Fourplay: Ever After Duet, Book 1 Read online

  Josh knew that was one of his major concerns when it came to a life partner. Ford had some sharp edges himself. It reassured him when his best friends were present during rough encounters to make sure he never went too far in the heat of the moment. Josh was man enough to admit that Ford took liaisons places he wouldn’t have been comfortable on his own, but enjoyed being along for the ride.

  It might have been weird to some people. Over time, it had become natural for them. It was just that they’d always thought their ménages were a wild indulgence of their younger days, not something that could blossom into a mature and lasting relationship.

  Not until they met Cooper and his family.

  Having hope was almost harder than before they’d made that discovery. It made him crave what Ford was describing that much more. They were ready to make this transition in their life. But was Kari?

  Unlikely.

  At least he could live vicariously through his friends for a little bit. “So how far did things go?”

  “All the way,” Ford responded without hesitation.

  “They fucked in front of you?” Josh nearly dropped his drink.

  “Don’t add a bunch of romantic comedies to my Netflix queue or anything but…no, I wouldn’t say that.” Brady cleared his throat. “They made love together and I feel fortunate to have seen it for myself.”

  “I can’t even call you a pussy.” Ford grabbed Josh’s glass and downed the rest of the whiskey before admitting, “I felt the same way. They touched her like she was priceless. Even Reed when he was hammering into her. His hands were caressing her sides and he kept murmuring shit into her ear that I couldn’t quite hear. It was so different than what we’ve been doing.”

  “So much better.” Brady scrubbed his hand over his face.

  “It went deeper than getting off.” Ford leaned forward, planting his elbows on his knees as his stare bored into Josh. He’d never seen his friend this intense, this convincing, outside of a trial. “Although when they did… Son of a bitch, I thought they might blow a hole in the side of the boat and sink us all right there. It was explosive.”

  “I get it, guys. It was the most profound sexual experience of your lives and I missed it.” Josh sighed. He wasn’t really irritated with them. Besides, he’d had one hell of a consolation prize. It was just that kissing Kari had been incredible but ultimately undermined by walking around guilty with a hard-on ever since, and here the two of them were trying to rile him up even more.

  But why didn’t they seem equally as frustrated as he was?

  “Hold up…did you guys do more than watch?” he asked, squinting as he stared at Brady’s hands. Sure enough, his friend curled his fingers and began to tap them on the outsides of his knuckles.

  Josh pointed at his tell and half-shouted as he bolted to his feet, “You bastards, you did!”

  “They didn’t seem to mind how much we appreciated their display. In fact…” Brady looked at Ford, who nodded. “I didn’t really think about it, but I started to rub my dick. Andi noticed right away. Instead of freaking her out, it seemed to turn her on. Next thing I knew we were—”

  He paused to clear his throat, and Ford finished for him. “We jacked off while we watched them have sex. It was wicked and intense and…damn. It’s everything I want for us.”

  Josh felt the weight of his cell phone in his pocket.

  He could text Kari. Would she answer? Would she tell him to stay the fuck away—him and his two perverted best friends?

  He’d never put her in a position to have to do that. Not after how she’d already been taken advantage of by a manager in their own company. No way.

  But son of a bitch, he wanted to. The device was practically burning a hole in his pants.

  Or maybe that was his cock. It was rock-hard and begging for relief.

  Okay, this had been a bad idea. Instead of distracting him, Ford and Brady were making him hornier and he had no outlet for his pent-up desire. “I think I better go to bed.”

  “Go to watch porn on your laptop in your suite, you mean?” One corner of Ford’s grin kicked up. “Yeah. Me too. Let’s go.”

  Brady beat them to the stairs, as eager as them for some alone time. Except Josh wished it wasn’t so…lonely. His shoulders slumped as he climbed the winding staircase. Bright white marble steps with no back were held in between glass half-walls and crowned by a chrome railing. It curved up the long stretch between the first and second floors of their penthouse to their private quarters.

