Take What You Want (21 page)

“
You
don't want me mixing with the hired help? Is that it?” Alex
teased.

“
Technically,
I'm
the hired help, so don't make it sound like that,” Chase said.
“But, if you want to keep your location on the island at least
somewhat secretive, its best you don't let any of the workers see who
you are. It's a small island, Alex, and word travels fast. As it
is, I think you're taking a huge risk jogging around here by
yourself.”

“
Hmmm,
the rental agent failed to mention this was a rough neighborhood,”
Alex said. “Is there a chance I might get mugged while running
along these countryside roads?” Alex asked, with a lift of one
eyebrow.

Chase couldn't help laughing
at Alex's question and the way his face lit up made Chase a little
weak in the knees. “You wish, Metcalf.”

“
Only
if you're the one tackling me to the ground,” Alex said. He
wiped the sweat off his brow with his hand, then he leaned in close
to Chase's ear. “My friends and I are playing at Cherries
tonight,” Alex said. “Would you like to come along with
us?”

“
And
do what – be your groupie?” Chase asked.

“
Just
so we're clear, groupie status would require you give me backstage
sexual favors,” Alex said with a laugh.

The idea of doing anything
sexual with Alex – backstage or elsewhere, had Chase's cock
jerking to life behind the zipper of his jeans. He hoped to hell it
wasn't visible to the yard crew working nearby or to Alex's friends
inside the house.

“
Shit,”
Chase said. “You're making me hard.” He turned away
from the main house and walked over to the table beside the pool to
sit down in a chair.

Alex
followed him. “If you like that idea, you're really going to
love this,” Alex said. “My friends are leaving on
Saturday. Do you already have plans for Saturday night?”

“
I'm
supposed to be meeting a few friends in town, but I can probably
cancel,” he said.

Alex waited until Chase
finished looking over his shoulder for eavesdroppers, then caught his
gaze. He could see and feel the energy surging in those liquid pools
of heat and wanted so very much to touch Chase; taste him. Christ!
He was getting hard. Alex glanced down at his groin, willing himself
not to tent the front of his thin, nylon running shorts in broad
daylight.

“
See
if you can change things,” Alex said. “I'd really like
to spend the night with you.”

Chase
felt himself sway at Alex's invitation and was grateful he was
sitting down. Spend the night with Alex – the
entire
night, he thought? He wasn't sure he had the strength to survive
that feat. There'd be no sleeping, that much was a certainty. He
was also fairly sure he knew what else Alex had in mind, and that
part freaked him out a bit, too. He still wasn't sure he could
handle fucking Alex; what it might mean for both of them if they
followed through with it. But he also couldn't ignore the hard-on he
got every time he thought about being inside Alex, either.

“
I
see you like the sound of that,” Alex said, eying the tell-tale
bulge in Chase's pants.

Even
in a sitting position, Chase's arousal was evident. He bent forward
and rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed at his face. “You're
killing me, you know that, right?”

Alex
stepped in front of Chase. The tent in his shorts was level with
Chase's face. “I could say the same about you, but I think its
obvious without me having to say a damn thing.” Alex kicked
off his sneakers and walked to the edge of the pool. “See what
you can do about Saturday night and let me know,” he said over
his shoulder, then turned to do a back-flip into the water making a
loud splash. When he surfaced in the water, he faced Chase. “And,
if you'd like to join us tonight, that'd be great, too. I'm going to
toss some stuff on the grill first and we'll be leaving around eight.
How's that sound?”

“
I'll
do my best to be there,” Chase said.

Alex
hung on the side of the pool, his elbows resting on the ledge. “If
you're cool with it, I'd like to introduce you to my band,” he
said.

Chase slowly stood upright
and smoothed down his jeans. When Chase finally looked at him, Alex
was smiling from ear to ear.

“
You're
fucking hot as hell, Middleton,” Alex said quietly. “Makes
me want to cancel the gig tonight and hang out at your place for a
few hours.”

“
I
think we'd need more than a few hours,” Chase said with a
smirk.

A humming sound rolled from
Alex's mouth. “I like the way you think.”

Chase gave Alex a wave and
turned to leave. “I'll see you later.”

“
I'll
look forward to it,” Alex said, and ducked beneath the water.

-0-

Chase finished his workday
late and started driving home from the outskirts of Chilmark. Why
was it when you were in a hurry to get somewhere you had to get stuck
behind a slow driver, he thought? He leaned against the door and did
his best to try and relax. He didn't want to be late for Alex's gig,
but right about now, it wasn't looking very good for him to be on
time, either.

He reached for his phone on
the seat beside him and was about to dial Alex's number when the
phone rang in his hand. He glanced at the number and nearly swerved
off the road.

“
Danni,”
he said, his voice a strained whisper. He quickly pulled his truck
over to the side of the road and parked. Last thing he wanted was to
lose the cell phone connection and drop Danni's call. “Baby,
where have you been?” he asked. “I've been calling you
for days.”

