Unwrapping Holly - A Holiday Reverse Harem Romance, page 10
I’d expected outrage. Anger. Jealousy. Instead, there were none of those things. I felt like the whole world had gone opposite day.
“Well I’m here to stay,” said Brody, breaking the silence with a smile. “It’s up to you of course, but I still want to date you.”
The other guys looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to me.
“I want to date you too,” said Donovan simply. “I’m not going anywhere.”
My stomach twisted, like I was riding the first drop from the highest roller coaster.
Now what?
“Well shit,” Lincoln added, “I’m not going to step aside and let these guys just have you.” He leaned back in his chair and began stroking his goatee. “I’m all in. I want you too.”
I sat there awkwardly, just staring back at them. As far as men went they were beyond beautiful. I fixated on Brody’s flowing blond hair. On Lincoln’s incredible shoulders. On Donovan’s powerful, muscular physique…
“Well I can’t date you all!” I blurted helplessly.
Another span of silence followed. Then Donovan cleared his throat.
“Why not?”
My breath caught in my chest. What?
“Yeah, what he said,” added Brody. “Why not? There are seven days in the week. Maybe we each take a couple.”
My throat was a field of dust. I could barely swallow.
“B—But…”
“Hell,” Lincoln said, cracking his knuckles. “I’m so busy at the office, maybe this works out best for me anyway. I get all the fun of spoiling a girlfriend, without feeling guilty and constantly pressured about time.”
I looked up, and my gaze found his. “W—What?”
“Every relationship I’ve ever had has ended in a battle over the clock,” he admitted. “Her getting mad that I’m working late, or staying at the office, or whatever else. This way would actually be different. With the other guys taking you out, you’d never get lonely. And we’d only be seeing each other one-third of the time, so…”
“So every date would be three times as special,” Donovan finished for him. The grin on his face was slowly growing wider. “I work long hours too, actually. And absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?”
“Speak for yourself,” laughed Brody. “Any days you guys don’t want, I’ll take em’.”
Lincoln and Donovan both threw sour faces his way. “Easy there, chief.”
By this point I was dumbstruck. Totally speechless. I sat there like a zombie as the waitress dropped off our coffees, listening to them talk among themselves.
“Holly, you’re not saying anything,” Lincoln pointed out.
I shook my head slowly. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll try it,” said Brody. “Obviously, we’re interested in seeing you. We all want a second date, at the very least.”
Donovan cradled his mug in both hands. Of course he’d ordered his coffee black, no sugar.
“You’ve been honest with us and we’re saying we’re okay with it,” he said. “So sure, date all three of us. Maybe sometime down the line you make a choice. Or maybe you don’t. Or maybe one of us does,” he shrugged. “Who knows?”
Just like Jocelyn, he was making it all seem so simple. When in reality…
“What about sex?”
The question tumbled from my lips before I even had a chance to consider it. All three of my lovers glanced at each other.
“What about it?” asked Brody.
“I mean… obviously you’ll get jealous if I’m sleeping with all three of you,” I said. “How’s that going to work?”
“You’ve slept with all three of us already, right?”
Another pause. I nodded, numbly.
“Then what’s the difference?” asked Donovan. “If you’re only dating us, it’s not really cheating. Not if you’re staying within our own little triangle.”
“Quadrangle,” Lincoln corrected him.
“Wait,” said Brody. “Wouldn’t it be a square?”
“A square is a quadrangle.”
“Whatever.”
I couldn’t believe the way the conversation was going. My mind was blown.
“Anyway,” Lincoln went on, “you know what we mean. None of us should be jealous of the other,” he said, gazing pointedly at Brody and Donovan, “because we all sort of happened simultaneously. We all got together with you at basically the same time.”
They were looking at me differently now. Staring at me the way each of them had before… on our date.
“So… you really won’t be jealous?” I still couldn’t believe it.
“Not if you’re honest,” said Donovan. “Besides, we’ll each be taking you out on different dates. We won’t even need to talk to each other, unless we need to switch days or something.”
“What happens on Monday stays on Monday,” Brody joked. “What happens on Tuesday—”
“She gets it,” sighed Lincoln.
It was all so surreal. In my wildest dreams, I would’ve never imagined the scenario they were suggesting. It didn’t make any sense! And yet… it also did.
“Of course if this is too much for you we’d understand,” said Donovan. “It’s a little unorthodox. It might not be something you—”
“I want to try it.”
My heart skipped three beats. My brain couldn’t believe the sentence my mouth had just formed.
“Yeah?” Brody grinned.
“Yeah,” I said. “Sure. Why not?”
“No reason why not,” Donovan smiled.
“I mean, I loved my dates with all three of you,” I said truthfully. “You’re all so amazing. So fun and funny and romantic. And you’re all so… well, you know.” I blushed. “I came here reluctantly, not wanting to lose any of you. But I thought I might lose you all.”
“And yet here we still are,” quipped Brody.
I sat there in stunned silence, until someone laid a hand over mine. It was Lincoln. He looked at me reassuringly from across the table.
