Alpha Ever After
Page 17
“I’m going to come, Travis,” I whispered, whimpering his name. “I’m trying to hold it, but I don’t think I can.”
“Don’t hold it,” said Travis, grunting with effort, and licking his lips. “Come for me, baby. I’ll come when you do.”
That was all I needed to hear. The moment he gave me permission, everything detonated. From the waist down, everything collapsed and then bloomed outward. I had my fourth orgasm right then and there. Soul-shattering, reality-changing, it was the strongest, most unforgiving orgasm I had ever experienced.
By the end of it, I had nothing left. I also had no ability to appreciate Travis’s orgasm, other than a feeling of him swelling inside me. Whimpering softly under his own release, as he nibbled on my neck again. Strove to leave another mark before this was all over.
And then it was. Before I could appreciate the sensation of my boys all climbing into the bed next to me, wrapping their bodies around each spare bit of my skin, I was asleep. I was drained and pleasantly sapped of everything.
My energy. My consciousness. All of that went into a beautiful dream. A dream bathed in white and satin. Dresses and tuxedos, all sparkling around me in a winter wonderland. And the dark eyes of a baby girl.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Gwendolyn
The next morning
Waking up smothered and covered in my four boys, the four loves of my life, that was the most memorable morning of my life. I smiled, pleased with myself. I had finally lost my virginity and I had done it in the best way. I rolled over wondering if I was already pregnant.
Initially, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t want to leave them or the warmth we’d shared, but I also knew I should get on with the day.
While Eric offered to drop me back off at my place to quickly get dressed in something more suited for work, I ended up telling him I didn’t have time.
David ended up saying the same thing, when getting up and glancing at his phone’s clock, he informed everyone it was almost 8:30 in the morning already. They needed to be at work for an early-morning meeting.
“I need to get into work and help Tina and Sonny,” I told them. “Sonny is another friend of mine who knew and has worked with Tina, and has been scheduled to work today. We need to finish the decorations for next week’s festivities. That will be a big night for me… monetarily speaking.”
“So was last night,” said Travis, putting on the same clothes from last night.
“Yes,” I said, leaning forward to kiss him, as I finished getting my matching white high heels back on, along with the underwear I had worn last night. “But I have other people counting on me. People who are going to be wondering where I got spirited away to if I don’t hurry.”
“Same with us,” said Alex, quickly putting on a fresh dress shirt, pair of boxers and work slacks. “I wish we had more time to spend with you this morning, honey, but time is against us. For now.”
Eric put his hair into a ponytail. “We will come by and see you.” I had no doubt that he would. That they all would, when they were available.
With that, we all finished getting ready to leave the house and headed to work. We all rode in David’s luxury vehicle again. And it was luxurious. But not just for the interior, or the feeling of being cradled against the frosty November morning. But because I got to spend more time with my loves. Men I knew I couldn’t live without after last night, even though part of my heart said to be prepared for that. If I did succeed with casting the Seeding Spell, they would no longer be able to live in Love’s Hollow. My mind rolled, trying to figure out what to do when that happened.
That part of my heart told me to remember that they were wealthy and successful gentlemen. They could and would have any woman they wanted. And that what happened last night, that was just part of the deal. That was just part of them fulfilling their obligations after bidding and winning me at their little “dinner meeting” last night.
But was it really?
Even as I rode in the car sandwiched between all of them, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more between us. That there had to be. That there always was, auction or not. Winning bid or not.
These thoughts in my head, I addressed all of my boys as one. “So,” I said, trying to cover up my insecurities with charm and joy. Memories of last night. All eyes were on me. “So, was last night everything you hoped for? Was last night everything you wanted?”
“No-fucking-way it wouldn’t have been,” said Travis, kissing me on my neck. The same neck he had definitely marked with a hickey or two. “I got so much of what I wanted, I want more.”
“More than just sex with you, Gwendolyn,” said Eric, putting his hand in mine. As he spoke, I felt shivers of happiness and terror go up my spine and down my back again. It was like they had discussed this prior to anything happening last night. “You’re so special to us, and well, last night was to die for, we don’t want it to end there. Not unless you want it to end, of course.” Eric already looked too heartbroken for my heart to take.
“I don’t. I want to keep having you guys around. I want more everything. More you, more…” I want to have your child. I need to have your child. I don’t know what will happen after that. Could we have a life together? I want us to be together. Married. Bonded. United. I couldn’t say these things out loud. Sleeping with four guys at the same time was one thing, but marrying them? Tying the knot? That was all fantasy. They would be gone once the Seeding Spell was cast. I didn’t have the heart to bring that up. But it didn’t matter. My boys looked happy, nonetheless.
“That’s good to hear,” said Alex, looking back from the passenger seat at me. “Because we probably wouldn’t leave you alone, even if you wanted us to, Gwendolyn. You’re just that special to us.”
“You really are, even if my brother makes himself sound like a grade-A stalker.”
I laughed aloud. A full-belly laugh. The same kinds I’d done in front of my brothers all of my life. “You know, I actually thought that about you guys over the last few days, the way you guys all kept coming in to see me, all at the same time!” I laughed again, kissing Eric and Travis lightly on their cheeks.
