Season 1—Seduction—Episode 5

Lily pushed the cart out of the service elevator at precisely ten o’clock the next morning. She continued along the hall, not directly down the middle, so the wheels moved smoothly over the marble rather than roughly over the rugs.

She was having huge reservations about this gig. All wrapped around the erotic thoughts of Lex and Jax that she couldn’t banish from her mind.

Good Lord. Lex was wildly charismatic with his gorgeous smile and even more gorgeous visage and bulging biceps.

And Jax . . . Yes, intimidating as hell. But when he’d been standing before her in nothing but a towel . . .

She tamped down a moan as the vision of him flashed in her overactive brain. Tall, commanding, and seriously, seriously hot. Chiseled to perfection, as she suspected Lex was under his polo shirt and dress pants.

Lying awake in her room the previous evening, she’d found it impossible not to fantasize about the two of them. She’d like to say it was because she hadn’t had an actual boyfriend in forever—hadn’t had sex in just as long. But the truth was that no man had turned her inside out so quickly, so vehemently. Not to mention no two men.

Yet Lex and Jax had sparked her libido. And Lily hadn’t missed the glint of attraction in their eyes.

Though . . . That spelled trouble in a lot of ways.

Especially since her initial fantasy had started with Jax dripping wet from his shower. He hadn’t left much to the imagination when he’d surprised her in his bedroom. She’d caught a glimpse of his erection beginning to tent his towel.

In her reverie, she’d envisioned skimming her fingernails over the hard swells of his pecs, lightly scraping his small, beaded nipples, and continuing downward, the pads of her fingers flattening against the ridges of his abs to absorb every quiver of his flesh and flexing of his muscles beneath her touch.

Then she licked a few drops of water from his warm skin before she stripped away the material at his waist, sinking to her knees in front of him and taking him in her mouth. Feeling the weight of him on her tongue as his shaft glided along, her teeth gently grazing velvet-covered steel, just enough to make his hips jerk and his breath come in heavier pulls.

As she palmed his balls and gently rolled them, she sucked deep, until he growled low and primal.

Then Lex had stepped from the shadows of her mind. Naked and hard. And she couldn’t resist him. Had released Jax and repeated the process with Lex. Switching between men every few minutes until she’d felt their releases build. She’d gotten Jax off first. Then Lex.

All the while, in reality, Lily had been snuggled between her sheets, one hand kneading her breast, the other between her legs, her fingers sweeping over her slick folds, then circling her clit as the pressure mounted.

Thinking of the powerful duo of Jackson Sterling and Lexington Alexander coming because of her ministrations was what had sent her over the edge. And it’d been one hell of an orgasm.

Now she passed through the open doors of the music room, fighting the flush creeping up her neck to her jaw and cheeks over her naughty thoughts about her bosses.

She skirted the grand piano and the four violins resting on stands along the wall of windows and stopped just shy of the terrace.

It was a beautiful California day. Bright-blue sky, waves rolling onto the shore below, a balmy breeze. The two objects of her wicked desire sat at the large glass-topped table along the curved railing. Lex was scribbling madly in a notepad. Jax was reading the San Francisco Chronicle.

Lily expertly set out their first-course brunch selections. Served orange juice and coffee. Then stood off to the side while they ate, awaiting any requests they might have.

The air was a bit different between them this morning. Last night, there’d been palpable tension and disconcertion. Now there was quiet harmony. Suggesting they were very attuned with each other physically. Knew each other on a level she couldn’t quite fathom. Best friends. Unrelated brothers. More?

They didn’t need to speak. Went about brunch innately knowing when to pass the salt and pepper, not disturbing the other, each lost in his own thoughts.

But there was something else that she couldn’t fully decipher. It was as though they were connected viscerally. And it fascinated her.

Lily didn’t interrupt them as she refreshed their beverages. Whisked away empty plates. Reset the napkins and flatware for the next course. She could do all of this with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back, she surmised. Had that much experience. But while her movements were blissfully graceful and her duties easily executed, there was an electric current running through her veins that had her nerve endings snapping and sizzling.

Lily had never been attracted to two men at the same time—and so intensely. She hoped like hell they couldn’t tell. Hoped they didn’t even notice her, so engrossed were they in their own activities. Because that was the safe and sane road to travel.

Not the one that conversely told her she wanted them to notice her every single time she walked into a room.

The way they’d both looked at her upon their individual meetings, and then when she’d poured cocktails for them, had her thinking the attraction wasn’t just one-sided. But three-sided.

Though after her ruminations had run wild last night and she’d also contemplated if Lex and Jax actually were accustomed to love triangles—still considering their fallout from years ago—she had to admit it really wasn’t wise to speculate about any of this. Certainly not to fantasize about it when her paycheck hung in the balance.

So dial down the lust, girlfriend.

Lily needed this income to supplement the savings she’d almost depleted with a broken-down car, a huge spike in rent the last time her lease had been renewed, and a dental emergency her insurance hadn’t covered.

To say she was a bit desperate financially was putting it mildly. Not that she couldn’t have weathered the storm while still working at the Cliff House. She’d made a decent salary, and tips had been very good. But Lily had been scrimping for years as she’d planned an epic trip-of-a-lifetime to Europe, and she didn’t want to miss out on it. Particularly the month in Paris she’d dreamed of since she was a kid. The only gift she’d ever really give herself, but there was more to it than that.

So she had to keep this new employment arrangement in perspective.

Unfortunately, Lex was disinclined to let her quietly blend into the background.

He said, “Greta tells us you’re originally from River Cross, Lily.”

“Yes, that’s right. My father works for the Angelini estate.”

