Hotter Horizons (5 page)

She’d come in for coffee and seen their faces very
close together, their eyes gleaming into one another. They’d stepped apart
slightly, but not anything jarring or dramatic to insinuate that she’d caught
them doing anything wrong.

It was laundry day that had Fern’s thoughts
wandering, determined to diagnose them both.

“Can you fit these in?” Alec asked, handing her his
black vest and trousers that he wore to work.

“Sure,” Fern told him, taking the rumpled pile of
clothing. She turned and lifted the lid of the machine, dropping his uniform
into the wash cycle. She turned and met the gaze that she felt burning through
her back.

The basement was dark and slightly dank-smelling.
Aside from a beat-up old sofa and a set of weights, it was unfinished and
mainly used to do the laundry and to store extra food in a freezer that sat in
the corner. Alec’s light voice drifted through the air, as calm and controlled
as an instructional hypnosis recording.

“How’s everything going so far?” He jammed his hands
into the pockets of his weathered jeans. His lime-green Converse high-tops
glowed in the murky light.

“Fine, um. Are things okay? Am I doing all that
should be done?” Fern asked, stepping back. Her skin felt singed with a heat
that she hadn’t felt since a grammar school crush.

“We’re very pleased. Oh, I found these on the
stairs. You must’ve dropped them on your way down,” Alec said.
 
He pulled out a ball of purple, silky fabric.

My
panties!
“Oh God,” Fern mumbled.
 
She shook her
head, avoiding the amusement that sparked in his eyes. She bit down hard on the
inside of her cheek.

“No problem,” Alec said, his tone
hushed.
He shrugged. “We don’t wilt around here at the sight of a woman’s undies.”

Fern spun around, lifting the lid of the washer,
wanting to dive in and join the clothes that were sloshing and foamed with
suds. Levi had told her that she could wash her “girls” with their clothing,
wanting to conserve on hot water. Alec’s voice forced her to reluctantly meet
his steady gaze.

“You busy tonight?” he asked. Alec tipped his head,
his gaze steady. Strands of hair fell over his brow like tasseled fringe.

“Ah, no…” Fern’s mind whirled, never expecting what
came next.

“Levi and I would like to take you out tonight for
some dancing, you know, to celebrate having you here, a sort of welcome to the
family,” Levi said.
 
Before she could
answer he spoke again, his words running together.
“You up
for it?”
Alec asked, grinning. He jerked his head, attempting to move
the hair out of his eyes.

She couldn’t say no. They’d been so nice, and they
certainly had invited her into a life that was much more tranquil and stable.
No drama, no jealousy or suspicion. Fern hadn’t had to defend herself in weeks,
and that alone was the greatest gift she could have ever received.

“Sure, sure,” Fern said quickly. Her fingers curled
into her palm. “What time are we leaving?” she
asked,
her laughter tense.

Alec shrugged again. His eyes held hers, darting to
wherever hers did, determined to track her every move as if trying to read her
thoughts through her expressions.

“After dinner.
I’ll
go tell Levi the good news. I
gotta
run into town.”
He reached for her, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. His
thin
 
lips
curled into a smile that
blanched her bones. “I’ll see you later,” he told her, nodding.

Chapter
Nine

After a light dinner of fondue, fruit, and bread,
they were off. The Double
Deuce
 
was
located on the outskirts of town,
“hidden away from the hub,” as Levi had phrased it.

It’d been ages since Fern had been to a nightclub as
a patron. Johnny was the “sit on a stool or play pool” type of barfly, just as
her father had been. The only difference was that her father played guitar for
the patrons, needing to pay for his often endless tab.

Her mother had fled when Fern was six years old,
tired of her father’s nomadic ways. Fern couldn’t blame her. She had no clue
where her mother was. The memories were vague, and Fern couldn’t bring herself
to search.

