Divine Grace (9 page)

“Girlfriend, huh? Grace, you must be something really special. I can’t recall the last time I heard of Ethan dating anyone. I guess that comes from working in a nightclub.”

She chatted with Bill for a few minutes while Ethan waited on more customers and filled orders for the waitresses. She felt much better now, not as self-conscious. Bill was a much older man with black hair sprinkled with silver at the temples. He was still in his work shirt, but he looked nice and neat. He had a thick moustache and friendly eyes and seemed genuinely interested in their conversation and putting her at ease. Ethan spoke briefly to the sleazy man who then got up to leave, never making eye contact with her, not that she wanted it in the first place.

Ethan spoke to the other bartender and then came back down the bar.

“I’m about done, Grace. How about a dance?”

“I’d love to.”

He came around the bar, held out his hand to her, and led her onto the dance floor where a few other couples were already dancing. She immediately went into his arms, and they two-stepped to the final verse and chorus of a Bob Seger song. They stayed, swaying as the song ended and the other couples left the dance floor. The strains of the next song began, an old song she loved, “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge.

She smiled, looked up at him, and laid her cheek against his chest, hearing the thump of his heartbeat against her ear.

* * * *

“I played this song for you. Do you like it?” Ethan could tell she did when she looked up at him with shining eyes. He wanted to do something nice to make up for what Brice Huvell had said to her. Brice used that raunchy line all the time, usually with the same result. How could anyone be
80

so clueless? At least he’d come to Ethan and apologized. He hadn’t known that it was Ethan’s girlfriend he was hitting on.

“I love this song. You are such a romantic, Ethan. You are going to have me wrapped around your little finger in no time.”

He chuckled. “You already have me wrapped around yours. All three of us, for that matter. I like seeing you happy and smiling. Have you had a good week?”

“It’s flown by. I’m going shopping Saturday to celebrate cleaning out the house. Charity is coming with me, and then we’re going to have a girl’s lunch afterward.”

“Do you have plans for after lunch?” Ethan asked, smiling at her. This was the opening he’d been looking for.

“No, why?”

“The three of us have a surprise for you. We’ll meet you at your house after lunch. How about that?”

“Do I get a hint?”

“Not even an itty bitty one. You’ll see tomorrow.” He sighed softly at how good she felt in his arms and how smoothly she danced with him.

“I love surprises. I love you, too,” she said, sliding her arms around his neck.

He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you, Gracie.” He squeezed her tightly to him, loving the feel of her lush curves against him.

“I’m keeping you from your work.”

“Nah, Ben, the other owner and bartender, just got here. I’m not even supposed to be working tonight. I was just covering for Ben because he was running a little late. Now that he’s here, I can leave. Let me ask you, did you ever shop around online for your new computer?”

“I thought we might look at some tomorrow while we were out shopping. Why?”

“My laptop is in the office here if you want to take a few minutes and look around online tonight, so you can comparison shop tomorrow.”

“Would you mind? I haven’t had access to a computer to do that and was going in blind tomorrow. It would help a lot if I could.”

“That’s why I offered. Follow me.” He took her hand and led her back to the office.

81

* * * *

Here and there, Grace noticed people watching them as they made their way through the crowd to his office. He greeted many of them and stopped to say hello, often introducing her as his girlfriend. Most were very welcoming toward her, but not all the faces she encountered were friendly.

Several women at a table in the corner stared at her with outright hostility.

She made eye contact with several of them as they leaned in to whisper to one woman who literally stared daggers at her. It was hard to tell much about the woman sitting there clutching her drink except that she was very thin with a sharp, angry-looking face. Grace turned from her as Ethan spoke to a customer and leaned into him a little, glorying in the way his arm slid around her hip, his warm hand coming to rest above the swell of her ass. She was not used to that feeling of belonging to someone, that claiming hand on her body.

Deep down, she felt accepted by him and maybe a little possessive toward him. Tackily, she wondered what the strange but hostile woman thought of her hand as it slid in a slow caress over his back and around his waist. He never once let go of her, always including her in the conversation.

Eventually, they made it back to the office door.

His office was neat and tidy. After closing the door to block out some of the noise, he offered her his desk chair and pulled up a stool that sat in the corner.

They looked at a couple of websites, and he printed out several price lists for different models that would meet her needs.

By the time they were done, it was eight o’clock. She promised to meet him and Jack and Adam at her house after lunch the next day, asking again for a hint. He just laughed and kissed her. He walked her out to her car and held her door while she got in and buckled up. He told her he was heading home, too, and asked her to call after she got home so he would know she made it okay. She said she would, and then he leaned in the window and gave her a sweet kiss, cupping the back of her head. He made her feel so cherished with his gentle ways.

“I love you, Gracie.”

“I love you, too.”

82

She asked herself on the way home if she was crazy falling in love with three men and wanting them all equally. No, she wasn’t crazy. She was seizing the day, just like a wise friend had once advised her to do.

* * * *

Jack sat on the couch with his feet propped up on the ottoman, talking on the phone as Ethan walked in the front door. He and Adam had been watching a movie, which was now on pause. Adam looked over at Ethan as he came in the room and sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs and said,

“It’s Grace. Just checking in.”

