by Marie Carnay
The laugh that rang out had Rebecca blushing. Chris smacked his leg and set his drink on the coffee table. “Damn, Tom really is a stick in the mud, isn’t he?”
“Um…what’s that have to do—”
“I’m an escort, Rebecca. I fuck women for money.”
The drink slipped from Rebecca’s hand and landed with a thud on the plush rug. Scotch splashed over her leg and suede heel and she jumped up in a panic. “Damn it! I love these shoes!” She kicked them off, picked them up, and ran into the kitchen.
She grabbed the club soda and a paper towel and set to blotting the navy suede as Chris came in.
“Sorry. Did I ruin your shoe?”
Rebecca shook her head. “I don’t think so. But don’t ever go making jokes like that again. It’s not funny.”
He leaned on the counter and his face broke into a grin. “Who said anything about joking?”
* * *
CHRIS
The look on Rebecca’s face was priceless. She really didn’t know what he did for a living. He’d assumed it would have come up at some point in the past ten years. Tom wasn’t the kind of guy to keep something like that hidden—in the past they’d all talked pretty openly about Chris’s skill set.
Marriage had changed the man apparently. “Tom never told you?’
She shook her head and focused on the shoe. “Never.”
“Sorry, I figured it was out in the open. I mean…you knew in college, right?”
She glanced up and the turmoil in her eyes had him biting back a wince. “That was different. We were young, you needed cash. I thought—”
“That I’d grow out of it?”
Rebecca laughed. “That sounds terrible, but yes. I thought you managed hotels or something. All Tom ever said was you were in the hospitality business.”
Chris smiled. “He wasn’t lying.”
She nodded and set her shoe on the counter. From the way she stared at him, working her lip back and forth, he knew she was curious.
“Go ahead, ask me.”
“I don’t want to pry.”
Chris smiled. “You’re not. Ask me anything, I’ll tell you the truth.”
“What’s it like?”
Chris sat down on the bar stool. He didn’t know which way to spin it—make it sexy and exciting? Dull and boring? He watched her for a moment—focusing on her chest rising and falling with each breath and her blue eyes never leaving his face. Maybe it was time he just told the truth.
“It’s good and bad. I make women happy—satisfy their urges, take them places they’ve never been. Help them discover who they really are.”
Rebecca rolled her lips over her teeth. “What’s bad about that?”
“It’s temporary. Everyone who hires me—they’re looking for an escape. A moment to get out of their everyday lives and be someone else for a few hours. It just—it never lasts, you know?”
She nodded and screwed the cap back on the club soda. After a moment, she glanced up. “So are you going to give it up?”
Chris didn’t answer. He couldn’t get a read on her. Was she grossed out? Turned off? Was she even the same woman he remembered from all those years ago?
One way to find out. He finished off his scotch and shrugged. “Not exactly. I want to move into a different area. I’m sick of giving women an escape from the rest of their lives. I don’t want to keep unhappy marriages going anymore. I want to make marriages better.”
“So you’re going to what? Offer sex counseling or something?”
Chris smirked. “I was thinking more like couples therapy. Just without all the words.”
She blinked and broke eye contact. “I don’t know what to say.” Rebecca wrapped her arms around herself and Chris sagged on the stool.
Piss. So much for that idea. He stood up and turned toward the living room. “If you want to cancel the visit, it’s cool. Just give me an hour to figure something out, okay?”
He walked toward the door and picked up his bag. Even if Tom wanted to bring him in as a third, with the way Rebecca was acting, the whole thing would be dead in the water before Tom could open his mouth. No way was she going to entertain the idea of a threesome—not when she couldn’t even look him in the eye.
After he found a hotel, he’d call Tom. Tell him something came up and apologize. No need to rock the boat for Rebecca. He didn’t want her any more unhappy than she already was. It was a shame, though—they could have used him.
He reached for the door handle as soft footsteps hustled up behind him.
“Don’t go.” The words came out soft, but sure.
Chris turned around.
She looked up at him and he could see the confusion in her eyes. But the more he stared, the more he saw beneath it. Curiosity lurked there just beneath the surface. “I want you to stay.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
Rebecca squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “Because we need your help.”
Chris stepped forward and Rebecca held her ground. He could smell the faint vanilla of her perfume and see the smattering of green in her blue eyes. But he still didn’t know—was she serious? Would she bring him into her bed? Would she give herself up to him and her husband?
“How do I know you won’t change your mind?”
“You don’t. But I’m asking you to stay.”
“On one condition.”
“Name it.” She waited, hands clasped in front of her, eyes expectant. Full of hope.
“I’m not going to be anyone’s escape hatch. You’re married to Tom and I’m not going to get in the way.” Chris stepped forward and took her hands in his.
She shivered.
“I want to make your marriage better, Rebecca, not whisk you out of it.”
She squeezed his hand. “That’s what I want too.”
“Then I’ll stay.” Chris let go of her hands and motioned to the stairs. “How about you give me that tour?”
3
TOM
Three hours. He was three hours late. God, he could be such an ass. At least it was the start of his vacation. The first days off he’d taken in months. A whole week to turn off the phone, forget his email, and try and reconnect with Rebecca. Hopefully Chris could help them rekindle what they’d lost. Find the spark. Light a fire.