Life with her father was a life Fern had grown to
hate, sleeping above taverns and bunking in stranger’s homes. They were always
on the move. She’d changed schools more times than she could count. After her
father died of cirrhosis, she’d gone for her
GED
, not
having the energy to adapt again to yet another new school and another home.

Her aunt had offered to take her in, but by then she
was seventeen and ready to make her way, needing consistency. That came when
she met Jada, but then it all blew to hell when she met Johnny. She’d attracted
what she’d grown up loathing. Jada had told her that that was normal. If that
was normal, then Fern wanted no part of it anymore.

Finding Alec and Levi in Fields Grove was the best
thing that’d ever happened to her, a frightening risk that’d yielded amazing
results. Life with Levi and Alec was her “new” normal.

Alec insisted that she sit in the front seat. Alec
leaned between the bucket seats, filling the space between her and Levi with
his freshly showered fragrance.

Levi pulled into the parking lot and killed the
engine. He turned to her, his eyes shiny.

“You ready, Frances?” he asked. A rough laughter
slipped from his mouth. The fact that he’d used her full name had her heart
shifting into high gear. The few times he’d called her Frances were usually
linked to his sarcasm. It was something Fern had learned after the first few
weeks.

“Let’s do it,” she told them. She unbuckled her
seatbelt, attempting to appear brave. Alec’s light laughter reverberated
through the car as he opened the passenger door.

It was a warm night, holding the balminess of a
summer that was in full swing. Fern glanced up at the bright, dazzling sign in
rainbow colors, two sets of tumbling dice on the electronic marquee. Fireflies
gravitated toward the light. The feel of Alec’s hand on her back had her
spinning to face him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said,
smiling. “Stick with us, you’ll be fine,” Alec said
,
 
probably
sensing her apprehension.

“She’ll be spectacular.” Levi winked.

Levi sometimes spoke of her as if she weren’t there.
Fern didn’t think he meant it intentionally or to insult her. Fern saw it as
him reaffirming things to Alec. Fern allowed her gaze to rove over the two men.

They were dressed nicely, a simple, clean-cut style.
Levi wore a light-green button-down, cuffed at the elbows, with a pair of black
jeans. Alec had on a lighter palette of color, his jeans fashionably frayed and
holey, with a pale-blue shirt that made his eyes pop. Another pair of sneakers,
these a
bright red, graced his feet. Alec had on a
black derby hat that added to his alluring good looks. He looked classy,
setting his own trend. Levi had slicked his hair back, spiking the strands on
top.

As they approached the front of the club, the door
opened for them. Dazzling violet eyes that Fern was sure were contacts widened
at Levi’s and Alec’s presence.

“Well, well, well.” The doorman smirked. “Good
evening, boys, and who is the lucky lady this evening?”

“Good evening to you, Timothy,” Levi
said,
his tone brusque. Levi extended his hand. “Timothy,
this is Fern. She’ll be our guest this evening,” Levi said.
 
“Lucky girl,” Timothy
said,
his voice musical.

Evil glints of light pulsed in his eyes, warranting
a priest’s visit.
“Alec … always good to see you.”
Timothy diverted his attention to Alec.

“You, too, Timothy.”
Alec
patted his back.

Fern wasn’t sure what type of species Timothy was.
His hair was jet black, his eyes lined with black makeup. His lips glimmered
with a metallic lip gloss. Leather pants hugged his thin thighs. A matching
vest lay open, displaying a shiny, hairless chest. Fern didn’t want to be rude,
but was having trouble looking away, enthralled with his glamour. Timothy’s
chiming voice rattled through her rambling thoughts.

“Are you
gonna
be able to
manage these two?” His penciled-in brows lifted, his eyes narrowing.

A sliver of panic sliced through her. Fern looked to
Alec for help. Alec laughed, taking her hand. His soft fingers threaded through
hers, his touch calming.

“She’ll do just fine.” Alec gave her hand a gentle
squeeze.

“I’m sure.” Timothy chuckled, tipping his head back.
High-pitched laughter scraped over her. Flames of a self-conscious heat flushed
her cheeks.

