by Cassie Cole
But Brody looked confused. Like his stomach was sick.
“I like it,” I said. “But Brody is the one who needs to decide if—”
“I’ll do it!” he said without hesitation.
I gave a start. “You don’t want to take some time to think about it?”
He took my hand in both of his and smiled happily. “I’ve been thinking about you, and nothing but you, for weeks. I was afraid I had lost you forever, Kat. I want to be with you any way I can… Even if it means sharing with these two.”
“It’s actually pretty great,” Finn said. “We only have to do half the work to keep Kat satisfied.”
“That’ll change to one-third of the work soon,” Max chimed in. “All the better, since my training is ramping up soon.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You make it sound like I’m a chore to divvy up.”
“Relationships are a lot of work,” he replied simply. “The more of us there are, the easier it is to keep you pleased.”
Finn extended a hand. “You sure you’re in?”
Brody took it and they shook. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Max shook his hand next, and then they bro-hugged. Finn slapped him on the shoulder and laughed deeply. I stared at the three of them in a daze.
“As long as we are all comfortable with it,” I said. “If that changes, we can reevaluate the whole thing.”
Max raised an eyebrow. “You getting cold feet already?”
“No! I’m making sure the three of you are comfortable!”
“Don’t worry about us, babe,” Finn replied. “We’re the lucky ones.”
Somehow, I doubted that. If anyone was lucky, it was me. But I wasn’t going to correct him.
Brody frowned. “How do you decide who gets to hang out with Kat on what day? Is there a sign-up form, like for Max’s spin classes?”
“We use the system created by Lord Xavier Dibs in Victorian England,” Max said.
The rest of us frowned at him, confused.
Max’s lip twitched in a smile. “For example, I call DIBS on having dinner with Kat tonight!”
Finn blinked. “I think you made up that stuff about Lord Dibs.”
Max sneered. “You’re a smart one, you know that?”
“I hate to violate the sanctity of the dibs system, but how about we all have dinner together tonight?”
“Group dinner sounds fun,” Brody said. “I have a lot of questions about all of this.”
Finn patted Max on the back. “Sorry, bro. Your dibs has been rescinded.”
Someone knocked on the door. “We’re closed for a team meeting,” I said. Then their face appeared next to the window and I saw that it was Frank, my building manager.
I quickly unlocked and opened the door. “Frank! I’m glad you’re here.”
“Team meeting?” he looked at the three men. “I thought Paul was your only employee.”
“Forget all that,” I said with a smile. “I have amazing news. Pacifica Vinyl is closing down! I’m not going out of business!”
I expected him to jump for joy. Instead, all the color drained out of his wrinkled face. “Oh! Oh no…”
“What’s wrong?”
He wrung his hands. “Miss Delaney, you told me I could look for new tenants…”
I gasped. “No. It’s been only a few days!”
“I found someone! A sandwich shop. We signed the paperwork this morning. I was coming by to tell you!”
It felt like I had been punched in the gut. Pacifica was closing down, my store was saved… And now suddenly my lease was ending.
“Maybe you can buy out the other company’s lease?” Max suggested.
I looked at Frank. He winced. “Might be expensive. Buyouts are usually ugly. And this sandwich company is very motivated to move in to Magnolia Street.”
“Then we’ll move somewhere new,” Finn said. “All of us can help. You’ll find a new location and get situated there.”
I leaned against the wall. I felt lightheaded. “It won’t be as good a location as Magnolia Street. And even if it was, we would lose a lot of business in the move. It would take months to get our customers used to going to the new location. Or we would lose them permanently.”
“Miss Delaney, I’m so sorry,” Frank moaned. “If I had known things had changed I wouldn’t have let them sign…”
Brody rubbed my back and grinned. “I know a place who needs a new tenant.”
Epilogue
Katherine
Five Months Later
Five treadmills were arranged in a row, and each of them was occupied with a runner. I glanced at my watch and then raised my voice.
“Ten more minutes until the end of the charity run!”
Cheers went up around the store. Not just from the spectators in the main room with the treadmills, but over by the bar as well. Even customers who were there browsing, and had no idea what the charity run was about, clapped along.
I gazed around Vinyl High Records with pride. Moving into Pacifica’s old building was the best thing that had ever happened to me. Not only was the rent cheap since the building owner was desperate to fill the space, but I had so much more room! Four times as much square footage meant four times as much inventory. Customers always found what they were looking for, as opposed to my old location where I would routinely have to special-order items for customers. We copied Pacifica’s business strategies and got our liquor license so we could sell drinks at the bar. We had distribution contracts with local craft breweries who were eager for us to serve their beer. Alcohol sales were now five percent of our total revenue, in addition to being a side-benefit designed to bring customers in and keep them there.
Being on the corner also meant we were visible from both Magnolia Street, and the cross street. We had a lot more walk-in foot traffic than at our old location. We had only been open for a month, but already we were twice as profitable. Sometimes it felt so unreal that I wondered if I would wake up from the dream.
Finn walked over and put his arm around me. “Told you the charity run would be a huge success.”
