by Calista Fox
“I can personally confirm that the damage looks much worse in the photos than in actuality, but it is still extensive,” she told him.
“I was anticipating that. But I’ve contacted restoration experts who are familiar with the vessel and can return it to its original state.”
It was apparently a legendary ship in the yacht world. Lyle Doberman was a famous designer of luxury yachts but had never actually built any himself, despite outrageous monetary offers to do so. He’d eventually said yes when commissioned by an internationally acclaimed maritime museum for a unique project nearly seventy-five years ago. Mr. Doberman had since passed away, making his one-of-a-kind creation a valuable antiquity.
Yakimoto opened the door and gestured for her to precede him into the anteroom where his team, as well as hers, awaited them. Two large packages were laid out on a conference table—the Renoirs.
The authenticators carefully peeled away the brown-paper wrapping and began their inspections while Jewel, Rogen, and Vin engaged in idle chitchat with Yakimoto, him telling the trio that the works of art had been in his family for generations but were never a part of a complete collection. All the while, Jewel’s stomach knotted with worry that something might go wrong and, as Bayli and Scarlet warned, her house of cards would crumble.
But that didn’t happen. The initial assessment of the paintings affirmed they were originals. They were carefully repackaged and placed in a wooden crate with a divider in the center. It had clearly been designed specifically for these two frames, because they fit perfectly and were well protected. The crate was nailed shut and sealed with security tape to prohibit tampering. Though that was just a step meant to placate. The crate could easily be swapped out for an identical one carrying replicas, not the originals.
But Jewel’s team—as well as the authenticators—would have their eyes on the prize the whole time it was being shipped to Paris in one of Catalano Enterprises’ private jets.
Jewel accepted a glass of champagne while Vin handled all the paperwork. Then Yakimoto rested a hand at the small of her back and directed her to the gaming room.
“Do you play blackjack?” the refined, tuxedo-clad man asked.
“Craps is my preference, actually,” she told him.
“Ah.” He grinned. “I knew I liked you.” He led her to a table with all male gamblers. They graciously made room for Jewel on the hook. Exactly where she liked to play.
“New shooter,” one of the men said, his appreciative gaze sliding over her. She hoped like hell Rogen and Vin didn’t notice as they stood behind her. But she was sure they did.
“We could use a little lady luck at this table,” another gentleman told her. “How are you with the dice?”
She plunked her five-thousand-dollar chip on the pass line for the come bet. “I’ll roll two or three sevens right out of the chute.” With a coy smile, she added, “I like to get them out of my system up front.” She winked. The men chuckled. Chances were good Rogen and Vin scowled.
Jewel was feeling a bit feisty following her successful business meeting. So she reached for the dice and tossed them against the far wall of the table. They bounced off the cushion, kissed in mid-air, and landed with a slight tumble.
Seven.
“I’ll be damned,” Yakimoto said, admiration in his tone.
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” the gambler across from her commented.
Everyone was paid. Jewel collected the chips from that roll but kept her initial bet on the pass line.
She rolled again. Another seven.
Her third roll established a point. Ten. Everyone laid out odds. She continued to throw the dice. Six. Five. Eight. Six. Snake eyes.
Then she turned to Vin and held her hand out. “Your chip, please.”
His brow jumped, but he gave it over. She dropped it on the hard ten. An eight-to-one bet.
From behind her, Vin said, “Baby, that’s a sucker bet.”
“Not when I’m rolling.” She tossed another five. Felt her point about to be delivered. She threw again.
Hard ten.
The table erupted with applause. The players were thrilled she’d made them money.
She glanced over at Yakimoto. “You won’t mind if I cash out now, will you? I don’t like to press my luck.”
“Of course not,” he said, still smiling, clearly impressed. “You will come back next time I host, though? So that I may win my money back?”
“I look forward to it.” She collected her large-denomination chips from the dealer and exchanged another bow with Yakimoto.
Then she headed off to the cashier, Rogen and Vin at her sides.
