by Opal Carew
“Upstairs,” Evan said. “This way.”
He gestured for her to precede them and she walked to the elevator. She was pretty sure they were watching the sway of her behind as she walked. It felt so strange having these handsome, well-dressed men following her like enthusiastic puppy dogs. She opened the glass door in the reception area and continued to the elevators. She pushed the UP button.
When the doors opened, they followed her inside.
As the elevator started upward, she glanced at the floor numbers lighting up as they moved.
This building had offices on the lower sixteen floors and above that were apartments. They were passing floor twenty.
“Does one of you live in the building?” she asked.
“We both do,” Evan said.
The hair on the back of her neck prickled. She knew the apartments in this place were wildly expensive. Beyond the pay grade of a mid-level manager. These men had to be several grades above that.
The elevator finally stopped.
At the penthouse.
The doors opened and she stepped into an entryway with two doors at right angles, both with frosted glass, letting light into the foyer. Blake opened one of the doors and led her into a bright, spacious apartment. There were floor-to-ceiling windows all around, a kitchen open to the large living room, a gym, and double French doors leading to what she assumed from the large bed visible was the master bedroom.
And there was hardly any furniture. It didn’t look lived in at all.
“We’ve just moved in,” Blake explained.
“Why are we here? I thought we were going to the pool?” she asked.
“Because this is where the pool is. I told you it was private.”
“You’re kidding. You have a freakin’ swimming pool?”
Blake chuckled. “That’s right.”
Wow. Her stepfather was rich, but his apartment, though lavish, was nowhere near as big as this place. And he certainly didn’t have a private swimming pool.
“You share this place?” she asked, gazing around in awe.
“There are two apartments on this floor,” Evan answered, “and I own the other one, but we’re just in the process of getting moved in, so we’re both staying in this one for now. The other place has no furniture yet.”
“I’ve got the basics in here,” Blake said. “Couch, table and chairs, and a bed in both of the bedrooms. It’s enough until we can get a decorator in.”
“Wait. You’re Blake Hawkins and Evan Swift.”
Evan smiled. “That’s right. And you are Danni . . . ?”
“Jenson.” Even though her mother had tried to talk her into taking on her stepfather’s last name when they’d gotten married four years ago, Danni had refused. She was her father’s daughter and she refused to give up his name. “You two own Topaz Industries.”
“You’ve heard of us?” Blake asked.
“My stepfather’s told me about you. He would love to meet you. He and my mother are involved in this big fundraiser gala on Friday and all he can talk about is the possibility of meeting you two at it.”
Blake’s smile faded. “So is it possible your stepfather knows we have a board meeting in San Diego that day so he asked you to come into the office today in that skimpy little outfit and accidentally run into us? Did he think maybe sending in his sexy, half-naked stepdaughter might influence us into changing our schedule to come to his party?”
Her eyes widened and her heart started pounding. Then anger surged through her.
“You think I’m some whore who came here to seduce you into coming to that asshole’s party? I don’t even like him and I’d be more inclined to drive you away just to spite him.”
She turned and stormed toward the door, but Evan grabbed her arm.
“Wait, Danni. Please.”
She stopped, her nostrils flaring.
“Danni, you have every right to be angry, but let’s talk about this for a minute,” Evan said.
She glanced over her shoulder. At the warmth in his eyes, she slowly turned around, still frowning.
Evan turned to his friend, who still eyed her suspiciously.
“Blake, think about it. If she was going to sweet-talk us into coming to the party, she wouldn’t talk so openly about it.”
“That’s not true. She might have felt that such a straightforward and candid approach might work best.” Blake’s gaze turned to her. “But your burst of anger is swaying me.”
Her hands curled into fists. “I’d be happy to sway you,” she snapped through gritted teeth. “Right to the floor.”
To her shock, Blake chuckled. “You’re feisty.” His eyes gleamed. “I like that.”
She stared at him, confused.
In her experience, rich, powerful men didn’t back down. Ever.
Of course, her only example was her jerk of a stepfather. He attempted to control every situation and never gave an inch.
“Come on. Let’s go take that swim. We could all use some cooling off.” Evan took her hand and led her to the patio doors.
His fingers around hers sent sparks flashing through her body. His hand was so strong. So big.
They stepped into the warm sunshine, Blake behind them. The blue water in the pool glittered and she felt that irresistible urge to jump in. She untied her shirt and dropped it onto the wooden deck beneath her feet, then unzipped her shorts. Suddenly, she became aware of the two men staring at her. Watching her every move.
God, she felt like she was stripping in front of them. Which was silly. She wasn’t wearing any less than she did at the lake, where she walked around in her bathing suit for all the world to see. Still, something about the way they were looking at her made her feel self-conscious.
“Uh . . . aren’t you two going to go change?” she asked.
They hesitated and for a moment, she feared they would strip down to their boxers. That would just be too strange and . . . awkward.
“Yeah,” Evan said. “We’ll be right back.”
