Calling the Shots

by Christine d'Abo

  Beth lifted her leg and brushed her bare calf against his side. Oliver flinched, causing his muscles to clamp down on Josh. There was a flash of pain that quickly dulled when Josh began to thrust. Grabbing hold of Oliver’s hips, Josh set a slow, firm pace. Within seconds, Oliver managed to fall into a rhythm with Josh, using the momentum of his thrust to pound into Beth.

  God, this wasn’t going to last long. The ache in his ass was gone, melted into pleasure when Josh adjusted his angle to hit against a spot inside him that had Oliver seeing stars.

  “No, no, no,” he whispered, trying to hold off. Needing to stretch this moment out as long as he could.

  Josh leaned forward, driving his cock even deeper inside his body. “It’s okay. Give in.”

  Beth lifted her head close enough for Josh to kiss her. Oliver turned his face and for a moment the three of them kissed. It was near perfect for all of three seconds before Beth jerked her head back and cried out. She clamped down around his shaft and arched back against the bed. Josh’s next thrust hit that magic spot inside him, and Oliver was lost.

  He managed to suck in one final breath before his world exploded. Pleasure seemed to come from every place in his body. He lost control, thrusting uncontrollably forward then slamming back onto Josh’s cock. He could feel the come racing from his tip to fill the condom, the blood pulsing in his shaft and in his neck and temple. The only word flying through his head was mine mine mine mine.

  Josh’s fingers dug into his hips before he pounded into him, crying out. Oliver couldn’t move, could only feel Josh collapse against his back. The weight was too heavy for him and they fell in a heap beside Beth.

  Josh worked his way between them, taking care of the used condoms and pulling the sheets up. Josh encouraged Oliver to snuggle against his side without feeling strange in the least that he was in a bed with a man. He’d deal with everything tomorrow. Then the realities of their lives would snap back into focus, and he’d work his head around exactly what all of this meant.

  Chapter Nine

  Beth wiped the sweat from her face and neck with her towel, trying not to bump into people as they filtered out through the dojo to the lobby. With everything that had been going on, she’d missed her past few kickboxing classes and had made the extra effort to get here today. The need to work off some of the nervous energy that had been building inside her since she’d spent the night with Josh and Oliver last week had grown to epic proportions.

  Beating the stuffing out of the pads seemed easier than trying to talk to the boys.

  They’d been avoiding her. Well, not really. She didn’t like to think of herself as being overly dramatic, and both Josh and Oliver had been speaking to her, but something had changed. Josh would hesitate before sliding a hand across her shoulder. Oliver would take half a step back from either of them if they got too close. Where they’d once had an easy connection between them, there was now an undercurrent of unease.

  And people said women were the ones who overreacted in these types of situations.

  A bead of sweat dripped into her eye, stinging as it brought the remnants of her hairspray along with it. Beth paused to wipe it away, shifting to the side so the other class members could slide past her. It was a small delay, but enough of one so that when she looked up, she was now face-to-face with a man she hadn’t seen in over a year.

  “Mitch? What are you doing here?”

  He’d been leaning against the wall, and the angle had pulled his T-shirt tight across his chest. “Beth. I need to talk to you.”

  Not when I’m dressed like this you’re not. “I need to change my clothes.” She really didn’t want to speak to him at all. Mitch had ripped her heart out over a year ago, and she wasn’t certain she’d completely gotten over him.

  “I’ll wait outside. Maybe we can get a coffee?” It wasn’t hope in his expression as much as expectation. They’d clicked as friends and quickly become more when they’d worked together at Pulled Long. The fact they’d self-destructed just as quickly proved to Beth that she really hadn’t known him as well as she’d thought.

  “I won’t be long.”

  She skipped her normal shower, though she took longer than normal in getting dressed. She hadn’t seen Mitch since she’d kicked him out, and the idea of spending any time in his company scared her. What the hell could he possibly want that couldn’t be handled via email? It wasn’t as though they could still be friends, not after what he’d done. Beth distractedly said goodbye to a few of the ladies from her class before striding out to the lobby.

  Mitch pushed away from the wall when she emerged from the locker room. They didn’t speak, walking side by side down Young Street, toward Pulled Long, the only place Beth ever went for coffee. She shivered as a blast of wind rolled across them, making her sweat-damp head cold.

  “Here.” Mitch looped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into the warmth of his body.

  For a heartbeat, everything was perfect. The past year and a half rewound and they were happy together. Friends and lovers walking together toward their favorite coffee shop. But things weren’t okay. They were no longer friends, let alone anything else. He’d lost the right to offer her comfort the day he’d started a relationship with someone he’d met online. Twisting out from beneath his arm, Beth spun around to face him.

  “What do you want?” Her heart pounded, but not from any sense of excitement. It would be so easy to practice one of her kickboxing sequences on him, put him flat on his ass and walk away. Do the things she’d wanted to do when she’d caught him having phone sex with her.

  Beth shoved her hands in her pockets.

  “I need to talk to you. Can we please go down to Pulled?”

