Chapter Seven

Chapter SevenIt took several minutes of cruising around the crowded parking garage at noon the next day before I found an empty space. I deftly whipped my car into it and then switched off the engine. It didn’t surprise me that there were so few spaces to park, given that the garage was attached to Redwater’s largest shopping mall. The place was often busy, especially on weekends.I hooked my purse over my shoulder and smoothly slid out of the car. Feeling the slight burn at the stretch of certain muscles, I stifled a smile. It could be said that Trace and Kaleb had given me a solid workout both last night and this morning.They had also made me revaluate my opinion on anal sex, just as I’d suspected they would. And being fucked while I ‘slept’ earlier? That had been beyond hot.I’d woken to a dick thrusting deep inside me, but I hadn’t opened my eyes. I’d feigned sleep while they’d each had their wicked way with me. Or, more accurately, I’d done my best to feign it.There had been nothing easy about staying still while they pleasured me so intently. I honestly didn’t know how Cat managed it for Danton when in ‘doll mode,’ as she occasionally called it. Fair play to the woman.I locked the car with the key fob, smoothed a hand down my pale-yellow Cami dress, and then dropped my keys into my ivory leather purse. Rounding a gray concrete pillar, I walked along the pitted pavement as I made a beeline for the elevators, passing the row of parked cars. Many people were heading to and from their vehicles. The sounds of revving engines, rumbling motors, and doors slamming shut bounced off the walls.I wasn’t a fan of parking garages. I didn’t much like the low ceilings or the strong scents of exhaust, stone, and motor oil. I especially didn’t like that I always seemed to inadvertently step on a sticky stain on the ground that tugged at the sole of my shoe—just as I’d done now. Ugh.Reaching the glass door that led to the elevators, stairs, and pay stations, I pushed it open and stepped into the small, bright space. I didn’t need to press a button on the wall panel to call an elevator. One or more of the people waiting there had seemingly already done it.Clasping my hands in front of me, I thought back to some of the fun moments—sexual and nonsexual—that I’d had over the weekend. My mouth softly curved. I’d been rescued, babied, wined, dined, and ruthlessly fucked. Just … yeah. Wow.No other man in my past—whether he’d been a one-night-stand or an actual boyfriend—had ever paid me such intense attention, in or out of bed. Both Kaleb and Trace had lasered in on me, leaving me feeling spoiled and cosseted and way too freaking horny. Any woman would love it. It boggled my mind that their triad wasn’t already complete.My smile dimmed as jealousy sliced into me. A jealousy that was sharp. Hot. Dangerous. The thought of them giving such a level of commitment to another woman bugged me far too much for my peace of mind.Their third would be one lucky girl for sure. I’d be pleased for the guys when they found her. Really. But I’d also secretly wish all kinds of vitamin deficiencies on her. I’d later take that shit back, of course. Much, much later.There was a ping just before the elevator doors opened. I followed the small crowd inside and pressed the necessary button on the panel, mentally shoving aside the whole ‘them looking for their third’ thing. I wasn’t going to let that spoil my good mood.How could it not be good when I’d not only had a fabulous weekend, I’d be seeing the guys again later at the Vault?I didn’t usually go to the club on Sundays, but I’d happily agreed to make an exception for them. I knew that they would make it worth my while.When the elevator finally halted on the first floor, I filed out of it and headed outside. The heat of the sun bore down on me. I was glad that I’d dabbed on my SPF foundation this morning, because I burned real easy in the sun. Even more annoying, I didn’t really tan. My skin just went pink and then a darker shade of white. Special.My friends and I had agreed to meet in our usual spot—a pretty bench near the closest coffeeshop. I made my way there, careful not to brush by other shoppers. There were couples, families, crowds of teens, groups of friends, and the occasional solo shopper.As I walked, I idly skimmed my gaze along the storefront windows. There were many bright SALES signs, which I was sure would please Cat—she loved a good bargain.Quite a few of the retail stores were outdoors, but most were inside. The mall sold everything from soaps to luggage, and the indoor food court was so vast and varied that it covered an entire floor. So, yeah, this mall was both my default and favorite place to shop.Nearing the bench, I smiled at the sight of my friends. Cat was using her thumb to scroll