Enlightened [Sexual Magic 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (18 page)

The stall door opened, and Emma breathed a fervent sigh of thanks. She lifted her hand to Lucy. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Promise.”

Her friend ducked into the next stall. “Honey, if I had something like that waiting for me, I’d call in the rest of the week!”

As Emma washed her hands, Lucy joined her at the sink and eyed her in the mirror. “You look happy, Em. More relaxed than I’ve seen you in a long time. I think taking a day off has done wonders for you.”

She studied her own reflection. Okay, yeah, she looked pretty upbeat. “Really?”

“Yep.” Lucy dried her hands. “Really. You look more like your usual self.”

She shook her head. “It’s been a while, I guess.”

Lucy held the door open as they exited. She touched Emma’s shoulder. “It’s been more than a while. I don’t know why you have been so tense, but today you look happy and relaxed.” She winked. “And young. Just like me.”

They both laughed at that. Lucy was eight years older, though she didn’t look it.

“Gee, thanks.”

“Okay, hon, I gotta run. I’m on a blind date.”

“Wait, what? How come I didn’t know about this?”

“’Cause you didn’t come to work today,” Lucy retorted. “I have been talking to him for a while online.” She cleared her throat and looked abashed. “You know what a bad rap that gets, so I never said anything.”

“What site?”

“You know that online site for professionals? That’s where we hooked up. He emailed me, said he liked my pic and profile. We’ve talked for ages and finally agreed to meet.”

Emma grew concerned. “Define ages.”

Lucy laughed. “A couple of weeks. Yeah, you know how impatient I am.”

That was a true enough statement. And God knew Emma was in no position to chastise her for meeting a stranger. Hell, she’d just slept with two of them.

She held her tongue and hugged Lucy. “Have fun. I want all the details tomorrow!”

“You got it.”

She watched Lucy disappear around the corner and then threaded her way back to the patio.

Just as she arrived, the buzzer flashed red and vibrated in Mason’s hand. He hooted and sidled close then surreptitiously pressed the still shaking device against her breast.

She gasped, feeling it all the way to her clit.

“Time to eat,” he said and headed for the hostess stand.

Emma and Griff followed, and then they all trooped behind the waitress into the room where Lucy had gone. She craned her head, seeking out her friend, but didn’t see her.

“Damn,” she muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Griff asked.

She nibbled at her bottom lip. “Nothing really. Ran into a friend in the bathroom. She’s here on a blind date.”

Mason grimaced. “Those usually suck.”

“I don’t know, she seemed to be enjoying herself.”

The waitress slid menus across the table and took their drink orders.

“Then what’s the problem.”

She shrugged. “None, I guess. I wanted to get a look at him. Lucy is not known for her ability to ferret good from bad men. She’s been involved with more losers than a gambling addict.” She swept the dining area one last time, but didn’t see Lucy.

“Hey, relax and enjoy your evening with us, okay?” Griff covered her hand and squeezed.

He was right. She was being an idiot. Two handsome and charming men at her disposal and she fretted over someone else’s blind date.

“So,” she said lightly. “Does this count as a blind date?”

The waitress, who’d just brought a basket of warm bread, gasped and looked between the three of them, face alive with curiosity.

Mason shot her a devious look as he filched a piece of bread. “I don’t know, Emma. We’ve had a lot of sex already. I think that means it’s definitely not a blind date.”

She choked on her water and kicked at him under the table.

“Ow,” Griff said with a growl, “that was me.”

“Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked gamely.

“Yes,” Emma replied quickly.

As soon as the girl left, they all shared a low laugh. “You guys are so bad.”

“Indeed we are,” Griff confirmed. “That’s what makes us so good.”

“Oh, you are definitely good.” Emma tore a piece of bread from the loaf and studied Griff. Her curiosity and the rush of the zip park were pushing at her to ask him questions. She chewed the bread and then sipped some water. “So, tell me something about yourself, Griff.”

He lifted a brow. “What do you want to know?”

She slid a glance toward Mason. He smiled and nodded.

