by B. N. Toler
“What do you want, Hannah?” I asked, my voice growing husky. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”
“I want you,” she whispered.
And that was all it took—we were in the bed, bodies tangled, moans and hot breaths, her hair brushing my chest and face, my hands groping, her body arching as I made her come. And what a sight it was to see her come undone. She was someone else in bed; a different being than the woman I had come to know. In the entire time we had spent together, she seemed to constantly be riding the line between knowing her worth and not knowing who she was at all. But naked, in the throes of passion, where a woman might feel most vulnerable, she was confident; unafraid. And once again, the crazy girl surprised me.
When we were finished, she lay her head on my shoulder, her leg thrown over mine, and let her body relax into me. She didn’t speak and neither did I. We just touched, caressed, until we drifted to sleep. Or at least I did. She tossed and turned.
“Bro…what’s with you?” Kegs asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You have a weird look on your face. You gotta drop a deuce or something?”
I snorted out a laugh. “Yeah…that’s it. I’m constipated.”
“You look…off. You tired from being up all night or what?”
“You need to go home and see your wife,” I joked. “Or go jerk off. You seem a little too interested in my activities.”
He groaned. “I know.” He hadn’t seen Tracey in over three weeks, and I knew he was in need of some attention from his wife, as any man would be. Luckily with all the technological advances, they were able to video chat to “connect” that way, but it was never as good as the real thing. Kegs never gave a lot of detail about their sex life—it had to do with his wife and he certainly wasn’t offering any vivid details about her to another man, even his best friend.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and when I checked it, it was a text from Hannah.
Hannah: Just pulling in the parking lot. Should I just come in?
Me: Yes. Have a seat in the lobby and I’ll be there in a few…with coffee.
Hannah: My hero.
I smiled after reading her text. “Hannah’s out in the lobby,” I informed him as I shoved my phone back in my pocket. I filled two foam cups and headed for the door. Kegs stood and opened the door for me, and we walked out to the lobby, ready to get our mission for the day started. Here went nothing…
“But when people say, Did you always want to be a writer?
I have to say no! I always was a writer.”
-Ursula Le Guin
I was seated on a red leather couch in the lobby when Wren appeared, both hands filled with steaming cups, another handsome guy walking beside him. When our eyes met, there was a smile in his stare that hit me and made me grin. He was dressed in a tight-fitted t-shirt that had the Morrison company logo on it. Add in his cargo pants, boots, and black hat that framed his face, I couldn’t look away from him.
“Hey there,” Wren said as he handed me one of the cups.
“Thank you,” I moaned, taking it and blowing at it. The liquid moved around in waves. “You’re saving my life.” I hadn’t slept at all the night before; restless and anxious about the evening’s events. I couldn’t believe how far things had gone. And though I didn’t regret what we did, I still worried about what impression it would leave. Would Wren think I was even crazier than he already did, given that one minute I was accusing him of trying to sleep with me and the next I was forcing myself on him? I couldn’t blame him if he did, I really had been a walking contradiction.
Flashes of the night before flickered through my mind and my cheeks heated before I’d taken a single sip of the coffee. I had entered his bedroom single-minded, wanting one thing so much I couldn’t see straight, but Wren had given me something different, something completely unexpected. Something that sated me physically, but had touched my heart as well. I hadn’t expected the heart part.
I didn’t realize how ravenous I was for physical intimacy, the contact of a man, until I felt Wren press his large, naked body to mine.
“I’m Kegs,” the tall man standing next to Wren added as he reached out a hand. I stood and shook hands with him.
“Hannah,” I told him. “Nice to meet you.” Kegs nearly matched Wren in height, but Wren’s build was bigger—he was broader. Kegs was the kind of man a woman couldn’t help but look at, with his piercing blue eyes and dark hair with the slightest hints of gray. I guessed he was about as old as Wren, but his face had aged well, which paired with his slightly salt-and-pepper hair, adding to his looks.
They both took a seat on the couch across from me. “The guys are getting the cars ready,” Wren informed me before sipping his coffee. Right. Coffee. I took a sip from my own cup. God. That was good.
I turned my attention back to the guys. Kegs glanced down at my feet and pointed as he looked to Wren. “Dude. You didn’t tell her to wear tennis shoes?”
Glancing down at my flip-flop-clad feet, I frowned. I probably should have asked what the appropriate dress attire was. I practically lived in flip-flops and hadn’t really thought about it. I thought about everything else but that. “I didn’t bring tennis shoes,” I confessed.
“Those will work, I guess, but we’ll be doing quite a bit of walking today,” Wren responded, a concerned look seizing his features. “I didn’t even think about it. I’m sorry.”
“I live in these things,” I informed him. “I should be fine as long as we’re not doing anything too crazy.”
Sipping my coffee, I grinned as Wren and Kegs debated about which female superhero would win if they faced off, She-Ra or Wonder Woman. They seemed to like the same kind of things, but not when it came down to the specifics.
“Wonder Woman can fly,” Kegs argued.
“She-Ra has the sword of protection and He-Man is her brother.” Wren shook his head, his face twisted as he raised a hand in confusion—like how could Kegs not see how obvious it was? “Dude, it’s a no-brainer,” he added.
