“Truer words have never been spoken. See? You know me better than you thought.” She kicked off her boots and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “You’re really going to enjoy dinner. Nick’s a wonderful cook.”
William believed that Nick could be wonderful at a lot of things if he’d only just relax. Emily seemed to inch closer and closer until she practically sat on his lap. Instantly hard, he absently caressed her hair, loving the easy intimacy that had developed between them since their night in San Francisco. Nick’s hesitance was the only detriment to their fulfillment, he knew. But that could be rectified easily enough.
He grazed a kiss on Emily’s temple, inwardly amazed by the new thoughts and emotions swirling through him. Other than adolescent “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” sessions, he’d never been with another male before, had never considered it, and if he’d been asked two weeks ago about his orientation, he would have sworn that he was as straight as an arrow.
But he wasn’t a bigot, and had never been put off when a man hit on him… Thinking back now, William was astonished to recall how often he’d been approached by other men, starting from his freshman year in college to the present. He’d always been flattered by the attention, had in fact even purchased drinks for men who’d cruised him in bars, but the thought of ever going home with one of those men, of having gay sex, had really never occurred to him before now. I never considered it a possibility. I never considered it at all because it wasn’t something I’d scheduled into my life planner.
So what was the difference now? It would have to be Emily, of course. She was attractive, smart, and his equal in every way. Though their dating history was short and checkered, whenever he tried to imagine his life without her in it, William became saddened. Recently he’d attempted to envision life as a carefree threesome. In his fantasies, he and Emily always got along well. Emily and Nick continued their sexy vibe. But a block formed in his brain each time he tried to create a scene with only Nick and him as participants.
Well, except for that one daydream where he caught Nick down by a pool—whose pool, William did not know—ripped down the muscular stud’s swim trunks and proceeded to give him the best head of his life…
“Wake up, ya drunks!” Nick thundered, holding a silver serving tray in his gloved hands. “Follow me into the dining room. But be sure to wash up first.” He looked back at them with feigned disgust. “Sheesh.” As he turned a corner to go inside the dining room, the apron he’d donned swished behind him.
William and Emily exchanged glances, each working hard to not burst into hysterical laughter.
Emily nursed her third vodka tonic while trying to remain inconspicuous. Nick and William were engaging in a real, live conversation. So far no barbs had been exchanged and tempers had not flared. Nick seemed relaxed enough in his armchair. He reclined with his feet up on the ottoman, recuperating from his delicious vermicelli-spinach pasta. When he’d presented his fabulous homemade chocolate biscotti for dessert, William had taken one bite and had raved about Nick’s culinary skills.
Flat on her back, Emily lazed on Nick’s living room floor, pretending disinterest. But she picked up bits and pieces, some mundane, some important.
“I have to find a new apartment, quick,” Nick slurred, reaching for a glass of red wine. “With my associate’s salary, I don’t make nearly enough to stay after the building goes co-op. I’ve been in this apartment since my last year of college—and the only reason I was able to afford it then was because I had a roommate.”
William looked concerned. “How have you been managing?”
“When my roommate left, my older sister helped me out. Once the firm hired me, I was able to pay her back with interest, and even managed to begin saving a little money. But only a little,” he grumbled. “All of it will be eaten up by the time I hire a realtor and plunk down the money I need for a new rental and the security deposit.”
“I’m sorry, Nick,” Emily said. “If you don’t find something before you move out of here, you can stay with me until you get settled.”
“Thanks, babe, but there’s no way you and I could coexist in your little one bedroom. You don’t even have enough closet space for my coat collection.”
Emily giggled. “True.”
William, who had listened attentively, set down his drink. “My townhouse has four bedrooms, Nick, three of which are empty.”
“Why aren’t I surprised, rich boy?” Nick shook his head. “Thanks, man, but—”
“Don’t dismiss me out of hand,” Will urged. “I live downtown. You’d be only ten minutes away from the office, compared to the forty-five minute commute you do now. In addition, I live closer to your gym and the finer restaurants and shops in town.”
