Foreplay (2 page)

the subject of many a midnight fantasy of Lilly‟s. It

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Foreplay

was insanely easy to imagine all that male flesh

pressed against her and wrapped around her. They

might be identical in looks, but their personalities

were polar opposites. Caleb was playful, while Connor

was all dark and intense.

“You can try,” she quipped. It was an ongoing

game they played—one that was slowly driving Lilly

insane.

“Back off, Caleb.” Connor‟s hiss of warning

always followed exchanges like this. Lilly didn‟t know

if he was serious or if it was simply part of the game.

For Connor‟s part, he wasn‟t as overt as Caleb, but he

dropped his share of sexual innuendos. Connor would

sneak up behind her and whisper an order in her ear

as if he were giving a lover a command. It almost

always made her jump, especially when he

“accidentally” pressed that ripped, hard body against

her. Once she nearly backhanded him, he‟d startled

her so badly. The initial reflexive urge was

immediately replaced by an even stronger urge to

jump that big, muscled body and have him make good

on all the sexual vibes he sent her way, even if they

were
only pretended. Connor had merely chuckled

and apologized. But he hadn‟t stopped doing it either.

Lilly had no illusions that they were
really

flirting with her. She was a pretty enough woman, but

there were social gaps there as large as the Montana

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MARTEEKA KARLAND

sky. It was only a game that passed the time. They had,

after all, worked together for more than ten years.

There was a comfortable friendship among the three of

them. Besides, they all enjoyed the banter.

Sometimes, though, she found herself wondering what

it would be like to take the fun to the next level.

Having not one, but two big, sexy guys in her bed

would be truly sinful!

Fun, but sinful.

Lilly rolled her shoulders and neck as she waited

for the elevator to take her to the top level of the

employee-parking garage. It had been a hard week.

With the flu season in full swing, the hospital was full.

Busy was one thing, but this was more than she

wanted. The weekend hadn‟t come soon enough, but

now, she mercifully had three days off.

All to herself…well, herself and her cat. The gray

and white tuxedo was as demanding as everyone at

work. Fortunately, she could deal with one finicky

feline. Besides, good food and a little lap time did

wonders for both of them.

Lilly‟s drive home took close to half an hour. She

was stripping as soon as she closed the door behind

her, and a minute later she was in the shower. A

shower was always the first thing she did when she

arrived home.

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Foreplay

Sure she primarily worked at the desk, but a

hospital was still a hospital. Her routine was simple:

get home. Throw the clothes in the washer. Shower. It

was the only way she felt clean. Besides, there was no

way she was letting her work clothes get anywhere

near her butter-soft leather sectional, or anything else

in her apartment, for that matter. She worked her ass

off to have nice things and a pristine apartment. She‟d

damned well take care of her stuff and
keep
the place

clean.

Once out of the shower, she took off her shower

cap and shook out her hair. While she twisted her

dark brown, shoulder-length tresses into a clip at

work, she wore her hair loose everywhere else.

Though it was just her and her cat, she took her time

tending to her hair. Her mother always said there was

no excuse for being a slob.

Work always made her feel…ordinary. Everyone

wore uniforms, and she didn‟t really have any way to

distinguish her personality. Ah, but at home, she was

free to be herself. Going to the closet, she pulled out

the one expensive, luxurious item she owned: a

vintage Olga 9692 full-length nightgown slip dress. It

had been expensive, but it made her feel feminine like

nothing else ever could.

Slipping it over her head, she smoothed the silky

fabric over her torso. The bodice plunged into a deep

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MARTEEKA KARLAND

“V” with a knotted twist gathering that supported her

generous breasts comfortably. Its pale, creamy peach

color contrasted perfectly with her dark chocolate

skin. The waist was cinched slightly, and the skirt

flared seductively so it flowed around her legs, its

sheer material giving a tantalizing silhouette of her

flesh beneath it. Lilly didn‟t have to look in the mirror

to know she looked good…but she did anyway. She

didn‟t just look good; she looked damn good.

Sinking onto the overstuffed cushions of her

sofa, she flipped the lever that let the footrest come up

and groaned in happiness. It felt so good—better than

she‟d felt all week. Immediately, Windy jumped into

her lap, turned around a couple of times, and settled

in for a nap. Stroking the feline‟s silky fur relaxed Lilly

as nothing else could.

Yeah, this was the life.

As she rested, her mind wandered—as it usually

did—back to the men who were both her nemeses and

the stars of her greatest wet dreams. Doctors Caleb

and Connor Jackson. Most of the time she tolerated

them; sometimes she just wanted to slap them, and

other times, when the doors were closed and no one

was watching, she fantasized. In her mind, she‟d had

both of them six ways from Sunday. She‟d kissed those

sensual lips until they were swollen and ready to wrap

around her clit…

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Foreplay

She might have a business background and work

in a scientific field, but she had a really vivid

imagination. Especially about these two. There were

times when she was in the space between sleep and

awake, when she could almost feel them touching her.

It was insane, really. They flirted only because they

knew it drove her crazy. She flirted because she knew

it drove them crazy. Besides, being a heterosexual

woman with a healthy sex drive, given half a chance,

she‟d do one of them. Or both of them. Okay, so maybe

not at the same time, but still! She wasn‟t sure exactly

when they had completely taken over her fantasies;

she just knew that they had.

