Three Times The Knockin' Boots: A Why Choose Romance (Dirty Coyote Series Book 6)

Mindy 9

For the next few days, all I could think of was Jackson or was it, Dion? No. No. No. All I could think of was Arlo.

Shit!

I couldn’t stop thinking about all three of them for different reasons.

I loved Dion’s sense of humor, his swagger when he walked, his ability to dance when we were on the dance floor together, how he called me his music, and how incredible his mouth felt between my legs. All those things, and many more, caused me to fall for him hard and fast. Dion was quickly getting under my skin, and I didn’t want to let him go… never, if I could help it.

Then there was Arlo, sweet, courteous Arlo. How could I ever leave a man whose kisses made my knees weak and set my soul on fire. I loved how he always asked before we did anything, as if he needed my permission to touch me. He called me baby girl. That right there was enough to make me stay with him forever. He was kind, gentle, overly respectful, had a killer kiss, and had no qualms about coming in my mouth. There were a lot of men who didn’t want to let it go that way… Arlo wasn’t one of them. No way could I give all that up—way too much fun going on there.

Then there was Jackson. I was his wow. Nothing else had to be said, because secretly, he was also my wow. He didn’t just fuck me—he made love to me. The old-fashioned way where he made me feel like it all meant something. Like we were talking to each other without words. We were reaching our souls. We were making love. He was my gentle giant. My lover. My wow, and as long as the feeling was mutual, I was staying put.

Thing was, I hadn’t intended for any of this to happen. I wanted love, but not right now. I wanted to concentrate on my career… my dance studio.

So much for those dreams. They were replaced with new opportunities… opportunities I hadn’t prepared for or even considered.

Yet here they were, bigger than life and ready to change everything I thought was important.

Not only that, but I also had to work together with Jackson now, and I was truly looking forward to that. Looking forward to seeing him on a daily basis. And even if it wasn’t for the entire day, at least I knew it would be for some part of it.

“I’m handing in my notice,” I told Emma as soon as I saw her inside Last Call. Part of me felt bad about it, while the other part of me couldn’t wait to get on with my life.

“I knew it was coming. I just didn’t think it would be this soon,” she said, as she walked over to the bar on the main floor. I followed along. Last Call had two floors, and during these summer months, the upstairs stayed open until two a.m., just like the main floor. During the winter months, the second floor closed down around ten thirty. It just got too cold, even with the gas lamps, to stay open much past that time.

“I can work tonight and Thursday night, but I won’t be in next week at all. I’ll be moving to Sweet Whiskey.”

“That was quick. Did you find a place?”

Emma was an ex-biker girl and still rode her Harley whenever she got the chance to take it out for a long ride. She mostly wore black jeans and a low-cut black tee. Her shoulder-length black hair was pulled up in one of our baseball caps with the Last Call logo on the front, and those classic red lips of hers had become her trademark. She wore a black tee that showed off her dragon tattoo on her left shoulder and the floral vine climbing up her arm from her delicate wrist. I loved working for her and would truly miss her friendship.

“Not yet. For now, I’ll be staying in one of the Jennings’ cabins.”

“I heard they were nice inside and comfy.”

“Anything Tammy does is always top notch. It’s very comfortable and well stocked. I may never leave.”

She chuckled. “Tammy knows talent when she sees it.”

“But I was only a dance instructor there, and I hadn’t even gotten started yet. Thank you for putting a good word in for me.”

“My pleasure. I knew Jimmy wasn’t well. He needed a break, and the way you could step into the management role here when I needed you, told me you’d be the perfect match for Tammy. What’s happening with Jimmy’s position? Did she find someone to fill his shoes?”

“She did—Jackson Martinez, from Bad Crush. They’re in town for at least six months, maybe longer. Playing over at the Coyote. You might want to book them here. They’ll bring in a crowd.”

“I like their music. Thanks for the tip.”

Emma could never just chat. She always had to multitask whenever she had a conversation at Last Call. Like right now, she was unloading the dishwasher behind the bar, sorting the glasses, then placing them where they belong.

I wondered what she was like outside of work. Did she multitask at home as well? Of course, she was in a plural relationship, so multitasking might be an asset… especially in bed. I hadn’t even thought that part through yet. That part scared me, especially with these three guys. They all had big, thick dicks. How I would ever handle all of that made my brain hurt.

