Scarlett nodded. “Okay. So, then, my news is that I’ve gotten a job offer. And I’m not sure whether to take it.”
“Wow!” Hartley said. Scarlett worked as a statistician and was beyond brilliant. The sexiest math nerd on the planet, probably. “Congratulations. Where’s the job?”
“That’s the thing,” she said. “It’s in Vegas.”
Hartley blinked, instantly torn between happiness for her friend and regret for herself. “Vegas, how exciting. I imagine there’s a lot of opportunity in the casinos for people who can work numbers the way you can.”
“Exactly,” she said. “And I’m thinking…maybe a move would be a way to put the pain of everything that happened with my ex behind me.”
The very idea of Scarlett moving felt like another in a long line of losses. Not having a mother. Her dad’s heart attack. Her grandmother’s dementia. But this wasn’t about Hartley, and her friend deserved every iota of happiness she could find. “I don’t think it sounds like you’re undecided, Scarlett. To me it sounds like you just want confirmation that this is the right thing to do. And your voice and face are telling me that it is. You deserve a fresh start after what he put you through.” And Hartley meant it. She really did. Even though Scarlett’s absence would leave another hole in her life.
“Really? You don’t think it’s, I don’t know, rash to just pick up and move across the country?”
“Not in the least,” Hartley said. “And not for nothing, but you just got done encouraging me to consider a relationship with two men at the same time. Who, by the way, may or may not be interested in me in the first place.”
They laughed.
“I think…I think this could be good for me, you know?” Scarlett said, just barely holding back her excitement. “I’m still thinking it through, though.”
Hartley hoped Scarlett wasn’t restraining her enthusiasm for her sake, though Hartley wouldn’t put it past her. Scarlett was one of the few people with whom Hartley had ever shared her loneliness. After Scarlett’s divorce, it was something they’d had in common. So Hartley made sure her voice bubbled over with encouragement. “Well, it sounds like a great opportunity. I’m so proud of you, Scarlett. And I promise I’ll come visit.”
The waiter delivered their salads, which they ate around one of the liveliest, most animated lunches Hartley had had in a long time. And even though a part of her was already missing her friend, she had to respect the courage it took Scarlett to identify the kind of life she really wanted and go after it, no matter what anyone else thought.
Right at that moment, Hartley wished she could be more like that.
Chapter Five
Hartley woke up surrounded by skin. Miles of warm, smooth skin. Hard muscles as far as her hands could reach.
It was freaking delicious.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Jonathan said, kissing her ear, her neck, her shoulder. His hand slid around low on her belly, his long fingers tantalizingly close to where she knew he could drive her wild.
“Good morning,” she murmured dreamily, a moan spilling from her throat when he rocked his hips and pressed his rock-hard cock against her ass.
“Mmm, I think she likes whatever you’re doing under these covers,” Cruz said from right in front of her. He burrowed closer, his thigh pushing between hers, his firm muscles providing a sudden, blindingly good friction as he claimed her mouth.
Hartley had never been more turned on in her life.
She allowed herself to be pulled on top of Cruz, straddling him even though he was the one in control. He took firm hold of her hips and forced her to grind her clit against the hard ridge of his length. She was already so wet that her own lubrication made them both slick, driving her mad with urgent need.
“Tell us how much you love having both of us, Hartley,” Jonathan whispered as he shifted to his knees behind her. His hands stroked down her spine, and his explorations ended with his hand behind her thighs, a finger sinking deep into her pussy.
“Oh, God. I do,” she rasped.
“Fuck,” Cruz bit out, his darkly handsome face painted with arousal of his own. “Put me inside you, Hartley.”
Rising up a little, Hartley took his thick length in hand, and then sank down onto it inch by heart-stopping inch.
“Goddamn, that looks good,” Jonathan said behind her. His hands fell on her shoulders and pressed her down until she’d taken in all of the man beneath her. Then his touch fell away, and was replaced by the wet sound of friction. A hand moving slick and repeatedly over skin.
