Byron and Hugh were chatting about the upcoming game. From their conversation, she gathered that each was a team captain. Joe had never been a baseball fan. He'd always been into football and basketball, so she had no clue about baseball. She'd never even watched a game! She'd seen that film about the start of female baseball players during the war and that was the extent of her knowledge!
Sitting in between the two men, feelings of warmth and happiness assailed her as she listened to them talk and argue while she just relaxed in their company. She enjoyed them as people. Something about them resonated deeply within her. Their personalities and characters all blended well, and she knew that, as well as being fuck-buddies, they could grow to be great companions.
It helped now that they were willing to show her off in public. It made her feel less of a pariah. Why she should feel like that, she didn't know but she did just the same. Guys didn't go around sharing women. Well, not after college they didn't and being exposed to their crew, their friends, helped to ease any qualms she had. This exercise proved that they cared about her, at least a little, or at least weren't ashamed of her. A fact she couldn't help but be pleased about.
They rolled up to a ball park and helped her down from the cab as they alighted from it. Hugh walked beside her, his hand pressed firmly at the small of her back.
Byron moved on ahead. "Who has the shirts this week?" he asked one of the guys.
Hugh led her to a group of women, but, rather than just dump her there and go off and play like Joe would have done, he introduced her to some of the men's wives.
"Nicole, I'd like you to meet Ruby, Bobby's wife, and Terry, Carter's wife, and Patricia, Steven's wife. Ladies, this is Nicole."
She smiled gratefully up at him and was rewarded with a wink and a pat on the butt.
Byron soon walked over towards them with a shirt in his hand. He'd already changed into his and looked very cute in the blue and cream shirt. He handed a burgundy and cream shirt to Hugh, who immediately stripped off his T-shirt, revealing his luscious delineated abs.
The women immediately began wolf-whistling and catcalling.
Within seconds the baseball shirt was over his head and then fell to cover up that beautiful sight.
As some of the wives blew kisses at him, he just grinned and bent down to bestow a kiss on Nicole's lips before wandering off to the guys.
Byron followed suit.
Nicole, although pleased with the signs of affection, wanted the ground to open and swallow her up.
She faced the women with her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying with it as she looked at their shocked and inquisitive faces. She herself would have been shocked had she been in their shoes, so there was no hiding from it. They'd both branded her as theirs and that surely made her an outsider in this little group.
The urge to retreat and avoid dealing with curiosity was strong. Ducking her head, she waited for the talk to start once more and was relieved when it eventually did. That tense silence had been uncomfortable and unnerving after their earlier sounds of hustle and bustle.
She lifted her head and saw that she was still receiving some curious stares. So, taking the bull by the horns, she walked over to one of the women and smiled. "Hi, Ruby, isn't it?"
The woman nodded and gave a slow smile. She was quick to satisfy her curiosity. "Are you sharing those two hunks?"
Clearing her throat at the direct question, Nicole replied, "Would it be a problem if I were?"
Ruby gave her a considering look before she replied. "Nope. But I'd be mighty jealous and curious if you were."
"Well, then yes, I am sharing them."
With a hoot of laughter, Ruby smacked her on the back good naturedly. "Well, good for you. If it weren't for my Bobby, hell, I'd give you a run for your money."
"You might give it a shot, but they'd wear you out eventually," Nicole retorted, grinning at her.
"Oh, that's how the land lies, is it?"
Nicole nodded.
"Man, you are so lucky!" Ruby breathed. "I won't ask what they're like in bed, even though me and every other woman here is dying to! It doesn't matter that we're all married women. Those two guys have all starred in some of our fantasies at one point or another! You lucky thing! Those abs! And they're all yours!" Ruby moaned jealously.
Laughing, Nicole got into the spirit of things. "Their abs are nothing in comparison to … well, the entire package," she murmured.
"Oh my God! I think I may have a heart attack. Lead me over to a seat and get me a beer. Hell, my heart just can't take this conversation."
