Dear Rose 3: Winter's Risk (15 page)

“It does make a lot of sense. But it’s going to take me time to get past those two things, Quinn.” She started shaking her leg. “They won’t go away overnight.”

He disconnected contact with her. She had a point, but fuck, that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. She was as honest as he was. “I see.”

“What?”

“We’ve lost Zach, then.” He tried not to sound too remorseful. Tried not to sound too sad. It sucked, but it was the truth. He couldn’t give Josie the time she needed. Winning Zach would not work with that. It was an either-or situation.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s moving on. He’s not going to wait for any doubts to be decided by us. If we want him, we have to act now.” God, if only things were different. The story of his life. In another few months, she might be ready. But they would have already lost Zach. They weren’t on the same page at the same time. Fucking shame for him. For all of them.

“That’s hardly fair.”

“It may not be fair but it’s accurate. Zach requires action now. In a week or two or three isn’t going to cut it.”

She frowned. Was quiet a long, long time.

“I’m not asking you to do anything that’s going to be against what you want. I’m not asking you to compromise yourself.” He wasn’t. Though he wanted to. He wanted Zach and Josie. More than he’d ever wanted anything.

“That’s the problem.” She released another breath.

“What is?” That sounded odd.

“It’s not against what I want. I do want you and him. And I’m intrigued by the idea of being with you and Zach.” She seemed to ponder for a moment, then squared her shoulders. “You know what, Rose is right. You and Zach matter. The rest, fuck ’em. And I should trust you, who’s taken cock up the ass, more than some anonymous website.” She pushed to her feet. “We need Zach. We need to show him we want him. Let’s do this.”

Quinn wanted to cheer. He wanted to jump up and down. He contented himself with a reserved “Okay.” It wouldn’t end all their problems, but it was a fucking fine start to the beginning of something.

* * * *

They tried Zach’s apartment. He wasn’t there.

Somehow they ended up at Temples. As Quinn worked there, he didn’t think Zach would be there, but he thought maybe he’d encounter Tucker, who had been there a lot lately and might know where Zach was.

The first person they saw when they entered was Rose. It wasn’t a weekend. But she’d been at Temples a lot lately too. Something about a big show coming in the next few months.

Rose cooed at them as they walked in. “Two of my favorite people. Quinn. Josie. How are the two of you?” She seemed to be fixated on something behind them.

Was she trying to find Zach? If so, she needed to join the crowd. “Hey, Rose. Have you seen Tucker?” Quinn walked over to the diva, with Josie hot on his heels.

Rose frowned a little and put her finger on the side of her face as if thinking about it. Quinn was always amazed at the length of her false nails. This blue one was no exception. “No. Can’t say I have. Why are you looking for him? Need something built?”

Josie tittered behind Quinn. “We’re actually on the hunt for Zach. Quinn figured Tucker might know where he was.”

“We need to talk to him.” Quinn added that in. What they needed to do was fuck him. But he wasn’t going to say that to anyone. Not even Rose.

Rose thoughtfully moved her finger down to stroke her chin. “Zach, huh? I saw him this morning. I had a small computer problem I needed him to show me his expertise on. He seemed a little down.” She shook her head. “We talked for a bit.” She leaned in as if to whisper a secret. “He was worried you two weren’t going to go for a full threesome. I said to give it time. They take some getting used to, these unconventional relationships.” She moved away. “Don’t they?”

Josie nodded. “You’re telling me.”

So Rose had made him feel better about the relationship status. That was a good thing at least. “Do you have any ideas as to where he might be?” That was the question of the day.

Rose hesitated. She avoided Quinn’s gaze. “You know he told me not to tell you where he was.”

That Quinn had figured. “I thought he might have. But we need to talk to him. And how else can we show him we can be with him if we can’t talk to him?” He appealed to her seemingly romantic nature. After all, she’d been pushing each of them toward one another in baby steps.

“True.” Rose seemed to be thinking over what she should do. It was an unusual look for her, because Quinn had the impression she did what she wanted to do without a lot of thought involved.

“Please, Rose.” Josie spoke up and stared Rose straight in the eye. “We won’t tell him you told us. But we have to set this right. He needs us.” She swallowed. “And we need him.” Josie might still have her doubts, but she was at least trying to act on what she knew she wanted. “We do.”

