by Shayla Black
Brooklyn wasn’t a whiskey drinker, but after tasting the Jameson on Logan’s and now Elijah’s lips, she planned to go to the liquor store tomorrow to buy the biggest bottle they had. Something told her that after tonight, she’d begin seeking out anything and everything that would help her keep the memory of this New Year’s Eve alive in her mind.
She’d never touch leather without recalling this moment, this kiss, as she dug her fingers into Elijah’s butter-soft jacket.
Brooklyn was light-headed when Elijah pulled away, his gaze so intense it took away what little air she had left. No one had ever kissed her with the passion of Elijah, the caring of Logan. She recalled the couple she’d watched at the end of the bar at Pat’s. Had it only been an hour ago she’d been longing for these very feelings? Part of her wondered if she could glance around to try to catch sight of her newly arrived fairy godmother.
“We better take this inside, Elijah. Before your neighbors call the police to report us for public indecency,” Logan joked.
Brooklyn accepted the hand Elijah proffered, thrilled when Logan claimed her other side and wrapped his arm around her waist. They were both tall, topping her by at least six inches. She wasn’t a thin, petite woman, but being surrounded by them made her feel as delicate as a china doll.
Once they were inside, Elijah took his leather jacket off before taking her coat and Logan’s blazer and hanging all three on a coatrack near the front door.
As he did so, Brooklyn looked around, unsurprised to discover Elijah’s house was tidy and cozy. He kept his office immaculate as well, another way he and Logan differed. While the top of Elijah’s desk shone, Logan’s was in a constant state of disarray, his blueprints, folders, and stacks of papers reminding her of a house of cards. One slight breeze would cause the mountain to crumble.
She’d offered to clean it up for him once, but Logan had been horrified, forbidding her to touch anything, claiming he’d never be able to find what he needed if she “messed it up.”
Elijah drew her farther into the house, guiding her toward the living room. “Would you like something to drink? I have a bottle of merlot in the kitchen.”
Brooklyn shook her head. “I don’t think I should. I’m not much of a drinker and Padraig wasn’t skimping on the rum in those daiquiris.”
“For someone who doesn’t drink, you seemed to know the bartender well,” Logan mused.
Brooklyn giggled. “My friend, Darcy Young, is Pat of Pat’s Pub’s granddaughter. Padraig is her cousin. She actually has a million cousins. I’m pretty sure she’s related to half of Baltimore.”
Logan sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “Funny you should say that. We’ve done some work with Lochlan Wallace. He’s related to the Collins family, I believe.”
Brooklyn joined him. “Yep. He is. See what I mean? Lochlan is another cousin. I didn’t realize you knew each other.”
“We worked together on a project just prior to you coming on as our secretary.” Elijah claimed her free side, then decided to confess the rest. “It was actually Lochlan who suggested we interview you for the position.”
Brooklyn considered that for a moment. “I have to admit I’ve always wondered why you called me for an interview, especially after you hired me and I filed away all the other applications you received for the job. You literally had over a hundred qualified candidates.”
“Lochlan gave you a very good reference. I’m assuming you know his family well?”
“Yes.” Brooklyn loved the Collins family, loved being included in their web of security and fun. “Darcy and I have been best friends since kindergarten. It was always just me and my mom at home, so I usually begged for playdates at Darcy’s house. She has an older brother and sister and they had a ton of friends and cousins around, so her house was always loud and crazy and fun.”
Logan took her hand in his, toying with one of her silver rings. “It sounds nice.”
She nodded earnestly. “It was. Being there convinced me I want a big family. Lots of kids. There’s no way I’m going to have an only child. It’s just too lonely. How about you guys? You ever think about settling down and starting a family?”
“All the time,” Logan confessed. “Though it might be a bit of a challenge to find someone who shares our vision of the future.”
Brooklyn realized they didn’t plan to give up their threesome lifestyle for marriage. “Hate to break it to you, but it’s illegal for more than two people to marry. I watch Sister Wives, so I know what I’m talking about.”
Both men laughed, then Elijah explained, “In our case, our wife will only marry one of us legally. Though we will have our lawyer draft up a document that states that in our hearts—and financially—we are a throuple, not a couple.”
“You’ve really thought this out,” she said.
Logan grimaced. “The trick is finding the right woman.”
Brooklyn worked hard to school her features, to hide the fact that she would gladly sign on for a lifetime with the two of them.
Two years working so closely with them had ensured that she’d lost her heart to both Elijah and Logan. They were creative, driven, honest men. They took care of their employees, insisting on offering the best health and life insurance, flexible hours for those with children, and by creating a work environment that encouraged teamwork and limited stress.
On top of all that were the things they’d done for her personally, like offering her a “scholarship” so that she could take college classes and buying and delivering a couch one Saturday after discovering she didn’t have one in her apartment.
They were good men. And any woman would be lucky to marry them.
“You’ll find her,” she said sincerely. “I’m sure of it.”
Logan’s eyes narrowed briefly and she wondered what she’d said wrong. “Why do you assume you aren’t her?”
