The Silk Tie (Erotic Threesome Romance) (11 page)

A
curiosity shop caught my attention and I wandered into the cool interior. There
was a tall grandfather clock made of beautiful polished wood and an art deco
style cabinet.

Wandering
deeper, I found myself in a small courtyard. There were more interesting
artifacts here, all with handwritten price tags tied with string.

I
admired a stone statue of a female figure holding a child then a bench that had
intricate ironwork.

A
sundial twinkled in a shaft of light. It was polished brass and the script on
it was swirling and pretty. I checked the price and wondered if it would sit
nice in our small courtyard garden.

I
decided it would.

After
paying for it and watching the young shopkeeper carefully bubblewrap it, I
headed back onto the high street.

The
sundial was heavy so I decided to go back to Hardon Manor. Luckily a lone taxi
sat in a layby outside the town hall and I hopped in.

Within
minutes I was alighting onto Brent’s gravel driveway. I paid the driver and as
the car’s wheels crunched on the stones I set the sundial on the floor by
Gabe’s car.

The
front door to the house was unlocked so I let myself in and nipped into the
guest room to change into my bikini. It fit perfectly. There was a small frill
around the top of the knickers that fanned out. It was pretty, a bit vintage-looking,
and I was pleased with it.

I ran
my hands down over my breasts, checking the material’s support, and then over
my flat stomach. It grumbled.

Yes, it
was lunchtime.

Quickly,
I grabbed a towel from the bathroom then made my way down the stairs.

Stepping
out of the French doors, I heard shouts and splashing noises drifting toward me
over the hot patio. I’d put on flip flops and they slapped gently on the soles
of my feet as I went down the steps then over the lawn.

As I
approached the pool I could see Gabe and Brent were playing some kind of game.
It appeared riotous; they were yelling and laughing, scrabbling for a big black
ball they kept hurling out of each other’s reach.

The way
they were churning up the water made the pool look like it was boiling. White
froth and waves sloshed against the sides and the slabs surrounding it were
dark with puddles.

I
ventured closer and set down my towel. They were so absorbed in the ludicrously
loud game they hadn’t noticed my arrival. I studied Gabe’s face—he had a
broad smile, his hair was slicked to his head and the sun glistened on his wet
shoulders, which bunched and bulged as he scooped through the water and lunged
for the ball.

Brent
went for it at the same time, yelping, and his head then going under.

It
seemed they both had hold of it and burst upward, tugging and yanking, laughing
and sending water everywhere.

“Hey,”
I said, walking to the edge and placing my hands on my hips. “Seems like you’re
having fun.”

They
both stopped instantly and stared up at me.

They
brought to mind an image of a couple of naughty boys caught doing something
they shouldn’t and I smiled. It was nice to see Gabe just being, playing,
shirking the lawyer persona that caused him to be so serious and formal at
work.

And
Brent, I didn’t know him well but I knew he had a lot to deal with right now,
so a laugh and mess around could only do him good.

“Hayley,
you’re back,” Gabe said. “Did you get anything nice?”

“This.”
I gestured down my body at the new bikini. “What do you think?”

“It
suits you,” Brent said, pushing his wet hair away from his forehead. His gaze
lingered on me and the right side of his mouth tipped into a smile. “Very
much.”

“Thanks,”
I said. Like the evening before, I enjoyed his approval, it warmed my belly and
I flushed a little.

“Hey, are
you ogling my wife?” Gabe said, his voice full of mock anger.

“Yeah,
what you going to do about it, City Boy?” Brent said then laughed.

Gabe
roared and threw himself at him. It was in fun and I could see them tussling
and gripping each other.

I
decided to join in and with one neat dive plunged into the water.

When I
surfaced Gabe was right in front of me.

“Whoa,
it’s cold,” I gasped.

He
grabbed me and pulled me close. His hard wet body came into alignment with
mine. “Nah, not once you move about.”

“Here,
Hales,” Brent shouted.

I
turned, surprised that he’d used the pet name that was reserved for Gabe.

“What?”
I said.

“Catch.”

He
flung the ball at me.

I
caught it easily and slipped from Gabe. “What are the rules?” I called, wading
away as fast as I could.

“Whoever
has it is the winner,” Gabe said.

“I have
it.” I held it aloft and grinned. “Winner.”

“Not
for long.” Brent jettisoned himself through the water at me.

I
squealed and headed in the opposite direction. I didn’t make it far and he
wrapped his arm around my waist and grabbed the ball.

But I’d
lodged it against my chest and he couldn’t get it free, or at least he
pretended he couldn’t.