“You were right,” I admitted.
It was Finn’s idea to sponsor a charity run in my store. It was sponsored by Rocky Mountain Fitness as a way of cross-promoting both of our businesses. Runners signed up for a slot on one of the treadmills and then raised donations while they were running. The money went to a local children’s hospital, the participants who raised the most money won a year’s membership at RMF, and my store got a lot of attention for the new location. I hadn’t looked at the numbers yet, but it was clear we had gotten a huge boost in sales during the weekend because of it.
“All I’m saying is I’m full of good ideas,” Finn said smugly. “You should listen to me more than you listen to Max.”
“I know.”
“Max wanted to do an outdoor race,” Finn complained. “That doesn’t bring anyone into your store. So dumb.”
“Okay, okay, I admit you have the best ideas.” I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks for the suggestion. This was a smashing success. Better than anything Max thought of.”
He grinned widely at the compliment.
When we reached the final ten seconds of the event, everyone in the store counted down. When we reached zero, everyone shouted and cheered. Over by the wall, Paul flipped the light switch up and down. The music that had been playing through the store stopped and then changed to Rock You Like A Hurricane, by the Scorpions.
“Everyone who participated, head over to the bar for celebratory drinks,” I announced loudly. “Everyone gets two drinks free. You earned the calories!”
Finn and two other RMF employees began tearing down the treadmills and carrying them back to the gym. As they were leaving, Max came riding up on his triathlon bike out front. He leaned it against the wall, removed his helmet, and strode inside. He looked sexy in tight cycling shorts and a cycling jersey with the front unzipped halfway down
his chest. His golden-brown hair was damp from sweat, but otherwise he looked fresh.
“Damn, I missed the end? How much did you raise?”
“Twenty-two thousand!”
His face lit up. “That’s twice your goal!”
“I know! I can’t believe it. How was your last long ride before Kona?” I asked.
He kissed me on the lips. He tasted salty and warm. “It was just an easy sixty in the mountains.”
I laughed. “Oh, is that all?”
“It went well. I feel great. Ready to kick ass next week. Are you all packed?”
“I sure am.”
An hour later I helped close the store down for the evening. “Are you sure you can handle everything for a week?” I asked Paul.
“Come on, boss-lady. Don’t sound so worried. I’ve covered for you before.”
“In the old store. But the new one is more complicated.”
In addition to the two of us, Vinyl High now had six full-time employees. And a bigger store meant larger inventory deliveries, more tidying up, and all the complications that came along with the bar.
Paul nodded confidently. “Trust me. I’ve got it. Go have fun on vacation with your boyfriends.” He winked.
I rolled my eyes at him. Over the past five months, it had been impossible to hide from him that I was dating Max, Finn, and Brody. To his credit, he never judged me. But he did give me a friendly amount of teasing.
“Let me know if anything goes wrong,” I said.
He flashed a thumbs-up. “You got it, boss-lady.”
I walked back to my apartment once the store was closed, then spent the rest of the night packing. I had lied to Max about being finished packing because I didn’t know how much to bring to Hawaii! Were two swimsuits enough, or should I bring a third? How many summer dresses should I bring for evening dinners? That didn’t even take into consideration all the workout gear I wanted to bring.
Max picked me up early the next morning. Finn and Brody were already in the car with him, and the trunk was packed with suitcases.
“Where’s your bike?” I asked as he took my suitcase.
“Had it shipped separately. There’s a special bike-shipping company that handles it. I’m not trusting Delta with my baby, not before this race!”
“Is he still calling his bike his baby?” Finn asked as I climbed into the front seat.
Brody shook his head. “Bikes are special. Don’t judge us for being protective of them.”
Finn snorted. “You triathletes are weird.”
Max pointed at him in the rear-view mirror. “Any more anti-triathlete blasphemy and I’m pulling over.”
Finn held out his massive palms. “I was just saying that triathletes are the superior type of athletes. They’re also smart. And good-looking.”
“That’s more like it.”
It had been a wonderful five months together. Despite the rocky beginning, we were thick as thieves. We were even talking about buying a house and moving in together. Brody had been keeping an eye on the housing market around Magnolia Street, although the perfect house hadn’t popped up yet.
“You didn’t have any trouble taking time off?” Max asked Brody. He’d spent three months unemployed before landing a new job with an analytics firm here in Denver. He loved everything about it… Except for being the new guy.
Brody grimaced. “My boss approved my PTO, but it looks like I’m still going to have to do some work while we’re in Hawaii.”
“If it’s too much of a problem…” Max said.
Brody scoffed. “I wouldn’t miss your race for the world.”
“Aww,” I crooned.
“Plus, going to Kona means getting to watch professionals race.”
Max coughed in the driver’s seat. “I am a professional.”
“Oh yeah, of course you are.” Brody and Finn grinned at each other while Max struggled to keep a straight face.
The flight was uneventful, although it was long. Finn fell asleep in the seat next to me, so I strategically placed a blanket over our laps and then slid my hand up his muscular thigh until I found his cock. He was hard within seconds, but didn’t wake up immediately. I quickly stroked him off through his jeans, intending just to have a little fun with him. But then he gasped and woke up, and I felt his cock spasming beneath my fingers.
