Trio

by P. F. Kozak

  Changes. If nothing else, this experience could be used as a wake-up call that things needed readjustment in her life. She didn’t want to spend her life stripping, that was for sure. And she damn sure wasn’t going to put her body up for sale once this week was over. No, this had been a one-time thing—something she’d done because she was desperate for cold hard cash.

  Never again. No one would ever catch her with her back against the wall again. Even after she settled with DiMarco, there’d be plenty of money left over to start a new life. The money—still too mind-boggling of an amount to really fathom—was hers. No strings attached. She could take it, walk away, and never look behind her again. Starting over sounded pretty damn good, no matter what she had to do to earn her ticket to freedom.

  Busy arranging the life she planned to change just as soon as she had money in hand, Lara didn’t hear the soft pad of bare feet creeping closer.

  Nick’s voice broke the silence. “Not good to be out here basking without suntan lotion.”

  Aware that her heart had begun to pound hard against her ribs, Lara didn’t raise her head. “I don’t think a few minutes will do any harm.”

  Nick settled beside her on the lounge, which was plenty wide enough to accommodate an extra body. A popping sound followed. Cool lotion drizzled across her back and shoulders. Big hands settled on her skin, rubbed. “Better to be safe than sorry,” he commented. “Nothing hurts worse than sunburn. On a day like this, you’ll fry fast.”

  Lara raised her head, glancing at him. She blinked as her eyes readjusted to the bright light. He wore a pair of jeans and nothing else. The muscles in his arms and chest rippled with strength. Aw, damn. She’d love to devour him in a single bite.

  Very aware her arousal was heating up all over again, and not because of the sun, she lowered her head back to the pillow of her arms. “Thanks.” A pause. “Where’s Jared?”

  Nick shrugged. His damp and disheveled long hair created a rumpled appearance, making him look even sexier. “Still jacking himself off in the shower, I think.”

  “He seems to really like sex,” she commented.

  Nick burst out laughing. “That isn’t saying half of it. Jared would fuck a hole in the ground if it’d suck him off.”

  “You two been together long?” Good. A nice safe topic. That way she wouldn’t have to think about the way her clit ached. Not that it’d stay safe very long if he kept rubbing that lotion on. The feel of his hands on her bare skin was about to drive her wild with lust.

  Another laugh. “Since freshman year in college. Jared was my roommate. We started our business right out of our dorm room.”

  “Oh? What did you guys do?”

  A slight grin tugged at his lips. “Aw, we just created this little networking site. Kind of a place to meet and hang out online.”

  “Sounds cool.” Well, at least she thought it did. She was an original technotard when it came to computers. Logging in and checking e-mail was about all she could manage.

  “Yeah—big-time. We sold a stake in it last year for two hundred and fifty million dollars.” He mentioned a name that even a computer dummy like her recognized.

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Holy shit.”

  “Holy shit is right, babe. Who the hell would have thought it would grow into anything? Sitting in front of our computers all those years made us too damn rich too damn young. We’ve been kicking around, sitting on our laurels for the last year or so. Talk about a wasted life.”

  She shook her head, still boggled by the figure he’d named. “Doesn’t sound like you wasted your life half as much as I did. I didn’t even get to graduate from high school. All I’ve ever done is wait tables or take off my clothes.”

  “Dropped out, huh?”

  She shrugged. “Sort of. I did manage to get my GED, though. I’d planned to get a better education, but things got in the way.”

  “Oh? Like what?”

  Ignoring the steady thump of her heart, she refused to meet his gaze. The conversation was beginning to take a turn into personal territory, mainly her undesirable past. “Just shit, you know. Stuff that happened.” She might have had sex with him, but that was just something physical, easy to leave behind. It’d be better if a lot of personal details weren’t exchanged. Easier to make the break when the time came.

