Trifecta (3 page)

Chapter Three

"Laurie!" Jason called after her.

"Let's talk." Russell tried this time.

Somehow, she would never know how, Lauren managed to dodge both Russell and Jason in the gallery and slip into a cab. It was worth the forty dollars to not sit in-between them on the way home. She wasn't sure what sick joke they were playing with making blatant sexual innuendos toward her, but at least she knew she made the right decision.

Even with having to pay the cab driver, she managed beat the boys home by a less than a minute. She opened the door and ran through the house as if monsters were chasing her. In the horror movie that was now her life, she collided with the door to her bedroom, the moisture on her palms making the knob slick. She began to shake, her breath short, and the wood door waxing and waning as she struggled for escape. At last the knob turned and she fell inside her room, swearing she felt a couple of stitches pop on the too tight dress that encased her.

Tears started the moment she kicked the door closed, running cold down her cheeks, chilling her body, attempting to freeze out her emotions.

The fact they played this game on tonight made her choice easy. She dragged herself up vowing to forget those kisses, touches, and glances. The fantasy of having both of them was only that, a fantasy, now made worse because of a prank.

She stood glancing around the room Jason painted the perfect sea foam green, and the custom shelving unit Russell installed. The mirror Jason hung, and Russell hung again when it wasn’t level. She walked across the space. Every single item was somehow attached to them. The photo albums and scrapbooks crammed full of their history, the pottery Jason made her, the computer Russell fixed. Even her clothes were products of them, each item telling the tale of where she was or whom she was thinking about when she bought it.

Her body began moving on its own, her eyes glazing over, trapped in a stare as she went to her closet and pulled out a duffle bag, her suitcase was still in that godforsaken truck. Never blinking, she unzipped the bag, and focusing on the blank space on her wall she absentmindedly reached up and began pulling down any clothing that met her hand.

A knock on the door caused her muscles to seize, her fingers tightening around one of her favorite shirts.

“Lauren!”

Russell threw her name out like a bomb. It landed on her and exploded, leaving a crater right in the center of her chest.

She shut her eyes and continued packing.

“Laurie.”

Jason’s tone was light and breezy, a feather floating to land where it may and make everything better.

“No.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

“I have the key to your room,” Russell reminded her.

“Don’t tell her that,” Jason’s voice interjected.

“I want her to know we can go right in.” Russell raised his voice. “We can go right in,”

“A man would say they would break the door down.”

She opened her eyes at Jason’s remark.

“We’re coming in.” Jason knocked again. “Open up or it’s going down.”

“Lauren, we’re serious,” Russell joined in.

Part of her was dying to know if they would have the guts. Fine, all of her wanted to know.  She stayed paralyzed with her suitcase in front of her. This joke, this teasing, this experiment, or whatever, went too far.  She needed to tell them to leave her alone.

A light rap on the door interrupted her. “Lauren.” It was Jason again. “Open up, okay?”

She swallowed, pressing her hand to her stomach. Jason never used her full name. “Please go.”

Silence answered. They left. Deep down she didn’t need to be told she wasn’t door-kicking material. After all these years they never tried anything like this before. With a breath, she stood up straight. She would finish packing. She wouldn’t stay here tonight. Not one more night.

The huge bang coupled with two men’s shouts joining her own scream let her know they did indeed kick the door down. The noises combined made her cover her face, preparing for the walls to disintegrate.

“Lauren.” Russell caught her, taking her shoulders and dragging her up.

Her heart hurt from the hurried beats it made trying to recover from her shock, and with no air left in her lungs, she gasped, only to have her mouth covered by Jason's.

Or was it Russell's?

No, it was Jason, parting her lips, tangling his tongue with hers, the taste of champagne still lingering, daring her to lap it up—and she tried. No doubt it was Jason, even with four hands caressing her and her eyes closed, it had to be him. Only Jason would taste like sin and decadence, the cheesecake in the middle of the night you couldn't take one bite of, but you had to sit on the floor of the kitchen and have the whole cake.

Wait! Her mind screamed. Four hands? No one, not even the most spoiled ate cheesecake with two forks, and she forced herself to put her hands on his chest and push him away. She didn't need the last bite. It was time for a diet.

Damn him, he had a smile. A broad smile that said he won, it was the same smile he had when he beat her in a game, or bested Russell in some major life issue. She raised her arm, preparing to slap him across the face for giving her the morsel of what she couldn't have.

"Do it Russ." Jason kept his gaze affixed on hers.

Russell? He was talking to Russell? She opened her mouth.

"Now Russ." Jason stepped aside.

The men looked at each other.

"We have to," Russell spoke, but Lauren wasn't sure whom exactly he addressed.

Before she could ask him, tell him to explain, he pulled her in, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Russell's kiss was different than Jason's playful passion. His kiss was demanding, it told her what he wanted, and it said he wanted her. Jason may be an indulgent dessert, but Russell was a main dish. Strong, hearty, comfort food, the kiss that let you know you were home.

Jason rejoined them, his lips landing elsewhere, teasing her ear, trailing down her neck, and her stomach spiraled. Dreams were made of this moment. The one where she didn’t have to choose, but they both wanted her. This couldn’t be real.

Her knees gave out when Jason sneaked in for another kiss on her mouth.  He held her up to explore the rest of her, his hand trailing down her side, then up to cup her breast.

She should protest, stop them, but didn't. Not when Jason unzipped the back of her dress, not when Russell moved her dress down her shoulder and let his mouth settle there, and especially not when her dress dropped to the floor.