“You can take this at your own speed, Holly. Move as fast or slow as you want. We’re not here to rush you, or make you feel any pressure.”
“Good point,” said Donovan. “Feel free to turn us down when you need to. Take time for yourself and all that.”
“Also feel free to date me two or three nights in a row,” added Brody. “These older guys might need a rest, but I’m always up for—”
Brody ducked as Donovan threw a sugar packet at him. “Older? I’m only twenty-five, you jackhole.”
“Oh yeah? Well I’m twenty-one.”
I sat up straight at that news. “Really? Holy shit, I’m two years older than you.”
“So?”
“I… I just figured…”
“And I’m twenty-nine,” added Lincoln, setting down his mug. “Which makes me the oldest, so I get first pick.”
“Bullshit,” laughed Brody. “I was the first date, so I get first dibs on which—”
“Guys, stop.”
They stopped instantly, all three of them. Once again they were looking at me.
“I… I need some time to process this whole thing,” I said. “So for now, give me tonight. Let me wrap my head around this, and I’ll… I’ll be in touch?”
Donovan and Brody nodded. Lincoln smirked. “Sounds fair.”
“You’ll stop ducking me at the gym though, right?” Donovan asked. “It’s hard to train you when you’re—”
“Yes,” I interrupted with a grin. “I promise I’ll be at my sessions. Effective immediately.”
“Good.”
“And the offer to look over my financial statements still stands?” Lincoln asked. “I have to admit, I’ve scoured them three times already and I don’t know what the hell I’m—”
“Definitely,” I smiled. “Bring them on our next date. I’d be happy to.”
Our next date…
Holy shit.
Lincoln squeezed my hand before returning to his side of the table. All three of them were leaning back now, arms crossed, shooting sideways glances at each other. Their body language was, in a word, competitive.
“Thanks for… understanding,” I said awkwardly, rising from my chair. “And again, sorry for—”
“Holly,” said Donovan. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I know, but—”
“It’s alright,” said Lincoln. “Really.”
I managed a smile, but it seemed contrived. When I opened my mouth to say something else, Brody shushed me by placing a finger against his own lips.
“The old men are right,” he grinned diabolically. “Better get the hell out of here now, before we all end up taking you out together.”
Twenty-Four
HOLLY
The treadmill beeped again. I felt the belt rising beneath me as it went into another incline, this time five-percent. The muscles in my ass and lower back threatened to cramp up in response.
“How’s it lookin’?”
I was sweating bullets. Hot and sticky. Whatever hair wasn’t bouncing around behind me in my ponytail was now plastered to the sides of my face. I used to hate him seeing me like this — in fact, I was very self-conscious of it. But over the last week and a half, Donovan had seen me a lot more sticky.
“Looking… like this program… might be bullshit…” I gasped.
My trainer broke into his familiar sadistic grin. “Does it hurt?”
“All over,” I said. “And… I’m sweating… like a…”
Whore in church?
“Sweat is just fat crying,” Donovan interjected. It was one of his more corny sayings, but I think he particularly liked this one. “Your body’s going to thank you for this later.”
“Yeah… if it doesn’t kill me now.”
I was waiting for the next statement: something about ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. Instead, Donovan crossed his arms and looked up at me with a smile.
“You gonna be ready for tonight?”
The treadmill beeped again. The hill steepened.
“Not if you… tire me out… right here and now…”
His smile faded, as if suddenly realizing I had a point. Reaching out, he pressed a few buttons and the belt I was running on slowed considerably.
“Thanks…”
The treadmill went into its two-minute cool-down cycle. I reached for my towel and began mopping up.
“You can thank me later,” Donovan winked. “When I pick you up for our date.”
Pick me up for our…
Dating. The word had taken on a whole new meaning over the past week. My love life had gone from zero to a million miles an hour, in all the time it took to say ‘three boyfriends.’
Of course, I wasn’t complaining. Not even the tiniest bit. What I had worried might be strange and awkward had somehow become uncannily natural. I’d gone out with Brody, with Lincoln, with Donovan too — one by one, day by day. I’d reaped the benefits of three distinct personalities; three uncannily strong, beautiful men with their own particular interests and hobbies and dreams.
And I’d been the center of their focus each time.
I’d been taken to some of the most romantic places in the City. Wooed with flowers. Showered with attention. Any initial nervousness I’d felt was long gone, leaving me free to enjoy Brody’s infectious energy, Lincoln’s unfailing confidence, and my tough personal trainer’s softer, sweeter side.
And the sex…
Between the sheets, not one of my lovers had missed a beat. They took me hotly, devouring me with all new passion and hunger. Each date ended with one of them pleasuring my body, as if trying to win a contest. Which I realized, after a few straight nights of getting my doors blown off, they probably were.
In all, it had been an amazing, intoxicating experience.
“So where’d you go last night?”
By the tone in his voice, I could tell it was the second time Donovan had asked the question. I stepped off the treadmill.
“Out.”
“I know that. But where’d he take you?”
My eyes narrowed. “You sure you want to know? I thought one of our rules was that you guys didn’t want to hear about details.”
