by Eileen Green
Brooke noticed that Jake had been sitting there, but the man quietly moved his plate, cup of coffee, and silverware to make room for Brooke. There was a moment when she thought that her men were going to say something about not being able to sit next to her, but that look disappeared quickly when Gwen frowned at them. Brooke had to bite back her laughter.
To Brooke’s surprise, Gwen leaned in close to her and whispered, “So, how was it?”
Before Jake could take his seat, Anita pushed her way into his chair while Angela sat in the seat that Andrew was going to sit in on the other side of Gwen. Gina, who was holding a bundle wrapped in a baby blanket, quickly rushed to sit next to Angela. Two other women who Brooke didn’t know joined them, but seeing they each were with two men, she knew that they were all connected by their lifestyle.
Andrew chuckled. “I see that the women want to gossip about us menfolk,” he said lightheartedly as he picked up his food and moved it to the table that Angela and Anita had been sharing with their men. Jake moved his also while Bradley and Frank each gave Brooke a quick kiss and joined the men.
To answer Gwen’s question, which was hanging like a water balloon ready to drop and splatter, Brooke answered teasingly, “How was what?”
Not having girlfriends while she was growing up, she felt a bit awkward talking to the ladies here. She knew she needed to open up and accept them as friends and get used to them prying into her love life. Now, she wanted to see if she could tease as well as they did.
Gwen’s mouth dropped open at Brooke’s answer, a surprised look on her face. “What do you mean ‘how was what?’” the older blond woman asked, exasperation tinging her words. “You know what I mean!”
Feeling as if she was in a fish bowl where everyone in the diner could hear what she said, and see everything last bit of her insides, Brooke bristled a bit. Chairs shifted closer to her so the women sitting in them could hear all the juicy details.
Brooke laughed at Gwen’s exclamation. She was going to be one that Brooke could tease.
Looking back at her two men, Brooke lowered her voice and then asked, “How do you even know?”
All the women giggled. A gurgle came from the baby that Gina held, and the women stopped quickly. Gwen shrugged. “Oh, we can tell. You have a glow about you.”
She wasn’t sure what Gwen was talking about as Brooke hadn’t noticed anything different when she looked in the mirror. Her pussy would attest to something else, but she knew that nobody could see that.
Gina moved the baby up to her shoulder and began to rock back and forth. Gwen continued to stare at Brooke, waiting for the answer she expected as did the others.
A warmth of camaraderie blanketed Brooke at the sisterhood that the women portrayed. They would back each other up in difficult times, just like they did when they came to the rescue of eight strangers.
Leaning forward, she smiled. The other women moved in closer. “It was fantastic!” she whispered as she glanced at Frank and Bradley. She noticed the guys were all huddled around the table, their adept attention on the newcomers to the group. Her men were most likely being grilled just as she was.
“How did they start it?” Gwen asked excitedly, her hand touching Brooke’s.
Feeling the telltale heat of a blush rising from her chest up to her face, Brooke blurted out lowly, “I seduced them!”
“Really!” one of the unknown women exclaimed as she pulled a small notebook from her purse.
“That’s Lily,” Gina said softly. “She’s an erotic romance novelist. If she hears something juicy, expect to see it in a book somewhere.”
Lily smiled coyly before setting her pen to the notepad. “Spill!”
“She’s Kyle and Morgan’s girlfriend,” Gina added.
“Oh! How is Kyle doing?” Brooke asked as she turned to Lily. “I’m so sorry that he got hurt because of us.”
The smile disappeared rapidly from the beautiful face of Lily, a dark shadow crossing her features briefly. Then, just as quickly, the smile returned. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. He did what needed to be done. Besides,” she added, “he’s doing fine. Now, I need some new material. Dish!”
Lily was beautiful. Her face was framed by her blond hair. The hair was longer along the jawline and then tapered up to the nape of her neck. Her large blue eyes sparkled with her happiness. No one would ever know that she wrote smut. At least Brooke never would have guessed.
