Birthday Girl: Paolo's Playhouse, Book 3 (2 page)

“Hey, Marc,” Tyler said, not looking at all surprised to see him. Ty gave her sensitive breast a squeeze before he released it. Then he stood and shook hands with the man she hadn’t seen since their wedding. Marc was dressed in black, his body still long and lean. He wore a lot of silver jewelry, heavy rings and chains at his neck and wrist. Tyler never wore any jewelry except his gold wedding band.

“Shannon,” Marc said softly.

“Marc? Hi.” If they’d met another place, another time, when her ass wasn’t bare and her body charged with arousal, she would have jumped up and thrown her arms around Marc. Instead, she was confused and a bit suspicious. “I didn’t know you were back in town.” He wasn’t classically handsome, but his sharp features were striking, and the last eight years had made them even more so.

“Just for the weekend.” He took her hand in both of his and didn’t hide the fact that he was studying her intently in the dim light. “You are more beautiful than ever.” His dark gaze should have made her uncomfortable after all these years, but there was something flattering about seeing blatant appreciation from someone other than her husband, especially today of all days. He released her hand and she quickly put it in her lap. When she felt the bunched-up fabric of her skirt, she remembered she was bare from the waist down. She resisted the urge to squirm.

Marc frowned slightly and caught Tyler’s eye. “This is okay, right? Me being here?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Ty cleared his throat. “I just hadn’t gotten around to telling Shannon yet.”

Her heart beat against her ribs and she didn’t know why. “Tell me what?”

“Maybe I should go,” Marc said, still standing by the table. He glanced quickly at Shannon and then back to Tyler. “You can call me later if you want.”

“No. Hold on just a minute.” Tyler was still standing too. He turned to look at her.

“What’s going on?” Nerves scrambled in her stomach. She felt as if she were about to be pounced on by wolves. And her pussy clenched at the thought. What was going on here? The intense gazes of her husband and an old friend shouldn’t turn her on like that.

Why did seeing Marc again make her hot and tense? Was that what happened when you turned thirty? You started to lust after men other than the one you loved? Of course, it could have a lot to do with the fact that she’d had a massive crush on Marc before he introduced her to Tyler. Ty didn’t have a clue. God, she hoped Marc didn’t either.

There was something in the air, a tension that came with Marc appearing out of nowhere. A tension that seemed to add to the edginess she’d already been feeling. Maybe it was her intense awareness of the additional man standing there. Just how aware she was made her a little uncomfortable. Tyler was still so close to her that she could feel the familiar heat from his body. But Marc exuded a raw sexuality that made her shiver. She couldn’t believe she was reacting like this to a man who wasn’t her husband, no matter their history. She loved her husband. He was sexy and fun and their sex life was usually active and inventive.

But for the first time since she’d met her husband, she wished for another man’s hands on her body.

No, she didn’t. Not really. It was just a fantasy, like dreaming about kissing Brad Pitt. Something that was fun to think about, but would never happen in real life.

That’s why it was called fantasy.

She hoped Marc said good-bye and left before her breathing got any shallower. Before she squirmed in her seat and Tyler knew what she was thinking.

“Shannon, I invited Marc to join us tonight,” Tyler said softly. He sat back down beside her and took her hand. His intense gaze held her in place. “He’s part of your birthday surprise.”

“Birthday surprise?” What had Tyler said a few minutes ago? Something about trying out a fantasy they’d never done before. Her eyes grew wide and she looked from Tyler to Marc. Shannon smothered the little gasp that threatened to escape her lips.

He stroked her hair and brought his lips close to her ear. “I thought you might like to try out that ménage you always wanted.”

Tonight? With Marc?

“I don’t know.” Maybe some fantasies were meant to stay that way. Some fantasies were never meant to be acted out.

Tyler cupped her face in his large hands and rested his forehead on hers. “Think about it,” he whispered. “You’ve talked about it for years. Two men giving you their full attention. Two men giving you pleasure.”

She looked up at Marc, still standing at the edge of the table, looking uncharacteristically awkward. And still majorly hot. What was her problem? Hadn’t she been going on all night about her lack of an edgy and spontaneous sex life? Shannon glanced at Tyler and he just lifted a brow as if to say it was up to her. She smiled up at Marc and hoped he didn’t see her lips tremble. “Sit down and let’s talk.”