down the screen of her phone while idly fussing with her long, blonde ponytail. Izzy and Inaya appeared to be playfully bickering about something—there were snorts, eye rolls, dismissive hand flicks, and the pointing of fingers.Inaya’s bodyguard, Adrian, wasn’t too far away. If she was only heading to a grocery store or something, she tended to go without protection. But when at huge, packed places like these, she often brought him along to ensure she didn’t get swarmed by fans. The sunglasses and cute little summer hat that she’d donned wouldn’t fool everyone.To look at Adrian, you wouldn’t guess that he was a bodyguard. Not at first glance. He was well-built and very tall, but he was also an expert at blending into the background and not earning anyone’s notice. It was his walk that gave him away. He moved with the fluid prowl of a hunter.Cat’s mostly silent guard stood beside him, just as hyper alert. Duke had been assigned to her by Danton, who was incredibly protective of her and took absolutely no chances—and for good reason. The man had a lot of enemies, and the males in her family couldn’t be trusted anywhere near her.Duke tended to hang back and keep a slight distance during girly days out. He’d even grunt and scowl and act all put-out if we spoke to him. But none of us bought that he felt as annoyed as he liked to appear.“Hey all,” I said as I finally reached my girls.Inaya lifted her sunglasses slightly to steadily meet my eyes with her own before giving me a quick once-over. “You got fucked this morning, didn’t you?”My lips parted in surprise.When I didn’t deny it, Cat blinked at me. “Wait, she’s right?”“Of course I am. It’s totally obvious.” Inaya righted her glasses. “She has that FFV.”Izzy’s brow pinched. “The what?”“Freshly fucked vibe,” Inaya elaborated. “So, Briar, who was the lucky guy?”“Was it Flynn?” Izzy asked me, her eyes lit with intrigue.I recoiled. “Hell, no.”Cocking her head at me, Cat slipped her cell phone into her purse. “That was one really, really emphaticno.”I shrugged. “Yeah, well, he’s an asshole.”“Why?” The light in Izzy’s eyes faded. “What did he do?”I felt my expression harden. “He spiked my drink Friday night.”Inaya’s jaw dropped. “That motherfucker.”As the other two girls joined her in cursing while gathering close to me, I lifted a placatory palm and said, “Don’t worry, he never got me out of the Vault. Though it wasn’t for the lack of trying.”A bunch of questions were thrown at me uber fast:“Are you okay?”“Why didn’t you call one of us?”“Did you go to the hospital?”“What drug did he give you?”“Did you report it to the cops?”“Who stopped him from taking you out of the club?”Easily able to envision us standing in this one spot for hours, I suggested, “How about we walk while we talk?” I immediately began a slow walk, and they instantly followed.Izzy gently gripped my forearm. “Seriously, are you all right?”“I’m fine,” I replied. “And to answer the other questions that were flung at me … No, I didn’t go to the hospital, but a doctor did apparently give me a thorough once-over while I slept. I’m not actually certain what drug it was, though I’m sure the doc will be able to tell me because he took my blood. No, I didn’t call the cops, and I think you can guess why.”I paused before continuing, “As for who came to my rescue, Trace and Kaleb intercepted me and Flynn because they’d suspected that something was wrong. Once they realized I’d been drugged, they took action.”“Which means what exactly?” asked Cat.“Trace kept Flynn in the dome while having one of the staff report the situation to Blake. In the meantime, Kaleb carried me to what I later learned was Trace’s personal limo.” He’d given me a ride home in it a few hours ago. “Blake dealt with Flynn, so I don’t doubt that he paid a high price.”“In my opinion, no price is high enough,” said Izzy, her face hard. “Unless he was castrated, drawn, and quartered.”I felt my nose wrinkle. “I don’t think Blake went that far.”“Pity,” Inaya bit out, her upper lip curling.“That mistake can be rectified, though,” said Cat, her chin high. “We just need to find out more about this Flynn person. Like where he lives. Danton could easily dig up everything there is to know about him. Then he can pay the piece of shit a visit.”Inaya eagerly lifted her hand. “I am all for this plan.”Izzy gave a curt nod. “Works for me.”I sighed. “It’s not necessary, Cat.”“Oh, I disagree,” Cat stated, her eyes flaring. “So will Danton—he loathes that kind of thing. If he doesn’t deal with Flynn personally, he’ll send either Duke or Vicente. I wouldn’t want to get a visit from either of them.” She threw a smile at Duke over her shoulder. “And I mean that in the nicest possible way.”He rolled his eyes, his lips twitching, before a scowl once more took over his face.