STORY EXCERPT 

Flame Masterson walked into the living room and saw Talia sitting up and leaning against Basile. Her coloring looked better today. Spadaro accompanied him into the room. Flame had stopped in to talk to the men about Sons of Justice, and the coverage him and his team were doing while the men cared for their woman and helped her recover. Yani was with him and currently talking to Vacarro and Tat.

“Hey, Flame, how’s it going?” Basile asked, and Talia smiled softly as she slowly pulled away from leaning against Basile.

He walked closer and shook Basile’s hand and then squatted down next to the couch. He covered her hand with his.

“How are you feeling Natalia?” Flame asked her.

“Good,” she said, like usual, even though he knew she wasn’t feeling well at all. Her men were worried. The doctors were running more tests because of the headaches she was still having, and she was in a lot of pain with all the stitches in her shoulder, her fractured ankle that was in a soft cast, and the nightmares she suffered from.

“It’s going to take time to recover. You’re strong but you need to take it easy and rest,” he said to her and smiled.

“I know I’ll get better. I just want it to happen faster so these guys can get back to doing what they love and are responsible for,” she said and glanced at Basile. Basile caressed her leg.

“Baby, we love taking care of you. Plus, we got pretty decent backup to cover our SOJ responsibilities with Flame and his team. I mean they’re pretty good and will do,” Basile teased.

Flame stood up and chuckled.

“I would watch it if I were you, been getting a lot of compliments on our techniques and even a few comparisons to you. I, of course, came out on top,” he teased.

“Bullshit. That’s men kissing your ass so you take it easy on them,” Basile replied and Flame laughed.

“There she is,” Yani said, joining the conversation. He went right over to Natalia and gave her a kiss hello. “Your coloring looks better and better each day.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, and Spadaro walked closer with Vacarro and Tat.

“How are you and the team liking Repose?” Natalia asked, and leaned her head back against the couch. She cringed, more than likely from the stitches she still had on her back and shoulder.

“It’s seems nice. We haven’t gone off the campground yet. Been busy cleaning up this mess of an operation your four men had going on.” Yani now teased.

“You two are so full of shit,” Tat said, and they chuckled.

“Hey, no bullshit. That’s why Slova and Cast are still out in the field. Not enough hours in the day to straighten things out and get them done right,” Yani added.

“Aren’t you two just so funny,” Basile stated, and then the doorbell rang.

“Oh, that’s probably Marianna,” Natalia said, and Flame looked at Yani. They met Marianna a couple of times at the hospital. The woman had gorgeous hazel green eyes and was friendly and outgoing. Seemed kind of tough, too.

Tat went to answer the door, and then a few seconds later he walked into the room with Marianna and she looked incredible.

The guys whistled.

“Where are you going dressed like that?” Basile asked.

“Another date?” Natalia asked.

Marianna smiled and shyly looked down, then ran her hands along the very tight, slim fitting wine colored gown. It had a slit up the side of her thigh, accentuated her full breasts, and attached to a piece around her neck. The back had strands of material that led to the lower dip in the back of the dress and indicated that she wasn’t wearing a bra because the back was fully open. He saw the tattoo that peeked out slightly at her hip on the right side.

She twirled around.

“Unfortunately, it’s work related. I think I’m done with dates for some time.”

“Work related? I thought you worked for the utility company.” Vacarro asked her, kissing her cheek hello.

“I do have more than one job remember? It’s at a private party in some mansion in Cambridge. I figured I wouldn’t have time to run back home to Ausberry and change. I wanted to be sure to spend my full time visiting you,” she said to Natalia.

“That will give them all enough time to talk work stuff,” Natalia said, and then exhaled as she leaned back.

Flame noticed how Marianna looked upset seeing her friend in pain.

“Oh, Marianna, you remember meeting Flame and Yani?” Spadaro asked her.

“Of course. At the hospital a few times.” She reached her hand out to shake Yani’s since he was closer, and Flame couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was an attractive young woman even in jeans and a t-shirt, but damn was she sexy hot all dressed up. He reached for her hand next.

“That’s a beautiful dress. Nice seeing you again, honey,” he said, and her smile changed and disappeared as she pulled back and turned away. He glanced at Yani who shrugged his shoulders, but then looked back at Marianna. “Can we get you something to drink?” Tat asked her.

“I’m good, thanks,” Marianna said and walked to the couch. Basile moved out of the way.

“Baby, do you need anything?” Basile asked Natalia.

“I’m good. You go with them too, to talk business. I’ll catch up with Marianna and about her date the other night,” Natalia said, and Flame didn’t know why he felt a little tinge of jealousy. He didn’t even know the woman, really, but damn did she pull his attention. It had been a long time since that happened. A long time.

“Come on, we’ll go right in here to the kitchen,” Tat said, and as Flame and Yani walked he overheard Marianna.

“No need to really discuss the date, he was part octopus,” she said.

“Octopus?” Natalia asked.

“Very, very handsy, kept trying to grope me under the table and before we even ordered appetizers.”

“Oh man, and he was older too, and good looking,” Natalia said.

“A creep. I nearly punched him out before the end of the evening.”

“How did things end?”

“I paid for the dinner so the jerk wouldn’t dare say I owed him anything. That is the last date I’m going on for a while. Men are assholes.” Natalia chuckled.

“Not all men are,” Natalia said, and then looked toward Flame, who lingered a little longer in the entryway and Natalia caught his gaze. She smiled and gave him a wink. He headed into the kitchen, worried that Natalia might think he was interested in Marianna. Was he?

“Marianna looks incredible. I wonder why she doesn’t do any performing locally?” Vacarro asked Tat.

ADULT EXCERPT 

He stepped closer, grabbed her by the front of her robe and pulled her against him. He towered over her, especially since she was barefoot. His other arm wrapped around her waist, his hand over her ass, squeezing. “Maybe there won’t be a next time. Maybe we’ll take you off the market,” he stated.

