Shared & Protected

by J P Books

  I want to have the confidence she does. I want to walk in there and pretend like I’m going to do whatever it takes to get this money, but shame and guilt about the two of them knowing what I’ve done makes me want to shrivel up and disappear forever. I never want to show my face again.

  But I need that money. Dad needs that money. He’s been so stressed that his immune system is weakening and he’s always getting sick. This would solve all our problems. $160,000 would fix everything for us. It would save the house.

  “Here goes nothing,” I say, standing up from the mirror.

  The event organizer brings the guys back behind the stage to talk. I changed into a black pencil skirt and a purple, billowy blouse, but I still feel as exposed as I was on stage in front of Wesley and Tyler.

  They say that they’re willing to take me on a date tonight, and the organizer’s eyes light up. She quickly scribbles this down and tells us that there are plenty of luxurious restaurants at the hotel we’re currently at. I nod. The Red Royale may have a lot of problems, but the food they serve at La Roux isn’t one of them.

  “We’ll go there, then,” Wesley says decidedly.

  “Perfect,” the organizer says. “That’s all the info we’ll need. Tomorrow we’ll check in and finalize the deal.” She turns to me and gives me a good-luck smile. I return it weakly.

  When we get to La Roux, I still feel myself being tense and anxious. I don’t want to fuck this up, but I also don’t know how formal or casual to be. Are we going to pretend like we don’t know each other from years ago?

  “So, Bug, how have you been doing?” Tyler asks.

  A smile instantly spreads on my face. Tyler, Wesley, and Mark always called me Bug when we were kids because I had a weird fascination with insects. I loved collecting ladybugs, I had two different ant farms, and anytime a spider got in the house, I wanted to watch it spin its web rather than scream and run for help.

  Immediately, I start to loosen up. It’s clear that they’ve been successful in life, and when I ask, Wesley and Tyler take turns explaining how that is. I’ve heard of Tysley as a company, but I had no clue that it was their creation. The fact that they were able to meld their two separate interests together into one project is inspiring.

  Strangely enough, being out with someone in a restaurant this nice feels…good. I haven’t been out in so long, and I don’t have to worry about trying to make small talk with either of the guys. We fall back into our old habits, talking over each other, interrupting with laughter, and reminiscing.

  I try my hardest not to stare at either of them for too long, but the last time I saw them, they were seniors in college, just barely getting out of that awkward, gangling teenage phase. They look much different now. Much more refined. Mature.

  Tyler has his blond hair cut short and clean, allowing his face to pull my focus. His strong jawline and his sharp, prominent nose capture my attention first, followed by those soft baby blue eyes and that smile that radiates nothing but sweetness.

  And Wesley is still his polar opposite. His beard and mustache are dark and thick, just like his longer black hair. He’s rich, chocolate brown eyes are intimidating in the best way, and when he speaks, his perfect white teeth poke out from beneath his facial hair. They’re the perfect pair, night and day, and it makes me wish I hadn’t missed all those years of their growth. I wish I could’ve been there with them, watching as they built a successful company from the ground up. Life just got in the way.

  But now, maybe life is bringing us back together?

  It’s a foolish thought, but I can’t help but entertain it for a moment. What if this was all by design? Just a few days ago, I’d been thinking about them, completely out of the blue, and now here they are, winning me in a bid that saved me from having to sleep with some old creep like the one Camila was sold to.

  I don’t normally believe in miracles or fate—especially considering how shitty life has been to me these past few years—but I’m starting to wonder if I was wrong the entire time. Maybe there is some kind of divine being up there, moving everyone around like chess pieces, putting plans untold into motion.

  It’s a silly thought, but it’s comforting. I reach for my glass of wine and take a long drink, just looking at the two of them. Tyler gives me another one of those sweet smiles, and I can’t hide my own smile in response. All I can do is grin and swallow the last bit of red wine in my glass.

  I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in a long time, so I decide to soak it up. I’ll live in this moment and enjoy it because I know soon the pendulum will swing the other way.