Emily’s ears perked up. Will’s house was the business, and the only reason she hadn’t moved in when he suggested it was because Will had wanted more than a roommate arrangement. Hmmm. The way things had been shaping up, it sounded like Nick might have received the same indecent proposal.
Actually, it wasn’t such a bad idea. The thought of having access to both men at the same time did have its charms. She folded her arms behind her head, gazed at the ceiling, and waited for more of Nick’s denials, thank-you-but-no-thank-yous, and reasons for it not being appropriate.
“I can’t accept charity from you, Drake.”
“Who’s offering charity? You’d pay me rent each month, purchase your own food and take care of your personal bills. The two of you like to tease me because I come from a comfortable background, but what you might not understand is what it takes to maintain that level of comfort. It means being practical, it means knowing how to receive the best return on an investment.” William cocked his head arrogantly. “The only charities I give to are tax deductible. So, whatever you think of me, know I work and study hard, and my rich daddy didn’t raise a fool.”
Emily rolled her eyes. Up until that point the evening had gone fairly well. Rolling upright, she sat on her haunches. “Now, now, boys. Play nice. Nick, don’t be so closed to the idea. William, don’t be so defensive.”
“I’m not being defensive.” William sniffed, sounding defensive. “I just abhor being judged for how I started out in life. I should be judged for who I am now.”
“Shit, man, we’re all judged by our beginnings. I’m a damned fine attorney, on track to start pulling down big cases, big money and bigger acclaim in the coming years, but you know what? To everyone I grew up with in Tampa, I’m still white trash. I’m white trash with a fancy degree, but still white trash.”
“I’m boring and middle-class, if that makes you feel any better,” Emily chimed in. Both men glared at her. “Mmkay. I guess not.”
Silence descended on them like a dead weight, each attorney seemingly content to stare inside the bottom of their glasses. Emily hated angry silences even more than she disliked vocal dissension among friends. Didn’t they argue enough at work? She hadn’t accepted her dinner invitation just so her two favorite people could find yet another excuse to fight.
So she decided to use her body as a buffer of sorts. “Last man to the bedroom is a rotten egg!” She jumped up and sprinted toward Nick’s bedroom.
William and Nick stood in the bedroom doorway watching Emily’s humorous mad dash to remove her clothes.
“What? Why are you staring at me like that? There’s too much aggression around here tonight, so you might as well take all your anger and resentment out on me,” she declared as she moved to the center of Nick’s bed. She shook her hair and puffed out her chest, things that would have been sexy as hell if she hadn’t stuck out her tongue. “I’m strong. I can take it.”
“You’re too fucking much, Emily.” Nevertheless, Nick moved inside the room and kicked off his shoes.
“Such a team player,” William remarked.
Now that she had their attention, she deliberately ignored them while they undressed so she could concentrate on her throbbing cunt. Shutti
ng her eyes, she leaned back and spread her thighs, fingers lightly rubbing her swollen clit.
Cool hands suddenly gripped her thighs. She didn’t have to open her eyes to know the hands belonged to William. He dipped his tongue into her dripping pussy, drawing a whimper from her. He grabbed her wrists, disallowing her further access. This was his show. William’s tongue was king.
When she felt Nick’s weight to her left, her eyes flew open momentarily. She reached for him, taking his thickening penis into her hand, lovingly establishing the rhythm he liked best. He groaned, his cock pulsing in her hand, throbbing, rising and pulsing within her caress.
They all moved slowly, languidly, giving each other pleasure, unlike their first frenzied night together. Emily shivered as William pulled her legs over his forearms. He slapped her bottom one, two, three times, his hand pausing a little between smacks as he slid a finger inside her waiting pussy. “Ooh, that’s good.” She moaned, her pleasure mounting as her juices coated William’s fingers. Much to her annoyance, just when she was really getting into it, he dropped her legs and stopped. “No fair!” She released Nick and leaned up on an elbow.
