Three for Me?

  Three men, a tomboy…and one erotic game that could change everything.

  Simon, Eric, Rafael, Lee…and Charli. It’s never mattered that Charli is the only girl in the crowd. She’s always been a tomboy, anyway. Just one of the guys.

  Between work and Couch Potato Thursdays, life is pretty full. Sure, no man alive can get through the friend gauntlet, but thanks to her boys and her toys, she’s got plenty of fantasy material. It’s a win-win situation. Until Lee has a destination wedding in Cozumel—and Charli’s “best man” duties take a kinky turn.

  Through what looks to be foul play by Lee’s new brides, Charli finds herself on a decidedly decadent shore excursion, playing “The Race Erotic”. With each sexy challenge, it becomes clearer that down deep, she desires not one, not two, but all three of her remaining single buddies.

  They’re the only family she’s ever known. She can’t imagine living without them. Will she have to choose? Or will the final score be three to one?

  Warning: Naughty costumes, kinky toys, a boy, a girl…two more boys, all doing unspeakably dirty things to each other.

  eBooks are not transferable.

  They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

  Macon GA 31201

  Three for Me?

  Copyright © 2009 by R. G. Alexander

  ISBN: 978-1-60504-624-2

  Edited by Bethany Morgan

  Cover by Anne Cain

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: July 2009

  www.samhainpublishing.com

  Three for Me?

  R. G. Alexander

  Dedication

  To Cookie—Love is the reason. To The Amazing Race Cozumel and our wonderful guides. You were inspiring. To my smutketeers and divas, especially Eden Bradley, Crystal Jordan and Lilli Feisty for being such a wonderfully bad influence. And Beth, for wondering aloud if the Race Erotic might be more fun with an extra team member. It definitely was.

  Chapter One

  “And do you, Lee Ronald Barrow, Connie Lynn MacIntosh and Lori Annette Shelton, take each other to be husband and wives? Will you honor and keep one another, forsaking all others, for as long as the three of you shall live?”

  “I do.”

  “I do.”

  “Me three.”

  Charli snorted at Lori Ann’s response, and the small, quiet gathering began to chuckle. Including the notary public who was performing the intimate beach wedding. Lee quelled her with a look over his silver-framed glasses and she lowered her head apologetically while the ceremony continued.

  This was a little surreal. It was weird enough that Lee was marrying both his long-time girlfriends. Well, technically only Connie, though they’d both signed a pre-nup that included Lori Ann. But to make matters worse, he’d asked Charli to be the best man. Her. Not Eric or Rafael, not even Simon. No. Out of all his childhood friends, Lee chose his only female buddy for the job.

  She glanced at her fellow groomsmen through her lashes. Even in Hawaiian-print shorts, sleeveless tuxedo jackets and bow ties, the height of fashion for the Key West wedding elite, they were a stunning group of men.

  Her men.

  They’d been best friends for as long as she could remember—since the sixth grade. Protecting one another from school bullies and distant parents, celebrating successes and commiserating over heartbreaks. Always together.

  Lee had been the last one to join their motley crew…and the first one to leave it. She sighed. Oh they would still hang out, and it wasn’t as if Connie and Lori Ann weren’t wonderful, but it wouldn’t be the same.

  This was the beginning of the end. Pretty soon the others would catch the settling-down bug. They were all sexy, successful men in their prime. They wouldn’t be single long. And then Charli would be alone. No more camping trips, no more Thursday night couch-potato parties. Not for her.

  Was she a horrible person to think that? To selfishly worry about herself instead of wishing them well? Probably. But damn it, she hated change.

  “Wake up, Chuck.” Simon nudged her, and she looked up, blushing at the expectant stares aimed her way.

  “Oh!” She slipped her fingers into the too small shorts she’d stupidly allowed the boys to purchase for her, pulling out the three engraved rings. “Sorry.”

  Connie giggled, and Lee just rolled his eyes, smiling as he took the rings from Charli’s clammy hands. She saw the awkward, gangly youth from her childhood in that smile, and her eye’s misted as he spoke his vows. Simple, honest and with just enough humor to be perfectly Lee.

  “Let the love that these three have found with one another be nurtured and supported by all who stand witness here today. Love is a rare gift. It comes in many packages and forms, each one unique…each one a blessing.”

  First Connie, then Lori Ann, were given a thorough and passionate kiss by their new husband. Charli’s eyebrows touched her hairline when the two women wrapped their arms around each other and, without any hesitation, pressed their lips together softly, tenderly.

  Rafael, always the one with the fewest inhibitions, let out a loud wolf whistle. “I think I speak for every man here when I say, amen to that.”

  Charli leaned around Simon to whack Raf in the stomach. “Way to ruin a moment, Mr. Romance.”

  “Hey, I’m romantic. Ask anyone.”

  “Don’t you mean ask everyone?” Charli heard Eric’s low mutter, and her brow crinkled with worry.

  He’d had such a hard time when Rafael admitted his bisexuality to the group. Eric and Raf had been inseparable before then. Now, even though it was five years since his drunken announcement, things still weren’t the same between them. And that pot had been stirred by Connie and Lori Ann’s obvious affection for one another.

