Illicit

by Opal Carew

  Travis’ lips compressed, then he sighed. “No, it’s okay. Erik doesn’t like to talk about it, and Connor and I respect that, but it should be okay telling you. He comes from a wealthy family, but he was never comfortable with the lifestyle. He always wanted to do something he felt was useful. Give back to the community. So he joined the force and has always lived a very modest life. Then his father died and this penthouse was part of the inheritance. Even though he and his father never saw eye-to-eye, I think he couldn’t bear to part with this place.” Travis grinned. “Though I think he loves the fact that his father would never approve of the new décor, and for sure he wouldn’t approve of what we do here.”

  She smiled. “Like sharing women.”

  “Or sharing each other.”

  Lindsay turned to see Erik and Connor walking up from the pool. Connor grabbed a chair from the patio table and dragged it to sit facing her, while Erik sat a few feet away and dipped his toes in the water.

  “Now it’s my turn to ask a question.” Travis gazed at her. “You said you thought you were going to a girls’ weekend away.”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Then why would you leave your bathing suit behind?” Travis grinned. “I mean, I can’t help wondering if you were expecting to go swimming au natural with your friends.” His grin widened. “And what that might lead to.”

  “The flaw in your theory is that I didn’t think there’d be a private pool.”

  Connor leaned forward, a glint in his hazel eyes. “That doesn’t mean you couldn’t sneak out to the pool or hot tub late at night where you could … you know”—he winked—“frolic with your friends.”

  “Naked women frolicking together.” Erik smiled broadly. “Now there’s something dreams are made of.”

  Images danced through Lindsay’s head of nude women, bodies glistening with water, touching each other, stroking each other’s naked skin. In the fantasy, someone’s soft hand brushed her breast, then squeezed. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. My God, what was that? She’d never ever thought of being with women before.

  Had being with these sexy men in this uninhibited environment opened up hidden fantasies she didn’t even know she had?

  Erik winked at her. “Maybe we should call your friend Jill and invite her over, too.”

  Uncertainty spiked through her, that she wasn’t enough for him. Just like she hadn’t been enough for Glen. But that was silly. It was just a joke.

  She smiled. “If you guys think I’m going to share the wealth, you’re crazy.”

  Connor and Travis both laughed.

  Erik grinned broadly. “I’m glad we’re keeping you amused.”

  She smiled. “Well, you are an amusing bunch.”

  “Speaking of amusement,” Erik said. “Since we’re all here to live out your sexual fantasy, why don’t you tell us what other fantasies you have?”

  “Oh, well, I guess that could be … fun.” Except that she felt awkward sitting here, with three naked men staring at her, talking about what turned her on.

  “You don’t sound very enthusiastic,” Connor said.

  “Well, Erik just asked her to reveal her intimate, sexual fantasies.” Travis sipped his beer. “She’s probably not comfortable doing that.”

  Erik smiled warmly at her. “Okay, I get that, but why don’t you think about it, and if something comes to mind, let us know?”

  * * *

  Think about it. Even an hour later, that’s all Lindsay had been able to think about. Especially after these three big naked men had all taken turns applying suntan lotion to her body so she wouldn’t burn, then left her wanting more, even though they were also obviously turned on.

  Now Travis sat reading a big hardcover book, something about developing apps and cloud computing, while Connor and Erik played cards at the patio table. She watched Connor toss his hand down and grin, then slide the pile of candies and condoms, which they’d been using as poker chips, toward him.

  They had a big bowl of individually wrapped hard candies on the table right beside a decorative basket holding brightly colored condom packages, the latter very practical given the purpose of this weekend.

  Yellow and green candies were worth one dollar, orange and red worth five, purple worth ten, and a condom packet of any color worth fifty.

  What if all of them were playing poker and she ran out of money? What if she really needed the money and was willing to do whatever it took to get it? What if the men knew that, and used the information to their advantage? They might suggest she bet sexual favors to stay in the game. If she lost a hand, she might have to do things to one of the men. Or let one of the men—or all of them—do things to her.

