Hot and Ready [Men for Hire: Firemen 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Jane Jamison

  Beth sat back, glanced down at her lap, then lifted her head, determination etched on her face. “Well, first of all, we don’t want you to pose alone. We want firefighters posing with a woman.”

  “That’s different, but I wouldn’t say it’s that provocative.”

  “That’s not all of it.” She squirmed in her seat. “Let me give you an example. Mr. October would be on the top of the fire engine with nothing but his boots on. He’d have the woman, who would be scantily dressed, of course, lying on her back beside him.”

  “And?” There had to be more to it.

  “The fireman.” She coughed. “Or firemen—”

  “More than one of us representing one month? And posing with one woman?” Seth’s grin was back. He was finding the conversation as interesting as Aaron was.

  “Anyway, the fireman would have certain sexual tools and would be using them on her.”

  “Sexual tools? What kind of sexual tools?” He fought back a smile. She had a wild side after all. That was a side of her he’d like to unleash. Especially by tying her up.

  Beth sought out Ruthie’s help, but Ruthie kept her attention on him and not her friend. She sat a little straighter, obviously drawing on her fledgling confidence. “The usual kind. Like handcuffs, a whip, a flogger, or maybe a ball gag.”

  “You want us to pose for an erotic firefighter calendar.” Seth gave a low whistle. “Usually I’m a good judge of people, but you threw me for a curve, Beth Davidson.”

  Did she blush a lot? She’d blushed earlier and she was blushing even harder now. “So we’d more than likely be butt naked.”

  “Not completely naked. You might have your helmet or boots on. And I’d have to shoot the photos in ways to, um, hide your, um, assets. I haven’t worked out all the details yet.”

  “But at least ninety-nine percent butt naked. Am I right?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And would you be the woman we’d get to pose with?”

  Her eyes widened. “Me? Oh, no.”

  “Beth will be the one taking the photos,” added Ruthie. “And I’ll be doing everything else like hiring the female models and scheduling you and the other guys for your photo sessions. I’ll be her right hand girl.” She grinned and continued. “More and more people are getting into that kind of thing so we’d be capitalizing on the growing trend. Sounds great, doesn’t it?”

  “Wait a second.” Aaron saw that other diners had turned toward him with his loud outburst. He lowered his voice. “Are you expecting us to recruit the other men for the calendar?”

  “Why not? After all, you have the inside track with them. They’re your buddies, right? Who better to convince them to help out?”

  “I don’t know.” His agreeing to do the calendar was one thing. But to enlist his friends?

  How many firefighters do you have at the station?” asked Ruthie. “We’ll need at least twenty more. You know. So that two or more would pose in each photo.”

  Seth beat him to the punch on answering. “I’m not sure I can ask other men to strip naked for a calendar. Especially when they’re not getting anything out of it.”

  “Sure you can.” Ruthie popped a fry into her mouth. “Your getting more men to pose is part of the favor I’m asking.”

  “Maybe we don’t need twenty more.” Beth pushed her food around her plate. “We could do half and half. Six months with two men and six with one for the month.”

  Ruthie wrinkled her nose. “I’d rather have two men for each month.”

  Aaron saw the question on Beth’s face a moment before she spoke it.

  “So will you do it? I can’t promise to pay anyone except the female models, but I promise I’ll return the favor one day.”

  He was trapped. On the one hand, the last thing he’d ever wanted to do was to pose for a calendar, especially the kind of calendar they were talking about. But on the other hand, if they agreed, they’d get to see more of Beth.

  His cock, for the first time in a really, long time, won out over his judgment. “Fine. We’ll do it.” He ignored Seth’s uplifted eyebrows. “I’d like to hear more about your plans, but we’ve got to get back to the station. How about we talk about it in more detail at the Lizard Lounge? Say Thursday around seven?”

  “Sounds good to me. Right, Bethie?”

  “Sure. We can meet you there.”