His question took her aback for a moment and she struggled for an answer. “I—”
Logan let her off the hook. “You’re beautiful, Brooklyn,” he said.
She lifted one shoulder and shook her head slightly, dismissing his compliment. She was completely average—brown hair, brown eyes, medium height and build. She was a little too curvy, something she attributed to her undying love of French fries. Despite their kindness to her, Brooklyn still couldn’t shake the feeling that she simply wasn’t good enough for them. They were thoughtful and compassionate, and she…
She’d been raised in a home where she’d never felt wanted, never felt good enough. Her dad had left without looking back and her mother had tossed her out on her ear the first chance she got.
Elijah sighed, rising. “I was going to suggest a tour of the place, but there’s something we need to take care of first.”
“What’s that?”
Elijah didn’t respond, so she took his hand, allowing him to help her up. He didn’t withdraw it, however, using it to pull her down the hallway. Her heart started to race when she realized Logan was right behind them.
They were taking her to the bedroom.
This was it. The biggest moment of her life.
She’d considered what her first time would be like for years, always dreaming of it, imagining how romantic it would be, how much she prayed to meet the right man, the perfect man.
Her prayers had been answered twofold.
Once they entered Elijah’s bedroom, she stopped just inside the door.
Logan wrapped his arms around her from behind, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “There’s no point of no return. If it becomes too much, if you get scared, you only have to say so and it stops.”
She twisted around to look at him, smiling, appreciating his sweet reassurance. Even though she didn’t need it.
“I want this.” She said the same thing at the pub and she meant it. Then she turned back around and pointed. “That’s the biggest bed I’ve ever seen.”
Elijah grinned. “Logan’s a slob, at the office and in his house.
So whenever we bring a woman home with us, it’s to my place.”
Brooklyn glanced at the bed again. “I suppose you’ve…um…done this a lot?”
Elijah shifted, standing directly in front of her. He cupped her cheeks, raising her face, forcing her to look at him. “We haven’t brought a woman here since we hired you. No one compares to you, Brooklyn.”
She frowned, even though her heart wanted to believe him. The problem was her practical mind suggested he was simply saying that for her benefit, to set her mind at ease. There was no way two such virile, handsome men would have given up sex because of her.
Elijah scowled. “Dammit. I don’t lie and I don’t offer false praise. Which brings us back to the matter at hand.”
Before she could figure out his intent, Elijah gripped the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head, tossing in onto a nearby chair.
Instinctively, she reached up to cover herself, even though her bra was still in place.
Logan’s arms wrapped around her once more, but this time he gripped her wrists and pulled them behind her back, holding them together at the base of her back loosely.
While it would take no effort on her part to shrug off his grip, something told her if she tried, he’d tighten the hold.
Elijah ran the tips of his fingers along the lace at the top of her bra, delicately stroking her breasts.
“You’re beautiful,” Elijah murmured, repeating what Logan had said in the living room.
She gave him an appreciative though doubtful smile, something he clearly didn’t care for.
Elijah’s gaze flicked over her shoulder to Logan.
She started to turn to see Logan, but Elijah’s hand shot out, gripping her face so that she couldn’t twist away from him. “Keep your arms at your sides.”
As he spoke, Logan dropped her hands. She was used to Elijah’s commands, used to them amusing her at work. However, here, in the bedroom, they had a different effect on her. Something about his tone had her wanting to obey, to please him.
She put her hands by her sides.
“Good girl,” Elijah murmured.
She felt Logan’s touch mid-back, and with accomplished fingers, he unfastened her bra. It was harder to keep her hands by her sides when he drew the lace off. She’d never been naked with a man before. Perhaps she should have explained exactly how virginal she was.
Her mother—the world’s biggest man-hater—hadn’t allowed her to date in high school. Not that Brooklyn had fought her on it. She’d worked an after-school job from the time she was fifteen until graduation. Then her mom had kicked her out and that one job had grown to three. Dating was a luxury she’d had no time for.
She closed her eyes, fighting for breath, when Elijah reached out to cup her breasts, stroking her nipples with his thumbs. Then he added his forefinger, pinching them until she gasped. It stung, but not in a painful or bad way.
Brooklyn was overwhelmed by the sensation. Her body felt like it was on fire and she swore her skin was humming as if she’d been struck by lightning.
Logan’s lips skimmed along the side of her neck and she shivered. Holy God. She couldn’t believe she’d lived her entire life without feeling this.
For several moments, she stood there, eyes closed, adrift in bliss. Then, as if they’d timed it, their hands and lips fell away at the exact same moment.
She opened her eyes, but it took a minute before she could force anything into focus. Elijah stood there, looking at her as if she truly was…beautiful.
Brooklyn’s heart skipped a beat or three.
“Take off your jeans, baby,” Logan murmured. She started to do as he asked, but he’d beaten her there, unfastening the button, sliding the zipper down. He was still behind her and she felt tiny enveloped in his embrace as he helped her shimmy out of the denim and her panties.
She toed off her shoes so that she could kick off the last of her clothing. Brooklyn didn’t need a mirror to know her face was blood-red. She wanted to be here with them, just like this, but that didn’t help her combat her shyness as she revealed herself to them.
