I should tell him I’m not afraid, but sensation assaults me from every direction. Raw heat is radiating through my body, and my thoughts scatter in the wind. Zane adds another finger, and as he does, Scott’s thumb traces a soft circle around my clitoris.
My muscles clench at his touch. “Nina,” Scott groans, “Keep this up, and I’ll explode.”
“Not yet.” Zane removes his fingers. The head of his cock nudges my ass. I inhale sharply as my muscles stretch to accommodate his girth. Oh God, I’m so full. Scott’s cock in my pussy, Zane’s shaft in my ass—I’d forgotten how overwhelmingly good this felt.
Then they start moving.
I’ve been dangerously close to an orgasm ever since Zane pushed me on the bed. When I feel both of them stroke in and out of me, I can’t hold back any longer. I explode into a thousand pieces. Sandwiched between their bodies, I writhe and squirm as wave after wave of pleasure washes over me.
They pick up the pace. They coordinate their thrusts, both pulling out of me, leaving me feeling empty, then thrusting in unison. I’ve no time to recover; I go from one orgasm straight into the next. I’m filled, so filled. I explode between them, almost sobbing with the intensity of my climax.
They’re right there with me. Scott grabs my hips, and Zane’s fingers bite into my ass, and their hips buck as they flood into me.
Afterward, I cuddle between their bodies and listen to their breathing as they sleep, deep and even. It almost killed me to leave them the first time.
And I’m going to have to do it again.
11
Zane:
A weak winter sun is struggling to make its way out from behind a cloud-filled sky, but when I wake up in Nina’s bed, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
At my side, Nina’s fast asleep, her face peaceful and oddly vulnerable. Scott’s already awake. He’s propped up on one elbow, and he’s looking at her, his expression haunted. “I should have gone after her,” he says, his voice a whisper in the quiet room. “I shouldn’t have let almost two years go by. If your dad hadn’t asked for help with his subdivision…”
I shudder at the thought. Scott’s right. We’ve been given a second chance, and I’m not going to blow it.
We’ll need to make lots of changes in our lives. We can’t be on tour constantly; Nina has a bar to run, and she’ll need to be here. We’ll have to scale back or even disband Evolving Whistle.
That’s not a bad thing.
My dad’s been hinting that he’d like me to work in the family business. He’s built up his company from scratch, and he employs dozens of people. I know he wants to pass it down to the next generation, and my sister Tia has never expressed any interest in real estate.
And Scott? Though my fellow bandmate had tossed out the idea of buying Nina’s building in anger, he’s expressed interest in running a concert venue before. If he bought Nina’s building and converted the space next to the Merry Cockatoo into a concert hall…
I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ve made promises to Nina before, and we haven’t followed through. This time around, I’m doing it right. Words aren’t enough. I need to act. I need to show Nina that I’ve changed.
This time around, I’m putting her first. Like I should have done from the start.
Nina’s eyes flicker open, and she sees us staring at her. “Do I have a zit on my nose?” she asks sleepily. “Because if I do, don’t tell me.”
I chuckle. “No zit,” I assure her. “Though I do have a problem you could help with.”
Her lips twitch. “Ah, morning wood.” She sits up in bed, stretching lazily, and I can’t take my eyes off her breasts. Fuck me; she’s gorgeous. “What a welcome sight.”
In about sixty seconds, I’m going to lose my ability to think. Before that, I want her to know how I feel. “Nina,” I say, closing my hand around her wrist to stop her from grabbing my dick. “When you left, I let my pride come in the way of what mattered.” I take a deep breath and look into her jewel green eyes. “I should have come after you, and I should have done whatever it took to keep you in my life. This time around, I won’t make the same mistake.”
She smiles brightly. “What a serious topic for a lazy weekend morning,” she says, her voice light. “I can think of more fun ways to start the day, can’t you?”
There’s something in her tone that doesn’t quite ring true. Judging from the frown on Scott’s face, he senses it too. But it’s been twenty long months since Nina was in bed with us. When she wraps her lips around my cock, I forget what I was going to say, and I surrender to the pleasure that courses through my body.
