The Art of Love [Hedon Falls 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (9 page)

“I’m going to come!” she yelled. “I’m coming! Oh, my God!”

He felt her cunt contract violently around him as she screamed, and he couldn’t hold back any more. With his own yell, he slammed into her one final time and shot a load of cum into the rubber. He held still inside of her and shuddered as his balls contracted, releasing several waves of semen before he was through. Grasping the base of his cock and carefully holding the condom in place, he withdrew from her. He leaned over the table and kissed her. Then he helped her down and led her to the bed.

* * * *

Melanie lay in Justin’s arms the following morning. She was beginning to enjoy waking up with a warm, hard man beside her. It had such delightful possibilities, as he’d proven to her only a few minutes earlier. She sighed contentedly. Last night had been stunning. The younger man had incredible stamina, and to her shock, had managed to fuck her another three times before they fell into an exhausted heap in the bed. There were
definite
advantages to dating a twenty-three year old. He was just so…vigorous.

She didn’t want to get out of bed, but she knew she had to. There was work that needed to be done at home, and she had a date with David in the evening. She leaned up on her elbow and looked down to see Justin watching her.

“Bonjour, ma chérie,”
he said softly.

“Good morning to you, too,” she replied with a smile. She leaned down and kissed him lightly. “I have to get going.”

“Are you sure you cannot stay for one more time?” he asked as he stroked her breast.

Melanie closed her eyes and enjoyed the thrills shooting through her at his touch. Maybe I can stay just a little longer, she thought as she bent to kiss him again.

* * * *

That evening, David took Melanie to see a movie. There was only one theatre in Hedon Falls, and it had only two screens. They chatted while they waited for the movie to start.

“What’s your favorite move?” she asked him.

He stopped to think for a moment. “I like so many, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I guess if I really had to pick I’d say
Die Hard
.”

“You’re such a guy,” she said with a giggle.

His grin made her stomach tighten. “I thought you liked it that way.”

She could feel the heat in her cheeks as his hand slid over her thigh. “You’ve got me there.”

“Most guys like action, you know. And not just in the bedroom.”

“Ha, ha,” she replied drily.

“What about you? What’s your favorite movie?”

“
The Princess Bride
,” she replied without hesitating.

“What’s that?” he asked.

She gaped at him. “You haven’t seen it? How could you not have seen it?”

“I’m a guy, remember? Princesses and brides are not part of my usual movie lineup.”

“Well, I’m going to have to make you watch it, then,” Melanie said firmly. “It’s got more than just romance, and it’s really funny.”

“Fine, as long as we can watch some shit get blown up afterward.”

The theatre darkened then and they settled back to watch. But David was much more interested in her than the screen, and they spent most of the time making out like teenagers.

When the movie ended, they strolled hand-in-hand through downtown Hedon Falls. There were many old buildings there which housed a variety of businesses, and they decided to stop in at Carol’s Café.

“Tell me about your family,” Melanie said to him as she sipped her macchiato.

She thought she saw his jaw tighten slightly, but he shrugged and said, “There’s not much to tell. I mostly grew up in foster homes.”

“Really? Where were your parents?”

“I didn’t know my dad, and my mother died when I was four years old.”

“Oh.” Melanie sipped her drink again, not sure how to respond.

“What about your parents?” David asked after a moment of awkward silence.

Melanie smiled. “I was lucky to have a great family. My parents were a little older when I was born and I was an only child, so I guess I was a bit spoiled. They tried hard to make sure I had everything I needed.” She stopped when she felt tears prick at the back of her eyes.

David stroked her cheek. “They passed away recently, didn’t they?”

“It’s been two years,” Melanie replied faintly. “There was a car accident. I’ve dealt with it, but sometimes it still makes me sad.”

“That’s normal. You must have good memories of them.”

Melanie nodded. “Of course. They always encouraged me to follow my dreams and they supported me. Some parents wouldn’t want their kids taking art at university, but mine didn’t care. As long as I was doing something that made me happy.”

“Art makes me happy, too,” he said with a smile.

“When did you decide to become an artist?” she asked.

“When I was in grade ten,” David said. “I took an art class, because I had to have an arts credit, and because I’d always loved to draw and create stuff. My art teacher was an amazing man. He was a huge influence and encouraged me to pursue my art all through high school. I liked painting and drawing well enough, but I loved creating sculptures.”

“You are very good with your hands,” she said. They both laughed.

“Maybe if we get out of here, I can give you a demonstration,” he whispered against her ear, his soft breath sending a tingle through her body.

They left quickly and when they got back to Melanie’s house, they made love.

“I really like being here with you,” he said as he traced circles on her upper arms as they lay together afterward.

She turned to look up at him. “I like having you here, too.”

“Can I stay the night again?” he asked. He slid his hand down to cup her breast and lightly stroked the nipple.

She shivered again. “You’re very persuasive,” she said.

“I try,” he responded. “Is that a yes?”

She nodded. “But you can keep doing that.” She arched her back a bit so her breast pressed more firmly against his hand. He laughed lightly and kissed her forehead.

“What do you want to do tomorrow night?” he asked.

“I have plans,” she said with a twinge of guilt. She was supposed to see Garrett again.

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

Melanie hesitated. She knew he would be disappointed that she was seeing someone else. But it wouldn’t be fair to let their relationship continue without telling David about the others.
How do I do this?
She decided that honesty was probably the best approach. “I have a date.”

