Taming Her Racy Ways [Racy Nights 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “And then you decided to come here?” asked Ellis quietly.

  “No. I had to sit up all night and think about it first. I’m not used to my little brother being full of better advice than I usually give him.”

  It was the first time she’d seen Rafe smile since Friday night, and Marisol sucked in a deep breath at the sudden wave of desire that washed over her. She’d never expected this, and to know that Rafe was capable of such an open, honest confession made her realize the depth in him she had yet to discover.

  “Well,” said Ellis, “now it’s my turn for confession time. I had a talk with Maddox before the two of you got here. If you want to talk about two men whom no one would have believed would share a woman, it’s Maddox and Sean.” A sheepish grin spread over Ellis’s face. “I guess you both have probably figured out by now I was pretty pissed off this morning.”

  That was news to Marisol. He’d disguised it well.

  “But then I remembered how Rafe was already bench-pressing three hundred pounds in high school so I reined it in.”

  Rafe laughed, but it was a nervous laugh, and there was no trace of smugness in his expression or in the way he reached for more food and a bottle of water. Marisol realized he was as uncertain right now as she was. Ellis didn’t exactly look sure of himself either.

  “Anyway, he told me about some of the talks he and Sean had when they were first navigating the relationship they’d found themselves in with Julie, and that helped me a lot. Ultimately, both men only wanted her to be happy, so that’s what he suggested I focus on.”

  Ellis turned his gaze in her direction, and Marisol had to bite back a moan at the look of wanton lust in his eyes. “And that’s what I want, too. I want Marisol to be happy, even if that means she chooses Rafe over me.”

  They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Marisol glanced at Rafe. He didn’t look quite as convinced as Ellis, but he also no longer looked angry or sullen. She swallowed hard. They were going to leave this up to her, which was exactly what she’d known all along it would come down to, but she wasn’t even close to being ready to make that kind of a decision. “Rafe, how do you feel about all this?”

  She could see the thought processes passing across his face. That was good. He was thinking this time instead of simply reacting. A tiny glimmer of hope began to build, but she was afraid to give rise to it. Was it truly possible that she could have both these men in her life and in her bed? Ellis had seduced the deep secret fantasy out of her last night, but it was daylight, and that confession now seemed about as real as the wisp of a forgotten dream.

  And did she want that? Could she handle the emotional complications of such a relationship? She had no idea. But she knew for certain she couldn’t make the decision here…now. She needed time to think about it, and she also needed to spend time with both of them, together.

  “I’m not sure,” he finally said, “but not because I don’t want you, Marisol. I do. And not because I don’t want you to be happy. I want that more than you realize. I’m not sure I can handle sharing you. Right now, I’m still trying to figure out how to handle my parents’ reaction to us being with each other again.” Rafe glanced at Ellis and then turned his attention back to her. “But I’m willing to try, because I can’t lose you again. It’s that simple.”

  She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect answer from him. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to speak, and she had to take a long sip of water before she found her voice. “Thank you, both of you. This is…well, I don’t really know what it is, but I like it.” A giggle forced its way up and she put her hand to her mouth, feeling suddenly foolish.

  “We should go out together. I don’t know what we should do, but we should spend time together.” She cut her glance to Ellis’s bedroom door. “I mean out of bed. For now, anyway.” She had to take a deep breath as an image of making love to both Rafe and Ellis filled her mind. “I’m not saying I don’t want to know what it feels like to make love with both of you, but I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

  “I agree,” said Ellis. “And not because I don’t want to give you that experience, but because what you said about the three of us going out together is important. We need to spend time with each other and get comfortable doing so.”

  Rafe rested his elbows on his knees and placed his chin in his hands. He nodded several times then glanced from Ellis to Marisol. “Okay. I can do that. But my parents are going to kick me out when they hear about this.”

  Ellis chuckled and clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry. I have plenty of room here.”

  Marisol laughed as her head swam with the reality of what they’d just decided to do. “Okay then. Well, what should we do?”