  Keep going this way and she was going to trip up for sure. Though she’d tried to keep her feelings at arm’s length, she’d already discovered that she liked these two guys. Really liked them. She wished lust was all she felt for the men, but both had appealing qualities that went past sex—Nick with his shyness and Jared with his brash take-it-or-leave-it attitude. Apart they would have been boring and trying on the patience. Together they were perfectly paired, each complementing the other’s strengths and downplaying the other’s weaknesses.

  She shook her head. Sexual arousal had to be short-circuiting her brain cells.

  Knowing there was only one way this could end, Lara found the truth that chilled her deep inside unappealing. Later, when her week was over, she’d have time to think about the unfairness of providence throwing two stellar hunks into her less-than-stellar life.

  Later.

  When she was far, far away from Nevada and the Demimonde Ranch. If she had her druthers, she’d never set foot in the entire state ever again. This was definitely a place she intended to leave behind. Waving good-bye would be a relief.

  Her world started to blur dangerously. Lara blinked her eyes, forcing back the tears. Damn it, now wasn’t the time to start bawling. “Anyway, it’s all old history now,” she said, feigning a lightness she definitely didn’t feel. “Water under the bridge.”

  “I see.” Nick’s hands skimmed over her shoulders and down her spine, rubbing the silky lotion into her skin. “Nice tattoos.”

  Liquid heat rose inside her all over again. Just when she was sure she’d gotten a handle on her desire, he had to go and light the fuse again. Amazing how fast he could drag her out from under her cloud of doom and gloom.

  She’d been fucked within an inch of her life just a few hours ago, but she was already wet and pulsing and wanting the sex to start all over again.

  Suppressing a little moan, Lara eased her hips into the cushion, trying to stop the ache a little. It didn’t work. Between the stress and sexual tension throbbing inside her, she was wound tighter than a cheap yo-yo.

  Nick noticed. “You okay?” The sound of his voice held a smile.

  Licking dry lips, Lara quickly shook her head. “Just itchy.”

  “I can take care of that.” He squirted more lotion on. His hands resettled at the small of her back, massaging her skin with long slow strokes. “So why the dark death-themed tattoos?” he asked conversationally.

  Lara shrugged. “They suited my mood.”

  “You must really be into pain to have this many,” he commented.

  Ah, not exactly. She had enough mental pain to contend with. She didn’t get off on physical pain at all.

  She hurried to explain. “They’re not real, just henna. I have a friend who does the work for practice. That way when I want to change the style, I can. They last about three or four weeks before they fade off.”

  Nick traced the lines of the Reaper dominating her back. “Ah, a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. Makes sense.” He chuckled. “Damn, you must have been thinking brutal thoughts when you got this bitch.”

  Her brow wrinkled. “I always think ugly thoughts,” she countered. “But somehow they seem less bad if I put them on my skin, you know. Having them on the outside of me means that I don’t have to keep them inside, where they fester. Does that make sense?”

  Nick stared hard at her. “Yeah. That makes sense. I’m glad they won’t be there forever, though. By them look of them you must have had some pretty bad shit come down in your life.”

  Her throat unexpectedly tightened. She suddenly felt like he’d shoved a dull knife between her ribs. “Some.”

  “Care to share?�
� he asked gently.

  Lara took a breath. The pain was so sharp it felt real, like blood seeping from wounds that would never heal. “Not really.”

  Nick leaned forward until his lips were just inches away from her ear. “I’ve got big shoulders if you want to cry.”

  Nerves all of a sudden gnawing at her guts, she pursed her lips. She was already in over her head because of her feelings for him.

  His hand traveled down her spine, brushing over the round curve of one buttock. “I can handle anything you’d tell me.” His palm settled there, warm, heavy. Somehow reassuring.

  Stomach doing a backflip over his intimate caress, her nerves coiled tighter. As a general rule, Lara didn’t choose to remember the last seven years. 2001. That’s when her perfect life had taken a turn for the worse.

  “My dad died when I was fifteen,” she confessed, choosing each word carefully. “When I was seventeen, my mom married some fuck named Al. He was a psycho, a real creep. Always looking at me, telling me how pretty I was, touching me. One night when my mom was gone to play bingo he got drunk and came into my bedroom…” Goosebumps flashed over her skin, stopping her mid-sentence.

