by Ramona Gray
“So ready,” Chloe said.
Amy laughed. “Where’s Jackson?”
“He’s on his way. He and Luke were going over some last-minute stuff on the website in our office.”
“How are things going with him and Ian?” Amy asked.
“Fine.”
“Just fine?” Amy arched one eyebrow at her.
“It’s complicated.”
“I imagine it is. Sleeping with two guys at once, there are bound to be some jealousy issues or some weird third-wheel feelings.”
“There isn’t,” Chloe said.
“Really? Like, at all?”
“No.” Chloe ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the boardroom table. “There really isn’t. I don’t think either Ian or Jackson have a jealous bone in their body. Being with both of them feels right and… natural, you know? I’ve had sex with both of them separately and while I like it a lot, it doesn’t feel right. Like something is missing when I sleep with just one of them.”
“Interesting,” Amy said thoughtfully. “So, what’s complicated then?”
“They want more,” Chloe said. “They want a relationship with me. They deny it and pretend they’re fine with keeping it casual and uncomplicated, but I can see it in their faces. Ian’s especially. I think Jackson wants more but is in a bit of denial about it, but Ian definitely isn’t.”
“You don’t want more?” Amy said.
Chloe hesitated. “No.”
“You hesitated.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did. You want more too.”
Chloe scowled at Amy, but the pretty blonde just shrugged. “I call it like I see it.”
“We can’t have more, okay?” Chloe said.
“Because of your sister.”
“Yes. You’ve met her, you’ve seen what she’s like. She’ll wreck everything that’s good between me and Ian and Jackson. They’re good guys, but even good guys have their limits. Eventually, they’ll get tired of the way I blow them off whenever something happens with Lori or my Nana, and they’ll ask me to make a choice just like John did.”
“It wouldn’t make you a bad person to choose them over your sister,” Amy said gently.
Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. “History has proven that I’m incapable of not choosing my sister.”
Amy nodded. “I get it. I couldn’t imagine ever giving up on Luke. But, you also have to remember that you’re not responsible for her, and being kind to yourself and making choices that bring you happiness is not wrong.”
“I know. Anyway, even if my sister wasn’t an issue, there are other things to consider. Being in a committed relationship with two men isn’t exactly accepted by society. I’m sure our families would freak out, and forget getting married or having a family.”
“Screw what society or even your friends and family say,” Amy said. “Do what makes you happy. Do you think my family would find it acceptable that I have a master/slave relationship with Mark? Or that I let him flog me and spank me until I have bruises? They wouldn’t, but I don’t care. I want those things, I need them, and having Mark fulfill those needs for me is incredible. What we do in our private lives is no one’s business, but ours.”
“It’s a lot easier to keep what you do with Mark private, then it would be to keep a threesome relationship private,” Chloe said.
“Fair enough. But, hell, life is short, Chloe. Do you really want to spend it apart from the men you love just because of what a few strangers might think?”
“I don’t love them,” Chloe said quickly.
“You sure about that?” Amy said.
“Yes. I like them a lot. They’re great guys who are unbelievably sweet and kind and they make me laugh and feel good, and I love spending time with them, but I’m not…”
Amy laughed. “Nope, not in love with them at all.”
Before Chloe could reply, the door opened and Luke and Jackson walked in. They sat down across from them and Jackson grinned at Chloe. She smiled back, feeling the same surge of warmth she always felt now when she saw either him or Ian.
She had gone to their house after her meeting Wednesday night not only because of her guilt over how she’d been treating them, but because she’d been so miserable and upset for the last few days that she’d needed to be with them. Needed the comfort and the distraction that only they could give her.
She wanted sex. She wanted to use it to forget about her anger and her fear, and she was ridiculously relieved when they’d asked her to stay. Only, they didn’t have sex that night. They’d told her they would, but Ian had made her eat some toast while Jackson drew her a bath. She’d relaxed in the tub until the water cooled and then Jackson brought her to Ian’s bedroom. The heat from the bath, the stress, and the late hour had all combined to make her almost stupidly tired.
