Taking a Gamble on Three of a Kind
Jenny Clayton returns home to the town of Brilliance to find that her mother’s life is falling apart and the man she is seeing, Jack Rowan, is the catalyst. However, Jack’s handsome sons, Luke and Adam, along with their sexy cousin Justin, are convinced that Jenny’s the problem and not their father.
The three men have no intention of allowing her to come between two people who, in their minds, are destined to be together. When they confront Jenny, she finds herself more than a target of their anger. They force her to question everything she thought she knew.
However, Luke, Adam, and Justin don’t know her mother’s secret. If she tells them, she will not only betray her mother’s trust but ruin whatever chance she has for a normal life. Will Jenny’s ultimate sacrifice to save her mother be enough, or is she the one that needs saving now?
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings or cousins.
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 37,975 words
TAKING A GAMBLE ON THREE OF A KIND
Kalissa Alexander
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
TAKING A GAMBLE ON THREE OF A KIND
Copyright © 2013 by Kalissa Alexander
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-710-9
First E-book Publication: March 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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TAKING A GAMBLE ON THREE OF A KIND
KALISSA ALEXANDER
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Jenny observed the worried frown on her mother’s lips as she pressed the ignore button on her cell phone. They were eating dinner, but nevertheless, her mother rarely ever ignored a call. As a realtor, the telephone was the lifeline to her business, especially in times like these, when according to her mother, selling a house was the exception and not the rule.
“Everything okay, Mom?” Jenny asked between mouthfuls of her mother’s garlic mashed potatoes that she loved.
“Everything’s fine, dear. Just someone I can call back later. It’s been too long since I had a sit-down dinner with my daughter. I want to spend time with you without work or anything else interrupting us.”
“Well, now that the semester is over, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me. I know you want me to work with you, but I’ve got a few leads on jobs for the summer. One is at the Cultural Center in Parsons Grove.”
“I know I don’t have enough work to keep you busy full-time. I thought you were going to call Elizabeth Andrews’s office? I thought she was looking to hire someone. The insurance business seems to be booming.”
“I called already. Besides, insurance isn’t my thing.”
Another call came in on her mother’s cell phone. Her mother once again pressed the ignore button.
“Maybe you should take that. They must really want to talk to you if they’ve called twice in such a short period of time.”
“Nope. Last year I only saw you for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know your job as a research assistant has kept you busy and away from home these last few summers, and believe me, I’m glad you’ve had the opportunity, but I just couldn’t take another summer with you being away. I’ve really missed my daughter. You have no idea how glad I am to have you home finally.”
“Well, you did insist that I come home. I mean, not that I didn’t want to. But your last message about my living expenses and helping you over the summer did get my attention. So tell me all about you, Mom. Is there a problem with your business? And are you still seeing Jack Rowan?”
Jenny watched her mother’s face turn slightly red. She wished her mother felt more comfortable with dating, or maybe she just felt uncomfortable talking about her boyfriend with her daughter. It had been five years since her father had died. When she had discovered her mother was finally seeing someone, she couldn’t have been happier. Marlene Clayton was only in her early fifties—way too young to be by herself. Although she was an only child, Jenny prided herself on not being one of those daughters who hated the thought of her mother dating.
“Business could always be better, and Jack and I just enjoy each other’s company. It’s nothing serious.”
“You’ve always been the number-one realtor around here. I’m sure if business is down, it will pick up and you’ll be fine. And I for one am glad that you’re still seeing Dr. Rowan. I always liked him growing up. I was sorry when his wife died of cancer.”
“It was sad for him and his boys.”
“Speaking of his boys, how are they?”
“The twins are through medical school and have come back to help their father. Jack’s really happy that they both wanted to take over his medical practice. He says he wants to retire, but I don’t think he will. He loves being a doctor way too much.”
“If
I remember, Adam and Luke were always pretending to be doctors. They tried to examine me once, but Dad put an end to that.” She laughed.
