Sidney’s Triple Shot [Apache Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Lori King

  She ran headlong into Noah, who was coming out of another door that she assumed led to his bedroom. He gripped her by the hips to steady her so that she wouldn’t fall.

  “Hey, honey, feel better after your nap?” Noah said as he kissed her tenderly.

  “Yes, thank you. I didn’t realize how tired I was,” she said, and she smiled up at him. “Why are you all dressed up?”

  Her eyes roamed over his tall body dressed now in a charcoal-gray Henley and a pair of khakis. His coffee-brown hair curled wildly, and he smelled heavenly. She stared up into his sapphire eyes with confusion.

  “We’re going into Austin, didn’t Tyce tell you?” he said with a small frown.

  “Well, yes, but he didn’t say we were going anywhere fancy. I don’t have anything to wear!” she said, feeling a wave of panic swallow her.

  “You will soon. We’re hitting a department store first, and then we’ll go to dinner later,” he responded casually, and he turned to walk her on down the hallway into the living room. Xavier was seated at the desk wearing a pair of dark-black jeans and a button-down black shirt. When he turned to look at her, she saw his shirt was open at the collar and he wore a white T-shirt underneath. It made him look dark and dangerous, and when he stood and walked toward her, she felt her pulse jump in response.

  “Hey, baby. You ready to go?” Xavier asked as he reached out to pull her into his embrace. She didn’t even consider resisting. She loved being in his arms, and she let her own arms slide up around his neck as she nodded in response to his question. He smiled, and his eyes flashed with desire as he kissed her hungrily. She loved the demanding power behind his kisses, and she showed him by melting into him submissively. He growled in the back of his throat and lifted his head to smile down at her. “That’s almost too perfect, baby. If you keep that up, we won’t be going anywhere.”

  She blushed at the compliment as he turned to Noah, still holding her in his arms against his chest. Xavier’s chest was magnificent, and embraced against it she felt dainty and delicate. He was wider than two of her, side by side, and his arms seemed to be made to shelter her perfectly.

  She realized how absorbed she was in Xavier’s touch when he and Noah started laughing. She looked up at them in surprise. “What?”

  “We’ve been talking to you for a minute, and you’ve been too busy staring at Xavier like you are going to eat him up to answer,” Noah said playfully, and she giggled.

  “It did cross my mind…” she said seductively, and she looked up at Xavier from under her eyelashes. His blue eyes were frosty clear and held a twinkle of pleasure.

  “I will definitely be holding you to that later, baby. Now, we were trying to ask you what you needed besides clothes,” Xavier said, kissing her forehead.

  “I had a lot of my small stuff in my purse with me at the bar. Well, I guess I need some shoes. I only have my boots,” she said thoughtfully. “I will need to get a new cell phone, too.”

  “We’ll worry about the phone tomorrow. For now one of us will be at your side all of the time, and we all have phones. And just for the record, I like those boots. In fact I have a fantasy of you in your uniform and those boots…” Noah said with a leering grin. Sidney couldn’t help but laugh. The boots in question were knee-high black leather boots with a wicked stiletto heel. They looked great with jeans or smoking hot with a skirt, so they were favorites. It was a small blessing that they were on her feet and not in her car when it went up in flames. She had worn them so often now at the bar that they barely hurt her feet anymore, and it was amazing how much better her tips were when she wore them with her miniscule uniform.

  “I’m not sure I’m ready to hear all of your fantasies yet,” she said as she laughed, and Xavier chuckled, too.

  “I highly doubt that you are, but someday soon,” Noah said teasingly.

  Tyce walked in a moment later, and after they filled him in on the joke he promptly agreed that Sidney’s uniform would need to come home with her after work tomorrow, along with her boots. She took in his black cowboy hat and boots, paired with dark-blue jeans and a soft blue flannel shirt. He looked good enough to eat. She accepted his kiss of greeting, and they finally led her outside to Xavier’s large black SUV. She promptly found herself in the backseat next to Noah again.

