“Hey now! My home wasn’t that bad,” she protested. “Mom was just strict. Remember when we went over to Amanda Lewis’s house for study group. Oh my god, I thought you guys would steal her Playstation.”
Bax laughed. “It was the best thing we’d ever seen in our young lives. And her computer games were amazing. So fancy and advanced. She didn’t think it was a big deal.” Bax shook his head. “She didn’t know how lucky she was…”
Cliff reached from the back and squeezed Bax’s shoulder. He glanced at Reggie and chuckled. “Yours was terrifying. No shoes on anywhere, no going into the living room. Those squeaky plastic covers on everything, and you always said grace before eating. We were lucky if we remembered to go to church on Sundays.” Cliff grinned. “Everyone thought Bax and I would either end up in jail or the military.”
“And look at us now,” Bax sang out. “We could own this town, baby!”
“Don’t get a fat head over it,” Reggie teased. “You still wear eyeliner and sleep till noon.”
“Hey, not anymore! Cliff makes me get up at six in the morning for an hour workout and then I cook breakfast.” Bax flexed his biceps before grabbing the wheel again. He wasn’t as buff as Cliff, who was built like an upright freezer, but his time in the weight room had long paid off. “Six in the morning, darkling. Can you imagine it? Me up before the sun?”
Reggie snorted. “Don’t be so dramatic. I’m up at three in the morning, out the door at four, and at the hospital by five. And I workout at the gym on my lunch break or after work if I’m not too tired. So, you’re not alone, Cliff.”
“See, Reggie is like me,” Cliff said, sounding smug. “And I don’t make you do anything. You’re up before me, ready to go.”
Reggie let out a bubbly laugh. “Look at you two being all domestic. When’s the wedding?”
Both men fell silent.
Reggie punched the front seat. “Whoa, guys, don’t go quiet on me. I’m not the only one wondering, but I’m not putting pressure on you.”
Bax chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. We’re not ready for that stage yet. And when we are, you’ll be the first to know.” He winked into the rearview.
“I better be! I’m your best friend after all. Now what’s for dinner? I’m hungry.” Reggie placed her hands on Bax’s shoulders and gave them a shake.
Bax shook his head. “Jesus, you just ate pancakes. How can you still be hungry? Where do you put it all? I don’t see it anywhere.” He gave her a quick onceover in the mirror.
Despite her bulky jacket, he couldn’t miss her full breasts, her waist and thick thighs. Curvy perfection. A pang went off in his chest. Until that moment he hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed her. Having Cliff with him was one thing. Having them both around filled a space in his soul that he hadn’t realized had been growing until now.
“God, I’ve missed you,” Bax blurted out.
Reggie frowned. “You know you guys can call me at any time or stop by any time. My apartment may be small, but I’m sure we can work something out sleeping wise. Besides, my coworkers would love autographs or a private dinner. Hint. Hint. Big fundraiser for the new children’s cancer wing or funding our Charity Care patients?”
Bax let out a laugh. “Come on, one thing at a time. What about that Charity Care thing? What’s up with that?” Flashbacks to being in the hospital due to broken bones or a relative in the hospital, and memories of the overdue bills with the red stamps and Last Chance or Final Notice written on them hit him one after the other. A sense of vulnerability crept up on him. Memories of his mom and dad fighting over how to pay or how many hours they were both working permeated the moment. He dragged in a deep breath and blew it out.
Reggie stared at him via the mirror. “Basically, Charity Care pays for the tests, but you pay for the doctor to read the results. It’s expensive as hell, but my hospital is talking about taking donations for a fund to start paying off people’s debt so the hospital doesn’t have to take the hit as much.”
Bax turned on his blinker. “Sounds like something worthwhile. I’ll talk with my manager about setting up a charity dinner.” He winked at her.
Reggie grinned. “Thanks. I know you can understand what these families go through, and the way our political system works, everything is so up in the air.” She shook her head.
Bax could only agree. “I understand. If it hadn’t been for your father, we would’ve lost our house.” He would never forget that.