  Did she mention she hated change?

  “Thank you all for coming. Now let’s get to the boat before they leave without us. Next stop, Cozumel!” Connie did a little dance in the sand, both the brides turning to throw their bouquets at the small crowd of family and friends.

  Lori Ann’s was caught by Lee’s Aunt Kelly, the only member of his family to RSVP. She’d told them that black sheep had to stick together, but Charli was grateful that Lee had her to lean on. They all leaned on her. Including Charli, who’d lived under her roof from the time she was fifteen until she graduated from high school. Everyone needed an Aunt Kelly.

  She was grinning at the fifty-three-year-old beauty, who was holding up her prize and whooping as though she’d won the lottery, when she saw a missile of orchids and lavender flying her way.

  Charli’s hands came up with the instincts of a seasoned catcher, saving her face from certain flowery doom. She looked down at the dainty design. Hell.

  “Nice catch.”

  “That’s why she’s the best man.”

  “Guess you’re next, Chuck.”

  Charli glared at them all in turn, saving her meanest look for Simon, who just raised his eyebrow and smirked. He drove her crazy, for too many reasons to count. Not the least of which was his persistence in taking her already-masculine name, and butching it up.

  Connie squealed and Charli glanced up to see Lee heft her an
d Lori Ann over each shoulder, carrying them easily up the sandy incline to the Conch Train, the tourist tram that would take them back to the cruise ship.

  “Wait, you guys, I promised Lee I’d get a picture of the four of you in those great outfits. Scrunch in together.”

  Three pairs of strong male hands pulled her close at Kelly’s command, right in the middle. She closed her eyes at their heat. God, they smelled good. All of them. She was sick from breakfast. That must be what it was. Why she had this sudden desire to rub up against them. Heck, maybe weddings screwed with her hormones. Reminded her that she was a girl.

  “Wait, Aunt Kelly. We need one more. Take it off guys.” Rafael waggled his eyebrows at Charli, unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket and shirt with all the flair of a table dancer.

  “Oh. I’m so hot. You’re turning me on.” Her monotone delivery set all of them guffawing, and she smiled. This was how it should be. All light and fun and none of them having any idea what she was really thinking. Sad, but being friends with a group of horny hunks made you keep some things to yourself.

  They all turned toward her with their arms spread and Charli nearly fell over laughing. “Oh my God. When did you get those?”

  Simon, Eric and Raf grinned at her delight. They were all sporting red T-shirts covered in gold and orange flames. The black lettering was bold and unmistakable. Her eyes blurred again, this time with tears of mirth.

  Charli’s Devils.

  Lee’s aunt snapped the picture. “Priceless.”

  Yes, Charli thought. They were.

  “I’m so glad I brought an extra one along. I knew you’d look this sexy in a bikini.”

  “I can’t believe they’re real. I’d kill for a pair like that.”

  Charli was going to kill Lee. Shouldn’t he be in his honeymoon suite, doing insanely kinky things with his new brides? Instead, he and the other guys had disappeared, leaving her alone with Lori Ann and Connie. They’d talked her into a little sun bathing by the pool. And apparently, her faded blue one-piece wasn’t allowed to the party.

  She adjusted the narrow triangles that she was sure barely covered her nipples. Connie had a nice figure, but the bikini top was too small. The bane of Charli’s existence had always been her breasts. No matter how compact or sporty the rest of her body was from a lifetime of playing with the boys, her breasts never shrank a single cup size. “Porn breasts” Lee had called them once. Before Simon and Eric had socked him in the jaw.

  “Oh relax, Charli. Just lay back, enjoy our complimentary wedding margaritas and tell us all about Lee when he was a randy teen.” Connie’s laughter was infectious, and soon enough, whether it was from the alcohol or the company, Charli found herself relaxing. And sharing stories.

  “You—you mean he actually thought his…that it was…?”

  “I swear. And he was too afraid the doctor would tell his mother, so Simon and I had to drive him to the next town while Eric and Raf covered for him with that ridiculous fish story.”

  Lori Ann spurted out her margarita, and the three girls wailed in renewed humor as they toweled her off. “You’d think that thing was made of gold the way men go on about it.”

  Connie’s smile was sly. “Well, Lee’s is certainly worth its weight in gold. The things he can do…mmmmmm.”

  “Lalalala. TMI, people. Friend and business partner over here. I don’t need to know anything about what he can do with any of his bits and pieces.”

  Lori Ann tilted her head at Charli. “Come on, girl. What are you, made of stone? You’ve been surrounded by four of the finest men on the planet. When Lee first introduced me to your group I almost climaxed before dessert. And you not only work with Simon, but you spend most of your free time connected to all three at their hips. Tell me you haven’t fantasized about one or more of them in all the time you’ve known them, and I’ll tell you I have some ex-girlfriends you might be interested in.”

  Charli choked on her drink. It was hard to get used to female gossip. She’d never been good at it. The curse of being a tomboy. Give her a fishing rod or a mountain to climb, but please God, save her from the conversations in the ladies’ room. “Of course I know they’re gorgeous. I’m the one all their wannabe girlfriends chum up to in order to get me to put in a good word. But we’ve been friends forever. And some things are more important than my sex life, or lack thereof.”

