Awakening Her Racy Passion [Racy Nights 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (22 page)

When he could move again, he took her hand and led her back to Trent’s room, where she crawled next to him. His twin had slept through the whole thing. Wyatt cradled Ria into his arms and drifted off to sleep, smiling like an idiot and not caring that he’d completely and totally lost his heart to this adorable woman. He liked being here, and he never wanted to leave.

Ria kept dropping things Sunday night at work, but she didn’t even care. Some of Luke’s customers laughed, and normally that would upset her, but this time she laughed right along with them because she was so much clumsier than normal, that it really was funny. She was still punch-drunk from her early morning sex session with Wyatt.

She’d fallen back to sleep afterwards, and when he got up for work, Trent was awake as well, and Wyatt told him what had happened. That’s when Ria learned that the guys had made a pact to let the other know when one of them had sex with her without the other around. Trent had merely nodded, told them both he still needed more sleep, and then Wyatt had driven her back to her own apartment before going to the warehouse that still housed the courts.

She’d gone back to sleep for a few hours, but the effects still hadn’t worn off. She hoped they never did. These past few weeks had been the happiest of her life, and she never wanted this to end.

When Marisol, Alexa, Gina, and Kari walked into the bar, Ria waved and smiled. A month ago, she wouldn’t have done either. She’d have wished she wasn’t working so that she didn’t have to deal with the crazy guilt she’d felt every time she spotted Marisol. Now, ever since she’d apologized to Marisol, the two had been talking on the phone for short periods almost daily, and they were back to texting each other as well.

The three waved her over, and Kari spoke first. “Peppi talks about you all the time now. She’s so happy to have you back living with her.”

Ria stared at her, trying to remember the last time she’d had an actual conversation with the pretty brunette. Try never. “Really? I’m hardly home. She might as well still live alone, but I’m glad she’s happy with the arrangement.”

Kari smiled. “Yeah, we heard you spend a lot of time at Wyatt and Trent’s condo.” Her voice was full of good-natured humor, not contempt, and Ria’s heart soared. “So, anyway, we’re all going out tomorrow night. A girls’ night out. Julie is coming, and so are Annalise, and Cherilyn. Olivia isn’t feeling well so she might not join us. We thought we’d go to The Black Sparrow in downtown West Lafayette. Cherilyn hasn’t back been there since the night she was kidnapped, and Julie thinks it’s time she try going again. Want to come along?”

Ria hadn’t realized that Cherilyn had been seeing Julie professionally, but she didn’t remark on that. It was too close to gossip. “You want me to come out with all of you?”

Marisol was sitting closest to where Ria stood, and she reached out to touch Ria’s arm. “Yes, of course. Will your slave driver brother let you off tomorrow night?”

“I…I’m not working tomorrow night. Sure. I’d love to go out. But I should ask Wyatt and Trent…” She sounded like a babbling idiot, but she could barely think. They wanted her to come out with them. All of them.

“Yes,” said Alexa, “definitely ask them first. But I’m sure they won’t mind.”

Ria glanced at each of them in turn. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

“We appreciate everything you’re doing,” said Gina. “It hasn’t gone unnoticed. Just so you know.”

“Thank you.” Ria had always liked Gina. She was a tough cookie who used to be head of IT for the city, and she’d never taken any shit from their former mayor or his cronies. Now, she worked tirelessly with Annalise and Olivia as part of Giolanna Design Solutions. What must it be like to have talent like that? Ria made a mental note to talk to Trent and Wyatt again about earning a college degree. It was time to tackle that goal.

After she took their drink and food orders, she texted Wyatt and Trent to tell them what had just happened. Trent was at the hospital waiting for his next run, so he texted her back right away, saying it was all right with him if she went out with the girls. Shortly afterwards, Wyatt texted her back and said the same thing. Ria spent the rest of her shift smiling like her face could show no other expression. Nothing could ruin this now. Nothing. It was all happening, just like they’d told her it would.

After her shift, she knew that Wyatt would be asleep, but Trent was still at work. She texted him to make sure he was at the hospital and not out on a run, and then she met him in the ER parking lot. He slid into her passenger seat. “I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to talk for a minute in person.”

