Raising the Bar

by Marie Harte

  The window rolled down, and she stared in surprise at Harper’s friend, Dylan.

  “Hey man, what’s going on?” Brian moved to talk to him and his passenger. After some talk about Charleston and some B&B Brian had once stayed in, he pointed to her. “Oh, sorry. This is my sister, Freddy. Freddy, I was telling you about Sydney and her boyfriend.”

  She approached, still startled to see Dylan sitting in the driver’s seat. She’d studied him and Harper together and knew she hadn’t been mistaken about their connection. Maybe they had a kink for threesomes?

  “I’m Derrick.” He stuck out his hand, pretending he didn’t know her. The jerk. Some of the club members had secret lives apart from their families. She had no room to judge, but she’d thought better of Dylan, being a friend of Harper’s. She was disappointed to see him so like the many men living in the closet. “Nice to meet you,” he added with a smile.

  She nodded. “You too” came out cooler than she’d liked, but she couldn’t help it. Then the thought hit. Did Harper know his new boyfriend had a girlfriend? For that matter, had Harper and Dylan hooked up? Maybe theirs was a new relationship, not yet consummated. Perhaps they hadn’t acted on their attraction and had no hold on each other. Not her business. Yet she couldn’t help wondering if she should say something to Harper when she saw him next.

  After a few more words with Brian, they waved and drove a few houses down the street, then pulled into the driveway.

  She stuck her hands in her pockets and said to her brother, “So that’s Derrick and Sydney, huh? They close?”

  “Inseparable. You should have seen how jealous he was when he thought Sydney and I had a thing.”

  “So no kinky stuff for you three at the club,” she said, half teasing. “Just neighbors and nothing more.”

  “Hell no. He’d kill anyone even thinking of touching her. And, well, I’m not in to guys, but if I were, I doubt Sydney would share. She doesn’t seem the type.” He glanced at Freddy and grimaced. “I try hard not to think about other people’s sex lives. Can we talk about something else?”

  She inwardly fumed. Dylan was a skunk. She’d mention this to Harper when she saw him again. And if Harper knew and didn’t care about fidelity either, she’d mentally cross him off her fantasy list too. She might be unconventional, but Freddy had some standards.

  Chapter Four

  Dylan had parted from Harper not knowing how to feel. They hadn’t committed to seeing each other again, but they’d spent the entire weekend together. Having sex, laughing, taking pleasure in one another’s company.

  He hadn’t thought it possible, but he’d genuinely enjoyed Harper so much that he’d successfully ignored the situation with his mother and James.

  Monday morning came and went as it always did. He concentrated on work and decided not to answer any of Derrick’s calls, letting his brother stew about the Friday meeting Dylan had been late to.

  The days passed, during which Dylan couldn’t stop thinking about Harper and that club. He was more than curious about Freddy too. He thought he’d seen a spark between her and Harper and wanted to know if they had a history. Thoughts of Harper also prevented him from dwelling too much on his mother and James, both of whom kept surprisingly distant.

  By Thursday evening, he’d ignored the family long enough that they’d finally come to him.

  He let himself in to his condo, turned on the lights, and saw Derrick sitting on his couch looking annoyed. Well, tough shit.

  It surprised him that it had taken a whole four days for someone to pay him a visit. Dylan understood Gage and Derrick being occupied by work and their girlfriends. But at least his mother should have checked in. Then again, she had James now, he thought with a sneer.

  As soon as he thought it, he chastised himself for having the emotional maturity of a ten-year-old.

  Dylan felt a deep sense of embarrassment that he still couldn’t seem to accept his mother having a steady man in her life. Hell, he’d known James for years. The guy was smart, decent and had always admired Dr. Barbara Warren. She could do much worse. Dylan loved her and should have been happy for her, but her coupling only pointed out how alone he truly was. God, was he really that selfish?

  Ignoring his twin as he set down his briefcase, Dylan moved to the kitchen and poured himself a cold glass of tea. He’d come to the decision that he would join his mother’s and James’s office. It made financial sense, and it would allow him the freedom to segue into his own practice. Now he just had to learn how to deal with them.

