His Twisted Choice

by Amelia James

  “Got it.” He nodded and that grin turned into a sly joke. “I love your girlfriend.”

  “Then you can help me keep her from getting bored.”

  “Ha. I knew you’d fail.”

  “Bullshit. I’m doing this for her.” Wow. The words I’d spewed as a lame excuse had become my absolute truth. It’s all about her. I wasn’t doing this for me. I certainly wasn’t doing it for Will. Talia’s happy. I’m happy. Just that simple.

  “Right. You can’t keep up with her.”

  “Shut up. Let’s get out of here.”

  He stood and headed for the door. “Where to?”

  “Irish pub across the street. I’ll text Talia and tell her where to find us.”

  We took the elevator down to the lobby. The building had emptied some time ago, and the streets bustled with people travelling downtown for the evening’s entertainment. We found a corner table in the dim, moderately crowded pub, and ordered a couple of beers.

  As my gaze followed the waitress’s cute ass back to the bar, I spotted two women sitting together with their backs to us. I recognized both. “Shit. They’re here.”

  “Who?” Will glanced toward the bar. “Fucking hell.”

  “Stay quiet, they haven’t seen us.” The bartender refilled Claire’s and Talia’s wine glasses. “The woman we just fucked, and the woman you’re fucking, are drinking together. This can’t be good.”

  He ducked out of the light. “I’m not fucking her.”

  “Too bad. I really wanted to know if my assistant is a freak in bed.”

  Will kicked me under the table. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

  “Us probably. You definitely.”

  He scowled at me. “This is not my fault… entirely.”

  “You couldn’t keep your hands off Talia. I get that.”

  He smiled at the sexy waitress as she set two frosted pint glasses of Guinness on our table. “So when we get together to bitch about our women, it’ll be the same woman.”

  The hot brunette raised a disapproving eyebrow and walked away.

  I shook my head. “Yep.” We clinked our glasses. “Here’s to sharing Talia and making all her crazy fantasies come true.”

  “I need a drink for that.” Will downed half the black lager in one swallow. “How are we going to explain this to people?”

  I shook my head. “We don’t. Don’t volunteer information. Deny everything. It’s no one’s business but our own.”

  “How much should I tell Claire?”

  I plunked my beer on the table. “Were you listening to me?”

  “I think I owe her an explanation. She works right beside you. She’s gonna see the three of us together.”

  “Good point.” I glanced over at the bar and caught Talia looking at us. I laid my finger over my lips and she nodded. “That’s up to you. If you feel you need to tell her, go ahead, but I wouldn’t bring it up.”

  He sighed and stared at the back of Claire’s head. “I hate hurting her.”

  Talia put her hand on Claire’s slumped shoulder and leaned close with an earnest and sincere expression. My assistant sat up straight and turned toward Talia. I couldn’t see her face, but from the way Talia smiled, I got the feeling they’d come to an understanding.

  “She’ll be all right. She’ll probably take it out on me.”

  “Good luck.” He polished off the rest of his beer and gazed into the empty glass. “So we want to do this thing? This threesome, triangle, poly-what’s-it-called?”

  I recalled the word Jay used. “Polyamorous. Talia wants it, no doubt about that.”

  “You?”

  “Yeah.” I smiled and imagined the satisfied joy on Talia’s face when we told her. “Are you in?”

  He rolled the damp glass between his palms. “I still don’t know how it’s going to work.”

  “I don’t either. But maybe we don’t need to see all the pieces of the puzzle going in. Maybe it’ll fit together as we work on it.”

  The waitress appeared with two more full glasses. This time Will waited until she left before he spoke. “That’s how I do my job.”

  I did too, but Talia and I thrived on challenge—both at work and in bed. “Do you want to run the rest of your life that way?”

  He picked up the fresh frosty glass and drank deep. “That’s what I need to figure out.”

  Our picture would be incomplete without him, and it wouldn’t be a pretty one. “Well, I can tell you this, we’ll break Talia’s heart if we don’t try to make it work.”

