by Lolita Lopez
Lexi snorted with amusement. “You actually eat carbs?”
Frank laughed and toyed with her hair. “What do you think we eat?”
“To look like that?” She gestured to their bodies. “I’d assume protein powder, raw eggs and some kind of weird wheat grass smoothie.”
“Hardly,” Tom replied as he drew his initials on Lexi’s arm. “I mean, yes, I do eat clean when I’m in training for a big event but in the lulls in between?” He shook his head. “I eat normally but in moderation.”
“Yeah, moderation,” she said with a cheeky grin, “that’s my problem.”
“If you say so,” Frank replied in an unconvinced tone. Lexi wasn’t in tip-top professional athlete shape but she didn’t need to be. “You exercise regularly and I never see you order any of those high-sugar, high-fat options at the juice bar.”
“I don’t like your juice bar,” she confessed with an apologetic smile. “I prefer my cheapo refillable water bottle from home.”
“No!” Tom feigned hurt and clutched his chest. “You’re cutting into our bottom line.”
She snickered. “Ah, the truth!”
Frank shook his head as the pair continued to joke and tease. He slipped out of bed and sauntered naked into the living area of the suite where he found the room service menu. Back in the bedroom, he squeezed between Lexi and Tom on the bed and showed them the choices. Lexi ordered because she was closest to the phone and then excused herself for a shower. This time, Frank and Tom promised to stay in the bedroom. They all knew that even more sexy shenanigans would happen if they followed her into shower. Frank was keenly aware they were running low on condoms.
By the time breakfast arrived, Lexi and Tom had both showered and were back in their clothes from last night. Frank was wrapped in a towel when he heard the knock. It took him a few minutes to get dressed and join them in the suite. He paused in the doorway between the two rooms and watched the surprisingly domestic scene. Tom served juice while Lexi arranged silverware and clean plates on the table. He assumed one of them had handed over the dirty dishes and trays from last night to the waiter who had brought breakfast.
As he watched Lexi and Tom dish out breakfast, he realized how much he wanted this and how badly he wanted Lexi as the third and final piece of his heart’s puzzle. The easy smile on Tom’s face told him just how much his man wanted the same.
He had to convince Lexi to give them a chance and open her heart. She was worth whatever pain and heartache he might endure. She was worth the risk.
*
An hour later, Lexi’s embarrassment returned as she waited near the door of the suite with Tom. She worried people were going to stare at her as she walked through the lobby in a slightly rumpled dress. She wished she’d had enough forethought to bring a small overnight bag. Fixing her hair had been a nightmare. One look at her and everyone in the lobby would know she’d just spent the night tumbling around in bed with two men.
“Okay,” Frank said as he joined them. “Room’s clear.”
He’d been making a final tour of the room to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything. He reminded her of a mother hen, and she couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d been looking after Tom in that way. She knew they’d been childhood friends. Their bios and anecdotes from their teenage years were splashed all over their gym website.
Had Tom needed Frank’s strength and guidance and protection back then? She could think of a few reasons why. The way Tom limited his alcohol intake made her wonder. Someday she hoped to have enough courage to ask Tom if his childhood had been anything like hers.
Flanked by the men, Lexi ventured into the hallway. Tom’s hand rested between her shoulder blades. Frank’s hand settled on her lower back. She tried not to blush as they stepped into the elevator. Neither man seemed to care what other people were going to think. As the elevator dinged with each floor, Lexi’s fingers tightened on the shiny black clutch gripped in her hands. Three more floors and she’d have to face all those people!
When the doors opened, she hesitated. Tom shot a concerned glance her way. She plastered a smile on her face and exited the elevator. Frank’s hand subtly pushed her forward. He must have sensed her reluctance to cross the opulent and very busy lobby. Her gaze fell to the floor after the first curious look from a woman waiting in line at the reception desk.
Frank broke away from them to settle the bill at the desk. She breathed a sigh of relief to only have Tom at her side and escorting her out of the hotel. Hopefully no one would stare at her now.
