Quadruple Duty

by Krista Wolf

  “He said you and Dakota had done this before.”

  My pulse quickened. “Done what?”

  “Shared a girl together.”

  Nineteen

  SAMMARA

  My question hung out there for a moment, unanswered. Eventually Kyle nodded.

  “Yes, a while ago. We shared my ex girlfriend, Erika.”

  My stomach did a somersault. There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

  “Does that surprise you?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “I mean, yes. I mean… I guess?”

  My soldier stepped in and put his hands on my shoulders. I didn’t want him to think I was angry, or upset, or anything like that. I guess I was mostly… curious.

  “It shouldn’t,” said Kyle. “Surprise you, I mean. As a unit we’re tight. Especially in what we do. We go to sleep together, wake up together… when you’re around the same comrades twenty-four-seven, with so much — even your very lives — at stake? It bonds you in ways you wouldn’t believe.”

  His grey eyes remained locked on mine. I still couldn’t get over how sexy they were.

  “That makes sense I guess.”

  “Besides,” he went on, “soldiers have shared things all throughout the history of warfare. Weapons, boots, Playboy magazines… hell, I think Ryan and Briggs even shared the same pair of underwear for more than a week near Fallujah.”

  My smile widened and he laughed out loud.

  “Please don’t tell them I told you that.”

  He looked back at me shrewdly and I could see the gears turning. His mind, trying to put the right spin on things.

  “So sharing a girlfriend should be no different?” I asked. “It’s just the next logical step in sharing stuff?”

  Kyle scratched his head. “Think of it as a more progressive way of looking at things.”

  “Progressive, eh?”

  “Sure. Logical also.”

  I had to smirk. “And how do you figure that one?”

  “Well,” he said, “imagine a guy trying to satisfy four wives. Think that’s going to work out?”

  I searched the inside of my head for an answer. “Mentally and emotionally, maybe. Physically? No.”

  “And that’s my point. But a woman can satisfy four men a lot more easily. It’s basic biology,” he shrugged. “We need to recharge. You don’t.”

  “Oh I need to recharge,” I yawned sleepily. “But yeah. Not like you guys do.”

  My body was blissfully relaxed now, from what he’d just done to me. For a moment I imagined stripping him down and pushing him into my bed. Climbing up next to him to feel his warm skin against mine.

  But I knew what it would lead to…

  “So tell me about Erika,” I said boldly.

  Kyle flipped his hair back with one hand and raised an eyebrow. “You really wanna know?”

  “Sure,” I said. “She’s out of the picture, right?”

  “Way out.”

  “Then lay it out. It’ll give me a better idea of what to expect.”

  For the next several minutes I heard the story of Kyle’s ex girlfriend. How he’d shared her for the first time, on a whim and a dare. How they’d all loved it so much they began doing it on the regular: she, Kyle, and Dakota.

  It made me jealous, I’m not going to lie — like a tiny knife being twisted in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t mad though. If anything I was envious of Erika. She’d shared two of my new would-be boyfriends on the most intimate of levels, become lovers with them in ways I was still dreaming about.

  “And it worked?”

  “For a time,” he admitted. “The closeness was amazing. The idea that I could have the best of both worlds — the camaraderie of Dakota, the physical intimacy of a girlfriend… both at once, without sacrifice. Erika loved the double attention. We loved the concept of sharing the same woman. Of pleasing her socially and emotionally, as well as taking her sexually whenever we wanted to.”

  I could see Kyle’s eyes unfocus as he looked away in remembrance. The memories were good ones, I could tell. That twisted the knife even further, but I still wanted to hear more.

  “So what happened?”

  He snapped back to attention. “You mean to break us up?”

  “Yes.”

  He hesitated. Shrugged. “I guess we just drifted apart.”

  “Bullshit,” I said fiercely. “You’re holding back.”

  Kyle shifted uncomfortably, and I could sense an inner conflict. He was wondering whether he should hide something from me. Wondering whether he should tell me honestly, and risk scaring me away.

  “I want to hear it,” I said. “It won’t frighten me off, I promise. But I need to know.”

  It went on for a few moments longer, then I saw the struggle end. Kyle relaxed. He told me.

  “It just got weird for her,” he said. “I’d be deployed, and she’d essentially be dating Dakota. And when I came back? I expected things to be the same between us. But they weren’t.”

  He stopped, but my silence — and my expression — urged him to continue.

  “See, that’s the thing about being deployed,” said Kyle. “For you, ‘home’ is frozen in your mind. Everything remains the same. But for the people you leave behind? Life goes on. Things change. Feelings change.”

  I tried to imagine it, sharing the two of them. Being their girlfriend. Their lover. The one they kissed goodbye before leaving, and the one they came home to after a long time away.

  And the more I thought about it? The more I wanted it. Kyle was amazing, and Dakota seemed equally so. As men they were strong and deep and beautiful. Sweet and protective.

  And they were hot. Oh, so very, very fucking hot.

  “And there was never any jealousy?” I asked. “Between you and Dakota?”

