Chapter Three Theo
CHAPTER THREE: THEO
A s I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, I turned my head left and right to appraise my appearance. After coming in from hockey practice, I’d showered until I’d threatened to use up all the apartment’s hot water. I’d taken longer than usual since I’d felt the need to rub one out.
Normally, I didn’t need to jerk off before a date. For me, women were always a sure thing, so there was no need for any preparatory work. But tonight wasn’t a sure thing. No, with a woman like Vivian, it was all about strategy. It was like polishing your stick every day to ensure you had the right tools to ensure a victory down the road.
Grayson going out with Vivian tonight wasn’t just any date. A perfect hockey season, along with sexual satisfaction, hung in the balance. While I knew we weren’t out of luck even if Vivian said no, I would not allow myself to visualize anything but her.
Growing up in a household that valued perfection, I didn’t accept defeat. Not on the ice. Not in the classroom.
Ever.
Making Vivian our third fell into the same mindset.
After first hearing about her two nights ago, I’d gone a deep dive into her social media. She was just as Grayson had described her. Seeing Vivian’s pictures had earned her a starring role in my fantasies. When I’d jerked my hand up and down my length, I’d imagined Vivian’s perfect pink mouth bobbing up and down my cock. I saw her on her knees before me, naked except for a pair of black thigh highs. Just before I blew my load in her mouth, I’d wrapped her legs around me as I fucked her against one of the library’s bookshelves.
Yeah, my librarian fantasy was in overdrive.
Dressed in black jeans and a white button-down shirt, I worked product through my shoulder-length hair. Grayson loved to give me shit about my hair–he claimed I was trying to look more and more like Sam Hartman, who played football for Notre Dame and who the guys claimed I looked like. For me, I looked older since growing my hair out, and I wanted that to work in our favor tonight.
Gray poked his head in my bedroom. “Theo?”
“Bathroom,” I called.
After a few moments, he appeared in the doorway. “I’m about to head out.”
I met his gaze in the mirror reflection. “Even though I’m almost done, I won’t arrive until you’re thirty minutes into the date.”
We’d planned our mission as thoroughly as possible. For the last two years, our teammate and roommate, Bennett, had been singing during the off-season at a bar called The Dive. Although the owners aspired for a “dive” vibe, it was more of a hipster’s paradise. It also happened to be half an hour away from campus, which was a selling point for Vivian when Grayson suggested potential dating sites.
She planned to meet him at seven, so that meant I wouldn’t be making an appearance until 7:30. They needed the half hour to take the edge off any potential nerves before I appeared. In all our years of superstitious threesomes, I had to say we’d put the most work into this one.
When Gray remained rooted to the spot bouncing on the balls of his feet, I sighed. “Spit it out.”
“What?”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever it is that has you wired.”
He snorted. “I forget you know me so well.”
Turning around, I leaned back against the countertop. “Four years of playing, living, and fucking together does that to you,” I mused with a smirk.
After exhaling raggedly, Gray ran a hand through his sandy-blond hair. “I’m just worried about how this one is going to play out.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re not still stressing about her working for Southeastern?”
After initially going balls to the wall about Vivian, Gray experienced some weird sort of buyer’s remorse after she agreed on the date. Out of the two of us, he was the extreme rule follower. In any group, he was always the conscience and voice of reason. Despite initially talking Vivian down from the edge when she’d voiced concerns about him being a student, Gray had somehow gotten it in his head that if we banged Vivian, we would face retribution from the school and the hockey program.
When he remained, brows creased and lips curved into a frown, I said, “Come on, dude. Like I told you before. We’refucking discreet. I mean, in the four years of our threesomes, no one ever found out, right?”
“Right,” he echoed.
“No teammates, no professors, and no coaches.”
Although he still didn’t appear convinced, he murmured, “Right.”
“The only one who knows outside of us is Bennie, and he sure as hell isn’t running his mouth about it.”
Although he was the life of the party who never met a stranger, Bennett was amazingly tight-lipped about our threesomes. While he was bi, he leaned towards guys more than girls. He’d joked that he’d love to be a part of our superstitions if there were some sticks crossing, but I didn’t see that ever happening.