Brooke remembered Kyle from the truck. Everyone in the truck watched in horror as Kyle was led from the truck and heard the gunshot that should have ended Kyle’s life. Apparently, the Russian wasn’t a good shot, and Kyle was rescued. She knew that Kyle had coded several times on the way to the hospital, which meant that one ménage group might not have ever been. She was relieved that he had lived through the ordeal and was now with Lily.
Glancing around, Brooke looked at the expectant faces of the ladies that surrounded her. No, they were friends.
Brooked smiled shyly. “We have a suite at the Kalispell Grand Hotel. We all needed more space, and it seemed more economical for us to join forces and move into a suite from our individual rooms. We had just gotten back from dinner, and I was going to go to bed in my own room. As I looked through my clothes to see what I was going to wear the next day, I saw this baby doll nightie. I put it on and then walked into their room. They were both shocked. Speechless. They totally weren’t expecting it.”
Sighs sounded from the women as knowing looks crossed each of their faces. Several of the women giggled appreciatively. Brooke continued with a shrug.
“I went back into the room, not sure what I was supposed to do, so I just stood there. Both of them stared at me, and at first, I thought they were going to run away screaming. But then they wanted to make sure it was what I wanted. I told them yes, and then we made love.”
“Did they make love to you together?” Lily asked quickly as she wrote.
Brooke knew that was something the three of them would be visiting at some point. Reading erotic romance novels revealed that in a ménage the woman was fucked in both openings. The thought both tantalized her and scared her. However, she knew that Bradley and Frank would be gentle with her and would stop if she didn’t want to try it.
Shaking her head, she answered honestly, “No. I was a virgin. I think it’ll take a bit to build up to that time.”
“Well, you better keep us informed.” With Lily’s statement, Brooke knew the woman would be a good friend who was going to constantly be asking questions.
All the women nodded at Brooke, smiling knowingly. Brooke was so happy to be where she was. Turning to look at her men, she knew she had made the right decision to come to Montana.
A woman about Brooke’s own age came up to the table wearing a pink blouse, black jeans, and a pink-and-white frilly apron. Her chestnut-colored hair was pulled back into a bun while a smile on her lips was deceiving. It didn’t reach her coffee-colored eyes as there seemed to be a sadness in them.
“My name is Mandy,” she announced to Brooke. “What can I get for you today?”
“Well, hello, Mandy,” Brooke said with a smile. “I’ll have a cup of coffee along with a patty melt with fries.”
“Sure. How do you want your hamburger patty cooked?” Mandy inquired as she wrote the order on her pad.
“Medium, please. And you’ll have to ask the two men what they want,” Brooke offered, hoping the woman wasn’t put off by her mentioning two men instead of one.
Mandy nodded and turned toward Frank and Bradley. Brooke watched as the woman took their orders and walked away, wondering what was wrong with her. When she turned back to the women, she saw they were talking among themselves again.
Once they had their fill of good food and pleasant camaraderie, the trio said good-bye to their friends. They climbed aboard their bikes and soon were back on the road again.
The scenery was breathtaking as the afternoon soon began to dissipate into a cool evening. Shadows grew longer
as the sun sank below the ridged mountaintops, casting distorted shapes here and there. The aroma of water was strong when they were near the lake while the fresh smell of pine trees greeted them when they happened upon a small grove of them near the road.
Relaxation was key to the small group. It was something they all needed. All except Frank since he wasn’t working yet. By the time they rode up a driveway that was lined with old gas lamp type lights that looked to have been converted to electric, Brooke was a bit chilled and tired. She looked forward to taking a break and getting warm.
A large house soon came into view, built of rock and logs that spoke of the majesty and grandeur of the mountains and forests that stood sentinel in the background. It was bigger than her own home, and now, Brooke wished she had chosen a different exterior for her house.