But my happiness, it seemed, was destined to be short-lived.
My smart phone rang, breaking up the joy in the cab of the car.
Immediately, I could tell it wasn’t one of my brothers. It wasn’t a ring tone for anyone in my “circle.” Rather, it was the ring tone I had for everyone else. Every other stranger who might call me. Though, based on the sick, curdling feeling I got in my stomach, this was going to be anyone but a stranger.
I picked up the phone, answering the way I normally would. “Gwendolyn Bishop speaking. Who is this?”
“You better know who, Gwendolyn,” said a voice I didn’t want to recognize. “After the way you treated my wife the other day, when she gave you such a generous offer, you better know who’s calling you, bitch.”
I drew back, putting the phone on speaker before he was the wiser. The rest of the boys immediately listened in. “I do know who’s calling me a bitch,” I said. “With a wife like yours, I know you know what a bitch looks like, Carl. You’re married to one. A moneygrubbing one at that.”
Eric looked at me like “oh, shit! I didn’t know you could throw that kind of shade!” while Travis looked ready and willing to help me kick some verbal ass.
“Now you listen here, Miss Bishop,” said Carl, spitting into the phone. “My wife and I have been nothing but generous in our offer, nothing but polite and dignified in our treatment of you.”
“Except for the fact that your wife got physical with me,” I retorted. “Except for the fact that you’ve been asking me to sell my family’s legacy for a finite amount of money, when you have a pretty good idea how priceless everything is! That no amount of money could ever, ever make me want to sell to you!”
“I know you’re in debt,” he whispered, as if “debt” was the beginning of the monsters in my closet he expected to
threaten me with. “I have it on good authority that you’re looking at that loan going into delinquency and your business being shut down if you don't pay the money due by tomorrow.”
David looked at me in the rearview mirror, suddenly understanding more than he ever wanted to understand about why I was up on the auction block last night. He didn’t say anything, but had the look of someone who was taking notes. Notes of things to be discussed much later, and much more intimately.
“That’s not privileged information for the likes of you,” I said, trembling with rage and fear. I knew it wasn’t wise to be talking to Carl in this way, since he and his wife were basically the Mafia in this town, but I was tired of running. I was tired of being afraid of them, especially after what had just happened with Sandy.
Carl just chuckled. Just snickered like the evil worm he was. “Oh, if only you knew who my friends were. But, no matter. I do have something that’s privileged information for you, little girl.” A deathly, angry pause. “You better start talking nicely to me, playing ball” — we all heard something rattling in drawers, closets over my phone — “otherwise, your precious little pub might just get a little charred. Embroidered with a little bit of flame, like a certain other establishment did a day or so ago.”
David nodded, and Eric snatched the phone out of my hand. He held it, motioning for me to speak. To ask the question I was dying to ask anyway.
“Are you threatening me?”
“So what if I was, Gwendolyn? Does that scare you? Does that make you want to talk a little nicer to me?”
“No,” I said. “But it makes me sure as all hell you were responsible for starting that awful fire at Sandy’s.”
“Something you’re not going to get away with, Carl,” snarled Eric, before I had time to say anything else. “Before you say anything about getting away with this so many times before, let me tell you something: I’ve hired the best private detective in the city, and he has found enough evidence on you to get you thrown in jail. Evidence for crimes going back to our time in college, asshole. And yes, you are threatening her. You did, as well as implicated yourself as having the motive to ruin her business. All of which I’ve gotten recorded.”
In front of me, I saw Alex waggle his phone. An audio recording app was up on his home screen, recording every little sound bite.
Carl sputtered on the line, completely blindsided and angry. “Eric?! Listen, Asshole,” he said through clenched teeth, “you and your money is not going to make a difference. Besides, I bet it’s illegal for you to record me as you just have!”
I looked at Alex, who mouthed, “No, it isn’t.” He smiled. “It’s in our own car,” he whispered, “so, we have the right to record in any space that is ours, or can be treated the same as our home. Don’t worry, honey. We’ve got him.” He mouthed this last part, being sure not to catch any of it on the audio file.
Despite Carl trying his best to intimidate me, I felt safer than safe. Treasured and looked after more than I ever had, even by my brothers.
“Keep up your shenanigans, and you’ll have more than just Eric to deal with,” boomed David. “I’ve got unfinished business with you as it is, don’t test me further. Don’t mess with my woman! As far as I’m concerned, you can have Maxine. I’m glad you took out the garbage for me, but you’re not having Gwendolyn!”
Alex stopped the recording there, out of respect for his brother.
This revelation shut Carl up, made him immediately hang up from the phone call. Made him run and hide like the rat he was.
With his call gone, I realized I had voicemail messages. From the same number as the one that just called me, I wasn’t eager to listen to them. But I was eager to save them on my voicemail service, sure now that they would be invaluable evidence.
Tucking my phone back into my small purse I allowed the boys to comfort me. To hug and kiss me, tell me they weren’t going to let big, bad Carl do anything more to me or my business. They were going to get a lot of unfinished business handled today, even if it meant cutting their meetings short.