“They were both little buggers but harmless. They’ve grown into nice young men. They’ll make some girl very happy.”
“You think they’ll take the same woman, like most of the men in our town?”
“Yes, I think they might. They don’t have to. Their mother and father opted for just each other as your father and I did. But we’re not the norm. Most of the families in Brilliance enjoy more polygamous lifestyles.”
“Most places are like that now since the government made what was thought of as unconventional marriages legal. However, I liked not having to share my time between more than two parents.”
“Well, it’s a matter of choice and whatever works for you, dear, whether you take one, two, or more men to be your husband or husbands. There’s no pressure here. I just want you to be happy.”
“I want the same for you, Mom. How much time are you spending with Jack?” Again, she could see the discomfort on her mother’s face. “I know I haven’t exactly been around much, so I would imagine you get lonely.”
“It does get lonely sometimes. But I’m not about to replace your father, don’t you worry. I can’t just retire and live a life of leisure…no matter what Jack wants.”
“Ah, so you have been seeing a lot of him.”
“Well, I guess there’s no harm in your knowing that he asked me to marry him. I said no. I can’t marry anyone. It just wouldn’t be right.”
“And you don’t call that serious?
“He’s much more serious than I am. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Why? I mean, he’s a wonderful man who can make your retirement years fun. You don’t have to marry him if you don’t want to. I’m sure he’d be fine with a companion. You’ve got enough money to travel whenever you want. You wouldn’t have to depend on him financially. Dad’s only been gone five years. I’m sure he understands.”
“I don’t want to talk about me. Let’s talk about you.”
“Mom,” Jenny said with a slight whine. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Try and change the subject when you don’t want to tell me something.”
Her mother pushed herself away from the table and stood up. “Well, I guess spending time with him was better than being alone all the time.” She took her plate out to the kitchen.
Jenny immediately felt shamed for questioning her mother. She had never made her feel guilty about being away before.
When her mother returned, she sat down and put her head in her hands. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I always wanted you to be free to do what you wanted without worrying about me. I should have never said that.”
“What’s wrong, Mom?”
“I need to tell you what I’ve done. Then you’ll understand why I needed you to come home.”
“What do you mean, what you’ve done?” At least she’s not ill.
“I so didn’t want to have to tell you,” her mother said, lifting her head up, her watery eyes making contact with Jenny’s. “I thought I could fix it, but the more I tried, the worse it got.”
“Just tell me. It can’t be that bad.”
“You can decide once you’ve heard what I have to say,” her mother said, looking down at her lap.
Jenny remained silent and waited for her mother to continue.
“I’m in trouble…financial trouble.” Her mother’s voice shook. “I’ve run up all my credit cards, and I’ve spent all the money your father left us including his insurance money.”
“What?” Jenny couldn’t have heard her right. They weren’t rich by any means, but her father had left them enough money to more than get by on.
“You know that new casino that opened in Carlton?” her mother asked, not expecting an answer. “Well, I started going there after you went to school. I guess I was bored. Not that this has anything to do with you,” she added quickly. “I only went once in a while at first, and then at some point I started going more often. I won, but I lost, too, and as time went on, the losses started piling up. I kept thinking I would get back what I lost, but before I knew it, I was taking out money from our savings account and the more I took, thinking I would win, the more I lost. I have nothing left, Jenny. I should say, we having nothing left. I’m so sorry.”
Jenny put down her fork and just stared at her mother who had tears running unheeded down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was crazy. She had never known her mother to ever set foot inside a casino, let alone be a regular customer.
“When you say there’s nothing left, do you mean you spent all the money gambling?”
“That’s what I said. I know it’s hard to believe. There was over two hundred thousand dollars in that account. I can’t believe it either. I was like another person. Those damn slot machines were all I could think about. I’ve ruined everything. I even took out a second mortgage. I’m going to lose this house, and I don’t even have the money to help you with your housing for next year.
