Confessions_Robbie

by Ella Frank

  “Just eat.” Priest pointed to the food, making Julien chuckle.

  “Better do as he says, princesse. He’s in take-control mode.”

  “Oh yeah?” Robbie said, leaning into Julien’s side as they both shoveled food into their mouths. “Isn’t that his permanent mode? How can you tell?”

  “See that V between his eyebrows?”

  Robbie nodded and pointed at Priest. “Ahh yes, I see it.”

  “That means he’s thinking about what needs to happen next, and if he’s forgotten anything.”

  Priest arched one of those brows. “Are you two having fun?”

  “Oui,” Julien said, and grinned at Robbie. “I believe we are.”

  “Mhmm,” Robbie said as they both turned back to Priest, who was balancing some rice on his chopsticks, and Julien caught his lips twitching. “You know, you’re not half as scary as you try to be.”

  Priest’s hand stopped halfway to his mouth, and then he lowered his chopsticks. “I don’t try and be scary.”

  “Yes, you do,” Robbie said. “The first time I saw you, you were trying to be all tough and scary.”

  “That’s not true,” Priest said, and brought his chopsticks back to his mouth.

  “Is so. Please, you walked in all business-serious with a scowl on your face and barely said hello before you got stuck straight into work.”

  “Time was of the essence. Have you forgotten that?” Priest said. “Doesn’t matter anyway. That wasn’t the first time you saw me.”

  Robbie pulled a face, and Julien picked up his water to take a sip. This was interesting. Priest had always wondered if Robbie remembered the first time they’d met, but by the look on his face, he had no idea what Priest was referring to.

  “What are you talking about?” Robbie said. “The first time I saw you was with my nonna and Vanessa.”

  “No, it wasn’t.”

  “Uhh…yes it was. I think I would’ve—”

  “The first time I saw you was in an elevator,” Priest said, and then looked over at Julien and winked. “You were leaving Mitchell & Madison…”

  PRIEST SAT IN the waiting room of Mitchell & Madison and watched the young lady at the front desk answering phones, greeting client after client.

  She was good at her job, efficiently taking calls, smiling politely even though the caller couldn’t see her, and she handled each new person that walked up to her with a welcoming smile that spoke volumes of how happy she was in her employment.

  It was a sign of good management when the employees were this lively, this happy, and that was definitely a check in the “pros” column for taking this partnership that Logan and Cole had dangled in front of his nose.

  He’d flown out here early this morning to take this meeting, and he’d arrived well before his eleven o’clock appointment, always believing it was better to be early than late—especially in circumstances such as this. He’d wanted to get a feel for the place, see the lay of the land on his own terms without Logan escorting him around and showing all the highlights, which, when it came to this law firm, were many.

  It had just turned nine forty-five, and Priest decided to head down to the lobby and maybe get himself a coffee. The flight had been particularly early, and he could use the time to do a little more reading on Logan’s recent Berivax win.

  Priest walked over and hit the down button on the elevator and, just as the doors opened, his cell started to ring. He fished it out of his pocket, and when he saw Julien’s face lighting up his screen, he hit accept and brought the phone to his ear.

  “Bonjour, Julien,” he said, greeting his husband in the language he had grown to love. “Comment vas-tu ce matin?”

  The delicious chuckle that met his ear made Priest smile as he thought of the man, and the toned body, he’d left naked and satisfied in their bed in the early hours of the morning.

  “I’m very well, but I can barely move thanks to you, mon amour. Next time, we are not waiting until you are that wound up before bringing someone in. I’m going to need to soak in the tub for an hour at least.”

  As the doors started to slide shut, Priest was about to respond when he heard, “Hold the elevator, please,” and a hand reached out to stop the door.

  Priest put his finger on the open-door button and a young man stepped inside. Dressed in all black, save the bright yellow tie, he looked directly at Priest and said, “Thanks. With the way my life’s been going lately, I totally thought it was going to shut on me, and I have a job interview to get to.”