Gabe
came up behind me, slipped his hands onto my buttocks and squeezed. “Give it
up,” he said into my ear.

“No.” I
giggled and gripped the ball tighter.

Brent
was right in front of me, smiling, water sparkling on his face and in his hair.
His broad chest was butting my forearms as he went for the ball.

Gabe
was tucked behind me, his groin now against my ass as he too tugged at the ball.

I
laughed, tipped my head back and looked at the blue sky. “No, no, leave me
alone.”

“You
don’t mean that,” Brent said, also laughing.

“I do,
I do…ah…” I squirmed and twisted and released the ball.

Gabe
was tickling the side of my ribs. He knew that was my weak spot.

“Hey,
no fair, Gabriel Stone.”

“All is
fair in love and water ball,” Brent said, grabbing the ball from me and backing
off. He turned and dived beneath the surface.

“Ah,
baby, you lost it,” Gabe said, kissing my cheek.

“Only
because you don’t play fair.” I pretended to be huffy. And I was a little bit.
I’d enjoyed being hemmed in by two hard, masculine bodies. There were worse
ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than surrounded my muscle.

We
played for a few more minutes, tussling and chasing and getting out of breath.
I hadn’t seen Gabe so carefree or laugh so much in ages and I could see it was
good for his soul to be here, with me and Brent.

Eventually
I spied a jug of iced water on a table at the side of the pool and I hopped
out, planning on sating my thirst.

“Good
idea,” Brent said, following me up the steps. “Thirsty game, this.”

He
slipped his feet into a pair of Havanas and came over to the table. The slabs
were hot on my soles so I quickly poured a glass of water.

In my
haste I jarred the table with my leg. A tall glass wobbled then tipped and
tumbled to the floor.

It was
like watching it in slow motion as it fragmented into hundreds of sparkling pieces
around my bare feet.

“Oh,
shit,” I said, my hand having barely reacted in an effort to catch it.

I
couldn’t move an inch—shards of glass sat everywhere.

“Hayley,”
Gabe called from the pool. “Stand still.”

Before
I could reply I was in the air, pressed into Brent’s chest and cradled in his
strong arms.

“Are
you okay?” he asked.

I rested
my palms on his hot, wet shoulders. “Yes.” I studied my feet. There was no
evidence of blood. “I think so.”

He
pulled me a little closer, the arm he had wrapped around the backs of my thighs
tipping slightly so he could examine my feet. “Yeah, no harm done. Could have
been nasty, though.”

“Yes.”
I swallowed and looked up at him.

His
gaze connected with mine. His face hovered so close, if I moved a few inches
forward our mouths would touch.

What
was he thinking? That he’d kissed my husband the night before?

Did he
want to tell me, confess?

He
licked his lips and his fingers moved, just lightly, over my skin. “Let’s get
you away from this mess,” he said quietly. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

After
cleaning up the glass and enjoying a ham salad lunch, Gabe and I stashed the
sundial in the back of the car and stowed our overnight bags in the boot.

We
wanted to get back to Chelsea before the traffic built up, which it often did
on a Sunday evening on the M25.

“Thanks
for a wonderful weekend,” I said, giving Brent a peck on the cheek.

“Thank
you for coming. We must do it again sometime.”

“I’d
like that,” I said, turning and climbing into the car. “Very much.”

Gabe
walked up to Brent with his hand held out.

Brent
took it and gave it a firm shake. “Thanks, mate, safe journey back.”

“Yep,
and I’ll give you a call. About the meeting with Nadia’s lawyer.”

“That
would be great. I’m back in London tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay.
I’ll get on top of it when I get into the office in the morning.”

“Appreciate
it.” Brent smiled and dropped his hand. For a moment it looked as though he
might give Gabe a hug, but instead he stepped backward and folded his arms.

“Er,
yeah, see you,” Gabe said, turning, his feet slipping a little on the gravel.
He walked around the front of the car then sank into the driver seat.

With
one last wave we were on our way.

“Such a
big house to rattle around in alone,” I said, watching its reflection shrink in
the wing mirror.

“Yes,
it’s huge isn’t it? Although probably not if you grew up there.” He shrugged.
“I guess it’s what you’re used to.”

“Yes,
you’re right.” I settled back in the seat as Gabe pulled out onto the main
road.

“You
were lucky not to cut your feet back there.”

“God, I
know. I can’t believe I was so clumsy.”

“Good
job Brent plucked you out of it.”

“Yes.”
I laughed. “Like a knight in shining armor.”

Gabe
looked at me, his eyes narrowed a little. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Yes,
what’s not to like?” I bit on my bottom lip. Should I bring up that I suspected
Gabe liked him a hell of a lot more than I did?

