by Jane Jamison
“Don’t worry about it? I thought you said to keep it a secret.”
“Did he now?” Tucker narrowed his eyes at his friend then reached over and took her other hand. “Try to understand what I’m going to tell you. Having sex with Travis isn’t the problem. His breaking his word, on the other hand, is.”
Was she relieved? Maybe, but she was also confused. The two emotions played across her face.
“Here’s the way it is, Kate. We want you. All of you. I think Cort said he’d mentioned that to you. But we promised each other we’d keep our distance until we could all share you. As he often does, Travis had a difficult time keeping his part of the bargain.”
“You want me. No, I still don’t understand.”
He slid his fingers under her wrist to catch the rapid beat of her pulse. Take it easy, Tuck. You don’t want her to bolt.
“It’s this way. We’ve wanted you for a long time. I located you before you graduated. Once I did, we knew you were the one for us. We knew we had to let you graduate, but we waited for the right time to approach you.”
“So the job’s a fake one? You don’t really need a personal assistant?” She glanced from one man to the next.
Travis leaned closer to her. “Yeah, we do. But we need you as our lover, too.”
“Our lover? As in all three of you?” Her voice broke.
“I don’t know how best to explain this, but Forever is special. The people who live here have a tradition of two or more men mating with one woman. We prefer it that way.”
“Mating?”
Tucker could’ve kicked himself for his slip of the tongue. It was too early to tell her the whole truth. “Wife. Lover. Whatever you want to call yourself. And you’re the one for us.”
“How do you know?” She took her hand away and pushed her chair back. “Is it fate? Should I believe that when three men make up a job to lure me into their home?”
“It’s not that way. Don’t make us sound like perverts. If Travis hadn’t jumped the gun, we would’ve told you before anything happened.” Tucker shifted in his chair to face her.
“Is that why Travis said I couldn’t leave? Am I a prisoner here?” Her voice climbed higher as she stood and backed away from them.
Tucker rose but didn’t go to her. If he did, he might make things worse. “I don’t know what he said, but that’s true. At least part of it. But it’s not how you’re thinking. We can’t let you leave. If you did, it would destroy us. You see, you’re the only woman we’ll ever love.”
“Love? Is this love? Is lusting over me in my wet clothes called love? Is having sex on my bathroom floor called making love? Or is it just plain old fucking?”
Tucker plopped onto his seat. “Damn it, Travis. This is why you should’ve kept your side of our bargain.”
Travis’s chair fell to the floor as he bolted to his feet and confronted her. “Yeah, Kate. That’s what I call love. Sure, we think you’re hot, but we could get a hundred hot women if we wanted. But we don’t want them. We want you. Not just your body but your mind, your spirit, even your way of misconstruing the situation. We’ve dreamed about you, talked about you, ached for you. And, damn it, we’ve waited long enough.”
Cort grabbed Travis by the arm, holding him back as he started toward her. “Let’s calm down, okay? Kate, if you’re our true mate, you’ll know it in your heart. Forget how fucked up we’ve made this and search inside yourself for the answer. Until you do, we’ll keep our hands off you. And that includes Travis.”
Travis yanked his arm from Cort’s. Anger filled his face and stiffened his body. “Fuck this. I know you feel the same way as we do. I felt our connection upstairs. Don’t try and deny it. Let me know when you come to your senses.” He stormed out of the room, banging the door against the wall.
Kate pressed her back against the counter. Fear shone in her face and in the way she shifted on her feet, ready to bolt.
“Kate, we’ve gotten off to a bad start what with the cow and then the stupid prank we played with the hose. Although to be fair, we didn’t set that up. We just got lucky.” Tucker’s smile faded when she didn’t return his smile. “But it’s all true. You can go into Forever and take a look at the couples. Ask any woman you see. They’ll tell you how it is with us. They’ll also tell you how happy they are. But know this. Once you’ve taken us into your heart, you can’t get over us. Even if you left and never saw us again, it wouldn’t matter. We’re yours and you’re ours for the rest of our lives.”