Alec’s fingers were stroking over hers now, causing
her world to tilt.
This night could get
interesting.
Timothy lifted his hand. His fingers stroked over her cheek,
taking Fern aback. His eyes glowed like some kind of mythical creature.

“If you need help scratching anyone’s itch, honey,
let me know,” he told her, winking. Timothy’s laughter cackled around them. The
thought of just having entered a funhouse barreled through her mind.

“Okay, well, let us get in there before you scare
her,” Levi
said
 
through
a frown, steering Fern by the shoulder through the vestibule and into the main
area of the club, leaving Timothy behind.

“Yeah, it’s time to grind,” Alec said, raising his
voice as they greeted the amplified music, the crowd swarming.

It was sensory overload, everything moving, loud,
and glittering. The air was heady, holding the scents of potent cologne,
sharp-smelling sweat, and woodsy smoke. Alec’s nose in her hair had her facing
him, nose to nose. The breath in her lungs congealed. Alec’s eyes locked with
hers, and she could feel his caress through his eyes.

“Can I get you a drink?” Alec
asked,
his breath hot on her face. He smelled crisp and clean, like winter sunshine.

“I’ll get the drinks. What’s your pleasure?” Levi’s
dark eyes lassoed her in, holding every flashing light in them.

Fern asked for a rum and Coke. Alec told Levi to
choose for both of them, and he and Fern would go grab a table.

Most of the tables were filled. Alec took her hand
again, led her into a dark corner, and pulled out a chair.

They sat and waited for Levi. Fern was in awe, but
feeling somewhat naïve in her surroundings. She’d never been in this type of
setting. There was something wild and uninhibited to it. It was unfamiliar and
new. The clubs she’d been in back home in Easton were not like this.

Outlines of figures gyrated on a stage across the
club floor. Her pulse jumped when a few dancers vacated the floor, giving her
an ample view of two men, their pelvises rubbing, their mouths latched together
in an open-mouthed kiss. They seemed to get off on providing the display for
all to see, their tongues darting into each other’s mouths. Her mind was
running again. Should she ask questions? Wasn’t it her right to know exactly
where she was?

Alec rescued her again, his timing remarkably
impeccable. “You don’t have an issue with bisexuality, do you?”

Fern sat back, needing to see his face. Alec’s eyes
slid between hers, the blue almost fluorescent. Alec rested his hand on her
thigh. His brows pulled together with concern.

“I hope we didn’t offend you by bringing you here,”
he said, his expression still.

Fern shook her head.
“No, no, not
at all.”
Is that what they are?
Bisexual!
She glanced up at Levi, arriving with their drinks. She
intercepted her rum and Coke, the glass cool on her palm. Fern took a deep
swallow. The carbonation prickled down her parched throat. Alec tipped his beer
back as Levi sipped from his glass filled with an orange concoction.

Levi set his glass down.

“Ready?” His hand rested on Alec’s shoulder. Alec
tipped his head.

“Yeah,” Alec nodded
,
 
standing
. Fern rose from her seat,
following their lead.

“Come on, Fern.” Levi wagged a finger, his grin
growing by the second.

The three of them moved to the dance floor. Warm
bodies shifted, letting them in. Vibrant rainbow shades blew apart into a
million pieces, dotting the walls and the floor with moving color.

Levi rested his hands on her hips, guiding her into
his body. Alec jutted up behind her. Levi’s grip tightened, prompting her to
sway to his rhythm.

Fern felt their bodies around hers, engulfing her
with an alien heat that had her on the brink of being petrified. Other groups
moved around them. Fern couldn’t distinguish who was paired up with whom.

Fern noticed a few sets of three just as she, Levi,
and Alec were. She tried to relax and let things roll. As her body began to
loosen to the groove, feeling the body heat of two men sandwiching in around
her, Levi’s mouth brushed up against her ear. His statement put an entirely
different spin on the evening.