"Now what's bothering you?" Micah asked curiously.
Nathan grimaced and set his drink down on his knee, his hand curled cautiously around it to keep from spilling it on his pants.
"I'm going to come clean with Julie."
Micah arched a brow. "Uh-oh."
Nathan shook his head. "I should have been up-front with her from the beginning. This was a stupid idea and it can only come back to bite me on the ass."
"So if she wants another threesome, you're out?"
"Yeah. I'm not coming here again, and I'm hoping to hell she won't either. I don't like the idea of her being passed around like some piece of meat no one gives a fuck about. She's better than that."
Micah blew out his breath. "Okay, you know I don't agree with your assessment that her being here equates to her being treated like some whore or that the men here wouldn't treat her well. I respect your feelings on the subject, but I don't agree with them. That said, this is your gig, man. I'm only along for the ride. At your request, I might add."
"Yeah, I know. Look, this isn't about me being pissed at you or even Damon. It just doesn't feel right. I care about Julie, and it occurred to me that being here fucking her while she's blindfolded isn't the best way to start a relationship."
Micah snickered. "Bet your mama never accused you of being very bright."
Nathan flipped him the bird. Then he grew more serious. "I fucked up, Micah. This was a stupid idea, one I didn't think through. If I have my way, Julie and I will be seeing a lot more of each other, which means hanging out with our mutual friends. It's going to be awfully damn awkward once she finds out you and I both fucked her."
Micah looked genuinely confused. "I don't get it."
"You're my friend. If Julie's my girl, getting together will be awkward, given the fact you two have fucked."
"Ah."
Micah gave him one of those looks that suggested Nathan was still green. He hated that damn look. He continued to study Nathan for another long moment and then looked away and sighed.
"Look man, what I'm about to tell you goes no further than us. Normally I'd cut my lips off before I'd say anything about either of these women, particularly if there was any chance it would get back to them and embarrass them."
Nathan crooked an eyebrow. Leave it to Micah to get all brooding and mysterious.
"Okay, you've got my attention. Spill."
"I've slept with Faith."
Nathan's jaw dropped. "Faith? Our Faith? Little sister Faith Malone?"
Micah snorted. "If all you see is baby sister when you look at Faith, you need your equipment examined. The girl is Hot with a capital H."
Nathan stared incredulously at him. "You're serious, aren't you? When the hell did you sleep with her? Does Gray know?"
"Considering he was there, yeah."
Nathan blinked owlishly. Ooo-kay. "You mean you and him ..."
Micah nodded. "Yeah, a threesome. Right before Gray was shot and Faith was kidnapped."
"Wow, I'd have never guessed."
"Exactly."
"What are you getting at here?" Nathan asked.
"I've also seen Serena naked," he continued.
"That doesn't really surprise me. About Damon, I mean. He seems to have pretty relaxed standards about that sort of thing," Nathan said dryly.
Micah lifted one eyebrow and stared back at Nathan. "I think you'd be surprised. Damon doesn't share what is his. He's pretty damn primitive when it comes to Serena. It's a long story, but I saw her naked. Touched her even, but it wasn't sexual. I never had sex with her. I was there for a get-together, and he and Serena had a slight misunderstanding. She tried to embarrass him in front of his guests. He punished her for it."
"Whoa, he hurt her?" Nathan asked aghast.
Micah scowled. "Do you think I'd have any part in hurting a woman? Ever? That's not what their relationship is about. I don't expect you to understand it. That's not what I'm getting at anyway."
"What are you getting at then?"
"The point is, I see both women all the time. There isn't any awkwardness because none of us has any reason to be embarrassed or ashamed. Julie is a cool customer. I don't think much would make her tuck tail and run. She might twist your balls up for fucking her on the sly, but if you and her keep seeing one another, you aren't going to have to worry about me and her acting like fourth graders around each other."
"You know how to get to the heart of the matter, don't you," Nathan murmured.
"I understand your reluctance to keep doing it this way," Micah said as he stared down into his drink. "If she was my woman, I wouldn't be hip on her fucking another guy, unless it was at my instigation."
Nathan cocked his head then shook it. "I guess it's just not the turn-on for me that it is for you. It's hot in a porn kind of way but it makes me all itchy and knots me up inside to see another man's hands on her body. I've done it her way. I've given her the fantasy she wanted. But now it's time to do things my way for a while."
Micah chuckled. "Let me know how that works for you. Julie doesn't seem like the type of woman you can easily bring to heel."
Nathan gave him a disgusted look. "I don't want to bring her to heel. I just want to be the only guy in her bed."
"Fair enough. Takes balls to own up to what you've done and be honest. Most guys would keep their mouth shut and hope she never found out."
"I may wish I'd done just that if she tries to remove my balls with a rusty spoon."
"She's one hot woman, Tucker. You're a lucky son of a bitch if you rope her."
Nathan grinned. "Don't I know it. Don't I know it. And hey, Micah. This is awkward as hell for me, but I wanted to say thanks." He almost groaned as the words came out of his mouth. What kind of moron did it make him to be thanking his buddy for fucking his woman? But better it was Micah than some other jerk who had no regard for Julie's pleasure and well-being.
A flirty grin curved Micah's mouth upward and a gleam entered his eye. "Not a problem at all. Remind your girl when the time comes that you've got her hog-tied and under your palm that she owes me one."
"Oh? What does she owe you?"
"Nothing yet. But she will," he added with unrestrained glee. "She definitely will."
Julie stepped into the hallway and paused at the top of the stairs. She should go. Exhaustion whispered in her ear and made her muscles sag like overcooked pasta. But the murmur of voices from the opposing end of the hallway drew her.
She'd never actually been by the common room when it was in use. Damon had given her a tour of the facilities when no one had been around. But he'd told her about it, and her curiosity had been firmly piqued.
Straightening her T-shirt and smoothing her hands down her jeans, she walked quietly down the corridor, blinking as the lighting got stronger.
When she stepped into the doorway, she scanned the room, disappointed that for the most part, everyone seemed to be standing around. There was one couple stuck in a far corner going at it like rabbits, but that seemed to be it. So much for public debauchery.
Then her gaze lighted on a woman in the middle of the room, a woman that every eye was upon. She was completely nude, her long black hair sliding down her back like a veil of silk. Her hands were bound together at the wrists above her head and then tied to a heavy wooden beam that formed an upside down U.
Dear God, it was Serena.
Julie's breath caught in painful anticipation. What the hell was Serena doing here? Well, here and naked. She shouldn't be surprised that Serena was here, given that the place belonged to Damon. But what on earth was going on?