  “Pas de problème,” Priest said, deciding to stick to French for some reason.

  “Shit, you don’t speak English. Umm, that was French, right? Uhh…merci?” the man said, pointing to the closing doors, and when he glanced back at Priest, who had now raised the phone back to his ear, the young man grimaced. “Oh, my bad, you’re on the phone. Anyway, merci, you know, for the doors.”

  As the man turned away, Priest couldn’t help the smirk that hit his lips as he let his eyes wander down the back of him. He was tall and lean and had beautiful, thick hair that was a light chestnut color with caramel highlights. But it was those eyes that had instantly captured Priest’s attention. They didn’t belong on such a fresh face. They looked troubled, defeated in some way, and far, far away. He hadn’t even really been looking at Priest when he spoke. He was all up in his head.

  “Joel? Are you still there?” Julien said in Priest’s ear, reminding him he was still on the other end.

  “Je suis là,” Priest said, as he leaned back against the wall. “La créature la plus délectable qui soit vient juste d’entrer dans l’ascenseur avec moi.”

  “A delectable creature just willingly walked into an enclosed space with you? Brave man.”

  “Oui.”

  “Pity I’m not out there with you, then, isn’t it?”

  “En effet.” Priest chuckled, and when the young man’s body stiffened, he wondered if it was in response to him. “Tu l’apprécierais beaucoup. Jeune, grand, aussi mignon qu’une princesse.”

  “Mmm, young, tall, and pretty as a princess is right up my alley. Who is he?”

  “Aucune idée. Il est entré dans l’ascenseur de chez Mitchell & Madison …”

  “Joel,” Julien said. “We cannot get involved with someone you’re going to work with. You know that. It gets too messy.”

  “C’est vrai,” Priest agreed. “Mais il est tellement charmant. Qu’est-il arrivé à cette devise? Aime qui tu aimes? Le destin et tout ça?”

  “Nice try. But no. No matter how lovely he is, if he works there, it’s a no.”

  “Et s’il n’y travaille pas?”

  Julien laughed. “And if he doesn’t, then that would be le destin, would it not?”

  “Ça le serait, en effet.”

  “Let me know how the meeting goes today. I’ve already got a couple of prospective locations to look at for the restaurant. So you just say the word, mon amour.”

  “Tu me manques.”

  “I miss you too. Now let me go; I need to soak my overused body.”

  Priest hummed in the back of his throat, and again the young man’s spine straightened. “Je t’appelle plus tard.”

  “I’ll be waiting. Love you.”

  “Je t’aime aussi.”

  As Priest ended the call, the elevator reached the lobby, and when the doors slid open, the young man gave a final look over his shoulder, and Priest made sure to keep his eyes down, deciding that perhaps Julien was right. Because if that man worked at Mitchell & Madison, things were about to get a whole lot more complicated…

  “OH MY GOD,” Robbie said, his eyes wide. “How did I forget that?”

  “You were preoccupied that day,” Priest replied.

  “I was,” Robbie said. “I’d just told Logan all about the shit that went down with Nathan.”

  “Nathan?” Julien said, and Robbie nodded.

  “Yeah, my ex…and old boss. When he broke up with me, I had to move back in with my nonna,
and Logan had set up an interview that day for me with Tate.” Robbie paused and then started to laugh. “You were totally in that elevator with me.”

  Priest’s eyes seemed to spark with enjoyment at this reveal. “I was.”

  Robbie shifted to face Julien. “And you were on the phone?”

  “I was.”

  “Wow…our first three-way,” Robbie said, shaking his head. “That’s unbelievable. But I totally remember it now. Huh. Okay, but now you need to tell me what that all meant. The French stuff you were saying that day.” Priest smirked, and Robbie pouted. “Aww, come on, that’s not fair. Maybe I’ll just start speaking Italian.”

  “If you do, we’d both learn it,” Priest said.

  “Really?”

  Priest nodded. “Really.”

  “Okay, so, I need to learn French. Got it. But come on. I’ve had a bad day, tell me… Please.” Robbie batted his lashes for good measure and made them both laugh.