“Well, I know that Mason was once a cop.”

Griff gave a start. “He told you that?”

“Yes. And you know everything about me. That means it’s your turn to spill something from your dark, deep past. Besides your mom, I mean.” God, she was mangling this. “Something from your adult past.”

She held her breath. Would he talk about his marriage? She was intensely curious. She had a feeling whatever emotional roadblocks he’d erected were a direct result of his divorce.

Silence blanketed the table. The only sounds were the clinks of silverware on china from the other diners and the low hum of their conversations.

Griff leaned back in his chair. His face was expressionless, but emotion raged in his eyes. “I was married once.”

Emma exhaled in a rush. She laid her hand palm up on the table. He gave her a crooked grin as he settled his palm to hers and squeezed. “I don’t like to talk about it.” He shot Mason a knowing glare. “Especially not with clients.”

Her heart pinged with pain of his rejection and she tried to pull away.

He refused to allow it. “But,” he said gently. “I don’t mind with you. What do you want to know?”

She saw Mason’s jaw drop from the corner of her eye and heaved a sigh of relief. “What was her name?”

“Anna.”

“How did you meet her?”

“At a dinner party for one of my friends. It was lust at first sight.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “If I had been smart, I would have left her bed the next morning and never looked back.” He grimaced. “Hell, that’s not fair,” he said. “In the beginning we were great together. In love and in lust and eager to be with one another every second of the day.”

Even though she’d asked for them, hearing the details turned the bread in her stomach to stone. “You don’t have to go on,” she said.

“No, I want you to know.” He looked surprised at the admission. “I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true.” His fingers stroked hers. “Anna turned out to be nothing that I thought she was. Her morals and decisions ran counter to mine in many areas. I put up with a lot because I thought I loved her. I was no saint, but she drank too much, partied too hard and spent too much money. The beginning of the end came when I discovered she had started abusing drugs. I tried to get her help, but she refused.”

“Oh, Griff.” Emma felt tears well in her eyes. No wonder he was so disillusioned by love and relationships. “Not everyone is like that.”

“No,” he agreed. “But she was. Hell, she even proposed a threesome with me pleasuring her and her lover, Tracy.”

“Did you accept?” Emma held her breath.

“No,” he said curtly. “The final straw came the day she waltzed drunkenly into our bedroom. I could tell she was already strung out on something, too. I was disgusted by her. She repulsed me and that was when I knew I had to get out.”

He swallowed hard and sipped some water.

Emma scooted closer and placed her other hand atop their joined ones. She gave Mason a smile when he inched his way nearer as well.

“I told her I wanted a divorce. She looked shocked at first. She laughed and said no. She started taking off her clothes and rubbing against me. I pushed her away, and she hit her head on the bedpost and fell down. She wasn’t hurt, but I found myself so disgusted with
both
of us that when I picked her up I told her again. Anna became enraged and started yelling and running around the room throwing things at me. I got a suitcase out and started packing. Just as I’d finished, she collapsed to the floor and started to cry.” He laughed but the sound didn’t hold any humor. “I gave her a box of tissues and told her my lawyer would be in touch. I thought that was that. I was done. She couldn’t hurt me anymore.”

Emma held her breath. She could feel his tension. She saw the heartbreak in his eyes and wanted to pull him to her and hug him close.

“What happened?” she whispered.

He sighed. “Just before I reached the door, she surged to her feet and punched me in the back. As I turned around to fend her off, she started yelling she was glad we were getting divorced.”

“Why?”

His eyes closed for a brief moment and agony crossed his face. Then he looked at her and she saw all the sadness he was holding inside. “Because she said she was tired of having abortions.”

“Oh, my God,” Emma whispered.

He nodded as a tear gathered in the corner of his eye. He wiped the moisture away. “She aborted three of my children and never told me. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know if I do believe it yet. I’ve never seen any kind of medical records to back up her claim. But the fact that our relationship had come to this kind of hell and I’d been blind to it made leaving and divorcing her that much easier.”

Emma rubbed his hand. She was at a complete loss of words.

