Shayla Black - Their Virgin Secretary

Tate’s stare zipped to her. Sure enough, a guy was cutting in on Lennox. He leered down at Annabelle, then stared directly at her boobs.

Those boobs were his, damn it. At least he fully intended for those boobs to belong to him. Well, a third of them anyway. “You two work it out because I’m making a move by the end of the night, and if you leave this up to me, it could all go to hell.”

He knew he was the social idiot of the group, but he was the only one completely honest with himself. Belle was the one for all three of them. She made him feel like the best version of himself, encouraged him to actually give a damn what other people thought, helped him put someone else above himself, and gave him no choice but to love her. Sure, the real world would think he, Eric, and Kell were freaks for loving the same woman, but the real world sucked. According to them, he’d been a freak most of his life. So what? They’d have their circle of friends, all of whom had a similar relationship with their own wives, to make them feel normal.

Either way, he wasn’t going to let Belle slip through his fingers. He had a genius-level IQ, but he’d figured out something his parents and brothers hadn’t: His intellect meant nothing if he didn’t have people to care about, those who truly loved him in return. A Nobel Prize wouldn’t keep him warm at night, wouldn’t give him something to really live for.

But she could.

Tate stared at her for a moment, loving the way the light played on the coffee color of her skin. She smiled up at her dance partner, her expression lighting up the whole damn world.

She was his, and he was tired of waiting. It was time to really start his life and that meant it was time to claim her.

Fuck, he hoped he didn’t step on her feet.

Kellan watched Tate awkwardly take Belle into his arms, trying to find his rhythm. He couldn’t dance for shit, but he sure tried. Belle didn’t seem to mind his lumbering moves. She gave him a glowing smile and followed him with the grace of a woman who moved her body easily and well.

She would move that way in bed, reacting to her partner’s every touch with sensual grace. She would follow him, letting him lead, allowing her Dom to take control of the situation to bring her maximum pleasure.

He would give just about anything to be that Dom.

“I can’t hold him back much longer,” Eric said, leaning over the table. “The truth is, I don’t want to. I’m with Tate on this. It’s time to figure out what’s between us.”

Kellan was pretty sure something strong connected them and Annabelle Wright. The invisible bond to her that tugged at him, even when he tried to sever the ties, was what he feared most.

He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted her, not even his own ex-wife. That desire went far beyond the physical. He wanted the right to protect and own her, to be her best friend, lover, confidante, and rock. He wanted to know her inside and out. In short, he wanted to be her everything. Kell sighed. Dumbass. He knew his hard limits and marriage was one of them. He couldn’t go there again. The first time had been a disaster. No reason to think he’d gotten any better at it.

Belle deserved someone who could love her without hesitation and trust her with his whole heart. Kell had lost huge chunks of his over the years. She was sweet and brave, smart and funny. And loyal, he admitted. Everything he wanted in a woman. And he would never completely trust her through no fault of her own. She deserved better.

Eric watched his best friend dance. Kellan looked back at the big goof with a shake of his head. Tate towered over Belle by about a foot, his long arms wrapped around her petite frame. His size fourteen feet weren’t exactly the most nimble or light, but somehow he and Belle looked good together. They looked right. Kell knew he should be happy for Tate and Eric—and he was—but watching them create their happily ever after was going to hurt.

Still, he loved them, so he’d step aside. Kell owed them that. They’d saved him, after all.

The three of them had gone to law school together. By then, Eric and Tate had already become a team, managing to seduce women left and right.

After graduation, Kell had married and thought he’d found his future. Then it had all come crashing down. Next thing Kellan knew, he fled DC only to find himself sleeping on Eric and Tate’s craptastic couch in a bad part of Chicago. It hadn’t been long before he’d begun teaching them how to truly run an office, because while they were great lawyers, they’d turned out to be lousy businessmen.

Kell had been relieved that he had something to offer them. In return for their friendship, for being the only people in the world willing to take him in when he’d been down, he gave them his acumen—and his undying loyalty.

Was he really going to watch them settle down with Belle and not join them?

“He thought about claiming her two weeks after she came to work for us, you know.” Eric sat back, leaning negligently against his chair as he watched the dance floor. “He would have approached her with good intentions, but probably said something horrifically stupid that would have made her run. The only reason he didn’t try? He was worried about you. He knew you liked her too, but he didn’t want to do it wrong and embarrass you. He also knew you weren’t ready.”

“Oh, I doubt he waited for anyone but you.” Tate was Eric’s other half. Sometimes Kell worried he was just the extra guy, the one who refereed when necessary. Though seemingly opposites, Tate and Eric had an almost psychic connection Kell didn’t completely understand.

Eric frowned his way. “Me? I’ve been ready. And trust me, he didn’t put off going after Belle because he worried about embarrassing me. He does that all the time without caring how much I want to strangle him. But he looks up to you. He actually told me you were pretty smart.”

Kellan snorted. Tate didn’t think anyone was smart. “He was being sarcastic.”

“He wasn’t. Tate might be an ass sometimes, but he’s honest. He knows damn well that you saved us.”

Years ago, but Tate was a little like an elephant. He never forgot. “You put too much liquid cash in property. You didn’t have a good billing or accounts receivable system in place. I just came in and managed the money better.”

“You saved us. We thought we were the shit after we graduated. We were arrogant. You actually knew what to do.”