Holding his hands up, Gray said, “I know, I know. There's only like a one percent chance of this going to hell.”
I pushed off the counter and went over to him. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I said, “Then stop worrying, fucker.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s more than just the Southeastern thing.”
“What is it now?” I grunted.
“At the moment, I’m more concerned about her being older.” At my questioning stare, he replied solemnly, “She’s a woman, T.”
“I sure as hell hope so,” I mused.
“I’m being serious.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I questioned, “Is there a problem with her being a woman?”
“We’ve only done this with girls.”
“Scientifically one would argue that the girls you speak of became women upon menstruation,” I replied diplomatically.
Gray wrinkled his nose in extreme disgust. “Dude, my sister got hers at eleven, so she sure as hell wasn’t a woman.”
In a way, Gray was right. We’d never taken our superstitious threesomes outside of coeds. Like he’d said, Vivian was a woman. An older woman.
Although I wouldn’t entertain them, I suppose some of Gray’s fears were warranted. My social media sweep had shown me just how much Vivian was a complete one-eighty from our usual conquests. The woman had pictures of her cats in sweaters she knitted for them for Christ’s Sake. I wasn’t sure when Vivian had been at Southeastern if she had ever taken part in keggers or casual hookups. Even though she was hot as fuck, I wouldn’t have given her a second glance off campus.
Despite the voices of doubt, something within me knew there was more to Vivian. There was a silent longing in her posts. Like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop but for something new and exciting. She probably had never given a threesome a second thought. But when the offer was right in front of her, I knew she would take it.
Leaning against the doorframe, Gray said, “I guess what I'm saying is what if Vivian isn’t down for us?”
I tilted my head at him. “You’re thinking that because she’s older and more mature she won’t be down for fucking two guys at the same time like college girls do?”
He nodded. “Considering how skittish she was about going out with me, I can’t help but think she’s going to freak the fuck out when it’s not just one younger dude but two.”
“You do know older women like adventurous sex, right?”
He grimaced. “I’d rather not think that about my mom and her friends that way.”
I laughed. “Neither do I. But it’s the truth. Vivian’s just about to slide into her sexual prime. Her biological clock is going to start clanging, which is going to ratchet up her sex drive.”
“Quit sounding like the fucking biology major that you are,” Gray grunted.
“Hey, it’s biology that’s probably got Vivian horny as hell at the moment. Especially if she’s ovulating.” Cocking my brows at him, I asked, “Speaking of ovulating, you did pick up the Lifestyles condoms, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “I also grabbed a backdoor pack.”
“Good thinking.”
At the alarm sounding on his phone, he groaned. “Fuck, it’s time to go.”
Yes, the perfectionist in me had Gray set an alarm on his Apple watch. The ADHD in him would have him doing everything but going to The Dive. “You’ve got this, G. We’ve got this.”
Grayson stretched his neck and then his arms like he was able to get on the ice. “Eyes on the fuck,” he murmured.
“Exactly.”
Just like he did when taking the ice, Grayson got his game face on. “See you in an hour.”
“You’ve got this.”
“Damn straight.”
When I pulled open the door of The Dive, my gaze darted around the room. Gray had texted me they were in one of the circular booths in the back. A quick check at the stage showed that Bennett and the band weren’t out yet. Once I spotted Grayson, I headed into the fray of couples dancing to the canned music.
As I moved through the teeming crowd, my heartbeat accelerated the closer I got to Grayson and Vivian. It wasn’t nerves because I never got nervous about women. No, it was pure adrenaline pulsing through me. I had my eye on the fuck.
When I reached their booth, Vivian stared up at me in surprise while Grayson gave me a secretive smile. It was show time.
With my best-surprised face, I asked, “Gray, what the hell are you doing here, man?”
After popping out of his seat, Gray gave me the classic guy half hug and fist bump. “You know I could never miss one of Ben’s performances.” He cocked his brows at me. “What about you?”
“Same.”
Vivian’s gaze bounced curiously between us. I gave her my best panty-melting grin as I held out my hand. “Hey, I’mGrayson’s roommate, Theo.”
