Chapter 4 #2
“We would’ve smacked some sense into him a long time ago,” Dominic cuts in. “But Matthew always painted a pretty picture of the two of you.”
“He painted that picture for everyone,” I say. “Even I was beginning to buy it. I convinced myself it was all my fault. That if Matthew didn’t want me, nobody would.”
“Which is total bullshit,” Theo scoffs. “I assume your mother and sister fed you that garbage too,” he adds, his jaw clenched in subtle anger. “That if Matthew didn’t want you, nobody would.”
I give him a slight nod. “It’s hard not to believe them when they’re the people I’ve trusted the most ever since I was a kid. Dad used to tell me a man should love more than just my looks; that I was a Baldwin and I was worth more than most men put together.”
“He wasn’t wrong,” Dominic says.
“When I was a kid, I believed him,” I sigh deeply. “But then he passed away, and I was left with—”
“Helen and Crystal brainwashing you into thinking less of yourself,” he says, picking up on my thoughts as I finish the last of my fries and tempura.
“The thing about clarity, Phoebe, is that once you get it, no one can take it away from you. Once you come into your own power and recognize the woman you’ve become, there’s nothing they can say to make you feel like you’re less than. ”
“It’s kind of hard, though,” I reply. “They’re my family.”
Theo shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. They’re still people, and people are deeply flawed. Selfish. They say hurtful things to make themselves feel better. You can love your family while also loving and protecting yourself.”
“You’re starting to sound like Penny,” I say with a laugh. “Next, you’re going to tell me I need to create boundaries with my mom and sister.”
“You need boundaries with everyone, including yourself,” August says. “And if those boundaries cannot be respected, then you need to move away from the people who keep trying to break them. You can love people from afar.”
“Like how we love our father, from several states away,” Dominic adds with a dry chuckle.
I give them both a curious look. “I take it you have a complicated relationship with your parents?”
“Complicated is one way to describe it,” Dominic mutters.
Hayley stops by the table to clear our plates, moving smoothly and cautiously around us. “Hope you enjoyed your meals,” she says, turning away from the table.
“We’d like to order dessert,” I say.
“I’ll bet you do,” she mutters.
Speechless, I watch her walk away, wondering what possesses some people to be so gratuitously mean to complete strangers. I’d hoped Theo’s intervention humbled her, but the effect didn’t last too long.
“Some people are just really that small and frustrated,” Dominic says. “It will reflect in her tip, and she knows it.”
“I’ll have a word with the manager,” Theo adds.
“No,” I reply. “Don’t. She’s got it rough enough as it is, waiting tables for a living, dealing with all sorts of customers. It won’t make me feel any better. In fact, she doesn’t even matter tonight. You do.”
A smile blooms across Theo’s face. The lights are dimmed on the cocktail lounge’s outdoor terrace, a smooth love song pouring through the speakers, an inviting voice that has Theo standing and offering me his hand. “You matter, too,” he says.
I place my hand in his and he pulls me up from my seat. The move is a little too sudden with the wine swirling through my head. I lose my balance, but his arm snakes around my waist keeping me close, soft against his hard body as our eyes meet.
“Dance with me, Phoebe.”
“I find no reason to say no,” I reply.
Dominic and August sit back and watch us as we make our way to the terrace, where a few other couples are already swaying to the love song. I’m nervous and quivering, but Theo’s firm hold on my hip keeps me steady.
The more I fight it, the harder it’ll be, so I might as well just let go and let him lead.
I relax in his arms and put mine around his neck, losing myself in his gaze as he leads us both across the terrace’s dark wooden floor.
Above us, fairy lights flicker from the palm trees that offer relief from the sun during the day.
Here and there, we catch glimpses of the sky with its plethora of diamonds.
This is as close to perfect as it’s ever going to get.
“You’re a natural,” Theo says, breaking the sweet silence between us.
“Think so?”
“I lead, you follow. We’ve yet to trip over each other,” he replies with a playful smile. “And your body… I like the way it responds to mine. The way it fits against mine.”
I glance down, breathless by how close we are.
My chest is pressed against his, only two layers of fabric keeping skin from meeting skin.
Shivers dance down my spine, the tension in my core tightening as I look into his eyes again.
At the same time, his hand slips to the small of my back.
His touch causes a subtle gasp to escape from my throat.
