Triple Threat_An MFMM Reverse Harem Romance Page 3

  Caleb gave me the cold chills, but there was something strong and resilient about him that I admired.

  “The doctor will be here shortly to transport our prisoner to an undisclosed location. He has assured me that he has gotten the ingredients for the cocktail. He has expressed concern, but in the correct dosage there is no danger.” I had used the same cocktail on several occasions and knew exactly how to limit the chance of an overdose.

  I should’ve been more worried about the threat to Rachel’s life, but I was more upset about the closed-door negotiations going on between her and Bryce. I could only hope that my big brother could keep it in his pants. The idea of them cavorting made me anxious to barge in to interrupt, but I didn’t want to give them the idea that I was jealous.

  Chapter Five

  Rachel

  It was supposed to be easy. Without complications. But the ensuing gunfight had changed everything. They were debating using extreme methods and I was terrified of going down that road. National Security had a wide net and there was no telling which black site was being used at this moment.

  “I wish that you would sit down and stop pacing back and forth. I’m getting a little dizzy following you. There’s no reason to have second thoughts about hiring us. Don’t tell me you haven’t been thinking it, because it’s practically written all over your face.” Bryce was a colorful character wearing an expensive suit like it was his own personal battle shield.

  “You have to admit this is a lot to digest in mere minutes of meeting the three of you. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I thought for a moment the assailant didn’t come here for me. You can’t sit there and deny that there are enemies in your past that would like to see you suffer.” He gave me a slight nod of his head, but the truth was stranger than fiction.

  “I get the impression the bounty on your head is because you accidentally came across something. I’m betting the inside man has decided to wipe the slate clean. It’s usually better the devil you know, but they might think that you’re getting way too close to what they’re trying to hide. Have you taken anybody else into your confidence?” He was directing his comments to me, but I didn’t know how to answer.

  The ugly green carpeting was a throwback to a different era. I was comfortable in the dominant position of hovering over him to keep him from thinking that he had the upper hand. I wouldn’t have wasted my time on this tactic with Caleb. There was something weighing heavily on his shoulders, but the other two brothers had their own angst they were carrying like badges of honor.

  “I came here to find somebody I could trust not to betray me for a more lucrative payday. My company deals with the kind of technological advancements that would have people in an uproar if it were ever to become public knowledge. We both…we all have our reasons for those sleepless nights when we're desperate for 8 hours of uninterrupted slumber.” I was more interested in what we could be doing when we had our eyes open and fully aware of our actions.

  “You came to the right place and I can vouch for my brothers. They may seem a little shifty, but it comes with the territory. Caleb can be a hard man to understand. We’ve only known about each other’s existence for a short time. I took it upon myself to get to know them by personally recruiting them into this company.” He had his hands demurely in his lap and hiding the one part of his anatomy that made me thirsty to see it up close and personal.

  My head was a little dizzy, but I was determined to keep things professional.

  “The family connection is deeper than you imagine. You weren’t the first one to reach out. Caleb has been instrumental in keeping you out of trouble. I know this is a hard pill to swallow, but his knowledge of the two of you has been years in the making. I hope I didn’t say anything wrong.” It was my basic belief trust had to be earned, and the only way to do that in the limited time we had was to throw our cards on the table.

  “I hope you’re not trying to pit us against each other. It won’t work. I really don’t care that Caleb has been watching out for us in the shadows. It’s actually nice to know that I have a guardian angel. Too many things in my life have happened to make me believe that it was a coincidence.” I touched him and found his chest enormous.

  It would’ve been rewarding to throw myself at him.

  “Far be it for me to try to cause some kind of dissension amongst the three of you. This was an unfortunate exercise, but it did prove that all three of you are willing to go the extra mile for your client. They have to know what happened in China. You can tell them, or I can do it for you.” His eyes narrowed and focused on me trying to determine if I was bluffing or actually knew about his opium drug use.

  “I’m sure a woman of your resources has been quite busy doing your due diligence. What exactly do you think you know about China? I haven’t even shared that experience with a therapist. The details were locked away never again to be perused by those that didn’t have clearance.” He made the motion of a lock and key with his two fingers.

  “Being imprisoned in a cage for two years couldn’t have been easy. The swath of destruction following your freedom is understandable in my eyes. You felt you owed them some kind of retaliation. I have people in high places to tell me what I need to know.” It was hard to believe the same man sitting in front of me had been turned into a drug addict and went on a killing spree that didn’t just involve those people that had taken him against his will.

  The family of his enemies had faced retribution with his mind still swirling with the opium. He probably didn’t know what he had done until after the dust settled. The blood on his hands had permanently stained his soul. He didn’t return stateside until two months after he had gained his freedom.

  The military disavowed knowledge of his actions, leaving him defenseless and forgotten. He was out in the cold, fending for himself, putting people on notice, and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. He would have been killed had it not been for the interference of one man.

