by Ella Frank
“No, it wasn’t. Do you want to know how you ended up in this condo with me? This bedroom with me? Or that bed…on your own?” Priest said. “Those are three different questions. With three very different answers.”
As Priest walked toward him, Robbie looked around, hoping to spot Priest’s other, less intimidating half. But when he didn’t see Julien anywhere, he said, “All of that. I want to know all of that. And you can stop right there, mister.”
Priest tilted his head to the side, studying Robbie where he sat. “Very well. Let me see. First you passed out in my car after defiling my ears with your singing.”
Defiling his—Oh yeah, Starship. Robbie remembered that.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Priest pressed his finger to Robbie’s lips and said, “I’m not finished,” and Robbie quickly shut his mouth. “I then carried you to the elevator, and Julien and I brought you upstairs to our place.”
Robbie’s eyes widened. Okay, he so didn’t remember that. Not the elevator ride. Not the being carried part. And how could he forget that? Had Priest carried him over his shoulder, fireman style? Or in his arms like Prince Charming? Except, you know, minus the charming part. “I don’t remember any of that.”
“I’m not surprised,” Priest said. “You had a lot to drink.”
No shit, Robbie thought, as he glared at Priest, trying to decide if what he saw in those eyes was judgment or amusement. Either way, it had him bristling like a cornered, wet cat, and when he peered down at himself, pulling the cover away an inch, he noticed he was only wearing his jeans. “Where’s my shirt?”
“Julien thought you’d be more comfortable without it. In case you got too hot.”
“Surrre he did,” Robbie said, his inner brat rising to the surface as his humiliation over having passed out was brought front and center. “Why not just strip me completely, then?”
“He tried. Your jeans were too tight.”
“Oh,” Robbie managed, and Priest’s dour expression made him want to slap it right off his face. “Where is he now?”
“Out in the kitchen.”
Overwhelmed by the fact that he was in a bedroom, half-naked, with a man who not only annoyed him every time he opened his mouth but also, for reasons unknown, made his body hyperaware, Robbie ran a nervous hand through his hair as he worried his lower lip with his teeth.
“He sent me in to wish you a good morning,” Priest said, and then added, “Don’t do that,” as he touched his index finger to Robbie’s lip again.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
Robbie was sure he was going to say something like Don’t tell me what to do or Get your hands off me. But instead his lips parted slightly under the weight of Priest’s finger and he said, “Good morning.”
Priest continued to stare, seemingly unaffected, until Robbie unconsciously licked his lip, his tongue touching that finger, and that was when it happened. The moment Robbie first saw it. The scorching heat and untamed lust that turned those cold grey eyes of Priest’s to that of melted steel.
“Good morning,” Priest replied, and Robbie thought it was a miracle his heart didn’t stop.
Wow. He’s, like, all kinds of intense, Robbie thought as he sat there paralyzed, waiting for Priest’s next move.
Priest rubbed his finger slowly back and forth over Robbie’s lip until it was slick, and then ran it down his chin until he dropped his hand by his side.
“Are you busy tonight?” Priest asked, and even if he had been, Robbie knew he would’ve cancelled.
He was man enough, horny enough, and, hell, stupid enough to admit that he wanted this. Priest, Julien, whatever this was. He fucking wanted it. Yes, he did. “No. It’s my night off.”
“Good. We want to take you to dinner.”
Hang on a second… “Dinner?”
“Yes. You are familiar with the practice of eating, I assume?”
“Well, yeah, but”—Robbie shrugged—“you don’t have to take me to dinner to—”
“Fuck you?”
Robbie knew Priest was trying to shock him, so instead of cowering, he angled his head up a notch and said, “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Priest took hold of Robbie’s chin in a firm grip, bent his head, and whispered above his mouth, “It’s one of the things we want. And though we don’t have to, we want to take you to dinner.”
Robbie’s eyes dropped to Priest’s mouth. For the first time, he noticed how pink Priest’s lips were compared to the auburn stubble surrounding them, and was shocked to realize he wanted to taste them.
“Robert?”
Robbie’s eyes flew back to Priest’s, and he knew they must’ve screamed one thing—guilty.
“Will you come to dinner with us?”
Robbie swallowed and then nodded the best he could with Priest still holding his face.
“Good. There’s a bagel and coffee over on the tallboy. You should eat. Julien will give you something for the headache if you need it. I have to go to work.”
Priest released him, and Robbie was stunned by how bereft he felt from the loss of the touch, as he watched a man he never thought he’d be interested in straighten his suit and head to the bedroom door.
“I’ll see you tonight, Robert.”
It was only after Priest left that Robbie realized he hadn’t once corrected him on his name. But more perplexing was the fact that he kind of liked the way “Robert” sounded when Joel Priestley called him that.
“THERE, HAPPY? I wished him a good morning.”
Julien turned from the sink and slung a dishtowel over his shoulder, as Priest walked across their living room. He’d buttoned up his suit jacket, but beyond that, it didn’t appear that Robbie had thrown anything at his head. In Julien’s book, that was a success.
“I’m very happy. Positively bursting with joy,” Julien said, as Priest reached around him for his cell phone and then slipped it in his pocket. “And isn’t that what you want? A happy wife means a happy…night.”
