath the hem of her dress and she shuddered.

  They couldn’t…

  Gage took her face in his hand. So strong. Commanding. He kissed her, eyes wide open, as Holt forced her legs to spread. Oh, God.

  Jess remembered some wild one-night stands. But this? Her eyes fluttered shut as Gage deepened the kiss.

  Lips against lips. Tongue teasing and plundering her mouth. He tasted of bourbon and caramel and a sin so rich, she didn’t know how much she could take.

  Holt slipp
ed his hand beneath the lace of her panties and her cry of shock was muffled by his brother’s mouth.

  “Mmm. Just as I thought. You’re ready for us, Jess. You want what we can give you.” His fingers stroked up and down, slipping between her already soaked folds before stroking her clit.

  “Your pussy is begging for us." He filled her empty channel with his fingers, pumping once, then twice. “We’ll give what you need. What you crave.”

  His words were so dirty. Wrong. No man had ever spoken to her that way. She trembled in anticipation. Everything Holt said was true.

  Gage broke their kiss to trail his lips down her neck. He nosed her dress over her shoulder and nibbled at her bare skin. “Have you ever been pleasured by two men at once?”

  “No!”

  “Mmm. We’re honored to be your first. But I warn you, when we’re through, you may never want to go back.”

  Holt increased the speed of his fingers, working her clit in tiny, rapid circles. Jess gripped the edge of the table so hard the wood groaned in protest. She knew what to do with her hands now.

  “That’s it. Come for us. Come all over me.”

  Gage kissed his way over her collarbone, his hand roving to find her breast. He rubbed her firm nipple beneath the fabric in time to Holt’s flicks across her clit and Jess couldn’t hold back.

  The orgasm rushed through her, fast and unexpected. A keening wail tore from her throat and Gage stifled it with his lips.

  He kissed her through waves of bliss and chased down every aftershock of pleasure with his tongue.

  As she came down from her high, a voice rang out from the stairs.

  “Sir, stop! You can’t go in there!”

  Chapter 8

  GAGE

  Fuck. Interruptions like this were the reason they paid a premium to rent out the private space. Some paparazzo probably snuck in through the kitchen. One shot of the MacIntosh brothers in a compromising situation would make a photog’s year.

  Too bad, asshole.

  His brother moved to slide out of the booth, but Gage beat him to it. “I’ll handle it. You stay here.”

  Holt’s sour expression broadcast his displeasure, but it didn’t matter. Manhandling jerk-offs with expensive cameras fell square into Gage’s skill set. If he left it up to Holt, they would end up with their photos splashed all over Page Six.

  He glanced at Jess. Two saucer eyes stared at him from the recesses of the booth. Damn.

  Kissing her wasn’t part of the plan. Watch as bliss wracked her body and she came apart? Never. But now that he’d had a taste, he wanted more.

  So much more.

  Jess's body pinned between them, naked skin hot to the touch. Breasts mashed into his chest as he sunk himself deep inside.

  Gage steeled himself. Splashing her picture across a bunch of tabloids would keep those images a dream. The sooner he dealt with the problem at the foot of the stairs, the sooner he could lick every inch of Jess.

  They had sent out the PR campaign. As long as incriminating photos didn’t hit the streets, they’d be fine.

  Three steps down and Gage froze. Shit. The portly countenance and too-bright tie gave the man away. The bellowing voice confirmed it. They had a bigger problem.

  Gage spun on his heel and hustled back into the private room. They needed to put themselves together before Nicky barged up there and got an eyeful.

  In the seconds he’d been gone, Holt had taken advantage, draping his body all over Jess. Gage fought down a wave of anger. He’d deal with his brother later.

  “Look alive, it’s Gordon.”

  “What?” Holt bolted upright.

  “You heard me. Be presentable if he storms in.”

  “Of course.”

  Gage rushed down the stairs two at a time. Nicky Gordon would take one peek at the three of them nestled into an ultra-private room and draw all the wrong conclusions.

  “What a surprise to find you here.” He held out his hand as he hit the ground floor. “How are you, Nicky?”

  The scoundrel glanced past Gage to the stairway behind him. “A little birdie told me you and Holt disappeared upstairs. Having a party?”

  Was he having them tailed? God, how he wanted to punch the man. Destroying him in business would have to suffice.

  Gage plastered on a photo-op smile. “Not until we celebrate the takeover of MacIntosh Hotels, I’m afraid.”

  “That will never happen. The shareholders understand the kind of men you are.” Nicky motioned past him. “A new lady, perhaps?”

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  “So it’s true?”

  Gage stood a bit taller. “What if it is? A few tipped-off paparazzi and you'd find out soon enough. Why come across town to accost us?”

  Nicky’s rancid smile faltered. “I happened to be dining at Tristfall myself. Pure coincidence.”

