Westlyn is all giggles. “I haven’t fooled around with a guy in so long, I probably wouldn’t remember what to do.”
Lorna grabs one of the reds for a refill. “I bet it’s been longer for me than any of you.”
Westlyn cackles loudly. “I don’t know about that. Can you top eight months? And it wasn’t even full-on sex. That’s been over a year.”
“I can’t but I’m at five months. That’s a record for me. Definitely the longest I’ve gone since I started having sex. I’m miserable,” Ellison admits.
Westlyn laughs. “Then I’m still winning.”
“Not for long. Can someone give me a drum roll, please?” Lorna says.
Ellison leans forward and taps rapidly on the cocktail table.
“Duh duh duh duh,” adds Lorna. “Well over … two years. Going on three, but I’m not exactly sure because I’ve stopped keeping up with it.”
Ellison slaps the table. “Holy shit, Lorna. You need a broom to clear out the cobwebs between your legs.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Why so long?”
I’m interested to see how she’ll explain this. “I decided I was finished letting men use me for their pleasure. I want someone who loves and treasures me. The only way to get that kind of man is to become a woman worthy of those things.”
She didn’t come out and say it, but anyone can read between those lines.
Westlyn squeals. “Oh my God, Lorna. You’re in love.”
Lorna wears the same goofy smile I saw on Westlyn’s face earlier. “Maybe.”
“I don’t think there’s a maybe about it. You are. And you have to tell us who he is.”
Lorna shakes her head. “My secret to keep.”
Westlyn groans. “No! That’s completely unfair. You can’t admit you’re in love with someone and then keep it from us.”
“Trust me. I can.”
“We’ll get it out of you before the night’s over.”
“I assure you there’s not enough wine here to make me talk.”
“We’ll see about that,” Westlyn says.
I don’t want anyone to ask Lainie about her last sexual encounter so I steer the topic in another direction. “We’re going to miss you, Lainie.”
“And I’ll miss all of you too. But Dublin isn’t that far. We’ll still see one another.”
We all jump when there’s a sudden commotion at the front door. It sounds like someone trying to push his way into the flat. We all go still and silent. My heart immediately takes off in flight.
“Is someone trying to break in?” Lorna asks.
“It could be that mugger. Get your gun, Bleu,” Ellison squeals.
I get up from the couch and fetch one of my Berettas from its hiding place in my new end table’s drawer.
Kyle and Blare are on guard outside since we’re having a girls’ night in. Surely they didn’t let anyone get past them.
I take aim at the door, prepared to annihilate any persons passing through the doorway. Whoever it is, I’m ready for him.
Chapter Eight
Sinclair Breckenridge
My father steps onto the rostrum located at the back of the pub. “Thank you all for coming tonight. My son and I called this meeting so we might discuss future dealings with The Order. I’m going to ask Sinclair to step forward and take the lead.”
“As you all know, Torrence Grieve kidnapped and beat my wife until she almost miscarried our child. Your feature leader.”
Low murmurs spread throughout the room. I’m sure there’s a lot of speculation about the other things they may have done to Bleu. I’d very much like to clear the questions in their minds, but Bleu wouldn’t have me discuss a private matter in such a public way.
“I killed Torrence and the two men who beat her. No man who harms my wife will live.”
The brothers erupt in cheer.
“Torrence has no successor so The Order is without a leader. Should they appoint one, he will not have been properly trained. He’ll be inadequate for the job. That places their brotherhood in a weakened state. There’s no better time for us to make a strike against them.”
“What about numbers? Those haven’t changed,” a brother calls out. It’s a legitimate concern since The Order is bigger than we are.
“That’s one of the topics we brought you here to discuss tonight. You’re all aware of our new alliance with The Guild from Dublin. The Order has a firearms customer our Irish friends would very much like to make their own. But like us, The Guild is smaller in numbers, so they have asked for our help.”
Leith stands in the corner, arms crossed. “Why should we stick our necks out to help a new alliance that hasn’t yet proven its loyalty?”
Good question. “Because we need them as much as they need us. Together we can wipe out our enemy. It’s a beautiful plan. The Guild gets the buyer they want. We get all of The Order’s remaining business associates. But most of all, we get the joy of destroying them, which means they no longer attack the women of The Fellowship.”
Leith should understand this. He saw them go after Lorna and Greer at his pub.
No one’s wife, daughter, or sister is safe. They need not think they are. “If you believe my wife is the only woman in danger, you’re wrong. It could’ve just as easily been yours they took had the circumstances been different. They won’t stop using that tactic against us because they know we won’t retaliate using the women from their brotherhood.”
“You’re asking us to go to battle,” Hewie calls out.
“Not battle. As your leader, I’m telling you it’s time to win the war and be done with this.”
The room hums with low murmurs as the brothers talk amongst themselves. “When will we do this?” Leith asks.
“My father and I will be meeting with the leaders of The Guild over the next several weeks. We want everything to align perfectly so you shouldn’t expect this to happen soon. You can anticipate a few months of planning to ensure everything falls into its proper place.”
“Won’t we be giving them time to recover from their loss and become stronger if we wait?”
