The Barter System (53 page)

He started sobbing, snot and
tears rolling down his face.  “I have to go now, but I hope you’ll write me and
tell me how you’re doing.  I hope the rest of your life is filled with good
things, Bobby.” 

Then she patted his hand and
got up to leave, the pictures still on the table.  “I brought those for you, if
they will let you keep them.  Goodbye, Bobby.”

“Goodbye, Riya, and…thank
you.” 

When she got to her men, she
let them hold her.  But she didn’t cry.

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Second week of March

Riya’s six month anniversary
with Max and Micah was in two weeks.  Her birthday as well.  Last year at this
time she’d been going through applications, deciding which men to select as her
subjects.  Now she was turning twenty-six and felt a lifetime older.  

Her dissertation was almost
finished, a work of pride that held so much of herself within it she referred
to it as ‘her child’ often.  She had more than two thousand pages of data which
was being trimmed and compiled for presentation.

She’d been cleared almost a
month ago by her doctors to resume life as she knew it.  The three of them ran
every morning, and she was back up to three miles, impatient at her slow
progress. 

Still fearful of hurting
her, both men had avoided any sort of sexual relationship, content to hold her,
they said.  Riya was tired of being held.  She wanted their heat back.

Riya had lunch with each of
them separately once a week, getting all dolled up and meeting at one office or
another.  They’d started this to force her out of the house so she wouldn’t
work so much. 

Micah and Max’s separate staffs
had no idea about their ménage relationship and the three of them preferred it
that way. 

For all intents and
purposes, if she was with Max on Monday, she was his girlfriend.  If she was
with Micah on Wednesday, she was his girlfriend. 

Once a week, on Friday, they
met in between their businesses and the three of them had lunch.  She had a
standing lunch date with Blythe and Melody every Tuesday. 

Thursday was her shopping
day.  She’d been using it to purchase things she felt she needed, and would
use, to get her men back in her body.  Riya had also been searching for the
perfect anniversary gifts for the precious men in her life. 

After receiving a photo
album from Tawny, and sharing pictures with them of
her
childhood she’d
realized they had not had typical childhoods.  She felt horrible for them.

A private investigator in
England was searching for photos, school grades and awards, and any mention of
them before they left as men to make their fortunes.  When the first photos had
started arriving in her email, she’d cried at their incredible beauty, even as
children.  She was accumulating the most amazing artifacts from their pasts. 
She really hoped she wouldn’t be stirring up a painful memories.  

One Monday, it was raining
so hard Micah thought nothing of Riya showing up in her knee length raincoat. 
He came around the desk with a big smile as his secretary closed the door
behind herself. 

When he was five feet away,
Riya opened the coat and he froze in place.  Riya loved his stockbroker
powerhouse attire with the utter shock on his face.  Beneath the coat, she wore
nothing but heels.  She dropped the coat to the floor and put her hands on her
hips.  “Darling?  We’re eating in today.”

After he locked the door,
she pushed him back on his desk and fucked him until he couldn’t trust his legs
to hold him up. 

Afterward, she said, “You
breathe a word of this to Max and I will be very, very angry, Micah.  You ruin
his surprise and I will not be happy with you at all.”  She swore him to
secrecy and left with a little wave and a smile. 

Only when she’d been gone
for twenty minutes and his breathing returned to normal did he realize he’d
just had Riya for the first time without a condom.  He walked around in a daze
for the rest of the day.

Wednesday they had a cool
spell, donning temporary tattoos and a smile, she pulled on a knee length
sweater that belted around her waist and 4” high sandals.  Max was finishing a
call when she was escorted into his office and grinned at her with a little
wave.  Reaching behind her, she locked the door and dropped the sweater. 

He hung up the phone without
saying goodbye and she said, “You should probably hold all your calls.”  He was
forced into his executive chair and she worked him over until they were both
worried about someone calling security. 

Afterward, she said, “You
breathe a word of this to Micah and I will be very, very angry, Max.  You ruin
his surprise and I will not be happy with you at all.” 

She swore him to secrecy and
left with a little kiss from the doorway.  It hit him moments later that he
hadn’t been wearing a condom, likely why he’d come so hard his eyes crossed. 
His staff asked about his huge smile that afternoon but he barely heard them
and never responded.

On Friday, each man received
a call around noon that she couldn’t meet them for lunch.  A huge shelf had
fallen in the apartment and Riya was afraid she might have damaged something. 
They told her not to worry, as long as she was alright. 

She said she was just going
to pick it all up and see if she couldn’t fix it.  Maybe the guys in the lobby
had a twelve foot ladder she could use.  As expected, they both demanded she
not be climbing a ladder…what if she fell from it in the apartment by herself?

Half an hour later, Micah
got out of a cab at the same time Max was getting out of another in front of
their building.  They looked at one another with concern.  Rushing inside, they
took the elevator to the top floor, calling her name before the doors fully
opened. 

“I’m up here…can you, um,
help me?”  They were running, taking the stairs two at a time, down the hallway
when both came to a skidding halt at the bedroom door. 