“Where’d you learn craps?” Vin asked, sliding a glance her way.
“The girls and I were here in Vegas for a friend’s bachelorette party that got crashed by the bachelor and his groomsmen, so we all hit the tables. I probably lost as much that weekend as I made this evening.”
She handed over her chips, as Rogen did, and the cashier asked, “How would you like payment?”
Jewel requested two cashier’s checks, a large percentage of her winnings to go to the charity Yakimoto was promoting, and the remainder back on her credit card, which she produced.
Once the transactions were completed, she linked arms with her two devastatingly handsome escorts and they left the gaming room behind. Since they’d had dinner on the plane, they retired to the suite. Vin popped the cork on a bottle of Dom while Jewel contentedly sank her teeth into a plump chocolate-covered strawberry. Rogen nibbled on the cheese-and-fruit tray the private butler had laid out for them.
As was their custom, they all touched the rims of their crystal flutes together. “Salut.” They sipped.
Vin unraveled his bow tie. “Congratulations on your latest acquisition.”
“I always get stressed out over the verification process. Holding my breath, praying I’m not getting duped.” She could breathe much easier now.
“Has it happened before?” Rogen asked as he slipped out of his jacket.
“Twice,” she confessed. “Very disappointing. But somewhat difficult to avoid, and the reason I always have a team with me. Scarlet tracks everything down and vets the items. Yet she sees the fraud enough in her own career to always warn me of the risks inherent to bartering.”
Jewel had been fascinated with Scarlet’s job as an insurance investigator from the time she had set up operations. With Bayli’s research help, Scarlet was addicted to chasing cold cases. Jewelry, art, vases, anything worth a small mint, really, that had gone missing and caused an insurance claim to be filed hit her radar screen. She’d get tipped off on a theft scam from time to time, but mostly Scarlet liked digging on her own. And using her connections with black markets and auction houses to locate the “stolen” or secretly sold goods that owners had collected premiums on.
“This could be a very dangerous hobby,” Rogen cautioned, concern in his tone.
“Yes,” Jewel agreed. “And my parents were against it initially. But then I pulled off some near-impossible deals and Daddy couldn’t deny it was a creative means to an end.”
“Until someone double-crosses you,” Rogen pointed out. And winced—over the fact that his father was trying to do exactly that to Jewel.
“The possibility always exists,” she contended as she undid Rogen’s tie. “But the vast majority of people I strike bargains with are genuinely interested in procuring whatever treasure is out of their reach. For instance, the yacht Mr. Yakimoto wants was auctioned off by the museum when the institution reached financial dire straits. Then the vessel changed hands through several private sales and those records were somehow lost. So with the yacht out of the water and the insurance never renewed, it was difficult to discern who possessed it. But I have very tenacious and diligent friends.”
“You’re also a bit of a thrill seeker,” Vin commented, his rich voice tinged with desire.
She glanced over at him. “Just a bit?”
“Hmph,” he sn
ickered.
She pulled the bow tie from Rogen’s neck and draped it over the chair with his jacket. Then she slowly unbuttoned his shirt while gazing into his eyes. They deepened in color.
She stripped off his shirt, then turned to Vin. Repeated the process.
God, they were just so fantastically built. It was no wonder she craved trailing her fingers and tongue all over their hot, hard muscles. Which she did, starting with Vin.
His fingers twined in her updo as her lips skimmed along his collarbone. Her hands swept over his ribs, up to his pecs, to his shoulders. He released strands of her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist. She stretched and grazed his jaw with the tip of her tongue.
“Kiss me.”
One corner of his mouth lifted sexily. “I’m going to do a hell of a lot more than that. And you know it.”
His mouth crashed over hers, claiming it in his usual aggressive way.
Jewel responded with equal passion. She was fairly sure she’d never come down from the high when in the presence of both men. And when they kissed her.
Dragging her mouth from Vin’s, she glanced at Rogen. He’d already slipped out of his shirt. She gave him a mischievous smile.