  “There’s a benefit tomorrow tonight at The Fit Bod,” said Ellis. “Evan Rydell and Thayer Denning want to help raise money for the restoration downtown. They’re both Doms at Maddox’s club, and they approached both Maddox and myself to ask if we could help sponsor it.”

  “Do you want to go?” asked Marisol. “All three of us? It would be great to get out together, and we’d be helping the town at the same time.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” He cut his gaze to his left. “Rafe? You on board with that?”

  He nodded. “Okay. Yes. I can do that.”

  Marisol curled her hands into fists as she resisted the urge to clap them, but she couldn’t stop the big smile that spread across her face. This day had certainly taken a turn for the better. “But what about now? Can we go out right now?”

  “All the places to go hang out at are gone,” said Ellis. “But if you two have no objections, we can stay here. I have a media room downstairs, complete with a popcorn machine and a Netflix account.”

  “Let’s go,” said Rafe, his eyes shining with excitement. Marisol laughed. He looked like a kid who’d just been told he didn’t have to go to school for a year.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Marisol hated to admit it to Ellis or Rafe, but she’d never been inside The Fit Bod. Oh sure, she’d passed by the glitzy gym before, but she didn’t have much occasion to drive down Ash Lane all the way to Riverfront Drive, where the gym took up the entire corner.

  The facade looked out of place among the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century buildings that lined both streets near the river, but at the same time it fit. The panes of glass reflected the soft lights that shone from homes across the river.

  The co-owners, Thayer Denning and Evan Rydell, had been two grades behind Marisol, but she remembered them just the same. Evan had worn a cowboy hat quite often, and it had always cracked up Marisol when he strolled into school like that. Granted, his family owned one of the largest farms still in operation near Racy, but still.

  “There’s Thayer’s Porsche,” said Rafe as the three pulled into the parking lot of The Fit Bod. Thayer drove a chocolate brown Boxster S with a license plate that read Dr Bod. All three chuckled at the sight of it.

  “At least I’m not that obvious,” said Ellis.

  “Where on earth did he get that kind of money?” asked Marisol.

  “His family is wealthy,” said Ellis. “Although, I’m sure they rake in plenty of money from this gym. But at least they’re giving plenty of it back. Every penny they raise tonight is going toward the restoration downtown. Thayer, Evan, Maddox, and me are footing the bill for the food, the booze, and everything else.”

  Marisol linked an arm with each man as they made their way across the parking lot. It had been difficult to go home and sleep in her own bed last night, but all three had agreed to spend time without sex involved for the time being.

  They’d spent a fun afternoon and evening watching movies and stuffing themselves with soda, popcorn, and candy. No one had made snide comments, and there was no emotional angst. It had been one of the most fun days Marisol had ever had, and she couldn’t help but believe that this was really going to work.

  After Rafe had driven her home, she’d sta
yed up and spent nearly three hours on the phone with Leela, Bonnie, and Ria, going over the many pros and cons of giving this threesome a try. Leela thought she was playing with fire and should walk away from both men. Bonnie asked if she could come over and watch if the three had sex together. And as for Ria, she admitted she was torn. She said her parents were fit to be tied, and that they were considering asking Rafe to move out of his apartment above the garage.

  When Marisol had pointed out that if he did move out, Ria could move in, and maybe then she wouldn’t have to share an apartment with Pep again, she’d calmed down considerably. That was Ria, in a nutshell, and Marisol loved her for it.

  As they approached the front doors of The Fit Bod, Marisol could feel the music through the pavement, loud and pulsing. Dozens of people milled about, laughing and talking. Everyone was dressed up, and Marisol was glad she’d taken the time to put on her best tonight. Not only for the sake of looking hot for Rafe and Ellis, but because she would have felt seriously underdressed among this crowd if she hadn’t. It looked more like a Hollywood awards show than a small-town benefit at the local gym.

