It Takes Three to Fly [Sweet Serenity 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Mia Ashlinn

  The air conditioning whooshed out of the office as she stepped inside, stirring her hair up and sending it to hell and back. Although she didn’t mind since the cool breeze instantly blew across her overheated skin and caused a much-needed temperature drop.

  Wiping the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead, Katie-Anne attempted to brush her hair aside so she could see beyond the strands of her hair. She took a long, fortifying breath, whispering a silent prayer for her dare to not blow up in her face as it had with Jaycee and Shannon.

  So far, their fun-filled game of Truth or Dare had turned into a nightmare. Since it had been Katie-Anne’s idea, she felt duty-bound to follow through, despite her friends’ pleas to the contrary.

  Inhaling a second time, Katie-Anne appreciated the metallic scent hanging in the air around her. After living in a spic-and-span house filled with too much potpourri and expensive perfume, she found the simplest smells appealing. Besides, it reminded her of Shane and Landon.

  “Hey,” a deep male voice called out, startling her. With an eep, she whipped her head to the side and spotted Calhoun Parker, the office manager, standing only a foot away from her. Instantly, she felt uneasy, her stomach turning upside down.

  Calhoun terrified her. He always had, but not for the obvious reasons. He didn’t scare her in the traditional way because he was a good man, not a bad one. But he saw too much. It was as though he saw directly into her soul, like he knew all of her secrets, thoughts, and dreams. That, alone, scared the shit out of her.

  When she said nothing, the handsome twenty-eight-year-old touched her arm gently. “Can I help you with something, sweetheart?”

  “N–n–n–no,” she stuttered, jerking her arm away from him so suddenly that she fell sideways. Calhoun stepped forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Blood flooded her face, embarrassing her further because she knew how awful she looked when she blushed. “I–I–I’m fine. I j–just came by to see Shane and Landon about s–something.”

  Calhoun smiled at her with a genuine smile, blinding her with his pretty, white teeth. “I’m glad to hear that. They are out in the shop, working on Leila Schilling’s car.”

  Katie-Anne nodded gratefully. “Thank you,” she managed to choke out. “I appreciate it.”

  “No problem,” Calhoun responded as he brushed past her. “Just a word of warning, Leila is with them. You know how she can be.” He turned down the only hallway in the building, disappearing from sight.

  Shit. She did know about Leila and warning bells were going off in her head. Maybe she was in as deep as shit as her friends had been.

  Katie-Anne took an unsteady breath before flinging open the back door to the office that led into the actual shop. As she crossed the threshold, the cool air disintegrated and the August heat stifled her once again, sucking the oxygen right out of her lungs.

  She inhaled slowly, and the metallic scent amplified around her, drifting into her nostrils with each breath she took. When she moved further into the room, more smells assaulted her senses—oil, gasoline, exhaust, and even a whiff of male sweat.

  Rotating her head to the side, she let her gaze drift over one bay after another until she saw Landon and Shane standing next to a car, chatting with her arch nemesis. Of course, Leila had to be here. Life sucked like that.

  With her head held high and her shoulders back, Katie-Anne sauntered across the garage with every ounce of sex appeal she could muster. She pursed her lips, batted her eyes, and thrust out her small breasts. When she was within hearing distance of the three people, she called out, “Shane. Landon.”

  Shane and Landon’s heads shot up and away from Leila, who scowled murderously at her. The taller of the two men, Landon, stared at her, dumbfounded, but that only lasted a second before anger seemed to settle into his features. The shorter, dark-headed man, Shane, barked, “Go,” to Leila. And she did, leaving them alone.

  Uh-oh. They know about our game.

  “I hope you are not here to pull a stunt like your friends,” Shane clipped out when she moved to stand between her dream men. “Because I have no doubt that it will not be appreciated by us.”

  Knowing that this wasn’t going to go well, Katie-Anne almost spun around and walked out. This scenario would be ugly, and she would end up hurt. But it was like a train wreck—you don’t want to look, but you can’t seem to take your eyes off it.

