Authors: Kris Cook
Three to Play (2 page)
“You okay?” The man had thirty-five years in broadcasting. He’d had his own share of moderate successes. But now, marrying late in life to a night-shift nurse made overnights ideal. Lucky for him, no danger existed of being squeezed out of a job. Beth wished she could say the same.
“Perfect,” she answered. “How else would I be?”
He smiled. “I know this isn’t easy. Just see where it takes you, Beth. You never know how it might work out. You might even learn something.”
“From that football jock? I don’t think so.” She usually played life safe, but now, faced with losing her morning slot to Clint and his buddy, they forced her to act.
Ted shrugged.
She must execute her plan to be assertive with precision. Given Clint’s forcefulness, she should ponder crossing the bitch line. Beth couldn’t lose her morning slot or her job. Where would she find a new one that paid half as well? Given the current economy, stations simply continued to cut back.
The door from the hallway opened. She expected to see Clint returning with their coffees. Instead a different man walked in. Auburn, wavy hair, clean-shaven, vivid green eyes, six foot two. Muscles bulged from a brown t-shirt sporting a Corvette with the words
Vette Lover.
His cargo shorts hung low, revealing a bit of sun-kissed skin between the bottom of the tee and the top of the shorts. Instead of a briefcase, he carried a backpack. He looked like he had been engineered for a life lived to the fullest.
“
Darlin,
you must be Beth,” the man said in an unabashed Southern drawl.
He smiled wide and spread his arms apart, inviting her for a hug like a long-lost friend. For some insane reason, she imagined walking into them and burying her head against that hard chest. If she did, would he comfort her? Kiss her? Ravage her with his amazing body? She shook her head to clear her mind. The wayward thoughts must stop. He was enemy number two.
Chapter Two
Beth Taylor
, Dustin thought.
Damn. More like, Beth smoking-hot Taylor.
“Or have I wandered into the wrong station?”
What curves! How he would love to spend long hours exploring each and every one.
The older guy next to Beth smiled openly. “She’s the woman you’re looking for, and this is the right station. I’m Ted. Overnights.”
Beth tilted her head to one side. “And you must be the name in the show’s number two position, Mr. Lake.”
She said it with venom. But he could sense something else. Was she intrigued? Excited, perhaps?
“Ouch.” He put his hand to his chest. “Please, call me Dustin.
Mr. Lake
is my father.”
She looked down, but he spotted the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. That pleased him.
“Beth, I didn’t pick the show’s title. I don’t give one damn where my name goes. All I want is to have fun.”
“Fun?” She sent him an incredulous stare.
“Yeah.” Dustin had some very wicked ideas about the sort of fun he’d like to have with her, and they had nothing to do with the show. “You can’t take this stuff too seriously.”
She folded her arms over her chest, her blue eyes belying her irritation. “You blow it off, then. All I care about is getting good ratings.”
Just like Clint.
Dustin sat his backpack down on the table. “If you live by the ratings, you’ll die by the ratings.”
“I’m gonna like you.” The older guy offered his hand.
Dustin took it and smiled in return.
Beth glared at the overnight guy.
“Pleased to meet you, Ted. Look forward to working with you.”
“Same here, Dustin. Good luck to all three of you today.”
“Thanks.”
Ted left, and Dustin turned back to Beth. Strong-willed and fiery, and exactly the sort he loved in bed. Heat flooded down to his cock as the door behind him opened.
“Dustin, you’re here nearly two hours before show time?” Clint walked in balancing two cups of coffee.
“Yep.” He smiled proudly.
Their byplay seemed to raise Beth’s temperature. “Now that everyone is here, time to cover my ground rules.”
Dustin fought to control his lust. He found confidence in a woman so damn sexy. “Ground rules?”
Clint sent him a tight smile. “Beth feels we need to outline how the three of us are going to operate.”
“Okay with me.” Dustin liked her sassiness. Liked her kissable lips. Thick. Full. Moist.
She turned to him. “Good. First, this is my chair. I’ve already informed your sidekick. Are we clear?”
Dustin nodded, half-listening. He could only imagine what heat lived under all her iciness. If he could thaw her out, what warmth and softness would he find? God, he’d love to devour those unbelievable lips, dine on her amazing breasts, and pull moans of delight from her throat as he filled her pussy with his cock.
“Dustin, are you listening?” Beth’s voice blasted.
He nodded, lying.
“Second, I want prep time together. At minimum, an hour.”
“Two hours would be better.” Dustin wanted as much time with her as possible.
Clint turned to him. “
Two
hours? You hate prep.”
“With you. But with her, I could learn to love it.” Dustin sent her a wicked smile.
Beth raised a brow. “Two hours it is. Every day. Finally, I will have veto power about what goes on the show.”
Clint stood up. “Not happening. If anyone is in charge in this studio, it’s me.”
