A Firm Merger

by Ganon, Stephanie

  “I’m not doing anyone’s bidding. I’m here on my own.”

  “Well, that’s even weirder.” Nick opened his eyes and turned his gaze on his uninvited guest. “If Emily has something to say to me, she can do as she always has and tell me herself. She doesn’t need you to assist her with that, counselor. If there’s one thing Em’s good at, it’s talking. When she wants something, she asks for it.”

  “As her friend—”

  “I’d say you’re a little more than that, Drake.”

  “As are you, Scott,” William shot back. “But she is a friend of mine, the sex being the frosting on the cake, as it were. I would have sworn you felt the same. Or has something changed?”

  A weight so heavy he couldn’t breathe knotted Nick’s chest as he struggled to keep his composure. This was just too fucked up for him to comprehend, and maybe that’s why he had difficulty wrapping his mind around it. This guy, his competition for all intents and purposes, was asking him to renew a relationship with the woman they were both sleeping with? Unbelievable. “Call me old-fashioned, Drake, but I just don’t know how to deal with the … incident right now.”

  “I’d call you old-fashioned if it wasn’t complete bullshit.” William stood and approached the door. “Take me out of the equation and remember your feelings for Emily. Even as an outsider looking in, I thought I saw something real there.” He touched the doorknob, but Nick’s voice stopped him.

  “What’s in it for you?” he demanded, standing. He stalked forward, picking up a head of steam, fists clenched. “What the hell are you getting out of this?”

  William angled his head downward before meeting Nick’s gaze. “I’m a practical man. I love Emily and want nothing but her happiness. Last week, whether you wish to admit it or not, the three of us made a great team and formed a bond that freed Emily to be herself. I liked seeing that in her. I liked the way it made me feel.” He swung the door open and stepped out to the hall. “Hopefully, when you get over yourself, you’ll admit to liking the way it made you feel too.”

  And with that, the smug little bastard was gone. Nick slumped back in his chair, William’s words echoing inside his throbbing head. Amazingly, looking down at his lap, Nick saw that his head wasn’t the only thing throbbing at that moment.

  What the fuck is happening to me?

  Emily opened her door to William. “This is a nice surprise,” she said, selfconsciously pulling her silk robe tighter. “Is this business or pleasure?”

  “I’ll let you decide,” William quipped. “Actually, I only need a few minutes.”

  “That’s cool.” Emily stepped back to allow him entry and padded through her apartment in her bare feet to the dining room. “I was just doing some last minute reading for tomorrow.”

  “And enjoying a Bloody Mary by the looks of it,” he said, gesturing at the half-empty glass.

  “You want one?”

  “No. I really only wanted to say a couple of things to you. I’ll say them, and then you can get back to your work.”

  “That works for me. Pull up a chair and talk.”

  Emily kept her hands beneath the table so William wouldn’t notice them shaking. While he hadn’t been as aloof as Nick had been over the last week, she’d sensed a change in him, and she didn’t know if it was for the better. What happened in San Francisco, while hot, had pretty much wrecked any chance she’d had with either man. A pragmatist, she’d digested that fact and told herself to get on with life.

  “I’m in love with you, Emily, and I think I always have been. I’m not expecting you to say it back, and I wouldn’t want you to say it if it weren’t the truth. But whatever you feel doesn’t change what’s in my heart.”

  I know. I’m falling for you too. Hard. But there’s a problem. I think I’m in love with Nick too. She opened her mouth, but stopped, amazed when William lifted his hand.

  “Please, don’t interrupt me. I really need to get this off my chest.”

  Nodding, she squeezed her hands between her thighs to keep them from bumping into the table.

  He leaned forward, and for the first time she noticed the length of his hair and sideburns. Emily wasn’t used to seeing William less than completely trimmed, and briefly wondered what had happened to miss an appointment with his stylist.

