Double Trouble: A Menage Romance (4 page)

J
essica Woodson was
one sexy news researcher. From the minute she walked onto the plane, Holt's thoughts kept returning to the bedroom. Try to hide it all she wanted under jeans and an ordinary T-shirt, but the woman had a body to die for.

The arched eyebrow and plump pout didn’t hurt either. Holt smiled and poured himself a drink. “Can I get you anything? We’ve got a full bar.”

“Vodka and soda. Thanks.”

Mmm. A liquor woman
. Either she was nervous as hell or she had balls. He made her drink and handed it over. “Please, have a seat.”

Holt motioned at the leather armchair opposite his as he sat down. Two hours to get to know each other without his overbearing older brother around to gum up the works. He couldn’t wait to find out more about her.

“Is Gage not joining us?”

Holt let the comment go. “He left a few hours ago. So tell me about yourself.” The bourbon slipped down his throat and he relaxed into the vintage leather.

“What would you like to know?” She sipped the drink and gave him a bland smile.

Oh, no. The facade didn't work on him. “Anything. How about how you got into your line of work? A pretty woman like yourself could do anything. Why sit behind a desk and do background checks all day?”

She took a gulp before answering and Holt bit back a grin. He enjoyed making her uncomfortable. At least until the gloves came off.

“Am I supposed to be flattered or offended?”

“How about both?” Holt straightened up and slid forward until their knees almost touched. She didn’t flinch. “Harvey told us you have no interest in becoming a reporter. Why is that?”

“I don’t need to be the center of attention.”

“Never?”

Her lips twitched. “No.”

“If you tried it, you might change your mind.”

“I doubt it.”

Feisty, too
. Jessica Woodson kept getting better and better. “Why this job? Why not work for a think tank or a research institution instead of a news network?”

“My decisions have nothing to do with this assignment.”

Holt raised an eyebrow. “You’re not intimidated by me, are you?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“How about just a pinch? A dab? There must be some lurking in there. Everyone’s intimidated by billionaires.”

“Guess I’m not everyone, then.”

Impressive. She held steady even when pushed. Maybe she’d sing a different tune if he changed his line of attack. “If you won’t talk to me about yourself, then tell me what you know about us.”

She stiffened. “Not much.”

“Come now, there has to be something that comes to mind.” He swirled the rest of his drink and stared at the v of her T-shirt. “Our parties and business holdings. The women.”

“Like I said before, I’m not in the habit of believing everything I read.”

“No?”

She shook her head.

“What if I told you that what you’ve read is true? Would that change your opinion?”

Holt leaned closer, brushing his knee against her leg. He kept it there, grazing the side of her thigh as he looked her over. Intimidation didn’t open her up. Sex might.

Her voice took on a gritty undertone. “I’m here to do an impartial job. My opinion is irrelevant.”

He reached out and traced a pattern around her kneecap with his index finger. She didn’t even blink.

Damn
. By now, any woman he’d run into lately would have been begging for it. A chance to bag a hot billionaire would have sent them into a tailspin of fake giggles and hair tosses. But not Ms. Woodson.

When he had come up with this idea, he thought it would be easy. Find some reporter with stars in his eyes, tell him how high to jump and the man would do it with bells on his toes.

When Harvey said it was a woman, he figured seduction would work. Play around for a few weeks, give her a taste of the good life, and then she’d write gushing prose about their sexy grins and business acumen.

But this woman…

He touched her knee again and she grabbed his hand. “Let’s get something straight, Mr. MacIntosh. You are my employer. I am your employee. You’ve requested me to complete an assignment and that’s what I’m going to do. Sleeping with you isn’t part of the deal.”

Her fingers dug into his skin and Holt tried one last smile. “That will change.”

She released him with an eye roll. “What is it you hope to get out of this, anyway?”

Shit
. So much for an entertaining plane ride. His instincts had been right. Hiring a female researcher was the worst possible thing to do. How could they sway a woman who didn’t even quiver when he came onto her?

