FriendlySeduction

by Gillian Archer

  Rob must have been thinking the same thing, given the way he nibbled her ear. If Sara wanted to make a declaration, they obviously had no issue with it.

  The sound of someone loudly coughing drew Marc’s attention.

  “Did you guys want something from the kitchen or were you planning to gnaw on little Sara here all night long? Because if that’s the case, I think we should start charging admission.”

  Marc chuckled at his brother’s wry question. He had forgotten tonight was Alan’s shift. Given the sudden tightness of Sara’s shoulders, she had forgotten too.

  She took a deep, shuddering breath before she relaxed. “Well, since I’m the entrée tonight, I guess you guys should fatten me up first. I’ll have a chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side and a Jack and Coke.”

  “No, she’ll have a blue-cheese burger with all the fixings and a Jack and Coke. None of that rabbit food. You’ll need the fuel for later.” Rob gave her a comical wink and leer.

  Marc wasn’t sure who was blushing harder, Sara or Alan.

  “Make that three burgers, a margarita on the rocks with salt for me and a draft for Rob. Thanks, bro.”

  Alan beat a hasty retreat.

  Marc knew this was going to be an adjustment for everyone, especially his family. Of anyone, Alan would be the most accepting and easygoing. He hoped. God, he really wasn’t ready for the big family confrontation yet. He wanted a little more time alone with Sara and Rob before that scene.

  “Man, that was embarrassing.” Sara buried her face in her hands.

  Marc turned to her with a frown. “Wait, what now? I thought that was what tonight was about.”

  Sara looked up and pulled a face. “Yeah, well. I didn’t think our first night out was going to involve family. I forgot Alan was working. Maybe we should just go home.”

  “Wait a minute. You honestly thought in a town our size we could go out to the only decent bar and not run into someone we know?”

  Sara shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “So what’s the deal? Why the big coming-out party tonight?” Rob leaned into Sara.

  Marc knew the detective would to catch on to the tension in the air. He was actually a little surprised it had taken him this long. “What’s this really all about?”

  “I-I…” Sara trailed off, a hunted expression on her face.

  “One draft.” Rob’s beer landed on the table with a heavy thud. “A Jack and Coke and one margarita. Your burgers will be up in a few. Marc, you got a minute?”

  Marc smiled tightly at Sara and Rob then shoved away from the table to follow his sulking brother.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Marc stared in disbelief at Alan. “Me? What the hell’s wrong with you? I’m out on a date. I thought that was pretty clear.”

  “Oh yeah, it was clear all right. I think everyone in the bar got the message.”

  “I have things to do tonight. If you have something to say—just say it.”

  “What are you guys thinking?” Alan ran a hand through his hair. “Have you even given one thought to what things will be like for Sara after tonight? She’s too nice a girl for you two to play your stupid head games with.”

  Stupid head games? Who the hell did his brother think he was? “You know what, Alan? Stay the fuck out of our business. You’re not in this relationship so you don’t get a vote.”

  “Hey, I’m in your family so I might not get a vote but I’m definitely going to have my say. I really thought you were smarter than this. Sara is a nice, sweet girl. And your best friend for how long? How could you guys do this to her? You can’t go back to just being friends after a kinky one-night stand with a girl like that. Trust me, I know.”

  “This isn’t some one-night stand. Rob, Sara and I—wait a minute. How do you know? Who did you—”

  Alan waved his hand. “Uh-uh. Not important. So it’s not a one-night stand?”

  Marc shook his head.

  “How the fuck are you going to make that work in this town? It will take less than one day for news of that scene to make its way back to Mom. You have to be the one to tell her. It’ll only be worse for you if you don’t.”

  Marc nodded. He knew it would be a difficult conversation. And to tell the truth, he wasn’t looking forward to it. He looked over at his table. Rob and Sara had their heads together and were laughing.

  One more night. He just wanted one more night with them before all the drama started. “I’ll go see her tomorrow.”

