The Arrangement

The ride home was even better than the ride down. Kayleen lounged into my lap, turning sideways and pulling my arms over her for warmth and comfort. It was hard not to let my hands wander, right there in the back seat. But we?

??d decided to wait. She had something ‘special’ for us when we all got home, or so she said.

As we pulled into the gravel driveway, our beautiful villa was lit up nicely. Kayleen bounced happily into the house, followed by Burke. For a moment — just a moment — she reminded me of—

“Dana.”

I spun at the sound of Nathan’s voice. He was standing beside me, arms folded. Looking in the direction Kayleen had just disappeared.

“Am I wrong?”

“No,” I said truthfully. “I mean, yes and no.”

“Dana was more flighty,” Nathan admitted. “More crazy and unpredictable. But this one here…” he nodded in the direction of the house. “She’s every bit as a full of life. Every ounce the same person, especially the way she took to being…”

“Shared?”

He smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

I had to agree. It was the one thing we’d always feared we’d never find again. The one aspect of our relationship that had been so incredible, so ridiculously satisfying, it would’ve been a shame not to experience it again.

“She’s Dana,” I admitted again. “But Dana with responsibility. Dana with goals, motivations, ambitions.”

“Dana with a conscience,” he added.

“That too.”

Inside the house a few more lights blinked on. It looked warm. Cozy. Inviting.

“Let’s not lose this one,” Nathan smiled, patting me on the shoulder. “Deal?”

He was halfway to the front door by the time I unfolded my arms.

“Deal,” I murmured into the wind.

Twenty-Nine

KAYLEEN

The music started up just as I walked into the room. It was soft and sensual. Melodic, but with a hard edge. I recognized it almost immediately: Concrete Blonde.

Wow. Damn nice choice.

It really was. I’d left it up the boys as I prepped myself in my bedroom, slipping into an outfit I’d been wanting to wear for a while now. I kept telling myself I just hadn’t had the occasion. But the truth was, I’d felt guilty about not having three outfits, and just didn’t want to play favorites with this one.

So much for that problem.

The living room was at half-lighting, courtesy of an electronic dimmer. The overheads cast a soft, surreal glow over everything as I strutted out in my four-inch heels, wine glass dangling from one hand.

“Whoa.”

Whoa was right. I was decked out head to toe in what I considered my sluttiest lingerie. Matching black panties and bra, with sheer black thigh-high stockings attached by belts to a lacy, sexy garter.

“Holy shit,” Nathan murmured.

I smiled sweetly at him, sipping my wine. I was well into my second glass and already feeling warm and fuzzy. Having all three pairs of eyes on me at once seemed intimidating when I’d first formulated this plan. But now, in its execution, it all seemed very casual. Oddly natural, to be perfectly honest.

They were undressing me with their eyes, which in theory wouldn’t take very long. I stood in the middle for a minute, moving my hips to the music, staring back them each in turn.