by Kait Gamble
Nikos kept her close with a steadying arm around her waist. “Perhaps after this run we could go explore the mall a little?”
That sounded wonderful. The Mall of the Emirates was the largest in the world and was a haven for shoppers. But imagining them trying to buy her things… She couldn’t have that.
She gave them both a cajoling smile as she stepped out of Nikos’ reach and sorted herself out for another run down the immaculate manmade mountain. “We’ll see how it goes. As I remember it, we still have a score to settle on the slopes.”
The admiring grins from them both weakened her knees further.
Kendra winked at them. “Ready? Go!”
Even though she took off on them again, they had no trouble catching up with her and kept pace without much effort on their parts. Not that she was trying too hard. She was enjoying herself too much to worry about winning or losing.
And she wanted another ride on the ski lift. If she wasn’t going to get them into bed, that would have to do.
With each trip up the lift, the mood shifted a little more. There just seemed to be more reasons for them to touch her. For her breath to hitch. Her toes to curl. The seat would jerk and she would grab on to them instinctively. As if they could keep her safe if the entire contraption came crashing down. The next time it happened, they were still near the bottom of the hill and Kendra did it again, gripping their knees before she could stop herself.
Dmitri immediately closed his hand over hers, making it next to impossible to remove her hand from his solid leg. Nikos returned the gesture, pressing a large hand on her knee.
It was gratifying to know that they were so protective of her. That was until Niko started moving his hand. He started with subtle little strokes. Light little brushes over her knee. Then he grew bolder, letting his hand travel upward a little more with each stroke.
Kendra’s lungs didn’t seem able to draw enough air. And what about Dmitri? He never missed a thing, particularly where Nikos was concerned.
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see if he had or not. Then she felt his hand at the nape of her neck, toying with her hair.
She couldn’t just let them do this, could she?
What must they think of her, letting two men grope her nearly from the moment they’d met?
An idea sent chills skittering down her spine. What if they were just using her as another tool in their feud? Was she just a prize to be won? And once one of them did, what did that mean? She’d be used and tossed aside like garbage? Was this how they got their kicks?
That she thought two men like them would be interested in her was laughable. The true her, that was. They thought she was Kiki.
A devious voice at the back of her mind whispered that since she was pretending to be someone else, who would know if she acted on her desires?
It was wrong. Delicious, but so very wrong.
It was a dose of reality that she needed.
Kendra shrugged them both off. “After this run, I think I should head back and get some beauty sleep.”
“You hardly need it, but if that’s what you wish.” Dmitri’s mouth returned to its almost permanent frown.
Nikos removed his hand. “We’ve done something to upset you.”
So many things. Between the two of them, her mind was getting scrambled. She was making decisions based on lust and not logic. Or was it the other way around? She had wanted to help her bosses in the hopes that it would take her further in her career. Now she was keeping up the pretense to help out her dad.
All decisions based on logic. And yet she still felt as though she were floundering. Though, if she could pull it off, Kendra and her family would be set.
It was just so hard to keep the lust part of the equation separate. And the lies. That was eating at her, but she had to suck it up. If anyone understood being cutthroat, surely it would be these two. Would they be as successful as they were otherwise?
If she wanted to make a triumph of this, she had to cut out her conscience.
But was that something she could do? That wasn’t who she was.
Kendra let out the breath she had been holding. “Can I be honest with you two?”
“Of course,” drawled the Russian at her side.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to you both.” Kendra could feel them reacting, but she soldiered on. “But I don’t think that’s fair to the two of you. I don’t want to play you against each other, since your relationship already seems contemptuous at best.”
They simply stared at her.
Did they understand what she was saying? “I’m grateful for what you have done so far. The donation you jointly made was more than incredible. And, Nikos, thinking of me for the photo shoot will never be forgotten, but I don’t want to add to your rift and I won’t be a prize to be won, either.”
Silence.
Knowing that she had ruined whatever was happening between them, she disembarked the lift quietly and was fully prepared to speed down the hill and back into her quiet, boring life.
Nikos was the one to break the silence. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I think the three of us need to sit down and talk, don’t you?”
No kidding.
Kendra turned her gaze to Dmitri and found him nodding in agreement.
“Okay.” Stomach somewhere in the vicinity of her feet, Kendra couldn’t even look them in the eyes when she took off her gear. With each item she removed, she felt as though she was tearing off a piece of her gut.
What had she just done?
By the time they were ready to leave, it dawned on Kendra that she had no idea where they were going to go to talk it out. Was there really anything left to say?
Her immediate worry was clothing choice. She knew her current outfit covered her adequately, but if they were going out into the heat she needed to change. They all did.
She waited to see what they would do.
“Perhaps we should take this back to the hotel?” Dmitri offered. “We can get a few drinks and sort this out.”
A drink or two did sound great. Kendra definitely needed something to take the edge off.
“Great. Just give me a minute to change.”