  “No,” Kyle smiled. “That was the one thing we got straight. The two of us are like brothers, and it’s the same with Ryan and Briggs. Sharing within our little group is exciting, because we all like seeing each other happy. Jealousy is a non-factor.”

  He looked at me again, as if considering something. Then he shrugged.

  “Also, when it came to Erika, Dakota and I had an agreement,” he said. “Either one of us could take part in what the others were doing whenever we wanted. At any time. Any day. We were a trio, always. Even when…”

  “Even when you were in bed.”

  I felt an excited heat rising in my belly. The knot in my stomach grew tighter.

  “Especially when we were in bed,” said Kyle. “Erika loved that part most of all. Having each of us alone was fun, sure. But whenever she could? She preferred to have the two of us together.”

  Kyle studied my reaction before continuing.

  “And if it were up to Dakota and I? So did we.”

  I felt all flush again, thinking about the scenario. Wondering if it would be as good — or even better — than I was building it up to be in my mind.

  And there are four of them, Sammara.

  My heart started racing again.

  FOUR!

  I actually started sweating. Even though I was practically naked.

  Erika only had to deal with two.

  I took a deep breath and decided to lighten the mood. I elbowed Kyle in the ribs.

  “Basic biology huh?”

  He smiled back at me. “Polyandry was a lot more common once,” he said. “Hell, in Nepal and Tibet they’ve been practicing it for thousands of years.”

  “Polyandry?”

  “One woman, multiple husbands.”

  “Ah,” I laughed. “Husbands.”

  We glanced up at the same time and a look passed between us. I was pretty sure we were both thinking the same thing.

  “So when you finally wife me, do I get four rings?”

  Kyle kissed me on the forehead again before heading for the door. “One step at a time baby,” he smiled over his shoulder. “One step at a time.”

  Twenty

  SAMMARA

  The days
passed quickly, probably because there was so much to do. After moving a good portion of my stuff over, I’d taken care of a lot of things. Crossed off a good many tasks on my weekly list, in just a short amount of time.

  And yes, there was a weekly list too. At some point I even considered an hourly list, but I didn’t want to micromanage myself out of my own sanity.

  There was just so much to be done. The entire renovation project was in a complete state of disarray. The boys had taken on too much at once; hired too many people to do too many things without supervision or quality control or even so much as a single deadline. It was the byproduct of having so much cash on hand, but not enough time making sure it got spent properly. As a result, a lot of people were taking advantage.

  In truth, my three new boyfriends were just too busy. Kyle and Dakota were required to be on base a lot, and Ryan even more. I’d hear his motorcycle coming and going in the wee hours of the morning, because he worked mostly nights and double shifts too.

  The end result was that the house was always alive, and it was rarely quiet. If it wasn’t the construction going on all day, it was the guys staying up late, telling stories, and laughing loudly. They hung out in the living room, or in the gallery, which they’d converted into a sort of man-cave complete with a fully-stocked bar and pool table. Dakota had turned the mansion’s tea room into a gym, and I chuckled every time I thought of what all the old ladies who’d had tea there in the 1800’s might think if they could see it today.

  On top of everything, my boys were also devouring everything in sight. I’d taken over stocking the fridge for them, after making yet another list of their favorites. I’d even offered to cook, but for some reason they seemed to enjoy taking turns in the kitchen… and making some of the most horrific combinations of food ever assembled.

  Some of it was actually good though. Kyle knew his way around the grill, and Dakota made a mean breakfast — probably from growing up in the happy little world of his Iowa farm. Yet at any time you could get steak paired with Mac N’ Cheese. A ham sandwich with a side of onion rings and ketchup. Strange stuff. Guy stuff. It made me laugh whenever it happened, and it only endeared them to me even more.

  In our free time we stayed in a lot. Kyle and Dakota did take me out again; another cute little date that ended with dinner and a movie. I felt like a princess from all the attention, and then even more so seated between them staring up at the big screen. Halfway through I realized I had a hand on each leg — my hands as well as theirs. Dakota brought his lips to mine, and when I turned to kiss him back Kyle began kissing my neck.

  My body had melted, right there in the seat. Nothing, and I mean nothing felt like getting kissed by two guys at the same time. Their mouths were soft and wet, their hands roaming my body in the flickering shadows of the back row. The movie had been out for weeks, so the theater was practically empty. We could do anything we wanted. Anything…

  But we also couldn’t.

  I came home flushed and flustered, my panties so drenched I could’ve wrung them out. And it was only Wednesday. Wednesday!

  That night, as I lay there sliding one hand down between the heat of my thighs? It took every ounce of my will not to snatch my phone from the antique night table… and text them both that I’d left my bedroom door unlocked.

  I didn’t though, and I was proud of myself the next day. I enjoyed staying true to my promise. And by the end of every day? I felt a little bit closer to each of them. Kyle told me stories about growing up in California, and about his three older sisters who absolutely adored him. Dakota’s tales were a lot more outlandish; the things they used to do for fun back in Iowa made my own misspent youth pale in comparison.