He turned the key in the lock and stepped inside. Voices warm and intimate. He set his briefcase in the hall and slipped off his suit jacket. As he rolled his sleeves, he walked into the living room.
Chris and Rebecca were bent toward each other, murmuring and laughing. They seemed happy. Connected. Everything he and Rebecca didn’t have anymore and Chris has found it in an evening. Another man might have been jealous. Angry. But not Tom. They were so far past all of that.
He knew most of the problems in their marriage were his fault. Shit, if he hadn’t been so closed off, maybe they’d still be that close. Rebecca’s dress slid up her thigh and Tom wanted to be next to her, swiping his thumb over her bare skin. Lighting her up.
Chris had this easy confidence. A relaxed arrogance that carried him straight from a conversation and into a bedroom. Tom needed a hit of that. He could command a meeting at work and put an associate in his place in an instant. But he shut all that down when he walked in the door. Tom never wanted to hurt her. She was his wife. So instead of showing her that side of him, he bottled it all up and threw away the key.
It was time to stop. It was time to show her the real him and see if she could handle it. With Chris in the mix, Tom thought they had a chance.
He stepped closer and Chris glanced up. One look said it all. Yes. Tom walked around the couch and his old buddy stood up.
“Good to see you, Chris. Glad you’re here.” He gave him a quick hug and Chris smiled.
“Same here.” He sat down and motioned at the album in Rebecca’s lap. “I can’t believe you kept all this, man.”
Tom glanced at his wife and smiled.
She bit her lip and the blue of her
eyes shimmered. Was she…happy to see him? “I might have dragged out the old albums.”
“I haven’t looked at those in years.”
“Come.” Rebecca patted the couch next to her. “Let’s all look together.”
Tom sat down and Rebecca snuggled next to him. Wow. Her toned thigh rubbed against him and he fought the urge to move away. She was his wife. He needed to be close to her and stop running. Stop trying to compartmentalize his life. It’s why he agreed to let Chris visit.
Chris. The man had spread out on the couch, letting his knees fall open until his leg rested against Rebecca. He’d stretched his arm across the back of the seat and every time his wife shifted, her bare shoulder bumped Chris’s skin. Every time they touched, Rebecca started. A tiny shiver ran through her like electroshock and Tom smiled. It’s exactly what he’d hoped for. A spark.
He nestled closer to his wife and looked at the album. “Whoa, you remember that one, Chris? We’d camped out for what, three weeks for those tickets?”
His old friend laughed. “Yeah. I remember. I don’t think I’ll ever look at a tent the same way.”
Rebecca giggled. “You two smelled so bad, no one would pitch a tent near you. I even gave up after a while.”
Tom laughed. “If we left, we lost our spot. It wasn’t our fault it was ninety degrees.” He leaned over to flip the page and his fingers brushed across Rebecca’s.
She glanced up and instead of the usual guarded eyes, she was radiant. Alive.
“Sorry I was late. I hope Chris kept you company.”
“He did.” Rebecca flipped the page and Tom glanced at the new set of photos. He smiled. It was the three of them at graduation. Right before everything changed. For him, at least.
He glanced up at Chris. “Those were good times, huh?”
“Yep. But today’s been pretty good, too.”
Rebecca patted Tom’s knee and pushed herself off the couch. “It’s Christmas in two days. I’m breaking out the champagne.”
She walked out of the room and Tom’s eyes never left her. He still loved her fluid grace. The silk of her dress slipped over her curves with every step and Tom wondered. Would tonight be the rebirth of something they’d lost or just a nail in their marriage’s coffin?
“She still loves you.”
Tom turned to his friend. “How do you know?”
Chris sat up straighter on the couch. “The way she talks about you. There’s a bunch of regret there—and hurt—but underneath it all, she’s still the same woman you married, Tom. The two of you just need to find a way back to each other. You need to bridge the gap between you.”
Tom nodded. “I was hoping you’d be that bridge.”
Chris’s lips twitched. “Guess it’s your lucky day. That’s just what I was hoping, too.”
* * *
REBECCA
Flexing her toes against the cool tile, Rebecca tilted her head to listen. She’d rushed off to the kitchen when the conversation got awkward. She’d figured the two men needed some time to catch up and she needed to figure out what the hell she was doing.
Crazy thoughts of her and Tom and Chris all together had popped into her head while she’d reminisced with Chris. She could still remember the way he owned her body. Still wished her husband would let go enough to do the same.
When Chris had mentioned it—basically offered himself up for the real-life version of her kinky fantasies—she didn’t know what to do or say. Where to look.
She never thought her husband would go for it. But from the way he was talking…it was his idea.
“You’re sure this is something you want?”
“Are you not interested?”
Chris answered after a pause. “That’s not what I’m saying. I told you, this is what I want to do—I’m sick of wrecking marriages or prolonging miserable relationships. I want to do something positive.”
Her husband chuckled and Rebecca leaned closer to the wall. “You could take up volunteer work. A charity. You don’t have to have threesomes with married couples.”