Kendra headed back toward the change rooms. In a matter of minutes, she was back in her dress and had the pashmina wrapped around her shoulders keeping them covered. Satisfied that she was suitably dressed, Kendra took a final look at herself then grabbed everything that had been bought for her, bundling it under her arm.
A solemn-looking Nikos and Dmitri were waiting for her when she walked out.
“Ready,” she sighed.
The ride back was quiet, but what was there to say? The only thing that was left was the truth about everything and Kendra wasn’t quite ready to go there just yet. If ever. After her outburst, she would wait to see where things went.
Neither made a move to touch her on the way back, so Kendra studied the interior of the Rolls that had come to pick them up.
She sat on her hands, trying to take up as little space as possible as she was wedged in between them once more. Kendra couldn’t help but run her hands over the supple leather just under her thighs. What she wouldn’t give to be able to explore the interior properly and maybe even drive the car herself. The whisper-smooth ride it provided them with was amazing. There was definitely something to be said about luxury cars.
The ride was both too long and agonizingly short. Kendra wanted more time just cruising around the city, but, at the same time, being stuck with Nikos and Dmitri in such a confined space was driving her crazy.
Their scent made her mouth water. Her fingers itched to touch them. To feel their muscles. Learn the angles that made up their tantalizing bodies. Kendra had to remind herself not to claw the pliant leather. The repair job would probably cost more than she could make in a month.
She turned her palms up and dug her nails into her thighs instead. At least any damage there wouldn’t cost her anything and maybe the pain w
ould spark some sense in her.
The driver opened the suicide doors and they exited one by one, still in utter silence.
Yeah, mood forever ruined.
Sullenly, she followed Nikos’ broad form through the lobby as they walked straight into the elevator, expecting to head up to the Sky Lounge. Instead, Dmitri slid his key card into the discreet little slot that would let them up into the penthouse.
To his penthouse.
A little apprehension skittered up her spine. “I thought we were going to get a few drinks?”
“Drinks and privacy are best afforded in my suite.”
Dmitri would have the penthouse in tower one, wouldn’t he? It was true, however. She hated that she had to pretend to be someone else. At least when it was just the three of them, she could let off a bit of the show. She just had to make sure that she didn’t let her guard down completely.
The trip up the tower was quick. It was as though the two men had enough will to make sure that no one else called the elevator as they ascended. All too soon there was a muted ding and the doors swished to the side.
Kendra had only seen the penthouses in pictures. She had never had any reason to come up. People who occupied rooms this high never wanted to see the help. If there was a problem, it went straight to management.
She walked into the room in a slight daze. It was as though she’d walked into a live version of The Arabian Nights.
Kendra knew that the hotels were very well decorated. The lavishness of each was influenced by their location. The hotel in Vancouver was incredible to say the least, but this was truly breathtaking.
Vivid colors filled her vision as they walked into the majlis style sitting area. The plush seats burst with a rainbow of colors and overflowed with cushions whose very fabric glinted with threads of gold. The deep red velvet cloth-covered ceiling was upswept to a point at the middle where the softly glowing pendulum light pinned it, giving the illusion that they were in a tent in the desert.
“Please, have a seat.” Dmitri motioned to them both.
Though she longed to wander through the suite and explore to her heart’s content, Kendra did as she was asked and marveled at how soft the cushions were. It was probably the closest she’d ever get to sitting on a cloud. Lacing her fingers together, she pressed her joined hands to her thighs, hoping the trembling wasn’t apparent.
Nikos refused the offer. Instead, he claimed the large space on the other side of the coffee table, his long legs eating up the distance as he paced back and forth like a caged wildcat.
“What would you like to drink, Kiki?”
She could barely form a reply, but managed to croak, “Whatever’s on hand, please.”
“Very well. Nikos?”
“Scotch. Neat.”
Dmitri gave him a look of appreciation before he turned to pour the drinks. He brought back Kendra’s before returning for his and Nikos’.
Kendra took a sip of hers and found it to be quite pleasant despite the slight burn it gave her as it went down.
Nikos and Dmitri sat down on either side of her. Not close enough to encroach on her personal space, but near enough to cause her to fidget a little as her body responded to their presence.
Then again they could be sitting on the other side of the room and she’d still sense them. Their gazes. It was ridiculous how aware of them she was. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale or a TV program. No one could have this kind of chemistry in real life.
The kind of connection they seemed to have was something Kendra had wished for with her exes when she was younger She had so wanted to look across the room and meet eyes with a gorgeous man and just know that he was the one for her. Kendra had thought that had happened with the man she’d dated a couple of years before, but it turned out he had thought she was Kiki Brandt. Just another reason to hate the woman. They had tried to make it work, only he hadn’t want Kendra, he wanted Kiki. After that, she realized that it was all bull. The great love, the romance of meeting someone and just knowing—it was all fiction fed to the masses to distract from the fact that life was what it was. Hard. Dark. Dull.