“You okay?” Tom rubbed her arm as he led her out of the hotel. “You seem rattled.”
“I’m fine.” She was anything but fine yet couldn’t bring herself to tell him that. “I think I’m just tired.”
His narrowed gaze communicated his suspicion. He was gentlemanly enough not to call her out on the blatant lie. “You should go home and get some rest.”
“Definitely,” she agreed as she dug in her clutch for the valet ticket. She handed it over to the waiting valet who snatched her keys from his board and hurried out to retrieve her car.
“Will we see you later?” Tom’s voice betrayed his hopefulness.
“Of course,” she said and closed her clutch. “I have Zumba tomorrow.”
“I meant tonight,” he clarified. “Maybe you’d like to come over to our place?”
If he’d asked her that back in the suite, she would have said yes in a heartbeat. No longer in the safe cocoon of the hotel room, Lexi struggled with the reality of the situation. Inside the room, it was one woman and two men living out a fantasy. Out here in the great wide world where reality wasn’t so simple, she understood how truly difficult this relationship could become.
Walking across the lobby with two men had nearly driven her to apoplectic fits. What about going to dinner or a movie? She could just imagine the whispers that would run wild around the gym if people found out what was really going on behind closed doors.
“I’m not sure,” she said finally. “I’ve got work backed up, some special designs for clients, and I’ve got to deal with that contractor headache.”
“Right,” Tom replied, his voice tight. “Well you’ve got our private cell numbers now. Just give us a call if you change your mind.”
“I will.” It wasn’t a lie exactly. She hoped that she would be able to change her mind but it was going to take time.
The valet drove her car under the portico just as Frank came out of the hotel. There was an awkward moment after she tipped the valet where both men kissed her. Instead of enjoying their lips moving against hers, Lexi fought panic. People could see them. People would know.
She couldn’t get in her car fast enough. She managed a smile and a wave at the two men who had rocked her world as she pulled away from the hotel. Guilt swamped her as she lost sight of them in her rearview mirror. Frank and Tom deserved better than a woman who cringed at the thought of being kissed by the pair of them in public. They’d shown her nothing but pleasure last night. She’d just shown them nothing but remorse and shame.
It wasn’t right. She’d done a bad, bad thing just then and owed them both a huge apology. She considered turning around her car but figured they’d already left the hotel. Besides there was a much bigger issue at hand than her need to apologize. Lexi needed to decide what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go from here.
Her mind circled back to her childhood. Sure, she’d lived a life of privilege very few kids could boast. Her mother’s family owned one of the most successful cosmetic companies in the world. Her father had made a fortune in oil and gas. She’d been drowning in money her entire life and even now worked because she loved designing and making jewelry, not because she actually needed the money.
But money wasn’t everything. In her experience, money most definitely didn’t bring happiness. It created massive, ugly problems. Drinking, drug abuse, scammers and blackmailers. Her entire childhood had been marred with the wild episodes of physical and emot
ional spats between her parents. Neither had been faithful and both paraded their affairs around in front of the other.
It was a sickness, really. For some reason, her mother and father had relished the ability to hurt one another with younger men and women, sometimes in groups of two and three and four. To this very day, both of her parents still continued to supply the tabloids and gossip blogs with unending tales of debauchery and betrayal.
At an early age, she’d sworn she wouldn’t live that way. She’d sworn she’d love and marry one man and be faithful to him for her entire life. Now Tom and Frank were tempting her to disregard that vow and choose a different path, one that skated uncomfortably close to the life she’d endured as a child.
Lexi tried to convince herself she could simply flirt with danger and see the two of them for sex and nothing else but she knew that to be a lie. In the eleven or so months she’d known both men, she’d started to fall for them. It wasn’t a hard thing to do. Frank and Tom were her ideal men all rolled up into one perfect package.