“No fair is right,” Nick mumbled. “Why should I suffer?”
William ignored her. “Let me give you a hand, Nick.” Emily watched William reach for Nick’s cock and wipe her juices over the length of him. “I’ve been waiting to do this for days.”
Without warning, William wrapped his hand around Nick’s cock. He gasped. Crouching over Emily, William settled his knees between her thighs. She remained still, the thrum of her heart the only sound she could hear as William took Nick’s shaft inside his mouth. Nick’s eyes widened and he moved as if to shove William away. William didn’t budge, wrapping his lips firmly around Nick’s cock, sucking hard and slow without hesitation.
Damn. Emily lay stunned, her breath coming out in short bursts. Nick again reached forward with trembling hands, but this time, he raked them through William’s dark hair. With a deep growl, he brought the other man closer. She glanced at William’s body, noting his flushed skin, the rapid pulse in his neck and his rock-hard erection.
“Mmmm…” William groaned, his lips wide, working overtime to take every inch Nick offered.
Nick suddenly withdrew, falling backward as a stream of hot come arced out of him, pumping all over the bed. Cursing softly under his breath, he slammed into the bathroom, leaving his guests in bed.
Holy shit. Captain, we have liftoff.
While Nick pretended to sleep, William and Emily made themselves comfortable in the kitchen, microwaving leftovers. She munched a piece of garlic bread, gazing at him thoughtfully. “You can forget about Nick ever moving in with you now.”
William reached out to brush hair out of her eyes. “You think so? Judging from the way he came…”
“Judging from the way he came, he’s probably totally confused and fucked up. He’s avoiding us right now because he can’t look either of us in the eye. Shit, William, I can barely look you in the eye. You’ve been holding out on me! Where’d you learn to suck cock like that?”
“I never learned. That was my first pop quiz on the subject.” He moved the pasta around his plate until it adhered perfectly to his fork. “I think I might have passed.”
“You think?” She snorted. “I have never seen him blow like that. Never. The man has nuts like a donkey, but even with my vast expertise—” she placed a hand over her shoulder to pat her own back—“I’ve never had that effect on him.”
“Don’t be modest, Em. Besides, I think a lot of what we saw was shock. My blowing him surprised him, got his adrenaline pumping, making for quite a flood of emotion.”
“A flood is right. And who’s being modest now?” Pushing away her plate, she tapped him on the shoulder. “How can you be so calm about this? Aren’t you freaked out?”
He frowned. “You mean am I worried that I might be gay?”
“Worried isn’t the word I’d use…”
“Good, because I liked doing it,” he replied, his tone matter-of-fact. “Nick liked me doing it, though it might be a while before he can admit it. And you liked watching me do it, Em. So we all got something out of it, didn’t we?”
They finished their meals in silence. After creeping inside Nick’s room to get the rest of his clothes, William pecked Emily on the cheek. “I doubt mine is the face Nick will want to see after he wakes up, so I’m taking off. I think you should stay and give our pal as much comfort as he needs.”
Emily smirked. “But Nick’s a giver!”
“So it’ll be your job to take whatever he wants to give you, sweetheart. I know it’ll be one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to do, but I’m sure you’ll get through it,” he replied, his sarcasm not ruffling her one bit.
“Will do.” She stood on tiptoe to cradle his neck. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
After locking the door behind William, Emily loaded the dishwasher, dried her hands, and leaned on the kitchen counter, wondering if she should follow William’s lead and head for home.
Just when she had made up her mind to get going, Nick’s tousled head peeked inside the kitchen. “I’m cold. Come back to bed.”
Neither of them mentioned William’s absence, but that could be because little was mentioned at all. Nick obviously had something on his mind, but he wasn’t prepared to talk about it. He even begged off from sex. Instead, he pulled her into his arms, and they gazed at each other, every once in a while exchanging kisses until eventually falling asleep.