“How do you do it?” I blurted out without giving it much thought.

“Do what? Run the bar? It’s easy when you have three other managers to help.”

“No. How do you handle being in a relationship with three guys?”

“Oh that.” She suddenly stopped fidgeting with the glasses and gave me her undivided attention.

I think I liked her better when she multitasked.

“What do you want to know? Cause if you’re talking about the bedroom situation, all I can tell you is be prepared for sex marathons, sore lady parts, and complete and total exhaustion. If you’re asking about picking up after three guys, or the regular kind of stuff of married life, that’s all about respect for not only the group but for everyone’s individual privacy. Believe me, babe, there were plenty of times when I thought this wasn’t for me. And plenty of times when I thought I was the luckiest girl on the planet. What I’ve learned in the last couple of years, is to be patient, to trust my men, trust my instincts, and to never, ever go to bed angry. To talk about what’s bugging you as soon as it happens. I learned that from a couple of the other women in town who have the same kind of relationship.”

“How many plural relationships are there?”

“At least six in Cricket, and I want to say at least five over in your neck of the woods. We started a club of sorts. We meet once a month just to bitch about our lives, and believe me, there’s plenty to bitch about. That being said, there’s so much more to be thankful for. The men who are in this kind of relationship… at least the ones who want to make it work, well, they’re like no other guys you’ll ever meet.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“All good… very good. They’re kind, loving, generous, and they truly care not only for their women but for each other.”

That got me wondering. “When you say for each other… does that mean they have sex with each other?”

“That’s none of my business, but let’s just say, most of the guys are totally into their woman. If the other stuff happens, that’s up to the group. They usually have rules about that sort of thing, and no, I won’t answer a question about my husbands. That goes back to respecting privacy, which is monumentally important.”

All of a sudden, I felt as though this relationship I was embarking on was totally real. Up until this moment, I was playing a mind game with myself and with my guys. But Emma was the real deal in a plural relationship with rules and standards and privacy issues.

“And what about family? Did they accept your relationship?”

“That’s a horse of a way different color, as they say. Some families are fine with it, just as some friends are welcoming of your relationship. While other friends and family members frown on the whole idea of it and will never accept it. That goes for strangers as well, or your neighbors. We’re blessed here in Cricket and in Sweet Whiskey. Almost everyone who lives here not only accepts our relationships but welcomes them. But that’s not how the rest of the world works. And I’ve found that you can’t generalize with folks. You can’t assume just because someone is a liberal or a progressive, they’re going to accept you. Or that just because someone is more traditional or conservative, they’re going to hate your lifestyle. There are some instances when it’s the complete opposite of what you thought it would be. It used to throw me, but now, I realize we’re all individuals and just because we belong to one group or another doesn’t mean we think or act accordingly. Just know that hate and love can come from either side of the spectrum.”

It suddenly hit me… did I seriously want this type of relationship in my life? And if I did, could I handle everything that came with it? Most of the things she was talking about, I hadn’t even considered. Good thing I was sitting down on a nice, solid barstool. If I hadn’t been, I felt certain I might have fallen completely over.

“This is a lot to take in and digest,” I told her as I sipped on my plain soda water with a slice of lemon.

“Don’t let it overwhelm you. There’s a luncheon this Friday over at Sweetie Pies at noon. If that’s too soon for you, we try to meet the second Friday of each month. Most of the women will be there for this one. Although, I don’t think Connie can make it. I think she’s on tour, but the rest of the women will be there. You should especially meet Emily Jennings. She’s the calm, rational one among us. Oh, and Liberty Gallagher. Not only is she dealing with three men, but she’s also mother to their three kids as well. Talk about a houseful! You’ll get a good feel of what this kind of relationship is all about. Like I said, if you can’t make this one, there’s always another meeting next month.”

Everything in me told me to get in my car and drive away from these two towns. That this lifestyle was way over-the-top too hard, too difficult, too demanding, and way too far out there. It would be a constant thorn in my side.

But then I thought about my three guys and why I was falling for each of them.

Could I give up two of them? And which two would that be, exactly?