He exhaled and admitted the truth. “Positive publicity is what we need.”

“Seducing me isn’t the best way to get it.”

“Apparently not.” God this would be a train wreck. They could kiss the Hotel buyout goodbye and Gage would probably never speak to him again. It would be a disaster. Holt downed the last of his drink. “So sex doesn’t push your buttons. What does?”

She cocked her head and regarded him for a moment. “Being honest and open. Let me do my job. The more I learn about you and your brother and how you two operate, the better work I can do.”

“What if you don’t like what you see?”

Her gaze traveled from his eyes to his crotch and back up. “So far you’re doing just fine.”

If he hadn’t been paying attention, he’d have missed it. The woman was a damn minx. “You are unique, Ms. Woodson.”

“Call me Jess.”

“How I can help you, Jess?”

“How long do we have?”

Holt checked his watch. “An hour.”

She scooted forward on her seat and dug a notepad and pen from her bag. “Tell me everything about your current business holdings. That’ll be a good start.”

* * *

H
olt spent
most of the hour explaining the numerous MacIntosh family assets. Turned out they owned everything from commercial real estate to restaurants to night clubs. They even had plans to open a casino with a pair of businessmen in Las Vegas. The family fortune wasn’t just Hotels anymore.

The more Holt talked, the more Jess softened to him. Despite his first attempts to rile her up, once he got down to business, the man was direct and bullshit-free. Just the way she liked them.

It didn’t hurt that he had those
oh, my
brown eyes that made her head swim with very unprofessional things.

Stolen kisses. Crisp sheets. Fevered skin.

She cleared her throat and glanced at her notepad. “So when did your father sell the Hotel chain?”

Holt frowned. “A year before he died.”

“The name went with the sale?”

“It shouldn’t have.” Holt’s hand balled into a fist and he focused on the floor.

Jess knew holding back when she saw it. She might not want to be a front-line reporter, but she still had the instinct. “Are you saying—” A crackling noise cut her off.

“Mr. MacIntosh, sir, we’re making our initial descent into La Guardia. The plane should be landing soon.”

Jess stared at the wall speaker where the pilot’s voice had come from. That had to be a hallucination. “We flew to New York?”

Holt looked at her like she’d spoken in a foreign language.

“We have work to do this week. You didn’t think we’d be staying in Atlanta, did you?”

Jess blinked. “Of course not.” If she were being honest with herself, she hadn’t thought about it at all. She had been swept up into a crazy whirlwind the minute she stepped into work that morning and hadn’t had a chance to slow down.

When she had first seen the plane, shock had taken over. Then she’d tried to focus on the assignment. Where they were going hadn’t even crossed her mind. What a bang-up reporting job she managed so far.

I shouldn’t have had that drink.

“Something wrong?” Holt reached for her, but she waved him off. Seem vulnerable? No way.

“Not at all. Do you mind if I ask where we’re going?”

“You just did.” Holt glanced at the time. “Dinner, most likely. We’re supposed to meet Gage at the Tristfall by eight.”

Her stomach growled at the mention of food.

“I take it that works for you.”

She shrugged. “I am a bit hungry.”

“Good. They have the best lobster in the city.”

Jess looked down at her drab T-shirt and jeans. “So is it cocktail party chic or business suit classy?”

Holt’s jaw ticked. “It’s New York. Anything goes as long as it’s expensive.”

Great
. He might as well have said not her style. “All right. I’ve got a change of clothes in my bag. Just give me a few minutes?”

“Take all the time you need.”

Jess grabbed her bag and headed into the bathroom at the rear of the plane. It was shoebox-sized, but better than most bathrooms on commercial airliners.

She had to say, traveling with the MacIntoshes was one hell of a step up from her usual subway ride, Greyhound bus living. The only time the network fronted an airline ticket for a research project, she’d been stuck in the last row of coach in the middle seat between a married couple who insisted on playing rummy on her tray.