  The more the man talked, the more Gage disliked him. When he’d first resisted the buy out, Gage took it in stride. It was business. But now it was personal. Did he really hate them that much?

  Too bad. His father never should have sold the hotel chain to such a parasite. “To answer your question, we are entertaining a woman upstairs. She’s our biographer.”

  Nicky scoffed. “Your what?”

  “We’re having a piece done by News Network Today on the MacIntosh family. Our researcher is with Holt going over the details.”

  His opponent’s laugh boomed out. “You’ve been slumming it with brown nosers for far too long, Gage. No one with half a brain would believe that.”

  Gage glanced at the maître d’ hovering a few feet away. The man heard every word. If he blew Nicky off, the press would storm the place before their car pulled up.

  Christ. Nicky probably called the tabloids himself, hoping to catch a shot of them arguing. If he dragged the asshole outside and told him off, it would be all over the papers and terrible for business.

  Gage didn’t need more of a scene than he already had. He glanced upstairs.

  Jess knew how to handle herself. She’d made that clear. He motioned Nicky ahead of him. “How about you come up? You can meet her yourself.”

  The back of Nicky’s head bobbed up and down as he climbed the stairs. A fat roll of skin pooched over the collar of his dress shirt, bulging with every step.

  The guy was a bottom feeder. The worst kind to strike a deal with. Nicky whistled when he made it to the private room. Fuck.

  JESS

  The clang of shoes on stairs startled Jess silent. Gage said he’d take care of it, was he done already?

  No. A man appeared at the top, face a bit flushed from the climb. Despite his round belly and thick neck, he’d stuffed himself into a three-piece suit complete with vest and tie.

  The black of his jacket combined with the white of his shirt reminded Jess of an emperor penguin waddling its way into the room. His beady eyes didn’t help.

  Holt tensed beside her. “He’s an asshole, just FYI.”

  “Super.” Jess pulled her shoulders back and clasped her hands in front of her.

  The man’s thick pink tongue wet his lips. “If it isn’t the littlest MacIntosh and his latest conquest. Did he promise you a good time, sweetheart? If you came with me, I'd show you a better one.”

  Holt stepped forward. “Lay off, Nicky. She’s not our date. She’s a researcher for NNT who is doing a story on us for the network.”

  The man’s laugh roiled Jess’s stomach. “And I’m her long, lost uncle. As soon as Gage came up with that line, I knew it was total bullshit. Just look at her—” He waggled a finger in Jess’s direction. “You expect me to believe a hot piece like her is a reporter?”

  Oh, hell, no. It was impressions like that Jess had been afraid of. With Holt and Gage’s reputations as ladies men, no one would take her role seriously. People always assumed the worst.

  It didn’t help that she’d just let them…Damn it. She was in way over her head but this jerk wasn’t going to know it.


  She thought about her mother’s commitment to the job. How she never backed down no matter the risk.

  This Nicky guy could be the next in the line to the world’s biggest fortune, but Jess didn’t care. Not when he’d been so charming already.

  After smoothing her skirt, she stuck out her hand. “Holt is right. I am a researcher with News Network Today. I’ve been hired to prepare an in-depth piece on the lives of the MacIntosh brothers.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed, but he shook hands. Cold and clammy, his skin slipped over her like a snake around a kill. “Nicolas Gordon. But please, call me Nicky.”

  “Jessica Woodson. Nice to meet you.” She tugged her hand away and resisted the urge to wipe it across her dress. “Are you a friend of Holt or Gage?”

  Nicky ignored the question. “Tell me, how much have they paid you for a favorable piece?”

  Jess blinked. “I’m sorry?”

  “You’re obviously a hired gun.”

  This is why I’m not a reporter. She tried not to show her distaste. “I am no such thing.”

  His nose crinkled as he looked her over. “What did you promise them, all good sound bites in exchange for a penthouse on the upper west side? A little after hours hanky-panky for a limo ride and a nice meal?”

  Jess’s mouth fell open. “I am a professional!” Her voice edged higher as she spoke, but she didn’t care. No one talked to her like that. She glanced at Gage. His neck muscles bulged in anger. The man could barely keep it together. This wasn’t how she wanted the assignment to go.

  Holt stepped toward Nicky with his arm out in a soothing way.

  Nicky brushed him off. “This is low, even for the pair of you. Do you really think my shareholders will be swayed by what some two-bit hussy with a nice rack has to say about you?”

  Rage shot through Jess like a rocket. The son of a bitch. She didn’t care whether it ruined the assignment, what Gage or Holt thought of her, anything.

  Nikolas Gordon could be the damn Mayor of New York and it wouldn’t have stopped her.

  Jess stormed up and stuck her index finger smack in the middle of his garish tie. “I. Am. Not. A. Hussy.” With every word, she needled him harder. “Apologize.”