Warmth bloomed in the pit of his stomach as he contemplated the idea that Leslie could be their girl for the long haul. Waking with her sweet backside pressed tightly against his cock had been an experience he hoped to repeat as many times as possible. The only thing that would make it more perfect was having Joshua join them.
He gazed at his friend and partner. Always the skeptic, Joshua was eyeing Mikayla as if she were a rattlesnake poised to strike.
“Well, boys, I think you’ll have to agree that my clients really have the most to offer the child in this case.” A self-satisfied smile twisted the corner of her mouth, and she absently examined her manicured red nails.
“Is that why they’re basing their entire petition on the weakest point of any custody case?”
The venom in Joshua’s tone surprised Seth. Either his partner was highly annoyed with Mikayla, or he’d somehow become personally invested in the case. Clearing his throat, Seth went with Joshua’s good cop/bad cop routine and took a slightly less hostile approach. “What Joshua is referring to is the fact that your client’s entire petition is based upon the ‘in the best interest of the child’ clause in the Massachusetts custody statute.”
“My clients are the child’s maternal grandparents. They have a close personal relationship with the child and are financially capable of providing him with advantages his father could not possibly afford.” She lounged back in her chair and bounced her leg. The gaping skirt bowed and flexed with each movement, and Seth wondered if he should just come right out and tell her they weren’t interested.
Joshua leaned forward. “Before her passing, our client and his estranged wife shared custody of Caleb. He spent every weekend with his father. And when she was having chemo for her cancer treatment, Caleb spent some weeknights with his father as well. The kid just lost his mom. Are you really going to try and take his father away from him too?”
Seth picked up the thread of conversation. “Niles has a full-time job that provides benefits for his son; he’s lived in the same apartment for three years; Caleb was already established in his father’s apartment before this petition; and our client has no desire to prevent his son from having regular, and even unsupervised contact, with his maternal grandparents.” He ticked off the list on his fingers, maintaining eye contact with Mikayla.
“Your client has an apartment?” Her expression grew smug. “My sources tell me Niles has been living with an unattached woman for the last three years.”
“It isn’t unusual to have a roommate to help share expenses.” Seth kept his voice carefully modulated. Beside him, Joshua’s rigid posture indicated his temper was flaring red-hot. If Mikayla made disparaging remarks about Leslie, Seth had a feeling his partner would lose it. And that was not normal. Not at all.
“Since having full custody of Caleb, the roommate has moved out of our client’s apartment, and he’s continued to cover expenses without any additional assistance.” Joshua delivered the information in a flat tone.
Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. There was no telling how much Leslie was assisting with Niles’s financial situation. She’d been careful about it, but he’d seen the books for the Trio. Niles was taking home what should’ve been Leslie’s paycheck in addition to his.
Mikayla rearranged her face into an ugly parody of a smile. “And you don’t think my clients have been concerned about their grandson having contact with a woman like that, who moves in and out of apartments with single men?”
The comment stung. The rub was that Mikayla could not possibly know how or why she’d scored a point. Joshua’s lip curled, and Seth knew it was time to wrap things up. Taking a deep breath, he pushed her into a corner. “Instead of smearing some poor woman you don’t even know, why don’t we talk about what your client really sees as detrimental to their grandson’s welfare?”
“Excuse me?” Her expression faltered.
Joshua charged ahead. “Yes. Let’s talk about the fact that our client is openly homosexual. And though he doesn’t currently have a steady partner, at some point he will be likely to develop a relationship with another homosexual and introduce him to Caleb.”
Her cheeks flamed bright red. “Surely you can understand the concern!”
Seth sat back in his seat and gave her a hard glare. “Honestly, Mikayla, do you really want to walk into a Boston courtroom and go there?”
Her twitchy expression and flushed face indicated her increasing excitement. “Is that why the two of you took this case?”
He and Joshua locked gazes. They needed to tread carefully. He had no idea what her angle was, but something told him she was straying from the topic.