  Nick’s hand lifted away. “Oh, God. I’m so damn sorry.”

  Rolling over onto her back, Lara faced him. “Don’t be. He passed out before he could do the deed.”

  “What did your mother say?” he asked. “I hope she kicked the bastard out.”

  She shrugged. “Mom never would believe me when I said Al put the moves on me. It’s like she had blinders on when it came to him. She said I was leading him on. I ran away a few months later. Just couldn’t handle Al’s touchy-feely ways.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  Lara shrugged again. “It’s probably twisted, but sometimes I enjoyed his attention. It was like my body gave me some special power over men.” Despite the heat of the day, a tremor rippled though her as she realized the implications of what she’d just said.

  Visually devouring every naked inch, Nick raised an eyebrow. “I’d be inclined to agree,” he said, voice more than a bit strained. Breathing ragged, his expression mirrored pure lust. His erection pressed against the hard confines of his jeans.

  Looking at him, she felt a rush of liquid desire. Just thinking about that thick cock of his made her feel all twisted inside. She’d tasted it. Now it was time to feel it, really feel it, inside her. Taking his virginity would be a treat.

  Licking her lips, she circled the tip of one erect nipple with a single finger. “Did I tell you it wasn’t the first time I’d ever seen a cock? This guy used to live next door to us, you know, and his bedroom faced mine. He used to jack off all the time. He thought I couldn’t see him, but I did.” Her finger continued its slow sensuous circle. “Maybe he wanted me to see. I liked watching him.”

  Turning beet red, Nick gulped back his moan. His eyes never left her breasts. “Did you two ever hook up?”

  She laughed. “I was only fourteen and he was a lot older. My dad almost shit a brick when he found out.”

  “No doubt.” Nick swallowed thickly. “What happened to the perv?”

  Lara subtly shifted to give him the best view of her naked body. Perspiration and suntan lotion created a silky sheen on her skin. Her nipples jutted, hard, and flushed rosy pink. She flicked one sharp nail across the tip. “He moved away a few weeks later. Too bad, too. He was cute in a dorky kind of way.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  She eyed him. “Well, cute. But not the drop-dead gorgeous hunk I’ve got sitting right here beside me.” Hand on his thigh, she slid her palm toward the crux of his legs. “I’ve been dying to get you alone and take advantage of your fucklicious body.”

  He moaned and closed his eyes. “Oh, God,” he murmured. “This is every dream I’ve ever had come true.”

  Hearing his response sent a surge through her. That heady, powerful feeling of knowing that she was able to incite a riot in his body thrilled her. “Long time to wait to lose your virginity, Nick,” she teased.

  “It was worth it to have you.”

  Nick leaned forward, bringing his lips down hard on hers, tasting her, drinking her, needing to consume every last drop of her. Their kiss broke long enough for him to stretch out beside her on the deck chair, then started all over again, magnificently sensuous as their need drove them together. She felt his sweet breath against her face before his mouth claimed hers. Ravaging her like a starving man, his teeth clicked against hers as if his urgency were more powerful than any need for restraint.

  Opening her mouth, she returned his kiss with an enthusiasm born of pure lust. The hard tips of her nipples grazed his bare chest. This time the tempest of desire simmering between them wouldn’t be denied.

  Nick drew in an unsteady breath, cupping one breast and brushing his thumb over the erect peak. “God, you feel good,” he breathed.

  Lara gasped, arching into him when he rolled her nipple between thumb and forefinger. The knot of desire in her stomach tightened.

  “So do you.” Her hand settled on the front of his jeans, slowly rubbing the length where his cock strained inside tight denim. He groaned from the friction she created.

  He traced the delicate line of her jaw with his lips, mouth caressing her throat with teasing nips before his tongue tickled the small hollow at the base of her neck.