Following Frank and Bradley’s lead, Brooke backed her iron-horse steed into a parking spot near what would normally be a garage on a house yet didn’t have garage doors. Instead, there were a couple of windows and a door while upstairs from it were several windows. Perhaps the owners had converted it to an apartment, she thought.
As she dismounted and removed her helmet that matched the paint job on her bike, she became curious as each one of her men pulled twin duffle bags from their leather saddlebags. When she raised a brow as if she had verbally asked a question, each one gave a mischievous grin before going to the door that was close to where they had parked.
Shyness overtook Brooke now as she made her way over the two men. Her hair had been flattened out by the helmet even though she had put her tresses up in a ponytail. She felt sweaty despite the cool air of the day, which gave her reason to not want to meet new people.
The sign on the now open door had a placard in the center of it with the initials R C in rope and metal, which piqued her curiosity. She stepped into a plush office where she welcomed the warmth that greeted them.
Dove-gray walls above the wainscoting made of rich mahogany was nonsexist. Three wingback chairs along one wall covered in burgundy velvet were a contrast for the white damask couch that sat opposite them. A mahogany desk sat near the front door, probably for security to check patrons in. Cream-colored tiles decorated the floor, most likely used due to the ability to clean up well in bad weather. Two doors, which were nondescript, sat at the other end of the room. The room looked to be the living room for the apartment upstairs.
Frank closed the door behind the trio before slipping his arm around Brooke’s waist in a possessive manner. Bradley stood on the other side of her, his free hand closing engulfing hers.
Nerves began to get the better of Brooke as she stood between the two sexiest men she ever met. She could sense that something was going to happen, yet she was the one in the dark about it all.
One of the doors opened at the other end of the room, and a man in a security guard’s gray uniform entered. He was a tad taller than she but carried a little more weight on his frame. His blond hair was cut short to his scalp as if he had been in the military highlighting his round face. Dark blue eyes sat beneath full brows and above a straight nose. Full lips split in a smile as he walked toward the small group.
“Hello. Welcome to Ropes & Cuffs. Are you members here?” the man asked as he sat in the chair behind the desk.
“Yes, we are,” Bradley answered for the three of them. “We faxed in our registration forms along with the payment to Anita a couple of weeks ago. The only one who needs to sign their form is Ms. Alton here.”
The guard raised a finger as he nodded as if he had suddenly remembered what Bradley was talking about. For Brooke, confusion bubbled up at what the latter had said about a registration form being filled out and that she needed to sign it. Had the men filled out her paperwork without her knowledge? What were they even talking about?
Anger now began to simmer within her, rising upward until she felt as if a fire had been ignited and was consuming her.
The guard had pulled out a manila-colored file folder from a black mesh tray on the corner of the desk and was looking through the loose papers that were inside it. Brooke watched the man as she tried hard not to shake from her anger but was losing the battle.
Both Frank and Bradley looked down at her in unison, yet she couldn’t bring herself to look at them. Pulling away from them, she rushed through the door they had just come through and slammed it behind her. The sound of wood on wood scraping together was the only sound in the area due to the isolation of the house. Brooke barely heard it as the sound of her heart was beating loud within her ears from her anger.
How dare they! They didn’t have the right to register her somewhere without her knowledge! In fact, what the hell had they registered her in?
Chapter Thirteen
Bradley knew the moment they had screwed up. Brooke’s body had tightened like the string on a bow. It wasn’t long before he could feel her anger in the form of heat rising in her body. When he looked down at her, he could see her lower lip trembling and her hands turning to fists. A glance at Frank told Bradley he was seeing the same thing.
Knowing she was going to bolt, Bradley tried to tighten his hold on her waist. However, she was quicker than he thought she was. She turned, breaking away from his side and yanking her hand from Frank’s. The door opened quickly, and Brooke was through it and pulling the door closed behind her before either man could respond.