She had asked them for this one night, had made them promise not to mention it at work. She’d been a fool. There was no way she’d be able to tuck away the memory of this as if it hadn’t happened, no chance she could work side by side with them without stealing an “accidental” touch or sneaking a sniff of their cologne or longing for just one more kiss, one more taste of that whiskey on their lips.
Her hands were still by her sides, but as each man took a step away from her and she felt the heat of their eyes on her, her self-confidence began to waver. She lifted her hands, covering her breasts. She was too exposed and they were still far too dressed. “Maybe we should get in the bed,” she suggested, suddenly aware of every physical flaw she possessed.
Elijah tilted his head, studying her pose. “You’re beautiful,” he repeated once more.
Brooklyn reacted before she thought, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “I know I’m a little overweight. I mean I’m sure the two of you have been with women who were far pret—”
That was as far as she got before Elijah gripped her upper arm firmly, tugging her against him until they were nearly nose to nose. “I told you there would be consequences if you continued to put yourself down. Go lie on the bed facedown with your legs over the edge, feet flat on the floor.”
Brooklyn glanced at the bed, fully aware of Elijah’s intentions. “You’ve been testing me. You knew I’d fail.”
He shook his head. “No. I’ve been stating a fact. One that I’m going to convince you of before this night ends.”
“Get on the bed, baby,” Logan said, lightly pushing her. “You know what we want. You’re only making this harder on yourself.”
Their desires matched her fantasies. They were going to spank her.
And as much as she wanted that, she was still shocked by the impact that threat had on her body. A spanking would hurt, right? It should feel scary?
If so, then why could she feel her pussy getting damp and why had her nipples drawn even tighter? It was taking everything she had not to reach down and finger herself. She was right there. Right at the cusp of an orgasm. It wouldn’t take her more than a stroke or two, one quick rub on her clit.
And all they’d done was threaten to spank her.
Her hand must have moved toward her pussy because Elijah’s hand shot out quick as a whip, grabbing her wrist roughly.
Logan was behind her and it was clear he hadn’t seen her intention when he said, “Elijah. Maybe we should slow—”
“No.” Elijah shook off his friend’s warning. “Move so you can see her face, Logan.”
Logan walked around her and now both men stood there, looking at her, Elijah’s strong grip on her wrist holding her still, preventing her from touching herself and stealing the orgasm she wanted so fucking badly.
“I told you what to do, Brooklyn,” Elijah said, releasing her. “I won’t tell you again.”
Brooklyn nodded just once, then took a step toward the bed. This time it was Logan who stopped her. “Brooklyn, I know Elijah doesn’t ask, but I want you to remember what I said. The choice is always going to be yours. Yes or no. You understand that, right? Because I won’t remind you again.”
“I know that, know that if I said no, you would both stop. I trust you.” The words fell from her, and she’d never spoken anything more true.
Elijah raised one eyebrow at his friend. Clearly he’d seen Brooklyn’s desire to do exactly as he’d demanded.
“We’re going to spank you, Brooklyn. We’re going to spank you every single time you brush off our compliments. And I don’t just mean tonight. If you continue to put yourself down at the office, we’re going to tug up those tight pencil skirts you wear to drive us crazy, bend you over our desks, and spank you there. And we won’t always use our hands. I have a ruler in my top drawer that would probably sting like hell. Maybe a sore bottom will help you remember that we don�
�t flatter and we don’t lie. You’re beautiful,” he said again, and this time it really was a test.
Brooklyn stood still for just a moment before common sense reared its ugly head. “You promised me this would only be one night.”
“We didn’t promise,” Elijah said. “We agreed to that silly demand, but we also told you we would try to change your mind. If you won’t change it tonight, we’ll keep trying at work.”
“Get on the bed, baby,” Logan urged. “Let us show you how good we can make you feel. Let us show you why one night will never be enough.”
Brooklyn walked to the bed and assumed the position, her upper body pressed to the soft mattress as her legs dangled over the edge. Her feet were flat on the floor, but she wanted them to understand how much she wanted what they were offering, so she raised onto her tiptoes, lifting her ass to them.
She thought she heard a deep curse, but it was too low and too quiet for her to distinguish who’d said it.
She pressed her cheek to the bed and closed her eyes, waiting impatiently for them to come to her.
Brooklyn jerked when she felt a hand on her ass, softly caressing her. She’d been bracing herself for the spanking, anticipating the sting. Opening her eyes, she saw Logan gently stroking her bare ass. She parted her legs when his fingertips ran along her slit, a breathless “Please” escaping when he grazed her clit.
“She’s soaking wet,” Logan said to Elijah, who hadn’t made a move to touch her yet.
“God,” she said, when Logan circled her clit again. “Please. Please. I’m so close. If you could just— Fuck!” She cursed when, rather than continue to touch her, Logan pulled his hand away.
“Such a feisty little thing.” Logan placed a firm hand on the top of her back, holding her flat against the mattress when she tried to stand, intent on ripping someone’s pants off so they could get down to business properly.