9. Clara

9

CLARA

W here? My body awakened before my brain, and a cold chill snaked down my spine. Where was I? One eye cracked open. The view from the couch brought it all back in a rush. Ethan, Alexander, and Liam were scattered around the room. They still wore their suits, though Ethan had pulled his shirt free and left it hanging around his waist. Alexander was as buttoned-up as ever, except he’d left his tie draped across the back of a chair.

I shifted my feet as quietly as I could, hoping to pull them back under the blanket without letting them know I was awake. I’d never gotten to study them before, and I’d be damned if I passed up the chance to see them like this.

Liam lounged in Alexander’s chair, his feet propped on the edge of the desk. My thighs and core gave off a delicious ache. I’d been well and truly fucked last night, and I’d loved every minute of it. I knew women who’d shudder at my use of the word fucked, but it was a real, raw, and passionate word that encompassed everything I felt happened. I’d wanted them, and they’d delivered.

Ethan tugged the curtains apart and peered outside. A world of brilliant white shone back, sunlight refracting off the snow and sending grayish light into the room. He closed the curtains and grunted. I expected frustration or anger at the delay, but Ethan looked content to sink onto the windowsill and sit back, completely relaxed.

I must have made some noise, because Alexander pivoted to face me. A small grin hitched one side of his mouth. “Morning, beautiful.”

“Stop that.” I waved off the compliment. “I probably look like the troll under the bridge.”

“Never.” He picked up a black carafe and poured coffee into a white mug with Summit’s logo stamped across the side. Still grinning, he carried the cup over and held it out to me. “Coffee?”

I scooted into a sitting position, not caring that I was naked beneath the blanket. They’d already seen every inch of my body and been pleased. I’d never suffered from morning-after shame. No need to start now. Still, there was enough of a biting cold in the air for me to tuck the blanket beneath my armpits as I accepted the cup from him with a pleased sigh and brought it to my lips.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Alexander cautioned. Steam curled up and over the edge of the cup.

I lowered it before burning my mouth. “What time is it?”

Ethan filled his own cup, then topped off Liam’s. “Almost eight.”

How the hell did he make coffee hot enough to blister my lips while a blizzard raged outside? Who the fuck cared?

Something passed between the men, a look that they all understood but that left me isolated and confused.

“What’s going on?” I cradled the cup between my palms. The room looked different in the morning, but that could be me projecting this sudden change in mood.

Liam rolled himself closer, pulling with his heels in the carpet. Alexander rolled his eyes at Liam but didn’t stop him like I expected. Ethan followed Liam at a slower pace. They stopped before I felt too closed in. Alexander dragged a chair over from the table and sat, the three of them lined up like militia men prepared to take a blow.

“We have some questions for you.” Alexander set his coffee cup on his knee. The ripple of unease in his voice and the sudden tightness in his shoulders brought me fully upright.

I swung my feet to the floor.

Liam held up a hand. “Don’t scare her to fucking death, Alexander.” He blew hair from his eyes, the tousled strands more out of control than ever. “Last night was amazing.”

“And we want to continue,” Ethan spoke almost before Liam finished. He tugged at his open collar and cleared his throat. “If that’s what you want.”

I dared to make them wait while I took a sip of coffee and let the bold flavors wash over my tongue. “I need a little more information. You want to continue what? Fucking me?”

Liam nodded vigorously. “Yes.”

“In what capacity?” I tried to stop myself, but curiosity took hold, making me bolder than I’d ever been. “Like last night? All three of you at once? What are the parameters of the question?”

“Anything you want.” Earnest in a way I’d never expected, Alexander sat forward. His legs were splayed open in a move I’d always assumed was a power play but on Alexander made him look like a king on his golden throne. He had a carelessness about him this morning, a casually relaxed stance that I mentally attributed to my presence.

I held back my pleasure at hearing that they still wanted me. I’d worried that they would be the one and done kind who couldn’t wait to be rid of me. “If I said I wanted all three of you, at the same time, you’d make that happen?”

“Is that what you want?” Liam’s feet tapped on the floor in a constant state of anxiousness I found endearing.

