Betting on Both

by Sheryl Nantus

  Julien looked back at Kat, trying to assess the effect of Cole’s speech. Her eyes were wide, the flush from Julien’s words still heating her skin.

  She began to speak and caught herself, clearing her throat.

  Julien laid his arm across the back of the chair, curious as to what she’d say. He’d never been placed in a situation like this before and wasn’t sure what would happen next. It was an exhilarating feeling, the sensual adventure ratcheting his desire up another level.

  Anticipation drummed the blood through his body.

  “I guess the problem is . . .” She licked her lips again. “I don’t want to have to choose. I want you both. At the same time.”

  Cole felt as if he’d been punched in the chest.

  Of all the possible scenarios he’d woven in his imagination over the past month, this hadn’t been anywhere on the radar.

  A sense of déjà vu hit him hard, a one-two punch to his mind and soul.

  “You—” He stopped, trying to sort the word jumble in his mind. “You want both of us.” He needed to confirm what she’d suggested.

  She nodded.

  Julien chuckled, drawing Cole’s attention away from her. “I’m flattered and insulted at the same time. I didn’t know that was possible.” He tilted his head to one side and studied her. “I’m curious as to where you got this idea.”

  Kat gave a nervous laugh. “Julien, I’ve been around.” She waved at the walls. “I mean, not around around. But I’ve been . . .”

  “It’s okay,” Cole said, offering her an escape. “We get it.”

  “You’re not . . .” She drew a staggered breath and Cole saw the tension flow out of her body, the fear disappearing as she spoke. “You don’t think I’m weird? Or kinky or whatever?”

  Julien stood and spread his hands. “We’re not children, ma chérie. While I haven’t traveled the world, I’ve seen and learned about many things in my time here on this earth. I’m not ignorant that such relationships exist, and people can and do make them work.” He rubbed his chin. “While I’ve never tried a ménage I have to say the idea intrigues me. I’d like to try it.” He looked at Kat, a thin smile on his lips. “I think you’re a wonderful, sexy woman. I’m honored you asked me and I’m ready to see how it would work out.” He glanced at Cole and there was no anger in the look, just curiosity. “And what does the military man think?”

  “I think . . .” Cole kept his hands behind his back, his fingers tight around each other. “I think it’s a big decision to make. It’s not something to go into lightly. Not if you want it to work.”

  His heart was racing, his mind already launching a dozen bedroom fantasies.

  But . . .

  His reluctance must have shown in his eyes because Kat frowned and pushed herself off the desk. She walked by Julien in the chair and came to him.

  “So is that a yes or a no?” Kat whispered.

  He could smell her soap, the clean scent stirring his libido. His cock twitched and he resisted the urge to reach down and touch himself, squeezing his arousal back into obedience.

  Cole closed his eyes, fighting back the surge of panic.

  It won’t happen again.

  I won’t let it.

  “Yes. I’m in.” He opened his eyes to see Kat close enough to touch, to kiss.

  Her wide, unfocused gaze kicked his need into overdrive. She was already overloading on the emotions crashing over her like a swimmer caught in a rip current. This was something she wanted, something she needed, and it was his privilege to be one of the two men she’d chosen.

  Cole cupped her face in his hands and kissed her as gently as he could, giving her a taste of what was to come.

  But only a taste.

  Kat’s head spun.

  This was happening, going to happen, was happen—

  She had been prepared to deal with rejection from both men. Maybe laughter from Julien before he strode out to find himself a sweet young thing on Bourbon Street; a muted chuckle from Cole before he admonished her and traded places with the dumpy little man who smelled of celery.

  Instead Cole was kissing her and it was soft, so soft and careful as if she were made of crystal about to shatter at any minute.

  Her pulse pounded in her ears, the throbbing surging south along her spine to her core.

  A pair of hands landed on her hips and steadied her as she wavered, her balance lost in the sensual kiss.

