Chapter Four Vivian
CHAPTER FOUR: VIVIAN
A s I pushed and shoved myself through the teeming crowd, Theo’s words blared in my head louder than the house music. I want to hear you scream my name when you come.
White-hot anger seared over my body as mortification shuddered through me. How dare Theo suggest I partake in a threesome with him and Grayson? He had some gall. And Grayson too for that matter. What kind of woman did they take me for?
I mean, I hated to judge, but obviously, only wanton women partook in threesomes, right? And while I wasn’t a prude, I was most certainly not a wanton woman.
Not only did they think of me as a potential ho, I was a frustrated and fearful one.
Once again, I heard Theo’s voice over the bounding bass. “Admit it: you’re bored out of your fucking mind. More than anything in the world, you want to do something spontaneous. Something crazy.”
With a frustrated huff, I slid past two half-dressed coeds. How could someone like Theo possibly know my fears and desires? He was only a couple of years over the legal drinking age. Besides that, he was just a college hockey player.
A college hockey player who had seen straight through my facade.
I was bored. I did want something spontaneous and something crazy.
As my gaze fell on the exit, an image of my vision board flashed before my eyes with the word Live blazing in neon. My heels skidded to a stop on the floor as the revelation hit me like a ton of bricks.
It was a sign.
Like the Tudor-era people I wrote about, I believed in signs. Over the years, I’d searched them out to make big decisions. I’d even taken the job at Southeastern because of a sign.
I’d had offers from two other universities when the one from Southeastern popped up on my phone. I was watching The Jungle Book with my niece and nephew, and Bajeera was speaking on the screen. I gasped because the Southeastern mascot was a panther.
While some people would’ve considered it a coincidence or I was crazy, I totally saw it as my sign. The fact my parents and brother were close to the school as well was the icing on the cake.
And my vision of my vision board was once again a sign.
If I went out that door, I would be exiting my chance to live.
Slowly, I turned back around. When I took a tentative step forward, a voice in my head shouted, “Vivian Elizabeth Whitlock, you are not seriously considering partaking in a threesome with two college hockey players?”
Nibbling my lip, I contemplated the moral and ethical issue before me. I had never been what you would call sexually adventurous. I mean, I could still count my partners over the years on both hands. But one might argue there was a first time for everything. I mean, I’d never been a prude about sex. So what was there to turn my nose up about?
It was just three consenting adults partaking in a sexual encounter. We weren’t hurting anyone.
“I’m doing this,” I muttered under my breath as my heels started making a determined path back to the guys.
Just as I reached Grayson and Theo’s booth, Grayson popped up in front of me. His downcast expression lit up as complete and total shock flashed in his eyes. When I cut my gaze over to Theo, he shot me a triumphant look.
Jabbing a finger at them, I said, “I certainly hope you two don’t expect me to have a threesome with you on the first date.”
Grayson’s brows shot up into his hairline. “Fuck me, you’re serious?”
I jerked my chin up. “I am.”
Leaning forward in the booth, Theo’s eyes glittered with lust. “Now that’s a good girl,” he practically purred.
Holy. Shit. My knees trembled slightly at not only the words but the delivery as well. Jesus, how was this younger man such a stud? As if he could read my thoughts, Theo winked.
Tearing my gaze from his before my thong completely went up in flames, I turned my attention to Grayson. Unlike his oversexed teammate, he was staring at me with a goofy grin that was so endearing. “I can’t believe you came back.”
With a nervous laugh, I replied, “That makes two of us.”
“I knew you would be back,” Theo said, his voice ridiculously deep. When I cut my gaze over to him, he crossed his arms over his broad chest with a smirk. “Didn’t I tell you she would be back, Gray?”
Grayson bobbed his head. “He did. I thought he was full of shit, but here you are.”
Sweeping my hands to my hips, I countered, “How could you be so sure?”
Theo’s cocky smirk deepened. “Because of what I saw in your eyes.”
“Let me guess. Horniness?” I asked in exasperation.
While Grayson snorted, Theo shook his head. “Longing.”
As I stared into his hypnotic gaze, a shiver of anticipation pricked its way up my spine. How was it possible he could see someone he’d just met so clearly? Most of the men I dated remained clueless about my desires and wants after three or four dates. Some never saw me at all.
With a teasing smile at Theo, I replied, “While I’m sure it’ll give you a big head, you’re right.”
“Just being in your presence gives me the big head,” Grayson joked while wagging his brows.
While I giggled, Theo groaned. “Seriously, Gray?”
“Viv appreciates my innuendo. Don’t you?”
“I don’t know what it says about me, but yes,” I replied with a grin.
Theo scoffed at our exchange. “How in the hell did he ever pull a woman like you with lines like those?”
“Because he wasn’t using lines on me.” I reached out to ruffle Grayson’s hair. “He was sincere and charming.”
Grayson beamed under my praise. “I'm a total cinnamon roll, right?”
I threw my head back with a laugh. “Yes, you are.”
Nudging Theo playfully, Grayson said, “I told ya.”
Before Theo could respond, our waitress returned to take our meal orders. After ordering a burger and some fries, I said to the guys, “I need to take a quick bathroom break.”
“They’re to the right of the stage in the back,” Theo informed me as he handed the menus to the waitress.
“Thanks.”
Once again I made my way through the crowd. This time, my emotions weren’t as jangled as they had been earlier. Of course, anxiety at the looming threesome still ricocheted through me. I knew that wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. I had no reason why to put so much faith in two young men I’d just met, but I did. Something told me that Grayson and Theo would treat me well.
After a quick stop, I whirled out of the bathroom only to run smack into a wall of hard flesh. “Oomph,” I muttered.
