Plenty of Chances [Plenty, FL 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 7
“So many new people in town. It’s nice.” Sami propped her chin in her hands. “The town’s changed in so many ways, but it still manages to stay the same. Like Charlie’s pizza.”
Jason grabbed her hand and looked deeply in her eyes. “Like how we all feel about each other.”
She sat back in the chair and gripped the arms. “This is happening so fast. I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to do this again.” She snorted. “But next thing I knew, you had me living here and broke through all my defenses.”
Gabe nodded. “That was our general plan. You should have known that, sweetheart. Gran was in on it as well. She was the one who planted the B and B idea with Becca, and had the house tented so you had to stay with us.”
Sami shook her head in amazement. They were all sneaky, but it felt wonderful to be this wanted. She should have known it would be like this, but she’d lost her way when she left Plenty. Ray had a way of twisting her thoughts until she wasn’t sure of her own name.
Jason tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s your turn, babe. We’re here to listen.”
She looked at them sadly. “My story is hard to tell. It’s not a happy one like either of yours.”
Jason shrugged. “Mine wasn’t all that exciting. I never even left Plenty.”
“You became the lead deputy. You’re in charge when Ryan’s not. That’s a big deal. I’m proud of you.” Sami reached out for his hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I’m proud of you, too.” She hastily told Gabe. She didn’t want him to feel left out.
Gabe laughed. “I know. I’m proud of me, too. And this meathead, as well.”
Jason lifted her fingers to his lips and gently kissed the knuckles. “Take your time. We’re not going anywhere.”
“This isn’t easy.”
“Do you want a drink?” Gabe offered.
She shook her head. She needed to keep her mind clear. “No, I just need to find a way to do this.” She took a deep breath. “When I left Plenty, I was heartbroken. I didn’t think we could ever work things out. Looking back, I realize I should have stayed. While things weren’t good, they certainly weren’t hopeless. I just didn’t know to make things right between us.”
Gabe stroked her hair soothingly. “It wasn’t your job to make things right. I had to fix myself. No one else could do it but me.”
“Everything was so screwed up. I got that job offer in Orlando and I just wanted to get away for a while. I never intended to stay away almost three years, though. I thought I would work there for six months maybe. Get some good experience and come back. I was hoping by then, things would be okay. Wasn’t that sweet of me? The first sign of trouble in our relationship and I bail, leaving you both holding the bag. I’m not proud of that, I’ll tell you.”
“You thought I’d slept with another woman,” Gabe protested. “Of course you were upset and angry.”
Jason blew out a breath slowly. “So that’s what did it? Gabe slept with someone else?”
Sami shook her head. “He really didn’t, but it was just the excuse I needed to leave. If I’m honest with myself, I was looking for justification. I guess I thought it was too hard. You know, being with you both.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked hard. “Turns out being with you two is one of the easiest things in the world. But I was young and naive and thought I should be happy all the time. Shit, no one is happy all the time.”
Jason sat back in his chair. “Were you happy in Orlando? Is that why you stayed away so long?”
Tears she couldn’t stop started to fall. “It was absolutely the worst time of my life. I was miserable every day.”
“Then why didn’t you come back?” Gabe asked incredulously.
She swiped at the tears on her face. “I didn’t want to bring danger here to my family and friends. Hell, I’ve probably done it anyway, but I had to see Gran and I wanted to come home so badly.”
Her voice broke and the sobs she’d been holding in so long came shuddering out. Jason lifted her from the chair and pulled her onto his lap, stroking her back as if she were a child.
“Let it all out, sunshine. Then you can tell us whose ass we need to kick.”
She sniffled. “I think you probably need to kick mine. I’m the reason this all happened. I did something so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid.” Jason shook his head. “What did you do?”
She pressed her hands to her face. She couldn’t look at them.
“I broke the law.”
