11. Jett
11
JETT
“What’s the name of that tattoo shop you go to again?” I asked Zane.
“After Dark Studios.” He tossed his bag into the back of Noah’s truck.
I typed the name into Google.
“You getting some ink?” Ezra asked from where he was leaning against the side of his and Wes’s truck.
We’d finished packing up the site for the week and were all clustered around our cars before heading home.
“Not sure I’m ever going to get there.” I clicked on the shop’s website. “But my intrusive thoughts have convinced me to get a nose ring.”
Wes chuckled. “Is that how intrusive thoughts work?”
I shot him a smirk-smile. “No clue, but that’s my excuse for sticking holes in my body after years of being brainwashed to believe that our bodies are temples and tattoos or piercings will turn me into some sort of degenerate.”
“Welcome to the dark side.” Noah leaned over, his fist out for a bump. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
Like me, Noah had been raised in a hyper-religious family. We were different denominations, but a lot of what we’d gone through was eerily similar.
Noah had bucked the ‘keep your body pure’ thing long before me. He’d started rebelling as a teenager with piercings and was in the process of having tattoo sleeves done.
I loved the look of tattoos, but flu shots made me woozy, so a tattoo probably wasn’t the best idea.
A quick poke was preferable to hours of tiny ones.
Hopefully.
I bumped his fist. “Feels like freedom.”
“Are you looking to get that done today?” Ezra asked, his phone in his hand.
“Do they do walk-ins?” I glanced at Zane.
He shook his head.
“I know the owner.” Ez wiggled his phone. “I can see if he can squeeze you in before you have to go to work.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
“You know Ben?” River asked.
Ez nodded. “Since high school. He’s done all my ink.”
“Talk about a small world. He’s done all of ours too.” River grinned. “Crazy.”
Ez flicked his gaze to me. “Want me to give him a call?”
“Yeah, thanks.” A little flush of heat crept up my chest at his soft smile.
I couldn’t explain exactly what was different between us, but things had changed over the past couple of weeks.
Before that, we’d fallen into an easy friendship. We joked and laughed and talked shit to each other, the same as we did with the other guys.
Then Quinn had split the crew up, and I’d spent the last two weeks working with Ez and Wes on one part of the build while the rest of the guys worked on another.
Now that it was just the three of us, things were different. More intimate.
At least that’s how it felt.
Now our days were filled with inside jokes, long conversations, and little moments that blurred the line between friends and more.
Their smiles were more familiar, their looks longer, and they were always finding ways to touch me. Just simple touches like a hand on my back or sitting close enough our arms brushed.
And Ezra’s bedroom eyes were going to be the death of me.
That man could smolder, and I was quickly learning that being caught in that stare, like he was remembering every detail of our encounters together, was hazardous.
I’d choked on water, swallowed food the wrong way, tripped on nothing, and dropped more than one random thing that had slipped out of my grasp.
Luckily I had the ability to keep focused on the job when I was actually working, so I didn’t endanger anyone else with my distraction.
“Wouldn’t texting be faster?” Gray asked. “Who calls people?”
“For anyone else, probably, but Ben doesn’t answer texts during the day. He says it messes with his flow.” Ezra put the phone to his ear. “So if you want to talk to him, you have to call him or wait until he’s done for the night.”
“You sure you want to do this?” Quinn asked me. “I feel like I’m supposed to say something responsible right now.”
“I’m sure. I’ve wanted one for years,” I assured him. “I’m bad with impulse control, but this isn’t one of those times.”
He raked a hand through his messy hair. “I figured. Being the boss is weird. I have no idea if I’m supposed to be the adult all the time or not.”
“You’re pretty much the only adult here,” Wes quipped. “The rest of us are just cosplaying it.”
Quinn chuckled. “Trust me when I say I’m cosplaying too.”
“Must be those acting chops.” River tossed a bottle cap at Quinn.
He caught it and tossed it back. “Probably.”
River caught the cap and screwed it back onto his bottle.