“I’m glad I could help convince him.” Reggie beamed at him from the backseat.
“OK, enough with all this mushy shit,” Cliff interjected, his voice a little hoarse. “What’s for dinner?”
Bax knew from the roughness of Cliff’s voice that he was getting emotional, remembering those darker years. He decided to play it off as a joke, just to give him some breathing room. Before things got too serious. “You big teddy bear,” he said. “That’s why I love you. Well, I was thinking pepperoni lasagna with Italian sausage and ground beef and of course extra mozzarella. What do you think?” Bax knew the answer but wanted to hear their eagerness anyway.
“Yummy! We scored!” Reggie said. He knew she loved his cooking. “Do we shop?”
“No need. The fridge is fully stocked. But you guys have been roped into helping me. And no wine during cooking,” Bax warned.
Reggie and Cliff groaned.
“Why are you punishing us?” Reggie whimpered. “You guys have a fully loaded wine cellar. Why?”
Bax eyed her in the mirror. “Stop, whining or I swear I’ll follow through with that spanking.”
He took a moment to watch Reggie’s reaction. Reggie had never given them a hint as to her likes or dislikes. For years he’d wondered what she would be like in bed. He and Cliff had sometimes used the mystery as part of their sexual fantasies. Now maybe they could finally get her to open up, but not using alcohol to do it. If she came to their bed, she would do it willingly and sober.
“What with a wooden spoon?” Reggie teased. “I’d prefer a leather paddle.”
Bax swallowed and tried to tamp down his excitement. “You only get the paddle if you behave. Keep that in mind while you’re staying with us.” He turned into the circular driveway and parked in front of the front entrance. “We arrive, milady. Cliff will grab your bags and show you to the new guest room. I’ll get the car into the garage.”
Cliff got out first, followed by Reggie. Cliff retrieved her luggage from the trunk and let her into the house. Bax drove around to the garage and parked the car. Once the doors closed, he checked the deep freezer and grabbed a few select meats and some ice cream.
“Thank God for grocery home delivery,” he muttered as he exited the garage.
He entered the house via the kitchen entrance to find Cliff getting out the plates and glasses. “See, already setting up the table. No need to thank me. A make out session later will do, and in front of Reggie to let her know what she can expect. Anyway, she’s taking a shower, so she’ll be out in like half an hour.”
Bax shook his head. “Just in time for me to put the lasagna in the oven. Oh, I grabbed some gelato while I was out there. We have enough in the fridge and freezer for three weeks here at the most. What do you think? Long vacation and then we hit the road after New Years?”
Cliff shrugged. “We’ll play it by ear, maybe go back to Charlotte with Reggie and setup that Charity Care fundraiser dinner. But don’t name it after yourself, please. Your ego is already out of control as it is. How demanding can you be?”
Bax waggled his eyebrows. “I’m sure I can think of a few out-of-control sexual demands for later. Anyway, set the table, and I’ll get started on dinner. I just hope she’ll be able to have seconds and thirds after all those pancakes.”
“Oh, I’m sure she will, and so will I,” Cliff assured him. He left the kitchen and headed out to the dining room. “While she’s here, we should show her the improvements we made. I’m sure she’ll love the indoor pool you insisted on.”
“Stop whining about that,” Bax teased. “Or next time I’ll remind you of all the bugs you avoid when using it.”
“Anyway, do you think her mother will come over here and try and drag Reggie home?” Cliff called from the dining room.
“No. One thing I know about Bettina Samson-Cardoza: she refuses to create a scene in public, even if she wants to. Remember that Christmas play incident when Reggie wanted to come home with me and my family rather than with Bettina and the visiting family members? I thought she was going to explode, but she let Reggie go. I know she punished Reggie after she got home, grounded her for a month.” Bax shook his head. “Some people are too concerned with image.”
“Unlike you?” Cliff teased. He returned to the kitchen for more glasses and napkins.
“Shut up.” Bax paused in his preparations and turned around to face Cliff. “How do we bring up what we want? Her being in a relationship with us, I mean?”
