Dazzled and Dazed

by Harley McRide

  After hearing the women in the shop talking about Magenta, I knew that accepting their requests was going to cause a shit storm, but I was gonna use it to my advantage. I loved what I did, being an author, it had nothing to do with wanting fame or money, and everything to do with putting my words down on paper and creating my own world. This was just a bonus.

  “OH MY GOD!” I heard Brit yell. “Angel, get your phone, Magenta accepted Brook’s friend request too, see if anyone else is on her friends list yet.”

  I turned back to Jet and chuckled, and then grabbed a loaf of bread and looked at my best friend.

  “Come on, it is all about keeping her off balance, then we will get the upper hand with her. I think she is going to be a pain in the ass. But you are right, by using Magenta, maybe we can see what she really wants.”

  “Finally, we are on the same page,” Jet said.

  Jet opened the fridge, and then shut it, there was nothing in it but food my mom delivered in individual containers. He opened the cupboard and stared at it for a minute, and then grabbed a can of SpaghettiOs and held it up. “This?”

  I shrugged and said, “I’m making grilled cheese, you make those. But first, Brit is off the phone, grab my phone and accept someone else’s request. Let’s see if the pattern is gonna hold.”

  Jet nodded and picked up my phone as I buttered the bread. “Zoey,” Jet muttered, and I nodded. He put down my phone and went to the can opener. Before he could start, we heard Brit’s phone chime again. Jet turned and looked. “What the fuck?”

  I chuckled and shook my head, “Hey, I get those notifications, too.”

  “That would drive me nuts,” Jet said and opened the can when we heard Brit yell next door.

  “I’m used to it, comes with the job,” I said. “Besides, I love talking to my fans, they are awesome and from all over the world. I have a group with some of the best fans ever, Laura, Lauree, Kelly, Sharee, the Julies, Theresa, Kim, Janine, LeeAnn and Tori, the list goes on. I love chatting with each of them, they are a hoot!”

  “Damn, brother, you need to get out more,” Jet muttered and shook his head.

  I wiped my hands off and grabbed my phone when I heard Brit hang up. “Petal,” I said, and hit the button while Jet grabbed a pan for both of us.

  “Okay, let’s burn dinner,” he said, and I nodded.

  I grinned when I heard Brit’s phone ding. We stood at the stove and proceeded to fuck up dinner, in a big way. The entire time we accepted friend requests and listened to phone calls coming into Brit’s phone, and we could hear her frustration as well about not being accepted yet.

  The smoke began to billow, and Jet was fanning it out the window with a towel when things got a little dicey. The bread caught on fire, who knew you could over butter it, and while I was trying to put it out, I yelled, “Fuck,” and grabbed the SpagettiOs pan, which also began to flame. “Open the fucking door.”

  Jet grabbed the other pan and pushed the back door open at the same time we heard Brit yell and come in the front door. Jet and I both threw the pans out into the backyard, and then turned to tell Brit it was okay, but the words were cut off when the cold water hit us from the pail Brit had in her hands.

  Chapter Six

  Jet

  “What the fuck!” I yelled as I wiped the water off my face.

  “Don’t you curse at me. I was saving you two nitwits from burning the house down!” Brit yelled back at me, and that was when I noticed Angelique stood behind her with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth.

  Sean said nothing as he walked to the sink and grabbed the dishcloth on the counter and wiped his face. After he placed it back down, he opened a drawer and pulled another towel out, turned, and threw it to me. I wiped the remaining water off my face and head while Sean’s eyes narrowed and he looked around the kitchen before he glanced back at Brit.

  “I’m not cleaning this mess up!” Sean said. “I had everything under control, dammit.”

  “Well, I’m not doing it. You’re the ones who caught the place on fire,” Brit huffed, but I noticed her eyes scanned Sean’s white t-shirt, which was wet and plastered to his chest, revealing through the material the outline of the hoop rings he wore in his nipples. I watched as Brit’s mouth slightly opened and the tip of her tongue brushed her bottom lip. The change in her breathing came next along with her shifting her focus to me. When I looked down, my t-shirt was no better than Sean’s. It was wet and stuck to my chest with my barbell nipple piercings outlined perfectly.

