Chapter 8: Chapter 8
“Us?” Sabrina couldn’t believe her ears. In fact, she was certain she must have heard him wrong.
“Let me explain.” William approached cautiously, settling himself on the end of the bed by her feet, and risked resting a hand on her ankle, which make Sabrina jump just a fraction at his touch. “My brothers and I have a very close bond. Always have, since childhood. Because we’re so close in age and have similar tastes in…everything, we’ve had to learn how to share.”
The corners of Sabrina’s mouth were pulled down and creases had developed between her eyebrows. She didn’t have to guess to understand his meaning. She just had a hard time believing it. They shared…everything? She was afraid of what that meant for her.
And, if she was brave enough to admit it to herself, she was also intrigued.
Conner’s expression was filled with tension, completely focused on her face, as if attempting to read her thoughts and struggling to find an answer. “You’ve been on our radar since before the meeting, Sabrina. Ever since our father raised the question of us joining the firm.”
“I did the recon,” Oliver volunteered. “I didn’t like the idea of merging our business with anyone. But then I found out who we would be working with.”
For, Sabrina corrected him in her thoughts, but she withheld commentary. Trying to absorb this new information was difficult enough without adding more conflict to the pile.
“You’re our type.” William took over the conversation again. “Exactly what we look for in a woman.”
“Strong, independent…beautiful.”
“And willful with a sharp tongue,” Oliver added, but his fond smile indicated that he liked that quality about her most of all.
Sabrina considered the ramifications of their admission. These men—these brothers—were laying it all on the line, telling her they wanted her, equally, and while she’d entertained a couple of fantasies about each of them, could she really buy into what they were trying to sell her?
A relationship with all three of them?
She’d wanted someone to come home to, to confide in, to comfort her and love her, but she hadn’t expected it to look quite like this.
How would something like that even work? Were they talking about just sex, or something more? Would there be a schedule to uphold? Of course, there would have to be. They couldn’t possibly go out as a unit for dinner and dates. That would draw attention and open them up to criticism of the highest order. And what would her colleagues say if she did sign on to…whatever they were asking her to sign on to? As men, they would get a slap on the back for a job well done, seducing the boss and making her their plaything. As a woman, she would be vilified, called a whore, a slut, and her reputation would be so tarnished, she’d probably lose her job because no one would take her seriously anymore.
That thought brought her to her father. He wasn’t one to judge her, never had been. But he had his own moral compass, and he wasn’t exactly of the modern, progressive mindset. It had taken a lot of persuading and proof that she could handle the job before he would even consider her taking over as the head of the company. Before that, he’d been looking at men who’d worked there a fraction of the time with a quarter the experience she had to be his successor.
It was all she needed to know to reach the conclusion that if she took on this little venture with these men, her father would give her the boot without blinking an eye. Plus, he’d never look at her the same again. How could she live with that, when he was the one man she looked up to in life, her inspiration and driving force behind everything she did? All Sabrina ever wanted to do was please her father, make him proud of her. Make him see that he didn’t need a son because she could be the heir he’d always wanted.
It occurred to Sabrina in that moment that all her life, despite her efforts to prove to the world that she wasn’t bound by the patriarchal notion that men were above women in anything, she’d been subscribing to that very idea in her relationship with her own father.
It angered her that, all along, she’d been weak where she thought she was being strong.
Which helped her reach a conclusion before the Hargreaves had to work too hard to sway her.
“So, if I have this right,” she said, pressing her palm to the air between them as she tried to wrap her mind around all the facts, “you three want to, what, have sex? Together? As in, sharing my bed?”
“Or our bed.” William shrugged.
Conner spoke up. “We can figure out the details. However you feel most comfortable.”
“It can be one-on-one, or all three at once,” Oliver offered. “We’re open to whatever you want.”
“As long as we all get to have you,” William clarified.
Sabrina’s eyebrows rose. “This is a lot to take in.” She tried to think of the logistics, in both scenarios, and she had a hard time seeing how any of it could work in the long-term. Of course, she didn’t even know if there was a long-term involved.
“How do you see this going?” The question was directed at all three men, and Sabrina was holding her breath in anticipation, unsure what she truly wanted, but certain that she was willing to explore something new, even if it meant pushing every boundary she thought she had.
“Well, I’d like to start off with one-on-one,” Oliver said first. “Get to know each other on a more personal level before we leap into anything more.”
“Personally, I like that idea, but I also think it could create conflict down the road if we each develop an independent relationship,” William said seriously.
