Page 4 of Storm

“A what now?”

Internally, I want to groan. Normally, it’s Richard who sets this up for us. I’ve never had to straight up ask a woman, “Hey, would you accompany me to a cabin for the weekend to fuck me as well as my three friends?”

Gripping my forehead, I dig my fingers into the skin to try to ease the tension headache building rapidly. I’m not a fan of dancing around topics, so I choose to just lay it out there. We plan these weekends so we can disconnect from the stresses in our job. It’s the only thing we’ve found that helps.

“I’m going to be blunt, if you don’t mind. Some friends and I had planned a weekend at a cabin and the woman who was going to join us, Veronica, can’t make it. This time away is really important to us. I know I’m taking you to your family right now, but would you be interested in delaying and joining us instead?” Apparently, I wasn’t clear enough because she’s just staring at me blankly.

“Why? For cooking or something? Because I’ve got to tell you, that was already on my to-do list at my dad’s place. It’s not my idea of fun.”

My snort escapes before I can rein it in. “No. Not to cook.”

“Then for what?” she asks, tilting her head in question.

“Sex.”

I don’t think I can be more blunt than that. Tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, I’m actually surprised I can’t meet her eyes right now. I’m a confident guy, but asking a virtual stranger to come away with me simply to fuck feels, I don’t know, more vulgar than it should be. We’re all adults and I’m crawling with anxiety, pathetically needing this weekend to happen.

A pretty scarlet blooms on her cheeks and she can’t make eye contact with me either. She mumbles something under her breath, but I don’t catch it.

“What did you say?” I ask.

Clearing her throat, she sits up, shifting around in her seat like she’s nervous. “Do you have pictures of them?”

I raise a brow a bit annoyed she immediately asked for photos instead of information about them. “Looks matter to you?”

“Uhh… yeah,cabrón. I don’t fucking know any of them. What the hell else am I supposed to base my decision on? How well they treat their mother?”

She has a good point, so I turn my phone on and open an album containing photos of the four of us. As much as I want to argue the shallowness of judging people by their looks, every single woman we’ve connected with has asked the same. I’m not surprised she wants to as well.

Handing my phone over, I point at the screen. “You can scroll through there. It’s all of us.”

Her hand is shaking slightly when she takes it, but before she looks, she frowns at me. “Wait. Do looks not matter to you?”

“Not really,” I say, shrugging. My eyes shoot over to her when she snorts. “Why do you find that so hard to believe?”

“I think it’s a load of shit. Are you really telling me you wouldn’t have asked me to fuck you and your friends if you didn’t find me attractive?”

I consider her question before answering.Would I have asked if I didn’t find her attractive? Possibly.

“I don’t know. It’s irrelevant because I did ask and youareattractive.” It’s an honest answer, but I don’t think she appreciates my response.

We’re both silent as she slowly scrolls through each photo, with only the sounds of the engine to distract my wild thoughts. There are only about a dozen photos, so once she makes it through them, she holds my screen up toward me. “Who’s this one?”

“That’s Tatum Cadelle. He’s a paramedic.” Tatum is a pretty level-headed guy. Hard working, personable, nice. His job is tough on him, though. He and Ezra met years ago when they were both assigned to the same Army Ranger’s unit and have been inseparable since. The transition to paramedic made sense, but after years of exposure to trauma, it’s been affecting him. That’s how we met. Our jobs have forced us to cross paths more than once, and we got to know each other. Heneedsthis weekend to unwind and refocus.

“He’s got really big muscles,” she comments, then flips to another photo. “Who is this?”

Flicking my eyes at the screen, I huff out a laugh. “That’s Ezra Hall. He’s Tatum’s best friend. He works for the Parks and Rec department. Survival guide, search and rescue, those types of things. He was an Army Ranger with Tatum about ten years ago.”

Ezra needs this weekend for a totally different reason than the rest of us. He has some kinks which aren’t as common, and if he goes too long without fulfilling them, he gets wound up and bad decisions are made. I don’t tell her yet. Not until she agrees.I’m aware it’s not fair to withhold details when I’m asking her to make a quick decision, but I keep his secrets to myself for now.

Nodding, she flips through another few photos until she shows me Richard’s photo. Before she asks, I’m already answering. “That’s Richard Leigh. He’s a lawyer. Guy is wound tighter than a nun’s habit, but he’s nice. We met through cases I’ve been involved in when they went to court over the years.”

Miriam is still quiet, looking through the photos again, then sighs and hands the phone back. “Your friends are hot.”

The corner of my lip ticks up. “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to hear it. So, are you in?”

She chews on her lip, another flush filling her cheeks. Her subdued answer surprises me. “I’m not entirely against the idea, if I’m being honest. But I should probably let you know I’m a virgin. I’m not sure how that would really work out for all of you.”

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