  CHAPTER 5

  Wesley

  It’s strange how easily the three of us find our old rhythm again. I haven’t seen Adele since she was begging her father to help her get her permit. It’s been so long that I can only stare at her and see her as both the teenager I remember her as and the woman she’s become.

  She tells us about her job at the casino and how it’s a nightmare, and though she laughs it off, I can see how much it affects her. She’s putting on a front for us, the same way Tyler does when he gets stressed, and I see right through it. I want to offer her some advice or do something that would help her out, but I remind myself that we’ve already paid $200,000 for a night with her. I’m sure she’ll be able to quit her job and use that money for something good. Something she truly wants to be doing.

  “So,” she says, brushing a strand of hair from her face, “What have you two been up to? Any women that might be upset you two are on this date with me?”

  I shake my head. “None of them that deserve to be upset.”

  It’s not a secret that I’m a serial dater. Since making it big with Tyler, women have been throwing themselves at us for years. At first, it was overwhelming, but it’s become standard at this point. I date casually, always with a new woman on my arm, and that’s because I don’t feel the need to tie myself down to anyone right now.

  No woman has charmed me enough to give up all the others. No woman has offered me something another isn’t readily waiting to give me. What’s the point in choosing just one lady to have fun with when there are lines of others waiting for their turn as well?

  Besides, work has been crazy, and I don’t have time to invest in someone else. With Tyler always worrying about new designs and the advertising for our newer products, I can barely keep up with my flings let alone taking on a new girlfriend.

  “Wes here is a regular Casanova,” Tyler teases, giving me a nudge with his elbow. I smile at him. He’s right, and I can’t argue with him about the nickname.

  “And Tyler here is as prudent as they come,” I reply.

  Tyler is an enigma to me. I try to understand my friend’s motives, but they never make sense. How can someone that’s as objectively handsome as him have such terrible luck with women? Every girl that he’s tried to date has either been too attached or too distant, way too early into the relationship.

  Eventually, he stopped trying and has probably been relegated to taking care of himself while watching some video on his phone. It’s sad, really. Part of me wishes I could’ve bought a date for him with a woman that I know he’d be interested in sleeping with. It’s the least he deserves given how poor Lady Luck has been treating him.

  “What about you?” I ask. “Any man out there that needs to be worried you were just in an auction?”

  She blushes an adorable shade of pink and shakes her head. Before saying anything, she takes a long drink from her glass. “Nope, just me, myself, and I.”

  I find that hard to believe. When we were kids, I remember Mark telling us all about how he kicked the asses of a lot of the guys she dated when she was just starting high school. He needed to let these people know that she wasn’t just anyone’s younger sister. She was his.

  I wonder what he’d think about this whole thing now. Would he be pissed that we took her out on this date alone, or would he be relieved that we saved her from some f
reak buying a night with her? I’d like to think it was the latter, but the kid was always insanely protective of his little sister. He might just be mad at the situation as a whole rather than picking one side over the other.

  Not that I’m worried about him. The reason why I bid on Adele wasn’t to satisfy some sort of my pervy desire. Something tells me he no longer cares about his sister as much as he used to, considering that Adele felt desperate enough to participate in the auction in the first place.

  Our date conversation starts to lull, and I see Tyler let out a long yawn, stretching and relaxing in his seat. I pat him on the stomach and say, “All that food has him tired, I bet.”

  He chuckles and swats my hand, rolling his eyes. “Fuck off.”

  “I wish I could have dessert, but I’m stuffed too,” Adele says. “I guess this is the point where we head up to a room?”

  She says it so casually that I snort out a laugh. She can’t be serious. But the look on her face tells me she is. “We’re not going to make you sleep with us, Del,” he says. “That’s not what this date is about.”

  She shakes her head. “No, it is.”

  “What?” Tyler looks confused.

