Luscious Beginnings [Love in Luscious, Kansas 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting ManLove)

by Mia Ashlinn

  Sam grinned. He really liked the last idea. But his smile quickly faded when he realized it might look conspicuous for him to just show up at the Bed and Breakfast they were staying at, especially considering they’d just left here ten minutes ago.

  Or I could just put on my big boys pants and call Brooklyn. She’s not a psycho, just a psychic. Sam laughed at his bad attempt at a pun then unlocked his iPhone before he could change his mind. He jabbed the bright green icon with the white telephone receiver on it and dialed the number he knew by heart. He clicked Call and waited.

  One ring didn’t even slip by before Brooklyn’s brusque greeting came over the line. “Hello, Sam.”

  A reflexive smirk split Sam’s face. Of course, she expected it to be him. Knowing her, she had her cell phone in hand before he’d called. “Hi, Brooklyn. Long time. No talk.” He tried his best to be cool and pretend that nothing was wrong.

  But Brooklyn wasn’t playing along. “Yes. Long time. No talk.”

  Sam tried again. “How’ve you been?”

  “Fine.”

  He sighed. “Brooklyn…”

  “Sam,” she countered, her tone sounding more distant by the second.

  Giving up, Sam apologized. “I’m sorry.”

  “For?” Brooklyn asked. She was apparently going to make him squirm before forgiving him, which wasn’t like her. She must really have been pissed at him. Then again, he supposed he deserved her anger. He’d been a royal pain in the ass to her lately—baiting her into arguing over Aly and avoiding her calls.

  In his defense, though, she had been behind Aly’s sudden discovery of his whereabouts, and she had ratted him out to Brett and Ethan. Not only that, she’d told the two men about his attack and subsequent hospital visit, which hurt them. And that had been the last straw for Sam, so he’d stopped talking to her. Like an ungrateful bastard.

  Frustrated, Sam flopped back on his bed with an ooph then muttered, “For everything.”

  He could hear her smile when she said, “Good.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes, Sam. That’s it.”

  There was the Brooklyn he knew and loved. “Good.”

  She chuckled, her laugh low and throaty. “How are things going with Brett and Ethan?”

  Sam gasped as dramatically as he possibly could. “Now, now, now. Brooklyn Sokolov doesn’t know something? It’s the end of the world as we know it.”

  “Smart-ass,” she flung, but there was no maliciousness in her tone, only amusement. “I don’t know everything. And anyway, I was just trying to be a good friend and lend you my ear.”

  “What am I going to do with your ear?” he asked, jokingly. “I’m not a fan of needles, so piercing is out.”

  He’d bet his next paycheck she was rolling her bewitching blue eyes. “Smart-ass.”

  “I thought we’d already covered that,” he teased.

  Brooklyn huffed. “Be serious.”

  Sam got a kick out of annoying Brooklyn. “Serious? Never heard of it.”

  “Sam…”

  Even through the phone, he could hear his friend’s patience wearing thin. “Fine,” he said begrudgingly. “Things are surreal.”

  “Surreal?” she repeated.

  He didn’t know how else to describe it. “Yeah. It’s weird, you know. I left because I didn’t know who I was. But they’ve been here a few days, and I feel like…me for the first time in a long time.” Well, he felt more than just that. But Brooklyn didn’t know the details of his raging libido. “I, uh…”

  “Have realized that one facet of your personality or belief system doesn’t define who you are as a whole?” she filled in before he could.

  Sam bit back a snicker. There went Brooklyn’s inner psychic. He was in for it now. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She didn’t respond to his sarcasm. Instead, she kept going with her questioning. “Understand that denying a part of you has nothing to do with lying, deceiving, or deluding yourself?”

  He nodded but said nothing. There was no point in wasting his breath. She already knew his answers before he said them.

  “Got it through your thick skull that you’re the same Sam you’ve always been—only slightly different and a whole lot happier because you’ve accepted how you feel about Brett and Ethan?”

  Okay, that was pushing it a bit. It had only been a week. He was still getting his bearings. “I wouldn’t go that far just yet, Brooklyn. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know.”

  “Nope, it wasn’t,” she agreed. “But you’re a work in progress.”

