Chapter 3
Francesca
I opened my eyes to the bright sun shining in our windows. And a delicious, satisfying ache in certain places.
Last night had been—freaking fantastic. Beyond anything I'd ever dreamed of. Sexually, anyway.
Having Stefan share me with his best friend had been—amazing.
And Nick had been so kind and gentle. And also—so freaking hot. He was a wonderful lover, and he'd made sure we were tuned into each other. Even though my husband was watching us the entire time.
I didn't understand why that made it so much hotter.
But it did.
It absolutely did.
Knowing Stefan's eyes were on us while we fucked each other had heightened every kiss, every touch, every thrust so much more.
Nick reached for me several times in the night. Pulling me in to kiss me and spoon me. Or even just for a sweet caress.
But then this morning, when he and I woke up before Stefan—and he—started things up with me again...
Oh.
Boy.
I was fully ready to do whatever Nick Rosetti had in mind. And it had been—just as much fun as it had been last night. Nick and I were great together. Part of me had been a little worried about that last night.
I wondered if sex would be good with Nick. Or if it would disappoint.
I loved how it was with Stefan. And I wasn't sure how anything could be as good.
But I'd loved being with Nick.
And Stefan had really gotten off on it, too. His bossy orders—and the way he looked at us while he gave them, told me exactly how much.
And I loved how he not only watched us—but then after Nick and I had orgasmed—he'd been right there to fuck me, too.
And holy cow.
Had Stefan ever fucked me.
I wasn't sure what had come over him—but Stefan hadn't fucked me like—that, since we'd started having sex. I wasn't sure how he'd managed to make me come twice in a row both times. But he had.
Whatever kind of magic that was—I wasn't sure.
After he'd pulled out of me this morning, he held me for a while before handing me over to Nick.
I'd fallen asleep in Nick's arms until he'd woken me with a kiss.
“Thank you, Francesca, for a wonderful time. You were beyond anything my imagination had conjured up.” And after a few more tender kisses, he tucked me into bed and ordered me to go back to sleep.
Stefan had already left. But I had no problem falling back to sleep immediately.
I yawned and stretched, feeling the soft sheets against my skin. I could lie here all day. But I was starting to feel hungry.
Like, really, really, really hungry.
So, I regrettably rolled out of bed and started my day.
I desperately needed a shower, so I did that first. Then I did my hair in a long, loose braid. I did my makeup and then headed to the closet to get dressed.
I chose a pretty blue bra and thong set. The cups were half lace and half silk. And I felt so sexy in it I couldn't even describe the rush it gave me when I gazed at myself in the full-length mirror.
I also knew Stefan would appreciate it.
And maybe even—Nick.
That was something I wasn't sure of. Was Nick going to come into our bed every night? Every other night?
Once a year?
I didn't know the rules of how all this worked. I also wasn't sure how I was going to look Eve in the eye again. After thinking such horrible things about her and Carlo—only to find out they had an agreement of sorts with their spouses.
I felt pretty stupid about that.
Yeah.
This was about to be really, really, really awkward.
Not to mention that I'd—fully seen—Carlo in all his glory.
Well, I wasn't exactly up close and personal with—it. But I'd sure gotten an eyeful. That was for sure.
And how in the world could I look—him—in the eye again? After watching him with Eve? And him actually knowing that I watched him fuck his best friend's wife?
This was really going to be weird.
But—there was no avoiding them. Not with all of us living in the same house for the foreseeable future. This was going to suck.
Big time.
I picked out a lovely flowy sundress and some pretty white sandals. And then—I took a deep breath and headed downstairs.
The kids were nowhere to be seen. I was starting to miss them. Especially Dani. Plus, having them around would be a great distraction. And an even greater excuse not to have any deep conversations with anyone.
I walked into the kitchen and saw Eve and Giselle. “I've told you a billion times to go sit down. I can handle this. Do I need to call your husband over here?” Eve gave Giselle heck.
Giselle sighed and turned around. “Oh, hi, Francesca,” she said, seemingly surprised to see me. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
Eve poked her in the arm with her elbow. “You're rambling.”
Giselle glanced at her friend and then back at me. “Sorry, I'm a little tired today. And hungry.” She gave me a smile.
“How are you feeling? And Eve's right, you should sit down,” I said sympathetically.
“I know, I know.” Giselle nodded her head and started walking toward the table.
“That's all I hear all freaking day long.
