“Some.”

  “Awesome!” Jay said. “How are you liking the story so far?”

  “It’s great,” I said truthfully. “Fast-paced. Lots of action. Lots of intrigue too, which makes you turn pages.”

  “Turning pages is the trick,” Jay concurred. “If you can do that as an author, you’ll always be successful.”

  I nodded in agreement, still wondering what his angle was. Then he told me.

  “What about the more… recent chapters?”

  “Recent chapters?”

  “Yes,” said Jay. “The guys brought them over yesterday. I’d told them the main characters needed love interests in the story. That was two weeks ago.”

  I shook my head slowly. “I didn’t read anything about love interests.”

  “No?”

  “No.” I shrugged. “Maybe they hadn’t finished those chapters yet.”

  “Maybe,” Jay allowed. He was looking at me a little differently now. Like he was considering me, or trying to determine if I were lying.

  I wasn’t though. In everything I’d read so far, none of the main characters had any sort of romantic involvements.

  “So… yeah,” he said carefully. “The romantic stuff they’ve written so far. It hasn’t quite been what I wanted from them.”

  “I’m sure you told them that at yesterday’s meeting,” I said.

  “I did.”

  I looked back at him skeptically. “So what do you need from me?”

  “Well, I was hoping you could…”

  “Sway them?” I finished for him. “In the direction you want me to?”

  Jay set down his coffee and leaned back into his chair, his smile growing even wider. He put his hands together.

  Correction. Fifty-percent too many teeth.

  “That’s a very astute observation, Ms. Decker,” he said. “And yes, that’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

  Annnnd… somehow he knows your last name too.

  The guy was really creeping me out now. Because of who he was, I shrugged and sipped my latte again.

  “I really don’t talk to the guys about their books much,” I said, doing my best to remain casual. “I doubt I’d have much influence over anything to do with their writing. Much less the characters’ love interests.”

  “Love interest.”

  I took a second for his correction to register. When it did, I felt something twist in the pit of my stomach.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The protagonists in the trilogy don’t have girlfriends,” the publisher explained. “They have a singular love interest. One woman, for all three main characters.”

  My stomach dropped. The way he was looking at me now, I could tell that he didn’t just suspect… somehow he knew.

  “One lover they’re sharing between them.”

  Thirty-Three

  KAYLEEN

  The next few weeks were magical, to say the least. Filled with long stretches of carefree fun, laughter, and hard work… and even harder play.

  The guys stuck to the rigid schedule of not having a schedule, and the benefits were shared by all. Everyone seemed happier, much more laid back. The guys were hanging out with each other a lot more, too. Now that there wasn’t a stigma of guilt associated with taking ‘time off’, they fell back into their old group ways.

  And yes, many of those group ways included me.

  I was having more sex than ever — something that should’ve gone without saying. One-on-one sex. Double-dates. Triple dates, during which we’d always do something naughty or daring that would turn a few heads in our direction. I quickly learned the guys liked showing me off, and especially, showing anyone who was curious that I was with all of them.

  They kissed in me restaurants, all three of them. Ditto for bars. We held hands wherever we went, and there was that one time in an elevator where Chase and Nathan had been caught feeling me up at the same time.

  We took day trips, and spent nights out. Had lots of great times together. When you looked at it as a whole, it was like any new relationship, really. All puppy dogs and rainbows and ice cream. Except for me, this was all of that times three. I had three times the excitement, the affection, the love and attention.

  And three times the responsibility, of course.

  Despite having cut some of my clientele, I was working more than ever. I’d raised my rates, and for some reason that seemed to make me even more in demand. The clients I’d streamlined had been using me more. I had more parties to cater. More in-house dinners to serve. The best part was I was saving money hand over fist. Between not paying rent and the guys taking care of everything everywhere we went… I was actually looking back into starting dates for culinary school.

  As for the guys, they were hard at work kicking ass. Being relieved of a rigid schedule seemed to make them even more productive, and the stuff they were putting out was sharper than ever. Their story had taken on all new life. Especially with Juliana, their bright new character. The fourth shining star of their three-man trilogy.

  Juliana, the protagonists’ shared girlfriend.

  At first I pretended not to notice. There was so much going on in the overarching story it was easy to focus more on the plot itself. But then Chase asked me what I thought of the romantic addition. And Nathan had dropped a few hints that I’d helped enhance and influence their work in ‘more ways than I knew’.

  In short, Juliana was me. I’d somehow become their muse; their inspiration, at least as far as the romantic involvement. The guys had infused their story with their own personal experiences, as most authors did. Only in this case their experience was pretty far out there.

  And if I were being honest? Shit, it actually made the story better. Juliana was strong, fierce, funny and smart. She really worked as the story’s heroine, and the four-way relationship she built with the three main characters had been an enormous addition to the entire trilogy.

  Not to mention, the ensuing sex scenes had been sizzling hot.

  Eventually I had to tell them I loved the story, even with the addition of Juliana. Especially with Juliana, rather than despite her. I could see the book appealing to a much wider audience this way, too. The addition of a spunky, roguish heroine added an all new dimension to the main characters, even if their overall relationship was unorthodox and taboo.

