by R A Baker
I left the apartment, walked through the lobby, and waited for the valet to arrive with my car. The car arrived, a brand new black Mercedes C63 AMG. I’d always wanted a Mercedes and never had the opportunity to have one.
I got in and took a deep breath of New Car scent and then drove to my work center. It’s a decent one story standalone building with three offices. My firm isn’t large but we happened to be one of the premier real-estate firms in the county.
I walked into the warm building and said hello to Starla Jennins, my partner. I had made her full partner a few months back, after The Incident. That’s how I think of that time, The Incident. That is, when I think about it, which is almost never.
“Hey, Kat. Glad you’re back. We have quite a few people waiting for houses to be shown. They would have been taken care of but our top seller just got married and won’t be back to work for another week. Sorry, Kat. Here’s the list, if you can take care of this half, I’ll take care of the other half.”
From that point on my day was busier than I had been in the past year. I guess people wanted houses.
>< ><
I showed people houses and most made an offer immediately. I stopped to eat a sandwich at a McDonald’s drive-thru and went about showing more houses. I finally finished at seven-thirty that night and walked into the office dead on my feet. Starla was in the same predicament.
“See you tomorrow, Starla. I have a dinner date.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me, causing me to groan in response.
I made a call to a great Italian diner and ordered enough food for all my guys and myself. I grabbed my purse, left the office parking lot, and drove the twenty minutes to the restaurant to grab the food.
Laden with food, I didn’t even see the guy who bumped into me. I almost fell backwards but caught myself in time not to spill all the food. I glared at the guy and found that it was Todd. Great. “Todd, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I called your office and found that you were getting food.” He looked at the bags of food and asked, “So, does this mean you forgive me?”
“I don’t know yet. I really haven’t had time to process everything. I’ve been too busy. Come on, help me.” I gave him half the bags and we loaded them into his truck. I didn’t want my new car smell to be overrun with Italian smells, not that the scents weren’t mouthwatering. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t go with the new car scent of my car though.
Todd didn’t say anything after loading the food into his truck, only stood there for a moment. “Oh, come on,” I huffed and waved my hand.
Todd followed me back to the apartment building. Damn it, I was so busy that I had forgotten to look for a house for myself. I shook my head as I handed the valet my keys and waited for Todd to do the same. We took the food bags upstairs and walked in on a fight. I dropped the bags and got in between Trace and Erick. “What the hell is wrong?” I yelled. They just looked at me. “Explain. Now.”
“It was nothing, Kat. Just a misunderstanding,” Trace said with a shrug.
“That’s not what it looked like to me, Trace. What started this?”
“Katja, please, it was nothing to concern yourself with. We just had a disagreement. It’s over. Let’s eat.” Erick’s words barely sunk in. I was looking at them like I didn’t know who they were. This was a very different scene from the one I had left this morning. I wonder what had happened, well, other than me kicking Todd out but he was standing right next to me. I shrugged. There was nothing I could do or say to make them explain right now so I grabbed food and went into the kitchen to start dishing out dinner. It was the most normal thing for me.
We made light conversation until dinner was done, then came the hard part: did I allow Todd to stay with us or give him a room here at the apartment that was separate from us? I knew I couldn’t just let him go. He needed a place to stay.
After we killed Antreas, Todd resigned from the police department when he figured that he may be breaking a number of laws and sold his house. He’d been staying here at the apartment and it hadn’t been a problem, until now. I wasn’t even sure if it was a problem.
>< ><
“I should be going,” Todd announced after he put his dishes in the dishwasher.
Okay, so really, I couldn’t let him go, even if I was having a problem with this new status thingy. “Todd, please don’t go.” What?! I ignored the exclamation that went through my brain and walked up to him. “Stay.” I put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me, barely a breath away from my mouth.
“I don’t want to cause a problem,” he whispered against my lips.
“It’s my problem, not yours,” I whispered back.
I closed the short distance and gave him the kiss he deserved. He clutched me in his arms and held me tightly against his slender body, going all out on the kiss.