  “Yes, I am.” The satisfaction in his voice rang loud and clear.

  “Give them two more weeks,” Brooklyn said. “I guarantee you’ll be a changed man. And they will be, too.” She sounded awfully confident, too certain, and more than a little smug.

  “You know something,” he accused suspiciously, already certain that she did.

  Brooklyn chuckled, her laugh tinkling musically across the phone line. “Don’t I always?”

  Of course, she did. “What do you know then?” he inquired, attempting to sound indifferent but failing.

  Another chuckle fell from her lips. “More than you, Sam. More than you. But don’t worry. You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Oh boy.

  * * * *

  A week after his weird talk with Brooklyn, Sam found himself working alone in The Luscious Lady. Brett and Ethan, who were hired by Deke and Adam to temporarily help him at the bar, had had to run a couple of errands. Ethan had headed over to Green Tees to order t-shirts for the new staff members and Brett had made a quick run to The Grub Pub to pick up food. Sam expected them back soon but until they returned, he planned to get as much done as he possibly could—if for no other reason than to keep himself busy.

  While hanging out behind the bar playing mixologist for the new menu, Sam couldn’t keep from humming Maroon 5’s “Love Somebody” to himself. When he reached the chorus, he paused midhum. Those particular lyrics had come to have a lot of meaning to him. Of course, it probably sounded cheesy, but he was in a good place. Brett and Ethan had helped him get to this point, and they really were only halfway there. And he had to admit that every day was better than the last.

  Sam grinned as he poured a shot of vodka into the glass in front of him. Although, technically, they weren’t really where he wanted to be in the romantic sense. But he could settle for their friendship. At least, for now he could. Later was a different story.

  Sam was starting to see that he wasn’t the only one who wanted more from their relationship—and soon. Small things his best friends did were very revealing, probably more telling than even they realized. But God, Sam didn’t miss a single sign. He practically burned them into his mind.

  And man, Brett and Ethan were handsy. Touches here and touches there were going on everywhere—between all of them. Not that Sam minded. Hell, he was all for it. The more touching, the merrier.

  Since they’d arrived in Luscious, their relationship had become so much stronger. They had laid this new foundation that was utterly unbreakable, and it grew every time they were together. Amazingly, it all stemmed from the fact they were learning about each other as they’d never learned before.

  They talked about more than television, sports, and cars. They shared more than what had gone on while they were working at The Luscious Lady that day. Now they took time to discuss the deeper issues, the things that really mattered. And because of that, Sam was finding himself more and more, just like he was finding himself with them, in them, and as a part of them.

  Shit, I’m turning into a sap. Sam laughed, the sound ringing with his happiness, as he turned to the back of the bar and contemplated his next liquor of choice. Hmm, tropical or sweet? While he scanned the bottles ranging from fruit-flavored Schnapps to Bailey’s Irish Cream, he couldn’t help but be amused that even his ooey-gooeyness didn’t stop the rush of joy that surged in his veins. Nor did it slow down the contentment, the blissfulness that warmed him to
the very core.

  “What’s so funny?” a guttural voice asked from behind him. There was more than a little mirth in Ethan’s tone.

  Without stopping what he was doing, Sam glanced over his shoulder and saw the two hottest men he’d ever known. “Do you really want to know, angel boy?” he asked, rotating around so he could see them fully.

  “Of course,” Ethan replied easily with a smile that sizzled. “Especially if it’s dirty.”

  Sam rolled his eyes. But it was all for show. “Me? Thinking dirty? Never.”

  Brett guffawed as he plopped the bag of food down onto the bar. “Right. And Ethan here is a choir boy.”

  The delicious smell of hot pastrami sandwiches and onion rings wafted through the air and underneath Sam’s nose. He couldn’t help but sniff—long and hard. “Hot damn.” He whistled appreciatively. But neither of his friends paid him any mind.

  Ethan elbowed Brett, who grunted with a melodramatic flair. “I was a choir boy.” After a dramatic pause, he added, “Once.”

  “For Halloween,” Brett teased.

  “Still, I was a choir boy,” Ethan countered. “So there.”

  Sam grinned. “You have to admit it, Brett. Our Ethan was one hot choir boy.” Damn, that sounded wrong on so many levels.

