“Good morning, Carter.”
Her scorn-fueled greeting had the man she was addressing going pale.
She shifted her eyes to their crotches, waiting for one or both of them to piss themselves after the obvious fact that she’d heard their remarks. “Maybe if you didn’t turn in papers that were filled with so many errors a five-year-old would write, you might have actually gotten that last award. But then, what do I know? According to you, I’m a brainless cocksucker.” Usually, Mika let such crass behavior slide off her back, but being called an ugly cunt had lit a fire in her that her thick skin couldn’t tolerate. “I’ll have to ask Nancy in HR if cocksucking is in my job description because, according to you, I’ve been slacking on that duty.” The others in the group began to disperse at frightening speed.
That Carter looked like his leg had become ensnared in a bear’s trap hadn’t given her any pleasure. She’d been too hurt and disgusted at the level some men went to take the blame off their own shoulders, and instead putting it on an innocent who took her work seriously.
It wouldn’t be the last time she’d had to deal with that type of behavior, but at least they’d been smart enough afterward not to do it within earshot.
After toweling herself off, she opened the bag of makeup sitting next to the sink in the hope of doing an adequate job at applying it on her face.
Taking a step back, she admired her handiwork. “Not bad, Mika. Not great either, but it’ll do.”
If any of the men had a few drinks under their belts, it could get her a passing glance in a darkened bar.
She was certain that neither of the two men outside would’ve given her a second glance, even with the casual clothes and makeup.
Thankfully, she wasn’t looking for men who reminded her of Hawkeye or a dark-haired Thor. She was searching for basic. And the more basic, the better. Someone who didn’t stand out. Someone she could use to find out if she were capable of being normal during her brief stay in Treepoint.
Classified as a prodigy since she was three years old, she spent her life in classrooms, striving to learn more to satisfy the thirst of knowledge that, despite the hours of dedication she put in, was never enough.
She had few friends, and the few she’d kept throughout the years considered her boring and lifeless. They asked her how to fix a computer but never bothered to ask her opinion on the latest movie. And she loved movies, yet her “friends” never asked her to go to one. They’d used her as their listening board or shoulder to cry on, but anytime she ventured to give advice or expand the limits of the “friendship,” it was not just ignored criticized.
That was why she decided to use the opportunity being in Treepoint would provide.
A one-night stand. A way to get her feet wet with no repercussions, no guilt.
Nothing but a brief encounter, one that would springboard a more confident and assured Mika. Then, when it was over, she would go back home to California. And the next time one of her friends talked about sex, she would have the experience and knowledge to contribute.
She believed you learned by doing, but so far the only experience she had with sex was a goodnight kiss after her one and only date. That had been two years ago when she had agreed to meet someone on a dating app.
Picking up the tube of red lipstick, she glided the vivid red color on her pursed lips. She had done her preliminary research, discovering that men found the color red sexually arousing.
Preening in the mirror, she smacked her lips, then winced at her reflection.
“This is going to be a disaster.”
Yes, it is, the little voice at the back of her mind spoke up.
CHAPTER 2
While sliding a bill into the money slot, Jonas was unable to take his eyes off the auburn-haired woman as she turned the corner. If she hadn’t been giving him a death glare, he would have tried to make small talk.
A finger was hovering over his selection when his partner and the redhead bumped into each other. His mouth twitched in a small smile when he saw that Hammer was just as disconcerted as he had been. But when the redhead moved aside, continuing on her way without giving Hammer the time of day, he was just as disappointed as when she had done it to him.
“Damn.” Hammer had a heavy frown as he approached him.
“I know, right?” he grumbled. “She say anything to you?” Making his selection, he then bent down to grab his soda.
“She said, ‘excuse me.’” Taking his wallet out, Hammer grabbed a bill to get himself a drink as well.
“What’d you say?” Jonas asked, unscrewing the bottle, then hastily holding it out so the bubbling liquid wouldn’t spill on him.
“What do you think I said? I said, ‘I’m sorry.’”
“That’s it?”
“The rest is kind of a blur. Man, did you get a look at her?”
“Yeah. Damn, I wonder how long she’s in town for. Or if she’s married.”
