Three Way, the Novel (5 page)

I almost gasped at the image that sprung to mind, but managed to suppress it and walk slowly down the hall to my apartment door.

“I’m not sure if Tawny is home yet,” I said and managed to get the key in the slot this time.

“Oh, she ain’t,” he grinned. “My boys are keeping her busy if I know them well enough.”

“Has she danced for you guys before?” I asked and stepped into my home, my sanctuary, the place I was usually safe and comfortable.

I felt a bit like I was leading a hungry wolf in behind me. But I was hungry too, famished for attention and needed it from a man like Ryker.

“Yeah, she has,” he said with a smile. “She knows what she’s getting into. But you, however, I don’t think you know.”

“What do you mean?” I asked and dropped my purse and keys on the little table at the front door. I shrugged out of his leather jacket and hung it up on a hook.

He set the helmets on the kitchen table and walked back with me in his direct line of sight. He reached up and cupped my face in his broad hands, tilted his head and pulled his lips up in amusement. “You’re getting me,” he said. “I know that seems exciting right now, but I guarantee that if I fuck you, you’ll become addicted. And if I fuck you, I will own you. This pussy will belong to me and I will claim you as mine.”

My heart started beating so hard I thought I was going to faint. I looked up at him right in the eye and said, “Bring it on, Ryker. I can handle any damn thing you’ve got to give.”

His smile widened and his eyes crinkled at the edges. “I was hoping you’d say that, kitten,” he told me and bent his head down for a kiss.

It was as passionate as before, his mouth crashed into mine and his tongue reinforced the idea that this was Ryker’s game, he was in complete control.

His hands moved down my body and began to peel layers of clothing off, my hoodie, my tee shirt and loose pants, my shoes…all the way to my red sexy bra and panties set. I mentally gave a fist pump; I knew it was a good choice to wear the set today.

His fingers hooked the back of my bra and he loosened it. I shrugged my shoulders and he pulled it off me, dropping it to the floor.

He stepped back and looked down, drew in a ragged breath and said, “God dammit, you’re beautiful, kitten.”

He dipped his head and took one nipple in his mouth, sucked it and played with it gently.

He moved lower and kissed my abdomen and even lower until he was on his knees in front of me, worshipping my body.

I stepped out of my panties and mentally high fived myself for having a bikini wax recently. Normally I was like a sasquatch when I wasn’t planning on getting naked for anyone.

Maybe I had sexual ESP or something, I’d known somehow that I was going to score.

I ran my hands through his thick hair and took a quavering breath as he moved between my legs and began to taste me. He drank of me, like I was a fountain and he was dying of thirst.

His tongue was everywhere all at once, making me fly higher and higher on waves of pure bliss.

I felt something build, a pressure in my core that needed release or I would explode.

I finally came on his tongue and felt his rough stubble rub my thighs as he brought me down hard and fast. I was left panting and moaning his name as my body settled into a slow rhythm of throbbing ecstasy.

“I need you inside me,” I groaned and reached for him.

He looked up, his face glistening with my scent, and he grinned. “Is that right, kitten? Are you ready for me?”

“God, yes,” I moaned. “I’m on the pill if you didn’t bring protection.”

“I always bring protection,” he winked at me with a cocky grin. He stood quickly and looked down at me, took me into his arms and was about to kiss me again when his phone went off.

He looked down and I said, “Ignore it.”

“I can’t,” he replied and took it out of his pocket. He read the text, read it again and scowled. “Don’t hate me for this, but fuck…I gotta go.”

“No, please don’t leave. Can’t it wait?”

“Not this, not now,” he said. “Some crazy shit is about to go down and I gotta be there.”

He kissed me quickly, grabbed his leather jacket and helmets, and was out the door.

He left me throbbing and naked, standing in the entranceway of my apartment with my own taste on my tongue and my need consuming my body.

I was so angry I could barely pick up my things and make my way to my bedroom.

Fuck wearing sexy panties, and fuck wanting a man like Ryker. There was no way I could depend on somebody who would run out on me like that.

