“Good evening, sir. Your outing was a smashing success, then?” To his credit, he didn’t even blink to find two women on his boss’s arm.
“It was. Could I get champagne, strawberries, and warm chocolate brought to my suite?” He made his request simple, seeing as Mrs. Beasley had gone home hours ago.
“Right away. Will that be all?”
“Yes. After you bring the tray, I won’t need you any more this evening.”
“Very good, sir.”
“Thank you, Simon.”
The butler paused and for a second Michael thought he caught a hint of reproach in the elderly man’s eyes. Then he turned and strode for the kitchen, dignified as usual, leaving Michael to think he must’ve imagined the man’s disapproval.
Shaking off a wave of irritation, he showed the ladies upstairs. He was a grown man, for God’s sake, and didn’t require anyone’s permission to indulge in a tryst in the privacy of his own home. Which didn’t explain why he was vastly relieved that he didn’t encounter Bastian on the way to his room.
Pushing aside an uncomfortable feeling very much like guilt, he closed the door to his suite behind them and got a kick out of watching the two go over every square foot of bedroom, sitting area, and bathroom, squealing about this and that.
“A butler!”
“I know! All proper and English, too, just like the dude from that old
“Jeez, look at this shower! A football team could fit in here.”
“You would know.”
“Oh, shush!”
More giggling. He kicked off his boots, letting them explore to their hearts’ content. They had all night. While they were occupied, he stashed his weapons so he didn’t frighten them into sending out a distress call to the brother. A soft knock sounded on the door, and he opened it to find Simon balancing their tray of goodies.
“Just put it on the table in the sitting area.”
The old man completed the task gracefully and then gestured to the sealed bottle. “Shall I pour?”
“No, I’ve got it. Thanks.” He clapped the man on the shoulder. “I’ve kept you up too late, my man. Get yourself to bed.”
Simon’s lips quirked. “I daresay I won’t have quite the same enlightening experience as you, sir.”
“You old dog,” he said, laughing. Simon rarely joked, and when he did, he was funny.
The man lifted his chin, giving Michael an imperious look down the length of his nose. “Indeed. I possessed quite the bite in my day. Good evening.”
“Good night.”
He shut the door again and locked it for good measure, trying to imagine Simon as a young Englishman carousing in London. The picture wouldn’t form.
“Michael?”
He swung his gaze around to see the twins emerge from his bathroom, stripped to their lacy black bras and panties. Thoughts of Simon left his brain along with all his blood — which promptly headed south. His cock revived and his body hummed in anticipation. He was so damned hungry, and right now nothing mattered more than sating himself all night long, until he lay limp and exhausted. He’d go until his recovering body could no longer hold up, and then they’d sleep, hopefully going another round in the morning.
“Gorgeous,” he murmured. “Champagne?”
“Please,” Jeri said, and her sister nodded.
Uncorking the bottle, he poured them each a flute and filled plates with strawberries and drizzles of warm chocolate sauce. Taking his flute and plate, he walked to the side of the bed and set them on the nightstand while he turned the covers back. “Treats like these were meant to be enjoyed in comfort. Don’t you think?”
Eagerly, they hurried to the massive bed and crawled onto it, careful not to spill their drinks or fruit. He didn’t bother to tell them they needn’t worry — he planned for the three of them to make a very big mess in this bed before their time together was done.
“You’re too dressed,” Jackie complained good-naturedly.
“Then I’d better fix that.” Slowly, he peeled off his shirt, bracing himself for the worst of their curiosity. The women gasped, and Jeri moved to the edge of the bed, reaching out to feel each of the scars on his chest and abdomen.
“Are those… from bullets?”
“Yes, they are. I have a dangerous job.”
“This one was so close to your heart,” Jackie breathed, her questing fingers joining the tentative exploration.
His breath hitched. God, he’d missed a woman’s touch, not to mention the attention. “Too close. Actually, the one in my stomach is what nearly killed me. It took hours of surgery to put me back together. I’ve just recently recovered.”
“Ooh, poor baby.” Jeri’s lower lip stuck out in a cute pout that struck Michael as being completely sincere.
Not only did he lust after these two, he genuinely liked them. “It’s okay. I’m much better now.”
“We’re glad,” Jackie said. “And we’re going to help you celebrate. Get naked and climb in.”
The two sultry beauties made way for him as he peeled off his socks and then his leather pants. He’d worn no underwear, and his cock sprang free, pointing the way to bliss. He crawled between them and propped himself against the headboard, reveling in how they snuggled against each side of him, sipping the bubbly and plucking the strawberries from the plates in their laps to nibble on them.
“It occurs to me that you two are the ones overdressed now,” he pointed out.
“We want you to take off the rest,” Jeri said. Dabbing one finger in the chocolate sauce, she smeared it over one of his nipples and began to lick it off with leisurely flicks of her tongue.
“Sounds like a plan.” He moaned as Jackie gave the other nipple the same treatment. “Damn, that feels good.”
Jeri made a low noise of satisfaction. “You like?”
“Hell, yeah.”
Jackie piped up. “I’m thinking this chocolate tastes better on him than on the strawberries. What do you think, sis?”
“I believe you’re right, for once.”
Grinning like an imp, Jeri scooted off the bed, and in seconds returned with the small silver bowl of sauce, complete with a small ladle.
And that’s when things got very delightfully messy.
Three
For one stupid moment, he’d allowed himself to dream.
After hurrying back to his room, he’d listened and had his second-worst fear confirmed. Michael, the idiot