She thought he would sit down beside Tyler, there was plenty of room on that side of the booth. Instead, Marc slid in beside her, across from Tyler. She was hemmed in now, surrounded. Trapped.

Marc leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Happy birthday.”

Tyler motioned for the waiter to clear their plates, and ordered more champagne and a glass for Marc. Shannon was nervous, yet undeniably excited. She squirmed a little, she couldn’t help it, and wished she could unobtrusively pull her skirt down. Tyler must have noticed because he lightly stroked her bare shoulder then ran his hand down her arm and brought her hand back up onto the table.

She narrowed her eyes for a second, but then smiled when she turned to Marc. “I’m not exactly thrilled about this birthday but I’m enjoying the celebration.”

“Don’t worry about the year,” Marc said smoothly. He slid a little closer to her and she felt the dip in the cushion from his weight. “Let’s just use it as an excuse to celebrate.”

Shannon smiled and shrugged. “Why not? It’s not good for anything else. We’ll celebrate with good food. Good drink.”

“Good friends,” Tyler added. His hard thigh was pressed up against her now. His hand was still on hers, stroking, teasing, sending new chills across her skin. He didn’t seem to mind his old friend watching as he put his hands on her.

“So what brings you back to town?” she asked, as if engaging in small talk would let her pretend this was an ordinary meeting of old college friends.

“Family decided it was time for a reunion. I wasn’t going to come, but then thought, what the hell, I could see you two and some of the rest of the gang too.” He turned to Shannon and smiled slowly. “So here I am. Perfect timing, I’d say.” He lifted his champagne flute. “Cheers.”

She’d probably already had more champagne than she should, but Shannon took another long sip.

“So you’re still single,” Tyler said.

Marc chuckled. “You know I love women too much to settle down with just one.”

Which was why Shannon finally gave up her obsession with Marc. Stopped hanging out in the student union, waiting for him to show up. Stopped dreaming about him every night in her lonely bed. And then when he introduced her to a guy he’d met in psychology class, she found someone with whom she could do more than dream.

“Not that I don’t think you made the right choice with Shannon,” Marc was quick to add.

“Yeah, you better say that,” she replied lightly, trying to settle into this new dynamic. Was she really going to let Marc touch her the way she’d always dreamed about? Wouldn’t that be a betrayal to Tyler and their marriage? But this was Ty’s idea. Or rather, his gift to her because it had been
her
idea.

She took another sip of champagne and listened to them talk about other friends. Who was doing what. Where they’d ended up. Who was married. Who wasn’t. She tried to pay attention to their conversation, but her mind kept wandering to what the evening might hold. She kept watching the men on either side of her. Tyler’s hand now roamed up her arm, the long strokes almost seemed to be meant to gentle her, to calm her. Could he tell she was reacting to Marc?

But it wasn’t just Marc she was reacting to, of course. She’d been aroused by Tyler all evening, still was, always would be. But she was sandwiched between two incredible men, one light, one dark. One familiar, one a memory. Their musky scents mingled in the air surrounding her. The flickering candlelight shifted the shadows around them, making her feel even more unsettled. Her body began to tremble and she set the flute down on the table. No more champagne for her.

“I’m afraid we’ve been ignoring this beautiful woman between us,” Marc said suddenly. His dark gaze ran over her and her nipples prickled again beneath the thin blouse. “I’m sorry, Shannon, this is your night.” He leaned toward her, placed his large, hot hand over hers. “I’ve been monopolizing Ty’s attention.”

“Th-that’s all right,” she murmured. She glanced over at Tyler, guilt from her reaction heating her face. But how exactly was she supposed to react to a man who was going to be the other part of their threesome?

“No, it’s inexcusable.” Marc scooted closer to her, his thigh almost touching hers. “With such a delightful woman between us, how could we think about anything else?” He didn’t lift his hand from hers, instead he turned her hand over and began to stroke her palm and the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist as Tyler had been doing. As Ty continued to do on her other hand.

Her skin was so sensitive, each stroke sent shivers rippling through her body and collecting between her legs. Her beaded nipples felt as if they were poking holes through her blouse. She couldn’t move as the two hot male bodies pressed in on either side of her, their hands smoothly moving from her wrists to bare shoulders and back down again.