  This man stepped in without taking any credit. It was Caleb. It took him two years undercover within China to ferret out Bryce's location. Meanwhile, Caleb had to play in a different kind of sandbox. That resulted in a child out of wedlock. That same child hated his father and was never going to want to have anything to do with him.

  “This pleasant conversation has taken an ugly turn. It’s not nice to go poking your nose where it doesn’t belong. There are some things that cannot be spoken about. It doesn’t surprise me that Caleb and Devon have secrets. Who doesn’t in this line of work? I’m sure if I went digging into your past that I would come up with a few skeletons in your closet that you don’t want me to know about. What makes you think that I haven’t done my own personal excavation of your life?” Bryce asked, trying to intimidate her in much the same way he felt she was doing.

  “There are some secrets that will only cause more harm than good. Others, like knowing your brother Caleb was responsible for getting you out of hell, only makes the three of you stronger together than apart. Monday is a big day and I still have to talk to Caleb and Devon.” I pointed to the door hoping to see the delicious sight of him walking away.

  There was an inkling of an itch that I wasn’t going to be able to scratch alone with any kind of satisfaction.

  It was not unheard of to get personally invested in people that I worked with. I was debating which one would finally spend some quality time with me under the sheets. It was hard to be objective when they all carried themselves with distinction and honor. It wasn’t hard to see that all three of them could make for an afternoon tryst that would put a smile on my face.

  “I guess having dinner together is out of the question considering the circumstances. Keeping things platonic isn’t always the best solution when it comes to a good working relationship. I want to make you scream my name on the tip of your tongue. Is that a little presumptuous or have I been reading the signals correctly?” He smirked, with his intentions quite clear.

  The bravery and co
urage it took for him to say it out loud caught me off guard. I was a little flustered and embarrassed by the way that he was quite open and honest about his intentions. Confidence was sexy.

  It was the way he was looking at me that was giving me the impression that sex was the only thing he was thinking about. It wasn’t lost on me, and I fantasized about the way that his body would feel and how we would do what came naturally.

  I was a little out of practice and my business had me working around the clock making everybody happy. My leadership qualities had resulted in a loyal following. It surprised me deeply to think that someone was unhappy enough to stab me in the back. I never asked them to do anything more than I would and I paid them above industry standards.

  “Off the record, there is a certain attraction and I don’t mind giving it a voice. On the record, I would stress the importance of knowing the chain of command. You work for me, and please remember that when you insist on making inappropriate comments.” I motioned for him to leave the room, giving me time to break down the walls of mistrust between the other two brothers.

  Chapter six

  Devon

  “I don’t know what you said to Bryce, but he was pretty much inconsolable when he walked by me. It looks good to see him with a chink in his armor. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought we shared something that we can build on.” I wasn’t as smooth with the ladies, but I did know how to go after what I wanted in a less subtle way than Bryce could even think about.

  It seemed a crying shame to cover the legs that went straight to heaven. The clothing she was wearing gave the illusion that she was on the same level as a man. There was nothing manly about the hourglass figure of a woman that could make any man pant after her like a starving dog.

  “I was warned about you, and it appears they were right to warn me. The one thing I know about you better than anybody is that this is not an act. You’ve been trying to find Mrs. Right for a very long time. It can’t be easy to be jilted at the altar three times. The kind of love you have shared with others can be suffocating.” The faraway look confirmed that this was something she was guilty of in the past.

  I wasn’t about to sit there and listen to this, but something compelled me to find out how she truly felt about me.

  “I’m the kind of guy that wants to settle down with the white picket fence. I suppose in some respect it’s my way of trying to find something normal to hold onto. I’ve done my best to be on my utmost best behavior, but sometimes I do go overboard.” I watched, enthralled, as she bent over, and I could easily imagine my hands taking advantage of her.

  I shifted in my seat, trying to hide the obvious reaction by counting to one hundred in my head.

  “I don’t want to get caught up in any drama. It kind of defeats the purpose when you have dimples to melt a woman with a single look. I can’t say that I don’t feel a certain animal instinct to submit myself to your will. I know this isn’t my place, but I feel you need to know something about Bryce.” Her reluctance to share this information was seen in the way that she was turning her back to prevent herself from seeing my reaction.

  I didn’t want anything to rock the foundation of my relationship with my brothers.

  “I’m going to stop you right there. I may not agree with everything my brothers have done, but we all hold a certain responsibility for our actions. My trust in them is unbreakable and to attempt to sow the seeds of doubt in my mind is unconscionable.” I was getting a little heated and my normal cool detached demeanor was unraveling in front of my eyes.

  I was gripping the chair arms tightly and doing what I could to keep from losing my temper.

  “I appreciate the candor, but this cannot go unsaid. The reason your last relationship failed is that Bryce took it upon himself to have a few choice words with the bride to be. He wasn’t doing anything out of malice—it was with the best intentions.”

  I wanted to race out and grab Bryce to tell him that it wasn’t his business, but the folder being thrust upon me across the table had me curious to take a look.

