I sat down on the ground next to them and dabbed Rex’s bleeding nose with my pool towel. “Good lesson for you, Princess. Size isn’t everything,” he winked. “Nate can out fight me any day of the week—because he’s fast and he’s smart. He always knows his next move, whereas I was flailing—reacting rather than strategizing. That’s why Nate here is the one teaching you the hand-to-hand stuff and not me.” Nate rubbed my leg, his body cradled by the soft grass, his lips turned in a satisfied grin. “I just wanted to roll around half naked with him,” he teased with a wink. Rex rolled the towel and snapped it playfully at Nate. “I thought you were really fighting,” I explained, still shaken up. “Sorry, babe, just oversized boys releasing pent up testosterone. We didn’t mean to upset you,” Nate said, his hand still caressing my leg.
That evening after dinner, I rounded the corner to where the men were relaxing in the corner garden. I usually referred to this part of the grounds as “the smoking section” because it was where they often smoked cigars after dinner. Both men sipped bourbon, looked at the stars, and talked about life. I sometimes joined them, sipping a glass of wine, while other times I enjoyed soaking in the hot tub instead. Tonight, I finished my soak and decided to bring them out a fresh bottle from the liquor cabinet. Coming around the wall, I paused as I heard them say my name. They were deep in conversation, and I didn’t want to intrude.
“Yeah, things are different with Penny here now—I agree. I’m not saying no, Nate, I’m just saying—give me time. I don’t know—this is all uncharted territory for me.”
“I know—and I love what we have. I don’t want to fuck it up by asking for more. But…I can’t pretend like I don’t feel what I feel, either.”
“I don’t want you to. We’ve always talked about everything—I don’t want that to change. To answer your question,” I heard Rex gulp audibly, followed by the clink of his glass being set down on the metal table, “with Penny there, yeah, I’m more comfortable physically and could probably allow a little more. There, I said it.” Nate chuckled and said, “Lightning did not strike.” Rex laughed and said, “The ground did not swallow me up.”
I stood in the shadows, absorbing the pieces of their conversation and trying to make sense of it. I jumped when Nate came around the corner and nearly ran into me. Embarrassed and guilty, I held the bottle of bourbon out to him. “I-I didn’t mean to listen. I was bringing you guys a fresh bottle.” Nate smiled, taking me into his arms. “We don’t have anything to say that you can’t hear. I need to pee—go sit with Rex, I’ll be back in a minute.”
I emerged from the shadows where I’d been hiding.
Rex smiled warmly and patted his lap, “Come sit with me—we missed you.”
Rex took the bottle from me as I crawled into his lap. “Johnnie Walker Blue Label, not too shabby of a choice,” he said, opening the bottle and pouring the amber libation into his tumbler and Nate’s empty glass on the table. “Taste it,” he said holding it up to my lips. I sniffed the contents of his tumbler—it smelled sweet, syrupy. “This one is smooth—smoother than that cabernet you were sipping on earlier.” I took a cautious sip, then another, less cautious one. “It’s good,” I had to admit. “More kick than I’m used to, but yeah—I can see the appeal.”
“You smell like smoke,” I whined, handing him back his glass and nuzzling into his chest. “An unfortunate side effect of puffing cigars, I’m afraid.” He was quiet, sipping his bourbon and pouring another. “Nate wants…” He trailed off, as if the words escaped him. “More touching?” He exhaled and pulled me closer. “Yeah—well, he didn’t say it exactly like that.”
“I heard some of it. From what I know about him, he mostly just wants to be able to show you how he feels, even if just a little.”
“I know and I get that. I’ve gotten comfortable with small displays of affection—that was hard for me at first. I touch Nate in ways I would never touch another dude. And, I want him to be happy. It’s just never gotten…sexual.”
“He respects your boundaries, how you feel. I know I do.”
“Thanks, Princess. I’m not proud of this—but I’ll just admit it. The idea of being touched by Nate doesn’t bug me. The idea of being touched by a guy does, though. What does that say about me?”
“It says you’re a normal conflicted person who is honest about his feelings. Don’t feel guilty—we all have our limits. And…it also says you’re able to take an honest look at it.”