  “Good. Now get back to your girl before Rob steals her out from under you.”

  “Like that’s a possibility.” Marc laughed. “Hey, bro. Do we have your support?”

  “You know you do.” Alan turned and cast a longing glance at Marc’s table. “Just treat her right and don’t let her get away. Girls like Sara don’t come along very often.”

  Marc opened his mouth to question his brother but Alan was already walking away. Apparently, still waters did run deep. Who’d have guessed Alan of all people to have a kinky past? Marc shook off his melancholy and went back to his table.

  “Everything all right?” The concern on Sara’s face made his heart falter.

  He sat in his chair then pulled her in for a quick peck. “Everything’s perfect. So what did I miss?”

  Sara didn’t believe Marc for a second. Alan couldn’t be okay given the mini hissy fit he’d thrown. Oh God. Why had she done this? To come out so soon was like a slap in the face to everyone in town. She hadn’t even thought about what this jaunt would do to her guys. How self-centered was she? Her only concern had been what her family and coworkers thought of her. And let’s face it, tonight was a petty payback to her controlling mother. And that bitch Bethany.

  She hadn’t taken a second to contemplate the repercussions this would have on Rob and Marc. Rob was a cop for crying out loud. The amount of harassment he would get from the guys on the force, from the slimeballs he tossed in jail…

  Sara slumped in her chair. And Marc? Marc’s family was so tight-knit. And religious. His mama would kick him out of the family just like hers had done to her. She couldn’t let him sacrifice himself—his place in his family—for her.

  She had to let them go.

  Was it so small of her that she wanted one more night with them? One more night of sheer heaven before she had to fall on her own sword?

  Yup, she was a self-centered bitch.

  “Hey.” Rob cuddled up to her left side and nuzzled her shoulder. “What are you thinking about that put such a frown on your pretty face?”

  Sara fought to keep from flinching. “Nothing. I was just wondering how long we had to wait until we could get out of here.”

  Marc chuckled. “So eager, are we? What happened to dancing?”

  “Yeah,” Rob murmured on her other side. “I thought we were going to dance tonight.”

  Sara slumped. “Sorry, I’m just—”

  “Three blue-cheese burgers.” Alan placed their order on the table a little more gently this time. “I saved the biggest for you, Sara. I think you’re going to need a little extra energy tonight.” He smiled and winked at her before walking away.

  Sara couldn’t believe it. She’d thought for sure Alan disapproved of her—of them. What had changed his mind? She turned and looked at Marc. He was digging into his burger without a care in the world.

  “What happened?”

  “What?” Marc mumbled around his mouthful of food.

  “What did you say to Alan?”

  Marc swallowed before answering. “Nothing.”

  “Marc?” Sara tried her best annoyed-teacher expression.

  “What? It was nothing. Alan was under the mistaken impression that this was a one-night stand thing. I just set him straight.”

  “And he’s all right with that?”

  Marc and Rob exchanged a baffled look. “Uh yeah. Why wouldn’t he be?”

  Sara tried to contain her hysterical gigg
le. Yeah, why wouldn’t he? She dug into her burger with gusto. Maybe this thing could work out after all. Her mother would probably never come around but with Rob’s family and Marc’s accepting them, she had plenty of people in her life who cared about her.

  After finishing their burgers, Rob and Marc took turns with her on the dance floor. Sara had never been one for dancing. She always felt self-conscious, as if everyone was staring at her, wondering how the hell that chubby, awkward girl thought she could dance. But in Rob’s arms, she felt like a small, dainty woman.

  He whirled her around the floor and she was comfortable to follow his lead. He directed the action and was so surefooted and confident, Sara never had to wonder if she was being a klutz. And if people were staring, it was probably because of the sparks that flew between them.

  “I really love those breathless little whispers you make just before you come,” he whispered in her ear.