Conner’s expression matched his brother’s. “I agree. It might create a bond that, later, you won’t want to cross for the other two out of fear of betrayal. Ideally, we should all bond together from the start so there is no misunderstanding or hurt feelings or anything like that down the road.”
Sabrina thought she understood his point. Since she’d already had sex with Conner, she automatically erred on the side of wanting to explore more with him. Her attraction to him was solidified, and she already had butterflies just thinking about allowing William or Oliver to kiss her, let alone have sex with her.
“What do you suggest then?” she asked, hoping the answer wasn’t what she thought, but also hoping that it was. Her feelings were torn, and for once, she didn’t want to be the deciding factor. She wanted someone else to take the reins and lead the way.
“I think the only way this will work,” William began, a wolfish glint developing in those dark eyes, “is if we all jump in as one, make the first time memorable. Cross that hurdle together.”
Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
Seeing the questions in her eyes, Oliver said, “Together. What my brother is trying to say is that we should all have sex together, at once, before we get into the one-on-one stuff.”
Sabrina gulped. Looking from one brother to the next, meeting each of their eyes, so alike but so different, she realized she had a huge decision to make. Was she willing to compromise the picture of perfection she’d created with her constituents, with her family, in order to pursue her carnal desires that were now flaring to life in every cell of her body like a deadly inferno?
The answer was simple. No. She wasn’t willing to risk it. But neither was she willing to walk away from it. A part of her craved the adventure, screamed for her to take the risk. Just jump! But Sabrina was nothing if not practical, and as a businesswoman, she could see only one way to make this work that made any sense.
“If we’re going to try this,” she began, “then I need to protect myself.”
“Of course. We have plenty of condoms, and we get tested regularly. We’re clean,” William supplied.
Sabrina shook her head. “That’s not what I’m talking about. Although, good to know.” She drew in a fortifying breath and continued. “I want a contract. An agreement between us that whatever happens stays between us.” She simply couldn’t stress that enough, and even though they didn’t look pleased by her request, they weren’t jumping to shoot it down either. “I need to cover my bases. If word of this got out, that I was seeing you three, it could ruin me. It could ruin my father, the business, everything. I can’t risk that.”
“We understand,” Conner said, speaking for all three of them. “It’s smart, covering your ass.”
“Whatever it takes,” Oliver concurred, and his hand in hers squeezed, as if to offer his total support.
She appreciated that. This was unlike any venture or deal she’d ever made, and Sabrina would be lying if she claimed that she wasn’t shaking in her boots—or socks, as it were—just a little.
It wasn’t every day that three sexy brothers requested to have sex with you, as a team.
“So…how do we do this? How does this all work?” Sabrina had never been part of a threesome, let alone a polyamorous relationship. In fact, she’d always had a certain amount of prejudice about them, feeling that they were nothing short of an excuse to cheat. Now, even though her ideas on the subject hadn’t been changed, she could feel the draw and sense the underlying reasoning behind it.
They shared a mutual attraction and desire, and instead of creating war between them and fighting it out to see who would win, they were choosing to love and lust together.
She could almost respect that.
“We’ll take it day by day,” Conner answered.
“And what do you expect to have come of it,” she queried. “Is this supposed to be a relationship? Like, monogamous?” She almost laughed at that. Monogamy in a four-way? Good one, Sabrina.
“Yes, if we’re going to do this, it has to be between us,” William stated seriously. “We won’t see any other woman, and you won’t see any men outside of us.”
“As far as a real relationship,” Conner said, “that’s the goal. We’re not really looking for casual, but it can start that way, and we’ll see where it goes. No pressure.”
Oh sure, easy for them to say. No pressure? Sabrina was the one who was expected to entertain three men, when it was hard enough to keep the interest of just one. She couldn’t help feeling like this was a setup for failure, but like Conner said, they could approach this casually and see what happened.
She was okay with seeing what would happen. Life was known to throw curveballs, so it was impossible to say what tomorrow would bring.
Dropping her head down, Sabrina used her free hand to rub her eyes and sighed. “I know this is going to bite me in the ass later…but sure, okay, let’s give it a shot.”
When she lifted her head, Conner, William, and Oliver were grinning like loons.
“You won’t regret it,” William assured her.
Oliver leaned over and kissed her temple sweetly. “And I can assure you the only thing that’s going to bite your ass is us.”
A brilliant flush swept up Sabrina’s neck and into her face, and she looked away, unable to meet their eyes through the rush of embarrassment. She was really going to do this? Yes, she sure was. But first, she needed it in writing.