  “I’ll make sure you don’t fall,” Julien murmured in her ear. She smelled his cologne, mixed with Cole’s musky scent.

  Cole pulled back and she opened her eyes to see him staring at her, his dark, smoky blue eyes reaching in to touch her soul.

  “Rule number one,” he whispered. “Total honesty from all three of us on everything. You want to sleep alone for a night, you say so, and we both retreat to our separate beds. You decide you’ve had enough of this, you say so. Same for the two of us. We both have the right to walk away at any time if we decide we’re done with the situation. No surprises, no secrets.” His gaze went over her shoulder to Julien. “Understand?”

  “You’ve done this before,” she said, unable to keep the wonderment from her voice. The knowledge spurred her desire to new heights.

  Julien’s chuckle echoed in her ear. “The warrior has a hidden past.”

  “I do. Listen to me,” he continued, not missing a beat. “The second rule is you have total control over the situation when we’re in bed. If you say stop, we stop. No questions from us, no asking why.”

  An approving murmur came from Julien.

  “It doesn’t matter how much we want to do something. Say the word, and it’s over.”

  Kat’s throat was bone-dry as she nodded. “Because I’m the boss.”

  “Yes.” Cole smiled. “Until you don’t want to be.”

  Something touched the back of her neck and she realized it was Julien’s lips, pressing light on her skin. The heat flashed down her spine, making her knees weak.

  “I believe one night would be enough to see if we are compatible,” he said in her ear. “And if not, well . . . we go our separate ways, our curiosity sated. I would have no problem continuing to work with you if things went wrong. And I hope you’d feel the same.”

  Kat sighed. “Yes, I agree. But when we’re outside of the bedroom we have to be professional.” It took all of the willpower she had left to step to the side, break away from the two men.

  If she didn’t move now she’d be lost, dragging them both to the floor right there in her office.

  It might feel right but it’d be so wrong.

  She swallowed hard, forcing herself to try and maintain some sense of control over the situation. “I can’t have the staff know.”

  Julien chuckled. “They’ll know just by seeing your face the next morning.” He nodded at Cole. “Unless we do our jobs wrong and in that case I’m going to be haunted by all of my male ancestors for not satisfying a woman properly.” He waved a hand in the air. “Don’t worry about the staff. There are worse rumors to have going around than us being together.”

  “Okay. Okay.” Kat circled back around to her desk, her head spinning. “We’ll deal with that when we get to it.” She drew a deep breath to steady her nerves. “It’s Thursday. How about tomorrow night? That way we’ll have the weekend free without having to race off to our respective offices the next morning to make things look as normal as possible.”

  The desire, the need to have them was tempered by a mixture of common sense and anticipation. She had to prepare for this, had to have her mind in the right place.

  Kat felt a laugh bubble up and threaten to break free, forcing her to cough in an effort to choke it back. Here she was, scheduling a ménage in the same way she’d schedule a business meeting.

  And yet . . . it was so right.

  “Excellent.” Julien slapped his hands together and rubbed them. “I’ll put in a call to housekeeping and tell them to get the executive suite ready.” He frowned as Kat shook
her head. “Non?”

  “No.” She drew her finger along the cool varnished wooden desktop. “My suite. Let’s not go too far afield.”

  Cole nodded. “Good call. My room is connected to yours so there’s not going to be any issue there. And you,” he looked at Julien, “you coming to visit her isn’t going to raise any suspicions. It’s all a matter of timing. I’ll make sure to rotate the hallway guards so no one watches the clock.” He glanced at the door. “My men are good at keeping secrets but there’s no use poking the gossip monster with a stick.”

  She sat, glad to be off her wobbly legs.

  Julien took the lead, easing them out of the intimate conversation. “I assume you approve the new budget.” He gestured at the open folder, the reason he’d come into her office in the first place.

  “What? Yes.” She scrawled her signature. “Good work on this. I’d rather buy local but that doesn’t give them carte blanche to overcharge.”

