She swallowed and took a deep breath. “I think it"s important that you both know where I"ve come from too.”
Joshua"s countenance darkened, and Seth knew he was going to need his best courtroom expression for whatever she had to say.
She turned her gaze back toward the windows. Dusk had fallen, the lights of Central Park shining like ribbons across the paths. “I was born and raised right here in Manhattan. You two have probably heard of my father, Trevor Marquette.
Marquette Industrial Corporation has been in his family for generations.”
Poker face firmly in place, Seth allowed himself a moment of internal shock at her words. Trevor Marquette was an industrial tycoon who was also a legendary asshole in the business arena. He could not imagine such a man fathering a woman like Leslie.
“My mother was a Hampstead. She came from a long line of musicians, and my grandfather was a sought-after solo violinist before he took a professorship at Juilliard.” Her full lips curved into a soft smile. “He put a violin in my hands before I"d even turned four. After that I spent almost all my time playing. I never wanted to do anything else. My dream was to win a chair in a major symphony and work my way up to concertmistress. I kept thinking if I could do that, it would make up for the fact that my mother had stopped playing when she"d settled down and married my father.”
She paused for a moment, and tears began to glide down her cheeks. Using his thumb, Seth wiped them away. He didn"t have to be told how difficult it was to relive the past.
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“My mother loved my father desperately.” Her brow furrowed. “I never understood that. He"s not an easy man to get along with. He"s hard and unforgiving, and I was terrified of him as a child. I never understood why she loved him so deeply.”
Joshua"s voice was rough with emotion. “What happened to her?”
“I spent almost all my time at my grandfather"s home on the Upper East Side.
I couldn"t stand watching my mother cater to my father"s every whim as if she hoped that would somehow make him love her back. I was there the night he told her that he was leaving her for a woman he"d been seeing behind her back for years.”
Sorrow coiled in Seth"s gut like a live snake. He wished there was some way to take these memories from her and ease the anguish that glittered in her eyes.
“Grandfather had come with me to dinner that night. We were announcing my acceptance to Juilliard. It was supposed to be the happiest night of my life. Instead, my father announced that he was leaving us. He and my grandfather started arguing. My mother went absolutely crazy, ran out of the room, and slashed her wrists open with a butcher knife. The sight of his daughter bleeding to death before his eyes gave Grandfather a massive heart attack. He died two days later at the hospital, and I left New York that night.”
The sound of Joshua"s ragged breathing was drowned out by Leslie"s sudden sob. She was desperately fighting for control. Wrenching her legs off Seth"s lap, she hugged her body as though she were coming apart at the seams.
Seth couldn"t imagine the emotional scars she"d been carrying around since that night. His heart ached for her losses, and he wanted nothing more than to soothe her soul. Together, he and Joshua could help her heal the wounds of the past, and she would help them fill the void in their lives.
Josh wrapped her in his arms. “Don"t shut us out, Leslie.”
“This.” She gestured to the three of them. “All of this is too good to be true! I never intended to let myself get this attached. Moving in with the two of you has 134
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changed everything for me. What if I wake up one morning and you"re gone? What if I go crazy like my mother? It was easier to imagine a life alone before you two came in and cluttered it up.”
Seth reached down and took her chin gently between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to meet his gaze. “We"re all afraid of being left alone.”
Her expression said she was almost too afraid to hope.
Seth was momentarily tongue-tied. What he said next was so important. He"d never wanted to say something so carefully before in his life. This wasn"t some silly lawsuit involving settlements between selfish people. This was an argument to convince the woman he loved, the woman they loved, that there was a future for them all.
Joshua stirred from his silence and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Leslie"s head. “Therapists talk about communication being the one thing that can make or break a relationship. The truth is a little more complex than that.”
As always, his partner gave Seth the jolt he needed to choose the right words.
“There are three things that bring people to our office to file for divorce. The first is trust.”
“Which we"ve already explored.” Joshua wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Oh yes, Seth was definitely going to be asking about that one later on. How did you “explore” trust? He cleared his throat. “The second one is communication, which can be made so much simpler with three brains instead of two. You"d never believe how many people screw up the trust when they wind up confiding in a supposedly neutral third party. Human nature makes it hard for us to effectively talk to the person we"re pissed at. With three people involved, you don"t have look outside the relationship for a sympathetic ear.”
She nibbled her lip. “And the third?”
He smoothed her lip with his thumb. “Loneliness destroys more relationships than you could possibly imagine. You"re not the only one afraid of winding up alone.
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Most of our divorce clients are jumping ship because they"re afraid the other person will leave.”
“Seth and I will never leave you alone like that,” Joshua said. “I love you, Leslie. I never thought it possible, but I do. And I"m never going to let that go.”
She turned and pulled Joshua down for a kiss. Seth was stunned by the deep emotion he sensed between them. He"d watched Josh kiss more women than he could count. Seth had never seen him sink so completely into one before. Her rosy lips glistened as they opened against Josh"s. Her tongue slid into his mouth, and he growled. Arousal stretched his facial muscles into taut lines.
