A.O.E.M.: Dinner For Three Read online

  “I meant no insult, it’s just that, at this moment, dining on seafood does not appeal.”

  In answer to the male’s comment, Jon’s shoulders lifted in an offhanded shrug. “There is plenty to choose from.” He passed the Fae a menu. “Help yourself. By the way, welcome to Chimera and Fresh Fantasies.”

  Jason skidded to a halt just behind the black-skinned Elemental warrior. Keeping low to the ground, the wolf sniffed the air, cocked his head and settled down on his haunches. His actions made Jonathan relax. Jason’s wolf instincts were never wrong. His brother had abandoned his fighting stance, which meant he sensed no threat from the tall muscular warrior.

  “Vampire, why is your Were-double flanking me from behind?”

  Jonathan’s eyes narrowed as he noted the Fae had not turned his head nor looked around. He realized the Elemental was using his own form of magic to read the otherworld flow of energies pulsing between them. “Just a precaution, warrior, one you’ve convinced me is no longer necessary.”

  With a gesture to summon Jason away, and a parting nod toward the Fae, Jon returned to overseeing the staff in the preparation for the breakfast crowds already gathering.

  Behind him, he heard the Fae call out, “Vampire, I am Talcor, first son of the House of Aggression.” Jonathan turned to see the male nodding in respect.

  “I am Jonathan Corelli. My brother is Jason.” After a long intense stare, he nodded a final time. “Well met.”

  While verbally answering a staff’s question about how much fresh pineapple to set out, Jonathan also sent a subvocal instruction to Jason. Better let the director know Chimera has a stowaway in the person of an Elemental Fae from the Aggression line.

  Chapter Five

  Ensconced on a sturdy seaside lounger, Michelle unselfconsciously stretched her arms above her head and bowed her back, lifting her torso to the sun. Wrapped in the warmth of the sun and basking in the stares of heated masculine interest, she sighed with pleasure. Filled with the feminine assurance of knowing she looked good, she raised one knee and dropped the other foot off the narrow bed of the recliner.

  Yesterday, she’d finally done it… thrown off the defeatist, negative self-image she’d been harboring for years. Here on Chimera, determined to grab life and wring it for all it was worth, she’d gathered her courage and donned the brightly colored, daring two-piece a clerk at the island boutique had chivvied her into taking.

  It was as if a Faerie waved her magic wand and made her beautiful. Instead of the ridicule she’d expected, Chelle had received wolf whistles and admiring stares. Even some of the good-looking women had let their interest show. Best of all, Jonathan had almost swallowed his tongue. He’d certainly tried to swallow hers as he’d kissed her to within an inch of her life. Eyes burning possessively, hands clamped on her arms, he’d dragged her off her lounger and into his heated embrace, the hardened lines of his body giving mute witness to the effect seeing her in the skimpy swimsuit had on him.

  Of course, the fulsome compliments didn’t blind Chelle to reality. Anyone could see she remained a plus-sized woman. The difference was all in how she viewed those extra pounds. Now, and forever more, she would see herself through new eyes, through Jason and Jon’s eyes.

  In the past, her weight had bothered her tremendously. She’d bought into the Hollywood-hype that thin was in. For years she’d struggled, fought an uphill battle to take off and keep off those unfashionably excessive pounds.

  Lately, listening to her doctor’s talk about set points, basal metabolic rates and heredity’s role in body types, Chelle had become more at peace with herself and her body. Hell, she was a mix of Hispanic, Native American and Black genes. All three ethnic groups tended toward heaviness.

  Wanting to be as healthy as possible, she did what she could to keep the weight down -- short of keeping to a starvation diet -- worked out at the gym and swam three times a week. Chelle’s extra pounds were evenly distributed, tight and trim. However, she had never felt lovely, never felt beautiful.

  Only now, here on Chimera, did she see she was beautiful, not in spite of her excess weight, but just because. Before coming to Chimera, she’d have been embarrassed, mortified at having Jon slide his hand up the outside of her full thigh and then press between to finger her through her panties right at the dinner table. Instead of feeling shocked, she’d lifted her hips and pressed back, eager to feel that bold finger push in where she needed it the most.

  Feeling the heat now, Chelle giggled as she sat up and reached for her chilled strawberry daiquiri. I bet Jon was shocked when he found out how wet I was. She took a long sip, enjoying the hell out of her day. In fact, the last three days had been sheer paradise, thanks in the most part to the Corelli brothers.

  Never in her wildest dreams would she have envisioned meeting Jonathan and Jason and finding herself the target of their romantic interest. She’d never dreamt of being on the receiving end of their blatantly masculine, positive reaction to her ample charms. In simple words, they both sprouted thick boners whenever in her vicinity.