Rose clucked her tongue. “I guess I could tell you.” She waved a hand. “Long as you keep my name out of it.”

Course, if they all got together, she’d take the credit. But if things blew up, she didn’t want her name attached. Fair enough. “It’s fine. We won’t tell him you told us.”

Rose glanced around again and then leaned in. “When he left Temples, he said he was going somewhere he could think.”

Josie exclaimed, “That’s it? That’s your tip on where he is? That doesn’t tell us anything.”

“Actually it does.” Quinn leaned over to press a kiss on Rose’s cheek. “Thank you. And mum’s the word.”

Josie followed behind him, sputtering until they got out to his car. “How do you know where he is?”

“It’s easy. Where does Zach go to think?” He turned to look at her as he unlocked his door and hers.

“Where?” She pulled open the door and slammed it shut as she got in.

“His office.”

“What?”

Quinn started the car and pulled from the space. “He told me his office is a great place for him to think. It’s quiet.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, knuckles whitening. “Josie, he wants us to find him.”

“He does?” She clicked her seat belt into place.

“Yep. He left that clue. I know he did. He wants us to track him down.” Quinn took a right turn and hopped on the interstate.

“Do you even know where it is?” Josie sucked her bottom lip into her mouth as he glanced at her.

“No guilt. We will find him. And now we know he wants us. He has to.” Quinn hoped it hadn’t been random chance Zach had said that. It had to mean something. “I do know where he works. I made a note of it.” Quinn focused back on the road. “And no, it’s not stalkerish. I was curious.”

Josie laughed lightly and settled back in the seat. “And a good thing you were too.”

* * * *

They arrived at the nondescript little group of offices across from a local retail store. Quinn pulled around to the back. He thought that was where he remembered Zach’s office being located. It was. And in a parking space—all alone—was Zach’s car.

Bingo.

They had succeeded. Now the question was, would Zach cooperate? Just because he wanted to be found didn’t mean he’d be easy to deal with.

Quinn scrambled from the car and locked it as Josie climbed out.

“Are you sure this is his office?” Josie glanced around suspiciously. It wasn’t a glamorous building.

“I’m sure.”

They walked inside to find an office directory showing them where each numbered office was. Zach’s, 432, was across the hall. Quinn had remembered it due to the decreasing numbers.

What if Zach wouldn’t open up? Or worse, he opened the door and wouldn’t let them in? Only one way to find out.

Quinn knocked lightly. He heard Zach’s voice before Zach ever pulled open the door.

“I know, Manny. I forgot…” He trailed off as he saw the two of them standing there. The look of surprise on his face was palpable. “Quinn. Josie. What are you doing here? How did you find me?” Zach held on to the jamb as if it were a lifeline.

“We’re here to talk.” Quinn put his foot in the entryway in case Zach got the bright idea to close them out. His cock engorged at being this close to the man. He could smell Zach’s unique scent. Between Josie being there and Zach, he grew even harder.

“There’s nothing to be said.” Zach’s expression morphed into something unreadable. He gave no indication what he was feeling. It was a defense mechanism.

“There’s a lot to be said.” Josie’s voice was clear as a bell. “A whole lot that needs to be aired out.”

Zach didn’t smile. “You said as much as you needed to say last night.” Moroseness permeated his speech and his body language. He sounded defeated.

“I know I said I wasn’t sure about what you need.” A noise sounded, and Josie jerked. “Can we come in and hash this out? I don’t want to talk about this out here in the hallway.”

Zach hesitated a moment, then opened the door. His office consisted of one room and a closet. He had a desk with tons of wires and a table with lots of computer parts resting on it. There were three chairs. One was a desk chair on wheels. The other two were blue. Everything was neat, if a bit haphazardly placed in the office. He shut the door behind him. “Yes, I wouldn’t want Manny to hear this. He’s the janitor, and I forgot to turn off my computer stuff last night.”

“Yep, don’t piss him off.” Quinn flopped down in the chair on wheels. “I’ve got to get me one of these.”

They both watched him roll across the floor with amused expressions on their faces until he stopped.

“Zach, you ever search for your symptoms when you aren’t feeling hot?” Quinn couldn’t help a chuckle at the look on Zach’s face at that question.

