by Maya Banks
"Don't be so sure of that," he said, a glint in his eyes. "As I have no intention of losing the bet, all we have to worry about is this guy who's going to tame you. My guess is, he's not going to mind allowing me my winnings."
Chapter 5
“Cunt instruction manual?" Nathan bit out. "An instruction manual?"
Nathan slammed the truck door and stomped around to the front of the truck to meet Micah and to head into the building that housed the Malone and Sons offices.
Micah chuckled. "Yeah, she was pretty clear on wanting a guy who didn't need an instruction manual to satisfy her."
"I'll show her instruction manual," Nathan gritted out.
God, but the woman was making him crazy. Why was he letting her get to him so bad? It wasn't just the blow job—though, damn, the feisty little wench was good with her mouth.
"Have you and Damon talked about this weekend?" Micah asked.
Nathan looked around and frowned. Faith wasn't in her office, but that didn't mean Gray or Connor wasn't skulking around. Or Pop even. He shuddered at the idea of Pop overhearing this conversation.
"Relax, man. Connor and Gray are out with Pop on a job."
"And what are we doing here again?"
"Picking up the paperwork for our job, and then we're going to head south. You're a grumpy son of a bitch when you're not getting laid, let me tell you."
"How the hell would you know whether I'm getting laid or not?" Nathan growled. "Jesus, why are we talking about this?"
Micah laughed as he rummaged around on Faith's desk. "Aha! Here it is. Let's make tracks. We can talk on the way."
"What's turned you into such a chatty bastard?" Nathan asked when they'd gotten back into Micah's truck. He scowled when Micah cracked his window and started digging for a cigarette.
"Damn it. Smoked my last one with Julie."
"What the hell were you doing smoking with Julie? She doesn't smoke. Does she?"
A smug grin creased Micah's face. Then he reached over to open the glove box. Shit fell out between Nathan's knees.
"There is a God," Micah breathed as he pulled out a smashed package of cigarettes.
"Get a damn patch or something."
Micah stuck a cigarette between his lips and fished in his pocket for a lighter. "So you didn't answer my question. Have you talked to Damon about this weekend or are you just going to let Julie go?"
"Fuck you. I'm not letting her go anywhere but to bed with me."
"So you have talked to Damon then. I take it he agreed?"
"Not exactly," Nathan muttered.
Micah turned to blow his smoke out the window. "Will you quit being so damned closemouthed and just spill it?"
"He feels his first obligation is to Julie."
"Imagine that," Micah said dryly.
"Cut the sarcasm," Nathan said with a scowl. "She wants a threesome. An anonymous threesome, with her blindfolded!"
It was all he could do to get the words out. Was she just trying to get herself hurt? He didn't give a damn how tight Damon's security was or that they had video surveillance on the private rooms all the time. It would only take a few seconds to hurt her or kill her, and there wouldn't be a damn thing Damon or his people could do about it.
"Why does that bother you so much?" Micah asked with a sideways look.
Nathan's mouth fell open. Then he snapped it shut. "Damon doesn't have a problem with vetting me to be one of her guys. But I insisted that I'd be the only man in that damn room with her, and he said that he felt obligated to fulfill Julie's wishes."
Micah shrugged. "So? Have a threesome with her. Come on, man. You can't tell me you've never fantasized about fucking a woman while another man is fucking her too. Hell, you watch porn. Half that shit is a bona fide gang bang."
"Would you stand by and let another man touch what you considered yours?" Nathan asked calmly.
Something dark and predatory flashed in Micah's eyes. "As long as she belonged to me? Yeah, it's a huge turn-on."
"You've had threesomes?"
Whoa, this conversation was heading into serious cringe territory. Next they'd be comparing dick sizes.
"You never have?" Micah countered.
"Hell, you act as though it's some natural function, as normal as having sex with a woman. Most men get on their knees and thank God if a woman will sleep with them, much less you and another guy."
