Calling the Shots

by Christine d'Abo

  Reaching out, he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She stepped closer and, in a movement that eerily mirrored Josh, leaned in and lightly kissed his lips. Unlike Josh, she didn’t pull away.

  “Things have been very confusing recently.” Her words were soft and her breath tickled his face. “Josh is attracted to you.”

  “He is to you as well.”

  She nodded. “It’s like the three of us have fallen into this weird triangle, but none of us is willing to make a move.”

  “I don’t know about you two, but the last thing I want to do is ruin our friendship. I have few enough of them right now to risk it.”

  Oliver had been shocked when most of their friends had taken Mallory’s side. Why they had, given what she’d done to him, he never could figure out. But if they weren’t willing to stand with him when he needed them most, they weren’t people he wanted in his life. So he’d packed his bags and moved from Ottawa to Toronto to make a fresh start.

  And walked into the arms of Josh and Beth.

  He wanted to be worthy of both them, but his insides were still raw, shredded from the knife Mallory had shoved there. How could he possibly start a relationship with either of them when he still had a heart to mend?

  “I think we all need to get laid.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “If we agree to take a chance on something purely physical, get it out of our system, we’d be able to work a few things out.”

  “Maybe.”

  Could he do that? Sleep with Beth and Josh? He’d never been with a man before, hadn’t even had an interest. Well, he’d noticed attractive men, but not so much that he’d had the compulsion to go out and do something about it.

  Josh was different.

  So was Beth for that matter.

  “I better finish this up. I’ll need to let it dry and put a second coat on before we open tonight. I can do a second coat tomorrow.”

  Beth pushed away, but not before kissing his cheek once again. “Do you actually need my help with this?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then I’ll go check on Josh.”

  “Let me know if he needs my help.”

  Slapping the roller into the pan, he rolled it into the paint and tried to cover up the hurt.

  Chapter Six

  The music from the club was deafening. The black lights flashed, blending with the reds and purples on the floor, creating a vibrant dark rainbow against leather and silk. Josh walked through the crowd, letting the caresses of the members distract him from his mission of reaching the booth. He needed to speak to the new DJ about lowering the sound levels. This wasn’t a rave, and as much as his patrons liked to dance, there were other noises that were just as important to make out.

  Like the slapping of leather against bare flesh.

  The moans from the couples grinding together on the dance floor.

  The cries of someone coming.

  Saturday night was always their busiest night of the week and tonight’s throng wasn’t unusual. They’d had a number of new member couples sign up over the past few months, all of whom appeared to be here. Josh knew the names and faces of everyone who came, made it his business to learn as much of their fantasies as he could. Ever since the vandalism two weeks previous, he’d been extra diligent to ensure that only members and screened guests got access.

  While Toronto was as progressive a city as any when it came to adult-only clubs, clearly there were still many individuals out there who would rather his doors weren’t open. He wouldn’t put his people at any further risk.

  The community watch he and the other club owners had put in place over the past week seemed to be working. The last hit on any club was eight days ago. And while Josh had refused to provide the complete list of member names to the police, they’d started interviewing the temporary employees as well as the staff. He needed to be certain this asshole was found and dealt with. He couldn’t afford to taint the perspective of any future investors. With luck, they’d find the person soon.

  The bar had been especially busy tonight, so he’d moved two of the bouncers closer to the line. The mix of alcohol and sex could be as nasty as it was poignant for some. If Oliver or one of the other bartenders thought someone was getting out of control, they’d signal an alert. They’d only needed to use the system a few times, but it had saved all parties involved a lot of heartache.

  One of the staff had called in sick at the last minute, so Beth had agreed to help Oliver out at the bar. They were beautiful together as they worked side by side. In many ways they reminded him of Paul and Sadie, the ease they had with each other as they shared the same space.

  Since the afternoon when he’d strung Oliver up, he’d been paying additional attention to the other man. Josh hadn’t meant to take things as far as he had that day. But seeing how responsive Oliver had been to being restrained, he hadn’t been able to help himself. Almost as interesting was Beth’s reaction when she’d realized what they’d been doing. Unlike some women, who’d freak out at the idea of a man she was interested in getting turned on by another man, Beth almost seemed sad to have missed it.

  Josh tried to catch the signs of a budding relationship. The teasing and touches had always been there, but he started to see more. The caresses lingered longer than normal. Occasionally, he’d see them sneaking looks before turning their attention to him. He couldn’t tell if they were trying to hide their growing relationship, or if there was something else going on.

  Josh stopped by the alcove next to the St. Andrew’s Cross after signaling to the DJ to lower the volume on the music. One of the Doms, Stephen, was working his sub hard. The young woman had been gagged pretty early into the scene, but Josh was still able to hear her muffled cries and moans every time leather met flesh. Her face was flushed as Stephen used a riding crop to slap her thighs. The sounds were an odd backdrop combined with the music, but it seemed to perfectly highlight the fluid movements of Beth and Oliver behind the bar.

