"Or just tie her damn hands to the bed," Nathan muttered.

Micah laughed. "Well that would be my vote, but I hear that's not what she wants at all. I think it would offend her not-so-meek sensibilities."

"You sound like you know an awful lot about her," Nathan said quietly.

"I like all women, Nathan. Don't get your panties in a wad. It's not like I'm trying to move in on your woman. You want her. I get it. Doesn't mean I don't have eyes or a dick and that they both don't come to attention when she's around."

"Then maybe you'd be a perfect third in this threesome she wants."

Micah tossed his cigarette out the window and cast Nathan a sidelong glance. "Let me get this straight. You want me to be the other guy?"

Nathan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, if you want the truth, I don't want there to a third person in this equation. I mean, shit, when did sex get so goddamn complicated? But if that's what she wants and if that's the only way I get into the picture, then yeah, I'd prefer it to be you over some stranger. At least I wouldn't have to worry about your intentions."

Micah nodded. "All right. If that's what you want, I'll let Damon know. I'm already a member there, so it'll be just you he has to do all the checking up on."

"This is for the birds," Nathan grumbled. "Seriously. It didn't used to be this difficult to get into a woman's pants. Now there are security and background checks. Kinky checklists."

Micah chuckled. "The House should be quite an experience for you. I'll suggest to Damon that he give you a tour before this weekend just so you'll know what you're getting into."

"He said she wanted a private room. Just her and the two guys."

"Yeah, but you have to get to that private room."

"Great. Just great."

"Don't be such a pussy."

"Hey, fuck you," Nathan growled, but he grinned and shook his head.

This was going to be painful. Hell, it already was. The last thing he wanted to do was get naked in front of one of his best friends and then let that best friend fuck the woman he'd been fantasizing about for months.

But there was something edgy and forbidden about the images flashing in his mind. Watching her come apart between him and Micah? Giving her more pleasure than she could stand?

Yeah, it was a turn-on, but then everything about Julie did it for him. She was an earthy woman, shorter, full figured with hips and an ass that just cried out for a man's hands.

And her breasts. Sweet Jesus, her breasts were mouthwateringly perfect, and he ought to know because he'd seen them often enough in his fantasies. Round with a generous swell. He hadn't seen her nipples, and he was positively dying to get them into his mouth.

He wanted to bury his face right in the valley between the generous mounds. She had to be at least a double D, and Lord but that excited him.

No, he wouldn't be able to feel her ribs, or get poked by her bones. But she'd be soft in all the right places, and he couldn't wait to bury himself inside her pussy over and over.

She was, in a word, stacked. Built like a brick house. Voluptuous. He'd have his hands full with her in more ways than one, and he couldn't goddamn wait.

“I’m nervous. Why am I nervous?"

Julie looked between Faith and Serena, who stood in her bathroom watching as Julie did her hair.

"And why am I worried so goddamn much about hair?" she muttered. "Like it's not going to get messed up?"

Faith giggled, and Serena just rolled her eyes in the mirror.

"Come on, Julie, it's okay. I'd be terrified," Serena said.

"So says the woman who auctioned herself off—naked—in front of a roomful of horny men," Julie pointed out.

"You want to look good. It's natural," Faith said soothingly. "I wouldn't want to look like a hag in front of men who were seeing me naked."

"Hag?" Julie croaked.

Serena patted her on the arm. "It s just a figure of speech."

Julie set down the comb and the hairspray and sighed. "You know why I'm doing this?"

"Uh, does it have something to do with the naked thing?" Faith asked.

"I saw my ex in the grocery store last night."

"Which ex?" Serena asked.

Julie pinned her with a glare. "Does it matter? He was with his new girlfriend. Okay, he's an old ex. I'm not hung up on him or anything. It was his girlfriend who pissed me off."

"Want me to kick her ass?" Serena asked with a grin.

Julie smooched at her reflection in the mirror. "No, but we can hope she trips and breaks an ankle, can't we?"

Faith laughed. "So what did she do?"

Julie picked up the comb again and pushed at a strand of hair that kept falling over her forehead. "So I'm at the grocery store, I round the corner of the bread aisle, and there he is with Miss Thing on his arm. He smiles and says hello. I smile back and say hello. Miss Thing looks at me once, and she dismisses me like I'm not a threat. Just like that."

"She didn't!" Serena gasped in mock horror.

Julie gave her a mournful look. "I mean, let's face it, most of the time if you're with your guy and you see his ex, you get all prickly. You start sizing her up. Is she prettier than me? Is he looking at her? Was she better in bed? Is he still hung up on her? The claws come out. But no. Miss Thing actually smiled at me. This smug, superior smile that said 'I'm prettier than you, I'm thinner than you, I'll always be better than you.' Then she all but sneered at me when he introduced us and she had this look like, 'he dated you? Really?'"

Faith wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed tight. "Her boobs were probably fake, and I bet her roots were showing."

Julie shook against her with laughter. "God, I love you guys, but damn, can't you let me wallow for two seconds?"

"No wallowing," Serena said stoutly.

"Why aren't I a threat?" Julie asked mournfully.

"I lock Gray down every time you walk into the room," Faith said solemnly.

Julie rolled her eyes. "I wanted to tell her that I could have her man any time I wanted, and that she was probably a cold fish in bed, but then I remembered, she has him, I don't, so that argument wasn't going to cut it."

"Do you want him?" Serena asked archly.

"Hell no, but that isn't the point."

"Did he dump you or did you dump him?" Faith asked.

"I dumped him. Of course."

"Of course," Serena murmured. "Okay then, it's settled. He had to settle for second best, and even now, he's probably drowning his sorrows in a bottle of alcohol while Miss Thing hangs uselessly on his arm."

Julie cracked up laughing. She laughed so hard her mascara smeared. "Damn it, Serena. Now I've got to start all over."

"Don't know why you bother with the stuff," Faith said. "You don't want raccoon eyes during sex."

"Good point," Julie acknowledged. "I'll stick with the basics. Except for lipstick. A woman can never wear too much lipstick."

"Even if they rub it off real quick," Serena snickered.

A few minutes later, Julie took a deep breath and stared back at her friends in the mirror. "Okay, how do I look?"

"Absolutely gorgeous."

"Sensational."

Faith and Serena's voices ran together, and Julie smiled back at them.