Shortly after this, we arrived outside of The Lucky Spell Pot.
As I suspected, both Tina and Sonny were there waiting for me. Both punctual and dependable, they were always where they promised to be, right on time. Not a second late.
They watched the fancy car pull up to the sidewalk, looking wary. Until I climbed out the side of it and greeted them. Smiled, and dug the keys for the bar out of my purse. “Thanks for waiting,” I whispered.
“You’re dressed really nicely,” observed Tina, with a snarky smile.
“Hella nice. Way too nice to be working in the bar today,” added Sonny, checking out the back of my cocktail dress. She looked back toward the car. Toward Eric and Travis, who were closing the door I had just exited out of. “Who are those guys?”
“Really wonderful men,” I murmured. My boyfriends, all of them.
I let myself and the girls inside, wishing I could turn around and say goodbye to the guys. Blow them all kisses as they drove away from the curb, but I knew I had no reason to worry. They would be back at lunchtime, just as they had been on the days previous. Except now, they weren’t strangers. They were lovers. Supporters. Friends in the best way. And now I wasn’t going to have to choose between them. They all wanted me. They’d said as much in the car, before Carl.
And I’d said I’d wanted the same. For now.
And, as the girls and I got busy setting up the rest of the decorations, and talked about the menu items I should serve for the Harvest Festival, I made a decision. When I saw the guys at lunch, I had more I would say to them. I would ask them to get me pregnant and help with the Seeding Spell. I would tell them the truth, about me and the town.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Gwendolyn
Right at noon the loves of my life arrived.
Travis came spilling through the door first, followed by Eric and then the brothers, Alex before David this time.
The moment I saw them, I told everyone to go on their lunch break. To take an hour or two, even the cook and the kitchen helper, and the temporary servers. I told all of them to get going and be gone for as long as they wanted.
As they filed out, each asking me whether I was sure about that, and whether I still wanted to let these guys in to have lunch when it was supposed to be a lunch break, I hurry them along. I said yes, that I could handle everything. I just wanted them going off to take care of themselves, so I could take care of me.
And I really did need them to take care of me. As it was, my pussy was already aching in my underwear, begging for their cocks again.
Waiting for the right moment, the boys assembled in the barstools in front of me, each warming me with a smile, a wayward glance, as the workers filed out and left for their lunch breaks. Eric was the only one who remained standing. And he locked the doors behind them. Flipped up the “closed” sign, before returning to me.
As he did, the other three boys got down on their knees. Eric joined them, digging a small black box out of his pocket. Together, like synchronized dancers, they each brought their hand under the box, brought fingers up around the lid, and opened it.
“Gwendolyn,” said David, “we’ve all given this a lot of thought…”
“And we know you’re the one for us,” said Alex, his voice and eyes tearing up.
“We know we want not just sex with you, but an entire life full of moments and love with you,” said Eric. “Committed and connected to you the way husbands should be, Gwendolyn.”
“We don’t want to just fuck you and leave, though some of us have quite a lot of experience with that.” Here, Travis’s eyes looked a little sad and regretful. As did Alex’s. “But not anymore.” He straightened his posture and his chin, pulling back the lid more. “Your special to me. To us, Gwendolyn, and we don’t ever want to let that go.”
“We don’t ever want to take that for granted, or let that slip through our fingers,” added Alex, smiling at me.
>
“I was almost married once. To the wrong woman, Gwendolyn,” said David, running his hands pensively through his short blonde hair. “I used to think that was the worst possible thing that could’ve ever happened, but not anymore. It left me open to meet you. To fall in love with you, and I’m sure the others would say the same. That their loneliness was a gift, if only so that they could enjoy your company all the more.” David, not one to get emotional, actually swallowed tears. Shivered with emotion. “So that’s why we want to ask you, Miss Gwendolyn Bishop, if you will take mercy on our poor, lost and hungry souls, and marry us? All of us?”
I knew my answer before I even gave it, or rather, what I wanted my answer to be. I wanted to say yes. But there was more at stake than what I wanted.
I sighed, ready to tell them all and see my love life changed forever. I looked each and every one of them in the eyes. “Boys, I love you. I do. But there is more to it then that. I have some things to tell you and I don’t know if you will like them or believe them.” I hesitated, looking them all in the eyes again.
Eric shuffled. His eyes full of worry and love. “What is it Gwendolyn?” he asked. “You can tell us anything.”
I looked down and started my story. “The Lucky Spell Pot was opened in the late 1600s by my great great grandmother. She was a witch.”
They looked at me blankly. Alex looked like he was going to start laughing but when I retained my serious expression, he got stayed serious as well. “A real witch?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, a real witch. Something that I inherited, along with The Lucky Spell Pot.”
David raised a hand to stop me, looking confused. “Are you going to tell us that you put a spell on us? Something to make us fall in love with you Gwendolyn? Because I don’t believe in that. What ever you did was not the cause of our love, we came to it on our own.” I crossed his strong arms over his chest and looked at me stoically.