William reached inside his pockets, removing his house keys and his cell phone, which rang just before he walked through the door. “Good morning, Emily. I hope it’s been a good morning,” he said with all seriousness. “I just returned from my morning jog.”
“Boy, I could set my clock by you. Anyway, it’s been a … sweet morning. Nick didn’t feel like cooking, so he ran out to fetch us some breakfast. After he comes back, I’m going to try to convince him to move in with you.”
“Good luck with that.” William removed his jacket and hung it on a hook.
“No, no, I’m sure I can do this. I just have to get your permission about one little detail that might seal the deal.”
“My permission?” Emily’s brief pause got his attention. She was always sure of herself, so this out of character moment of anxiety piqued his interest.
“You asked me to move in with you, do you remember? About five months ago?”
He laughed. “And you immediately shot me down.” As he talked, he moved up the stairs, went inside his bedroom and sat on the bed. “Is there a reason you’re bringing this up? Have you changed your position on living with me?”
“If you say yes to me and Nick moving in, a lot of positions would change, William.”
His thoughts drifted to last night and he was immediately hard. He could still taste Nick, could still feel him in the back of his throat. He’d replayed the scene in his head over and over in the last few hours, recalling everything down to the smallest detail. But even with his desire stirred, he knew that caution would be the best policy until he could get Nick to see that what they did had not been wrong.
Uncertainty had plagued him, and it was such an unfamiliar emotion he’d become physically ill just before his jog. But he wasn’t the kind of man to let it get him down. He’d always gone after whatever he wanted and had the foresight to be patient when things didn’t go according to plan.
William Drake had planned on building a life with Emily since the day he met her. Not offended by her lack of commitment, he’d waited for her eventual acquiescence. Now, she’d moved closer to him, and he understood Nick’s role in her turnaround. And that meant his plans would have to change. “Make it happen, Em,” he whispered. “I know you can do it.”
“You’re making me all sticky,” Emily accused, reaching down to scoop a bit of ice cream off her breast. “Yum, I love pistachio.” She and Nick sat naked and cross-legged, face to face, feeding each other
ice cream. Except more of the ice cream seemed to land on their bodies than inside their mouths.
“Somebody’s got green nipples,” Nick said just before placing a dollop of ice cream on her perky nubs. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Well, I don’t see how having green nipples is any worse than the affliction of one of the guys I’m fucking.”
Nick looked panicked. “What affliction?”
“He’s got a green dick.” She grabbed his semi-erect cock and placed the tip inside the ice cream carton.
“A cold dick too,” he mumbled.
They’d been so relaxed since that morning, and the afternoon had certainly been fun, but Emily knew her next statement would suck all the sexy from the room. “I’ve decided to move in with William.”
“And why in the world would you want to do that?” He replaced the lid on the ice cream and set the container on the night stand. “When was this decided?”
“Does it matter? I think it could be a good thing, and his house is amazing.”
Nick raked his hands through his thick hair, his eyes darkening. “Y’all are too much, I swear. I just don’t understand you.”
“Ooh, I know I’m in for it now,” she teased.
“Why?”
“You ‘y’alled’ me.” Emily cracked up.
His cheeks heated. “I can’t help it. The southern tends to come out when I get upset.”
“Why would me moving in with William upset you, Nick? I thought you’d got over this jealousy thing.” Over it. Under it. On top of it. Bottoming it…
“I’m upset because the two of you think I’m stupid. You think if you move in with him, then naturally, I’ll follow.” He folded his arms and frowned, looking like a six-year-old who’d lost a toy.
“We don’t think you’re stupid. And what’s so wrong with you taking one of his spare rooms? His townhouse is pretty big, and you would be comfortable. Besides, no one says it has to be forever, Nick. A three-way cut means you’ll be saving a couple of hundred dollars every month compared to what you’re paying now, and William’s not going to ask for a security deposit.”
A Firm Merger Page 4