Kate shook her head. “I’m too messed up. I can’t think right now. Just stay away from me.”
Tucker stepped toward Cort, giving her room to get by them if she wanted. She scooted toward the kitchen door then pushed it open and fled toward the stairs.
“Well, hell, that went well.”
“Ya think?” Tucker grabbed Travis’s chair and turned it upright. “Damn Travis. If he’d kept his hands off her, none of this would’ve happened.”
“You’re right. But you can hardly blame the guy, can you?”
The tone of Cort’s voice had him spinning to confront his friend. “Shit. Cort, what did you do?”
“Nothing like what Travis did, although I sure as hell wanted to. But I kept it clean enough.”
“Clean as in what exactly?” Was he the only one who hadn’t spent intimate time with her?
“It was only a kiss. Nothing more.”
“Only a kiss. That’s more than I’ve gotten.”
Cort skirted around the other side of the table. “Then I guess you’re the odd man out.”
Tucker lurched at him, but he was already halfway out of the room. “Damn it all to hell!”
Chapter Five
Kate’s stomach rumbled, but she wasn’t about to go back downstairs and risk running into one of the men. At least not until she’d sorted out her feelings. Instead, she folded down the white sheets of her bed then changed into her long gown. The faded cotton gown with more than one hole in it wasn’t anything she’d ever want to get caught dead wearing, but it was her favorite sleepwear. She eased into bed, the aches in her muscles from the day already starting to hurt.
They wanted her as their wife. Or mate. Or lover. However they referred to her, she couldn’t help but feel flattered.
She’d spent most of her life thinking she was cute, okay in the looks department but not the kind of girl who could attract more than one man at a time. Not like her ex-roommate, Candy. Candy never failed to juggle four or five boyfriends at one time and didn’t even bother hiding them from each other. If they didn’t like it, then that was too bad, according to Candy. At the time, Kate had thought Candy loose and even somewhat selfish, but now that she was faced with three men wanting her, she wasn’t so sure.
Why shouldn’t women have more than one man? Weren’t there religions and other communities where it was okay for a man to have more than one woman? As long as Travis, Cort, and Tucker were willing to pledge their love and faithfulness to her, why shouldn’t she take advantage of the situation?
She nibbled on a strand of hair, a habit she’d formed when studying for final exams. But this was no silly exam. This was her life.
She stared at the ceiling above her and tried to picture her life with three men. Would they rotate their nights with her? Or were they talking about sex with all of them at once? Her pussy tingled at the thought. Hadn’t one of them said as much? Wasn’t that why Tucker had gotten upset with Travis? Because Travis and she had gotten hot and heavy in the bathroom without the other two men?
She sat up and stared at the closed door to the bathroom. Since Travis had come into the bathroom through the other door, it meant their rooms shared a Jack-and-Jill layout. If he wanted, if she wanted, he could come into her room at any time. Even in the middle of the night while she was sleeping.
She swung her legs over the bed and hurried toward the bathroom. Opening the door, she peeked around the door first and made sure the room was empty. Tiptoeing in, she hurried to the
door on the other side that led to the next bedroom and flipped the lock closed.
She studied the lock. Was that what she really wanted to do? Did she want to run and never see them again? If she were honest with herself, she’d have to say no. In fact, even with everything that had happened since she’d arrived a few short hours earlier, she’d had more fun and excitement than she’d had in years. Still, after seeing Travis storm out of the kitchen, locking the door was a good idea. She checked to make sure it was secure then hurried back to her bed.
“I’m acting like a crazy woman.” She lay down on her back and stared at the ceiling again. Maybe she wasn’t acting rational, but her situation wasn’t a normal situation. She sighed, the stress of the day coupling with the weariness of her body. Her eyelids grew heavy although she tried her best to stay awake.
You have to figure this out before tomorrow morning. Before five in the morning. Before you’re supposed to make breakfast.