  Every couple steps, Rob would do that—lean down and whisper something particularly naughty.

  Sara groaned in response.

  “Yeah, kind of like that.” He bit down on her lobe before pulling away.

  She shuddered and tried to keep her knees from locking. More than anything, she wanted to lie down and just let Rob have his way with her. All this teasing and rubbing of bodies was getting a little hard on her willpower.

  You’re in public. You’re in public. You’re in public.

  “Ah, looks like Marc is eager to have his turn around the dance floor.” Rob pulled away with a sigh.

  Sara swallowed a groan. She didn’t want Marc to think she wasn’t eager to dance with him. She was. She just didn’t think she could take much more of their torment. And judging by the look on Marc’s face, he was very excited to treat her to his own special brand of torture. Sara resigned herself to at least a few more minutes of foreplay before they could go home and get down to real fun.

  “May I cut in?” Marc asked in an exaggerated drawl.

  “Certainly.” Rob inclined his head to Marc. They stood staring at each other for a brief moment before a wolfish smile crossed Rob’s face. He bowed to her and Marc then left them alone.

  “My lady.” Marc held out his hand as if they were at a cotillion.

  Sara ducked a quick curtsy, which was difficult to do given the tightness of her miniskirt. She took his hand but couldn’t contain the giggle that escaped at their outlandish manners.

  Her giggle quickly turned into a groan as Marc drew her in close and proceeded to perform a bump-and-grind number against her that left her with zero doubt he was quite happy with his choice of dance partners. Happy and excited.

  Sara wanted to make him very excited. She performed her own version with a little added shimmy that soon had Marc groaning too.

  “Honey, you can’t do that to me. We’re in public, remember?”

  “Hey, I didn’t start this little dance-off. But I’m sure as hell going to finish it.” Sara pulled his head down to her level to breathe hotly into his ear, “Unless you’d rather finish this at home?”

  She tilted her head to the side as she waited for his response.

  “Uh, home. Yeah. Definitely.”

  “Great.” Sara pulled back to leave but Marc yanked her into his arms and against his body again. “I thought we were—”

  “Uh, in a minute. I’m not exactly safe for public viewing yet.”

  Sara looked up at him, confused. “What?”

  He ground his hips into hers. His very evident arousal cleared up her confusion. “Oh!”

  “Yeah, oh. Let’s finish this song and then we can head out.”

  Sara bit her twitching lips and nodded her agreement. She let her head fall into the hollow of his shoulder while they enjoyed their slow dance. All around them the latest hip-hop song blared and the gyrating bodies bounced in rhythm with the tune. But Sara and Marc swayed slowly to their own beat, lost in the moment of being in each other’s arms.

  Marc took a deep breath then pulled away from her. “I’m going to go pay our bill then we can get out of here.”

  Sara knew her face betrayed her eagerness to get going but still she tried to play it cool. “‘Kay. I’ll go find Rob.”

  “Meet you guys at the car.”

  Sara grinned as Marc raced from the dance floor. Someone was a little eager. She turned and tried to make her way through the tangle of bodies over to their table.

  “Ooomph.” She stopped short as she ran into a wall of a body. “I’m so sorry. I—” Sara looked up and stopped her apology in midsentence. Her brother Jason stood in front of her, a disapproving wrinkle marring his brow. “I-I… Jason! What are you doing h—”

  Sara watched open-mouthed as her own brother curled his lip and walked away without a word. The back of her eyes burned and a tingling sensation swept across her scalp. How could he? Sara ducked her head and swiped at her eyes. She wouldn’t cry. She certainly couldn’t cry here. Her gaze flew around the room.

  God, did anyone see that? Judging from the stares back at her, very few people had missed her brother’s burn. She registered a few pitying gazes and a few disdainful ones before she looked away, unable to take anymore. Suddenly she felt naked. As though everyone in the room had seen her at her most vulnerable and judged her wanting.

  She couldn’t get out of the room quick enough.