  There was no way she could overlook their response. Jonathan and Jason always sat as close as possible to her, their hard, muscled thighs warm along the outside of her legs. That close, it was impossible to breathe without both of them feeling the air move in and out of her lungs. She’d known Jason was aware his brother’s hand played between her thighs. Instead of that knowledge turning her off, his awareness had made the encounter all the hotter.

  Chelle drained her drink and lay back. Soon enough, the chill wore off and her muscles grew lax. Her body went limp, soaking up the warmth as she drowsed in the hot afternoon sun.

  Ah! This was the life! Not a care in the world -- no worries, other than dreading the end of her vacation, ruffled the calm of her days. It wouldn’t take much to convince her to take up the life of a lotus-eater. Chelle could eagerly succumb to the temptation of lazing about Chimera in sybaritic splendor.

  The day suddenly dimmed, as if a cloud had drifted across the face of the sun. Feeling chilled, Michelle pried one eye open and glanced up, surprised to see a clear sky with no clouds in sight. As she watched, a large object flew overhead, its enormous wingspan casting a shadow yards wide.

  “Great day in the morning,” Chelle yelled, scrambling upright. Her mouth fell open in disbelief and shock. “What the hell is that?” Bringing a hand up to shade her eyes, she squinted, trying to track the movements of what looked like a majestic Dragon as it sailed in a slow, lazy flight across the sky.

  “It is a magnificent sight, isn’t it?”

  A small scream escaped Chelle as she jumped, startled at the voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. “Good God, Corelli, you scared the crap out of me! I didn’t hear you come up.”

  “It was not my intention to scare you, bella.” He frowned down at her. “I thought we had agreed you would call me Jonathan or Jon? Considering our interactions of last evening, I don’t see how you can possibly call me by so formal a name.”

  Chelle leaned her knee against the recliner, her muscles weak from the fright she’d just had. She nodded jerkily, pointing a shaking finger toward the sky and the fast disappearing impossibility. “Fine! Jonathan, did you see that?”

  “I did, indeed.”

  “What was it?”

  His smile gently mocking, he captured her pointing hand and covered it with both of his. “It was exactly what it looked like, Michelle. It was a Dragon.” His voice, when he continued, was calm and matter-of-fact. “You were extremely lucky to see this one. They usually reserve their flights for very early morning.”

  Fear and awe wrestled within her. Chelle turned her hand in Jonathan’s and held on tight. “But that’s impossible! It couldn’t be a Dragon -- they don’t exist.”

  “How can you explain it, then? What did we see fly across the sky and steal the warmth of the sun from your beautiful skin?”

  Shaken and shaking, Chelle sank onto her abandoned lounger. “You know I can’t explain it. B
ut how can I believe what you say it was?”

  “Don’t believe my words, believe your own eyes. Trust yourself. Open your mind to all the wonder hidden about you.”

  “What is this place, really?” she asked, looking up at Jon in confusion. “I feel like I’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole.”

  “Chimera is a sanctuary, a safe place where the rare and endangered can live in freedom.”

  There was something in his voice, some inflection that told her Jonathan and his brother were numbered among those endangered species. Why else had they disappeared so completely from the public eye?

  “And which are you and Jason?”

  His gaze bored into hers as he caught her other hand and drew her to her feet. “We are, above all, two men very much interested in getting to know you better.”

  Just that quickly, he replaced the wonder of sighting the Dragon with the excitement of seduction. His words reduced her to heated cheeks and uncertainty. She felt his laughter rumbling in his chest as she tucked her head in his shoulder.

  “Are you going to hide again? Too bad I don’t have Jason here so you could use his fur. It’s thicker than my shirt.”

  She pulled back and glared up at him, embarrassment forgotten. “I just can’t get over you naming your pet after your brother. And stop teasing me.”

  His eyes glittered with an emotion she had trouble identifying. “I can’t help myself. You blush so sweetly. Besides, if I don’t tease I’m liable to do something more serious that will send you screaming into the forest.”

  “Not after just sighting a freaking Dragon, I wouldn’t,” she mumbled half under her breath, stepping back a bit. Did he know he still held her hand captive? “Knowing there’s a Dragon about serves as great incentive to curb one’s impulsiveness.” She shuddered. “Thank God I don’t qualify as a virgin sacrifice.”

  Jonathan threw back his head and laughed. “That’s sensible of you, but there’s no need for concern. Err… this particular Dragon has recently mated and is no longer interested in sacrifices… virgin or otherwise.”

  Michelle noted the humor in his voice but reacted more to the information he shared. “You mean there’s more than one of those things around?”