  “I know.” A faint smirk touched his lips. “Can we do it without killing each other?”

  “She’s the piece that holds this whole thing together.”

  Will smiled and raised his glass. “It’s all about her.”

  “I’ll drink to that.”

  The Final Round

  “Claire, wait!” I caught up with her in the lobby, grabbing her arm as she reached for the door handle.

  She spun around and yanked free. “I don’t want to talk to you!”

  The security guard turned away from his monitors and cast a suspicious glance at us. “Everything all right, ladies?”

  The artificially cooled air crackled as Claire and I stared at each other. “Yes,” she said. “I was just leaving.” She wrenched the door open and stepped out into the street.

  I followed her. “Okay, you don’t have to talk. But I’ll listen… if you want me to.”

  She stopped in her tracks. “That makes no sense.”

  “I know what you saw, and I’m sure you’re confused. I’ll try to explain….” Oh shit, how am I going to do that? “And then if you want to talk, I’ll listen.”

  “Looked pretty simple to me.”

  Right, she doesn’t know Alex was there too. “Well, I need a drink. Coming with me?”

  She crossed her arms like a petulant child. “Why should I?”

  “Because I need to talk, damn it. Come on.” I waited for traffic to clear and ran across the street to the Irish pub.

  She huffed and followed me. We sat at the mostly deserted bar, avoiding eye contact, not speaking until the bartender asked for our order.

  “White wine.” Claire slapped her purse on the bar.

  Sheesh. I needed something a lot stronger than that. “I’ll have the same.”

  He filled a couple of glasses and left us alone.

  Claire sipped. “So, talk.”

  Shit. Now what? “I’m sorry.”

  “I think you need to tell that to Alex.”

  Alex’s lessons on how to handle an interrogation ran through my head. Don’t volunteer information. Deny everything. Let her believe what she wants to believe. “I will.”

  “You fooled around with another guy in your boyfriend’s office. What kind of whore are you, Talia?” She turned up her nose and sipped her precious white wine like a well-bred lady.

  Ohh, if she only knew what kind of fooling around she’d missed. I took a deep drink to keep my lips sealed. My head spun and I set the glass down. Wow. Stronger than I thought.

  “I’m….” Give her just enough of the truth to satisfy. “I’m messed up. I love both Alex and Will, and I can’t choose between them.” Stop right there.

  She tapped her fingers on the glass. “You can’t have both.”

  I hid my smile in the transparent drink. I can, and I have.

  “You already have Alex. Let Will go.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to.”

  “Selfish bitch.” She snarled and signaled the bartender for a refill.

  “Yes, I am.” I’d been fighting it, but maybe I needed to own it. I’d gotten what I wanted—the two men I couldn’t live without. Why not indulge in that pleasure? Who was I hurting?

  “Maybe Will doesn’t want you.” Claire’s words taunted me, and she cast me a sidelong glance as she waited for my reaction.

  My heart pounded and the glass slipped in my sweaty palm. “What?” He’d told me he did, but m
aybe he’d told her something else.

  “You threw yourself at him. Maybe he would’ve pushed you away if I hadn’t walked in.”

  Ah… she’s reaching. “Is that what you saw?” I sat up straight and squared my shoulders as I raised the wine to my lips.

  “Will would never hurt Alex. They’re best friends. He wouldn’t let you come between them.”

  How did Will get to be the hero in this? Oh right, I’m the whore. “Will’s no saint.”

  “I never said he was, but he’s a better person than you.”

  Ha! I could tell her about our past—how he’d deceived me, played my guilt for his twisted pleasure. That would tarnish his shining armor and drive Claire away from him for good. “Will and I have a sordid history—”

  My cell phone chirped and a text message from Alex lit up my screen. ‘We’re here. Corner table. Will says let us know if you need help.’

  Will’s here to rescue me. A girly flutter tickled my thighs as I glanced over Claire’s shoulder and saw Alex press his finger to his lips. They’d stay hidden for now, ready and able to assist, but giving me the freedom to do the right thing… or not.

