“What do you think?”
“I certainly wasn’t expecting this,” she said, squeezing his hand.
“Sometimes it’s fun to try something new,” he said. “This is the place to dabble.”
After a couple of drinks, the surprise wore off and she began to enjoy herself. She kissed a girl who was wearing a bunny outfit and she seemed to enjoy the amateur strip show. If she was cool about the club then she wasn’t going to freak out when John’s little secret popped out. He didn’t want to overstay their welcome, she only needed a little taste. When he thought she’d had her fill they climbed back on his bike she leaned into him sliding her hands inside his jacket.
“Let’s take you home little lady; I’m not finished with you yet,” he said before easing the bike onto the road.
He’d always loved being a firefighter. He lived for adrenaline and every time he smelled smoke it put him on high alert; he functioned well like that. This time, when the smell hit him it triggered alarm bells, and he slowed the bike. As they pulled into the driveway she gripped him harder, digging her fingernails in and he understood why.
There was no fire because his colleagues had already taken care of it but the house was ruined. What wasn’t burned was wet and there would be no salvaging clothes and personal items. He didn’t have time to catch her when she tried to jump off the bike on unsteady legs. She fell to the floor and crawled forward.
“Lucy!”
“Holy shit!” he watched as the terrified little cat ran straight into her arms.
“Angela!” John’s voice echoed through the trees and he appeared soot stained and panicked.
Seeing the two of them hug made him feel like he was in the way, intruding on something private. They were meant to be together, that was for sure, but he wasn’t about to leave them; she needed help and he couldn’t abandon her.
****
It turned out that cats didn’t much care for motorcycles, even when they were going as slowly as they can without falling over. When they arrived at John’s apartment, they were both covered in scratches and the feline barely resembled a house cat anymore. He figured now was as good a time as any to start calling the thing Lucifer. Or maybe fire starter, or demon cat.
He didn’t feel right about leaving Angela when she’d just lost her entire house, especially when it was probably his fault. He’d made her leave the house to go to the club; if they’d have just stayed there and watched the movie everything would have been fine, unless the fire trapped them in the bedroom while they were doing the dirty.
“I’m sorry I took you to the club,” Finn said, reaching out to stroke Angela’s cheek.
“It wasn’t your fault. I guess I left one of the candles burning but they were in glass holders so I just assumed they would be safe,” she replied.
“They usually are but if the glass breaks,” he said, shrugging. “Or demon cat here knocks it over or pushes something against it.”
“Maybe I should think about returning you to the shelter Lucy,” she told the cat.
“Nah, but you really need to change his name. Maybe that’s why he’s acting out,” Finn said and made her smile.
He pulled her into a hug which was something he usually reserved for people he was hoping to sweep into bed. He wasn’t planning that this time. He just wanted to offer her some comfort and he was surprised that he’d managed to show a little depth, for once. Of course, the boner was back, but the sentiment was still there.
When John had handed his keys to Finn and told him to take care of his girl, he’d probably meant to make her a cup of tea, not test out the springs on his sofa. He kissed her anyway and she kissed him back but it wasn’t passionate and it didn’t feel like it was leading them anywhere, it just felt warm and good.
John appeared from nowhere and sat down on the other side of the sofa and Finn took it as his cue to leave. Angela didn’t notice him go and he thought it best that way but the damn cat eyeballed him all the way to the door.
*****
It was a difficult start to a relationship but her first week of living with John was going smoothly despite the fact that they hardly knew each other and that Angela didn’t own anything of her own anymore. She had all the emotional support she needed from him and they always fell asleep in each other's arms after plenty of fun in the bedroom.
When she’d first told him about the club he’d been confused but after a while he admitted that he was curious. She knew he still had a secret and since experiencing a different side to her sexuality she had a pretty good idea what it was.
He was still shy and she wasn’t about to upend the peace in his home when she didn’t have a home of her own to run to. The fire had just about gutted the house and nothing was salvageable. She was just grateful that the neighbor’s homes had been untouched.
“Finn’s coming around; I hope you don’t mind,” John said snapping her out of her thoughts. “He wanted to check in on you earlier but he’s been on day shifts.”
“Okay,” she replied. “Is that okay with you?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t it be?”
“Just checking,” she said and placed a firm kiss on his lips.
John looked more than okay, he was positively glowing and it just reaffirmed what she thought she knew. She could be wrong and if she was, then what she was planning on doing later could potentially destroy her relationship. She just wished he’d be more forward with it but that wasn’t John’s way and it would take time for him to trust anyone with his best-kept secret.
When the doorbell chimed she jumped. The last time she had seen him they had kissed on the very sofa that she was sitting on but it felt so long ago that she was nervous now. She needn’t have been; he was the same over-confident Finn that had taken her to a fetish club. He walked right up to her and kissed her on the lips. She glanced over at John and he stared back at her hungrily.
“How’s it going?” Finn asked, but he wasn’t asking her, he was leaning over to tickle Lucy’s ears.