Even though she'd been joking, Nicole wandered over to the coolers that were sitting by some picnic tables and grabbed two beers, one for herself and one for Ruby. Handing one to the other woman as she came back, Nicole relaxed a little. Talking about Byron and Hugh was something she could easily do. Hell, they were in her thoughts more than anything else anyway!
She sat down beside Ruby. "I've never even seen a game of baseball," she confessed.
"Don't worry about it, honey, Ruby replied cheerfully. "These games have been happening every single Saturday for the last three years, and I still don't know the rules! It's more of a catch up for the girls, that's all. If you become a steady figure here, then you'll get to know more of us. I think I'd like that. You seem alright to me."
Nicole choked on a sip of beer. "Well thanks! I appreciate that. You're alright yourself," she replied.
"You're very welcome," Ruby said with a chuckle.
Both women settled back in their seats and watched the men start to play. The other women seemed content to just chatter and eat some of the food they'd brought along. She watched as they eyed the game before returning to their conversations and noticed their gazes lingered on her men before they began to speak. At one point or another, every single woman there looked at Hugh or Byron and only the fact that they were married relieved her jealousies any.
That she was feeling jealous at all made her feel silly. They weren't her men. How could she think about them like that when only yesterday she'd wanted to end this thing she had with them? How could she be so possessive over them after that? The answer was, she shouldn't be, but that didn't stop her from wanting to glare at the other women as they looked them over like choice grade A beef! Which, of course, they were!
As the game progressed, the bleachers began to fill with ordinary folks that pulled up to watch the game. She noticed that even there a lot of the women looked at Hugh and Byron with steadfast gazes, and it was with great difficulty that she didn't walk over and ask them what the hell they were doing!
When she spotted one woman fluttering her eyes and poking her chest out whenever Hugh or Byron passed by, she was hard pressed not to run over and pull the bitch's hair out! She'd jumped to her feet before she realized that she'd done so and almost died of embarrassment as the crew's wives looked at her funny.
She wanted to look at herself funny! Hell, she'd almost acted on her thoughts. How humiliating was that? Her only comfort was that Byron and Hugh hadn't noticed.
Nicole knew that she had to control these possessive instincts the men riled in her, but she couldn't help it. Seeing another woman eye up her men made a ball of fire burn in her gut like a case of bad indigestion!
Dammit, this wasn't right. She shouldn't be thinking like this.
Inhaling a deep calming breath, she took another sip of her beer, which she was acquiring quite a taste for, and settled back to watch a game she didn't understand.
If she watched Hugh and Byron far more than they did the ball, then only she knew that.
* * * *
Byron grinned as his guys jumped up and down, celebrating totally kicking Hugh's team's ass. He smacked Hugh on the back and continued to let his team enjoy the buzz of winning.
Three years ago, Hugh and Byron had established this weekly ball game as a way for the guys to relax and unwind with each other after work. It was good for morale and meant that the crew was, on the whole, a
lot happier working together.
Byron walked over to the picnic tables the women had set up earlier and grabbed some beers. There was nothing more that he wanted to do than to go over to Nicole and just sit with her for the duration of the afternoon. But he knew his duty. The whole boosting morale thing went further than the game. It was the socializing afterwards that cemented friendships, and it was important that the bosses be seen close at hand.
"Here you go, Bobby. Have a commiserating beer on me!" Byron said, chuckling at Bobby's glare.
"You only won because Stanislav is a killer pitcher," the other man grumbled.
"Hey, you could have had him on your side this year! Complain to the captain. He should have realized that Stanislav's arm was stronger than a hammer. My eagle eye spotted that!"
"I'm sure it did," Bobby said, flipping him the bird. "Well, Hugh's eagle eye will spot it next year, and we'll have him on our side!"
"Fair's fair," Byron said, grinning as he moved on with a wink.
