“That would be amazing!” Matt replied. “Can I bring something?”
“Do you even know where the grocery stores are yet?” Gemma asked, smiling.
“Well, no, but that’s why they invented the internet. I’ve got the salad covered.”
“You really don’t --”
“It would be my pleasure. Besides, then you can tell all your girlfriends about what a healthy eater I am.”
Gemma laughed again, shifting from foot to foot, getting ready to run. “Okay, it’s a deal. Come by any time after five!”
“Perfect,” said Matt and waved as she headed off.
***
“Hey, sweetie,” said Brandon, looking up from the news. “Had a good run?”
“Yeah, it was great.” Gemma planted a kiss on Brandon’s blonde head. “Have you met the new neighbor?”
“Not yet. The movers just left.”
“I met him on my run. Seems really nice.” Gemma poured herself a glass of water. “I invited him to dinner tonight.”
“Sounds good,” said Brandon. “I’ll get some extra meat when I pick up the groceries.”
“Thanks. I think you’ll like him. He’s funny,” Gemma put her glass in the dishwasher. “I’m going to shower. Let me know when you’re heading out. I thought I’d come with you. I need to find a present for Natasha’s baby shower next week.”
“Sure thing,” said Brandon, watching her walk away. When she’d disappeared upstairs, he rested his chin in his palm, turning to stare out the window. The spandex leggings she wore running used to drive him wild. He was a tall, well-built man and when she came home from her run, he would be waiting in his housecoat and nothing else, ready to sweep her up the stairs. It always turned her on to see the muscles of his arms flex as he carried her, his hands tight on her thighs.
Upstairs, he’d run the shower and strip off her clingy exercise clothes. They’d get in together and he’d make a big deal about how he needed to make sure she was thoroughly clean. He’d cover her body in soaps suds, always paying more attention to some areas than to others. He’d run his hands down her stomach, her thighs, her back. He loved how slick the soap made her skin. She’d giggle and bite her lip and say it was too bad her armpits weren’t sexier because they needed to be washed more than her breasts did.
Brandon turned away from the window, looking down at his half-drunk coffee. She still looked fantastic in spandex but, somewhere along the line, enjoying a peaceful cup of coffee had become the bigger luxury. He sighed and shrugged, picking up his tablet so he could get back to reading the news.
In the shower upstairs, Gemma was washing her hair. She massaged her fingers along her scalp, enjoying the feel of the soapy water as it slid down her back. She closed her eyes, thinking about dinner that night. It would be nice to have someone new around, especially someone as charming as Matt seemed to be. Absentmindedly, she ran a hand back forth along her breast, her fingertips following its curve.
She was sure Matt and Brandon would get along. Brandon loved to joke around. Her nipple hardened and she toyed with it, running a nail in circles around its base.
Plus Brandon wanted a new golf buddy. Maybe he could take Matt with him? She thought about the two of them together, one dark and one light. Her other hand left her hair, running down her stomach to stroke the delicate skin of her inner thigh.
She wondered if Matt owned golf clothes. His trendy black jeans would be extremely out of place at Brandon’s club. One hand played with her nipple and the other ran along the sensitive edges of her labia.
“Sweetheart, are you still in the shower?”
Brandon’s voice snapped her out of her reverie and she looked down at herself in amazement. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even thought about masturbating. Not to mention Brandon had always been the one she fantasized about.
“I’m almost done!” she called, putting her hands back in her hair to rinse out the last of the shampoo.
Brandon peered around the door. “I was going to head out in a few minutes. Do you still want to come?”
“Uh, yeah. Yes. Yes, I do. Just give me, like, fifteen minutes to get my face on,” she pulled back the curtain to smile at him.
“Okay, take your time,” he winked at her, closing the door behind him.
Gemma’s breath came out in a rush. She shook her head to clear it and shut off the taps. “Focus, honey,” she told herself.
She gave herself a vigorous toweling and a cursory blow-dry, pulling her hair back up in a ponytail. After brushing on a bit of mascara and liner, she picked up her running gear and went out to the bedroom for her clothes. Brandon was sitting on their bed, texting while he waited.
“Almost done, honey,” she said. Dumping the sweaty spandex in the hamper, she pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a gauzy button-down shirt.
“You haven’t worn those jeans in ages,” said Brandon, looking up. “They look great on you.”
“You think so?” Gemma asked, eyeing herself in the mirror. She frowned, suddenly realizing she’d chosen those jeans because they reminded her of the new neighbor.
“Definitely.”
“You’re not just trying to get me out of the house faster?” Gemma joked, turning to smile at her husband.
“Me? Rush you? I wouldn’t dream of it!” Brandon stood up, wrapping an arm around her. “But seriously. Can we go now?”
