Chapter 15
***Memphis***
“You’re kidding! I always wanted to plant an all black flowerbed!” I sank into the grass next to Pete and pulled up a few weeds. “I saw someone online who grew a large bed of black irises and I was obsessed. Do you have pictures?”
Pete, an amazingly sweet man around my age, pulled out his phone and went through his pictures. “This is Henry.”
I pulled his phone closer to see the muscled hunk standing next to Pete at a parade, their arms around each other. I fanned myself and whistled. “You two are probably ruining women’s days everywhere you go.”
He laughed and scrolled through more pictures.
“We both did push ups before taking that picture so we’d look a little sweaty and buff.
Let me tell you, posting pictures to Instagram as a gay man in his early thirties is a full-time job.
There’s no such thing as a candid photo.
If one of my friends tagged me in a picture without my approval, I’d murder them. That’s how intense it is.”
I laid back in the grass and covered my eyes. “That sounds awful. I don’t have any of that stuff anymore. It’s nicer this way.”
“What do you mean? How do you not have social media?” He handed me his phone and kept ranting. “I mean, sure it’s terrible, but how do you know when anything is happening?”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the flowerbed captured in his phone. All black flowers, it was a gothic masterpiece. I might’ve even moaned when I zoomed in on a black dahlia that was more beautiful than any supermodel I’d ever seen. “Oh, God, Pete!”
Heavy footsteps came towards us quickly, startling me into sitting up. Wells appeared over us a second later, his face pinched in anger. His eyes were focused on Pete, but he spoke to me. “Care to join us for a meeting, Memphis?”
I hopped to my feet and dusted off my butt. “Look at this first, Wells. Pete planted an all black flowerbed. Isn’t it amazing? Look at this dahlia! I would kill to have this dahlia, Pete. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
Pete took his phone back and shot a weary look at Wells. “Yep. Got it.”
I smiled up at Wells and bit my lip when he finally focused on me. His blue-green eyes reminded me of the ocean I’d seen in so many postcards from the coast. I loved the sharp angles of his face that he didn’t keep behind a beard. Even the dimple in his chin was hot. “Is this a good meeting?”
He looked like he lost a battle against a smile as he looked me over. “Maybe.”
I gripped his arm and waved to Pete. “I’ll see you later!”
Wells pulled me to the house and upstairs to a floor I’d never seen. I was breathing hard by the time we got to a set of massive double doors. He was practically running and my flats were working hard to keep up.
“Wells, I’m going to have an asthma attack if you don’t slow down.” I pulled my arm free of his grip and took a deep breath.
“You have asthma?” He looked concerned as he ran his eyes over me.
“No. Still. You shouldn’t make me walk so fast. My legs are shorter than yours.” I grinned up at him, in a good mood that wouldn’t quit. “What’s this room?”
He pushed open the doors and led me into a tall room that would’ve fit the entire guest house inside it.
Every single wall was covered in bookshelves and every single bookshelf was full of books.
From floor to ceiling, it was the library of every little Belle’s dreams. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“This is the library.” Wells gently pushed me inside. “We thought you’d like it.”
I rushed over to the closest wall of books and let out a happy little scream. “Wells! This is the best thing I’ve ever seen! This is my dream come true!”
A rolling ladder called to me and I wasted no time in climbing it and sending myself flying down the wall of books. A big hand on the ladder stopped me from hitting the opposite wall and crashing. I looked down at Remington and smiled, unfazed.
“If you’re not careful, I’ll have the ladders taken out, Memphis. You’re not breaking your neck in here.” He lifted me off the ladder like it was nothing and pushed it away. “Do you think you can tear your attention away from the books for a few minutes?”
I nodded hurriedly, but my eyes were already scanning the walls of books. The options were limitless. I could read a book a day for my entire five years at their house and never run out of things to read.
Boone looked up at me from a low club chair and winked. “Hey, nerd.”
I leaned against his chair and teasingly slapped his arm. “Better a nerd than a surgeon. You know what they say about surgeons, don’t you?”
Remington leaned against a big wooden desk in front of me and nodded. “Please, tell us.”