“Dude, stop acting as if you don’t like me, I’ll never believe it.” Cat switched her gaze back to me. “So what happened after Kaleb carried you to the limo? Did he take you home?”I licked my lips. “No. I ended up at Trace’s house.” I paused as a bunch of young people jogged past us, loudly calling out to each other and laughing. “He and Kaleb took me there, had a doctor visit me, then they kept watch over me. They even stayed close while I vomited the entire world into the toilet.” That little nugget still mortified me.“And then?” prompted Izzy.“And then I spent the day with them.” I adjusted the spaghetti strap of my dress. “And last night.”A slow smile spread across Inaya’s face. “They’re the ones who gave you a sexual ride this morning, huh? Oh, how very interesting. No wonder you didn’t call one of us after the Flynn incident. You were too busy doing filthy things with the too-sexy twosome.”The hardness eased from Izzy’s face. “I’ve never heard any woman in the Vault claim that those blokes took her to either of their homes.”“It was special circumstances,” I pointed out.Cat fired an impatient look at me. “The first night you slept there, sure. But not last night. Not the whole day you spent with them. This is not the guys’ usual MO.”It wasn’t, no. Or, at least, I didn’t think it was. For all I knew, they had women stay over all the time and merely kept it quiet.Inaya adjusted her hat, still smiling, “I’m liking where all this is going, Briar. I see good things in your future.”I raised my hands, palms out. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”“We’re not; we’re reaching an obvious conclusion.” Cat slowed her pace as we approached a shoe store, briefly eyeing a particular pair of high heels in the storefront window before once more meeting my gaze. “The guys are giving you all the right signals.”Izzy nodded. “Are you going to see them again outside the club?”“Probably not. I agreed to meet them at the Vault later, though.”“Agreed?” echoed Inaya, practically pouncing on the word. “So, then, this was their idea? They asked you to be there?”I dipped my chin. “Yes.”Inaya’s beautiful smile widened, becoming even more stunning. “I’m really liking where this is going.”I sighed. “It might not be going anywhere.”Inaya waved that away. “Have you exchanged numbers with them?”Briefly halting as a laughing teenage couple stumbled out of a photo booth and almost bumped into me, I replied, “Yes. They insisted on it in case I was ever again in a situation where I needed help.”Cat beamed. “Again, not their MO. They’ll suggest an arrangement, Briar. I’ll bet my life on it. And now we need to find you a gorgeous dress for tonight.”I was all over focusing on shopping as opposed to my personal life. “Yeah, we absolutely do. So let’s go hunting.”We went from store to store, browsing and buying. I picked up this and that over the next few hours, but not the dress.I was about to suggest we take a break and go grab something to eat, but my attention was right then snagged by a mannequin in a window display—or, more specifically, on the form-fitting dress it wore. The satin garment was a stunning royal blue covered in rhinestones.I pointed at it. “This. I need this.”“Oh, it would be perfect for you,” said Cat, joining her hands together.“Fingers crossed they have it in my size,” I said, pushing open the glass door. The cool air conditioning washed over my skin, giving me a welcome reprieve from the sun’s heat.I almost walked straight back out of the shop when I noticed the length of the line at the counter. Hell and damn. Hopefully it would be shorter soon.With a breezy smile, I politely took the free perfume sample from the worker manning the spot near the door. My heels clicked along the shiny tiled floor as my and I friends moved further into the store, passing shoppers and headset-wearing sales assistants, while Duke and Adrian trailed a few feet behind us.Many sounds drifted through the air—bags crinkling, voices murmuring, a baby babbling, store music playing low, and hangers scraping metal rails. The store lighting was so bright I pitied the workers here. I’d have a headache by the end of each workday if I had those lights beaming down on me for hours.As I meandered through the space, I skipped my gaze over the selection of clothing, purely on the lookout for the dress I’d seen. Pausing halfway through the store, I tilted my head at the posed mannequins that stood on a platform.Fingering one of the folded tees that were piled on a table, Izzy gave me a knowing smile. “It’s killing you not to rearrange that display, isn’t it?”I let out a forced cough and lied, “Of course not.”Her only reply was a disbelieving snort.“Found it!” Cat announced.Carefully skirting a baby stroller, I crossed to where the blonde stood. And yep, she had indeed found what would be my dress very soon.