Page 39 of Tops
“I’ll be right there,” Colten called toward the door before looking back at me and placing a quick kiss against my lips. “Bring your wine to the kitchen,” he said before picking me up and depositing me back down on the couch before he strode to the door shirtless.
I hoped the delivery person wasn’t into men, or I might have to fight for him already. Thankfully, there were no issues, because Mike stood at the door with our bags of food in his hands. He brought them in and placed them on the kitchen island in front of the two bar stools.
I put my glass down before sitting in one of the chairs while Mike left as quickly as he came. Colten hurried to put his shirt back on and pushed his glasses back up his nose. Then he grabbed a set of plates and started opening the bags.
“I ordered a simple but truly otherworldly spaghetti from this old mom and pop diner that has been here since I was a kid,” Colten explained. He placed the salad in a bowl before setting out the breadsticks.
“It smells amazing,” I said as my stomach growled in agreement.
Eating next to Colten was nothing like eating in front of Tanner. Colten and I casually talked about the food around our bites. The conversation naturally flowed into our favorite foods and fond memories attached to meals. When my plate was clear, Colten got up to rinse our dishes before placing them into the dishwasher.
“Did you want another glass?” he asked, motioning with the wine bottle to my empty cup.
“Yes, please,” I said with a soft smile. I was barely feeling the effects of the alcohol with the large meal in my stomach.
He refilled both our glasses, but didn’t hand mine back. Instead, he moved back toward the windows and the sunset. You couldn’t see the horizon line because of all the neighboring buildings, but the sky between them was lined in pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. I followed him, accepting my glass as I came to stand next to him and watch the last rays of daylight fade away.
Soon darkness would fill this city, and all the monsters would come out to play. It would be the time for me to decide what path I wanted to take. I thought I knew who I would become once I took this step, but I wasn’t prepared for yet another knock at the door.
Colten left me alone as I looked toward the door with my wine glass cradled between my palms. I didn’t care that it warmed the wine. I needed something stable to hold on to for a moment until things stopped surprising me.
Colten opened the door, and Tanner walked in. My stomach bottomed out, and a part of me hoped Nik would come through next. At least then, I would feel like I had most of the room on my side.
Tanner wore the same white button-up and black slacks, but he looked like he had gotten some sleep and a shower since breakfast. Colten whispered something into Tanner’s ear before Tanner looked over to where I stood. When he started toward me, my nerves gave out, and I turned to look back out at the sprawling city below.
“Don’t you ever change?” I said playfully, as he stopped a few feet down from me. I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn’t give in yet.
“You look stunning,” Tanner said.
I shifted my gaze to him. My heart did a double-take when I saw him standing in the city’s light, the flashing colors bouncing off his white shirt.
“Why do you share?” I asked, my voice low, as if the monsters creeping out in the shadows would be privy to the conversation if I spoke too loudly. I was worried the monsters would hear me and know I was just like them.
Tanner smirked and pushed off the window before heading even closer. I turned my gaze back toward the bustling streets and the people eager to cross, wondering if there was a monster hiding in the shadows watching me.
Tanner stopped behind me, close enough for me to feel the rush of nervous energy between us. Crackling and angry, always so desperate to unite or mutually destroy. He swept my hair back off my shoulder, and I watched him through the reflections in the window as he leaned in to whisper.
“We share because we know how women are and what they need. We are busy men, and alone, we wouldn’t be able to provide a woman with the attention they crave. It would lead to cheating.” I could feel his body tense behind me, and the current of crackling energy intensified. “Often is the case in our income brackets,” he finished.
“I’m not looking for a relationship,” I said, but I wasn’t talking to Tanner. I was talking to my faint reflection in the glass. “Just life experience before I settle down and start planning house, job, kids. Once I graduate, I’m gone. I don’t mind the sharing, and I wouldn’t even ask to be exclusive,” I said, but Tanner cut me off with a hand to the glass above my head. I winced, expecting a crack or even a wiggle of movement, but it held firm.
“It is exclusive. We will only be with you, and you can only be with us.” Tanner growled into my ear.
My heart wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On the one hand, I knew I couldn’t handle seeing them with anyone else. On the other, this was starting to feel like a relationship, and I was adamantly against that. I tried to reassure myself that anything this elaborate required boundaries.
“Any other terms?” I said with a bite, pushing my ass back, rubbing against him slightly.
“Careful,” he warned as his other hand came up to rest on my hip. “You go to events with us for the duration of our arrangement. There may be some photos taken of you with any of us at any time. Publicly, it would look better for you to accompany Mr. Black to most events. Nik, of course, you can only know as your professor. But no one cares about the lawyer’s plus one.” His words bit me as part of me wanted him to demand me by his side.
I couldn’t expect the perks of a relationship while insisting it was temporary.
But I also knew Tanner was the face of Tops and Bottoms and clearly wealthy. It also sounded like he came from a rich and powerful family, which meant being seen with me publicly might make a noise. Nik would be the hardest to hide if the wrong sort of attention to my love life became societal curiosity.
“Why do I have to go to events at all?” I asked, noting Tanner hadn’t removed his hand.
“Because all three of us will have to be there. Which means we need all the best security with us,” Tanner said before pulling me back as he pressed closer to my back. I could feel every inch of his hard body against me, molding to my curves. My hand was against the glass to steady me while the other held my wineglass.
“Careful,” I said, mirroring him again.
