Is Three A Crowd? (8 page)

“All right, we’ll start at the beginning. How do you like your coffee in this lifetime?”

She decided not to pick at him, as they were both on edge. “Black, no sugar.”

Without consulting him, she took her coffee out on the terrace, pausing to pet Shin while she studied the sky, hoping the stars might give her the answers she longed for. Maris had known for years that she was out of sync with her history. If what Nathan was telling her was true and he didn’t turn out to be a raving lunatic, it might explain some of the awkwardness she always felt. He didn’t follow immediately, standing in the doorway, watching her, waiting her out. Maris didn’t bother to get annoyed with Shin when she abandoned her for Nathan.

“I suppose you had this whole reunion planned, and I’ve put a crimp in it?” Her voice held humor that she didn’t feel.

“I’ll make you a deal. From now on, no preconceived notions on either side. I have faith that in the end we will be together.”

“Maybe. If we are it will be because I chose to be with you, not that I was ordered to. Do you understand difference?”

I’m beginning to. You don’t take orders.” A small smile slipped across his lips with acceptance.

* * * *

Maris decided she’d had enough. The last few days had been intense and trying. “Since you’ve learned your lesson, it’s time you drove me back to the hotel. On the way you can tell me what part Blake has in my past and clarify why his head is all but up my butt since I came to this town.”

There was no question of the change in his body language. Nathan became tense at the mention of Blake’s name. He was beside her instantly, taking the cup from her hands and setting it aside. His large hands dropped to her shoulders, turning her to see him in the light. He drew her to him, and she could feel the restraint in his hold.

“Don’t trust him, Maris. If you believe nothing else, please believe that.”

“Right now, I’m not about to trust anybody. And, for general information, Blake hasn’t tried to sabotage your reputation. What is between you two, and how do I fit into it?” She reluctantly pulled from his grasp. “That’s the only explanation for both your attitudes. Keep one-upping each other and I’ll leave, never to see either of you again.” She felt emboldened by verbalizing her thoughts, but the scowl on Nathan’s brow told her he didn’t. “I’d like to leave now. Please take me back to the hotel.”

She watched several expressions cross his face before he accepted her request. The vehicle was waiting outside the front door, the engine running, the heater turned on, when she pushed past Nathan and all but ran to the vehicle.

Chapter Seven

They were silent most of the way back to the hotel. As they neared town, Maris decided she wanted answers to her questions. “So what’s the story with Blake, and why don’t you trust him? More important, why don’t you trust him around me?”

Maris watched Nathan’s fingers grip the steering wheel tighter. “Long story short, we were once weary competitors for your affections, now we’re weary…partners, destined to have to deal with each other until you make a choice.” His tone was flat, and she wondered why he chose to relay the facts so simply.

“You seem to loathe the sight of each other. Why doesn’t one of you just move away?”

Nathan laughing aloud wasn’t the reaction she expected. She resettled in her seat, tugging the seat belt away from her throat. “Enlighten me. What did I say that you find so humorous?”

“I should let you twist and find out on your own…especially with your attitude tonight.”

Nathan’s words were low, but she heard them. Anger welled deep inside her, and she wanted to reach across the vehicle and slug the smile off his face. The instant the anger filled her, she realized it was not the first time she had had that inclination. Maris was never physical in the past she could remember. In fact, she refrained from most interactions with humans that required touching. The image her mind conjured was of her slapping him, but not his face, his buttocks. She blinked a few times, trying to rid her mind of the vision, but it only cleared, showing her she spanked two men’s butts. In a breath, she realized one man was Nathan, and the other was Blake. They were both naked, on their hands and knees, and she was spanking them. Maris felt an odd chill of recognition rush inside her. Her pussy was instantly moist, her breasts heavy, and her nipples hard. The image floated to mist and disappeared, but she could almost feel the sting on her palms, along with the rest of her physical symptoms that stayed to remind her she was once a sensual creature. She let out the breath she had been holding in increments, not glancing to see if Nathan realized her instant arousal and panic.

“Maris, no more questions?”

“Too many to decide where to start. I think I’ll wait until I’ve had time to speak with Blake and get his version of this situation.” She said it on purpose to witness Nathan’s reactions. She wasn’t prepared for him to stomp on the brakes and slow them so quickly in the middle of the roadway.

“Why can’t you just trust me and leave him alone?” His exasperation was evident in his voice. He gently started them towards town again, driving slower.

“I might have if you hadn’t shut him out before I could make my own decisions about him. That was your mistake, Nathan. You should have let me make up my mind about him on my own.” She watched the grimace on his lips get deeper. “Or were you afraid I’d choose him over you? Is that why this is all such a rush? Are you afraid he’d be the one I sided with?”

“He’s a very dangerous man for a woman like you, Maris, with unscrupulous thoughts. He’ll take you without your consent and never have a moment’s pause about it. He just wants to win you and become superior.”

“It seems to me you’re trying to do the same thing, win me without letting me hear his side of this absurd history we seem to share.”

Nathan answered through gritted teeth. “He’ll call you slave instead of beloved.”

“I doubt that. I’m beginning to realize if your history lessons are true, I hold a power over both of you. Until I figure out what it is specifically I hold and you two want, I sense I’ll be safe.” They fell quiet until he pulled up before the hotel.

“Maris, please be careful. Think through everything before you make any major decisions.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “Maybe you were right about me keeping you away from Blake, but I do have your best interests at heart.”