  “I’m aware you have strong feelings for Nick, and I’ll never get in the way of that, but the selfishness you displayed throughout the bulk of this relationship has got to end. It’s time for you to learn to be happy at work and at home. I believe I can do that for you, but I know you need Nick too. He misses you, Emily, even though he doesn’t know how to express it—”

  “How do you know that?” she asked, forgetting that he had the floor. “He’s barely even looked at me this week. If anything, I think he regrets the whole thing.”

  William smiled brightly, and its cheeriness seemed absurd in that moment. “He’ll regret walking away from you more. Trust me. The man is conflicted.”

  Emily let out a loud gust of air, finally pulling her trembling hands from under the table. Nick was conflicted? Join the club, hot shot. Modern gal or not, she didn’t have threesomes every day, and she’d thought long and hard about what kind of woman that made her. In the end, she concluded she was the same woman she’d always been: driven, intelligent, gutsy. She’d enjoyed herself, would do it again in a heartbeat, and would not lose further sleep over the topic. If Nick Scott, Man About Town, was too squeamish to enjoy something as fun and naughty as they’d experienced together … well, he wasn’t as smart as she’d thought he was.

  Eying William, she got the distinct impression he was loving this. His confidence was way up, and he seemed more at ease than she’d ever seen him. It was almost as if what happened lit a fire under him. It’s a good look for you, William. She cocked her head and asked a familiar question. “So what do we do now?”

  William smirked. “We have to make an offer the big guy can’t refuse.”

  “What kind of offer?” she asked, arching a brow. “Nick’s avoiding us, and with good reason. I think we should just leave things as they are.”

  “Then no one would benefit, Emily.”

  She shook her head. “Is that all you care about? That attitude is what got us into this situation. If I hadn’t been so selfish to begin with, putting my needs in front of everyone else’s… Be fair about this. Can’t you try to see this from Nick’s point of view?”

  “I do see his point of view,” he muttered. “That’s why I’m here tonight. But I need you to back me up.”

  She eyed him, amazed by his composure in the wake of his proposal. William’s self confidence might have been his most attractive feature, but she still found it unsettling at times. Yet the same confidence made it difficult for him to see life through the eyes of others, and she often had to remind him that his wishes weren’t the only ones that counted.

  While his methods, whether above board or underhanded, might have been appreciated in a courtroom, William’s go-getter mentality often grated on others, especially sensitive people who saw his matter-of-fact approach to life as a personal attack. Nick was sensitive, despite his devil-may-care attitude. She didn’t want William messing with Nick’s head.

  She sighed, knowing her dishonesty had set this into motion, afraid further action on her part would simply make things worse. “I’m done making decisions for other people,” she whispered. “Whatever happens, whatever comes out of this has to be Nick’s decision, and not because we tricked him.”

  “Who needs trickery?” he asked, his teeth clenched. “You’re allowing your guilt to blind you to the facts, Em. If I thought Nick hadn’t enjoyed the time we spent together, I’d be the first to walk away and leave well enough alone. But I saw him. He was into it.”

  “Even if that’s true, that doesn’t mean he wants a repeat performance.”

  William’s expression became unreadable. “Doesn’t mean he doesn’t.” He stood. “You just said you’re done making decisions for ot
her people, but you’re still doing precisely that. Nick and I might not have had a choice when it came to being with you, at least in the beginning, but all that’s changed now.”

  “It hasn’t—”

  “But everything has changed, and you know it. How about you stop attempting to run everything and simply allow what’s going to happen to happen.” He turned his back to her. “I’ll show myself out.”

  Chapter Five

  On Saturday, Nick discovered three things.

  The first discovery was that his apartment building would be transitioned into co-ops in the coming year and his lease wouldn’t be renewed. He could leave immediately or finish out the rest of his lease, which amounted to eighty-six days.

  The second was the protein shake he’d consumed for breakfast didn’t agree with him, and he’d be spending much of his free time in the bathroom if he continued to drink it. The third was no matter what he did, where he went or how hard he worked, he could not get Emily Dawson and William Drake off his mind.