“We let her do it. She’s curious. What if we play truth or dare, sober edition?” Cliff drifted out of the room again with more things for the table.
“Sounds good,” Bax called out.
“What sounds good?” Reggie walked into the room, wrapped in a robe. With the belt untied, Bax could see that she had already donned her pajamas with a tight tank top—no bra, her dark nipples clearly defined under the thin white fabric—and pants with BDSM ducks. The ducks all had horns and were holding everything from paddles to whips in their bills, with piercings on their tails, ears, bills, eyebrows, and nipple clamps on their chests.
Bax took the moment to study her from head to toe and back up again. A flush of heat flooded his stomach and spread. His flaccid cock filled with blood and thickened. He swallowed and turned his attention back to the lasagna.
He grinned. “You’re wearing the set I got you from our trip to Rotterdam.”
“Still don’t know how you knew my size.” Reggie snatched a pepperoni and popped it into her mouth. “So tell me, what sounds good?”
Bax chuckled. “You’re not gonna let it go. If I say it’s a surprise, will you trust us?” He picked up the glass dish and carried it over to the oven.
“Maybe.” Reggie dragged out the word. “If it’s a good surprise. Like a chocolate surprise.” She glanced around. “What do you need me to do?”
“Chocolate could be involved if you behave. And we don’t need you to do anything except relax. You’re in our house now. No chores to do, and you don’t even need to roll out of bed at three in the morning or make your bed or put on actual clothing.” An image flashed into his mind of Reggie cuddled up in their California King sized bed, naked and relaxing in the afterglow. His cock strained against the fly of his jeans. He brushed the distracting daydream away to focus on dinner prep.
“What else do we need? Any veggies, or how about garlic knots? I have some frozen ones out in the deep freeze. Oh, you can pick out the wine, a nice red one, hmm?” Bax nodded his head toward the basement door.
“Oh now we get wine? Well OK then. But you’re asking me to go down into the creepy basement, has it at least been finished? Last time it could double as a set for a crime show, complete with exposed pipes and wires.” Reggie headed to the door.
“It’s finished, I promise. Cliff made sure.”
Cliff walked into the room. “Cliff didn’t do whatever it is that Cliff is being accused of.”
Reggie grabbed Cliff’s arm and dragged him toward the basement. “Come on, Freddie, you can accompany me into the deep, dark, scary basement, and if you feel me up while we’re down there, I won’t tell Daphne-Bax.”
“Jinkies, Velma-Reggie you say the sweetest, sexiest, dirtiest things to me. How can I say no?” Cliff waggled his eyebrows at Bax and accompanied her down to the wine cellar.
“You are not Velma!” Bax called out after them. “Not with your appetite. I’m Velma, you’re Shaggy.”
“Get thicker thighs and then talk to me about which of the gang you are,” Reggie yelled.
Bax chuckled. A sense of calm came over him. Having Reggie around them always settled him down and let him know he really was off the road and could just relax and be himself. He returned to dinner prep, this time digging out a bag of garlic knots from the fridge freezer. “Hmm, do we need veggies?”
“No,” Reggie whispered next to his ear.
Bax yelped and jumped. “What the fuck?” He whirled around and stared at Reggie.
Cliff stood nearby, body shaking as he let out a deep guffaw. “I’m crying,” he wheezed. “Oh my god, your face. I should’ve taken a picture and posted it.”
Bax glared at him. “Do it and you die. How the hell did you get back up here without me hearing you?”
“Oh we didn’t go all the way down. Light switch isn’t working, so we needed a flashlight.” Reggie moved around him and opened a drawer where she rooted around until she found what she needed.
“I texted Jim to let him know. It’s no big deal. It’s just on the stairs. Come on Velma-Reggie, we’ll give Daphne-Bax a few minutes to calm down by making out by the primo gaming system Bax had put in.” Cliff took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.
“I’m gonna put bells on both of you!” Bax called after them.
“Kinky, Daphne-Bax,” Cliff shot back. “I knew you were a freak.”