Micah laughed. "Women tend to like being the object of so much attention. Two men devoted to making sure she has the most mindless pleasure she's ever experienced?"
"So it's more about the woman?"
Shit, there he went again, sounding like some damn amateur. A blush stole over his cheeks, and he turned to look out the window before Micah could see him and give him hell.
He'd had sex. Lots of sex, damn it. Okay, maybe not that much. Still, he'd been around the block more than a few times, but now his experiences seemed pretty dull compared to the crap Micah was talking about.
"Well, yes and no," Micah said seriously. "It's all about pleasuring her, watching her go wild. In turn it's a huge turn-on for a man. I mean what guy doesn't get a serious charge out of rocking a woman's world?"
He had a point there. It wasn't like a guy ever wanted to be a complete failure in bed.
"So she really wants this threesome," Nathan said painfully.
"Don't take it personally. If you've never been to bed with her, it's not as if she's sending you a message or anything."
"Oh, she's sending one, all right."
"So are you going to agree to the threesome or not? Doesn't sound like Damons going to give you much of a choice. And hell, dude, have you even given this any thought? Blindfolded or not, she's going to figure out it's you really damn quick with your bald head and goatee. You're going to need a distraction for her."
"Or just tie her damn hands to the bed," Nathan muttered.
Micah laughed. "Well that would be my vote, but I hear that's not what she wants at all. I think it would offend her not-so-meek sensibilities."
"You sound like you know an awful lot about her," Nathan said quietly.
"I like all women, Nathan. Don't get your panties in a wad. It's not like I'm trying to move in on your woman. You want her. I get it. Doesn't mean I don't have eyes or a dick and that they both don't come to attention when she's around."
"Then maybe you'd be a perfect third in this threesome she wants."
Micah tossed his cigarette out the window and cast Nathan a sidelong glance. "Let me get this straight. You want me to be the other guy?"
Nathan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, if you want the truth, I don't want there to a third person in this equation. I mean, shit, when did sex get so goddamn complicated? But if that's what she wants and if that's the only way I get into the picture, then yeah, I'd prefer it to be you over some stranger. At least I wouldn't have to worry about your intentions."
Micah nodded. "All right. If that's what you want, I'll let Damon know. I'm already a member there, so it'll be just you he has to do all the checking up on."
"This is for the birds," Nathan grumbled. "Seriously. It didn't used to be this difficult to get into a woman's pants. Now there are security and background checks. Kinky checklists."
Micah chuckled. "The House should be quite an experience for you. I'll suggest to Damon that he give you a tour before this weekend just so you'll know what you're getting into."
"He said she wanted a private room. Just her and the two guys."
"Yeah, but you have to get to that private room."
"Great. Just great."
"Don't be such a pussy."
"Hey, fuck you," Nathan growled, but he grinned and shook his head.
This was going to be painful. Hell, it already was. The last thing he wanted to do was get naked in front of one of his best friends and then let that best friend fuck the woman he'd been fantasizing about for months.
But there was something edgy and forbidden about the images flashing in
his mind. Watching her come apart between him and Micah? Giving her more pleasure than she could stand?
Yeah, it was a turn-on, but then everything about Julie did it for him. She was an earthy woman, shorter, full figured with hips and an ass that just cried out for a man's hands.
And her breasts. Sweet Jesus, her breasts were mouthwateringly perfect, and he ought to know because he'd seen them often enough in his fantasies. Round with a generous swell. He hadn't seen her nipples, and he was positively dying to get them into his mouth.
He wanted to bury his face right in the valley between the generous mounds. She had to be at least a double D, and Lord but that excited him.
No, he wouldn't be able to feel her ribs, or get poked by her bones. But she'd be soft in all the right places, and he couldn't wait to bury himself inside her pussy over and over.
She was, in a word, stacked. Built like a brick house. Voluptuous. He'd have his hands full with her in more ways than one, and he couldn't goddamn wait.
Chapter 6
“I’m nervous. Why am I nervous?"