She looked at him and saw his apprehension as he waited for her response.

Emma withdrew her hands and picked up her steak knife. She waved it in his direction. “It’s a good thing that witch isn’t anywhere near here or I’d have to beat the shit out of her. What a freaking nutcase!”

Griff blinked a couple of times and then he laughed. A deep, rumbling chuckle that infused her with warmth. “You’re a bloodthirsty little thing,” he said.

“Good,” Mason commented. “You’re absolutely right, Emma. She’s a bitch of the highest order. I have been telling Griff he dodged a bullet for years.”

“Any more questions, Emma?” Griff asked.

“You do know that not every woman is like that, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “I’ve met some very fine women who have no problems being real and honest. Fi McGantry is one of those women.”

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad to know he hadn’t given up on her gender entirely. She wanted to ask if he ever thought he’d marry again, but her reserve of courage was gone.

She gave Mason a pleading glance and he picked up on her need immediately.

“Enough of that crap, let’s talk about something fun.” Mason winked at her. “Like how much we enjoyed abusing your body.”

The tension was lifted as the men shared a grin and then directed their considerable charms her way.

The rest of the evening sped by. Emma pried as much trivia from them as she could, which admittedly was not much. But by the time they returned to her apartment, she was giddy with happiness.

They walked her upstairs. “Want to come in?” she asked at the door, hopeful they would.

But Griff shook his head. “I know we promised you another small session, Em, but it’s late. You do have to go to work in the morning, and we’ve got some things to see to as well.”

She didn’t miss Mason’s sharp questioning glance before it slid back to his normal amiable expression.

She sighed deeply. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, little one. Boundaries, remember? Yours and ours.”

“Fine.”

She reached up on tiptoe and gave each man a slow, lingering kiss. Tonight, she meant to seduce and entice.

Mason’s pulse kicked up against her breasts, and his hands spasmed at her waist, but he didn’t try to come in.

Griff remained aloof yet oddly tender. She sensed his amusement and could not resist sticking her tongue out at him. Maybe she could get herself in enough trouble and he would—

Griff tapped her nose. “You’re not the right temperament for the brat treatment, Em, so don’t go there. You would
not
enjoy the consequences.”

“Damn.”

“Go inside, lock the door, and relax.”

“All right.” She smiled up at them. “Thank you. I had a wonderful day. To coin a cliché, it was a magical time.”

“Good,” Griff said. “You have homework for tonight.”

She held her breath.

“I want you to visit The Deviant Kink and fill out the checklist you find there. Note three more things you really wish to try. Email it to me when you are done. We have not really discussed how you felt about last night’s activities, but we’ll do that tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” she asked, elated to be with them again so soon.

“Yes. After you finish the checklist, you are to read three stories on BlueProse. You may play with your clit, but you may not come.”

She gasped. “That’s not fair.”

His brow rose and he shrugged. “So?”

“Hm.”

“You know you’re just adding punishments, don’t you?” Mason asked.

She hadn’t, but when he said that, her pussy throbbed in anticipation.

“If you come, I will know,” Griff reminded her.

She didn’t ask how, but she totally believed him.

“Last thing, Emma, pay attention.”

His gaze was intense, and she shivered. “Yes, Sir?”

“After you read the third story, you are to send us an IM and turn on your webcam.”

She froze.

He wouldn’t.

“Yes, we’ll be watching this next part. When I give you permission, you will stuff a vibrator in your cunt, turn it on, and read one more. You will play with your clit the entire time, but you will not come. Understand?”

She swallowed so hard her entire body thrummed with anticipation.

“What if I do?”

His expression turned fierce. “Then you won’t be sitting or coming for a very long time.”

“Yes, Sir.” The question was whether or not she’d be able to restrain herself from coming. Not only was she not good at that kind of willpower, but she’d
really
enjoyed being spanked and whipped.

Being dominated, held down, and unable to escape their blows made her come hard. Even now she grew wet from the memory.

Mason chuckled, and she looked at him quizzically.

“From the looks of it, you’d better invest in a super-soft pillow.”