  Julien swept the papers off her desk and back into the folder before heading for the door. “I’ll get this going and make sure they all understand not to inflate their prices again if they wish to work with us in the future. And I’ll see you tomorrow night at . . . seven?”

  “Eight would be better,” Cole answered before she could speak. “We’ll have dinner in the suite. Be a good way to start the evening.”

  He glanced her way. “If you approve?”

  Kat nodded, bereft of any coherent speech.

  “Excellent. See you there.” Julien walked out, leaving the two of them alone.

  Cole waited until the door had closed before turning to her. “Are you all right?” He went to the minifridge in the corner and retrieved a cold bottle of water, taking the initiative. “You look sort of pale.”

  He snapped off the lid and handed it to her. His fingers wrapped around hers for a second, warm and strong.

  “Thanks.” She took a sip, steadying herself. “I’m just shocked you both took it so well. I was expecting . . .” Kat shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts. “I was expecting one or both of you to laugh at me and walk out.”

  “We would never do that to you. It was just a bit of a surprise.” Cole grinned. “I’ve been around a bit. And so has Julien, by his reaction.”

  “I suppose so.” Kat eyed him, her stomach settling down. “Can I ask about your previous . . .” She paused, unsure how to phrase it.

  Woman? Lover? Lovers?

  He drew back, the smile vanishing. “I’d rather you didn’t.” The reply was short and curt, and a little too sharp. “I’m not in a relationship right now and that’s all you need to know.”

  She nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

  Cole sat on the edge of the desk and took her hand. “I’m sorry too. Don’t worry, it’s not going to be an issue. Right now it’s all about you.”

  “Well, the two of you matter as well,” she joked.

  “That’s true.” He tilted his head to the side and smiled, sending a tingling along her skin as she remembered his heated kiss. “So tell me, where did you get this idea from? It’s not something that comes up in casual conversation.”

  “In college there were a few women and men who tried different arrangements.” She flashed back to the dorm and the frantic dashes down the hallways in the mornings. “There were a few trios who made it work past the first few nervous nights.”

  “No scandal?”

  “None that counted.” She pushed her papers together, suddenly feeling awkward in her own office. “All of them eventually split up at the end. Graduated and went their own ways. Not sure what happened after that.” She hesitated, wondering if she had just forecast their own doom.

  “Hey.” Cole touched her cheek. “That was them and this is us. Let’s just focus on tomorrow night and see where it goes from there.”

  She nodded.

  Cole smiled. “Right. Enough questioning from me. I’m going to go now and put Phil on for a bit. Give me a break.”

  “Are you okay?” Kat asked.

  “Yeah. I’m good.” He shook his head. “But my head’s not in the game right now and that’s not good for you. My first priority, over everything else, is your safety. I’ll take some personal time and see you later tonight.”

  “Cole.” She put her hand atop his. “Never mind me. Are you okay with this? Remember what you said about honesty.”

  “I’m good,” he said. “In the words of the muse, it’s not you. It’s me. And I’m fine with trying this out tomorrow night and seeing where it goes.”

  “I don’t want to lose you,” Kat blurted out as he stepped away, releasing her.

  “Good. Because I’ll never lose you.” He cocked his index finger at her. “Later.”

  Before she could reply he was gone.

  Cole stepped into the hall, his heart racing. It took all he had to pull the phone out and call Phil, claiming he had a headache and needed a break.

  It wasn’t a total lie.

  He stayed until the tall man arrived and headed down to the bar.

  He needed a drink, badly.

  The bartender didn’t bat an eye when Cole asked for whiskey and told him to leave the bottle, a drastic change from the usual club soda. He looked grateful for the chance to work, Cole being the only customer at present.

  While the hotel was technically closed, the bar and kitchen had stayed open both for walk-in meals and the employees. Kat had insisted on it, making sure no one would lose money by being laid off. She wasn’t going to put the cost of the renovations on the employees’ shoulders by starving them of wages.

