Ways in the Guardian: A Menage Romance Book Collection

by Barbara Downey

  “Now will everyone let me finish my last day at work? I actually like it here and I’m going to miss it,” she said.

  ****

  They had booked the wedding in the local church and Darla had done nothing but talk about her role as a bridesmaid. They had already moved into Evan’s Victorian house and their busy lives and businesses ensured that the hall would be full to capacity with well-wishers. Instead of presents they had asked for donations to the various charities they were now linked with and people were being very generous according to the fancy new website Evan had created.

  When Evan stood at the altar he had nerves in his tummy, not because he was scared to get married but because he was terrified that she would change her mind. The media had loved her and she’d managed to go viral on the internet so other local charities were now benefiting from similar schemes to the ones she’d set up. He was marrying a dynamic goddess and a savior of souls, including his own.

  The music started and he looked behind him. She was dressed in a beautiful cream empire line the local bridal shop had made specifically to make her look taller. She was stunning.

  Darla peeped around her mother’s dress and gave him a little wave; he waved back and then waited for her to join him. He was the luckiest man alive and it had nothing to do with financial success. His grandmother had been right but she’d placed her goals in the wrong places. He needed to make it on his home ground before he could be called successful.

  THE END

  See the next bonus story at the next page!

  21 of 25 Bonus Stories

  Game of Emotions

  Lenny had felt the man’s eyes throughout the game and he felt the need to impress him. The man was playing for a rival American football team and Lenny could not understand why he felt so attracted to him. It was as if there was something about the guy that just got his attention and he could not stop himself from looking at him whenever he got the chance. His name was Tony Stewart, a full back for the Tigers, and the most handsome man that Lenny had ever laid his eyes on. They had met a couple of times during friendly college football games, but Lenny was yet to get the chance to actually talk with Tony and get to know him better. He, however, hoped that now that the season was finally coming to an end and that they would all be attending an after party, that he would finally get to know him better. There was something about Tony that just got Lenny's blood racing through his veins in ways that he could not understand.

  By the time that the game was at halftime, Lenny's Buffaloes were leading the game by thirty points and Lenny was the one with the most touchdowns. As soon as the whistle announced the break, he assembled all of his players where the coach was waiting for them to give them a little advice on how they would win the game.

  “Hey, what’s with you and Tony, don’t think that I haven’t noticed the way that you two have been staring at each other throughout the game,” his teammate and best friend, Shawn, said to him quietly.

  “Just what do you mean by that, Shawn, I think you are imagining things way too much nowadays,” Lenny said to Shawn, pretending that there was nothing between him and Tony going on.

  “Listen, Lenny, you and I have been friends since junior high and I think that you should know by now that I know you just too well. It’s alright for you to like someone especially after your painful breakup with Roger, not very long ago,” Shawn said to him, reminding him of a past that he hoped would remain buried in hell.

  Lenny and Roger had been going out for almost a year and they had been the perfect gay couple. Roger had even moved into Lenny's apartment, where they shared and did everything together. A couple of weeks ago, Roger began acting all weird, not being in class when he should, and even missing Lenny's games. Lenny had immediately felt his suspicion rising to the surface and he had set out to find out what was going on with his lover. One day he missed out on one of his lectures in college so that he could follow Roger around. And he was more than shocked at what he had discovered. Instead of going to class, Roger had taken a cab uptown to a posh hotel and when Lenny had followed him in, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw Roger hugging and kissing another man. They had sat down for a cup of coffee each, before taking the elevators to one of the rooms, where God knows what happened.

  Lenny had sat down in the lobby waiting for Roger, and it had taken all his will-power not to go upstairs and knock on that door to find out what was going on in there. Almost an hour and a half later, Roger and the guy had come back down and once again, they had taken off, this time in a limo. Lenny had followed them from a distance and they ended up at an exclusive gay club, where they had walked in hand in hand. Lenny had been to the club before and he had an idea of what went on in there. People were allowed to walk around nude and there were even cubicles separated by curtains where people could fulfill their fantasies. In short it was more of a sex club and male strip club.

  Lenny had sat in his car for almost half an hour before walking into the club, glad that the receptionist could still remember him from the last time that he had been there.

  “There is a friend of mine that came here with his lover a few minutes ago,” he said, describing the way that roger looked. “Would you know where I can find them?”

  “Sure, they are in one of the open beach cubicles overlooking the sea. Go right out the back door to the beach and then go down to room 110. I'm pretty sure that you three are going to have a really great time. Don’t hesitate to call reception in case you need anything. We can even have food and drinks delivered right to the room,” the receptionist said to him, Lenny leaving before the young man could even finish what he was saying.

