by Marla Monroe
“I take it by your smile that you like it.” Justin’s chuckle irritated her.
She frowned at him but quickly turned her attention back to the house. There was a detached garage with a covered walkway to the house itself. As soon as Paul had parked and Justin had helped her down, she strolled through the walkway, admiring the lovely beds of brightly colored flowers and shady landscape.
The walkway led to a door set below the wraparound porch, making her curious about what she would find behind the pale blue door. To her astonishment, Paul unlocked the door and ushered her inside into a large room that was obviously a cellar. A set of stairs led upward toward yet another closed door. This time, Justin stepped up to lead the way. He unlocked the door at the top and Lana found herself inside a brightly lit kitchen complete with a separate washroom and pantry.
The appliances were all stainless steel and looked to be fairly new. It was a large eat-in kitchen with plenty of counter and cabinet space. She could easily see a family living there, eating around the large oak table off to the side.
“It’s such a lovely room, all bright and shiny.”
“Thanks. We like it. Paul cooks when we’re not too busy.”
She flashed an astonished glance at the other man. He frowned at her, but she noticed a slight twitch to his mouth as if he couldn’t quite stop a smile from forming.
“Well, if I waited on Justin to cook, we’d starve.”
She hid her grin at that. Next they led her into an open living area that screamed uber geek with its massive flat-screen TV and amazing sound system built in around it. She could easily imagine that there were several hundred CDs and DVDs lining the many shelves covering that wall. Massive, comfortable lounge chairs sat in front of the TV as well as a couch off to one side and a club chair on the other. She couldn’t imagine how they could get any work done with something like this in their house. She would die a happy couch potato with something like that at her disposal.
Just when she thought they were through with the downstairs, Paul surprised her with another section situated off of the living area. It looked like it had once been either the master bedroom or a guest suite.
“This is the office area. It’s a mess because we don’t have time to deal with it.”
He was right about that. The desk sat at one end of the large room with bookshelves and file cabinets lining the surrounding walls. The desk itself was probably a pretty dark oak from what she could see of it, but with all the papers, files, and graph paper, it was difficult to tell for sure. There were file drawers half closed with papers and files sticking out them as well. Even the bookshelves had piles of books and papers in no apparent order.
“There’s a bathroom through there.” Paul indicated a door to the left.
Lana walked over to the set of French doors at the back of the room and noticed that they opened up to a private deck complete with lounge chairs and a small table. It would be a perfect place to take lunch when the weather cooperated. She looked back over at the desk and winced.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t like the office part.”
Justin chuckled from the doorway. “Nope. It’ll be a challenge for anyone to straighten out our mess. I think that’s why we haven’t been able to get anyone to work for us.”
“I don’t know anything about landscaping or gardening.”
“What little you would have to understand, we can teach you. I suspect you would pick it up faster than you think.” Paul walked closer to where she stood just behind the desk.
“Come on and I’ll show you the rest of the house.” Justin held out his hand.
Lana walked around the desk and let him usher her out of the room and up a staircase. He pointed out his room and Paul’s room. They shared a bathroom between them. Then he showed her the master suite complete with a massive walk-in shower and Jacuzzi. The two walk-in closets had built-in shoe shelves and had plenty of light.
She admired the warm golds of the comforter on the bed and the curtains on the windows. The hardwood floors complemented the lovely oak dresser and dual chests. It was a shame the room wasn’t being used. It surprised her that neither of the men had chosen to use it. She almost asked Justin why but decided it was none of her business.
Next, he showed her an empty bedroom that had yet to be painted or set up. It was a little smaller than the other two single rooms, but still a nice size. It also had its own bathroom.
“We’ll get to it one day. Right now, we’ve got all we can handle as it is.” She had noticed a sparkle in his eyes when he had showed it to her.
She couldn’t help but wonder why he looked so mischievous in that moment. It was almost as if he knew something she didn’t, and perhaps he did. She just shook her head and followed him back down the stairs to the living area where Paul had turned on some music.
“What did you think of the rest of the house?” Paul asked as she walked back into the room.
“Impressive. Everything is so nicely decorated. Well, except for the last room. Justin said you hadn’t gotten to it yet.”
Paul and Justin exchanged glances, but Justin didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he walked her over to the couch.
“Have a seat. Would you like something to drink? We’ve got beer, red wine, tea, and water.
“Tea sounds good. Thanks.”
He disappeared back into the kitchen. Justin sat down on one side of her and stretched out with one arm along the back of the couch.
“Do you think you would be interested in the job? We could sure use you.”
Paul walked back in with a glass of tea and two beers. Justin reached around her and took one of the beers. She accepted the glass and took a sip before setting the glass on a coaster on the coffee table. She watched Paul sit down next to her and turn up his beer before balancing it on his knee.
“Lana?” Justin prompted.
“It does look like you need some help. It would take several weeks to organize everything, I’m sure. Then what would I be doing after that to keep busy?”