  I opened it and realized that I had been in a situation where Delilah could take me for everything I was worth. The woman had several assumed names. The photos accompanying each name were vastly different than the woman I had come to know and fall in love with. I didn’t understand since she was the one that ultimately became the runaway bride.

  “This is highly suspect, but I still don’t understand.” I was squeezing the paper and hearing it crumple in my fist.

  The pack of lies meant to leave me penniless was written down in front of me.

  “Bryce had some official documentation that proved to her that you were not the heir to some kind of fortune. She didn’t believe it at first, but he bombarded her with more evidence. It was all a mockup, but completely believable when you put everything into context.” She was showing me a side of Bryce that had me seeing him more as a big brother and not somebody that thought he knew everything.

  “Why would she believe anything a stranger said to her?”

  “What he unearthed about Delilah could easily be refuted. She would have found a way to spin it in her favor and you were too far gone to understand that she was only after your money. There’s nothing wrong with falling in love, but it has to be with the right woman for it to work.” She touched my arm and I lost my train of thought.

  I knew Delilah was out of my league, but I thought that she was one of those pretty people lonely from feeling everybody was intimidated by her.

  “Everything he showed her looks legit and very convincing. I should have known better than to think she would be interested in me. I always put them on a pedestal. It’s not healthy to wear my heart on my sleeve.” I was a good man and out of the three, had a heart bigger than the great state of Texas.

  Bryce came into the picture a couple months after the debacle at the altar. Sticks and stones may break these bones, but heartache could render a man impotent. I was nursing a beer and drowning my sorrows at the bottom of the bottle. Bryce joined me, and I soon learned the painful truth about my father and his philandering ways.

  My mother had always been a saint and she managed to build a fortune 500 company, putting me in a position to take over when the time was right. My absentee father sent me birthday cards and Christmas greetings every second year like clockwork. There was no mention of Bryce or Caleb.

  He had impregnated three different women in the span of three years. Living the lie by keeping his distance on the pretense of being a sought-after salesman for an up and coming company. It was a wonder there weren’t more children. It wasn’t very hard to uncover the other women in his quest for perfection.

  “You’re being too hard on yourself. A man capable of showing his true feelings is a keeper in my books. You need to learn to be more selective and not jump right to the nuptials in a matter of days. Don’t give up—you never know when the perfect woman will fall into your…whoa!” One of her heels broke and she literally sat in my lap, causing my heart to skip a beat.

  “The universe does work in mysterious ways.” She squirmed and her awkward movements only exasperated the situation, giving that part of me a license to unfurl into 10 inches

  “I… I… think you should leave and send Caleb in.” Her face had turned bright pink like the color of her delicious looking lips.

  I wanted to find a way to turn my preoccupied x-rated thoughts into reality. She twisted on my lap and I made an involuntary moan from how she was inadvertently giving me a very private lap dance.

  She pulled herself to a standing position, but the way she was licking her lips had me thinking nasty thoughts. She was strong and delicate at the same time with a grace that was rarely seen.

  “It looks like you won’t have the chance to play armchair therapist to Caleb. He left shortly ago with the prisoner and has requested radio silence. He has promised to be there Monday morning and he has always been a man of his word.” It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, and I could tell
that she was a little upset by the way that she was rolling her eyes.

  “He purposely did this and don’t think for one second that he’s not going to answer for it. That man can’t stay in the shadows putting on the act of the tough guy forever. He’s going to have to eventually let somebody in and show his vulnerability.” The strength of her conviction had her body moving around the room in a circle.

  It was tempting to throw her up against the wall and show her what a real man does to show a woman what it’s like to be taken.

  “I wouldn’t take it too personally. Caleb has never been comfortable around authority figures. He doesn’t like being in the hot seat and avoids situations where he doesn’t feel like he’s the one in charge. You saw what happened when he lost his composure for even a split second. There’s no telling what he would have done had we not been around to rein him in.” I was using the example of our hostage, but I knew in the back of my mind that the only reason why he didn’t kill the man was due to Rachel’s feminine touch.

  “He has to learn to be a team player. I don’t need a lone wolf playing by his own set of rules. I’m going to have to remind him who’s wearing the pants in this relationship. I’m the one he takes his marching orders from. He doesn’t have to like it, but he does have to follow my directions to the letter.” She wanted his respect, but I could see the truth behind the quiver of her lips. Somehow, Caleb being mysterious had made him irresistible to women, but he was oblivious to it.

  Chapter seven

  Caleb

  I listened to the gibberish coming out of this man’s mouth. The drugs were strong, but the Dr. was quite adamant that anything more would have caused him immeasurable brain damage and possibly death. Did he really think that I was going to care one way or the other about this man’s continued health?

  “I’m going to bow to your expertise in this matter. It’s almost daybreak and we’ve been going at it for the better part of two days without anything to show for it. We don’t know each other, but I always get what I want.” My fingers digging into his shirt was my way of showing my insistence to get things done.