“What time do you have to be at work?” Ezra asked me, his hand over the bottom of his phone.
“Eight-thirty.”
He nodded and spoke into the phone, his voice soft enough I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Gray slipped on a backward ball cap. “I doubt I’m ever going to feel like an adult. I’m always going to be that guy going ‘What would a grown-up do?’ every time something happens and I have to deal with it.”
“I like to think ‘What would Quinn do?’ when I have those moments.” Zane slammed the tailgate of Noah’s truck closed.
“Good thing you guys don’t see what goes on in my head and only see my actions.” He chuckled. “I’m the king of mental flailing.”
“Mental flailing?” I asked. “Is that when your brain is spinning a million miles an hour, but you look like you’ve got your shit together?”
“Pretty much.”
“Better than outward flailing, which is what I’m good at,” I said.
“Hard same.” Gray leaned against his car.
“I mean, just tag me next time.” River paused. “Does that saying work when you’re talking?”
“Not really, but we all knew what you meant.” Zane bumped his brother’s shoulder.
“He can fit you in at closing,” Ezra said. “You’ll have enough time to get to work after. You want the spot?”
“Hell yeah.”
He grinned and said something into the phone.
“We still hitting the gym?” Gray asked River and Zane.
They nodded.
“Want to head out?” Gray asked.
“Probably should.” Zane glanced at Noah. “See ya when we’re done?”
Noah nodded and pecked a quick kiss against Zane’s lips.
I looked back down at my phone and checked out the studio’s website as the guys discussed their plans. The flashy colors and the multitude of photos showcasing their work reassured me they were as good as Zane, and now Ez, said.
“What time is the appointment?” I asked Ezra, looking up from my phone.
“Seven-forty.”
I did some mental math as Quinn, Zane, River, Gray, and Noah all said their goodbyes and left.
I had a few hours to kill between now and the appointment time. I could go home and relax for a bit, but I wasn’t in relax mode. I was hyped up and excited. I wanted to do something. To recharge for my shift at the club instead of going home to stare at my phone and zone out until it was time to get ready.
“You look like you’re trying to solve the mysteries of the universe.”
Wes’s voice startled me out of my daze. I’d zoned out in the middle of the car lot. Awesome.
“What?” I shook my head with an embarrassed chuckle. “I was in my own little world there.”
“I could tell.” He came to stand next to me and leaned against my car. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I waved to Quinn as he drove away.
Now it was only the three of us.
“I can see your nose growing.”
“My what?” I asked Ezra.
“Nose growing, like Pinocchio.”
“Oh, right.” I paused. “Wait, did you just call me a liar?”
“Do the flaming pants fit?” Wes asked.
I paused again. “Okay, I got that one. Like liar, liar, pants on fire, right?”
“Yup.” Ez smiled.
Jesus, he was gorgeous. Both of them were, but there was something about the way Ez’s smiles transformed his face that was mesmerizing.
He had that dark-haired, tattooed and pierced bad boy look down when he was just existing, and he could work a smolder like no one else.
Seriously. He should give a masterclass on how to melt undies with a single look.
But his smiles were so bright and filled with joy that they softened his normally tough exterior and made him seem more like a tattooed and pierced teddy bear.
“I’m not lying. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just restless.”
“Restless?” Ez tilted his head to the side and studied me.
“Yeah. I don’t like waiting for things. It’s like my brain shuts down, and I spend the time in a mental waiting room. Can’t focus or do anything that requires thought until it’s time to do whatever I’m waiting for. I hate it.”
“I’m the same way,” Wes said. “And I also hate it. Are you late to things too? Like you spend so much time freaking out about when you have to get ready or leave, but then the time actually comes and your body and brain are like ‘You know what would be a good idea right now? Sitting here and not doing the thing I’ve been waiting all day to do.’”
“I used to. Now I set a million alarms.” Opening my alarm app, I showed him the row of ones I’d set. “These are the ones for getting up. Then there’s a bunch for when I have to get my ass out the door so I can get to work on time.” I scrolled down the page. “And about a hundred others I turn on when I need them.”
