by Violet Paige
“Thanks, baby.” He kissed the side of her neck, inhaling her hair. She felt his warmth as he snuggled closer. Sometimes he was like a giant bear.
“Coming here makes you feel closer to her, doesn’t it?”
He nodded. “My parents loved each other like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And that’s what I want. But I know what kind of man I am. I don’t pretend to be something I’m not, Lily. I have a short temper. I love business. I travel all the time. I realize I can’t offer a woman everything, but with Jack I can. I can love you. I can worship your beautiful body. I can please you in bed beyond your wildest dreams.”
Her knees started to weaken. If only he knew the way it felt when he did the things he did to her.
“But, I need Jack to give you the other half of that. He’s funny. He likes to go out. He doesn’t let business lock him behind doors for hours on end. We’re two different men.”
Lily realized more and more that they had yet again put the best parts of themselves forward. They were offering her their best selves. And in return all she had to do was be adored and worshipped.
She wrapped her hands around his neck. “Thank you for all of this. For saving me.”
He kissed her hard. “Thank you for giving yourself over and over.” He squeezed her ass playfully.
“Anytime.” She giggled. “Anytime.”
Thirty-One
Sawyer
He’d never had trouble focusing during a board meeting before. Sawyer kept blinking at the reports. He didn’t need help staying awake. He needed something to keep his dick from growing every time he thought about Lily and the wedding weekend at the vineyard. Napa had changed everything.
He had it bad.
Monday morning had hit him like a wrecking ball. All three of them had to climb out of Lily’s warm bed and get ready for work.
She was nervous people in the office would know something was up, as if they could see it on her forehead that she had slept with both her bosses.
Jack laughed about it and offered to give her a lunchtime quickie if that would help her calm down. It only seemed to make her more nervous.
Sawyer knew things had gone to a different level over the weekend. A level he never expected. A place he and Jack had never been with a woman. There were already feelings involved. Serious feelings. He looked at the chart in front of him while the board member droned on.
Sawyer was falling for this girl.
He had to know if Jack was too.
As soon as the board meeting was over, he pulled Jack aside.
“I think we need to talk.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s about Lily. Let’s take this to my office.”
Jack looked concerned. “Is she ok? I just saw her before we came in here. She has a meeting with the tech team for the launch. Did something happen?”
“She’s fine. Come on. I don’t want to talk about it here. It’s about us—not work.”
Sawyer closed the heavy double doors to his office, sealing them inside.
“Ok, what’s this about?” Jack questioned. “What’s going on?”
“Where do you stand with Lily?”
“Where do I stand? I think you were there. You know exactly where I stand. We had a phenomenal weekend. She’s incredible.”
Sawyer rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, she is.”
“I get the sense though that something is wrong. You don’t seem as happy as I thought you were. Aren’t you happy? She’s perfect. We’re trying to get her pregnant. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“No. No. Of course not. Nothing is wrong. I think this weekend changed everything.” He looked at his best friend. “I’ve completely fallen for her. I want us to have this baby. Am I fucking nuts?”
“Oh, I see.”
Sawyer paced in front of the windows. “I want to know where you are. Is this what you want too?”
“Why? I’m committed. I’ve told you that. I’ve told her that. I’m not backing out. I told her and you, that this is it. I want her to have my baby too. What has you freaked out?”
“We’re family now. She’s going to get pregnant, if she isn’t already. We need to think about the future. We need to think about this baby. We need to make sure that she is completely free and clear of her uncle. I can’t stop thinking about it. The deal. The debt. We have to get her out of that situation.”
Jack stared. “You don’t think she’s safe?”
“Look, when this started she was part of a debt payoff. And yeah, I wanted to fuck her. I don’t deny any of that. But she’s ours now, Jack. We made her ours. She’s going to have our baby. We owe her this. She gave us something she’s never given anyone. We have to protect her. And if her uncle is the asshole he seems to be, he could break his deal with her. Who knows when he would try to use her again. He could threaten her. We have to make sure that never happens.”
“What are you saying, Sawyer? We aren’t in the murder business. We aren’t criminals. We are in the global business of making money. I don’t disagree, but I’m not going to start killing people.”
“Calm the fuck down. I didn’t say I was going to kill the bastard.”
“Then what are you suggesting?”
“We’ll pay him. Buy him out. Whatever he wants.”
“You’re going to buy her?” Jack looked stunned.
“Do you have a better idea? I’m buying her protection, not her. She has already pledged herself to us. This is insurance Gino doesn’t come back.”
Jack sighed. “I don’t think Lily would see it that way. She told us how she feels about her uncle. She hates him, man.”
“I’m going to tell her before I talk to Gino. She deserves to know what I’m thinking. I want her to know we’ll do anything we have to do to keep her safe. She has to come first.”
“I agree. I’m in. Whatever you need.”
Sawyer paused. “I had another idea.”
“Well, shit. You’re all over the place today. I can’t keep up with you since Arnie’s wedding.”