  “Hey, dickhead. I’ve been waiting for you,” Derrick fumed from the kitchen doorway.

  “Oh, that’s the buzzing I’ve been hearing.” Dylan pretended fright. “You startled me. I thought I had some kind of infestation.”

  “Ha ha. You’ve ignored me long enough. Now tell me. How did it go? I can’t call Natalie and ask, and I can’t seem to get ahold of Harper either.”

  “Who?”

  Derrick paled. “Oh shit. I forgot to mention him, didn’t I? Was he there?”

  Dylan walked up to his brother and slugged him in the gut.

  Derrick’s breath whooshed out and he bent over to clutch his stomach.

  “That’s more like it.” Dylan felt better. “You not only gave me the wrong time for the meeting—which was at eleven forty-five, not noon—but you didn’t mention Harper. And, yeah, he was there. Luckily, he’s a decent guy and covered for us.”

  “He knew we’d swapped?” Derrick wheezed.

  “Yeah.” And he more than made up for it with a weekend of nonstop, amazing sex. Dylan cleared his throat. “He and I worked things out, but you owe him a big thanks. You never mentioned him before.”

  Derrick winced as he straightened. “I meant to. Harper’s a great guy. He helps when Natalie gets her panties in a bunch. He’s smart too.” He frowned. “Why are you asking?”

  “Because you should have told me he’d be there. As it was, I think only the fact that he respected you allowed me to get out of there in one piece. Natalie’s not that bad, but I wouldn’t want to piss her off.”

  Derrick nodded. “And that secretary. Scary.”

  “Marly’s actually very nice. She wears Vintage perfume, by the way. So mention it the next time you see her. Which is at eleven forty-five next Friday. Not noon.”

  “You think Marly’s nice?” Derrick blinked, then smiled. “Way to go, bro.”

  “You’re welcome. And we’re even.”

  “Yeah yeah. Sure.” Derrick left the kitchen with Dylan and plopped down on the couch next to him. “So what’s new with you? Mom said you’ve been quiet.”

  “Oh? I didn’t realize she’d noticed.”

  Derrick stared at him.

  “What?”

  “What’s up with you and Mom? She seemed kind of weird when she asked me about you, and you’re being obnoxious.”

  “I am not.”

  “Yeah, you are.” Derrick glared at him. “What’s up?”

  “She obviously didn’t mention James.”

  “James? What about him?”

  “She and he are now a couple. I guess I should have let her tell you, but I would have thought you knew.” He wondered why she hadn’t said anything. A mean, petty part of him hoped they might already have broken up.

  Derrick gaped. “Mom and James? But they’ve known each other forever. Like, since before Dad died.”

  Dylan winced. He didn’t like mention of their father’s passing. All of them, but their mother especially, had grieved for Andrew Warren. A beloved husband and father, he’d been all that Dylan could have ever wanted in a parent. And then, out of the blue, his heart had failed and he was gone.

  “Does Gage know?” Derrick asked.

  Dylan shrugged. “I didn’t want to know. I went to lunch on Friday and they told me. I guess I should be happy for them.”

  Derrick didn’t seem to hear him. His shock turned him giddy, and he laughed. “Hell yeah. Mom and James. That’s perfect. Hey, remembe
r how Mom looked at him when Sydney’s mom was at that dinner, hanging all over him? I remember thinking Mom looked jealous. She was!”

  Dylan remembered that too. But he’d hoped his suspicions would prove false.

  “I have to tell Gage.” Derrick giggled like a freakin’ girl.

  Irritated with his brother, Dylan stood and walked to the door. “Yeah? Well tell him when you get home. I’m tired and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”

  Derrick’s mirth faded. He stood and met Dylan at the door. “What’s up? Really?”

  Dylan didn’t want to admit to being a mean-spirited snot of a son. “Nothing. I’m tired.”

  “You don’t like Mom and James together. You can’t lie to me, Dylan,” Derrick said softly. “What’s wrong with them?”

  “Nothing,” he blurted. “Nothing’s wrong, okay? I just need time to sort this out. Don’t tell Mom. I don’t want to hurt her. I just…let me work through it in my own way.”

