Three for Me? Read online

  “Oops. We’ll go get some napkins.” Connie and Lori Ann jumped up faster than was wise considering how much they’d been drinking, and disappeared in a wobbly mass of giggling female.

  “Wow. You’re a mess, Chuck.”

  “Thank you, Simon. I don’t know what I’d do without you to point these things out to me. Are you going to help or just mock from afar?”

  Simon chuckled, pulling off his T-shirt and using it to wipe her thighs. God, he was gorgeous. “Help, of course. You think the girls are happy? Lee is feeling no pain. Everybody and their brother has bought him a round to celebrate. If people really liked him they would buy him a few rounds of coffee, otherwise his wedding night will be a hazy memory of porcelain-god worshipping and pain.”

  Charli nodded, licking the cool sticky liquid off her fingers. “It’s true.”

  “What’s true?”

  Charli looked down, noticing that Simon was still rubbing her legs with his cotton shirt. Rubbing in a slow, circular caress that was kind of turning her on. Kind of? She snorted. Who was she fooling? “That you shouldn’t drink on your wedding night.”

  “Uh-huh. Need any help with that?”

  “With what?” Charli caught his gaze. He was looking at her fingers still dripping with margarita. Before she had a chance to refuse, Simon reached out to grip her wrist, pulling it toward his mouth.

  Oh. My. God. Charli didn’t move, barely breathed as he slipped her fingers one by one into his mouth. And sucked. She pressed her thighs together, unwilling heat filling her belly, her sex. A small whimper escaped her throat, and Simon’s eyes darkened.

  A loud screech, followed by several splashes from the nearby pool caused Charli to jerk her hand back. “Thanks, Simon.” Her laugh sounded forced, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She took his T-shirt and finished wiping herself off before handing it back to him. “I think I’ve had a little too much to drink myself. Connie and Lori Ann are a bad influence.”

  Simon stood, his expression affable as ever, unless she looked in his eyes. They were telling a different story. “Well, that’s why this floating party boat was such a good idea. No need to worry about having too much fun, Chuck. This time you won’t have to be the designated driver. Even though, you know me, I’d rather be camping.”

  “I hear ya.” Thank heavens they were back on familiar ground. “Hey, make sure you tell the boys not to have too much fun tonight. I need all of you at your best tomorrow.”

  “That’s right. The shore excursion in Cozumel.”

  Charli nodded, rubbing her hands together. The Race Fantastique. Apart from the wedding, it was what had convinced her to hand the business over to the supervisors and come on this cruise. It was just like the television show, a scavenger hunt on speed. It would take brains and charm and stamina. And she had the perfect men for the job. “We’re going to win that race. We’re an unbeatable team.”

  “Yes. We are. I’ll fill them in.”

  Simon turned to walk away, his shirt balled up in his fists, and Charli groaned. What the hell was that? Other than one of the sexiest things that had ever happened to her. And how sad and pathetic was that truth? Very. Maybe when she got home from this vacation, she would rethink running a man through the friend gauntlet. She needed something, and it damn sure wasn’t a friendly peck on the cheek. Or finger sucking. Though that was nice.

  Charli needed a man. One man. If she said that to herself enough times, she might start to believe it.

  Chapter Two

  The itinerary was changed.

  We’ll meet our guides at the shore end of the pier

  near the Three Amigos bar at four thirty. Fitting, eh?

  —Eric and those other two losers

  Four thirty? They were docking at two in the afternoon. Why had the schedule changed?

  She wasn’t given time to think about it. Connie and Aunt Kelly showed up to whisk her away for a full day of spa treatments. She’d never even had a manicure before, sure it would be akin to torture but, it actually felt good.

  After a facial, a body wrap, a deep-tissue massage and a mani-pedi, Charli felt like Jell-O. Happy, girly Jell-O. By the time she got back to her room and hopped in the shower, it was three fifty-five. She threw on shorts and a tank top, slipping her long brown hair into a ponytail as she ran down the pier toward the brightly colored shopping huts that made up Porta Maya, in Cozumel.

  She walked inside the bar, looking for a familiar face. They weren’t here? Was she too late? She was about to ask someone the time when she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Ms. Rindel? Charli Rindel?”

