Jodi Redford - The Naughty List

The next five hours flew by in a productive blur. Somehow Lacey calmed her raging libido and got last night’s receipts logged into the spreadsheet in addition to locating a new produce supplier. She even managed to get some online Christmas shopping done. Logging off her computer, she gave herself a mental high-five. “Yeah, go me.”

Her office door swung open, allowing in some of the bar noise as well as Jana Colton. Lacey couldn’t help laughing as she took in Jana’s outfit. The tight black leather skirt and form-fitting cashmere sweater were standard fare, but the red-and-green-striped tights and Santa hat were obviously a nod to the season. “You look like a dominatrix elf.”

Jana pretended to crack a whip through the air. “Someone’s gotta keep those pointy-eared bastards in line.”

“You do realize that remark will probably earn you a lump of coal in your stocking this year, right?”

A wicked grin curled Jana’s mouth. “Says the girl with the Naughty List.”

Lacey groaned. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

Jana sashayed to the desk and plopped her butt onto the nearest corner. “Can you blame me? You don’t spring kinky sex on a gal and not expect a reaction.”

“Sorry, that whole fiasco was a mistake. You weren’t supposed to have actually gotten that email. Neither were Ry and Bram.”

Jana’s artfully shaded eyes widened and a chortling laugh sprang free. “Hoo boy. That must have triggered one hell of an interesting conversation.”

Lacey averted her gaze and fiddled with her computer keys. A long, awkward silence stretched between them until she couldn’t take it anymore, and she looked up to find Jana gaping at her.

“You totally had sex with them, didn’t you?” Just like with Bram, subtlety wasn’t exactly Jana’s strong suit.

“Uh…”

“Oh my God. You did.” Jana hopped down from the desk and plunked her hands on her hips, her expression accusing. “Were you intending to keep this juicy secret all to yourself?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Jana didn’t appear mollified by the admission. “Why?”

“Hello. One of the men in question is your brother. Kind of weird.”

“Good point.” Giving a twitch of her nose, Jana returned to her previous perch. “But as long as you keep the details about Bram to a minimum, I still want to hear the whole dirty scoop.” Jana’s eyes twinkled with conspiratorial glee. “Okay, I’ve gotta ask it. Does Ry have a huge cock? Because I swear to God, it looks like he’s packing a bratwurst down there. Or maybe a chub of bologna.”

As familiar as she was with Jana’s typical train of thought, Lacey still choked on a cough. “I can’t believe you just compared a dick to packaged meat.”

Jana’s smile was less than angelic. “Can I help it that I like my meat metaphors?”

Lacey opened her mouth to comment just as her cell phone shrilled the opening bars of the I Love Lucy theme song—the ringtone for Lacey’s mom. She shot Jana an apologetic glance. “Sorry, I’ve got to get this.” Clicking the Talk button, she snugged the phone between her ear and shoulder while she dumped her purse onto the top of her desk. “Hey, Mom. Did you and Dad get the package I sent down there yet?”

A snicker came from Jana. “You said package.”

Ignoring her friend’s adolescent humor, Lacey listened to her mom’s assurance that FedEx had indeed delivered the box of presents, as well as Lucy McGuire’s insistence that not one of them would be opened until Lacey flew down to join them for a post-holiday celebration after the new year. Lacey’s parents were just one of the many snowbirds who abandoned Michigan at the first sign of snow, not to return until the temps became hospitable again in late spring. Much as Lacey missed not getting to spend Christmas with them, this time of the season was too hectic to take off to Florida for even a couple of days, much less a week.

The phone conversation shifted gears slightly as Lacey’s mom inquired how everything was going at the Dockside. When asked how Ry and Bram were doing, Lacey blushed. She’d known the question was coming since her mom adored both men and tended to treat them as her surrogate sons, but Lacey couldn’t help worrying that some hidden tone in her voice would give away the fact that she was involved in a kinky threesome with Ry and Bram.

Sheesh. Paranoid much? “Um, they’re good. Everyone’s good.” Oh God, I’m repeating myself. Like that’s not suspicious at all. “What did they get me for Christmas?” The best sex ever. Her cheeks combusting, she slashed her gaze toward Jana and noticed the younger woman’s smirk. “I don’t know, Mom. They’re keeping it a surprise until the big day. Listen, I hate to cut this short, but I was about to head out. How about I give you a call later tonight so we can chat longer? Great, it’s a plan. Love to you and Dad too.” She jabbed the disconnect button and groaned. “Please tell me I sounded halfway normal during that conversation.”