Even now, her whole body tingled as she

imagined what it would be like to suck Caleb‟s cock

while Connor tongued her pussy. Would they growl as

they loved her? Or would they moan and sigh and let

her do what she wanted to them?

No. They were both definitely tops. Well, a top

and a bottom, as long as there was a woman between

them. Scratch that—not
a
woman. Her. It was a

pleasant fiction, but, damn it, it was
her
fiction!

She‟d just started to doze off when her cell phone

sang out the
Star Wars
theme. Groaning, she

answered.

“This had better be good.”
Yeah, especially since

it’s interrupting my Connor/Caleb fantasy.

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“Oh, I promise you, it will be.”

Lilly froze. “Dr. Jackson?”

A masculine chuckle answered her. “Sure, but

the
real
question is, which one?”

Her hesitation evaporated in an instant. “Well,

that‟s a no brainer, Dr.
Caleb
. How the hell did you get

this number?”

Again, he chuckled. The sound sent shivers to

her toes. “I have connections. We just wanted to make

sure you were decent.”

Only when I absolutely have to be,
she thought,

though she left the thought unspoken. What was he up

to? Three rapid taps at the door interrupted her.

Still holding the phone to her ear, Lilly stood and

moved to the door. Slowly, she opened it just a tad,

and immediately slammed it shut—or tried to. The toe

of a boot in the opening prevented it.

“Oww! That hurt!” Only she would‟ve known it

was Caleb whose foot she‟d squashed with the door

simply by hearing his voice and with the brief glimpse

she‟d gotten of the two large men outside her door.

“It was supposed to,” Lilly said with outrage, still

trying to shut the door. “What the
fuck
are you doing

here?”

Connor grabbed his brother by the shoulder and

shoved him backward out of the doorway. He didn‟t

make a move to enter, but braced one hand on the

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Foreplay

doorway. “We came to see you, Lilly.” He jerked his

head backward slightly to indicate Caleb. “Don‟t mind

him. He‟s a first-class ass today.”

“I was just trying to keep her from shutting us

out.”

It sounded suspiciously like Caleb was whining,

and Lilly had to smother a smile. Sometimes, the

infuriating man could actually be adorable.

“It‟s her damned apartment, Caleb. If she

doesn‟t want us in, we have no business forcing

ourselves in on her! She might be a little intimidated

by us, you know.”

Lilly raised her eyebrow at that. Even if they did

intimidate her at work, which they didn‟t, no damned

man intimidated her in her own home. If she actually

felt threatened, she had several heavy objects to use as

weapons until she could get to her gun.

“I‟m not intimidated by either of you in the least.

I just didn‟t expect you to show up at my door.” She

raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her breasts,

acutely aware of the cleavage she was showing.

“Unannounced.”

No one spoke for several moments. Then Connor

let his gaze fall from her face down her body and back

up again. “Why are you answering the door dressed

like this? What if it hadn‟t been us outside? What if it

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MARTEEKA KARLAND

had been another man getting to see all that luscious

chocolate skin?”

Without warning, something powerful and

feminine inside her roared. Dropping her arms, she

put one hand on her hip. If they wanted to look, let

them. It wasn‟t as though she‟d invited them over. If

they tried any funny business she didn‟t want, well,

there was always the gun.

“It‟s my home. I‟ll answer the door any damned

way I please.”

Lilly knew her breasts were covered, though her

nipples probably poked the fabric. They tightened

beneath Connor‟s gaze, settling into hard little peaks.

The rest of her, though, was only partially covered.

The material of the skirt was sheer and sexy. It was

entirely possible they saw the dark shadow of her sex

through that gown since she‟d gone without panties.

Despite being turned on beyond belief, she felt

more than a little exposed, though not all of it in a bad

way. Thank God for her dark chocolate complexion—

otherwise her need would be evident. She shifted

uncomfortably. The pair looked better in tight jeans

and even tighter T-shirts than they ever had in her

dreams.

“Look.” Connor‟s eyes moved to her face once

again, and she wished she could read their smoky

depths. “Invite us inside. Go to your bedroom and

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Foreplay

change clothes, if it makes you more comfortable. We

need to talk.”

Automatically, Lilly stepped back, allowing the

two men into her apartment. Again, that note of

whispered command compelled her to do as he‟d said.

She couldn‟t even begrudge her obedience. It just

seemed appropriate. It was the way he commanded

her, like there was a wealth of naughty pleasure

awaiting her if she complied.

For several moments after Caleb shut and locked

the door, they all just stood there. Lilly narrowed her

eyes, not knowing what they wanted, though she‟d let

them into her home willingly. One thing was for sure,

though: she was absolutely certain she wanted to jump

their bones into the middle of next week.

She didn‟t want to change clothes. Still, it gave

her a chance to call her best friend so someone else

knew what was going on. Besides, she‟d be better able

to face them on her own terms if she were dressed a

bit differently.

“Oh, for heaven‟s sake.” Lilly threw up her

hands, went to her bedroom, and shut the door.