Jealousy sank its fangs deep into Seth"s heart and left him breathless. His cock throbbed painfully behind his fly, and he was reminded that it had been too long since the last time he"d pressed into Leslie"s soft body. He shoved the strange new sense of insecurity aside. She was immersed in Joshua"s kiss, shifting to her knees and pressing her breasts against his chest. The position gave Seth full access to her sweet ass.
He ran his palms up the backs of her thighs, loving the way she arched her spine and shivered beneath his touch. She wore a pair of white panties beneath Joshua"s dress shirt. The fact that they were blocking his access to her pussy meant they had to go.
He twisted the elastic band around his thumb and forefinger until it snapped.
The fabric came apart, and he could see the swollen labia of her vagina. She made a noise, tilting her head to give Joshua access to her neck. Seth could see his partner"s gaze flicker away from his leisurely trail of kisses across her shoulder to watch Seth"s progress.
Her thighs were damp with cream, and Seth could smell her arousal. The scent was intoxicating, ripping a groan from his chest and making his cock throb. Placing his hands on either side of her cunt, he spread her wide for a closer look.
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Pink, wet perfection begged for his touch. Her opening flexed, her clit swelling before his eyes until the tiny nub was standing at attention. Dipping his head, he licked a hot path from the hood of her clit to the base of her anus.
She moaned and moved her head restlessly from side to side. Joshua shifted to hold her tight against the climax Seth could feel building inside her body. Savoring her familiar taste, he used the tip of his tongue to torment her sensitive clit until a rush of cream from her cunt signaled she was on the edge of release.
<
br /> Pulling back just as she spiraled into orgasm, Seth caught a spurt of fluid and spread it upward toward her puckered anus. She writhed beneath him, her tight asshole growing more relaxed as he slipped two long fingers into her pussy and massaged the pad of muscle just inside her opening.
Her broken cries filled the room, and Seth sensed another climax coming fast.
Freeing his erection, he positioned his head at her anal entrance and thrust beyond the tight ring of muscle into soft bliss.
Liquid fire seared a path through his belly and down his legs until he could only plunge into her soft body with a mindless intensity that left him raw. Her muscles clamped down suddenly, her cunt reaching a second climax just as his balls throbbed and the burn of his own release left him breathless.
Pulling free of her ass, he let her collapse onto Joshua"s chest while he caught his breath. As his head grew clearer, he became aware of his partner"s low murmuring. Confused, he glanced up and realized Joshua was staring at him. From the look of things, he wasn"t happy.
Time slowed to a halt.
Off-kilter, he watched as Joshua stood and pulled Leslie into his arms. “How about a bath, sweetheart?” Without waiting for her answer, Joshua carried her out of the room and away from Seth.
Seth felt sated and sexually satisfied. He also felt like the biggest dick on the planet. For the first time in a decade, he"d just put his own pleasure before his partners". If he was lucky, he hadn"t hurt Leslie in the bargain.
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Chapter Sixteen
Bubbles frothed over the edge of the enormous bathtub, and water sloshed, dribbling down to pool on the tile floor. Light from the hotel"s twinkling facade spilled through the window. The mirror above the granite sink reflected a shadowy reverse pattern onto the shower doors. It was as if each image bounced back and forth into eternity.
Leslie sighed and let the hot water soothe her sore body. Her second experience with anal sex hadn"t gone quite as smoothly as her first, but that didn"t mean she hadn"t enjoyed it.
She was just worried about Seth.
“Are you feeling all right?” Joshua knelt beside the tub.
Cupping a handful of bubbles, she blew them up at him. “I"m fine. It"s Seth I"m worried about.”
Joshua"s expression was troubled. Muscles leaped in his jaw as he settled both forearms on the wide lip of the tub. His hands hung over the edge, fingers twining restlessly together. His concern for Seth was palpable.
Her earlier fears about being left alone seemed to take a backseat to her worries about Seth"s odd behavior. If it had been just the two of them alone in this relationship, she would"ve been overwhelmed with the urge to flee before the whole thing fell apart. Thankfully it wasn"t her trying to hold things together by a thread.
She had Joshua to rely on as well. They both did.
She knew traditional relationships didn"t function like that. Fortunately the three of them were nowhere near traditional. They were emotionally scarred, battered by their pasts, and wary of attachments. It didn"t seem to be an ideal 138
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combination of things to build a future on, but finding something in common wasn"t always a comfortable process. After all, if hardship forged strength, then it had the potential to be a lasting foundation.
He tapped the tip of her nose. “Not exactly the reunion I"d hoped for.”
“I bet not since it left your pants on and your cock hard.”
“Uncomfortable, but not what I was referring to.” He placed his palm flat on her belly. The water made a silky path as he sent it questing toward her mound.
“You deserve more than we gave you.”
Her whole body melted when his fingers delved into her slit. She leaned back, spreading her legs until her knees brushed the sides of the tub. She needed to tell him that she"d been more than satisfied with Seth"s decision to mark her so forcefully.
