Happy Hour: From the Black & White Collection

by Mari Carr

  “She’s a nice girl, Trey. I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

  Trey groaned. “Yeah, well, you better figure something out because I think she just spotted you.”

  Jamie refused to have his night with Grace ruined by Carmen and he reacted before he thought. He leaned over and kissed Grace, a hard, full-on, open-mouthed kiss. He half expected her to pull away and slap him, so he was pleasantly surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss.

  He wasn’t sure how long he inhaled the sweet scent of her breath and tasted the tang of beer on her tongue. He gripped her waist and held on, reveling in the moment. Their first kiss and it was better than he’d ever imagined. Her lips were soft against his, but her response proved she wouldn’t be a passive or timid lover. She touched his tongue with hers, exploring his mouth while her fingers tugged his hair, pulled him closer.

  The kiss betrayed her true feelings and had his mouth been free, he’d have shouted his happiness to the entire bar. She was as hungry for him as he was for her. For a moment, the rest of the world faded away, leaving just the two of them, lost in their own private Eden.

  And then reality intruded.

  “Jamie?” Finally, the female voice penetrated his lust-clouded mind and he regretfully pulled away. “Jamie?”

  He turned to find Carmen standing beside the table, looking confused—and shit—upset. He hated hurting her, but she didn’t understand when he said he wasn’t interested in dating her. When faced with the idea of listening to her nonstop boring conversation another night, he’d acted on instinct. “Hey, Carmen,” he said, forcing a nonchalant tone to his voice.

  “Hi,” she said. “I thought I spotted you over here.” An awkward silence fell, and Jamie decided it was time to carry the subterfuge to the next level.

  “Have you met my girlfriend, Grace?”

  “Girlfriend?” Carmen asked.

  He nodded and was grateful when Grace smiled kindly. “I think we may have met a few months ago. At another happy hour, maybe?”

  Carmen shrugged and Jamie saw Trey roll his eyes. No doubt Carmen didn’t remember the fact she’d met Grace at least three times in the past. She wasn’t exactly bright and she certainly never paid a bit of attention to the other women at the table, usually saving all of that mind-numbing banter for him or Trey.

  “Isn’t she a little old for you?” Carmen asked.

  Jamie fought back the urge to tell the woman off for her cruelty. “No. She isn’t.” His words were clipped and halting and any fool could see he was furious. Unfortunately, Carmen was the queen of fools.

  She looked Grace up and down and then dismissed her as a serious threat. “What are you guys doing tonight?” she purred, thrusting her breasts forward as if the mere sight of her big tits bursting out of her too-tight top would make him come to his senses and fall madly in love with her.

  “We’re having a few drinks together.”

  “That’s cool,” she said, looking around for an extra chair. Mercifully, they’d given their extra seats to a large group at the next table.

  “Well, it was good to see you again, Carmen. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.” Jamie’s dismissal was curt and he silently prayed it would be enough because if she persisted on hanging around, they’d have to leave. After the kiss he’d just shared with Grace, he’d rather cut off his left nut than cut this evening short.

  Carmen hovered by the table for a moment until Trey and Grace both added their goodbyes, then she left.

  “Damn, man,” Trey said. “Quick thinking on that kiss. Well done.”

  He nodded, though he was still fuming over Carmen’s insult. He glanced at Grace. “I’m sorry she was so rude to you.”

  Grace reached over and grasped his hand. “That’s not your apology to make. Besides, I think we’ve already discussed her lack of intelligence.”

  Trey laughed, but Jamie continued speaking. “With any luck, that will be the last time I have to deal with her.”

  Grace squeezed his hand. “Oh, I think you made your point. You’ve tried to break things off with her gently at least a dozen times, Jamie. Sometimes, you just have to be less subtle, more direct.”

  “That kiss was pretty fucking direct,” Trey said.

  Grace looked at him and smiled. “Have to admit I didn’t mind pretending to be your girlfriend for a few minutes. Wow.”

  “Few minutes? Felt like you were swallowing each other’s tonsils for hours.”

