Love of Liberty

by Lila Rose

  “Does the thought of Damien and I together excite you?”

  “Watching you both kiss last night was… I really don’t have a word for how much I enjoyed it. Nothing I think of seems to do it justice.”

  He chuckled as he drove us towards work. “I’m glad you enjoy it. I would love to get to know Damien. With you and then on our own.”

  “You like him?”

  Smiling, he said, “I find him attractive. But it’s not just his looks, it’s his personality as well. I’ve never met another like him before. He’s wide open to the world and lets nothing bother him. He saw us kissing yet didn’t take it out on either of us. Instead, he left and actually considered the possibility of more between us all. Experiencing things with him”—he winked—“will be exciting and intense, just like I know the nights with the three of us, or just you and me, in the future, will be amazing.”

  Pulling to a stop out front of the office, he cupped the back of my neck and tugged me close. My breath caught in a gasp when his mouth played with mine lovingly. With his forehead against mine, he said, “I’m a very lucky man. Thank you for coming into my life.”

  “You have it wrong.” I grinned. “I’m the lucky one. Not only did you take me on and come to care for me like I never thought you would, like I do already for you, but I also have another man I love at my back. I couldn’t be luckier.”

  There was a rap at the window. “I see things have sorted themselves out. You banging the boss and the boyfriend. Couldn’t be more proud,” Franny yelled from outside the car.

  Both Liam and I burst out laughing.

  With a quick final peck on his lips, I opened the door and asked, “Franny, what are you doing here so early?”

  “Grandbaby, I told you I’d want to spend as much time with you as I can in the month I’m here. So here I am. I’m going to be your assistant to his assistant.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a good thing or not, but I threw a quick glance at Liam to check on his thoughts, and he gave me a nod and an encouraging smile.

  Chapter Eight

  Damien

  It had felt so natural to kiss them both when I’d left for work. How fucking strange was that? Would I want to go around and kiss random dudes since I was kissing Liam?

  As I sat in the break room at the mail centre, I glanced at one of my close friends, Max, beside me as he munched down some funky-looking stew, cold, which caused me to shudder. Though still, my mind led me to wonder whether I wanted to kiss him.

  “What’s on your mind?” he mumbled around a mouthful, eyeing me suspiciously.

  Shrugging, I said, “I kissed a dude last night.”

  Thank fuck there was no one else in the breakroom at the time my mouth ran away with itself. I had to chuckle when his eyes widened and his fork suspended in the air halfway to his mouth.

  He cleared his throat, placed his fork in the container, and asked on a whispered hiss, “You what?”

  “I. Kissed. A. Dude. Well, really, if we’re getting technical, he kissed me, then I kissed him and then this morning when he arrived to pick up Liberty, I kissed him again.”

  “Wait, are you into dudes now?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “Hang on, what do you mean this guy picked your woman up this morning? What does your woman think of you kissing random dudes?”

  I was surprised with how well he was acting about it all. “Libby’s fine with it. She watched me kiss him and then again this morning. Oh, and he’s her boss.”

  “Fuck. You’re giving me a headache.” He rubbed his temples. “So, are you gay now?”

  “Hell no. My woman has the best fucking pussy in the whole world. I wouldn’t leave that for anything.”

  “Then you’re into both?”

  “I think so, yeah.”

  “Do you find me attractive?”

  “No.” I shook my head and then winked. “Sorry about that.”

  He snorted out a laugh, amused by my admitting my lack of attraction for him. “That’s okay.” He nodded while he thought about whatever the fuck he was. Suddenly he stood and went over to the bench where he grabbed a magazine. He opened it and pointed to a random guy. “Do you find him attractive?”

  “What in the hell are you doing?”

  “Figuring something out. Just go with it for a second.”

  “Fine,” I bit out and looked at the picture again. “No, I don’t.”

  He turned a page. “Him?”

  “No.”

  Another page turn. “Him?”

  “No,” I snapped.

  He sat back. “What’s the guy look like?”

  Rolling my eyes, I asked, “Do you really want to know?” He nodded. I sighed and told him, “He’s tall, built, and black.”

  Max’s eyes widened. He flicked through the magazine again and pointed to some black guy. “Do you want to make out with him?”

  “What are we? In our teens? Make out?”

  “Humour me, dickhead, and answer.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Max grinned and sat back, crossing his arms. “Then there you have it.”

  “What?” I asked; however, I wasn’t sure I should.

  “You’re not gay.”

  Snorting, I pointed out, “I already said that.”

  He waved a hand around. “You’re not gay. And not really bi, but you’re a one-man show.”

  “What does that even fucking mean?”

  “It means. You wouldn’t go kissing any random dude. There was only one in the world you would, and you happened to have found him.”

  Huh? I slumped back in the chair in surprise. Was that actually possible?

  There was the fact I didn’t find other men attractive and want to pash with them.

  Liam had been the only one who I wouldn’t punch for even trying it.

  Were Chance and Dane the same? Pulling out my phone, I looked up Chance’s number.

  “Who you calling?”

  “Chance, my sister’s boyfriend… at least one of them.”