“It takes years to train someone to lead an organization the size of The Order. They have no teacher. I have no fear of them gaining strength before we attack.”
I look around the room. “Other concerns?”
The discussions last nearly an hour, ending on a positive note. “You are our trusted leader and we will follow you to the death.”
I stand on the rostrum looking over my men spread throughout the pub. They’re punching their fists into the air while chanting, “To the death!”
My men are loyal, just as I expect. “Then I declare this meeting adjourned.”
Though the meeting is over, I can’t go home. Bleu is having her girls’ night in with her friends. I don’t want to ruin her fun.
I sit with Leith and Jamie in our usual spot but tonight Mitch has joined us.
“You did a fine job of getting the brothers fired up. I haven’t seen them that excited in years,” my brother says.
“It’s time their fires were stoked.”
“You killed Torrence Grieve. They have nothing but admiration for you. They’d follow you into hell if it’s where you led them.”
Greer doesn’t come by to take our order. She simply appears with our usuals. “Johnnie Walker Black Label. Ballantine’s. And two Guinnesses. Anything else I can get ye?”
“I think we’re all good here.”
Jamie waits until Greer walks away to ask why Lorna isn’t serving us.
“She asked off for the night,” Leith answers.
“None of your lasses are ever off during Fellowship meetings, especially your head barmaid. Your rule,” Jamie says.
Leith shrugs. “She had something she wanted to do tonight.”
“Did she suck your dick to get you to go along with that?” Mitch says.
Lorna once had a reputation for such things but she isn’t like tha
t anymore. “Shut up, Mitch.”
I wait for Leith to come to her defense. I can’t say I’d be disappointed if he punches my brother in the face for a comment like that. “Yeah and she sucked me off good too. She’s the champion of deep-throating. You should have her do you sometime.”
I don’t understand why Leith is going along with Mitch’s arsholery where Lorna is concerned. “Fucking liar. Lorna didn’t suck anything. She’s one of my wife’s best mates. Bleu wanted her at their girls’ night. Leith couldn’t refuse the request of his leader’s wife even if Lorna is his head barmaid.”
Leith and Mitch have pissed me off. “You’re both dicks for talking about her that way. I’d make you apologize but then she’d know what you said. That would only accomplish hurting her and I won’t do that.”
“Damn, Sin. Are you on your period or what?” The two of them are laughing at me.
“Fuck both of you.”
“Don’t get pissed off. We were just bullshitting.” Leith didn’t sound like he was bullshitting to me.
“Actually, I thought you were serious about Lorna sucking you off,” Mitch says.
Jamie looks as disgusted as I am by their immaturity. “You’re both arseholes.”
Greer comes by to check on us. “Anyone need anything?”
Leith glides his hand up the back of Greer’s thigh until it’s beneath her skirt. “Not right now but maybe later.”
“Just let me know. I’m here to serve you.”
Leith watches her arse sway as she walks away. I’m reminded of the way he did the same with Bleu when she worked for him. It pisses me off all over again remembering the way he once put his hands on my wife.
“Do you fuck all your barmaids?” Jamie asks.
“I do if I feel like it.”
He’s full of shite. I know for a fact that he doesn’t shag Lorna.
Jamie changes the subject. I’m grateful. I don’t want to hear Leith’s and Mitch’s bullshit anymore. “What’s going on at your place tonight?”
“Lainie is leaving in a few days. I secured a place for her with The Guild. I thought tonight would be a good time for the lasses to get together before she goes.”
“If my sister is involved, they’re painting their nails and talking about sex. Guarantee it.”
If so, they’re doing those things while drinking plenty of alcohol. “They’re probably steamin’. I left four bottles of wine for them.”
“There are four single women, three of whom I’m not related to, drinking lots of alcohol at my brother’s place. They’re talking about the sex they aren’t having but would like to. That’s where we need to be. Not here talking about who is or isn’t sucking Leith off.” That’s probably the brightest thing Mitch has said all night.
“Think Bleu will mind us crashing her party?” I suspect Jamie is eager to see Ellison again. It’s been a while.
My drinking companions are eager to see Bleu’s friends. I shouldn’t stand in the way of potential matches since that is part of my job as leader.
“I guess we can find out.”
* * *
One hour and many drinks later, I’m at home knocking on my own front door. The three numpties with me are drunk and looking for female companionship. I’m fairly certain they’ll be out of luck. I’m the only one who’ll find a playmate tonight.
Instead, make that a mate since very little playing has been going on for the last couple of months.
No answer at the door. “They probably can’t hear us if they’ve had all that wine I left for them.”
I beat on the door again.
“Why are you knocking?”
I have no idea. This is my flat. I should just walk in like I own the place. ’Cause I do.
I turn the knob but it’s locked. “I don’t have my keys.” I ring the bell. “You should know now I’m blaming all of you if Bleu gets pissed off about this.”
Ellison swings the door open and Bleu is standing beside her, gun in hand. “What the hell are you doing, Sin? Sounds like you’re trying to break down the door.”
“Sorry, Bonny. I forgot my keys.”
Ellison scans the crowd, her eyes stopping on Jamie. “What are y’all doing here? Crashing our party?”