Kegs scoffed, making me chuckle. They were really into this debate. Raising his hand, Kegs began ticking off a list of Wonder Woman’s advantages, “Bro, Wonder Woman is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, she has longevity, and super-human strength.” He flopped back in his seat as if he’d just put the whole thing to rest, but then popped back up, widening his eyes. “The lasso of truth, dude. Boom!” He laughed and pretended like he was dropping a mic on the ground. Wren chuckled as he stared down at his phone, his thumb moving over the screen appearing to be texting. Dropping his phone in his lap, he turned his head and looked at Kegs who was grinning, waiting for Wren to admit defeat.
“She-Ra was the alter ego of Princess Adora, which means she had multiple personalities, which means she was crazy,” Wren pointed out with an air of profoundness. “Crazy is a superpower.” Kegs laughed as Wren cut his gaze to me, a smirk on his face. I glared at him, pretending to be insulted by his comment since he constantly told me I was crazy, even though I thought he was somewhat amusing.
“You have a point, man,” Kegs agreed. I rolled my eyes. Men.
I opened my mouth to say something snarky when my phone vibrated. Taking it out, I was surprised to see I had a text from Wren.
Wren: You look gorgeous today.
I couldn’t stop the grin that exploded across my face after reading it. Ugh, what was wrong with me? I was such a girl. I was being one of those women…the ones that acted like little school girls when a boy said something nice to them. Tucking my phone back in my purse, I glanced up at him, the same dumb grin still on my face because it just wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard I tried to make it.
His gaze was fixed on mine. I rolled my eyes at him. Eye rolling was my forte.
He tilted his head, smirking. Don’t roll your eyes at me, woman.
I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from laughing. I shimmied my head in a talk-to-the-hand way. Don’t tell me what to do. We had a conversatio
n without saying a word.
Kegs was oblivious to all of this because he admitted defeat in the She-Ra vs. Wonder Woman debate. “Okay, man. She-Ra might have the slightest advantage.”
We couldn’t help it. Wren and I chuckled because he had completely missed the moment that transpired between us. Wren checked his phone again and stood. “They’re ready for us.”
I followed the two striking men through a set of double doors and down a brightly lit hallway until we were outside again. A silver Chevy Tahoe was parked just outside the door, a young black man waiting with the back passenger-door open. Kegs rounded the vehicle while Wren took a seat. Kegs climbed in on the other side and with Wren already seated, I stood frozen, unsure of what to do. I was the smallest, so sitting in the middle of the back seat made sense, but why hadn’t Wren let me in first?
I held my hand up in confusion. “Are you going to let me in?” It came out snarkier than I intended.
Wren looked to the young man with caramel skin, his expression clearly annoyed. “Am I supposed to sit in the middle?”
I looked to the guy still holding the door who began to fidget, his eyes darting from me to Wren. He wasn’t offering me any help in figuring out what in the hell was going on. I cut my gaze back to Wren, “I can sit in the middle, if you’ll just let me in.”
Wren shook his head, snorting in displeasure, his gaze still boring holes in the guy holding the door. “I guess the ambassador will just ride bitch in the middle.” As he scooted over, I froze. What was happening? Ambassador? What in the hell was he talking about? I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to ask and look stupid. I mean, shouldn’t I know what the hell we were doing? Why hadn’t I asked?
“Wren…I will sit in the middle if you let me in,” I tried again. I wasn’t sure why he was so mad, or why he wouldn’t just let me in.
“No, it’s fine,” he grunted. “Get in. Let’s go.”
A part of me debated walking away right then and there. Why was he acting like such a dick? But I really wanted to see what Wren did. Where were we going? My curiosity was officially piqued. Climbing in, the young man closed the door before he got in the front passenger seat. The driver, an older man with gray hair, was already seated and ready to go.
“Why the fuck are we in this car and not that one?” Wren barked, making me jump. In front of our vehicle was a black Suburban that appeared to be bigger and newer than the car we were in. “An ambassador should be riding in the nicest of the vehicles you have. Why are we not in that vehicle?”
“Would you like us to change to that vehicle, sir?” the driver asked. It wasn’t hard to tell he wasn’t happy with Wren’s harping, but he kept his tone steady.
“Yes,” Wren stated, leaning back in his seat. “I would like that vehicle.”
“Yes, sir,” the man answered before picking up a two-way radio and calling the guys in the other car, letting them know we would be switching. After a few minutes, we had moved to the other vehicle. I practically flew to the other car to make sure I got the middle seat to avoid any more confrontation.
Once we were on the road, I felt tense. I was still confused as to what exactly we were doing but too scared to ask, given Wren’s behavior, and I was now basically sandwiched between two extremely hot large males. How often did this happen to a woman? It doesn’t. And when it did, of course, it happened to me, the most awkward woman on the face of the planet. But looking on the bright side, I figured it could inspire an idea for a book or, at the very least, part of one. It would also probably make for a good intro to a porn—Backseat Alphas? Not that I was imagining having sex with both of them. Or either of them. Well, yes, Wren, of course. This is what happened when I became nervous. My mind was all over the place. One minute I’m worried about him, the next I’m curious, followed by thinking of porn. Good grief. Glancing forward at his hand where it rested on his thigh, I remembered how those fingers had felt deep inside of me, the night before. See? All over the place. I tightened my legs at the thighs when I felt myself clench at the memory.