  Connie frowned. “See, that’s what I don’t get. You’re every man’s wet dream. You love football, you have the body of a pole dancer, no offense, and you co-own a chain of fantastically popular sporting-goods stores. How are you still single?”

  Charli snorted. “Ever had older brothers?” Both girls shook their heads. “Well I have four—four very overprotective, irritating, but good-intentioned brothers. To be fair, Lee’s never really jumped on that bandwagon. But there hasn’t been a man yet who can get through the tests.”

  “Tests?” both girls spoke in unison. Lori Ann filled Charli’s glass with more frozen margarita.

  She nodded. “They have a system. Eric goes for the brains. He grills them, tests them, tries to trip them up. If they get through a conversation with him, Raf takes over. He’s so over the top, you never know if he’s going to humiliate them or hit on them, or both. If the man is determined enough to survive that encounter, the heavy hitter is called in.”

  Connie placed the back of her hand on her forehead, pretending to swoon. “Simon. That is one tall, dark and handsome hunk of man.”

  Charli rolled her eyes, though she secretly agreed. “Yeah, he’s a legend in his own mind. Mister Universe scares the pants out of any suitors left standing and, poof, no sex life for Charli.”

  Lori Ann shook her head as if to clear it from its margarita fog. “So wait a second. You’re saying that your quote, unquote friends scare all your dates away? That would seriously piss me off. Why do you let them anywhere near a prospective boyfriend? Sounds like your safest bet would be to avoid introducing them altogether.”

  “I could never do that.” Charli’s tone was adamant. “I mean, it drives me crazy, but on the other hand, why would I want someone who can’t handle the guys? They’re my best friends. Simon, Eric, Raf, they are my family. Lee too. Hands down, I’d choose them every time.”

  Connie held up her hand. “I may be drunk and giddy with newly married bliss, but I have a theory.” She weaved a bit in her lounger before pointing at Charli. “You love them.”

  “Of course I love them.”

  “No, no. You love them.”

  Charli sat up straighter. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re practically related.”

  Lori Ann shook her head. “Not even a little related. I’m a nurse, I know these things. And love them or not, you definitely want them. All three of them.”

  This was ridiculous. “Three? If we’re being delusional why not add Lee to my fantasy list?”

  “You don’t want Lee. Trust me, we’d have been able to tell. No, with him you’re right. You love him like a brother, and he feels the same about you. But it’s more than obvious that the rest of you have…tension.”

  Charli was squirming in her chair. Men were so much simpler. They didn’t pick up subtle hints, or notice things you didn’t want them to notice. Not usually. And if they did they were too much of a guy to bother you by mentioning it. “Tension?”

  Connie fanned herself. “Oh yeah. If you could only see the looks you get when your back is turned. Lava hot, girlfriend.”

  “Who looks at me?”

  “They all do, Charli. Simon, Eric, Rafael. As far as they’re concerned there are no other women when you’re around. Much to the chagrin of the female population of Denver.”

  “See? Now I know you’re lying. They’ve brought dates to our get-togethers. I’ve seen them pick up girls in bars. Hell, we have each other’s house keys. And let me tell you, from the amount of women and men I’ve seen passing through the revolving doors they call bedrooms, none of them are suffering.”

  Lori Ann popped a s
trawberry into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before she spoke. “Have you seen any of that recently? Cause we’ve been with Lee for about two years now, and the only woman we’ve seen them with, apart from us, is you. Rafael, for all his bluster, hasn’t brought anyone around either. Think about it.”

  She thought about it. They were right. The guys hadn’t brought many dates around recently. And Lord knew they hadn’t let a man within ten feet of her. Maybe they were just burnt out on dating. Maybe they’d gotten into a rut. Who knew? Whatever the case, the girls were wrong. It had nothing to do with her.

  But were they right about her own feelings? She thought of the brooding Simon, his protectiveness, his fiery blue eyes. Shy Eric, the English professor with the looks of a blond Adonis, and a wit and intellect that always amazed her. And Rafael. Raf. His olive skin and dark eyes made her drool, but it was his sense of humor and irreverence that she loved. He always made her laugh.

  Oh brother. She was in trouble.

  “Look, I know you mean well, and you may be right. Any woman who’s known them for more than five minutes develops a crush on at least one of them. So I’m human. But that doesn’t mean anything is going to happen.” She shrugged. “I’m not like you, I’m not really good at…sharing. No doubt a flaw on my end, but there you go.”

  Connie came to sit beside her, throwing a friendly arm over her shoulders. “Love comes in many packages. I wrote that myself. However you find it, if it makes you as happy as we are, then it’s the right one for you.”

  Charli closed her eyes on a groan. “If I could find a package that wrapped them all up into one guy I’d be happy. Together they’d make the perfect man.”

  “Now there’s a fantasy.” The three women toasted the thought, giggling.

  “Care to share the joke?”

  Now it was Charli’s turn to spill her drink. Icy strawberry margarita soaked her fingers and covered her thighs. “Damn it.”