She waited until they were back inside before she pushed down her shorts and cast them aside. Then she used the elastic around her wrist to pull her riotous hair into a ponytail, strolled to the pool, and walked down the steps. The water was perfect. Not too cold. She sat on one of the white steps, glorying in the feel of the water surrounding her to her waist. As she relaxed in the sunshine, she felt her cares drift away.
She heard the patio doors open again and glanced up.
Her heart stuttered.
Blake and Evan stood there like two perfectly sculpted statues. Thick, well-defined biceps, washboard abs, and broad chests her hands longed to glide over. Especially Evan’s, which had a lion tattoo covering the entire right side of his chest. She would love to stroke that big mane.
God, it had been months since she’d been with a man and seeing the two of them dressed like that—or rather, undressed—was enough to trigger thoughts of erotic adventures.
Wild and sensuous.
Like her with both of these sexy men.
“How’s the water?” Blake asked.
“Perfect,” she murmured.
They laughed, both well aware of her perusing their bodies. Surely seeing the hunger in her eyes.
She was surprised a puff of steam didn’t rise from the water at the heat sizzling between her legs.
Blake walked to the diving board and dove into the pool. His body glided under the water, then his head popped up through the surface. He shook it, water droplets scattering from his dark, wavy hair in all directions.
Evan dove into the water, too, and soon stood beside Blake, water dripping from his sandy-brown hair and his close-cropped beard.
Blake’s hair was darker and longer on top and he was clean shaven, but he was just as buff and sexy as Evan. Looking at them both together was mesmerizing.
“Aren’t you coming in?” Evan asked as they walked toward her.
She tried to pull her attention from the men, standing up and wading deeper
into the water. As they watched her, she became intensely aware of her nipples hardening as the water eased over her breasts. She pushed herself forward and swam to the deep end, then began to tread water.
“So you said you just moved in. Where were you before?” she asked.
“San Diego. But we’re doing more business here, so we decided to make the move. How about you?” Blake asked. “Have you lived in Philadelphia long?”
“Yeah, my whole life. My dad grew up here and he and a friend started a construction company after they finished school. Sometimes when I was a kid he’d take me out to the work sites with him. I used to love wearing the special hard hat he got me and I’d pretend I was building things. Sometimes he’d let me help out. When I was in high school, he let me work with him on weekends and summer vacations to earn extra money.”
“Do you still work for your dad?” Evan asked.
She frowned and shook her head. “Dad died about six years ago.”
She still ached at the loss.
After that, her mom sold Dad’s half of the company to his partner.
“I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like you were very close.” Evan’s eyes were filled with sympathy.
“We were. It was really hard.” Her lips compressed. “My mom’s remarried now.”
“And you clearly don’t like the guy,” Blake observed.
She glanced at him questioningly.
“The asshole comment,” he said.
“Right. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s okay that you feel that way about him,” Evan said.
“Oh, I know. I just shouldn’t say it.”
Blake laughed. “Okay, so what don’t you like about him?”
“Nothing specific. He’s just a controlling, conniving, manipulative kind of guy.”
“Is that all?” Evan grinned.
She frowned. “And he thinks I’m a total loser. He’d be happy if I just disappeared from the face of the earth. Then he wouldn’t have to contend with a stepdaughter who embarrasses him by her very existence.”
“Is that because you work in construction?” Blake asked.
“Yeah. He tried to talk me into taking some office job in his company, but I wasn’t interested.”
“Doing what you do makes you feel closer to your dad,” Evan observed.
Her gaze darted to his. “That’s true.”
All she’d ever heard from her family and friends was that she could do better for herself. This was the first time someone seemed to get it.
“He taught me how to do this kind of work, and to do it well,” she said. “Every day as I do my job, I remember what it was like working with him. When he would show me how to do a task or improve my skill. It’s like he’s always there, just over my shoulder.”
Even her mother didn’t really understand it.
“I think it’s great that you’re doing what you love,” Blake said.
“So you don’t think I should pull myself up? Strive for something better?”
Blake shrugged. “What could be better than doing what you love? And with all those memories tied to it, I don’t see why you’d ever give it up.”
She tipped her head. “I’m surprised. I really thought the two of you would think differently.”
“You mean that we’d be just another couple of wealthy assholes like your stepfather,” Blake said.
She bit her lip. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have judged you.”
Blake smiled, an adorable dimple appearing on his clean-shaven cheek. “It’s okay. It’s not like we aren’t assholes sometimes.”
Evan chuckled. “Speak for yourself.”
She swam to the walk-out steps in the deep end and sat on the lowest one, still up to her neck in the water. These two men were not what she’d expected. It made her feel warm inside that they understood how she felt.
Evan swam over and rested his hand on the pool’s edge beside her so he didn’t have to tread water.
“You look deep in thought.”
The warm feeling inside Danni flared, turning into a rippling heat. She rested her hand on his shoulder, drawing him closer, then kissed him.