“She didn’t seem like she wanted to stop and chat.” Hammer got his drink, not bothering to open his after seeing the mess Jonas was dealing with from the overly shaken bottle.
“It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t seem the type to take us on anyway.”
“No shit. Can’t imagine her taking on either one of us, much less both.”
“Damn. You think she was here for the wedding?” Jonas knew that wasn’t possible, but he wanted to make sure. It had been hard to let the compelling woman walk away.
“No.” Hammer strode next to him as they made their way back to their room. Opening the door, he went inside first, letting Hammer follow and close the door. “T.A. and Dalton invited close friends and relatives to the wedding and reception, and since we’re the ones who checked them all out, you know damn good and well she wasn’t there.”
Jonas set the soda on the nightstand before sprawling out on one of the two double beds. “This is getting ridiculous. There has to be a woman somewhere that we can agree on, and who won’t run away when we tell them that we want to have a triad relationship.”
Hammer sprawled out on the other bed. “If you come up with any ideas, let me know. I’m out of them. The last woman you wanted me to consider gave me the heebie-jeebies.”
“Don’t blame me for that one. You’re the one who picked her out from her profile. I was just willing to take more of a chance and actually meet her, instead of wasting time sharing texts. At least we knew after five minutes it wasn’t going to work out.”
“It would have been a dumpster fire.”
Jonas agreed.
Grabbing the remote, he turned the television on, settling on a murder drama. They watched in silence until the alarm on his watch went off.
“You ready?” Hammer asked, already getting off the bed.
Jonas switched the television off, then each of them grabbed their jackets before going outside to their Escalade.
Letting Hammer take the driver’s seat while he climbed into the passenger’s seat, he scoured the front of the motel building, hoping to catch another glimpse of the redhead.
“Give it up,” Hammer advised.
Jonas buckled his seat belt, gloomily looking outside at the bleak landscape. He hated winter months with the trees bare.
“You should start seeing Debra again.”
Jonas looked at his lifelong friend. “It’s useless. She already said no to us.”
“She said no to a relationship with me, not you. You liked her. It could work out.”
“It won’t work without you. We’ve talked this over a million times. A polyamorous is the only hope we have of making a relationship work. Sooner or later, we’ll find someone.”
He tried to be positive, but he was beginning to mirror the doubt that he saw in Hammer’s face.
“We both know the problem isn’t with you. It’s me. Find a woman and settle down, Jonas.”
He gave Hammer an unsparing glance as the man drove into the parking lot of the local bar. “I haven’t exactly had a successful relationship w
ithout you taking part in it. I don’t know why you think I have all these women falling at my feet.” Jonas gave an angry huff. “We’re both miserable sons of bitches alone. Without each other, we’d end up in divorce court before the honeymoon was over. So, cool it. We’ll find her.” Jonas tried to perk his friend up by trying to joke about their predicament. “You never know, the lucky woman could be in Rosie’s right now, just waiting for us to make her night.”
Hammer pretended to heave at his joke. “You’re full of shit.”
Jonas laughed as he got out of the SUV.
The outside of the bar was nondescript, sitting nestled in the middle of the mountains, not far from The Last Riders’ clubhouse.
Walking inside, Jonas was disheartened to see there weren’t any women. He ignored Hammer’s I-told-you-so glare as he strode toward the bar.
“Hey, Mick.”
“Jonas, Hammer, what can I get you guys tonight?”
“We’ll take a couple of beers.”
Recognizing one of the men sitting at the bar, he gave a brief nod at Moon who sat glumly, staring into his glass of whiskey.
“Rough night?” Jonas asked, reaching for the beer that Mick set down in front of him.
“Fuck off.”
Jonas wasn’t offended by the man’s insult. It looked like he and Hammer weren’t the only single males who were unhappy at spending Valentine’s Day alone.
Letting his eyes slide around the bar, he took in the other men sitting around. Outside of one guy sitting at a table by the wall, the rest of the men were all looking just as downcast as Moon. It was dark in the bar, but Jonas was experienced enough to recognize that the man sitting alone was pretty lit.
“What are you two doing here instead of hanging out at T.A.’s wedding?”
At Mick’s voice, Jonas turned his attention back to him. “It was too crowded.”