We separated and he held me. It took me a moment to realize that he wasn’t just hugging me to hug me but was crying. I made soothing noises and stroked his head, running my fingers through his short honey hair. What happened to make him cry? He’s never been one to show his emotions. Trace and Erick came up to us and wrapped their arms around us in a hug.
Todd calmed down a few minutes later. “What happened?”
“Everything, nothing, I can’t explain it right now.” Todd kissed my cheek and dropped his hands.
“Todd, what the hell is going on?” I didn’t understand his reaction at all.
“Kat, it’s nothing to concern yourself with at the moment.”
I might have overreacted a bit when I yelled, “Why do you guys keep saying that to me? What am I, some sort of wimp?” Three sets of eyes looked at me in wide-eyed astonishment. “Well, someone tell me what the fuck is going on. You keep saying not yet or it’s nothing. Like hell this is nothing. I’m not too damn tired that I can’t see.”
“Kat, come sit down. I guess if you want to know, I’ll tell you.” Good. He should tell me but…I could tell I wasn’t going to like this one damn bit. They pulled me to the couch and guided me onto the cushion. I pursed my lips waiting for an explanation that they didn’t want to give.
Todd kneeled down beside me and held my hand. “Todd, I don’t need to be coddled. I can take what you have to say.” At least I was pretty sure I could.
“My parents were killed in the first wave of attacks,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion, sort of like when you read a newspaper article for soup or something.
“Oh, Todd, I’m so sorry.” I ran my hand along his cheek. I had known his parents very well. When we were married, I used to go to their house frequently for dinners and idle chitchat. It finally sunk in, the rest of the sentence clicked in my head. Attack? “What’s this about an attack? And this being just the first wave?”
“I’ve been under attack since I took over this…this, whatever it is. They knew just where to hit. Why do you think I came to the Italian restaurant? It wasn’t just because I wanted to reconcile, though that was a big part of it.”
“I’m so sorry. When did this happen?”
“Today. I found out about three hours ago. A detective that I trust called me. I went and identified the bodies. They don’t know who did it. Of course, I couldn’t say a word about who might have wanted to see my parents’ dead so I just made sounds that pointed them in the direction of a burglar.”
“Who did this? Do you have them in custody?” I couldn’t help the flow of questions that poured from my mouth. My anger at this whole tattoo thing paled in comparison and I redirected my anger to those that killed his parents.
“Yeah, Charles has them in custody.” He looked like he had more to say but didn’t want to.
“Todd, where are they? I will do my job if that’s what it takes.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. I will make an example of them if I have to.”
I shook my head and looked at Trace and Erick. The look on their faces gave me a hint as to what they had been arguing about earlier. I looked back at Todd and
said, “We will make an example of them. I guess that’s what this dumb tattoo means, so I’m in. Is there torture involved? Because I don’t think I can do that. Kill yes, torture no.”
“No torture. That’s been done. We’ve gathered all the information we need. Now, it’s just a matter of making an example of those that try to do me and mine harm.” A fierce gleam came into Todd’s eyes. I almost looked away but knew I couldn’t stand myself if I did something that wimpy.
“When?” I had a full day tomorrow and didn’t think I could schedule killing a few vamps in-between showing houses.
“Tomorrow night. Around midnight. If you can’t make it, Kat, I understand.”
“I can make it. I’ll just grab a few hours of sleep beforehand.” I kissed his forehead and leaned back against the couch. I was now too tired to even sit up straight.
I think I fell asleep because I was being lifted from the comfy couch. I blinked at Erick and curled into him, winding my hands behind his neck. I gave him a peck on the cheek and promptly fell back to sleep.
>< ><
I woke up smooshed between Todd and Erick, and as much as I liked that, I could tell something was wrong. I lifted up, looked over Todd’s shoulder, and saw that Trace wasn’t in the bed with us. Darn.