  Max’s eyes widened. “Holy fuck, she has two? I can’t even find one woman let alone my other man… or other woman. Not sure how it’ll go for me.”

  My brows dipped. “How is it you’re so comfortable with the whole situation?”

  He shrugged. “My brother’s gay. I have an open mind. Not sure if I could be with another guy, but if shit happens, I’ll run with it.”

  “You shock me every fucking day.”

  He chuckled and slapped my arm. “Glad I could help.” He stood from the table and started for the door. “Gotta do a dump before I get back to work.”

  “TMI, motherfucker.”

  He laughed. “Dude, you just told me you kissed a guy. I think we’re past TMIs.”

  As I shook my head, he stepped out the door still laughing, and I hit Chance’s number and held it to my ear.

  “Damien, is your sister okay?” he said in the way of greeting, sounding worried. Well good. It showed he cared for my sister, and I wouldn’t want it any other way for her.

  “She’s good, I think. Haven’t spoken to her. I wanted to ask you a question, though.”

  There was some shuffling on the other end. Then I heard a door slam. “I’m all ears.”

  “Is Dane the only dude you’ve done anything with? Do you find other guys attractive or is it only Dane? Why Dane? And what you have going on with him, it is ever awkward?”

  I was met with silence on the other end.

  “Chance?”

  “Can I ask why you’re asking me these questions? If you tell me you have a thing for Dane, I’ll have to ask you nicely to back the fuck off, or there’ll be hell to pay.”

  Snorting out a laugh, I said, “Dane doesn’t do it for me so no need for the threat. Didn’t Jade talk to you last night or this morning about Liberty’s phone call?”

  “No, I had an early meeting, so I didn’t get a chance to talk to her and by the time she came back to bed last night, I’d
fallen back to sleep.”

  “Right. Well, ah, fuck. Um, Liberty, myself, and Liam are giving this three-person relationship a go and me being who I am, you know, never being with a guy, I wasn’t sure. Fuck, man, it’s all new and strange. Though, not strange strange…. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

  Again, I was met with silence on the other end.

  “Chance?” I clipped.

  “Sorry, you shocked me again. So you want to know if I was into guys before this and if it’s ever awkward?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I wasn’t sure really what I wanted to know. It all felt weird to even talk about it in the first place. Was I ready to be in a relationship with a guy? I knew a part of it was to please Liberty, yet I fucking found myself throughout the morning thinking of Liam and that kiss, his lips, and how they’d felt on mine. Which had been right, perfect.

  Maybe with time, the confusion would settle.

  “I think what made things easier was knowing Dane since we were kids. I’d also suspected he liked guys even before me. Especially when I caught him out a few times looking at them. Still, I knew he enjoyed a woman as well. When things changed, I never expected to want to be with a guy.” He cleared his throat. “Then I realised I didn’t want to lose Dane, our friendship, and hell, the feelings he dragged up inside of me. He’s been the only one for me, though. I’ve never looked at a guy like I do Dane and never would. There’s just something about Dane, enough for me to change my thoughts about being with him like we are and with your sister.”

  “Can you not mention my sister or I’ll be upchucking?”

  He laughed. “I have a question for you, Damien.”

  “Shoot.”

  “You have to ask yourself if you’re doing this for Liberty or for all three of you. Say if it was just you and Liam down the street and he was… being affectionate, and a friend of yours sees the two of you, what would you do? Would you push him away and feel sick from a friend knowing you’re with a man? Because this is really how it is. Not only are you with Liberty and Liam, but it’s two separate situations also. You’re with just Liberty, and then you’re with just Liam, if that makes sense? Also, you have to think about what happens if one night you aren’t there and Liberty and Liam are alone, and they do things. Would that hurt you? Being in this has to be selfless.”

  He had good points. How would I act if Liam wanted to, shit, hold my hand or some crap down the street and someone I knew saw it? Also, would I be okay with Liberty and Liam doing things without me there?

  Smiling, I already knew the answer to that one. Christ, just thinking of them together got my dick perking up. I also knew I’d want alone time with Liberty, for the start anyway, to see how things went with the three of us. It was just the beginning. A trial run. There was also the thought of Liam and I being together, not just in the bedroom, which was starting to intrigue me, but just hanging out. I wondered if he liked the bands I did. Since Liberty didn’t and if he did, I’d have someone to go with me. But what would happen if people saw?

  Fuck it.

  If it made me happy, I didn’t give a flying fuck who hated it. Hell, if some knob did try shit, at least I knew we were both strong enough to give them hell back with flying fists.

  “Damien, you with me?”

  “Yeah, just thinking.”

  “And?”

  “I can be selfless.”

  I heard the smile in his voice when he said, “That’s a start.”

  “And I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t give a shit if people knew about, you know, Liam. I did kind of just blurt out to my best friend I kissed a guy last night.”

  “You did?”

  Chuckling at the shock in his voice, I replied, “Yeah.”

  “Then I’m not sure what you’re worried about, Damien. It seems to me you’re already all for this. Also, I forgot to mention, at first, in every relationship things can become awkward in the bedroom and even on dates. It’s about learning what each likes and dislikes.”

  “Okay, got it.”

  “Thank you for trusting me to talk to you about it.”