“I should try that,” Wes mused. “I use that one as my alarm.” He pointed to Ez. “But I never thought of doing the countdown ones when I need to get my ass somewhere and don’t have him to keep me on track.”
“I started doing it when I had to get my siblings somewhere. The only way to keep them on schedule was to set countdown alarms and make a competition out of staying on time. They didn’t know it helped me as much as them.”
“I was that younger sibling who drove their brother crazy by always making us late.” Wes winced. “How many siblings do you have?”
“Nine.” I fiddled with the edge of my phone.
“Nine? Like there are ten of you?” Wes gaped at me.
I nodded.
“Jesus H Christ.” Ez looked stunned. “I have never been so happy to be an only child. I can’t imagine having nine siblings.”
I shrugged. “Big families are kind of normal where I grew up.”
They exchanged a look.
“So what are you going to do until your appointment?” Ez asked.
“Probably go home, eat something, and doomscroll until my alarms tell me to get my ass out the door.”
“You could do that, or you could hang out with us,” Ez suggested.
I glanced between them. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Wes’s smile made my stomach flip-flop. “We could grab something to eat, then head to your appointment. It doesn’t feel right that you’re doing this big thing alone. This seems like a milestone worth celebrating.” Wes bumped my shoulder with his.
“Are you sure?”
They nodded.
“Um, okay. Thanks.” I slipped my phone into my pocket. “That sounds fun.”
“Do you need to go home and get ready first?” Wes asked.
“Yeah.” I was feeling grimy after working outside all day. I definitely needed to shower.
“Do you have a preference for where we go for dinner?” Ez asked.
“Where do you usually go?”
“Nowhere in particular. Just whatever place we feel like hitting up.”
“I’m down for whatever,” I said quickly.
“It’s okay to have opinions or to ask for what you want.” Ez’s voice was soft. “Your needs and wants matter too.”
His words were like a punch to the gut. After a lifetime of being told that my needs came second to everyone else, my default was to just go along with whatever others wanted and find a way to deal with it.
“You noticed I do that?” I leaned back against my car.
“Kinda hard not to.” Wes pressed his arm against mine for a few beats. “So, is there anything you want? We’re pretty adventurous when it comes to what we put in our mouths.”
A laugh bubbled out of my chest. “I’ve noticed that.”
Both men laughed with me.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t mean it that way, even though it’s true.” Wes grinned, his eyes shining with humor and what could be affection.
“I don’t really have a favorite kind of food or anything like that.” I crossed my arms. “We didn’t really eat out when I was a kid unless it was fast food or one of those family places that has free kids’ meals. And it wasn’t really something I did when I moved out either.” Staring down at my feet, I scuffed the toe of my shoe against the ground.
“Do you have any food allergies? Anything you don’t like?” Wes asked.
I looked up, expecting to see judgment or pity in their expressions, but warm smiles greeted me. “No allergies. I’m not picky, either. I’ll pretty much try anything once.”
“Do you trust us to pick a place?” Ez asked.
I nodded, hating the little flutter in my chest. Going out to dinner together wasn’t a big deal.
It didn’t matter that they’d seen me naked—twice. This was just a friendly thing between coworkers.
“How about you head home and get ready. We’ll text you a time and place, and you meet us there?”
“Yeah.” I nodded again, a little too eagerly. What did it say about me that I was almost as excited about them taking over the planning as I was about going to dinner with them?
“Awesome.” Wes patted my thigh. “We’ll see you in a bit.”
“Yeah. Okay.” I waved.
Really, waved? Awkward, party of me.
Chuckling, Wes waved back, and Ez shot me some exaggerated finger guns.
I hurriedly got into my car and cranked the engine. I needed to get over this weirdness if I was going to get through a whole dinner with them.
“You’re going out with friends,” I muttered, hurrying down the street toward the restaurant where I was meeting Ez and Wes. “It’s dinner with some guys from work. It’s not a big deal. Stop making it one.”