Chapter Six
Jason looked over Sami’s head at Gabe. Gabe was shaking his head in denial and Jason wholeheartedly agreed. Sami wasn’t a criminal. Fuck, she even drove the speed limit and never crossed against a traffic light. Jason wouldn’t believe she’d broken the law.
“Why don’t you tell us the story, sunshine? Start from the beginning. Gabe and I don’t care what you’ve done.”
She lifted her head, her full lips trembling, her eyes wide and shiny with tears. Jason’s stomach twisted into a knot. He’d loved this woman for years and hated to see her in such distress. Tonight they would lay any of her fears to rest for good.
She nodded. “It all started when I took the job in Orlando. I was in the hotel management training program with four other people. We spent quite a bit of time together and all became friends. One of them was particularly attentive to me. His name was Ray. Ray Campbell. He seemed really nice at first.”
At first?
Jason didn’t like the way this was going. One look at Gabe’s expression said he was feeling the same way. Gabe started to open his mouth to say something but Jason shook his head. Sami needed to do this in her own time. She reached for Gabe’s water glass and took a few sips trying to compose herself.
“He asked me out on a date. I guess I wanted to prove how over both of you I was so I went out with him. He was handsome and charming and we continued dating for awhile.”
Jason didn’t like hearing about another guy but he hadn’t been a saint after they broke up either. “Go on. We’re listening.”
“One day I was working the front desk and he asked if I would hold a package for him. One of his friends was going to come pick it up. I didn’t think much about it. We do this all the time for guests. So I did.” Her teeth cut deeply in to her bottom lip. “He’d ask me to do that every now and then. It wasn’t a big deal, but one day he dropped off the package and Marion was there. She worked the front desk. She told him to shove off and that she wasn’t holding his drugs for him.”
Sami took a shaky breath. “He was dealing drugs out of the hotel.” Her voice was soft and she looked thoroughly ashamed, wringing her hands, her cheeks red.
“I swear I didn’t know what he was doing. I had no idea at all.” Jason believed her. Sami had been very naive when she’d lived in Plenty. It had been something they loved about her, but it had also been something that frustrated them. It looked like she’d had her rose-colored glasses ripped from her eyes forcibly.
“He came by my apartment later that night and I told him I wasn’t going to do that for him anymore.” Her head dropped so her hair covered her face. “He got mad. Real mad. He grabbed my hair and threw me against a wall. He said I was as guilty as he was and if I didn’t do what he said I would go to jail.”
More tears came and Gabe jumped up to grab a box of tissues from the powder room. They waited until the crying jag had subsided all the while rocking her and trying to calm her down. Jason had to restrain himself from hopping up and finding this Ray guy and laying a major hurt on him. He wanted to beat on anyone that dared lay a hand on the woman he loved. If Jason had been there, this guy would have a stump where his arm used to be.
Gabe was standing on the other side of Sami, his arms crossed over his chest and a muscle jumping in his clenched jaw. He patted Sami’s shoulder and tucked her long blonde hair back from her tear-streaked face. “Why didn’t you call Jason? Or come home? Get away from him?”
Sami blew her nose noisily. “I was af
raid. I didn’t want to go to jail. Then, we were all laid off a few days later. I got a job at another hotel pretty quickly but Ray found me. He threatened to tell the police if I didn’t give him money. He said he’d blame everything on me and he’d get immunity for testifying against me.”
Jason doubted very much anything like that would have happened, but Sami had little knowledge of the justice system. He wished again she would have called him.
She shuddered. “I kept giving him money and sometimes he was okay. Other times he would knock me around. The funny thing was he never lost his temper. He’d back hand me as cool as you please. Then he’d tell me I shouldn’t have drove him to it. He convinced me it was my fault and that no one here in Plenty would help me. Eventually, I got fired from my hotel job because he kept coming around and harassing me and everyone there. My jobs kept getting worse and worse. He wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Gabe shook his head. “Typical mindfuck. I’ve seen it dozens of times with asshole wannabe Doms. They isolate a sub then convince her they’re the only ones who truly understand her. They’re the only ones who care. He sounds like a real asshole.”