“You like tempting me with all that brawn, don’t you?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t want you to get bored with Vin’s wimpy physique.”
Vin snickered.
Jewel unraveled from Vin and her nails skated over Rogen’s torso. Her palms pressed to his chest. His head dipped and his lips tangled with hers in sizzling, tongueless kisses. Then he got serious. Sealed his mouth to hers, their tongues twisting.
When he eventually broke the kiss, she was breathless.
He said, “Let’s take this into the bedroom.”
SIXTEEN
Rogen had been thinking of this moment all damn day. Imagining Vin fucking her while Rogen’s hands were on her, too. She seemed to love it any way they gave it to her. And they both liked making her moan. Making her come.
Christ, she came so fucking hard. They all did.
In one of the bedrooms, Vin slipped the thin straps of her dress from her shoulders and eased them down her arms, peeling the satiny material away. She stepped out of her shoes. Vin removed her panties. Rogen shed his clothes, too, and sprawled on the enormous bed while Vin went for the condoms.
Jewel joined Rogen, crawling toward him on her hands and knees, a lascivious glint in her sapphire eyes.
She positioned herself between his legs and dragged her manicured nails along one of his inner thighs. Up to his balls. The pads of her fingers glided gingerly over his sac, brushing back and forth with a tantalizing, featherlike touch. Making him burn.
Then her fingers curled around his erection at the base. Squeezed enticingly.
He grinned. “Gonna give me another one of your world-class blow jobs?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“Suck me good, sweetheart. But don’t make me come.”
Her tongue slid along his shaft, grazing both sides, then teasing the groove at his tip. Rogen kept his gaze on her as he rested one hand at the back of his head on a pillow and threaded the other through her loose curls.
Vin climbed onto the bed, naked and hard. He moved behind Jewel, still on her knees. His hands cupped her ass cheeks, his head dipped, and he started licking her pussy. Her body jolted slightly and she let out a long breath that blew against Rogen’s cock.
Then her velvety tongue whisked over his erection, making it throb in wild beats. She swiped at the drop of pre-cum, swirling it around his skin, tasting him before her lips closed over his head. She took him deep, down to where she gripped him.
Rogen pulled in a sharp breath.
“That’s it,” he said. “Suck my cock.”
A moan at the back of her throat over Vin’s mouth on her pussy reverberated along Rogen’s shaft. He shuddered. Told Vin, “Keep her moaning. It feels fucking great against my dick.”
Apparently, Vin put a bit more effort into his ministrations, because Jewel’s whimpers came faster, were a bit heartier.
“Yeah,” Rogen said to both of them. “Like that. Just like that.”
Jewel’s head bobbed and she worked him good, despite the tremors running through her. She palmed his balls, massaged tenderly. His hips bucked. Her teeth gently scraped. Rogen felt the sensations ripple through him. He didn’t tamp them down just yet. It was too damn amazing to be in her mouth.
She clenched him a bit tighter at the root as her body rocked from Vin pleasuring her.
“Make her come,” Rogen told him in a strained voice. “Keep your mouth on me when you do, Jewel.”
Her suckling deepened. She tugged a little on his sac, and his hips jerked. Orgasm beckoned, taunting him. His release was close at hand. So damn close. He wouldn’t give in to it, though. Not yet. Not until he was buried inside her pussy.
She moaned again. Moments later her muffled cry vibrated against his cock and Rogen nearly lost it.
“Oh, fuck,” he muttered. Shifted his hand from behind his head and palmed her cheek, easing her away before he succumbed to the tension stretching tight within him.
She gasped for air, her eyes dancing a little, her neck flushing from her climax. She looked over her shoulder at Vin.
“Jesus, your thumb rimming my ass at the last second sends me flying.”
His grin was a cocky one. “Glad to be of service. To both of you.”
Perhaps it wasn’t wise that they were all getting so into this. But Rogen really couldn’t follow that logical path at the moment, because Jewel straddled him, drew him slowly in, and rode him with a gentle undulating of her hips.