But she couldn’t go there. Last night had been amazing and had opened her eyes to a whole new world of sensuality. She wanted to embrace the sex kitten scratching to break free but knew that it would only lead to heartache and trouble.
No, Lexi decided with a heavy sigh, it was best to end it now. Her eyes burned with a prickly heat. She didn’t even try to stop the tears that spilled onto her cheeks. She’d let herself cry all the way home and then suck it up and deal.
She’d had a taste of her fantasy. Now it was time to let all that go and sink her feet firmly into the mud of reality.
Chapter Four
Frank’s gaze jumped to the door of his office as Tom barreled inside like a bull on a rampage. His chest glistened with sweat. The ruddy redness of exertion stained his neck and face. Frank stared at Tom’s still-wrapped hands. Had he run out of the sparring ring?
Gripped with concern, Frank stood quickly and came around the side of his desk. “What’s wrong? Is someone hurt?”
“I think something’s happened to Lexi.”
Fear lanced his chest. “What? Why?”
“She’s not in her Zumba class again,” Tom said, chest heaving and still panting. “I swung by the class after my sparring session. She’s not there.”
Frank tried to stay calm. She hadn’t come to class yesterday. It had now been three days since they’d seen her. What if something had happened to her after she left the hotel? What if she wasn’t just dodging their calls?
“Get a shower and get dressed. I’ll try another call. If she doesn’t answer, we’ll swing by her place.” He moved back to his desk. “I’ll pull her address from our membership files.”
Tom didn’t hesitate. He practically ran out of the office. Frank sat down, dialed her number and accessed the membership rolls. She didn’t answer so he left a message. He searched for Lexi’s name in the database and jotted down the address listed. After logging out of the system, he turned off the lights, grabbed his jacket and briefcase and left his office, locking the door behind him.
He made his way to the main floor and found the general manager. Angelique ran a tight ship so he didn’t blink at the thought of leaving her in charge. Truthfully, she basically ran the place anyway. Frank had become a figurehead and spent most of his day putting out fires and answering emails and phone calls from various corporate department heads.
His discussion with Angelique finished, Frank headed toward the employee locker room to wait for Tom. Inevitably, he was stopped by clients wanting to know when the new location was going to open up across town or why their preferred brand of protein or energy drinks weren’t carried in the juice bar or supplement store. Even though he wanted nothing more than to run out in the early evening and find Lexi, he forced a smile and listened to his customers’ complaints. He’d always prided himself on providing the best experience for his members. As long as Tom was in the locker room, he’d give his full attention to his clients.
Frank had just finished a discussion with a member and wished him a good night when he heard the thud of running footsteps. He quickly stepped aside as Tom jogged out of the employee locker room. “Whoa! You’re going to hurt someone!”
“Sorry.” Tom looked abashed as he readjusted his gym bag. He wiped his hand down his face, the skin still damp. “I’m just worried about her.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” His reassuring words were as much for his own benefit as Tom’s. Certain it was chilly outside, Frank reached out and zipped up the front of Tom’s jacket. It was obvious Tom had barely blotted his skin with a towel before throwing on his street clothes. Frank didn’t want him to catch a chill and develop pneumonia. “Put on your hat. It’s cold out there.”
Tom rolled his eyes and dug out the gray knitted cap he favored. “Yes, Mother.”
Frank shrugged and tried to keep his irritation from showing. “Fine. Don’t wear it and spend six weeks in the hospital with pneumonia. It’s your career.”
Tom grumbled as he pulled the cap down over his head and ears. “Can we go now?”
Frank slid into his jacket and gestured toward the door. They headed to the private parking where Tom’s SUV waited. He piled into the passenger seat and played with the heat while Tom buckled his seat belt and checked the rear view mirror.
“You get the address?”
“Yeah.” Frank glanced at the paper and punched in the street number and street name into the SUV’s GPS system. “There. It’s on the other side of town.”
“In a hell of a nicer neighborhood than ours,” Tom commented.
“What do you expect? Her dad has a yacht named after her.”