“Did you take the case because you’re both bisexual?” She reached across the table and snagged his sleeve.
He snatched his arm away as though he’d been burned. “I’m sorry, what does that have to do with this case?”
“I’ve always wanted to watch.” Her voice was low, fervent, and disturbing. The hair at the nape of Seth’s neck stood on end.
“I told you before, Ms. Stevens, Seth and I are straight.” Joshua was hanging on to his composure by a thread.
“Don’t be silly. I’m no dummy.” Her eyes were strangely bright. “Living up there in that penthouse all alone. I bet the two of you could teach me to suck cock better than any woman alive.”
A wordless look of horror passed between them. Seth wondered if it would be best to just let her say what she felt she had to say or to run like hell.
She turned to Joshua. “I want to wet the head of your cock in my juices, and then watch it disappear into Seth’s mouth. Then I want to see him run his tongue all over your shaft before he sucks you off. I want to taste his cum on your lips when I kiss you.”
Definitely run like hell.
He and Joshua stood at the same moment. Their chairs rocked backward with the force. Mikayla looked surprised. Had she really expected them to invite her home for a round of something he didn’t even care to speculate on?
“Come on, boys.” She pressed one red nail to her lips. “I’m not going to tell anyone about our little arrangement.”
Seth couldn’t stand it anymore. “Though it is none of your business, Joshua and I are currently in a relationship. I highly doubt she would appreciate any sort of unprofessional arrangement, no matter the nature.”
“Not to mention that this meeting has strayed far away from its original purpose.” Joshua motioned for a server, then handed him a couple of hundred dollar bills. “Please feel free to finish your meal. We’re leaving.”
“Call the office if you want to reopen negotiations about this case.” Seth gave her a hard stare. “Otherwise, we won’t expect to hear from you.”
With Joshua at his side, he exited the dining room for the bar area without looking back.
“She’s lost it,” Joshua muttered as he paused at the coatroom to pick up their suit jackets. “I vote we keep this little incident to ourselves. No need to mention it to Leslie.”
“I’ll second that. I can’t imagine how we’d explain it anyway.” Seth motioned to a valet to get their car. Pulling on his jacket, he contemplated the fact that Joshua had willingly asked the crazy bitch on a date.
“Don’t say it.”
Seth fought the smile that threatened to spread across his face. “Say what?”
“Fine, I’ll say it.” Joshua closed his eyes briefly. “I passed up an evening spent with you and Leslie for her.”
“Yeah, that pretty much makes you insane.”
* * *
“Think anyone would notice if we sort of mingled with the guests and hit the dessert buffet?” Jen zipped her instrument case closed and looked longingly at the towering chocolate fountain surrounded by strawberries, bananas, graham crackers, and marshmallows.
Niles stared at the table loaded down with junk food of every description. “Who does s’mores at a wedding reception?”
“It’s the Bridezilla syndrome.” Leslie watched the blushing n
ew wife shake her backside with the bridesmaids while holding the tulle lace of her skirt above her knees. “Television has told them they can ask for whatever they want, no matter how ridiculous it is.”
Jen sighed with longing. “And instead of crazy, they’re called creative.”
Leslie carefully draped a length of soft flannel over the scroll of La Bella Ragazza and closed her case. “So let’s stow the instruments behind the stage with the band’s junk and then mingle. Nobody will be able to tell the difference.”
Niles slung his viola case over one shoulder. “Until the band accidentally takes off with one of our instruments.”
“Leslie would hunt them down and kill them to get it back.” Jen zipped her cello into its bag.
Obviously she’d been acting a little paranoid about her violin lately. “I’m not that bad.”
“Yes, you are.” Niles reached for her case, and she automatically moved it just out of range. “See. I bet you wouldn’t even let me play it if I begged.”