  “Then leave it in the past.” Claire slumped over the bar.

  “I have.” And it would stay there. If I told her, she’d never speak to him again, and he would never trust me. I could be selfish with Alex and Will because they let me. They spoiled and indulged me, but that’s where my self-centered universe had to end. I couldn’t hurt Claire to get what I wanted. It’s not all about me.

  I leaned forward and put my hand on her shoulder. “It’s his choice. If he wants you, I’ll step back.”

  Claire sat up. “Are you sure?”

  I smiled. “Yes.” Sure I loved Will enough to let him choose his path, to walk away if it didn’t include me; positive I’d always love him—and Alex—no matter where our lives led us; certain he’d choose to be happy.

  She looked me up and down as if sizing me up. “He told me I was competing with you.”

  “Really? Wow, I don’t think I’d like that.”

  A gentle smile touched her lips but her eyes held a bitter edge. “I took it as a challenge. We had fun with it.”

  “That’s good.”

  She frowned. “But maybe I should quit while I’m ahead.”

  She’s ahead? “Why?”

  “He can’t let you go either.”

  Another smile drowned in wine. “Don’t hate him. I put him through a lot of shit.”

  “He told me that.”

  Someone’s gonna get spanked the next time I get him naked. “Nice.”

  She finished her wine and grabbed the bar as she wobbled on the stool. “Or maybe I’ll keep fighting for him.”

  “You can try.” I caught Will staring at us and decided to let her go after him. “They’re sitting at the corner table.”

  “Alex too?” She glanced around. “Do you think Will told him about…?”

  Every hot detail. I shrugged. “Should we join them?”

  She hunched toward me and forced a whisper. “And pretend nothing happened?”

  “Let’s see where this ride takes us.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t compete with you. You’re crazy.”

  “Be bold, Claire. Good things can happen.” Like skipping a boring baseball game for a three-way fuck on Alex’s desk. Goood.

  She scrambled after me as I grabbed her purse and headed for the corner table. I slid into a chair next to Alex and kissed him. “Hi babe, when you did get here?”

  He played along. “A few minutes ago. We decided to blow off the game for a couple of beers.”

  Will got up and pulled out a chair for Claire. “Join us, please.”

  Claire smoothed her skirt under her butt and settled beside him. “Nice to see you again, Will.”

  “Yeah… you too.” He sat down and shuffled his feet on the floor.

  “So Will,” I rested my elbows on the table and linked my fingers under my chin, “I hear you’re organizing a girl fight.”

  His Twisted Choice

  I am going toss Talia in the back of my truck and fuck her sassy ass till she screams. While Alex watches. No, she’d probably like that. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  An evil smile twisted her lips and she batted her eyelashes as if that would compel a confession from me.

  I clamped my mouth shut.

  Alex grinned. “I want a front row seat.”

  I kicked him under the table and he swore.

  He scowled at me and then nudged Talia. “Hey babe, let’s go home.”

  She protested as he hoisted her to her feet. “Why?”

  “‘Cause I wanna play dirty. Come on.”

  “Ooo…. Bye.” She wiggled her fingers at us as he dragged her out the door.

  Silence descended on that dim corner. The waitress approached but both Claire and I waved her off. A dingy ceiling fan rattled above our heads, and I choked on the years of secondhand smoke embedded in the padded seats.

  Claire snatched the purse Talia had laid on the table. “I should go.”

  I grabbed her hand as she stood. “Wait.”

  She stopped, caressing my hand as I squeezed hers.

  Why am I holding onto her? I needed to let this woman go, but wanted to do it gently. “Let’s go somewhere… else.”

  She withdrew her hand and took a step back. “All right.”

  We walked outside and breathed deep. The setting sun cast dusky shadows and orange reflections on the downtown streets. She followed me to the parking garage while I searched for my truck, and found it just a couple rows from the elevator Talia had fondled me in. Do not let Talia in your head tonight.