“I don’t believe that’s how that saying goes. In any case, my night should be extraordinary after this.”
“Oh? Do tell me more.”
“You have the night off,” Priest said. “We’re all going out to dinner.”
Julien’s eyes went beyond Priest’s shoulder, and he knew exactly what his husband was talking about. The plan. Their plan. This was the first step. “He said yes?”
“To dinner.”
“That’s a start, mon amour. But I think I would like to cook tonight, if you don’t mind.”
“Why would I ever mind that?” Priest said, and pressed his lips to Julien’s. “I have to go. I trust you’ll look after our guest appropriately.”
Julien leaned away from Priest and nodded. “Of course. Are you implying that I’d do something without you?”
“Are you implying that you wouldn’t?”
“I would never… Not if we have an agreement.”
“And we do, don’t we?”
“We do. So hurry up and leave so you can come home.”
When the sound of a door opening filled the room, Julien glanced over Priest’s shoulder as his husband stepped aside so they could both get a good look at Robbie, who had just walked out into their living room.
Wearing nothing but the lowest, tightest pair of jeans Julien had seen, Robbie ran a hand through his messy hair as his smudged eyes wandered around the space.
Last night Julien had taken Robbie’s shirt to wash for him, and as he and Priest stood there staring at the young man, Julien couldn’t help but wish he’d been able to remove those jeans too. He would’ve bet money there was nothing but a flimsy scrap of fabric, if that, under that denim.
“I’ve got to go,” Priest announced, and then he looked at Julien and said, “Remember, appropriate behavior.”
“Je sais. I know,” Julien said, and laughed when Priest looked down at the erection he had no hope of hiding in his loose yoga pants. “Don’t act like I’m the
only one. Il est délicieux.”
“Agreed. But I’m leaving. You’re staying. So behave yourself.”
As Priest picked up his briefcase, Julien was about to assure him that he would when Robbie started laughing from across the room.
“Oh my God,” Robbie said as he brought a hand up to his mouth and looked over to the balcony doors. “I just realized why this place is so familiar.”
Priest grabbed his keys off the counter and walked around it to head out the door, as Julien stood at the island, waiting for Robbie to fill them in.
“This is Logan’s old place.”
At those words, Priest’s feet came to an abrupt halt. “Yes. It is.”
“I knew it. It looks totally different now. But if you’d taken me into that room,” Robbie said, pointing to the master bedroom, “I would’ve known straight away.”
Oh shit, Julien thought, as Priest looked at him with an expression that relayed loud and clear that this was information he was not aware of.
“You have to go to work, remember?” Julien said.
Priest’s eyes narrowed as if to say, Nice try. Then he turned back to Robbie, who seemed oblivious to the fact that he’d just kicked a hornets’ nest. “You dated Logan?”
Robbie laughed at that. Once, twice, and then he really started to laugh. When he finally got control of himself, he said, “I wish.”
“Then how have you seen the master bedroom in this place?”
Robbie looked to Julien. “He really is from another century, isn’t he?”
“Robert,” Priest said in a tone that made Julien’s cock ache and Robbie—oh yes, princesse, you like that tone too—blush, from his face down to his neck.
“What?” Robbie snapped.
Priest walked over to Robbie, and Julien admired the fact that Robbie didn’t back up even when Priest got so close that the tips of his shoes touched Robbie’s bare toes.
“I’m going to ask you a question, and I would like you to think very carefully before you answer.”
Robbie looked as though he wanted to tell Priest to take a hike, but instead he kept his mouth shut and waited.
“Have you had sex with Logan?”
Robbie’s eyes darted over Priest’s shoulder to Julien’s, and when he inclined his head, hoping to relay that Robbie should answer with the truth, he looked back to Priest and said, “Yes. We met at a club one night before he knew Tate.”
That vibrating tension that Julien had started to think had lifted was back in full force as Priest stared at Robbie in silence, and Julien wondered if this new piece of information changed his husband’s mind about what he wanted out of all of this. But then, without another word, Priest turned and walked down the corridor and out the front door.
As it slammed shut behind him, Robbie startled slightly, and Julien said, “Don’t worry. He’ll come around.”
“Come around? What was he expecting? A virgin?”
Julien chuckled and shook his head as he headed back to the sink. “Non—he just wasn’t expecting you to have slept with one of his work partners.”
“Uh, news flash. There was no sleeping involved that night. I was awake for all of it.”
Julien looked over his shoulder to see that Robbie had moved to stand behind one of the stools.
“Merely a figure of speech. I’ve only met Logan once, but I can’t imagine sleeping much either should I have found myself in his bed.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Robbie said. “And now that he’s married, you never will. He isn’t like you and—” He bit off his words, and Julien took the dishtowel off his shoulder, wiped his hands, and threw it on the counter.
He walked around to Robbie, and when he got close enough that he could feel Robbie’s body heat emanating off him, Julien said, “It’s okay—you can say it. He isn’t like me and Priest?”
Robbie looked around the room as though he were suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. “Um, yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like the two of you.”