  “Hmm, let me see. He told me what you looked like and said that you were a delectable little creature,” Julien said. “He was quite enamored, princesse.”

  “Really?” Robbie asked, straightening in his chair, and then he put his elbows on the counter and placed his chin in his hands as he looked at Priest. “And are you still enamored after finally having me?”

  “Yes. I find that I am.”

  Robbie let out a pleased laugh at the quick response, and then smiled at Julien.

  “It feels good to please him, oui?”

  That made Robbie’s smile drop, as though he hadn’t realized that that was the reason he was so happy. Then Julien reached out and stroked his fingers down Robbie’s cheek.

  “Smile, mon cher petit. You make everything that’s dark fade to nothing when you smile.”

  Robbie’s cheeks heated at the compliment as Julien leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips, and when Julien released him, Robbie turned his eyes back to Priest. “I never knew that was you.”

  “I know,” Priest said. “You weren’t ready to see.”

  Robbie looked between both men, and as he sat back in his seat, a smile slowly spread across his lips. “I am now.”

  Priest began to put their plates in the sink, and Julien got off his seat and said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. So, why don’t we pack all of this up and go and lie down. Get some sleep.”

  Robbie bit down on his lower lip and looked over his shoulder at the spare room. They hadn’t actually invited him to their bed tonight, and the prospect of sleeping alone suddenly seemed so depressing. “Am I… Where am I…?”

  “You can sleep in there if you like.” Julien’s voice floated across the air, bringing Robbie’s attention back to both of the men, who were now looking at him. “But while you’re here with us, there’s no question in our mind as to where you belong, princesse.”

  With them. In their bed. Robbie knew that was what Julien meant, and when Priest came around the island and offered his hand, he said, “What’ll it be, Robert?”

  Robbie looked down at Priest’s hand and thought of how it had felt on him last night as he’d spanked his ass, and then later, when it had massaged and touched every part of him until he’d begged—the way Priest had soothingly ran it over Julien’s back, and now, as he held it out to him as an invitation to more. Robbie slipped his hand into it.

  When Robbie hopped off the stool, Priest tugged him in close and kissed his lips, and when he whispered, “Everything…” Robbie blinked.

  The message was clear: the invitation issued by these two wasn’t for more. It was for everything, just as they’d said that night back at JULIEN, and tonight Robbie was starting to understand better what everything with these two might encompass.

  Their lives.

  Their beds.

  Their love…?

  And suddenly, the prospect of everything didn’t seem crazy. It actually seemed like the best possible outcome of this journey.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  CONFESSION

  I’ve always been told two is better than one.

  I’m starting to believe that is the case.

  ROBBIE RIFLED THROUGH his overnight bag—which had since turned into a couple of overnights bag—and pulled out the little linen shorts and top he’d brought over with him to sit around in, just in case. They were cute and comfortable to sleep in, and when Priest and Julien emerged from the bathroom, they weren’t dressed in much more. Julien had on a comfy-looking pair of sweats that rode low on his hips, and Priest was back in those black lounge pants.

  “It’s all yours, princesse,” Julien said, then walked by Robbie and kissed him on the cheek. “There’s a fresh towel on the sink, and let us know if you need anything else.”

  Robbie gave them a shy little smile as Priest leaned down to pull the covers back. “I won’t be long,” he said, and hurried off into the bathroom.

  In record time, Robbie had showered, brushed his teeth, and changed, and when he re-entered the bedroom, he found Priest sitting with his back against the headboard and his laptop open, and Julien on his side talking to him. They stopped when they heard him in the doorway, and when Priest looked up and his eyes latched on to Robbie, the obvious attraction there had Robbie’s breath catching in his throat.

  Wow, he thought as he basked in the admiration he saw on Priest’s face. That stamp of approval from him made Robbie want to preen like a peacock, and where that once would’ve annoyed him, or freaked him out, it now made his heart thud uncontrollably.