He grinned at her. “Keep me as long as you want. It’s a slow night.”

“I’m nervous about this girls’ night out. What if they start talking about stuff? What should I do? I can’t very well just sit there all night and say nothing. They’ll think I’m being a bitch or something. Or, should I tell them about my no-gossip rule? They’re all subs. They’ll understand. What should I do, Sir?”

Trent’s gaze softened and he pulled her close. It would be so easy to just crawl into the back seat and fuck him, right there, in the parking lot. She’d always thought he looked super hot in his uniform as it was. “Sweetheart, relax. I’ll talk to Wyatt in the morning before he goes to work, okay? Then one of us will call you and let you know what we’ve decided. Okay?”

He pulled away and she looked into his eyes. “All right. I can do that. Trent, I’m so happy right now. They asked me out. All of them. You and Wyatt were right. I just had to give this some time.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Told you so.”

She was about to say something else when his radio crackled.

“Shit. Gotta go. We’ll talk in the morning.”

He kissed her quickly and got out. She waited until he’d sprinted back inside, and then she drove home.

Wyatt texted her about nine in the morning, and she wasn’t fully awake until she read the text. She called him. “Can I still go out with them, Sir?”

He chuckled. “Of course you can. But here’s the plan. We both agreed that it would be impossible for anyone to keep from gossiping even a little if they were out with seven or eight friends, so just for tonight, we’re reducing the amount of swats you’ll receive. Instead of twenty total for each minute, you’ll only receive five.”

“Thank you, Sir, but we’ll be out for roughly three hours, or more if we end up back at someone’s house afterwards. That could still add up to somewhere around one thousand swats.”

“I agree, so we’ve come up with some guidelines for what will constitute gossip. But again, these only apply tonight. As soon as you’re back in your car driving home, the no-gossip rule with the previous guidelines applies. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl. Okay, so for tonight only, we will only consider it gossiping if you start a new topic that involves something other than a subject that is general public knowledge, like the weather or a sports event. If you repeat something you heard about someone that is new to the conversation, that is gossip. If you tell the group about something you heard in confidence, and you’re the one bringing up the subject or contributing new information to a current discussion, that’s gossip.”

Ria sighed. “Okay. What if they ask me questions about us? What should I tell them?”

“Tell them we asked you not to gossip about it.”

She could hear the humor in his voice, and she knew he was enjoying this. “This reminds me of that line in Sense and Sensibility where Mrs. Dashwood tells Margaret to restrict her remarks to the weather if she can’t think of something suitable to say.”

Wyatt laughed. “The book or the movie?”

“Well, both actually. But don’t tell me you’re familiar with either? Really?”

“You’re surprised that an attorney would read Jane Austen?”

“No, I’m surprised that a man would.”

“Maybe you haven’t been hanging around with the right men?”

“I have lately. You and Trent both are the right men. At least for me you are. Sir.” Her heart hammered. Had she gone too far? She was only speaking the truth, straight from her heart. So many times during these past couple of weeks the words had been right there, aching to come out. But what if she told them that she loved them, and they didn’t feel the same way? She’d be the worst kind of fool.

“And you are the most delightful woman that either of us has ever met.” The depth of emotion in his voice sent chills up and down her spine.

She cradled the phone closer. “Thank you, Sir.”

“So, do you agree with our plan for tonight? We will, of course, expect you to tell us when you gossiped, and how many minutes. Can you agree to this?”

Ria thought about how many times in the course of one evening at a bar with her friends she had gossiped in the past. The entire time, basically. She could easily end up with three hours or more of time to confess to them. How many swats would three hours be under the temporary rules? She shook her head, trying to imagine taking nine hundred swats. She’d be crying by the time they reached two hundred. It wouldn’t be fun at all. Would they really do that to her?

“Ria? You still there?”

“Yes, Sir. All right. I agree to the temporary rules and guidelines for tonight only.”

“I am so proud of you. I have to get to court, but I’ll text you later.”