“I’m trying to find your size.” Fabric rustled and swooshed as Cat moved the hangers back and forth on the rack. “Boom, we have a winner.” She unhooked it from the metal rail and handed it to me.A smile tugging at my mouth, I held up the dress, taking in each detail.“It is absolutely gorgeous,” said Cat. “And very you. If Trace and Kaleb don’t already intend to suggest an arrangement, they will when they see you in that. I know these things.”“I refuse to get my hopes up.”“So you would be up for it?”“Oh, I’d be one hundred percent in.”Chuckling, Inaya took a pair of folded jeans from a freestanding shelf and tossed them over her arm. “Alondra. Would. Freak. Which would seriously delight me.”Izzy smirked. “It would delight us all.”After earlier notifying my dads about the Flynn incident by phone—they’d predictably lost their minds—I’d tried calling Alondra to also share it with her, knowing she’d be upset if she heard the story from others. None of her friends had been at the Vault Friday night, so they hadn’t seen Kaleb carrying me out of there. But they might soon learn of it from another club member and then pass it on to her. I’d rather do that myself, but she hadn’t answered my call or yet returned it.“On the subject of Alondra … I learned something interesting while speaking with my dads.” I paused as a phone began to chime—it took a few moments for me to realize that it wasn’t mine, it merely had the same ring tone. “It turns out that she hadn’t only intended to give Trace a good, long ride all those years ago. She’d meant to bag him.”Cat’s elegant brows lifted. “Well now. Alondra does not do many men the ‘courtesy’ of choosing them as her own. I get now why she’s taking his interest in you so unbelievably personally. She deigned to choose him; she did him that great honor. He, however, did not acknowledge the extent of her graciousness. He slighted and rejected her instead, as if he had the right; as if he stupidly felt he could do better.”Sighing, I dipped my chin. “She’s always been in competition with me on some level purely because I’m female, but as she feels that she’s more successful and more beautiful etc., etc., she sleeps happily at night, content in her belief that she’s the fairest of them all. That Trace would show interest in me when he could have belonged to her … it will be making her question her belief that she’s ‘winning’ our competition. It will be threatening her fragile self-perception.”Izzy gave a slow shake of the head. “God, I loathe narcissists. They’re bloody exhausting.”Inaya sidled up to me. “It’ll make Alondra even more furious that he ignored her warnings to stay away from you. She’s going to come at you hard at some point. But don’t let her bullshit spoil what’s growing between you and the guys.”I let out a tired sigh. “I don’t know that anything is growing between us. As I said before, I refuse to get my hopes up. Now, how’s your grams doing?”Inaya’s mouth curved. “Changing the subject, are we?”“Yes. Go with it.”“Fine. But first, I want to know something.” She leaned into me. “Did any anal stuff go on this weekend?”I slid Adrian a quick glance, knowing he had to have heard that, considering he was standing fairly close to her. To his credit, he kept his expression utterly composed. I shot Inaya an exasperated look. “I’m not even crediting that question with a response.”“That was a response,” she said.“Whatever.” I turned to Izzy. “Have you decided whether or not you’ll move in with Cole?”The brunette shot me an amused look, knowing I was aiming to redirect the spotlight onto her. “No, not yet,” she replied, apparently deciding to take pity on me, bless her soul.Inaya frowned. “Hasn’t he pushed you on it?”Absently sliding hangers along a nearby rack, making them click-clack as they clashed into each other, Izzy shook her head. “Nope. He sees no need, because he’s still positive that I’ll agree.”I gave her a patient smile. “You will. You know you will. You just feel like you shouldn’t yet.”Cat nodded. “Look, me and Danton moved quickly once we were officially together. But I’m glad that we did. What’s the point in umming and ahing over stuff when life’s too short?”Izzy shrugged. “I’m wary of rocking the boat.”“I get that,” said Cat. “But a rocking boat doesn’t necessarily flip over.” She turned to me. “Now go try on that dress and make sure it fits you okay. Next, we find shoes to match.”The dress did fit. And we did in fact find shoes that matched it perfectly. I wore the outfit when I ventured to the Vault later that day, and it was a hit with the boys. They both took me hard and rough. They both made me come like a goddamn freight train. They both stroked and whispered to me afterwards.But they didn’t do what my girls had predicted: they didn’t suggest an arrangement.