12
Nina:
I’m a total pussy.
I could have told them what I was upset about, but I didn’t. You know why? Because I’m terrified.
For the last five years, the only priority in Zane and Scott’s life has been their band. They’ve toured constantly. They’ve released five albums. They’ve lived their lives on the road, sacrificing any semblance of normality for the rewards of success.
They’re already doing pretty well. They’ve got great recognition in the indie music scene. Any moment now, a major record label could come knocking at their door.
Compared to that, what do I offer? I’m a former waitress, a bar owner with a troubled relationship with my family, deep scars from the death of my mother, and a tendency to run away when I’m feeling vulnerable.
I can see the writing on the wall.
Instead of facing my problems head-on, I’m taking refuge in a powerful cocktail of sex and denial.
It’s Saturday, and I’m working behind the bar at the Merry Cockatoo. James, Lucas, and Cassie are finally done with the renovations at their house, and they’re having a housewarming party to celebrate. Since everyone we know is attending the gathering, I decided to close early. “I’ll be there at eight,” I promised Cassie this morning. “I’ll shut the bar at seven, and head over as soon as I get the last drunk out the door.”
At six-thirty, the door swings open. I lift my head up to warn the newcomers that we’re closing in thirty minutes, but the words die on my lips. It’s Zane and Scott.
“I called you earlier this afternoon, Nina,” Zane says, sitting down on a barstool and raising an eyebrow at me. “You didn’t pick up.”
When he called, I’d been feeling sorry for myself, and I couldn’t face the idea of talking to him. “I didn’t hear the phone ring,” I lie. “I just saw the missed call a few minutes ago.”
“Were you going to call back?” Scott asks, his gaze sharply perceptive.
“Of course,” I reply lightly. “It was a busy afternoon, that’s all. What’s with the inquisition?”
“Why do I not believe a word you’re saying, Nina?” Zane asks. “I was calling to tell you that the second night of the game was tonight.” He lifts his shoulders in a shrug. “Or you could forfeit.”
I can’t forfeit. I’ve been thinking about this. I won’t put Scott and Zane in a situation where they’re forced to choose between their band and me. I love them too much to do that. Winning the game is my only way out. If I can convince them I’m not interested in resuming our relationship, then they’ll leave New Summit.
Four more nights, Nina. You can do this.
I lift my chin up. “I’m not forfeiting.”
“Good.” Zane hands me a white plastic bag. Unable to resist, I peek inside, to find clothing of some kind, hot pink and black, and a pair of black high heels. My pulse starts to race. Is this what I think it is?
“When it’s time for the bar to shut, I want you to close the shutters, Nina. Lock the door, go to the back and change into that outfit.”
Oh dear God. Kill me now. We’re going to reenact the night we met. It’s the first time, all over again, and I don’t think I can do it. Three years ago, I was wary but still bright-eyed and ready for adventure. I’m not that woman anymore. I’ve seen our future, and there’s no happily-ever-after in store.
I can�
�t pretend.
Both Scott and Zane are watching me, their eyes narrowed. It’s time for me to turn in an Oscar-winning performance. “Promise me,” I say, winking at them though my heart is breaking inside, “that this time, you aren’t going to run ice cubes all over my body.”
Zane’s lips turn up in a half-smile. “That’s not a promise I can make.”
The Merry Cockatoo is almost empty; there are only two groups of people here. While Zane and Scott wait at the bar, I walk over to the tables, my knees trembling, and warn them we’re closing in thirty minutes. When they’ve left, I close the shutters, lock the door, and turn off the Open sign. Then I turn toward them.
“Now what?”
Scott lifts an eyebrow. “Take off your panties, sugar, and give them to me,” he says, echoing the words he said to me the first night we met.
Three years ago, I made out with Zane and Scott in a bar, and it marked a beginning for us. This time around, when we make love, it’s a sign that the end is near.