  The conversation in the car was comfortable and easy as they talked about the bar and the employees. The men discussed upcoming shipments, as well as events. Sidney had completely forgotten about the Halloween costume party that was scheduled at the bar for the weekend. Tyce’s band was scheduled to play for the special event, and all of the employees were supposed to wear costumes, and Sidney had hoped to talk her way out of it.

  “Hey, guys, you do realize that I’m not going to be wearing a costume for this party, right?” she said tentatively, knowing that they would balk. They were the ones that made the rule after all.

  “Oh, no, you don’t get out of it, love,” Tyce said, turning in his seat to look at her with a smile.

  “I don’t have a costume, and I don’t have time to find one,” she complained, but now all three of them were grinning and shaking their heads.

  “No worries, honey. We’ll take care of it. We have a few connections, and we will find you a costume,” Noah said with a wink. She pulled out from under the arm he had thrown around her shoulders and crossed her arms with a frown.

  “I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” she argued.

  “Too bad,” Xavier said with a glance in the rearview mirror, which caused her to frown harder. “Stop pouting.”

  “I’m not pouting!” she snapped, glaring at his smirking countenance in the mirror.

  “Baby, you’re just asking for a spanking, and if you keep it up I will oblige you,” Xavier said meeting her gaze in the mirror, and Sidney felt her mouth go slack and her face grow hot.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she challenged, but her heart was racing with anticipation.

  “Try me.” Xavier threatened, and Tyce started to snicker.

  “Love, as much as I’m dying to get my own hands on that pretty ass again, we really do have to get this shopping done tonight, so both of you curb your tempers and focus,” Tyce said, and he turned in his seat to smile at her.

  Sidney wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed for his interference. It was probably for the best that this dare didn’t go further, because as big as Xavier was, if he were to try to spank her he could really hurt her. A shiver of fear went through her, and Noah pulled her closer to his side on the seat. She held herself stiffen for a few moments, and when he didn’t move or mention it, she started to relax again.

  I really am like a scared bunny watching for a fox. I’ve got to relax or I will end up making one of them angry, she thought to herself as they pulled into the department store parking lot.

  Entering the high-end department store, she felt the flutter of nerves in her stomach. She couldn’t afford to shop here. She really couldn’t afford to shop at all, but she couldn’t survive with only one outfit, either. She was surprised when Xavier and Noah both wandered off, saying they needed to look for something. Tyce stayed close by, but started thumbing through the racks of clothing while she reluctantly began looking through the bargain racks, hoping to find a few pieces that she could afford. Twenty minutes later she only had one pair of jeans in her hand, and she was feeling very dejected. Her limited finances were going to be a problem.

  “Come on, baby, we have a dressing room ready for you.” She turned as she heard Xavier’s voice behind her and looked up at him in surprise.

  “Oh, no, I need a few more minutes actually. I haven’t found much yet,” she said with a shake of her head.

  Tyce came up on her other side with a small armful of what appeared to be women’s dresses and took her by the hand. “No worries, love. We’ve got it covered. Come on.”

  Sputtering and stammering in shock, she let him and Xavier lead her to the fitting rooms. As she entered the small room
of closets, she noticed that three chairs had been set in front of the small dressing platform that was centered in front of the mirrors. Noah was already seated in one chair, and Xavier quickly sat in another. Tyce led her to the curtained doorway of a dressing closet and hung the dresses he had on the hook outside the door. A pretty young woman stood to the side next to a rack full of various women’s clothes. The woman smiled, and Sidney noticed she wore a name tag indicating that she was an employee.

  “Okay, what is going on?” she asked as she stepped backward and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “We picked out a bunch of stuff that we want to see you in, so get your cute little butt in there and get naked…Do you need a hand?” Tyce said with a quick grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

  “No, I do not need a hand getting naked. Guys, that’s sweet in an oddly stalkerish sort of way, but I really can’t afford to buy a whole new wardrobe. I just want to get a few pieces to make do for now.” She turned to the young saleswoman who was staring at her in confusion. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but they were just trying to be kind.”

