"I hope you can make it," she added. "I'll be there and so will Declan."
As if on cue, my phone vibrated and Cara's name popped up on the screen. I held it up to show Angie. "Speak of the devil."
She grinned-of course she did-and started to back away, mouthing the words "see you later" even though I hadn't answered the phone yet.
Sure enough, Cara was calling to invite me to dinner. "Jack and Sam Kane will be there," she added, her voice filled with laughter. Yup, it was official. My threesome was public knowledge.
I would have said yes anyway but the fact that they would be there definitely added to the appeal. Why did my heart skip a beat at the mention of their names? The now-familiar ache between my thighs intensified as if on command. Good Lord, I hadn't known the Kanes for more than twenty-four hours and I was already hooked on them like a drug.
No, not them. I was hooked on amazing sex. A woman could become addicted to multiple orgasms from two hot cowboys if she wasn't careful. And it wasn't just orgasms. It was dirty, rough, wild sex. With orgasms.
After hanging up with Cara, I turned my attention back to work. Or I tried, anyway.
The phone rang again and I didn't look at the screen, thinking it was Cara again.
"Did you sign the papers?"
Chad.
All my good feelings slipped away.
"Leave me alone, Chad." I sighed.
"That property is half mine."
"Talk to my lawyer."
His bark of laughter had me wincing. "What, you can't represent yourself?"
I could, but then I'd have to listen to his shit.
"Talk to my lawyer," I repeated.
"And who would that be?"
Sam's smiling face came unbidden to my mind. I wasn't going to subject him to Chad, though. I wasn't that cruel. "If you figured out about my uncle's land, then you'll figure this out, too."
I disconnected and sighed, taking my mug to the counter for another refill.
After returning to my seat, I tried to get my head back in the game. While Sam and Jack made my mind go blank, Chad had the ability to make me obsess about how stupid it had been to have married him. Dwelling on it only gave me heartburn, but I couldn't help it. He was such a prick and I'd been stupid. Naive. No longer.
I was finally able to focus, but I didn't make much progress before my attention was diverted once again-this time by an IM from Elaine that popped up on the bottom of my screen.
How's the monkey sex?
My snort of laughter made me choke on my coffee. Slapping a hand over my mouth to stifle it, I looked around guiltily. The last thing I needed was someone else reading my personal messages.
I stared at the message screen debating my response. Elaine was clearly teasing with her monkey sex comment-she hadn't seriously expected that I would have a one-night-stand with a cowboy any more than I had. But if she only knew … .
Oh, what the hell? If there was anyone who wouldn't judge-who would applaud, even-it was Elaine. And Cara. And Angie. Probably Declan, too. Sally. Even Violet. So I typed the words, hit enter.
I did it.
I bit my lip to hold back a ridiculously girly giggle. But really, it wasn't every day I could tell my best friend that I'd had a threesome. With two cowboys. Two insanely hot, drool worthy cowboys.
Her response was instant. You did not.
Elaine, you had no idea.
I did, I swear.
Elaine's response was a series of exclamation points and question marks. Clearly my friend was too excited for words. I drew in a deep breath before taking the plunge.
You're not going to believe this, but …
I hesitated for one second. It was one thing to have a fling with a pair of cowboys, twice … so far, but it was quite another to admit it. Somehow telling Elaine made it real in a whole new way. It was one thing if everyone in Bridgewater assumed, it was another to own up to it.
It wasn't like I was ashamed, just … shocked. By myself-by how much I liked it. Up until yesterday I never would have considered that I might be into a threesome, let alone a polyamorous relationship. Let alone doing butt stuff.
Not that this was a relationship. It was just sexy times … with butt stuff.
What the fuck, Catherine! Are you trying to kill me with suspense? Who did you do? And more importantly-how was it?!
I grinned at the screen and quickly typed my response. Two cowboys. HOT cowboys. And it was epic.
Elaine's response came two seconds later. I assume she needed that time to digest this bit of news. Then I got: WOOHOO!!!!