  I drove toward the mountains, straight into the sun’s glare, and turned off onto a dusty old side road I’d found during my investigation. A small ledge overlooking the city appeared as I rounded a sharp corner.

  I pulled over and backed the truck near the cliff’s edge, then we got out and I opened the tailgate so Claire could sit beside me. The Denver skyline glittered as the sun dropped behind a ridge.

  “This is beautiful.” She sighed and the truck bounced gently as she plopped beside me, keeping a respectable distance between us.

  “Yeah, I came up here the other day, looking for something. Thought it would be a nice spot to get away.”

  She smiled for the first time that evening. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

  “I promised you I’d take you for a drive in the mountains. I keep my word.”

  Darkness surrounded us as the city lights sparkled like diamonds below. Claire gazed out over the horizon while I searched for words to explain anything… everything.

  I took a deep breath and jumped in. “I’m sorry.”

  A heavy sigh slumped her shoulders. “I am, too.”

  Damn it, now what? Words failed me as guilt punched me in the gut. I’d never wanted to hurt this woman, but now I had to. She looked so small and helpless hunched next to me in the dark that I wanted to wrap my arms around her and tell her she’d be all right. I slid closer, but she stiffened, sitting up and glaring at me with blazing eyes, no longer helpless.

  “What did you promise Talia?”

  I could tell her the truth. “Nothing yet.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What about Alex? Do you have any loyalty to him?”

  The truth became murky, blending shadows of our past and light from our future. “Yeah… more than we’ll ever understand.”

  “Then why did you—?”

  “He knows. He was there.”

  “What? Where? I didn’t see him.”

  Shit. Don’t give her details. “It’s complicated. Talia and I… and Alex… we have a long history. I came out here when she told me she was staying with him because I wanted to know if she was sure. She loves us both, and she can’t choose.”

  She crossed her arms and her ankles. “She told me all of this.”

  “So we didn’t make her choose. We let he
r have both. But this time we’re going into it with our eyes open, no secrets, no lies.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “This time?”

  “History.” I shook my head. We’d tried to leave it behind, but it had become our foundation, twisted but solid. “I belong with her… with them. No one else understands my—our—baggage.”

  She jumped off the tailgate and paced a few steps, then turned and stared straight at me. “What does that mean?”

  I had to confess everything. Claire would never understand, but at least she’d know why I couldn’t love anyone else. “It means I love Talia, but even more important… I love them. We need each other. I know it’s not normal but it works for us.”

  She staggered back a step, too close to the edge of the cliff, so I leaped to my feet and grabbed her. She allowed me to pull her toward the truck, then pressed a hand to her heart, eyes wide. “I’ve always known Alex was a dirty boy, and I guessed Talia’s perversion matched his.” She paced along the ledge. “And you… you have a kinky streak underneath that charming exterior. If it was just sex between the three of you, I’d get that.” A small shiver rattled her frame. “I’d love to get some of that. But a relationship?” She walked back to me and shook her head. “I’ll be surprised if you’re all still together a year from now.”

  I leaned back against the truck, pulling her away from that nerve-wracking ledge as I stroked her arms. “Me too.”

  “Why take the chance?”

  I only needed one reason, one explanation that made sense of everything. “Because it’s the only choice that makes her happy. I could’ve taken her from Alex, but she’d still want him. I could’ve moved on with you, but she’d miss me, and that would make Alex unhappy. This works for all of us.”

  She stepped away from my touch. “A little twisted, don’t you think?”

  I tried not to smile, but had to, damn it. “Very much so, but that’s how we like it.”

  She shook her head, her nose wrinkled. “Well, good luck to you. I’m sure this will crash and burn, but I’m not going to wait around for you.” She stomped toward the cab.

  I scrambled after her. “Good. You need someone who can give his whole heart to you.”

  She stopped and turned. “Yes, I do.” She reached for me, patting my chest as a timid smile touched her lips, becoming bolder as she spoke. “But you taught me how to… reveal myself. I needed that. I enjoyed it.”