Her mind drifted, catching images of each man as they’d looked riding horses, wrangling cows, and fixing the fence. A vision of the men, their lust-filled gazes on her wet T-shirt, made her body grow warm. She drifted to sleep with a smile on her face.
She opened her eyes to find Travis on his knees beside her, leaning over her. Her gaze drifted from his face to his bare chest and lower until the sight of his erect cock stole her breath away. He pumped his cock, priming himself for her.
“Kate.”
Hating to leave the sight of Travis’s firm cock, she turned her head and found Tucker on his knees on the other side of her. He was naked, too, and his cock stood tall and straight, almost up to his belly. She moaned, only then realizing that she was naked and Cort lay between her legs.
She reached for Travis but missed, and her hand splashed in the water that ran beneath her. They were on a huge rock with the warm sun overhead. The soothing sound of a waterfall came to her, and she knew if she lifted her head she’d see the blue pool of water that lay at the bottom of a cliff. Green trees and grass surrounded the rock while birds sang their songs.
“Where am I?”
Travis shook his head and touched her cheek. “You’re with us. That’s all that matters.”
“We want you, Kate. We won’t be denied any longer.” Tucker palmed her breast as he fondled his balls. “I want you.”
Cort’s brown eyes twinkled at her over the top of her mons. “We’re going to take you and make you ours. One way or another.”
She reached out as Tucker moved closer and wrapped her hand around his cock. “Then take me. Make me cry your names…if you can.”
“I think I hear a challenge, guys.” Travis cupped her breast and brought his mouth to her nipple. His blue eyes glinted with the secrets of pleasures to come.
“Then let’s take her.”
Kate flipped over, throwing her body off the rock and onto the ground below. She laughed at their surprised shouts and took off running. Her heart pounded against her chest, setting up a staccato beat that threatened to speed up and fly out of her chest. She made it to a large tree with its branches hanging over the clear blue water then turned back to see the three men chasing after her.
“Come here, Kate. If you don’t come and play nicely, I’ll tan your butt so hard you won’t sit down for a week.”
“Promises, promises.” She wiggled her butt at Travis then scooted closer to the tree. Could she make it before they caught her?
“Get her before she shimmies up the tree.”
“Too late, Cort.” She took hold of the tree and pulled herself up. She’d climbed trees as a child, but climbing this one seemed effortless, almost as though she could fly to one of its higher limbs.
“Don’t run away, Kate. We need you.”
Her pussy clenched with yearning at Tucker’s voice. Did she really want to run away? Or was she still teasing them? She scrambled onto a higher branch. Excitement rushed through her, making her nipples harder. She was alive, free, and filled with need.
The men stood at the bottom of the tree and watched her. “I can see your pretty pussy from down here. You’re wet and wanting a cock. My cock.” Travis grinned at her. “Climb down like a good girl and I’ll give it to you.”
She shook her head, the bark on the tree digging into her flesh. “No way.”
“Kate, I’m warning you. Do as we say, or you’ll pay the consequences.” Tucker jumped, reached for her foot, and missed.
“What kind of consequence?” She had no intention of doing what they wanted, but she couldn’t ignore the tickle of fear snaking its way up her spine.
“Disobey us and find out.” Cort circled the tree. “We have rules you have to follow. The first rule is this. When we tell you we want you, you lie down and spread ’em.”
“Your bottom will be pinker than your pussy once we’re through with you,” warned Travis.
Cort started up the tree in much the same way she’d climbed. He was inching onto the branch and getting closer and closer when a cracking noise sounded behind him. His eyes grew as wide as hers.
“Baby, we’re both going to bust up an arm when this branch breaks. Now obey us and get your butt back on the ground where it belongs.”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “Uh-uh. If you want me, you have to take me.”
“If that’s the way it’s got to be.” Cort lurched at her, and she had no option but to jump.
She threw her body off the limb and toward the pond. A second before her head met the water, she screamed as Cort grabbed her ankle. They hit the water one after the other, and he couldn’t hold on to her.