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “This whole thing with Nate threw me for a loop. It was like there was some tear in the fabric of my universe that allowed him to slip in to my heart. I couldn’t make sense of it—until you came. Now, it all just clicks—the three of us are like three broken circles that somehow fused to make a perfectly bonded whole. It’s all there, and I’m happy with it—but I want for Nate to get what he needs, too.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to drink a whole shitload more bourbon and then I’m going to take you both to bed.”
“Oh,” was all I could say. I didn’t want Rex to go further than he was comfortable with, but the idea of my two men getting more intimate did turn me on.
“What if everything fizzles the second he…” Rex sighed and took another big swig from his glass. “It’ll hurt him.”
“I won’t let that happen. I’ll be there—focus on me.”
“That’s never hard to do, sweetheart. You set me on fire every damn time.”
Hours later, the normally in-control Rex was slurring his words and stripping his clothes off in the yard. By the time we got him to Nate’s bedroom, he was naked. I pushed him into the sofa in Nate’s room, falling on top of him. I’d never seen Rex even close to drunk. He loved to sip his whiskey, but he wasn’t one to ever get sloppy—he was too much of a control freak. “Kiss me, Penny,” he howled, pulling my face to his. We made out slowly, my tongue savoring the syrupy-sweet zing of the whiskey on his breath. I sensed Nate moving around the room, but kept my focus on Rex. I wanted him ready to explode by the time I urged Nate to touch him.
The lights dimmed and the door locked, Nate stood over us. Rex pulled my mouth from his, pushing my face toward Nate’s. “Kiss,” he said, “I wanna watch.” Rex’s erection ground against me as my tongue found Nate’s. Our mouths never parted as Rex yanked roughly at my clothes in a desperate attempt to strip me. Nate’s agile fingers assisted him, and within minutes I was naked, my bare legs straddling Rex’s wide hips. Nate’s hands reached under my breasts, kneading them as he kissed me. Rex was insane with need—his hips bucking as his desperate cock sought my pussy.
“You’re torturing me!” His whiskey-laden breath was at my ear, his fingers trying to pull me from Nate’s kiss. I slid my lips from Nate’s and looked down at Rex. Tonight, for the first time, I wanted control. Both men were waffling with a big decision—a calculated, choreographed attempt at more. I, however, wanted to end the thinking and just become three people driven by insatiable, label-less, boundary-less passion for each other.
I pushed Rex back, purring, “You said you wanted to watch, big guy. You want to see Nate fuck me?” His hips rose up again as he hissed, “Yes!” Nate’s agile fingers found my nipples, giving them a harsh twist before pulling me up from Rex’s naked body. “On your knees, Penny,” Nate said, his voice rich with desire. I knelt on the floor in front of the sofa Rex was flopped across, his large hand slowly stroking his swollen cock. My eyes never left Rex’s as Nate stripped off his own clothes and positioned the head of his long cock at the soaked entrance of my pussy. “Ah,” I moaned as Nate entered me. The force of his thrusts caused my large breasts to sway from side to side, taunting Rex as he watched us fuck.
I wasn’t sure how much longer the inebriated Rex would be subdued into just watching, so I pushed back against Nate, meeting each thrust with a push of my hips onto him. “I want to watch you come, both of you,” Rex groaned, his own thick cock glistened at the tip. Nate’s hand reach
ed around to stroke my clit as he fucked me, the clenching of my pussy against his throbbing cock milking him to an explosion deep inside me.
When I recovered from the force of my own climax, I crawled toward Rex with Nate still pulsing inside me. My tongue sought his heavy balls, teasing them as I licked up and down. “You’re killing me,” Rex groaned, his hands wrapped around the back of my head. “You want to come in my mouth?” I teased, flicking the barbell piercing on the underside of his cock. “Yes,” he groaned. “Can Nathaniel help?” I asked, nervous I was pushing him too far. “Yes, just…please…”
Nate slid out of me and crawled up in front of the sofa, hovering over Rex’s hardness as I massaged Rex’s shaft with my tongue. I licked up and down Rex’s length, toying with the metal pierced into his shaft, purposefully keeping him on the edge. I wanted to tease him to the point that he’d explode with pleasure when Nate’s tongue decided to join in. Rex’s eyes closed as his legs braced—he couldn’t take much more. I nodded to Nate—he licked his lips, but hesitated. I wasn’t sure he’d go through with it, but in a sudden rush of sexual energy, his lips wrapped around the head of Rex’s cock, Nate’s cheeks hollowing as he sucked far too hard. Clearly he’s never given head before, I couldn’t help but think to myself.
