by Livia Grant
He was only half kidding.
"So what exactly would I do if I went on the road with you? Hang out in the hotel room every day?"
"Not at all. You could come on set or go shopping. And don't forget, we need someone to manage our riches. You'd be perfect for the job."
"But what about my masters degree? I've already started and I don't want to be a quitter."
"You can finish with on-line classes from anywhere in the world. Next objection?"
They'd been through this argument many times. Jaxson could see progress. In the beginning she had refused to even consider leaving Wisconsin with them when they left in two weeks. He suspected she was finally giving a future with the men some serious thought.
Ironically, Jax had expected to become restless with this much time off, but between the marathon sexcapades, long runs along Lake Mendota, and binge drinking and eating, he'd accomplished the near impossible.
He had truly relaxed.
The thought of going back to the grind of their modeling schedule stressed him, but the thought of doing it without Emma with them downright depressed him. He had halfway expected to have her worked out of his system by now. He had never been known for long-term relationships. In fact, other than his long-standing friendship and now quasi-relationship with Chase, he’d never felt this way before.
The two weeks they'd spent in Madison had been some of the best of his life. It was the first time in his adult life he'd given himself permission to just be.
Before they'd come, he'd made reservations for a suite at the best hotel in town, expecting to treat Emma to a month of luxury. Instead, she'd convinced them they'd have a better chance of remaining anonymous by staying with her at her house just off campus.
He hated to admit it, but she'd been right.
For years they'd been treated like celebrities everywhere they went and while being rich and famous certainly had its perks, he hadn't realized how much he missed just being able to fade into the crowd. The men had lost touch with reality and their time in Wisconsin was restoring an equilibrium he hadn't even known was out of whack.
The fact that Emma not only understood that, but refused to capitalize on the men's fame in any way put her in uncharted territory for Jax. Only through distance could he see that the people he'd been surrounded by for the last few years had all wanted something from him. Money. Fame. Connections.
Emma wanted none of those things. She simply wanted him. The real him, and he hadn't known how important that was until it happened.
Now that they'd passed the halfway mark of their month-long vacation, Jax found himself analyzing his life in a way he hadn't in years. At twenty-six years old, he found himself examining how many more years he had left in his modeling career. The fact that he had started to dread going back on the road was revealing.
Unaware of Jaxson's inner conflict, Chase rolled over to reach for the remote control from the nightstand. When the men had found Emma had no television they'd gone out and purchased a big-ass smart TV that took up a whole section of the attic. They'd spent hours curled up watching movie after movie, taking intermissions for sex, sleep and food. As nice as the break had been, he found the tension returning in small increments with each day they marked off on the calendar.
Happy-go-lucky Chase didn't seem to suffer from the same self-awareness issues.
While Jaxson tried to distract himself on his iPad, Emma and Chase wrestled for control over the remote. Chase tickled their lover and she broke into a fit of giggles, sending a jolt of longing through Jax.
He didn't want this to end.
Hours later, Jaxson lay awake. His two lovers were each snuggled close on either side of him, their hands intertwined on his chest, linking the three together even in sleep. His mind wouldn't shut off and he hated it. He spent hours looking at his choices from every possible angle. In the end, he knew what he needed to do. He just hoped Emma would come around.
Bright light shining in through the one window in the attic woke Jaxson many hours later. He hadn't looked at the clock yet, but knew by the angle of the sun it had to be almost noon. Emma would be done with her classes soon. He cracked an eye to see Chase sitting up in bed next to him, his body propped up with pillows, an X-box controller in his hand.
"It's about time you woke up. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually getting sick of video games."
"I know what you mean. It's been a long time since I've been able to sleep until I woke up without an alarm."
Chase flipped off the TV and threw down the controller to turn his attention to his full-time friend and part-time Dom and lover.
"Emma's gone. So talk to me. What's bothering you?"
The men had known each other way too long to pretend there was nothing wrong. He just didn't know if he was ready to talk about it yet.
Chase waited patiently until the uncomfortable silence pressured Jax into filling the dead air.
"I didn't expect to keep wanting her like I do."
Chase grinned. "I knew it. You always do this. When you start a new relationship I know it will go one of two ways. If you don't really care about them, you slow play things, just using her for your personal satisfaction until someone better comes along. The ones you actually care about, you purposefully consume 24x7 until you either find something about them you don't like or get bored. It's pissing you off that you can't find anything wrong with her because she's perfect for us."
"You make me sound like an ass."
"When it comes to relationships you are an ass."
"Fuck you."
"Yes please." Chase grinned his charismatic smile that melted girl's hearts. Jaxson had to admit he wasn't immune to that smile himself. Playing sexually with Chase had started as experimentation—a rebellion against his parent's conservative mandates. Adding Emma to the mix had changed their dynamic. Jaxson could no longer pretend he didn't have real feelings towards the naked man lounging next to him any more than he could pretend to not care about Emma.
Their banter was interrupted by Emma's cell phone ringing across the room on her desk. She must have left in a hurry to forget it. Chase sprinted out of bed to grab the phone. He looked up mischievously at Jaxson after he'd read the incoming call information.
