Lolita Lopez: Between Friends

“Oh.” Mick tried not to show his disappointment. “Well, we’ll try to keep it down.”

She quirked a smile, a deliciously naughty smile that confirmed Mick’s suspicions about her overhearing their tryst earlier. “See that you do.”

Mick waited until she disappeared around the corner and he heard the telltale click of the bathroom door closing. He turned to Eddie and took the opened beer extended his way. “She totally heard us.”

Eddie paled. “You think?”

“I know.” Mick sipped the ice-cold beer and shrugged. “It’s not as if it’s the first time.”

“Yeah, but I was rough with you. And we were loud about it.” Eddie glanced toward the hallway. “I don’t want to scare her.”

“Eddie”-Mick touched his arm-“I don’t think she minds. Remember the books? I’m telling you. Whit is totally into BDSM. Or, at least, she’s curious.”

“Maybe,” Eddie said, his concern fading.

Mick realized this was his chance and seized it. What better way to push Eddie and Whit together than to stoke his jealousy?

“Hey, maybe you should take her to that club of yours. She could find a nice Dom there in that beginner’s-program thing they run there. You know some of the Doms, right? Work buddies and all that. Maybe you could suggest one of the guys to help her find her way.”

As soon as his suggestion hit Eddie’s ears, Eddie stiffened. Mick squashed the smug smile threatening to curve his mouth. Success!

“Hell no!” Eddie took a swig of beer. “She’s not going to submit to some random stranger.”

“If she’s curious, wouldn’t it be a safe way for her to feel out the lifestyle in a public club?” It was wrong, but he had to keep pushing until Eddie went over the edge. “She’d be better off letting someone spank her in a club filled with people than alone in some weirdo’s bedroom.”

Eddie shook his head. “If Whitney wants a taste of domestic discipline, it’ll be my hand spanking her ass.”

“What happened to your no-playing-with-fire stance?”

Eddie shot him a disdainful look. “I know what you’re doing, Mick. You’re trying to goad me into making a move.”

“Is it working?”

Eddie snorted. “Maybe.”

“Come on, big guy,” Mick said, smacking his friend’s back. “We’ve tap danced around this issue for months. She reads kinky books, so we know she’s at least open to the idea of a ménage and your particular flavor of loving. Plus she groped you right here in our living room. She’s into you, Eddie.”

“What about you?”

Mick grinned. “Have you ever met a woman who wasn’t into me?”

Eddie tossed his head back and barked with laughter. “You’re so fucking full of yourself.”

“Hell yes,” he agreed, “but I’m right. She’s into me. And you.” Mick turned serious. “It’s time, Eddie. We have to do this.”

“Have to do what?” Whitney asked, surprising them both as she popped into the living room. Her face was pink and bright from a good scrubbing. She’d let her hair down and changed into a pair of thin cotton pajama pants and a matching blue camisole. The little peek of tanned skin between her top and pants tempted him.

“We have to ask you for a favor,” Eddie said, quickly recovering from her unexpected appearance.

“Sure,” she said happily. “What is it?”

Eddie shot him a quick look of desperation. Mick made something up on the fly. “Uh, well, you know I screwed up the air conditioner, so we were wondering if we could sleep with you.”

Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“Bed down with you,” Eddie hastily clarified. “You know, throw some sleeping bags on your floor.”

“Oh. Well…”

“I have a long day tomorrow,” Eddie continued. “We’re serving warrants on some pretty bad guys. I could use a good night’s sleep.”

Mick was impressed. Eddie was laying it on thick. Of course, he’d learned from the master.

“I guess that’s okay.” Whitney pointed at both of them. “But no funny business!”

Mick crossed his fingers behind his back and smiled innocently. “Promise.”

Whitney stared at the ceiling. The lights had been off for almost an hour, yet she remained awake. Her mind raced with troubling thoughts. There was the uncertainty of the new job and the sadness of leaving her old one. She had to tie up a ton of loose ends at work. There was sure to be a mad shuffle as her colleagues vied for her position. She just hoped she wouldn’t be roped into the selection process for choosing her successor. That was a whole new level of drama she didn’t need.

Mick tossed and turned on the floor. He’d thrown down his sleeping bag and pillow and taken the open spot on the left side of her bed. Whitney had expected Eddie to take the right side, the one closest to the air conditioner, but to her surprise he’d chosen the spot at the foot of the bed. He’d deliberately placed himself between her bed and the door. It seemed Eddie’s need to protect trumped his desire for a blast of nice, cold air.

Whitney heaved a frustrated sigh as Mick’s sleeping bag rustled again. “Are you okay?”

He punched his pillow. “This floor is killing my back!”

Whitney rolled onto her side and hissed over the side of the mattress. “I didn’t tell you to sleep on the floor.”

“So I can get in your bed?”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You,” she emphasized loudly, “wanted to sleep in my room. I didn’t make you come in here.”

“Yeah, well,” Mick gruffly replied, “you’re the one who wanted us to repaint and redo the floors.”

“What?” Whitney’s ire skyrocketed. “Are you seriously blaming all that mess on me?”

“Children,” Eddie interjected, “no more bickering. It’s late. Now close your eyes, and go to sleep. Or else I’ll spank you both.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Mick answered in a singsong voice.

Eddie snorted, and a second later, Whitney heard the telltale whack-thump of a pillow slapping Mick’s legs. There was a minor scuffle that quickly quieted down. “Go to sleep,” Eddie ordered.

Shaking her head, she flopped onto her back and tried not to think about the way Eddie’s voice affected her. When he spoke like that, all powerful and strong, it made her belly tremble. He reminded her of the Doms in those books she loved so much. She replayed the way he spoke to Mick earlier in the bathroom. What would it feel like if Eddie took her like that, rough and commanding? Her thighs clenched. Could she give up control to him?

Yes. Hell yes.

Whitney considered their current predicament. It really was like something out of an erotic romance novel. Two devilishly sexy men sleeping on her floor. One bed. Sexual tension so thick it threatened to squeeze the air from her lungs.

So what to do?

This was one of those moments. She’d closed her eyes and jumped in with both feet when it came to the new job. Could she do the same now when it came to the two men she wanted most?

Heart racing, mouth dry, Whitney swallowed hard and rolled onto her right side. “So, um,” she faltered, unsure how to proceed, “I know the floor is uncomfortable and, uh, I know you both work on your feet all day, so, um, well, if you want, you can come up here with me.” She trembled with nervousness. “It’ll be a tight fit, but we can make it work.”

She bit her lip with embarrassment. Tight fit? Oh, god. Talk about your double entendres!

Mick didn’t need a second invitation. He’d pounced on the bed within three seconds flat of her offer. Eddie seemed a little hesitant. “Are you sure, Whit? I mean, it’s a king, but we’re big guys, and I’m a cover hog.”