  Her heart rate increased as she imagined Connor sliding his winnings toward him, a gleam in his eye as he watched her, then gestured for her to come to him.

  Having just lost her bet, she stands up and walks toward him, slowly. Reluctantly. Once she stands in front of him, with a big grin on his face, he begins to unfasten the buttons on her blouse. One by one. Revealing her breasts a little at a time. He’s never seen her breasts, and of course, she’d never made love with a stranger before, so she quivers as his gaze lingers on the swell of her breasts. Her cheeks burn as he peels open her blouse and stares at her lace-clad breasts, the shameless nipples clearly pushing against the lace.

  One of the other men steps behind her and draws her blouse from her shoulders. As she shrugs it away, she notices Erik stepping toward her, unzipping his pants. A shiver dances along her spine.

  “You want another drink, Lindsay?”

  Lindsay almost jumped at Travis’ voice, bringing her back to the here and now. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head to gaze at him as he stood beside her chair, his own empty beer bottle in his hand.

  “Um … yes, please.”

  He took her glass and carried it into the house. She glanced toward the table and saw that Erik was watching her. Something about the way he smiled made her feel he knew exactly what she’d been fantasizing about.

  Nine

  Erik’s cock ached. How could it not with Lindsay watching them play cards with that look of hunger in her eyes? He would love to invite her to play poker with them. To role-play that she was broke and had to win at all costs, and where that would lead. She’d been thinking about fantasies since he’d suggested it, but this was the strongest. It was clearly a fantasy she could get into. And his throbbing cock testified to how much it turned him on.

  “Erik, your turn to deal.”

  Connor’s voice dragged Erik’s attention back to the table, and the deck of cards lying in front of him.

  “Hey, Lindsay, would you like to join us?” Erik asked.

  She glanced at him. “Uh, sure.” She walked to the table and settled into the chair across from him.

  “But, I was thinking we could take it a step further?” he said. “I think there’s a lot of potential here for some role-playing.”

  Lindsay’s eyes widened a little as she gazed at him. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Well, I was thinking you could be a young woman who’s in desperate trouble and needs money to get out of it. You join a card game with some wealthy men—that’s us—hoping to win the money you need. And, of course, when you start losing, maybe you bet things a lady shouldn’t bet.”

  Erik could tell she was almost salivating at the thought.

  “Well, uh…” Her cheeks flushed a soft rose color. “That could be fun.”

  Erik chuckled. He was quite certain it would be very fun indeed.

  * * *

  Erik stepped out of the elevator to the penthouse. He’d driven Lindsay to her apartment because she wanted to pick up something to wear for the fantasy scenario. On the way up the elevator, Erik had made a couple of calls to set things up for the evening and texted Lindsay where to meet them.

  He walked past the kitchen and down the hall toward his room to change.

  “You seem to be enjoying
Lindsay’s company.”

  At Connor’s voice, Erik paused outside the open door to Travis’ room.

  “Isn’t that the point of this weekend?” Travis asked.

  “Sure, but I’ve never seen you allow a woman so close. That hug out on the deck … that was clearly intense. And the way you two were talking so intently by the pool…”

  Erik knew he shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but Connor’s concerned tone kept him frozen to the spot.

  “Is that a problem?” Travis asked.

  Alarm bells clamored in Erik’s head. Would having Lindsay here cause issues between them?

  “No, I don’t mean that, I’m just…”

  “Connor, you don’t need to be jealous,” Travis said. “Whatever happens between Lindsay and me won’t affect how I feel about you. I promise.”

  Those well-intentioned words didn’t set Erik’s mind at ease. When people got intimate, unpredictable stuff happened.