“Between answering the phone and handling the accounts, there would be ordering supplies we need and setting up marketing strategies. We have several accounts where we do all the maintenance of their yards and grounds, but we also do development of new landscapes and ground work. We install irrigation systems and put up fences when needed.” Paul looked over at Justin.
“Wow, how do you handle all of that between just the two of you?”
Justin grinned. “We have a small crew of full-time workers and usually hire several part-time workers each summer, which is our busiest time.”
“I guess I hadn’t realized that you had that large of an operation. Just keeping it all straight has to be a big undertaking.”
“Which is why we need you.” Justin’s fingers began tugging lightly on her hair.
Lana hadn’t realized that she’d leaned against the back of the couch at some point. She couldn’t help the small shiver that traveled down her spine from Justin’s teasing fingers. She hoped he didn’t notice how he was affecting her. She knew accepting the job wouldn’t be such a good idea. How had she gotten this far without telling them no as she had planned the night before?
God, I’m really thinking about it. Not a good idea, Lana.
“So, do you think you want to take it on?” Paul was leaning forward, holding his beer bottle between his knees.
“It really sounds interesting, and I would enjoy the challenge. Working at the school isn’t much of a challenge at all.” She nibbled on her lower lip.
Justin’s fingers were drawing circles on her shoulder now. The sensation was distracting to say the least. How was she supposed to really think things through while he was touching her? How could she not consider accepting the position? The salary would more than pay her bills, including her student loans and the residual hospital bills. With that kind of money she would eventually be able to move out of the rat trap of an apartment into something nicer
and safer.
“What would the hours be?” she finally asked.
“Essentially, that would depend on you. We would definitely want you there by eight each morning. You’d work Monday through Friday. Even though we work a lot of weekends, you wouldn’t be required to. Unless something drastic happens, you wouldn’t need to travel to any of the job sites, either.” Justin continued to add that she would have free reign of the house while she was there, too.
“If you wanted to cook your lunch or just warm something up in the microwave, you’re more than welcome to use the kitchen.” Paul’s skin seemed to radiate warmth where his thigh touched hers on the couch.
Lana was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. All she could think about now was how good they smelled and how much she wanted to feel their lips on her again.
“Lana?” Paul’s voice jerked her head toward him.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
He chuckled. “I asked if you would have to give much notice at the school before you could start.”
“Oh, I’d have to give two weeks’ notice for sure.”
“So that means if you give your notice tomorrow, you could start by the first of July, then.”
“Um, yeah, I guess.” She was totally confused now. Had she said yes?
“Great! We’ll plan for you to start that Monday. You should be able to go ahead and quit The Burger Hop right away.” Justin’s excitement showed in his voice.
“I’ll have to finish out this schedule. It ends on Sunday.”
She could see that Paul didn’t like that, but there was nothing he could do about it. She wasn’t going to quit like that. She owed Rick for taking a chance on her when she needed a job. Plus, she needed that paycheck to cover the rest of her rent for the next month.
Another thought hit her. With her working for the two men, she would have to stop seeing them outside of work. That realization hurt. She really liked them, especially their kisses. It had been the first time she’d really responded to anyone before. Was the job worth losing that? She sighed. Since she knew they wouldn’t have remained interested in her for long anyway, the job was much more important. She could do without sex, but she couldn’t do without eating or a roof over her head. Somehow, that thought didn’t give her much comfort. Instead, she felt her heart sink, and it took her smile with it.
Chapter Seven
Paul noticed how her face changed from smiling and excited to sad and resigned. What had happened? What was going on in that head of hers? He wasn’t going to allow her to have second thoughts.
“Now you will have to look at taking up a hobby with all the free time you’ll have on your hands by working for us.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” Her lips curled up into a small smile once again.
“What do you like to do when you’re not working?” Justin spoke up, flashing a questioning look at Paul.
“I like to read. I used to cross-stitch, but I haven’t done that in a long time. I really don’t have any hobbies. I spent four years studying and working while I was in school, and then I was taking care of Mom, so I don’t know what I might like to do.”
Paul could think of some things he would like her to do, but they might have to work up to that. Right now, he wanted to kiss her. No, make that needed to kiss her. He was dying to taste her again. Before she could react, Paul pulled her back into his arms as he leaned against the couch and slid his mouth over hers. She immediately opened to him, allowing him access to her sweet mouth. He explored the cavern’s every nook and cranny as his tongue tangled with hers. Her soft moans drove him to conquer her every secret.
He felt Justin pulling her toward him. Reluctantly, he let her go. She whimpered until Justin captured her lips with his. Then she sank into his brother much as she had relaxed into his embrace. She was perfect for them, responsive and beautiful as well as smart. He would do everything in his power to assure that she became theirs. Even if that meant stepping back some to allow Justin to woo her for them.