“Actually it’s about that. Not Arnie, but about the wedding weekend. Hear me out. We need to give her a couple nights off.”
Jack shook his head. “Now that she’ll never go for. She’s insatiable. And I feel the same way when I’m around her. I can’t stop thinking about her. I want her all the time, man. All the damn time. We’re trying to make a baby. We can’t take a break from that.”
“But she has to rest. And her body will adjust, but both of us together was a lot for her. I think we should send her to an advertising conference that starts tomorrow. Just for two nights. Penny told me about it this morning. Lily would fly out tonight, take a work trip and give her body and chance to recover. You know she’s sore. She’s not going to tell us.”
“A conference? And what in the hell do we do while she’s gone?” Jack argued.
“What we did before she was ours. We work our asses off. We watch football and drink beer. It’s two nights—that’s it.”
Jack huffed. “You’re right.”
Sawyer eyed him. “Now, that we are not going to tell her. She doesn’t need to know everything.” He smiled.
“Got it. She doesn’t need to think we’re sending her away. It would crush her.”
“Exactly. It’s just a chance for her to rest. We’ll put her up in a five-star hotel. Penthouse suite. Everything she wants. She can get a massage. Go shopping. Maybe she’ll want to shop for baby things.”
“You know she doesn’t want that stuff, man. She just wants us.”
“I know.” Sawyer’s smile faded. “I know.”
Thirty-Two
Lily
Mondays were always rough, but this one was brutal. Lily eyed the doors on either side of her walls at least a hundred times. She knew Sawyer was on one side and Jack on the other. All she could think about was being in their arms. Their mouths on her body.
She shuddered with the rush between her legs. One thought of wh
at they had done together over the weekend and she was wet and hot.
The weekend for the wedding in wine country had been the most romantic and incredible weekend of her life. She had a funny feeling not even the bride was as happy and giddy as she was.
If it wasn’t for the tech meeting in five minutes, she wasn’t sure she couldn’t trust herself not to walk through one of those doors. But which? She didn’t want to choose. She knew from now on, she would always want both.
She had given herself to them and she knew it included her heart.
She gathered her files and her laptop and headed for the conference room on the tech floor. She wondered if everyone was staring at her. If they could see that she had been taken twice. If they could see the afterglow still penetrating from her skin.
She shook the thoughts and took a seat at the head of the table.
“Good morning, everyone.” She smiled brightly at the group gathered in front of her. “Are you ready to get started on the integration proposal?”
“Lily, I have a few questions on his this is going to roll out,” Barb spoke up.
“Ok, then let’s go over it. Turn to page five for the timeline and we can work through it.”
In a matter of minutes, she was focused on something else. If there hadn’t been an entire team in front of her, peppering her with questions and needing her guidance she knew she’d be doing something entirely different.
It was after lunch by the time she wrapped the meeting. As soon as she entered the executive lobby, Penny met her at the elevators.
“I have something for you,” she announced.
“What is it?” Lily took the leather briefing packet.
Penny shuttled her into her office.
“There’s a conference in New York. All the top advertising executives are going to be there. It’s completely my fault. I’m so sorry, but I should have had you booked for this trip your first day here. I completely screwed this up. But we didn’t have anyone in charge of the department and I let it slip.”
“Penny, it’s ok. Don’t apologize.” She leafed through the itinerary. She would be spending two nights in New York and staying at the Waldorf. “Are you sure I need to go?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m afraid to tell Mr. Kincaid or Mr. Rivers how royally I messed this up for you. You should be there. You are the leader in advertising now and without your presence, they would think Kincaid-Rivers would look overshadowed.”
Lily put her hand on the assistant’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. It will be fine. I’ll speak to them.”
“Can you just tell them you were going all along? Do you have to mention I was late in the planning?”
Lily bit her lip. She didn’t want to leave Chicago. She was just getting used to sleeping between Jack and Sawyer. According to the packet, she would be on a flight tonight. Maybe they would want to go to New York with her.
“Please?” Vicki pleaded.
“Oh, all right. But maybe I could go for one night instead of two?”
Vicki looked relieved. “Why don’t you try it and then if you need to come back early, we can arrange it.”
“I guess I should let…” her words trailed off. How did she speak about Sawyer and Jack in front of the other employees? “I’ll tell Mr. Kincaid and Mr. Rivers. Thank you, Penny. And don’t worry, it will stay our little secret.” She winked as the woman walked out of the office.
Lily took the leather file and walked through the secret door to Sawyer’s office. Usually the men were there together. She looked over at the sofa as she waltzed through the private lounge. She considered it the place she decided she wanted more than one man in her life. The place she opened her mind and body to endless possibilities. She smiled, tapping on Sawyer’s door.
“Come in,” he called.
She was right. They were both here.
“How is your day, sweetheart?” Jack brushed his lips against hers. He seemed to always like to get to her first.
She felt the instant tingle his kisses gave her. “Better now.”