No. I’d
leave that one for now. Gabe needed to roll that around his own psyche for a
while and figure it out.

But I
would bring it up.

I
wasn’t
that
patient.

* * *

My day
in court was as fraught as I thought it would be. It was a complex case and I
was up against an excellent defense team. But my weekend away from it all had
left me fresh and ready for the challenge and by the time the jury were
dismissed to deliberate I was feeling confident.

“How
did it go?” Maria, my secretary asked when I popped into the office on the way
home.

“Pretty
well, we’ll find out tomorrow.”

She
smiled. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Got to
be after all that work.” I grabbed a file I needed from my desk and dropped it
into my bag. “Could you adjust my diary for the end of the week? I have to
squeeze in a meeting with Derek Lyle.”

“Sure,
I’ll see what suits him then shuffle you around.”

“Thanks,
see you tomorrow.”

I
headed home feeling upbeat about my day at work. But as I drew nearer to the
house my thoughts turned to Brent and Gabe. Seeing them kiss had been as sexy
as it had been shocking.

But had
it been shocking? Really? I’d known there was something going on with Gabe and
how he felt about Brent. It had been pretty obvious by his reaction to my words
in the shower. He was clearly having homoerotic thoughts about him.

I
stopped suddenly.

Clasped
the handle of my purse.

God,
what if him wondering about anal sex and being curious as to what it was like
was just a prelude to the real thing? Had his dildo experience with me made him
hungry for more?

I
carried on walking and turned onto our street.

It
seemed, if that were the case, I’d stoked the fire, added fuel to his fantasy,
and now he’d had a test run of anal, he wanted the real thing.

The
thought, for me, of Brent and Gabe fucking was off-the-scale delicious. I would
never have believed my libido would react to something like that, and had it
been Gabe with another woman I wouldn’t be able to breathe, exist, it would be
the end of me.

But
Brent…

No,
that was hot. My heart rate had picked up just thinking about it and excitement
knotted in my belly.

Gabe
had said that not all fantasies could be realized. But some could. And wouldn’t
it be crazy there was a fantasy we both had but never let it see the light of day?

That
would be wrong, wouldn’t it?

As
usual I stopped at the base of the steps to the front door and rooted in my
purse for my keys. I found them and let myself in.

“Hayley,
is that you?” Gabe called from the kitchen.

“Yes.”
I kicked off my shoes. “You’re home early.”

“Yeah,
I wanted to stop off and get you these.” He stepped into the hallway, his body
and face obscured by an enormous vase of pink and lilac flowers—gerbera
and stock, baby’s-breath and foliage.

“Oh,
wow, they’re lovely,” I said, moving close and breathing in the heady scent of
the stock. “But you didn’t need to do that.”

“I know
I didn’t.” He set them on the hallway dresser. “But I don’t buy you flowers
often enough and I know how you like them to brighten the house.”

“I do.”
I set a kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”

“How
did court go?” He took my purse and laid it on a straight-backed chair that
held an assortment of junk mail and old newspapers.

“Okay.
I’m glad that it’s nearly over for my client. She is getting ready to crack.”

Gabe’s
mobile beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out and a small smile twitched his
mouth.

“Who is
it?” I asked

“Brent,
he’s back in Chelsea.”

I
should have guessed it was Brent. How many of Gabe’s clients made him smile
when he got a message from them. “What did he say?”

“Oh,
nothing really.” Gabe started tapping away, replying.

I wandered
into the kitchen and turned the kettle on. A pile of takeaway menus caught my
attention and I began to flick through them.

Gabe’s
phone went again, the sound echoing around the hallway.

Lebanese?
Mmm, that was always nice.

“Gabe,
what shall we eat?” I asked. “Fancy something from that Lebanese place?”

There
was no answer, so I poured boiling water into the pot, shoved in a couple of
tea bags then wandered into the hallway.

He’d
gone.

I went
into the lounge. He was standing by the bay window with his head bowed low, texting.

“Why
don’t you just ring him,” I said.

“Who?”
He spun to face me.

“Brent.
That’s who you’re still texting, isn’t it?”

“Er
yes…” He rubbed at his bottom lip with his index finger. “No, it’s okay. I
might nip out, see him.”

“What?”
I couldn’t help the surprise in my voice.

“He’s
going to Bradley’s Brasserie for something to eat. He’s asked me if I want to
join him. It’s only down the end of King’s Road.”

“Oh…”
It looked like I’d be eating alone again.

He
frowned. “He said he’s got something to talk to me about. He’s having a rough
time with this divorce.”