Riya was in a sex swing set
up in the middle of their bedroom, quite enjoying herself by the looks of
things.  There was a thick velvet choker around her neck with the crystal heart
pendant they’d given her.  Her hair was loose, with several tiny braids
scattered among the loose length.  A black lace corset, matching thong panties,
and black stilettos were almost as erotic as the lollipop she was sucking on. 

She gave them a smile as
they came for her, “Men are
so
easy.”

Many hours later, they sat
in the Jacuzzi with her between them, all thrilled to have the hot jets
pounding into sore muscles they hadn’t used in months. 

Jason Mraz was playing over
the house system.  Micah had gone downstairs long enough to grab drinks from
the fridge. 

Riya was smug when she said,
“Thank you for helping me test the swing, you were very enthusiastic.  I just
added the final scene to the new erotica novel and I had to make sure I had
the…logistics right.”

“I feel so used.  Don’t you,
Max?”  Micah said with a smile.

“Horribly.  Well,
thoroughly, anyway.”  Max cleared his throat, and said slowly, “Riya, I can’t
help but notice you’ve hidden the condoms.  Are you sure about that?” 

“Oh yeah, you both feel even
better without the barrier.  Plus, I’m on birth control that would prevent an
entire soccer team from impregnating me, so no worries.” 

She moved to the opposite
side so she could see their faces at the same time.  She was rubbing one foot
of each man while she leaned her head back on the padded seat. 

“An entire soccer team,
huh?  Wow.  What if they were really determined to impregnate you, Riya?  I
don’t know,” Micah teased.  He had his hand on her calf massaging gently. 
“There would have to be some sort of risk with an
entire
soccer team. 
Those goalies are serious.  I can’t imagine a pill standing in their way.”

Riya laughed.  Her head was
back and her eyes were closed.  Taking a sip of her beer, she shrugged.  “Okay,
I see your point.  Yes, I guess there is always some risk of pregnancy, I just
don’t care.”  She realized both men had gone very still. 

She lifted her head to look
at them, “What?  You realize I’m a modern day woman, don’t you?  That if I have
children I’m perfectly capable and willing to raise them without hitting you up
for cash or drama?  Um, also, should you ever tire of me, I’m just not the
grudge-holding type.  You can guarantee a child would never get a hint of
unhappiness between us, I swear.  Why are you both looking at me like that?”

“Riya, you don’t care if you
get pregnant?”  Max asked intensely.

“Hold on, I’m more stuck on
the ‘should you ever tire of me’ part,” Micah said indignantly. 

“Men sometimes tend to
over-simplify things but god knows I’m like the least complicated woman on the
planet.  I love you both very much, sometimes too much, I think.”  Another
little shrug.  “With that said, why wouldn’t I want to always have a precious
little reminder of you and our time together?  Oh!  Wouldn’t it be cool if we
could do something to get a set of fraternal twins?  Then I’d have one from
both of you at the
same time
.  I just don’t know if it’s scientifically
possible.  I should Google it.” 

She went back to sipping her
beer.  Both men had their eyes locked on her but said nothing.  “I swear,
what
? 
Oh, lord, have I scared you?  I’m not talking about going out right now and
buying diapers.  Forget I said anything.  I hate when men get scared.  I’m just
saying I’m a big girl and capable and I’m so sick of condoms with you both.  It
interrupts the flow of happiness.”

They sat still for a long
time, silently watching her, and Riya couldn’t read their expressions at all. 

Finally Max said quietly, “I
have never experienced the urge to procreate until you, Riya.”

Micah nodded, “And yet,
throttle you for acting like you’re not expected to stick around until we both
kick and saddle you with our millions.”

“I don’t want your money.  I
have my own money.  I also have a trust fund from my mom I’m not touching
because I don’t need it and I want to make sure any kids have access to the
best education on Earth.  I’m also not crazy.” 

She sat up a bit and shook
her head.  “There is only one of me and two of you.  You could get bored.  Or
just want an extra woman around who might not want me around, hell I don’t
know.  I’m getting the best of this deal, in every possible way, as long as it
lasts.”

“I’m getting it.  Right
now.  Talk some damn sense in her head.”  Micah vaulted over the side of the
hot tub and ran dripping down the hall to their huge home office. 

Max reached out and pulled
her over to straddle his lap.  “Sweet, generous Riya.  Do you imagine yourself
to be our temporary plaything?”  Max asked her gently.  “Do you think we’re
toying with you and we’ll get bored and move on to some woman for the thrill of
someone new?  Tell me honestly.”

“Max, I don’t like the way
you make yourself and Micah sound when you put it like that.  I love you and
love isn’t selfish.  I don’t mind giving of myself and my heart because you
both treat all of me very gently and lovingly.  My love doesn’t come with a
price or a contract or a condition.  I’ll give it as long as you take it.”  She
leaned forward and kissed him.

“Exactly,” Micah said behind
her.  He lifted her out of the hot tub and started rubbing her down with a
fluffy towel.  She kissed him when he reached behind her to release her hair
from the clip at the top of her head.  “Come in the bedroom, Riya.” 

He slipped a gorgeous silk
robe over her shoulders she’d never seen before.  “This is so pretty…did you go
shopping for me again?  You have to stop giving me stuff.  I don’t even leave
the house.  I never get you presents.”