She smiled as she shook my hand. “I’m Vivian. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, you’re Vivian.” I waggled my brows at her. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
As she ducked her head, pink tinged Vivian’s cheeks. Fuck me, it was sexy. I couldn’t help imagining what her other cheeks would look like tinged pink from my hands.
Grayson nudged her playfully. “I promise what I told him was good.”
“I would hope so.”
Holding up three of my fingers, I replied, “Scout’s Honor.”
Vivian laughed. “Considering we just met, I’m surprised there’s anything to tell.”
“Just that you were gorgeous, incredibly sexy, and extremely smart,” I replied.
When Vivian once again flushed under my compliments, I fought the urge to grab a menu to stick in front of my half-mast erection. Instead, I asked, “Can I sit with you guys?”
Playing the part, Grayson cocked his brows at Vivian. “That’s up to Viv.”
“Please join us,” she replied with a smile.
I flashed her my best come fuck me grin. “Thanks.”
After she scooted closer to Gray, I slid onto the seat. “This is cozy,” she remarked while nervously fidgeting with her menu.
Slinging my arm over the top of the booth, I leaned in closer to her. “Being teammates and roommates means Gray and I share a lot.”
I could’ve sworn desire flashed in her eyes at my innuendo, but she quickly masked it. Twisting her gaze between us, she asked, “How long have you guys known each other?”
“Since Freshman year,” Gray replied.
Tilting her head at me, Vivian said, “You must be the goalie.”
“That’s right.”
With a grin, she replied, “That’s why you didn’t look familiar to me. You were buried under all your goalie equipment.”
I laughed. “Gray told me you’ve been dragged to some of our games by your dad. That’s so cool he’s a former defenseman.”
Vivian’s dark eyes widened as her gaze bounced over to Grayson. “You really have been talking about me.”
He gave her the sheepish look that made him look like a total dick to me but for women was a panty-melter. “Sorry. I just couldn’t shut up about you.”
Inwardly, I rolled my eyes as Vivian gave Gray an endearing smile. “Just buy me a drink and all will be forgiven,” she replied.
“My pleasure. And what is it that my beautiful girl would like?”
“Just a vodka cranberry will be fine.”
He jerked his chin at me. “Want something?”
“Bud on tap.”
Before he slid out of the booth, he kissed Vivian’s cheek. “Be right back.”
“Okay,” she replied breathlessly.
After we watched Grayson’s retreating form, Vivian quirked her brows at me. “Tell me something.”
“Anything,” I replied with a wink.
“Why are you really here?”
My eyes popped wide. “Excuse me?”
She tossed the long strands of her hair over her shoulder, sending the sweet-smelling aroma into my nose. “You and I both know you didn’t just happen to meet up with us tonight.”
“I told you that?—”
“That Bennett was singing.”
“Right.”
After crossing her arms over her ample chest, she pronounced, “It’s bullshit.”
Well, fuck me. Miss Mousy had some claws. Inching even closer to her, I asked, “Why do you think I’m here?”
“To be Grayson’s wingman.”
I furrowed my brows since I hadn’t seen that one coming. “Why the fuck would Gray need a wingman?”
Her gaze dropped to her lap where her fingers twisted a drink napkin. “Because he’s having second thoughts about taking me out.”
“That’s crazy. Grayson’s more concerned that you’re out of his league.”
Vivian’s eyes widened as she furiously shook her head. “I am not. If anything he’s out of my league,” she protested.
Cocking my head, I eyed her curiously. “You like him.”
Her cheeks flushed crimson as she split the napkin from twisting it so hard. “I don’t know him.”
“You like him,” I insisted again.
“Okay, maybe I do,” she murmured.
“Good. I know for a fact Grayson likes you.” I gave her a pointed look. “A lot.”
Vivian’s brows furrowed. “So, he isn’t having second thoughts?”
“Fuck no. He’s all in.”
“Then why are you here?”
I threw my head back with a laugh. “Like I said before. To see Bennett.”
Her dark eyes narrowed. “I still don’t believe you.”
The smile slowly faded from my lips. Staring intently at her, I replied, “Maybe I wanted to see for myself if the woman Grayson has been raving about was real.”