  Aaron knew Ruthie well. Well enough to know when she was holding something back. He also knew her well enough that if he pushed to find out, she’d cut and run. “Okay, then. Seven it is.”

  Beth offered her hand to Seth. He gave it a good shake, then held onto it longer than was necessary. Not that Aaron blamed him. When she offered her hand to him, he shook it once like Seth had done, then squeezed it. Her gaze met his, and, narrowing his eyes, he sent her a message he knew she wouldn’t understand.

  You’re going to be ours, baby. Just you wait and see.

  When he finally had to turn her hand loose, he stood and waited for Seth to get up. “See you Thursday, ladies.”

  * * * *

  Seth found it difficult to walk out of the restaurant without shouting the news to the world. Somehow, he managed to keep silent as he strode with Aaron back to the fire station.

  “So? What do you think?”

  “I think we’re crazy to do a calendar like that.”

  Seth stared at his friend. “Because it’s kinky? Or because you’re not sure your body’s good enough.”

  “You’re full of shit, man. You’d better start working out because I’m going to show your sorry ass up.”

  They went a couple more yards before Seth couldn’t stand it any longer. “Naw. I was asking what you thought about Beth.”

  Aaron paused, gave him a weird look, then took off again. “Are you fucking with me?”

  “What? No. She’s terrific. She’s got a great bod and that face of hers is a killer. I know you prefer dark-haired women, but—”

  Aaron brought them to a stop with his hand thrust against Seth’s chest. “You’re full of shit to think you have to ask. You know damn well she’s the one we’ve been waiting for.”

  “That’s what I was thinking, but we don’t know that for sure.”

  “Have you ever gotten that kind of feeling from any other woman?” Aaron already knew the answer. He just wanted to hear Seth say it.

  “No. I thought my balls were going to burst into flame. Damn, I’m still hard for her. But that’s just physical.”

  “Yeah, but that’s a large part of it. The chemistry was there, no doubt. And the calendar will give us time to get to know her better. In every way.”

  “Sounds good. But I’m not sure she’s the kind who’ll go for what we have in mind. If she doesn’t, we’re screwed.”

  “Then we put her to the test. We show up at her place tonight and find out if she’s willing to obey our commands.”

  Seth stayed even with Aaron as he resumed his pace. “How? We can’t just come on to her that fast. Even if she’s interested, we could scare her off. Maybe if we wait until we meet with her at the bar, we could talk and let her get more comfortable with us. Kind of ease into the situation. I thought she was going to jump out of her skin a couple of times. She’s all kinds of shy.”

  “Yeah. You’ve got a point. But I’d rather move fast on this. We’ve already waited a hell of a long time to find her. We can mention what we’ve got in mind and feel her out.”

  Aaron entered the fire station through the engine bay. “No matter how skittish she is around us, I’m betting she’s a natural sub. You saw how she reacted. Nervous and jittery like we were about to take her right there in front of Ruthie. Nervous like she had an itch to scratch. I swear her pupils got bigger, and when she took my hand, it was sweaty. Yeah, she was attracted to us, all right, and my gut tells me she’s ready for some wild stuff in the bedroom. She’s our submissive. All we have to do is prove it to her.”

  “And how do we do that?” When his step-brother turned his way, he i
magined the plan whirling in his head.

  “Like I said. Tonight we drop by and see her. Not to get anything going, but to give her another chance to talk to us before Thursday. We’ll make the real move then.”

  “I’m not sure I’m getting it.”

  “Just follow my lead.” Aaron led the way into the break room off to the side of the huge room.

  Chapter Three

  “Hey, Mr. Vinson. How are you today?” Beth shifted the heavy bag of groceries from one arm to the other.

  Walter Vinson, her eighty-four-year-old landlord, grunted as he craned his weathered neck around to find her standing behind him. A wide smile added lines to his already wrinkled face. As usual, even while gardening, he was neat and tidy, his khaki slacks and white shirt pristine clean as though he’d just stepped out of his apartment.

  “Hi, there, Beth.”