  He was practically running by the time that he got to the back door, the other guests looking at him as if he had lost his mind. He made his way in the direction that the receptionist had said and this time when he got there, he did not hesitate to storm into the room. He came to a stop in his tracks the moment that he spotted Roger and the other man. They were both naked and Roger was on his haunches before the man, giving him a blowjob. The man had a huge erection and Roger seemed to be enjoying sucking and licking it, taking it as deep as he could into his mouth. Lenny felt disgust and anger surging within him. He clenched his fists and had to stop himself from lurching at the two lovers. Instead he just turned around and began to walk away, just as Roger and the other guy realized that they had company.

  “Can we help you with anything?” the other man asked.

  “No, I think I made a wrong turn, I'm sorry,” Lenny said without turning back, taking the lane back to the main clubhouse.

  “What has come over you, why are you acting like you just saw a ghost?” he heard the man asking Roger.

  That had been the end of their relationship and Lenny had immediately kicked him out of the apartment, despite how much he had tried to explain himself. If there was something that Lenny could not stand, it was a cheating lover making it worse by trying to explain himself.

  “Shawn, I think that this is something that we can talk about later, for now I don’t even want to remember about what went on in the past,” Lenny said to his friend as they shifted their attention to what the coach was telling them.

  “Fine, but we’ll talk about this as soon as the game is over,” Shawn said to him.

  The rest of the game went pretty much the same. Lenny and Tony could not seem to stop attracting each other’s attention throughout the second half, and this time Lenny was pretty sure that more people than just Shawn had noticed it. He, however, found himself not really caring at all, since as it was, Tony was a very handsome man, the sort of man that anyone would want to go out with. By the time that the game was finally coming to an end, Lenny was pretty excited because they were the winners and also because he was really looking forward to the after party that was to be held for both of the teams and their fans.

  “Very well played, Lenny, I think that we should meet up for a drink so that you can tell me where you get all of th
e inspiration for these games,” Tony said, surprising Lenny, since it was the last thing that Lenny had expected.

  “Tony, you also played very well, I must say, and the idea of a drink sounds swell. There is a party later in in the evening, maybe we could hook up then,” Lenny said to Tony, checking him out from head to toe and trying to imagine what he would look like without his clothes on, the thought evoking a sense of lust within him.

  “That sounds like an idea, I guess I'll see you there, then, mate,” Tony said, patting Lenny on the shoulder before dashing off to join his teammates.

  Lenny could barely hide the excitement that coursed through his body, his adrenaline pumping through his veins. He almost threw his fist into the air as a sign of celebration, only stopping himself when he saw that all of the attention of the other players was on him. As soon as they were done with the awards, Lenny did not even go to the changing rooms to freshen up. Instead he grabbed his bag and made for his car, deciding that he would freshen up at home. He wanted to be looking his best by the time that he came back for the party and he knew that all of this was because of Tony.

  *****

  Tony knew that today was going to be his only chance at making a hit on Lenny, and he felt a little nervous. He had been lusting after Lenny for quite some while now and when he had discovered that Lenny had broken up with his lover, Tony knew that it was now or never. Lenny had everything that Tony looked for in a lover. He was tall, dark haired, muscular and above all, very handsome. He was also intelligent and the sort of man that was a go-getter, just like he had shown on the field today. Everything to Tony felt like a dream as he made his way to the changing rooms to freshen up and get changed. He hoped that the dream would end the way that he had been hoping for ever since he had laid his eyes on Lenny.

  “What is with the huge grin on your face?” Mike Sloan said to him as he entered the changing rooms humming a nameless tune.

  “Why, shouldn’t I be happy?” he smiled at Mike as he proceeded to open his locker and begin undressing.

  “Everyone deserves to be happy. It’s just that you seem a little more than happy, almost elated and yet we didn’t even win the game,” Mike replied, looking at him inquisitively.

  “There should always be a reason to celebrate, even if we lose. The main reason is because for every loss that we get, we learn something new from our opponents,” he said heartily as he wrapped a towel around his waist and began making his way towards the showers with Mike close behind him.

  “I guess you have a point there, although I have this strong feeling that your joy is completely something else. You look like a man that has just fallen in love,” Mike said as they both stepped into neighboring showers.

  “Well, there just might be someone that I'm interested in and that I think I am falling in love with, but that is a story for another day,” he said, turning on the water and resuming his humming.

  He took his time in the shower, letting the warm water massage his body as his muscles relaxed. It had been a tense game for all of them and even though they had lost, they had put up a good spirited fight. As he showered, he thought of Lenny. Tony wondered what Lenny intended to do in life now that he was about to graduate from college. He himself intended to finish law school and then join one of the established law firms in the city. He, too, was just about to graduate to the bar, being that this was his last semester in college. He was sure that he would have a collage of memories from his college days, and especially all of the relationships that he had been through. Right now he was single and looking for a serious relationship that would last. He was done with the short flings that he’d been through all his life, and if he could get the right man, Tony was sure that they would probably stay together for the rest of their lives. He had the feeling that Lenny was the right lover for him having followed his history over a long time. Tony felt as if he knew everything about Lenny even though they had talked so little over the years.

