Chapter 17
LOLA
Work always went by fast when I had something to look forward to in the evening. Today, it was yet another date with my men.
My men…that just sounded silly. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted that to be their title. I wanted them to be mine, and deep down, I had already set my mind to making that happen.
I wasn’t one to give up, but I was impatient at times, and waiting for the sparks to get bigger, and for the fire between them and me to fully ignite wasn’t easy. I would pull through though, and make sure that I wouldn’t get annoyed if it took a little more time.
It’s been a wonderful night so far. When I first arrived at their apartment, they welcomed me with yet another bouquet of flowers, which they had placed in a pretty vase. Next to it there was a card which they told me not to open until I was back home. It drove me crazy not knowing what they had written inside, but I managed to keep my eyes off the card and to fight the urge to open it.
Leo had once again cooked an amazing dinner. This time, he made hand-made ravioli with ricotta and spinach filling, and with an incredibly tasty lemon sauce. I couldn’t stop complimenting his cooking, and after almost every bite, I had to tell him just how delicious the food was.
He kept grinning at me, knowing that he already had me wrapped around his little finger.
I asked for seconds after finishing my plate, and now that I was done with that one as well, I leaned back and placed my hands on my stomach. “I’m so full, but it’s the best kind of full I’ll ever be.”
“Not for long,” Watson said, and as I tried to figure out what he meant, Kline slapped the back of his head.
“Inappropriate,” Kline hissed.
I looked between them and finally understood what they were arguing about. I bit the inside of my cheeks to hide a grin. “It’s fine. I think he’s right, to be fair.”
“It’s our second date. He shouldn’t be making sexual remarks,” Bennett said, his voice stern.
I looked at him and smiled gently. “It’s okay. It’s not like it’s not going to happen sooner or later.”
They all looked at me with their eyes burning right through me. All of their faces had different expressions, but overall, they were all thinking the same.
“Have you ever been with more than one man at a time?” Kline asked.
“No, I haven’t. But I’m willing to try. I know you guys will make it good for me. If…that’s what you want.”
“Of course, we do,” Bennett replied. “We just want to make sure we won’t overwhelm you.”
“We’ve shared women before, but never the four of us together. It’ll be different with you for us as well,” Leo added. “But there’s no rush. We’ll take it easy.”
“We will,” Kline agreed. He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his buzzed hair. “Let’s change the subject. Lola, do you play games?”
“Like, boardgames and such?”
“Yes. We got a few here. We occasionally have game nights,” he explained.
Cute.
“I love games. I’m especially good at Monopoly. Do you have that?”
“Of course.” Bennett got up and nodded toward the couches in the living area. “Come.”
I got up from my chair and followed him to the couches where we sat down on one. I watched him pull out all the boardgames, and I already saw a couple I’d enjoy playing.
“Do you like card games too?” Bennett asked, holding up a deck of cards.
“I only know two card games, but they’re Italian. Willa and I went to Italy last year, and below the apartment we stayed at was a little bar with elderly people hanging out every day. We often sat there with them before going out and they taught us a couple of games.”
“That sounds interesting. Are you willing to teach us?”
“Of course.” I smiled at him.
“And how was Italy?” He leaned back and reached for my hand to hold it in his lap.
“Italy was amazing. We stayed in Turin, and we moved around from there a lot to visit some other places. We fell in love with Turin though, and we have already planned another trip this winter. Have you guys traveled before?”
Bennett caressed my fingers with his, and I looked at him intently as he talked about the years after college he spent traveling.
“I’ve been almost everywhere, but I gotta be honest…traveling for that long was exhausting, and while I visited countries I’ve always wanted to explore, towards the end of my trip, my excitement and motivation had slowly vanished.”
“You’ve been traveling for over a year. I can see how that might happen. Did you start missing home?”
“Also, yes. Adjusting to my old life once I was back was hard, but I met Watson shortly after, and he somehow managed to help me settle in again.”
“How did you and Watson meet?”
“That’s a funny story,” Leo called out from the kitchen.
“It really is,” Bennett admitted with a chuckle. “Before I went on my trip, I went on a date with a woman I knew from college. We both had a good time, and she told me that if I were up for another date after my trip, I should call her and see if she was also still interested. That’s what I did a week after coming back to the States. We met up, and I found her sitting at a table with another woman, and Watson. She didn’t mention a double date, but it turned out to be the best date I ever had.” He grinned and looked over at Watson who had come to sit on the other couch.
I looked between them and slowly started to realize what he meant by that. A laugh escaped me, and the guys all chuckle. “So…neither of you ended up dating those women?”
“No, they dumped us. So we became friends. We bonded over our love for dancing and movies,” Watson explained.
I pursed my lips and looked at Bennett again. “I’d say that’s a good ending to that story.”
“Most definitely.”
Leo and Kline joined us once they cleaned up everything, and they brought slices of the cake I made. I was normally very confident in the things I baked, but for some reason, I felt nervous. I wanted them to like it. I wanted to add one more thing to their list of things that they like about me.
“Are those edible flowers?” Watson asked, inspecting the cake.
“Yes. It’s a blueberry-lemon cake, and I colored the frosting with blueberries, not with food coloring.” I wanted to point that out because most people disliked the taste of food coloring. I did too.
I watched them as they all took a bite, and I waited patiently for their reactions. They slowly turned their attention on me, and in unison, they started to nod and grin.
“It’s perfect,” Watson said.
“Just wonderful,” Bennett added.
“I love it, darling. It’s way better than any cake Leo has ever made,” Kline admitted with a smirk.
“Hey now…no need to be rude.”
I laughed and placed my hand on Leo’s thigh. “I think your chocolate cake was amazing. But I am proud of my baking.”
“You should be, baby. This cake is amazing,” he assured. “You’ll have to teach me.”
I smiled and nodded, thinking that was another great date idea.
For now, I like watching them enjoy seconds of my cake, and afterward, we spent the night playing games.
***
“She did not lie when she said she was good at this game,” Watson muttered as he stared at the Monopoly board on the coffee table.
I grinned at him, waiting for him to make a move. “Come on, you either sell those houses, or you give up. Either way…I already won.”
“She’s right, man. There’s no way out for you. You’re in a shitload of dept,” Kline told him.
They had already gone bankrupt because of me, and Watson was close too, but he wasn’t giving up.
“How about you lend me some money?”
I threw back my head and laughed. “No way! You can’t ask me that.”
“Just give up already, man,” Leo urged.
I looked at Watson, intensely staring him down until he finally gave in with a heavy sigh. “Fine, but I want a rematch soon.”
“All of us do,” Bennett joked. “Anyone want another beer?”
“I’ll take one. I need it,” Watson said, running his hand through his long hair.
“I’ll have another glass of water, please,” I told Bennett.
He nodded and got up, and while he was gone, I turned to Watson and smiled. I wanted to cheer him up. “Has your hair always been this long?”
“Uh, not really. I used to have it buzzed like Kline, then I realized I don’t look even half as good as he does, and so I let it grow.”
“Well, I think your hair is perfect. It suits you.”
He smiled and reached out his hand to squeeze my thigh. “Thank you, sweetheart. It’s not too late yet. Are you up for a movie?”
I looked at him before dropping my eyes to my phone on the coffee table. I tapped on it to check the time, and quickly decided that it wasn’t time to go home yet.