  The one thing I hadn’t told the guys about was my creepy coffee-date with Jay, the sidewalk-stalking publisher. I hadn’t heard from Jay since, nor had I ‘run into’ him again. But he was still their publisher… so in the interests of maintaining good relations all around, I’d decided to let it go.

  Still, not telling them just felt inherently wrong. My silence could be construed as a betrayal, and the more time passed, the more I regretted not coming clean. They were due to submit new chapters soon, and I knew Jay would be looking for a change. He’d be looking to see whether I’d been able to adjust their direction. Whether I’d tried to talk them out of Juliana overall.

  And boy, was he about to be disappointed.

  It got to the point where I was ready to tell them. I didn’t want them going into their next meeting blind, without any idea just how much their publisher was against the idea of a shared type of relationship. That he wanted three love interests, not one. And that he’d told me all this in a very shitty way, over an extremely good cup of coffee.

  I’d just finished making breakfast: banana-stuffed french toast, and scrambled eggs folded with hot cheddar. I’d set the table. Chase and Nathan were already sitting down, forks in hand.

  And that’s when Burke came through the door and changed everything.

  Thirty-Four

  BURKE

  The drive east took all day. Or most of it, anyway. By the time we arrived at Mammoth Lakes it was already snowing. Everyone was getting a little stir-crazy, and we were all looking to stretch our legs. And wet our throats, too.

  “Skiing?” Chase had said when I announced our sudden trip. “You want to go skiing?”

  “Fuck no.”

  “Then what?”

  “I’m taking us up into the mountains,” I’d explained. “Somewhere with snow. Somewhere remote, where we can walk around. Get a feel for some new terrain, other than this godforsaken desert.”

  Nathan knew right away what I was up to. It took Chase a little longer to catch on. We were deep into the third book of the trilogy, and all the main characters were together. We were ramping up the suspense and drama. Getting ready to write the granddaddy of all action-packed endings.

  And the setting we’d chosen for all that stuff was high in the snow-capped mountains.

  “We can’t write a good snow scene from the ninety-degree heat,” I’d said. “We need to get our boots in some fucking snow. We need to immerse ourselves, if we’re going to get the feel of things right.”

  Nathan disappeared from the kitchen, grinning. He was back with a duffel bag in under five minutes. Chase took another ten minutes of convincing, but it wasn’t much. And Kayleen took no convincing at all.

  “So… a working vacation?” she’d smiled.

  “Three days, two nights,” I said. “But yeah, nothing huge. We bring our laptops with us. We write a little, we play a little.”

  “We build snow forts and have a snowball war,” Nathan added happily.

  “If you wanna get your ass kicked, yeah.”

  “Where exactly are we staying?” asked Chase.

  “Out in the woods,” I said, “just like in the story.” I could see the last of Chase’s reservations drain away. Like Nathan, he enjoyed the outdoors. “I booked a pretty secluded cabin, but it’s still within walking distance of town.”

  Kayleen made two quick phone calls. One to put off some work, and another to find someone to take care of Beast. Her friend Marcy bit the bullet on the latter, and a half-hour later we were all on the road.

  It was a long but scenic ride, filled with talking and laughing and listening to each other’s best bullshit stories. We even played a few stupid travel games before stopping for a late lunch, and reached the cabin by nightfall.

  The place was quaint, beautiful, and deathly quiet. It had everything it did in the photos I’d seen, from the snow-covered roof to the sprawling stone fireplace. The kitchen was stocked with cheap cookware, the fridge was empty. They key was under the third rock to the left of the old porch, exactly where the renter had said it would be.

  “This is perfect,” Kayleen smiled, kissing me on the cheek. She squeezed my hand before rushing off to check out the bedrooms. “Thank you.”

  I inhaled the flowery scent she left behind as I watched her go. When it came to the things I loved about her, it was one of my guilty little pleasures.

  Thing you love about her… My mind nagged at me, sardonically. That’s what you just said, right?

  “We’re hitting the bar tonight,” said Chase, pressing the buttons on some ancient remote, while pointing it an ancient television. Nothing much was happening. “Right?”

  I nodded firmly, thirsty as hell. “I’m pretty sure it would take an army to stop us.”

  “Good.”

  Nathan finished carrying in the last of our stuff. He slammed the front door behind him, sending a final few snowflakes spinning through the living area. The cabin was still freezing, however.

  “How far is town again?” he asked.

  “Half a mile.”

  “But we’re driving tonight,” Nathan said warily, glancing outside. “Right?”

  I laughed. “Shit yeah.”

  I’d intentionally gone with the most remote location I could find, trying to find an ambiance that matched the closing of our last novel. But most of all I wanted cold, and wind, and snow. Lots of snow.

  But we also needed a place to walk around, too. The nearby ski village was the perfect spot to grab a few drinks and maybe a bite to eat, before eventually retreating back to our cozy little cabin.

  I got busy stacking the firebox while the others unpacked. There was enough kindling and old newspaper to get it going quickly once we returned later on.