  “See!” Ethan gave a triumphant smile. “I, Ethan Bartlett, was a choir boy.”

  Brett snorted. “Only because you lost a bet with my brother.”

  “True.”

  “If I recall, you got even with David the next Halloween,” Sam reminded him, chuckling as he remembered the costume Ethan had dared David to wear—a drag beauty queen. Surprisingly, David had. They still had pictures to prove it, too.

  “Hey, it wasn’t my fault he had nice legs,” Ethan defended, his eyes dancing with hilarity. “Or that Miah mistook him for Miss Pennsylvania and kissed him like there was no tomorrow.”

  They all laughed then grew quiet.

  “I miss him,” Sam confessed quietly. Feeling restless, he started pulling onion ring holders out of the bag and placing them in a line along the bar

  “Me, too,” Ethan admitted, his voice just as soft as Sam’s.

  Brett eased into one of the barstools. “I think he’d be happy for us.” His naturally tanned face flamed red, and he coughed. “That we’re back together… That we’re working things out. Uh, you know what I mean.”

  Chuckling, Sam laid the last sandwich on the counter before balling up the bag and tossing it in the trash. He knew it wasn’t very nice, but Brett’s discomfort entertained him. At the same time, he wished they would talk about the elephant in the room. Up until now, this was the closest they’d come to discussing the shift in their relationship. Yet still, none of them uttered a word. And a second later, they lost their chance because The Luscious Lady’s owners Deke Andrews and Adam Stanton strolled in with their gorgeous new fiancée Sarah Matthews.

  * * * *

  Ethan bit his tongue to keep from cursing as he watched Deke and Adam approach him and Brett while Sarah made a beeline around the bar for Sam before tugging him away. Well, isn’t life a bitch? They’d been close, so damn close to talking about their mutual attraction before they were interrupted by their bosses and Sarah. For a second there, Ethan had really thought they were going to discuss their feelings for each other.

  If only he’d had a few more seconds, Ethan might have said something really incriminating about how he felt, damn the consequences. And that might have resulted in him having a bright red ass. One that I would wear proudly. After all, he had promised Brett that he wouldn’t push Sam before he was ready.

  Although, Ethan wasn’t all that convinced Sam wasn’t ready for a little push. Or something else. The man had become shameless with Brett and Ethan. His hands were friendly and his flirting bold. No, he didn’t come out and say, “Fuck me” or “Love me.” But in Ethan’s opinion, he didn’t need to. They all knew that he wanted them as much as he wanted them. It was in his actions and in his attitude. But most of all, it was in his gorgeous eyes.

  So, really, what would it have hurt for Ethan to step up and say Sam, I want you. I love you. Brett does, too. Be ours. It wouldn’t have hurt a damn thing.

  Hell, the words had been dangling on the tip of his tongue. All he’d had to do was open his stupid mouth. But no, he hadn’t moved quickly enough. And now, look where he was—getting ready to make nice with Deke and Adam until they inevitably left to return to their home at The Edge in Kinky.

  “Brett. Ethan,” Deke said as he strolled up to Ethan and Brett at the bar. “We need to talk.”

  “Looks like we came at a bad time,” Adam mumbled out of the side of his mouth. “They seemed to be having a moment.”

  Deke gave his partner a sidelong glance. “Yeah well, why don’t you tell our sub that? The stubborn imp drove me nuts all the way here.”

  “I’m sure we could find a way to occupy her.” Adam smirked. “There’s plenty of rope in the SUV.”

  “Why don’t you try and find out?” Brett suggested. His face was solemn. Clearly, he was serious about their bosses getting out so they could be alone again. “You can always come back later.”

  Yeah, go. Come back later. Or don’t come back. Call me or don’t. Just leave. Ethan kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to get fired from their temporary placement at The Luscious Lady. That would create a serious hitch in their plan to win Sam over. Driving from here to Serenity and back again on a daily basis could be difficult. Although, they’d do it, if it came to that.

  Adam shoved Brett’s shoulder playfully. “I always knew I liked you.”

  “Adam, we’re here for an actual reason,” Deke declared.

  Ethan’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “And what might that be?” he asked.