She stared at his face, at the seriousness in his tone, and could see his team move closer too now. The sound of the whistle on her kettle went off, and Slova, who returned from the bathroom, turned off the stove.

“I’m not going to be a piece of ass to you and your team just because you made sure I didn’t wind up in another man’s bed,” she snapped at him. His face turned red and she knew she pissed him off. She didn’t know why she was saying these things to him, asking for him to make some sort of concrete declaration or something, so she wouldn’t feel like last night was a nightmare she wouldn’t get over.

“A piece of ass? Definitely not just a piece of ass.” He kissed her.

Just like that, Flame covered her mouth and kissed her, while he squeezed her ass hard and then turned and pressed her against the table. His hands went under her robe to her panties. He shoved them down and she panicked, but then moaned as his fingers found her clit then shoved up into her pussy. He moaned into her mouth and then lifted her with one arm, lowered her to the table and thrust his fingers into her cunt. She gasped, lifted her mouth to continue to kiss him as he pulled his mouth from her lips, suckled her neck and stroked. She came, moaning, crying out.

“Holy fuck,” Slovan said. They gathered around her, hands pressed the straps of her bra to the side and exposed her full, needy breasts.

“You deserve to be laid on a bed of roses and catered to, not fucked,” Flame stated to her in an angry tone, and then lowered down her body, tugged her nipple, then licked down her belly to where his fingers continued to stroke her cunt. He pulled his fingers out as Slova and Yani cupped her breasts on either side, and then suckled on the tips. Cast pulled her arms up above her head as he stood behind her, restraining her and she cried out another release. “Oh God. Oh!” she exclaimed, and then Flame replaced fingers with his mouth and tongue and feasted on her.

“Flame!” she cried out, thrusting her hips upward, but then Cast covered her mouth and kissed her from behind. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her, and like a well-oiled machine, one unit, one team, they shifted positions. Now Cast’s fingers stroked into her cunt and then his mouth feasted on her. As she came in tiny spurts of pleasure, they complemented her taste. “You’re delicious, baby, and this is not about sex, but so much more,” Flame said to her.

She moaned and Yani released her lips and Flame kissed her. “Taste yourself. How delicious your cream is,” he said, and then plunged his tongue into her mouth. Cast moved away from her cunt and Slova was there next.

He tapped her pussy, spanked it. She lifted her hips and moaned into Flame’s mouth.

“That’s right baby, you never had lovers like us before. Not ever.” he said, and then nipped her clit as he plunged is tongue into her pussy, swirling, nipping, tugging on it, making it swell and causing tiny vibrations to erupt deep within her. Yani tugged on her nipple and then Flame released her lips and brought her hands back to his cock to stroke it. She gasped. “Oh God!”

“This is how hard you have me,” he told her, and then Yani was taking Slovan’s place and fingering her cunt, curling his finger and making her orgasm again. “I can’t take it. Oh please. Please,” she said, and then felt Yani’s tongue slide over her asshole, and then a moment later a finger slid into her ass and he was pumping fingers into both holes.

“Ohhhhh!” She moaned out, her voice leaving completely as she lifted her torso up and then hit her ass and back down hard onto the table.

“Holy shit!” Slova said, and then Yani pulled fingers from her ass and cunt, lifted her up into his arms, and hugged her to him.

Her thighs were shaking as she clung to him and panted for breath.

“Never. That was a complete first for me. Oh God, this can’t be real. Oh God,” she said, and then the sound of her cell phone ringing and ringing couldn’t be ignored. It was an alert to get back to reality. This was a mistake. It had to be.

She pulled back and Yani helped her stand up. Slova assisted her into her robe then kissed her forehead. She leaned back against the table, catching her breath.

“Are you going to answer that?” Flame said, and she shook her head.

“I don’t think I have a voice left,” she said, trying to catch her breath. Cast reached up and cupped her cheek.

“This is different, you realize that?” he asked her, stroking her jaw.

“I…I don’t know what this is,” she said, voice really hoarse and cracking, feeling the walls go up. She couldn’t do this, could she? Entertain such a desire? She thought of her mom’s words, about men using women for sex, and not being reliable. A ménage? Seriously?

“Don’t overthink things. A lot has happened and very quickly,” Cast said.

“I can’t think right now.”

“Don’t then. Let’s enjoy breakfast, and make some plans,” Slova said, and then turned the kettle back on.

She ran her fingers through her hair and stared at their gorgeous bare chests and seasoned smiles. These were men, not boys, not young cowboys looking to knock boots. No, these men knew a woman’s body well, but could they be trusted? Could they be a means to happiness, even just to lose her virginity to in a sensational, meaningful manner? Why did that thought upset her? She liked them. Hell, she wanted to taste them, to explore their bodies, and she didn’t even know how to do that. She felt brazen, alive, enthusiastic, wanton, so was it wrong or what? Would she get hurt, or what? Did she even care if she got hurt? Pain healed, surely she could heal from loving them and then getting left by them when they went back to their lives in Florida, or wherever it was they decided they needed to go to next. They said last night how much they traveled and how often they were called into duty.

She thought about her mom. She wasn’t healed. She hurt every day. She sustained pain every day for years. Men can’t be trusted, Marianna. Never trust a man, with your body and definitely not with your heart.

The tea kettle whistled, and she quickly turned and prepared her tea with honey as the men made plates of food and cups of coffee, and joined her at her small kitchen table, making her wonder what life would be like if love was actually real. If these men were for real and not just after sex. She wondered as the walls came up tighter, thicker, and soon she was relaxing and acting like everything was fine, but knowing that she couldn’t ever see them again like this. Intimately like this. Alone like this.