  “Dude, Dad’s been dead for over ten years. Don’t you think it’s time Mom lived a little?”

  “She’s had plenty of dates since then.”

  “But no one special, no one she really liked.”

  “She’s liked plenty of guys. Mom’s attractive. I know she’s a woman besides being a mother.” So why can’t I be happy that’s she’s found someone she can really love?

  Derrick goggled at him.

  “What?” he snapped.

  “I can’t believe Mr. Therapist is having issues with this. Dude, Mom and James. They’re perfect for each other. And I always said he had a thing for her.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I’m calling Gage.”

  “Fine. Now get out.”

  “You’re not being fair about this.”

  “I said I’m handling it.” Dylan opened the door and shoved his brother into the hallway. “We’ll talk later.”

  Derrick stared at him in shock. “What the fuck? Did you just throw me out?”

  “Genius.” Dylan slammed the door in his face and locked it.

  He heard his brother’s angry laugh, a few curses, and then nothing.

  Feeling unworthy but knowing he had the right to deal with the issue as he saw fit, Dylan slunk to the couch and stretched out on it. “I need my own shrink,” he muttered, still hating the S-word.

  Minutes later, a knock at the door interrupted his self-loathing.

  “Go away,” he shouted to his brother.

  The knocking continued.

  “I said go the fuck away, Derrick,” he yelled again.

  Another round of knocking.

  Knowing his brother would keep pounding and no doubt involve the neighbors, he pushed himself to his feet and rushed to the door. He threw it open, intending to yank his brother back inside and give him the beating he deserved, when he saw Harper standing there with a questioning look on his face.

  “Harper?”

  “Hey, Doc. Problem?”

  Harper took a step forward, and Dylan instinctively stepped back, out of his way. When Harper joined Dylan in the foyer and closed the door behind him, Dylan frowned. “How did you find me?”

  “Public record of sale, my man. You bought this place six years ago. I know people who know people.” He paused, looking Dylan up and down. Then he grinned. “A tie? Did you know I was coming?”

  Dylan snorted with laughter, immediately feeling better. “You’re an idiot.”

  “Yeah, one that’s hung like a horse, remember?”

  “As if I could forget.” Dylan’s body immediately responded. “Hell, come on in. Oh wait, you’re already in.”

  He took Harper’s coat and hung it in the closet, doing his best not to visibly strip the man naked. Damn, but Harper could do flannel and jeans proud. “Want a beer?”

  Harper walked to the coffee table and took a sip of Dylan’s tea. “This’ll do.”

  “So what brings you by?”

  “Wanted to see how the other half lives.” Harper grinned. “Nice digs. Figured you’d live in the uppity section of town.”

  “What?”

  “I’m in the building two blocks down.”

  In the newly remodeled cotton mill. “Uppity? Here? That place is twice what I paid for mine.”

  “Not if you know the right people. Besides, I don’t think we have one shrink in the entire building. Just a lot of well-connected schlubs.”

  Dylan laughed. “Too bad. You could use a doctor.”

  “Probably.” Harper drained the glass, then stuck his hands in his pockets. Unfortunately, that drew Dylan’s attention to the outline of a long, prominent erection. “I’ve got a problem, Doc.”

  “Yeah?” His voice sounded scratchy.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  Dylan’s heart raced and gladness filled him, enough for him to admit, “I’m having the same problem.”

  “Thinking about yourself all the time. Sad. But then, I could tell you’re a vain guy. All your clothes have designer labels.”

  “Ass. I’m thinking about you.” Dylan confessed, “The sex was great. Incredible. Best I’ve ever had.”

  “Same.”

  “But, I mean, we really got along. I liked spending time with you.”

  Harper’s grin faded. “Me too. And that’s kind of a problem.”

  “Oh?”

  “See, I’d like to take this further. Not a one-night, er, one-weekend stand. But something more. And that means experimenting more than you might be comfortable with. I thought I’d come over and lay it all on the line. You seem to be pretty okay in your own skin, so I figured, why beat around the bush? Why not flat-out ask him?”

  “Ask me what?”