She’d climbed naked into Ian’s bed and both men snuggled her, Ian at her back and Jackson at her front. Their gentle touch and the combined heat of their bodies lulled her to sleep in less than five minutes.
Last night, she’d invited them over to her place. She was determined to have sex with both of them, determined to keep it casual and fun. Except, they’d taken one look at her, announced she was still obviously exhausted, and made her have another hot bath while Ian cooked dinner.
She’d tried to lure them to her bedroom after eating, but there was some survival reality show season finale that Jackson wanted to watch. She’d found herself sandwiched between them on her tiny couch, the three of them tucked under a blanket, with her head on Jackson’s shoulder and her feet in Ian’s lap. By the time the show ended, she could barely keep her eyes open. Ian had carried her to the bedroom and the two of them undressed her before tucking her under the covers. They’d stripped off their clothes and joined her, but like before, she’d fallen asleep before she could even attempt to seduce them.
Jackson had left early in the morning to go home and shower and change for work, but, Ian, about to start evening shifts at the station, was still sleeping in her bed when she’d left. She’d left her spare key on the nightstand for him, trying to ignore the weird excitement that action brought on. It wasn’t like Ian would keep the key, she would get it back from him this weekend.
“Chloe?”
She realized two things at once – Luke had been talking the whole time and she was staring at Jackson like a love-struck moron.
Her face turned bright red and she gave Luke a mortified look. “I’m sorry, I was, uh… sorry, what did you say?”
“I was saying that Julien and Pierre’s plane is delayed so they’d like to move the meeting to this evening over dinner. Are you available?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Jackson?” Luke asked. “How about you?”
“I am,” Jackson said.
“Great. So, Amy, you’ll talk to Mark and let him know about the change in plans, and I’ll get my PA to book us a reservation.” Luke’s glance slid to Chloe again. “As usual, if anything they say or do makes you uncomfortable, Chloe, don’t hesitate to speak to me about it. I realize that with them investing in the company, you may feel like you can’t speak up. It isn’t true. We take harassment very seriously here and if, at any time, you’re uncomfortable or want to end contact with them, we’ll be on your side. Clear?”
“What are you talking about?” Jackson asked.
Luke cleared his throat. “Julien and Pierre have a bad habit of hitting on our employees. Chloe has met with them before and she’s aware of what they’re like, but I wanted to be clear that we are fully on her side.”
“I know, Luke,” Chloe said. “It’ll be fine, honestly. Besides, they’ll probably mostly hit on Amy. They’re way more into her than me.” She grinned at Amy who rolled her eyes.
“They know she’s dating Mark now, so they’ll probably focus their attention on you,” Luke said.
Amy stared at him. “What? How do they know I’m dating Mark?”
“I might have mentioned it,”
Luke said.
“Luke! My personal life is no one’s business, least of all Julien and Pierre’s.”
“Sorry, Ames, but I can’t sit through a meeting watching two men try and convince my baby sister to sleep with both of them at the same time. It’s too gross.”
Amy shrugged. “You need to accept that I’m gorgeous and men are gonna hit on me, big brother.”
“Gross,” Luke said.
Jackson was staring intently at her, completely ignoring Luke and Amy’s bantering. She stole a quick glance at Luke before mouthing ‘What?’ at Jackson. He frowned, but before he could say anything, Luke stood up.
“Jackson, can you come back to my office? Now that we’ve got some more time before the meeting, I wouldn’t mind implementing a few more changes to the storefront.
“Of course.” Jackson stood as Luke checked his watch.
“Good. Amy and Chloe, we’ll meet at the restaurant at six. Sound good?”
They nodded, and Ian and Jackson left the boardroom. Amy leaned back in her chair and grinned at Chloe.
“What?”
“Did you see the look on Jackson’s face when Lukie was talking about the boys hitting on you?”
