by Helena Ray
She twisted on the bed, and her eyes fell on the box next to the door. Gillian or one of the staff must have brought it in this morning. Its contents could solve all of her problems. She eased herself off the bed and decided to take her brand new vibrator for a test drive. Settling herself onto the bed, she let thoughts of her last few orgasms drift through her mind. Alexander holding himself up above her. Bryant’s cock in the mouth and the taste of his explosion. Alexander’s teeth on her nipples. Bryant’s cock pushing at the entrance to her mouth. She slowly worked the vibrator into her pussy and around her clit, letting it hit all the right spots to elicit her soft moans.
The vibrations were driving her wild, but something wasn’t right. She couldn’t find the sweet release she knew that she needed. The solution suddenly dawned on her. As she tilted the vibrator upward to push against her overstimulated G-spot, she slipped one hand behind her ass and penetrated herself with her index finger. That sent her flying, the release she had so desperately craved igniting a small fire between her legs.
She quickly fell back to earth and to the reality that she was alone in her bed. Her orgasm had relieved her tension, but hadn’t solved anything. Sleepiness muddled her thoughts, and she slipped into an unconscious state, her vibrator still in her hand.
When she awoke, the sun was beginning its daily descent. Her stomach grumbled, no longer upset but hungry. She made her way downstairs, still in her wrinkled clothes from the previous evening. While her search for Gillian was fruitless, Robin did discover her surprise. Hanging in the entranceway was a large black and white garment bag from Jacqueline’s. Robin slowly reached up to the zipper and lowered it, revealing the Cotillion gown she had selected. It gleamed brighter in the dim light of the hallway, its crystals magnifying the meager light into shining magnificence. The silky fabric underneath still felt just as soft as the first time she donned the garment.
Fingering the dress delicately, Robin came to a conclusion. She had two days until the Cotillion. She wouldn’t send the dress back, but she wouldn’t make a firm decision about whether or not to stay, either. She would work, finish her project, and decide on the day of the Cotillion.
The only variable was whether Alexander and Bryant would want her back.
Chapter 17
Manly or not, Bryant loved the Cotillion. From the first year Al had scored him an invite while they were still in high school, Bryant had counted down the days to the event. It was a chance for all of Male Order to get together, and these days, it was the only event that united the entire Clare family. Although he studiedly avoided the dance floor, he loved the opportunity for gregarious conversation with the town’s male contingent and the opportunity for conquest of the female contingent.
Bryant and Alexander had shared many a woman they met at the Cotillion, but those memories did nothing to cheer Bryant now. Several young women had approached him and commented on his choice of a cowboy hat as apparel for the event. They leaned toward him, rubbing their bodies against him, but it had no effect. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Just the idea of being with a woman besides Robin sickened him. He still hadn’t heard from her since she walked out, though Alexander had several times commented that she hadn’t returned her Cotillion gown.
He and Al had resolved their differences the day after Robin left, making a pact never to let a woman interfere in their friendship. But both knew and acknowledged that they needed Robin to make their promise work. She had made it clear that she wanted some space, and they had agreed to give her as much as she wanted. She was the only one who could, at some point, care for both of them and accept both of them as lovers.
And Bryant loved her. He had discussed the matter with Alexander, and he felt the same way. They were both completely and utterly head over heels for the girl, and, of course, they had screwed it up. After much debate, they had decided not to chase after her and to let her make her own decision. Alexander insisted it was the only way she’d come back. The trauma of her assault and detainment would only drive her away from any advances they attempted.
Bryant looked down at the ice cube swirling in his bourbon and took another swig of the drink. He didn’t care about the ball, didn’t care about the women. He only cared about Robin, and every fiber of his being was praying for her to walk through that door.
He pushed the empty tumbler away from him and nodded to the bartender, requesting another drink. He laid his head down on the bar in utter defeat.
Where was Robin?
* * * *
Red or black. Odd or even. The clicking of the roulette wheel scored Alexander’s somber relapse into his gambling habit. Since returning from Europe, he had restricted his gambling only to the occasional game of poker. But now he needed a distraction to make him feel anything besides his pain.
“Sixteen!” The little ball clicked into the slot, and Alexander slumped over against the table, watching his chips disappear, all of his bets wrong. He carelessly tossed a few purple and orange chips on the table and looked away.
The charity casino tables were a new addition to the Cotillion this year and were very welcome by Alexander. When he had first entered the Cotillion, attired in his finest custom-made suit from Savile Row in London, a flock of women had surrounded him. Word had apparently traveled fast about his little falling out with Robin.
Robin. Just her name caused a physical reaction in him, his pain and sorrow welling up in his chest. For the first time, he had put his heart on the line, and it was left crushed and broken. But he had driven Robin away himself. By turning into an angry, entitled prick, he had lost the one thing he had really cared about in years.
“Eleven!” The welcome call of a number distracted him, joy at winning something momentarily diverting his attention from the emotional wound that pulsed within him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her convulsing in tears from the pain he had caused her, and it broke his heart. He didn’t know how much longer he could live with that level of hurt inside him.