Sawyer stood from his desk. “What have you brought us?” He pointed at the file in her hands.
“Oh, this. It’s an advertising conference. I think I was too distracted with the wedding to mention it this weekend. But I have to fly out tonight for New York.”
“You do? How long will you be gone?” Jack asked.
“It’s two nights, but I was considering coming back early.”
Sawyer looked serious. “And this is necessary?”
She nodded. “It’s a prestigious event. I have to represent Kincaid-Rivers. And considering the launch, the timing is actually impeccable.”
“I see.”
She couldn’t gage his emotions. Was he disappointed? Was he upset with her for leaving after the intimacy of the weekend? Yesterday he had given her a glimpse into his past. He had been vulnerable on their walk through the vineyard. She loved seeing that side of him.
“I could cancel,” she volunteered.
Jack shook his head. “No. We are all adults. And running this company means we have to work. We have to lead. Sawyer and I will be fine for a couple nights.”
“You’re sure?”
He nodded. “Think of all the lost time we can make up for when you return.”
“You promise?”
Sawyer’s voice echoed behind her. “Absolutely.”
“You could fly up with me.” She looked at them eagerly.
“No. We have too much going on. Go. It will be fine.”
She sulked. “All right, but I need to go by my apartment after work to pick up a few things for the flight. My suitcases are there too.”
“That’s not necessary,” Jack interrupted. “We bought you all new things. You can have any luggage you want.”
She laughed. “And everything is beautiful, but I do like some of my own things. And I have this special travel pillow I use for flights. I want to take it.”
“We’ll buy you a new pillow.” He wrapped his arms around her. “You know you could take the jet if you wanted.”
“Jack.” She pressed into the planes of his chest. When she looked in his eyes, all she could think about was how he held her when she came. How he steadied her through the most erotic sexual experience of her life. How his stare was the first thing she saw when Sawyer was behind her. They would forever be entwined in that moment.
“Fine.”
He bit at her bottom lip, playfully. “Hurry back, sweetheart.”
“I will.” She walked over to give Sawyer a kiss. He surprised her when he picked her off the floor and pulled her into his arms. The kiss was rough and passionate. It reminded her of yesterday. She sighed.
“Now you can go.” He stood her upright, but she grabbed the desk for balance. “And when you come back, I’d like to talk to you about a few things.”
“Oh? Is everything ok?”
He nodded. “It’s some logistical things in advertising. Nothing to worry about on your trip.”
“Ok. Sounds good. I’d love to talk.” She was almost at the front door when she realized she came through the secret entrance. “Oops. I don’t want Penny to know I sneaked in here.”
She retraced her steps. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
“Have a safe trip.”
She waved good bye. For an instant, she wished they would scoop her up and tell her it was impossible for her to leave. They needed her here to exist. To breathe. But Jack was right. They were adults. And this was certainly the most advanced relationship of her life. She was a part of Kincaid-Rivers. She needed to represent their company and show them how proud she was to be in their lives.
“Bye.” She closed the door, leaving them behind.
Thirty-Three
Lily
It felt strange to be in her apartment again. She turned on the light in the kitchen. The last time she had been here she had left a coffee mug in the sink and a pile of mail on the counter. Jack and Sawyer had made it clear she
was going to live with them at the penthouse permanently. After the trip to New York she would have to set aside time to box up a few personal items she had.
She had kept pictures and albums her mother had made. Her baby book. The portraits from her parent’s wedding. Those were priceless memories that would move with her to the penthouse.
Lily added water to her plants at the window. It would be enough to get them through a few more days. At least she didn’t have any pets. She had considered getting a cat, but that was before her new relationship. She laughed, wondering what her boyfriends would think of a kitten or even a puppy running around their spotless apartment.
Now, with planning for a baby, she would need new things. Everything would change in the penthouse. She wondered if Sawyer and Jack had realized that yet.
In the back of her linen closet was the lavender eye mask and the sleeping pillow she used on flights. She tried different brands, but this pillow was made of down and she felt as if she was sleeping on a cloud.
“That’s it,” she announced to the empty apartment. She tucked the items into her suitcases and rolled them to the front door. She had to run by the penthouse and pack before going to the airport.
The private jet wasn’t necessary, but she wasn’t going to turn down the Kincaid-Rivers chauffeur.
Just as Lily opened the door, she froze. Her heart fell to her stomach.
“Hi, Lily.”
“Uncle Gino, what are you doing here?” He was the last person she wanted to see.
“Thought I’d pay my niece a visit. What’s this here?” He pointed at the bags.
“I don’t have time to catch up.” She steeled herself, tipping her chin forward. “I have a business trip.”
“A business trip? What kind?”
Her uncle blocked the door and hadn’t moved an inch.
“It’s for Kincaid-Rivers,” she snarled. “You should know what my obligations are for the next year.”
He cracked a nasty smile. “And how’s the gig panning out? Have you made my money back yet?”