  His stomach clenched as he remembered the pain Becci had brought to them. When she had decided Erik wasn’t the man of her dreams, instead of just walking away, she’d tried to convince Connor and Travis to ditch Erik. She’d loved being the center of attention of three men and wasn’t about to give it up just because she didn’t want Erik anymore. She’d decided she could settle for two men and so she had started a campaign to tear their relationship apart. Her selfishness had caused anxiety and pain for all three of them. Erik didn’t think Lindsay would ever do something so selfish, but that didn’t mean her presence couldn’t cause major problems.

  “Okay, good,” Connor said. “We’ve never actually talked about where our relationship is going, but I guess I always assumed we’d stay together. I like what we have and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “And what about Erik?”

  “Come on. We both know that Erik will probably wind up married with kids. If that relationship includes us, that’s great, but who knows?”

  Erik’s gut clenched as shock quivered through him. He knew Connor and Travis had had a relationship long before they met him, but he hadn’t realized they considered him a dispensable part of the trio.

  * * *

  Lindsay sat at the bar in the casino, feeling a little out of place, especially dressed in her boxy gray business suit and white blouse, with her hair pinned up. Glasses were the finishing touch to the dowdy librarian look. Around her, colored lights flashed and people milled around the gambling tables.

  The bartender placed a tall drink in front of her. “From that gentleman.” He took away her empty glass.

  Lindsay glanced at Travis who sat down on the stool next to her, a short, wide glass in his hand. This was the start of their role-playing. She was supposed to wait until one of the guys showed up, then tell him her unhappy story.

  Wow, Travis looked exceptionally gorgeous in his tailored suit, which set off his broad shoulders. Usually, his long, dark hair softened his square jawline, but he’d tied it back, so his face looked even more masculine—and devastatingly handsome—than usual.

  “You look troubled,” Travis said.

  She glanced at the drink and took a sip. “I don’t usually talk to strangers about my problems.”

  “Yes, but I’m so charming, how can you resist?” His broad, white smile and the glitter in his eyes did make him difficult to resist.

  He leaned in close. “Look, I know we’re supposed to act out the part where you tell me your partner ran off with all the money from your bookstore and now you’re broke, then I’ll invite you to a big-deal poker game where we’ll offer you credit and you can win back your money. If you want to go through all that, I will, but instead, we could just enjoy each other’s company for a few minutes.”

  She smiled. “Sure. I don’t need to act it out. As long as we play the part when we head to the poker game.”

  “Sure thing.”

  He slid his arm around her and drew her against his body. “Right now, I just want to be close to you for a few minutes, where I don’t have to share you with anyone.”

  The warmth of his hard, masculine body so close to hers sent her hormones dancing. She’d started off this weekend on a date with Erik, and she’d hoped that their relationship could continue, but being with his two friends definitely complicated things. Especially with Travis, since they seemed to have connected on some deeper level.

  “But I thought sharing was what this weekend was all about,” she murmured as he nuzzled her neck. Tingles danced along her spine as his lips brushed her skin lightly.

  “It’s also about the sex,” he murmured in her ear, “but we don’t have to be doing it the whole time.”

  He cupped her cheek, and tilted her face up, then brushed his lips over hers. His tongue glided along her lips, then pressed inside. She returned his kiss, her tongue swirling against his. Her heart rate increased and she longed for him to pull her into a tighter embrace. To feel his body the length of hers.

  He released her with a smile. “It’s time to go to our private game.”

  She gazed at him in a daze, wondering if he’d gotten a room for the two of them or something, then realized he meant the poker game. With Erik and Connor.

  “Okay.” She took a sip of her drink, then he offered his elbow and she hooked her arm around it.

  * * *

  Lindsay followed Travis across the loud, crowded room to the elevator. When the doors opened, several people followed them inside. Travis pressed the number for the floor above the casino.

  The doors opened and she followed Travis off the elevator.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  He gestured in front of them. She walked down a short hall to an atrium with several meeting rooms. Travis knocked on the second door on the left.

  “Come in.”