Julie looked between Faith and Serena, who stood in her bathroom watching as Julie did her hair.
"And why am I worried so goddamn much about hair?" she muttered. "Like it's not going to get messed up?"
Faith giggled, and Serena just rolled her eyes in the mirror.
"Come on, Julie, it's okay. I'd be terrified," Serena said.
"So says the woman who auctioned herself off—naked—in front of a roomful of horny men," Julie pointed out.
"You want to look good. It's natural," Faith said soothingly. "I wouldn't want to look like a hag in front of men who were seeing me naked."
"Hag?" Julie croaked.
Serena patted her on the arm. "It s just a figure of speech."
Julie set down the comb and the hairspray and sighed. "You know why I'm doing this?"
"Uh, does it have something to do with the naked thing?" Faith asked.
"I saw my ex in the grocery store last night."
"Which ex?" Serena asked.
Julie pinned her with a glare. "Does it matter? He was with his new girlfriend. Okay, he's an old ex. I'm not hung up on him or anything. It was his girlfriend who pissed me off."
"Want me to kick her ass?" Serena asked with a grin.
Julie smooched at her reflection in the mirror. "No, but we can hope she trips and breaks an ankle, can't we?"
Faith laughed. "So what did she do?"
Julie picked up the comb again and pushed at a strand of hair that kept falling over her forehead. "So I'm at the grocery store, I round the corner of the bread aisle, and there he is with Miss Thing on his arm. He smiles and says hello. I smile back and say hello. Miss Thing looks at me once, and she dismisses me like I'm not a threat. Just like that."
"She didn't!" Serena gasped in mock horror.
Julie gave her a mournful look. "I mean, let's face it, most of the time if you're with your guy and you see his ex, you get all prickly. You start sizing her up. Is she prettier than me? Is he looking at her? Was she better in bed? Is he still hung up on her? The claws come out. But no. Miss Thing actually smiled at me. This smug, superior smile that said 'I'm prettier than you, I'm thinner than you, I'll always be better than you.' Then she all but sneered at me when he introduced us and she had this look like, 'he dated you? Really?'"
Faith wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed tight. "Her boobs were probably fake, and I bet her roots were showing."
Julie shook against her with laughter. "God, I love you guys, but damn, can't you let me wallow for two seconds?"
"No wallowing," Serena said stoutly.
"Why aren't I a threat?" Julie asked mournfully.
"I lock Gray down every time you walk into the room," Faith said solemnly.
Julie rolled her eyes. "I wanted to tell her that I could have her man any time I wanted, and that she was probably a cold fish in bed, but then I remembered, she has him, I don't, so that argument wasn't going to cut it."
"Do you want him?" Serena asked archly.
"Hell no, but that isn't the point."
"Did he dump you or did you dump him?" Faith asked.
"I dumped him. Of course."
"Of course," Serena murmured. "Okay then, it's settled. He had to settle for second best, and even now, he's probably drowning his sorrows in a bottle of alcohol while Miss Thing hangs uselessly on his arm."
Julie cracked up laughing. She laughed so hard her mascara smeared. "Damn it, Serena. Now I've got to start all over."
"Don't know why you bother with the stuff," Faith said. "You don't want raccoon eyes during sex."
"Good point," Julie acknowledged. "I'll stick with the basics. Except for lipstick. A woman can never wear too much lipstick."
"Even if they rub it off real quick," Serena snickered.
A few minutes later, Julie took a deep breath and stared back at her friends in the mirror. "Okay, how do I look?"
"Absolutely gorgeous."
"Sensational."
Faith and Serena's voices ran together, and Julie smiled back at them.
"I'm so nervous I could puke. How stupid is that?"
"Not stupid," Serena said. "Just remember, you don't have to go through with it. If you get there and don't feel comfortable, you don't have to do it."
"But if you do, we want all the details later," Faith said with a grin.