He passed out the few bottles in his hand to the guys on Hugh's side who were grumbling about their loss. The problem with both teams was that they were normally equally matched. So this week, Bobby grumbled but next week he'd probably be cheering about his side's win. It kept everyone happy, but this last year a new guy had started at Jakman Construction, and he had been quick to get him on his side. Like Bobby had said, Stanislav was a killer pitcher, and it meant that Byron's team had won these past two weeks.
He ignored the moaning and grumbles, passed them off with a grin, and felt his heart pitter patter in his chest as he watched Nicole walk up to him with a big smile on her face. Her breasts swayed as she walked, and it took all his might not to start drooling.
She came up to him and kissed him on the lips. It was a lot more passionate than the kiss he'd thought she would bestow on him. He'd expected a peck on the cheek. What he got was tongue. Not altogether unhappy with this, he grinned. "That's better than a trophy," he said.
Her voice was husky, and it fired his blood. "I'm glad to hear it. Congratulations!"
He chuckled. "Don't say that too loudly. Hugh's side is pissed off. They had expected to win this week."
"I'd best give Hugh my condolences then," she said, smiling slyly as she winked at him.
He watched her go and patted her on the ass before she walked out of his reach.
She spun around and blew him a kiss before continuing on her path.
His gaze followed the curves of her ass, watched the muscles bounce together in her jeans and he felt his cock start to harden from memories of the previous night. He felt like staking a claim on her ass, putting a sticker over one of those luscious cheeks claiming, 'Byron was here!'
Feeling someone come up to him, it took him a minute to register the other guy's presence. It was their assistant foreman.
"Dave! We sure beat their asses this time, didn't we?" he said with a grin.
"Yeah, we did," Dave laughed, but the laughter never reached his eyes. "What's going on, Byron?"
"What do you mean?"
Dave snorted then pointed to Nicole who had just reached Hugh and was kissing him as passionately as she had Byron.
"That's what I mean! What the hell do you think you're doing! She's Joe Durst's ex-wife. Don't you know what a bastard he is?"
Byron laughed coldly. "Believe me, I know what a bastard he is."
"Then why the fuck are you messing with him?"
Hugh had just walked up and interrupted, "Messing with who?"
"Durst," spat Byron.
"You should leave her alone, Hugh. It's not good for business."
"You mean Nicole? Why should I leave her alone because she's Durst's ex?"
"That guy is a fucking son of a bitch. He'll spread the news around town that no man's wife is safe from the Jakman brothers. He'll spout any kind of shit just to hurt Jakman Construction. He can't be happy that you're fucking her."
"Watch your mouth, Dave. She's not some fuck toy, okay?"
"Hugh, I know your ex fucked you up. I know she screwed with your head by sleeping around, but this isn't the answer. You know that messing with a client is totally a no go in this business."
"She's Durst's ex, Dave," Byron pointed out. "Ex being the operative word here. If Nicole wants to be with us, then Durst can't really disapprove, can he? Not when he's fucking some dolly bird of his own!"
"He can start gossip. Shit sticks, Byron. Surely you can see that?"
"I'm not stupid, Dave. Of course I can."
"Then stop messing with her. Leave her alone. It's not good for business, and I for one, can't afford to lose my job. The construction industry has been hard hit by this economy. There aren't so many jobs around, especially decent jobs with good bosses. I don't want anything to happen to Jakman Construction and fucking with her is like messing with the Devil. She might be a nice woman, but Durst is a prick, a nasty prick at that."
"You don't have to tell us that, Dave. I understand your concerns, but we're in too deep with Nicole now. We'll just have to weather any shit that Durst spreads."
Dave sighed despairingly. "Why did you have to get serious about this one woman? Man, and both of you at the same time? God, the gossip about this is going to be terrible!"
"Dave, it doesn't matter. Jakman Construction has a good reputation. Sure, this might shake things up, but it won't affect business. We have too much lined up, and it's all contracted. Our reputation can't be knocked by one little bit of slander," Hugh murmured soothingly.