The Angelinis were considered royalty in the elite wine country community, along with another, the Catalanos. The two families were embroiled in a feud to rival that of the Montagues and Capulets over a massive piece of property they jointly owned but could neither sell nor develop.

Lily’s father had always contended it was a waste to let such prime real estate sit, undeveloped, because of an argument. But both heads of household were stubborn and stuck to their guns.

Jax, still perusing the paper, said, “That’s a long drive up to the Cliff House.”

“Little over an hour once you reach the coastal highway. I only worked the weekends until I turned eighteen, and then I moved into the city to make it an easier commute and so that I could sign on full-time.”

“You must have gone to school with Rogen Angelini and Vin D’Angelo in River Cross,” Lex guessed.

“They and Jewel Catalano are three years older than me, so I didn’t see them in school after the sixth grade, but certainly at their estates. Scarlet Drake, as well, whose grandmother is—”

“L. C. Seymour,” Jax casually interjected. “The bestselling mystery writer.”

“A lot of her novels have been turned into movies,” Lily added.

“Do you also know Christian Davila?” Jax asked.

“Sure. He owns Bristol’s. The Angelinis hosted my graduation party there, and he and Rory St. James made an appearance. Chef St. James flew in a pastry chef from Paris to make my cake and other desserts, on behalf of the Angelinis.”

It’d been an incredible evening and she’d be forever indebted to Rogen’s family for treating hers so well. Lily knew the party was mostly a show of respect to her father for his years of loyalty and discretion; she’d been grateful for their generosity nonetheless.

“Well, then,” Lex mused as he closed the cover of his notebook. “The New Year’s Eve party Jax and I are throwing will be like a reunion for you, because all of the aforementioned people have RSVP’d. With the exception of Anthony, Sophia, and Jewel Catalano, who are apparently ringing in the New Year in Vienna.”

A convenient out for them, Lily mentally contended. Because the Catalanos wouldn’t be caught dead at the same party as the Angelinis. The wounds ran that deep.

Lily said, “This’ll be a treat for me. I haven’t been home in a while, so I never see anyone—and Rogen and Vin have been working in the Italian headquarters up until recently, I heard.”

“Just returned a couple of months ago,” Lex said. “That’s when Jax and I met them for the first time. At the Bayfront Yacht Club. They were sailing that day.”

“A favorite pastime for them both.” Lily smiled brightly at the prospect of seeing Rogen and Vin, who’d been good friends to her while she was growing up. As well as Scarlet and Scarlet’s bestie, Bayli Styles.

Lily had lost touch with everyone when she’d moved to the city. Mostly because she’d chosen to rent an apartment in the Outer Richmond District, close to the water and the Cliff House. Jewel, Scarlet, and Bayli had lived in San Francisco during their college days, but might as well have been a million miles away in North Beach, so Lily had rarely seen them.

She was looking forward to some quick catch-ups while she served them all at the party. Naturally, she felt a familiar tinge of inferiority about being the hired help among her glamorous and jet-setting acquaintances, but it was no secret to anyone in River Cross that she came from humble beginnings and would stay there. Lily had always been a hard worker, and no one had ever discounted that. So she could let it roll off her back that she’d be the girl handing out the glasses of expensive champagne, not the one drinking them.

Lex and Jax polished off their plates, and Lily cleared the table again. She left the terrace with the cart. In the kitchen, she assured Greta everything had gone beautifully with the brunch service, and the house manager was pleased.

Over the next couple of days, Lily fell more comfortably into step with her tasks, not disrupting her bosses as they immersed themselves in their project. And she sensed the two men were finding a more productive, creative channel.

Sure enough, on New Year’s Eve morning, Greta informed Lily, “Evidently, things are heating up with the new compositions, so I’m moving you to a suite upstairs. You will have to be available to Lex and Jax at all times.”

It came as a warning, though Lily was already well aware her duties weren’t limited to the hours of eight to five.

“I’m fully prepared for that,” she insisted. “Was expecting it, actually. My family lived in ancillary housing for servants on the Angelini estate, and my father spent the majority of his time in the mansion. I’m completely amenable to the commitment involved.” And it was just two months out of her life. With one hell of a huge payoff—if she didn’t fuck it up by visibly drooling over her employers.

Greta further told her, “I’ve sent information for tonight’s festivities to your in-room iPad. Specifically regarding the VIPs who will surround Lex and Jax. I know it’s a tight time line, but you’ll need to put faces to names and know their preferred cocktails—though always ask if there’s something else they’d like instead.”

“Got it. I’ve worked a lot of private parties on the side, plus I know a number of the guests attending. And the memory rocks.” She tapped a fingertip against her temple.

“Good. Now, there’s one more thing. Your attire for the evening has already been selected by Lex and Jax and I’ve had everything delivered to your suite. The ensemble comes with accessories. Extremely expensive accessories. In fact, two guards from Cartier will be keeping tabs on the crowd—and you.”

With a soft laugh, Lily said, “So I don’t abscond with the jewels?”

“To make sure nothing happens to the jewels,” Greta contended.

“I can’t imagine anyone on the guest list would back me into a dark corner and steal whatever it is I’m going to be wearing.”

Though… Now Lily had sinfully delicious thoughts of Lex and Jax backing her into a dark corner.

And stripping off whatever she was wearing…

Writer’s Note: What’s in store for Lily this evening? Read on to find out how this sexy threesome plays out! Also, the River Cross characters (the Angelinis and Catalanos, et al.) star in a love triangle series titled “The Billionaires.” The Billionaires, The Billionaires: The Bosses and The Billionaires: The Stepbrothers are all available in print and digital format! All my best to you, lovely readers. Stay safe and healthy! <3