“If you want to kiss me, you better do it now,” she breathed.

  I moved my lips towards hers.

  But before I could kiss her, three workmen rounded the corner, helmets glinting. They stopped dead, gaping at us.

  Kate shoved off me, cheeks blazing. “Fuck! I should go—”

  “Yeah, me too,” I said fast.

  We walked back stiffly.

  “Listen, that didn’t mean anything,” she murmured. “I just…got weak for a moment. But I’m not looking to start anything with you—or anyone else.”

  “Got it. Thanks for the tour.”

  “Sure. See you tomorrow.” Her flush crept back under my glance, hotter now—she knew I saw it, and it pissed her off more.

  “Eight,” I said, casual as hell.

  “Eight,” she shot back, eyes dodging mine, then turned sharp toward the wall.

  As I walked to my car, one of the worker’s voices carried on the air.

  He spoke in a low voice, and I didn’t hear what he said. But his comment was followed by snickering from the others.

  I clicked my tongue. Yesterday’s meeting had chipped Kate’s armor. Now this.

  Her own workmen had seen her in the embrace of a younger man. I could imagine what they were already saying.

  “Kate’s getting fucked by that new guy in town. Probably young enough to be her son!”

  It was a misconception, but they didn’t know that. Rumors would fly.

  I hadn’t meant to rattle her cage. Didn’t get off on seeing her squirm. But that flush, that split-second yield—it stuck with me.

  She really was like a mare testing the fence. Sometimes she wanted to jump. Other times she backed away.

  Caroline would say her walls had just cracked a little more. If I kept a steady course, pretty soon she’d break down and start eating from my hand.

  Maybe she was right.

  Just take it one day at a time.

  I hit the highway, sun beating through the windshield. The mornings and evenings were starting to get a touch of fall in the air. But this afternoon would be a hot one.

  I had the day planned—yard work, beer on the dock, and dinner.

  Sofia would be coming over. It would be roast chicken for dinner… And then both of them for dessert. Those two never quit. They were insatiable.

  If Kate did join us, that might push my stamina to the limit and wear me out.

  And yet, somehow that thought did not deter me in the slightest.

  Chapter six

  Caroline stood at the stove in her work clothes, stirring a sauce in her pencil skirt, hips swaying to a ’90s rock ballad.

  I put my hands on her waist. “Smells good.”

  “The sauce or me?” She leaned back, grinding lightly.

  “Both.” I kissed her neck. She hummed, melting a little.

  “Dinner’s ready. Just waiting on Sofia. Must be busy at the restaurant.”

  “She’s late.” I checked my phone. “How about some snacks to tide us over?”

  I grabbed nachos from the cupboard, pouring a handful into a bowl.

  She dragged a finger down my chest. “Not too many—don’t spoil your dinner.”

  “I promise.” I smacked her ass. She yelped, snagging a chip with a grin.

  “Bet you’re stoked for Kate tomorrow night,” she said, nibbling.

  “I am, but don’t poke her too hard. I think—”

  “You’re the one who’s going to be poking her,” Caroline interrupted, giggling.

  I grinned. “Not quite what I meant.”

  The screen door slid open. “Amigos! Sorry!”

  Sofia swept in, lustrous hair loose around her shoulders, carrying containers from her place. “It was a crazy night—but I bring a special treat!”

  She darted back out, returning with a bottle and a bag. “I’m gonna make pisco sours! Is from Peru. Is really delicious.”

  Caroline clapped her hands together. “Oh my god, yes!”

  Sofia unpacked limes and eggs. “Caroline, juice these. Ryan, egg whites—watch.” She cracked one, deftly splitting the yolk off.

  “Raw eggs?” I raised an eyebrow.

  Caroline curled her nose. “Ew! Really?”

  Sofia grinned. “Don’t worry! The pisco kills the bacteria.”

  I shrugged and carefully cracked an egg in half, pouring the white into the same cup Sofia was using.

  We worked shoulder-to-shoulder, Sofia humming, hips bumping mine. Caroline finished the limes, smirking at us. “Team effort—cute.”