“Yes. But it makes you think you have cancer. Or you’re dying of some rare virus that’s only found in the far quadrant of the earth.” He sat across from Quinn.

After a moment, Josie sat too. She lost a bit of her tenseness. Quinn wasn’t sure if it was because he was taking the lead or for another reason.

“That’s what Josie did with being in a relationship. She searched for it. Probably ended up on some antigay site with propaganda. That’s why she was so skittish about the thought of being with both of us at the same time the other night.”

Zach peeked at Josie, who lifted her head and met his gaze. “That so?”

She nodded. “I did. And I saw some scary-assed stuff on what I thought were legit sites. Quinn assures me that it’s all BS.”

“You haven’t been sure you wanted to be with us this whole time.” Zach settled into the chair. “You weren’t sure of it the other night. I don’t blame you. But I need this kind of relationship. You two are the closest I’ve ever come to getting it.” He glanced down at his feet. “I need you to be sure you want to try this. Really sure.” He didn’t meet her or Quinn’s eyes.

“I’m sure. I want to try this. I’m not saying I can guarantee I’ll like it, because I’ve never done this before, Zach.”

Quinn seconded her. “We can’t make any promises of forever until we see how this goes. But we’re both willing to try with you. That’s going to have to be enough.” He hit the ball smoothly into Zach’s court. It was his turn to decide how this was going to play out.

Zach stared at them with something like gratitude in his eyes. “That’s all I’m asking.” He let out a small laugh. “You know I’ve never done this before either.”

Josie’s voice went so high it squeaked. “You haven’t?”

“No. I know it should help my thinking. My thought process. Being with both sexes at the same time should allay my problems. Quinn’s the only one with experience in a ménage.”

Both heads turned to him. Which was something they shouldn’t be doing. He wasn’t a leader in ménages.

And he quickly corrected them. “I was only with the guy and girl at separate times. Never together.”

“Great. Just great. Neither of you knows how to do this?” Her demeanor suggested that she might bolt at any second.

“I know what happens,” Quinn postured. “I know the procedure. I know how it’s done.”

Zach piped up too. “So do I.” He seemed less sad and more alive than he’d appeared since they’d gotten there.

“I’ve never done it in real life before.” Quinn grinned as they both looked at him. “I used to computer role-play. No big deal.”

Josie hmphed. “Great. The only one of us with any experience, and it was in a video game.”

“I didn’t say it counted. I said I did it.” He turned his attention toward both dream lovers sitting next to him. “You know there’s no time like the present.” He winked at them.

“What do you mean?” Josie cocked her head and stared at him as if he’d sprouted horns.

“Do you mean what I think you mean?” Zach swallowed. He played with his shirt collar as if maybe it was too tight.

Quinn wanted to tell him he could take it off. When had he ever not done what he wanted? Maybe the two of them were rubbing off on him. “If that shirt is too tight, you’re welcome to take it off.”

Zach obviously tried not to grin. He fought it hard, and Quinn watched the struggle. But eventually the smile won. “I can?”

“Uh-huh. I’ll let you.” Quinn zipped across the floor again on the wheels. “And yep, I’m suggesting what you both think I am.”

Silence.

“Look, I’ve already done you. And you. And you’ve done him. I think we’re ready to go full two-on-one.” He jiggled his hips. Probably accentuated his erection, but he didn’t care.

Zach’s face pinched. He seemed to tense, maybe wondering what Josie would say.

“Here and now?” Josie peered around the minimalist office with what appeared to be trepidation. “In this office? I’m up for trying to do something with you.” Her voice caught on the last word. “But the accommodations leave a lot to be desired.”

“My apartment isn’t far.” Zach’s voice was small. Quiet. With a yearning to it. A yearning that turned Quinn’s insides to mush.

He hopped out of the desk chair. “Let’s go, then.” He didn’t give a fuck if he seemed eager. Yep, he was.

They both turned to stare at Josie. She licked her lips. “You’re both going to have to be gentle with me. You know that, right?”

Quinn and Zach nodded in tandem. It was almost synchronized. And nothing they had practiced.

Quinn spoke up. “Lots and lots of lube. You have it, right? And condoms?” He turned toward Zach. “Or do we need to stop? There’s an adult store two streets over. And yep, I know. I’m kinky to know that.”