Jonathan was preparing himself for her. Then his lubed fingers were at her rear, preparing her for him.
Her forehead dropped to Cruz’s when Jonathan inserted first one, then two fingers. She’d only done this a few times before, but it had been a couple of years, and she’d never done it with two men.
“I’ll go slow,” Jonathan was saying. “I’ll make you feel so good.”
“We both will,” Cruz promised, claiming her mouth in a kiss again.
And then the head of Jonathan’s cock was right there. Lined up and invading her most intimate space.
On a gasp, Hartley’s eyes blinked open…and she found herself alone. In her bed, with the gray light of early morning peaking around her blinds. Lying almost all the way on her stomach except for the way her thigh was thrown across a pillow. And she was more aroused than she’d ever been in her life.
From a dream
From a sex dream.
A sex dream where she had sex with two men at once. And not just any men. Jonathan and Cruz.
And knowing it had only been a dream did absolutely nothing to make her less aroused.
“Holy shit,” she whispered, flopping onto her back and almost desperate for some sort of release.
She debated for less than a second, then reached for her laptop, which she’d stowed on her nightstand before she’d gone to bed. It didn’t take long to navigate to the porn site she sometimes visited. After all, a woman had needs. And a woman not in a relationship had to fulfill those needs all by herself.
What she wanted to come to wasn’t even a question. She typed one word into the search bar: threesome
And, the porn gods were apparently smiling on her, because it only took until the second screen of results to find a twenty-minute-long clip starring men who bore some physical resemblance to the two men who’d starred in her dream. A tall, longer-haired blond. And a muscular black-haired Latino.
The way she felt, there was no way in hell Hartley was going to need twenty minutes.
She propped the laptop up on a pillow, fast forwarded past the obligatory blow-job scene, and pressed play as the men pushed the woman onto a bed.
Hartley’s heart already hammered in her chest. She threw off the covers, kicked off her panties, and reached between her legs to find herself wet. But that was just what her dream had done to her.
Now, as her fingers started to move, her gaze latched onto the actors on the screen. They were all over the woman. One man fucking her mouth, while the other man pushed his head between her legs. Now they were positioning her between them, just as Jonathan and Cruz had done in her dream. And then she was about to be filled with both of their cocks, one in her pussy, one in her ass.
The instant the second man penetrated the rosebud of the actress’s rear, Hartley came on a gasping cry. Her fingers swirled harder, faster, drawing out the pulses of her orgasm until Hartley was limp and incredulous. She wasn’t sure she’d ever come harder in her whole life.
For a long moment, she stared blankly up at her bedroom ceiling.
It was just a dream. It was just a fantasy. It wasn’t real life at all.
Right?
Well, it wasn’t her real life. But according to Scarlett, it was Jonathan and Cruz’s.
Could it also be hers? Would she be brave enough to do such a thing if the men ever offered?
Doubts and questions ran through her mind. Was it possible that Jonathan and Cruz even th
ought of her this way? And if so, what would people think? Would they tell people? What if she got freaked out part way through? Would it hurt to have two men at the same time? (She wasn’t sure, but her brain sure was trying to convince her she should at least give it a try…)
Beep beep beep…
Rolling, Hartley smacked at the LED screen of her phone to turn off her alarm.
And then she forced herself out of bed and into the shower. Because despite having just come to just the idea of sleeping with her new friends, she had to see them in less than two hours. And somehow she was going to have to figure out how to act normal when she did.
* * *
Jonathan disconnected from his phone call with Scarlett Rose and grinned at Cruz, sitting on the corner of his desk. “She knows,” Jonathan said. “They had lunch yesterday and Scarlett told her.”
A slow smile quirked the corner of Cruz’s mouth. “Remind me to think up a really big gift for Scarlett.”
“Right?” Jonathan said. “And better yet, Scarlett said Hartley seemed open to the idea.”