  “This is a menu idea for the new restaurant, when I move in,” Sofia said, shaking the mix. “Jim’s coming Friday to make the deal with Benson, right?”

  “He sure is,” I said.

  Caroline sucked lime juice off her fingers. “By the way—Ryan hit up Kate’s place today, Sof.”

  “About the town stuff,” I clarified.

  Caroline winked at Sofia. “Sure. You know what happened? Kate landed in his arms and they were practically necking. The workers saw everything.”

  Sofia’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  “Kind of. She stumbled into me, and we were just about to kiss.”

  Sofia bit her lip, shaking the drink mixer. “Is perfect. It’s just a matter of time before you seduce her.” She poured the foamy concoction into glasses.

  We clinked our glasses.

  “Damn, that’s smooth,” I said, gulping half.

  Caroline licked her lips. “It’s so silky.”

  “The egg makes it delicious,” Sofia said, satisfied that we liked it.

  We hauled the spread to the table—Caroline’s pasta, Sofia’s Colombian goods.

  I sank into a chair. “Anyway, Kate’s coming here tomorrow night.”

  Sofia slapped both hands onto the table. “What?! She’s coming here?”

  “Just to work on the town stuff. She said she’s not interested in getting involved with anyone.”

  Sofia gave me a sly look. “Yeah, sure, that’s what she says. But it didn’t seem that way when she wanted to kiss you, did it?”

  I sipped my drink. “Are you two really serious about this? You don’t mind if I go for it?”

  Caroline put her hand on the table. “Hon, I told you. We want it.”

  Sofia nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, is sexy. I want to see you seduce her.”

  “So, she’d be joining us in this…relationship.”

  “Why not just see what happens?” Caroline said. “Take it as it comes.”

  “I like that,” I said, drinking the last of my pisco sour.

  “Maybe she just needs to explore with you and then move on,” Caroline continued. “Or maybe it’ll lead to something deeper. Either one is fine with me.”

  I scooped pasta, grinning. “As long as you don’t mind sharing. The two of you bicker over me as it is.”

  “We do not!” Caroline said, looking at me in surprise.

  “That reminds me,” Sofia said, slowly getting up from her chair. “You come to my house tonight, okay baby? Is my turn.”

  She walked around the table, carrying her drink, and took the chair beside me. Her hand slid up my thigh.

  Caroline pouted. “I was hoping he’d sleep with me tonight.”

  “You had him last time!” Sofia whined. “Is my turn.”

  “But that’s not true,” Caroline protested. “We both had him last night.”

  “But you were hogging him,” Sofia said, her Latina fire sparking up. “And you had morning sex, too.”

  “That was just a quickie. It doesn’t count.”

  I took a drink, enjoying their argument. It wasn’t the worst thing having my two beautiful girlfriends argue over me.

  Sofia’s hand moved higher on my thigh. “You come with your mamacita tonight, oaky baby?”

  Caroline stretched over the table like a cat, her lips brushing my ear. “But what if I can’t sleep without you?”

  Despite my body’s exhaustion after so many days of sex, my cock stirred, pushing down the leg of my pants.

  Sofia saw me wince at my aching erection. She touched my arm. “Is everything okay? You need to rest alone tonight?”

  Caroline peered into my eyes. “Maybe you’re right, Sof. We’ve been selfish.”

  I did need to rest.

  “One more night, and then I’m crashing solo for a couple days. And it really is Sofia’s turn.” I kissed Caroline’s cheek.

  Caroline’s eyes twinkled. “I know it is. I was only teasing. You two have fun tonight. But don’t wear him out, Sofia. You never know, he might get lucky tomorrow with Kate.”

  Chapter seven

  The following evening, at 10 minutes to eight, I sat at the dining room table sipping decaf coffee, waiting for Kate’s arrival.

  Spread out before me were town documents with highlighted corruption evidence.

  But my mind was elsewhere. All day, my thoughts kept going back to the way she’d looked at me when she fell into my arms, her breath catching, eyes locked on mine.