Two mouths on her, four hands exploring, and her one mind trying to wrap around what was happening. All she could do was let her body take over. The fire running through her from the fiasco in the gallery morphed into a heat that radiated from each one of their touches. It was all she could do to try and dole out even a tenth of what they were giving her, kiss them back, run her hands over them.

"We need to feel her up against us." Jason pulled back and lifted his turtleneck over his head.

Her breath caught somewhere between her heart and her throat. Yes, she had seen Jason without a shirt before, but she always tried not to look at what she couldn't have. This time she stared. If his face was enough to cause a traffic jam, his chest was a multi-car pileup consisting of miles of smooth skin and a gridlock of muscles.

He caught her gawking and lifted only one side of his mouth in a smile as he stepped back to her. His gaze traveled down her body causing her to hold her breath, and he took her hand and placed it on his chest. Russell came up behind her.

She swallowed and allowed her hand to travel across his tight skin, making sure this was real, but it had to be, even her dreams couldn't conjure images and sensations like this. She turned to Russell. Were they really going to do this?

Russell wasn't smiles and naughty looks. He was intense stares and conviction, and he took her other hand and guided it to the buttons on his shirt, telling her that yes indeed, they were doing this.

She took his cue and with trembling hands unbuttoned his shirt, where she was treated to a completely different, but no less magnificent landscape. Long and lean, Russell's chest boasted the scant right amount of dark hair on his chest and stomach which led to that sexy line of hair starting right at his belly button and leading down below the waistline of his pants.

She had to touch him. Had to. She left his shirt hanging open and ran one finger down the center of his chest. His strength and his smarts radiated through him. He was a true man, one that would emerge from any disaster and rescue his lady. She moved her finger lower, down to that sexy line of hair and assessed the bulge in his jeans with her palm. Yes, he was a man.

"Oh yeah." Jason moved his hand down her back, pushing her gently toward Russell. "Touch him, Laurie."

"Lauren." Russell grabbed her shoulders and crushed his lips to hers.

Every kiss either of them gave her made an aching need rise right in her center, but when Russell's bare skin rubbed across hers, she knew without a doubt, she would go through with whatever these two concocted.

Leaving consequences behind her, she did as Jason directed and reached down to the front of Russell's pants. Even through the fabric, she noted his thickness. His erection snaked down the leg of his pants. Far down the leg of his pants.

"I need you, Lauren." He put his hand over hers. "We need you."

No matter what was truly happening and even though this was only for tonight, those were the magic words. "Yes."

"Get her to the bed." Jason took his hands off her, went to the bed and tore off the bedspread. "Over here." He took off his pants, leaving him only in a pair of red boxer briefs.

Almost like they were in a movie, Russell lifted her, making the room spin along with her mind.  He set her down.  He also undressed, shimming out of his shirt and pants, and placing his glasses on the nightstand, leaving him in nothing but his blue boxer briefs.  Her breathing came erratically as he lay down next to her.

Jason joined them both, and while Russell kissed her, Jason went exploring with his mouth and tongue.

She didn't know where to put her focus. Should she concentrate on how Russell's mouth worked hers, or did she try to keep track of Jason and how he unhooked her bra, kissing and nibbling each one of her breasts?

"Her boobs are incredible." Jason leaned up and touched her tight peak causing her to jump. "Russ, look."

Russell turned to Jason. "They're perfect."

"You haven't tasted one yet." Jason moved his hand to the breast nearest him and lifted his chin toward Russell.

She watched this interchange.  The fact that Jason invited his best friend to partake in her chest made the moment when Russell dipped his head down even more incredible. With each man paying their own type of attention to her breasts, she squirmed beneath them, tangling her hands in their hair. Russell's technique was gentle, his touches and kisses light, precise as if he were taking great care like when he handled one of his vintage toys.

Of course, Jason was different. He took her nipple between his teeth, tickled and taunted, and would stop to examine if his ministrations created the desired effect. When at last he was satisfied, he took Russell's hand, put it on the breast he tended to, then glanced up at her, and moved lower.

He kissed his way down her stomach, and she held her breath, unable to move or react before he pulled her panties down and ran his fingers over her. "She's soaking wet."

Wet wasn't the word for it, drenched was more accurate.  Heat rose in her cheeks at his declaration. "Jason." She covered her eyes with her hand.

"It's awesome." With the words out, he placed his mouth on her.

His tongue swirled around her most intimate spot, and she gasped. She always pictured Jason to be the type to know how to pleasure a woman, and her instinct was spot on.

Russell moved her hand away and looked right into her eyes. "It's hot that you want us."

She always wanted them. Always. Both of them, and they were here.  "Russell." She needed to ask him what they were doing. He would have the answer. Before she could get any words out, Jason slipped two fingers into her. All she could do was grab the bed sheet and brace herself against the pleasure that began to coil itself right in the middle. She couldn't go over the edge this quick, she hadn't even touched them yet. "Let me." She reached for Russell.

Russell took her hand and kissed it, stopping her before she could touch him. "We want to make love to you." Though a statement, it felt like he was asking permission.

She nodded and bit her lip. If that was what they wanted they better hurry, she was becoming desperate for relief and trying to hold back.

"She's so ready." Jason didn't let up. "Get a condom."

She bucked her hips when Jason spoke, the vibration hitting her in all the right places.

"Russell, come on." Jason got up. "I want to watch first."

"Ahh," she cried out in protest as Jason's mouth and fingers left her. Her body throbbed. How were they going to pull this off?

She received her answer with the telltale crinkle of a cellophane condom wrapper being opened and the bed shifting as the men changed places. "You don't know how long I've wanted you." As Russell entered her, his voice hitched.