  “One of my…friends backstage told me that the only way to make this official is to head up to the hotel room and like…consummate the deal?” Her smile is uneasy, and I hate that this conversation makes her so unsettled.

  “Adele, no,” Tyler starts.

  She leans forward and lowers her voice. “Do you see that man behind you? Don’t look, but he’s standing at the bar with the blue suit on.”

  I stretch and twist in my seat, making it look like I’m popping my back. When I turn to the bar, I see a large man in a tailored blue suit. He looks around the room, his eyes landing on me for only a second before he looks away.

  “Yeah, why?” I say to Adele when I turn around.

  “He’s been standing over there since we got here. I recognized him as one of the bouncers from the auction. He keeps looking over here at us, watching us. I’m pretty sure he’s going to make sure we head up to the hotel room. If we don’t, I’m going to have to pay the organizers twenty percent of what I sold for, and I don’t have forty grand lying around.”

  “Shit,” Tyler says under his breath.

  I’m almost shocked at how shady this all is. How is this possible? Or even legal? The fact that this could’ve been Adele and some random man downstairs makes me even more relieved that we agreed to bet on her.

  “Let’s make them think that we’re heading up, then. We can go to a room and just spend the night there. Nothing more. How does that sound?”

  The moment I suggest that, I see Adele’s shoulders relax just a bit. “You mean it?”

  “Yeah, of course,” Tyler says, jumping in. “We can catch up some more. Drink, watch a movie or something. You can spend the night with us, and in the morning when they ask if we ‘sealed the deal’ or whatever, we’ll say we did.”

  I want to offer her some other kind of comfort because Adele looks like she might cry tears of joy. I can tell that she was worrying we’d actually want to mess around with her, and I can see that that thought didn’t make her as comfortable as she pretended. I wouldn’t want to feel forced to fuck someone either, so I don’t blame her.

  Though, the thought of being with Adele is certainly exciting…

  I try to control my thoughts. The last thing I’d want to happen is to pressure Adele into doing something she has no interest in doing. I can’t imagine how long tonight has already been. Adding this to the mix would only be fanning the flame more.

  “Then it’s settled,” Tyler says with a comforting smile. “Let’s head up there and make this deal official.” He says the last part in a teasing way, and I chuckle.

  When the waitress comes by with the bill, I slide her my card and Tyler takes care of the drinks. Adele fiddles with her blouse and tries to look more at ease, but it’s obvious there’s some residual anxiety still left over.

  As we make our way to the elevator, I slip my hand in hers, hoping to reassure her while also letting the man tailing us see that there’s already some affection between us. She gives my hand a squeeze and whispers her appreciation as the doors close.

  Across the lobby, I can see the man watching us, and I give him a wink. He seems shocked that I’m aware of him, which is exactly what the bastard deserves. When the doors shut for good and we begin to head up, Adele doesn’t let go of my hand. Her fingers feel so small between mine, but it’s a perfect fit.

  It’s going to be an interesting night spending time with her, I know that much.

  CHAPTER 6

  Tyler

  As promised, when we get to the hotel room, we decide to open another bottle of wine and have fun. We put on a trashy reality show that Adele suggests, and we sit back and watch the drama unfold as the women call each other names and throw drinks at each other. It’s completely devoid of any point, but it’s perfect TV to unwind to.

  “Thank you, guys, again,” she says after thirty minutes of laughing at the television. “You’re really doing me a solid. Today has been stressful and having you guys there has made this all easy for me.”

  “Please,” Wesley says, waving it off. “I can’t imagine not helping you. You’re like family to us.” He puts an arm around her and pulls her in for a hug, messing up her hair. She giggles and shoves him off.

  “Yeah,” I say, “You don’t have to thank us at all. It’s the right thing to do. And we just want to make sure you get your money.”

  I don’t exactly know what it’s for, but it must be important for her to have gone through this whole ordeal. Adele was never the super adventurous type, and she looked way out of her element up on stage as the bids started flying in.