The challenge put Leslie in a precarious situation. It wasn’t as if Niles was going to harm La Bella by playing it. The damn violin had managed to survive over three hundred years and several transatlantic crossings. Her concern was that Niles would be able to tell her violin was not the typical imitation Stradivarius he’d always figured it to be.
“Wow, Les, you’re actually thinking about it,” Jen teased. “It’s not like he’s asking if Caleb can take a few lessons on it.”
Niles reached for her case. Her heart began to pound until she was sure he could hear it over the thump of the bass player’s guitar.
“Mind if we crash?”
At the sound of Seth’s voice, Leslie’s brain gave up its mental tug-of-war. The tension left her muscles, and desire flared to life as his large hands bracketed her hips. He pulled her close, his groin nestling against her backside. She rested her hands on the corded length of his forearms, enjoying the warmth seeping from his body to hers. The only thing that would have made it better was the sleek skin-to-skin contact she could never get enough of.
His lips tickled her ear. “Can you tell we missed you?”
Her nerves caught fire as his cock began to swell against the curve of her bottom. A thrill of feminine power swept her body. Her nipples peaked beneath the thin material of her dress, and her pussy ached with the need to be stroked.
“Looks like you guys are finished here.” Joshua’s smooth baritone sent a riot of chills racing across her skin. He gently tugged her violin case from her hands. A few steps away, Niles looked from her to his lawyers as if he’d finally caught on.
Leslie had never mentioned anything to Niles about the new living arrangement or her agreement with Seth and Joshua. She could see by the stiffness in his expression that he was taken aback. It wasn’t that she’d been deliberately keeping him in the dark. There hadn’t been a comfortable way to open the topic. Jen’s reaction had been about all she could handle. Besides, how was she supposed to explain a relationship that wasn’t really a relationship with two guys she couldn’t keep her hands off of?
Jen flashed a too-bright smile, obviously trying to smooth over the awkward moment. “We were just thinking about nicking dessert from the table.” She pointed at the chocolate fountain.
Joshua looked doubtful. “Who has s’mores at a wedding reception?”
Niles finally grinned. “See, that’s what I said.”
Seth gave Leslie a brief squeeze. “You’d think the bride and groom would want the chocolate fountain in the honeymoon suite, not the reception hall.”
“Now that’s an idea that has merit,” Joshua agreed.
Jen rolled her eyes. “Sheesh! Is it possible to have a conversation without guys bringing sex into it?”
Seth looked at his partner. “Did you say anything about sex, Joshua?”
“Nope, not a thing.” He winked at Leslie, and her knees turned to jelly.
Seth’s hands tightened on her hips. “It would appear that Jen fantasizes about having someone pour chocolate between her breasts, down her belly, and between her legs before licking it off.”
There was nothing playful in Joshua’s gaze. “How about you, Leslie?”
Leslie’s breath stuck in her throat. Joshua’s face was devilishly handsome in the soft overhead lighting. His jaw muscles flexed as he clenched his teeth. She could see the truth beneath his lighthearted expression. He was every bit as turned on as she was.
Seth’s cock throbbed against the thin fabric covering her ass. They might’ve been teasing Jen, but there was no denying the desire sizzling in the air around the three of them.
Red bloomed across Jen’s cheekbones, and she cleared her throat. “I’m not the one talking about chocolate in the honeymoon suite.”
“I didn’t say how I wanted to eat the chocolate. I simply insinuated that I might be hungry.” Seth’s face was arranged into a reasonable expression that had probably convinced a dozen juries to give him his way.
Joshua wasn’t as diplomatic. “Baby, you think about sex just as much as we do.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Only because I never have it.”
“TMI!” Niles put his hands over his ears.
Jen’s gaze swept the length of Joshua’s muscular frame. She wet her lips with her tongue and tilted her head. A swatch of blonde hair slid over her shoulder; she flipped it back with a flirtatious smile.