I gave Todd and Erick a small kiss each on the cheek and went to find Trace. It wasn’t hard to find him considering he hadn’t left the apartment. I found him sitting at the nook table in the kitchen with a letter in his hands.
“Hey, Trace. What’s that?”
“It’s a message from Tony. He’s found a few things that might be of interest to us.” He looked up at me and smiled. I couldn’t help but smile back. I grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and sat across from him.
“Trace, I think we need to talk.” He looked as if he didn’t want to. “What was going on last night? With you and Erick?”
“Oh, that. That was just a misunderstanding,” he said dismissively.
“About what?”
“I didn’t think you should be roped into this whole mess and Erick said that it was your duty to help Todd. That’s all.”
I couldn’t get angry with him but I was going to try. “Why would you think something like that? Todd’s part of this…uh, he’s just a part of this and we, meaning I, have an obligation to help him.”
“I know that now. I still don’t like it but I’ll be there for you.” He placed the paper in a pocket and left me sitting in the dim room, drinking my orange juice. What was his problem? Did his thoughts mirror my own reservations on this whole mess?
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear Erick come up behind me. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and I almost dropped my glass. “Erick,” I said and chuckled at my clumsiness.
“Todd will be out in a few minutes.” He grabbed some juice and sat across from me, in the same chair that Trace had just vacated. He smiled at me as he brought the juice to his lips.
I inhaled noisily at the thought of being that glass. What a stupid thought. What was wrong with me? First, I’m angry-ish with Trace, and then I want Erick’s lips on me. What the heck was I thinking? I shook my head and attempted to clear the thoughts that ran through my head as I continued to watch Erick drink.
Thankfully, Todd came in and saved me from making an ass out of myself, though he was no better. I looked up at him and my mouth dropped open. He was wearing only his pajama pants. I gazed at his chest and surreptitiously checked for drool. I had to get the hell out of this house. It was driving me crazy.
“It’s okay to look, Kat. Hell, I look at you, too. We’re allowed. We live together and sleep together. Why shouldn’t we look?” Of course, Todd would say something like that. I looked at Erick and saw the same thoughts flow across his face. I so needed outta here. I looked at the clock and found that I was running late. Damn.
I jumped up and ran through the kitchen to the bathroom and right into Trace. I bounced off him and almost fell. He caught me in his strong arms and held me until I got my feet under me. “I’m sorry, Trace, I didn’t see you.”
We were inches apart and his clean minty breath washed over me as he said, “It’s okay, Kat.”
We stared at each other for a minute and then he kissed me, not gently but with bruising force. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him to me for a minute and then pulled back. “I have to get ready for work, I am so late already.” He chuckled and kissed me again. Screw work. I melted into him and was left wide-eyed when he let me go. I sucked in a sharp breath.
“Get ready, Kat.” He patted my ass as he walked away.
I raced through a shower and got dressed in a pair of black slacks with a white stretchy t-shirt under a black cotton blouse. I was running through the living room when Erick caught me mid-step and pulled me into a long kiss. He set me down, breathless. “See you tonight, Katja.” He kissed my cheek and let me go.
I had just made it to the door when Todd stepped in front of it. “Todd, I really have to go to work.”
“I know,” his breath washed over me. I inhaled his scent and just about threw my purse out the window to stay with them. He pulled me into a hug and kissed my neck. The thought to ditch work came into mind once more. He nibbled at my neck, making me moan. “Todd,” I murmured. I couldn’t think past the nibbling. He sucked on my neck and my purse slipped from my hand. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my stomach and chest against his body. Oh, God, yes. And he didn’t disappoint as he continued to kiss, nibble, and lick my neck. He kissed his way to my mouth and gave me a deep kiss. He pulled back minutely and looked at me.
I took in a shaky breath and started to pull back when he yanked me closer to him. “I’m not letting you go.”
