A Package Deal
Authors: Alexa Bond
Tags: #mfm, #menage, #romance, #threesome, #erotica, #erotic
A Package Deal
by Alexa Bond
Copyright © 2015 by Alexa Bond
Book and cover design by Fine Line Design
All rights reserved.
A Package Deal is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.
Also by Alexa Bond:
One Night for Three
Chapter 1
“Just who are you expecting to walk through that door, our next investor?” Swallowing the last of his drink, Wes gazed quizzically at his friend.
“Better.” Brad adjusted his tie. “Ella Jackson.”
“You’re not seriously still interested in her?” Wes smirked. “What do you think, that there’s any chance in hell she’d go out with you again? How many times did you two break up, fifty?”
“Twice. It was twice. And it wasn’t because we didn’t want to be together.”
Looking back now, the reasons seemed ridiculous. The first time, he had ended it because he didn’t want to get too serious. It was high school, after all. He came to his senses later on but then school ended. Ella moved to New York not a week later, breaking it off with him just before she left.
If he had a chance now, he wasn’t going to let her slip through his fingers again. Not this time. No way.
“Yeah, I’m sure she’s been waiting the last ten years, just for another chance with you. This time, you’re going to have to get in line.”
“What?” Brad’s whisky burned down his throat as he whipped his head around to stare at his friend. “What are you talking about? You pick now to decide you have a thing for her?”
“I’m not picking now. You know damn well I always liked her too. I stepped aside back then, and I’m not doing it anymore. Not this time.”
“I thought you only liked her as a friend. And you’re just mentioning this now?” An idea was already forming in Brad’s mind.
“I sure didn’t think you would be interested in her after all this time.”
“Hell yes, I am. She’s the one that got away.”
They stared at each other. “There’s only one thing we can do,” Brad said.
“You’re thinking what I’m thinking?”
Brad nodded. This could work out perfectly. He didn’t have to say it out loud to Wes. Not that he would have anyway, standing in the middle of this crowd where they could easily be overheard.
“We should have looked Ella up right after college.” Wes tapped on his empty glass. “You ready for another?”
“Yup. Make it a double.”
Thank Christ the bar was well-stocked. The constant flow of alcohol was the only way he could stand being at a high school reunion-. And, of course, the chance to see Ella again. To be honest, that was his entire reason for coming at all. Wes hadn’t been able to convince him it would be worth going to until he had mentioned her name when he was listing off the others who would be there.
He smirked to himself as Wes headed off. They had been friends since childhood, sharing everything between them. But it wasn’t until they became roommates in college that they had learned about the joys of sharing women.
Would Ella go for that? Both he and Wes had been talking lately about finding someone permanent for the two of them.
They were both on the same page but they had no luck so far, and Brad had to wonder if it was ever going to happen. It was getting discouraging, trying to find a woman who would be right there with them. They had yet to meet a woman who could get her head around the idea of being in a relationship with two guys at the same time.
Shifting around on his feet, Brad took a quick look around the room. Finding a seat would have been nice, but he was aiming to go unnoticed for as long as possible. Once his former classmates found out how successful he was, they wouldn’t leave him alone. Catching Ella before anyone else saw her was his number one priority and there was no time to waste listening to everyone else’s brilliant ideas about what he should do with his company.
There was a couple he didn’t recognize walking into the room, and when they turned away, he saw her. Ella. Damn.
Ella had always been pretty, but tonight, she was a knockout. Especially in her floor-length black dress. It was classy and sexy at the same time, all crossed straps and slightly shimmery material. Her ash blonde hair was twisted up high, a few strands escaping to trail down her regal neck.
His daydream of seeing that dress set aside and those sweet long legs wrapped around his back was interrupted by the ripple of male attention that buzzed through the entire room.
He snapped out of it and strode towards her. The dazzling smile she gave him as he approached made him walk faster.
“Brad?”
Grinning, he swept her up into his arms. “Ella. It’s so good to see you.” He set her down reluctantly, taking hold of her hand and giving it a possessive squeeze. “You look incredible.”
“You don’t look half bad yourself.” He looked quite a bit better than that. Even more handsome than she remembered him. More muscular than he was back then, and was his jaw even stronger now? The dark brown hair that he used to grow long was short, but still long enough to run your fingers through. She gave her head a tiny shake. Where had that thought come from?
Taking Ella’s hand, Brad led her over to the still-vacant table he and Wes had been standing at. Wes was heading back to it from the opposite direction, drinks in hand.
“Ella! I can’t believe it’s been ten years. You haven’t changed, not one little bit,” Wes said, his blue eyes sparkling. “I saw you arrive, Ella, and I though you might like a drink.” He offered her a glass of white wine.
“Wes. That’s so nice, thank you. You haven’t changed much yourself.” She set the glass down without taking a sip, throwing her arms around Wes instead. His body felt good as she pressed against it, strong and muscled underneath his sexy suit. Just like Brad, his formerly long hair was cut short. A shade darker than it used to be, it was still a dark blond.
Brad watched the two of them with interest. If he and Wes could play their cards right, was there a chance they could both have this incredible woman? He was determined to make it happen.
“I can’t believe we didn’t keep in touch. I’m glad we have the whole evening to make up for that tonight.”
“Sounds good to me. But I’ve got plans to meet up with Kelly and if I don’t find her first, she’ll kill me.”
