Though instinct had told her that he would understand she’d needed to bring the ball into her court. Not that it fully and truly was there—she knew damn well two men of Christian’s and Rory’s influence and experience were the ones in control. But Bayli needed to possess some of it herself. So she’d made the split-second executive decision not to give Christian exactly what he’d wanted from her in the back of that limo.
If she was going to run with the big dogs, she was going to have to get her ass off the porch and go for it.
Which reminded her …
“Hey,” she said as Jewel did a quick survey of the apartment and nodded encouragingly, good friend that she was. “Can I ask you some questions about your relationship with Rogen and Vin? They might be a bit delicate.… Just a heads-up.”
“Sure.” Jewel was a statuesque blonde who’d worked as a Senior Vice President of Acquisitions for her family’s empire before she dove into her own project of building an inn and winery in River Cross. She inspected the large floral arrangement in the center of the glass-topped table with the thick scrolled wrought-iron legs in the corner. “This is so pretty.” Her gaze swept over the entire place and she added, “Really,
Bay. It’s all so pretty, what you’ve done with the place. I was a little worried when you first moved in.”
“Liar. You were a lot worried.”
“That’s because I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now…” Bay took a long sip of the merlot she’d uncorked for Jewel’s surprise visit on Wednesday evening—the very bottle she’d intended to take to Phillip and Colin’s dinner party. “I seem to have found myself in the extremely fortuitous position of having two men who are close friends and accustomed to sharing women find me…”
Jewel’s brow jerked up. “Worthy of sharing?”
“Yes.”
Jewel set her glass on the small coffee table in front of the love seat, then grabbed Bayli’s hand and pulled her over to sit. “From one lucky girl to another, let me just say—”
“Wait.” Bayli took another deep sip before setting her glass next to Jewel’s. “I’m not a lucky girl yet. Well, in many respects, yes. But not in that ultimate way you’re thinking of. We haven’t done it yet. I mean we have. Just not—”
“All together. The three of you. At one time.”
“At one time.” Bayli reached for her wine and swallowed down another big gulp. Not exactly classy, but hell … she was dealing with some heavy shit here.
Jewel rested a hand on Bayli’s knee and said, “Dear friend of mine, I completely get the nervousness and the reservations. I experienced all of that myself. It’s totally natural. More than that, it’s warranted. Just thinking back to that first time in my living room when I kissed Rogen and then Vin.” Her lovely features softened, but Jewel’s sapphire eyes lit with fire. “Rogen stripped his shirt off. And I popped every single button on Vin’s—shredded the flap. I couldn’t help myself.” She sighed dreamily. “God, they were so incredible to look at. And they both wanted me. It was in their eyes, on their faces. Their muscles bunched. Their breaths grew heavier.…”
Jewel had to reach for her wine, too. She sipped, then continued. “I knew I’d reached a point of no return. I’d sort of instigated it, to be honest. I’d heard whispers of their secret ways with women. I wanted to be one of those women. No.” She licked her bottom lip and gave Bayli a sly look. “I wanted to be their only woman.”
“Yeah, there is that.” Bayli fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. She’d come from the library when Jewel had texted her that she was in town for a quick stop before hopping the pond for a work thing and would meet her at the apartment.
“It’s a very fascinating situation,” Jewel told her. “Learning that two men actually get more turned on, get even harder, when they’re working together to satisfy a woman.”
“What it’s like?” Bayli asked with bated breath. “Really. Don’t hold anything back. Please, Jewel.”
Okay, so she was a bit eager beaver. A bit desperate.
Jewel smiled. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I can’t tell you exactly what it’s like. That’s all up to Christian and Rory. And you. But with Rogen, Vin, and me…” Her grin brightened. “It’s a flood of sensations and emotions. I feel every little thing they do to me, only it’s magnified by a million. My skin is more sensitive. My pulse soars. My body is infinitely more responsive. All because of how I feel about them and how much they cherish me. How their biggest concern is making me feel good, making me happy.”
“And how do they do that? Make you happy? One at a time or…?”
“Together?”
Another long sip. Bayli’s cheeks flushed and she hated that she still struggled with what to fully expect.
Jewel said, “Together. And believe me, it’s nothing short of volcanic. You just have to be open to it, understand that they’re focused on you and what pleases you. They’re sort of a different breed, you know?”
“Hmm. Yes. I’m starting to see that. Except…” Crap. Here came the delicate. “What am I supposed to do when they’re into something I know absolutely nothing about?”
Jewel frowned. “Such as?”
“Such as!” Her eyes bulged. “Jesus, Jewel! Were you the one to write Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* but Were Afraid to Ask?”
“I could have been a coauthor.” She winked.