by Christi Snow
“That...” Luke drawled slowly as he stood and came over to face Austin. Luke cupped his face. “Or it could have been the fact that you’re human and trusted someone who you thought loved you. That isn’t normally a bad thing. Everyone makes bad decisions sometimes when their emotions are involved.”
Austin laughed bitterly and pulled away as he drew a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, in that single year, I made enough mistakes to last a lifetime. My relationship cost me trust with the board, customers, and clients. I’m just now starting to fully recover from it. At thirty-nine, I’m finally getting to the point—sixteen years later—where people don’t automatically question my decisions because they come from me.” Another harsh chuckle erupted from his chest. “Do you know that for a few years there, James had made up a fake executive who could take credit for my ideas so that anyone would give them any consideration at all? That’s how bad it was.”
And why being here with these two like this was so risky. A weeklong ménage—no matter how much all of them wanted it...
Austin shook his head, afraid to even consider it. He was already so drawn to these two men. Spending a week with them like that would either cure him of his attraction or pull him so deep that he’d never regain use of his heart.
If the news got out that he’d done this, Austin would have to kiss his career goodbye. His reputation couldn’t take another blow like it had when he’d been young and stupid, and that was before he even considered what it would do to Hodges Media. He owed James and Emily better.
“Did anything happen to Rey?” Daniel asked.
“Last I heard, he has three kids with the girlfriend who’s now his wife and a job as an editor at the New York City Times. He also sold a book about that year, which Hodges Media buried within the industry by pulling some not so above board strings, so very few people bought it. But if you want a scintillating read, it’s called Power Mister. And it’s not the best title because very few people get the reference, but mister is a play on mistress and our very light Dom/sub relationship, which he talked about in great detail in the book. It’s really...riveting.”
Austin had to swallow against the bile that was trying to rise up his throat. God, the humiliation of having all that out there for the public to read still made him feel ill. Even after all this time.
“So, that’s it. My sad-sack story—to use Luke’s phrasing—of being in love. Overall, it’s not an experience I ever plan to repeat.”
Austin had been slowing trying to withdraw from Luke’s touch, not because he didn’t like it, but because he liked it too much. It made him crave even more.
But now Luke bore down on him. “When you called to hire me, I did a bit of investigative work into who you are and your day-to-day life. From what I could gather, you don’t have a personal life of any sort. Is that how you plan to live forever?” Luke pursed his lips and shook his head. “Because that isn’t very fulfilling.”
Austin straightened to his full height. “No. I have friends. I go out and do things. Hell, I met Daniel that way.” Maybe not the best idea to tell the man in love with Daniel about their night of hot sex, but Austin was feeling more than a little defensive.
He wasn’t pathetic.
Like he could read Austin’s mind, Luke’s expression softened. “I don’t think you’re pathetic. I think you’ve got to be lonely. Everyone needs a connection to others and from what little I’ve seen, I think the three of us have that kind of connection. I know you’ve got to be leery after that experience with Rey, but if there’s anyone in this world you can trust, it would be the two of us. You already mentioned it. Daniel knows what it’s like to live under the spotlight. He would never betray you to anyone and my job is all about security. I can promise you, I will never betray your trust. Let us love you here. If only for the week...”
Austin wanted to say yes with every part of him. He ached with the need to simply nod his head and let these two beautiful, generous men take care of him. But what if...
Luke shut down all of Austin’s spinning thoughts by dipping his head and kissing him. From the moment Luke’s lips touched Austin’s mouth, all logical thought fled his mind. Now, images of what the three of them could do together during six days and nights bombarded him.
He liked the idea.
And he liked the taste of Luke even better. It hardly seemed possible, but Luke tasted like morning coffee and cold snow, fresh and new, and so powerful in the way his tongue tangled with Austin’s. Austin groaned and wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist pulling him closer, needing friction against his growing erection.
Luke dropped his palm down to the front of Austin’s jeans. “I’m thinking that after your story, you might need a bit of stress relief. Hey, Daniel,” Luke called without taking his gaze away from Austin.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve kind of gotten the idea that you and Austin may have had a thing go on one night. Is that right?”
“Hmm-mmm,” Daniel agreed, his voice going lower.
Was he remembering the moments of that night like Austin was? The ones he relived repeatedly as he jacked off. Even now, just the thought of how Daniel had owned his ass that night had him going completely hard.
Luke noticed. His eyes glinted as he palmed Austin harder and examined his face. “You enjoyed your night with Daniel, right?”
“Yeah,” Austin’s voice broke. He cleared his throat. “So much.”
“So, tell me something. What made it so good for you?”
Austin started to rear back, but Luke grabbed him around his waist to stall him. “Hang on. Hear me out. I’m working on a theory about how the three of us will work together. If I know Daniel, I’m thinking he took charge of your encounter. He doesn’t let it show around me much because he knows I need something else, but I’ve always seen Daniel as a guy who likes a bit of control. But that’s where you fit him well, because I’m thinking you have enough control in your real life and enjoy getting to relax and let someone else make all the hard decisions. Am I close?”