  Tuning out all of the engine noises and metal clinks, she touched Shane’s jumpsuit and toyed with one of the buttons. “I don’t know what you are talking about, big guy. I’m only here to see the two bad boys of Serenity, Kansas.”

  Shane eyed her cautiously, the distrust evident in his face. “So you’re slumming it, huh?” He flicked his gaze over her clothes with arctic eyes that made her feel dirty then glanced at Landon. “It would explain the outfit,” he remarked pompously.

  My outfit? She cringed internally, realizing that he’d gotten the wrong impression of her clothing choice. That morning, she’d snagged the dress that she’d been working on with her pen pal, Maddie Moore. They’d sent it back and forth in the mail for each step from concept until the finished project. It was one of her favorite dresses, but she’d never been gutsy enough to wear it in public. Her mother had dressed her until her death two years ago and, since then, Katie-Anne had not branched her look out. That’s what I get for trying.

  Katie-Anne forced herself to continue to stand proud, to pretend that it didn’t hurt her to know how little they thought of her. “I’m not slumming it,” she replied with a giant, pasted on smile. “Actually, I came by to discuss a mutually beneficial business proposal for you two.”

  As usual, Landon was the voice of reason. He wiped away every emotion from his face and suggested, “Why don’t we go outside to discuss this?”

  “No,” she shot back before thinking. “This venue is perfectly fine.” Well, not really, but I’ll take it over being alone with you for this conversation.

  “Fine,” Shane snapped. “Just get on with it. The working men don’t have time to play around with the little rich girl.”

  Katie-Anne gulped as nervousness plagued her. If he was already acting so aggressive, she had no chance against him when she was done talking. Screw it. “I want to pay you for your services,” she blurted out.

  “Excuse me?” Shane asked, obviously not comprehending what she meant. Landon didn’t seem much better. He didn’t speak, merely observed.

  Damn it. Do I have to spell it out? Apparently, she did. “I’m looking for a good time.”

  Both of their eyebrows flew up as they seemed catch her drift. But they didn’t respond to her proposal, so she decided to lay it out on the table. “I want to pay the two of you to fuck me.”

  “Oh, shit,” Calhoun muttered as he passed the three of them. He kept walking, speeding up as he went. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.”

  Oh, shit was right. The two men’s expressions morphed, one going hot and one going cold. Shane’s scorching stare singed her, causing her to flinch. But he didn’t seem to notice her response. Next to him, Landon’s frigid glare nearly froze her on the spot, and she felt like shivering. Yet she didn’t—thankfully.

  Katie-Anne figured that the only reason she didn’t rise to the emotions ravaging her insides was the pain she’d started inflicting on herself as soon as she’d flinched away from Shane. Using the nails on her right hand, she pinched the tender skin between her thumb and index finger on her left. It wasn’t like the pain was new to her. She’d always pinched herself to keep her feelings in line and under control.

  Unexpectedly, Shane grabbed one of her elbows while Landon grabbed the other, tugging her hands apart and causing her to scratch herself. She bit back a cry at the sting in her flesh as the sharp tips scraped across it. Warm blood oozed out of her wound, but she ignored the feel of it gradually exuding from her body.

  Using their strong hold, they half dragged, half carried her out of the garage then out of the office. They didn’t stop an
d turn on her until they reached the farthest corner of the parking lot near her car.

  As usual, Landon remained quiet, letting Shane take the lead. But, for some reason, she felt as though he was too angry to speak rather than allowing his friend to take control of the situation. This is not boding well for me. She couldn’t remember ever seeing either of these men so enraged, so dangerous. And that was saying something.

  Towering over her, Shane’s black mood rolled out of him and over her. “Katie-Anne Blakemore, you are nothing but pure fluff. No man in his right mind would take you up on your offer—not even if you signed over your entire fucking trust fund. Now go home before I lose my goddamn temper—”

  “Back off,” Landon growled. “She’s not worth it, Shane. She’s just being the spoiled little girl she is. She thinks everyone and everything can be bought.”

