Prelude to a Fantasy: Prequel to Harmless Book 8 Page 3

  “Maura—”

  “Love you,” she said and hung up.

  She took a second to gather her composure. Maura had found it best when confronted by the dual assault of having both Rory and Zeke in the room to be prepared. If she didn’t, her tongue stuck to the top of her mouth. When she felt she was ready to address them and not drool on herself, she looked at them.

  “He wants us to be in Hawaii when the trial starts.”

  The men shared a glance. It irritated her on some level she didn’t completely understand. What was she thinking? Of course she understood. It made her feel small and petty but she seemed unable to move past it. She hated they knew each other so well a glance was all they needed to communicate. Worse, she hated being jealous it. She was envious of their intimacy and their secrets. It would be bad enough if she was just hot for one of them, but both of them had her hot.

  Both of them—and that was the problem.

  She was definitely mental. What sane woman would be jealous of two men who obviously have the hots for each other?

  What made it even crappier were the dreams she had started having about both of them. It was disturbing her sleep and now disrupting her work. That was not good. Going to Hawaii was going to make it worse—unless she could find herself a Dom to play with while she was there. It might help her work out the demons that seem to be chasing her for the last few months.

  She glanced at Zeke and tried to keep her mind on the conversation. It was hard to do because the man was beyond gorgeous. What made him even more tempting was the fact that he didn’t see himself as attractive. His mother was Haitian and his father had been Irish, and both of them were easy to see in his character and his looks—not to mention his voice. His skin was dark brown, his eyes the color of milk chocolate and he had the body of a tough Irish fighter. All sculpted muscles and that stiff upper lip. Now that he had shaved his head and grown a goatee, he was even sexier. He was often times too serious, but maybe that is what appealed to her. He was hot and smart, two things that weren’t always easy to find.

  “Maura?” he asked, those dangerous lips turning down.

  She pushed those thoughts aside. Thinking about his lips wasn’t something she should do. Especially since Rory was now in the picture.

  “As I said, he wants us there. It is kind of odd, but then, I can work on computer stuff there with no problem.”

  “And you agree with it?” Zeke asked.

  She didn’t really pay attention to the question. He had a baritone voice with that Irish lilt to it that just made her melt. She could remember hearing it first thing in the morning after their first night together.

  “Uh, no. I would rather stay here because I have a load of work to do, but he wants us there. I will adjust. He’s using the lame excuse that he needs us there and he’s sending new hires for the upcoming Honolulu office here to be trained.”

  “That’s actually a good idea,” Rory said.

  She forced herself to look away from Zeke to Rory. An Irishman himself, Rory was what most people would call black Irish. Dark hair, blue eyes, and a lanky muscular build made him a treat for the eyes, and she had been dying for a bite. He was unconventional in every way. He had died some of his hair blond, probably just because he wanted to. The tats made him stand out even today when everyone seemed to be getting one. She had only seen glimpses of them because apparently, Rory liked to have his tats in naughty places.

  He had a quick temper and she had often wondered if that is why he got into BDSM. Zeke had said when they were younger that Rory had learned to control it.

  They were opposites in a lot of ways. Zeke thought through everything. And, that is one of the reasons she had been sure he was a Dom. When she had found out he wasn’t, even after he tried to play a bit, she had been disappointed. But, apparently, that was Rory in some capacity—from the rumors she heard.

  Zeke was good at looking at the positive things and making the best. Rory had a jaundice view of life that she truly appreciated. The few times he had been around her without Zeke, his sarcastic comments had gotten a chuckle from her.

  And sadly, she wanted them both. But they were apparently interested only in each other.

  "So, he thinks we can't protect you?" Rory asked with a sarcastic tone.

  "I can protect myself, thank you very much," she said watching him settle in the chair in front of her desk and then lift his feet to the edge. "Feet off, McAllister."

  Rory gave her a sweet smile, although there was nothing sweet behind it, and did as she ordered. She had a feeling he wasn’t accustomed to women telling him what to do.

  Zeke ignored the byplay. He crossed his arms and looked down at her. "Did he hear something about the Alvarez family?" he asked. Of course, Zeke would think of the case first.

  "No. But he just thinks it would be best if we were gone. And you know Conner. If he has decided we need to be gone, that’s the end of the discussion. He rented that house he had for the wedding."

  "That sounds like a brilliant plan," Rory said. "Are we taking the jet?"

  "Yes."

  Zeke opened his mouth to ask another question but she had too much to worry about. And she needed them out of her office right now. The combination of sexy men was starting to give her the vapors.

  "Call Conner and ask him anything. I am assuming we are leaving tomorrow morning. Can you boys be ready by then?"

  "I've been ready for months, love," Rory said with one of those cute lopsided smiles that made her insides quiver. But she ignored it. Or pretended to. He had been saying things like that the last few weeks and completely confusing her. It was as if he was flirting with her and she didn’t get it. She didn’t have the time to even think about it.

  Zeke did not like it from the look on his face. He gave Rory a warning glance, then said, "What else do you have on your agenda today? It's almost five."

  "I'm going to meet with Tina. She needs to take over my meetings if I am going to be gone next week."