  Once she got into her car, Sara sat behind the wheel, staring blankly ahead. She knew this would happen after her horrific conversation with her mother. Jason didn’t have it in him to stand against their mother. The only thing he had ever done in his life against her was a teenage rebellion he was still paying the price for. It didn’t matter that Jason was a good dad, that he had done the honorable thing and married Emma’s mother. Their own mother would never let him forget that he’d sinned. Sara didn’t know how he put up with it.

  Maybe he put up with it because he believed it too. He probably sided with their mother because he felt what Sara was doing was wrong. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of her life without her family in it. Without little Emma. God, that one really hurt. She loved her niece. And to not be able to see her would tear Sara up inside.

  But this was the road she had taken. This was the choice she had made. Sara swiped at her cheeks. There was no point in crying over it now. She was strong. She could handle it.

  Sara jumped as the passenger door opened.

  “There you are. We’ve been looking for you everywhere.” Rob took the front seat and leaned across to give her a quick peck.

  Sara cleared her throat. “I, uh, couldn’t find you, Rob. So I thought I’d wait for you guys out here.”

  “Sorry about that. I met up with one of the guys on the force and had to set him straight about a few things.”

  Sara bit her lip at the hard tone to Rob’s voice. “Does this have anything to do with us—with our relationship, I mean? Are the guys already on you about it?”

  Rob chuckled. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  “It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Marc tossed in from the backseat.

  Sara put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. How were they going to make this work? Their town was so small and the people here really didn’t like anything unusual. And the three of them—together—was about as new and unusual as it got in Helios. Sara worried her lip between her teeth. Should she bring this up now? Call her greedy but she really didn’t want this to come between them just yet. She wanted to get laid.

  Besides, the drama would still be there in the morning, right?

  “Why are you so quiet all of a sudden, Sara? What are you thinking about?”

  Sara met Marc’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “I was just wondering what delightfully depraved thing you guys had planned for this evening.”

  His confident smile set Sara’s heart racing. “Oh, we have a few things up our sleeves.”

  “Yeah, I think you’ll be very happy with what we have planned for you.” Rob chuckled wickedly.

>   Sara couldn’t get home fast enough.

  Chapter Twelve

  They raced through the house toward Marc’s room, giggling like children. Sara hopped as she tried to get out of her miniskirt and still keep pace with her guys. Giddiness filled her. This was right. This felt just like it should.

  She squealed and ducked as Marc, jogging backward, ripped off his shirt and threw it at her. Sara stumbled when her miniskirt tangled in the stilettos still on her feet. She began to tip and would have gone down if not for Marc’s quick reflexes. He swooped in to grab her with one arm around her waist.

  “Okay?”

  She nodded, panting.

  “Let me give you a hand.” There in the hallway, Marc knelt and tugged her tangled miniskirt free of her shoes. One hand on his shoulder, Sara bent to take off her heels but stopped at Rob clearing his throat.

  “Uh, would you mind keeping those on for now?”

  Sara raised an eyebrow. “What, like a porn star?”

  “No, like a sex kitten. It’s gorgeous.”

  Sara shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” She really didn’t understand the allure. But if it made her guys happy then she could go with it. “Uh, I’m going to need help with—”

  Before she could even finish the thought, Rob knelt next to Marc and began to tug her panties down her legs.

  Sara stared down at her two guys. Totally at home in her skin, she couldn’t resist the urge to strike a provocative pose. Arching her back and splaying her legs, she looked down at her guys. The reverent look on their faces stole her breath. Never again would she complain about her ample chest or hips. Having two hot and horny men at her beck and call did amazing things for a woman’s self-esteem.

  As she carefully stepped out of her panties, Sara tried to get her breathing under control. Rob reached up with one hand to part her and blew gently on her sex.

  Sara gasped at the sensation.

  “Do you have any idea how incredibly sexy you look?” Rob muttered.