Dustin put up his hand. Most likely, Clint would get Beth moved to another time slot by month’s end. Until then, best to make sure their close proximity worked to his advantage. If he didn’t defuse their ticking bombs fast, things could really go bad with these two. If he succeeded in getting them to change their tone, he might even get some fringe benefits from his new co-worker.
To hell with Clint’s rules about not sleeping with other announcers.
“Hold on, buddy. I think having veto power is a good thing, but not just for Beth, for all of us.” Dustin winked at Beth.
Her eyebrows shot up.
“You do?” Clint drawled, looking less than pleased.
“Yep.” Dustin couldn’t hold back his wicked grin. “My first veto is for those jeans of yours, Beth.”
Her face showed confusion. “What?”
“Your jeans. I don’t want you wearing them. In fact, I think you shouldn’t cover any part of your sexy body. I veto all of your clothes.”
Clint’s jaw tightened. Anyone else might have mistaken it for anger. Dustin knew better. Beth was exactly the kind of woman Clint went for.
Beth rolled her eyes. “Can we please stick to topic, and not your Penthouse fantasy?”
“Darlin, don’t you think it’s best to make up the rules as we go?”
Beth glared at him. “I thought you two were professionals. Perhaps I was wrong?”
“We are,” Clint barked.
Dustin liked how she got to Clint. Even better, he could tell that she unsettled him. The thought of seeing his friend lose all that restraint was its own form of excitement in Dustin’s mind.
“You don’t seem terribly professional to me. I know what kind of ratings you’ve delivered in the past, but that doesn’t mean you can duplicate those here.” Beth turned back to Dustin. “I know what it takes to succeed in this city. For the past ten years, I’ve held the number-one talk radio time slot in the market. Putting together some house rules is a way to start off on the right foot.”
“Then you know, Beth, that making great radio is more about chemistry than some list of self-imposed regulations.” Dustin loved her passion. If he could translate it to the mic, they’d be smoking. Even better if they could translate it to the bedroom.
Clint sipped his coffee, looking calm. Based on his buddy’s tight grip on the cup, Dustin didn’t buy it for a second.
Finally, Clint unleashed the daggers. “A number-one time slot is impressive. But the management brought us here for some reason. Maybe settling for number one isn’t enough anymore.”
Beth tried not to wince at Clint’s comment, but she failed. Dustin could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She’d try another tactic to gain control. This woman would not cave quickly. He liked her all the more for it.
She took a pencil and tapped it on the desk. “Let’s start with the most important request I have for
our
new show, Dustin.”
“I’m listening to every word from your delicious mouth.”
Beth sighed, then pursed her delectable lips. “I’ve heard that you’re the flirt of the two.”
So she’d studied up on him. He smiled seductively. “Guilty.”
His dick hardened just imagining her naked and under him.
She raised a dark brow. “Just so you know, with me, not happening.”
“Aw, now where’s the fun in that?” he mocked.
“I’d ask you to shut up, but I doubt you will.”
“He won’t.” Clint ratted him out.
“At least keep your
hot talk
off-the-air. It won’t earn us ratings.”
Dustin disagreed. He’d love more verbal foreplay with the gorgeous Beth. In fact, that sparked an idea. Yes, Clint had been the brains in their past jobs, but Dustin possessed the instinct to know what worked for the audience. His gut told him that the three of them would blow the ratings lid to the roof if he ignored Beth’s request and gave the audience a heavy dose of scintillating
tête-à-tête
.
Dustin sent her a bright smile. “Hot talk is exactly what we’ll be doing, darlin. Get ready.
”
* * * *
“Beth, so you’re admitting you would enjoy some two on one action in the bedroom?” Clint cocked his eyebrow.
“I said that I would
consider
pushing various boundaries should the right opportunity present itself. I didn’t specifically say anything about two on one.” Her cheeks heated at the thought.
“But you didn’t say you wouldn’t, either. What you need to convince you are two guys who have experience in that arena.” Clint’s stare paralyzed her. “What do you say?”
“You expect me to believe that you and Dustin have been there, don’t that. Right.”
“At your service,” Dustin announced.
She scoffed, but her belly pulsed. Were they serious? God, Clint and Dustin in the same bed? With her? A hot shiver ran through her. She’d never given menage much thought. But they certainly made her think about it now—hard and heavy.
“In your dreams,” she said. “Besides, you couldn’t handle me.”
“If you’re challenging me, you know how I’m going to respond.” Clint’s tone unsettled her. “You don’t have the faintest clue what we could handle. But I guess you’re saying you’d be too afraid to try.”
“That isn’t what I said at all.” Beth fought off the frustration that grew with each passing minute. “You’re twisting my words. Again.”
“Then tell us what you mean—
exactly
.” Dustin sent her a wicked stare.