  “Not sure I know anyone else in the same situation, and hell, you are dating my sister, and things look serious, so it’s better we become friends. What better way than to bond over talking about doing a dude?” My smile was huge when I heard him choke and then cough through a laugh.

  “Yeah, I guess. Honestly, I think the three of you will be fine. You have the same open and caring attitude as Dane. Each person brings a certain something into the relationship, and you, with the love of Liberty, could be what makes everything perfect.”

  “What about Liam?”

  “Not that I know the guy, only seen him the once when he was helping Liberty out, but he sounds like me in a way.”

  “Demanding?”

  He snorted. “I’ll ignore that. Instead, I’ll leave you to work it out and get back to mine.”

  “Thanks again, Chance.”

  “Anytime.”

  Hanging up, I quickly finished my lunch and headed out the door just as my phone beeped with a message.

  Dane: We’re coming to dinner tonight. Need to get to know the man who caught your attention.

  Me: PFFT. Fuck off, dude. No dinner.

  Dane: Come on!!!

  Me: Another night.

  Dane: Counting on it. Oh, and congrats. You’ll love it :)

  Chuckling, I shook my head and replied: If I don’t, I’m blaming you.

  Dane: Me? Why?

  Me: It’s you and Chance who got my head around I could do this.

  Dane: Let’s just blame Chance. Besides, I don’t think there’ll be a problem.

  Fuck, I hoped not because I wanted things to work out for the three of us.

  Chapter Nine

  Liam

  It had been many, many fucking years since my stomach was filled with knots of nerves. Yet, there it was, churning like it had a million dragonflies flying around inside it as I drove Liberty and myself to Damien’s house for dinner.

  I had no idea what the night would bring. Food of course. Yet….

  No, I couldn’t think of it because it just caused me to grip the steering wheel tighter in worry that somehow Damien had come to his senses and wouldn’t want me to even step foot in his house again.

  Liberty sat beside me, unaware of the turmoil my thoughts were in, as she talked about her grandmother.

  True to her word, Franny had stayed the whole day at work sitting next to Liberty out the front. Any other employee I wouldn’t have allowed it, but it was Liberty. Plus, she was smart enough to make Franny scarce when a client came in. Though, she may have read the worry I had over Franny swearing or saying uncouth things in the presence of the clients, which to be honest, could have happened. I’d walked out of my office one time when she’d loudly asked if Liberty was on the pill and when her last pap smear was done, because apparently, you should never let things like that slip by. No one could know what was happening in their pussies unless it was checked. Her words, not mine. I could tell Liberty enjoyed the time getting to know her grandmother, though. The whole day she’d smiled, and it pierced my heart in a good way.

  Pulling into the drive, Liberty undid her seatbelt and turned to me. “Did my rambling take your mind off the worry?”

  Smiling with the knowledge that perhaps she knew me better than I thought, I curled my hand into her hair and bought her close, pressing my lips to hers. What would have been a quick kiss wasn’t. After all, it was Liberty, the woman I’d wanted to kiss for over a year. I was grateful she had tried to calm me with her talking, even if it didn’t work. The kiss, however, was another story. But honestly, I doubted I would settle fully, not until I knew Damien wasn’t going to back out on this.

  As if knowing my thoughts, Liberty pulled back and ran her hand down my cheek before saying, “He won’t have changed his mind.”

  Offering her a small smile, I said, “We’ll soon find out.”

  Climbing out of
the car, I met Liberty at the front. Only her eyes were trained on another vehicle parked at the curb of the house. “Jade’s here.”

  Shit. Was she a buffer between us? Was she there to let me down and tell me her brother wasn’t being himself when he agreed, and— My hand was tugged. When I glanced down at Liberty, she said, “Stop worrying. She could have just dropped in.”

  My voice didn’t work because my throat was thick with fear. I’d just gotten Liberty. I wasn’t ready to let her go nor was I ready to forget what Damien and I could be. With her hand in mine, she led me to the front door and opened it without a knock.

  I could hear voices as soon as we were through and knew Jade hadn’t come alone. Was this a fucking intervention on Damien’s state of mind or mine for wanting this? Christ, did they think I’d put pressure on them about the relationship? Maybe I had a little with Damien, but the urge to kiss him had overwhelmed me more to not listen to my mind.

  Stepping into the kitchen behind Liberty, all talk stopped.

  Liberty let go of my hand and crossed her arms over her chest. I flicked my gaze around to everyone, seeing that Jade, Chance, and Dane sat at the table, while Damien stood leaning against the kitchen counter. I noticed all eyes were on me.

  It was then Damien yelled, “They just turned up. I told them not to come.” He glared down at Dane. Damien straightened and as he started around the table, not before hitting Dane in the back of the head, who chuckled, my heart beat fast when he drew closer.

  Was this it?

  Was he about to tell me to get out?

  He leaned down to Liberty. With both hands on her cheeks, he tugged her close. Her hands hit his chest when he kissed her. “Hey, babe.”

  “Hey.” She sighed sweetly and smiled.

  He released her and moved in front of me, then did the same thing to me. His hands landed on my cheeks gently before he leaned in and touched his lips to mine.