His only hope lay in the fact that she hadn’t returned the Cotillion dress. Perhaps she had taken it and returned to Dallas. That wouldn’t upset him at all. He wanted to give her anything that she desired, no matter the cost. But taking the dress and running wasn’t like Robin. She could never let accepting that kind of gift weigh on her conscience.
He glanced down at the white gold, diamond-encrusted Cartier watch that weighed on his wrist. The Cotillion had been in full swing for two hours. While he certainly understood the concept of arriving fashionably late, he didn’t think this counted as such an instance. No, he thought, slumping against the roulette table and tossing all his chips on black, second twelve, odd. It didn’t matter now.
“Ahem.” The sound of a familiar throat-clearing echoed over the PA and pulled Alexander’s attention away from his vice. He looked past the canopy hanging over the casino tables and saw Rupert standing at the top of the stairs. Funny, Alexander thought to himself. Normally the Cotillion had their own staff to—
Oh god. It hit him what could be coming next. He could only hope and pray for what he wanted in that moment.
“I present to you, Ms. Robin Lawrence of Waxahachie, Texas.”
* * * *
Careful not to harm the vintage Dior, Robin stepped lightly down the grand staircase toward the floor of the Cotillion. The room thrilled Robin with its neoclassical arches tapering into a coved ceiling, its marble floors and detailing, and the ionic columns framing every entrance. Her usual shyness uncharacteristically dissipated as she enjoyed being in the spotlight. Due to preparations for the Cotillion taking much, much longer than she expected, her arrival was delayed by over an hour. All the other guests appeared to have gathered, and Robin’s entrance became the focal point of the party.
She looked around, happy that so many familiar faces beamed at her from the floor. Greta McCall sent a wink in her direction, and Emilie Benson, glamorous as always in her haute couture gown—no doubt straight from Paris—spared Robi
n a friendly smile. As she neared the dance floor, the crowd returned to its milling about.
Trying not to get her hopes up, Robin stood on her tiptoes and searched the room for Bryant and Alexander. Although she couldn’t quite see every corner of the ballroom, her survey of the guests failed to turn up either one of them. Disappointment caused a lump in her throat, but she shook it away. After what she did, she knew it might take quite a bit of convincing to wiggle her way back into their hearts. Her attendance at the Cotillion was only her first step.
A tuxedo-clad guest pushed through the crowd surrounding her and took her hand in his. It took her a moment to realize this was Gavin Stephens, the charming, handsome twin who Bryant warned off her at the card game. His normally outgoing affect appeared subdued, and Robin wondered if that had anything to do with the rumors surrounding the Stephens twins’ relationship with Emilie.
“M’lady,” he said to her, kissing her hand and bowing lightly. Robin responded with her best attempt at a curtsy.
“Hello, sir. How are you this evening?”
Gavin hesitated. “Let’s skip the chitchat tonight.” He squeezed her hand tighter. “I’d rather finally get my chance at dancing with this ravishing creature.”
Robin blushed at his compliment and enjoyed the attention, but she could feel her heart cracking a little more with each moment that passed without Alexander or Bryant. Robin and Gavin danced a quick waltz, poking fun at guests and catching up on their most recent adventures. He seemed as in need of some sort of distraction as she was.
The waltz ended, and a strong hand landed on Robin’s shoulder. She thought she recognized the touch, but couldn’t be sure, as her mind saw Bryant and Alexander in everything. Slowly, she turned toward the hand and raised her head. If what she saw was a hallucination, she didn’t care. It was a damned good one.
Bryant stood in front of Robin clad in a custom-fitted suit that accentuated the bulges of his muscular frame. And, in typical Bryant fashion, a black Stetson sat atop his head. He reached up to the brim of the hat and tipped it toward Robin before removing it. The sight of his messy hat hair in the middle of the Cotillion warmed her whole body, and without meaning to, she threw her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.
He leaned his head down and whispered, “I’ve missed you, darlin’.”
A single tear rolled down Robin’s cheek. “You have no idea,” she said, tightening her grip on him.
He pulled away from her, and her body cried out at the sudden loss of his warmth and strength. “Come with me.” She snuggled back into his arm before he had a chance to get away, and he tightened it around her.
He hurried her through the crowd toward the exit opposite the grand staircase. They emerged into a long corridor of vaulted ceilings and low-hanging chandeliers. He ushered her toward a set of tall, arched French doors then leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.
Before Robin was able to protest at the absence of his kiss, he opened the door, and Alexander stepped out of the shadows. Bryant took her hand and guided her to the edge of the terrace overlooking the lights of Male Order. The Dallas skyline glimmered dimly in the distance. Two hands came to rest on Robin, one on each shoulder, as she studied the skyline. She turned around and looked between the men. To her astonishment, neither looked upset or angry.
“Robin,” Alexander started, “I’m sorry doesn’t begin to cover my contrition. I hurt you, and that will haunt me for a long time.” Robin started to look down, but Alexander captured her chin with his hand and tilted it up to his face. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be with you. You make me a better person. You challenge me and annoy me sometimes, but that’s what draws me to you.”
Bryant put his hand on the small of her back, and she turned to look up into his eyes. “You are like no other woman in the world. We want a chance to show you how much we want you and value you. You’re beautiful, you’re funny, and you make me happier than I have any right to be.”