  “Sidney,” Xavier said in a stern voice, “no one said anything about you paying for anything. In fact I’m a little bit insulted that you would think us so thoughtless. We want to buy you nice things and spoil you.”

  Sidney blushed and glanced warily at the employee. Xavier had basically just outed their relationship to a perfect stranger, and she wasn’t sure she was completely comfortable with that. “That’s really nice of you guys, but—”

  “Get your ass in there, and stop acting like a petulant little girl,” Xavier said firmly, and Sidney stared at him.

  Xavier’s irritation sent a wave of apprehension washing over her body. His stern voice made her horny, but the ice chips in his blue eyes scared the hell out of her. What would she do if he decided to punish her in public? He had already threatened to spank her. Remembering her promise to herself, she stiffened her spine, and stared him down.

  “No. I don’t need anyone to select clothing for me, or tell me what to wear.”

  All three brothers wore matching looks of confusion, “Honey, we’re not trying to control you or take over, we just want to spoil you. Let us treat you like a princess just this once, please?”

  The soft plea wrapped around her heart, and made her feel guilty for suspecting their motives. Just because Robert was a douche bag didn’t mean that the Dawson brothers were anything like him. Taking a deep breath she went into the dressing closet without another word.

  The employee, whose name tag read Jessie, followed her a moment later with an armful of beautiful clothes and began to help Sidney try on what her men had selected. The first item on the pile was a beautiful knee-length navy-blue halter dress. It cinched just under her full breasts, and the fitted top had her cleavage overflowing the neckline. The skirt fell in delicate chiffon pleats that swirled with movement every time she fidgeted.

  Jessie knelt down by Sidney’s feet and helped her step into a pair of navy-blue platform sandals that had long straps that wrapped around her thin ankles. She stared into the mirror at her reflection. She had never looked so beautiful in a dress in her whole life. It fit her like a glove and flattered her perfectly.

  “Are you coming out, love?” she heard Tyce call out and then chuckle.

  “I don’t know,” she said honestly as Jessie stood behind her smiling.

  “Which outfit did you put on first, Sidney?” Xavier asked.

  “The blue dress and sandals,” she said automatically, and she heard three matching groans.

  “Please come out, honey. I picked that one, and I’m dying to see if it looks as good as I imagined.” Noah’s voice was tight, and she tingled at the need she heard in it. Steeling her spine, she decided that if the Dawson brothers took the time to handpick clothing out for her to try on, then the least she could do was be gracious and show them how it fit.

  Nodding at Jessie to pull the curtain aside, she stepped out of the cubicle into the unforgiving lights of the dressing room. Seated in the chairs were all three Dawson brothers, each looking finer than the last. Right now, they all three had their attention trained on Sidney Rowe, and she could see exactly how much they appreciated the outfit. On wobbly knees she stepped up onto the platform and faced the mirror with her back to them. She made eye contact with Noah, who had selected this particular outfit, awaiting his judgment.

  “It’s not what I imagined,” he said, and she felt her heart plummet. Could she have mistaken his disappointment for pleasure? He stood and stepped toward her. “It’s so much better. Sidney, you look amazing in that dress, like a fairytale princess.”

  Her wide eyes darted to Tyce and Xavier, who both nodded silently. She had struck them mute. Sidney Rowe, plain Jane who couldn’t seem to get a good man’s attention, had three of them now. She was absolutely elated with their reaction to her.

  “Thank you. I really like this one, but it’s not very practical. I was thinking jeans and T-shirts, not dresses and heels,” she said with a smile.