Rex groaned, a half grunt, half growl, as Nate’s mouth pulled at him. My fingers found the seam rising from Rex’s hard sac, stroking as Nate found a rhythm, loosening his suction for an up an down motion. I let my own hungry tongue slide underneath Rex, and as I poked his salty skin, I felt the tension of his shuddering orgasm. By the time I looked up, I expected to find Nate’s mouth away from the ejaculating Rex, but instead he held on, sucking every drop of Rex’s seed into his worshipping mouth.
Rex was asleep when I leaned into Nate and asked, “Are you okay?” I knew Rex wasn’t the only one who would struggle from the new type of intimacy. “Yeah,” he smiled, licking his lips. “That was…different!” He laughed as we fell together. “Let’s get him into bed—have you ever dealt with a King Rex sized hangover before?” He shook his head as he pulled Rex up and leaned him over his shoulders, “Never.”
We slept that night as usual, intertwined limbs in a giant bed, tossing and turning in a perfect loving unison as the sun forced its way back to the sky.
Chapter Eleven
I sat across from Nate in the large living room the next afternoon. I’d been working on Rex’s financials all morning long. Nate was right—Rex had plenty of money, but it wasn’t managed well and there was too much cash slipping through his fingers each month. When he asked me that morning to take a look at his numbers, I was honored. He trusted me, and more importantly, had confidence that I had the brainpower to help him out.
After lunch, however, I needed a break from staring at spreadsheets and bank statements, so I challenged Nate to a game of chess. His phone rang as my bishop moved in to check his queen, but he glanced at the screen and ignored it. “Ladies?” I joked. He laughed, his eyes glued to the chessboard. “None that could beat me at chess—you are smart as hell, Penny. Your father was an idiot to not put your brainpower to work. Nah, the call was from my dad. I don’t know why he bothers.”
“What if it’s an emergency?”
“Then he’ll leave a message or call Rex. In fact, he’ll probably call Rex anyway.”
“What does he…I mean, what does your dad think your relationship with Rex is exactly?”
He shrugged, his long fingers caressing his rook. “I don’t really care. Besides, I’m not sure I know myself.”
He placed the rook down and removed his fingers, leaning back in his leather wingchair in defeat.
“Checkmate. One more game?” He nodded and began to set up the board as Rex walked in, his expression grim. “Yeah, Al, I will—uh, no, I’ll work it out somehow. Take care of yourself.” Rex clicked the button to end the call on his phone and looked to Nate.
“How the fuck is daddy?” Nate asked through gritted teeth. “What does he want? Money?”
“No, man, uh…It’s your mother. Her cancer is back. They don’t—”
“What?” Nate stood up, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “She’s in remission, she’s going to be fine…” I stood up from my own chair and wrapped my arms around Nate’s waist—he was shaking. “Nathaniel, this time it’s serious. We need to get there ASAP.”
Nate shook his head, raking his hands through his wavy coppery brown hair. “This is just a ploy dad is using to get me to…” He sat back down into the chair, pulling me into his lap.
“I’m sorry, Nate, this time—he said she’s as sick as he’s ever seen her, and she’s calling for you and your sister.”
“Holy shit.” Nate wrapped his arms around me, squeezing so tightly I struggled to breathe.
“We’ll leave in a few hours. She’s at a hospital in Wilson. I think we can manage to fly in without attracting too much attention.”
“Wilson? They left her in the tiny fucking town’s hospital? Why didn’t they move her to Duke?”
“I don’t know. Let me have them get the plane ready to fly us into North Carolina.”
“I won’t leave Penny alone, it’s too dangerous,” Nate squeezed me even tighter.
I couldn’t speak. I lost my own mother, whom I adored, not more than a couple of years ago to heart disease.
“No, we’re not letting our girl out of our sight. I’ll whip up some fake paperwork. It wouldn’t pass the TSA, but it’ll look good enough for a local agent without the means or incentive to really check.”