When I was at the corner, I slowed down to a normal walk so I didn’t look desperate, but I still tripped over nothing when I saw Ez and Wes standing in front of the entrance to the restaurant, their heads bowed as they spoke quietly.
Both men looked up as I did a weird two-step but managed to keep my balance.
So much for not being weird.
“Hey.” Ez grinned, looking me up and down.
Wait, did he just check me out?
“Hey.” I fought the urge to take my phone out of my pocket so I’d have something to fiddle with. “Have you been waiting long?”
“We just got here.” Wes’s smile was just as appreciative as Ez’s.
I’d put a white button-up on with a pair of black pants that had a slight sheen to them and were tight in all the right places. They’d gotten me a lot of tips over the past twelve months.
Did he like them on me?
“We hit every green light on the way here,” he continued. “That’s never happened.”
“Lucky. I hit every red one.” I swept my gaze up their bodies, drinking them in.
They always looked good, but right then, they looked incredible.
Wes had paired black slacks with a black button-up, and both fit him like a glove, showing off his broad chest, big shoulders, and thick thighs. The contrast between his dark clothes and light coloring was amazing.
Ezra looked just as good in a baby blue shirt that made his eyes practically glow and a pair of midnight-blue slacks that hugged every muscle in his fit legs and ass. He’d also put his piercings in, and the little hints of silver in his eyebrow, the corner of his lower lip, and his nose gleamed enticingly in the evening light.
My eyes fell to the ring in his lip. He hadn’t had it in at the club or when they’d helped me move. My own lips tingled. What would it feel like to kiss him with it in?
“All set?” Ez asked.
“Yes!” I blurted, my cheeks heating with a blush.
It’s dinner with friends , I reminded myself. Friends don’t think about kissing other friends .
Wordlessly, I fell into step with them, and we walked into the restaurant together.
The hostess seated us in a booth tucked into the back corner and left us with our menus.
“What do you think?” Ez asked. “Is this place okay?”
“Yeah. It’s great.”
I’d already checked the menu online after they texted me the name of a pub a few blocks away from the shop. I worried that I’d be too dressed up because it wasn’t a super expensive place, but it had a classy vibe, and we would have looked out of place in jeans or hoodies.
We chatted about what we were going to order, then the conversation shifted to work, then to random things.
By the time our food was in front of us, I was having so much fun I forgot to obsess over every little look, smile, or inside joke they tossed my way.
At least until we were almost finished eating.
“Is it me, or is the server giving us weird looks?” I asked after they’d come by to check on our drinks and ask if we needed anything.
“It’s not you.” Ez put the last bite of his burger in his mouth.
“Last time we went out to dinner with our friend Jesse, the server insisted on bringing us three separate bills because she couldn’t wrap her head around all of us being on the same bill without it being weird.”
“People are so annoying when they assume stuff.” I stabbed a fry with my fork and dunked it in some ketchup. “It’s like they see three men together and don’t even consider that they could be friends if there’s even a hint that they’re not all straight.” Lifting the fry, I stared at it.
Was this the right time to ask about their arrangement?
In all the time we’d spent together, including the last couple of weeks at work when we didn’t have to be as cautious about what we talked about, I hadn’t found an opportunity to ask how they’d gone from a monogamous couple to one that occasionally played with thirds.
The concept of polyamory was so foreign to me, but at the same time, it made sense, and I was curious. But I also didn’t know if that was something that a friend would ask about.
“The answer is forty-two.” Wes’s voice cut through my stupor.
“Huh?” I jumped and looked up from where I was still staring at my fork.
“You were staring at that fry like it has the answer to the secrets of life and the universe.”
“Oh.” I chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah. Just got lost in thought for a second. Wait. Forty-two?”
“It’s from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ,” Ez said.
“Did they make that into a movie?” I vaguely remembered hearing about it at some point, but I hadn’t watched it.
“A while ago. Did you read it?” Wes asked.
Shaking my head, I ate the fry still hanging off the end of my fork.