“I’m saying that I’ve had some rather raunchy sexual experiences in the past and I want to know exactly what I’m getting into.” I continued drinking my coffee and enjoying the myriad expressions playing out across all three of their faces.

Alexander fisted his hands on his thighs. “I need context. What kind of raunchy experiences?”

“I’m going to be utterly candid with you. Okay?” I waited for their accepting nods. “I’ve never had luck with men my age. As a teenager, I expected sex to be bad because no one knew what the fuck they were doing. Once I hit my twenties, I figured surely things would get better.”

The old weight of disappointment hit hard and fast in my gut.

“You’ve had orgasms, though, right?” A concerned look pinched Liam’s face. “Surely at some point you had a man pleasure you.”

“Eh.” I rocked my hand side to side. “Nothing better than what I managed myself.”

“Fuck.” Ethan sat back so hard the chair groaned. “I’m sorry, Clara.”

“It’s not your fault. And I’m not telling you this so you’ll feel sorry for me. I want you to understand that last night was the best night of my life. I don’t presume to ask you to make it that good every time.” I wanted to, though. I wanted sex like that all the time, every time. Mind-blowing sex was good for my heart and soul. “I’ve learned that promises are not always what they’re cracked up to be. Anyone can promise you the world, but they might deliver a tiny earth on a keychain when you expected a slice of the moon on a silver platter.”

“I’ll promise you that sex with us will always be that good.” Liam tossed his hair from his eyes with a cockiness that spurred me to the edge of the couch. “We can make you come in ways you’ve never even thought of.”

“Promises, promises.” I sang back to him with a wry twist to my lips. “Look, I appreciate the sentiment. Having sex with you is amazing. Best I’ve ever had.” I pointed at Liam. “Stop grinning like that. I’m trying to be serious.”

He smoothed his expression. “Sorry.”

“You’re going to think I’m weird, but I’ve told you this much. Might as well add the rest.” I finished the coffee and set the cup aside. “I fell in love once. Thought he was the man of my dreams.” I shook my head at the memory. “We talked about waiting to have sex but decided why bother.” Memories of our time together forced my body into a new shudder. “It was horrible.”

Ethan glanced sideways at Alexander. “I’m afraid to ask, but I have to know. What happened?”

The fact that I sat facing my bosses, naked except for a blanket after having sex with all three of them one after the other cured me of any shame, but I still winced as I answered. “He liked to try things. Weird things. Kinky things. Things I might’ve been okay with if he knew what he was doing.”

“Not much worse than a bumbling fool in the bedroom.” Alexander shifted his weight toward me. “You don’t have to worry about that with us, but if we do bring up something you don’t like, you can tell us no.”

“We expect you to tell us no,” Ethan clarified. “We’ve never done this, shared a woman, before.”

“But we’re here for your pleasure.” Liam scooted closer, then closer still, until he reached forward and settled a hand on my knee. “Did the experience at least give you some insight into things you like and things you don’t enjoy?”

Grateful for the question, my body relaxed. “Frankly the things he wanted to try were disgusting, or maybe it was that he did them all wrong. I’ve gone through a learning curve since then. I understand what I like.” I winked at Alexander. “And I really like what all three of you did last night.”

“Then we start there and build on that.” Liam squeezed my knee.

The blanket between us kept me from feeling the glide of his skin over mine, but I remembered it well enough for a pulse of heat to spark to life. “I never expected anything like last night.” I gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I expected to work here. Maybe get a dog someday.”

“Is that why you brought up the animal shelter?” Ethan asked.

“It seemed right to add it in. Fur babies make people happy too.” I tugged the blanket up over my hands and sank into the couch. “I love animals. I’ve devoted years to rescuing and rehoming them. A shelter makes that easier, especially in areas that have gone downhill.”

“You have a soft heart,” Alexander said like it surprised him.

I resisted the shrug and owned my emotions. “Yep. Just a big ole softie who gives most of my money to animal charities.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Ethan chuckled and held out his hands. “That’s why there’s an animal charity on our taxes for this year.”