  I glanced back up at the same time Brit’s eyes moved to mine. “You liked our piercings that night too. You remember running your tongue over them? I do. You licked each one, sucked on each, then trailed down with your tongue until you reached my co—”

  “Oh! Umm...since there’s no emergency here, I’ll...we’ll...go back next door.” I’d forgot Angelique had followed Brit in and from the look on Brit’s face she’d forgotten too.

  “I...I...I should leave, too,” Brit stuttered but didn’t move. Sean didn’t have that problem, he moved behind her, took the bucket from her hand and sat it on the table, then leaned down as if to whisper in her ear.

  “You act indifferent, but you’re not, are you? Hopefully one day you’ll tell Jet and me what makes you act that way. We can wait until you’re ready though, but what we won’t wait for,” Sean nipped her earlobe, and she shivered, “is for you stop avoiding us. Especially since we know you really don’t want to.” With another nip to her earlobe, Sean stood and looked at me over Brit’s head.

  I tossed the towel, reached over my shoulders and grabbed the back of my t-shirt and yanked it over my head. Brit’s breath caught, and I moved closer.

  “Touch me, Brit,” I said and stepped even closer, only leaving enough space between us for her to lift her hands to my chest. I saw the indecision in her eyes, but the want was there, too. It was going to be a test on which won out.

  “Touch him, baby. You know you want to.” Sean’s barely whispered words had Brit sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. She raised her arms and held her hands in front of my chest, so close I felt the heat radiating from them.

  Damn, I wanted her hands on me, but it had to be her move. We got our fucking opening, and I wasn’t going to miss taking it this time. When I looked at Sean, I knew he was thinking the same thing—if she made the move, there would be no going back for her or us. She knew it, too. I had no doubt that was why she was hesitant in reaching out and taking what she wanted.

  That morning in the hotel room, we might not have remembered the night we spent with her right away, but after I contacted a few guys I knew in the area and gotten the info on the beach chapel, things started to clear in my mind. Brit rode back with Zoey, Michael, and Reese, leaving Sean and me in my truck. By the time we hit the bridge leading us back into the Bronx, everything was back from the night before. And fuck, it had been a helluva night. One I wanted to repeat because Brit had fit us perfectly.

  My breath caught with the first touch of her fingers on my skin. Hell yeah, she was going to be ours. Sean and I closed what little distance was between Brit and us, sandwiching her in the middle.

  Brit’s hands ran over my chest and stopped on my piercings. She took them between her fingers and rolled the barbells. Neither Sean or I touched her, but when a drop of water fell from my hair to my chest, and Brit leaned in and licked it before it could travel down—I snapped.

  My hands went to her face, and I tipped her head back and leaned down and took her mouth with my mine. Brit gasped, and I plunged my tongue in. The taste of her had me wanting more, so I deepened the kiss.

  Sean’s hands moved up her sides and under her shirt until he cupped her breasts between us, the action had Brit moaning. I broke the kiss, moved my hands from her face to her ass and lifted until she wrapped her legs around my waist. As I held her, she leaned against Sean and laid her head back on his shoulder while he massaged her breasts.

  “You are a beautiful woman, Brit, and m
eant to be ours,” I said, and her green eyes looked at me, the desire shining in them as she frowned.

  “Huh?”

  “Don’t think, baby, just feel,” Sean said as he pushed her top up and unclasped her bra, freeing her breasts into his hands. When Brit turned her face, Sean tilted his head and captured her mouth.

  Sean moved a hand down to the waist of the yoga pants Brit wore, and I bent and took the breast he abandoned into my mouth. I rolled the nipple with my tongue and Brit arched, pressing her center against my erection. When she shifted her hips, I gritted my teeth to keep from exploding like a teenage boy.