“We had to read it in high school,” Wes said. “I thought that was on pretty much every curriculum out there.”
“I went to a religious school.” I dragged my fork through the ketchup on my plate. “We didn’t read a lot of secular books.”
“I’m so glad my parents aren’t that kind of religious.”
“What do you mean?” I asked Ez.
“They’re religious in the sense that they go to church and all that, but they’ve always been incredibly liberal,” he explained. “They don’t use their faith as a way to oppress others.”
“Were they okay with you being gay?” Using my fork, I cut a fry in half just to have something to do with my hands.
“Yup.” He ran his finger over the rim of his water glass. “They knew before I told them.” He glanced at Wes.
“My parents didn’t react well,” Wes said softly. “And I knew they wouldn’t. I hid it as long as I could, but they found out, and that was the last conversation I ever had with them.” He smiled, but it was forced. “It’s fine. Ez’s parents treat me better than mine ever did. It’s their loss.”
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. My parents had cut me off too, and they didn’t even know about my sexuality.
“You said your family hasn’t had any contact with you since you left home. Is that because they found out about you?” Wes asked.
I shook my head. “No. That was because of my divorce and all the drama from that. I’d be dead to them if they knew I liked dick. Pretty sure they’d try to figure out a way to have an exorcism performed on me if they knew I liked two dicks at the same time.”
Ez snort-laughed as Wes choked on the sip of water he’d just taken.
“Can I ask you guys something?” I asked when Wes had finished coughing.
Ez nodded.
“How did you start this? Like, the thirds thing?”
They glanced at each other.
“Is that not okay to ask?”
Shit. Had I overstepped? Why hadn’t I kept my big mouth shut?
“No, it’s fine.” Ezra smiled reassuringly. “We just don’t talk about it often.”
“Or ever,” Wes added.
“But it’s nothing crazy. At least we don’t think so.” Ez slipped his hand under Wes’s, where it rested on the table, and laced their fingers together. “A few years ago, we were talking about our fantasies and looking for ways to spice things up. We tried all the usual things, like handcuffs and role-play. Then we found Envy and the back room and added exhibitionism and voyeurism to our list.”
I nodded, hoping they’d keep explaining things.
“From there we realized we were both interested in group stuff, so we used toys to simulate having a third person there, and eventually we decided to try it with a third,” Wes said.
“You weren’t worried about jealousy or anything like that?” I had to ask. “I told my ex-sister-in-law she looked beautiful on her wedding day, and my ex-wife got mad and accused me of secretly wanting her sister over her.”
“That doesn’t sound like something someone in a secure relationship would say.” Wes’s tone was light, but his eyes were serious.
“We were the last thing from a secure relationship.” I dropped my gaze to my nearly empty plate. I didn’t want to talk about my failed marriage. I wanted to keep learning about them.
“We are. And that’s the only reason this works between us.” Ez squeezed Wes’s hand. “I’ve loved him since I was sixteen. He’s mine, and I’m his. Being with thirds doesn’t change that because it’s something we do together. Some people watch porn or wear sexy lingerie or whatever their particular thing is. Ours is playing with strangers and living out the fantasies we can’t indulge in when it’s just the two of us.”
“It doesn’t bother you to see it?” I asked. “Even with it being a couple thing. You don’t get jealous?”
“Nope,” Ez said simply.
“It’s hard to explain, but seeing Ez with someone else turns me on. I love being able to watch him explore his fantasies because I get to explore mine too. Maybe it’s because we’re both exhibitionists and voyeurs, but that’s never been an issue for me.”
“Me either,” Ez said. “But it only works because we’ve talked about every possible scenario, and we have clear boundaries and rules for what is and isn’t okay. It’s not the sexiest thing, but we pretty much run off scripts, so there are no surprises. We check in with each other, and we break down every encounter after to make sure we’re still okay with what went down.”
“The thing with an arrangement like ours is that we talk about everything,” Wes said. “We have open communication, and we’re honest with each other. The moment either of us feels the need to hide something, or we stop talking about it, is when we know we’re in trouble.”