“Well,
you should go then. He is your friend after all.” I crossed my arms.

“But…”

“What?”
I asked.

“No. I
won’t go. I don’t want to leave you, Hayley.”

I
huffed. “I’m a big girl. I can cope with an evening on my own.”

“I know
but…”

I
stepped closer. “But what, Gabe? What are you trying to say?” God, if the
thoughts I’d had in my head on the way home from work were true, was this the
moment he’d confess his new desires?

“I kind
of want to see him too, and…” Gabe paused. “He did host us for the weekend.”

“So go.
It’s not like you’re having an affair with him or anything.” I started to laugh
but then stopped.

Gabe’s
face had crunched up, as though he’d stubbed his toe or trapped his finger in
the door. The color had run from his cheeks and his eyes had narrowed.

“Gabe?”

His
gaze connected with mine. He opened his mouth as if to speak but no words came
out. He shut it again and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing down to the top
of his collar that was done up and neat, tie knotted.

“What
is it?” God. I knew exactly what it was. My saying the word affair had jerked
his guilt chain because his relationship with Brent wasn’t totally platonic.
There
was
more to it.

“Hayley,”
he said and clenched and unclenched his fingers. “I…”

“Tell
me.” I tilted my chin but kept my voice quiet.

He shook
his head, just a little, then slackened his tie and undid the top button of his
shirt.

He couldn’t
tell me. The words were stuck in his mouth, bolted to his tongue. Even
loosening his tie couldn’t give his confession freedom.

I’d
have to say those words for him.

“You
kissed Brent,” I said. “On Saturday night. I saw you. I came to get water and when
I found you both, cozy in front of the fire, you were kissing him.”

“Oh,
fuck…” Pain seared over his face then he crumbled. His knees folded and he sank
to the floor, hunching over his bent legs with his hands covering his face.

I’d
never seen my husband look so small or so wrecked. I’d certainly never seen him
fall like a tree being felled.

It
broke my heart.

“Gabe,
please…don’t.” I rushed to him and knelt at his side.

A sob
bubbled up from his chest, racking his ribs and spine.

“Please,
it’s okay. It’s all okay,” I said.

“It’s
not. You know it isn’t. God, I’m so sorry.”

I
hovered my hand over his shoulder, unable to believe that I was hesitant about
touching him, but this was all so new, so raw.

“Gabe.”
I pressed my hand on his back. He was tense, shaking slightly. “Gabe, it’s
okay. I’m not mad.”

“Of
course you are.”

“I’m
not.”

“Well
you should be.” He looked up at me. “I kissed Brent. He didn’t kiss me, I
instigated it. I don’t know what came over me.”

I
smoothed a comforting circle over his shirt, caressing his flesh beneath. “You
like him, it’s okay.”

“Fucking
hell, Hayley. Don’t you see?” His face had gone from pale to flushed.

“See
what?”

“I’m
married to you, I don’t kiss other people, for crying out loud, and…” He
frowned. “And I’m not fucking gay either.”

“No,
you’re not gay. I know that.”

He shut
his eyes and forced the heels of his hands into them. “So why…”

“Why
what?” I rubbed my hand over his shoulder and rested it there. “Talk to me.”

“I’ve
got to talk to you,” he said, taking his hands from his face. “Because if I
don’t get this off my chest I’m going to go insane. And I always tell you
everything, but this…”

“This
you can tell me too.”

“But
what if…if you leave me?”

“I
won’t leave you, ever. I love you.” Tears were stinging my eyes. “I love you so
much. And we’ll work through this, I promise, the way we’ve worked through
everything else that’s thrown itself at us over the years.”

He
nodded, swallowed and appeared to regain some control.

My
heart was thudding and it felt as if the world around us had receded. There was
only us and this momentous shift in our relationship. This new angle of Gabe’s
sexuality we had to face.

“When
did you start thinking of Brent as more than a client?” I asked.

Gabe
took my free hand in his. “The first time I saw him. I just…” He paused. “There
was something about him.”

I
nodded. “Okay.”

“But I
swear, nothing has ever happened between us, except for that one kiss.” His
gaze searched mine.

“It’s
all right. I believe you.” I paused. “Go on, tell me how you feel about him
now. What is that ‘something about him’ that you can’t resist?”

Gabe
pulled in a deep breath. “I like him, a lot. I like how he talks, moves, smiles
at me.” He paused. “The way his thick stubble arcs over his top lip and how his
eyelashes droop down a little, rather than curling upward.”

I
pulled in a breath. I’d noticed that too. “He has a nice way about him,” I
said.