“He didn’t have a look on his face.”
“He totally had a look on his face. I think you’re wrong about your boys not having a jealous streak.”
Chloe pushed back her chair and stood. “Maybe he had a slight look on his face, but it doesn’t mean anything. I’d better get back to work. I’ll see you at six.”
* * *
“Jane!” Chloe smiled happily at the slender brunette who was standing inside the front door of the restaurant. “I didn’t know you would be at the meeting.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be.” Jane glanced over to where Luke was speaking with the hostess. “But, Luke has this weird idea that if he isn’t home to cook me dinner, I’ll starve. So, here I am.”
“I’m glad you joined us,” Chloe said.
“Me too,” Jane replied.
Luke joined them. “Our table is almost ready. Hi, Chloe.”
“Hi, Luke.” She shifted her laptop bag to her other hand. “I brought my computer in case Julien and Pierre wanted to go over the marketing presentation I sent them last week.”
“Good idea. They did email me and tell me they thought the marketing plan looked good, but better to have it and not need it, right?” Luke said.
Chloe nodded as Jane grinned at Luke. “Do you think they’ll even be able to concentrate on the meeting with three ladies at the table?”
Luke grimaced. “I told them that Mark and Amy were dating and I also,” he turned a little red, “might have mentioned that you were living with me now.”
Jane laughed. “Of course you did.”
“But that does mean that Chloe’s gonna get the full brunt of their…charm,” Luke said. “Remember, Chloe, if they say or do anything -”
“It’ll be fine, Luke. I can handle their flirting, I promise,” Chloe said.
The door opened, bringing a gush of cold air. Julien and Pierre swept into the restaurant, identical smiles on their faces.
“Bonjour, mon amies,” Julien said. He shook Luke’s hand before pressing a kiss against Jane’s cheek. “You look magnifique, Jane.”
“Thank you, Julien.” Jane smiled at him before turning to Pierre. “Hello, Pierre.”
“Bonsoir, Jane.” Pierre kissed her cheek and stepped back, a small grin crossing his face when Luke put a proprietary arm around Jane’s waist. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”
“You as well,” Jane said as Luke shook Pierre’s hand.
“Julien and Pierre, you remember Chloe,” Luke said.
Chloe took a deep breath as Pierre and Julien turned toward her. They both stared her up and down, blatant appreciation on their faces. She held out her hand and Julien took it first. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.
“Of course. How could we forget such a beautiful ange roux, such as Chloe.”
Pierre took her other hand before stepping close and brushing his lips across her cheek. “You are even more beautiful than we remember, ma chérie.”
“Thank you,” Chloe replied.
Julien stepped closer as Pierre’s gaze dropped to her tits.
“Are you still single, mon ange?” Julien asked.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Luke rolling his eyes. She smiled at Julien. “I am.”
“I am happy to hear that.” He kissed her knuckles again.
“We are here for the weekend, sweet Chloe,” Pierre said.
Shit, they were already trying to charm her into their bed.
“Perhaps you would care to join us for drinks later this evening at our hotel room?” Julien said. “Our room has a beautiful view of the city, and -”
“Jackson, any trouble finding the restaurant?” Luke suddenly said.
Chloe automatically pulled her hands free of Pierre and Julien’s and took a step back as Jackson moved into her view.
“No trouble at all.” Jackson shook Luke’s hand without taking his eyes off of Chloe. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. There was something in Jackson’s eyes as he studied the way the two Frenchmen stood so close to her. A hint of jealousy perhaps, or proprietorship, maybe.
Her stomach flip flopped lazily, goosebumps rising to her skin when Jackson joined them and his hand pressed lightly against her lower back. That light touch through her suit jacket made her more aware of her body than any touch from Pierre and Julien ever would.
Her legs trembled as Jackson stared down at her. That taste of jealousy had disappeared, if it had even been there in the first place, and in its place was pure lust. Her body reacted immediately, trembling even more as Jackson’s hand dipped a little lower to rest against the top of her ass.