It hadn’t been a good day.

This was almost nice. Jess tugged the little black dress out of the bag and sent a silent thanks out to Wendy. It really was the perfect emergency travel dress. Bouncy, wrinkle-free fabric. Tight, but not tacky. Short but not mini. It was suitable for anywhere they wanted to go.

Add in the all-day heels she’d thrown in and some fresh makeup, and she was at least presentable.

Flying a private jet might not be her usual cup of tea, but Holt had surpassed her expectations so far. She’d anticipated an asshole in a suit who told her what to say and how to write it. But he was the exact opposite.

The sexy hair falling across his forehead. The way he used his charm and good looks to get under her skin. All the while he’d been coming onto her, she forced herself to think about anything else.

The rotten spaghetti she’d forgotten about in the back of her fridge. That time she got food poisoning and threw up for three days straight. Her butt in yoga pants.

She shouldn’t even consider him as anything more than her ultimate boss. She needed to stay focused on the job. It was a temporary assignment. Even if he did flirt with her on the plane, it didn’t mean anything. The man could have any woman he wanted.

Reading any more into it was ridiculous. Jess zipped up her bag and tugged open the door. Holt’s expression was the first thing she saw. It didn’t say business at all.

“Well, well, Ms. Woodson. I can tell you’re an expert at hiding your best assets. What else do you have tucked away in that stunning dress of yours?”

Jess swallowed.
Keep it professional whatever you do
. “I’m a black belt in taekwondo. Does that count?”

Holt laughed. “It’s a damn good start.”

F
ancy New York
dinner spot didn’t do Tristfall justice. Part nightclub, part upscale lounge, people came for the scene, not the amazing food.

Women in slinky party dresses and sky-high heels giggled next to men flashing watches that cost more than Jess made in her whole life. And the cars queued up in valet? Half of them she'd never seen before.

Catching herself picking at a nail, Jess cursed under her breath. Learn what being a MacIntosh was all about, meant blending in, not sticking out.

Holt leaned close while they walked up to the front door. His hand hovered over the small of her back and Jess tensed. “Relax. Everyone knows us here.”

She half-whispered. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

His low laugh sent a tingle through all the wrong places.
Damn
.

The plane was hard enough. Pretending not to notice when Holt's eye wandered from her face to her boobs and back again was doable with a notebook propped on her lap and scribbled questions to ask later.

Dressed for a night out with Holt’s fingers splayed across her back was a whole other story. How had she ended up in the middle of this?

Holt spoke a few hushed words to the man at the front door and before Jess got her bearings, they were whisked away to a secluded room on the second floor. Dark walls. Lush carpet. Intimate table setting. No one took a quasi-biographer to a spot like this.

She turned to Holt as the restaurant employee left. “Is this really the best arrangement? It seems…”

“Private?” Gage’s voice billowed around her like smoke.

He stepped out of the shadows and her tongue tripped over itself. “I didn’t know you were here.”

His eyes lit up. “Most women spot me from a hundred feet away.”

“I’m not most women.”

“Obviously.”

Oh, God
. He stared at her like an ice cream cone: something to devour one lick at a time. Somehow she’d gone from tiptoeing into the kiddy pool to wading through the MacIntosh brothers’ dark waters. The depths teemed with sharks and eels. “I’m supposed to be doing a job.”

Gage eased closer. The black of his suit gave way to a subtle stripe and his pocket square turned from vague gray to paisley. The nearer Gage slid, the more dashing he became.

Jess swallowed. All of a sudden, her arms were gangly and her feet were too big and she felt hopelessly out of place.
I shouldn’t be here.

Gage reached out and tucked a flyaway lock of hair behind her ear, but didn’t drop his hand. It hung there, fingers a breath away from her cheek.

“This is what we do on a Friday night in the city. Go out for dinner and drinks. Be merry. Don’t tell me you’ve never done that before.”

She forced her lips to curve. “Not like this.”