I just had to convince myself of it.

Chapter Eleven

“You’re telling me Ryker Montgomery was here in our apartment last night? How did you manage to lure him up?” Tawny demanded in my face as soon as I got up.

“Yeah, and how did you know?”

“The driver who brought me home said he’d heard about it,” Tawny told me.

“God, is nothing a secret around here?” I moaned.

“So how was he? You have to tell me
everything,”
she insisted and stared at me intently.

“That’s none of your business,” I said and walked passed her to the kitchen. I didn’t want to tell her any of it, it would be better to keep her guessing instead of admitting to the horrible humiliation that had happened.

At least she hadn’t seen him after he’d left. Tawny didn’t know how long he’d stayed and that was for the better.

I poured a bowl full of cereal and opened the fridge to get the milk. I opened the jug, did the sniff test and winced. I looked at the best before date and it was days past.

“Tawny, this isn’t new milk,” I said and dumped my cereal back in the box. “I asked you to pick up milk. How hard is it to pick up milk when my ankle was healing? You knew I couldn’t make it to the store.”

“You should have asked your boyfriend,” she smirked and sauntered away. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with her, but fuck, now I had no breakfast.

I heard a loud knock at the door and walked towards it, my ankle giving me a little trouble but healing remarkably well.

I looked through the peephole and saw a spray of gorgeous flowers held by a guy in a delivery service uniform.

I opened the door and he said, “Delivery for Margot. Is that you?”

“That’s me,” I said suspiciously and took the clipboard he was holding. I signed for the flowers, handed it back and carefully balanced the massive bouquet when he gave it to me.

“Looks like somebody’s in the dog house,” he laughed and walked away.

I shut the door and strolled to the kitchen to find a vase big enough for it.

I ended up breaking it up into a couple batches and using old glass bottles for the flowers, I didn’t have any that would hold them all.

I found a beautiful elegant card attached to the bouquet and tore the envelope open to read.

M, forgive me for leaving. I can’t say it will never happen again, but I can say I need to see you soon. I will send my driver for you tomorrow night at six. R

I bristled at his presumption, what if I chose not to see him? What if I was so offended at being left hanging that I never wanted to see his smug, gorgeous face ever again?

I exhaled, defeated, and knew he had me. And I knew that he knew he had me. It was obvious in his arrogant card, as if the thought had never crossed his mind that I might not want to see him again. As if it was too foreign a concept for him to even consider it.

And no apology, not even a promise that he’d never do it again.

I felt frustration swell up inside of me and I held the card in my fingers as if to rip it. I closed my eyes and imagined the sound of the expensive paper tearing and the look on Ryker’s face when I told his driver no.

I exhaled again, an angry growl and put the card on the counter. Of course I wasn’t going to rip it up and of course I would see him again.

I poured myself a coffee, made a couple pieces of toast and finished them before I had a shower.

I decided to go for a run afterwards. I had time to get it in and have another quick shower before my shift at the Hen House.

It might be good for my ankle, to stretch and work again.

I knew it would be good for my mind. It would help clear my head.

I was so nervous going back after last night’s fiasco on stage. Hopefully any of the guys who’d been there would know to stay away from me. Their fear of Ryker would overpower any sort of perverted thoughts they might have for me.

I jogged slowly down our block, across a few blocks of heavy traffic and finally made my way to a beachfront park where I could put in my headphones and really stretch my legs.

I loved the feel of the fresh salty air in my lungs, even when I ran through the trees the spray from the ocean seemed to find its way to me. I loved the ocean and couldn’t imagine heading back home where my childhood house was surrounded by miles of dry, flat landscape.

I knew I’d never go back, but I still didn’t know what I was going to do out here. In most of my daydream fantasies I had enough money to buy a house right on the ocean where I could do something like write or be a wife and mother.

I’d always been a disappointment to my stringent family, my lack of ambition had caused them great amounts of angst. I’d just never found anything in academia that had really caught my attention.