  He finally broke down and called Emily an hour ago, but he’d been sent to her voicemail. It would serve him right if she was icing him out, he knew. He’d probably waited too long to work through the stuff in his head, and William was probably there to make it all better.

  Just after noon, he sat at his kitchen counter enjoying the chicken and broccoli dish he’d concocted, yet he could barely concentrate on the delicious meal without his thoughts wandering. Three days ago, William sat in this apartment and told him they made a great team. They had a bond. But what bound them, exactly? Sex with Emily? Something more? And was Nick willing to find out?

  Each time he bumped into William in the law office’s corridors, he’d had to stop himself from flinching. Since they worked on different floors, it wasn’t often enough to warrant a meltdown, but Nick was still thankful for small favors.

  He’d jerked off after William left—had whipped out his swollen cock, stood in front of the bathroom sink and come so hard he couldn’t see clearly for a few minutes afterward. As he’d stroked himself, he’d imagined William fucking Emily’s ass, heard her moans and recalled his arousal at seeing them together. He’d never been so turned on by anything in his life before that night, and that frightened him badly.

  Watching William’s cock moving in and out of Emily’s wet pussy, so up close and personal, in 3D, had been enough to send him into the most pleasurable orgasm of his life. William’s thrusts had quickened, pulling guttural moans from her that curled his toes. Her lips had parted, oh-so-wet, as she tried to catch her breath.

  The worst part—or the best part, his traitorous mind kept telling him—was the look on William’s face as Nick’s climax flowed out of him. He’d looked so satisfied. Almost as if he’d had something to do with Nick’s pleasure, despite their unspoken “no touching” rule. And God help him, Nick realized William’s blissful look had made it even better for him.

  So … I’m gay now? Shaking his head, he remembered all the women who’d crossed his path, crossed his face, crossed his bed… And yet the biggest thrill he’d ever had happened when he was face-to-face with another dude.

  His cell phone vibrated on the counter, startling him so much his fork clattered to the floor. “Yeah?” he barked, not bothering to check the caller ID screen.

  “It’s me, Nick. I’m so glad you called.” Emily sounded breathless, almost as if she’d raced for the phone despite being the one who placed the call.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, though his stomach clenched as he awaited the answer.

  “I was on my treadmill, wearing headphones. I didn’t realize you called until just now.”

  “That’s good to hear, Em. Keeping everything nice … and tight.”

  She giggled. “Is that why you finally called? To talk dirty to me?”

  “Would that be so bad? It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had that kind of conversation.”

  “It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had any kind of conversation, Nick.”

  He nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see him. “I’m sorry about that. I’ve just been trying to deal with all that happened. I—I didn’t know what to make out of the whole thing. I just needed some time to digest it all, ya know?” Nick’s grip on the phone was tight. Relax, man.

  “I know exactly what you mean. Really. You think I expected any of that to happen?” She cleared her throat, and his ears perked up because he knew that meant some grand declaration from his girl. “But I’m not sorry about it, Nick. It was fantastic. I get that seeing me with another man might have been jarring, but to me, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Call me crazy. Call me slutty. I don’t care what you call me—just as long as you call. I miss my weekly stud service.”

  “So you haven’t been getting it on with your other boyfriend, huh?” His jaw clicked, the words struggling from his mouth. “From what I’ve seen, he’s even more thrilled about what happened than you are.”

  “Yeah, he seems happy all right, but we haven’t been together since San Francisco. He saw how depressed I was when you stopped talking to me. William’s a gentleman first, horndog second.”

  “Sounds like I need to get some tips. You really like him a lot, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I do, but that doesn’t change how I feel about you and I hope you can find a way to understand that someday. I want both of you in my life, and with that secret out, I’m through pulling punches. I don’t want to sneak around anymore; I’m through hiding. Nick, I don’t want to lose you, but I’ll understand if you can’t deal with it. Shit, on the crime documentaries I watch, this situation is a recipe for murder. Seriously, I half expect that Maureen Maher chick to show up at my door complete with 48 Hours cameras rolling as she narrates the last days of my short tragic life. Emily Dawson: Killed By Lust.”