“Caught that, huh?” I flushed. “I talked Yolanda into adding that to the company’s tax deductions.”

“Sounds like you’ve had better luck with animals than men.” Liam brought us back around to the conversation where we’d first started. “I hate that your experience has been so terrible.” A smirk and a wink. “But I’m also grateful you’re open to letting us make things up to you.” He had a gleam in his eyes that triggered butterflies in my belly.

“That’s what I thought my life would be. Work, a dog, and to live my life with my vibrator for pleasure.” The admission came easily enough. I’d learned a long time ago that being ashamed of something only made it worse. I owned my past, my present, and my dreams for the future.

“I’d love to see you fuck yourself with a vibrator.” Liam groaned and sat back, running a hand down his considerable length. “Not sure I’d be able to stand it for long without taking over.”

The thought of pleasuring myself while they watched was almost as erotic as last night. Their eyes on me while they took turns was the closest to heaven I’d ever felt.

“I knew you were special.” Alexander spoke with a careful precision that I’d come to expect from him. He was used to people listening to him, and I was no different.

I did disagree with his assessment. “I’m not special.”

“Let me compliment you, Clara.” The admonition came with a knife’s edge of sharpened steel. He met my gaze, his smoldering with things I’d only dared dream of seeing in his eyes. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“Oh yeah?” I met the challenge head-on and threw off the blanket. “I’ve already told you how I feel about words. Why don’t you show me what you mean?”

A whisper of cool air brushed over my skin. I’d gone to sleep fully satisfied and woke up with a gnawing sexual appetite that these three men brought roaring to life. My nipples pebbled under the breeze and the hungry looks on all three men’s faces. My legs rested together, and I wanted nothing more than to spread them wide and invite Alexander’s cock inside. I’d take them all in any way possible. Instead, I waited and tested Alexander’s reaction, curious how the alpha male would take the challenge.

Alexander’s nostrils flared. “Anything for you.” He dropped to his knees in front of me and ran both hands up my thighs. “Where do you want me, Clara? Tell me what you need.”

I whimpered when his thumbs brushed over the apex of my thighs. “Everywhere. I want to see you when you fuck me this time. I want to see your face when I milk the cum from your cock and take it deep inside me.”

His lips slammed over mine, silencing my words. One hand parted my thighs and he slid a hand deep between my legs. “‘You’re already wet, Clara.” He spoke against my lips, his smile growing when I gasped as he inserted a finger in my pussy. “So fucking wet for us.” Withdrawing his finger, he held it up for Ethan and Liam to see, then stuck it in his mouth and sucked it clean. A low hum vibrated in his throat. In a move almost too swift for my body to comprehend, he pulled my ass to the edge of the couch and shoved his face between my legs.

“Lucky bastard.” Liam sat back and crossed his arms. His cock tented his pants, but he watched me get eaten out by Alexander without a hint of jealousy.

Ethan rocked his chair back on two legs, his own erection straining. “If you want us to join in, all you have to do is say so.” He held my gaze several seconds before he licked his lower lip and ran his thumb across his mouth. “I can almost taste you from here, Clara.”

Alexander licked me, the rough abrasion of his tongue on my most sensitive area sending my hips up off the couch. “Fuck. Alexander.” I looked down at the crown of his head between my legs and couldn’t stop myself from grabbing fistfuls of his hair. I held him to my pussy and ground onto his face.

“Suck her clit, Alexander. I want to see her face,” Liam demanded.

I expected Alexander to refuse simply because he would not be told what to do by another man, but he backed his mouth off my pussy, used his thumb and forefinger to spread me open, and clasped onto my clit with the fierce possessiveness of a desperate man.

“Oh, she likes that.” Ethan crooned in a low register that hummed over my skin.

I gripped Alexander’s head with both hands, much like Ethan had held mine. I understood the desperate desire to control his movements, to guide him to the perfect spot. “Ah. For all that’s holy, stay there.” He’d hit my clit just right, and pleasure screamed through me.

Just before I came, he pulled out of my hands.