  “Yes?”

  Charli turned around and looked up. And up some more. A beautiful dirty blond—he had to be barely legal—was smiling down at her. “Oh good. I’m Florenz, and I’ll be your guide and chief clue giver this evening. The cab with your teammates and the two other couples playing today just left. Shelly, my partner in crime, is keeping an eye on them while I waited for you and one other couple. And here they are now.”

  Oh he had an accent. German by the sound of it. Gorgeous German jailbait. Speaking of hunks, why hadn’t they waited for her? That didn’t sound like them. “They told me four thirty.”

  “It’s okay, ma’am. We won’t be but a moment behind them.” He led her into the waiting cab. “I promised Simon and the others that I would keep you safe.”

  He turned to introduce himself to an adorable-looking couple. Honeymooners. And young too. When had it happened? When did people start calling her ma’am? She was only thirty-four. When had she suddenly become…older?

  The couple joined her in the cab, and she introduced herself. The wife blushed and looked down shyly, but the man held out his hand to shake hers. “I’m Tim, and this is my wife, Dawn.”

  Tim looked over his shoulder to the front of the cab, where Florenz was speaking in low tones to the cab driver. “So, Florenz. How did you get involved in this, um, game? It’s a little wild, isn’t it?”

  Florenz flashed a bright smile in their direction. “I came to Cozumel on vacation, just like you. I signed up for the race and met Shelly. The rest is, as you say, history.”

  Charli saw the momentary heat glimmering in his eyes. So he and his fellow tour guide were an item. How sweet. Tim turned back to her. “You seem very nice, Charli. But you should know that you and your boyfriend are going to lose. My Dawn and I have been practicing.”

  Charli crossed her arms across her chest, her smile growing at his smug expression. “Don’t count on it, buddy. Me and my guys are pretty competitive.”

  Her words drew Dawn’s large doe-eyed gaze up in surprise. “Your…guys? As in more than one?”

  She nodded, and Tim pulled Dawn closer. “Well that’s very, um, modern of you, Ms. Charli. But I’m still confident. So confident I think we should make a wager. Two hundred says my Dawn and I come out the winners. Or at least, beat your time.”

  Uh-oh. The poor guy didn’t know who he was dealing with. If she told the boys about the bet, and she would, they would move heaven and Earth to win it. That’s just how they were. “Make it two fifty, and you’re on.” They shook hands just as the cab came to a stop.

  “We’re here, ladies and gentleman. Let me get you to join the rest of the group so Shelly can tell you the rules and get you the papers you need to sign.”

  They poured out of the cab in the heart of the small coastal city, and Charli made a beeline to Simon and Rafael. “Where’s Eric? Never mind, I have to tell you right away. I made a bet with that newly married couple that we’d beat them. Two hundred and fifty smackers, guys. You know what that means.”

  “Charli…Charli there’s something we have to tell you too.” Rafael looked disturbed. He ran his hands through his shaggy cocoa-colored hair and looked at Simon. “You do it.”

  Simon sneered at Raf, gripping Charli by the shoulders. “Babe…Chuck… This race is—”

  “Charli! Welcome to Hell. They told you yet?” Eric downed a bottle of Dos Eq
uis in less than a minute. He was a teetotaler. And he hated beer. What was going on?

  “Told me what? You okay, Eric?”

  Rafael shook his head. “No he’s not. That’s his third beer in the last ten minutes.”

  “Is everybody here? Wonderful. Welcome to The Race Erotic. Similar but in no way connected to Race Fantastique, and challenging on an entirely different level.” The short little redhead winked before continuing. “Florenz and I met on this race, so you don’t have to be a couple at the starting line. But if you’re not, I’ll warn you that you are definitely going to know each other a lot better by the finish.”

  Florenz went to stand beside the guide. If Charli wasn’t frozen in shock, she would have marveled over the strange coupling of the perky, petite cheerleader and the laid-back, suave giant. Shelly raised her voice to be heard over the bustling crowd passing by. “Each couple…um…group will receive three clues, and three challenges once they solve their riddles. Since one of your teams has more than two members, two of their members will have to participate in one of the challenges and two will be left out of another, just to be fair. Okay are we all ready? Have you brought your brains and your libidos? Then let’s begin Race Erotic!”