“
I
wasn't ready to talk to you,” Danni said.

“
I'm
so sorry,” Chase said. “You have to know I didn't intend
for any of this to come between us.”

The silence was thick.
“Have you been with him again?” she asked.

Chase paused before giving
his answer. “Yes.”

“
Are
you fucking him?” she asked with disdain. “Or maybe he
fucks you. Is that how it works, Chase?”

“
Danni,
please...”

“
Answer
the question, Chase!”

“
Neither,”
he said. “Christ, does it really matter?”

“
I'm
assuming you're doing everything else, so no, I guess it doesn't
matter.”

Fuck! He was already late
and now this. Chase drew in a long breath. He'd talk to Danni as
long as she wanted, even if it meant missing Alex perform. Danni
came first and always would, case closed.

“
I
guess it was stupid of me to think you'd have the willpower stop
seeing him,” Danni sniffed.

Chase rubbed at his
forehead. “This isn't about willpower, Danni.”

“
Then,
what is it about?” she asked.

“
I
really like him,” he said, his voice soft and comforting.

“
He's
already won and I haven't even had a chance to fight for you,”
Danni whispered.

“
Alex
hasn't won anything,” Chase said. “Nothing has changed
between you and I.”

“
How
can you say that when you're sleeping with someone else?” she
asked.

“
Let
me come visit,” Chase said.

“
No,
I don't want you out here,” Danni said.

“
Why
the hell not?” Chase asked.

“
Because
I'm busy and you're busy. Don't do it.”

Chase
was about to respond, when he heard Danni's quick good-bye and the
dead silence that soon followed when her call ended. He swore out
loud, then tossed his phone onto the seat beside him.

-0-

Danni adjusted the thin
straps of her flowered sundress and fluffed her long, shiny hair.
“Are you ready?” she asked Avery, applying a last minute
touch up of gloss to her lips.

“
You
look … dangerously gorgeous, Danni,” Avery said. “I'm
not sure its safe for anyone to see you looking this hot.”

Danni looked at Avery and
tried to smile, but her eyes began to water. “Thanks for
saying that,” Danni said. “And, thanks for putting up
with me tonight.”

“
Come
on,” Avery said, hooking her arm around Danni's elbow. “Let's
go get you drunk.”

Avery
and Danni visited three different clubs in town, staying until last
call at the third. They danced with men, women, and each other until
they were both sweaty and panting. Most of all, they laughed and
that's what Danni needed most. Avery was cautious and stopped
drinking after two glasses of wine; allowing Danni a safe opportunity
to drink without the worry of getting home.

At the end of the long
night, Avery helped Danni into their room and carefully undressed her
for bed. She pulled the cool sheets up over Danni and turned away,
until Danni reached for her wrist.

“
Stay
with me,” Danni said. “Just until I fall asleep.”

Avery nodded, then shimmied
out of her skirt; keeping on her panties and a stretchy camisole top.
She lifted the sheets and climbed into the small bed beside Danni.

“
Thank
you,” Danni slurred, “For listening to me tonight.”

“
We're
friends, Danni. I don't mind helping you through a difficult time.”

Danni covered her eyes and
stifled a sob. “I can't stop thinking of Chase in bed with
that guy; getting off.”

“
I
know,” Avery said. “It hurts.”

Danni sniffed and looked at
Avery in the dim light of their room. A weak smile began to curl her
lips. “It also … intrigues me,” Danni said.
“Makes me wonder what they look like together. Pretty twisted,
isn't it?”

Avery giggled. “It's
not twisted, Danni. I think two men together is hot.”

“
Have
you ever seen it?” Danni asked.

“
No,
I haven't, but maybe one day,” Avery said. “If I'm lucky
enough.”

“
It
wouldn't bother you to … share?”

Avery's eyes focused on the
ceiling tiles. “Do you mean share, like in a three-way?”
Avery asked.

“
Yes,
like that,” Danni said.

Avery
thought for a minute, then rolled onto her side to face Danni. “If
I were in a relationship that made me feel safe, then I'd probably do
it. How about you, Danni? Do you think you want to be with them
together
?”

Danni's gaze moved away from
Avery. “A few years back, Chase and I shared a girlfriend of
mine. It can't be much different than that, right?”

“
I
don't think it would be any different,” Avery said. “But
a lot of people have trouble with two men being intimate. If this
guy is as sexy as Chase, then I think you'd be in for one hell of a
night.”

Danni giggled. “The
guy is smoking hot – and he's famous.”

Avery came up on one elbow.
“You're kidding.”

“
Nope,
he's a well known musician. He moved into the main house on the
estate where we live,” Danni said.

“
Oh,
my god!” Avery squealed. “Have you been holding out on
me? Is he someone I might know?”

“
Do
you like rock music?” Danni teased.

“
Good
lord, is he a rock star?”

Danni
laughed. “He's the singer and guitarist for his band.”