He patted Crash on the shoulder. “Then another time Crash hit this wide receiver three steps after he caught the pass. Now, normally that ends the play, because when you get hit by Crash, you’re done. The man’s a locomotive. But instead of tackling him, Crash scooped the guy up in a fireman’s carry and ran to the other end of the field, scoring a touchdown. They might have even let us keep the points if he hadn’t spiked the receiver like he normally did the ball.”
Crash ducked his head. “Old habits die hard.”
AJ picked up the thread again. “So then, this other time—”
* * * *
“What was that about?” Crash asked when they sat down in front of the television later that night. Nobody else was around.
“What do you mean?” AJ gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence.
“All the Crash stories. What are you up to?”
“Just trying to give you a little boost, dude. I think she’s starting to really like you.” AJ began flipping through channels.
“You think I need a boost?”
AJ chuckled. “Of course you do. You’re not the smoothest when it comes to talking to girls. It can’t hurt to provide her with the details of your studly athletic abilities. Chicks usually go for that.”
“I don’t really think of Buffy as a ‘chick.’” Crash was a little offended by AJ’s words for some reason, although he wasn’t sure why. He wanted to say that Buffy was really starting to like both of them, but it didn’t seem like the right time. AJ needed some prep work in that area. “Besides, I think she’s more into you. You should think about it.”
“Nah, dude. You go for it. I’m thinking about something else.”
Crash got a bad feeling. “Thinking about what?”
AJ smiled. “I sent Tammy an e-mail.”
“Oh, no, man. Tell me you didn’t!”
AJ’s smile faltered a little, and his eyebrows pulled together. “Why not? She was mad last time that I’d played with somebody else. It was understandable. I explained that I was only helping you tie up your new girlfriend. It’s like you were talking about this afternoon. We can be a community, the four of us. You and Buffy and me and Tammy. It’d be perfect.”
“Are you smoking crack?” Crash jumped to his feet and started pacing. This was going to ruin everything. How could AJ be so stupid? Couldn’t he see that Buffy was perfect for both of them?
“Be careful.” AJ’s voice was deep and carried a warning.
“No, I’m done being careful.” Crash felt his temper rising. “Can’t you see what a bitch Tammy is? She’s treated you like crap from the minute you met her. She may be pretty, but it’s not worth it. Open your eyes!”
AJ stood and faced him, fists clenched and eyes flashing fire. “I’m warning you.”
“Go ahead and warn me, then. I’m still going to tell you what I think. I’ve held it in for too long. I have always been there for you, but you’re an idiot to keep chasing her. She’s made it clear that she doesn’t care about you. You’re just lying down for her to kick again. Why do you keep doing that? Let her go, man. Walk away. Even better, run! Don’t ask her for more. Can’t you see what’s right in front of your face? Buffy is the girl for us—I mean you. She’d be perfect for you.”
AJ was visibly fuming. “You’ve always hated Tammy. Are you jealous? Is that what your problem is? Why can’t you give her a chance?”
“You’re damn right I’ve always hated her. She’s nothing but poison. I’ve given her plenty of chances,” Crash said. “She’s proven again and again that she’s a—”
“Don’t say it.” AJ threw it over his shoulder as he stormed out of the room.
Chapter 14
Allie came downstairs to find Crash sitting forlornly at the dining room table, an empty box of saltines in front of him. He looked up at her with the saddest eyes she’d ever seen.
“Whoa,” she said, chuckling. “It’s not that bad. I have another box.”
“No, thanks.” He crumpled it in his hands.
She raised her eyebrows. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
She took the box and gestured him to follow her into the kitchen. “Come on. You know you want a preview of breakfast.”
His face cleared a little, and he got up to shamble behind her.
“So—you’re not going into town to have breakfast number one at the diner?”
He went bright red and looked as if he might slink back out the door.
“You know about that?”