  At the top, the cool stone gave way to plush carpet. His suite was to the left, Brady’s to the right, and Ford’s generally in front of them. It was past a door they didn’t talk about often and none of them ever opened.

  They paused on the landing there, each of them doing their best to ignore that extra space now and failing miserably.

  “So, anyway…” Ford slapped Josh on the shoulder, then squeezed it in his version of a hug. “Thank you for making tonight the greatest birthday of my life. For getting Kari to come in the first place and then taking care of her while we played voyeur. You really are the best friend a guy could ask for.”

  “I’m not even going to argue.” Brady shrugged. “You outdid yourself tonight, Josh.”

  “You’re a shitty lawyer,” Josh muttered as he turned his back, feeling like the exact opposite of the champion they’d made him out to be. Truth was, he was afraid to admit it and let them down.

  So he didn’t.

  Brady and Ford cracked up, as if he’d been joking. Josh didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified. Because when they found out he was a sham, the revelation would have the power to break their friendship.

  “I’ll send you links to any good group sex videos I find. Then you’ll forgive me,” Brady promised.

  If only he was the one who had pardoning to do, Josh wouldn’t be so upset. If he lost his best friends on top of everything else, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

  9

  The next afternoon, Kari was sitting on her couch, binge watching some dumb show about blind dating. While it had entertained her in the past, the idea that some random guy out there was the one for her no longer appealed.

  She’d spent the entire day trying not to think of Josh, their kiss, or his two partners.

  What a fucking mess.

  More than once, she’d grabbed her phone and thought about using the firm’s emergency contact system to call Cooper at home and beg to talk to Andi. She’d hadn’t had the guts.

  It shocked the shit out of her when her cell shattered the silence and started buzzing like crazy.

  Unknown number.

  Screw that. She wasn’t in the mood to listen to scammers or spammers. Kari sent the call to voicemail. As soon as she did, it rang again. Same number.

  Prepared to rip a telemarketer for bugging her, she was surprised when a familiar voice shouted, “Hey, it’s me! Don’t hang up. Please!”

  “Andi?” Kari sat up straight.

  “Yeah. I got your number from Cooper. I hope that won’t get him in trouble or anything.” The woman sounded genuinely worried.

  “Of course not. I actually was thinking about doing the same.” Kari twisted her hair around her finger. “So…last night…”

  “I know.” Andi cleared her throat. “Do you hate me?”

  “For what?” Kari took the phone away from her face long enough to give it a bewildered stare. Then she scrunched her eyes closed. Had things gone further than she’d thought after she’d bolted? “Wait, you didn’t have sex with my guys, did you?”

  What the hell had just come out of her mouth? Kari blushed, then quickly added, “Sorry. Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business and they’re not my guys.”

  Andi laughed. “First, no. I swear. I didn’t touch them. It was eye candy only. I mean, okay, I did see their cocks.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah, they, uhhhh, liked our show, I guess,” Andi hedged.

  “Are you telling me they
masturbated while you guys fucked?” Kari wasn’t pissed. In fact, she was squirming on her couch imagining it.

  “Ford and Brady did. Josh disappeared.” Andi went on in a rush, “I hardly saw anything, I swear. I was so busy with my guys, I wasn’t really looking. Just enough to say that if they ever do become your guys—and I think they totally could if that’s what you want—you’d be a very lucky woman.”

  “Oh. Well, I kissed Josh,” Kari blurted, figuring she owed it to Andi to come clean, too. “We were making out while you…you know.”

  “And then what?” Andi wondered.

  “He took me home.” Quick to correct any possible misunderstandings, she added, “Like dropped me off. Not, like, came in and slept with me.”

  “Too bad.”

  Was it? Kari still couldn’t say. She felt strongly pulled in two polar opposite directions and they were tearing her apart. “I don’t know, Andi. I don’t want to lose my job. But I don’t know if I can ignore the tension that seems to be building between us either.”