Finn’s brown eyes were wide as he turned to me. “Kat!”
“Oops,” I said innocently. “I barely touched you.”
Using the blanket to strategically block the view of the front of his pants, Finn rose from his seat, retrieved his carry-on bag, and went to the bathroom to change.
Across the aisle, Max squinted at me suspiciously. I blew him a kiss.
We landed at Kona International Airport in the morning. There weren’t hula girls waiting for us at the end of the terminal like in all the movies, but the driver from the hotel in the pickup area had a bundle of Leis to hand out.
“I just got lei’d!” Finn bragged.
“You’re the first person to ever make that joke,” Brody said dryly.
“No I’m not.” Finn turned to the driver. “Am I?”
The driver smiled politely. “If you’ll follow me to the car…”
The five mile drive from the hotel to Kona was along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway. To our left was a small ridge of black volcanic rock, and to our right was the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Farther inland, surrounded by clouds and wispy tendrils of fog, was Hualalai Volcano. I gawked at the scenery like a child visiting Narnia.
“This is part of the bike route!” Max said excitedly. “We take this north to the end of the island, then turn around.”
The town of Kailua-Kona was decked out in Ironman decoration—the M-dot logo was everywhere. Max practically bounced in his seat as we arrived to our hotel.
When we got to our room, it was my turn to gawk. The floors were marble and I counted at least three rooms connected to the main entranceway. “Is this a suite?”
“Yeah, I kind of went all out for this,” Max replied. “Worth the money for our vacation, though.”
“You mean your sponsors didn’t book you a place?” Finn snorted. “I bet the real professionals had their sponsors pay for it.”
Max dropped his bag and pointed. “Get out.”
“I was just joking, dude!”
We hastily unpacked our belongings and changed into bathing suits. Then we walked downstairs and out the back of the hotel lobby. Apparently, there weren’t white, sandy beaches on this island, but the hotel had a massive pool with lounge chairs, and a bar where a man was already mixing colorful drinks.
“Alright, my vacation has begun,” I announced. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be here until Saturday’s race.”
Max walked down to the water to go for a swim in the ocean. The rest of us relaxed in the sun. After the long flight, it felt like heaven.
That’s how the next few days went. Max went for bike rides and swims to get used to the local climate, while the rest of us enjoyed our vacation. Brody had to work on his laptop for a couple of hours each day, but he still found plenty of time to enjoy himself. For my own part, I was proud that I never once called or texted Paul to see how the store was doing.
I went for a jog along the coastal trail every morning. The salty air in my hair and on my skin made me feel more alive than I had ever felt before.
We feasted at a different restaurant each night. And then after dinner, the boys feasted on me.
The first night was vanilla, by our standards. The three of them covered my body with caresses and kisses, and took turns making love to me. It became progressively dirtier from that point. On the next night, Max lubed up my ass and then fucked my tight backdoor while the other two watched, and then they took their turns filling my ass with their creamy seed. The night after that I rode Finn on the bed while Brody fucked me in the ass from behind, the two of them double-penetrating me in that wonderful, intense way that I had grown accustomed to. Max j
acked himself off while watching, though before he came he climbed onto the bed and shoved his cock in my mouth to fill my mouth with come.
Being the good little sex toy that I was, I didn’t spill a drop.
On Thursday night, we tried something new: triple penetration. It was just like the night before, with Finn in my pussy and Brody in my ass. Then Brody moved to the side while keeping his cock in my ass, making room for Max to squeeze in. He pushed his cock against my pussy, wedging it inside next to Finn’s, turning their two dicks into a sort of mega-dick like from Power Rangers. Sadly, the pressure was too intense for me to handle more than just the tip. But then Max stroked himself while his head was inside, and that felt good enough for me to handle, and soon I was moving my hips and Brody resumed fucking me in the ass until all four of us came at the same time in a mass of sweaty, writhing muscle.
We took a break on Friday. Both because it was the night before the race, and because I needed to recover. A girl could only handle so much!
Saturday morning, we all woke up early for the race. Max made himself breakfast and then we all walked down to Kailua Bay for the start of the swim. The area was packed with thousands of other triathletes and spectators.
I shook my head with amazement. “Two-point-four mile swim. In the open ocean.”
Finn shivered. “No thanks. I’d be afraid of sharks.”
The water was cold enough that this was a wetsuit-legal race, so Max stepped into his and I zipped up the back for him. “No matter how you do, I’m proud of you,” I said, giving him a kiss.
He looked nervous, but forced a smile. “I just want to enjoy myself. I worked hard to get here, and I want to set a personal record, but I want to have fun.”
“That’s the spirit,” Brody said.
“Fuck that, go win this shit!” Finn said, giving him a hug.
And then Max disappeared into the crowd of racers.
Ironman races were all designed the same: the race began at precisely seven o’clock, and racers had until midnight to cross the finish line. When the starting cannon boomed, the mass of swimmers jumped into the water and began swimming.