  Once inside, the music was almost as loud as the conversation. The entire town seemed to be here. Ellis had insisted on paying for their tickets, and although Marisol knew Rafe wasn’t happy about that, she was impressed that he had conceded the point for the sake of their being able to attend this event together.

  “You look so sexy tonight,” he whispered as Ellis presented their tickets to Cherilyn Barker.

  “Thank you, Rafe. You do, too.” It was true. They both looked stunning in tuxes, and Marisol wondered how she’d be able to control her hormones by the end of the evening.

  Marisol knew Cherilyn from the many times she had come to the courthouse on an errand. She worked for the city as one of the Administrative Assistants whose duties ran the gamut from logging complaints to sending out delinquent tax notices. She was also a regular at the gym.

  “Thanks for being here tonight,” she said, taking their tickets and handing Ellis back the three stubs. “There are door prizes they’ll be drawing for later, so hang onto these.” A big smile graced her pretty face. “Isn’t this amazing? I think the whole town is here. We’ll have Market and Main Streets rebuilt in no time.”

  Marisol and Cherilyn chatted about the new space they’d soon be working in while Rafe and Ellis went to get them all something to drink.

  “Are you and Rafe finally back together?” whispered Cherilyn.

  Marisol averted her gaze for a second. She could hardly answer that question herself. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep you posted.”

  Cherilyn laughed. “Okay. I can’t wait to hear.” She turned away as more guests came in behind Marisol.

  Marisol spotted Ellis and Rafe advancing toward her, chatting away with smiles on their faces. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, and her panties were suddenly wet. This was going to an interesting night.

  “Here you are, gorgeous.” Ellis handed her a glass of champagne. “That dress is stunning on you by the way. Rafe and I were just discussing it.”

  Marisol nearly choked on the first sip. “Were you now? What exactly were you discussing? The color?”

  Ellis gave her a droll look. “Yes, Marisol. We were discussing how sexy you look in red.”

  “It’s not red. It’s crimson.”

  The grin he gave her sent a shiver up and down her spine. “Oh, I see. Crimson. Right. Got it. And the fire engines are what? Mauve or something like that?”

  “No, they’re cherry red.”

  Rafe shook his head. “What is it with women and colors? Can’t you just say white, black, or red?”

  She didn’t have a chance to answer because Maddox’s voice called to his cousin, and Marisol turned with the two to watch him, Sean, and Julie advance toward them. Julie looked radiant, to put it mildly. Marisol hadn’t really known her in school, as she had been in the same grade as Rafe, but her impression of Julie had been a mousy, shy girl who was always reading. The glowing woman with her arm tucked into Maddox’s arm on one side and Sean’s on the other was so different now that Marisol had trouble believing she was the same person.

  Was this what having sex with two Doms did for a woman? Sign me up. Marisol bit back a giggle at that thought and made small talk with the three. As they were finishing up their conversation, Alexa Monahan caused a ripple throughout the room when she walked in on the arms of Luke and Chase. Her floor-length, skintight, royal-blue dress sparkled with rhinestones, and her blonde hair was swept up into an old-fashioned chignon, but on her it worked perfectly. The color of the dress brought out the stunning blue of her eyes.

  Marisol didn’t really know Alexa, but it was obvious from the adoration on Luke’s face how much he loved her. The three came over to join her, Ellis, and Rafe, and then Chase and Ellis began to talk about construction and buildings. That gave Marisol a chance to watch the interaction between Rafe and his younger brother as they chatted.

  While she was studying their body language and facial expressions, Alexa whispered close to her ear. “Are you back with Rafe? Luke is going out of his mind trying to figure out if you’re on or off.”

  She turned to face her. “I’m still not sure what’s going on, to be honest.”

  “And you’re here with Ellis, too?”

  “Yes, I am.” Marisol wasn’t sure what else to say.

  Alexa watched her carefully for a few seconds, and then broke into a huge grin. “If you need to talk about it, give me a call, okay? I mean it.”

  Acting on a sudden impulse, Marisol gave her a quick hug. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I may have to take you up on that.”