As my gaze trailed up to the owner of the aforementioned flesh, I swallowed hard. Like the two dates at my table, he was another tall drink of water. The similarities didn’t end with his height. He was also ridiculously good-looking looking justlike Grayson and Theo. His chestnut brown eyes matched the hair peeking out from beneath his backward Atlanta Braves baseball cap.
Seriously, it was like I had hit the lottery tonight when it came to encounters with gorgeous younger men.
The stranger flashed me a smile, revealing two perfect rows of pearly white teeth. “Easy there, darlin’. Where’s the fire?”
Holy Southern accent, Batman. It wasn’t often I heard a drawl like his that didn’t come from an actor in a movie. It further unsettled me.
When I realized that I’d been staring wide-eyed and wide-mouthed at him, embarrassment tinged my cheeks. Add in the fact of how closely my body was pressed against his, and it was pure mortification.
When I started to jerk away, I couldn’t. My brows furrowed as I whipped my gaze from his to where I was stuck. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I found I was somehow stuck to him.
For the first time, I realized it wasn’t just his hard body I’d run up against. The strings of the guitar strapped to him had somehow gotten tangled up in the material of my dress.
Motioning to our entanglement, I said, “Oh, no! I’m so sorry.”
With a wink, he replied, “Don’t be. It ain’t every day I get entangled with a lovely lady.”
His compliment once again sent a warm rush to my cheeks. “T-Thank you,” I stammered like a teenage girl. J esus, Viv, would you get it together and act like the mature woman you are?
As I started trying to untangle the snared fabric, I grimaced. “I’m afraid I’m going to hurt your guitar.”
“And here I was worryin’ that I was gonna mess up that pretty dress of yours.”
When I jerked my gaze back to his, he winked. Shaking my head, I replied, “My dress is the last thing you should be thinking of. I mean, I’m pretty sure you paid more for your guitar than I did for it.”
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I ruined your outfit?”
“Probably like a lot of men I’ve had the misfortune of being associated with,” I admitted. Wait, did I actually just say that in front of a stranger? My mouth was seriously running away with me today.
To my surprise, the smile slid from his face. “A beautiful lady like you shouldn’t surround herself with so many assholes.”
“Tell me about it,” I mused as I continued fiddling with the material.
When the fabric finally gave way, I exhaled in relief. “Once again, my apologies.”
“And I’ll once again tell you that I don’t need your apologies. I’m as much to blame as you are since I wasn’t payin’ attention.”
“You might think twice about that after you check your guitar.”
He tilted the guitar on its side. After examining it for a minute, he swiped his fingers down it. “Sounds good to me.”
After exhaling a relieved breath, I said, “I’m so glad.”
“Me too.”
“Well, have a good night.” As I started to turn and walk away, he stopped me. “Wait a minute. Do you go to Southeastern?”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I couldn’t help asking, “You can’t be serious.”
His brows creased. “I am. Why?”
When I realized he wasn’t shooting me a line, a nervous laugh bubbled from my lips. “I’m sorry. I thought you were teasing me.”
“Why?”
“I do go there, but not as a student. I’m one of the librarians.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s it.”
“Somehow I can’t imagine a guy with a guitar spending much time in the library,” I teased.
He flashed those pearly whites at me again. “I’m very studious.”
“A man of many talents.”
Puffing his chest out, he replied, “I like to think so.”
Just as I extended my hand, a guy barreled down the narrow hallway. “Dude, where the hell have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Sorry, man. I was just talkin’.”
The guy shook his head and then started dragging my Southern charmer further down the hall. “Sorry! Gotta go!”
“It’s okay.”
“It was nice runnin’ into ya!” he called.
I laughed. “Same to you.”
Shaking my head, I then started back to the guys. When I returned to the table, I found a fresh cranberry and vodka waiting for me. After quirking my brows at the guys, Theo said, “We took the liberty of ordering you another drink.”
“I’ve said yes, so you don’t need to ply me with alcohol,” I teased.
“We all did another round,” Theo replied.
Grayson winked. “I sure as hell needed another one to cool off from all the fantasies I’m having of the three of us.”
An image of the two of them kneeling before me flashed in my mind, causing my knees to weaken. I flopped unflatteringly down into the booth. With my mouth running down, I quickly reached for my drink. After downing two long pulls, I glanced between the two of them.
“Do you guys…” Get a grip, Viv. How can you possibly partake in a threesome if you can’t talk about it? After drawing my shoulders back, I said, “Do you share women a lot?”
“Only during hockey season.”
At what must’ve been my quizzical look, Theo replied, “It’s part of our superstition.”
I blinked at him in surprise. “You have a three-some related hockey superstition?”
“Hell yeah,” Grayson replied. He then filled me in about his and Theo’s extracurricular hockey season-specific activities.
“That’s…interesting,” I remarked when he finished.
“Let me guess. You think we’re crazy,” Grayson teased.
Shaking my head, I replied, “No. I get it.” As I thought of my vision from before, I replied, “I’m someone who believes in signs.”
“So you have a little superstition about yourself too, huh?” Theo asked.
“I do. I mean, it’s because of signs and a vision board that I’m sitting here tonight.”
After I told the guys about what I had experienced, they widened their eyes. “Holy shit, that’s amazing,” Grayson remarked as Theo nodded.
“I like to think so.”
We were interrupted by the screech of a microphone and a roar going up over the ground. “Good evenin’, y'all,” a familiar-sounding voice boomed.
Theo motioned to the stage. “There’s our roommate we were telling you about.”
When I glanced up, I gasped. My Southern charmer from earlier was standing on the stage.