  An approving half smile curved Deke’s lips upward. Then it was gone with the blink of an eye. The ever-serious business man was back in place. “We wanted to see if you would be interested in running The Luscious Lady for us—permanently.”

  Brett’s brow furrowed. “But…”

  “Hear me out,” Deke ordered in his Dom voice.

  Brett noticeably bristled at Deke’s tone, but he still agreed, much to Ethan’s relief. “Okay.”

  Expelling a quick breath, Ethan nodded. “Sure.”

  “You’ve both done wonderful jobs at Her Majesty’s Pleasure in Serenity,” Deke complimented. “And now, you’ve come here and are doing just as well. We thought it might be advantageous for us to make your temporary positions here permanent.”

  Brett appeared seriously confused. His expression was rife with puzzlement, the set of his jaw tight and his brows drawn down in noticeable perplexity. If Ethan were a guessing man, he’d wager that his lover’s brain was thinking, moving at a mile a minute. “What about Her Majesty’s Pleasure?” he asked.

  “Consider this an expansion of sorts,” Deke answered.

  Brett’s eyes proclaimed his excitement at Deke and Adam’s proposal. “Interesting. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Staff it right and you can work here full-time like you’ve been doing,” Adam said. “Then when you need to, you can travel to Serenity. It’s not that far away.”

  Ethan felt excitement flicker inside him, and he asked, “Could we really do that?”

  Deke shrugged. “I can’t decide that for you. But personally, I think you can. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made the offer.”

  That was true. Deke wasn’t the type of man who went around handing out job offers freely. He was a serious businessman who didn’t allow friendships to cloud his judgment in the boardroom. If he was asking, he was convinced it would work. And so am I.

  Elation swamped Ethan. But he didn’t show it externally, even though he was dying to. Calm. Cool. Collected. That’s what I should be. So he was.

  Adam cleared his throat, shooting his partner a pointed look. “Sarah believes you can. She wouldn’t have suggested it if she didn’t.”

  Deke didn’t respond to Ada
m. Other than the rapid twitch of a frown, it was as though he hadn’t heard him at all. “Adam and I keep our work base in Kinky. Now granted, we have to travel a lot. But it’s worth it.”

  The travel would be worth it to Ethan, too. But still, he held back. Until he and Brett could have a moment alone, he didn’t want to give away anything.

  “Just think about it,” Adam said. “There’s no rush on a decision. This place doesn’t open up for another few weeks. It was just a thought Sarah came up with.” Again, he peered at Deke with a teasing grin.

  Playing along with Adam’s obvious ribbing, Ethan murmured, “Sounds like your future bride is business savvy.”

  Unlike with Adam, Deke responded to Ethan’s comment about Sarah. “Yes, she is,” he agreed.

  Adam snorted. “Half the time, she’s too ambitious with her ideas, and Deke and I end up breaking her pretty little heart. But I don’t think that’ll be the case this time because this plan might actually work.”

  Beaming, Brett nodded. “Me, too. But we need to talk this over. Ethan, Sam, and I haven’t really made any decisions yet. We’re just…”

  “Working things out,” Ethan supplied.

  “Maybe not,” Adam concurred. “But from what I’ve heard, you two aren’t going anywhere. And if that’s the case, you’re going to need jobs.”

  Brett lifted and lowered his shoulders in a careless shrug.

  “You never know,” Ethan countered with a grin.

  Adam returned his grin tenfold. “Oh, I know. You aren’t leaving Sam, and Sam isn’t leaving here. Sounds like a done deal to me.”

  Unmistakably skeptical, Brett arched a thick eyebrow.

  “Girls talk,” Adam replied. He followed his explanation with a showy wink.

  Ethan chuckled at Adam.

  Rolling his eyes, Deke grumbled, “Adam, we didn’t come here to gossip like a couple of old hens.”

  “We didn’t,” Adam retorted, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. “But Sarah did.”

  Deke grabbed his partner’s hand in a rare public display of affection. “Yeah well, Sarah will have to call Sam later. She has a meeting at The Edge about her new toy shop. Heaven forbid she miss it.” Before he’d even finished speaking, he was tugging Adam away and calling out to Sarah. “Come on, sassy. We need to get a move on. Ella and the designers can’t wait all day.”