  “Holy shit, let’s get out of here. We’re on the wrong excursion. How did this happen?” Charli grabbed Eric and Rafael by their Charli’s Devils T-shirts, jerking her head to Simon to get him to follow.

  Simon didn’t move, but she noticed the hesitation in his gaze. “It was Lori Ann, Connie and Aunt Kelly. They left a note for us with our guide. They paid for the whole thing, Chuck, and promised to reimburse us for the other race. The one that started a few hours ago.”

  “I’ll kill them.”

  “You will after you read their ridiculous note.” Eric chuckled grimly. “I told you it was a gag, guys. We should have waited for her at the bar.”

  Charli held out her hand, and Simon handed her the note.

  This may be your only chance. She wants all of you. If you want her, play the damn game. Have fun—C, L and K

  She crumpled the note in her hand, feeling betrayed. How could they have told the guys what she had shared with them in confidence? Her face heated. What would they think of her? Knowing them it could go either way. Ribbing and teasing for the rest of her natural life, or the same awkward distance Eric and Rafael had had since Raf outed himself.

  “She’s not laughing it off. Why aren’t you laughing it off, Charli?” Rafael tilted his head, his gaze alert.

  “I-I’m, uh, that is…”

  Eric appeared startled. “She’s stuttering.”

  “Yes, she is. She only does that when she’s trying to lie. You suck at lying, Chuck. We ever told you that?” Simon had come closer, the three of them surrounding her on all sides. Oh God.

  “W-we should go.”

  “Quitting already? Before the game even starts? Well, my love, looks like we win the bet.” Tim’s voice grated on her already-frayed nerves.

  “Bet? Did I hear someone mention a bet?” In moments the three couples had surrounded them, her new nemesis, Tim, filling everyone in on their little side bet. Everyone wanted to join in the fun.

  A Goth-looking girl with a Russian accent introduced herself as Natalie. She smirked as she held a slender, pale man, obviously her junior, in a powerful grip. “I have played this game many times. I will win, hands down.”

  An elderly couple from England, both of them looking more like grandparents than kinky swingers, jumped in. “Oh, I think not, dears. Bill and I have had years of practice. We can take you. We’re in.”

  “Betsy.”

  “Come on, luv.”

  “Okay. We’re in.”

  The bet had just grown to serious proportions. Shit. Simon leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “If we quit now we’ll have to pay all these people for a game we didn’t even compete in. A game we could win.”

  Her mouth went dry, and she swallowed. “B-but we don’t want to… I mean you don’t want to do this. Do you?”

  “Oh, I want to, babe. And I think I can safely say that Eric and Raf want to as well. We can win this bet for you, Chuck. We’re unbeatable as a team, no matter what the game. You said so yourself. Come on. Play with us.”

  This couldn’t be happening. She looked at Rafael in question. The bastard was grinning from ear to ear. He nodded, agreeing with Simon. Eric tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked his way. “Here. Don’t think about it. Just do it.” He handed her a beer. He had another one? She grabbed it and gulped it down, the cool tang of it doing little to soothe her nerves. She lowered the bottle and looked each one of them in the eye. She had a bad feeling that, one way or another, there would be no going back if she accepted their obvious challenge.

  But oh, how she wanted to accept. Could she have her cake and eat it too? Have her fantasy, all three of them, and not ruin a lifelong friendship?

  Simon sensed her guard lowering and came in for the kill. “One game, Chuck. That’s all. One night to walk on the wild side. No regrets.”

  She glanced around at the other couples, her gaze connecting with a smiling Florenz. “All right, boys and girls. It’s a bet.”

  They’d signed the forms and learned the rules of the game. They had to wear badges with a Mayan symbol, to ensure they wouldn’t be arrested by the police, and in case one of the locals had to help them with a clue.

  She wasn’t going to get to see the museum or the San Gervasio ruins. It didn’t seem like that kind of a game. She had no idea what it would entail, but after receiving their first clue, she began to get an idea. It wasn’t exactly a Jeopardy clue.

  Follow the signs to the dot on your map.

