Crescendo

by Kaitlin Maitland

  Okay. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to right her sense of equilibrium. Did she even have an answer to that question? Did she care if Joshua went out with some woman, had a few drinks, and then let off a little steam in a willing pussy?

  She was there for just a few weeks. Until Niles"s legal situation was under control. Until she was sure Caleb was safe. Until she had a place to live. Then she could get the hell out of their apartment and their lives forever. It wasn"t like she was looking for a long-term situation or something.

  Her stomach growled again. “I need a fork.”

  He was strung tight as her violin strings. Every muscle in his arms was rigid beneath his tanned skin. “What?”

  She exhaled slowly, counting to five. “I need a fork. It smells good, and I"m starving.”

  A fork clattered to the counter beside her plate. Without looking at Joshua, she picked it up and began shoveling food into her mouth. Shovel, chew, swallow. At first it was a relief to have an excuse to avoid that idiotic question he"d just tossed her way. A second or two more and she noted how the tangy flavor of the cheese perfectly balanced the sautéed vegetables. Unable to help herself, she closed her eyes and savored the taste.

  “Shit, woman, when did you last eat?”

  She took a brief pause between bites. “This morning.”

  It was hard to decide, but it almost looked as if his face softened. “What did you eat?”

  “A sandwich from the vending machine at the school.” Holy crap, it was like a symphony of food soothing her stomach. Three-quarters of the plate was empty, and she slowed down as the gnawing ache in her belly eased. It was funny how things like eating regular meals could take a backseat to her student loans and credit card payments. The man probably thought she was a pig.

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  Who cares what Joshua thinks?

  Oh, the lies you could tell to yourself.

  He was staring. She could feel it. Hazarding a look from beneath her lashes, she picked at what was left on her plate and tried not to concentrate on how sexy he was.

  She"d giggled over a lot of abs in her life, but his were just drool worthy.

  Muscle and sinew blended beautifully, every ridge curving toward the center of his body. A thin trail of downy, gold hair began just below his navel before growing coarser and more golden where it reached the low-slung waistband of his trousers.

  Her fingertips itched to trace each contour, to roll over each muscle before she lowered her mouth to his belly and ran her tongue through the grooves that arrowed down from his hips to his groin.

  She was losing her mind.

  “I thought the two of you dated as a team.”

  Her quiet comment shattered the intensity of the moment, and Joshua felt his fingers loosen from the death grip they"d taken on the edge of the countertop. His balls ached, despite the load of cum he"d lost earlier.

  “Well?” Her frankness unsettled him.

  He willed his voice to a normal pitch. “That all depends.”

  “On what? Either it"s a lifestyle choice or it"s not. You can"t have it both ways.”

  She finally dropped her gaze and pretended interest in what was left of her food. “At least that"s how I understood it.”

  Until now, that’s how I understood it too. “In the past, we"ve always shared the same taste, but lately things have started to change.” Joshua hadn"t intended to jab at her. He had the oddest inclination to make it better, but there was too much space between them. Stepping out from behind the counter, he moved toward her.

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  She dropped the fork and swung the barstool away from him. “All right, then.

  I"m off to bed.”

  He didn"t want her to go. He wasn"t done with her. Not yet.

  He grabbed the stool with his hand and pulled her back around. Pushing his way between her parted knees, he lifted a long strand of hair away from her cheek.

  “Sometimes I understand so completely why you fascinate him.”

  She exhaled, her breath brushing his skin. The sensation was like a straight shot of lust. Her lips parted, and her tongue slicked across their surface. He brushed a thumb over their petal softness, longing to see them wrapped around Seth"s shaft while his best friend slid his cock into her throat.

  Cupping her face, he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. She tasted of his cooking and her own feminine freshness. He entered her mouth, his tongue mating with hers. He sampled her slowly, savoring the sensation of her yielding body as she melted into him. Each stroke, each thrust brought her closer and closer until she"d all but crawled up his chest.

  The sweater had to go. He hooked his thumbs into the hem and tugged it over her head in one motion. She whimpered, but he renewed his assault on her mouth before she could voice any protest. He didn"t want her words. He wanted her body.

  To have what Seth had craved so intensely.

  Bending her over one arm, he took a moment to drink in the sight of her pert, round breasts as they bobbed before him. Her nipples puckered in the cool air before hardening into points. Dipping his head, he took one between his teeth and gave it a light nip. She trembled in his arms, her head lolling backward.

  After pressing one last kiss to her nipple, he moved to the other breast. He traced the line where pale skin met the darker areola. Each swipe of his fingertip edged closer to the sensitive center. When she began to squirm, he leaned down and swept his tongue across the taut surface.

  “Please, Josh. I need more.”

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  He brushed the line of her jaw with his lips, pausing to place a kiss beneath her ear. She tilted her head to one side, and he nibbled her earlobe. “Tell me what you need.”

  His cock pressed painfully against his slacks until he thought they might strangle it. Reaching down, he adjusted his rock-hard length. His body shuddered at the contact, and he knew he was further along the road to losing control than he should have been. If he wasn"t careful, he would give in to the urge to take her hard on the nearest horizontal surface.