“Must be nice,” Tom groused.
“I don’t know,” Frank replied. “I get the feeling all that money didn’t make her very happy as a kid.” He motioned toward the opposite end of the parking lot. “Let’s drive by her shop. Maybe she’s there dealing with the renovations.”
Tom nodded. “Works for me.”
Frank tapped his fingers on his thighs as they left the parking lot and started down the main drag. Lexi had purchased a building five blocks down from the gym. It was prime real estate and fucking expensive but it was the perfect spot for an upscale jewelry boutique. He’d been poking around online over the last few months and had learned a lot about her brand.
She’d started the company out of her bedroom at boarding school, used her early work to build a portfolio that helped her gain entrance to the Rhode Island School of Design and then had returned to Texas to start her own business. She’d been working from home, running an online boutique and making exclusive and unique pieces for very high-end customers. A lot of her work was making its way onto the wrists, necks, ears and fingers of runway models and actresses and actors. Fashion magazines were doing spreads on her pieces. She was going to need that shop space very soon.
“No dice.” Tom shook his head as they passed the empty and dark building. “She’s not here.”
“To the house?”
“Yep.”
Frank tried not to let his mind conjure up all the truly awful things that could have happened to her. They weren’t family so no one would have thought to call them if she’d been in a car accident or hurt herself at home. The idea of Lexi alone in some hospital made his chest ache.
“She could just be avoiding us,” Tom said as they idled at a stop light. “She was spooked the other morning. I saw a complete change in her from the time we left the suite. She was embarrassed and scared and confused. I could read all the signs on her face.” He pressed the accelerator and smacked his palms against the steering wheel. “I shouldn’t have let her drive off like that. We should have followed her home and talked it out then.”
“We did what we thought was best. We gave her some space.” Frank hoped Tom was right. He hoped she really was just giving them the cold shoulder and hadn’t been T-boned in an intersection on the way home.
When they reached the gated community, Frank rea
lized they’d made a miscalculation. They likely weren’t on the guest list and the odds of Lexi answering her phone now weren’t very high. “Do we know anyone in this area?”
“Not that I can think of,” Tom said as he drew closer to the manned guard station. “Let me handle this one.”
Frank nodded and sat back while Tom worked his magic. The guard proved to be a huge fan of mixed-martial arts and cage fighting. Tom schmoozed and signed an autograph while convincing the hulking over-the-hill guard they were coming out to surprise Lexi.
“Miss Cortez, huh?” The guard rubbed his jaw. “She’s a real sweetheart. Always brings me sugar-free, gluten-free brownies from that bakery she loves. You know, because I’ve got that gluten allergy and diabetes.”
“That’s our Lexi,” Tom said, laying it on thick. “She’s always so thoughtful.”
The guard whacked the button that lifted the red and white striped bar across the entrance lance. “She’s the third street over,” he directed. “Big limestone house on the cul-de-sac.”
“Thanks!”
Frank marveled at Tom’s ability to turn on the charm and get what he wanted. Hopefully he had a little bit of that in reserve if it turned out Lexi was just avoiding them. They were going to need all the charm they could get their hands on to convince her to give it a go.
“Shit, Frank!” Tom’s mouth dropped in awe as he pulled into the circular driveway bisecting the beautifully landscaped lawn. Old-fashioned gas lamps lit with electricity lined the front of the gorgeous house and highlighted the limestone façade. “And we thought we were moving on up when we bought our place. We’re living in a postage stamp compared to Lexi’s digs!”
Frank snorted. “I’m sure she won’t judge us.”
“I’m judging us.” Tom laughed. “We’re going to have to up our game if she decides to keep seeing us.”
Frank was still chuckling as they headed up the sidewalk to the front door. Tom rang the bell twice but no one ever came to the door. There were lights on in the house but the wooden blinds and window treatments made it impossible to see inside. Frank edged around the front of the house and tried to decide if yelling her name would get them called in as a noise complaint by the neighbors.