“Yep, you handled it like a pro.” Jana cocked her head to the side, her expression thoughtful. “So I take it your folks didn’t get your accidental email?”

“No, thank God.” Lacey scrubbed her hands over her face. “I never thought I’d actually be grateful for my parents’ stubborn decision not to join the twenty-first century and get a computer.”

Jana’s scrutiny continued to bore into Lacey. She wiggled in her seat, feeling uncomfortably like a bug under a microscope. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just wondering if you have any intention of telling anyone about what’s going on with you, Ry and Bram.”

She gaped at Jana. “What am I supposed to do? Announce to my mom and dad that I’m sleeping with two men? Gee, that’d make a great Hallmark moment.”

“I don’t just mean your folks. What about the rest of your friends? The people here.” Jana waved an arm toward the doorway.

“It’s nobody’s business. Besides, it’s only a little sexual fling. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”

Jana kept giving her that shrewd, probing look that was more penetrating than an X-ray machine. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you’re not the kind of woman who indulges in casual, kinky affairs.”

Out of nowhere, Olivia Barnam’s scornful words from the other day raced inside Lacey’s head. “You’re boring. A goody-goody who doesn’t know the first thing about how to please a man.” An icy chill crept over her, followed by crushing uncertainty. Struggling to pry free of the negativity threatening to hold her hostage, she glared at Jana. “Well clearly you’re wrong, because that’s precisely what I’m doing.”

“I’m not trying to pick a fight with you.” Lines of worry bracketed Jana’s forehead. “It’s just that after everything that happened with Dan…I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“I won’t.” She’d learned her lesson about opening her heart to that kind of pain. It wouldn’t happen again. No damn way.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Ry took his eyes off the road long enough to glance toward the passenger seat, where Lacey sat huddled in her oversized down coat.

“It’s on my list, isn’t it?”

The backseat creaked as Bram leaned toward the console. “Yeah, but we sort of assumed you’d want to gradually work up toward going to the sex club.”

Lacey’s chin adopted a stubborn slant. “No, I want to do it now. I’m fully capable of handling it.”

Ry returned his focus to driving, but he continued to mull Lacey’s behavior. She’d been edgy from the moment he and Bram picked her up at her house. Maybe she was nervous about the upcoming night. If that was the case, he didn’t know why she insisted on doing the sex club so soon. Still, he knew better than to argue with her when she was in this kind of a mood. Better to go along with her wishes and soothe her back into the uninhibited, sensual frame of mind she’d been in earlier this morning.

The reminder of the sexy adventures the three of them got up to in Bram’s bed only served to make Ry’s cock painfully hard behind his fly. He never would have imagined that sharing Lacey with his best friend would be something he’d be okay with, much less enjoy.

Enjoy? Hell, who was he kidding? He fucking loved every second of it. Sure, at first a spark of jealousy ignited in him when he’d watched Bram kissing Lacey in the entryway of the house. But for some odd reason, the moment all of their clothes came off, everything changed. Bram had ceased to be a threat, or competition, and instead became an ally in making Lacey’s wickedest fantasies come true. Plus there was no denying that Ry got off on being in charge. Maybe it had something to do with the fact he’d had so little control over his life while growing up and now he hungered for that aspect. Who knows? The only thing he could say with any certainty was that he’d gotten a taste of how things could be for the three of them. There was no way he’d settle for less.

The exit he needed popped into view, and he maneuvered into the far lane. Seconds later, he took the off-ramp and drove into the city limits. Traffic was light, cutting the drive time significantly. Less than fifteen minutes later, he pulled into the relatively empty parking lot of Club Arabesque. The small amount of cars didn’t necessarily mean anything. There were plenty of club patrons who preferred a low profile and parked their vehicles in one of the lots farther down the street and hoofed it over on foot. Still, he hoped for Lacey’s sake that some of the club’s more interesting characters were too busy with holiday festivities to make an appearance tonight. She might profess to be ready for this, but he wasn’t entirely convinced.