  “I need to touch you.”

  The words nearly undid him. Had she said them or had his lust fabricated them? Her hands found the button on his fly. She grappled with his zipper, tugging at the fabric until he was free.

  “You"re so perfect, Joshua.”

  Her soft hands stroked his cock from base to tip. He closed his eyes tight against the urge to come. Ejaculation would be the end of this sensual torture. Air turned to fire in his lungs, and the countertop bit deeply into his palms as he fought to stay upright.

  Bold strokes and light touches, she used a combination of both to bring him to the brink of explosion. The skin of his shaft grew hot and tight as she pumped him in a steady rhythm designed to drive him mad. Liquid beaded at the tip, her fingers tangling in the silky fluid, dragging it over the swollen head and down across the sensitive flange.

  He groaned, clenching his ass cheeks to stave off his climax. He"d never needed to come so badly, but he"d never wanted to last so desperately either.

  She flicked her tongue across the ridged surface of his abdomen, and his knees nearly buckled. “God, woman, you"re undoing me.”

  “Then come undone.”

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  Her strokes became more demanding, stretching his skin to a point just below pain. With her other hand, she cupped his balls, tugging them away from his body.

  His seed burned, fighting for release.

  Sweat beaded on his shoulders, rolling down his spine and pooling in the small of his back. His hips shifted, matching her rhythm. Tension strung his muscles into tight knots. He needed to come. It was agony.

  She released his sac and banded her hand around the base of his shaft without breaking rhythm. Looking up, she met his gaze. The longing in her eyes set him loose. He shuddered, his climax rushing through his veins.

  “Come to me.” />
  The command ripped a low moan from his chest, and his body convulsed.

  She pursed her lips around his cock at the last second, taking his semen in her mouth. He couldn"t tear his eyes away from the sight of her swallowing it down.

  When she"d sucked him dry, she licked away the remains with her tongue.

  I could fall in love with this woman.

  Doubt swirled into a maelstrom inside his head. He reached for her sweater and thrust it against her bare chest.

  Her languid smile melted into insecurity. “What"s wrong?”

  Fumbling, he managed to button and zip his pants. “This should"ve never happened.”

  “You didn"t like it?”

  Self-loathing joined the shame tormenting his psyche. Did she think she owed him somehow? Setting her straight on that was imperative. “You didn"t have to do this. Whatever arrangement you have with Seth has nothing to do with me.”

  He hadn"t meant to hurt her, but the pain was evident on her face as she struggled to fight back tears. “Until now I didn"t realize any of this arrangement included dinner and seduction.” She yanked the sweater over her head. “Thanks so much for setting me straight.”

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  She ran from the kitchen. Seconds later a door slammed, and he was alone.

  His body started to follow until his brain asserted itself. He felt bad for hurting her feelings, sure. In the end, it would be better this way.

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  Chapter Five

  “You know, you could"ve at least called me to let me know you"d found a place to live.” Jen dumped hazelnut-flavored creamer into her mug and stirred it vigorously. “But no, you just hope I"ll find your note so I won"t start thinking you"d been kidnapped and sold as someone"s sex slave.”

  Leslie hoped her nervous chuckle didn"t really sound as maniacal to Jen as it did to her. Sex slave? Sex slave implied the use of force. In this case, the fatal attraction was mutual. At least it was with Seth. Joshua seemed to hate the fact that he wanted her at all.

  “So, where"d you move?”

  Leslie picked at the rock-hard muffin she"d gotten from the vending machine.

  The staff"s windowless break room seemed more stifling than usual. Someone had painted the room a warm, sunny yellow in an attempt to liven things up, but it didn"t do much to chase away her blue mood.

  Jen poked her arm. “What"s up with you this morning, Leslie? We"re supposed to play the Harper/Foster wedding tomorrow night. At this rate, the wedding march is going to sound like a funeral dirge.”

  Leslie cleared her throat, trying to seem nonchalant. “I moved into Seth and Joshua"s extra bedroom.”

  “Okay.” Jen drummed her neatly trimmed nails against the coffee mug. “I thought you broke up with him because he was getting too serious. I"m no relationship expert, but I"m pretty sure moving in with someone you don"t want to be serious with is sending the wrong message.”

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  “It"s not like that.” No matter how she explained her new living arrangement, it would look fishy. Because it was.

  Jen pulled out the opposite chair and plopped down. “Explain.”

  “Niles needed a lawyer, and Seth is the best in the city.”

  “Just so you know, this is not sounding better.”

  “I asked him to take the case as a favor.” She left out the part about signing away a percentage of the Trio"s earnings. “During the conversation, he asked where I was living. When I told him I"d moved out to give Caleb my room, he offered to let me stay in their third bedroom.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Leslie forced herself to pick off a bit of muffin and shove it in her mouth.

  Compared to Joshua"s gourmet omelet, it tasted like cardboard.

  “So you"re not planning to have sex with him?”