David’s hands stilled. “A date?” he asked. “With who?”

“Garrett,” she said softly.

“As in Garrett Anderson? The artist you went to see yesterday?”

Melanie closed her eyes and nodded. She could hear the hurt in David’s voice.

“Did you end up fucking him on his studio floor, too?” David asked angrily. When Melanie hesitated again, he burst out, “You did, didn’t you! Why the hell would you let that bastard fuck you? What about me?”

David had pulled away now, and Melanie had to fight to keep the tears at bay. She hadn’t meant to hurt David, but it looked pretty bad when she thought about it from his point of view.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just got…carried away.”

“Why?” he asked again. “You were seeing me. You can’t go fucking other guys when you’re already in a relationship!”

“Relationship?” Melanie said incredulously. Anger was beginning to build within her. “I fucked you, we had one date, and you stayed the night. That doesn’t make a relationship!”

David got out of the bed and began yanking on his clothes. “It does make a relationship. Or at least for me it does.”

“Well maybe you should have made that more clear!” Melanie yelled back. She sat up in the bed, the sheet pulled up to cover her. “You never said we had to be exclusive.”

“You never said you were a slut, either!”

Melanie gasped. She felt as though he had slapped her. “Get out,” she said in a low voice.

“No problem.” He picked up his wallet and keys from the dresser and strode out of the room. A moment later she heard the front door slam.

Melanie didn’t hold back the tears after David stormed out. They fell freely down her cheeks and she flopped down on the bed. She had been stupid. What made her think she could date two men at once, and then add a third, just because he let her beat him with a riding crop? She couldn’t keep seeing all of them. She was just so confused. Should she tell Justin and Garrett to get lost so she could go back to David? Or would he even take her back? Should she forget about David and choose one of the others? She fell asleep as she tried to reason through the problem.

* * * *

Melanie woke the next morning to the phone ringing.

“Hello?” she said groggily.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Serena said. “Are we walking today or did you get enough of a workout last night?”

Remembering the previous night, Melanie burst into tears.

“Melanie? What’s wrong?”

“I fucked everything up,” Melanie choked out.

“I’ll be right over,” Serena said before hanging up.

Melanie got up and pulled on her most comfortable pair of pajamas and her robe. She stumbled into the kitchen just as Serena came in the front door. The older woman went to Melanie and hugged her.

“Go sit down,” Serena said. “I’ll make the coffee.”

Melanie shuffled out to the couch, sat down, and tucked her legs under her. A few moments later, she gratefully took the cup of coffee Serena brought to her.

“So tell me what happened,” Serena said as she settled in beside Melanie.

Melanie sighed. “You know how I went to see that other artist yesterday? The one who does the BDSM paintings?”

“Oh, dear,” Serena said.

“Yup. He was gorgeous, and sexy, and dangerous and showed me that I enjoy being tied up.”

“Oh, dear.”

“And I went out with David last night, we came back here and made love. He wanted to know what I was doing today. I had already made a date with Garrett. I figured it was better to be honest, so I told David.”

“I’m betting he didn’t like that idea,” Serena said. “You hadn’t ever said you couldn’t see other people, had you?”

“No. But then he called me a slut and left.” Melanie’s tears began falling again.

Serena slid an arm around her shoulders. “I had a lot of people saying that about me when they found out about me and Liam and Lance. We got some really nasty letters.”

“No!” Melanie said. “What did you do?”

Serena shrugged. “We mostly ignored it. It hurt a little, but we were just so happy to be together that it didn’t really matter what anyone else thought.”

“I don’t know what to do. Do I try and forget David? Or should I tell the other two to take a hike?”

“Tough call,” said Serena. “Who do you feel most strongly about?”

“I don’t know! They’re all so different, but they’re all so great. How do I decide?”

“I wish I had an easy answer for you,” Serena said. “I never had to choose. Right from the start my men wanted to share.”

“Well, choosing sucks,” Melanie said. “Maybe I should just drop all of them.”

“You have to do what’s best for you,” Serena said. She patted Melanie’s hand. “And don’t forget that you still want them to be part of the exhibit.”

“Great,” Melanie said. “So I have to deal with them no matter what. Why can’t I just keep my stupid hormones under control?”

“It’s okay,” Serena said. “You’re allowed to have fun. Everyone’s got to let their hormones think for them sometimes.”

Serena stayed to talk for a while longer and then left. Melanie went to her computer to try and get her mind off her problem. But of course, there were e-mails from Justin and Garrett. She thought about how much fun she had had with them. She didn’t want to lose either of them just yet. Deciding to take the bull by the horns, she picked up the phone. She had been with Garrett less than the others so she called him first.

“Hey, sexy,” he said when he picked up the phone. “I was thinking about you.”

“Garrett,” Melanie began. “I need to tell you something.”

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“The truth is, I’ve been seeing a couple other guys.” She said it quickly, hoping it wouldn’t sound as bad.

“And?”

“And I don’t know how you feel about that. Do you want to keep seeing me, too?”

“Let me guess,” he said. “One of these other guys didn’t want to share you.”

“Something like that,” she muttered.

“Melanie, you’re a grown woman. If you want to see more than one guy at once, that’s your decision,” he said. “I’d love to be one of those guys. If I want more than that, I’ll talk about it with you.”