Cruz crossed his arms, emphasizing how jacked his shoulders were. Not surprising when, every single morning, the guy hit the gym in the condo complex where they both owned units. At least three or four mornings a week, Jonathan met him there, but he preferred to pound out five miles on the treadmill rather than lift. “Which idea exactly?”
Jonathan sat forward, his arms resting on the desk top and his hands tapping out a little beat. “All of it. Trying out the club. Us being Doms. The fact that we’re into ménage.”
Cruz rubbed the back of his neck. “Jesus.”
“Is that a good Jesus or a bad Jesus?” Jonathan asked, wondering where his friend’s head was at.
Chuckling, Cruz shrugged. “I’m hoping it’s a good one. But I think we gotta let this develop naturally. We try to force this thing and we could scare her off.”
Nodding, Jonathan said, “Roger that. But it’s a huge help that she was at least clued into the lifestyle through Scarlett, who, by the way, mentioned the masquerade party to her.”
Cruz’s eyes went wide. “Seriously. A big present. Huge.”
“We will,” Jonathan said, laughing.
They’d barely finished the conversation when they heard a voice from out on the workshop floor. “Knock knock?”
Jonathan grinned and rounded the desk. “Hey, we’re in here,” he called. Cruz followed him out of the suite of offices. They found Hartley standing in the big space, a ray of sunshine in the dimness of the gray morning, dressed in a sexy pair of low-riding jeans and a pretty yellow boat-necked shirt that framed the graceful slope of her neck and collarbones. Today she’d styled her hair down in big, loose curls that extended to her breasts. She was fucking beautiful. “Nice to see you, Hartley. How are you?”
She smiled as she met his gaze. “I’m great. Especially since I get to see my baby again.” She nodded toward the Far ’n Away.
Cruz flashed a wicked grin. “We’ll try not to get our feelings hurt that you’re more excited to see the boat than us.”
Hartley blushed a beautiful, bright pink. One that made all three of them laugh. “That’s not what I meant,” she insisted. And it was as endearing as it was intriguing, because both the color and her words seemed to indicate that she didn’t want them to think she wasn’t happy to see them, too.
“Come on. Let us show you what’s happening,” Jonathan said, leading their little group to the cat. “The good news is, the electrical is fine.”
“Oh, thank God,” Hartley said, her hands going to her heart.
He nodded, really freaking happy for her. Because that reality saved her thousands of dollars and several weeks’ worth of down time. They would’ve been seriously hard-pressed to meet her deadline if the catamaran had needed rewired.
“It’s good news, for sure,” Cruz said. “Now we need your input on what patching technique you’d like us to use for the hole in the hull, whether you want the whole bottom repainted to hide the patch, and which wood grain you want us to use on the interior.”
Jonathan nodded. “We have a few that are close, but it’s impossible to exactly match either the grain or the stain.”
Hartley dropped her little purse to the floor next to a beam. “Okay, show me what you need.”
An hour later, they’d walked through everything, and Hartley had made all the decisions. The three of them were squeezed into the narrow space of the cabin, where she stood staring at the skeleton of the space. “I know it’s going to be fine, but it’s really hard seeing her like this. It’s just a boat, of course, but I bought this catamaran with my father’s life insurance as a way to build up the business that had faltered in his absence. So, in a weird way, this boat…has always felt like it’s the last part of him I have left. I know that sounds ridiculous…” Suddenly, she rapidly blinked her eyes as her breath caught. “Sorry.”
“Damn, Hartley. It doesn’t sound ridiculous at all,” Jonathan said, opening his arms. “Come here.”
She hesitated for only a second, and then she folded herself in against his chest.
…and burrowed right into Jonathan’s heart.
Over her head, he met Cruz’s gaze and found it burning with the same connection Jonathan was starting to feel. “The fact that she’s so special to you makes us feel even more privileged to get to take care of her for you, you know?”
She nodded and swiped her fingers under her eyes, though she didn’t pull away. “My mom died of a stroke when I was four. I don’t have any first-hand memories of her at all. And even though it was sad not to have a mother, my dad was so great that I never felt like I didn’t have what I needed. Until he died.”