  “Burke?”

  I turned and she was there, looking cute as hell in her little pink hooded parka. Her cheeks were all red from the cold. It set off her topaz-blue eyes, making her whole face look alive.

  “Where are we sleeping?” Kayleen asked, with a twinkle of mischief in her eye.

  “Two nights, three different bedrooms…” I shrugged. “Assuming you bed-hop, I guess one of us is getting assed out.”

  Kayleen stepped into me with a sly smile, her expression going falsely demure. “We’ll I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she purred, sliding her arms over my shoulders. “It’s not going to be you.”

  She pulled me to her level and kissed me, and all the stars in my universe aligned again. It had been strange at first, kissing her in front of the others. And kissing her had been the least of the things we’d done together. Even so, there was something exciting about having her in common with my two best friends. A strange, almost twisted thrill in knowing we were sharing her in the naughtiest of ways… but that outside our little quadrangle, all four of us were happily monogamous.

  That had been the one thing that sold me, when we were tossing around the idea of a community girlfriend. For three lifelong friends who loved to hang out with each other, dating one woman was the model of simplicity. If we did it right, we could eliminate all types of jealousy, emotional or otherwise. We could share time. Share dates. Share events.

  Share vacations.

  The whole thing was perfect actually, because there would never be any sacrifice. We’d get to hang out with our girlfriend and each other — all at the same time.

  It was the sex part I hadn’t really counted on. How much fun it would actually be, sharing her with the others. How incredibly hot I’d find it to see Kayleen on her back, legs spread, being pounded into the bed by one or both of my best friends…

  … and then taking her immediately afterward, and reclaiming her as my own.

  Over the last couple of weeks, we’d had molten hot threesomes together. A few crazy foursomes that blew my mind. All my life, I’d never come so hard, or so often, as with watching the one girl I cared about doing these unspeakably wanton things. Straddling and riding one of us, while sucking on another. Kissing her lips — like I was right now — while my two good friends took turns screwing her from behind.

  Even now I was lost in the moment, Kayleen’s sweet tongue rolling in my eager mouth. She had her body pressed against mine, my face in her hands. I could feel the vibrations as she cooed softly into my mouth, reluctantly breaking the kiss only when the others re-entered the room.

  “Ahem…” Chase growled, clearing his throat.

  I glanced up, and saw his wry grin. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was blushing a little too.

  “Plenty of time for that later,” he said, grabbing the car keys. He swung his arm forward, tossing them to me. “But right now?”

  I caught them deftly in one hand. Apparently I was driving.

  “Let’s find the shittiest little dive bar this place can come up with.”

  Thirty-Five

  KAYLEEN

  The snowy little village was absolutely adorable, from its tall, lodge-type buildings to the rows of tiny individual shops. Everything was lit warmly from within. Snow-kissed panes of glass looked into restaurants, bars, coffee houses, even a colorful candy shop.

  As much as I longed to walk the streets flaunting my three beautiful boyfriends, it was just too windy and too cold. We made a beeline for a Bavarian-looking building that could only be a pub, ducked inside, and quickly ordered something to warm us up.

  It felt good, finally being out of the car. Getting our legs back as we stood at the bar, toasting our little weekend getaway. Three cocktails later none of us were feeling any pain, except maybe for Burke who’d taken the bullet as our designated driver and was sipping straight up hot coffee.

  We dominated the bar for a while, then took over a pool table. We played 8-ball in pairs, with each of the guys taking extra care to ‘help’ me line up my shots. This of course included leaning into me from behind, pressing their firm bodies and even firmer bulges against my ass as they showed me the optimal angles.

  More than once I was kissed on the neck. Each time it made me close my eyes and shiver with pleasure. Halfway through the game Chase returned with something called a ‘boozy hot chocolate’, and as the drink filled my belly with a slow, spreading warmth I began counting just how lucky I really was.

  How long do you want this?

  It was the first time I’d asked myself the question. The first time I’d actually worried about what came after.

  Is this all over when the books are finished? The thought was an icy needle of fear, pushed through my heart. Does everything end when the arrangement ends?

  I sure as hell hoped not. Looking at my three beautiful guys right now — playing and joking around with each other — I realized all at once how much I wanted and needed them in my life.

  You love them.

  A lump the size of a baseball formed in my throat. It was the first time I’d actually admitted it to myself. The first time I’d considered the possibility that yes, I could love three men. Three very different men, with different characteristics… all at the same time.

  I was still staring off at nothing when a cheer went up from Nathan and Chase. The 8-ball was missing from the table. The game was over.

  “You ready to blow this place?”

  Nathan slid a long arm around me. The scent of beer was on him as he squeezed my ass suggestively.

  “Yeah,” I smiled. “Definitely.”

  It took twice as long to get back to the cabin, rolling carefully along the snow-choked roads. I was still daydreaming. Staring up at the swirling white flecks as they materialized from the dark sky. Nathan had two arms around me in the back seat, his legs spread sideways so I could snuggle into him. It felt so good, being wrapped in his long arms. So safe and protected.

 

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