Although it sounded like a line, it was the truth. It was one thing seeing her in social media posts, but it was quite another to see her right in front of me. To smell her perfume and shampoo, to witness her blushes, and to be the only recipient of her smiles.
My words affected Vivian. Her chest rose and fell while she blinked incredulously at me. “You wanted to meet me.”
“I did.”
“And Grayson was okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t he be? There’s nothing illicit about meeting my roomie’s date.”
“Um, of course not,” she mumbled as pink dotted her cheeks.
Grayson returned then. At the sight of him juggling the drinks, Vivian gasped before leaning forward to help him. “I’m good.” With a wink, he added, “Don’t worry about me. I grew up balancing glasses and plates while working in my parents’ restaurant.”
After taking a dainty sip of her drink, Vivian asked, “What kind of restaurant?”
“An Irish pub.”
Her eyes lit up. “You’re kidding?”
Jerking my chin at Grayson, I teasingly said, “Doesn’t he look like a fine Irish lad?”
Vivian laughed while Grayson shot her a cheeky grin. After pushing some of the longer strands of hair out of Gray’s face, Vivian pronounced, “I do think I see some red highlights in your hair.”
“My dad’s grandparents came through Ellis Island back in the day. It’s hard to spot us now. I mean, Collins isn’t an overt Irish last name the same as say, Fitzpatrick or O’Malley,” Grayson replied.
Turning her attention to me, Vivian asked, “I don’t think I know your last name.”
I grinned. “It’s Novak.”
“Russian?” she guessed.
“Czech actually.”
She snapped her fingers. “I knew it was Eastern European. So many hockey players are from that region.”
My brows rose in surprise. “For a gal who says she doesn’t like hockey, you know a lot about it.”
She grinned. “My father strikes again. I grew up having the downstairs television monopolized during hockey season. After being tortured with player stats, my sisters and I would escape to my parent’s bedroom and watch TV in their room.”
“Theo’s got a Czech first name, too,” Grayson said.
“You do?” Vivian asked.
“It’s Teodor after my grandfather,” I replied.
“Ah, the Czech version of Theodore,” she said.
I nodded. “Thank God my parents have always called me Theo.”
Vivian smiled. “Theo suits you.”
Tilting my head at her, I said, “Your name suits you, too.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never liked my name. I always wanted to havea hip name like Madison.”
“You could never be a Madison,” I mused.
“And why not?” Vivian demanded.
“Because you’re an old soul who needs an old name.”
With a huff, she snatched up her drink. After downing the remainder of the alcohol, she shot me an eat shit and die look. Fuck, I couldn’t wait to see that spirit in the bedroom.
After wiping her lips with a napkin, Vivian said, “Thanks for reminding me again about being older. As if I don’t have a birthday next week.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“It is.” She shot me another dirty look. “Before this one has the gall to ask, I’ll be thirty.”
I rolled my eyes. “You act like you’re about to need a walker and adult diapers.”
“Well, I am an old soul,” she snapped.
From over her shoulder, Grayson looked like he was having a stroke at Vivian’s apparent hostility towards me. Once again, he needed to chill the fuck out.
Scooting closer to Vivian, I took her hand in mine. “I meant that comment as a compliment. You are leagues about the Madisons of the world. Very few women out there are beautiful and sexy while being incredibly smart. Not to mention having the ability to know random hockey facts.”
She stared intently into my eyes. Any other time, this would’ve been the moment when I leaned forward and kissed her. I was dying to do it. Everything within her gaze told me she wouldn’t stop me. She would probably slap me after the fact when she realized she’d kissed me with Grayson sitting beside her.
“What do you want for your birthday, Vivian?” I asked.
With a shrug, she replied, “Nothing.”
“Oh come on. Not even some good quality yarn,” Grayson teased.
She playfully smacked his arm. “You’ve been stalking my social media, haven’t you?”
“How could I not?” he replied with a grin.
Turning to me, she asked, “What is it you want for your birthday?”
“I really want a NCAA Frozen Four Championship.”
Vivian’s brows furrowed. “But I thought you guys came in first the last two years?”