  “I don’t think you have to choose one or the other.” Andi sighed. “I get why that’s awkward for you, though. If it comes down to it, I’m telling you, my department would love to have you.”

  “I guess I still have a lot of thinking to do before the weekend is over and I have to face them again.” Kari rubbed her temple.

  “I’ll let you go so you can do that. But remember, I’m here if you need someone to talk to.” Andi grew more serious then. “Thank you for understanding…about what happened. I swear to you it wasn’t anything we’d planned and there weren’t any boundaries crossed that would take away from you moving forward with Ford, Brady, and Josh. I really just wanted to say that to you woman to woman and not text it or something. I would hate myself if I accidentally fucked things up between you four. And, honestly, I really enjoyed hanging out with you last night.”

  “Not as much as you enjoyed what came after, I bet!” Kari snorted as Andi cracked up. She didn’t blame the woman. If Kari had been the one at the center of that much prime attention, she’d feel the same way. That thought lingered as their laughter subsided.

  Andi asked, “Maybe we could grab lunch sometime next week?”

  “That would be great.” Kari sighed. Usually she ended up eating with Ford, Brady, Josh or some combination of all three. “I might need a break from the guys and the office.”

  “I’m available every day. And even if I’m not, I’ll make sure I am,” Andi promised.

  “Thank you.” Kari disconnected the call, then stood up, restless. She roamed around her apartment from her living room through the kitchen and finally into her bedroom, where she eyed the drawer of her bedside table.

  Maybe it was weird, but she couldn’t help it. Andi’s revelation had turned her on. Made her wish she’d been bolder and run into the captain’s quarters instead of away from them the night before. Damn the consequences.

  In real life, that wasn’t a solid plan. But here, in the confines of her bedroom, she imagined what it might have been like.

  Kari climbed into bed and took her vibrator from the drawer. She drew her T-shirt over her head, then wriggled out of her yoga pants.

  By the time she had closed her eyes and started to imagine herself stumbling into the middle of Ford, Brady, and Josh, with their hands tucked in their pants as they watched the performance Andi and her guys were putting on for them.

  “Kari!” Ford barked, his eyes going wide.

  “Looks like I’m just in time for the real festivities,” she said, licking her lips as she strutted into the cabin instead of biting her tongue and fleeing.

  “Perfect timing,” Brady agreed with a warm smile. “We’re out of seats, though. Why don’t you sit on the birthday boy’s lap?”

  Kari took him up on the offer, without hesitating or second-guessing her decision. It felt incredible to be so free and confident. Before she perched on him, she reached down and lifted the hem of her dress so she could straddle him properly with her back to his chest.

  In front of them, Andi and her guys had progressed from foreplay to full-on intercourse. Reed was entering the other woman, raising the temperature in the intimate space and giving Kari the courage to take what she really wanted. Instead of wasting time on appetizers, she went straight for the main course.

  Over her shoulder, she asked, “Why don’t you take your cock out so we can catch up? They shouldn’t have all the fun when it’s your party.”

  “Good point.” Ford grinned. He ripped open the front of his tux and exposed himself to her. He had a right to his prideful smirk. His cock was thick and long, and made her ache to have him inside her.

  Kari slid her vibrator into her pussy as she imagined sheathing Ford, sliding down his length until she was settled fully in his lap.

  “Damn, Kari,” he rasped as he bit her neck lightly.

  Meanwhile, Brady and Josh never once took their gazes off of her. She lifted a hand as though Ford wasn’t stretching her, making her moan as he began to thrust upward from beneath her. She curled her fingers and beckoned them closer. In the background she could hear the grunts and sighs of Andi and her guys making love, showing Ford, Brady, Josh, and her what they were missing out on.

  Kari didn’t want to miss out anymore. She began to pump the vibrator inside her before turning it on low.