  “First of all, were you going to call me?”

  Dylan bit his lip, then decided fuck it. “Yeah. I’ve been dealing with family crap, and it’s stressing me out. I wanted to call you for sex, because with you I seem to forget everything else. Then I felt bad about the thought of using you, because I actually like you.”

  Harper huffed. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  “I’m not.” He had to laugh at Harper’s pique. “Now who’s vain? My point is that I was trying to figure out why I like you so much. Because you help me forget my problems? Because you’re hung like a horse?”

  “There is that.”

  “Because I’d like to pursue a relationship?”

  Harper sighed. “You just can’t go with a feeling, can you?”

  “I wish I could. It’s the therapist in me needing to reason it all out. But you came by. So tell me. What do you think I might not be comfortable with?”

  Harper sat on the couch and Dylan sat on a chair facing him. “It’s not that you can’t handle it, but will you want to try it?”

  “Try what?”

  “I want Freddy.”

  “Freddy?” Dylan’s thoughts immediately went to the sexy blonde from the club last week.

  “Yeah, the woman at the bar you couldn’t take your eyes off of,” Harper said dryly. “That Freddy. I think she’d be down for some fun, but you and I have to be on the same page before I ask her. I’ve been wanting her a long time. She’s really cool. You’d like her.”

  “I liked what I saw of her. And more than her body. She seems confident, good at her job.”

  “Does it matter that she bartends at a sex club?”

  “No.” And it didn’t. “But what are you asking me? If I want a permanent third? A sexual fantasy made real? What?”

  “I don’t know.” Harper shook his head. “Doc, you need to relax. Stop trying to get to the end of the story and enjoy the middle. You’re way too stressed.” He tsked. “Had any sex since Sunday?”

  Dylan did feel tense. “No. You?” He held his breath, waiting for the answer. For days he’d wondered if he’d made more out of their weekend than was warranted. For all Dylan knew, Harper often had marathon sexcapades with strangers. Though disappointing, he couldn’t rule out the thought.

  “Doc, I’ve be
en celibate for months before you. I don’t fuck around. One partner at a time for me. And I know we were a sudden thing, but I was hoping we could continue where we left off.” Harper rose to his feet and crossed to tower over Dylan.

  He slowly unbuttoned his fly and let his jeans part to reveal a mouthwatering erection. Jesus, no underwear? “How about you take care of this for me while I do you?”

  “Oh yeah.” Dylan stood, but before he could reach for Harper, Harper drew him into his arms and kissed him.

  The embrace both gentled and aroused him, and Dylan responded without thinking. There was tenderness in the kiss, even as Harper stoked him to a fervent desire, rocking into him with that steely erection while seducing with his tongue.

  He broke away and kissed across Dylan’s cheek to whisper in his ear, “I love kissing you. Makes me want to fuck you and hold you close at the same time. Romantic shit, and I’m not all that romantic, Doc.”

  Dylan shivered, caught in lust and what felt oddly like a climb toward love. Impossible to feel such deep affection for a man he barely knew, so he rejected the idea out of hand.

  He had to clear his throat to speak. “My bedroom is down the hall. And I really, really want to make you lose control just once.”

  Harper growled and plunged his tongue in Dylan’s ear, and that probing erection dug into his belly. “Maybe we can use your necktie to restrain you while I fuck you until you can’t stand. How about that for control?”

  “Bedroom. Now.” Dylan pushed past Harper and undressed on the way. Inside his bedroom, he turned to see Harper stripping down as well. Once naked, they moved to the bed and positioned themselves head to toe, reaching for each other at the same time.

  Dylan’s mouth found Harper’s cock just as Harper fondled Dylan’s balls. With tongues and teeth, mouths and hands, they explored each other. Dylan tried to hold out, but with so much going on in his life and having Harper close when he needed him, he couldn’t last. He tried to warn Harper but could do nothing but suck harder as he pumped into his lover’s mouth.

  Harper groaned and started swallowing at the same time he erupted over Dylan’s tongue. They stroked and caressed each other while coming down off their euphoric highs, and Dylan soon found himself in Harper’s arms, warm and comforted.