by Lora Leigh
Rising from the bed, Tally glanced at Terrie’s questioning expression before pacing to the high window beside it.
“I came into the office the evening you were there with Jesse and Lucian,” Tally finally said, a wry smile tipping her lips. “I was horribly jealous, you know.”
“Jealous?” Terrie turned back to her at the incredulous question. “Why?”
“Because you were with Lucian,” she said softly, seeing the moment that Terrie realized exactly what she meant.
Terrie blinked in surprise. “You wanted Lucian?”
Tally grimaced lightly at her own admission. “Terribly, I’m afraid,” she said. “But the problem is, Terrie, I know that once I’ve been with him and Devril, I won’t want to let either of them go. I’m a greedy person, I’ve told you this before. They can hurt me,” she said simply.
“Oh. Dear.” Terrie was staring at her in amazement. “Uhh, Tally, are you in love with Lucian and Devril?”
Tally moved to the chair beside the window and sat down heavily. “Perhaps.” She shrugged. “So you see, it’s becoming rather complicated.”
“Pretty surprising to me,” Terrie admitted as she pulled one of the plump pillows from the head of the bed and wrapped her arms around it. “What are you going to do?” Tally smoothed the skirt of her dress slowly, watching as her fingers adjusted the hemline as though being certain she did it right. When she finally raised her gaze to Terrie she had managed to get a handle on her emotions.
“I have several applications in at a firm in New York,” Tally finally admitted. “If things work out, I’ll be leaving soon.”
“You’re running?” Terrie asked incredulously. “Tally, you never run.” Tally leaned back in her chair, assuming a careless pose of negligent indulgence. “Well, it appears I do after all,” she finally said with a self-deprecating smile. “A very odd feeling, I must admit. But, I’ve found no other answer.”
Terrie shook her head in protest. “Why fight them? If you want it, why not go for it? Holding back doesn’t sound like something you do, Tally.”
Normally, it wouldn’t be, Tally admitted silently. She had never conceded defeat in her life. It rankled that she would now.
“In this case, holding back is the only answer,” Tally said softly. “Trust me, Terrie, it would never work, and I don’t want the heartache when it doesn’t. It’s best that I leave as soon as possible.” Better for her heart definitely. As well as Lucian’s safety, if he ever decided he was tired of her. She feared she might kill him if he took another woman after her.
Terrie watched her closely for long minutes as the silence deepened around them.
“I love how you lie to yourself, Tally,” she finally said gently, rising from the bed as Tally watched her in surprise.
“I never lie to myself,” she snapped in defense.
Terrie shook her head slowly. “I love you like I love my own sisters.” She sighed. “So I can tell you, you are lying to yourself. It’s losing all that hard won control that you’re terrified of, not any heartache you
might suffer. Lucian threatens that. You can’t push him away, you can’t intimidate him, so instead you’re going to run.” She grimaced mockingly. “Lucian won by default because you’re not brave enough to see which of you is the strongest. You’re afraid you’ll lose, so you’re giving up.”
“I don’t think so,” Tally snapped, uncomfortably aware of the fact that often her friend saw too much.
“Lucian has nothing to do with my control.”
“Of course he does.” Terrie laughed gaily. “He shakes it every time he looks at you. And don’t even try to tell me he didn’t almost have you out in the garden. I heard those moans. You’re losing your edge, Tally, and you can’t handle it.”
Tally came to her feet slowly, her eyes narrowing on the other woman. “Not in this lifetime.” She managed cool humor but she could feel the anger whipping in her mind.
“Really?” Terrie crossed her arms over her breasts, her expression mocking. “Prove it.”
“Prove it?” Tally felt like snarling. “And how do you expect me to do that? There’s nothing to prove.”
“Isn’t there, Tally?” Terrie was serious now. That was always a bad sign. “What about proving to yourself that you’re worthy of love? But beyond that, there’s proving that you aren’t a coward. We both know how much you hate cowards.”
Tally snarled. “That’s playing dirty, Terrie.”
“Yeah.” Terrie grinned widely. “I do things like that when I see my friends tucking their tails between their legs and scampering off like puppies. Especially when they refused to let me do the same. Trust me, you’ll thank me.”
“I’ll kill you,” Tally snapped. “Right after I kill Lucian and Devril.” Terrie shrugged. “Whatever works for you, darlin’. Now I’ll say good night so you can plot and plan.
You’re so good at managing the rest of us, Tally, let’s see if you can manage Lucian as easily.” Chapter Eight
Terrie had outmaneuvered her. Somehow, somewhere, she had managed to blindside her and at the same time, ensure her downfall. It wasn’t so much the challenge, though Tally thrived on a good, honest challenge; it was more the object of the challenge. Could she bring Lucian and Devril to their knees?
She had been so concerned with protecting her heart, her emotions, that she hadn’t truly considered attempting to win theirs. Could it be done? They were strong, dominating men, alphas in the truest sense of the word, so it wouldn’t be easy. But, perhaps it could be done. The very thought of success was enough to get her blood pumping, her excitement level rising.
They were men, she told herself as she entered her office two days later. How hard could it be?