  Connor opened the door. “There you are.”

  Inside, Erik sat at a big oval table made of rich, dark, gleaming wood, and the chairs were leather. There was a sitting area with a couch and easy chairs at the other end of the room. A bar fridge stood off to the side.

  “So who have we here?” Erik asked.

  “I thought we needed a fourth for our game.”

  Connor and Erik looked devastatingly handsome in their classy dark suits, ties, and white shirts. And imposing.

  Even though she stood before them in an unflattering, boxy suit, with glasses on and her hair tied back like a cliché librarian, the glitter in their eyes, especially Connor’s, sent heat shimmering through her.

  “Of course. And what a lovely addition.” Erik held out his hand for a handshake. As soon as his big hand enveloped hers, she felt shivers dance along her skin.

  There was something about this role-playing—pretending they didn’t know each other—that made everything more exciting.

  “I’m … uh … Lindsay Reed.”

  “And I’m Connor.” Connor shook her hand next. Before he released it, his finger brushed against the underside of her wrist, sending quivers through her.

  “A glass of wine?” Connor asked.

  “Yes, please.”

  Travis drew back one of the rolling leather chairs and gestured for her to sit down. She set her purse on the table and dug inside for the chips they’d given her before she left the penthouse. The ones she was pretending to have left over from gambling at the blackjack table. She set them on the table, but her stack was extremely tiny compared to the huge stacks Erik, Travis, and Connor had.

  The faster for me to lose and get to the exciting bit. Excitement quivered through her.

  Connor set a stemmed glass of white wine in front of her and handed a tall glass of beer to Travis. Erik shuffled the cards and dealt them out.

  Lindsay won the first hand with a pair of kings, but lost the second hand even though she had three twos. Travis, with his four sixes, scooped away the pile of chips including half her winnings. Over the next several hands she lost more than she won, until finally she only had fifty dollars left.

  Connor dealt the card
s and she picked up her hand. Just a mishmash, but when she drew new cards, she wound up with all spades. Everyone started betting and the pot grew. Unfortunately, Erik raised an amount she couldn’t cover.

  “It looks like Lindsay could be out of the game,” Connor said.

  “That’s true.” Travis smiled. “If you lose this hand, you’ve got nothing left.”

  Erik raised an eyebrow. “So, Miss Reed, how much do you want to stay in the game?”

  “I’d like to keep playing until I win the money I need.”

  Erik sat back in his chair and smiled. “I have an idea. Why don’t we give you back all the money you have in the pot, and you can bet something else?”

  “Like what?” she asked innocently.

  Connor eyed her. “That’s a very nice suit, but I would love to see you lose it, and take off the blouse.”

  A tremor of excitement rippled through her at the thought of sitting here with the men in their full suits and her in her bra and skirt.

  She stared at the pot, as if carefully considering the situation. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  Travis grabbed her chips from the pot and slid them back to her. She stacked them in front of her.

  “So, Lindsay, what do you have?”

  She grinned. “I’m sorry to tell you boys that…” She flipped over her cards. “I have a flush.”

  “That is too bad.” Connor didn’t look disappointed at all as he turned over his cards. “But as it turns out, my full house beats your flush.”

  He dropped his cards faceup on the table. A pair of eights and three jacks.

  Travis and Erik both laughed as they tossed their cards aside.

  She drew in a breath and stood up, then removed her suit jacket. Her fingers found the top button of her blouse and she released it. Their gazes locked on her hands. She found the next button and released that one. Their gazes dropped lower. She continued to unbutton her blouse until it hung open, revealing a couple of inches of skin.

  As she slipped off her blouse, goose bumps danced across her flesh. Now she sat in her straight skirt and low-cut, pink lace bra. With her glasses and her hair still pulled tight behind her head, she felt half librarian and half virginal temptress. Connor handed her the deck and she dealt out the cards. She lost the hand and realized they hadn’t stated what she’d lose this time.