“What does that involve?” She examines her nails intently, and avoids looking at us. “There’s three of us. If I sleep with Sebastian when you aren’t around, am I cheating on you?”
A spike of unwarranted jealousy pierces through me at that image, and I force myself to suppress it. “No. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that it doesn’t bother me at all, but no. That’s not cheating.”
She bites her lower lip. As I see her teeth indent her flesh, I realize how much I want her. I can’t wait to see her naked again. To see her spread out, open, ready for us.
“Okay.” She looks at the two of us. “I don’t really know how to be anything other than exclusive anyway.”
Both Sebastian and I exhale with relief at the same time. My fuck-up wasn’t the death knell to us. Now, I can’t wait to see what happens next. I pick up the bottle of vodka and my glass, and gesture to the living room. “Follow me.”
21
If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Bailey:
I cannot believe I’m doing this.
There was, I can’t lie, a lump in my throat when I realized what Daniel had done. Yes, getting vodka flown from Russia to New York was the act of a man with significant resources, but he couldn’t have done it without learning something about me. Had he got me something shiny from Tiffany, I would have walked away.
He said he found me fascinating, and his actions have backed up his words.
Sebastian was always easier to forgive. His words about Piper’s restaurant were cruel, but he clearly hadn’t meant for her to overhear the conversation, and he had been there for a good reason.
And so I follow them to the living room, knowing full well that in a few minutes, I will succumb to the blazing attraction I feel.
There’s one question I haven’t asked either of them. Where is this going? I haven’t asked because whichever way they answer, I’ll be bruised. Even though I’m going away to Argentina for six months in the fall, I still don’t want to hear them tell me that this is just a fling, and I’m not ready to confront the truth about why I feel that way.
* * *
The last time I was here, I only saw Daniel’s kitchen and his rec room. This time, he leads the way to the living room, with floor to ceiling windows on two sides, overlooking Central Park.
“Nice,” I say, looking around.
That’s an understatement. The room is huge, easily fifteen hundred square feet, but the furniture is arranged in a way to make the space seem friendly and cozy, not intimidating. The two walls that aren’t windows are covered with artwork. I see a painting that has to be a Picasso, another that’s clearly Salvador Dali. There’s also a Star Wars movie poster on the wall, and one of those ubiquitous Keep Calm and Carry On posters. It’s very eclectic.
“I’ll give you a proper tour at some point,” he promises. “But please, sit. Want a top-up of your drink?”
“Probably not,” I reply, taking a seat on an ocean-blue stuffed chair. “I don’t want to be too buzzed when we…” I feel the heat rise on my face, and my voice trails off.
“When we fuck.” That’s Sebastian. “Say the words, Bailey.”
I lift my chin. “I don’t want to be too buzzed when we fuck.”
“An admirable goal,” he agrees, crossing the room to sit down on the white couch that’s perpendicular to me. I’m a little disappointed by that. I thought he’d sit on the arm of my chair, but instead, they are both giving me space. I don’t want space. I want to be fucked.
Daniel lifts up his glass in a toast. “Cheers,” he says simply. I wave my own glass in his direction and take another sip of the vodka, feeling the heat travel a fiery path down my body. Sitting here, having to pretend I care about small talk, when all I want to do is be bracketed between their hard bodies… The anticipation is killing me.
Sebastian leans forward and takes my hand in his own. His skin is callused from hours spent in front of the flames, and the contrast sets me shivering. His thumb glides over my palm, pressing down firmly. It’s an erotic touch. My body reacts with a rush of wetness and I bite off my moan with difficulty.