“Tally, it’s about time you showed up.” Lucian slammed the upper file cabinet drawer closed, frowning as she strode calmly to her desk and stored her purse. “You’re late.”
“Not hardly,” she informed him with cool disdain as she checked the clock above the file cabinet. “I’m a minute early, actually. Why are you in my file cabinet?” It was one of the reasons she hated dealing with files. She could keep them in perfect order, then Lucian, just as Jesse did, could mess them up with seemingly no effort at all.
“Looking for a file, obviously,” he grunted. “Where were you all weekend? I called.” And he had, several times a day.
“It’s none of your business where I was this weekend. Which file were you looking for?” She arched her brows in inquiry.
“Anderhaul’s.” He was watching her intently now. “And I’m making it my business. You weren’t at home or online. I checked.”
“You wouldn’t know if I was online, Lucian,” she told him calmly as she opened the drawer and attempted to hide the struggle to peer into the top file as she began to search through the files. It took her only seconds to locate it. “Here you go.” She handed him the file efficiently before closing the drawer and going back to her desk.
“Why wouldn’t I know if you were online?” He was definitely irate.
“Because I now have you blocked.” She shrugged. “I don’t like liars and I refuse to talk to them.” She kept her voice even, carefully modulated; she knew it was guaranteed to set his nerves on edge.
“I did not lie to you, Tally,” he practically snarled. “I could have continued the charade but I didn’t want that between us.”
“How very decent of you.” She bared her teeth when she smiled. The very thought of the things she had shared with him made her furious.
“I could give you the things you need, Tally,” he told her softly. “All those dark little fantasies you try so hard to keep locked away; they could be yours.”
Tally took her seat at her desk, smoothed her skirt over her legs and adjusted the cuffs of her royal blue silk blouse before raising her gaze to meet his coolly.
“You have a nine-thirty appointment with the head of security to discuss the security measures being in
stalled in the new labs, and right after that a meeting with Jesse to discuss the homing software the design engineers are developing. I laid the files out Friday before I left.” She ignored his offer, though she couldn’t deny the thrill of danger that exploded through her system.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed on her. “Make certain coffee and danish are available. I’ll need you at the meeting with Jesse since you were aware of the early stages of the contract to design the software. We’ll be working through lunch, so you might want to order in.” Great. Working through lunch. She had hoped to escape him for at least a little while.
“I’ll contact Breilla’s.” She made a note to call one of the better establishments in the city. “Anything
else, Master?” she asked sarcastically.
“Let me see those nipple rings.” The request was made as easily as one for a file would be.
Tally leaned back in her chair and regarded him curiously. She didn’t dare, not with the door unlocked, but how she would love to bring him down a notch or two. She lifted one hand teasingly, her fingers running over the small pearl buttons as she smiled back at him tauntingly.
It was just too much fun, teasing him and Dev in this manner. It was almost addictive.
“What will you give me?” she asked flirtatiously, her gaze dipping down to the bulge straining against his pants as she lifted her eyebrow suggestively.
Amusement flared in his brilliant green eyes and quirked the edges of his lips.
“I’ll keep your teasing in mind until the minute I have you stretched across my lap, ready for the spanking I’m certain you’ll deserve, and oh so enjoy,” he murmured as he moved closer to her desk, staring down at her with a sudden dark hunger that had her pulse leaping in response.
She sighed expressively, lowering her eyes demurely before peeking back up at him through her eyelashes. “Promise? Until then, be a good little boss and go make yourself useful so I can finish my own chores. I’ll let you know when your first meeting arrives.” She dismissed him coolly, turning to power the computer up and begin the day.
Tally gave the appearance of restraining a mocking smile, though her pussy was weeping, clenching in arousal.
She was aware of him watching her for long moments and the reflective expression that came over his face as she continued to ignore him. She had no doubt that he was planning her punishment with great relish. But he had been doing that for months now.
“There are days, Tally,” he finally sighed, “that it’s a damned good thing I’ve become so fond of you.
Otherwise, I think I’d find a deep, deep hole to bury you in.” From the corner of her eye she watched as he turned and walked to the open doorway of his own office. When the door closed behind him, she stared down at the slight tremble in her fingers. Fond of her? It was little enough, but it struck a chord deep inside her. It wasn’t the words, but his tone. Deep, intense, making her want to believe it was conveying so much more than words spoken.
Wishful thinking. She drew in a deep breath, fought to regain her composure and turned back to the computer. She didn’t have time for wishful thinking.
* * * * *
Lucian managed, just barely, to put aside the hunger building in his cock and attend to business that morning as needed. It was the afternoon he was awaiting. His calendar was clear for the rest of the day and he intended to begin the seduction of Tally then. He knew he was courting a sexual harassment suit; hell, if he were Tally he would have likely already slapped one in his face. The only thing saving him, he knew, was that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. He knew she did. He could see it in her eyes, the knowledge that he held the key to her darkest desires.
He knew her as very few people did. She had given him the key to her downfall and it made her madder than hell to know it.