* * * *

When Ria showed up at The Black Sparrow, Olivia, Gina, Cherilyn, and Annalise were just getting out of Gina’s SUV. She hadn’t realized how far along Olivia was, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever have children. Did Wyatt or Trent even want them? They’d never discussed it, but she was jumping to big conclusions here. They hadn’t discussed anything long term.

As Ria listened to Olivia talk about decorating the baby’s room in the condo she now shared with Storm and Cameron, Marisol’s car pulled into the parking lot, and she and Julie both emerged. Kari and Alexa soon followed, and then the group went inside.

Marisol put an arm across Ria’s shoulder. “I’m so glad they let you come out with us.”

“Me, too. Thank you again for inviting me.”

Marisol lowered her voice. “They all wanted you to come, just so you know.”

“Thank you.”

Once they were seated at a table near the back, where they would have more privacy, a server arrived to take their drink orders. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five, and he flirted like crazy with all of them, even Olivia who was obviously quite pregnant. Ria got a kick out of how Kari and Annalise egged him on, even when he teased Olivia about only ordering water with lemon to drink.

When he finally had all their drink orders and left, Kari leaned forward. “We keep this up and we’ll get free drinks tonight.”

The girls laughed, and Ria joined in, feeling more relaxed than she had since last summer. She was part of them now. This proved it, didn’t it? They wouldn’t have asked her to come out with them if they weren’t interested in getting to know her better, or in giving her a second chance.

Annalise, who sat across from her, turned her dark eyes in Ria’s direction. “So, what’s the deal with you, Trent, and Wyatt? We want details.”

“Um, I can’t. I have a no-gossip rule.”

“None at all?” asked Marisol, who sat on her left.

“They altered it somewhat for tonight, otherwise I’d be sitting here saying nothing.”

“How long have you had the rule?” asked Cherilyn.

“About two and a half weeks now.”

“And how’s it going?” asked Julie.

“Very well.”

“So, what’s different about tonight?” asked Gina. “Did they give you free reign?”

Ria smiled and shook her head, then she outlined the changes she’d agreed to. She didn’t think that was gossiping, but suddenly wasn’t sure, and made a mental note to text the guys and ask as soon as possible.

Their server, whose name was Mark, returned, and they told him they needed a few more minutes to look over the menu. He tried to talk them into several appetizers but they declined them all. Ria could tell they wanted to hear more about what she’d just told them, and she was afraid she’d blown it already, so while they were trying to get Mark to leave the table without upsetting him in the process, she sent a quick text to Wyatt and Trent.

It only took a moment for the reply. They both told her not to say anything more about what she did in private with them, or she’d most definitely be crossing the line into gossip. When Mark finally left, Ria picked up her menu and opened it. “So, what’s good here?”

“Not so fast,” said Kari. “You haven’t told us anything yet.”

Ria peered at her over the top. “I can’t.”

“For real?”

“For real. I’ve never been here before. What do you all recommend?”

“Wow,” said Annalise. “If I hadn’t seen and heard this myself, I never would have believed it. Ria, you really have changed.”

This time, Ria put down her menu. “In a good way, though, right?”

Annalise smiled and nodded. “Yes. In a good way.” She picked up her menu. “I think we all should order so he doesn’t come back and try to talk us into eating the furniture or the silverware.”

The girls laughed, and then talk turned to what each of them had eaten there before, and what they liked or didn’t like. Once they’d all decided and Mark had taken their orders, Marisol raised her glass and cut her gaze toward Ria. “To good friends, old and renewed, and to our Doms.”

“Hear, hear.” The women clinked glasses, laughing at some of the reaches that were necessary to do so in so large a group, and then drank their toast. Ria glanced around, close to blinking back tears. She’d waited for this to happen since last summer, and finally realized that the power to make it come true had been in her hands all along. Wyatt had been right. All he and Trent had done was help her make the first move. She’d had the ability to make this happen all along, even without them. But having them help her had made it even sweeter.

She listened to the girls talk about their Doms and knew that no matter what came of this long term, she would never regret the past few weeks with Wyatt and Trent. Not one single second of it. But she also knew she’d by lying if she said she didn’t want what each of the women at this table had. She’d fallen so head over heels in love with both men that it was almost frightening at times. And they didn’t even know it.