Page 22 of Indecent Proposal
“Oh.” She didn’t mean to sound so surprised. Sabrina looked up at the two men framing her on the left and right, wondering whattheirplans with her would be. They’d expressed that they wanted to be with her all together, not one-on-one. Would that change with Conner being out of town?
“If you’re not too tired,” Conner continued, “we’d like to come by tonight.” He angled his body toward her and looked down at her with a look that left nothing to the imagination. He wasn’t asking about watching movies and having dinner. Conner wanted her. He was requesting her time and body for all three of them. Tonight.
She wasn’t ready!
Panic set in as Sabrina’s mind raced. She hadn’t gotten waxed. Hadn’t trimmed the bush or the toenails or, hell, plucked the stupid dark hairs around her upper lip yet. She needed a shower and a shave, at least, and a really good exfoliation to make herself at least somewhat presentable.
“I sense your hesitation,” Conner observed. It was obvious that he was the leader of the brothers. He took the frontlines and paved the way for their successes—in all walks of life, apparently. Right now, he was negotiating their evening together.
Sabrina was feeling the pressure, but before she could express herself, Conner continued on.
“Let’s make this easy for everyone. My brothers and I are going to put you in a cab. We’re going to go back home and pack a bag, and we’ll be at your place by 7:00. That should give you some time to change and get settled. Don’t eat anything. We’re ordering in tonight. Do you have On Demand?”
What kind of question was that? Sabrina almost laughed, because as far as she knew, every single woman had access to ordering movies for those numerous moments of alone time that demanded entertainment in the form of rom-com or, in her case, thriller romances. She couldn’t get enough.
“Of course,” she confirmed.
He nodded and looked back up at the numbers over the door. They were nearing the ground floor and would debark soon. “Good. We’ll order a movie and relax tonight then. Enjoy a good meal together. Get to know each other better. Sound good?”
That was all? Sabrina was…surprised. Something she seemed to be experiencing a lot around these three. But she was something else too: relieved. Sabrina liked the idea of slowing things down, not having that giant expectation looming over her to perform. Dinner and a movie sounded like just what the doctor ordered.
“That sounds perfect to me.”
Oliver—Ollie—cast her a comforting smile and playful wink before turning his attention forward again, and she found herself enjoying that quiet strength he exuded even more. In his own way, Oliver was easily the most attractive man in the elevator. Just like Connor’s forwardness and confidence was his, and William’s calculating, observant, and self-possession was his.
They complimented each other, which made perfect sense, being siblings. Sabrina wondered, as they stepped out into the lobby, how that would translate to the bedroom. If she was lucky, she would find out soon. Maybe tonight, if things went well. But she was glad not to have to worry about it. If it happened, it happened, and if it didn’t, it didn’t. Either way, she knew she was in for a nice evening in with her men.
***
Sabrina hurried through her nightly routine, ripping off her work clothes the moment she stepped through the door and heading straight for the shower. Once there, she slowed her process just enough to enjoy the heat of the water cascading over her overworked muscles, and then she got to work scrubbing rose-scented sugar over every inch of her skin and shaving every hair that was reasonable. Once she stepped out of the shower, her skin was glowing an abused but healthy shade of pink and covered in a light coating of essential oil that made it soft and supple.
She felt fresher than she had in a month as she brushed her teeth twice and flossed—something she was always a bit flaky on—and then proceeded to slather on a healthy layer of rose-scented lotion to compliment the sugar scrub, before dressing in what would appear to be a casual, not-very-thought-out ensemble of black yoga capris, a sports bra, and a loose-fitting T-shirt that had a screen print reading “Coffee Helps Me People.”
With not much time left to spare on the clock, she sat on the couch and waited, a hyper sort of energy infusing her and making her twitchy. Would they be on time, or would they make her wait?
The answer to her question came soon after, proving the Hargreaves men’s punctuality didn’t stop at the office.
“Hey there.” Conner was the first through the door, a pleased smile fixed in place as he leaned in, clutching the eco-friendly, reusable canvas bag so it didn’t spill its contents, as his eyes scanned her form, and he kissed her soundly on the mouth. Despite there being no intent behind it beyond a nice greeting, Sabrina’s body ignited with expectations she had no business entertaining right then.
Maybe it had something to do with how delicious each one of the guys looked as they came through the door and took turns greeting her with a brief kiss. Each wore a casual look that she wasn’t used to, and they were just as sexy out of the suits as they were in street clothes. Tonight’s fare was lounge pants, sweat pants, and a pair of basketball shorts, all paired with a simple white T-shirt that could have easily come from a packet of Hanes in a regular box store but that she’d bet cost a pretty penny.
Keeping up appearances was exhausting. She would know. Even raised in a wealthy household, Sabrina never quite took to the whole “rich” lifestyle. Of course, she had to have the right clothes and shoes and apartment to pass muster, but she had always been more comfortable blending in rather than holding herself above the average Joe.
Hence, her restaurant choice the other night with Janet. It was a sort of connecting with the common people, as her father would call it.
“So, what’s for dinner?” Sabrina followed them into the kitchen, where the men were making themselves right at home.
Conner, who was behind the counter, unloaded the bag of food, which, she noticed, was of the pre-prepared variety. “I didn’t know what you liked or were in the mood for, so instead of ordering in, we picked up a few things.”
“We went overboard,” William stated unabashedly as he reached past his brother and pulled out a bottle of wine from the bag. “I hope you like red.”
“Um…” Sabrina scrunched up her face. “I wasn’t planning on drinking tonight, actually.” She only allowed herself an indulgence here and there, mostly because alcohol was bad for her figure, but also because she was only somewhat partial to the beverage. She would much rather a cocktail any day of the week over vino of any kind.
“No problem,” Conner said as he walked to the fridge and peered inside. “Looks like you have plenty of choices here. Mind if I have one of these…flavored water things?”
Sabrina almost laughed out loud. He said that as if he’d never heard of such a thing and the way his expression twisted ever so slightly only confirmed it. She waved her hand at him. “Go for it.” She’d love to see what he thought once he actually tried it.
Oliver took over unpacking, casually brushing Binx aside when he made his presence known on the counter, curious to see what was in the bags, while Conner tried out his new discovery. “We have stuff to put together steak fajitas, pasta primavera, and chicken fried rice.”