“You know Eugenia Carstairs?” Anna thought the entire world had heard of the widowed hotel chain owner. This was the first time she’d ever met anyone who knew the woman personally.
“Our parents do,” Craig said. “This is where I confess that we called them to help us arrange everything.”
“I suppose that’s a little more straightforward than the bit of sneakiness I’m guilty of,” Anna said.
“Nonsense,” Jack said. “Your father was at work, and your mother...” He paused, she guessed, because she’d neglected to tell them where her mother had been.
“She was at the hairdressers, her standing Friday afternoon appointment. That, of course, would have been followed by her Friday afternoon bridge game at her club.”
She looked from one man to the other. “I really am so very sorry—” She couldn’t say another word because Craig placed two fingers over her lips.
“Sweetheart, please don’t apologize again. You’re not responsible for the things your mother does or the things she says.”
“I would add to that, please don’t thank us again, either.” Jackson stood so that between them, the Jessop men more or less cocooned her. “Perhaps we should beg forgiveness of you. You see, Bella, we jumped rather quickly at the chance to marry you. Now we have you right where we want you.”
She felt breathless, excited, and a little frightened at the same time.
“And where would that be?”
“In the penthouse suite at the Carstairs Las Vegas, about to enjoy your wedding supper—followed by your wedding night.” Craig wore that smug look again, but it didn’t annoy her, no, not one bit.
She’d told them just that morning that she would accompany them to their home for Christmas. Implicit in that agreement was the realization that, over the course of that stay, she would most likely take the two of them as lovers.
We’ve just moved that schedule up is all—and made it all legal, more or less.
As Craig held her chair for her so she could sit at the round room service table, Anna didn’t know if, over the course of this meal, she could fully convince herself of that fact.
What she desperately needed right now was to get back some balance. And she could start that by remembering her manners. They’d told her not to apologize, and not to say thank you. She wouldn’t, if she could help it. But there was one point she wanted to make.
“This is all very lovely. I don’t think I’ve ever been in as grand a place as this.”
“Are you thinking about some of the things your mother said about our seeking money and status?” The men, after she’d insisted, had recounted nearly verbatim everything her mother had thrown at them in their very brief, albeit life-altering conversation.
They already understood her so well. “I know I’m not responsible for her, but that doesn’t prevent me from feeling embarrassed by her. And all this...” She wanted to tell them she didn’t need posh or rich. She was an heiress in her own right, but maybe because she was, money had just never been important to her.
Poor little rich girl? Yes, she was, damn it. She’d grown up surrounded by wealth and the social elite, but craved what she’d never had—a loving family, and a sense of truly belonging.
The two men looked at each other. Jack sighed. “It’s probably time for another confession.” He picked up her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. “You’ve likely heard tales from your mother that some people pay to be put on what the older generation refers to as the social register.”
Anna sighed. “I have heard her say that very thing. She’s never happy. She judges a person’s worth by their social standing. But if she doesn’t like them—and I can tell you there are a lot of people she doesn’t like—why, then they must be charlatans, frauds who’ve bribed their way into being accepted as members of the clubs and organizations she considers elite.”
“Well, sweetheart, the full truth is, some of us pay to stay out of that kind of limelight.”
Anna tilted her head and met his gaze. “I had wondered. It seemed unlikely to me that she wouldn’t have realized your connection to the Benedicts and the Kendalls. I’m not the most socially conscious person around but even I’ve heard of them.”
“Bella, all of this”—Jack used his hands to indicate their surroundings—“is just because we can, and because we both want to pamper you and do things for you. We can’t help it. It’s the way we’re made. We both know that the money and the trappings of wealth are unimportant to you.”
“The times I’ve enjoyed the most between us have been those times when we’re having coffee in the afternoon, and just talking about all manner of things.” She took the napkin at her place setting, and laid it on her lap.
“Those have been our favorite moments, too.” Craig reached over and covered her hand with his.
Jack lifted the lids off the tureens in the center of the table. Heating units beneath them had kept the food warm. Her first dinner as Anna Jessop consisted of pork tenderloin medallions, potatoes au gratin, and steamed green beans.
The food tasted wonderful, but nerves kept Anna from fully enjoying the meal. Her effort wasn’t helped, either, by the way both Craig and Jack kept sending her heated gazes.
After a few quiet, sexually charged minutes, both men set aside their forks and knives.
“I don’t think any of us are hungry...for food.” Craig’s voice had deepened, and the sound brushed a tickle against her skin. She nearly shivered.
“No. I...I don’t want to eat.”
“What would you like to do, Anna?”
“I liked those kisses you gave me, at the chapel. I like the fluttery way I feel inside when either of you looks at me as if I’m dessert, or when you place your hand at the small of my back. I like the way I melt inside when I think about touching you. All those jittery, exciting feelings, they’re like a promise, aren’t they?
“I want that promise fulfilled.”
“God, Bella, that’s what we want, too.” Jackson took her hand, and then kissed it.
Craig got to his feet and helped her out of her chair. Taking her other hand, they led her into the master suite. A large bed shouted for attention, and Anna felt the trembles begin.