  I even cracked Ryan’s armor a little bit. Our time together usually came in the mornings, over coffee, and if he didn’t have to rush off to workouts or be on base by any particular time he’d tell me about some of the more exotic places he’d been overseas. He enjoyed talking about them much more than his childhood, and I could tell he regarded the Army as his big savior when it came to going down the wrong paths back as a kid in New York.

  Through it all, I still kept up with work. Our client list had been stagnant for a while, but Dawn still called a lot. More often than not it was to find a file she’d lost on her computer or to lay some guilt trip on me about being stuck there all alone. I was actually sitting on my bed, in the process of preparing an email to her, when my phone rang.

  “Hey you…”

  It was like she had a second sense or something.

  “Hi!” I replied, trying to sound cheerful. Actually I just wanted to finish and head downstairs. “What’s up?”

  “When were you going to tell me about the house!”

  My brows crossed. I had no clue what she was talking about. Unless…

  “What house?”

  “The old Victorian you’re staying at!”

  It was strange as hell. I hadn’t told her I was staying in a Victorian. I hadn’t even given her an address.

  “How do you know where I—”

  “The lakehouse,” she jumped in. “Remember? You told me you were staying there. So I pulled your location and I zoomed in on some satellite images and… my God, Sammara! Is this the big client you’ve been working on?”

  I was confused. Maybe a little startled. We’d shared location services in order to more easily find each other on projects. But this…

  “The house is beautiful!” cried Dawn. “It’s too far back to see a street view from the road, but from above it looks absolutely gorgeous!”

  Part of me wanted to tell her all about the house. To gush and geek out about it, with someone who would actually appreciate it just as much as me.

  The other part of me was a little bit pissed off. Here I was on a supposed vacation, trying to figure things out, and she still couldn’t leave me alone.

  “When are you coming back? Soon, right?”

  Her voice was stern now. Almost commanding. It was a battle we had constantly; the little power struggle between us that prevented us from becoming more than just ‘work friends’. Despite being equal partners, Dawn was overbearing. Always trying to give orders. Always trying to be the point of contact, doing the behind the scenes stuff, while leaving me to do the legwork. The grunt work. The—

  “’Mara?”

  I hated when she called me that. Only my mother had used that nickname, and it was special to me. Sacrosanct.

  “What?”

  “I asked when you’re coming back?” She sounded almost annoyed at having to repeat herself. “We’ve got the O’Loughlin project to wrap up, plus you need to meet the stagers at the Santiago house tomorrow morning, and then—”

  “You can meet the stagers,” I snapped. “You already have the floor plan. You don’t need me.”

  It came out harsh. I didn’t regret it.

  “Oh. Um… okay. I just thought since you usually meet the stagers that—”

  “And I don’t know when I’m coming back,” I said. “Actually, I might stay a little longer than I thought.”

  There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. I took advantage of it.

  “I have to go now Dawn,” I said. “Something’s come up.”

  “A—Alright. But—”

  “Goodbye.”

  The word was cold and crisp, and ended with me tossing the phone so far to the other side of the bed it slid off and hit the floor. I was really pissed now. My partner had never once inquired about how I was, or how my vacation was going, or anything like that. Other than to ask when I was coming back.

  Coming back…

  With my week’s trial period reaching an end, I knew I had to make a decision. And in my head and heart? That decision had already been made. I wanted to stay. I wanted to continue what we’d started together, and see how it all developed. Emotionally. Physically… I wanted all three of these guys, and hopefully even Briggs if he ever showed up.

  And yes, I also reveled in the idea
that once renovated, I’d get to actually decorate this amazing, incredible house I now called home.

  “I want to stay,” I smiled, realizing the thought out loud. It felt good saying it. Hearing it, too.

  I stretched out on the bed, shivering at the thought of Kyle’s electric touch. Grinning at the sensual recollection of Dakota’s sweet, soulful kisses.

  I thought of Ryan, with his beautiful black goatee and smooth olive skin. Closing my eyes, I could feel his hands on me too. His motorcycle thrumming hot, steady, and powerful, just beneath my outstretched thighs.

  “Oh yeah,”I laughed to myself, immediately in a better mood. “I definitely, definitely want to stay.”

  Twenty-One

  SAMMARA

  It was a warm Saturday morning, and the house was relatively quiet. For once, no one was up with me. I got to watch the sun shatter the purple sky, then stream in through the kitchen’s beautiful stained glass window as I worked on draining my second cup of coffee.

  Even the birds were quiet.

  The whole thing filled me with a sense of peace, even though I had to go to the office. It wasn’t going to be bad, though. My list had come up with a few things I needed, but I’d waited intentionally until today so I could avoid Dawn altogether.

  “So I heard you talked to our lead contractor?”

  Kyle appeared behind me, settling his hands over my hips. His pelvis brushed my ass as he moved past me in the direction of the coffee maker, causing me to shudder with reminiscence.

  “Yup,” I said, suddenly distracted. “Yesterday.”

  “Does he suck?”

  He was wearing what I’d learned was his ACU — his Army Combat Uniform. The camouflage fatigues looked sharp and crisp on him, accenting every curve of his gorgeous body.

  “Actually he’s quite competent. One of the best out there for the area. I was surprised you were able to book him.”