Freya rests her hand in mine and her head on my shoulder, and I don’t take my gaze from the man at my side. I won’t do anything in this car with his driver sitting silently in front of us, but the longer I stare at him, the more I want to taste those mean pink lips.
Just beyond his silhouette in the dark car, I see the Eiffel Tower sparkle in the distance. And while I register that Freya’s weight on my shoulder has grown heavy, I find myself leaning closer to Julian.
With our faces just inches apart, I stare into his eyes before I bring my mouth to his ear. I don’t speak a word. I just let him hear the shallow edge of my breath. Then I bring my hand to his leg, slowly gliding it over the surface of his thick slacks. He shudders as I ease my fingers to the bulge at his crotch, squeezing him mercilessly and hearing the subtle, nearly silent moan deep in his chest.
With my lips against his ear, I whisper, “Is this for me?”
Maybe I’m being too loud or he’s embarrassed about being groped in front of his driver, but he suddenly shoves me away. Releasing my hand from the front of his pants, I stare into his eyes with a drunk smile, and I watch as the cold, emotionless facade fades away and he gifts me with a wicked grin in return.
I turn toward Freya and find her nearly slumped over in the seat. “I think she fell asleep,” I say with a chuckle.
He laughs too, leaning over to see her. “We can take her up tomy place. She can sleep in my spare room.” His eyes find mine as he adds, “You’re welcome to stay there as well…of course.”
Watching Julian stutter nervously is a treat. He strikes me as the kind of guy who always has to be austere and serious. When he’s drunk and nervous, it’s actually fucking adorable.
The car pulls up to our building. Julian jumps out first to come around and help me with Freya. As I wait for him, I brush her hair from her forehead, admiring just how beautiful she is with her long, dark lashes and slightly upturned nose with the gold hoop on one side.
Just before Julian opens her door, I press my lips to her forehead. She doesn’t even stir as he hoists her into his arms. As I climb out, the ground starting to sway a little again, I take in the sight of them, and I can’t get over how good they look together.
As we walk into the building, me first, I think about how incredible this feeling is—being so into two people at the same time. Two people who seem as into each other and me too.
And I’m no stranger to this type of dynamic. It shouldn’t be so foreign to me at all. My brother has been in a happy polyamorous relationship since before I was born. He’s been married to Ellis and Hanna for nearly thirty years now. I see the way they complete and complement each other.
Not that my drunk mind is getting that far. Right now, all I can think about is how much I’d like to see them both naked. Not tonight, obviously. While that was sort of the plan, I’m not waking a passed-out drunk girl for sex. I might be a scoundrel at times, but I’m no monster.
As I press the button for the elevator, I turn around to find Julian bypassing me for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” I ask, hearing the slur in my voice.
“Not taking that,” he argues.
Running after him, I grab his arm, but he won’t stop.
“Then let me at least take her. It’s, like, six flights up.”
“I’ll be fine,” he grumbles, and for the first couple of flights,he is. Then he turns back toward me, and the drunk look on his face makes me laugh. It’s a loud, cackling, tipsy sound. Then he starts, and soon we’re both howling in a dark, empty stairwell with a drunk girl who’s passed out cold.
“How is this better than the elevator?” I ask in my laughter.
His back hits the wall as he takes a break, his perfectly coiffed hair falling out of place. Crowding him against the bricks, I put my hands under Freya, who still doesn’t even move. Before I take her, I stand toe-to-toe with Julian, staring into his eyes. She’s nestled against his chest, her weight equally distributed as I lean toward him.
“I had fun tonight,” I say with a gravelly rasp to my voice.
“So did I,” he replies.
I want to kiss him, but then again, I’ve wanted to kiss him all night. Is now really the right time? With her passed out in his arms? Not to mention I’m still not quite sure where Julian stands. Is he even into guys? I search my memory for the conversation in the elevator, wondering if I missed the signs right in front of my face, because the look he’s giving me now says he definitelyis.
Then, to my surprise, he’s the one to erase the space between us first. His soft lips press against mine, and I don’t wait a second, darting my tongue out to taste them. A soft growl escapes his chest, and as much as I wish we could do more, I know this is just a taste.
Freya fidgets, so Julian and I pull away from each other. He transfers her to my arms, and I hoist her up before we finish the climb to his apartment. Neither of us say a word for the rest of the way.
Once we reach his place, he quickly unlocks the door, and I’m ushered inside. Immediately, I notice the apartment is much bigger than mine. It’s basically the entire floor to himself. There are grand windows and intricate molding around them. The kitchen is sleek and modern while the living room has old-worldcharm. A baby grand piano sits in the corner, and it suddenly makes me wonder if he plays.
“Follow me. We can put her back here.” He leads the way down a long hall with rooms on either side. The apartment is clean and immaculately decorated, and I’m willing to bet he pays someone to do all of it.
When he opens the door to a guest room, I carry Freya in and deposit her gently on the bed. Julian sits on the edge, unlacing her boots with care before peeling one off, and it stuns me a little. It’s not what I’d expect from him. So while he does that, I slip off her bulky coat. My drunk fingers struggle with removing her jewelry, but I manage to get most of it off without waking her.
She stirs a little as we ease the blankets up and over her.