  Rory nodded. “Right-o. I have a few calls to make too. Your brother doesn’t like to plan ahead.”

  She laughed. “If you knew Conner before Jillian, you would never say that. But this was planned. He checked out the house, probably offered an obscene amount for it, and then worked it out with Tina. He plans, but he likes to pretend he doesn’t.”

  “And you let him do this?” Rory asked.

  “I don’t let Conner do anything. But, when all you have is each other, you learn to allow for your eccentricities.”

  She started to pull up some files on her computer. After a few moments, they were still there, both staring at her. She sighed.

  “Go away.”

  Zeke opened his mouth but Rory chuckled. “Let’s go, Zee. The lady has work to do. Let us know if you need anything.”

  Rory stood and headed to the door. With a worried glance in her direction, Zeke followed Rory out the door. When it clicked shut, she leaned back in her seat and growled. She couldn’t stop herself. It was impossible. They were going to drive her crazy. She needed to find herself a man in Hawaii and ignore the two men who had been driving her crazy.

  She closed her eyes. If only she could listen to her common sense, she would be able to do it. Unfortunately, her common sense seemed to be on a holiday. The only thing that she could think was how much fun it would be to play with both Rory and Zeke.

  She was doomed.

  * * * *

  "You want to tell me what that was about in there, Rory?" Zeke asked as they walked down the hall to where their offices were located.

  "What do you mean?" Rory asked. His attempt to sound innocent failed, at least with Zeke. Most people would never guess just how devious the man truly was.

  "You questioning Maura about her brother like that." He didn't like it. He knew that Rory was planning something and it wasn't going to be good. Whenever Rory got crazy plans in his head, Zeke was always left cleaning up the mess and dealing with heartache.

  "Nothing.
Just wondered why she would do it for him. She's a workaholic."

  That much was true, but it didn’t sound like a reason Rory would be "But she loves Hawaii and a chance to see him, she will do anything."

  They reached Zeke's office first and he stepped in his mind on the plans for the flight. He would have to make sure to get ahold of Michaels and tell him of the switch of staff on the job, although Conner probably already did, cheeky bastard.

  "I get that. It's unnatural."

  Zeke shook his head. Of course Rory would think that. With his fucked up family, Zeke understood why he never wanted to see them…or talk to them.

  "To you and me, maybe. To them, no. They have always had each other's back. It's kind of heartwarming to see the way they look out for each other."

  Rory said nothing as he leaned against the doorjamb.

  "What?" Zeke asked.

  "You have that tone in your voice when you talk about her. It’s the same one I heard last year when you were involved with her."

  Zeke bit back a sigh. He settled in the chair and looked at his oldest friend and lover. They had known each other for so long, it was hard to remember a time when they hadn't been together...or on each other's mind. Zeke had known that Rory hadn’t been really happy about his relationship from Maura. It was hard to make someone understand his position.

  "She wanted things I couldn't give her."

  He hated to admit it, but that was the truth of the matter. He had never felt like such a loser as when he realized that he could not be the man she wanted in the bedroom. They might not be together anymore, but just being near her made him feel better. It was pathetic to even admit that to himself, but it was the truth. He might have allowed her freedom from their relationship, but he couldn’t get her out of his head…or his heart.

  Zeke could tell his honesty did not sit well with Rory. But they had promised each other that this time they would be honest. He loved Maura, maybe as much as he loved Rory. And, his heart still hurt when he thought about the night Maura and he realized it would never work.

  "What kind of things?"

  Zeke glanced over Rory's shoulder and saw Denise the office manage standing there. Six feet tall and plastic surgery perfect, she smiled at Rory. He smiled back, but Zeke felt no jealousy. She wasn't his type.

  Maura was.

  "Hey, Denise, did you need something?"

  "No, I just wanted to leave these with you. They need to be signed by the end of the month." She slinked in and handed him the forms. She gave him a smile that he knew was an invitation. It was no secret he and Rory were involved. Worse, people had heard the rumors that they sometimes brought a woman into their bed. When that had made it's way around the office, he had to deal with women who wanted to experiment.

  One hard and fast rule that he and Conner both believed in was not fucking the help.

  "Thanks. I have to make a few calls before six tonight."

  'Oh, " She said. "Have fun in Hawaii."

  With that she left them alone. Rory stepped into the room and closed the door.

  "What was it Maura wanted?"

  He should have known Rory wouldn't let it go. "She's a sub. You know I don't do that."

  He was busy looking over the papers Denise just gave to him, but when the silence extended, he looked up. The interest on Rory’s face was enough to make him want to curse. Dammit.

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you don't like her. Admit it, you never spend time with her alone."

  He shrugged. '"I got the vibe that she didn't want to have much to do with me once I moved here. I figured she was jealous of me."

  He had known she was hurt when Rory had come back into his life, but it had been almost a year that they had called off their relationship. Still every now and then he would catch her looking at him with something akin to longing in her gaze. It made working with her very hard because he couldn't help wanting her.

  Zeke walked to his desk. Rory hadn't liked her because Zeke had told him about their relationship. But, now, he might be changing his mind.

