by Marla Monroe
“I’ll do my calling up in my bedroom since Lacy will be downstairs working on lunch.”
“You can call in to the office. It won’t bother me, and you’ll have your desk to make notes and crap. Gonna be kind of hard if you’re in your bedroom,” Jet pointed out.
“If you’re sure it won’t distract you, I would rather do it in the office,” he said.
“No reason to make Lacy feel like she’s in the way.”
Tanner hid a grin. Yeah, Jet was attracted to her and didn’t want to make her feel bad. He could work with that.
“That works. Like you said. No need in making her feel like she’s in the way or anything. She won’t even have to know that I usually use the kitchen for my intakes most of the time.”
Jet just shrugged and walked toward the stairs. “I’m turning in. See you in the morning.”
Tanner waited until Tanner had closed his bedroom door before he walked around and locked all the doors. He climbed the stairs to his room and closed the door after him. It had been a long, productive day. Just like the last two had been. Having Lacy there to take care of everything had made all the difference in the world for them. He felt free to concentrate on work without the overhanging worry of what to eat for lunch and dinner or when he’d have time to wash a load of clothes, so he had something to wear.
After showering off, he climbed into bed with thoughts of Lacy dancing around in his head. His dick hardened, and he groaned. How was he supposed to get any sleep if every time he thought about her, he got hard? Tanner sighed and willed himself to sleep. Still, it was a long time coming and only after he’d taken matters into his own hands.
Chapter Seven
“I’m so glad you drove over today,” Lacy told Gail. “I’ve missed you, and it’s only been a week.”
“So, tell me all about these hunky men you’re working for,” Gail said.
“You’re not going to believe it, but they’re into sharing.”
“Sharing? Like swingers?” Gail asked with a frown.
“No. As in a ménage. They want to share a woman between them. Is that not wild?”
“Like in those books we read? That kind of ménage?”
“Yep.”
“Holy crap. That’s unbelievable. Who would have thought you’d land a job with two men like that?” Gail fanned herself. “I’m getting hot just thinking about it.”
“Calm down, girlfriend. You’re with Mike,” Lacy reminded her with a broad smile.
“Yeah, but I’m not dead, as guys say. I can daydream.”
Lacy giggled. “No kidding. I’ve dreamed about them every night this past week. Makes it really difficult to go to work and keep a straight face. Just being around them has my hormones all in an uproar.”
“I can imagine. How have you not thrown yourself at them?” Gail asked.
“They’re my employers. I can’t do that. I’ll lose the best job I’ve ever had. I love working for them.”
“Wouldn’t living with them be even better?” Gail teased.
“Well…” Lacy trailed off.
“See. You have been thinking about it.”
“Only in my daydreams. Like you said. I’m not dead.”
Gail chuckled. “Let’s go check out Cozy. I’m interested in this general store you talked about.”
Lacy dragged Gail all around town. They hit the general store, the dress shop, and the drug store for malts. Then they had dinner at the diner.
“This has been so much fun. Even for a small town, it has a lot to offer,” Gail said.
“It does. Want to hit the bar before we call it a night. I haven’t been yet, but everyone says they have a band on weekends.”
“Yeah. That sounds like the perfect way to cap off the day,” Gail said.
They drove over to the bar and waded in among the crowd. There were more people than she would have imagined living in the area, but not so many that they weren’t able to find a table. A waitress walked over with a broad smile and asked what they wanted to drink. They both ordered a beer and talked about the different people they saw, amusing themselves with imagining what they did for a living.
About thirty minutes after the band started, Lacy found herself drawn to the door just in time to see her bosses walk through. It shouldn’t have surprised her that they’d be out tonight. The bar was one of two in the small town, and she’d heard The Cougar’s Breath was rowdy where this one was a little tamer.
“You’re not going to believe this, Gail, but my bosses just walked through the door.”
“Where? Point them out to me,” her friend said, frantically turning her head to see.
“See those two men leaning against the bar, wearing T-shirts and jeans?”
“Damn, woman. How have you not jumped those guys already?” Gail asked, fanning herself.
“Well, I keep reminding myself that I work for them. It helps,” Lacy said, smiling.
“I’m not sure that would have stopped me,” Gail said.
Lacy shook her head. “Good thing you’re not the one working for them since Mike would probably get annoyed if you were throwing yourself on another man, much less, two men.”
“You’re right.”
A tall, lean-looking man with sandy blond hair and a short mustache walked up to their table. He was dressed in a western shirt and worn jeans paired with cowboy boots that were obviously work boots.
“Hey, ladies. Mind if I join you?” He took a seat before either of them answered him.
“I’m Jason Dearborn,” he said, holding out his hand to Lacy.
She accepted his hand and smiled. “I’m Lacy. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jason.”
Gail shook his hand next and introduced herself.
“What are you lovely ladies doing all alone over here? You should be up dancing,” he said.
“We’re just enjoying the music,” Gail said.
“Well, how about a dance,” he asked Lacy.
“Oh, thank you but I really…”
“Come on. Don’t shoot me down so soon,” he said with a wide grin.