  “Besides, we couldn’t not bid on a gorgeous girl whenever we saw one.” I can tell that Wesley is a bit tipsy, otherwise, he might not have said that out loud. The look in his eyes is different, too. He’s not worried about being straightforward at all.

  Adele blushes and says, “There were plenty of other girls that were just as beautiful.”

  “Maybe,” he says, “But I didn’t know them the way I know you. That’s what made you even more beautiful.”

  She looks at me, and I shrug. He has a point. Sure, those girls were gorgeous, but they have nothing on Adele. They couldn’t hold a candle to her. She turns back to Wesley. “Since we’re being honest, I’m glad you two were the ones that won. If you ask me, you two were by far the most handsome.”

  I’m surprised that meek little Adele is flirting back, but I can’t say that I’m put off by it. In fact, I lean forward, even more intrigued.

  “Oh, you think we’re handsome?” Wesley teases.

  “Maybe.”

  He scoots closer, placing his hand on her knee. “Be honest, Del.”

  She looks between the two of us and nods slowly. “Okay. Yes. I think you two are handsome. One could even say…sexy.”

  That compliment goes directly to my dick. I feel myself throb in my slacks, and I press a hand flat to my lap, trying to give myself a bit of relief. Wesley slides his hand up her thigh just a little as he says,

  “The only one sexy here is you.”

  Adele stares up at him in rapture, and to my surprise, she leans forward and kisses him gently. Her lips just barely graze his, but Wesley lets out a rumble of a moan. I can hardly believe it. All this history between us makes it even more erotic watch them be this intimate.

  I don’t want to rush into this at all, so I sit back and watch as the two of them kiss. It’s tender at first, but the longer the kiss goes on, the more sensual it becomes. Soon, Wesley’s hands are threaded through her hair and she clings to him, kissing him passionately. He lies her back on the bed a few feet away and begins kissing down her body, eventually making it to her skirt.

  While he tugs it off, I begin to loosen my own clothes, growing more and more comfortable. She rai
ses her hips, and by the time I have my shirt unbuttoned and I’m sitting on the bed next to them, Wesley has pulled her skirt off completely, revealing a cute pair of blue panties. Those are gone a moment later.

  Wesley doesn’t make any sudden moves. He takes his time kissing over her legs and up her inner thighs. She groans softly and her eyes flutter closed as he works higher and higher. He makes it to her center, where he runs his tongue over the folds of her pussy. The moan she lets out makes my cock ache, and I break down completely, unbuttoning my pants and tearing them off. Now naked, I stroke myself, watching as he pleasures her.

  He’s sensual and slow, touching her body with precise movements. He teases her clit, flicking it with his tongue before he wraps his lips around it and begins sucking. My fist is tight around my dick, and the more she makes noises of satisfaction, the faster I pump myself.

  She begins to writhe beneath him, shuddering harder and harder as he teases and prods her with his tongue.

  “Fuck,” she whispers, brushing her hair from her face and sitting up so she can watch.

  “So good,” Wesley murmurs from between her legs. While he hungrily licks her, she reaches over and takes hold of my dick. Her eyes meet mine and they’re shining with excitement. I’ve never seen this side of her, and it makes me want to let out the animalistic nature inside of me clawing its way out.

  She pumps my cock at a quick speed, twisting her wrist around the head every now and then. I feel myself leaking more precum, making a mess in her palm as she strokes me. If I’m not careful, I could easily blow my load in her hand, and I don’t want that. I need to be inside her. I need to feel her stretch around my length, feel her tight warmth embrace every last inch of me.

  Her fist clenches tighter and her eyes close. “Oh fuck,” she gasps, her chest heaving. “I’m close. Please don’t stop, Wes.”

  He makes no efforts to stop. In fact, he spreads her legs wider and begins to nearly growl as he laps at her pussy, greedily licking every last thing he can get his tongue on. His fingers disappear between her lips, and I can tell he hits that spot because her knees tremble and Adele’s head falls back.