“You need to relax, first, sweetheart. We know a really good way to help you do that.”
They walked her into the bathroom. A large, claw foot tub beckoned. It was enormous, deep and wide, and she immediately had the image of indulging....surely, they couldn’t mean to...?
Anna began to shake her head. She’d somehow had come to the conclusion that they would go into the bedroom and turn off the lights, and then do...well, what they as her husbands had the right to do.
She never imagined getting naked in front of them in such a brightly lit room as this.
“Anna.” The sound of command in Craig’s tone made her jerk her attention to him. He met her gaze, and set his hands on her shoulders. “The worst thing your mother did wasn’t to offer us money to fire you, or to impugn our characters. The worst thing she’s done is to tell you lies about yourself, to chip away at your self-esteem all of your life. And that’s what they were, Anna. They were lies. You are not fat. You are not frumpy. You’re beautiful, and you belong to us.” He reached for the buttons closing her blouse. “And now it’s time for us to see what’s ours.”
It took every bit of nerve not to close her eyes. So she kept them open, but meeting Craig’s gaze, or even looking at his face, was more than she could do.
So she braced herself, and then kept her gaze fixed on a point over his shoulder as he began to undress her.
Chapter 8
Craig’s heart broke, and yet at the same time a raw, righteous fury began to burn within him. He looked up and met Jack’s gaze, and knew his brother felt the same way. For a moment, he was at a loss as to what to do. Here stood the most beautiful woman in the world—their wife—and because of the cruel and hurtful judgment of someone who should have cared for her and nurtured her, she stood braced, ready
to endure being undressed on her wedding night.
She’d been conditioned to be ashamed of her body—the very body both he and Jack found so incredibly arousing. His mind—usually so agile at problem solving, scrambled to find the words he needed—better words to tell her that her mother had lied to her all these years, since she hadn’t believed him the first time.
Then his heart whispered, and he knew that telling her she was desirable wasn’t going to do any good. He needed to show her. They both needed to show her how much they wanted her.
“On second thought, maybe we should go first.”
Anna’s entire body shuddered. Then her head jerked toward him and she met his gaze. A frown marred her brow, and he knew he’d confused her. “In the bath?”
“No, Bella. He meant that he and I should undress, first.” Not strange at all that my brother is on the same page as I am. He loves her as much as I do.
Later, when she’d gotten used to them, when she knew they would never ever lie to her, they would tell her the truth. They’d both fallen in love with her instantly. Tonight, he suspected such a declaration from them wouldn’t be believed. She might consider them clichéd words said in the moment, and not declarations from the heart.
No, this is better.
Craig stepped back and began to remove his clothes. Jack did the same.
“Bella, did you know that when a man is sexually excited, his cock becomes turgid?”
“I...yes. I guess I did know that.” Her voice came out just above a whisper. Anna’s blush enchanted Craig, as did the sly way he could see she was trying to see everything without being obvious about it. He picked up on his brother’s opening.
“Now, darling, you must know that we men are not sexually excited by every woman we see, otherwise, we’d all be walking around—or rather, trying to walk around—with erections morning, noon, and night.”
He could see the conversational gambit had her attention as much as his and his brother’s emerging naked skin did.
“I must confess I never thought about it before, but I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. Men aren’t turned on by every woman, and neither are they turned on by a woman they don’t find attractive.”
“But Bella, if you would please look at our cocks, you will discover that they are both hard enough to hammer nails. This state we’re in is because of you.”
“You turn us on, sweetheart. You have since the first moment we laid eyes on you.” Completely naked, Craig stepped forward and took Anna’s left hand while his brother took her right.
In unison, they brought her hands to their bodies. Her fascination overcame her shyness. He and Jack both sucked in air at the same time when she wrapped those small, untutored hands of hers around their cocks.
“Good Lord, will either of them even fit inside me?”
“We’ll fit, because we were made for you.” Craig stroked her cheek, and she finally met his gaze again. “I have wanted you naked and writhing between us since you walked into our office for that interview. I know it’s only been a handful of weeks that we’ve known each other, but sweetheart, we both want you rather desperately right about now. And nothing would please us more than to serve as your personal bath attendants. Will you let us undress you, and help you into the bath?”
“All right, but I don’t see how you’re going to get me to relax, hot scented water or not. I guess you can’t see it on me the way I can see it on you, but...”
“Oh, but we can.” Jack reached out and brushed a finger across her right breast. Even through two layers of clothing they could see her nipple had puckered.
“Is your pussy wet, sweetheart? Does seeing our naked cocks, hard and weeping for you turn you on?” Craig wondered where the words had come from. He was no Romeo, but right then he was so horny, he guessed that didn’t matter.
“Yes.” She licked her lips. The whole while, her gaze was on their cocks as she treated them to a slow, thorough stroking. “I’m pretty sure I want you both a little desperately, too.”
“Good.” Craig reached out and stilled her hand. “I don’t want to come in your hand, wife. I’d much rather come inside your pussy.”