"It's her dad calling."
Jax stated the obvious. "She's avoiding him. He called twice yesterday."
"I don't know about you, but I hate that she insists on keeping us a secret." Chase looked hurt.
"I think it's refreshing, honestly. I'd rather have that than what we normally have which is people constantly using us to get attention or show off that they know a celebrity."
"I guess. Still, we're never going to get her to say yes to coming on the road with us if she won't even tell her family about us."
Jaxson knew Chase was right. Before he had time to consider the implications, the phone started ringing again. Another call from her father.
He shouldn't. It was wrong. He did it anyway.
"Hello."
There was a long hesitation at the other end of the line. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number. Sorry to disturb you."
"Wait... You have the right number, Mr. Fischer."
Surprise at the other end. "How do you know who I am?"
"Because I'm answering Emma's phone and she has you programmed in as 'Daddy.'"
"And why, may I ask, do you have Emma's cell phone?"
Jaxson knew he had to tread lightly here. "Emma left for class and forgot to take her phone."
"So... you are at her house? Is this Ryan?"
"No."
"Danielle's boyfriend?" He was on a fishing expedition and Jaxson was about to help him fill in the gaps.
"No, sir. I'm Emma's boyfriend." Jax felt slimy the second the words left his mouth. This was Emma's story to tell, not his. The picture of Emma losing her shit and kicking him out flashed before him just before Chase's words came back that he always does something to sabotage a relationship when he let hi
mself start caring about someone.
Was that what he was doing? Purposefully tanking the relationship before it really got off the ground?
Only then did Jaxson realize that he had rendered Mr. Fischer speechless. He prompted the elder, "Hello? Are you still there?"
"Yes. I'm here. I'm just trying to understand why it is I'm hearing about this from you instead of my daughter."
"I'm afraid I can't answer that question, sir." Jaxson made every effort to keep his tone respectful.
"What did you say your name is again?" He was prompted.
"I didn't"
Her father sighed in exasperation. "I see. And just how long have you been seeing my little girl?"
"I met her in Europe when she was studying abroad." It was the truth. Her father didn't need to know it had literally been in her final hours there.
"Interesting. Still waiting on your name, young man."
Rarely did Jaxson feel dressed down, yet Mr. Fischer made him feel just that. "My name is Jaxson Davidson."
"Well Jaxson, I'd like you to give Emma a message to please call me the minute she gets home from her classes. We haven't seen her in several weeks. She was supposed to be coming home this weekend. Perhaps you could come with her and we could meet."
Ah. Emma the little secret keeper. "I'm not sure. We hadn't discussed it yet."
"Well Jaxson, I will be expecting you. If you are close enough to my baby girl to follow her half way across the globe, then you seem to be someone important enough for me to meet. Wouldn't you agree?"
Jaxson had opened this particular can of worms. It would be easy enough to back-pedal and say they were just friends, but the words wouldn't come. Instead he pushed forward. "I would agree, sir. In fact, another good friend of Emma's is visiting as well and if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like you to meet our friend Chase as well."
"That would be fine. Perhaps you two can share your stories from Europe with us. Emma came home a changed young woman and yet she's shared very few details of her time overseas. I look forward to hearing all of the details of your time with my little girl."
He was pretty damn sure her father wouldn't be looking so forward to the stories if he knew they all entailed his daughter naked and doing the down-and-dirty with not one but two men at the same time.
"Yes, sir. I look forward to that as well."
"Very well. I'll expect to see you this weekend. Don't forget. Make sure Emma gives me a call."
The call dropped.
"You know she's gonna kick your ass for this, right?"
Jaxson did know. "Yeah, probably. Too late now."
"Well, I'm starving. Let's go down to the kitchen to grab some lunch. We should eat something just in case she decides to kick us to the curb. At least we won't be hungry."
"She won't kick us to the curb." Jaxson wished his voice didn't sound so damn unsure.
Chapter 12
The kitchen was full when the men made it there twenty minutes later. Eating lunch with Emma's roommates was turning into a surprisingly fun daily routine. The motley crew was pretty good-natured about having two supermodels hanging out in their attic.
Emma's four unlikely roommates sat around the large kitchen table today eating big bowls of breakfast cereal for lunch. Ryan and Courtney, the only couple to live in the house, looked like they'd just finished their own marathon sex session. Danielle, the brainiac pre-law student, blushed as was normal when the men sat down at the table next to her. She then returned her attention to her computer. Very gay Richard rounded out the group. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that of the group, Richard was the one most jealous of Emma. Jaxson and Chase had agreed they needed to be careful about sending the impressionable young man any wrong messages about their availability.
"Good morning," Jaxson greeted them a bit too cheerily.
"Good afternoon." Courtney teased.
Chase dished it back. "Hey, we had a late night," he said reaching to pour a cup of bad coffee.
Ryan answered him with a grin. "Yeah, we heard. I have to protest. You sex-gods are giving all men a bad name. It's inhuman how long you can go at it. You're setting very unrealistic goals for us mere mortals."