  Close to turning into a puddle, Lara felt the violent surge of blood through her veins, the hot burn of lust in her core. A shiver ran the length of her when his head dipped, his mouth capturing one distended pink tip. Dazzling sensations drenched her senses with each pull on the silken nub. Her breath came shallow and fast as he suckled. Every searing pull on her sensitive nipple traveled all the way to her clit.

  “I want you,” she heard him murmur against her skin. “I’ve never stopped wanting you.”

  Lara’s earlier indecision about the situation she found herself in evaporated under the enjoyable sensation of his mouth on her. She’d never felt so swept away. The lean flex of his rock-hard muscles felt wonderful under her exploring hands. She wanted to touch every inch of him. “I want you, too.” She’d forgotten how powerful desire could be when true attraction was involved. Nick’s kisses, his touch, intoxicated her as thoroughly as any drug. His hands were warm and possessive against her skin, every caress stealing her breath away.

  She drank him in, enjoying the way he fed something insatiable and ravenous deep inside her soul. The fact that they’d just barely met didn’t make a difference at all. She felt as if she’d known him all her life.

  Nick’s hand slid down the plane of her flat belly to cup her bare mound. Her body reacted instinctively, her thighs automatically parting for him. Thick fingers probed her, slipping in between slick inner lips. Her hands delved into the curve of his shoulders, holding on tight. He dipped into her slowly, caressing and suckling, sending her into a spasm of glorious erotic insanity.

  Lara closed her eyes, preparing to be launched into the stratosphere. Moaning, her fingers tangled through his long blond hair, holding his head as he sucked and licked her taut nipples. Instinct rolled her hips against his hand, a silent plea to go deeper, harder.

  Heaven was just a sin away and she was ready to enter the Pearly Gates. The surge for completion screamed out from every cell inside her body.

  It didn’t quite happen that way.

  Jared flounced out onto the patio at full speed. “You two keep fucking in that sun and the only thing you’ll get is a chapped ass.”

  The mood vanished.

  Lara’s senses clenched involuntarily at the interruption. Damn, she was just getting turned on when the interruption rudely arrived. Teeth grinding in frustration, she opened her eyes. Naked except for a towel draped around his shoulders, Jared stood over them. She was only too aware that Nick’s hand still rested on her mound.

  Nick blew out a short breath and chuckled. As he gave her a quick wink, the tip of his index finger wriggled lightly against her clit. She gasped when an el
ectrical shock zinged through her. “He’s right, babe. Fuck outside and we’ll both end up with a hell of a burn.”

  Jared’s gaze, intense and focused, raked them both. “And did you think you were going to leave me out of Nick’s deflowering?” He grinned. “You and I are going to see to our little virgin’s complete pleasure. I’ll tell you now that his perfect fantasy had his dick in your cunt, and my dick up his ass. The perfect threesome.”

  Lara looked to Nick. “Is that your fantasy or his?” She jerked a thumb at Jared. “You know he lusts after your body.”

  Both men laughed.

  “Oh, I know he lusts,” Nick explained with a grin. “And he’s offered to drill my tender little butt repeatedly. But he’s not getting up my ass with his dick until my dick is buried to the hilt in that sweet twat of yours. That’s how I plan to lose my virginity.” He crooked his finger up against her clit and burrowed. Just a little. Just enough to make a sizzling connection. “Capice?”

  Lara gasped in surprise. A strangled sound choked up in her throat. “Oh, yes,” she squeaked. “I understand.”

  Perfectly.

  7

  T he seduction had been carefully prepared.

  Unwilling to settle for a predictable round of bedroom action, Jared had arranged the living room as the scene of complete sexual abandon. He’d lit scented candles and scattered rose petals all over the place, specifically around the Tantra chair he’d moved into the middle of the living room. Every other piece of furniture sat against the wall, well out of the way of interference.

  Locking the sliding glass door behind them, Jared drew the curtains shut. Dark and heavy, they obscured all sunlight. Strange filtered shadows danced against the walls around them, the darkness broken only by the flicker of candlelight.