“I’m sure we can figure something out.” Antonio glided his hand under the elastic of her panties, and she sighed.
While Justin didn’t think two times made a habit, he was willing to take the risk.
* * * *
THE NEXT WEEK AND Ahalf passed the same way—weekdays filled with plowing toward the deadline, another weekend mixed with PP work, and both spiced by a healthy dose of play. By some unspoken rule, sex never happened without all three of them, as far as Justin knew. It was working. He didn’t have any complaints.
They were going to meet their beta cutoff date with a working product. PP was a few weeks delayed, but it would be ready to wow the board shortly after.
One thing nagged at Justin, and the closer their dates loomed, the harder it was to ignore. No one mentioned it, but when this was all over, Emily would move on to another project. The three of them didn’t have any sort of a romantic relationship, but without the guise of coming together for work, Justin didn’t think it was right to suggest she show up as a booty call. In fact, the notion left a foul taste in his mouth.
His phone rang, and he answered it, lost in thought. “This is Justin.”
“Hey.” A familiar female voice tickled his memory. “It’s Lia. How have you been?”
His ex-fiancée. Every muscle in his body tensed. “Fine.” He tried to keep his voice pleasant.
“I’m glad to hear it. I was wondering—can I see you?”
* * * *
“WHERE’S THE OLD MAN?” Andrew asked.
Antonio had never understood the nickname for Justin, but that was probably because he was closer in age to him than they were to Andrew. “This is the first night we’ve had off in a few weeks, so he had to run some errands. He’ll be by in an hour or two.” He didn’t know why he held back the full story. It might be because he couldn’t help his concern over what it meant that Justin was having coffee with Lia.
Andrew and his fiancée, Susan, were seated in Antonio’s living room. Antonio was happy to see the couple, but it still took some getting used to. Andrew was the last person Antonio expected to settle down, and Susan was as much Andrew’s opposite as was possible. She was light to his darkness and optimism to his cynicism.
Antonio had never seen Andrew happier.
“That means we can gossip like school girls until he gets here.” Andrew smirked. “Tell me how it’s going. How are you two?”
Antonio wanted to feign irritation at the comical tone, but the attitude made him smile. Andrew’s support and friendship when Antonio was younger were among the key reasons Antonio was able to admit to himself that he was bisexual. That also meant Andrew was the only other person besides Emily—and Susan soon, if she wasn’t already up-to-date on the situation—who knew how Antonio felt about Justin. “We’re... good.” Shit. Why did he hesitate?
Andrew raised his brows. “Which sounds different than the stock answer ofsame as always.”
“It’s been a long few weeks,” Antonio said.
“I’ve heard. Not sure what that has to do with the conversation. What’s changed?”
“We met this woman.” Antonio wouldn’t tell this to anyone else, but despite Andrew’s tendency toward storytelling, he was trustworthy and could keep a secret.
Susan sat up a little straighter. “As in both of you?”
“Don’t give her any ideas.” Andrew’s voice held a warning tone. “But what she said. Since when is there awebetween you two, when it comes to women?”
Antonio cringed. “That came out wrong. Justin met this woman, who turned out to be our new contractor, and things got complicated. She likes to beshared? I don’t have a better way to put it.”
“People really do that? He”—Susan nodded at Andrew—“insists that’s movie magic and fantasy.”
“And you believe him?” Antonio had a hard time swallowing that Andrew pulled off a comment like that with a straight face.
She smiled and leaned her head against Andrew’s shoulder. “No. But I told him I did, because it’s flattering he’s vocal about keeping me to himself.”
The ease with which the couple showed their affection for each other pinged a jealous chord in Antonio that he couldn’t ignore. He wanted something like that.
Andrew growled. “Don’t tell people that. I have a reputation.” He turned back to Antonio. “Seriously, though. I’m trying to make sense of this. You meet this woman who doesn’t mind being the filling on a meat sandwich, and she’s sticking around, but you’re still hung up on him.”
“Yes and no.”