She wrapped her arms around Finn, pulling him close to her. Finn looked over at John and they shared a look that Angela couldn’t quite decipher. She didn’t have time to think; Finn picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, fireman style, spanking her bottom lightly as he went. She giggled as he plopped her on the bed.
“Come on Johnny boy, I know you want to,” Finn said.
John stepped into the bedroom uncertainty etched into his features. Finn joined her on the bed and she kissed him while fumbling with his clothes. His shirt fell to the floor, as did her sweater, but before he set to work on the clasp of her bra, Finn signaled to John. He perched on the bed biting his bottom lip and she reached out to touch him.
“There are some things you can’t keep a secret because people like me will always spot it,” Finn said, freeing her breasts from her Wonderbra. “I work with you, not often, but enough to know you like to watch but the question is, Johnnie boy, do you want to join in?”
John’s eyes flicked from Finn to Angela’s finally resting on her chest. His cheeks were flushed pink and he looked as nervous as a virgin but he nodded. She was glad; she’d been dreaming of this since the moment she’d met both of them; who wouldn’t? Two sexy men at once; she was in heaven. Finn reached over and unbuttoned John’s shirt and let it fall from his shoulders and she stroked the fine hairs that trailed to where his jeans were bulging.
“I think there are too many clothes on this bed,” Finn said.
Finn stood up and released his jeans. He’d not bothered to put boxer shorts on so his manhood sprung out looking ready for action. She reached and stroked it before removing the rest of her clothes. John was slower to undress, and he looked from one to another before dropping his pants. He was also ready for action and she didn’t know where to put her hands first.
The bed soon became a writhing mass of tangled limbs, kisses, and incredible touches. She didn’t know who was doing what but when Finn kissed John she vowed she would never leav
e the bed again. She was exactly where she wanted to be, forever. John’s hands on Finn were soft and careful, exploring another man’s body for the first time and it was beautiful to her.
When Finn entered her, she wrapped her legs around him and then turned to John. She climaxed more times that night than she ever had in her life and much to her surprise Finn stuck around. They ate when they got hungry and relaxed on the sofa naked under a blanket. Finn was at ease with the pair of them together, more so than he had been with her. It was as if he wasn’t worried he would have to commit to a relationship now that she was with John.
When he finally left the next day, she was exhausted but happy and John was still glowing. He’d become increasingly confident in asking for what he wanted and they had even arranged to go to the club together on their next joint night off.
When her parents had given her the cat they must have had some insight because he had opened her world up completely. Of course, her house had burned down which may have had something to do with him but she was still happier than she’d ever been.
“I’ve got a lot to thank you for, Lucy,” John said, hand feeding the cat a tuna treat.
“Maybe we should call him something else now; what do you think?” she asked, kissing the top of the cat's head.
“He’s not much of a Lucifer; how about Luke? It’s gender specific but you know what? There’s a lot to be said for breaking the rules and gendered names are stupid anyway,” he said.
“You’re right, he’s too pretty to be anything but a Lucy,” she replied.
The cat blinked at them before going back to sleep and John leaned in for another heart-melting kiss. She felt so happy that she could spontaneously combust but at least she’d have her two firefighters to put her out afterward and, boy, did they know how to handle a woman on fire. She was ready for action, again.
THE END
See the next bonus story at the next page!
23 of 25 Bonus Stories
First and Goal
Boston. The city of my heart. My mom and I moved out East from Denver when she and my dad got divorced almost 17 years ago and I’ve loved the city ever since. The opportunity to stay in my favorite town for college and then my career was a blessing from the universe. I had started building a successful career for myself at a local law firm and had my sights set on a townhouse right down the street. Everything was working out.
Until my mother’s engagement.
I was happy for my mom, don’t get me wrong. She deserved to be happy and her fiancé, only five years older than her, treated her like a queen. No, that’s not why I loathed her engagement. It’s just that at the same time my perfect little world of success fell to pieces.
I wasn’t usually one for partying but my coworker, Jess, invited everyone out for drinks one Friday after work – first round on her after winning a massive case – so I figured, why not? Get a free drink, hang out for a bit, and head back to my place. Except that’s not what happened. Not even close.
Jess and I originally met in law school at Boston College. Getting hired at the same firm was just a happy coincidence but she was one of the few people I trusted whole-heartedly. So when I was sitting beside her in a bar booth and she insisted on buying my drinks if it meant I would stay longer than originally planned, I accepted.
The burn of tequila seared my throat, even after my fourth shot, and I turned to Jess with a giddy smile.
“You’re going to be broke by the end of the night,” I laughed.
“Are you having a good time?” she asked, to which I nodded in reply. “Then bring on the bankruptcy!” A few of our remaining coworkers joined us in raising our drinks in alcohol-induced cheers before throwing back the bitter drink.
After that moment, it didn’t take much more for Jess to get me on the dance floor. I would never have acted like that sober but the alcohol rushing through my veins changed everything. My ten minutes of dancing with Jess was interrupted when a tall, muscular man stepped up to us with a smile.
