Desiree Holt - Caught in the Middle

But he also loved indulging Char, pleasuring her. He couldn’t envision what other woman could come close to her.

Fireworks exploded and shuddering, clinging to her, he drove into her one last, powerful time. He held on for dear life until she had milked his last drop of desire.

He claimed her lips and moulded her body and soul to him. He’d come to seduce her, but he was the seduced.

A wry grin tilted his lips as he held her to his heart. Did this mean he was whipped?

Char’s head spun so fast she couldn’t catch her breath. Holy cow! She was irrevocably, undeniably, head over heels for two very different men.

What in the world was she to do now? She wanted, no needed, one as much as the next. She was bound to both. She longed to share her life with both.

What if both felt the same way about her? Would war ensue?

Would both want babies? Happily ever after? Should they move to Utah? Would they?

Her head ached. Her heart cried. God, even if the two of them agreed, society wouldn’t, even in Utah.

What had she done?

How could she choose between them if it came down to that?

Surely every other female at the hospital, staff and patients alike, would want to hang her if they knew and how was she to hide it?

Ignore both men in public? Only acknowledge one?

Her head split, and she rubbed her throbbing temples. “What have I done?”

Both men looked at her then each other.

Ben spoke firsts. You’ve made all three of us deliriously happy.”

She longed to ask, “What now?” but feared she’d run off a commitment-phobe, or maybe that was the answer. She’d keep the one who wanted her badly enough to commit.

So she propped up on her elbows and stared at her gorgeous men. “What now? Where do we go from here?”

Twin sets of gulps made her heart sink, and the silence grew deafening. Suffocating under its weight, she sighed, and chilly, rolled off the bed.

Goosebumps covered her arms and she briskly rubbed them, trying to generate some heat. Her tongue was thick in her mouth, still coated with Ben’s taste.

Finally, she managed to say around the lump in her throat, “Uh, right. Well, that was, uh, very nice. Thank you, gentlemen, for an interesting time. Maybe we’ll do it again one day.”

Suddenly embarrassed, she sought her clothes and shrugged into them. Without turning around to face them, she faked a yawn and said, “I’m tuckered out. Your limos will be here in fifteen minutes. Please go.”

Dex sidled up to her, and his warm breath coasted along the nape of her neck. “Let me stay. I’ll let you sleep. I just want to hold you.”

Her heart, weak and traitorous, yearned to say, “yes”. Instead, she asked, “How long do you want to stay, Dex? Forever? As in ‘til death do us part’?”

His silence killed her.

“Get out of here. Please.”

Both men dressed, murmured their goodbyes and left.

Alone in the suite, she hugged herself and angrily swiped away a tear. “I can’t face them again.” Or anyone else at the hospital. Why hadn’t she thought of this before she’d gotten herself into this mess? “What now?”

‘What now’ turned out to be nothing, except perhaps for an Academy Award winning performance of pretending she didn’t care that neither Dr. Hottie nor Dr. Hunky had professed their undying love and commitment. She also feigned blindness to all the snickers and sneers from co-workers. Even Beth had cooled off and avoided her.

Beth’s loss bothered her most. At least, Jody stuck by her side.

“She’s conflicted,” Jody tried to explain, making excuses for Beth. Or maybe not.

Char was too raw to discuss it, but she hugged Jody and clung a few seconds too long. “Thanks for being true blue.”

“Watch out for Amy and Simone. They’re out to get you.”

Not sure she cared, Char shrugged. “So what’s new? If they hit below the belt, I’ll give to another charity next year. This isn’t the only place that helps kids. I don’t need the money from this job.”

Jody cupped her chin on her hand and wistfully, stared into space. “I wish I could say that.”

The cafeteria door swung wide, and Dexter started to enter. Then he spied her. His eyes grew wide, he gulped, and he froze so that the swinging door hit him in the rump.

A loud chuckle arose in the room, and several gazes ping-ponged from him to her. He looked as if he wanted to turn tail and run, but instead, he squared his shoulders, notched up his chin and strode to the food line.

A few moments later, precisely eight minutes and thirty seconds, he re-entered the room carrying a tray with a mixed green salad and an orange juice. He angled towards their table, but his gaze focused beyond them.

Char swallowed hard but tried to look as if her world wasn’t crashing around her. She took a bite of food, but it was tasteless and stuck in her throat as she went through the motions.

Dexter paused at their table, gave each of them a noncommittal smile and asked, “How are you two ladies today? Good, I hope.”

Before she could do more than nod, he added, “Well, nice to see you. I see my lunch date’s waiting.”

He balanced his tray on one hand and waved to Simone who proprietarily waved at him.

When he was out of earshot, Jody hissed and leaned forward. “That witch couldn’t wait to get her hooks into him. They deserve each other. You can do much better. Forget the creep.”

Char nodded, but her heart sobbed. That part of her didn’t think he was a creep even if her head did. It didn’t want to forget him. God, she missed him and what could have been.

Jody jabbed her hard with her elbow. She whispered, “Stop starting at them.”

Yanked from her reverie, her side bruised and aching, Char scooted around so she couldn’t see the deadly duo. But her imagination was worse, picturing them in a scandalous clinch, tearing off each other’s clothes.

Her appetite gone, her nerves shattered, she pushed aside her food. Any moment, she was going to hyperventilate. “I gotta get outta here.”

Jody circled her arm in an iron grip. “You get up and run now, you’ll be mortified forever. Sit. Stay.”

Knowing the truth of her friend’s words, Char counted to ten and glued herself to her seat. “Don’t tell me what they’re doing. I don’t want to know.”

Jody nibbled her egg salad sandwich she’d brought from home. Around her mouthful, she muttered, “No you don’t.”

“Is it that bad?” Char’s knuckles whitened around her fork, and her heart trip-hammered.

Jody leaned forward and spoke very lowly. “Maybe he felt this jealous or more when you and Hunky did ‘it’ in front of him.”

Jody and Beth were the only ones she’d told about her wild night, and now she wished to God she hadn’t. But her heart aching, she wondered if Jody was right, and even if she was, what could Char do now to fix it? But Dex had said he was okay with it and that he wanted in on the threesome. The more she tried to figure him out, the more confused she became. Then anger flared at herself and she decided to shake it off.

Finally, Dexter and Simone left after bidding them goodbye.

“My my but he’s being very civil.” Jody watched them go. “Now I know why I could never stand her.”

Released, Char rose to go and collided into someone behind her. When she turned to apologise, Beth stared at her as if she’d seen a ghost. “Uh, hi. I didn’t know you were right here. Are you okay? Well, I gotta run. Bye.”

A knife in her gut, Char stared at Beth’s retreating back. She mumbled, “Guess I have cooties.”

Jody slid her arm around her and squeezed. “No, you don’t. Give her time. She’ll come around.”