She laughed. “Of course. Even if Carly hadn’t told me, it was kind of obvious from the way you didn’t raid the kitchen at night. And the junk food wrappers hidden in every garbage can throughout the house.”
His head ducked. “I thought I was hiding those better.”
“It’s okay. I’m not offended. Just tell me why you guys aren’t going to town today.”
“We had a fight.” His voice was morose.
“About what?” She put on coffee and began hunting for something to fix him.
“Buffy.”
“Ah.” Trying to keep her voice neutral, she pulled a dozen eggs out of the fridge and threw some bread in the toaster.
He was silent, so she poured him a large glass of orange juice. “Fighting over who would ask her out?”
“Not quite.”
“Mmm?” She found some ham and put a couple of pieces in the microwave and cracked two eggs into a skillet.
“Kind of the opposite. I want him to date her, and he wants me to.”
There was silence for a minute while she buttered his toast and made a sandwich with the eggs, ham, and cheese, putting two more eggs on just in case.
He gave her a grateful smile when she set the sandwich in front of him and went to fix their coffee.
He was almost done with the first sandwich by the time she put their mugs on the table, so she started two more pieces of toast. “So neither of you actually wants to date her?”
“Oh, no. I mean, yes. I’d love to go out with her. I know she’d be perfect for AJ, too. But he’s still hung up on this bitch—sorry. I meant this other girl named Tammy.”
“I think I heard something about her. Is she interested in him?”
“No. But he’s too stupid to see that. The only interest she has is to lead him on and then shoot him down. It seems to be a hobby of hers, and she’s really good at it.”
Allie nodded. “So you think she’s going to dump him?”
“She already has. That’s why we’re here in the first place. That was a great sandwich, by the way.” The words were a little indistinct around his mouthful.
She finished the second one and set it in front of him, taking her own seat and sipping her coffee. “Thanks. So what happens when he gets over Tammy? Do you think he’ll date Buffy then?”
“If he ever does get over her,” Crash mumbled as he picked up the food and bit into it.
“Mm-hmm. So how will you feel if he does?”
His face clouded again. “I just want him to be happy.”
“Do you want her to be happy, too?”
“Of course.” He took a big swallow of orange juice.
“What if she’d rather date you?”
He stared at her. “Why would she want to date me? AJ’s the one they all want.”
“You don’t know that,” she scolded him gently. “I think it’s very possible that Buffy would be interested in dating you. Have you asked her?”
“She got mad,” Crash admitted.
“You asked her out and she got mad?”
“No. I asked her to go out with AJ and she got mad. I’m not sure why.”
Allie suppressed the urge to smile.
“The thing is—” Crash began, a little hesitantly.
She raised her eyebrows and waited in silence.
“I’d like for both of us to date her.”
“But?”
“But I don’t know how to get either of them to consider it. Besides, if she would
n’t go out with AJ, there’s no way she’d agree to go out with both of us.” He looked morosely at the crumbs on his plate.
Allie poured him a second glass of juice and got up to start another sandwich.
“I don’t think you can be sure of that,” she said as she cooked. “It might not have been the question you asked. Maybe it was the way you asked it.”
“The way I asked it?”
“Yes. Maybe she took it the wrong way.”
He considered that while she worked. Or maybe he was just fascinated by the process. Either could have been the case.
“How do I know?” he asked finally.
“You could try asking her. Depending on her answer, you’ll know if it’s worth talking to AJ about it.”
She put the plate in front of him and began hunting for the ingredients for the group breakfast. Crepes, she thought. Ham and vegetable crepes with hollandaise sauce. That sounded good.
He ate the third sandwich silently and then began gathering up his dishes. “That was great. Thank you. I’ll clean these up.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Allie told him as she began mixing up her crepe batter.
“I want to.” He scrubbed at the pan she’d cooked his eggs in. They worked in silence for a minute before his voice startled her. “So how do I find out?”
“Find out what?”
“If she took it wrong. How else can I ask?”