I’d always felt like I was drifting through life just hoping something would find me and spark passion in my heart.

I ran past a group of school kids inspecting marine life in the tidal pools left behind on the sand and smiled to myself. I wanted a child of my own one day after I found a husband and started a life with him.

I guess I was just old fashioned, but in this day and age it was frowned upon to admit that you simply wanted to care for your family.

I never wanted to be like my mom, stressed and overworked and still expected to take care of the house and dinners and kids. She was so over scheduled that her rigid world views had been applied to my life from day one and I’d always hated it. Feminism should be about choice though, and it was ironic that none of my feminist friends seemed like they wanted to support my dreams of a family.

I ran through a winding path along a wide grassy field where people were playing soccer. My ankle was remarkably strong even after feeling achy last night. I was getting revitalized by the blood pumping through my body and the thoughts being driven out of my head.

Not all of them were though, the image of Ryker on his knees between my thighs wouldn’t be pushed out no matter hard I tried.

He’d brought me there, to that peak of ecstasy, played me like a musical instrument he’d been practicing for years, and then walked out.

He’d fucking walked away after giving me that, after sending my head reeling with pure and utter bliss.

I was so angered at the thought that I put on some steam and raced down a slight hill towards the beach again and my final portion of the run.

“Slow down, sexy,” some loser in loose jogging pants and a bad comb over said as I sped by. My music was loud enough that I pretended I didn’t hear him.

I didn’t even look back, my ponytail swung and my heart matched the rhythm of my feet on the pavement and I slowly but surely drove Ryker from my head.

By the time I crossed back over the busy city streets I felt refreshed and rejuvenated. Running had done the trick and it had cleared my head of all the cluttered emotions I had for Ryker.

I’d be stick thin if I hung around him for long though, especially if I went on a run every time he frustrated me.

I walked back into the apartment and headed to my room. I heard something over my music and pulled my ear buds out.

“Margot, come here,” Tawny whined from the kitchen.

I was panting and sweating lightly but I walked to where she was anyways.

“What is it?” I asked, lifting my shirt up to wipe my face.

“Gross, why do you do that to yourself? You look like a mess,” she said from her seat at the table, her cocktail of vitamin powders and nutritional supplements spread out in front of her.

“So I don’t have to take that crap,” I told her and pointed at the table. “I’d rather be healthy the natural way.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Tawny replied.

“Is that it?” I asked. “I have to get ready for work.”

“No, I need to ask you something,” she said with an evil grin.

“What?”

“
What
will never happen again?” she smirked and held up the card from Ryker.

Dammit. I must have left it on the counter.

“None of your business,” I sniffed, snatched the card of her hand and turned on my heel to leave.

“He couldn’t get it up or something?” she asked. “I’ve never had that happen with a guy so I wouldn’t know how to react, but I’m sure you’ve encountered it before.”

“Seriously Tawny, you’re way off base here,” I replied and kept walking away, “and honestly, being able to bang random dudes isn’t exactly something to write home about.”

I slammed my bedroom door and cursed myself for leaving the card out in the open. I would never tell her what had actually happened and in some way I was glad that she’d assumed there’d been something wrong with Ryker and not me.

Although in her backhanded way she assumed I would be the reason Ryker wouldn’t be able to perform. I hated that it struck on my insecurities and made me question the reason he’d left.

God she infuriated me so much sometimes, all the peace and relaxation my run had brought me was out the window. Fucking Tawny was so irritating with her assumptions and the bold way she talked about Ryker. Like she had some sort of right to talk about him.

I hopped in the shower and let the steaming water flow over me, carrying my stress away again.

Without even fully realizing it, I slid my fingers between my legs and began to touch myself while thinking about Ryker.

How could I ever get that image out of my head? His face between my thighs would be burned on the back of my eyelids for all time.

I slipped my finger lower and closed my eyes, thought about Ryker’s beard scratching the sensitive flesh of my inner thighs and the way his tongue had felt like liquid fire against me.