Sami nodded. “That’s how it was. After a few months he wasn’t interested in dating me anymore. He only seemed to want to scare me, own me, keep me connected to him in some way. I moved a couple of times and he would find me. I tried to keep my phone number or new place of employment a secret but he would find me and cause trouble.”
“Violence against women is a control issue,” Jason stated. “I bet he was charming, wasn’t he? He probably convinced one of your friends you’d had a lover’s quarrel and he needed your new address so you could work it out.”
Sami’s eyes were wide. “He was charming but scary. He would tell me if I ran away he would find me and hurt my friends and family. I didn’t want anyone to hurt Gran. I couldn’t let anything happen to her because I made stupid decisions.” More tears started to fall and Jason held her tighter, trying to take away the pain.
Gabe sat in the chair next to Sami’s. “Did he continue to make you do illegal things?”
She shook her head. “He said as long as I behaved and gave him money, I wouldn’t have to do that. He’s going to be so angry when he finds out I’ve left Orlando. My roommate, Sadie, said she’d tell him I was visiting friends and would be back soon, but not tell him where.” She scrubbed at her eyes with a tissue. “It doesn’t matter if she tells him or not. Eventually, he’ll figure out I’m here. When we first started dating, I told him I was from Plenty. I’m terrified he’s going to show up here and hurt Gran. That’s why I’ve stayed away. I had to keep her safe!” Sami’s head drooped on his shoulder. She was exhausted from the emotional upheaval.
Gabe lifted her chin. “Listen to me, Samantha. No one is going to hurt you or Gran or anyone else. His reign of terror is over. If he shows up in this town, I know about a dozen good old Florida boys that would be happy to show him how we treat people who abuse women.”
“I broke the law.” Her voice was a mere whisper.
“You didn’t know what was going on, honey.” Jason assured her. “He used your naiveté against you. He played on your innocence and abused you until you were scared. He’s the criminal, not you. He would never have gotten away with blaming everything on you. You have to trust me on this.”
“I do trust you. Both of you. When I came here…it was just so nice. Everyone was happy and I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to go back there. I kept telling myself I should but then I wanted to find a way to stay.”
“You’re staying,” Jason said firmly. “You’re not going anywhere. The rest of our lives start now.”
Jason was horrified at Sami’s story. She’d suffered so much since she’d left Plenty and it explained the more mature but haunted look he’d seen in her eyes. He vowed then and there to do everything in his power to make her happy, truly happy, again. She would never be the young, naive girl from a small town he had loved, but she could become the wise woman he would spend the rest of his life with, God willing.
He was startled when she pressed her lips to his. “Please. I need you. Both of you.”
He glanced at Gabe and saw the doubt in his eyes. “Sweetheart, you’ve just been through something really emotional. We can wait for another time.”
She turned and grabbed Gabe’s hand. “No, I need you. I need to feel alive. I need to feel pleasure and happiness. I haven’t felt that since I left. I’m tired of waiting. I feel like I haven’t even been living these last two years. I’ve been half alive, just trying to exist hand to mouth. I want to feel good about myself again. I always felt beautiful when we made love.”
Gabe quirked an eyebrow. “We made you feel beautiful? You seemed awful nervous and prone to cover up before. You didn’t even like to make love with the lights on.”
“I was shy.” Sami’s simple statement made Jason smile. She had been shy, although she had nothing to be ashamed of. He couldn’t get enough of her violet eyes, her satin skin, and her long blonde hair. Her curves had been generous and he’d loved to run his hands down her body, watching her eyes turning almost dark purple with passion.
“You were shy, huh?” Jason kissed her temple. “Are you still shy? Do you want us as much as we want you? Not like three kids, but like adults? Are you a woman ready to love her men?”