  “You need some of both. Now that we have you, we want to show you off, and that dress will be perfect for you to wear to dinner tonight,” Xavier said. She flushed again at his continued perusal of her body, and she moved to go back into the dressing closet. “Wait a second, baby. I want to see it all. Spin for me, baby, please.”

  She never even contemplated denying him this request. Instead she found herself slowly pirouetting so that they could take in the whole look. Once she faced him again, he gave a slight nod and a wide smile. “Good girl,” she heard him say softly, and she lifted her chin as she sauntered by to go try on the next outfit. She liked that he was proud of her and that she seemed to have pleased him with so small of a concession.

  She continued to try on a variety of outfits for her men, from jeans they said were too loose and needed to be tighter to tops that needed to be lower cut. At one point she even stepped out of the dressing room quietly humming the tune to “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” from My Fair Lady. She felt like an out-of-place peasant trying to fill the princess’s glass slippers for the day. They dressed her like a doll, and instead of making her feel controlled, they managed to make her feel cherished. In the back of her mind the worry that they were taking over niggled like a bothersome fly, but she ignored it and focused on pleasing the brothers.

  When she finally finished trying on everything they could find for her, she redressed in the beautiful blue dress and heels. This time, though, she wore a lacy, blue strapless bra and a matching thong. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and her faced was flushed pink with excitement. She hadn’t owned a dress so beautiful in her life, and she certainly hadn’t owned one that she wore only for the sake of feeling beautiful.

  Right before they stepped out of the cubicle for the final time, Jessie stopped her with a hand on her arm. “You know, if I had a delicious-looking man wanting to buy me clothes and treat me like a princess, I would marry him. You have managed to snag yourself three somehow. Do you want to give me some pointers?”

  Sidney giggled and thanked Jessie for all of her help and then stepped out of the dressing rooms. Tyce and Noah were standing just outside, but Xavier was nowhere to be seen and neither was the pile of clothing they had set aside for purchase. She knew he was probably at the cash register, but she had intended to narrow the pile down some before they purchased the clothes. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with them spending so much money on her.

  “You guys, I know you mean well, but you don’t have to buy all of that stuff for me,” she started to complain, but Noah’s kiss cut her off. She found herself leaning into his tall body just to have the physical contact, absorbing his smell and his warmth along with the banked desire he carried inside of him.

  “We know that, but please let us anyway. We want to do this for you. We lo…care about you, Sidney. Let us spoil you a little bit,” he said with another quick kiss before he turned and put his arm around her waist to lead her aw
ay from the clothing section. “Tyce, we’re going to swing through the jewelry section. Do you want to check on Xavier and make sure he finished our shopping list?”

  “Yep, I’m on my way. We’ll catch up to you guys at the truck,” Tyce said, bending to give Sidney a quick kiss. As she passed by he gave her a quick tap on the ass, and she squeaked in surprise. Her face bloomed with heat as he walked away laughing.

  Noah watched Sidney. Her eyes followed Tyce’s progress away from them, and he wondered if she knew how open her face was with her emotions. She was feeling more than simple affection for Tyce, if the look in her eyes and the soft, befuddled smile on her face were any indication. Noah couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He hoped that she looked at him that way when she thought no one was looking.

  She looked up into his face, and her brow puckered. “What’s wrong, Noah?”

  For just a moment he considered lying to her or at least avoiding her question, but if he wanted this to work out and be a real relationship, he had to be honest.

  “I’m falling hard for you, Sidney. I can’t go around pretending that I’m not in love with you. But I also don’t want to worry every day that you won’t ever love me back. I have a fear of rejection just like anyone else.” He wanted to kick his own ass for letting the words slip past his lips. Her surprise was clear, and he figured he had just cut the thin connection that they were creating.

  But Sidney surprised him. She stepped into his chest and rested her head against his collarbone. Her hands went around his waist to stroke softly up and down his back, and he relaxed a fraction more.

  “Noah, I care more for you and your brothers than I have anyone else in my life. Don’t give up on me yet.”