  If you play the game right, she’ll end up in your lap.

  Rafael chuckled, but the other men glared him into remorseful silence. Simon led the way as they followed the small map they were given. They turned into a tiny alley, past a few men with carts of tourist trinkets who took one look at their badges and snickered knowingly.

  “I could kill them if you like.” Eric’s tone was conversational, but the look he was giving the men was deadly. He wasn’t acting like himself at all. Simon was the aggressive one. But Charli didn’t blame him one bit. She wasn’t feeling particularly normal herself.

  “No. Save it for the girls when we get back on the cruise ship. Eric, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I won’t think any less of you.”

  His laugh was grim. “You think this is about what I don’t want? It isn’t, Charli. Trust me. No, we’re all in. To the end. I just hope to hell we know what we’re doing.”

  “We’re here.”

  Charli looked up at the sign. It looked like an ordinary bar. Karaoke, beer, nothing sexual about that. “Is one of us going to sing?”

  “We’ll lose for sure.”

  Rafael laughed at Eric, patting him on the back. “Speak for yourself. I have a fantastic singing voice.”

  Simon slid his hand around her waist, guiding her inside with the other boys close behind. It was filled with tourists and locals, all drinking and laughing. In the background she could hear someone doing a horrific rendition of Eric Clapton’s “Layla”.

  “You are with the other racers, si?” A small, lovely woman in an alarmingly short skirt leaned into Rafael.

  “Yes. Do you know what we’re supposed to do here?”

  “Sadly, I do. If you had said no I would have stolen you away. You are muy guapo.”

  Eric rolled his eyes, and Simon stepped forward. “It is truly unfortunate. Maybe next time. Can you help us?”

  The woman looked Charli up and down and shrugged. “I’ll do my best. She must follow me to Shelly, the rest of you go up the main stairs and see Florenz. Another handsome thing I can’t play with. Ah well. Come on, chica.”

  She tugged on Charli’s arm and she followed, looking over her shoulder as the guys bounded up the stairs. What was going on? One shot of tequila from Shelly and a clothing change later, and Charli
had figured it out. “Oh hell no.”

  “What’s wrong, dear? You look fantastic.”

  Charli’s jaw dropped. Sweet little Betsy from England was wearing a black rubber corset and fishnet stockings. She looked surprisingly comfortable in the outfit. Especially with that whip in her hand.

  Shy Dawn was another surprise. Her blonde ringlets tossed and sexy, she was outfitted in a pink and white lace teddy, her bottom completely bare and powdered. “You really do, you know. I would love to have those breasts. But Tim says more than a mouthful is…” Dawn blushed. “No offense.”

  Charli struggled to put her at ease, trying to forget her own discomfort. “Having to lug these babies around is a pain, literally. And you look amazing.”

  “I wanted that outfit.” Natalie glared at her, looking intimidating in a leopard print body stocking.

  “I’m sorry?”

  Shelly came and got between them. “Nat, you know you don’t get to choose your outfits. Besides, you’ve already been the naughty schoolgirl several times now. Give someone else a chance.”

  Naughty schoolgirl. Charli covered her face with her hands, peeking at herself in the mirror through her spread fingers. She’d had her hair put in pigtails. She hadn’t worn pigtails since she was nine.

  The little Mary Janes and thigh-high white stockings were bad enough. The plaid skirt was so short she could see her clingy white underwear that had been in a store-bought package beside the ensemble. But it was the shirt, most of all that was giving her fits.

  Button-down and white, it stopped right beneath her breasts, leaving her midriff bare. Already so thin they could see the shadow of her areoles. Shelly and the other woman had patted her with a damp cloth, making it entirely see through. She’d never be able to face the boys again.

  “Don’t be nervous. It’s just two songs. And it’s pretty dark in there. The game rents the upstairs club for as long as we’re here, so no one but the other racers will see you dance. And I’m pretty sure they’ll be too busy to look.”

  Charli was feeling a little warm. Maybe it was from the tequila, but she wasn’t necessarily afraid of this challenge. She was the lifelong friend of four very manly men. She’d been to a strip club before. And she did love to dance. If only she didn’t have to wear this humiliating outfit.