“We hope to,” Jamie says.
She and Bleu turn, leaving the door open for us to come in.
“Look at that fit arse,” Leith whispers. “Those MacAllister sisters are well bred.”
“Shut up.” I punch Leith in the chest. “One of those MacAllister sisters is my wife. You’d be wise to remember that.”
“Never fear, mate. It isn’t possible for a one of us to forget that Bleu is your wife.”
We find the rest of the lasses in the living room doing mostly what we expected—painting nails and drinking wine.
Bleu points to the food. “Agnes made hors d’oeuvres. There’s plenty if anyone’s hungry.”
Mitch grabs a handful. “Men are always hungry. And horny.”
“We’ve drunk most of the wine already. Well, they have.” Bleu lifts her glass. “Sparkling white grape juice for me so I don’t liquor these babies up.”
“Aye. The twins.” I hear the sarcasm in Leith’s voice.
He holds up the full bottle of Ballantine’s he swiped from the pub. “We must make a toast for our fierce leader.”
Everyone but Bleu gets a huge shot of Scotch.
Leith lifts his glass, everyone mimicking his move. “To Sin, his beautiful wife, and their two babies on the way. May our leader’s life always be as perfect as it is today. May he always, as usual, get everything he wants.”
Those words coming from anyone else might be welcome, but not from Leith. He comes off sounding like a jackarse.
“Cheers.” Everyone turns the bottoms of their drinks up.
I meet Leith in the hallway on the way to the bathroom. “You know what, Sin? You’re incredible. You couldn’t even be average and give your wife one bairn. You had to show off and knock her up with two.”
I can’t take the credit for that. “Bleu’s pregnant with twins because we couldn’t conceive on our own. She had to undergo an in vitro procedure for us to have a baby. It wasn’t my prowess as a lover that got my wife pregnant with twins. Whoever was holding the petri dish did that.”
“Oh.”
“We were told we might not be able to have our own children if we didn’t do it now. It was scary as hell for a while. So you’re wrong about everything always being perfect for me.”
“I didn’t know.”
“It’s not something we were planning to advertise.”
“I’m glad it worked out for you.”
“Thank you. We’re very happy to be getting two since we weren’t sure we’d even get one.”
Leith gives me a half hug slap on the back. “Congratulations. You’ll be excellent parents. I mean that.”
My mates are steamin’ but the lasses are even further ahead. They started drinking hours ago and now they’ve added Scotch on top of their wine. They are going to feel like shite tomorrow.
“You look tired, Bonny.”
“I am. Would it be terribly rude to leave them and go to bed?”
“No. They’ve drunk a shit ton of liquor. They don’t care.”
Bleu gets up from the sofa. “Sorry, guys. I’m calling it a night. These babies steal all my energy. You guys stay up and drink as long as you like. Sterling can drive you home or you’re welcome to spend the night. You can figure out the sleeping arrangements as long as none of them include my bed.”
Bleu locks the door behind us. “Just in case. I don’t want any drunk wanderers finding their way into our bedroom.”
“Good idea.”
We finish our nightly rituals side by side in the bathroom and get into bed. “Want the lamp off or are you going to read?”
“You can leave it on.”
Over the last few weeks, we’ve gotten into a habit of reading when we go to bed. I admit that for me, it began as a form o
f distraction. I enjoy it but it’s a poor substitute for sex.
I still have a little buzz from the whisky but I take my book from the nightstand anyway and fall back into the story. Maybe that’s why I barely notice the bed dipping next to me. But Bleu pulling back the covers to kiss my stomach just above the band of my sleep pants while her hand caresses me through the thin fabric gains my attention.
I lower my book and peek over the top. “What’s going on down there?”
“If you don’t know, then it’s definitely been too long since we fooled around.” I won’t argue with that.
“What kind of fooling around are you talking about?” We’re both very aware that penetration is off the table until further notice.
“Just a little something I want to do for you.” She pushes her hand down the front of my sleep pants. She grasps my cock firmly and glides her fist up and down the shaft. I’m not fully erect but getting there fast.
I close my eyes and lose myself in the moment. I imagine my dick sliding in and out of her body instead of her fist. It’s nowhere near as good but it’ll do.
“I want to make you come.”
Jerking yourself off is nothing like having your hot wife do it for you. “No worries. You are. Soon.”
She alternates between long, slow strokes and quick short ones. Just when I get into the rhythm of one motion, she changes the movement and inhibits my orgasm. It’s in-fucking-credible.
She’s added something new to the mix––rubbing my balls. She’s never massaged them this way before. “You like that?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“I want to make you feel good.”
“No worries, Bonny. I’m definitely riding the feel-good train.”
“Want me to suck you off? I will.”
I was already feeling the early beginnings of my climax so hearing her ask that is almost enough to make me blow. “You have a dirty mouth tonight.”
“It could be dirtier.” She leans over and licks my shaft from base to tip before sucking the head into her mouth.
Dammit. I would love nothing more than to feel her mouth all over me but there’s no time. I tense, trying to hold back but it’s no use. This feel-good train is about to derail. “Ohh. Stop. Stop, Bleu. I’m about to come. Right now.”