Immediately, her body blazed to life. Exciting tingles frayed the edges of her nerve endings as her lips moved on his. She pushed herself from the step and wrapped her arms around him, deepening the kiss. His mouth responded as his free arm encircled her waist, pulling her nearly naked body tightly to his.
Oh, God, the feel of his hard body against her . . . of being held in his strong embrace . . . made her melt inside.
When their lips parted, she stared at him in a daze.
“That was . . . nice,” he said with a warm but almost stunned smile.
When she felt a hard ridge growing against her belly and realized he was as turned on as she was, her excitement shot through the roof. It was all she could do not to squirm against him.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, and his hard bulge nestled right in the cradle of her legs. Pushing against her steamy, hot, intimate flesh.
“You two look cozy,” Blake said.
Her breath caught. She was here with two men, not just one. Would Blake quietly slip away or . . .
He moved in behind her.
His lips brushed the back of her neck and she tipped her head to give him better access. His hand glided down her side, then he pulled himself closer to her, sandwiching her between his and Evan’s hot, hard bodies.
Oh, God. They both wanted her. Her heart stuttered at the feel of the two masculine bodies tight against her. And they seemed to be willing to share her.
Could she really do this?
Blake arched forward and both their hard cocks pressed into her. Arousal blazed through her like an inferno.
Oh, God, she wanted to feel their hands on her. To feel them both inside her. The intense attraction burned through her until she thought she’d go up in flames.
But she just couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to . . .” she said breathily. “I just can’t do this.”
Blake’s lips brushed against her ear in a soft kiss and he immediately eased away.
“Of course, sweetheart,” Evan said. “We won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
Danni sat down at the table as Blake poured a glass of wine for each of them. Her first reaction after turning them down in the pool was to flee, but the men had done everything they could to make her comfortable about what had happened. They’d insisted she stay for dinner and she’d finally relented.
She knew they’d only moved forward the way they had because she’d encouraged them.
It wasn’t like her to make a move on a man like that—let alone two men—especially when she’d just met them, but the fact that they seemed to understand her and accept her for who she was had touched her, making her feel intensely close to them.
But that didn’t mean she should have a wild threesome with them.
As they’d sat on the deck enjoying the warmth of the early evening, she couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of their lean, muscular bodies stretched out on the lounge chairs, wondering if she’d let the opportunity of a lifetime slip by.
“What kind of food do we want to order?” Evan asked.
Blake had wanted to take her out somewhere special, but with Danni dressed in cutoffs and a plaid shirt, they couldn’t go anywhere dressy. She was even underdressed for a casual place.
She sipped her wine as the two men started a grand negotiation about what they’d eat. Blake insisted on a gourmet meal delivered from one of the finest restaurants in the area, but Evan insisted on pizza or Chinese takeout.
Blake said he wanted to treat Danni to something really special and takeout didn’t fit the bill. Evan pointed out that Emilio’s pizza was the best in the city and as far as he was concerned their house special was a gourmet delight.
Although it was amusing watching them make their case to each other, Danni’s stomach was starting to
rumble. Finally, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, found a flyer for Emilio’s, and ordered a pizza. She carried some plates back to the dining room and set them on the table, then sat down and sipped her wine, watching the men as they continued their discussion. They were no closer to a solution.
The men were still arguing when the doorman called up to say their pizza had arrived. Their gazes turned to her and she smiled.
“The pizza sounded good, so I ordered it.”
Evan laughed.
“Okay, you win. Pizza it is,” Blake said.
Blake went into the kitchen and returned with a big platter. When Evan let in the delivery guy, then set the box on the table, Blake transferred it to the platter and disposed of the box, obviously trying to make this dinner more upscale.
When Danni bit into the pizza, the warm cheese melted in her mouth and the aromatic seasonings delighted her taste buds.
“This is a real treat,” she said, then sipped her wine.
“You see, Blake. She likes it.”
Blake nodded. “I concede. Emilio’s was a perfect choice.”
Once they finished dinner—which didn’t take long since they were all hungry after a long day in the sun—Danni helped clear the table and wash up the few dishes. When they returned to the living room, she sat on the couch and the men sat on either side of her. Evan refilled her glass.
As she sipped her wine, she noticed their mail sitting on the square coffee table. She could tell that one of the envelopes in the slightly scattered stack was the same ivory linen used for the invitations to the fundraiser her stepfather and mother were insisting she attend. As she looked closer, she recognized enough of the partially visible return address to know that’s exactly what it was.
Blake noticed what she was staring at and she tensed, not wanting a repeat outburst like they’d had before. But instead he smiled and reached for the envelope.
“You looking at this?” he asked with a smile. “So did you really mean it when you said that you’d rather we didn’t attend this gala event to spite your stepfather?”
She pursed her lips and sighed. “That wasn’t really fair of me. I was mad and I misspoke. He and I might not get along, but I wouldn’t want to sabotage him.”
“So would you like us to go?” Blake asked.