“Just one dance,” she said as he pulled her to her feet.
“Watch my beer?” she asked Gail.
“Have fun. I’ve got it.”
Lacy allowed the man to lead her to the dance floor, then pull her into his arms to slow dance around the floor. While he had her flush against him, he wasn’t crushing her and hadn’t tried to grab her ass yet.
“You’re new around here, aren’t you?” he asked.
“I’ve just moved here,” she admitted.
“Knew I hadn’t seen you before. It’s a small town, so everyone pretty much knows everyone else,” he said.
“So far, I really like it.”
“What do you do?”
“I cook and clean for some guys here,” she said.
He frowned. “Who do you work for?”
Lacy told him, and he shook his head. “You need to be careful around those guys. They’re part of a commune of some sort. Believe in sharing women. No telling what’s going on up on that mountain.”
“They’ve been nothing but gentlemen around me. I haven’t met anyone else on the mountain. I do my job and come back down.” She felt defensive of her employers.
“Well, watch out. They can’t be trusted not to try something,” he said.
“I’ll keep that in mind, but honestly, I don’t think I have anything to worry about.”
Once the dance was over, he led her back to the table and sat with them. It didn’t look as if he had any intention of leaving since he ordered a beer when they ordered another.
“Where are you from, Gail?” he asked.
“Billings. I came over to visit Lacy for the weekend,” she said.
“That’s good. Have you girls been around the town today? We’ve got a few stores to shop in,” he said.
“Yes, we spent the afternoon out about town,” Gail said.
They talked about the various stores and who ran them,
but Lacy’s attention wandered until she found herself looking at Tanner and Jet across the room talking. As if feeling her eyes on them, they both looked up and caught her watching them. Tanner smiled and nodded in her direction.
“Want to dance again?” Jason asked.
“No thanks,” Lacy said. “I’m just about ready to call it a night.”
“Surely not. It’s only ten, ladies.”
“I have to get up early and head back home,” Gail said, having her back.
“Well, ladies, it’s been great talking with you.” Jason stood and carried his beer over to another table where two other men were sitting.
“Thanks. I really didn’t want to dance with him again.”
“Handsy?” she asked.
“Not really. Just a little creepy. He was trying to tell me how I was working for some depraved men. He thinks the men living up on the mountain are in some sort of commune.” Lacy turned up her beer and finished it.
“People don’t like others who are different. I’m sure there’s nothing like that going on up on the mountain. Just because they want to share a woman doesn’t make them bad people,” Gail said. “Just be careful and don’t get your heart broken. It would be easy to fall for one or both of them since you’re working with them.”
“You’re right, but I’m bound and determined to keep to myself. I love the job and don’t want to lose it.”
“Ready to go?” Gail asked.
“Yeah. Don’t want another Jason to decide to stop over and sit down.”
They stood and walked toward the door. To her surprise, Tanner stopped them by standing and holding out his hand.
“Hi. I’m Tanner, and this is Jet. You must be the friend Lacy has talked about,” he said.
Gail held out her hand with a smile. “I’m Gail. She really enjoys working at your place.”
“Good, good. We’re in love with her cooking,” Tanner told her.
“She’s an excellent cook. I’ve really missed her meals. I’m having to survive on my meager skills,” Gail said.
“Nonsense. You’re a good cook, Gail. Besides, you spend most of your time with Mike,” Lacy pointed out.
“True. He loves to cook out. We eat a lot of hamburgers, steaks, and fish from the grill,” Gail said.
“He cooks more than that,” Lacy said, laughing.
“You ladies heading home?” Jet asked, standing, as well.
“Yes. Gail has to leave early in the morning,” Lacy said.
“It was great to meet you, Gail. Hope you’ll come back to Cozy soon. I know Lacy has missed you,” Tanner said.
“I will. She’s going to have to come back to Billings next time,” Gail said.
“Oh, no. We don’t want her to go back to Billings. She might decide to move back,” Tanner said.
Gail laughed. “Somehow I don’t think so. She loves her job too much,” Gail said.
“I’m glad. We love having her there.”
“Good night, Tanner, Jet,” Lacy said.
She and Gail returned to the car. The night air was quite chilly so Lacy was glad she’d brought along a sweater. It had been stuffy inside the bar, but now she slipped it on to ward off the night air.
“How are you going to handle it when it snows up here?” Gail asked as they drove back to Lacy’s apartment.
“I haven’t really thought much about it. I suppose I’ll get snow chains,” she said.
“Won’t it be dangerous driving up and down the mountain in the snow? I worry about you sliding off the mountain,” Gail said.
“I’m sure if it is that bad they won’t expect me to make the drive,” Lacy said.
“I suppose. They sure seemed like nice men. They obviously appreciate your cooking.”
Lacy pulled into her parking space in front of her little apartment. She smiled at their praise of her cooking.
“Yeah, they did. Do you think they’re some sort of weird men who are part of a cult?” she asked.
“No. I think they’re a couple of nice men, sexy hot men, who know what they want and aren’t too ashamed to admit it. Have you seen any evidence of a commune up there?” Gail asked.