Jenny was speechless. Nothing could have prepared her for this. It was insane.
“Say something, anything,” her mother choked out.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I kept telling myself that since your tuition as a PhD student was paid by the school, you would be fine. Then, I remembered that you weren’t eligible for a stipend in your fifth year and you’d need twice to three times as much from me as you have in the past. I don’t have it to give,” her mother all but cried. “You must hate me.”
“I just don’t understand how you could have spent all the money.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Well, sorry isn’t going to pay the bills is it?” Jenny shouted louder than she had intended. “I need to get out of here. Otherwise I’m going to start screaming, and that won’t solve anything.”
“I wish I’d never seen a slot machine. You don’t know how many times I’ve gone over what I did in my head. It seems surreal, like I’m someone else, not me. If I could give my life to get it all back, I would.”
“Don’t go there,” Jenny said sharply. “That would be the ultimate selfishness.”
Jenny couldn’t bear to look at her mother another second. She grabbed her mother’s car keys before she left the house. She needed a drink, not that she was drinker, but after the bombshell her mother had just dropped on her, she might become one. She drove in circles for at least fifteen minutes until she remembered a bar she and her girlfriends frequented when they were in high school. The bartender at the time never asked for ID. Not that it was a problem now. But even at twenty-six, she still got carded.
When she pulled up to the Medusa, she didn’t think she was going to find a spot to park, but someone was leaving, and she pulled in as they pulled out. She never went into a bar alone, but tonight would be the exception. She opened the door and walked into the dimly lit interior filled with smoke and a country song blasting so loud, she wondered how anyone could stand it. Most places didn’t allow smoking anymore, but this place had never been one to follow the rules.
She found an empty barstool and sat down. The bartender came over to her, giving her a lecherous look that made her skin crawl. The guy was old enough to be father and had creepy eyes. “What’ll it be, sweetie?”
“I’ll have a beer, whatever kind you have, I don’t care.”
“Well, we have a few, but I’ll pick out a good one for you.” He winked.
When he placed a bottle in front of her without a glass, she just smiled. She wasn’t about to ask him for anything else. She wanted him gone. She wasn’t even wearing any makeup, and he was staring at her like she his favorite toy. Thankfully, someone from the other end of the bar yelled for him.
“Gotta go, sweet thing, but you let me know if you want anything else,” he leered, his meaning more than clear.
She turned and took a sip of her be
er. She heard him laugh as he walked away.
Looking around, she focused on the dance floor in the corner that was filled to capacity. Everyone appeared to be in good spirits. Just this morning, she was happy, too. Looking away, she tried to calm herself. All she wanted to do was forget the last hour of her life. Before dinner she was pretty much carefree, spending an obligatory summer at home knowing she would be back to school for her final year. Now she felt like not only had the rug had been swept out from under her, but the mother she had always depended on was far from dependable. How could someone who had always been so frugal have gone through all that money so quickly? It was beyond her comprehension.
Pushing her dark auburn hair behind her ears and out of her face, she closed her eyes. Would they really lose the house? They must be close to it or her mother would have never told her what she had done. Like it or not, she was going to have to be the adult here and figure something out, that is if it wasn’t already too late.
She opened her eyes and glanced up at the television behind the bar. Some news show came across the screen, but the volume had been muted. Pictures depicting a house fire caught her attention. She was so fixated on the burning building she didn’t realize someone was calling her name until she felt a nudge against her arm.
“Jenny Clayton, is that you?”
At first she couldn’t place the handsome man staring down at her and then it hit her. Luke Rowan continued to stare at her with a big grin and deep-set blue eyes that were sparkling with what appeared to be humor. He was older and, if possible, even more handsome than he was in high school. He was one of the last people she wanted to run into. His father wanted to marry her mother. Well, at least he thought he did.
Taking a Gamble on Three of a Kind (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1