Paul knew that he tended to be gruff and short when dealing with people. It was just his personality. Justin had gotten all the smooth moves and social abilities between them. He didn’t waste time moaning over it or being jealous. It was just how they were each wired. Instead, he focused on what he was good at and did it well.
His cock grew even harder, if that were possible, just watching how she responded to his brother. Her arms were wrapped around his neck with the fingers of one hand deep in Justin’s hair. She was pressing her gorgeous breasts into his chest and making the most arousing little noises as Justin devoured her mouth.
She whimpered as he pulled away, arms still tight around his neck. Then she seemed to come to herself and abruptly let go, attempting to slide off of Justin’s lap.
“Easy, Lana. Everything is okay.”
“No, it’s not. I can’t kiss you if I’m going to be working for you. It’s not right.”
Paul felt a smile ease over his mouth at the panicked note in her voice. Seducing her into their bed was going to be a challenge. There was no doubt of that, but getting her away from that fast-food joint was much more important at the moment. Still, he didn’t plan on giving up their pursuit of her. They would just have to be a little more subtle at first.
Seeing Justin’s lust-filled eyes, Paul sighed. Maybe that wasn’t going to be feasible, though. Neither one of them wanted to wait indefinitely to claim her.
“It’s our business, babe. We can make any rule we want to, and not kissing the bosses is definitely not a rule. In fact, we may have to make it a rule that you must kiss the bosses when they demand it.” Paul actually grinned at the shocked expression on Lana’s face.
“What’s going on? Do you or don’t you need someone to run the office?”
* * * *
Lana jumped to her feet and faced the couch. She narrowed her eyes at the two men in an attempt to regain control of her emotions once again. They were up to something. She could feel it. Not to mention Paul’s last statement about making it a rule that she would have to kiss them if they wanted her to. She took a step back and would have fallen backward over the coffee table she had forgotten about if they hadn’t lunged for her and kept her upright.
Once again she had their hands on her, touching her. Her head was spinning with a deluge of feelings and emotions. She didn’t know how to process them all at one time. Her body reacted to them as if they had been lovers for years. How was she supposed to fight that?
“Careful, sweetheart. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Justin held her wrist in one hand while the other hand rested lightly on her abdomen.
Paul held her other arm with both hands. While his grip was strong, it wasn’t tight and didn’t run the risk of bruising her. Neither man had done anything to harm her since she’d known them. When she lifted her gaze from where their hands were, they both looked at her with smoldering gazes before slowly releasing her arms.
“Sweetheart, we’re not going to hide the fact that we’re interested in you on a more intimate level. You’re beautiful, and there’s just something about you that calls to us. It’s like you’re a magnet and we can’t resist your allure.”
Lana shook her head back and forth and folded her arms across her belly. “It won’t work. We’re nothing alike. I come from poor white trash and you’re obviously leaders here in Riverbend. What do you want from me? To be your mistress? Well, I won’t be your plaything, waiting around for when you’ve got an itch that needs scratching. I want more from life than to be your office manager with benefits.”
“Shh, Lana. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Paul’s attempt to calm her down only riled her up worse.
She quickly slipped around the coffee table and walked toward the kitchen and the back door. She knew it would be a long walk home, but she wasn’t going to stick around for them to try and change her mind, because she knew that it wouldn’t take much for them to convince her to do almost anything the
y wanted. Where they were concerned, she was just that weak.
Although Paul was closer to her, Justin reached her first. He grabbed her by the upper arms and jerked her back against his front, leaving no doubt that he was hard as steel and well endowed. It caused her to shiver.
“Hold on just a minute. I think you’re jumping to conclusions without all the facts.” He swung her around to face him, backing her up against the kitchen door.
“Fact one, we like you—a lot. Fact two, we want to get to know you better. Fact three, you enjoy our company.”
When she started to tell them it wasn’t true, Justin hurried on.
“Don’t try and say that’s not true, because your nipples stay poked out and you’re always wet when we’re around.”
“I can’t help that my body responds to yours. It doesn’t mean anything. You’re good-looking guys. Of course I’m going to react, just like you get a hard-on around pretty women. It’s just a fact of life.”
“Wrong. We don’t get erections around just any pretty girl. She has to be special, and you’re special, Lana.” Paul’s voice had gotten deep again.
“Are you telling me that you get all hot and bothered around any good-looking man? Are you saying that your pussy gets wet around Rick?” Justin demanded.
“No!”
“Then don’t try and deny that we’ve got something special going on between us.”
“There are two of you! I can’t have a relationship with both of you.”
Justin grinned. “So that’s the problem. You’re scared of caring about two men at one time. Are you afraid of what will happen when we make love to you together?”
“I–I haven’t really thought about it.”
“Now you’re lying to us. I can see it in your eyes.” Paul moved closer to where Justin had her pinned to the door.
“Please.” It came out in a whimper.
“Please, what, Lana?” he asked.