  Nick’s mouth dropped open. Then he laughed. It was a hard laugh from the gut, the kind he hadn’t experienced in weeks. Emily chuckled too, and it was music to his ears. “Sorry to spoil your fun, but I don’t see any craziness like that in your future. At least not coming from me.”

  “Oh, so you think William’s the spurned lover, do ya? Well, I’ll have you know that he wants everything to work out. Between. Us. All.”

  Nick swallowed hard. “He seemed really into it.”

  “As were you. As was I. Stop putting on that front, Nick. We’re all very good friends here.”

  “Yeah, but I’m wondering how friendly Drake wants to get with me!”

  She cackled like a witch, and in his mind’s eye Nick saw her rubbing her little hands together. “How friendly you get with William is purely up to you. I’m not pro or con. But if we get together again, I insist we all leave happy afterward.”

  Nick inhaled a long breath. His voice sounded far away to his own ears as he made his proposal. “How about we hang out tonight? The three of us, I mean. I can throw some food together and—”

  “I’m already sold. I’ll contact William and work out the logistics.”

  After they clicked off, Nick sighed. Emily had the right idea. Either do it or don’t, but feeling guilty wouldn’t get his needs met.

  It’s on.

  “Good evening, comrades. Come on in. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes, so take a seat.” Nick led them inside the apartment and pointed at the liquor cabinet. “It’s freshly stocked so, Emily, if you don’t mind playing bartender while I’m in the kitchen, I’ll see you two in the dining room.”

  “Works for me. What are we eating tonight?”

  “Italian,” Nick replied, a proud grin brightening his handsome face. “I made my own sauce and everything.”

  “I’ll make a housewife outta you, yet!” Emily teased.

  William nodded at his host before sitting in the very spot he’d occupied during their talk earlier in the week. Despite the forced jokes, the tension was thick enough for him to wonder if he’d miscalculated. Nick Scott wasn’t shaping up to be the good-time boy of William’s fever
ed imaginings. In fact, of the trio, he appeared to be the most sensitive, fearing any breaks with convention. The man’s bravado was an act, and that knowledge both thrilled and fascinated William.

  “Your drink, Monsieur.” Emily handed him a glass and slumped beside him. She wore her reddish-brown hair loose for a lovely change, and he noted with appreciation that she’d taken time with her make-up, outlining her hazel eyes with kohl pencil, and dabbing on a shimmering rose-hued lip gloss. From the neck down, however, she maintained her standard casual attire: crisp, white button-down shirt, blue jeans and sexy black ankle boots.

  When they’d first begun dating, William asked her why she didn’t wear more feminine attire. She’d rolled her eyes. “I wear a skirt to work at least twice a week. On the other days, I’m forced to wear women’s business suits. When I’m on my own time, acting as my own boss, I’ll always choose comfort over style. So, if you expect to ever see me tottering around on stilettos, baby, you’re going to be disappointed.”

  William had not been disappointed. Dating low maintenance women certainly had its benefits. Emily had usually required less mirror-time than he had during the few occasions she’d stayed with him overnight. She’d never once asked him if she looked fat. She ate how and what she wanted, working off any extra calories whenever she felt the need to get back in shape. Best of all, they’d never been late for dinner because she’d wasted an extra hour figuring out what dress looked better with what shoes.

  Emily patted his thigh, leaning in close. “You know what? This is the best I’ve felt in a long time. I’m actually at peace. Comfortable. Maybe even a little happy.”

  “I know, Em. I can see it. I’m happy you’re happy.”

  “Is it crazy of me to want this—this thing between us to work itself out somehow? We could be like that polygamist show on cable!”

  William looked doubtful. “Unless Nick and I volunteer to stay home with the children, I don’t see that happening.”