  Walter was one of the sweetest old men she’d ever met, always greeting her with a nice, big smile and making sure her hot water heater was working after it had been repaired not once, but twice. The kindly gentleman had even planted flowers in the tiny garden area skirting the edge of her patio.

  She took his elbow, helping him get on his feet. He dropped the flower he’d been about to add to the row of colorful blossoms.

  “Now what did I say about calling me Walter?” He took hold of her sack and hefted into his arms. “Let me get this for you.”

  She didn’t bother telling him no. He always insisted on helping her even though she probably had an easier time carrying it than he did.

  “Okay. Thank you, Walter.”

  He ambled toward the hallway leading to her apartment. His pace was slow, the pain he felt evident in his shuffling walk, but she’d never mention it to him. He was a proud man who often told her that he was “as in good a shape as any young pup.”

  His doe-like eyes twinkled at her. “You’re looking really pretty today. Just like every day.”

  They finally made it to her front door. Leaning over, she pecked him on the cheek. “And you’re just as handsome as ever. Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea?” She winked, knowing he enjoyed his hot toddies. “I could add a little something to give it a little kick, if you like.”

  “No thank you. We wouldn’t want the neighbors to talk.”

  She unlocked her door, then took the groceries from him. “You know what? I wouldn’t mind that one bit. Shoot. Let the ladies eat their hearts out.” She twisted toward the other doors. “Do you hear that, ladies? Hands off. He’s all mine.”

  His chuckle was the kind of chuckle Santa should have. “You sure do make an old man feel good.”

  “What old man?”

  They shared a laugh as she stepped into her apartment. “Thanks for helping me with my load. Would you like me to join you? I could help you plant more flowers.”

  “You’re nice to ask, but I’m about done. Besides, I’m sure a pretty young girl like you has better things to do than spend her time with an old fart like me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He lifted his hand in a farewell. “I’m sure. But I appreciate the offer.”

  She stayed where she was as he ambled back toward his garden. He wasn’t much on keeping the apartments updated and had to call in extra help to get things repaired. That always meant a longer wait time, but she wouldn’t have wanted any other landlord. A pang of sadness hit her. He was up there in years and in failing health. It wouldn’t be too much longer before she wouldn’t see his cheery face any longer.

  Pushing away the sad thought, she closed her door.

  * * * *

  The knock on her door later that evening was not unexpected. For the past week, Lonnie Vinson, Walter’s thirty-year-old grandson, had come by after work. After first, she’d been polite to him and had turned down his request of a date as gently as she could. Yet he’d persisted, growing stranger each time he’d asked her out. Stranger and more aggressive.

  He was overweight with red, angry pimples covering his face, and greasy black hair hanging in strings around his face. As a result, he’d jerk his head to the side to get the hair out of his face. His bloodshot eyes were half-lidded, but his sick grin was as wide as ever. He acted like someone twice his age. Even his grandfather didn’t talk like someone from the seventies. He creeped her out, not because of his looks, but because of the way he looked at her.

  Damn it, Lonnie. Get a clue. I don’t want to go out with you.

  There was only one way of stopping him, yet she hated the idea of telling Walter that his only grandson was harassing her with unwanted advances. Yet as much as she dreaded telling Walter, she’d soon have no choice. All too often, she’d seen Lonnie hanging around outside her apartment. She’d never caught him spying on her, but he was near enough that he could watch her come and go. He’d even followed her around the complex, to the Dumpsters, and to her car early in the morning as she was leaving for work. Because of Lonnie, she tried not to stay outside for long.

  Knowing it was him, she didn’t bother changing out of her torn T-shirt and holey jeans she called her “flop-around-the house” clothes. She’d never let anyone else except Ruthie see her in them, but they were too comfortable to toss out and too shabby to give away.

  She gathered her resolve to shut him down once and for all, then opened the door. He stepped back as she swung the door wide. His usually stringy hair was slicked back. The sport coat he wore was too small for him—probably one of Walter’s—and the dingy white shirt didn’t help his appearance.

