15 - Jocelyn
~ 15 ~
JOCELYN
“So they sent you on a ski trip, stole everything you had, then disappeared before you got back. Am I getting that right?”
Ice clinked as Andre swirled whiskey around the inside of his glass. By the time he brought it to his full, gorgeous lips, I was too fixated on watching it go down his throat to remember anything else.
“Jocelyn?”
“Ummm… yeah,” I blinked. “That’s about the size of it.”
His exhale was more of a hiss as the glass clacked swiftly back to the table. He looked angry. Sexy angry.
“And these business partners of yours,” he sneered. “They’re still alive?”
“For now,” I nodded.
He grunted reluctantly. “For now,” he agreed.
It was pretty hot, watching him get this angry over something he had nothing to do with. Still, it made me feel warm inside, and very cared for. His protectiveness was as instinctive as it was adorable.
“They’re somewhere in Australia right now,” Kayden added, poking his fork through a stray piece of gnocchi. “Spending her money.”
“That’s what Jason told us, anyway,” added Bishop.
Andre’s handsome mouth dropped open even further. He looked absolutely incredulous.
“Is he right?”
I sighed into my wine glass, then slumped my shoulders.
“As far as I know, yes.”
“So why don’t we—”
“Because we can’t, that’s why,” I cut him off. “As much as I’d like to, we just… can’t.”
The hand Andre had used to finish his third glass of whiskey curled into a fist. And a deadly-looking one at that.
God, he’s so fucking hot.
They all were. Kayden, with those smoldering, liquid blue eyes. Bishop, sporting a pair of sexy dimples that appeared whenever he smiled or orgasmed. Until yesterday, I didn’t know that last part. Now I did.
And then there was Andre, flexing his black-and-gray, tattooed arms. Those arms were like two steel cables, strong and unyielding. I’d studied them while they were pinned on either side of me, as well as the black-and-gray artwork that sleeved them out. Andre had the Marines logo up near his shoulder, and of course, Semper Fi. But there were other markings too. I saw names. Dates. It seemed all random at first, but then I realized those things had been woven into a faded background tapestry: a geographical map, of some far-away land.
Not twenty-four hours ago I was clutching those arms for dear life as he pinned me to the bed, and put my body through the paces. Yet as lengthy as last night had been, it had been an equally long day. I’d had a big breakfast, taken a glorious nap, then shopped the main street markets. I’d picked up quite a few things, including the dress I was wearing now as well as the lingerie I was sporting beneath it. After all, when three beautiful men offer to take you to dinner, you need to look and feel your best.
All day long, I couldn’t get the note that came with the flowers out of my mind. Nor could I stop thinking about my own words, whispered last night in the heat of passion: we are so doing this again .
I wondered absently if that gave them the courage to demand a second date. Not that we’d had a first date, really. Still…
“Look, I came here to avoid thinking about all this work stuff,” I pointed out. “This vacation was emergency therapy. I needed a distraction.”
“And you ended up with three distractions,” Bishop winked.
I rolled my eyes at him. For once, he relented.
“Sorry,” he conceded. “Hey, you’re smart — smarter than just about anyone I know. And you’re resourceful, too. You’ll bounce back.”
“My point is, I’d just rather talk about anything else,” I conceded. “Anything but this.”
The boys settled back in their chairs, but the knowing glances they exchanged told me the subject was anything but finished. For now at least, it was. I hadn’t even mentioned the worst part, either: that Jeremy and Ashley had paid for my luxurious little ski trip out of my own account.
“Alright, Josie,” smiled Kayden. “You’re the boss.”
“Damn straight.”
“And as the boss, you get to decide what happens next.”
The guys leaned forward again, folding their striated forearms expectantly. Dinner had been amazing. Bella’s had been everything you’d ever want in a traditional Mediterranean restaurant, and we’d ordered so much food the table looked post-apocalyptic. By now I was stuffed full, and pleasantly buzzed on wine. But I was also restless and excited and the night was young.
I threw back the last of my wine, then set the glass down as a silence descended over the table. There were dozens of directions this could go, I knew. Deep down, I wanted to explore them all. I also didn’t want to be responsible for any of them.
“Look, let’s make this easy for you,” Bishop spoke up. “You’ve got three days left here, right?”
“Four.”
The boys exchanged glances again; glances that were oddly serious. Eventually they nodded, before directing their attention back to me.
“Did you want us to just leave you alone, here in town?” asked Bishop. “We stay on our island, you stay on yours?”
The very thought of it made my heart sink.
“No,” I eventually admitted.
“So maybe it’s just like the mansion,” he shrugged. “Whatever happens on Mykonos, stays on Mykonos.”
His half-smile threatened me with those sexy dimples again. In that moment I wanted to kiss him very badly, the way I’d kissed him last night. I wanted to hop into Kayden’ lap and kiss him too. Simultaneously, I wanted to close my eyes, tilt my head, and wait for the exquisite feel of Andre’s lips, as they closed over my exposed neck…
“One night, four nights, it’s all the same,” I mused. “Is that what you’re saying?”
I looked to Kayden, always the rational one. For once, his smirk mirrored Bishop’s.
“It guess that depends on whether you’re finished blowing off steam.”
A warm tingle started, somewhere below my navel. As it spread slowly outward in every direction, I squirmed in my seat.
“You said it yourself; you need a mental vacation,” Andre offered. “Emergency therapy.”
“I sure did.”
“Did?”
My chin dipped in momentary contemplation. I bit my lip and acquiesced.
“I mean… I do .”
“Well then, what’s better than spending your time with us?” smiled Kayden. “Come back to the manor, Josie. We can stop at your hotel first, pick up anything you need. But let us take care of you. Feed you. Entertain you.”
“Make you forget all about what happened,” added Bishop. “At least for a little while.”
I tried to swallow. The lump in my throat had other ideas, though.
Four days before your flight leaves , I thought to myself. Damn. It seemed like an eternity.
And four whole nights.
Holy fucking shit.
I could feel myself turning redder by the second, totally flush with heat. My stomach was a twisting, molten mess.
Five days of them.
“Same rules, then?” I found myself saying. “Nothing changes?”
I looked pointedly at Kayden and Bishop. Their heads bobbed silently.
“And you,” I added, my eyes lingering hungrily on Andre. “After this, I guess you go back to whatever corner of the world you’re from, and whatever you were doing?” I stopped abruptly and sighed. “Shit. I don’t even know your last name.”
“It’s Bowman.”
I clapped my hands playfully over my ears, to simulate blissful ignorance. Of course, it was already too late.
“I’ll think about it,” I lied, straight to their faces. “I guess it all depends on how much fun you show me tonight.”
“Fun?”
I stood up and smoothed my sexy new dress against my thighs. Their eyes were already devouring me as I placed my hands on my hips.
“I’m eager. I’m restless. I want to have fun.”
Reaching up deliberately, I pulled one hand slowly through my hair.
“Plus, yes, I’m horny as hell.”
For once, all three men were completely speechless. But they were all grins.
“There’s a place downtown called Scarpa, ” I nodded in the direction. “It’s right on the water.”
Bishop nodded. “I know it. You can hear that place from two miles away.”
“Take me there.”