Julie hugged them both then shooed them out of her bathroom. "I'm going to be late if I don't get out of here."
Everything was done and arranged. All she had to do was walk inside, and her night of fantasy would begin. But here she sat in her car with sweaty palms like a virgin behind the bleachers with the quarterback.
She and Damon had agreed that Cole would handle her arrival, because having Damon do it? Weird much? She knew Damon's security monitored the rooms with video surveillance, but she'd rather not have a personal relationship with anyone seeing her naked, doing two guys at the same time.
Then again, if she didn't get a move on, she wouldn't be doing anyone.
Excitement skirted up her spine as she got out of the car. Nervous had no place in tonight's activities. She was a confident, sexual woman. She could handle whatever was thrown her way.
Before she could knock, the door opened, and an extremely good looking man smiled back at her.
"Julie?"
She nodded. "You must be Cole."
White teeth flashed as his smile broadened. "Come in, I've been expecting you."
"I hope you aren't the only one."
He laughed as he put his hand to her back to usher her down the hallway. "Indeed not."
She knew from Damon's tour which room would be hers, but it didn't make her any less excited as they went up the stairs. At the end of the upstairs hallway was the common room where anything went. Publicly. There were several private rooms, however, and Cole guided her to the one on the opposite end of the hallway from the common room.
"I'll leave you to undress. I'll be back in a few minutes to blindfold you and see if there's anything else you need before your men arrive."
She couldn't help the grin. Her men. It sounded positively decadent.
Cole retreated from the room, and she made her way to the bed to run her hand across the sumptuous linens. Not wanting an awkward moment, she hurriedly shed her clothing and stuffed it into the closet.
The room had been prepared as Damon had promised. The blindfold was on the bed, a beautiful scarlet red sash. Symbolic. She liked it.
On the vanity next to the bed was an array of sexual paraphernalia that she probably wouldn't have even thought of. Condoms, of course, but there was also lubricant and an array of sex toys, some of which she wasn't even sure of their purpose. It would be fun as hell to find out though.
A sound at the door had her guiltily whirling around. Cole came back in, and she instinctively covered her nakedness, as if her hands were going to cover that much flesh.
"Are you read
y?"
She blew out her breath in a sharp staccato. "Yeah."
He smiled and patted the bed. "Hop up and I'll get the blindfold in place. Then all you need to do is lie back and relax."
She crawled onto the bed and turned her back to Cole. A second later, the silky material of the sash slid over her eyes, shutting out the light. He tied it securely, tightening it so it wouldn't slip.
Then he took her hand and guided her backward until she lay on her back on the soft bed.
"Welcome to your fantasies," he murmured.
She heard him leave, and silence fell over the room. She hadn't expected to feel so vulnerable with the blindfold. If she'd realized before, she would've never requested it, but the nervous anticipation was exciting in a way. She liked the tightening sensation in all her nerve endings. She was already aroused and there was no sign of her studs yet.
She smiled dreamily as she let her imagination go. There was something to this not seeing. This way, she could imagine whoever she wanted. They could look exactly as she wanted, and how was she to know any different?
The soft sound of the door opening made her inhale sharply. They were here.
Chapter 7
Nathan stood in the doorway, staring at Julie lying on the bed, and all his breath left his chest. God almighty, the woman was gorgeous. He heard Micah's quick intake of breath behind him and knew he wasn't any less affected. Damn it, but his first instinct was to rush in and cover her with a blanket so Micah wouldn't see her. This had to be the dumbest idea he'd ever hatched. Why the fuck had he asked his best friend to have sex with the woman he was lusting over?
Because the alternative was fucking her with a stranger?
Leave it to Julie to come up with a sexual fantasy that gave him hives. How could the woman think he wasn't interested in her?
Maybe because he tried too hard to play it cool.
Micah nudged him, and he continued to move farther inside the lavish room. She heard them enter and turned her head in their direction. She licked her lips nervously, and his dick immediately stood up and paid attention.