Chris laughed and Rebecca clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from joining in. “Hey, a man’s got to use his talents, right? Sex is mine.”
Oh my God. It was so strange. Hearing her husband and her old fling talking like that. She’d never heard Tom so open. She liked it.
“How do we bring it up? I don’t want to scare her. If she’s not interested…”
Guess that’s my cue. Here goes nothing. Rebecca walked around the corner with the bottle and three glasses. “Not interested in what, dear?”
She glanced at Chris and then back at her husband. The look on his face was priceless. Part of her wanted to prolong the agony and make him squirm. He kind of deserved it. But the other part of her—the one ready to find out what another man in the bedroom could do for their marriage…It wasn’t playing games.
Rebecca handed the bottle to Chris and set the glasses on the coffee table. As she sat down between the men, Chris popped the bottle open. Rebecca turned to Tom.
“Chris told me all about his job, Tom. And I’m not disgusted or upset.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “You’re not?”
“Nope.” A glass full of champagne appeared in front of her and she took it. “Just the opposite.”
Chris handed a glass to Tom and he took it. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, it’s about damn time we tried to fix our sex life instead of pretending we don’t want one. And I can’t think of a better man to help us out than Chris.” Rebecca held up her glass and both men clinked theirs against it. “Here’s to a very merry Christmas vacation.”
“Here, here.”
Rebecca drained her glass and set it on the counter before turning to Chris. “So, how do we do this exactly?”
Chris raised an eyebrow. “Any way you want to.”
Rebecca swallowed. She knew exactly how she wanted it—blindfolded and at their mercy. But Tom had freaked the only time she’d brought it up. Could she risk it now? She bit her lip.
“There’s no holding back in this, Rebecca. You want to go down this road, you have to be open and honest. In every way.” Chris looked past her. “That goes for you too, Tom.”
Her husband reached out and touched her knee. “Whatever you need, Rebecca. I’m here.”
She exhaled in a rush and turned to Tom. “Can you give Chris and me a minute? There’s something I want to ask him. Alone if you don’t mind.”
Her husband opened his mouth to protest but closed it without saying a word. “Of course. I’ll drop my bag in the office.”
“Thanks.” Rebecca waited until she couldn’t hear her husband’s footsteps in the hall before turning back to Chris. Here goes nothing. “I want to be blindfolded.”
“Okay.”
“I want—” She hesitated and Chris smiled.
“Anything that’s in your head right now—whatever fantasy you can’t let go of? I’ve heard it before. Probably done it, too. You can tell me. I won’t judge.”
She smiled. Having an escort for a friend was helpful. In so many ways. “I want to know the two of you are in control. I want to let go. To be free to do what I want and think what I want. Feel whatever it is I’m feeling.”
“You want to be dominated.”
Rebecca exhaled. “Exactly.”
Chris’s eyes lit up. “I take it Tom’s not assertive in the bedroom.”
She shook her head. “I think he’s afraid he’ll hurt me.”
“Then we’ll just have to show him how much you can handle.”
“Will it work?”
“It’s worth a shot, right?”
Rebecca nodded. Yes it was. A chance to bring the spark back into their marriage? Bring the two of them back together? Hell, yes, it’d be worth it. She stood up and Chris did the same. “Will you talk to him?”
“Of course. That’s my job.”
“Thanks, Chris.”
Chris reached out and slid his han
d around her waist. In one fluid tug, her chest bumped into his and he pressed her close. His breath fanned hot on her cheek and she shivered. “Thank you, Rebecca. I know it seems like I’m the one helping you, but it’s a two-way street. You’re helping me, too.”
She looked up into his eyes. “You mean with your new line of work?”
He nodded. “And other things. I have to admit, I’ve never been able to get these curves of yours out of my head.” His free hand slinked down her body, pausing beneath the swell of her ass.
“I’ve thought about you, too.”
“Good. I want to make this one of the best Christmases of your life.”
Rebecca nodded. From the way her body was lighting up from just the touch of his hand, she didn’t doubt he’d make good on that promise. And if he could find a way to break through Tom’s wall, it’d be a miracle.
“I love him, Chris.”
“I know. Now get your tight little ass upstairs. I want you naked, blindfolded and on your bed in ten minutes.” He spun her around and gave her backside a smack. “Go.”
Rebecca nodded and hustled to the stairs. In ten minutes, she’d be living out one of her secret fantasies, times two. Even if it didn’t save her marriage, she was going to enjoy it. Chris was right—it was Christmas and she deserved a damn good holiday celebration.
4
REBECCA
The cotton sheets rubbed against her bare thighs as she shifted on the bed. I can’t believe I’m doing this. It was one thing to talk about having a threesome and inviting someone else into her bed along with her husband. But to actually do it? And for it to be her old fling?
She ran her tongue over her lower lip. It could be just what they needed. Hell, she hadn’t had sex with Tom in what, six months? They might as well be living in separate houses at this point. What else did she have to lose?
The creak of the floorboard by the bedroom door caught her ear and Rebecca inhaled. This is it. She held herself still and focused on the sounds around her. Footsteps. Rustling. Was that a belt buckle? Oh my God.
