Hotter Horizons (4 page)

“I sort of had to leave town.” She paused, not
wanting her life to sound like some reality TV show. “I’m originally from
Easton, Pennsylvania. I needed to end a bad relationship, and leaving was the
only way to sever the ties for good.”
 
Fern wanted to be honest
while
 
leaving
out the dysfunctional
details of a life with Johnny.

Her shoulders felt a bit lighter. Alec was shaking
his head, and Levi looked annoyed. Levi’s gruff words cut through a silence
that was stretching, making the tension return to her body.

“You’ve found the perfect place to make a new
start,” Levi told her. His shadowed face softened as a smile broke out across
his mouth. He dug at his morning growth. His rich, bottomless gaze darted to
Alec. Alec swiveled on his stool to face her.

“Welcome, Fern.” He smiled, catching his lower lip
between his teeth. “We hope you’re very happy here.” Alec extended his hand
,
 
endorsing
 
his welcome.

Alec’s hand was warm and soft, holding hers gently.

“Thank you, thank you both.” She swallowed down a
rise of emotions that’d caught her off guard. Levi redirected the conversation,
navigating them back to casual ground.

“Do you work tonight?” Levi asked Alec. Alec rested
his head in his hands for a minute before lifting his gaze to meet Levi’s
inquiry. He raked honey-colored strands of hair away from his brows.

“Nope, and if that freaking phone rings, don’t answer
it,” Alec told him, his tone sharp. “I’m not taking any overtime. I’m beat.”

“Good, stay home, baby.” Levi smiled. “You can show
Fern the ropes. I have some work to do. Feel free to take the car. She should
know where the market is and a few other hotspots,” Levi said sarcastically.

“Sure, I’d be happy to.” Alec faced her again, his
smile laced with something Fern couldn’t decipher.

Baby!
Fern
fussed with her mug. Heat bled through her cheeks. She buried her nose back
into her coffee mug.
They’re gay. Oh
well.
She felt her shoulders slump.

Alec’s soft words jarred through her musings.

“Let me get showered, and we’ll go for a ride. Sound
okay?” His head tilted in question.

“Sounds good.”
Fern
smiled, trying to hide a barrage of questions that were sure to assault her
mind tonight while trying to sleep in her new bed.

Chapter
Seven

“Where the fuck is she?” Johnny
asked,
his tone seething. He pressed on the door. Jada jammed her foot behind it from
the other side. She watched his hand twitch, lifting it into the air in her
peripheral vision. She was three steps ahead of him, which is where you had to
be while dealing with Johnny.

“You fucking touch me, and I’m calling the cops,”
Jada said, holding up her cell phone. His eyes went black. Waves of gelled hair
gleamed under the light of the aged fixture in the hallway. The heavy chain
that connected his wallet to his belt loop clanked against the door. Johnny
really was a good-looking guy. It was a shame he was such an asshole.

“Fucking cunt.”
Johnny stepped back. Sour breaths of liquor and smoke wafted under her nose.

“I don’t know where she is! She screwed me over,
too, and it’s probably all your fucking fault,” Jada yelled, huffing between
her words. She was laying it on heavy. “Now I’m stuck with all the expenses.”

If she shared Johnny’s anger, he was easier to
control. Both she and Fern had had much practice.

“Damn it!” His fist shot out, punching the door.
Jada leaned all her weight into it. If he made his way into the tiny studio, she’d
never get rid of him. “Well, you tell her I was here.” His jaw clenched.

“Yeah, well … when or if I ever hear from her, I’ll
be sure to let her know,” Jada said, her tone disgusted.
 

“If I find out that you know where she is I’ll
inflict my own, personal version of plastic surgery on your fucking face.”

His scathing tone scraped over her like claws.
 
Johnny lifted his hand. Jada pulled back, her
body tight.
 
His fingers curled around
the edge of the door, his knuckles white with effort.
 

“I swear to fucking God.
 
I know how tight you two are.” His eyes
blazed into her, simmering like hot embers. Taking advantage of his drunken
state,
Jada
 
hastily
slammed the door, engaging the deadbolt and chain.

She took a deep breath and sagged against the door,
feeling queasy over Johnny’s visit. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and
she’d been expecting him.

“You are so fucked, Fern,” Jada muttered.

****

She’d had such a relaxing day. It was amazing how wonderful
it was to hang out with normal people, people who had no insecurity issues.

Fern spent most of the day with Alec, getting to
know the area, and where she’d go for groceries and to do the banking. Alec
showed her where he worked, slumping behind the wheel as they drove by the Red
Rooster, not wanting to be seen by any of his co-workers on his day off.

Levi and Alec were easygoing and quite charming in
their own ways. Alec was definitely more “take things as they come” than Levi.
Levi seemed like a great guy, but there was an edge to him, an impatience that
Fern couldn’t quite figure out. She didn’t know what it was linked to, but it
was there.

They all had dinner together. Levi prepared a
breaded flounder with rice and asparagus spears. Both of the men informed her
that they would be eating together as a unit and that that came with her room
and board. Alec chimed in that some nights he may be at work, but that no one
ever ate alone.

It all seemed too generous—the salary, the food, not
to mention the beautiful room she’d be occupying.

****

Fern slipped between the crisp, cool sheets and
eased back into the soft down pillows. She reached for her cell phone, seeing
Jada’s text. The brief message, which held a curt tone, iced over all the blood
in her veins that’d been circulating with the warmth of the day.

Johnny
was here
…
call
me!

“Shit,” Fern mumbled.

After one ring Jada answered.

“Fern.”
Jada’s sigh was a hissing wind over the line. Jada described the events of her
confrontation with Johnny.