  The last thing she wanted was to see him sitting peacefully at her second home, the place where they’d worked together until being fired for having sex on the job.

  “No. We talk here.”

  Mitch ran a hand down his face and sighed. “I didn’t want things to be hard between us.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have fucked around on me.”

  Her stomach churned at the memory. If it hadn’t been for Josh, Beth was fairly certain she would have gone off the rails. Instead, he’d let her bury herself in work, only hauling her up for air when she was going too far downhill. She’d always loved him for that.

  Mitch had the good grace to blush. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “Well, you did. Now say what you came here to say and then go. I need to get ready for work.”

  “Are you still at Mavericks?”

  “Yes.”

  Mitch’s jaw clenched. “How’s Josh? Still seducing everyone with a smile?”

  Beth spun on her heel and started to walk away.

  “I’m getting married!”

  Her feet continued to carry her forward for several more steps until she lurched to a halt. She didn’t turn around, not certain she could face Mitch without her sudden blast of jealousy showing. He didn’t seem to care, continuing on as though he was chatting about the weather, or his day at work.

  “I didn’t want you to find out from someone else. Given everything else I’ve done to you, Mila figured it was only fair to tell you in person first.”

  Oliver would have had some sort of snarky comeback, a quip that would serve to put Mitch in his place while bolstering her position. Josh would have grinned, offered his congratulations and made the world think he wasn’t touched by the slight. Beth admired them both for their ability to deflect. Unfortunately, she was a little more heart-on-the-sleeve.

  “We’re actually doing a destination wedding. It will be pretty small, just a few friends and mostly family.”

  She could hear him approaching but wasn’t able to move to either leave or turn away. Once again he’d caught her completely off guard, gutting her into inaction.r />
  Mitch stopped a short distance behind her. “Beth?”

  “Congratulations.” Good, she didn’t sound too pathetic. “I wish you both the happiest of marriages.”

  “I’m…” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I hurt you. That things weren’t different between us.”

  “Me too.” Dammit, she wasn’t going to cry. Not here. Never because of him again.

  “Are you okay?”

  Sucking in a deep breath, Beth pulled her shoulders back and finally turned to face him. With a smile she knew was as fake as her desire to prolong this conversation, she pressed on. “Of course. I’m sure you and Mila will be very happy. Thank you for telling me in person.”

  He nodded. “Are you seeing anyone?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  “Don’t be like that. I know I was an asshole and hurt you. I did care for you. Do care for you. I think I probably always will.”

  Ah, so he wanted absolution. Beth met his gaze and tried to find the thread of love she’d once had for him. There was a time when even a quick glance from this man would have her giddy for hours. Now, standing here in the middle of a busy sidewalk, regret consumed her.

  “I’m seeing someone.” She finally broke eye contact with him, not willing to chance him seeing the lie wrapped in her longing. “It’s recent, but you never know.”

  “Good.” His shoulders relaxed and his smile became genuine. “You deserve to be happy.”

  She should have said something else about them, their relationship, how she wanted to regret their time together, but couldn’t. Instead she let him prattle on a few minutes longer about the wedding and their plans, smiling and nodding in all the appropriate spots. It wasn’t until she shifted her gym bag that Mitch finally stopped.

  “I’m sorry, you said you had to get ready for work.”

  “Yeah, Josh will be expecting me.”

  “Say hi for me, will you?”

  “Yup.” Her face was beginning to ache from the effort of keeping the smile in place.

  When Mitch leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek, Beth couldn’t hold back a startled gasp.

  “Take care of yourself.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Maybe when I get back, we can go for a coffee sometime. As friends.”

  “Maybe.” Like hell.

  Beth waved before she turned and continued on her way toward Mavericks. She’d managed to get most of the way before the tears started to fall and the ache in her chest grew too overwhelming. Being passed over once had crushed her. Mitch had seduced her into having sex at work. She’d given him everything she’d had to offer, and it hadn’t been enough.

  But knowing Mitch had not only been more aroused by Mila, but was actually in love enough to want to marry her, was devastating.

  Pushing her way into the dim lights of Mavericks’ main floor, Beth made a beeline toward the showers.

  Please God, don’t let Josh or Oliver see me like this.

  She needed to be alone, needed time to get her head straightened out and her heart patched up. A good cry in the shower might not fix everything, but it would give her what she needed to get through the night.

  Chapter Ten

  Cold from the walk-in freezer clung to Oliver’s skin and clothing in a way he normally only felt in the middle of January. He’d spent the better part of the morning in the giant icebox stacking the limited food supplies they kept on site and making sure they had everything they needed for the week. Not that the process should have taken him as long as it had, but he was taking full advantage of his hiding spot, needing some time alone to work things out in his head. It was less obvious than a cold shower at any rate.

  Being out in the main club so close to opening time was a bit much for his nerves tonight. Josh was already doing his sweep of the rooms, decked out in his standard ass-hugging pants and too-tight navy blue T-shirt. Two weeks ago, Oliver wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone what color Josh’s clothing was, let alone be able to describe in exacting detail how the material accentuated his muscles. Now, though, it disturbed Oliver how attuned he was to the other man.