“Yeah,” Austin said, beginning to wonder if this week would leave him at only being able to use that single word answer. All he wanted to do was say ‘yes’ to everything. So he attempted to push out more words. “He’s sexy as hell when he takes charge. I...” He had to swallow as his breaths began to pant out. “I liked it.”
Luke’s green eyes darkened, so they were the same shade as the needles on the fir trees outside. “I think I’d like to watch that, too.” Luke glanced over his shoulder at Daniel who still sat on the couch behind him.
Over Luke’s shoulder, Austin could see the noticeable bulge in the front of his jeans.
“What do you think, D?” Luke asked. “I’m thinking Austin needs a reward for telling us his story?”
Shock and arousal battled for dominance inside Austin’s head and body. His mind told him he should shut this down, but his cock had a totally different idea about that. It was fully on board for whatever Luke and Daniel were thinking.
Daniel stood, a predatory look in his eyes as he focused on Austin.
Austin shivered and his cock throbbed against the tight restraint of his zipper.
“No, sit back down, Daniel,” Luke instructed. “Austin will come to you.”
The commanding tone in Luke’s voice hit Austin straight in the balls. Fuck, between these two, he might orgasm before anyone touched his cock.
From the way Daniel’s eyes flared, that domineering voice of Luke’s was having the same effect on him. He sat down.
Austin waited for further instruction.
Luke reached down to his waist and unfastened Austin’s jeans. Luke dipped one hand into the fabric of his boxer briefs. With the other hand, he grabbed Austin’s lower back and tugged him closer. “You’re leaking.” Luke’s voice had lowered to a harsh whisper.
“Because you’re both too damn sexy,” Austin said, punctuating the words with a harsh grunt as the amazing reality of Luke stroking him.
His cock pulsed. A minute or less? Yeah, no problem with that. As soon as Daniel’s mouth touched him, he’d be going off like a rocket.
Premature ejaculation, anyone?
Austin took a deep breath and tried to regain some sort of control over his unruly body. He turned to the couch. His legs felt almost too weak to carry him forward with Daniel watching him, his eyes dark with desire and want. But somehow he managed it and sank into the chocolate brown leather beside Daniel.
“Nuh uh,” Luke chastised him. “Stand back up, lower your jeans and underwear to mid-thigh, then you may sit down.”
As Austin followed Luke’s instructions, Luke focused on Daniel who stroked his hard cock over top of his jeans.
Austin’s heartbeat ratcheted up as he glanced between the two incredibly sexy men.
Austin desperately wanted to drape himself over the back of the couch and let Daniel sink that nice cock deep into his ass, but Luke appeared to be running this show for the moment and had a very definite idea about what he wanted them doing. Austin had an idea that particular activity wasn’t on the agenda...yet.
When he sat back down, he hissed as the cool leather hit the bare, heated skin of his ass, but could be thankful that it provided a little of distraction from the arousing scent of Daniel so close beside him. He remembered that smoky scent in his dreams and fantasies and couldn’t believe that this was happening to him again. He never thought he’d get a chance to get this close to Daniel again.
“D,” Luke said to get Daniel’s attention. “Lay across the couch and put your head in Austin’s lap like you plan to take a nap.”
Daniel smirked. “If you think I could nap that close to an aroused man—this aroused, sexy man—,” he said as he softly stroked Austin’s cheek. “Then you think I have more control than I do.”
Luke laughed. “Noted.” He started to say something else, but then without any further lead up, Daniel lowered his head and engulfed Austin’s cock in one fell swoop.
Austin’s hips kicked up, an automatic instinct to thrust against all that warm, moist, tight heat.
“Ungh.” Austin had lost all ability to form real words or consonants. Instead, his whole body flushed with sensation anchored at his balls and the incredible sensation of Daniel deep throating him over and over again. Fuck! Already his balls had drawn up tight and hard, ready to explode.
It had only been a few seconds.
Then Daniel ran his tongue around the underside of the ridge of the swollen mushroom head at the same time he reached and grabbed Austin’s balls, rolling them gently with just enough pressure to drive him insane.
He wouldn’t last.
“You have fifteen seconds, Daniel,” Luke said, his voice stern.
A pulse of precum leaked, which Daniel promptly swallowed before taking Austin’s cock even deeper down his throat. The tight channel of Daniel’s mouth convulsed as he swallowed, tightening the grip his throat held Austin’s dick in.
He tried to squeeze Daniel’s shoulder in warning, but he was already too far-gone, too turned on, too close to go back.
His balls buzzed and boiled, contracting to the point of pain before they let loose.
His muscles tightened and then his cock jerked and pulsed, sending thick strands of cum straight down Daniel’s throat.
Daniel pulled off slightly just to give himself enough room to swallow the load that Austin shot into his throat, but he didn’t let a single drop leak out.
When his dick became too sensitive for any more friction, Austin reached down and pulled Daniel up so he sat in Austin’s lap.