At the back of her mind, Kendra knew that had been the start of her aversion to the other woman in whatever form she was faced with whether it was on TV or on the net. Whatever. Wherever. Kendra couldn’t stand to look at her.
And now here she was, impersonating her.
It left a foul taste in her mouth.
She took another sip of her drink and set it aside. It did little to wash the taste away. And nothing would help calm her at that moment. It was best she went forward with a clear head anyway.
“Is something wrong with your drink, Kiki?” Dmitri looked poised to make her another.
“It’s fine.” She turned to Nikos then back to Dmitri. She swallowed hard. “Could you two do me a favor and call me Kendra in private?”
Both men looked mildly surprised, but nodded.
Nikos smiled a small, knowing smile. “Want to be yourself in private rather than the façade you show the world? I know the feeling.”
“I think we can all say that we are quite different when no one is looking.” Dmitri sipped his drink as Nikos swirled his matching one.
“Thanks for understanding.” Though they were complying for totally the wrong reason, Kendra was glad she wouldn’t have to hear that name quite so often.
A hush fell over them for a long moment. Kendra noticed that the two men glared at each other. It wasn’t long before she realized there was some silent communication going on between them.
At first, she could have sworn that they were angry at each other. Then the mood shifted. Their postures eased, as much as they could, and they turned to her in tandem.
What was going on?
They had obviously come to some sort of conclusion. On what, she couldn’t be sure. But Kendra had a feeling she was at the center of it.
Forcing her fingers to untwine, she placed them, palm down, on her knees. Whatever they were going to say, she would take it like an adult.
If things were going to go south, would Dmitri have brought them both up to his suite?
What if they wanted her to choose one of them right then and there? How could she possibly do that? They were two very amazing men. Smart, handsome, accomplished. If there was anything that she could question, it was what they wanted with her.
Well, with Kiki. And she didn’t really have to think too hard on that one. Wasn’t that the reason she had let things get so far in the first place? She could do what she wanted since she was to all intents and purposes ‘Kiki Brandt’ at that moment.
Emboldened by the thought, she straightened her spine a little.
“I just wanted to tell you two how flattered I’ve been by all the attention you two have been giving me. I know I’m probably not the same girl you thought I was.”
Nikos cut her off with a disarming smile. “I think I speak for us both when I say the reality of you is better than either of us could have ever imagined. You’re not only as beautiful as you appear on television, but you’re smarter, funny. Your sharp wit isn’t something that comes across through the screen.”
Dmitri nodded. “What he says is true. You have stunned me with just how wonderful you are.”
If she was flattered before, Kendra was stunned now. That they thought so much of her was dizzying. But what ruined it all was the fact that it was almost all a complete lie. She knew that more of her own personality had sneaked through, but she still wasn’t being herself.
“I sense you’re still holding back.” Dmitri held his hand out and waited for her to make the next move rather than pounce as he usually did.
Nikos did the same.
What did it mean? Would taking one hand mean she was choosing that man over the other? How was she supposed to make that sort of a decision? She knew next to nothing about them except for the fact that whenever they were around, they eclipsed everything else.
Kendra slipped her trembling
hands into both simultaneously and received comforting squeezes from both men in return.
Dmitri ran the forefinger of his other hand over the top of hers gently. “I propose that we be ourselves from now on. As much as possible, that is.”
The inference being that they be themselves when they were alone. How often would that be? Kendra would welcome locking the door and throwing away the key if only to get to know them a little better.
“I think we all have the same thing on our minds.” Nikos smiled at her, soothing a few of the butterflies, but causing a host of others to riot. “But I know that I would love a chance to get to know you. Since we’re all here for the next week, I think it would be the perfect opportunity.”
Kendra nodded. It would be, except for the added complication of a photo shoot on top of figuring out her feelings for these two as well as keeping her secret safe. It was a lot to juggle.
It was almost like a test. The one who caught on to her desire would be the one for her.
It was childish, Kendra knew that and owned it, but what else could she do? Draw straws?
Because she knew what she truly wanted would never happen.
After all the lies, she would never have a chance with either of them for the long run. It was pissing her off that her mind kept going back to a long-term relationship, but she’d never gone into a relationship without believing that it might one day lead to marriage and children. Then again, it had never worked out for her before. Why not try something new?
Or two new things?
Kendra let her gaze bounce between the two.
“I think in order for us to get to know one another a little better, we should spend as much time together as possible.”
The breath almost stuck in her lungs when Dmitri voiced exactly what was in her head.
Nikos, however, rebuked his friend. “Dmitri, Kendra might have something to say about that.”
The sound of her name on his lips was a wonderful thing.
“I was only making a suggestion. I think we both want a chance to get to know Kendra better.”
She turned from one to the other again. Both men were just so handsome and had so much to offer. “But that’s the problem. I can’t choose between you.”