“First time for everything.” His fingers grazed her earlobe and her mouth cracked open. Was he toying with her?

Gage smiled and Jess clamped her jaw shut so fast, her teeth banged against each other. “It would be best if we had a story to tell the media. A reason why I’m with you for the next few weeks.”

“We’ve already issued a press release. The media knows who you are.”

Jess shook her head. “You think they'll believe that I’m your, what? Biographer?”

“That’s the truth, isn’t it?” Holt appeared on Gage’s left and for the first time she noticed the similarities between the brothers. Different heights and individual style, but both had the MacIntosh bone structure.

Square jaw. Grecian nose. Hooded eyes that spoke more than any words. These men were dangerous. They didn't wave guns around and deal in criminal activities, but they had used up and spit out more employees and women than headlines.

Both brothers pushed her libido buttons, but she wasn’t anything special to them. When the three weeks were up, Jess would go back to being a researcher behind the scenes and they would move on to their next conquest. She needed to remember that.

With a deep breath, Jess shoved down the insecurities and brushed past the pair to pick a seat at the table. Middle of the booth with everything in sight would suit her just fine.

She smiled and motioned to the empty spots. “Gentlemen? Care to sit down?”

Three rounds of drinks, an endless supply of food, and the best banana cream pie in the world and Jess forgot her nerves. If this was what Gage meant by being merry, she approved.

She leaned back in the booth and groaned. “That was spectacular. Do you two always eat like this?”

Holt rubbed his forehead. “Pretty much. Sometimes we order in, but…”

“Remind me to find time to go running. By the end of this assignment, I won’t fit any of my clothes.”

“That’s not the worst thing.”

“Excuse me?”

Holt ran his tongue across his lower lip. “Women always underestimate how much men like something to squeeze.”

What?
“I’m sorry, I must have bounced into a parallel universe for a moment. I swore you said you liked women on the curvy side.”

“My brother’s right.” Gage chimed in. Both of us prefer a woman who enjoys a good meal.”

Riiiight
. “I suppose you’re going to tell me you put your pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else, too.”

Gage downed the rest of his drink with a grin. “Don’t get carried away now, Ms. Woodson. We might like women with an ass to hold onto, but we are billionaires.”

“Just unconventional ones.” Holt flashed his brother a look and Jess’s thoughts ran to the driver’s comments from earlier.

The brothers had shared a girlfriend before. It didn’t seem possible. Wasn’t there endless competition? Jealousy?

She wanted to sate her own terrible curiosity, but she had a job to do. Jess paused.

A researcher did have to ask questions…

“Are either of you dating at the moment?”

Holt made a point of checking his watch. “Right this minute? No.”

“You know what I mean.”

“We’re both single.” Gage slid closer on the seat. The heat from his wool-clad leg seeped into her thigh. Scents of cedar and musk and liquor lit up Jess’s senses.

Mmm
. It had been too long since she’d been this near a man. One this sexy and disarming? Never.

“Are you seeing anyone?” The rumble of Holt’s voice caught her off-guard. When did he scoot so close? While Gage’s heat and scent had drawn her in, his brother had slipped his arm behind her back and cut off half the room’s oxygen.

All at once, she was suffocated by man. Drop-dead, where have you been all my life, man. Times two.

Jess squeaked out a reply. “One hundred percent single.” She didn’t know where to look or where to put her hands. They sat on top of the table like limp fish, awkward and lifeless.

“You seem anxious.” Holt’s voice poured into her ear and Jess closed her eyes. “Is there something you’re afraid to ask?”

Her heart hammered against her ribs. Was this what they were like with other women? Was it just a game?

She forced her eyes open. “I heard the two of you dated the same woman for a while. Is that true?”

Holt reclined and Jess sucked in a lungful of air.

“We did, yes.”

“Who was she?”

Gage replied. “Bianca Sutherland.”

“Why didn’t it work out?”

Holt’s eyes flashed as he looked past her to his brother. Was it anger? Resentment?