  He shouldn’t be watching them, not like this. In the past few weeks the line between employer and employee had blurred in his mind’s eye. Images of their bodies pressed together, sweaty and writhing, haunted his dreams. Light and dark, slick and shifting. Their moans filling the air as they fucked each other. Josh pressing his body between theirs to lick and touch their skin. He’d woken up hard and leaking on more than one occasion.

  Josh forced his gaze away and took in the rest of the club. Bodies of all shapes and sizes gyrated together on the dance floor. Flashes of skin and leather enflamed his soul, revving him up to a level he hadn’t experienced in years. God, something was wrong with him when a typical night was too much for him to handle. He needed to start jerking off more often.

  Josh was about to head up to his private room for a few moments alone when a movement from the bar caught his attention. Oliver stood with his arm straight up, holding three fingers in the air.

  Possible disturbance.

  Dammit.

  Josh moved closer to Carl, signaling for the bouncer to follow him to the bar as casually as possible. Oliver spoke in his ear, nodding to Beth, who was speaking to a club member in her mid-forties. “She’s getting verbally rough with Beth. Nothing she can’t handle so far, but it could get ugly quickly.”

  It took him a second to mentally flip through the names until he could identify the club member. He gave Oliver’s arm a quick squeeze. Keeping his attention focused on Beth, he waited until she caught his eye and nodded before moving in.

  “Allison, how are you doing, darling?” Josh moved to stand beside her, leaning the bulk of his weight against the bar, but careful not to touch her. “Enjoying your evening?”

  The woman turned to face him, but the movement was more exaggerated than it should have been. “I’m good.”

  “Are you here with your husba
nd?” He glanced quickly at Beth, who mouthed Austin. “I can get one of the staff to track Austin down for you.”

  Allison cut the air with her hand. “Bastard isn’t here. Left me. For no reason. I want another drink. And a fuck. Now.”

  Josh mentally cringed. This was going to get messy. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know how close the two of you were. How about you and Beth and I go up to my office and we can talk about it more comfortably? You can tell us what happened.”

  “No, I don’t want to talk. Done talking.” Allison swayed on her feet, trying to turn around to face Beth once more. “I want another drink.”

  “You’ve had enough tonight.” Josh kept his voice firm but calm.

  “I. Want. A. Drink.” She bit out each word as she balled her hands into fists.

  God, why could this never be easy? “Let’s go to my office. I have quite a nice—”

  “Fuck off.”

  Wrong answer, Allison. With a nod toward Carl, Josh straightened to his full height. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to leave now. We’ll see you to a cab to make sure you get home safe.”

  One moment she was a mild-mannered, if depressed, drunk. The next she was a screaming hellcat. Before anyone could react, she’d launched herself at him with a yell, spitting and clawing at his face. Pain burned down his skin from below his eye to his jaw line, though it wasn’t as painful as the knee she’d landed to his nuts. His vision started to blacken, his body slumping sideways as nausea made it almost impossible to stand.

  As quickly as she was on him, Carl pulled her off. Oliver jumped over the bar to help restrain her as she continued to curse, kick and spit at anyone who got close. A small crowd gathered, and more than one of the Doms approached, handcuffs at the ready. Josh waved them off, not wanting to risk anyone else getting involved and inadvertently opening themselves up to a lawsuit. Thankfully, Oliver and Carl got her under control and hauled her from the club.

  Josh took several deep breaths and was able to get himself settled enough to stand straight once more. “Shit, my balls are going to hurt for a week.”

  “I’m not worried about your balls as much as I am about your face. We need to get that cut cleaned up.” Beth grabbed him by the chin to examine the wound.

  “I can manage—”

  “Don’t even try to argue.” Beth looped her arm through his and tugged him toward the stairs. “The bar is closed for a bit, everyone.”

  They were a small enough establishment and a tight enough community that Josh didn’t need to worry about anything else for the time being. The extra bouncers moved out onto the floor to keep an eye on the dancers. Stephen and a few of the dungeon monitors told him they’d keep an eye on the upstairs rooms. Josh thanked them as Beth dragged him away.

  “I think the first-aid kit is in my office.”

  The first thing Beth did was push him into the leather armchair in the corner as she rifled through his bottom desk drawer. “She’s so getting her membership revoked. The bitch.”

  “I’m sure we’ll have a heartfelt apology call once she sobers up. If Austin has left her, then we can forgive a little self-destructive behavior. God knows I’ve done worse for less reason.”

  “Josh, she nearly clawed your eye out!” Beth made a noise of success, yanking a white metal box from beneath a stack of papers. “In all seriousness, you should be pressing charges, not making excuses for her. She attacked you.”

  “It’s not that bad.”

  “It’s assault.”

  “You’re being dramatic.”

  Beth pulled a compact mirror from her purse and held it up for him. Blood trailed down his cheek and had dripped over the front of his shirt. The deepest cut was in the middle of three long gouges. “Assault.”

  “I’m fine. Besides, scars are sexy.” He hissed when Beth pressed an alcohol wipe to the worse of the scratches.

  “At least it’s the end of the night. You can go home and rest.”