He’d just adjusted a few processes and made some calls to bankers he knew to renegotiate some loans. Then he’d joined their business. “I didn’t have a job and I wasn’t going to find one in DC. I fixed the business problems as much for myself as the two of you.”

“We’re a team.” Eric put a hand on his arm, a familiar gesture he’d come to view as actual affection. “We worked together then. We’ll work together now. I know you probably never thought you’d end up in a ménage relationship, but look around you. It can work. God, man, especially for you.”

“Why the fuck do you say that?”

Eric didn’t back down. It was one of the reasons they’d stayed friends. Eric saw through his bullshit and didn’t allow Kell to shove him away. “Because if you’re left alone, you’ll die that way. You might have sex but you’ll never really let a woman in.”

That was nothing he didn’t already know. “You guys want Belle. I respect that. But I don’t have any interest in settling down.”

He’d been there. Done that. Gotten his soul ripped out of his body and pissed on.

“I don’t think you’ll give any relationship enough time to grow without us. But if Tate and I handle the heavy lifting in the beginning, you might soften up enough to realize that not every woman is like your ex-wife. You don’t have to commit now. Tate and I will take care of her until you’re ready.”

Eric was offering him the keys to the kingdom. Sex with the woman he was crazy about—and without a shred of responsibility so he wouldn’t get too close. That way, she couldn’t break his heart. What more could he want?

He looked out over the dance floor in time to see her turn his way. She laughed at something Tate said. God, her vibrancy made her the most beautiful woman in the room. Her lips curled up and her eyes sparkled. Her goodness came from within. Everything about her compelled him to watch her. Belle enjoyed life in a way he never had. He might have grown up with every privilege imaginable, but he didn’t think he’d ever smiled in sheer joy the way she did.

Tate looked down at her and the fucker beamed. He was a first class, hard-core nerd who dissected every situation and never spared anyone’s feelings. But the man practically melted when Belle was near. Since she had walked into their lives, she’d suggested that Tate stop studying everything to death and just enjoy life. The transformation hadn’t been overnight, but after a little coaching from Belle and a whole lot of conscious thought, he had relaxed until he’d become almost human.

A year ago, Eric had worked every waking hour. Belle had urged him to jettison his father’s mentality that being anything less than number one simply made him a loser. She’d helped him forgive himself for almost failing shortly after he and Tate had opened the practice. After a few months of listening to her, the weight slowly lifted from his shoulders. Now, he even took an occasional vacation day.

They had every reason to love Annabelle.

She said something to Tate that had him laughing. Then he wrapped her hand in his and led her off the dance floor as the music faded. Someone gently tapped a fork against a wine glass to get the crowd’s attention.

As the pair approached, Eric leaned over to Kell with a whisper. “All I’m saying is you’re welcome to join us. You helped us out when we were in trouble, man. Let us help you. Tate and I will handle everything. We’ll move her into our place. All you have to do for now is be kind and show up for sex.”

Their place was a big two story that looked ready for kids and a wife and all that suburban shit Kell had given up on long ago. They’d invited him to stay in one of the empty bedrooms, but he needed his own space.

Hell, that was what he’d told himself. The reality was he didn’t want to rattle around that big house with all its silent promises mocking him. Backyard barbecues, family dinners, and rug rats playing. Eric and Tate headed toward a destination he couldn’t handle. It would benefit everyone if he kept himself apart.

But what if he could have some stolen nights with her? Not alone, of course. He would utterly respect their claim on her. After all, they would take care of her financially, mentally, emotionally. He would just be the one who brought her momentary pleasure.

Belle sank down into the chair next to him. She’d sat at the table of honor during dinner, but as soon as the dancing had begun, she’d returned to them. “Come on, guys. It looks like Kinley is going to play this to the hilt. Pray she doesn’t ask me to toast the bride and groom. I have no idea what I’ll say.”

But she would come up with something. Hell, if Kinley asked her to serenade the dogs, Belle would get up and belt out a tune because she was fearless.

“Before we get to more dancing, I wanted to invite the maid of honor up to say a few words about the bride and groom and their beautiful love for one another.” Kinley nodded toward their table.

The bride was asleep, curled up on her chair. The groom was scratching his ear as he looked out over the room.

Belle sighed, but rose to her feet. “All right, then. My friend is insane and I’m going to talk about dog love. Just another day in my off-kilter life.”

He watched as Belle crossed the room to Kinley and took the microphone. “Love comes in many forms. Gigi and Butch…”

She continued on, talking about adoration, respect, and commitment.

“Tate is right. I think we should go in.” Eric asked. “What do you say?”

“Are you serious?” When he nodded, Tate’s eyes widened. “Thank god. I got on the dance floor and we started talking. I couldn’t think of anything to say except how much I admired the symmetry of her face. I gave her percentages as proof of how symmetrical her face is because I extrapolated measurements from her pictures. It was either that or offering her my penis.”

Eric sighed long and hard. “It will be a miracle if she says yes.”

Kell silently agreed. But if she did, he might have a couple of nights of happiness. His friends would cocoon her in their protection and care. They would make sure he didn’t hurt Belle. “All right. If we’re going to approach her, we’ll need to formulate a game plan soon. No more percentages or numbers, Tate. We play this smooth and easy. She won’t know what hit her.”