“Promise me a dance later,” Brad said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
“You got it. Wes, you too. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
Wes raised his glass to her and she flashed both of them a huge grin before she walked away.
“Think she’ll go for both of us?” Brad asked in an undertone as he and Wes watched her cross the floor.
“No.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you see? She’s wearing a wedding ring, man.” Wes polished off his drink, looking pissed off. “We shouldn’t have expected anything else.”
Brad frowned, trying vainly to spot her among the crowd as if he could see it now. “I didn’t notice.”
“Yeah, well. That’s not surprising. You always did see what you wanted to see.”
Brad shook his head. “She didn’t mention a husband. That’s always the first thing a woman mentions if she want you to back off.”
“Sure, but she probably figures the ring speaks for itself. I’m taking that as a stop sign until she says otherwise.”
Brad stared at his friend in surprise. It wasn’t like Wes to give up on anything that easily. “Am I hearing you right? You’re going to take no for an answer? Before you’ve even heard her say it?”
Wes shook his head. “If I’m going to spend the time to get involved with someone, she’d better be free to do the same. You and I are more than enough for one single woman. As they keep telling us,” Wes said ruefully.
“I’m tired of messing around with dating. I want someone to be with. Someone who gets us. There’s no point wasting time on anyone who only want to try having a threesome just so she can say she had wild sex once in her life. I want to find someone who’s truly into it. And then I won’t let her go.”
“My thoughts exactly, friend.” Brad clunked his glass against Wes’s. “But I know she’s the woman for us.”
“Yeah? Did you suddenly discover some hidden psychic powers tonight? So how about you tell me how our stocks are going to fare tomorrow.”
“Fuck the market. I’m only sure about one thing. And that’s Ella. Just wait and see.”
The music stopped playing and someone walked out on stage, but Brad hardly noticed what the guy was talking about. He was too busy scanning the crowd for Ella.
Spotting her near the bar with a couple of her friends, he gazed at her appreciatively once again. She was the hottest woman in the room, no question.
She caught his eye and gave him the sweetest smile ever. Oh, yeah. She was the one for them.
Chapter 2
“This is fucking dull. Let’s go talk to Ella,” he said in an undertone to Wes. They were surrounded by a group of men, most of whom he didn’t remember.
Wes glanced around the room. “I’ll go find her.”
“So, Bradley. You’re in business with Wes? I never thought you guys had very much in common.” Burton was trying to hold Brad’s attention. “When did your company take off?”
As soon as Brad saw Wes steering Ella away and into a quieter corner, he knocked back the rest of his drink.
“Excuse me, Burton. There’s someone I’ve got to talk to.”
Turning away abruptly, Brad made his way towards Ella and Wes, not making eye contact with anyone as he walked. He stopped at the bar on his way over, picking up something for each of them.
“More wine?” Coming up behind Ella, he looped his arm around her body as he handed her the glass. Laughing, she accepted it graciously.
“You’re quite the host, Brad, thank you.”
“So, Ella. What’s up with—” He cut himself off abruptly at Wes’s warning shake of his head.
Damn it. What was the point of not coming out with exactly what you meant? But he trusted Wes’s judgment. It had saved him from some sticky situations before. And he did not want to do anything to blow their chances with Ella, especially so soon.
Wes picked up her hand, stroking his thumb over her wedding ring. “That’s a very nice ring, Ella. Who’s the lucky bastard? Anyone we know?”
She yanked her hand away forcefully, startling him.
“Sorry,” Ella said sheepishly when she saw the surprise in his expression. “I can’t stand this ring anymore. I’m actually divorced.”
Divorced? Now that was perfect. Brad was about to speak up when Wes raised an eyebrow at him.
“While I’m here, I want to get rid of it. Sell it to a jeweler I know, and get it out of my life,” Ella continued. “I’m only wearing it now so I wouldn’t have to endure a lot of questions about my divorce. Plus, I didn’t think it would be safe to leave it in my room.”
“Whoever the guy is, it’s his loss,” Brad spoke up, ignoring the pointed look that Wes directed at him. Sure, the words came out more forcefully than he meant them to, but Christ. Any guy who would let her go had to be out of his mind.
Ella gave him a smile that was tinged with a hint of sadness. “Guess Troy didn’t think so. I met him not long after I moved to New York. He was very charming, and he turned out to be a serial cheater. He was even cheating most of the time we were dating.”
“That’s awful, Ella, I’m sorry to hear that. And Brad’s right, for once. It’s truly his loss.”
“Thanks, guys. But let’s not talk about that. It’s in the past and after this reunion, I’ll be done with this ring and him for good. Anyone want to dance with me now?”
“Of course.” Brad had set his glass down and had hold of Ella’s hand before Wes could say a word.
Brad guided her through the throngs of people, his hand resting possessively on her lower back. Just as they reached the crowded floor, the music turned into a slow song.
“You know, I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed you until I saw you here tonight,” Ella said, her voice soft and low as he gathered her into his arms.
“I’ve thought about you a lot since you left, wondering how you were doing. Didn’t figure you’d come back to Chicago again,” Brad said. “When Wes told me you were on the list, I couldn’t believe it.”
Her head was resting nicely on his chest, just the way it should be. She tilted her chin up to gaze directly into his dark brown eyes.