Another scream threatened to break through her lips, but she was already running out of breath. She swam upward toward the sunlight, her lungs burning for air. Breaking through the surface, she tossed her hair out of the way to see Travis and Tucker swimming toward her. She laughed then whirled around and started swimming as fast as she could toward the waterfall. She could hear the splashes of the men behind her, growing closer as they narrowed the gap between them. The stitch in her side dug into her, but she pushed on, bursting through the waterfall to the cave hidden behind it.
She yelped as she scrambled onto the ground and kicked out, but it was useless. Cort wouldn’t let her slip away again. She fell face down and cried her fury as he flipped her onto her back on the cool, mossy ground.
Cort landed on top of her and shoved her hands above her head. Holding her wrists with one hand, he smiled down at her. “Got you now, baby.”
Her pussy ached and clenched with need. She’d always wanted a man who could dominate her as much as he could love her. She gazed past Cort to see Travis and Tucker pull themselves out of the water. Their muscled forms glistened with drops of water that clung to their skin. Three men to control her, to tame her, to cherish her were more than she could have dreamed for. She stopped struggling and felt her pussy’s juices leaking out of her. Unable to hold it back, she let out a whimper of arousal.
“Grab those reeds and we’ll use them for restraints. We can’t have her running away from us again.” Travis motioned to Tucker, who yanked the reeds from the edge of the pond and sauntered over to them.
Her gaze settled first on their faces. She saw a primal yearning in them that matched her own. Dropping her gaze, she drank in their hard, erect cocks and ached to slide her tongue over each one. She licked her lips.
Tucker handed the reeds to Cort, who twisted them around her wrists. She bucked, half in play, half fearful of the consequence to come.
“Easy, baby. They don’t hurt. Not if you stop fighting them.” Cort cupped her cheek. “We’d never hurt you. You mean too much to us.”
“Then turn me loose.”
Cort shook his head. “Nope. We’re going to give you what you’ve always wanted. Men. Real men who will take what they want and give you everything you need.” He leaned over her, keeping his full weight off her and chuckling against her ear. “Do you know what you need?” he whispered.
Her eyes m
et his, and she saw that he knew exactly what she needed. She shivered and tried bucking to get away but knew it wasn’t what she really wanted. Even if she were free to run away, she wouldn’t do it. Her pussy wept for their touch, and she kicked out, hoping one of them would grab her legs and spread them wide.
“First things first.” Tucker knelt beside her and slid a hand under her back. He pushed her onto her side then fondled her butt cheek. “You deserve a good spanking.”
She twisted her neck around to watch him as he raised his hand and brought it down hard against her left buttock. She cried out, not so much in pain but in the pleasure the sting brought.
Cort slid his hand over the spot where Tucker had spanked her. “I can see your handprint on her ass.” He searched her face. “Do you want another one, baby? Did you like it when he spanked you?”
She shook her head, but they never took their eyes away from her as Travis knelt on her other side. She wanted to keep denying it but couldn’t. She stopped shaking her head and nodded.
“I thought as much.” Tucker slapped her again, a little harder than before.
“Ow.” She moaned.
“Sure, it hurts. It’s supposed to. But you know you love it. I can see it in your eyes. I bet your pussy is dripping already.”
“Are you, baby? Are you dripping like Tucker says you are?” Cort pushed her legs apart and ran his palms along the insides of her thighs and up to her pussy. Keeping his gaze on her, he cupped his hand over her and slipped a finger into her pussy.
She jerked, her pussy creaming at his touch. She moaned again when he put his finger into his mouth and sucked off her juices.
“Hurry up. I can’t take much more of this.” Travis fondled her breast and pinched her nipple.
Another slap from Tucker shocked her, and she arched away from him and straight toward Travis’s cock. “Let me suck on you. I’ll be good from now on.”
“Do we trust her, men?” Travis chuckled and grasped her other breast.
“I don’t. Not yet.” Cort skimmed a hand along her leg. “I don’t think she’s ready to follow the rules yet.”