  “I don’t give a shit what she thinks,” Shane retorted to Landon without taking his fiery, dark eyes off of her. Getting so close to her she felt his breath against her face, he spoke directly to her. “I know all I need to know about rich kids like you. They’re bred to be the lowliest form of life. They think they own the whole fucking world. And, too damn bad for most regular people, they are quite right. They get what they want, when they want, and how they want. But I will never, I repeat never, get entangled with someone as vain and shallow and selfish as that. I want a real woman, not a child who only wants to use me as a goddamn boy-toy from across the tracks to get her rocks off.”

  Katie-Anne gasped, swaying on her feet. She’d known that he didn’t think much of her, but she’d never suspected that it was as bad as this. Even Landon seemed a bit shocked by the venom in his friend’s voice. He looked first at her then at Shane. Shaking his head, he said, “Let’s go. This isn’t helping a damn thing.”

  “You’re right, Landon” Shane replied curtly. Instead of walking away, he said one more thing to her. “I feel sorry for you.” With that final note, he walked away from her. And Landon followed right behind him.

  As soon as they disappeared, her knees wobbled beneath her, and she tried to catch her balance before she fell. But unfortunately for her, she didn’t manage it and ended up bumping into the car next to her. Thankfully, it was her Porsche. She quickly unlocked her convertible and dove inside.

  Shutting the door, she snatched her keys off the console then jammed them into the ignition and started the car. She pushed the clutch in and shifted into first, squealing her tires as she launched forward.

  Making it almost a mile out of town, she scanned the road ahead, looking for somewhere to pull off. As soon as she spotted a deserted country road, she slowed down and eased onto the dirt lane then drove past the first tree line.

  Popping the car into neutral, she finally let the tears fall as she coasted to a stop then cut the engine off. No one could see her, and no one could hear her. So she allowed herself to completely break apart. She sobbed so hard she couldn’t breathe for it and so violently that her sides hurt. Yet she didn’t stop. She cried for all she was worth, which, according to them, was not much. But she didn’t quit until she had nothing left.

  Finally, the tears faded away, and she pried open her bleary eyes. Glancing down at the only article of clothing that belonged to her instead of what her family had bought her, the only one she’d ever liked, she realized that no one would ever believe her to be that kind of girl. They wouldn’t want to know her, and she didn’t want them to, either. It wasn’t worth this. Nothing was.

  She admitted to herself that in a lot of ways Shane had been right. She’d been bred to be a Blakemore, and she’d been taught to be one. And she didn’t even know how to be different. How fucking sad was that?

  Heaving a long sigh, she lifted her eyes and noticed a majestic hawk soaring through the sky. As she admired the majestic bird, she promised herself that she would find a way to change her life. She would be everything that he’d said she wasn’t, and she would make damn sure that no one else knew anything about that side of her.

  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came to mind. To everyone on the planet, she’d be the spoiled Katie-Anne Blakemore she’d been raised as, but she’d know the truth. She’d know who she really was. And that would fulfill her. It had to—because she couldn’t risk letting anyone this close again.

  Chapter 8

  Present day, mid-January…

  “I dare you to stay in Serenity for—”

  Katie-Anne heard Jaycee’s words as they penetrated her agonizing trip down memory lane, and she was almost grateful. Until she remembered where she was and what Jaycee and Shannon were up to.

  Katie-Anne was at the Blakemore’s kitchen table with her two closest friends, but their chat was anything but friendly or ordinary. The two women who were more sisters than friends were evoking her dare in quite possibly the worst way they could. They were going to make her stay, and that would destroy her.

  The kitchen seemed to close in on Katie-Anne, and her breathing stalled in her chest. Each wall marched toward her, chanting inaudible threats and spewing silent venom at her. She felt threatened and taunted all at once.

  Jumping up from her seat, Katie-Anne ran for the sink and bent over it. She took breath after breath to calm herself, but it was useless. There was nothing to stop this disaster, and she had no one to blame but herself.

  Shannon jumped in, obviously not wanting to be left out, “Until after my wedding in March.”