  “Do you intend to sleep in the shower today?” Mike asked, stopping outside the shower cubicle and looking at Tony. “Have you forgotten that we have a party to attend, and it will be held down by the beach?”

  “Nope, I just love the way that the water is washing away the tension inside,” Tony said, his eyes flickering open as he reached for the tube of soap and began soaping himself.

  “Well, I'll be waiting for you because I still want to know who this person that has gotten you feeling like this is,” Mike said, walking away as he dried off his body.

  If Mike was gay, he would have made a good lover. He and Mike had grown into inseparable friends over the time that they had been together on the team. Tony respected the fact that his friend was not homosexual like him, and Mike also respected him for what he was. When he was done showering, he made his way out of the cubicle, wrapping the towel around him as he headed for the lockers, glad that he had packed some good clothes for the evening, knowing that there would be an after party. He got changed quickly before he combed his hair back neatly and wore his cologne.

  “Someone sure is looking sharp today,” Mike said, breezing over to him and standing beside him.

  “Well, you know what they say, you should always try and look your best. So, how about you, are you going to chase after the blonde that you were talking about, what was her name, Bella?” he said to Mike as they gathered their bags and began making their way out of the washrooms.

  “Yeah, I'm hoping that she is going to show up at the party. She is just the dose of medicine that I need right now. I don’t even want to imagine what sex with her would be like, that nice tight butt and those fine looking hips,” Mike said, almost dreamily as Tony looked at him with amusement.

  “I'm pretty sure that you are going to have your way with her because she is a pretty bright woman and she understands perfectly what she would be missing out on if she was to let you go,” Tony said to him, wondering how his own ordeal with Lenny was going to be like. He could already feel the butterflies in his belly and they were not making him feel very good at all.

  “So, are you going to tell me about this mysterious lover of yours, or what? I'm just very curious as can be since you have been keeping it very secret,” Mike said as they headed out to the parking lot so that they could put their bags into the club’s bus that had brought them to the venue.

  “You should try and have some patience, Mike, and besides, he is a guy that you probably know very well. One other thing, he is on the team that just won the game, if that is something to go by,” Tony said as Mike stopped to look at him with his eyes wide open, almost as if he could not believe what he was hearing and as if he had just been hit by the light.

  “Ah, that explains it all, I noticed the way that you and that Lenny guy couldn’t seem to stop looking at each other. Now everything is as clear as day, and if I’m not wrong, I think that the guy also has this mad crush on you. He kept looking at you almost as if he was undressing you,” Mike said after a moment of thought, his words slow and defined.

  “Well, there you have it. That wasn’t so hard to figure out, was it? And now getting him to be my lover is turning into my biggest ambition ever,” Tony said to him as they settled into their seats on the bus, ready to be transported to the venue where the party was to be held, since it was also there that they would be having their dinner.

  By the time that they got to the private beach club, there was a lot of activity going on there. The other players from the other team had already arrived and Tony felt his heart beating wildly in his chest, anxiety checking in as he thought of the task that he had ahead of him. There was loud music streaming in the club house as they entered it, but as Tony looked around, he could not seem to spot Lenny anywhere. He saw Lenny's best friend, but Lenny himself was nowhere to be found. Tony found himself starting to get disgusted by the whole thing. What if Lenny had tricked him about this whole party thing and then bailed out on him? Tony was not sure of what he felt. He felt as if a huge rock had just been placed on h
is heart, almost as if his whole world had been shattered into smithereens.

  “The fucker is not here,” he said to Mike, feeling as if there was a potato stuck in his throat.

  “Relax, the dude probably dropped by his house to get something and should be here pretty soon,” Mike said, patting his friend on the back as he spotted what he was looking for, Bella. “Give it some time, the guy will be here soon enough, believe me. Now, in the meantime, I have to go, there is my queen looking as stunning as ever.”

  Before Tony could respond, Mike headed away from him, leaving him standing in the middle of the room like someone who was lost. He walked over to one of the cocktail tables and picked up a glass of champagne, draining it instantly. He had already decided that he was going to wait for a couple more minutes before he called a cab and took his leave. He would grab dinner somewhere along the way. Grabbing another glass of champagne, he made his way out to the back of the club house, where there was a terrace complete with a bonfire.

  “Hi Tony, want to join us here, the weather here is pretty great and we are really loving the drinks,” a couple of skimpily dressed blondes said to him, but he just smiled at them.

  “Maybe later, sweethearts,” he said to them as they looked at him with disappointment.

  He slipped off his loafers and began walking down the beach, sinking his toes into the cool sand. The moon was out in the distance, and the stars winked, lighting up the sky romantically. This was the perfect night for romance, where he could sit with Lenny and count the stars as they watched the moon coming to the center of the sky. It was too bad that it would all just remain a dream if Lenny didn’t come to the party. Tony did not even want to think about it, since he felt as if his heart was going to break.