Love Under Two Honchos (9 page)

She would never apologize for wanting her children and grandchildren to be settled and happy. She had been blessed more than most women in life, and truly wanted nothing more than for others to be as fortunate as she had been.

Kate turned from admiring the Houston skyline when the door to the office she was sitting in opened.

“Mother, this is a surprise,” Caleb said.

She gave Caleb a big smile. “I thought I’d give you the opportunity to take me to lunch,” she said. “Since I was going to do some shopping later anyway. Stella tells me you had called a meeting.

What did the boys think of that?”

“Ha. You know, in some ways, my two youngest sons are brilliant. And then there are the other ways.”

Kate chuckled. “They remind me so much of your uncles William and Peter.”

Caleb frowned. “My bachelor uncles,” he said. “They ended up living together and becoming somewhat eccentric, the two of them, didn’t they?” He sat down in the chair next to her. “They didn’t live to be a ripe old age, either.”

“No, they did not. Your grandmother near-to pulled out her hair over them more than once, let me tell you.”

“And what did great-grandmother Sarah have to say about them?”

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“Sarah was one of the most opinionated women I’ve ever met. But at the same time, she was quite accepting of however members of her family chose to live, as long as they were happy. Hardly surprising, when you think of it.”

Caleb shot her what she could only call a sly grin. “You don’t have that last trait in common with her at all, now do you, Mother?”

Kate felt her right eyebrow go up, an automatic kind of reaction when someone challenged her. Or when they outed her. “Of course I do. I’m just also of the opinion that sometimes, young men who take after their eccentric, bachelor great-uncles need a good swift kick in the ass.”

Caleb laughed. “Mother, there’s no one quite like you in this entire world.”

“Thank you. Now, speaking of my grandsons, do you think they’re available for lunch?”

“The last I saw of them, they were storming into Josh’s office—

only a few paces ahead of your Penelope. I don’t hear any screaming, but I wouldn’t refuse a bet that she’s flaying the hides off the both of them even as we speak.”

“Well, if not their hides, at least their clothing,” Kate murmured sotto voce.

“Pardon?”

Just as well he hadn’t caught that. Men—even much loved and otherwise astute sons—could sometimes be dense. Or, following some misguided male-bonding principle, feel the need to stand up for each other when it would be best for them to just keep their noses out of things.

“Nothing, dear.” Kate got to her feet. “I think I’m in the mood for sushi.”

Caleb winced. “Please, Mother. Not sushi, I beg of you. How about we go chow down on some good old-fashioned Texas barbecue?”

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Kate went over to her son and patted his cheek. “Let’s compromise. Why don’t we go and eat steak?”

“We could go to Spencer’s, if that suits?” He got to his feet and headed for the door.

Kate smiled. “Now you’re talking. We’ll take the limo. While Walter is driving us, you can tell me all about your meeting.”

“That’s a deal, though there isn’t much to tell.” Caleb held the door open for her, a simple courtesy, but one she appreciated.

“Although Penelope sure has a lot of spunk and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself.”

“I know,” Kate said. “I never would have chosen her otherwise.”

“I can’t say those are the qualities I’d look for in an environmental consultant,” Caleb said.

Kate looked at him for a long moment. “You know, darling, you and Jonathan both need a hobby.”

“Believe it or not,” Caleb said, “you’re not the first person to make just that observation.”

Kate laughed, then looped her arm through her son’s as they awaited the elevator. “Your Bernice is such a wise woman.”

Caleb’s expression softened at the mention of his wife’s name.

That’s just lovely to see after nearly forty years of marriage.

“She is that,” Caleb agreed. “Do you have any ideas on what such a hobby could be? Jonathan and I have been racking our brains, trying to come up with something that sounds appealing.”

“As a matter of fact,” Kate replied. The elevator bell sounded, and she let her son lead her into the conveyance. She turned and caught sight of the door to Joshua’s office just before the elevator doors closed.