“Has that ever happened?” I asked.
They glanced at each other. “Only once,” Ez said.
I waited for him to elaborate.
“But we talked it over, figured out what was wrong, and came up with ways to fix it,” Wes said.
“It’s so weird to me that everything you said makes total sense.” I couldn’t help chuckling softly at the irony. “And it’s obviously working for you if you’ve been doing this for so long and you’re still rock solid. It goes against everything I was taught, but you two are one of the only long-term couples I know that seem to actually love each other.”
They exchanged a look.
“You’ve been together for so long, and you still hold hands and give each other secret smiles and do all the stuff that usually stops when you get past the courtship phase.” I shrugged lamely. “I’m not explaining this right.”
“You are.” Wes’s smile did things to my insides it had no business doing. “I’ve noticed that too. How a lot of people seem coupled up because it’s easier to stay with someone you don’t hate than it is to find someone you love.”
“That’s pretty much every couple I know back home,” I mused.
Ez tipped his wrist to look at his watch. “I’m going to hit the men’s room. We should probably head over to the shop after.”
Pulling out my phone, I checked the time. Twenty minutes until my appointment. Nerves tickled my chest and stomach.
“Still want to do this?” Wes asked as Ezra slipped out of the booth and headed to the back of the restaurant. “You look nervous.”
“I don’t like needles,” I confessed. “I want it, I’m just freaking out about the actual piercing part.”
“From what Ez told me, the worst part of the whole process is the needle being right there in your face so you can’t look away or anything.”
“Noah said the same thing. And my friend Chanel told me I have to report back to her to let her know if it’s true before she’ll get one.”
He grinned. “I made Ez do the same with his nipple piercings. He had to get them done first and tell me how bad it was.”
“Ez has his nipples pierced?” Something that wasn’t nerves tickled my stomach. I’d always loved nipple piercings on both men and women.
Wes’s grin went lustful. “We both do.”
“What?” I gaped at him. “I didn’t see that when…”
“We don’t wear them when we go to the club or when we’re doing physical labor. The threat of having them ripped out is enough to make me extremely picky about when I put mine in, and Ez indulges my fears and doesn’t wear his when I don’t.” He tilted his head, that too-sexy grin still tilting his lips. “You like them?”
I nodded, my neck hot under my collar. “I was thinking of getting mine done at some point.”
“Yeah?” Wes licked his bottom lip and flicked his gaze to my chest.
Was he flirting with me?
No. Obviously not. I was just all hot and bothered because I was picturing them with their piercings in, and it was scrambling my brain.
“If my nose isn’t too bad,” I said, barely hearing myself as he continued to stare at me like he was picturing me naked. “And I make it through the appointment without fainting.”
“We’ll hold your hands and get you through it.”
“You don’t have any ink?” I asked. Hopefully I could stop picturing my friends naked if we changed the subject.
“Nope. I’m horribly indecisive. I can’t even change my haircut without regretting it. I want to get some eventually, but not until I know for sure what I want.”
“That’s my issue with them too. I want one, but I have no idea what I want. Every time I think I know, I change my mind a few weeks later.”
“Ready?” Ez asked, sidling up to our table.
“We didn’t pay.” I looked around for our server.
“I took care of it on my way to the men’s room.”
“What’s my share?” I reached into my pocket for my phone to Venmo it to him.
“Nothing.” He stepped back so Wes and I could get out of the booth.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Tonight is a celebration. You don’t buy your own dinner when you’re celebrating.”
“Thanks.” My stomach did that flip-flopping thing again.
Ez smiled in that smirky way that only made my stomach issues worse.
“Ready for your next taste of freedom?” Wes put his hand on the small of my back and gently nudged me toward the doors.
“Ready.”
I tried not to think about Wes’s hand on my back as we headed out of the restaurant and instead focused on how I was about to have a hole punched through my nose.
There. That was the perfect way to make sure my dick didn’t get any ideas and make things weird again.