Hot 4 (Multiple Love)

They’re laughing with the exertion of the race and the glee of finding themselves surrounded by a surprising level of luxury and the fluttering butterflies in my tummy suddenly still. It’s not that I’m no longer excited by these four men. I watch as they toss their clothes over couches, which must have been shipped in from Italy, until their muscular bodies, clad in tight boxer briefs, are all my eyes can take in. They sprint across the wooden deck and jump in like eager, mischievous monkeys, and I almost don’t know where to look. There is so much gorgeousness on show. It’s that suddenly, they’re not just sexy men I want to fuck; they’re good-hearted, down-to-earth men who could be so much more.

But I can’t get drawn into feelings. Feelings don’t have a place tonight. Emotions can’t develop because I know they live in another state, and there’s no future outside of this vacation.

It doesn’t take me long to remove my dress. It’s held together with a zip down the back, which slides like a knife through butter. Beneath, I’m wearing my strapless bra and tiny thong. Oh, and the naughty little garter donated by the bride. As I slip off my sandals into the puddle of blue fabric, I look up and find that the Banbury brothers have gone quiet. Four faces are turned in my direction. Four sets of eyes are focused on me, and it feels amazing.

Did I know I was an exhibitionist? Not really. In past relationships, the sex has mostly been in bed, under the covers with the lights off. Maybe that’s why I’ve never felt like anyone has ignited me from the inside out. Maybe this is what I needed all along.

I walk slowly toward the pool, allowing a smile to play at my lips, keeping my shoulders back and holding in my stomach, wanting them to like everything I’ve got going on. Yes, my thighs meet in the middle, and my hips might be on the curvy side. Yes, my butt could benefit from a few thousand squats that I never seem to get around to, but I feel awesome.

Four men are looking at me like I’m the absolute best thing they’ve ever seen and not just any four men. Four men who could grace the cover of any fashion magazine. Four men I’d never have dreamed of approaching back home.

In my Thai vacation bubble, I can be the me I’ve always wanted to be. Confident, go-getting, sassy, and sexy. I can sit on the side of this pool, splashing my perfectly smooth legs in the soft, warm water, smiling at what I now know for sure is going to happen.

My fantasy is going to come true, and I’m going to relish every minute of it.

4

It’s Kane who touches me first but it’s not like I imagined it would be. There is no seductive trailing of fingers over my skin, or gentle removal of the garter that is just begging for his attention. Instead, he comes close and grabs me by the hips, tugging me into the pool until I’m under the water, rising into the least sexy splutter that I’ve ever made. I mean, today I have more make up on my face than I’ve ever worn before, and most of it is now probably in the wrong place. My perfect hair is also ruined, now hanging in strings over my face. I scramble to put myself back together while trying to gasp for air, to find Kane laughing his head off and his brothers splashing him in my defense.

“Not cool, dude,” Holden says.

“Not kind either,” Karter says. He comes closer and wraps his arms around me so that I don’t have to tread water. When I’m done trying to make myself presentable, he runs his thumb gently under both my eyes. “You have some black stuff.” I blink, taking in the similarities to his brother, and the differences. It’s funny how from a distance people can seem so alike, but up close, the smallest facial expressions make such a big difference. Where Kane is cocky and sure of himself, Karter is definitely more empathetic.

“Connie’s an equal opportunities kind of girl,” Kane says. He’s found a ball on the side of the pool and he’s tossing it in the air and catching it like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Part of me is still shocked at being dunked but the other half likes that he isn’t treating me like a fragile princess.

“I guess you’ll be okay with her dunking you then.”

“If that’s what she wants to do, she can definitely try.”

“Watch your back, Kane,” I say, sliding out of Karter’s embrace. “Wanna toss that ball?”

Kane’s smile broadens and I can tell that he enjoys playing games. I make my way to the shallow end, followed by Karter and Holden. Harris joins Kane, and for a while we throw the ball back and forth and it’s so much fun, listening to their banter. It’s half good-natured and half tinged with healthy rivalry and I start to work them out a little more.