Gemma laughed, curling into his side. “Just let me find my keys!”
Brandon groaned. “We’re taking my car. Or we’ll never get out of here!”
Looking up at her husband, Gemma smiled. “I love you,” she said.
He blinked, surprised by the change of subject. “I love you too, sweetheart,” he said, leaning down to kiss her hair.
“Okay, we can go now.”
“Finally!”
***
Matt came around the side of the house and knocked on the back gate just as Brandon was heating up the barbecue.
“Hey!” Brandon said, turning away from the grill. “You must be Matt.”
The other man nodded. “That’s me. Brandon, right? I’d shake your hand, but…” he nodded to the salad bowl and six pack of beer he was carrying.
“Oh, here,” Brandon took the beer and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Matt smiled, taking the offered hand.
“Come on in and grab a seat,” Brandon said, leading the way. “I’m just getting started. These look great. I don’t know this brand,” he eyed the beer as he put them down on the wooden table under the clematis.
“It’s a brewery out of Portland that I’m pretty obsessed with at the moment,” said Matt, putting the salad next to the beer. “They make an incredible stout.”
Brandon examined the box more closely. “Huh, I’ve never heard of them before.”
“Well, it’s a good thing your wife invited me for dinner then. They’ll blow your mind.” Matt stood with his hands in his pockets, looking out at the garden. “What a yard,” he said. “You guys have done a great job on it. I love this purple thing, whatever it’s called.” He gestured to the trellis above them.
“Clematis. I planted it for Gemma when we first bought the place. She had one at her house when she was growing up back in North Carolina.”
“A man that can grill and garden? She’s one lucky lady,” said Matt, setting himself down in one of the patio chairs.
Brandon laughed. “It’s the other way round, I think.”
Matt smiled. “It’s nice to know that there are still happy couples out there in the world. All you ever seem to hear about is the rising divorce rate.”
“And here I had you pegged as a confirmed bachelor,” Brandon grinned.
“Well, for now, at any rate,” said Matt. “But I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic at heart.”
“Welcome to the club,” said Brandon.
“Really?” asked Matt. “But you look so…I dunno, manly. Have you seen your biceps? You co
uld probably pick me up.”
Brandon laughed. “Can’t a man work out and be romantic at the same time?”
“Touché,” said Matt. “I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. What do you do, if you don’t mind me asking? Or am I making assumptions again? Let me guess: you’re a stay-at-home husband?”
“I wish!” Brandon smiled as he shuffled three hefty steaks onto the grill. “At least then I’d have the time to indulge my romantic side. I’m an in-house contract lawyer.”
“Yeah, that’ll keep you busy,” said Matt, making a sympathetic face. “You have to put your foot down and take your vacation time, man.”
“I know, I know. We’ve been talking about going to Bali for years now, but something always seems to come up, you know?”
“Oh, do I ever. But hey, it doesn’t need to be Bali. Why not just go away for the weekend?”
“Some confirmed bachelor you are,” Brandon smiled.
Matt chuckled. “Like you, I can be more than one thing. Plus, I like to see people happy,” he said. “That’s what makes me so good at my job.”
“Fair enough,” said Brandon. “What do you do?”
“I’m a project manager for a big logistics firm out West. They’re working on taking over the rest of the States, so here I am. It’s a pretty good gig, to be honest. They send me all over the country. They’re in discussions with the Mexicans too, so by this time next year who knows?”
“Just as long as they don’t decide to open a branch in Canada,” Brandon joked.
Matt shuddered. “God, I don’t know hope people live like that. Just ice and snow as far as the eye can see. Although, I’ve heard Vancouver isn’t bad. Lots of great skiing.”
“Matt!” Gemma came out the French doors with a plate of vegetable skewers for the grill. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were here already. I’m so glad you could make it.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” said Matt, beginning to stand.
“Don’t, don’t, please,” Gemma smiled. “Just make yourself comfortable.”
“Already there,” he said. His lopsided grin made Gemma swallow.
“Good,” she said and moved toward Brandon, out of range of Matt’s charm. “Honey, I brought the veggies. Do you want something to drink?”
“Oh hey, my bad,” said Matt. “I waxed poetic about this beer and then didn’t even offer you one.”
“I’d love one of your fancy West Coast beers,” Brandon grinned. “Let’s see what all the hype is about.”
“Gemma?” Matt asked, holding up a bottle.
“Yes, please. I’ll go grab the bottle opener. And thanks, you really didn’t have to bring anything.”
“Sure, I did,” said Matt. “Now you’ll tell your friends that I’m also a gracious guest.”
Gemma laughed and disappeared into the house.
“When I met your wife this morning,” Matt said, answering Brandon’s unspoken question, “she made all sorts of promises about introducing me to her single friends.”
