Reunion Makes Three [Snowedin Fantasies] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (6 page)

“No, it didn’t. We were just too concerned with getting buzzed to care about the taste.”

Beth nodded. Back in their high school days, things had been simpler. Saturday nights were about finding a quiet place to make out and getting their hands on any kind of alcohol they could. Everything was more complicated now. Relationships, work. Even fulfilling her fantasy turned out to be more complicated than she’d pictured.

She coughed again, sputtering a bit, at the remaining taste in her mouth. How had they ever drunk this stuff before?

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Concern vibrated through Dell’s voice. She looked up to find two sets of worried eyes focused on her. She tried to nod. She’d be fine, once she got the grape taste out of her mouth, but as she did so, she coughed again, and neither man believed her.

“I’ll get you a glass of water.” He jumped up from his seat before she could even argue that she was capable of getting it herself. He ran to the bathroom to get her a glass. Marcos leaned over in his chair, extending his arm around her to rub her back. He stroked her in smooth and soothing circles, truly trying to comfort her, not to arouse her or tantalize her, surprising her just a little.

When she’d trolled the Fantasies Fulfilled website, she’d been looking for a purely erotic experience. She’d never assumed there’d be such quiet moments of intimacy and affection. Yet now that she had Marcos’s soft caring touch, she couldn’t imagine going without it. Just like she couldn’t imagine fulfilling this fantasy with anyone else.

“Sorry about this,” she whispered as she sputtered again.

“Nothing to be sorry about,
morosa
. We like taking care of you. We want you to be well and wonderful. We have a lot more planned for you tonight.” She shivered at the dark intention behind his words, even as his eyebrows rose just a little, drawing a smile to her lips.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” He continued his rubbing, though the coughs had mostly come to an end.

“Why did you want to do this?” He stared at her a bit confused, so she continued on. “I understand why a single person would want to go on Fantasies Fulfilled and find an encounter, but why would you as a couple? Aren’t you afraid it will hurt your relationship? That I might come between you?”

Marcos shook his head. “No,
bella
, I’m not frightened of that. Dell and I both wanted this night. We both wanted you. Sharing the experience could only bring us closer.”

When she only stared at him, Marcos continued on. “I had a man back in Italy that I loved very much. He was everything I wanted, smart business man, looked great in a suit, and could make me roll with laughter all day long.

“One day he came to me and said he wanted to try something new, he wanted to explore a fantasy he’d always had of being sandwiched between two men.” Beth nodded, she knew that fantasy very well. “Though I understood his interest, I told him I couldn’t explore this fantasy with him. I was too jealous to ever share him with anyone.

“He seemed to understand my feelings at first, but the longer we were together, the more my lack of being able to share him created a space between us. It started small at first, but with each passing day, it grew, spreading us farther apart.” Marcos looked out into the room, as if seeing this far away time, his hand never faltering as he continued to rub her back. “When he came to me one day and said he was leaving, I wasn’t surprised, even though I begged him to stay. I told him I’d explore the fantasy he wanted. I’d do anything he needed if he’d just stay.”

The pain in his voice vibrated through her, right to the core. She understood that feeling. She’d been that way with Dell back when he’d cut her off with barely a word. She’d sent him e-mail after e-mail begging him, promising she’d do whatever he wanted as long as they could be together. She’d never received any response.

Shaking off the feeling, she reached up and touched Marcos’s cheek, hoping the small touch was as comforting to him as his slow gentle back rub was for her. He smiled at her, a little of the weight gone from his eyes.

“It was too late by then. The damage was already done. He moved out that day. It wasn’t long after that when I moved to the States and met Dell.

“He’s one of the best things to happen to me. He brought me back to life when I thought my heart would never be complete again. When he suggested we think about exploring this fantasy, I couldn’t deny him. Being with him was too good to risk. And when we found you on the message boards and I was able to talk to you and see how smart and witty you were, I wanted it, too.”

He smiled at her, and her insides melted. She envied the way he could just accept and understand Dell. She wasn’t sure she’d be all right with sharing her partner if the roles were reversed. But being shared was a whole different ball game.

Dell walked back triumphantly into the room and deposited the water on the table. She took a long deep gulp. The plastic hotel cup crinkled in her grip, but the clear, cool liquid managed to remove most of the horrible gator water taste. “Thank you,” she whispered, placing the cup back on the table.

Dell only smiled, not needing any more recognition.

Marcos walked to a silver bucket filled with ice and an already popped bottle. He poured golden liquid into a flute glass, handing her the glass with excitement. “Here, this is what a beautiful woman deserves.”

She took a tentative sip. After the horror of the gator water, she wasn’t ready to jump headfirst into any drink. Dry and sinful, the champagne hit all the right taste buds, fizzling along her tongue. “That’s fantastic.”

“Cuvée Belle Epoque Rosé, one of my favorites.”

Beth swallowed her next sip in shock. She’d met few men who knew enough about champagne to have a favorite. But she didn’t know many gay men that wanted to spend the night with a woman, so maybe she shouldn’t be surprised Marcos was different. He appeared to be different in so many ways that she thanked god for.

“It’s my business to know the best.” He smiled up at her, reading the question in her eyes. “I’m a wine importer.”

“That’s how we met.” Dell wrapped his hand around Marcos’s neck, giving him a light squeeze. Her stomach sank at the intimate caress, jealousy zipping through her system.

“One of my clients was interested in investing in a vineyard but wanted to try the product before he bought. A friend hooked me up with Marcos, and the rest is history.”

Beth nodded, pulling three fries covered with cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes from the plate and popping them into her mouth. She bit back a moan as she chewed, the creamy cheese, salty fries, and sweet-spicy tomatoes. Heaven on her tongue.

“What do you do, Dell?”