“Like putty in my hands,” Theo whispers, desire glazing over his eyes. “There’s so much more that you want, Phoebe. I can see it in your eyes. I’m sure I’ll taste it on your lips, too.”
“You sound quite sure of yourself,” I reply, barely able to breathe let alone stand my ground with this marvel of a man.
“You don’t want it?” He raises an eyebrow.
Why fight it?
“Yes, I do,” I whisper, melting in his arms.
Before I can muster the simplest thought, Theo’s lips find mine. It’s a short but intense kiss, and it unravels something deep within me as I taste the wine and the lust on the tip of his tongue. I breathe him in, moaning softly against his mouth as I welcome the deep kiss.
The world comes to a halt. Everything else disappears; only the sound of the ocean and the music remain, the two of us swaying together in one another’s arms, our tongues clashing and our hearts thundering as the kiss draws forth everything we’ve been thinking about.
“The night is young,” Theo says as he pulls back to look at me. “You decide where it leads.”
The woman who never felt like the first choice for any man gets to decide whether she chooses not one but three of New York’s most eligible bachelors tonight.
My heart may be broken, but my soul is ready to thrive.
Midnight finds us outside my suite’s French doors, sitting on a bench under the moonlight. The ocean whispers to us from across the beach, streaks of white foam shimmering where gentle waves kiss the shore.
“Dessert was spectacular,” I say. “I’ve never had guava cheesecake before.”
Though not as spectacular as Hayley’s face when Theo personally tipped the kitchen and the bar staff but not her. I have to admit, Theo’s move did satisfy my petty side. The man sure knows how to soothe me from every possible angle.
“Was dessert your favorite part?” he asks, sitting next to me on the rattan sofa.
Dominic and August sit in the chairs on either side of the sofa, and I feel like the world’s most spoiled girl, simmering between these three delicious men, giddy from the wine, and bursting with delight from the pleasure of their company.
“Well, I did enjoy the dancing too,” I concede with a coy smile.
“Just the dancing?”
I turn my head to look at him—a fatal mistake. He kisses me, and I surrender without so much as a second thought. Dominic’s fingers trail down my bare arm, causing tiny fires to erupt all over my skin, while August watches me unfold, lust burning in his gaze.
“Oh, fuck,” I whisper against Theo’s lips. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?”
“Only if you want to, Phoebe,” he whispers, desire flickering in the blue pools of his eyes. “Do you?”
“Yes.”
His lips crash into mine again, our tongues clashing as the second kiss unlocks a whole new level to this wonderful debauchery. The flirting, the fleeting looks, the subtle touches… they were all building up to this moment.
I want it, all of it, more than anything.
Theo takes control first, cupping my face as he pulls me closer. He deepens the kiss and devours my mouth, while August and Dominic’s hands quietly roam up and down my body. Touching. Feeling. Exploring.
A harsh moan erupts from my throat, my legs parting as August’s fingers work their way under my dress and up my inner thigh.
I hold on to Theo, my fingers digging into his strong shoulders as I taste him, as I consume him with unexpected greed. I want more. I want everything.
“We should take this inside,” he says.
All I can do is nod as the three men gently help me up and through the French doors.
We go inside the bedroom where a giant bed awaits, covered in white and gold silk sheets.
Orchids blossom in glass pots. The ocean breeze flows through the space, raising the organza curtains as if the entire room just sighed upon our arrival.
The four of us quickly become a tangle of limbs, reaching, exploring.
Dominic kisses me while Theo unties the lacy straps of my dress.
“Fucking hell, Phoebe, you’re a dream come true for the three of us,” Dominic says as he looks down at me.
August comes up from behind, heating my back with his massive frame. My hands reach around and settle on his hips while I glance up at Dominic and Theo.
“Beautiful, soft… wet already,” Theo says, trailing kisses down the side of my neck. Simultaneously, Dominic’s mouth makes love to mine while August draws invisible lines with the tip of his tongue over my nape.
“How do you know I’m wet already?” I manage, breathless and overflowing with feverish desire.
Dominic’s lips stretch into a lazy grin as my dress falls to the floor. He hooks his fingers through the sides of my lace panties and removes them effortlessly before slipping a hand between my legs.
“Oh, fuck,” I gasp, his fingers sliding right through.
“It’s a given,” he growls. “You have a similar effect on us. That’s why we ended up here tonight.”