13
Scott:
A week later, Zane and I finally talk about the future of Evolving Whistle, and we both agree. If the choice is between Nina and the band, we’re both going to pick Nina. No contest, not even close.
But Evolving Whistle isn’t just the two of us. Andy and Jeremy need to weigh in too.
We’re deliberately not including our manager Chris Muller in this meeting. The guy’s going to have a coronary at our decision, but that’s life. He keeps pushing us, telling us that we’re on the verge of signing with a major record label, but I’m a realist, and I know how low the odds are of that happening. Chris has been saying the same thing to us for the last five years, and by pushing us on tour after grueling tour, he’s become very rich.
In the last two weeks, I’ve been happier than I’ve been in the last twenty years. I’ve found my long-missing muse. I’m more creative. The music feels effortless and fun, not the relentless drudgery it’s been ever since Nina left us.
Zane and I are incredibly lucky; we found Nina again. A second chance is a rare thing, and we’re not going to squander it.
What about Nina? A voice in the back of my head prods me. She’s never come out and said that she wants a second chance too.
I dismiss that voice. Nina might not have said those words, but her actions speak louder than her words. The night we ate Chinese food at her place, last Saturday at the Merry Cockatoo, earlier this week when she spent all night with us—these things tell us all we need to know.
Jeremy and Andy arrive at one on Sunday afternoon. “How are your parents doing?” Andy asks Zane, as we settle down on the couches and turn on the TV to watch the football game. “Has your mom forgiven your dad yet?”
“I think they’re doing better,” Zane replies. “Of course, they’re on vacation right now. The real test is when they get back home.”
I open a couple of bags of chips and set a six-pack of beer on the coffee table. Andy reaches for one, but Jeremy shakes his head. “I’m not drinking,” he replies. “Do you have any soda?”
“There are a couple of cans of Coke in the fridge,” I reply. “I thought you guys were sticking around all afternoon. There’s plenty of time for you to sober up before you head back on the road.”
“Nah, that’s not it.” Jeremy takes a deep breath. “I need to tell you guys something,” he says, with a resolute expression on his face. “I have a drinking problem.”
Andy, Zane, and I exchange glances. I don’t think any of us know what to say next. “You do?” Zane asks after a long pause.
“Yeah.” Jeremy opens the can of Coke and tips it down his throat. “In public, I had pretty strict rules,” he says. “I had a two-drink limit, and I tended to stick to beer. But after the shows, in the privacy of my motel room, when there wasn’t anyone around, I was polishing off a half-bottle of bourbon a night.”
“Damn.” Andy’s voice is astonished. “We never knew.”
“I’m a high-functioning drunk,” Jeremy says wryly. “But I’m a drunk nonetheless. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night covered in puke. I started placing a bucket at the side of the bed, every single night I was on the road so that I wouldn’t destroy the bedding. I was a fucking mess, but I was brilliant at pulling it together by the morning. I was great at keeping it a secret.”
He looks squarely at Zane. “For the first time in five years, I’ve spent two weeks sleeping in the same bed,” he says. “It’s been good for me, Zane. For five years, I’ve told myself that Evolving Whistle was the most important thing in my life, but it’s not. My grandfather was an alcoholic who used his wife and kids as a punching bag. My entire family has a deeply troubled relationship with booze. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure I’m not another Knox statistic.”
He gives Zane a steady look. “I’m not going to go on tour to Asia this winter,” he says. “No matter what Chris says. In fact, I’m quitting the band.”
“What Asia tour?” I ask blankly. “We told Chris to cancel it.”
Andy frowns. “Are you sure? I talked to him two days ago. He told me it was a go, and I’d be letting everyone down if I didn’t cooperate.”
Jeremy nods. “Yeah, he said the same thing to me.”
“Is this what you think this meeting is about?” Zane demands. “You thought we were going to discuss the tour?”
“Yeah,” they both reply, both with identical unhappy expressions on their faces. “I love you, man,” Andy adds, “but I can’t do it. I’m with Jeremy; I want to quit. I know this is going to sound like sacrilege, but I don’t give a fuck anymore.”