  She froze. Was there any point in lying? Jen would know anyway. The woman was like a tabloid journalist. “We"re both grown-ups. What"s wrong with casual sex if it happens?”

  “Oh my God! Are you kidding me?” She rolled her eyes. “Casual sex? Don"t you remember what it was like last time? I swear it was like watching someone go through heroin withdrawals. That guy practically sweats your own personal brand of pheromone. I bet you"ve already slept with him.”

  Putting her head on her arms, Leslie hid her face. Of course she remembered waking naked in a twist of sheets with the desire to be thoroughly fucked. It was impossible to forget something she craved that much.

  The door swung open, banging against the wall with a thud. A ballet teacher burst into the lounge. Her practice slippers skidded on the linoleum as she reached for the television remote.

  “Sorry to be so rude.” She turned it on and flipped the channel. “I saw the preview for this show yesterday, and I was hoping to catch at least the last bit.”

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  The dance teacher watched intently as the Donna Show theme song wound down from commercial break and the talk show host strutted across the stage in her trademark pantsuit.

  The music and dance departments of the Boston School for the Arts didn"t hang out together. Leslie thought the woman"s name was Anna. She had a fairylike quality that projected the ethereal beauty Leslie had always found intimidating. If men claimed they liked women with curves, why did they always leave their wives for a fling like Anna who could bend herself into dozens of sex positions straight from the Kama Sutra?

  Jen crossed her arms and sighed. “This stupid show drives me nuts. The woman is such a sensationalist.”

  “I don"t normally watch.” Anna"s eyes were glued to the screen. “But I was dying to see this.”

  The applause wound down, and the camera zoomed in on Donna. “Today we"ve been discussing nontraditional relationship lifestyles.”

  Okay, they"d piqued her curiosity.

  Donna droned on. “So far we"ve explored the homosexual relationships as well as the Sugar Daddy and Cougar phenomena sweeping our culture. But what about long-term relationships between more than two people?” There was a wave of titillated laughter from the audience. “What about the threesomes we almost never talk about?”

  Leslie"s mouth went dry. The picture changed to show the inside of a lovely home. A cute brunette in her midthirties sat on an overstuffed couch flanked by two men. All were smiling pleasantly. It could"ve been fake. How hard would it be to hire people to do this just for ratings? But something in the dynamic between those three people said otherwise. The man on the left sat with his body angled toward the woman, one arm slung across the couch behind her. The second man held the woman"s hand lightly in his own, his fingers gently stroking her skin. They were so obviously comfortable together, it made Leslie ache.

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  “This is Gina. She and her two partners, Frank and Todd, have been living together for over seven years.” Donna"s voice-over led to a montage of family photos showing the threesome at home and vacationing together. Sometimes in twos and most often in threes, it was a snapshot of a life Leslie would have never believed possible.

  “Wow, only in America.” Jen"s voice was filled with awe.

  “I know, right.” Anna sighed. “I can"t find one guy who"s decent in bed and has a steady job, and she"s got two!”

  Leslie couldn"t speak. Her chest grew tight until she was having trouble drawing breath.

  “So, I"m sure the big question out there is how can you trust these two guys not to cheat, Gina?” Donna paused for effect. “How can you trust both Frank and Todd when most of us can"t keep one guy out of other beds?”

  The three of them shared a knowing smile. They seemed as if they"d not only faced the fear and doubt but put it well behind them. Leslie envied their strength.

  Finally Gina answered. “Actually, with three of us, there"s much less chance to be lonely. Most traditional cheating happens because one partner spends too much time alone while the other is work
ing or vice versa.”

  Frank seamlessly picked up the conversation. “I"m an investment banker.

  When I work late, I know that Gina"s not sitting home alone or going out and having other guys hit on her. I know she"s with Todd. And when Todd has to go out of town on business, he knows Gina is cared for like she should be.”

  “And I never have to worry about them going out with the guys and being tempted.” Gina placed a hand on each man"s knee. “They have other friends, but they hang together a lot too. That means they can take our relationship with them on their boys" night out.”

  Leslie wanted to believe that. She wanted to see the startling sense in the happy woman"s statement. It was her heart that wouldn"t listen to reason. If one 50

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  betrayal hurt, what would it feel like when two men did it at the same time? Love wouldn"t save her then. It would only make it hurt more.

  Donna wasn"t done stirring the pot. “And what about all the people who say your lifestyle is just wrong? What do you have to say to them?”

  Frank"s rakish grin set off a round of hoots and hollers from the audience.

  “They"re just jealous that the sex is triple amazing.”

  Gina laughed, a pretty blush staining her cheeks. “Let"s just say that I never lack for attention.”

  “And nature provided her with a body to satisfy both of us at once.” Frank leaned over and pressed a kiss to Gina"s lips.

  Cue the catcalls. Donna waved her hands for everyone to quiet down.

  “It isn"t for everyone,” Todd said quietly. “Communication is more important than ever. And our families took a long time to adjust. We"ve had a commitment ceremony, but we"ll never be able to get married in the traditional way.”