“Is it alright if I steal your friend from you for a second?” he asked Jess. She just shrugged and walked off, throwing me a quick wink before she disappeared into the crowd.
The man rested his hands on my hips and leaned down to my ear to introduce himself over the loud music. “I’m Luke.”
“Josie,” I shouted back. His blue eyes almost sparkled with his smile, but not much more was said. Just hips moving together to the music until I turned my back to him and felt the warmth of his lips on my neck. All it took was the soft touch of his tongue and the light scrape of his teeth and I was done for. I let my head fall back on his shoulder and asked, “Do you want to get out of here?”
The next morning, I woke up with a much less painful headache than I expected and full recollection of what happened the night before. This made seeing the man lying beside me hardly a surprise and I managed to calmly and quickly collect my things and leave his place without a trace.
The only consequence I had to deal with regarding that night was Jess’s incessant nagging about what happened, who the guy was, what happened after we left the bar…the questions went on and on. The only question I couldn’t answer was who he was. I knew his name was Luke but we never got as far as asking what each other did for a living. Judging by his place, though, he had a lot going for him.
“So what did it look like he did?” Jess asked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I laughed. “He didn’t have any Oscars on his shelves or Olympic medals hanging on the walls.”
“Well what did he have? A Pulitzer? A Tony? A Stanley Cup?”
“I don’t remember!” I shrugged. “I was a little more focused on getting out of there than staying to investigate the guy.”
“Maybe he does play for the Bruins,” Jess continued thinking out loud. “It would make sense. Did you see that guy? Damn.”
“I did more than see him,” I reminded her. “He could’ve been a football player, too. With arms like that, he definitely does something with sports.”
And that’s where everything about Luke ended. Jess and I didn’t mention him and we never ran into him again so we eventually wrote him off as just another one-night stand.
Until my mom announced her engagement.
I hadn’t actually met her fiancé before their engagement so I didn’t even know if I liked him. All I had to go off of was her accounts of him. I trusted my mom, though, and everything she said about him sounded like he was the best match for her. I always understood why she and my dad had broken up; everything about Mike sounded like everything she wished my dad could’ve been.
Another great thing about Mike that my mother decided to leave out when she spoke about him was his bank account. She texted me his address where they were having their engagement party – technically right outside of Boston – and I think I almost got in a car accident as I pulled up. He literally had a valet out front to park cars for everyone and every window of the house was lit up.
I walked up to the door with my mouth hanging open in awe until I saw my mom and a man whom I assumed was Mike standing inside the front door, right beside a massive staircase.
“Holy shit, Mom,” I whispered as I hugged her. “Why didn’t you tell me he’s loaded?”
She pulled back with a laugh and held me at arm’s length. “I didn’t want you to think that was why I liked him, Josie.” I rolled my eyes but smiled back at her. I knew the money probably played a little part in her decision but I also knew she wouldn’t let something so superficial dictate what she planned to do with the rest of her life.
“You must be Josie,” Mike said, holding a hand out to me.
“I am,” I smiled back. “And you must be Mike. It’s so great to finally meet you.” It would take a while for me to become comfortable around him since mom had kept him hidden for so long so I’d stick with the awkward introductions and lunches until then.
“Your mom has told me so many great things about you,” he said. I smi
led and raised my eyebrows at my mom. We had a pretty solid relationship but she wasn’t one to talk too highly of me – not to people she wanted to impress. Sure, I had my career going for me but I had left home as quickly as I could and threw myself into student loan debt faster than my mom could handle. I was the family disappointment until I landed this job at the law firm a few years ago.
“Yeah,” Mike continued. “You work down at that law office, Anderson and Marcus, right?” I nodded. “That’s a big accomplishment. Congratulations,” he smiled.
“Oh, just wait until you hear about his kids,” my mom said, of course diverting the attention from me.
“Oh, right!” Mike jumped in. “Let me go get them.” He hurried off down the hall, giving me a brief moment to talk to my mom.
“He treats you well, right?” I asked.
“Of course he does,” my mom smiled. “You’ll love him once you get to know him. We’d actually love for you to join us for dinner every month. We’re planning family dinner for one weekend, at least. You’re close in age to both of his kids so you’ll get along just fine with them, too,” she insisted.
As if the Devil himself heard my mother’s comment, Mike walked back over with his kids. Like my mom said, both were relatively my age.
“Josie, this is my daughter, Avery,” Mike said, introducing the young woman who appeared to be the younger child. She was probably in her mid-20s with dark hair that mirrored her dad’s. “And this is my son, Luke.” Out from behind his dad and the shadows of hell stepped the one man I never expected to see again. That devilish smirk accompanied his light blue eyes again and it felt like Mike’s beautiful house had just crashed down on my head.
“Avery,” I said, shaking her hand. “Luke.” My response to Luke was much more bitter than I expected but what was I supposed to do when my most recent (and one of the few total) one-night stand was not only standing in front of me but also turned out to be my soon-to-bestep-brother?
The Abduction Page 69