“That’s not why I called you,” Zane says. His voice is tight with anger. “Chris lied to you. Like Scott said, we told him Asia was a no-go. I don’t know why he would tell you we were on board.”
“I do,” Andy says. “I mean, come on. Let’s just call a spade a spade, okay? Chris has pulled this kind of shit before. Divide and conquer, that’s his style. And it’s not just the four of us. Remember that tour extension two years ago? He told Nina it was all arranged, even though he hadn’t cleared it with you, and she snapped. I’m pretty sure that’s why she left.”
“You knew why Nina left?” I glare at Andy, my hands clenching into fists. I thought Andy was my friend, goddamnit. How could he conceal this from us? “Why didn’t you tell us?”
He meets my angry gaze squarely. “Because though it was the wrong reason, it was the right result. Nina was miserable on the road, Scott. You were too fucking stubborn to see it, and Zane was too busy chasing the dream to pay attention.” He takes a long sip of his beer. “And I was right, wasn’t I? Neither of you cared enough to go after her.”
“Enough.” Zane’s voice is hard. “We all fucked up in a thousand different ways. I can’t go back and fix the past, but I can learn from my mistakes.” He gives Andy a steady look. “Chris is your cousin,” he says. “I’d have fired him years ago if it weren’t for that.”
“I wish you’d talked to me,” Andy replies unhappily. “I thought you kept Chris around because you liked the rock star lifestyle. He was getting us bookings, and you were chasing the dream.”
“I don’t know what I was doing.” Zane has a frustrated look on his face. “I never had a moment to think. There was always something to do.”
“That wasn’t an accident, was it?” Jeremy says. “Chris kept us busy for a reason. Had we talked to each other, we would have realized we were all miserable.”
Jeremy’s hit the nail on the head.
“Why did you call us today?” Andy asks. “If it wasn’t for Asia, what was it for?”
I exchange another glance with Zane. “Nina lives in New Summit,” I admit. “In the last two weeks, we’ve, uh, reconnected.”
There’s a big grin on Jeremy’s face. “Fucking like rabbits, you mean,” he mutters under his breath. “How she doing?”
“Really great,” Zane beams. “She owns a bar called the Merry Cockatoo. It’s busy all the time.
She’s killing it.” He looks around at the three of us. “You’re my friends,” he says quietly. “I should have seen that you were miserable. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
“What now?” I ask. “Jeremy wants out. Andy too.”
Zane looks calmer than I expect him to. “I think the answer is clear,” he replies. “We’re done.” He lifts his bottle of beer toward us. “We had a good run of it,” he says.
Andy is burned out. Jeremy has a drinking problem. We lost the woman we loved. The price of fame is too high, and we’re done paying.
I tip my bottle against his. “To Evolving Whistle,” I say. “To the end of an era.” I think of Nina’s green eyes, and I add, “And the start of another.”
“Chris isn’t going to like this,” Andy warns. “He’s going to try to change our minds.”
I smile grimly. “Let him try.”
14
Nina:
Sunday morning, Maggie pays me a visit. “Spit it out,” she says bluntly. “You lied to me about Scott and Zane. When you came in to get takeout last Friday, you looked like you’d been crying, and you blew off Cassie’s party last Saturday as well as our lunch on Tuesday.” She settles down on my couch and fixes me with a stern look. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”
I roll my eyes. “Drama queen,” I tease my friend. “I know you have to be at work at one. I’m making coffee—do you want a cup?”
“Does it come with a side of the truth?” she asks pointedly.
Ouch. “Fine.” I hold up my hands. “I’ll tell you everything. Milk and two sugars, right?”
“Yes please.”
I make a pot of coffee. While it’s brewing, I tell Maggie what’s been going on. When I’m done telling her the entire story, I look at her helplessly. “I don’t have any other choice,” I say, my voice dull. “Sometimes, things just don’t work out.”
Dirty Games (A MFM Ménage Romance) (The Dirty Series Book 3) Page 6