No way could I do that, not yet anyway. Give it a couple weeks or months after I’d fallen into the toilet bowl in the middle of the night because none of them put the seat down. Or when dishes filled up the sink, and no one offered to wash them or even place them in the dishwasher. Or that they were too aggressive with me in bed, and I couldn’t keep up. Or they liked to have sex with each other and completely ignore me.

Could happen.

Highly unlikely, but it still could happen.

My thoughts were all over the place, so I drank down some of my bubbly water while I watched Emma empty the second dishwasher, sort out the glasses, and put them where they belonged. Then I just sat and watched her for a minute. A tall, slender woman who couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and fifteen pounds soaking wet. Yet not only did she share a bed with three gorgeous, demanding men, but she also worked with them on a daily basis.

If she could do it, there was absolutely no reason I couldn’t.

“I don’t know about this Friday’s meeting. I have way too much on my plate right now, but next month might just be perfect. Lunch at Sweetie Pies on the second Friday at noon sounds like the exact event I need to participate in,” I told her when she finally gazed my way. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“I’m sure the girls will love to have you join our group. Looking at it through your eyes is exactly what we need to keep our relationships exciting and fresh. You’re going to love them.”

“I’m sure I will. Count me in.”

“Great!”

“Now I need to get ready for my last dance class here at Last Call.” I slid off my stool and grabbed my purse off the bar.

“We’re going to miss you around here, Mindy. That’s for damn sure. You were that ray of sunshine we needed.”

“Thanks. You’ve been a great employer. Did you ever find a replacement for me?”

“Not yet, but we’re working on it.”

“If you can’t find anyone, let me know. I’ve made a few friends here, and I might be able to help.”

One of my younger students here at Last Call, Shannon Knight, had a real knack for picking up all the steps the first time through. I knew if I gave her a few pointers, she’d make a fabulous instructor.

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Just let me know. I might have someone who’d be perfect,” I told her and went off to store my purse in a locker… for the very last time.

THE NEXT FEW days were filled with tasks from the time I opened my eyes in the morning until I closed them well after midnight each night. There was suddenly so much to do and learn at the dance hall, combined with trying to pack up my apartment in Cricket, that I could barely talk to Jackson, Arlo, or Dion, let alone try to build on our budding relationship.

We did manage another private dance lesson that could have blossomed into something much more, especially when Dion asked me to their new place for a drink. As tempting as that had been, combined with how well they were doing with the lessons, I wanted nothing more. Unfortunately, I had a meeting with Daniel, our head chef, that evening to talk about an engagement party coming up on Saturday afternoon. He and his staff would handle all the details, but I needed to learn what those details were, which I did. I took so many notes and then transposed them into a spreadsheet, so I had the entire process down… with Tammy’s help, of course.

Tammy was a total doll. She never once lost her patience with me or made me feel as though this job was over my head. In truth, she made me feel as though I could handle her job better than she could… which I knew was a flat-out exaggeration of the facts. Tammy wanted me to take all the credit when something worked out better than we had hoped for, and she would take the blame when I completely screwed up.

I knew she was a sweetheart, but I didn’t realize until my third day in that she was a true treasure. And if she took me under her wing, I was the one who would soar, while she was simply the wind under my wings.

“You’ve got this, doll!” she told me as we sat in her office. She sat behind a big square desk that hardly looked lived in. No paperwork stacked up, no cups of pens, no scattered note cards. Just one pen, one note pad, a leather-bound journal, and a laptop off to the side. If she actually worked at her desk, there was no evidence of it. “I don’t want you to stress about anything. Payroll is done by the service I’ve listed for you, and it’s the employee’s responsibility to fill out their hours on a weekly basis. They all know what time they have to be here for their shift. If they’re running late, we don’t dock them; we just make sure they understand the impact that it has on the other folks working with them. We’re a team, hon, and teams have each other’s backs. They’re a good group, and they respect each other. They’ve mostly all been with Jimmy and me since we opened. There are a couple of new faces, but they swung right in and hit the ball right out of the park the first time on the floor. You won’t even have to think about any of them. If they can’t make it in, they usually cover for each other. And remember, each section has its own manager, so all you have to deal with are the five people who run those sections. You met them all at the meeting. They only want to help you to keep this place going like it’s been running or even better. We all make money when everything runs well, and that’s one of our goals. Happy customers are our priority, then happy employees. If we can get those two right, the money comes automatically, which makes everyone happy, starting with our customers.”