The duo stomped down the stairs, leaving Bax to take a few deep breaths and calm down before he returned to cooking dinner.
“Or maybe I’ll just tie them both to the bed and gag them,” Bax muttered. “Then I can have my wicked way with both of them.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Tension ebbed out of Reggie’s body. The deep, plush cushions hugged her body in all the right places and allowed her limbs to relax. She let out a soft sigh. I can get used to this. A fire crackled in the hearth and the blinking lights of the Christmas tree winked at her. She eyed what had once been a pine tree with lazy amusement. The top brushed the ceiling but it didn’t bend or bow under the weight of all the tinsel, lights, and baubles that someone had put on it.
“How did you guys get a Christmas tree? You landed today, right?” She glanced over at the arched entryway and watched Bax and Cliff walk into the room hand-in-hand. Bax held a tray of steaming mugs, and Cliff had a plate of gingerbread men dusted with powdered sugar.
“We were always gonna come here for Christmas. Your call and e-mail just forced us to return earlier than we planned.” Cliff placed the cookies on the coffee table and settled down next to her.
His warm, solid body made her feel safe and secure, like always.
She snuggled into his side and laid her head on his shoulder.
He wrapped an arm over the back of the chair.
Bax sat down next to her and placed his arm over her shoulders.
“I wasn’t trying to make you drop everything and rush to my aid. Did I really sound that bad?” Tiredness tugged at her eyelids. It had been a long, stressful day. The men’s presence only furthered her desire to curl up in-between them and fall asleep in their arms.
“You sounded so miserable.” Bax took a tendril of hair and twisted it around his finger, tugging on it gently.
“Crap, I thought I sounded OK and maybe upbeat.” She sighed. “I’m sorry you cut your vacation short for me. You guys are so busy as it is.” Guilt weighed on her heart. Tears stung her eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry.” Cliff slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her head back to gaze into her eyes.
“I’m sorry. It’s been a long couple of days.” She winced. “Sorry for whining.”
Bax tugged on her thick lock of hair. “Hey, stop saying sorry. Did we say we hated being called back home early? No. We wanted to be here for you. You keep this self-pity crap up and I’ll be forced to pull you over my knee.”
She turned her head and glanced at Cliff. “You gonna let him talk to me like that?”
Reggie couldn’t help but focus on the firelight dancing in his eyes. Flecks of brown, gold and silver glitt
ered back at her.
“Well, I’d be helping him, so yeah. No apologizing while you’re with us, got it?” Cliff traced a path over the edge of her jaw. He moved his head down so close that his warm breath teased her lips.
For a moment she wished that he would close the distance and kiss her.
The thought lingered before she let it drift away.
Cliff and Bax were together, I’m just lonely, she thought.
“Truth or dare?” Cliff whispered. He moved forward. His lips drifted over the side of her neck.
Her breath halted in her throat. She froze. What the fuck was going on?
“Wha?”
“Truth or dare, sweetie?” Bax moved closer to her until his hip pressed against hers. She felt his fingers dance over her thigh.
She glanced down and watched the play of his fingers in fascination as they moved up and down the top of her thigh.
She swallowed. How much wine did she have when helping him?
“Truth.” She exhaled the word on a shaky breath.
“Are you attracted to the both of us?” Cliff asked. With butterfly kisses he covered the crook of her neck.
“What?” she asked, unable to believe this was happening to her. To them.
“Are. You. Attracted. To. The. Both. Of. Us?” Bax echoed. He squeezed her thigh.
She swallowed. “Yes?” She didn’t know what else to say. She’d selected truth. All other questions and words became jumbled sounds in her head that didn’t make sense.
Bax exhaled. “Thank God.”
“What?” She glanced over at Bax. “But you’re in a committed relationship. You’re exclusive. You’re—”
“Bisexual. Remember?” Cliff finished for her. “Doesn’t mean we’re sluts. It means we’re attracted to men and women.”
Silence fell between them. The confession hung in the air around them. The atmosphere became unbearable.
Rockin' Her World Page 4