Damn. She was all alone.
Cruz placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry to hear that, Hartley. My family is big and in each other’s business constantly, so I can’t imagine what all of that was like. Even though, occasionally, it might be nice for there to be fewer busy-bodies floating around the edges of my life.”
She chuckled. “Well, yeah, I can imagine…”
Her sentiment was perfectly normal, but her tone possessed more than a little innuendo. A sudden tension ballooned inside the tiny space. Because, for exactly what reason did she imagine Cruz might want privacy? Given what they’d learned she knew, one reason came immediately to mind.
And a metaphorical door swung open…
“Thanks,” she whispered, finally stepping back from Jonathan. Right away, he missed her warmth and her softness and her sweetness. She gave them both a shaky smile.
“Hartley,” Jonathan said gently, pushing that door open just a little further. “I want to say something but you are more than welcome to tell me you don’t want to discuss it.”
Her gaze slowly lifted to his. “Um. Okay?” Color slowly crept into her cheeks again.
Cruz flashed him a look, but Jonathan wasn’t going to push too hard. “We talked to Scarlett this morning.”
Her eyes went wide and she shivered. Just a little tremor, but one that revealed she knew exactly what they’d discussed. As interesting, the mere mention of that knowledge made her have an intriguing visceral reaction. “Oh.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Jonathan gave her a smile. “Yeah.” She glanced at Cruz, her blush spreading down her throat. And it was everything Jonathan could do not to pull her back into his arms. Or into his lap. Anything to bring her closer again, especially as he broached this topic. “I just wanted to invite you to ask us any questions you might have, any time you like.”
A fast nod. A little smile. Quick, peaking glances at Jonathan, then Cruz, then the deck between them. All of which communicated a little embarrassment, perhaps, but no distaste, no disapproval. Perfect.
Cruz was the one to break the tension. “So, we’ll get started ordering the materials, and hopefully we’ll have what we need on hand within two days.”
“That sounds perfect,” Hartley said, clearing he
r throat. “And I want you to know I’m available to help. I do a lot of my own maintenance, so I’m relatively handy. My dad made sure of that. And, uh, I don’t have much to do since I’ve had to cancel my charters. So I’m happy to be put to work.” The words spilled out in a nervous rush.
Jonathan smiled, appreciating that she was willing to pitch in, especially given that they’d squeezed in her job. But they hadn’t taken on more than they could handle. Still, he nailed her with a stare and said, “You’re welcome here any time.”
“Absolutely,” Cruz said, stepping just a little closer. And Jonathan could see the same battle being waged in his friend’s eyes. The battle against touching her, holding her, showing how good they could make her feel. It fueled Jonathan’s own need. “Consider our door open to you, Hartley. Day or night. All you have to do is walk through it.”
Chapter Six
Driving home from yet another day of helping work on her catamaran—today she’d assisted with preparing the bottom of the boat for the eventual repainting it would need—Hartley’s cell phone rang through the Bluetooth in her car.
Scarlett’s name popped up on the caller ID, and she smiled even as her heart gave a little pang.
“Hi, Scarlett.”
“Hey, girl, how are you?”
“I’m good. Well, honestly, I’m a little tired. I’ve been pitching in with the Far ’n Away as much as Jonathan and Cruz will let me. And the stress of whether we’re going to finish in time for the sailboat show is starting to wake me up at night.”
“Aw, honey, I’m sorry to hear that. Are they making good progress?” Scarlett asked.
“Yes, they’re busting their butts. And their work is first-rate. I’m just a stress bucket.”
Scarlett chuckled. “With good reason. But I might have news that will at least offer a distraction.”
“Oh, do tell,” Hartley said, a grin crawling up her face as she braked at a traffic light. Fortunately, with how often she went back and forth to the marina, her small one-bedroom apartment was only a ten-minute drive away. “Did you accept the job?”
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