  “Shut up, Trey,” Jamie said with a grin, pleased by Grace’s compliment.

  “You know, Grace, I think I see an old stalker girlfriend of mine over there. Mind giving me one of those kisses?” Trey asked.

  Grace shook her head. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do tonight than harass this old woman?”

  “Carmen’s a fucking idiot. I don’t see any old women at this table,” Jamie said, hating for her to feel the sting of the insensitive woman’s words.

  “Maybe not, but I still don’t get why you two are here. Despite my fears of pumping up your already overinflated egos, you’re both totally hot. Why are you sitting here with me tonight rather than going out on dates? Getting laid?”

  Jamie shrugged. “Spending the night with you is a hell of a lot more fun than spending all our money, buying drinks and trying to get into the pants of some stranger.”

  “We’d rather buy drinks and try to get into your pants,” Trey teased. The image of the three of them in bed together floated through Jamie’s mind and he silently cursed the denim cutting into his rock-hard cock as he was reminded of Trey’s proposition.

  “Ha ha. God. I can’t tell you how glad I am I’m not still out there, trying to maneuver my way around the dating scene.” Grace picked up the pitcher and freshened up all their drinks, clearly dismissing their come-ons as harmless teasing. When Jamie considered how often they’d made sexual jokes in the past, he could understand.

  “Why aren’t you out there, Grace?” Trey asked. “You’re single, hot, young.”

  Grace looked as if she wanted to refute his friend’s words and Jamie felt something inside snap. “And before you call Trey a liar, you might want to consider the consequences.”

  Grace and Trey both turned to him, astonished by his sharp tone.

  “Consequences?” Grace asked.

  “Everything Trey said is true. I’m sick of hearing you put yourself down, angel.”

  “I don’t put myself down,” she argued.

  “Tell me you weren’t about to tell Trey he needed to get glasses, that you’re old, past your prime or some other stupid shit like that.”

  She closed her mouth and he could see he’d hit the nail on the head. His eyes narrowed. “Say anything else like that again tonight—or any night for that matter—and I’ll be forced to punish you.”

  His words provoked a nervous laugh from her and he could see Trey’s scowl from the corner of his eyes.

  “And just how would you punish me?”

  She stressed the wrong words and Jamie felt his hibernating grizzly bear begin to wake. “I’d pull down those skin-tight jeans of yours, lay you out and bring you to orgasm with just my hand. Over and over.”

  Grace flushed and he could see in her eyes she was struggling like mad to read in his face whether he was joking or not. He made sure she saw the veracity of his words. This was no joke.

  “I’m pretty sure that’s physically impossible.” Leave it to Grace to find her footing quickly. She took the middle ground, not giving away anything and once more, he was left to try to decide if she was interested or horrified by his comments. Damn woman never made anything easy.

  Fuck it. He was going to lay it all out for her tonight. He was tired of holding back because of their age difference, because of Maddie, out of respect for her dead husband, because he was afraid of rejection or losing her friendship. All his excuses faded away as he looked at her lovely face.

  “Clearly you’ve never been finger-fucked. I’
d have you begging for my cock in minutes,” he replied, leaning closer to her.

  She flushed as he added the last statement, but her suddenly shallow breathing and the turgid nipples poking through her blouse answered the most pressing question in his mind. He didn’t have to wonder about her sexual interest in him anymore. Her body was screaming Yes! loud and clear. Now he needed to clear the hurdle of her mind.

  Trey’s voice broke the silence surrounding them. “You two do realize I’m sitting here and can hear everything you’re saying, right?”

  Grace laughed, but it had a breathless quality that sent a fresh surge of blood to Jamie’s cock as he imagined that sound in his bed as he came into her body. “I hope you’re driving tonight, Trey. I think maybe Jamie is a little drunk.”

  Jamie reached down and pulled her chair roughly toward his until she was sitting between his outstretched legs. “You had to go there, didn’t you? You couldn’t help yourself. It’s easier to make a joke than admit to yourself that there’s a guy sitting at this table who wants to fuck himself to death inside you.”