  Sofia sat on the couch, occasionally laughing as she texted her sister in Colombia.

  Caroline came down from upstairs, bare legs smooth and meaty under my T-shirt. Her hair hung wet from the shower.

  “Is that what you’re wearing?” I asked.Caroline laughed. “You don’t approve?”

  “I mean, you’re naked.”

  “I’m not! I’m wearing your shirt.”

  “But you have nothing underneath!” Sofia said, looking up from her phone. “Are you crazy? Kate is coming any minute.”

  “Thank you!” I said, surprised to find support from such unlikely quarters.

  Caroline lifted the shirt, showing skimpy yoga shorts underneath. “See? Fully clothed.”

  “I know what you’re doing,” I smirked. “Trying to push Kate’s buttons again.”

  “No! I’m an angel,” Caroline retorted.

  The doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it!” Caroline headed towards the door while Sofia watched with interest.

  “Hi Kate! Come on in,” Caroline’s voice was sweet and milky. “Ryan’s all set up in the dining room.”

  Kate followed her in, professionally dressed in slacks and a button-up blouse. I saw her glance at Caroline’s half-naked state, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

  “Good evening.” She set her laptop bag on the table. “I’ve brought some additional town documents.”

  Caroline slid up beside us. “Coffee, Kate? Maybe some wine?”

  “Decaf would be great,” Kate said, unpacking.

  Sofia bounced up. “I’ll get it! Cream and sugar?”

  “Black’s fine,” Kate said.

  I pulled out the chair at the head of the table. “We should go over the property records.”

  “Maybe cross-reference the transfers?” Kate said, sitting beside me as I opened my laptop. “Good idea.”

  I opened the town site, and a login prompt appeared.

  Kate muttered, “Typical. No transparency.”

  “Watch this,” I grinned, typing in credentials. The portal opened.

  Kate’s head snapped to me. “How’d you get a user profile?”

  “Made a request. Said I was a student doing an econ paper. My old student ID worked.”

  “Nice! That’s... sharp.” She scooted closer, her breasts shifting inside her blouse.

  Sofia returned with the coffee, setting it beside Kate with a quiet smile before sitting across from us.

  “Here,” I said, pulling up addresses from the contracts. “Purchase history—decades old, all sold the same month.”

  “Different buyers, same notary,” Kate leaned in. “Check the incorporations.”

  Our hands bumped on the trackpad. “Sorry,” she said.

  “No, go ahead.”

  She took the mouse, but clicked the wrong place.

  “Here,” I murmured, placing my hand on top of hers, guiding her on the trackpad.

  She didn’t pull away. Her breathing quickened, and she leaned slightly towards me. I pressed my finger against hers, clicking the mouse.

  “There’s what we want,” I said, taking my hand away.

  Our shoulders kept touching as we went through records together, her citrusy scent filling my senses.

  She whispered, tapping a finger on the screen. “There. All filed the same day.”

  I turned slightly. Our faces were inches apart.

  She froze, suddenly aware of our proximity. Her cheeks flushed.

  Caroline returned with popcorn, deliberately brushing against Kate as she leaned over the table. “Thought you guys could use a snack.”

  “Thank you Carolina,” Sofia said, reaching into the popcorn. She crunched a kernel and watched us from across the table.

  Kate’s eyes darted between Caroline and Sofia, her cheeks flushing under the attention.

  I pointed to papers near her elbow. “Hand me that folder, will you?”

  Kate reached for it, then froze mid-action. Instead of handing it over, she pushed it toward me.

  Sofia popped up and leaned across, her hair falling forward. “Here, baby,” she said, handing me the folder with a devoted smile.

  Kate’s expression hardened, though her cheeks were still red. “Listen. I want to make one thing clear. This is my fight. I’ve been working on this for months. You’ve been here like one week.”

  Sofia’s eyes flashed. “Ryan knows what he’s doing! He helped my business—”

  “Sofia,” I gently cut her off. “Finish your thought, Kate. I’m listening.”

  Kate’s eyes softened. “I appreciate your help, but I need to lead this. I’ve been building contacts, researching ideas for an alternative development plan. I can’t just hand it over.”