  Brady and Josh flew to her side, taking their dicks out too. Kari fisted Josh’s length, pumping him in time to Ford’s fucking. Brady put his hand on her cheek, cupping it and brushing his thumb across her lower lip until she knew exactly where he wanted to be.

  She opened and took his cock inside, reveling in the heat and weight of him on her tongue.

  Kari was full of them and the exhilaration they inspired inside her.

  Pleasure as well.

  With a practiced flick, Kari sped up her toy, loving the way it felt as she imagined it was Ford. In real life, she had a feeling they would take things slow and make it last all night. But right then, there was no way her imagination was going to let her get away with that. Self-control had gone out the window the moment Andi had confessed what had happened.

  Kari gave herself over to them completely. Ford’s hands wrapped around her waist and braced her as he continued his relentless thrusts. She ground over him, increasing the pressure of their bodies against each other where they fit together.

  When she moaned, Brady gasped. The trill of her ecstasy traveled along his shaft, making precome leak from his tip. She devoured the fluid, enjoying his taste. Beside him, Josh groaned and his erection jerked in her fist.

  His balls slapped the side of her hand as he fucked into it, never once taking his eyes off her and his partners in favor of the mounting noise from across the room.

  When he reached down and squeezed her breast through her dress, she felt the first clench of her muscles around Ford’s shaft.

  “Yes. Do that again, Josh.” He cursed. “She’s going to come all over my cock.”

  Kari muffled her scream with the back of her free hand. The other was working her vibrator in time to fantasy-Ford’s fucking. She visualized what it would be like to unravel at their hands while she brought herself relief with her own.

  In her mind she saw them falling too.

  Ford waited until she’d nearly squeezed him in half before joining her. The lingering clenches of her channel wrung him dry as he flooded her pussy with jet after jet of his come. Brady tugged on her hair and held her close to his abdomen as he did the same.

  When Kari shifted her gaze to Josh, she watched him tip over the edge. He bulged in her hand, the veins on his cock growing even more defined, before his release poured over her knuckles.

  It took minutes for Kari to catch her breath. And when she did, she realized she hadn’t fully satisfied herself despite coming hard enough to put her favorite tool in jeopardy. It took several more rounds and a fresh set of batteries to exorcise her illicit desires.

  When she finally settled in t
o her bed and drifted toward sleep, she promised herself she’d go back to thinking about them strictly as her bosses by the time Monday morning rolled around. Otherwise, she was bound to make a fool out of herself at work, and likely lose her job in the process.

  Because now that she’d allowed herself to dream about what life could be like if she was as bold as her new friends, it was going to be nearly impossible to unsee the possibilities.

  10

  By the time her alarm went off on Monday, Kari thought she might be able to act halfway normal around Ford, Brady, and Josh again. She had to. Risking her job wasn’t in her plan, despite how reckless she’d been Friday night. It had taken the entire weekend for the impression of Josh’s lips to fade from her mouth enough that she didn’t find herself touching them and sighing at random intervals.

  She buttoned her shirt until it nearly choked her and wound her bun tight enough that it gave her a mini-facelift before marching off to the bus stop. If she was sweating the entire ride into downtown, it was because she sported her thickest suit as if it were armor, not because she was freaking out over seeing her bosses.

  Yeah, right.

  Kari pasted on the professional yet not too friendly smile that she’d practiced in the mirror earlier, then stormed the polished elevator to the law firm. She was thrilled she’d gotten in early enough that she didn’t have to make small talk with anyone as she scurried to her office and turned on her computer.

  When Brady appeared at her doorway, clutching a cup of coffee as if he’d slept as little as she had the past few nights, he acted as though everything—including his atypical exhaustion—was normal.

  They chatted for a few minutes about the party and how much fun they’d had before he let her know Josh had brought treats for the staff. Kari’s guts unkinked slightly, enough that she might be able to choke down one of the muffins she could see Josh setting on the conference room table, on the other side of the glass wall from her office door. Employees began to mill about, trying to get into the groove after a couple days off.