“That’s in our region. But there are four total regions. I want to be the best of them all.”
She grinned. “Then I hope you get exactly what you want.
“Maybe you could knit me a stick cozy for good luck?” Grayson teasingly suggested.
Vivian rubbed her thumb along his jawline. “I’d love to.” After a few moments of staring into Grayson’s eyes, she dropped her hand from his face. Turning to me, she asked, “And what would you like for your next birthday?”
There were so many reasons not to say what I was thinking. It was too early in the evening. She hadn’t gotten to know me well enough. She’d only had one drink, not two, so she wasn’t in that sweet buzzy spot.
But like on the ice, you had to take chances despite the risks.
Leaning closer, my breath hovered over her ear. When I met Grayson’s gaze over her shoulder, his eyes bulged before he shook his head. “Don’t do it,” he mouthed.
But I ignored him. “To hear you scream my name as I make you come.”
Vivian jerked back to stare at me in a mixture of horror and disbelief. “E-excuse me?”
After grabbing my beer glass, I smirked at her around the rim. “You heard me.”
Her dark eyes narrowed. “You–You….bastard!”
With a shrug, I countered, “What’s the problem?”
“I think it’s more like problems . How dare you speak to me like that? But even more, how could you say that when I’m on a date with Grayson? He's your teammate and roommate–your best friend . How could you betray him like that? And when he’s sitting right here for fuck’s sake!”
Jerking my chin at Grayson, I replied, “I’m pretty sure if you asked him right now, he’s not offended because he wouldn’tmind sharing you.”
Vivian blinked at me before slowly swiveling her neck to peer in disbelief at Grayson. “You want to share me?” she questioned in a hushed whisper.
When Grayson gave her an apologetic look, Vivian gasped in horror. He held his hands up. “I’m sorry, Vivian, but yeah, I do. But only if you’re willing. I would never, ever want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable.”
Vivian’s jaw dropped open. “You want me to sleep with Theo?”
Grayson shook his head. “I want you to sleep with Theo and me.”
Rubbing her temple, she asked, “Isn’t that what I said?”
“I don’t want you to sleep with Theo without me,” he replied.
As she processed his words, she stared wide-eyed at Grayson. After a few moments, a horrified shriek escaped her lips.“You want the three of us to...” She swallowed hard. “A-At the same time?”
“Yes.”
“Let me out.”
“Vivian, just let us explain,” Grayson pleaded.
Placing her hands on Grayson’s chest, she shoved him hard. “Let. me. Out!” she repeated.
With a resigned sigh, Grayson scooted out of the booth. Vivian tossed her shredded napkin on the table before sliding across the booth bench at record speed. “I’m sorry if we offended you,” Grayson said. This time his puppy dog eyes were real.
Throwing my arms on the back of the booth, I shook my head. “She’s not offended.” When Vivian whirled around, I narrowed my eyes at her. “She’s afraid.”
Vivian glared at me. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Admit it: you’re bored out of your fucking mind. More than anything in the world, you want to do something spontaneous. Something crazy.” I licked my lips. “Something dangerous and maybe a little shameful.”
A shudder ran through her. “You’re wrong.”
“I’ve never been more right about anything, and when you realize that, we’ll be waiting.”
“Fuck you!” she spat before she turned on her heels and sprinted through the crowd.
With a groan, Grayson dropped back down onto the bench seat. “We are so fucked.”
I knocked back the rest of my beer. “Trust me. We’re good.”
He glanced up at me. “Are you shitting me right now? Like did you miss the part where Vivian just stormed out of here?”
“She’ll be back,” I replied.
He shook his head. “What the hell were you thinking saying you wanted to fuck her?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Guess what genius? It was too soon for the fucking truth.”
“Go get us another drink,” I said.
“So we can get shitfaced about our loss?” Grayson suggested.
“No, so we can have something to drink while we wait for her to come back.” At his disbelieving look, I replied, “Trust me. She’s coming back.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled.
Just as he swung out of the booth, Vivian emerged from the crowd. Jabbing a finger at us, she said, “I certainly hope you two don’t expect me to have a threesome with you on the first date.”