“Nathan, I feel like leaving the hotel now would disadvantage my independence. And besides, I’m not about to go off with strangers. You and Shin seem to have a sixth sense going. Tell her to keep me safe.”

“You’d still be safer at our home.”

“I’ll decide where my home is.” She unbuckled her belt and reached for her purse. “Thank you for a lovely dinner and some interesting history lessons. I’ll be on the site tomorrow, appraising outer buildings. And tomorrow night I’ll be having supper with Blake, getting his side of this nonsense.”

Maris watched Nathan’s body stiffen with anger, and she understood she didn’t need to physically slap him. All she had to do was be herself and she’d annoy him in a different way, one she controlled without physical contact or much effort. She hid her smile at the idea, but suddenly felt much better, lighter in mind and spirit.

The doorman appeared and open the back door first, taking Shin’s lead and then opening hers, pausing to hand her the leash. She thanked him with a smile and turned back toward Nathan, waiting none too patiently behind the wheel. “I’ll be in touch.” She didn’t turn back, just walked directly into the hotel and to her room.

Safely locked in with Shin bedded down for the night, she realized it was the first time in a long time she held no fear. Whatever was unfolding around her or because of her, her vision of the two men kneeling before her gave her confidence on a new level. She instantly knew to wield it carefully, and she felt if used properly, her future would be very different from the staid years she’d experienced. This was her time of coming into her own.

Maris picked up the hotel phone and asked to be put through to Blake’s room. She wasn’t sure if his name was Blakely or Blake Leigh, but the operator didn’t ask. She was connected, and he answered immediately, his tone just short of mocking as he asked, “Is it my turn to tell tales now, Maris?”

“I’m calling to invite you to supper tomorrow night, here at the hotel. A quiet hour where you can give me your perspective on our current situation.”

“That’s a very generous invitation, Maris. Did you tell Nathan this is what you planned? I’m sure it made him angry to think you’d actually sidestep his instructions and make a decision on your own.”

“I’m offering you a chance to tell me your side of things. If you plan on being snide, I’ll rescind my invitation.”

“
No
.” She smiled while she waited for him to continue. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice. I’d be pleased to have supper with you and give you my side of the situation.”

“Fine, seven tomorrow night at the hotel dining room. Moreover, Blake, I get the feeling there’s trouble brewing, and I don’t like it in any way or form. Whatever you and Nathan have between you will be put on hold until I have facts. That means no antagonizing each other. Do I make myself clear? Any trouble, and I’ll walk away. I get the impression that’s the last thing you or Nathan wants. So keep your act together and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“We could meet at the bar for a nightcap?”

“We could, but I won’t. Tomorrow will be soon enough. Good night.”

“Till tomorrow, my sweet.”

Maris hung up, slightly off-kilter from their talk. The way he said “Till tomorrow, my sweet” was too familiar. She sat on the bedside and closed her eyes. The image was clear. It was Blake making love to her, his cock filling her body while his hands squeezed her breasts. For a second time tonight, her pussy went wet. She could almost feel each thrust of his body inside hers. Maris felt the same small shiver of climax she had when Nathan kissed her earlier.

“Oh, God, what did I get into here?”

Maris felt calmer after she showered and stretched out on her bed. Shin slept against the locked door. With the television on but the sound muted, she let her hand drop to her crotch. At first, she was embarrassed, but the sexual longing she felt outweighed her antiquated thoughts on the subject. Lifting the hem of her sleep shirt, her fingers lightly stroked her lower lips. They became full when she let her thumb lay against her clit, the light weight making her pussy moisten further. Sliding her middle finger back and forth between her puffy lips, she let it slip inside, feeling the moist heat her body created. She repeated the process, and soon her other hand was palming her breast and pinching her nipple. This was not the usual bedtime routine for her, and she wanted to be ashamed. Instead, she nudged her index finger beside her middle one, stretching herself wider. Maris came with her body shuddering. Releasing her grip on her nipple, she sighed. Then she brought her fingers to her lips and licked them, tasting her essence. Never before would she have considered doing such a thing. Tonight she wondered why she hadn’t before.

Sleep came quickly, and she woke refreshed. The only reminder of her private moments was the slight aroma of her climax in the air around her.

Chapter Eight

Her workday went quickly, her mind clear and unencumbered. Wandering the property of the Chateau, she began to feel at ease, as if she belonged there, had lived there. Shin didn’t stray far from her side and gave her no inclination she was being watched.

She passed a log-style home that wasn’t on her appraisal listings as part of the estate. Yet Maris felt she’d been inside it at some point in her past. The smell of turpentine and paint assaulted her senses with the memory.

Maris envisioned her image on a large canvas, her naked back to the world, glancing seductively over her shoulder with a sensual smile. She’d sat for a portrait in that home. Somewhere there was a painting of her, but where she had no idea. Neither did she know when she’d sat for it. From her memory, she was much younger.

Blinking several times, she remembered the painting studio at the far end of the home, encased in glass, letting in natural light and the outside surroundings. She saw herself standing, hands braced atop a wood trestle table. Blake fucked her pussy from behind, her braced hands absorbing each penetration. His hands were wrapped around her body, fondling her breasts, leaving smudges of paint on her skin. She knew he’d come inside her and had pulled out, turning her body until she sat on the ridge of the table. Blake dropped to his knees before her and licked his cum from her pussy. Her body shook as if she could feel his tongue against her lower lips right now. She didn’t force the feeling away. Instead, she enjoyed the shiver that raced through her body.