The Trouble with Three Husbands (Daughters of Venus 1)

When I entered, the security officer in charge, Jack, stood and greeted me with a hug. I hate to sound like a jerk but I secretly loved the way fellows behaved whenever a Dove was around, especially one of the Original Seven. We were definitely queens in their eyes.

“Hi, Lauren, it’s so good to see you,” Jack said. “Is everything okay? What brings you in?”

“Everything’s fine, Jack. I just wanted to stop by and see how things are going with our two visitors. Alé seemed quite upset last night and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Did they cause any trouble?”

“No, not really. The one, the blond one, has quite the mouth on him, but Alejandro was pretty rough with him. I guess I don’t blame him none.”

“Alé has a bit of a temper,” I agreed.

“Yep, he sure does. But you sure do keep him in line.”

I made a “cracking the whip” motion with my hand and Jack laughed.

“They’re in the back?” I asked, knowing full well they were but giving Jack the hint that I wanted to be taken to them.

“Umm, yeah, sure. Back here,” he said as he scurried towards the back.

I followed and found the two men inside the cell. Pike sat on a cot with his legs pulled up in front of him, his hands resting on his knees.

“You can leave us,” I told Jack.

“Are you…are you sure?”

“Yes, it’s fine. They’re locked up.”

Jack hesitated for a moment, looked left and right as if expecting someone else to reassure him that it was okay, and then he left.

The light overhead allowed a closer look at Pike. The sleeves of his sweater were pulled up to his elbows. Both arms were covered in tattoos. Random ones. Not the pretty ones models get that have no significant meaning. These all looked to have a purpose. Like artwork that put the inner soul on his outer shell. He was literally wearing his thoughts on his sleeves.

And he’d washed up a bit. His clothes were dirty still but his face was clean. His blond hair was still back in a ponytail, the sides of his head shaved, and his face was one more day unshaven. The other guy, Harrison he’d said his name was, sat with his face in his hands.

“Gentlemen,” I said.

They both looked over at me. Harrison stood up and made his way closer to the bars. I held up a hand letting him know he should stop. I didn’t want him getting too close. At a closer glance, even Harrison wasn’t that bad looking. He was a bit older than Pike and had scraggly hair, but he had an interesting face. A wise face.

“How long will you keep us in here?” Harrison asked.

“I don’t know,” I said.

“You’re the woman who tried to help us last night.”

“I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Neither you nor my husband.”

“The big guy who hit me,” Pike said as he too stood up from his cot and made his way a little closer.

He was staring at me again. God, those eyes, those beautiful eyes. Hazel I think.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” I said.

“He swings a mean shotgun,” Pike added with a grin.

And my panties were melting. The grin. Holy shit. If you could’ve seen it…it’s like he was telling me that he was going to get out of that cell soon and when he did he was going to bend me over the security desk and take me from behind. How I got all that from one upturned corner of his mouth is beyond me. But I did.

I suddenly felt nervous.

“Why…why are you here?” I asked.

“We’ve heard of you,” Harrison said. “The Daughters of Venus, the Doves, the goddesses atop the mountain.”