  And then there was Beth. She’d come in earlier and headed straight for the showers. The air changed the moment she arrived, like a circuit had been completed, encouraging a surge of energy to pulse through the club. It was as if someone had taken one of the violet wands from upstairs and run it over every inch of his skin.

  Maybe he could get Josh or Beth to do that to him.

  Oliver threw the last box on the shelf with a growl. The frozen mist of his breath rolled out into the room. He scratched his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t hide in here forever. He’d never considered himself a coward before. With the exception of Mallory, he’d tackled every challenge that came his way, head-on. Hell, he’d even refused his parents’ offer to help after Mallory had walked out on him, taking everything.

  But this? To say he was confused was selling his emotional turmoil short.

  He’d had sex with his bosses.

  Not just any sex either—mind-blowing, perception-altering sex that still fueled his masturbation fantasies. He’d let another guy fuck him in the ass…and he’d liked it.

  He wasn’t avoiding Josh and Beth, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to face them either. All week he’d bounced around inside an emotional rubber room, flicking between wanting to beg them for more and running to hide. They’d all agreed it was something they wanted, and if presented with the opportunity again, he’d take it with a grin on his face. But that thought scared him more than anything they’d done in bed.

  It wasn’t every day a person figured out he was bisexual. Certainly not at twenty-nine years old. He hadn’t a clue how to go about being with a man, let alone wanting to find himself in bed with a man and a woman at the same time. Beth and Josh had, in a record period of time, become the focal points in his life. And when he started down this road, giving everything he was to his lovers, he would be the one left in tatters in the end.

  Regardless, nothing permanent was going to come of this. Oliver knew upfront that Josh planned to move to Montreal when he was able to get the second club up and running. And without Josh around, Beth would be busy running the club. It was doubtful she’d have time to pursue something beyond sex with him.

  Hell, he shouldn’t even be thinking of getting into a relationship with anyone. His divorce papers were still secured in their envelope back at his apartment, and he’d deftly avoided calls from both Mallory and her lawyer for months now. His head was still wrapped up in the shit of his disintegrated marriage, clearly not anyplace good and not something he wanted to lay on Josh or Beth.

  He was still broken.

  It didn’t matter that Beth and Josh had no intentions of hurting him. Even if he recognized logically that not every relationship was doomed to fail, a part of his heart just wasn’t going to open for anyone else. The risk wasn’t worth the reward. He’d need to be upfront with the pair that the last thing he wanted was to get emotionally involved. That way when he walked away there wouldn’t be any hard feelings.

  Because he might need to walk away.

  Oliver braced his hands on his knees and bent forward, as he suddenly found it hard to breathe. He pulled in several slow breaths through his mouth and nose. How he’d turned sex into a freak-out about a nonexistent relationship, he still wasn’t sure. It took a minute, but he was able to get himself under control.

  What he really needed to do was go for a run. It would help to wear him out and exhaust his brain to the point where he couldn’t think. Then he’d like to hit one of the local bars, drink too much and listen to a band until his ears rang. God, it had been ages since he’d simply let go like that, let his brain shut off. It was the closest thing to good sex he’d ever come across.

  Good
sex. Like what he’d shared with Josh and Beth.

  Fuck.

  Closing the freezer door behind him, he straightened his shirt and began his rundown of the bar inventory. He couldn’t run and he didn’t want to go to a club other than Mavericks. He needed to focus on his job, and everything would be fine. Later. He’d deal with everything else later.

  The club was still and for a moment Oliver enjoyed the calm. He could hear laughter and the murmur of voices bantering above him. Beth and Josh were most likely in the office getting ready for tonight. Oliver found himself wanting to lean toward the sounds, sneaking closer to them to let the warmth of their voices chase away the chill that had settled deep inside him.

  “Excuse me?”

  Spinning to face the front door, Oliver was surprised to see a man standing on the edge of the club floor. His suit screamed of money, the kind investment bankers or lawyers wore on TV cop shows. Shit, that door should have been locked. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, I need to speak to the owner of this establishment.” The man stood eerily still, hands unmoving at his sides, his gaze locked on Oliver. “Josh Scott?”

  Oliver said nothing as he crossed the club to the man. He didn’t like surprises and, given the current environment in the district, an unknown showing up wanting to speak to Josh didn’t sit right. The man didn’t break eye contact and Oliver got the distinct impression that his very worth as a person was being evaluated…and most likely found lacking.

  Well, fuck him.

  “Can I ask what this is about?” Oliver crossed his arms and lowered his gaze. While he wasn’t as intimidating as Josh or some of the bouncers, he could play the part when necessary.

  The man’s expression wasn’t exactly a sneer, but more of an ugly turn of his lips. “It’s a business matter. Not something I want to discuss with an employee.”

  Oliver didn’t like the way the man spat the final word. “I’m the head bartender here. If you let me know what this is about, I’ll pass the information on to Josh or the assistant manager.”