She was grateful her sometimes too-observant son didn’t see her smile just then. To her, that smile felt positively Machiavellian.

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Chapter 8

Penelope’s only regret as she stormed into Josh’s office was that the door weighed too damn much to make an effective slamming noise when she whipped it shut.

Josh paced while Alex lounged against his brother’s desk, hands in his pockets, looking for all the world as if he was so bored by life, he was about to doze off standing up.

She marched right in and started right in. “You listen to me, you two macho honchos. You don’t tell me what to do, ever. I don’t work for you!”

Alex straightened and Josh spun on his heel. They reached her nearly at the same time.

Pleased with her words and her tone, she finished her mini-rant just as she approached the brothers. Index finger out, she intended to give Josh a sound poke in the chest for good measure.

He grabbed her arms and gave her a good shake instead.

“You’re going to drive me crazy, do you know that? If you think for one minute that we’ll tolerate
any
threat to you…”

He brought her up and forward and kissed her, his mouth hard on hers, his tongue fierce in its domination of hers.

Penelope’s brain told her she should fight this, if only on principle, but once more her body disagreed. The taste of him shot her libido from neutral to full-on arousal in two seconds flat.

Josh’s kiss gentled, as if his anger had already evaporated under the heat they made together. He moaned into her mouth, and that sound thrilled her. As soon as he eased his grip of her arms from a
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grasp to a caress, and slid his hands around her waist, Penelope wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her tongue danced with his, her lips sliding and melding against his mouth as if she’d been starving for the taste of him forever. It felt like days, months,
years
since she’d been held and kissed, instead of the handful of hours she had passed since they’d loved. She pressed her body close, and her nipples peaked as if they recognized the feel of one of her lovers despite the layers of clothing that separated them.

Alex nestled close to them, his hard cock pressing against her hip, his hand stroking her head. “Here. Come here, baby, give me some of your incredible heat,” Alex said, and Josh eased back, and then Alex took her in his arms. His kiss differed from his brother’s. His mouth, not as hard, not as angry, seemed just as hungry and determined to gobble her down.
Yes,
she wanted to tell him.
I could tell you apart in
the dark from just your kisses alone.

Alex eased away from her much too soon.

“And another thing, pretty Penelope, we don’t like you making goggle eyes at your admin like you did this morning during the meeting.” Alex’s expression looked as serious as she’d ever seen it.

“Dolt,” she said the word softly, “I wasn’t making goggle eyes at him. I was trying to ease his tension. He’s absolutely terrified of anyone whose last name is Benedict.”

“Good. He should be.” Josh’s voice held an edge she’d never heard before.

“No, he should not be. Sheesh.” Penelope stepped back from the dynamic duo. Good God, she’d come in to read them the riot act, and in the next breath she tried to tickle their tonsils with her tongue.

That’s some compartmentalization I have going on here
.

She walked over to the window, behind Josh’s desk, as that was the furthest she could get away from them. She simply couldn’t think when they were within such easy reach.

“We have to talk about your tendency to try and tell me what to do as if you were the lords and masters of all your survey.” She folded
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her arms in front of her chest, and nodded her head once to show she meant business. The effect might have been lost, as she had her back to them at the time. She apparently couldn’t think too well when she was looking at them, either.

Since she deemed it more important they hear what she said than watch her saying it, she continued to talk and look out at the Houston skyline. “First, this morning you act as if I should just lounge in bed for the day like some weak-willed, simpering little miss and recover from your devastating lovemaking, as if getting up and going to work was beyond my capabilities. And then, in that meeting just now, you go all Neanderthal on me, trying to order my life as if you had the right to do so!” She waited to see if they would respond and heard nothing.

Into the silence came the sound of a lock being engaged.

Penelope whirled around. Josh rounded one corner of his desk while Alex moved toward her from the door he’d just locked, heading for the opposite corner. They clearly intended to get her between them, apparently their favorite place to have her.