Rogen clasped her waist and pressed her firmly to him as he eased into the sensual cadence with her. Lights from the Vegas Strip illuminated the large room. There was no music, no sounds other than heavy breathing, soft moans.
Rogen’s thumb stroked her clit as they moved together, their gazes locked. He enjoyed their new, more fervent lovemaking, without doubt, but he would always prefer Jewel rocking with him in a seductive rhythm.
Vin was still behind her and his hands slid around her. He palmed her breasts, caressed with the same languid pace.
“Yes,” Jewel whispered. Her hands covered Vin’s and he massaged a bit deeper. “Don’t stop. I’m going to come again.”
She broke the eye contact with Rogen as her lids drifted closed. Her head fell back on Vin’s shoulder. Her lips parted, her small cries falling from them.
She was the most erotic vision Rogen had ever laid eyes on. So beautiful, so consumed by passion.
Rogen had to concede that both he and Vin had taught Jewel to own her sexuality. To trust when to cave to it. To let it rush through her veins and into her heart and soul.
Seeing her like this not only made Rogen harder but also brought forth evocative emotions. Most of which had always stuck with him when it came to her. Some of them new and deeper. More mature. Because he and Jewel weren’t sixteen years old anymore.
Vin’s tongue swept over the long, graceful column of her throat.
Jewel murmured, “You both know the perfect erogenous zones.”
Vin nipped at her skin just below her ear. Rogen stroked her G-spot with the head of his cock.
“Yes,” she said. “Right there.” Her hips rolled. Her breathing picked up.
Rogen rubbed her clit a bit faster.
“Oh, God,” she whispered. “Rogen. Vin. Oh, God…”
Rogen felt the quivering inside her.
Vin must have felt the tremors, too. Against her neck, he said, “Come for us.”
“Yes.” And then she let out a rasping moan and nearly squeezed the life out of Rogen.
“Oh, hell,” he breathed. “Goddamn, no one can keep it together when she clutches so fucking tight.”
He erupted right along with her, calling out her name.
* * *
“Do you think I could take you both at the same time—inside me?”
Two sets of eyes snapped up from magazines and fixated on Jewel.
She grinned.
“Not exactly the place to be having this discussion,” Vin lightly scolded.
She smirked at his lawyerly tone. They were in the Gulfstream, on their way to New York for a quick pit stop before hopping the pond to Paris.
Jewel said, “Don’t worry. Melinda is in the galley listening to an audiobook on her iPad. I told her we didn’t need her for a while.” Jewel set aside her laptop. The guys had taken seats across from her so that she could spread out her work next to her without needing the fold-out table, since Rogen and especially Vin required extra legroom.
She couldn’t concentrate on spreadsheets, profit-and-loss statements, financial forecasts. So she’d given up and then begun ruminating over the past two nights with her extremely sexy companions.
The previous evening, Vin had wanted a blow job after Rogen had made her come. Vin had told her he fantasized about it all the time, and after seeing her nearly get Rogen off with her mouth Vin had opted for the full deal. She’d swallowed him down and he’d shuddered for the longest damn time. Jewel found it incredibly heartwarming and liberating that she possessed the ability to bring the powerful man to his knees that way.
Now a different scenario ribboned through her mind.
“To clarify,” Rogen slowly said, obviously not certain they should have this risqué conversation—no matter where they were—“you’re talking about double penetration?”
“Yes,” she brazenly confirmed. Though, admittedly, the concept was a little intimidating.
A little?
Okay. So a lot intimidating.
She asked, “Did you do it that way with Holly McCormick?”
“No,” Rogen said, still eyeing Jewel curiously, evidently not convinced he should even remotely humor her.
“I grasp the mechanics,” she explained. “I’m just wondering … I mean, it seems kind of as though—”
“There’s not enough room?” Vin sarcastically offered.
Jewel sighed. “You don’t have to be gritchy with me. You learned a hell of a lot from Shayla Harding and I was willing to let you experiment with me until you actually mastered all those techniques.”