She wanted to remind Joshua that sometimes that was just the way Seth operated. She loved the way his cock dominated her body, sending her spinning into oblivion with each thrust as he pushed her into climax.
She needed to tell Joshua that, but the sensation of his magic fingers stroking her wet cunt made rational thought impossible. Water slid around her body, splashing around her breasts and advancing over her belly. Desire licked at her muscles. She wanted more, needed more, needed Joshua"s hard cock thrusting into her pussy.
“Stop.” She pushed weakly at his hand, desperately trying to push back the climax creeping over her body. “Joshua, stop.”
He was frowning, his brow furrowed and a question in his eyes.
“I want you.” She tugged his arm, inviting him into the water.
Joshua didn"t need to be told twice. He rose, unzipping his slacks and stepping out of them and his boxers before getting into the water in one smooth movement.
He hissed when the hot water touched his flushed skin. Settling into a sitting position, he pulled her astride. The water eased her descent onto his cock. In Crescendo
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seconds, her pussy was filled with his thickness, and she"d taken him deep inside her body.
She couldn"t speak through the thick haze of arousal flooding her senses.
Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against his, begging him without words to give her what she needed. A growl vibrated deep inside his chest, thrumming through the place where his cock joined with her pussy. He took hold of her hips and began to rock her body against his.
Scented bubbles coated his chest, and she trailed them around his hard nipples, teasing him mercilessly with her short nails until he moaned beneath her.
Still he thrust into her cunt. Water splashed, flowing over the edge of the tub and onto the floor.
They strained together, both panting for release, desperate for climax and nearly mad with arousal. Her breasts bobbed, nipples pouting for lack of attention, and a sudden desire for Seth exploded through her awareness.
As if perfectly tuned to her thoughts, Joshua stilled beneath her. His hands left her hips, slicking over her wet skin to cup her face. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “Call him.”
The sounds of Joshua fucking Leslie filled the suite. Her high-pitched cries were punctuated by his deep moans and the sound of water splashing out of the bathtub. Waiting for the sound of their joint climax was unmitigated torture.
It was nothing less than what Seth deserved.
He didn"t have to listen. There was only a half hour left before the awards presentation was set to begin. He could change clothes and leave the room. But somewhere in his self-castigation was the thought that he deserved whatever torment they could heap on him, intentional or not.
Of all the asinine things to do, he"d let a moment"s jealousy slip into the one place it didn"t belong: their lovemaking. Instead of being pleased that Leslie and Joshua had managed to forge a bond, he"d been a fool. He should"ve been ecstatic.
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This was the first time Joshua had ever formed a true attachment to a woman.
There were some he"d liked better than others, and quite a few who"d gotten attached to him. To see Joshua so utterly in tune with a woman—his woman—had thrown him.
Of course, how could she really be theirs until Seth came clean about the situation that had brought her back into their lives to begin with?
He rubbed a hand down his face, feeling like the world"s biggest ass. Why had it never occurred to him that, at some point, he was going to have to address the ridiculous arrangement he and Leslie had made regarding the Trio"s earnings? They hadn"t spoken of it since that first day. He suspected she didn"t want to, and he sure as hell didn"t want to remind her. She"d left two different payments on the countertop since she"d moved in, and he"d had enough trouble facing the truth then.
Even though he"d gone directly to the bank and deposited them into an investment account he"d created under Leslie"s name, he still felt like th
e worst kind of liar.
Now, Joshua had fallen in love with her.
Hell, he’d fallen in love with her. Too bad he"d been manipulating her. Even worse, he was too much of a coward to approach a topic of conversation that made him feel like a two-faced bastard.
He sighed. They"d been at it for fifteen minutes. Surely that was long enough?
Leslie"s voice drifted out of the bathroom. No doubt screaming Josh"s name during climax.
Except she’s calling my name.
Any thoughts of self-castigation were shoved aside. Seth"s heart leaped into his throat, and he made a dash for the bathroom. His hands were shaking, and it took him two tries to open the door. Puddles of water rendered the tile treacherous. He forced himself to slow down. It"d do no good to wind up on his ass. Passing through the bottleneck entryway, he froze at the erotic sight before him.
Leslie sat astride Joshua in the corner tub. Seth"s angle gained him a view of her smooth back. The red hair that had been piled atop her head was in wild Crescendo
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disarray. Damp tendrils fell onto her creamy shoulders and brushed over Joshua"s arms. He held her close, broad hands splayed against her back as he urged her to ride his cock.
A strangled sound escaped Seth"s throat. His erection shoved insistently at his fly, and he curled his bare toes against the wet tile. He liked to watch, but watching wasn"t enough this time. He wanted to share their passion so badly his muscles were cramping with the effort of holding back.
Hearing him, she turned in Joshua"s embrace. The beauty of her erotic position chipped away at his control. “You belong in here with us, Seth.”
He swallowed, moving forward until he was on his knees at the edge of the tub. The scent of sex and bubble bath sent him reeling over the edge of reason, and he clenched his hands to keep still. He owed Joshua this, at least.
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