From her spot behind the counter, Maude glanced over with a smile at my choked laugh.
We went back and forth for a while as Elaine demanded all the details. I'm pretty sure she was trying to live vicariously through me, and I couldn't say that I blamed her. Her consensus? Keep fucking the hotties as long as you can.
This, according to Elaine, was my once in a lifetime opportunity. And maybe she was right. It couldn't last forever but I could enjoy the hell out of it while it lasted. Hell, I could make enough memories to last me a lifetime with my vibrator once I was back in the real world.
My stomach sank at that bleak image of my future-cold, passionless. Lonely. But it was the life I'd always known and I'd be fine once I was back in my element. Back in the bustling city, back to my full schedule. The meetings, the long hours. Somehow that reassurance didn't quite ease the hollow feeling in my chest, but I chose to ignore it.
Speaking of the real world … I couldn't put it off much longer.
What's going on at work?
There was a pause before Elaine typed, Are you sure you want to know?
That alone was enough to make my blood pressure rise and the acid in my stomach churn. Did I want to hear about all the shit going down at work? No, not really. I had an idea, but I had to know the truth, so I told her to spill. I almost wished I hadn't when Elaine's rapid-fire one line texts popped up on my screen, each one worse than the last.
Seemed Roberts was still on the Marsden case and telling everyone it was his-no big surprise there-but he'd also weaseled his way onto another one of my cases.
Fuckity fuck. Fuck.
I'd asked Farber about that case in one of my emails and he'd never responded. Guess now I knew why-he was too chickenshit to outright tell me he'd screwed me over. Again. The worst part was, I wasn't all that surprised. Pissed, definitely, but I couldn't pretend like I hadn't seen this coming. Farber and Roberts were two peas in a pod with their little golf outings and their squash games. I'd known from day one that my firm was an old boys' club, but I'd hoped that my hard work and dedication could break through all that crap. And I'd only been gone two days.
My hands were shaking with anger, making it hard to type. This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't left. I hadn't taken a day off since being hired, even going in when I had the damn flu last year. Then I leave for two days! I gave those two assholes the opening they'd needed to squeeze me out. Elaine must have known exactly what I was thinking.
They're pulling the same shit they did with Margaret Stern.
The air rushed out of my lungs. She was right. This was exactly like Margaret Stern, a former employee who'd been on the partner track when I started at the firm. Elaine and I watched from the sidelines as she got screwed at every turn by Farber and his cronies. After a couple of years of being shafted, Margaret resigned and we all knew it was because they'd forced her out.
Stupid me, I'd watched that happen but I still thought that I had a chance, that maybe I would be different. If I worked hard enough and played by their rules, I could earn the role of partner. Yeah, right.
As if the system wasn't rigged against me from the start just because I had a vagina. As if Roberts hadn't been the favorite all along.
I shook my head with disgust at my personal pity party. Wallowing in anger at the unfairness of it all wasn't going to get me my case back and it sure as hell wouldn't win me the partner position. Neither would remaining in Bridgewater County, Montana. I needed to make sure Roberts and Farber knew that I wouldn't let them walk all over me. If I wanted to claim what was mine, I had to get back to New York and take it back.
JACK
Katie was standing in front of the coffee shop when I pulled up in my truck. Sam walked toward her from the opposite direction, apparently coming straight from his office. He spotted me and gave me a small nod before we both turned our attention to Katie, who hadn't glanced up from her phone long enough to see us coming. We'd texted to tell her we would pick her up to take her to dinner at Cara's once she finished up her work, but from the looks of it, our girl still hadn't called it quits for the day.
Of course she hadn't. I wouldn't expect anything less from our little workaholic. But I still had hope that we could tempt her away from the rat race and into our lives … for good.
That death glare she aimed at her phone was goddamn adorable, if you asked me, but it was frustrating as hell to see her all worked up over that crappy job of hers. Sam reached her side first and his voice was surprisingly gentle. "Put it away, doll. Work time is over."