  Oh God. No! Turning on the faucet, Katie-Anne scooped up two handfuls of water and splashed her face. The fluid splashed up onto the countertop and even a bit of it ran down her chin and dribbled onto her sweater, but she didn’t give a damn.

  Switching off the faucet then swinging around, Katie-Anne said in disbelief, “But, that is two months away. That is—”

  “Not long enough,” Jaycee interjected. “I think she should have to stay until I have the babies in June.”

  “Oh, that is perfect, J,” Shannon exclaimed with an enthusiastic clap of her hands.

  “I c–c–can’t,” Katie-Anne stammered as she stumbled over to the bay window at the far side of the kitchen. Staring into the darkness, she wracked her brain for something to use as an excuse. “I, um, have…” What?

  “Yes?” Shannon inquired.

  “We’re waiting,” Jaycee added.

  Katie-Anne jerked around. Since she had no defense or feasible explanation, she went on the offensive and snapped, “I just can’t stay for five months, not even on a dare. Okay?”

  “No,” Shannon dissented. “Not okay. We played your little game. Well, now, it’s your turn, doll face. It’s time to pay the piper.”

  * * * *

  Landon stood, rooted to the floor in the Blakemore’s foyer, as he watched Katie-Anne disappear down the hallway with Jaycee and Shannon. They left all seven men standing in their wake, with frowns and a few grumbles here-and-there.

  “If she weren’t pregnant,” Cade muttered, his aggravation evident, “I would spank her sassy ass.”

  Gray snorted. “It looks like we’ve been going too easy on our woman, Cade. We’ll have to fix that soon or there will be hell to pay.”

  “You think you’ve got it bad. My little sister has nothing on Shannon,” Randy groused. “She is a pain in the ever-loving ass. If I didn’t love her so damn much, I wouldn’t take half of her bullshit.”

  Now, it was Drew’s turn to roll his eyes. “You would put up with everything she doles out and beg for more, you jackass. You’re such a sucker.”

  “Like you’re not,” Jared retorted. “You reap the benefits of her recalcitrance every chance you get, Drew. I bet that all your dirty mind is thinking about right now is your hand smacking the curve of her luscious ass.”

  Landon wished that he could spank Katie-Anne’s ass. But with the look in her eyes, she would likely rip him a new asshole or burst into tears. Either way, he would rather gouge his eyes out than deal with that.

  Talking seemed to be the best course of action, and now se
emed as good of a time as any. She and her friends might have thought they’d won, but they hadn’t. He’d make damn sure of that.

  Landon shook his head, hightailing it down the hallway behind the women, and called over his shoulder, “You can discuss spanking them later, but I’m going to go get my woman now. My patience just ran the fuck out.”

  Landon intended to barge in the kitchen and drag Katie-Anne out of there, but he stopped when Jaycee’s question drifted through the partially closed door. “You’re not really here, and you’re not staying. Are you?”

  Landon froze on the spot, his breath stalling in his chest, as he waited for her to respond to the question. She replied with the answer he’d expected. “No, I’m not.” Her lyrical voice floated over the words that sent shards of glass through his heart.

  Of course, she’s leaving, dumb ass. She thinks she has nothing left here for her.

  Shane approached Landon, halting directly behind him. They were so close together that Landon could smell Shane’s musky cologne and feel his body heat against his back. But before Shane could say something and give away his shameless eavesdropping, Landon shot a look over his shoulder and mouthed, “Quiet.”

  Shane grunted but complied.

  In his distraction, Landon had missed the tail end of their conversation, but he caught enough to get the drift of it. The time for her dare had arrived, and her two friends had just bought him time to repair the whole clusterfuck. He had five months to fix everything. And he was starting right now.

  Not waiting for Shane to follow him, Landon threw open the kitchen door and stalked inside. “Sounds like your friends are smart. It is time for you to pay the piper.” Marching across the room, he picked Katie-Anne up and threw her over his shoulder. “Let’s go.” With a nod to her surprised friends, he went out the door and into the cold, dark night.