  “It’s going to be okay, Marisol.”

  It suddenly struck her that Alexa had to be struggling with the same issues where Rafe and Luke’s parents were concerned, and Marisol wondered how she just kept going anyway.

  As they walked among the residents of Racy, stopping to say hello or make small talk, Ellis and Rafe were so at ease with everyone that Marisol soon found herself relaxing as well. When Kari arrived with Noah Wells and Adison Kincaid, Ellis made sure to steer them toward the three.

  Noah and Adison had each been semiregular customers in Luke’s Bar, but they’d never hung out together before last fall. Ria and Marisol had spent a lot of time drooling over both men before they became involved with Kari once she moved back to Racy last year. Watching the three now, Marisol now found it impossible to imagine her without them. They were so perfect together.

  As that conversation wound down, Ellis and Rafe led her around the room to talk to others. Marisol realized she’d just witnessed first-hand three of Racy’s most infamous ménage relationships in real life. All three women had looked no different than any other woman here with her husband or boyfriend. The men hadn’t been giving each other jealous glances, and there had been no awkward or hostile nonverbal communication going on. The trios were happy—truly happy.

  She’d never considered the possibility of such an arrangement before, other than a secret fantasy to have sex with two men at once. Was that what Ellis and Rafe wanted? To be more than just fuck buddies with her? Did they want what Luke, Chase, and Alexa had? Did they want the same kind of Dom/sub relationship with her as Sean and Maddox had with Julie? And if that’s what they truly wanted, could she handle it, both physically and emotionally?

  She hadn’t yet had a chance to discuss the whole BDSM lifestyle with Rafe. As far as she knew, he’d never been exposed to it. Would he be all right with it? Should she bring it up and suggest they discuss it?

  When she was introduced to Thayer and Evan again, Marisol complimented them on their gym and on what they were doing for the town.

  “We’re glad to be able to give back in some way,” said Evan. His eyes weren’t quite as blue as Alexa’s, but they had a luminosity to them that made it difficult not to stare. His blond hair fell over his forehead in a way that gave a boyish quality to his face.

&n
bsp; She turned her attention to Thayer. His face was more angular and his features more classic. “That’s an interesting license plate you have.”

  His laugh was easy and held no trace of conceit or phoniness. “I have a PhD in Exercise Physiology. Plus it’s great advertising for the gym.”

  “No it’s not. He just likes to show off,” said Evan, giving Marisol a wink.

  “At least I don’t wear a damn cowboy hat all the time.”

  Evan grinned, tipped his hat, and bowed toward Marisol. “Enjoy your evening on the Ponderosa, ma’am.”

  Once the pair moved away to talk with other guests, Ellis gave her an intense look. “You’re a flirt.”

  Marisol stopped walking and looked up into his eyes. “Excuse me?”

  “You were flirting with them.”

  A flush crept up her neck before she could stop it. “I was not.”

  “I think you were.” The look in his gorgeous eyes was a cross between raw lust and mischief, and it sent shock waves of desire straight to her throbbing clit. “What do you think, Rafe?”

  The question hung in the air between the two men, and Marisol couldn’t help but notice the glance that also passed between them. She shivered as a grin spread slowly over Rafe’s handsome face, and when his dark gaze penetrated hers, she had to grip the stem of her glass tighter because it started to slip from her damp palms.

  “I agree. She was definitely flirting.” His attention spread down into her cleavage. One of the reasons she’d chosen this dress was that it most definitely showed off her assets. “And I think she wore that dress on purpose to show off her body.”

  As Ellis’s gaze traveled over her, Marisol understood what it meant to be undressed by someone’s eyes. “Oh, I totally agree. There isn’t a woman in this room who looks as delicious, or who is dressed as seductively.”

  “Okay, now you’re just being silly. Every woman in this room is way more fucking gorgeous than I could ever hope to look.”

  Ellis leaned close and the scent of his cologne filled her head. “I’m not being silly. And I do believe I asked you not to put down your body, did I not?”