“Narcissists with god complexes.” I laughed when Boone grabbed my sides and tickled me. “Total sadists!”
He pulled me into his lap and narrowed his eyes at me. “This is why our marriage fails. Fuck statistics. It’s because you’re cruel to me.”
I patted his cheek and couldn’t help scratching my fingers through his beard. I loved the feeling. I also loved the way his dark blue eyes went a little sleepy when I did it. “Today’s cruel is tomorrow’s honest.”
Wells cleared his throat. “Not to break this up, but I have to ask the question. Why were you moaning the gardener’s name when I found you?”
I laughed until I noticed they weren’t joining me. Remington was staring out the window like he wanted to murder someone and Boone had gone stiff under me. Scoffing, I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “Seriously?”
Boone frowned. “Well? Were you moaning his name?”
“Yeah, I was.” I watched as their tiny little man brains combusted. “Want to hear how it sounded?”
Remington cut his eyes at me. “Memphis.”
“Oh, God, Pete! Oh, Pete!” I really put my all into it.
“Oh, Pete, your garden is beautiful and your flowers make me want to rob you blind! Yeah, you fools. I was moaning over a flower bed. It’s an all black flower bed, if you’re curious.
Absolutely stunning and I really would rob Pete blind if I could get my hands on those plants. ”
Boone laughed and tried to grab me, but I moved away from his reach. Wells had the decency to look embarrassed. Remington, though, still looked like he would gladly murder Pete and find another gardener.
“I’m not going to get knocked up by Pete and break our contract. You three can relax.” I met Remington’s eyes and lifted my chin defiantly. “To be clear, though, there was nothing in the contract about me not dating during the five years I’ll be here.”
“I’ll add it in.” He straightened and stepped towards me. “How are you feeling about what we discussed last night?”
I wilted into the chair next to me as my entire body blushed. I hadn’t expected him to come right out with it, although that was clearly a misstep on my part. “Sober. And shy.”
He stood over me and didn’t budge until I looked up at him. When I did, he knelt in front of me and rested his hands on my knees. My dress had ridden up enough that his warm skin was directly on mine. “You know that nothing is permanent. The original contract is still in play.”
“No.” I took a deep breath and ran my fingers over his stubble. “I still want what we talked about. I’m just nervous. Being sober and pretending to be confident is a lot harder.”
He stroked his thumbs along the inside of my knees and studied me with an intense stare. “Why would you need to pretend to be confident?”
I groaned and covered my face with my hands, peeking out from between my fingers to look at Remington, kneeling in front of me in a perfectly tailored suit. “I made a mistake last night.”
Wells moved closer to us and pulled my hands away from my face. “What do you mean?”
“I Googled y’all. I just... I don’t know.
I was curious and I saw the women you normally take out.
You date supermodels. A lot of supermodels.
I’ve only been with one man. I have all the experience of a virgin, with none of the virtue.
I’m feeling very inadequate.” I sighed. “I didn’t even get to use Jeremy last night.
I got in my head about how disappointed y’all are going to be when I get undressed and just lay there like a dead fish. ”
Boone’s explosive laughter wasn’t expected, or very welcome, but when I glared at him, he didn’t seem capable of controlling it. “I’m sorry. There are just so many things wrong with that statement.”
“You tried to ride my dick in the car last night like a snake charmer, sweetheart. I don’t think any of us are worried about you being a dead fish in the sack.
” Remington’s hands inched higher. “And the idea of being disappointed when you undress for me? Not a fucking chance. I’m a patient man most of the time, but I’m dying to see you stripped bare for me. ”
“I want to do it this way. I meant what I said.” I looked at all three of them, acting as if my heart wasn’t racing from Remington’s words. “I don’t know what happens next.”
“One of us takes you first, Memphis.” Wells didn’t look at his brothers as he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “Your choice.”
My body responded to his touch the same way it responded to Remington’s touch. I was eager to experience pleasure with them. I was incredibly out of my league and nervous, though. “I think... This is going to sound insane, but I think I would feel better if you were all three here when we do it.”