"God, of course it can!" Dave groaned. "Take the blinkers off your eyes. Durst is big news in this town. He can destroy us! And Jeanette's pregnant, too. Fuck, why did you have to start this now?"
"Congratulations, Dave. But stop worrying! From what Hugh and I have been led to believe, Durst has bigger fish to fry than destroying us!"
"Is that supposed to be a comfort? Because it isn't."
"Look, Dave. I understand your concerns, and I'll take them into consideration, but, seriously, stop worrying. We've got work lined up that will take us until the end of next year. By then, any bad gossip spreading about the company will have run its course and stopped circulating."
"You don't really believe that, do you? If you're serious about Nicole, then that's just going to cause even more of a fuss. Two men and one woman cohabiting … in this town? Hell, you're going to be outcasts!"
"Then we'll move to another town to keep the gossip down," Hugh retorted.
"Dave, look, you're our friend and our colleague and we appreciate this advice, alright? But leave it be now. You've made your point, and we understand. We can handle it. We're big boys. So just let it rest, okay?"
Dave sighed mournfully and shook his head. "Alright, I will, but don't say I didn't warn you," he muttered.
As he walked off, Byron looked pointedly at Hugh. "It won't cause that much of a problem, will it?" he said.
"It could. I think if we ever manage to pin Nicole down to a more serious relationship, we will have to move to a bigger town and manage the business from there. It will be well worth the commute, though," Hugh said with satisfaction.
"Yeah, I never really thought we'd be able to live here. It's too small, and, he's right, gossip does spread, especially about stuff like this! But even if Durst does try to damage our reputation, do you think the clients will believe him?"
"Durst's the sort to cause shit about anything. Even if we weren't fucking Nicole and we finished the renovations on time and to his taste, he'd still complain about us. He's that kind of guy. I must admit I regret getting involved with him. The only light at the end of the tunnel is that we met Nicole. She's worth all of this shit. You and me, brother, we've been through tougher shit than this. We'll weather it just like we always have done."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right."
Hugh nodded, slapped Byron on the back comfortingly, and headed over to Nicole. Seeing his destination, Byron joined him and together they sat with their mate and watched her interact
with their friends and their wives.
* * * *
Yawning, Nicole stretched tiredly. It was twilight, almost night, and they'd just said goodbye to the crew and were heading home. She settled down in her seat and leaned her head against Byron.
"Thank you for inviting me to the game. I had a lot of fun today," she murmured, nuzzling against him.
"You're very welcome, baby," Byron said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before turning to grin at Hugh.
Nicole was becoming a lot more tactile with them. Less uncomfortable about touching them and more relaxed in their presence.
"I saw you with Ruby a lot. She can be a bit of a pain in the ass and bald as hell. She didn't insult you or anything, did she?" Hugh asked.
Nicole chuckled. "I suppose what she said should've, actually, but it didn't. It made me laugh. I like her humor, very caustic, and she has a major crush on the two of you. Saying that, I think every woman there does. It made me a bit green, I have to admit."
Hugh lifted his eyebrows at Byron. "Why? You don't have to be green. You have us," he said.
She heard what he said, but it wasn't something she furtively believed so she danced around acknowledging that fact. "I hear what you're saying," Nicole murmured sleepily, "but it's not easy to watch a group of women drooling over your men."
"Your men, are we?"
Nicole mumbled, "Uh huh."
"That's nice to know, isn't it, Byron?"
"Sure is. She's asleep now."
"Thought so. She's more comfortable around us, but not enough to say that!"
"Good news, though, huh?"
"Yes, that's very good news."
They grinned triumphantly at each other and drove the rest of the way to Nicole's home. It was good to know that she was feeling that way about them. If she felt strongly enough to be jealous, then that meant she had some deeper feelings for them. That had to be good.
Byron lifted her gently from the cab and carried her over to the front door. He waited for Hugh to lock up the truck and to grab her small purse. He watched as his brother fumbled in the bag for her keys and unlocked the door.
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