“But after what happened, aren’t you...” Robin trailed off, delighted but thoroughly confused by the amorous confrontation.
“We just don’t want to lose you,” Bryant said, releasing his hold on her back.
“I can’t stand the idea of living without you.” Alexander took a step forward and placed a hand on her cheek. “I love you.”
Bryant touched her arm, turning her attention to him. “And I love you.”
Robin’s heart pounded at their admission. Her legs wobbled, and she didn’t know if she could draw enough air into her lungs to respond.
“I love you, too,” she squeaked. “Both of you.”
The two men exchanged a look and both lowered themselves to one knee.
“Oh my god,” Robin breathed as Alexander reached into the pocket of his suit jacket. She held her hands to her mouth to silence the squealing already beginning.
“Robin,” Bryant said, “will you marry us?” Alexander at that moment pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket to reveal a thin white gold band with small diamonds all the way around.
She looked back and forth between the two men then snatched the box out of Alexander’s hand. As soon as he began to stand, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He obliged and sent her spinning in a circle, her legs whirling in the air behind her. Bryant captured her legs and hauled her into his arms, cradling her while kissing her passionately.
“So I take it you’ll consent to the agreement.” Alexander’s tone was dry as always.
“If you’re willing to stop acting like such an ass—”
“I promise. I never want to hurt you again, Robin. I will do what it takes.”
“Then yes,” Robin said after Bryant lowered her back onto her feet. “A million times yes.”
Alexander stepped forward and took her face in his hands. He kissed her, backing her toward the balustrade of the terrace as he did so. Robin opened her mouth to her future husband, sucking in his tongue, trying to meld herself as completely as possible to one of the men with whom she’d spend the rest of her life.
Alexander broke the kiss, looked to Bryant, and nodded his head. Bryant quickly disappeared inside, and Robin saw the light from inside fading as Bryant closed a curtain. He returned and took Robin in his arms. His kiss was rougher, an attempt to claim her, to mark her as his betrothed from the moment it began. Robin felt Alexander’s hands on her hips, guiding her backward and lowering her to a concrete bench on the terrace.
Heat waves began emanating out from Robin’s pussy, especially now that they were shielded from the prying eyes of the Cotillion guests. Wet cream rolled down the inside of her thigh, today unhindered by underwear. The scent of her arousal must have drifted out from under her dress, as Alexander began snaking a long arm underneath it from behind, pulling the substantial skirt up around her waist.
“Look, Bry,” Alexander said, reverence in his voice. “Our fiancée neglected to wear any underwear today.” He wedged a long finger between her pussy lips and teased at her clit. Robin gasped at the sudden stimulation where she wanted it most.
Bryant lifted his head from where he feasted on Robin’s mouth and moved downward, placing his hands on her calves and spreading her legs as he went. Alexander swirled his finger, causing Robin to moan her arousal, and withdrew it. Her head rolled back at the absence of the sensation. She looked over at Alexander. He studied his digit dripping with the honeyed nectar. He sucked his finger into his mouth and closed his eyes, appearing to savor the taste.
“Bry, can you take care of her?” Alexander asked, that mischievous edge creeping back into his voice. “She’s got me too turned on right now.”
Bryant responded by moving his hands up to Robin’s thighs, spreading her fully open, and pushing the heavy skirt of her gown up above her hips. The cool evening breeze blew against her exposed clit, and the sensation caused a fresh wave of cream to spill from her cunt. She felt Bryant’s tongue there to lick it up, and with just that sensation, she knew she wa
s close to coming. He licked her clit and teased it, causing her to buck her hips toward his face.
Bryant murmured his appreciation of her taste and pressed two fingers into her entrance, and Robin’s insides became embroiled in the apex of a roller coaster of pleasure. When the fingers found that sweet spot just inside her pussy and pressed, the roller coaster inside her dipped over the edge, sending her into the total oblivion of heat and rapture.
She had no time to revel in the afterglow of her orgasm, though. She started to lie back, and Alexander’s cock pressed against the side of her cheek. She turned her head to wrap her lips around it and looked up and saw his head roll back in pleasure as he fucked his cock deeper into her mouth. He eased backward into a kneeling position on the bench, and Bryant adjusted Robin’s dress so she could lie completely against the bench. What she couldn’t fit in her mouth she held and pumped with the same rhythm as her sucking. Her lips glided over the ridge of his cockhead with each pump, causing Alexander to shudder with every stroke.
As Alexander pumped himself more forcefully into Robin’s awaiting mouth, she heard Bryant unzip his pants. Bryant lifted her skirt higher and settled his cock against the slick entrance to her pussy. Just having him so close caused her to whimper around Alexander’s cock.
“Fuck, Robin.” Alexander pushed his cock farther down her throat. “I won’t last horribly long if you keep doing that.” She giggled, and he growled in warning.
Alexander withdrew from her mouth, and Bryant wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her to sit up straight. Alexander placed a hand on her cheek and turned her to face him as he took the seat next to her on the bench. The look in his eyes was gravely serious. “Are you sure you want this?”