Tyler leaned in and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, sweetheart.” He brushed his lips against her ear and whispered, “We’re going to make this so good for you.”

She was so hot. The heat from two large male bodies seeped into her. While her mind was still reeling with the ramifications of their hands on her, her body had no qualms enjoying every single stroke.

Marc leaned forward to look into her eyes as he brushed her long brown hair away from her face. “It’s great to see you again, Shannon. Did you know I used to want to touch you like this? Do you know many times I almost did?”

“No. Why didn’t you?” She would have let him.

“Because you were my friend. There were lots of hot women I wanted to touch, but I didn’t have to worry about losing their friendship.” He brushed his fingers lightly over her cheekbone. “But tonight, for a little while, I can live out one of my fantasies too.”

She shot another quick glance at Tyler. He didn’t seem to be upset to hear that Marc had been attracted to her. She recognized the unmistakable arousal in his eyes, though. Did the sight of Marc touching her turn him on? “What about you, Ty? What do you get out of this tonight?”

He leaned over and kissed her. “Are you kidding? I get to give my wife a gift I know she will enjoy. How often can a husband say that?”

Joyful laughter bubbled up, lightening her spirits. She kissed him back. “Okay, I’m in.”

Tyler and Marc looked at each other and it seemed as if they spoke silently across the table. “Great,” Ty said, his voice a little lower, a little slower. “Do you agree to give yourself over to us then? To let us give you pleasure for your birthday?”

Chills of arousal rained over her. “Yes.”

Marc nodded. “Starting right now, okay?”

They were still in a public place, a busy restaurant. Even though their booth was shadowed, tucked into the far corner, there were still people sitting around them, waiters keeping an eye on their needs. How far could they really go?

“Okay.”

She smiled at Marc and he bent his head and pressed his lips to her throat. Shannon dropped her head back against the high, padded leather. Her breath caught, her body trembled. A hard hand squeezed her thigh, high up near her pussy. Tyler. With his other hand, he intertwined his fingers with hers, holding her hand onto the table. Then he began exploring her beneath the tablecloth. His fingers reached her pussy and her eyes widened. What was he doing?

Marc also held down her other hand beneath his, effectively pinning her to the table. He played with her hair with his other hand, tucking the strands behind her ear, then toyed with her ear, with her silver earring, with the top button on her high collar. Her heart raced, her body trembled. Did anyone else notice what he was doing? Did anyone care?

She took a slow, deep breath and gave herself over to the men on either side of her.

Ty and Marc began to talk softly together, almost as if she wasn’t there. But of course they knew she was there, knew she heard every naughty thing they were saying. In fact, Shannon knew every wicked word they said was for her benefit and she loved it.

“She’s very responsive, isn’t she?” Marc said softly. He traced the curve of her bare shoulder and she shivered.

“Yeah, she can’t hide her reactions,” Tyler replied. “I love to watch the way she moves when I touch her.”

Marc nodded and skimmed his hand down her arm. “I like the way her body shivers.”

Tyler laughed lightly. He ran a finger along her wet center, teasing her slick labia. “Wait till you touch her nipples,” he said as if this was a normal conversation. “She’s so fucking sensitive there.”

Marc evidently took that as an invitation because he immediately ran his finger over the curve of her breast and scraped his fingernail over the tip of her nipple. The thin fabric of her blouse might as well have not even been there.

Shannon caught her breath and tried not to cry out, arching her back instinctively.

“Oh man, does she always make those little noises?” Marc asked. “Halfway between a whimper and a gasp?”

Tyler nodded. “Oh yeah. She’s always very vocal about her enjoyment.” He laughed lightly. “I wonder if she can stay quiet in here tonight.”

Marc chuckled darkly, scraped her nipple again, a little harder. At the same time, Tyler plunged his finger deep into her core. Shannon gasped, trying her best to be quiet. Did they consider it some kind of challenge to see if they could make her cry out loud?

“She’s so wet.” Tyler plunged a second finger into her slick center. She shifted, trying to give him better access, but he withdrew his fingers, leaving her feeling empty. He leaned over and nipped her ear. “Don’t move around so much, sweetheart. And try to keep those cute little moans a bit softer unless you really want to draw attention to yourself. And you don’t want to do that, remember?”