  Aw, hell. He cleaned up for me.

  She’d always had a soft spot for an underdog, and for once, she felt sorry for him. “Hello, Lonnie.”

  Yeah, that’s it. Use a mean old “hello” instead of a friendly “hi.” That’ll get him to face facts. Not.

  “Hello, Beth. You’re looking real nice tonight.”

  “Thanks. Look, Lonnie, before you say anything else—”

  He came toward her, thrusting out a group of flowers from behind his back. Flowers that had obviously been torn from one of Walter’s gardens. The dirt still clung to the roots. “Pretty posies for a pretty woman.”

  Damn it. After Walter’s hard work planting them. How did someone as nice as Walter end up with a grandkid like him?

  She choked back the urge to tell him off. “Oh. Uh, thanks. But Lonnie—”

  “No, Beth.”

  She gasped as his hand covered her mouth. Fear took her heart and closed around it, threatening to bring its pounding to a stop.

  “Let me talk.” His dark eyes locked to hers as he made a weird, slanted smile. “I know you’re going to say no because you always do. But I’m here to let you know that I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep coming every day until you say you’ll go on a date with me. Do you understand?”

  She reached up, took hold of his hands, and when he didn’t resist, she tugged them off her mouth. “Lonnie, don’t ever touch me again. Do you understand?”

  He frowned, his cold eyes growing harder. The anger in them frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

  “I’m going to have you, Beth. Maybe not today, but real soon. You’re going to be my girlfriend, and when you are, you’re going to get down on your knees and thank me for not giving up.”

  He leaned closer, putting his face inches from hers. She tried not to breathe in the awful mix of cheap cologne and unbathed skin. Daring to touch him, she pushed against his chest and made him back off.

  “Lonnie, go away. And don’t come back.”

  His lip curled into a snarl. “You might as well learn now. You don’t tell your man what to do.”

  “You are not my man and you never will be.” She reached around her back and grasped for the doorknob. “Now go away, Lonnie, before I tell your grandfather about this.”

  It was obvious from the times she’d seen Lonnie and Walter together that Lonnie loved the old man. That, as far as she was concerned, was his only redeeming quality. And one she hoped would shu
t down his advances for good.

  “Do as the lady told you to do.”

  Lonnie whirled around, so fast that he almost lost his footing. “Who are you?”

  Seth and Aaron strode toward them. They’d never looked as good as they did at that moment. They were already heroes because they were firemen, but now they were her own personal heroes. She wasn’t sure what Lonnie might’ve done if they hadn’t shown up.

  “Not that it’s any concern of yours, but we’re friends of Beth.”

  Aaron crossed his arms, keeping his distance from Lonnie. “We don’t like it when someone treats her badly.”

  Beth eased past Lonnie and hurried over to stand between the two large firemen. “Lonnie, I think you’d better leave. And please, don’t knock on my door again.”

  “I can’t do that. I’m not giving up.”

  Seth was on top of Lonnie, leaning over him, before she knew that he’d moved. He towered over Lonnie, making him step backward. Now his back was against the wall instead of hers. “I don’t know who you are, but when a lady asks you to leave her alone, then you leave her alone. It’s that simple.”

  Lonnie’s double chin settled against his chest as he tried to make himself smaller. He twisted his head to the side and scrunched up his face. Did he think Seth would hit him? It was wrong of her, but a side of her couldn’t help but hope Seth would.

  “Do you live around here?”

  Lonnie nodded. “My grandfather’s the landlord.”

  “So you live with your grandfather, huh?”

  Lonnie tried to face Seth down, but soon ducked his head. “Yeah. So?”

  “Seth. He’s not worth it.”

  She glanced up at Aaron. The glower on his face was aimed at Seth instead of Lonnie.

  “Fine.” Seth backed off. “You’d better get going while the getting’s good.”

  Lonnie took one more look at her, then keeping his back to the wall, he scooted away. Once he knew that Seth couldn’t reach him, he dashed toward the green common area in the back of the apartment complex.