Jack finished talking, wished her sweet dreams, and then ended the call.

He looked up at Ethan and said, “She promised you she would call and check in once she got home. She asked for a hint on the surprise we have planned for them tomorrow. Half the fun of doing this for her is teasing her about it. She’s dyin’ to know what we’re up to.”

“How did she like The Dancing Pony?” Adam asked.

“She came by to deliver the shirts I ordered for the nightclub, and I invited her to stay for a bit. She was having a good time until Brice Huvell hit on her.”

“He
what?
” they both said simultaneously.

Then Jack asked, “What did he say? Did he frighten her?” Jack knew that Brice was basically a harmless idiot, but he’d like to beat him to a pulp for harassing Grace. He had seen that guy in action before and wondered how she reacted.

“I don’t think he frightened her. It was more like he surprised her. You know how he tends to go for shock value with his pick-up lines? Well, he was in rare form tonight. I had to force myself to leave my hands on the bar and not reach across to yank him off his seat and punch his greasy face. He said it to her right in front of me, and for a second, I think I saw red. He apologized for it later to me.”

“He needed to apologize to her,” Jack replied.

“He offered, and I told him to stay the fuck away from her, in those exact words.”

“Probably for the best. She said you danced with her and played a song for her.”

83

“Yeah,” Ethan said with a sappy grin on his face.

“It sounds like it made her feel special. Good job, man. She needs that more than anything right now.”

Adam chuckled. “Wait till tomorrow afternoon. We’re talking major brownie points.”

Jack continued, “After she told me about your song, she asked how it made me feel to know that. Did it make me feel jealous when she told me? I think she needed reassurance tonight about how we feel about each other spending time with her. She surprised me and told me that she was okay with Ethan introducing her to his friends as his girlfriend and that she trusted us to work that out with each other. Her primary concern was that there is no jealousy between us.”

Ethan nodded. “It felt so right to introduce her as my girlfriend. I think the reason this relationship will work is because we’ve known each other so many years, and we’ve talked about all the ins and outs and pitfalls. It’s all still so new to her, and she’s got some things she needs to work out in her mind.”

“Both of you make sure when you’re alone with her to talk with her.

Help her work it out,” Jack said. “She has her sister to talk to, which is definitely in our favor because Charity likes us and trusts us not to hurt her.

I think Grace just needs time together with the three of us to see how good it’s going to be. She’ll see that earning her trust and making her happy are our highest priorities. Are we still making our little side trip after we drop them off?” He grinned at the smiles on their faces at being reminded of the little shopping excursion they were going on for Grace. The fiercely purposeful looks in their eyes mirrored Jack’s own emotions. His heart was so hopeful about the possibility that they had a chance at a lifetime of happiness and love with Grace.

“I hope she likes it,” Adam murmured.

“She’s gonna love it. You’ll see,” Jack replied. “We just need to be patient and wait for the right time. Our order will take some time. We’ll just use that time with her wisely.”

Clay Cook was a local craftsman who would handcraft a special engagement ring for Grace with three diamonds to represent the love each of the three of them felt for her.

84

Jack had cautiously brought up the idea to see how Adam and Ethan felt about it, prepared to put such a purchase off until they felt like the time was right, but they’d jumped on the idea, wanting to go ahead and have Clay get started. They were going to his shop the next afternoon to look at some designs he’d drawn up for them. This ring was going to be a one-of-a-kind work of art. Completely unique, just like Grace.

“Man,” Adam said, rubbing a hand on his chest, “does anybody else get this ache in their chest just thinking about her? I want to go over there and kiss her right now.”

Ethan chuckled. “That’s not all I feel like doing. Right now I can still feel her in my arms, smell her scent on my shirt. If I went to her now, I don’t think I could settle for just a kiss. I can almost taste her.” He groaned, closing his eyes. Jack and Adam exhaled, Adam growled softly.

“I can just imagine how she tastes, and I don’t mean just her mouth or her skin. What a feast,” Jack said, shifting in his spot on the couch to make more room for the erection crowding his fly.

“Heaven,” Adam said softly. “Hope you guys find something to occupy yourselves. I’m going to linger a while there.”

“Oh, we’ll keep ourselves busy enough, I’m sure. There is a lot to love about Grace,” Ethan replied as he rose from the couch. “Just make her feel good. That’s got to be our focus. I need a cold shower.”

* * * *

Grace poured herself a cup of coffee and watched a Saturday morning news program. Curled up on the couch, she reveled in the serenity of the moment. No grumbling to turn the TV down. No worrying when Owen would come home if he’d been out all night and no worrying about what state of mind he’d be in when he got there. She’d tidied the house the day before, and it was
still
tidy today. Life was beautiful.

She looked forward to buying fresh things for her home, which felt new to her all over again. She didn’t know how long it had been since she’d spent time with her sister, gossiping and laughing instead of getting hassled over how Owen treated her. She looked forward to the surprise her men had planned for her afterward, whatever it was. She had some fairly good guesses but kept them to herself because it was obvious that the men were

85

having a good time teasing her about it. That was okay. She’d let them have their fun because turnabout was fair play.