He kissed Daniel, tasting himself on the man’s tongue, savoring the erotic moan vibrating in Daniel’s chest. Daniel had been jacking himself through his clothing, but Austin wanted to do it. He dipped his hand under the waistband of Daniel’s jeans. Daniel’s hips punched toward his hand. He’d just barely brushed the damp head of Daniel’s cock when Luke’s stern voice interrupted. “That’s enough.”
Austin and Daniel froze. They looked over at Luke who despite his own epic boner distorting the front of his pants shook his head at them. “That’s enough for now.”
Daniel whimpered.
“But—” Austin started to argue, but Luke cut him off.
“No one will die from blue balls, and I think some anticipation is a good thing. In the meantime, I think we all should get to know one another better. I think I saw some jigsaw puzzles on a shelf in the mudroom.”
Austin felt his mouth drop open. What kind of man chose to do puzzles over orgasms?
“Controlling bastard,” Daniel muttered under his breath.
Austin could only nod in agreement. Luckily, he’d had his orgasm, but from all appearances both Daniel and Luke remained painfully hard. That couldn’t be comfortable.
Chapter Thirteen
DANIEL
Daniel shifted his aching dick to a slightly more comfortable position in his sweatpants that chafed. After it had become clear that Luke wouldn’t let him get off, he’d changed from his jeans into looser sweats. Although they should be loose and comfortable, his balls ached, and he wanted desperately to wipe that knowing smirk off Luke’s face. “You seriously suck,” Daniel groused at him.
“Yep. Sure do,” Luke said with a wide grin. “When I’m in the right mood.”
Daniel groaned. Fuck. That visual hadn’t helped his not so little problem at all. The only thing making this better was knowing Luke was suffering, too.
When Luke thought no one was watching, he surreptitiously rearranged his balls. Daniel smirked.
They almost had the entire edge outline of the thousand-piece puzzle done while Luke had quizzed Austin on how and why exactly he’d set this all up. Daniel’s respect for the guy’s ability in the boardroom had skyrocketed. He was devious and thorough—example...they were all thoroughly stranded here, although Daniel wasn’t thinking that was such a bad thing anymore—and he had a brilliant mind that seemed to work about three steps ahead of where you’d think he’d be mentally. Daniel could tell that it impressed Luke, too.
Which was an interesting thing. Normally watching Luke fawn over or flirt with another guy would drive Daniel insane with jealousy. But that wasn’t happening as he watched these two verbally spar. No, instead of jealousy, he just got hotter and more aroused.
He could imagine what it would look like to watch Luke driving into Austin. He liked the idea.
And...fuck...this was not helping the painful state down below his waist at all. He needed to find something else to focus on. “Hey, Austin, do you have any cloud pieces in your pile?”
“Um,” Austin looked at the couple hundred pieces he’d sorted in front of him. “Yeah,” he picked up a handful of pieces, “here you go.”
But when Daniel reached up to take the pieces, Austin grabbed his hand and traced over the permanent calluses on his fingertips from years of playing guitar. “Tell me what’s going on with the music?”
All thoughts about sex flew out the window, replaced now with a deep sense of loss that happened every time he thought about his music. He glanced at Luke who concentrated on the puzzle although the corner of his lip quirked like he was trying to smile. Luke had worked closely enough with his whole family to know how devastating this was for him. What did he find humorous about this?
“Because I’m not sure you’re aware of it,” Austin said, “but you’ve been humming for the last thirty minutes.”
Wait. What? His gaze flew to Luke as shock reverberated through him. But as Daniel considered it, he realized something. Music swelled inside his head again. What the fuck? As he consi
dered the tune rolling through his head, he realized this wasn’t a song he knew. It was a whole new melody. Oh, holy shit. How had he missed that?
His music was back!
His heartbeat began to pound in his ears. He needed to do...
Both Austin and Luke watched him their smiles shining bright now.
He half rose from the table jostling it in his rush. “I need...” He glanced around frantically, his brain spinning with too much excitement to have any idea what he needed. He couldn’t lose the thread of music whispering in his mind. He was afraid to do anything that might cause it to disappear like a wisp of smoke.
How had he missed it being there in the first place?
He wiggled his fingers in the air trying to think. Both Austin and Luke rose with him. “What can we do to help?” Luke asked, ready to jump into action.
“My stuff. It’s in the bedroom.”
Austin took off to gather his instruments.
He needed some paper, something to write with, and his instruments. Oh, god. And he desperately needed the song not to disappear before he got something down on paper.
Because he was so frantic to move, his prosthesis got tangled with the leg of the chair. He would have landed on his face, but Luke caught him first.
Luke stilled him with a hand on each side of his face. “Relax. The music isn’t going anywhere. Don’t hurt yourself. You’ve had this gift your entire life. It just took a small hiatus while you needed to concentrate on healing, but it’s back now. We won’t let it disappear again.” Luke brushed his lips across Daniel’s, throwing a little tongue action into the mix that left Daniel breathless.
The music swelled in his mind, taking him across the bridge of the song and swept into an incredible crescendo. Daniel’s eyes went wide even as his grip tightened on Luke’s arm. He wanted to stay here and kiss Luke more, but he needed...
He whimpered, torn. Both the things he needed to breathe...his music and Luke. How was he supposed to choose?