“Oh please,” Donovan said dismissively. “That was the young gun’s rule, not mine.”
The young gun was Brody. Lincoln — not even thirty — was somehow the old man. I didn’t even want to tell Donovan what his nickname was.
“I know I’m sharing you,” he went on, “and I’m fine with it. Last night was Lincoln’s night. It’s not like it was a secret, I’m just making conversation.”
“Fine,” I said. “We went out to a steakhouse.”
“Which one?”
“Insignia.”
Donovan let out a low whistle. “Wow. Nice.”
“Yes,” I said, fondly remembering the 8oz fillet that had, quite literally, melted in my mouth. “It was.”
“I should put you back on that treadmill,” he joked.
“Not a chance.”
“Maybe one day I’ll save up and take you someplace that fancy.”
Without thinking, I reached out and placed my hand lightly on his arm. “The places you take me to are already amazing,” I smiled sweetly. “You don’t have to—”
“Hey BURKE!”
We whirled, and there was Eddie again. He looked redder than usual. Like he’d already been furious, way before he screamed Donovan’s last name.
“I don’t pay you to flirt with the members!” Eddie yelled. “I—”
“You don’t pay me at all,” Donovan shot back angrily. “I make commission based on the clients I bring into this dump! In fact, I pay you a percentage of—”
“One more word,” Eddie broke in. His voice had gone low, but his tone was no less menacing. “Say one more word and you’re out of here, clients or no clients.”
His teeth were clenched. They had a yellowish hue to them. The tension in the room was palpable, even to the innocent people working out nearby.
“You could just be nice you know,” I said carefully. “Connecting with the people you train is an important part of building relationships. Donovan’s only being friendly.”
Eddie laughed. “Yeah. Sure he is.”
I shrugged. “He’s an amazing trainer,” I finished. “You’re lucky to have him.”
The gym owner’s gaze shifted back and forth between us a few times. He waited just long enough to enforce his point before finally turning away.
“Friendly is one thing,” said Eddie. “Touching is another.”
He growled — actually growled — before finally stomping off.
“If I see this shit again,” he said over his shoulder, “You’ll be training your people in the alley outside.”
Twenty-Five
DONOVAN
It was raining buckets. The kind of rain that made it seem like you just emerged from a pool, rather than walked from your car parked at the curb to your girlfriend’s front door.
“Oh my God, get in! You’re drenched!”
Holly pulled me up the stairs to her third-floor apartment, her tiny hand unreasonably strong. I lagged intentionally behind, just enough to catch a glimpse of her smooth thighs sliding beneath her bouncing skirt. Thighs that had been recently developing some very nice definition… thanks to me.
She pushed me inside and slammed the door closed, stripping me out of my coat. As an afterthought she stripped off my shirt too, then crossed to the little laundry area at the back of her kitchen to shove it into the dryer.
“This is the fastest you’ve ever gotten me naked,” I quipped.
“Half naked,” she smiled back, looking me up and down. “And are you complaining?”
“No ma’am.”
She threw me a clean towel. “Then shush!”
I spent the next few minutes taking her place in, staring out through the windows and enjoying the feeling of being warm and cozy and dry. The place was clean and comfortable, plush and soft. A scented candle burned someplace — coconut, or maybe cinnamon. The lights were dim but not dark, giving the whole place a calm, snuggly feel.
“This is nice,” I said, spreading my arms out as I fell into her couch. “Very homey.”
“Thanks,” she said from the kitchen. “Beer?”
“Yes, please.”
I stretched out as she twisted the cap off two bottles and handed me one. She did it without wincing or making a face, too. It raised her stock another couple of points… and her stock was already high.
“So what movie are we seeing?”
“Whatever’s not sold out,” I laughed. “Sorry, I really should’ve bought us seats already. This is the busiest time of the year for—”
BEEEEEP.
Holly’s eyes suddenly narrowed. She walked over to her intercom and pushed the button.
“Uh… hi?”
“Hey it’s me!” a voice called up from the street. It was hard to hear it over the sound of the pouring rain. “Could you unlock the door? I’m getting soaked!”
Holly glanced back at me hesitantly as we both recognized the voice.
“Brody?”
“Yeah! C’mon, I’m swimming out here!”
Quickly she buzzed him in. I rose from the couch, looking back at her quizzically.
“Did you know he was coming?”
“No, not at all.”
I paused. “Was he supposed to—”
“Not until Tuesday.”
We heard the sound of footfalls on the steps outside, and Holly opened the door. Brody pushed his way in, dripping water everywhere.
“Oh man!” he said, peeling off his jacket. “It’s NUTS out there! Have you ever seen so much—”
He suddenly stopped cold. Holly took his jacket as his eyes locked on mine.
“What’s he doing here?”
“I invited him.”
Brody stared back at her, totally bewildered.
“I mean… it’s not your date,” she said quickly. “Not tonight. We’re not supposed to see each other until—” She halted long enough to push him backwards, onto the welcome mat. “Stand there a second, you’re dripping.”