  Good woman.

  “What?” The stout bartender looked over from where he stood, holding a clipboard and taking inventory.

  “Sorry.” Cole filled the glass again, wondering when he’d drunk the first one. “Thinking out loud.”

  Thinking of all the places he could have ended up, anywhere in the world at any McMaster establishment doing any number of security functions.

  Except he was here. With Kat McMaster who was not only a beautiful, smart woman he wanted to love passionately and madly, but also asking for a threesome.

  Cole pressed the cool glass against his forehead to kill the throbbing headache digging in behind one eye.

  He couldn’t deny her this.

  He couldn’t deny himself.

  He only hoped—

  “Drinking alone?” Julien settled on the chair next to him and waved the bartender over. “Just bring me a glass. I’ll help him out.”

  The man laughed and placed an ice-filled glass on the varnished wood.

  “Go away,” Cole growled. “I’m not in the mood.”

  Julien arched an eyebrow. “Can’t tell me that tomorrow night, friend.” He opened the bottle and poured himself a drink. “So let’s discuss the ground rules without the lovely lady around.”

  Cole couldn’t help chuckling despite the pain. “You afraid I’ll show you up?”

  Julien smiled. “I’m afraid you’ll hold me back.” He swirled the glass, the ice cubes crashing into the whiskey. “You said you’ve done this before. I have to admit that shocked me. I never saw you as particularly adventurous.” He eyed Cole. “Showing me a whole different side of you. I’m intrigued.”

  Cole nodded. “I can see how you’d think that.” He sipped the smooth liquor. “I’m sort of surprised you haven’t done this before. You strike me as someone who experiments.”

  Julien glanced around, checking the surroundings. The lone bartender was at the far end.

  “I’m experienced to a degree but not, well . . . that.” He lowered his voice. “I’ve only had a handful of lovers in my life and each woman was special.” The long-haired man looked sideways back toward the office. “Kat, well . . . she’s more than special. I see the strength in her but also the need, the desire to be loved. And if this is what she wants I will at least try to make her happy.” He turned and looked at Cole directly. “So tell me what will make h
er happy.”

  Cole paused, momentarily taken aback. He’d only been working with Julien for a few weeks but he knew this declaration was difficult for the proud man, admitting he wasn’t sure what to do or say.

  “The trick is to take turns.” It was hard not to think of Steve and May, her infectious laugh and his low rumbling belly laugh. He pressed the moist glass to his forehead, feeling the headache begin to retreat. “There’s nothing you can do that would be wrong, other than to dismiss what she’s saying and feeling.”

  Julien gave a low chuckle. “That’s true in every situation. I figured that out a long time ago.” He shot a look at the bartender before continuing. “Is there anything else I should know about you?”

  Cole raised an eyebrow.

  Julien grinned. “I guess I’ll figure that out in time. Do you have any other tips?”

  Cole sipped his drink. “Don’t run to the other side of the room when I’m taking point. If she wanted only one of us touching her, she’d have only asked for one. Both of us have to engage her, be there for her. Understand?”

  “Yes. And no.” Julien smiled. “I’ll follow your lead. Until I decide not to.”

  Cole lifted his glass and Julien did the same, clinking them together.

  “To the most interesting night of Kat McMaster’s life,” Julien said.

  Cole nodded. “And to the men who are going to give it to her.”

  The headache diminished to a low hum as he sipped the whiskey.

  Chapter Five

  Kat dug into her desk drawer and found the small half-empty bottle of headache pills.

  It’d been full when she’d arrived at the Majestic.

  She shook out two pills and swallowed them with a sip of cool water, wondering when she’d lost her mind.

  It must be the humidity.

  But at least she’d find out for herself if she was compatible with one or both men. Screw the cute flirting, the longing looks, the sly winks and gazes.