  Brit broke the kiss with Sean and took a deep breath, and when she said, “More, I need more,” Sean slid his hand down into the front of her pants, and I sucked her nipple and bit down gently.

  “What the fuck did you bastards burn?” Cal’s voice had all movement halted.

  “Oh my God, put me down,” Brit whispered.

  “Goddamn that fucker always did have the worst fucking timing,” Sean said and removed his hand from Brit’s pants while I released her breasts and tried to get them placed in her bra.

  “Stop it. Let me down and I’ll fix it.” Brit wiggled, and I stepped back so she could drop her feet to the floor.

  “I’ll go and stop him before he reaches the kitchen,” Sean said and went to turn, but before he could move, Brit was on her feet and around me. We didn’t even have time to speak, and she was out the back door, pulling her shirt down as she went.

  “Damn, what happened in here?” Mace asked as he walked in the kitchen with Cal behind him.

  Sean looked at me, and I shrugged, then looked at Mace. “Just your average cooking fire.”

  “Not thinking there was anything average about what was going on in here. Especially with Brit going out the back door fixing her shirt. That is definitely a whole different kind of kitchen fire,” Cal smirked, and Mace laughed.

  “Fuck you, Cal. And what are you doing here?” Sean said.

  “Bro, you invited us over to watch football. Told you I’d be over when I finished at the shop, and that Mace and I would bring dinner with us. I sat the pizza on the coffee table in the living room.”

  “Well, at least that’s one hunger we get to fill,” I said, grabbed a few more towels and started cleaning up the water on the floor.

  “Maybe if you guys locked a door, you wouldn’t have gotten cockblocked,” Cal said and went to the fridge and pulled out a couple beers, handing one to Mace. I glared at him, and so did Sean.

  “Don’t make me kill you, Cal. Unlike with Falon, I think Mom and Dad would get upset with me,” Sean said with the seriousness he was known for, and I couldn’t keep from laughing.

  “Good luck with trying. Still, have you two learned nothing watching the others fumble with their women. Christ, it has been sad to watch. I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times—when you find the woman that fits you, lock her ass down. By the time she figures out what is going on, she is yours, and there’s no turning back for her.”

  “I agree with Cal,” Mace said and tipped his beer bottle toward Cal. I looked between the two, then at Sean who shrugged.

  “Might work if certain people don’t interrupt your plan,” I mumbled and gathered up the towels and tossed them into the laundry room that was off the kitchen.

  “Hey, don’t blame us because you’ve let Brit pull you guys around by the balls for a week. Are we going to watch football or gossip some more like women?” Cal said, then headed out of the kitchen with Mace following.

  “It’s going to be fun as shit watching that arrogant bastard fall,” Sean said disgustedly, and I couldn’t have agreed more.

  “Damn, wonder how long it’s going to take us to get Brit alone like that again? She is not going to forget this anytime soon.” Sean smiled and handed me another beer. “Glad you can smile, Sean.”

  “Of course, I can, so can you. Brit will forget all about what took place here,” Sean said, picked up his phone on the bar, hit the screen a few times, then tossed it on the bar.

  “Well played. I think the game is officially started,” I laughed as Sean tossed his phone back on the counter, then we tapped our bottles together.

  “Yes, and the one on TV, too. Let’s grab some pizza before Cal and Mace devour it all,” Sean said, and I nodded, then headed toward the living room.

  “You’re a big, evil bastard. No wonder we get along so well,” I laughed, and we both flopped in chairs and reached for the pizza.

  “Oh my God, she friended me!” Sean and I burst out laughing when we heard Brit yell.

  “What the fuck are those women doing next door?” Mace asked, and we laughed hard.

  Let the game begin.

  Chapter Seven

  Brit

  “Those sneaky assholes!” I yelled and slammed the door. When I stomped into the kitchen, Angelique sat at the table eating. She placed her fork down and turned toward me. “Don’t you start on me!”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You were thinking it!” I said and grabbed a plate, then after I placed food on it, joined her at the table.

  “Well...um...okay,” Angelique said and started eating again.