“No, but I’ve only been working for them a week now.”
“If you see something you aren’t comfortable with you can always quit then. I for one would give them the benefit of the doubt,” Gail said.
“Thanks. That’s how I feel but needed to hear it from you. I really like them, and they’ve been nothing but kind to me. I’d hate to quit just because of some crazy rumor, and I think that’s all it is.”
“If it’s not, I want to hear all about it,” Gail said with a mischievous grin. “And if you decide to test the waters with those two, I want to hear about that, as well.”
* * * *
Lacy looked out the window at the swirling snowflakes as they floated down without much hurry. She’d just finished cooking chili for lunch and wondered how bad it would get before it was time for her to return home. She hoped it wouldn’t be bad. She didn’t have snow chains on yet.
“We could smell the chili all the way in the office. Smells delicious,” Tanner said.
“Thanks.” She turned from the window and smiled. “Help yourself. I figured I’d leave it in the pot, so it would stay warm.”
“Is that homemade bread?” Jet asked when he walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah. I made it up yesterday before I left. I thought it would be good for chili today,” she said.
“Can’t wait.” Jet grabbed a bowl and dished a helping of the chili into it.
“Are you worried about the snow?” Tanner asked.
“A little. I didn’t know it was supposed to snow today.”
“Just a flurry. Nothing that major. The real snow will be here this weekend,” Jet said.
“If it accumulates more than a couple of inches, one of us will follow you down the mountain,” Tanner said.
“Oh, there’s no need of that. I’ve driven in the snow enough that I can handle it,” she said.
“Good, but you can’t be too careful,” Tanner said.
“Thanks for the offer. I’ll be fine though.”
After lunch, Lacy cleaned up then tackled the guys’ bedrooms, dusting and vacuuming before she returned to the kitchen to finish up on the steak with gravy and biscuits she’d put together. Looking out the window once more, she was relieved to see that the snow had stopped and there really was only a dusting on the ground. She shivered, then finished setting the table. As for lunch, the guys didn’t need prompting to show up to eat.
“I’m beginning to look forward to meals more than anything,” Tanner said.
“That’s because they’re so good,” Jet said with a smile.
“Dig in, guys.” Lacy sat and waited for them to pass the platters around the table.
“Snow’s stopped. Looks like only a couple of inches at most,” Jet said.
“You were right. Think it will snow tomorrow?” she asked.
“No. I think Friday will be fine, but we’re supposed to get a good six to eight inches on Saturday and Sunday,” Tanner told her.
“I’ll get the chains put on then,” Lacy said.
“If it’s too bad, one of us will come get you. No need to take a chance on driving when we’ve got four-wheel drives,” Tanner said.
“That’s really nice of you, but I’m sure I can handle it. Like I said, I’ve been driving in the snow most of my life.”
“That might be true, but you haven’t driven on this mountain in the snow. Neither one of us is willing to risk your life, Lacy. I’ll call you Monday and let you know how the snow is up here. You might not get much down there, and we get several more inches up here,” Tanner said.
“Okay, but you guys really worry too much. I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“Well, you’ve got us to worry about you now. As long as you’re working for us, we’re going to be watching out for you. Get used to it,” Tanner said.
Lacy smiled.
It was pretty nice to know that someone was watching out for her. When she’d been living in Billings, it had been her and Gail looking out for each other. Then when Gail had hooked up with Mike, he’d watched out for both of them. She could get used to Tanner and Jet worrying about her welfare. Maybe she shouldn’t because anything could happen. She might find out that she really didn’t want to work for them at some point, but she couldn’t imagine that happening. They were amazing men.
I need to watch out. I’m getting too attached to them already. All I need to do is fall for them and then where will I be?
Chapter Eight
Jet watched as Lacy backed out of the drive and turned around to head down the mountain Friday evening. It had been snowing lightly all afternoon, but only a few inches had accumulated. She’d insisted that she’d be fine. Still, he had wanted to follow her to be sure. Instead, he was standing there at the window second-guessing himself while she headed down the mountain alone.
“You could still follow her if it will make you feel any better,” Tanner said.
“If she found out she’d be mad. I’m sure she’ll be fine. It’s barely three inches, and she’s driven in snow before,” he said.
“Then why are you standing there staring out the window as if you’re going to bolt?” Tanner asked.
“I’m just thinking about what it will be like for her on Monday, fuck you very much.”
“If we’ve gotten as much as they say we’ll get by Sunday, we can call her and tell her we’ll be picking her up and to pack enough clothes for a few days as she’ll spend the night up here, so no one has to go up and down the mountain in the snow.” Tanner crossed his arms and grinned.
Jet slowly smiled. Yeah, that would work out just fine. Now he prayed they would get as much snow as had been forecasted. It would keep her there with them for several days and nights.
“You look happy about that idea,” Tanner said. “Does that mean you’re beginning to like her a little more than before?”
“I always liked her. She’s a super cook and keeps the house spotless,” Jet said.
“But you weren’t interested in it becoming anything else. You were cautioning me to keep my distance. Now I think you’re warming up to the idea that she’s perfect for us,” Tanner said.