"Yeah, well there are two of us so that kinda helps." Chase teased back.
It was Courtney who probed deeper. "So how exactly does that work? I mean..."
Ryan cut her off. "I thought we discussed this, Court. It is none of your damn business how it works. Butt out."
Richard piped in. "Yeah, well I wouldn't mind hearing more about it myself."
Ryan shot his roommate a look that shut him up. Jaxson poured his cereal and milk while answering. "I'm not exactly sure what you all are fishing to know. I'd have thought you'd gotten your lesson on the birds and the bees a few years ago." He tried to make light of their teasing, unwilling to disclose personal information Emma would prefer to keep private.
He was saved from expounding by a very tired looking Emma coming through the back door into the kitchen. She dropped her too-heavy backpack to the floor with a thud before collapsing into the only empty chair with a sigh.
Not only had she not greeted them, but she wasn't even making eye contact with him.
Something was wrong.
Jaxson pushed his chair back from the table and patted his lap. "Come here, sweetheart. You look like you need a hug."
Tears sprang to her eyes as she continued to look down at her wringing hands in her lap.
Something was very wrong.
"Emma." When she glanced up briefly, he saw the confusion in her eyes. She needed his help. "My lap. Now." It was an order and it worked.
She moved slowly, but she moved. The second he wrapped his arms around her, she dissolved into a sobbing mess, crying on his shoulder. He caught Chase's confused expression. The table went silent, waiting for Emma to stop crying. The sound of her sniffling permeated the otherwise quiet space as she slowly calmed.
Jax reached for a paper napkin on the table from the previous night's take-out Chinese. He held it up to Emma's nose. "Blow for me, baby." He used the edge of the napkin to dry the smearing mascara before pressing her for answers. "Now, who the hell upset you? I need names. Chase and I will kick their ass."
That at least got a wane smile from their curvy grad student. It didn't last long. "I don't think kicking the head of the department's ass is a good idea."
"What did he do?" Chase prodded her this time.
He noticed a flash of guilt just before she glanced away. He scooped up a spoonful of Frosted Flakes and held it to her mouth to feed her. Only after she'd eaten three bites did he continue.
"Chase asked a question, Emma. What did your professor do?" It was his Dom voice. He knew the entire house of roommates was watching the D/s dynamics of his relationship with Emma play out with fascination.
"He sat in on the class I taught today."
"And..."
"And, I wasn't as prepared as I should have been."
"And..."
"And, nothing. That's all."
He watched her closely. "Don't lie to me. What are you not telling me?"
Her eyes widened and he knew he'd been right. She had held something back.
"He has pictures."
"Of?"
"Us." It was a whisper under her breath.
"Okay. So?"
"So... there are security cameras... in places... I didn't know..." She was blushing beet red.
Her eyes glanced around the room at her roommates before returning to his. She was panicked which meant her professor had photos of them having sex in her office.
"I see. And what does he plan on doing with said pictures?"
Her tears were back, accompanied by a healthy dose of regret. "He knows who you are."
That wasn't an answer to the question he'd asked, but it gave him a good idea of how the rest of the conversation had gone. It dawned on him he should be concerned about the photos going public, but in that moment he was more worried
about what it would mean for Emma and her TA job.
"Did he fire you or threaten to go public?"
"Not exactly."
His patience with the game of fifty questions was growing thin. "Emma, just spit it out. What did he say?"
"He said he was disappointed in me. That he'd vouched for me when I was chosen as his TA and that if he'd known about my corrupt moral fiber he'd have never chosen me."
"What a prick."
"That's not all. He wrote me up for unprofessional behavior and put me on probation."
Chase had moved his chair closer and was rubbing her back to keep her calm. He piped in. "Well that doesn't sound so bad."
Emma's eyes filled with tears again. "Not so bad? Are you kidding me? I've never so much as gotten a C on a test, let alone been put on probation. It will go in my official record."
Jaxson had to hide his smile. In the wide spectrum of things, this wasn't that big of a deal, but then it hit him. If she was this upset over being chastised in private for something so insignificant, how was she going to handle the likely public outcry if they went public with their ménage relationship?
It was in that moment that Jaxson knew he had every intention of continuing their relationship even after their summer vacation was over. One way or another, he wanted Emma in his life. The tension that had started to build again the day before suddenly slipped away, leaving him at peace with the knowledge that he was, in fact, in a relationship with Emma and Chase. Not a fuck-fest. Not a down-low interlude. No. They were in a real relationship. That could mean only one thing.
"I'll go talk to him. What is his name?"
"Oh God, no. Not that. That would make it worse."
"Trust me. I've got this."
"That's not even all. I lost my damn phone today, too. I've retraced my steps and can't find it. I hope no one breaks into it because I have a lot of..." She paused, glancing around with panic at her roommates before continuing a bit more subdued, "...photos I wouldn't want to get into the wrong hands."
Jaxson had taken most of them and agreed the X-rated photos of the three in all kinds of kinky positions needed to stay private.