When Charity showed up a few minutes later, Grace prepared to leave and took joy in the knowledge that the way the house looked now was the way it would look when she came home. It was a small thing, but it made her happy.

Grace and Charity hit a couple of department stores she hadn’t been to in a while. She picked out new bath linens in trendy colors that
she
loved.

She and Charity laughed hysterically when Grace picked up a package of black satin sheets and waggled her eyebrows at her sister. Charity leered, hanging her tongue out and giving her a thumbs-up, but in all sincerity said,

“Seriously, Grace, you don’t want to get satin sheets for your bed. Trust me.” She shook her head like she knew what she was talking about.

“Why not? Don’t you think it would be sexy to sleep on satin sheets?”

She shivered wondering what Jack, Ethan, and Adam would think about her buying sexy sheets for her bed.

“Oh, they are fine for sleeping on. But there is one problem.”

“What?”

“No traction.”

That
could
be a problem. “Oh. I see. How do you—Oh! Too much information! Never mind. What do you recommend, then?”

“One thousand thread count Egyptian cotton. Soft as silk. You’ll love them.
They’ll
love them!” she said, snickering and snorting. They drew some odd looks with their laughter.

Grace splurged and bought a new comforter to match the sheets and a new mattress pad and pillows. After finding a few other odds and ends that she could use, they went to lunch. They ate at a local Mexican restaurant.

Without guilt or remorse, Grace ordered her favorite. They ate, talked, and had a really good time. Grace felt bad for how stilted their rare get-togethers had gotten over the years. All Charity ever did was gripe about Owen, and Grace would just look for ways to change the subject. Now, the three men were the main focus of their conversation.

Charity quizzed Grace about the men and the plans they had for the two of them. She told Grace that Jack had called her a couple of nights before and asked her to not make any plans for that afternoon and clear it with her husband, which she did. Hoping he would let her in on the secret, she had
86

asked him about it, but he wouldn’t tell her anything at all, saying the surprise was for her as well.

“Did I tell you I saw Jack nekkid?” Grace asked, laughing when Charity nearly blew tea through her nose.

“No! When? I need details, specifics, and statistics, dammit!” The couple at the table next to them looked askance at Charity as Grace shushed her. It was a good thing they weren’t having margaritas, or the whole restaurant would be able to hear.

“Last Saturday at Stigall’s. I was helping him with the new suit he was buying for the funeral. I tapped on his door to hand him a pair of pants to try on, and the door popped open. He didn’t realize I could see him at first. He was going commando that day.” Grace whispered the last words.

“Really? Yum. So how was it?”

“Embarrassing,” Grace said, being purposely obtuse.

“No! I mean, yes, I can imagine you were embarrassed. How was the
package
? Did it have ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ stamped on it?”

“Well, it was hard to tell,” Grace whispered because the couple next to them looked at Charity again, “because it was, you know…”

“Flaccid?”

“Shhh! Yes! You are going to get us thrown out of here if you don’t lower your damn voice, Charity!”

“But you must have had some idea. I mean,” Charity whispered, “you’re not a virgin, after all.”

“Well, up until last Saturday, I would have agreed with you, but after seeing that?” Grace murmured, her cheeks flaming with heat. “We may both be wrong.”

Shivery warmth spread through her whole body. What would Jack feel like filling her? Or Ethan? Or, oh, heavens, her great big gentle giant, Adam.

The thought of being pinned to the bed under any of them had her panting.

She shifted slightly in her chair at the shot of fiery lust that went straight to her clit.

“Okay, for the sake of clarification only, because the Good Lord knows I
really
don’t want to know, but…” Charity held her index fingers out in front of her like she was measuring something. “Owen?” she whispered, holding her fingers out from each other at a distance that would have surely

87

boosted his self-confidence had he known they were currently discussing his package.

Grace pursed her lips and reached out her hands and moved Charity’s fingers much, much closer together, then a little more, aiming for accuracy.

Charity’s jaw dropped. Grace lifted one hand and held her thumb and forefinger in a circle, indicating girth or shocking lack thereof.

Charity leaned in and said, “And he gave you a hard time about your weight? That little prick. Ooh!” She laughed at her own joke, and Grace laughed with her.

“So, he realized I’d seen him, and he was very gracious about it, but I was really embarrassed. I had to measure him to hem his pants. I was kneeling in front of him—”

“Grace, you were kneeling?” Charity snickered with a lascivious grin.

“It’s what you do to measure an inseam, Charity. What was I supposed to do?”

“Okay, so you’re kneeling…”

“And I looked up.”

“Yeah?”

“I was eye level with…his…erection,” Grace whispered, even though the other couple had already left their table.

“Well?” Charity asked, holding up her index fingers again, being very generous. She must really like Jack. She was being positively assumptive on his behalf. Grace reached out and moved her fingers slightly farther apart, making Charity’s eyes bulge.

“Oh, Mama!” was all she said for a second, but then she became thoughtful. “He probably would anyway with a cock that big, but you may need to warn him to take it slow with you the first few times. I think technically you may still
be
a virgin, Grace.”

“Eeek.”

88