“What do you think you’re doing?”
Silly question, they’re doing
exactly what you hoped they would do,
her inner imp whispered gleefully
.

“It’s lunchtime,” Josh said.

“So we’re having you for lunch,” Alex said.

Oh, goody
.

Penelope opened her mouth to make one last attempt to rescue propriety and sense from impending canoodling. Alex drew her forward, and instead, she kissed him.

The taste of them both had become vital to her, a tonic she seemed unable to do without for more than scant minutes at a time. Why did she hunger so for their taste, their touch? What was it about these two men that whenever she was near them, she turned into a raging sex addict?

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“I don’t understand this.” She didn’t like the weak sound of her voice but was unable to do anything about it.

“Neither do we, sweetheart.” Alex kissed his words down her neck, then down, further, licking and kissing the flesh he bared as he opened each of the buttons on her blouse.

“It keeps getting better and better.” Josh’s words brushed her ear.

He eased her blouse off her then released the hooks on her bra. “So let’s stop trying to understand it, and just enjoy it.”

Penelope’s thoughts scattered when Josh bent down and suckled her nipple. Alex brought his mouth back to hers. His lips slid over hers, wet, erotic, and she could only give herself to the kiss as she felt her passion building, a slow and steady climb.

Her skirt loosened then dropped, and then she felt their hands on her, caressing, petting, seeking her heat, finding her dampness.

Josh ran his fingers up and down the crack of her ass, and Penelope shivered.

“Will you let us take you there later, baby? We’ll prepare you. We want to be inside you, both of us at the same time.”

“Oh, God.” Just the image his words evoked made her shiver.

She’d never imagined wanting to feel a man’s cock in her ass until now. The thought of having them both inside her at the same time made her knees go weak.

“Yes, I want you both. Oh, my legs.” Their heated stroking of her slit, even through her panties, coupled with Josh’s sucking on her nipples, took the strength from her legs, and she would have fallen to the floor if they hadn’t caught her.

“Here, sweet Penelope. Let us.” Josh scooped her into his arms and set her on his desk.

“Lie back, angel,” Alex said.

He fastened his mouth on hers again. Their lips mated, back and forth, and then their tongues tangoed, in and out. She feasted on the taste of Alex, loving his kiss, feeding the fire building within her. She
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reveled in the touch of Josh, whose busy, clever hands kept the flames of her passion burning hotter and then hotter still.

Josh slipped between her legs, eased her panties down and then off. He splayed her legs wide and stroked her hot, wet woman-flesh.

She cried out when she felt his fingers brush her pussy, up and down and then,
yes
, inside her, fucking them in and out of her, driving her wild.

“You’re always so wet for us, pretty Penelope.”

She heard the sounds that assured her he protected them both.

Then she felt the heat of his latex-covered cock, so close. He touched her with it, teasing, and then
in
, finally, all the way inside her, so deep he nudged her cervix.

He stretched her, a miracle. She’d had them a few times now and she thought she’d take them easier, but he filled her and stretched her as if this was their first time, and it felt so good.

“Can you smell us together?” Josh asked.

Alex had moved back but kept his hand on her head, his fingers gently stroking the strands of her pinned-up hair, then down, to brush against her nipples. His gaze seemed riveted on his brother’s cock, fucking her.

“Can you smell us together, all of us?” Josh asked again. “The scent of us is pure sexual musk, wild. Erotic.” He inhaled deeply, and Penelope moaned, that act somehow seeming rawer, more feral, than any other.

He moved in her, slow, deep thrusts that kept her dangling so close to the precipice, so very nearly
there
. He slid his arms under her legs, and his hands cupped her ass. He increased his pace then, his thrusts hard and fast and deep.

So open, so vulnerable, she was his, could only receive those thrusts and revel in them. Lifting her hips, she tried to rub her clit against the hair that nestled his cock.

Josh chuckled, a dark, thrilling sound. “Mm, you’re so hot and good. You need more, baby? You need more of us?”

Love Under Two Honchos