7. Pretty Words

Pretty Words

Nova

B en’s words hung between us, slowly permeating my head and finally making me snap out of the spell he seemed to put on me. My face heated as I slipped from between him and the table and went to the sink. I ran a cloth under warm water so he could clean up the mess I made of his shirt. I didn’t even want to think about how much the shirt probably cost. I used the short time I had to collect myself before clearing my throat and handing him the cloth.

“I thought the contract was being sent over via letter carrier?”

“It was, but I wanted to see you, so I volunteered to bring it over myself,” he answered as he wiped the frosting off his shirt and tossed the cloth onto the table beside him.

“Why did you want to see me?” Why me at all? This entire thing has me feeling very perplexed. “There has to be someone of your caliber that you could bring as your date instead of me.” I had spent most of last night trying to figure out why they picked me.

Ben whistled low as he brushed my cheek with his thumb. “Your ex did a number on you, didn’t he?”

“What makes you think my ex did anything to me?” I asked defensively.

“I took a shot in the dark,” he replied. “Am I wrong?”

“No, just perceptive,” I admitted.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“There isn’t much to say,” I told him as I turned back to my cupcakes so that I didn’t have to see the agreement in his eyes. “After my Dad died, I let myself go, and he couldn’t stand to look at me anymore. He hadn’t touched me in months and was embarrassed to be seen in public with me.”

“Well, he’s a dumbfuck because I can’t stop looking at you or thinking about all the ways I want to touch you,” he replied. My heart thundered in my chest as I felt the heat from his body as he moved closer. I jumped slightly when he continued speaking, his mouth inches from my ear. “Neither can my brothers. We think you’re sexy as hell and had a conversation about what to do about that. We decided sharing you was the best option if you were interested in that.”

I couldn’t help but scoff. “Pretty words,” I replied.

He moved to my side, grabbed my free hand, and brought it to cup the front of his pants. “Does this feel like pretty words?”

I gulped. Ben was rock-hard inside his pants. I couldn’t stop myself as my hand trailed down this length, getting a better feel of his penis. He was big, far bigger than Paul.

Ben moaned and thrust himself against my hand. My eyes widened and met his as he watched me. Ben reached out and gripped the back of my neck, dragging my face closer to his and capturing my lips in a hungry kiss. He nipped lightly at my bottom lip before coaxing it open to slide his tongue inside. I whimpered as Ben claimed my mouth confidently. The kiss softened before he slowly retreated.

“I know I started it, but if you don’t let go of my cock I’m going to have to spread you across this table and eat you up bite by sweet bite,” he said against my lips.

I realized I still had a death grip on him and immediately ripped my hand back, making him chuckle.

“Listen, Nova,” he said softly, his fingers tracing patterns on my neck, making me squirm. “Everyone could lose a few pounds, but only if it makes you feel better about yourself. I think you’re beautiful just the way you are, but if that interests you, I’m happy to help. We could work out together if you want. I won’t miss an opportunity to see you in tight workout clothes. I can even get you a prototype of our new health tracker for beta testing if you would like.”

His words flattered me, and the steel snake in his pants was indisputable proof of his attraction. He made me feel desired; I hadn’t felt that in quite some time. “I think I would like that,” I answered honestly.

“I’ll take care of it then,” he replied. He kissed my forehead and then stepped back to put some much-needed distance between us before I let him do whatever he wanted to me. Ben pulled out a pen and held it out to me. “Ready to sign?”

Nodding, I turned to the abandoned envelope and removed the contract. I read through it quickly, seeing everything was in order, and signed both copies. Sliding one of the copies back into the envelope, I handed it to him with his pen. He grinned at me as he took them.

“As much as I’d like to stay and play, I have to return to work,” he said reluctantly. I nodded, and he bent down to steal a quick kiss. He winked at me and swatted my ass with the envelope as he walked past me. “I’ll be in touch,” he said as he left.

I slumped against the work table and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Holy fuck was I out of my league with these men. And if I understood correctly, all three were interested in this being a more physical arrangement. They wanted to share me. What did that even mean? Share as individuals... or as a... group? I fanned my face with my hand as I thought about being the center of that grouping.

A throat cleared, and I looked toward the door to see Stef standing half in the kitchen with a smug look. “Uh-huh. Platonic, my ass.” She returned to the front, closing the door before I could reply.

I was pretty sure she was right. Platonic had just flown out the window. I tried to shake off all the butterflies as I returned to my cupcakes. As I worked, my mind drifted to ideas of our first Christmas tradition now that we signed the contract.

I haven’t heard from any of them since Ben’s visit. Monday morning, I was working up the courage to ask them if they were free that night for dinner, Christmas cookie baking, and a Christmas movie. I dialed the number on the contract and worried my bottom lip between my teeth as I waited for someone to answer.

“Triple Tech, this is Joel speaking. How may I help you?”

I had expected the number to belong to one of them and was slightly taken aback by someone else answering.

“Hello?”

“Sorry,” I said. “Can I speak to Lincoln, Benjamin, or Grant?”

“They’re in a meeting. I’m their assistant. I can help you.”

“Oh, well, ok. My name is Nova Lane. I was calling to see if they were free for Christmas cookies and—“

“Just send us two dozen cookies and instructions on where to donate,” Joel interrupted.

“Oh, I think you misunderstood me,” I explained.

“Listen, I don’t mean to be rude, but they are very busy and don’t have time to waste talking about Christmas cookies. Have a nice day.” Joel hung up before I could utter another syllable, and I stared at my phone dumbfounded.

God, I felt like an idiot. Why did I think they would be free last minute to spend time with me doing something so trivial? The next time I spoke to one of them, we would have to discuss the parameters of our arrangement and when they would be available. Just because they agreed to do these things with me doesn’t mean they will drop whatever they are doing to do them.