I looked at him for a moment and then blinked. Work? Who the hell needs it? Wait. I did. “I really am late for work, Todd.” He reluctantly let me go. I stepped back and bumped into someone. I looked back and found both Trace and Erick standing behind me. As I looked at them I noticed the predatory look in their eyes. The look tightened my stomach and lower things. “Uh, guys, really, I should go to work.” I stepped back but that just put me nearer to Todd. “Okay, guys. Um, gotta go.” I grabbed my purse and stepped to the side. They weren’t moving. “Fine. I have to call Starla and let her know that I am going to be very, very late.” They nodded as one—weird—and let me go to the phone but followed close behind.
I called Starla and told her that I was going to be late. Not that I wasn’t late as it was.
“That’s cool, Kat. Our star agent came back early. She’s going to take over your showings for today. She’s already at your eight o’clock. We’ll call if we need you. Have fun.” The lilt in her voice told me that she knew why I was going to be late.
I turned back to the guys after I hung up the phone. “Okay, I don’t have to go to work today.” They just nodded and their eyes shined with desire. I gulped and set my purse on the kitchen table. “Uh, what did you have in mind, guys?” I backed up and knocked a chair over, stumbling over it in my haste to get away from them. This wasn’t something that we normally did.
I have a very healthy sex drive so I can take all three—separately—in one night but we’ve never done a three on one thing. And it looked like that was exactly what they had in mind.
I looked at them across the table. They had smiles on their faces but still weren’t saying anything. Oh, geez. It was one thing when I was being kissed but now that I wasn’t in their arms it was more like fear that seized me.
“Come to us, Kat,” Todd beckoned.
I shook my head. They were going to have to drag me to them. It’s not that I didn’t want to, it was more that I couldn’t make my legs move to them. Away, yes, forward, no. Todd crept closer to me. I stayed where I was, fighting not to back up. “It’s just that you guys look a little scary to me.” My own voice startled me. They chuckled at my comment and it lessened the aggressive look in their eyes. Todd was almost to me when I bumped into the wall. I guess I had b
een backing up and hadn’t even realized it.
He came up to me, inches separating us, put his hands on my arms, and pulled me to him. He smiled at me and then bent his head to my cheek. He gave me an innocent peck on the cheek and then went for my throat. He kissed the skin lightly and then flicked his tongue out. I shivered as his breath steamed across my neck.
“We’ve never done anything like this,” I breathed, trying to think past the desire.
“I know,” he breathed across my neck. He went back to teasing my neck, making me shudder and forgetting everything except his touch. I ran my hands along his naked chest and shuddered again. He breathed a laugh as my fingers played along his nipples. “I want you here and now, against the wall, Kat.” My heart went into my throat. He kissed my pulse and made my heart jump and flutter against his lips.
He unbuttoned my blouse as he continued to kiss my neck. I pushed against him with my hands. He looked at me and I flicked my eyes to Trace and Erick. They were watching the whole thing. I had expected unhappiness but I only saw raw desire on their faces. They licked their lips in unison as I watched them. That’s when I started to get cold feet. “I can’t do this, Todd.” I shook my head and pulled as far back from him as I could, which wasn’t very far.
Todd gave me the look that said I was being difficult, again. I couldn’t help it. Yeah, I live with three guys who also have healthy sex drives but this, this ménage à trois, was something new. I can deal with one on one but to have all three on me at once, I didn’t know if I could do it. Even as I thought about it, my stomach and other, lower, things called the thoughts stupid.
“Kat, we aren’t going to push you into something you don’t want.”
I looked at Todd and saw the truth but my brain wasn’t going anywhere near him. My body was straining toward him even as my brain was telling my body no.
“When did you guys talk about this? Seriously, why? What brought this on?” I was trying to understand and the more I talked the more my head cleared. Probably a bad thing but I needed to understand this change.
Todd sighed and grabbed my hand. He led me to the table and guided me into a chair. Trace righted the chair I had knocked over and sat in it. Erick and Todd sat in the other two chairs. “We really haven’t talked about this. It was more spur of the moment. But now that you have to intellectualize things…” He looked at Trace and Erick.