Gage was the one to answer. “She couldn’t handle both of us.”

“Too many demands to keep track of?”

“Something like that.” He reached up and traced a path across her cheek with his thumb. “I don’t believe you would have the same difficulty.”

Oh my God
. Was he coming onto her? She glanced at Holt without turning her head. His nostrils flared, his chest swelled, and his hand slid over her thigh.

Jess gasped. They were definitely coming onto her. Her whole body screamed,
yes! Give in! Let them ravage you!

She swallowed. “I—I don’t think this is a good idea. I’m here to do a job.”

Gage tilted his head. “You’re right. It’s a terrible idea.”

“Then what are you doing?”

He stared long enough to make her blush. “Something I shouldn’t.”

Oh, God
. Her heart slammed into her ribs and her lungs strained to keep from gasping. This wasn't real.

“Don’t you want to be thorough?” Holt’s hand slid further up her thigh. “It would be a shame if you didn’t explore every aspect of our lives, right?” His fingers wrapped around her soft flesh, slipping into the wedge between her legs.

She quivered. “It’s against NNT’s policies.”

Gage’s breath fanned across her neck. “We’ll change them.”

Wow
. How many times had she dreamt about something like this? A hot man giving her his undivided attention? Looking at her like she was the chocolate cake at her favorite restaurant?

But this time there were two. Double the hands. Double the sex appeal.

Double the trouble.

Gage’s lips landed feather-soft on the spot just beneath her jaw. Her pulse raced to catch him as he pulled away. “Any other concerns?”

That morning a million swam inside her head. But Gage’s kiss and Holt’s hands sent each and every one packing. She couldn’t come up with a single reason to say no.

She shifted in the seat and her own slick heat answered for her. “No.”

“Good answer, Ms. Woodson.”

The way he whispered her name conjured up all kinds of naughty fantasies. A wood grain desk. Her bare ass as he took her from behind.

Gage flicked his tongue against her earlobe and Jess cried out. Holt’s fingers dove beneath the hem of her dress and she shuddered.

They couldn’t…

Gage took her face in his hand. So strong. Commanding. He kissed her, eyes wide open, as Holt forced her legs to spread.
Oh, God
.

Jess remembered some wild one-night stands. But this? Her eyes fluttered shut as Gage deepened the kiss.

Lips against lips. Tongue teasing and plundering her mouth. He tasted of bourbon and caramel and a sin so rich, she didn’t know how much she could take.

Holt slipped his hand beneath the lace of her panties and her cry of shock was muffled by his brother’s mouth.

“Mmm. Just as I thought. You’re ready for us, Jess. You want what we can give you.” His fingers stroked up and down, slipping between her already soaked folds before stroking her clit.

“Your pussy is begging for us." He filled her empty channel with his fingers, pumping once, then twice. “We’ll give what you need. What you crave.”

His words were so dirty. Wrong. No man had ever spoken to her that way. She trembled in anticipation. Everything Holt said was true.

Gage broke their kiss to trail his lips down her neck. He nosed her dress over her shoulder and nibbled at her bare skin. “Have you ever been pleasured by two men at once?”

“No!”

“
Mmm
. We’re honored to be your first. But I warn you, when we’re through, you may never want to go back.”

Holt increased the speed of his fingers, working her clit in tiny, rapid circles. Jess gripped the edge of the table so hard the wood groaned in protest. She knew what to do with her hands now.

“That’s it. Come for us. Come all over me.”

Gage kissed his way over her collarbone, his hand roving to find her breast. He rubbed her firm nipple beneath the fabric in time to Holt’s flicks across her clit and Jess couldn’t hold back.

The orgasm rushed through her, fast and unexpected. A keening wail tore from her throat and Gage stifled it with his lips.

He kissed her through waves of bliss and chased down every aftershock of pleasure with his tongue.

As she came down from her high, a voice rang out from the stairs.

“Sir, stop! You can’t go in there!”