“Mmm,” Julien said, and ran a finger from the base of Robbie’s throat to the center of his chest. “I would agree. We are—”
“Strange?” Robbie suggested, but if he thought to offend, he was in for a shock.
“I prefer unique,” Julien said, as he trailed his finger over to one of Robbie’s flat nipples, which he suddenly wanted to bite. “We do things a little differently than most. But I think that excites you. You’re curious about us, and that makes you perfect.”
“Oh God.” Robbie’s lips parted and a shuddery sigh left him as he arched his body forward, and Julien scraped his nail over the nipple he was playing with. “Perfect for what?”
Julien slowly shook his head. “I’m not allowed to tell. But you’ll find out if you come to dinner tonight.”
“I, ah…I don’t think Priest wants me at dinner after this.”
Julien’s lips curved at the beautiful way Robbie was responding to him. Breathless, but eager, as he leaned into the touch. “Au contraire. The problem is he wants you for dinner. Yes, he’s upset about this new development, but not because it happened—because he didn’t know about it.”
Robbie blinked as though trying to focus on Julien’s words and not how he was feeling. “I don’t understand.”
Julien moved the final step he needed to place his cheek by Robbie’s. “Control, mon cher petit. It’s all about control. And once you understand that, you will understand Priest.”
Julien dropped his hand and took a step back as Robbie grabbed the back of the barstool for support, his eyes bright with a newfound understanding.
“The only question now is,” Julien said, “do you still want to come to dinner with us?”
Chapter Six
CONFESSION
Gays, Girls, and Italians.
We could keep the phone companies in business for life.
ROBBIE SILENCED HIS phone for the third time and stared out the window of the Range Rover as Julien drove him across town. Not much had been said since Priest had slammed out of the condo and Julien had told him they still wanted him at dinner, but all Robbie could think about as they drove through the busy streets was: why?
It wasn’t that he doubted his appeal, hell no—anyone would be lucky to have him in their bed. But he didn’t understand the Priest angle going on. From the moment they’d met, he could’ve sworn Priest hated him. Thought that he was some ridiculous little twink put in his way to irritate him at every opportunity, just as Robbie had thought Priest a giant pain in the ass sent to destroy all happiness in his life.
But this morning, when Priest had touched him, there’d been fire in those grey eyes. Desire…for him. And it was throwing Robbie for a fucking loop. It was crazy to even think about. But then again, so was the fact that he was considering going on this… What is it, even? A date?
Robbie stole a quick glance at his driver, and was thankful that Julien had given him his space for the time being. It was clear that the gorgeous chef was used to the quietness of a moment, and given that he was married to the most stoic bastard Robbie had ever met, he figured that Julien had these moments down to a fine art.
What do they want from me? The question was playing on repeat over and over, as the car stopped and started at each new intersection or turn. Priest hadn’t given him much to go by, other than it wasn’t just sex. And Julien had said they would tell him more at dinner. But as Robbie sat there, he kept thinking, What else could we really have other than sex?
“We’re here,” Julien said, interrupting Robbie’s musings and alerting him to the fact that Julien was now pulling the SUV to the curb outside of Robbie’s nonna’s house.
“Well, thanks for the ride,” Robbie said, with as much cheer as he could, not really knowing what else to say. “So, um—”
“I’ll text you in a few hours or so,” Julien told him, and then smiled. “Give you time to think about what you want to do next.”
“I don’t even know what
is next.”
Julien leaned over and put his finger on the seatbelt release. “Dinner,” he said, and then pressed down, and as it unclicked and retracted, Robbie narrowed his eyes.
“Just dinner?”
“Patience, princesse. One thing at a time. Come to dinner and let us all see how it goes.”
“You’re almost as bad as he is, you know? You’re just nicer about it.”
“Non.” Julien put a hand to his chest. “Say it isn’t so.”
Robbie rolled his eyes, reached for the door handle, and then shoved it open.
“I hope we see you later,” Julien said, and leaned over to kiss Robbie’s cheek. “It’s been a pleasure.”
Robbie shut the door and stared through the window at one of the most handsome faces he’d ever seen, and when Julien winked at him, Robbie knew there was no question of whether or not he’d be going tonight.
After all, it was just dinner, right?
“IT’S ABOUT TIME you called me back. I was starting to think you were avoiding me.”
Felicity, Robbie’s youngest sister, had been calling him nonstop ever since he’d gotten in the car with Julien, and as he walked down the hall of his nonna’s house, he looked in each room to make sure his nonna was nowhere around.
It had just turned nine thirty on Thursday morning, and luckily the house was empty right now—Nonna was probably next door at Betty’s for her morning game of canasta. Otherwise, he would’ve been bombarded with a hundred and one questions the second she’d seen a strange car dropping him off at the curb—and she would’ve seen it, too. One thing you could always count on about Italian grandmothers: they heard and saw everything.
“Oh, please,” Robbie said, and walked into the small bedroom he’d claimed during his stay. “I don’t have time to reassure you that I love you best. I have to talk to you about something while Nonna’s not here.”
“Ohh, gossip?” Felicity said. “Wait, is this about Penny getting knocked up? Because if it is, I already know that.”