As she spoke, I wanted to reach out and hug her. She had the right attitude to run a successful business, at least in my eyes. I hated authoritarian bosses. Even if they ran a successful business, the people who worked for that kind of person usually hated their job and couldn’t wait to move on. No one left this place. I already knew this because when I looked up each employee to get a better feel for the staff, they’d all been here since before the place opened. That said a lot about Tammy and Jimmy, more than the money they made working here.

“Got it,” I told her, trying my best to restrain myself from gushing.

“I knew you would. Will you be moving here to Sweet Whiskey?”

“Already in the process.”

“Feel free to stay in your cabin for as long as you’d like, but I’m sure you’ll want your own place in town. Either way, there’s no rush. Whatever works for you, doll.”

“Thanks, I’m hoping to move to town as soon as I find something comparable to what I had in Cricket.”

“Sounds like you’ve got it all covered, hon. Trust me, you’re going to love it here.”

I already loved it here, and I loved Tammy along with the convenience of the cabin, but I wanted a place of my own, with my own things. I already had a realtor looking for me. Thing was, getting an apartment in Sweet Whiskey turned out to be more difficult to find than a place in Cricket. The town was half the size of Cricket, and the good citizens didn’t seem to move around very much, at least not in the smaller places. The big estates were constantly changing hands, but that was due to the country music bands that landed here for a while to play Dirty Coyote, then moved on after a year or two. Plus, there were several large ranches that had been divided up and sold as small, private estates. Living on one of those would be ideal, but I didn’t have the funds for anything like that… at least not yet.

Still, my future looked bright.

“Now, hon, let me show you around the main bar. Do you know anything about mixing a drink?”

I suddenly wished I’d learned how to mix drinks. It would have come in handy so many times, but I was a business woman first and a dancer second. A mixologist never had room on my plate… until now.

“I can pour beer, and I know how to use a bar gun to pour cola or soda water. That’s about it. I should learn the basics.”

“Never too late to learn a new trade. Never know when it might come in handy. I didn’t learn how to pour until I was in my late forties. Thought I might need it someday, and here I am, pouring with the best of ‘em. It’s been a great boon to my life here in Sweet Whiskey. I like to spend at least an hour or two behind the bar with Colt and his other bartenders. I meet a lot of our customers that way. Nice folks. Especially the regulars. You might want to get to know them. Helps when you get a little burnt out by all of the work that goes into this place on a daily basis. It’s good to personally know who you’re trying to please and why. Folks need a place they can come to and feel safe, laugh, enjoy some good music, dance, and make new friends. Jimmy and I want this to be that place. You up for keeping it that way, doll?”

“I sure am,” I told her, continually amazed at how she ran her business. The more she spoke about Dirty Coyote, the more I knew I’d made the right decision. She was teaching me how to run a successful business. Not just a money maker, but an actual business that people loved. This dance hall had become a second home for her friends, rather than just her place of business. I wanted to emulate that with my own business, and Tammy would show me exactly how to accomplish that goal.

“Then let’s meet a few of my friends down at the main bar,” she said and slipped her arm through mine as we took off for the main bar.

As soon as we opened her office door, I heard Bad Crush performing one of their hit songs. Their harmony and Dion’s gritty voice shot right through me. I knew they would be performing tonight, but I was still taken by surprise. Mostly because I knew them intimately now, and that changed how I experienced their music. It felt more like they were singing directly to me.

Jackson knew I was in the house, so when it was his solo, I felt as if he were singing just to me. I could almost feel his hands on me. See him in the shower, still dressed, pulling me in close for a long kiss. It made me tingle all over as we stepped out through the black drapes, and the stage lights nearly blinded me for a moment.

I gazed back at them, and as soon as I saw their faces, I knew there was no getting around it. My heart belonged to those three guys, and even though they could each have at least half of the women in this crowded dance hall, they only wanted me.

Oh yeah, I was the luckiest girl on the planet, and I intended to make the most of it.