The meetings progressed quickly. Thankfully, there seemed to be no glitches in the present projects and everything was running smoothly. Lunch was eaten during the final meeting with Anderhaul amid discussion of the finalized contract. The meeting moved quickly and just before two, the office had cleared out of everyone except Lucian, Devril and Tally.
Not that Tally hadn’t tried to escape, more than once. Thankfully, the work involved in keeping notes on the meeting as well as helping to clear the office later had kept her there.
“Tally, make a note to contact Jesse regarding the new chips we’ll need for the Anderhaul project. That one should go quickly and make us a tidy little profit to boot.”
“Noted.” She made the addition to her notebook, tucking back a stray strand of long black silk that had fallen over her shoulder.
Lucian paused, watching her. She was small, small enough that he wondered if she could possibly handle both he and Devril taking her at once. They were both tall, broad men. Tally was delicate, exquisitely curved with full breasts and luscious hips, but tiny all the same. It never ceased to amaze him the hunger he felt for her. She wasn’t the type of woman he had thought his heart would eventually settle on. She was smart–mouthed, coolly mocking, and possessed a razor-edged wit that had often left him gritting his teeth and fuming in anger. On the other hand, she made him so damned horny he could barely breathe comfortably, and he knew she did the same to Devril.
There was the crux of the matter. Unlike the other members of The Club, sharing his woman wouldn’t be an occasional thing. He had learned early in life that the bond he shared with his twin would never allow for anything so conventional. The moment they set eyes on Tally, both men had known instantly what they wanted from her. She wouldn’t have one lover, but two, nightly, daily, because she owned both their hearts.
Lucian glanced at his brother, sensing his building arousal, just as he knew Devril would sense his own. It was a connection they had grown used to over the years and Lucian knew he wouldn’t wish it any other way. Just as he knew that eventually it might cost them the woman they loved.
His gaze returned to her, watching as she began to straighten the files scattered across the low coffee table of the meeting area. Her skirt was conservative, the black silk ending an inch below her knees.
Black pumps fit over her small feet, low heeled, sedate. She exuded class and breeding, old money and genteel sensibilities. Unless you glimpsed the parts she kept carefully hidden.
Jaded. It was her Internet identity, but there were times Lucian suspected it also described her outlook on relationships and men. She was, at heart, a sexual little wildcat who had given up on the fulfillment of her own fantasies. Fantasies Lucian and Devril were determined to bring to life.
Lucian turned the lock on the office door decisively. The snick of the small mechanism had Tally tensing, her head rising slowly as she gazed back at him. Her nipples hardened instantly. He was watching for that, needed to see it.
Devril lounged back on the wide couch watching her as well, though leaving the first move up to Lucian.
“Unbutton your blouse,” Lucian ordered softly as he began to advance on her. “Slowly.”
“Do I look like your personal stripper?” she asked archly, amusement glittering in her gaze.
She had been expecting this. He could see it in her eyes, in the excitement that pulsed at the vein in her neck.
“If that’s what I want,” he said carefully. “We’re about to lay some ground rules here, Tally.” He watched the heat ignite in her eyes, the way her breasts seemed to swell beneath the silk of her shirt.
“Oh, we are?” she questioned him softly. “Your rules, I’ll presume?” He shook his head slowly. “Our rules, Tally. Never just mine or Dev’s. All of us. We’re alone now. No business, no witnesses. No more games. Come on, baby, don’t you at least want to see how good it could be?” He kept his voice soft, gentle.
Tally was an expert with the comebacks. She could hold her own in any confrontation. He didn’t want their relationship to be a confrontation. He wanted her sweet and wild in his arms, his name a cry on her lips.
&n
bsp; She blinked before licking her lips in the first sign of nervousness he believed he had ever seen out of her as she considered his words.
“We can’t go on like this, baby,” he told her gently, watching her, letting her see the need now. “It’s your choice. If you walk out of here now, then that’s it. No more. We’ve never forced ourselves on a woman in our lives. We won’t start now.”
She drew in a deep, hard breath.
“And if I choose to stay?” she asked him.
“Then you get both of us. Separately, together, however we wish it, any given time when work doesn’t interfere. This won’t work like Jesse and Terrie’s relationship, or James and Ella’s. Devril and I share, Tally, consistently, regularly.”
She looked around the office then. “Do you guys ever do anything sexual outside the office?” she asked.
“If the opportunity presented itself,” Devril said. “Unfortunately, you were hiding this past weekend. It limited the choices.”
Her gaze flickered to Devril a bit nervously.
“Come on, baby, unbutton the blouse,” Dev asked her then, rather than ordering her. “We’ll begin here.”
Chapter Nine
Tally barely controlled the trembling of her fingers as she pulled her blouse free of her skirt. She kept each movement seductive, sedate. Excitement raced through her body, but that was no reason not to
enjoy the experience. She had no idea what they intended and the jittery excitement that caused was making her uncomfortably aware of her entire body. Especially the area between her thighs. She was wetter than she could ever remember being during a sexual situation and it was close to frightening.
As the hem of her blouse cleared her skirt, she cast them a teasing look from beneath her lowered lashes. They were hot, horny. Their faces were flushed with arousal, their eyes brimming with it. She loved it. It was her greatest challenge, controlling these two men.