A smile spread over Sami’s face. “I am. Please take me upstairs. I need to love you both.”
Jason stood up, still holding her in his arms. “Yes, ma’am. One night of pure love, coming up. Gabe, turn out the lights behind us. We have a woman to dazzle. She’s come home.”
Tonight they would make her feel like a goddess, and she would never leave them again.
* * * *
It felt like coming home. They carried her up the stairs and into the bedroom before stripping off her clothes, tossing them carelessly aside. Gabe had reached for the light but she shook her head. It would be different this time. She wouldn’t allow her own insecurities about her body to enter their bedroom. This time she would be wild and wanton. A woman who could give and receive pleasure without guilt or embarrassment.
She pushed to her knees on the bed reaching for the waistband of Jason’s sleep shorts. Her mouth was already watering at the thought of getting their cocks in her mouth, albeit one at a time. Jason’s hand covered hers and within seconds he was kicking the shorts away, standing in front of like a Michelangelo statue. Every inch of him was muscle and her fingers were drawn to a new tattoo on his right abdomen. She traced the intricate design, in awe of the vivid colors. She looked up into his soft blue eyes.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s a phoenix.” Her brows knitted. “The phoenix rises from the ashes and is born again. Just like our love.”
She smiled up at him. “I’ve never seen a phoenix before so I’ll take your incredibly romantic word for it.”
She beckoned to Gabe. “You’re overdressed for the occasion.”
Before she could tug his pants down, he quickly shucked them tossing them high into the air so they could land on the dresser. His body was more muscular than she remembered, his abs flat and ridged, his shoulders massive.
“Talented,” she smirked.
“That’s not all I can do.” He rolled his eyes at Jason. “Although I don’t have the soul of a poet like lover boy here. I’m just a regular guy.”
“I don’t know about that. I’ve heard you quote poetry before,” Sami teased.
Jason groaned. “It doesn’t count if it starts out ‘There once was a girl from Nantucket.’”
Sami giggled and it felt wonderful to feel this happy and carefree. “I don’t suppose it does.” She turned back to Gabe. “He’s got a romantic tattoo. What do you have?”
Gabe’s eyes lit up playfully. He crossed his palms over his heart as if he was going to recite the sweetest sonnet. “I have a poem for you. ‘Roses are red, yellow’s for ducks. Get on your knees, then you’ll get fu—”
Neither one of them had ever been champions in the romance department. Jason’s idea of romance was to take her fishing and Gabe thought there was nothing more romantic than a ride on his cycle. But they’d shown their love in a million different ways. She’d never needed flowers and champagne.
Jason surprised her by coming down on the bed beside her, caging her in with his arms and capturing her lips in a kiss so carnal and deep it took her breath away. He kissed his way across her jaw and started nibbling in her ear as she felt her legs being pushed apart and Gabe’s rough cheek brush her inner thigh. She shivered as his hot breath blew across her clit the same second as Jason bit down on a sensitive spot at the base of her neck. She moaned in response and it only served to entice them to tease her more. Their mouths and tongues everywhere but where she wanted them most.
Gabe’s tongue trailed over her lower belly as Jason’s mouth kissed a wet trail to her already puckered nipples. He lapped at them, his tongue rough, then sucked the nub, pulling on it and sending a frisson of arousal straight to her pussy. She moved her hips restlessly and Gabe pressed her back to the mattress, his upper body pushing her legs even further apart so she was completely on display to his hungry gaze.
“This pussy is so pink and pretty. All wet and ready for my mouth.”
He bent his head and went to work on her cunt with his tongue, running it all over before swiping at her clit. She gave a strangled groan, her body tensed for release as they gave her more pleasure than she’d ever remembered receiving. When her orgasm came, it took her over the edge, her body vibrating and pulsing, the lights dancing in front of her eyes. It seemed endless but eventually she came floating back to earth, her eyes fluttering open to find two grinning men watching her.