  “I can’t believe they thought they could just...just take advantage of me. I was helping, you know, doing my good deed, and they thought by kissing me and shit, would be appropriate. What if a fireman had come in the door, would they do the same thing? I mean, I think they’re just horny.”

  “Sure, those bad men,” Angelique said, then snickered.

  “It isn’t funny. What would make them think that I would tolerate being manhandled?”

  “Didn’t sound like you minded it too much,” Angelique said, and I dropped my fork.

  “What?” I whispered.

  “I said—”

  “I heard you,” I said, cutting her off.

  “Yeah, I heard you too. Clear enough that I had to,” I followed where Angelique pointed, “close the window.”

  I placed my elbows on the table and put my face in my hands. “What have I done? I just opened my business here. This will never work, and I’ll lose all the new friends I’ve made because I won’t be able to be around them every day, and then eventually watch them with the woman they are meant to be with. Watch them dote on her and their children and know I won’t ever have that.”

  “Dramatic much?” I raised my head and looked at Angelique who looked back at me.

  “You’re supposed to be supportive when a friend is having a crisis. Not be rational and shit,” I said, and she grinned.

  “Sorry, I don’t have a lot of experience with that.” I frowned at Angelique’s words.

  “What are you talking about? It’s when no matter what, you back your friend whether they are wrong or right.”

  “Duh, I know that. I just never had any close girlfriends to do that with,” Angelique said and got up and walked to sink with her plate.

  “How could you have not had any girlfriends? You’re sweet, and I’ve never heard you say anything bad about anyone.” Angelique started filling the sink and gathering the pots and pans she used to cook. I scraped the food left on my plate in the trash and moved to help her clean up the kitchen.

  “Josh and I grew up in the system, which you know when you’re moving around from family to family, you tend to end up in different schools. I was never at one long enough to build a close relationship with the other girls. Plus, most teenage girls already have their groups, and they don’t bother to get to know the girl in secondhand clothes who probably won’t be around the next semester.” Angelique shrugged and started washing and rinsing the dishes while I dried them.

  “Oh, Angelique, I’m sorry. Teenage girls can be cruel. Hell, kids in general for that matter. You have them now, me and the others, so that’s what counts. And we are awesome girlfriend material.” I hip bumped her, and she laughed. We finished the dishes, then I grabbed my phone off the counter as we headed toward the liv
ing room to watch TV.

  I looked down at the phone and saw the blinking light informing me I had a message.

  “Crap, see those men made me miss my phone dinging,” I said, sat down, and ran my finger over the screen as Angelique grabbed the remote. “OH MY GOD, SHE FRIENDED ME!” I screamed, Angelique squealed, and I jumped up out of the chair.

  “Now we are all friends with her!” Angelique yelled, grabbed my hands with hers, and we jumped up and down.

  “Call them now. Don’t you have that conference call feature?” Angelique asked, and I nodded while I scrolled through contacts for everyone’s number. “This is so exciting!”

  I waited until I had Petal, Brook, Zoey, Mel, Mia, and Maria all on the phone. “Can everyone hear me?” I asked, and they all replied yes, then I hit the speaker button so Angelique could hear too. “We are all officially friends with the greatest ménage author on the planet!”

  Thank God, the phone hadn’t been at my ear because the squeals and screaming would have surely deafened me. After minutes in which we discussed what to do next with our request, I suggested we start by messaging the woman and telling her how much we enjoyed her books. Everyone agreed and said since I was used to dealing with celebrities, I should be the first to make contact. After I argued, to no avail, I sat down with messenger open and typed my first message, then hit sent before I lost my nerve.

  “Do you think calling her the goddess of romance was a little much in a first message?” Angelique turned away from the TV and stared at me.

  “You didn’t?”

  “Well, she is. I was only stating the truth. I mean, damn, her stories are really good, but the sex scenes... Woo wee, I have to fan myself while reading them.”

  “Yeah, me too, but...”

  “But what, Angelique?”

  “You wouldn’t need to read about it. You could live it.” Angelique had me there.