  I nodded. “And you don’t have to. I have no desire to run the opposition. I’ll just dig up what I can, and you steer it.”

  She studied me. “But you probably can’t even help yourself,” she murmured, a mix of annoyance and admiration in her voice. “You just naturally take a leadership role.”

  We worked for another half an hour, finding more solid corruption evidence in the transaction records.

  “You two make a great pair,” Caroline said, leaning beside Kate to reach for a handful of popcorn, brushing against her. “Pardon me.”

  Kate stiffened, sandwiched between myself and Caroline, and her breathing quickened.

  “It’s warm in here,” Caroline said, her hand trailing across my shoulders as she passed to open a window.

  Sofia stood and stretched. “I need to go home. Early morning.”

  She draped herself over me, fingers brushing my cheek while Kate focused hard on the computer.

  “Don’t wear yourself out,” Sofia said, kissing me. “Goodnight, everybody.”

  Kate managed a tight smile, her eyes flicking back to the screen.

  As Sofia left, Caroline perched on my chair arm, her hand resting on my shoulder. “Think that’s enough evidence?” Her fingers played against my neck.

  “Maybe,” I said, aware of Kate watching Caroline’s display.

  Kate forced her attention to the screen. “If we could connect these shell companies to the CAO or the mayor, that would be all we’d need.”

  Caroline made a show of yawning and stretching. “Well, I should get to bed,” she said, standing up. “Stay for as long as you like, Kate. You and Ryan work so well together.”

  “I should probably go, actually,” Kate said, gathering her papers. “I have to, uh, be up early tomorrow.”

  “You’ll come back?” Caroline asked, still massaging me.

  “Yes. For sure,” Kate replied, her voice higher, a slight tremble in it.

  As she turned to leave, she forgot her bag.

  “Kate,” I called.

  She turned abruptly. “Yes?”

  “Your bag.”

  “Oh! Right.” She hurried back, fumbling with the strap.

  Despite her rush, she lingered, fingers tracing the chair’s edge, as though she wanted to say something but didn’t know what it was.

  “One favor before you leave, Kate, if you wouldn’t mind,” I said, voice low but easy.

  She blinked at me, lips parting. “Sure. What is it?”

  “Can you check the lock on the back door? Caroline forgets.”

  Her gaze sharpened, a spark of defiance flaring. Then, her cheeks flushed red, and I could see the surrender in her eyes.

  I held her gaze, calm and steady. “Just a favor.”

  She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay, sure,” she said, and headed through the kitchen.

  We heard the metallic click. Then Kate returned, still flushed, breathing a little fast. “It’s locked.”

  She hurried out, radiating a nervous heat. At the end of the driveway, she paused before getting into her car, glancing back at me with a mix of heat and conflict.

  As I shut the door, Caroline slid her arms around my waist. “See? She’s so into you?”

  “Why’d she rush out then? I was going to try to kiss her.”

  “Because she knew that, and she was afraid she’d lose control as soon as your lips touched.”

  My hands caressed the round of her behind. “You think so? Maybe.”

  She whispered against my neck, “I betcha next time she’ll stay longer.”

  Chapter eight

  Friday morning, I woke up with Kate on my mind. I’d been dreaming that my arms were wrapped around one of her thick legs.

  It turned out it was only a pillow, but I sent Kate a text inviting her over again. She responded right away with an invite to her adventure park on Saturday.

  I can put you guys on the zipline if you want, she texted. Then we can talk business.

  She seemed to just take it for granted that Caroline and Sofia would be coming. And she probably wasn’t wrong.

  I came downstairs to an empty house. Caroline had left for work. Sofia, too, would already be gone to her restaurant.

  I texted them the news about Kate, and they both confirmed Saturday. Sofia said she couldn’t wait for “our date with Kate.”

  With nothing much to do, I decided to try a cafe downtown. I grabbed a book from Caroline’s shelf and headed out on foot.

  Main Street was lively, with a steady stream of people moving between shops and offices.