“He must’ve been pissed,” Fern whispered. Johnny was
as predictable as a television rerun.

“He was livid, but I was ready. Actually, I expected
him sooner, but I’ve been working a lot of extra hours,” Jada said.
 

“I’m sorry.” Fern rolled over. Her door was slightly
ajar. She stared out into the dark hallway, the house silent.

“Don’t you apologize for that lazy
fuck.
How’s the job going? I want all the juice.”
 
Jada’s
 
laughter
rang through the line. A
twinge of homesickness moved through Fern’s gut.

Fern took Jada on a verbal tour of her first day
with Levi and Alec, explaining what her duties would be and her uncertainty
about their relationship.

“Are they hot?” Jada asked, her giggling a relief
that Johnny hadn’t tainted the entire phone call.

“Oh yeah,” Fern said, her utterance breathy. She
nodded, as if Jada was right there with her.

“Give me a visual,” Jada said, obviously excited.

Fern gave her the synopsis of Alec and Levi’s good
looks. They chatted about Jada’s job before the conversation took a turn back
to Johnny, their moods slipping.

“If he shows up again, call me,” Fern said, her
insides tightening.

“Yeah, I will, but you keep your face forward. Don’t
look back, Fern. I’m just so glad you’re in a decent place.” Jada’s tone
wavered with seriousness. “I can’t wait to visit.”

“I’ll send you some money to help out with the
rent,” Fern told her adamantly.

“It’s not that…”

“I’m sending it. These guys are paying me five
hundred a week,” Fern said.

“Shit, you hit gold.” Jada laughed.

They agreed to stay in touch, making a pact like
blood sisters. Fern turned her phone off and stared up into the darkness. She
expelled a deep breath and settled back into the pillows when she heard one of
the guys call out, slicing through the silence in the house.

Fern got up out of bed and slunk toward the door,
poking her head out into the hall. The creaking of bed springs reverberated
through the quiet. She slowly walked in the direction of the two other bedrooms
at the end of the hall.

One of the doors was open. Fern peered into what she
was told during Levi’s tour was Alec’s room. The bed was still made. Pearly,
bluish bars of light from an outside streetlamp lined the quilted spread.
Huffing groans reached her ears from behind the closed door, causing her to
retreat quickly.

Fern darted down the hall and ducked into her room,
closing the door quietly.

They
are gay!

Her heart began to pound, her mind envisioning their
bodies naked and having sex, their mouths touching one another’s bodies.

Were
they supposed to tell me? Did it matter that they didn’t?

A sliver of moonlight hung in a black sky from
behind the windowpane, leading her to the widow’s walk. Fern opened the French
doors, her skin washed in the cooler night air.

Fern’s feet glided across the smooth planked floor.
She rested her hands on the railing, gazing into the dark dome of what was a
gorgeous night. It didn’t matter to her. They were both beautiful men, but their
sexuality wasn’t a problem for her.

What she was envious of was the affection and
obvious unconditional devotion that they had for each other. She’d never had
that, but hoped that one day she would.

Chapter
Eight

“So decadently hot and tight,” Levi
whispered,
his voice hoarse with need. He reached for Alec’s
hand that was gripped around the headboard, his back bowed and slick with
sweat.

Levi covered Alec’s hand with his own. He placed his
free hand on Alec’s hip. Levi pulled back, turning his hips before angling back
inside Alec. He swept his cock through Alec’s insides, making his lover moan.

“Fuck me,” Alec whimpered, tipping his head. Levi
loved Alec’s neck. He leaned into him, licking the smooth flesh there. Alec
made him crazy when he stretched his body with eagerness, absorbing all the
ecstasy that Levi could give.

“I’m doing it, baby, so fine you are,” Levi said
softly, trying to keep their urges contained.

They weren’t used to having someone else in the
house. Levi reached around Alec’s trim waist, searching for his cock. He cupped
it with his palm and began to stroke, aligning the rhythm of his hips and
strokes.

“Holy fuck.”
Alec
whined, turning his head. Levi watched in awe as Alec licked his lips and
gasped for air. Levi brushed his hair back, a tender gesture.

“I’m right here. I love you,” Levi said, his
declaration choked with emotion. As his cock slid in and out of Alec’s ass, his
thoughts meandered. He didn’t mean for it to happen, but Fern’s presence in the
house had already become distracting.

What would it be like to have Fern in this bed with
them? What he wouldn’t give to see Alec lick her pussy. Hell, he’d like to
feast on it himself.

Another side of his mind chirped in for good
measure. They’d had other women, but what they both really wanted was a woman
and a relationship, not just a pussy and a set of breasts to play with. They
wanted a woman who would join her life with theirs, someone they could love,
trust, and connect with, in body, heart, and soul.

Alec’s orgasmic arrival had Levi rebounding back,
working his body over his lover, wanting to savor Alec’s release. He’d worry
about the pursuit of Fern later.

****

The first few weeks with Levi and Alec were a
relief. Respite came in the form of routine and a relaxed environment where
three people moved through life and were congenial and respectful toward one
another, something Fern wasn’t used to, but was eating up as if she thought it
would melt and disappear like a delicious ice cream.

Levi worked as a headhunter and was usually cooped
up in his office, answering phone calls and consulting his clients on what jobs
were available and would align with their skills and credentials. Fern had run
a few errands for him, delivering resumes to his clients. Driving Levi’s Audi
was a rare treat she’d surely never tire of.

Alec’s schedule often
flipped-flopped between the lunch and dinner hours.

As for their relationship, it wasn’t something they
paraded in front of Fern. Aside from hearing them engage in what Fern knew was
some type of physical contact, all she’d witnessed outside the bedroom was
their close contact in the kitchen one particular morning.