Frank was at the door and through it before Bradley. Bradley followed behind his friend, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
Brooke had made it past the three bikes and was moving quickly toward the rails that marked the end of the pavement of the driveway. Her stride was long and determined, causing her ass to bunch and move seductively within her jeans that were outlined by the leather chaps she wore. If their woman wasn’t in such a tizzy, Bradley would have scooped her up and carried her inside to show her how much he loved her.
When Brooke came to a halt at the wooden posts that resembled old hitching posts linked together, she grasped hold of the horizontal rail. She seemed to be trying to catch her breath when he and Frank finally reached her.
Both men stopped a few feet away from their woman as her back straightened up. Since their relationship was still in its beginning stages, this was one of those moments when they had to tread lightly. Emotions were still foreign territory for them. As they got to know each other better in person, they would know how she was going to react in certain situations. They knew she was angry, but neither one of them knew what happened when Brooke was like this.
Frank moved to the rail to Brooke’s right, turned around, and leaned his ass against it. Bradley remained where he was, watching her intently. He studied her physical manner, filing it away in his mind so he could remember this in the future, for he knew they would screw up again.
The minutes ticked by as Bradley and Frank let Brooke work out whatever was going through her brain. Bradley wasn’t quite sure what they did to screw up, but then again, most men would say they didn’t know how they had angered their women.
Patience was something both agents had to master in their careers, but this was a hell of a lot different from work. This was their love.
It was nearly dark, and the temperature was dropping quickly. Crickets were beginning their nightly concerto while a few deep croaks of frogs sounded occasionally. It would have been a cozy night to settle down before a roaring fire, but the cold was not just from the surroundings. Brooke’s anger might be radiating heat, but the way she held herself, drawing into herself, a coldness rolled off her also. Bradley knew she was not to be touched or spoken to until she let them.
Getting to know Brooke through their phone calls had Bradley aware of some of Brooke’s moods. Her voice was lyrical when she was ecstatic, while when she was sad, her voice lowered until it sounded like she was whispering. Anger brought out a deadly silent woman who would only leave when the fire of fury had burned itself out, usually within a couple of days.
There had been a time a few
months after Brooke returned home from her ordeal that had brought the three of them together. Bradley had sent one of those edible bouquets and had sent a message that he hoped she would enjoy the fruit instead of the flowers he had been sending before. She had talked about how she couldn’t stand the smell of fruit after the incident, that it made her sick and had caused terrible nightmares. Therapy had helped her through the some of the hang-ups she had, such as guilt for not being able to help the other children more. Or not being able to help Andrew or Kyle. Even though she did what she could, she carried a lot of the blame.
Brooke had told Bradley off, telling him that he had been unthoughtful with his gesture of love. She had gone on to say that it seemed as if he wanted her to relive her horrible experience and she wouldn’t put up with anyone who was so callous. For nearly a week, his phone calls were ignored. However, she took Frank’s. He tried to send her apologetic e-mails, yet those brought no response either. She had given the cold shoulder to him, which he felt the chill from thousands of miles away.
Conversations were held with Frank, who was corresponding with Brooke as if nothing odd was going on. Bradley had even spoken with her father, who had informed him of how his daughter handled her anger. It wasn’t brought to the surface very often, but when it was, Brooke was a force to be reckoned with.
An e-mail finally arrived from her in answer to one of his own. She apologized for her own actions, for she hadn’t shared the emotional turmoil of her dreams. Once she had explained, he had felt like a cad. He never wanted to be in that situation again, but here they were. Hopefully, she wouldn’t shut them out for too long.
Frank looked at Bradley woefully with a slight shrug of his shoulder, hurt in his eyes. The last thing they had wanted to do was hurt the woman who had come to mean the life to them, but they had. All because of their desire to play with her as soon as possible.
When he thought they would be there all night, Brooke turned to look at him and then Frank. Her eyes flashed the anger that held her, but the determined set of her jaw told them that she was going to give them a chance at redemption.