Sit down, Giselle. But don't forget to stand up so you don't get blood clots. Lay down and rest, Giselle. Your legs are swollen, Giselle. How are you feeling, Giselle?” She let out an exasperated sigh. “I've had enough of this.”
I debated whether I should follow Giselle to the table—or go help Eve in the kitchen.
I chose the path of least resistance and followed Giselle. Yes, I'd watched her husband fuck her best friend. But at least I hadn't seen her breasts—like I had Eve's.
“Do you want me to sit with you?” I asked, partially hoping she'd say she'd rather be alone. Then I'd have an excuse not to talk. I turned my head to see the men outside on the patio. They seemed deep in conversation.
“You don't have to.” She lowered herself carefully onto the chair. “But I'd really like the company. Eve's all bossy. All she does is yap at me about things I can't do. And things I can do. And things I should be doing but don't want to.” Her face looked a little puffy this morning. Her eyes, too.
Hmm.
“Are you checking your protein levels daily?” I asked because I didn't like what I was seeing. Those could be signs of something bad.
Giselle rolled her eyes. “Yes, the doctor back home gave me a load of those dipstick thingies.”
I nodded and apologized. “Okay, good. I'm sorry for asking, you just had me a little concerned.”
Her puffy eyes narrowed at me. “Why?” she asked, tilting her head slightly in question.
I didn't want to explain. And I knew she might get more ticked off at me than she already was—but I still owed it to her. This was her health, after all. “Your face and eyes are a little puffy. And yesterday they weren't. It's just something to keep an eye on. Do you have a blood pressure machine?”
She nodded and bit her lip, looking a bit sheepish all of a sudden. “Yeah, I take my blood pressure a few times a day. Eve makes sure of that. And my eyes are puffy because,” she lowered her voice, “I cried a little before I went to sleep.”
Now it was my turn to sigh. “I'm sorry.” I reached over and put my hand on hers. “I shouldn't pry.”
Then she looked down at our hands for a moment. “How did you know to ask me those questions? From working at the hospital?” She looked up.
I nodded and took my hand away. “Yeah, I did a short stint in labor and delivery.”
Giselle sat back in her chair and placed her hands on top of her belly. “Oh, wow. Did you like working at the hospital?”
I nodded. “I did. I mean, I liked the work, but I didn't like the pay. But you can't expect to make any real money without a degree,” I told her the truth. “I tried to pick up as many shifts as possible. It still wasn't enough, though.”
Giselle nodded slowly. “So, why did you quit? I mean, if you liked working there so much.”
I let out a laugh and shook my head. “I didn't quit. They very nicely asked me to leave.”
Eve showed up with a plate of fresh fruit and a cappuccino for me. “Why did they get rid of you? You did an excellent job of looking after Stefan.”
That made me laugh.
Hard.
“Maybe a little too well. He refused to go back to the hospital. So, I might have—” I moved my head from side to side, “borrowed a few things so I could deal with him.”
Eve pulled out a chair and sat down without breaking eye contact. “Okay, what? Explain that, please.”
So I did. I told them all about how I took IV’s and antibiotics, and other things, so I could take proper care of Stefan. When I was done, they both stared at me. Mouths open.
Unblinking.
It was Giselle who finally broke the silence. “Are you telling me—” she swallowed and squinted at me, “that Stefan was so freaking stubborn that he got you fired?” Her voice was not quiet. I saw the men's heads turn toward the house.
“Umm, well, I mean...” I tried to think of a better way to put it. But Giselle had pretty much described exactly what had happened.
“Are you freaking kidding me?”
Oh, boy.
I was guessing that Giselle's blood pressure was currently not great.
“Why are you yelling at Francesca?” Stefan stormed inside with a murderous look on his face.
Giselle's head swiveled right to him. “Why are you so stupid?”
Oh, boy.
Yeah, Giselle was ticked right off.
“Excuse me?” Stefan stopped in his tracks and glared at Giselle. Carlo and Nick walked in as well and flanked him.
Good grief.
Each of those men on their own were freaking hot.
But when you saw them standing all together—it was enough to make my lady parts burst into flame.
“Giselle, what's going on?” Carlo asked with a look of concern on his face. He walked cautiously toward her like he was approaching a rabid animal or something.
“What's going on? What's going on is that Stefan got Francesca canned from the hospital because he was a freaking idiot!”
Oh, boy.
She was fuming mad at Stefan.
“You need to—” Carlo set his hands on her shoulders. “You need to—” he started saying before she yelled at him, too.