  Jamie saw Trey move his chair closer to Grace and as he looked away from her astonished face, he saw his friend’s hands resting on Grace’s waist.

  “Two guys,” Trey added. “There are two guys who want you, Gracie.”

  Grace looked from him to Trey and he could see her mind fighting to process what they were saying. “This is a joke.” The words were weak, almost a question. Hell, he thought they sounded like a plea.

  He shook his head. “I’ve wanted you for years, Grace.”

  Trey bent forward and as Jamie watched, his friend pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck. Grace’s eyes drifted shut and he grasped her hands when they began to shake. “Open your eyes and look at me,” Jamie said.

  She opened them, looked at him, her gaze full of questions and if he wasn’t mistaken, lust. “How long has it been?” Jamie whispered.

  “Too long,” she replied breathlessly.

  He suspected—hell, he knew—she hadn’t been with anyone since her husband’s death. They were good enough friends she would have told him if there’d been another man since then.

  “Come home with us,” Jamie said, his heart pounding as he spoke the words, the realization of what he was asking dawning hard. He was inviting Grace and Trey to his bed.

  Trey’s lips still lingered by her ear and he heard his friend whisper, “Please, Grace. Just tonight. One night.”

  She shuddered and Jamie tightened his grip on her hands. For Trey, it would be one night, but Jamie was hoping for much, much longer.

  Grace took a deep breath and Jamie sensed her struggle to recover her wits. “I feel like we should talk about this. There needs to be some conversation, some discussion.”

  Jamie cut her off. “Do you want to sleep with us?”

  “God, yes.”

  “Discussion over. Let’s pay the tab and get out of here.”

  Chapter Four

  Grace fought back the urge to start giggling hysterically as Jamie unlocked his truck and Trey helped her into the passenger seat before playfully shoving her ass over into the middle. Was she out of her mind? Was it a full moon? Had she fallen into some bizarre parallel universe where wicked fantasies came true?

  Cheryl had thrown her on this path earlier in the night with a few well-phrased words about living again, putting herself first for once. She’d had more then her fair share of sex dreams about the two men crowding her into the middle of the front seat of Jamie’s truck, but she’d never imagined for a moment she would actually act on them.

  Had she had too much to drink? No, she hadn’t had more than a couple beers—dancing, talking and laughing far more than imbibing. It was always the same whenever she was out with The Cougar Club. She had too much fun to remember there was a drink in front of her. Suddenly she was wishing she’d consumed a bit more liquid courage. Shit, a lot more.

  Jamie started the truck, but paused before putting it in gear. He turned to look at her for only a second before bending forward to kiss her. Unlike their earlier kiss, this one was tentative, probing. She returned it, running her hand along his rough cheek, enjoying the feel of his five o’clock shadow.

  As their lips parted, Jamie placed his forehead against hers. “If I was a better man, I’d ask you if you were sure. Give you a chance to change your mind.”

  She laughed quietly. “You’re a very good man.”

  She turned when Trey reached around her waist and pulled her against him. “Well, if Jamie’s not asking, you can be damn sure I won’t.”

  She leaned forward to offer Trey a kiss as well. She knew there was far more to the man than his supposedly legendary prowess with women, but for a moment, she hesitated. Her fears about the age difference between her and Jamie were bad enough. If she gave herself time to think about having sex with a twenty-eight year old man, she’d totally freak out.

  “Jamie can drop me off at my place and you two can carry on alone.” Trey spoke the words against her lips, not moving to break or begin the kiss. They sat so closely they were breathing each other’s air and yet, he wasn’t kissing her and she wasn’t kissing him.

  “I want to be with both of you.” The words fell out in a whisper, but they heard them.

  Trey didn’t move. “Just one night. I know you’re not looking for anything longer from me. We’re friends and nothing will ever change that.”

  “Not even this? You’ll still respect me in the morning?” Her question was part joke, laced with a very large chunk of truth.