Wren nudged me with his arm, causing me to jerk up to meet his stare. “You too warm back here?” he asked. “Your cheeks are red.”
I shook my head. Why did I always think about things like this at the worst times? My face was heated from fantasizing about him. Clearing my throat, I murmured, “I’m fine.”
Wren reached a hand out and squeezed my leg as he leaned over, beckoning me to lean forward as he put his mouth to my ear. “You weren’t doing anything wrong back there,” he whispered. “They should have made sure you got in first, and that I got the best seat.”
I nodded, a little relieved it wasn’t me, and decided not to inquire further as to why he needed the best seat. “I had no idea what was going on,” I offered instead.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude to you. Have you been to George Washington’s birthplace before?”
“Actually, no,” I admitted. How had I lived in Virginia all of my life and not been to George Washington’s birthplace? I started thinking of every trip I’d ever taken in the state when I felt his breath against my neck and sat back. I could feel my cheeks flaming again, and repeated my answer out loud to no one in particular. “Actually, no…no, I, um, I’ve never been to George Washington’s birthplace,” I spluttered.
“It’s a cool place to walk around. Historical and all,” Kegs volunteered. I simply nodded. Wren shook his head and turned back toward the front.
Ten minutes later, we were parked in front of the Welcome Center. I had only noticed one car in addition to ours before, but now there were at least four others, men spreading out everywhere. As soon as we stepped out of the vehicle, a light drizzle started and I huffed to myself. Great. My hair didn’t tolerate moisture well. Two minutes in this kind of weather and I’d look like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet.
“Hey, guys,” a man with red hair and a wiry beard to match approached. “We just got here about ten minutes ago.”
“We had to switch vehicles,” Wren grunted in explanation as to why we were late. “They put us in the shitty car.”
The red-haired man looked at me and smiled. “I’m Duke,” he introduced himself.
“I’m Hannah.” When we shook hands, I made sure to practice my technique as Wren had taught me the night before. Duke had a friendly smile and brown eyes that had a glint to them. But the thing that stood out most about him was his accent. Duke spoke with a thick Southern drawl that was superior to my own accent, but somehow made me feel at home, like I was among my own. It was inevitable anytime I was around a person with a Southern drawl, my own accent would deepen tenfold. I couldn’t help it.
“Nice to meet you, Hannah,” he stated. Wren and Kegs were already heading toward the entrance of the Welcome Center when Duke and I followed behind them.
“You, too. I have to ask, where are you from?”
“Born and bred in Tennessee.”
I nodded. “I love your accent. I always feel like the person with the most twang in every group. I’ve lived in Virginia my entire life, but my parents were from down south.”
“Well I don’t think your accent has noth’n on mine, hon,” he laughed, a deep rumble I could hear vibrate in his chest that made me smile.
The center was filled with centuries-old relics. Everything from spoons, to tools, to art, all held in clear cases. A large bay window revealed a stunning view of the Potomac River, even though it was overcast and the rain had started to fall heavier.
Standing in front of the window, I gazed at the river, just the sight of it made me feel wistful and nostalgic. Water. I loved it. Lakes, rivers, oceans…it didn’t matter. I loved them all.
“Is this weird I brought you?” Wren surprised me.
“No,” I shook my head a little too adamantly. “I think it’s really cool.” And I did. It was a hell of a date. “I was a little confused about what we were doing at first, but I think I get it now.”
“Yeah?”
“So you
’re training these men to protect important people, like ambassadors and whatnot.”
“You got it. Not only political figures though. It could be anyone.”
“You were kind of mean to them,” I noted. “The guy that drove us.”
Wren lifted his chin, seemingly more complimented by my comment than offended. “It’s not my job to be their friend. It’s my job to teach them how to serve and protect their client.”
I bit my tongue, regretting my comment. What did I know about any of this, and who was I to judge his teaching methods? The comment had been flippant on my part, but that was no excuse, especially for someone like myself who believed words were everything. I needed to change the subject fast.
“So…” I squinted an eye at him. “If you were pretending to be the ambassador in the car…what does that make me?”
He stared down at me with his deep brown eyes, making my heart sigh, and waggled his brows. “Why, that would make you an intern.”
I grinned. “I see.”
“You can call me Bill,” he whisper-growled in my ear. “I’ll call you Monica.” That made me think of his breath on my neck in the car. Had he blown over my skin on purpose?
I laughed hard as a way to distract me from my inquisitive thoughts, giving his chest a light smack. “You’re a dirty man.”
“You know you like it.” Oh, God. I did. I had to distract myself some more.
Turning my attention back to the epic view of the water, I chuckled to myself. He was being rather pervy, but I loved the playful banter we were having. We were comfortable. And that’s something I rarely felt.
“Wanna go jump in?” Wren asked as he placed his hand on my back, making my belly flutter. Looking up, I found him watching me, his mouth quirked up in his signature smile.