Leslie dug her fingers into Seth’s forearms. She knew her friend well enough to see where this was going. And why shouldn’t Jen make a pass at Joshua? You’d have to be blind not to notice the leonine grace that gave him the look of sex about to happen.
“You’re an attractive woman.” Joshua raked her from head to toe with a cool gaze. “I’m sure you can find more than dessert at the table if you give it half a try.”
Jen took a step closer to him. “What if I’ve found what I want right here?”
The rational portion of Leslie’s brain shut down, and she jerked against Seth’s hold. Anger bubbled from a dark place inside her heart, and for a moment, she was ready to leap away from the security of Seth’s embrace.
Joshua clucked his tongue. “Sorry, baby, I’m spoken for.”
He cast a sideways glance at Seth and Leslie, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Something in his expression shifted at the sight of her agitation. Lifting a hand, he offered it with the softest smile.
She wasn’t sure what she felt. Confused, conflicted, and vulnerable didn’t quite cover the complex emotions seething in her heart. The dynamic between her and Joshua had been tangled from the start, but there was no mistaking what he was offering. It wasn’t just a show of solidarity or a play to back his partner. It was Joshua offering her a lifeline.
Leslie took it.
Joshua’s hand was big and warm, enveloping hers in a strong hold that promised security. Seth loosened his grip, and she moved toward Joshua, drawn by the vitality in his deep blue gaze and the sincerity of his smile. He tugged her closer into the circle of his embrace until she was pressed against his chest.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to soak in his scent. She hadn’t realized until that moment how ingrained in her senses he’d become. She’d know the faint whiff of cedar and cinnamon anywhere.
He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head before dipping his mouth to her ear. “I came here for you. I don’t intend to leave with anyone else.”
She’d needed to hear that. She just hadn’t known it.
Jen, Niles, and all of her worries faded into the background as if they’d disappeared altogether. This was what mattered. Everything that had been building that evening was stripped bare until nothing mattered but the two men who were there just for her.
“Oh. My. God.” Not even the incredulity in Jen’s voice could ruin that moment of clarity. “You lucky bitch.”
Leslie leaned around Joshua’s body to see how Jen and Niles were taking all of this. Although she didn’t suppose it would’ve mattered wh
at they thought. She didn’t need any second opinions on how complicated her life had gotten lately.
“I suppose that explains a few things.” Niles was so obviously over her choice that she could’ve hugged him. “Shall I give you the speech about the difficulties of unconventional relationships that my mother gave me when I came out?”
Jen wagged a finger in her direction. “You know you’re going to owe me an explanation or two during our break tomorrow.”
“I don’t think my explanation is going to help with your sexual frustration issues.”
Jen grumbled something about Leslie hogging all the hot guys and stalked off toward the chocolate fountain.
Niles sighed. “I think I better go make sure she doesn’t hit the bar after she’s decimated the dessert table. I’ll catch you later.”
A warm feeling of contentment bubbled to the surface as Leslie watched her friends join the reception crowd. They might not get the why, but they’d accepted her choices.
“Are we done here?” Joshua pulled her tight against his body. “Because Seth and I have other plans for you tonight.”
“Really?” The events of the last ten minutes had left her feeling light and playful. “What if I had something else planned?”
Seth closed in from the other side until she was caught between their hard, warm bodies. “This is where we remind you that the majority rules.”
Anticipation made her light-headed. Maybe sexism wasn’t such a bad thing all the time.
Chapter Nine
“Admit it.” Seth walked Leslie backward past the kitchen toward the stairs. “You were ready to leap out of my arms and strangle Jen for hitting on Joshua.”
Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, and he could tell she was trying not to grin. “I’ll admit no such thing.”
“You were ready to catfight just for me?” Joshua crossed his arms over his chest.
“Oh it was on.” Seth chuckled when Leslie stuck her tongue out and made a mad dash up the stairs.
He started to follow, but Joshua’s hand on his shoulder made him pause. “Are you only kidding, Seth?”
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