  "A week in Hawaii just the three of us could be a lot of fun."

  He stepped behind Zeke's chair and started to rub his shoulders. Zeke tried to resist the temptation. It as futile, he knew that, but he put up the fight for a few seconds.

  "Think about it, Zee. You, me, a woman who likes to be tied down..."

  Rory’s voice trailed off then he turned Zeke's chair around. He leaned closer a, bracing his hands on the armrests. The soap they had shared that morning in the shower permeated the air and brought back the memories. Zeke closed his eyes and shuddered.

  Rory nuzzled Zeke's neck then he felt his teeth nip at the sensitive skin. He was a weak man. When it came to temptation there were only two people in the world who could get him to forget about the consequences. One of them had just dyed her hair blonde. The other was Rory.

  "You know you like the idea, doncha, love? You're picturing it right now."

  Of course he was. His cock twitched as he tried to keep his cool but he had never had control when it came to Rory. It was one of the things that both he and Maura had over Zeke. He couldn't resist either of them and right now, he wanted Rory. Needed him so much his hands were already shaking.

  Rory kissed a path up to his mouth and then attacked his mouth. His tongue thrust into his mouth, over and over. How could it that this man could make him come undone so fast?

  When he pulled back, Rory smiled. “Come on, Zee. It’ll be fun. Just think of everything that we could do. She’s hot for it too, you know she is.”

  Zeke knew Rory was right. Knowing that he could watch her submit, one of his ultimate fantasies…Damn.

  “Need a little relief, love?” Rory asked, his voice teasing Zeke as his fingers slipped down his chest.

  His cock hardened further and his body yearned. He wanted that, wanted to feel Rory’s talented mouth on his flesh. But…they were at the office and at the moment, the door was unlocked. They didn’t hide their relationship, but having sex at the office was something else. As co owner he couldn’t do something like that—no matter how much he wanted to.

  “No. Not at that office.”

  Rory rolled his eyes but backed off. He liked to push Zeke’s buttons and he had a lot of experience doing just that.

  “There was a time when that wouldn’t have stopped you,” Rory said.

  “I wasn’t a boss then. Plus, we are about to leave for an entire week, or more. I don’t want anyone walking on us starting our vacation early.”

  Rory gave him a smirk then walked away to the windows that overlooked Miami. There was something else bugging him, something that Zeke knew he was trying to work out in his head.

  "You have to let it go with Maura. While she might be up for a little play, Conner would not be happy."

  Rory rolled his shoulders. It was a sure sign that he wasn't happy with what Zeke had said. One of the best things and one of the worst things about Rory was that once he got an idea, he would never let it go. It was something that made him good at his job, but it also made him a pain in the ass lover.

  "You think she would go for it?"

  Zeke sighed. Rory wasn't going to let it go. "I think she might. It wouldn't be good."

  Rory glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Those damned blue eyes twinkling at him. "I thought you said she was good. I thought what you said was she particularly liked..."

  "I know what I said. It would cause problems here though."

  "Problems? How?"

  "Not everyone is like you. Especially women. The complications at work would be tough. It was hard enough last time when Maura and I decided to split ways. Besides, you know what happened last time we brought a woman into the bedroom."

  "It was one hot fucking night, that's what I remember."

  Zeke shook his head. Rory was right and with Maura, well, it would go beyond most of his fantasies. But their last experience had been very bad.


  “So, you forget when she started to stalk you? How she threatened me? You always do have a selective memory.”

  "And you remember too. You remember watching me tie Sherry down, don't you? The way she happily would do anything I told her. You liked to watch when she sucked me off."

  Rory’s voice deepened over every word and Zeke had to take a bracing breath to control his need. His body was throbbing and his cock was so hard he probably wouldn't be able to walk straight. Rory was one of the best at talking sex.

  Rory walked toward him. Anticipation skated along his nerves. Zeke licked his lips. Instead of approaching him, though, Rory veered off toward the door.

  "You think of that when you tell me you don't want to share her."

  And with that he left Zeke, the door silently clicking behind him.

  Even with the AC on full blast, Zeke felt a small dribble of sweat slink down his back. He closed his eyes trying to calm the heat dancing over his nerve endings. Damn. The man could always control him.

  It had always been like that from the beginning and Zeke had allowed it. Rory had his control issues because of his childhood and Zeke could handle it. They weren't Dom and sub. Zeke was truthful about that when he told Maura. And weirdly for Rory, he only liked to Dominate women. Of course, it fed into Zeke's need to watch. There was something about watching Rory work over a sub. With the right sub, Rory could send Zeke over the edge. And Maura would be perfect.

  She was the right combination of sexy, smarts and submissive. He remembered the first day he met her. Never in his life did he have a reaction like that to a woman. She had smiled at him, her eyes sparkling from behind her glasses and his tongue had stuck to the top of his mouth. He actually stuttered. The only other person who had made him lose the ability to speak had been Rory.

  It was inevitable that they get involved. Their arguing had only been foreplay to the bedroom. The sex had been wonderful, stellar. Still, he knew Maura had wanted—needed more. Something he couldn't give her.

  But Rory could.