  Julien rolled to his back and looked up at him, and Robbie shifted his eyes to the sexy Frenchman, who then extended his arm across the top of the covers and crooked a finger. “Join us,” he said, his eyes roving over Robbie’s open pajama top and checkered shorts.

  Robbie walked to the edge of the bed, but before he got beneath those covers and discovered whether Julien was as naked as he had been the last two times they’d all been in that bed together, he put a knee on the mattress and crawled on the top of it. He wanted to talk to these two. Wanted to finally ask them some of the questions he always got sidetracked from asking, and before he got in any deeper with them, he needed to have this conversation.

  I just need to be brave enough to start it.

  When Julien realized Robbie planned to stay above the covers, he moved to sit up beside Priest, and with the sheets now resting comfortably across their laps, Julien patted the space between them. Robbie moved into the middle of their outstretched legs and lay down on his stomach.

  Priest’s lips twisted as he closed his laptop and put it aside, clearly sensing that Robbie wanted to talk. But Robbie found his determination and resolve to have this conversation start to leave him.

  Shit, how do I even bring this up?

  “I like these,” Julien said, and reached out to finger the collar of Robbie’s open shirt.

  Robbie looked down at his bare chest and then back to Julien and winked. “Good. I brought it over to wear just for you.”

  “Just for him, huh?” Priest said, and Robbie let his eyes travel up to Priest’s tight-lipped mouth. Something mischievous sparked to life inside of him.

  “I brought the shorts to wear for you.”

  Priest’s eyes drifted past Robbie’s shoulders to look at the shorts under discussion, and when he licked his lower lip, Robbie squirmed on the bed, his cock reacting to the lust darkening Priest’s eyes.

  “They are very short shorts,” Priest said. “I like them. They show off your long legs.”

  Julien shifted, and when Robbie looked over, he saw the covers now tented over Julien’s lap. It was obvious that Julien liked the short shorts too.

  “You are quite irresistible,” Julien said, and trailed his fingers down Robbie’s cheek to under his chin. “But something’s on your mind.”

  Robbie stared up into Julien’s mesmerizing eyes and nodded. Julien had this innate ability to be able to hone in on his emotions and draw them out of Robbie before he could even put them into
words.

  “Talk to us,” Julien said. “One thing that must be clear between us, if we’re going to do this—we have to trust one another to be honest with our emotions. We need you to feel as though you can come to us with anything, talk to us about any concerns you have, and vice versa.”

  “Julien’s right,” Priest said, and clasped his hands on top of the covers. “A relationship like this is only going to work if there is total transparency. You need to feel you are able to ask either of us anything, and if you don’t feel that way, we need to work on that, and make it so you do.”

  Robbie blinked a couple of times, their words sinking in, and then started to play with the covers. “Okay, then. Something has been on my mind, I guess.”

  “Then let’s talk about it,” Priest said.

  “So, umm…have you two…” Robbie paused and looked to Julien. Jesus, just ask them. “Have you done this a lot?”

  “BE MORE SPECIFIC,” Priest said, and Robbie seemed to brace himself, his shoulders tensing slightly before he spoke.

  “Do you bring a third to your marriage bed a lot?”

  “Yes,” Priest said, and he made sure not to add anything else so there was no mistake. Robbie looked from him to Julien, and the room became so quiet that you could’ve heard a pin drop. Priest could see the wheels turning behind Robbie’s eyes.

  “Doesn’t that… I mean, isn’t that complicated?”

  “It never has been in the past,” Julien said, and reached out to place a hand over Robbie’s. “In the past, it was just physical.”

  “And now?” Robbie asked.

  “And now, it’s a little more complicated,” Julien said, and Robbie looked away. “We would like this to be much more than physical. We want a real connection, a relationship as deep as ours is. We have for some time now, but we’d never found someone we were both interested in in that way—until now.”

  Robbie nervously licked his lips. “I guess I’m just trying to understand this all a bit better. It’s obvious you both love each other—why would you want to mess that up?”