“I’m an investment broker. But I got sick of dealing with just stocks, so I branched out into other businesses as well. Restaurants, vineyards, real estate.”

“Variety is the spice of life.” Marcos smiled at his partner. The intimacy between them apparent, making her feel like an intruder in their quiet moment.

“What of you,
bella
?” Marcos reached over, rested his hand on her knee, his warm palm comforting and compelling. “How do you spend your days?”

“I’d guess something artistic.” Dell smiled at her, his sky eyes shining. “She’s a fantastic artist. She used to draw the best bowls of fruit you’ve ever seen.” He spoke to Marcos, but winked at her as he did.

Beth chuckled, a little of the tightness in her chest loosening. “Not exactly. I was working with a design firm in Providence.” She looked down at the floor, the embarrassment flooding her system. “But right now I’m working as a waitress at my sister’s bar.”

Dell’s gaze narrowed, and he shook his head. “I can’t believe that. After all you talked about escaping here. How Snowedin was a one-horse skiing town, with no culture.”

She shrugged her shoulders, trying to push back the pain with them. Her eyes trained down on the carpet. “I didn’t have much choice. When you lose your job and leave your fiancé, you don’t have a lot of options besides coming home.” She shoved three more fries in her mouth to keep herself from saying anything else. This night was so going so well, despite their initial complications, and she didn’t want to mar it with her sad story. So much of her life was filled with a sad retelling of that night, even if it was only in her mind. Tonight was supposed to be her night to escape all that, to merely enjoy and not be burdened with pity. But so far tonight had turned out quite differently than she had imagined, so it only made sense it would be different on this issue, too.

The silence lay heavy around her. The heat of two male stares upon her burned her cheeks, but she couldn’t look up. She didn’t want to see the disappointment in their eyes. The same disappointment that smacked painfully in her own chest. When she knew Dell in high school, she’d been driven, ambitious, determined. But over the years, she’d lost that. She’d made compromises. She’d given up dreams. And now what did she have to show for it? Nothing. She lived with her sister, slinging pale ales all day, instead of staring at masterpieces like she’d dreamed.

When the quiet became overwhelming, she looked up at the two pairs of soft eyes staring at her. Marcos’s warm chocolate ones were sympathetic, while Dell’s sky blues implored, wanting to know more. She knew they’d never accept her silence, but that didn’t stop her from hoping she might be able to escape this night without having to retell her greatest embarrassment and disappointment.

Dell reached up, brushing the hair back from her cheek. His warm hands comforting against her face. “What happened, sweetheart?” He ran his thumb along the upper swell of her lip. “What man would be dumb enough to let you leave?”

She smiled, heat flooding her neck. Her heart thumped a little faster. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had complimented her without slurring his words. A small voice in the back of her head wanted to remind him that he’d been one of those men, to let her leave with hardly a word, but she silenced it. It felt too good to be with him again to risk endangering it with the truth.

“As a relationship, it was a bad idea from the start. He was the son of a client. His father owned a large group of hotels, several in the Providence area. He hired the firm I worked for to remodel one of them, update the facilities and modernize the design.

“When we’d gone more than a hundred thousand dollars over budget and were three months late for reopening, due to their indecision on almost every aspect of the project”—Beth rolled her eyes, remembering Paul Senior spending three hours picking out bathtubs, only to have him change his mind the next day, and the day after that—“they blamed the firm and refused to pay the full rate for the job.

“I told Paul’s father I thought he was being unjust and should pay the firm their due. I thought he was going to be my father-in-law, and I could talk to him about my concerns openly. But he told the firm I was badmouthing him, and they fired me for it.” Their account was to too large to lose, especially over one entry-level assistant designer.

“When I got home, Paul defended his father’s actions and told me
it was just business
. I’ve never wanted to punch anyone so much in my life.” She clenched her fist at her side, the urge returning with the memory. “I settled for throwing his ring at him and stomping out.”

“Good for you.” Dell’s smile lit up the entire room, and a new heat formed below her belly button. Their praise thrilled her and filled her with pride to know they supported her decision.

“It might have felt good then.” And remembering it now. “But fat lot of good it did me. Now I’m living with my sister, pouring beers, and handing out nachos all night like I promised I’d never do.”

“That’s not true,
bella.
” His hand tightened on her knee, comforting her with his grip. “If you hadn’t left him, we wouldn’t be here—together.”

She blinked up at him, smiling like a fool. He was right. If she’d been engaged, her sister never would have offered her a subscription to Fantasies Fulfilled for a birthday present, and she’d never have had the opportunity to live out this dream.

Dell smiled, too, nodding toward Marcos. “And we never would have been able to fulfill our fantasy with you.”

He pushed the robe off her legs, slipping his hand up the inside of her thigh. “I think we have one more fantasy to fulfill tonight.” He massaged her thighs. Wetness dripped, thick and hot, between her legs. His fingers explored her skin, erotic and strong, raising goose bumps along her thighs and stomach.

She nodded. She did have one more fantasy. To see the two of them together.

Marcos pushed the hair back from her face, pressing his lips to the sensitive notch below her ear. “Are you ready,
bella
?” His lips caressed the column of her neck, sending pleasurable shivers throughout her entire body.

“God, yes.”

Marcos and Dell laughed at her enthusiastic reply. Their hands remained on her body, but they gazed at each other.

Dell’s other hand wrapped around Marcos’s neck, pulling him close. Their lips met, moving against each other, opening to allow tongues to explore, and Beth’s brain went fuzzy. She watched with bated interest as their hands left her body to explore each other, skimming over smooth backs, hard butts, and chiseled chests.

After a few minutes, Dell pulled back, his breathing rough from lack of oxygen. He smiled at his partner, then cast a glance at Beth. His eyes glittered with devilish glee.