I sat on Nate’s lap stunned. I was going back to the States. “Penny, go pack. Grab a suitcase out of my closet.” I nodded to Rex before leaning in to kiss Nate before he gave me a quick pat on the back to go. In my room, tossing clothes into one of Rex’s suitcases, the tears flowed down my cheeks. Rex wasn’t one to get excited over too much, but I knew him well enough to know that he was shaken, afraid for Nate.
“Hey Princess,” Rex said, walking in to my room and sitting in the chair in the corner. “It’s a big deal, isn’t it?” He glanced at the door before answering, “Yeah, sweetheart, she doesn’t have long left. We have to be there for him—he’s going to be battling all sorts of emotions. We can’t let him self-blame, or worse, relapse into addiction. Pick out a couple of conservative black dresses—I’ll hang them in the plane with our suits.”
My heart ached for Nate. This was the first time I’d been in love, and I never imagined the pain of watching someone you love hurt. “His dad isn’t a bad guy, is he?”
Rex shook his head, “No, he’s made some missteps, but who hasn’t? Nate wants someone to blame—he wants a villain to point the finger at. I’d give anything to have had a father like Al Slater instead of the sack of shit dickwad I spent my first ten years with.”
“Is he alive? Your father?”
“No, baby, he’s long since dead. Both of them—self-absorbed trash. Social Services took me when I was twelve—mother dearest died in a bar brawl a few months later.”
“Oh my God, that’s horrible.” I’d lived a privileged life, and despite not feeling loved by my father, I couldn’t imagine the trauma Rex suffered as a young child. “Were you adopted?”
“No, Penny, no one adopts twelve year old boys, and the State of New York makes a terrible parent. I bounced from foster home to foster home, some not bad, most horrific, until Evelyn noticed me in high school one afternoon.” He smiled at the memory. “We were in biology class—I was a good student. I knew it was my only chance to climb out of the shithole of my life. Evelyn, though…” He chuckled as he said, “She was a cute cheerleader, popular, but more interested in having a good time than studying. She was stuck during a lab and leaned over to me. ‘Roger, it’s Roger, right?’ she said. ‘Can you help me? I’ll take you out for a burger after school if you do…’ And from then on, much to the shock of the entire town, we were a couple. I ended up staying with her family the last two years of high school. No one ever loved me bef
ore Evelyn.”
The tears rushed up again—my heart broke for the two men I loved dearly. I wrapped my arms around him as he buried his face into my hair. “I love you, more than anything.” His large hand wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. “I love you too, Princess. You have no idea how much I need you.”
“Nate loves you, too.”
He nodded into my hair, nuzzled there to hide the emotion I knew he felt. “After she left me, she said she never loved me. That sent me into a self-destructive spiral.”
“People just say that stuff, she didn’t mean it.”
“I don’t know whether she did or not, but the idea of never being loved by anyone just broke me apart. I had good friends—you forge a strong bond with men you fight for your life with, but the kind of love…No, I never had it. Until Nate.”
I was anxious to hear how the relationship between the men had evolved into more than friendship, but Rex pulled back from my hair and leaned back. “That’s too long of a story for now, Princess. We really need to get going.”
“You’ll tell me though…?”
“Yeah, baby, I will. I’ll tell you all of it, and I’ll pray that you’ll still love me when my demons are dragged from the closet.”
The flight to North Carolina took forever. Normally, I’d have whined, but instead I sat by Nate’s side, holding his hand as we watched a comedy on the iPad—neither of us laughed. Rex, however, leaned back in one of the oversized leather chairs and slept. He could sleep anywhere, no matter what the circumstances around him. We made two fuel stops, and both times Rex nervously rushed out to greet the airport staff. At both stops, a customs agent boarded the plane. My heart lurched as the second agent spent more time, closely looking from me to the fake passport Rex made, but he nodded and smiled to us. “Welcome home,” he said as he stamped my fake passport, complete with several fake stamps detailing my entries and exits from South America. “I need to look in the cargo hold—just a formality, you know—coming from Colombia and all.” Rex nodded to the man, “Don’t I know it. Worked DEA shit for fifteen years.”
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