“I see,” said Brandon. “Good luck with that crowd. They are hard to impress.”
“So they should be,” said Matt. “Then they know they’re getting something worthwhile.”
“Here you go,” Gemma came back out, the opener in hand. “I’ve got some wine inside too, if you want a change.”
“Perfect,” said Matt, passing around the beers. “Cheers!”
The evening was perfect. The clematis-covered trellis kept them cool and when the sun finally went down Brandon lit citronella candles to keep the bugs away. The air was quiet, except for the clatter of knives and forks and the threesome’s laughter.
“You should really come down to the club with me next Sunday,” Brandon said as they were finishing dessert. “It’s a great way to relax. Plus, you can meet the guys.” He smiled, “Unless of course, you’d rather go out with Gemma to meet her friends.”
Gemma laughed. “I don’t know how keen they’d be on having a guy tag along to spin class, even if he does make a great salad.”
“And have great taste in beer,” Matt pointed out. “Don’t forget about the beer.”
“Yes, of course, the beer. Maybe you should make me some talking points. Just so I can be sure I don’t forget anything.”
“Good idea,” Matt nodded. “I could even whip up a PowerPoint presentation, if you wanted.”
“Even better,” Gemma wiped away tears as she laughed.
“Your poor friends aren’t going to know what hit them,” Brandon said, shaking his head.
“That’s the thing about West Coasters,” said Matt. “We let you guys think we’re all just laid back surf bums from SoCal. That way, when we can go in for the kill, you never see it coming.”
“I’ll remember that next time I have to deal with a lawyer from L.A,” said Brandon.
“Do,” said Matt, tipping his wine glass in Brandon’s direction. “You’ll thank me for it one day. And on that note, I think I had better get going.” He set his wine glass down on the table and looked across at his hosts. “Thanks for a great night, guys. Really. I could not have asked for a better welcome than this. Usually, my first nights are just takeout Chinese food and Netflix.”
Gemma smiled. “It was our pleasure. We don’t get the chance to make new friends very often.”
“And I’m serious about golf, Matt,” said Brandon, rising from his chair. “I’d love to have you.”
“Don’t worry,” said Matt, following Brandon’s lead. “You’ve convinced me. Pass me your phone and I’ll put in my number. You can text me the details.”
“Perfect,” said Brandon, unlocking his phone and handing it over. As Matt put in himself to his contacts, Brandon began clearing away their dishes.
“This number is for you too, Gemma,” said Matt as he passed the phone back to Brandon. “I’m sure you guys are busy, but if you ever need an excuse to shake up the daily routine, just give me a shout.”
“It’s a deal,” Gemma smiled.
“I hope you enjoy it here in Indianapolis,” said Brandon. “Don’t believe the rumors. It’s a great city.”
“So far I’d have to agree with you,” Matt replied. He went around the table and leaned down to kiss Gemma’s cheek. Gemma swallowed, but Matt had already moved on to shake Brandon’s hand. “Thanks again, guys,” he said.
“Our pleasure,” Brandon replied, taking the dishes into the house. “Don’t be a stranger!”
Matt waved before he disappeared through the gate.
Gemma got up and went to help with the dishes. “Well, that went even better than I thought it would,” she said, scraping bones into the compost bin.
“Yeah, he’s a great guy. Too bad he’s only in town for a few weeks,” Brandon agreed as he arranged the dishes in the dishwasher. “It really is nice to meet someone new from time to time. Other than foreign investors and their lawyers, I mean. But I guess this is all pretty run of the mill for him. If he’s being sent all over the country, he must make new friends every couple of weeks.”
“God, that must get exhausting sometimes,” said Gemma, passing Brandon the last of the plates. “But at least it’ll never be boring!”
“You think? I bet it gets kind of mundane after a while. Everything loses its shine eventually.”
“Do you think so?” asked Gemma, looking out at the yard.
“Sure,” said Brandon. “Even gold needs polishing once in a while.”
Gemma laughed. “You’re feeling very poetic tonight, darling.”
“It’s those beers he brought,” Brandon joked. “They were really strong! He was probably trying to loosen me up. He said I was manly, you know. I think he has the hots for me.”
“If you say so, honey,” said Gemma, smiling and shaking her head. “I can’t fault his taste, if that’s the case. There’s no better man out there.”
Brandon drew her into his arms and kissed her hair. “You want to watch an episode of something in bed before we go to sleep? I think t
hat lawyer drama you like has a new one out.”
“I’d love to,” said Gemma. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth first, this time. We both know we’ll be asleep before it ends.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Brandon, taking her hand and leading her upstairs. “But I always think that this time, I’ll make it to the end.”
Taming The Billionaire Page 43