  Trey chuckled, and then rubbed his nose against hers. “I think you’re one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met. That’s solid, Grace. But if you want me out of the equation—”

  She pressed her lips against his to silence him with one brief, hard kiss. “One night,” she agreed, before pulling away.

  She glanced over her shoulder, saw the scowl on Jamie’s face and wondered if she’d somehow angered him by kissing Trey. He’d said spend the night with us in the bar. She was certain she hadn’t misheard that.

  “Jamie—” she started, but he shook his head, shook off whatever heavy feeling was weighing him down. The frustration she read in his face was replaced with his typical, easygoing grin.

  “Let’s go home.” He started the car and the three of them rode in silence during the short trip to Jamie’s house.

  Grace felt like there was so much more they should say, perimeters that should be set, but to do so felt petty and she feared it would ruin the surrealistic, magical feeling of the night. She was about to participate in a threesome with two young, handsome men. She didn’t want to think about anything beyond those boundaries. Tomorrow would come and she’d have to pay the piper, but for now, she wanted to be held and to hold. It had been so very long. She trusted both of these men. She knew them and they knew her. They’d treat her kindly and with care and there was a surety in her soul that said this would all turn out fine in the long run.

  “Here we are,” Jamie said as he pulled into the driveway of his house. His deep voice shattered the quiet and started her heart to racing once more.

  Trey opened the passenger door and helped her out of the high cab. With a friendly arm around her waist, he walked with her to the porch as Jamie unlocked the front door. As they walked in, Grace was assuaged by the familiar sights and smells of Jamie’s home. The Cougar Club had spent more than a few nights here after football and basketball games, celebrating wins or drowning their sorrows over losses. His home was tidy and neat, well lived-in and comfortable. She remembered being surprised the first time she’d seen it. He had hand soap in the bathroom and pictures hanging on the wall. It was a far cry from the bachelor pad she’d expected.

  The one room she hadn’t seen was the one she suspected they’d be in the most tonight—his bedroom.

  “You guys want something to drink? Coffee? Soda?” Jamie offered, throwing his car keys on a table by the front door.

  Grace shook
her head, tried to calm the butterflies that had escaped her stomach and were now filling her entire body. She clasped her hands in front of her, hoping to hide their shaking.

  “Hey,” Jamie said, walking until he was standing in front of her. Trey was still beside her and Jamie’s actions caused him to turn and look at her as well. “I was kidding about changing your mind. I’ll take you home right now, Grace, if that’s what you want. There’s no point of no return tonight. Any time it’s gets to be too much or—”

  “I’m not going to change my mind,” she said. “Not now. Not later. But it has been a long time for me and there’s still the fact that I’m quite a bit older than both of you.”

  “Jesus, Grace. Eight years is not that much older.” Jamie’s annoyed words were familiar and she grinned.

  “So you keep saying. I’m not really talking about the years between us, though. I was married for thirteen years, dated Drew for three years prior to that. In the last twenty-two years, I’ve had sex with one man, and one man only. This is a hell of a way to make my return to Lustville, wouldn’t you say?”

  Both men laughed, but she continued. “I know you guys. I’ve heard the ‘morning after’ stories and I know you both have experience in this realm I couldn’t even imagine. I read romance novels and own a vibrator and that’s about it. So when I mention the age difference it’s just because I’m pretty sure in this situation, you guys are about a hundred years older than me.”

  She expected laughter, a heated denial, a joke. She expected anything except Jamie smiling kindly, bending down and kissing her until her toes curled. He took her mouth like a man on death row consuming his last meal. His lips were hungry, possessive, needy. She clung to him and literally had to gasp for breath when he finally pulled away.

  “There are a million things I want to show you, do to you. I like being older than you in this. Do you trust me? Trust us?”

  She nodded. “Completely.”

  “Then tonight’s going to happen and it’s going to start right now.” Jamie grasped her hand and pulled her toward the staircase. As she climbed, she felt Trey right behind her, giggled when his hand squeezed her ass.