Allie tested the crepe pan and poured out the first one. “Maybe you should all sit down and discuss what you want. If you want a ménage, but neither she nor AJ is interested, then you should look elsewhere. If anybody goes into the relationship unwillingly, then it will probably fail at some point.”
“But she’s so perfect for us. Both of us!” Crash insisted.
Allie nodded. “She might very well feel the same. The only way to find out is to talk to her. Get her to tell you what it was that pissed her off.”
* * * *
“That was cool!” They emerged from the fire-play class at five o’clock. AJ led the way, an enthusiastic Crash following him and Buffy a few steps behind. She had seemed subdued most of the day, probably dealing with her embarrassment over having told them her story, AJ suspected. She had participated in the class, allowing one of them to run a trail of alcohol along her back and then light it on fire. It only burned for a second before the other’s hand came through, extinguishing it, and that second was just enough to give a bit of sensation and a flash of fear. They had taken turns until they all felt comfortable with the exercise.
“Did you enjoy it, Buffy?” Crash asked, encouraging her to join them.
“Yeah, it was kind of fun.” She shrugged with an apologetic smile. “I guess I just wasn’t really into it, though. I was too busy thinking about Carly and Allie and—other stuff.”
“Well, cheer up,” Crash said. “We’re taking you out for dinner.”
“We are?” AJ stared at him. “Tonight?”
“Yes. I know it’s a school night, but don’t worry, we’ll have you back before the curfew. Mom said it was okay.”
Buffy and AJ exchanged glances. “You don’t have to—” she began.
“Yes, we do.” He cut her off firmly. “There is something we need to discuss, and I for one want to do it over a good dinner. Not that dinner here won’t be good, but I’ve already explained to Allie that the three of us need some alone time, and she understands. It was actually her suggestion.”
“Where are we going?” AJ asked.
“Allie gave me directions to a really good steak place nearby,” Crash said. “Now go do whatever you need to do to get ready, Buffy. Don’t worry about changing, though. She said it was casual.”
They left ten minutes later, Buffy still protesting that they were spending too much money on her. AJ resisted the temptation to tell her to wait until Friday, when her new outfits would be delivered, but he contented himself with explaining that Crash went into withdrawals if he didn’t have at least one steak every three days.
“So,” Crash said when they were settled with drinks in front of them and their orders taken. “We need to have a discussion.”
Buffy narrowed her eyes at him. “Is this another business proposition?”
“Definitely not. I don’t want you even thinking about going into business doing what we’re going to talk about tonight.” Crash waggled a finger at her. “Not that you couldn’t make a fortune at it. But this is about us.”
AJ made a move to get up. He shouldn’t be here for this. Crash stopped him with a scowl and a wave of his hand.
“Don’t run away. This concerns you, too. In fact, I’m going to ask you a question first. Have you gotten Tammy’s answer to your ridiculous e-mail?”
AJ bristled, glancing at Buffy. “No, not yet.”
“Okay, then.” Crash looked at Buffy. “In case you’re not aware, this idiot actually sent another e-mail to the bitch Tammy, after she had already told him to go to hell. He seems to be under the misapprehension that she simply misunderstood him and might still turn out to be a real human.”
Buffy met AJ’s eyes briefly, blushing for some reason.
Crash turned back to the scowling AJ. “I am going to ask you to assume, just for a minute, that nothing is going to happen with Tammy. If she were not in the picture at all, would you ask Buffy out?”
AJ felt his eyebrows raise at Crash’s bluntness. His fist curled underneath the table as if he was going to have to protect Buffy’s honor. He glanced at her, expecting a strong reaction of some kind. She would undoubtedly be horrified, at the least. Buffy’s mouth opened, but she didn’t say anything.
AJ turned back to Crash, frowning. “It’s not polite to ask such personal questions in mixed company.”