This time, as he began to undress her, as he reached for the buttons of her blouse, she kept her gaze on his face. One by one, he opened them. Jack stepped in close behind her and the moment the last button let go, his brother slid the garment off her shoulders, and down her arms. He set it aside, and then opened her skirt.
Jack hunkered down, and as he lifted each of her feet for her to step out of the skirt, he slipped her shoes off her, too.
Anna stood before them in a white slip edged with lace, the satiny material clinging to her nearly like a second skin. Craig took her hand and placed it on his chest.
“Do you feel my heart pounding? It’s for you, Anna Jessop. Because you’re so damn sexy standing there in your demure slip that really isn’t demure at all.”
“I actually feel sexy. It’s an amazing feeling.”
It’s her hungry soul responding to our genuine admiration and appreciation of her that makes her feel sexy. It was going to be his pleasure, to spend the rest of his life making this woman understand just how special she was to them.
Jack took her skirt from the floor and laid it over a chair. Then he set about filling the bathtub. The scent of roses filled the air, and Craig’s cock twitched when Anna, in response to the subtle scent, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“Lift your arms, sweetheart.” Craig gathered her slip into his hands, and lifted, taking care not to snag the garment on her hair. She was left standing in a bra, girdle, panties, and panty hose. He made very quick work of the hose, tossing them aside the moment her feet were free of the nylon. Looking up at her, he waited until she met his gaze.
“I need a promise from you, wife.”
She tilted her head to one side. “And that promise would be?”
He stroked his finger over the formidable girdle she wore. Spanning her body from waist to mid-thigh, the garment felt as if it was made from a combination of rubber and elastic. He couldn’t believe for one moment this contraption was comfortable on her. “When I take this travesty off you, I don’t ever want you to wear one again.”
She opened her mouth as if to protest, and then closed it again. “All right. I won’t.”
There was no sexy way to remove the thing, so he simply peeled it down and off her. There were marks on her skin where the seams had cut into her soft, white flesh. He caressed them gently, and then met her gaze. “Are you still doing all right here, sweetheart?”
Her smile was small despite the fierceness of her blush. She quickly looked down, a not-so-discreet glimpse of his cock. Then she met his gaze and the light he saw there in her eyes lifted his heart. “You’re still hard, even after that, so yes, I’m all right.”
“Good, because we only have two items to go until you’re as naked as we are.”
He waited until she nodded. He’d have to be completely blind not to see how nervous she was. At this point, the faster they got her into the bath, the better—for all of them.
Jack stepped behind her, and kissed her shoulder. She turned her head to look at him, just as he unhooked her bra. He didn’t give her a moment to think or react, he simply brushed the straps off her shoulders and let the garment fall.
Craig reached up and slipped her panties—panties that had to be at least two sizes too big for her—down her legs.
Her pussy glistened with her nectar, the pale blonde hair sparkling in the bathroom lights, and the enticing aroma made his cock twitch in anticipation.
“My God, woman, you are gorgeous. My mouth is watering just looking at you.”
Jack pressed against her, sliding his arms around her so he could cup her magnificent breasts.
“Can you feel me shaking, Bella? That’s how badly I want you. You are beyond doubt the biggest test to my willpower, ever.”
“Am I?” Anna seem
ed very pleased with that confession.
“Never doubt it.” Craig got to his feet, leaned in, and gave her a chaste kiss. “Give me your hand, love. Your bath awaits.”
“I love the scent of roses. I started growing some, but Mother didn’t want me out in the sun. She said gardening was for servants.”
“You’re our wife, Bella. From this day forward, you can do whatever it is you want to do.”
Anna stepped into the tub, and then slid gracefully down into the water. “This is truly heaven.”
Craig knew she was referring to more than just the heated, scented water.
* * * *
Despite all of her expectations, Anna felt herself begin to relax as the heat of the water and the aroma of the bath salts began to work their magic.
She felt like royalty, lounging back, with a handsome, naked man kneeling on either side of her. All the worry, all the hectic maneuvering that had taken place over the last few hours faded to nothing.
She was Anna Jessop, these two men were her husbands, and this was her wedding night.
“Are you cold, or aroused?” Craig followed up his question by running one finger back and forth over her nipple.
She shivered from his touch. “Aroused.” She’d been shy to undress, but only because she believed herself to be what she’d always been called—fat and frumpy. That feeling wasn’t gone, not by a long shot, but she couldn’t deny that these men found her sexy. That was enough of a thrill she could lounge back and let them see her and touch her.
Anna didn’t know why they’d chosen to marry her. But they had married her—well, Craig was her legal husband, but Jack had sworn to her she was his wife as well—and she intended to do her very best to enjoy the situation.
For as long as it lasts.
Anna didn’t doubt their intentions, exactly. But she was worldly enough to know that Nevada was generally famous for two cities—Las Vegas, where couples fled to wed, and Reno, where discontented spouses fled to be rid of their wedded mates.
She couldn’t imagine there was a great deal about her that these men would find suitable for the long haul. Tonight and now were all she had, really, and that would have to be enough to last a lifetime.
A Very Lusty New Year [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8