She had no idea what was going on with him, but holy crap, if he didn’t stop looking at her the way he was, she’d be trying to lure him into the bathroom for a quickie before the appetizers even arrived.
“You must be Pierre and Julien. I’m Jackson Black.”
“It is nice to meet you in person, Jackson.” Pierre held out his hand and Jackson shook it before shaking Julien’s hand.
“You as well,” Jackson replied.
There was awkward silence. Pierre and Julien glanced at each other before studying how closely Jackson was standing next to her. She tried to sidle sideways and Jackson’s hand slid to her hip. He held her against him and smiled stiffly at the investors.
“Mr. Dawson? Your table is ready.” The hostess touched Luke’s arm. “If you’d follow me, please.”
As Luke, Jane and Amy followed the hostess, Jackson gave the Frenchmen another stiff smile, his arm still holding her firmly. “After you.”
“Merci,” Julien replied. He and Pierre started after the others. The moment their backs were turned, Chloe elbowed Jackson lightly in the ribs.
“Knock it off.”
She expected Jackson to give her his usual flirty grin and some teasing remark. Instead, he scowled, bent his head and placed his mouth at her ear. “Remember that you belong to me and to Ian, Chloe.”
She elbowed him again. “Since when did you get all caveman possessive, Jackson? I don’t belong to any guy.”
He nipped her earlobe, sending a hot shiver down her back. “Just know that even thinking about sleeping with them will earn you a spanking.”
Okay, so Jackson’s sudden possessiveness was not turning her on. It absolutely wasn’t. Lots of women had the sudden urge to drag their man to the car for a quickie, right?
Her cheeks were warm, and her breathing was starting to get a little shallow. Ignoring the lust zipping up and down her body, she said, “Our very important investors who are the reason we both have jobs with Dawson Clothing, are going to spend the entire night flirting with me and attempting to convince me to fuck them both. You’ll need to trust that I’m not interested in them and keep your inner caveman under wrap
s. Basically,” she stroked one finger across his flat stomach, “behave yourself or you’ll be the one who gets the spanking tonight.”
His tense body relaxed a little and he gave her an adorable grin. “Does that mean you’re coming over tonight?”
“I was thinking about it,” she said tartly. “If you behave yourself at dinner.”
“In that case, I’ll be the perfect gentleman.” Jackson held out his arm. She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and allowed him to guide her toward the others.
* * *
Ian unlocked the front door. A blast of rock and roll washed over him as soon as he opened the door, and he glanced at his watch before walking to the kitchen. It was one-thirty in the morning and unusual for Jackson to be up this late, even on a Friday night.
He stopped in the doorway and a happy grin crossed his face. Chloe was standing in the middle of the kitchen, shaking and shimmying her hips to the music. Jackson leaned against the counter, a beer in his hand and a smile on his face, watching her dance.
She clapped her hands and popped her hips to the beat. Ian’s gaze drifted to her denim covered ass. Fuck, Chloe really did have an amazing ass. That amazing ass wiggled, and he adjusted his suddenly hard cock as she twirled in a circle. She caught sight of him and made a happy squeal of excitement before launching herself at him.
He caught her and she planted a kiss on his mouth. “Hi, Ian.”
“Hey, baby. You’re in a good mood.”
“I am.” She danced away, moving her hips seductively and winking at him over her shoulder. “How was work?”
“Fine.” It had actually been a shitty night, but coming home to find Chloe dancing in their kitchen had erased every bad moment. She was usually so solemn, so worried and anxious about her sister and her grandmother, and to see her happy and carefree made his love for her grow by the damn second. “How was your meeting?”
Chloe grinned at Jackson who tipped his beer to her. She turned back to Ian. “It was most excellent. Julien and Pierre were very impressed by my marketing plan and Jackson’s plans for the new digital storefront. Weren’t they, Jackson?”