“Spare me your Southern manners,” Crash said. “Our stay at Clifftop is winding down, and it’s time to have a serious discussion about this. If you’re squeamish, I’ll start. Buffy, I think you’re a wonderful girl, and I would love to date you. Apart from his unreasonable scruples, AJ feels the same way. If you had been subjected to his company for as long as I have, you wouldn’t look at me with such skepticism. He’s falling in love with you just as fast as I am.”
Buffy’s mouth hung open now, and AJ thought his must, too. The waiter brought their salads, putting the plates down hesitantly when he noticed their expressions. “Can I get you anything else?” he said, obviously keeping to his practiced spiel but beginning to back away.
“We’re good,” Crash told him. AJ knew it was a serious situation by the fact that Crash hadn’t even asked for more rolls.
“So, the question is,” Crash went on when the waiter had scurried gratefully away, “are you inclined to date us?”
“You’re going to make her choose?” AJ asked in horror. This conversation was getting worse and worse. He had never seen Crash be so ill bred before. A lady should never be forced to talk so bluntly about her preferences. His grandmother would be absolutely scandalized by this conversation.
“That’s not my intention, no.” Crash didn’t wait for Buffy to answer. He reached over, completely ignoring his salad, and took her hand. “I’m asking if she would consider dating both of us.”
“I—” Buffy seemed to choke on her words or her embarrassment.
AJ glared at his friend. “How could you even ask her something like that?”
Crash was holding Buffy’s gaze, and, to AJ’s astonishment, she didn’t look revolted. With a nervous glance in his direction, she stammered something that sounded like, “I’m not sure.”
“There.” Crash turned back toward AJ in triumph. “She’s intrigued by the idea, but the way you’re acting is making her think you’re not interested. Tell her you’re interested!”
“What are you talking about?” AJ couldn’t wrap his head around what Crash was trying to make him do. Why would he want to make Buffy talk about sex in a public place like this?
“I am talking about our lives.” Crash seemed to be making an
effort to stay calm. He kept hold of Buffy’s hand as if afraid she might run, and AJ was beginning to be alarmed for the safety of her finger bones. Buffy didn’t seem to notice the color her fingertips were turning, though. She stared at Crash, her eyes round and shining. She couldn’t possibly be interested in this. Could she?
“Let’s take it a little slower.” Crash took a deep breath. “We’ve all seen that polyamory is fairly common in the leather community. Right? Allie and her guys make it work. Daddy Dave and his boys make it work. There were several other groups at the club. So why couldn’t we? You and I already live together, and that works well enough. We’re both falling in love with Buffy but don’t want to hose the other. So the question is, Buffy, could you ever consider polyamory?”
Buffy turned her gaze on AJ. “Is that true?”
“Yeah, we live together, but we’ve never dated the same woman before.”
Crash rolled his eyes. “Then I guess what we need to know is why the hell not? We have always—okay, with one notable exception—liked the same women, but until now we didn’t know it would be okay to both date them.”
AJ felt an odd panic go through him. His grandmother would say that was something a nice girl would never, ever consider, and that if a girl was interested in something like that, then she was no lady. Could he do something that his grandmother would consider so perverted?
He stared at Buffy and Crash, both regarding him with what looked like nervous hopefulness. Crash was his best friend in the world, and now that they were getting to know Buffy, he couldn’t imagine not having either of them in his life. But this—it was just too hard to wrap his head around, let alone discuss in a public place.
He tried to force his face into a conciliatory smile instead of the idiotic, gaping expression he was sure was on it currently. “I need to think about that some more.”
Chapter 15
Sami looked down at her shaking hands in the back of the taxi on the way to Clifftop. It had been an hour since their near-death experience, but she could still feel the adrenaline flowing through her body, making her jittery. She was crammed between both of the guys in the small space, which normally would have been uncomfortable but titillating. Now she was just grateful for the feel of their warm, unhurt bodies and massive arms on both sides of her.
Double Dom Fantasies Page 17