  Josh squirmed in his seat, shifting closer to her as she patted the blood away. “I won’t be getting any sleep for a while. My nuts are still aching.”

  A knock at the door drew their attention. Oliver’s jaw was clenched and his shirt had been half pulled out of his jeans. Despite the pain, Josh’s body tingled at the sight of the disheveled man. Well, his balls didn’t appear damaged beyond use—good news.

  “You okay, boss-man?” Oliver held out two bottles of beer for Josh and Beth, retaining a third for himself. “I figured we needed these after that little stunt.”

  “You see her out okay?” Josh shooed Beth away long enough to take a drink from the cold beer and press the cool bottle against his injured crotch.

  “Safe and sound into a cab. She’s been put on the do-not-fly list at the front as well.”

  “Thank you.” Beth clinked her bottle against Oliver’s. “I’ll send her a check in the mail tomorrow.”

  Josh didn’t know which one of them to take to task first. “Why do I get the feeling I’ve lost control over my own business?”

  “Because you have.” Beth smirked as she handed him a half-used tube of antibacterial cream. “Put this on. It will make it heal faster.”

  “What I need is a hard fuck and a good night’s sleep. I think my testicles are starting to recover.” Josh pulled the top off the tube and squirted some of the sticky ointment onto his fingertip. When the silence stretched on longer than it should have, he was surprised to be faced with the twin expressions of embarrassment and lust on Beth and Oliver’s faces. “What?”

  Beth snapped her mouth shut and busied herself with rearranging the first-aid kit.

  Oliver was only slightly less red, but apparently more determined. “Why don’t you?”

  “Why don’t I what?”

  “Get yourself a hard fuck? You must have more than one guy or girl willing to help you with anything you’d want.”

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Beth and Oliver had been discussing him. He could tell from the sidelong glances these two were giving each other, it had been at least a fleeting conversation behind the bar—or maybe in bed—between the two of them.

  “My tastes run toward something specific. I find partners willing to…” Shit, how did he say this without sounding like an asshole? “Not everyone is as open to the idea of sharing the way I am.”

  “Lots of people have threesomes.” Beth’s words were barely a mumble, almost as though she was embarrassed to be having the conversation. Not very Beth-like at all. “Especially here. I could name a dozen couples who would want to have you for a night. Or longer, if that’s what you want.”

  It was true. The names of at least four couples currently in the club came to mind without him trying. He’d had the occasional fling with a few of the married couple members, something safe where he knew there wasn’t an expectation for more. He could go back downstairs, make a few well-placed suggestions and he’d find himself between two willing bodies. He could convince Paul and Sadie if they were here, though that avenue no longer felt completely open to him. If he asked Stephen and his sub, Josh could even get into some bondage, something he hadn’t done in months. It would be quick, sexy and meaningless fun.

  Surprisingly, it was the furthest thing from what he wanted.

  The older Josh got, the more he’d drifted away from casual encounters. While the stereotypical dream of two-and-a-half kids boxed in with a white picket fence wasn’t his, Josh had always fantasized about having a long-term relationship. The problem was, in those dreams there was normally more than one person in the mix. Given the views of most people, a long-term triad wasn’t in the cards.

  None of which Beth and Oliver needed to know.

  “I’m the boss. I don’t have the luxury of playing with my customers as frequently as I might like.” He rubbed some more cream o
nto his cheek and hoped the lie wasn’t transparent. “The people here would be more interested in trying to impress me. I don’t have a lot of time to pursue other avenues.”

  “You work too much, boss-man.” Oliver sat on the arm of the chair, took another swig of his beer and focused his gaze on the first-aid kit. “Besides, there might be some options for you.”

  Interesting. “Oh?”

  Beth rose from her kneeling position and stood beside Oliver. “There are always options, Josh.”

  Abused nuts completely forgotten, his cock reacted before his brain did. The press of his erect shaft against the stiff leather pants damn near pulled a moan from him. He watched in fascination as Beth reached out and ran her fingertip across the top of Oliver’s knee. It was harder to swallow than it should have been.

  Oliver caressed her elbow and the top of her forearm. Their touches were uncertain, but the potential for explosive passion was clear. They wanted each other, but they wanted him too.

  He indulged in the fantasy for several long, glorious seconds before reality intruded.

  “You both work for me. I’d rather not open any of us up to potential sexual harassment complaints.” He took another swig of beer. “I don’t want you offering yourselves for a pity fuck either.”

  He didn’t want to hear anything else. They were sweet and, if he was being honest with himself, both appeared to have a crush on him. He wasn’t completely blind or an idiot. But having a crush on your boss and acting out a fantasy with him were two completely different things. He might have teased Beth and spanked Oliver before his brains caught up with his hands, but he couldn’t go further than that. Even his unthinking kisses were crossing a line he really shouldn’t go near.

  Still…he was a bastard enough to take them up on the offer if they actually vocalized it. Best to get out of temptation’s path.

  “I think I’ll head home early. Patch myself up and take some pain pills. You two good to close shop tonight?”

  Their muted nods were the last thing he registered before he grabbed his jacket and fled into the night.