  Jonathan cuddled her close. “Michelle, Michelle, you have to stop overreacting like this to every little thing.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “You mean with absolute terror? For the record, I don’t call a Dragon every little thing!”

  “There’s no need for your terror, honey. Nothing here on Chimera will harm you.” He cupped her shoulders, pulled her into a tighter embrace. “You asked what Jason and I were. Come to dinner with us tonight and I promise we’ll show you. We’ll show you all the secrets of Chimera.”

  Michelle swallowed, stomach tilting, womb clenching with nerves. “Why does the prospect of finding out your secrets frighten me?”

  “I don’t know. Neither Jason nor I would ever hurt you. I swear it on my immortal soul.”

  Chelle tipped her head back, looking into his eyes. Sincerity shone within them. “I believe you, and I would love to have dinner with my two favorite chefs.”

  Jonathan bent his head and brushed her lips with his. Michelle froze, waiting to see if he would deepen the kiss, ready to accept him if he did. His mouth opened over hers and her legs wobbled as he took her lips with voracious hunger, eating at her mouth as if starved.

  Too soon, he pulled back. Disappointment almost crushed her. She knew she’d failed to hide her reaction when he hugged her close and smoothed her hair off her forehead.

  “If I kiss you like I want to, Jason could claim unfair advantage.”

  That boggled the mind. “J-J-Jason?”

  “My brother wants you as much as I do. Sooner or later, you’ll have a choice to make.” Jonathan’s lips repeatedly brushed her ear as he whispered. The feel of his lips, the promise in his words, made her shiver. “Until that time comes, we’ll pick you up tonight around nine. There’ll be fireworks on the beach at eleven, so we don’t want to eat too early.”

  “Nine will be fine. Should I dress up?”

  Jonathan grinned into her eyes. “What you’re wearing now is fantastic.”

  Chelle almost cringed before she recalled her new attitude. She straightened her shoulders, determined to flaunt her body, not flinch from it. “Thank you, however, unless we’re eating at Fresh Fantasies, I wouldn’t pass your own stringent dress codes.”

  Jonathan threw back his head and laughed. “You are as magnificent a creature as yon Dragon! For you, there is no dress code. You have such presence you could wear anything and get away with it.” He bowed to her. “Wear what you will, my love. While I’d personally prefer you wearing nothing, Jason and I’d have to kill any male that gazed upon your natural loveliness.”

  Did he just call her his love? Michelle’s knees wobbled as Jonathan left her with a last smile and teasing brush of his lips. Sinking down on the lounger, she locked her greedy gaze on the sexy shift of muscles in his taut buttocks. How could he drop a bombshell like that and calmly walk away?

  After a moment’s contemplation, she decided he’d done it on purpose. His sincerity notwithstanding, Michelle got the distinct impression Jonathan was playing with her, manipulating her emotions toward his own ends. She didn’t feel the same vibes from Jason, probably because he didn’t pressure her as Jonathan always did. Jason accepted her advances, responded eagerly, but didn’t push.

  Jonathan, on the other hand, constantly challenged her comfort zone. He delighted in doing risqué things to her, like his little flesh foray under the table at dinner the night before, and based on her previous lame-brained responses to his playful come-ons, he probably expected her to melt into a big lump of malleable clay.

  Michelle gathered her sunbathing paraphernalia and tossed it all into her tote bag, plotting the comeuppance of the cocky cook. She’d just see if she couldn’t manage to shock a certain self-assured suitor. Tonight, Mr. Corelli would find out just how unmalleable she could be when she put her mind to it.

  Chapter Six

  “I don’t have a thing to wear.” Michelle stood in front of her closet, tapping her finger against her bottom lip. It was such a cliché, she hated to verbalize it, but the truth was the truth, anyhow.

  Jason and Jonathan were taking her to Decadent Delights, the island’s supremely upscale restaurant that catered to the dressy, more formal crowd. She needed a dress that would wow the brothers, something special and daring that screamed sophistication. She had an idea of just what she needed…

  The clerk smiled, her eyes twinkling over her tiny glasses. “So, you need a Mae West dress, huh?” Her quicksilver fingers flew through the glittering array of evening dresses hanging on the back wall of the boutique. “A dress like that is strong medicine. Who’re you gunning for?”

  “Pardon me?”

  “Who’s your prey… er… date?”

  “Oh.” Michelle took a deep breath and looked everywhere but in the shorter woman’s eyes. “I’m hoping it will turn into more than just a date. My escorts are the Corelli brothers.”

  “Get out!” the clerk screamed. She turned to her fellow workers, bellowing at the top of her lungs. “You guys, you’ll never guess who this lucky wench is dating tonight! It’s none other than Jonathan and Jason Corelli, the Italian stallions!”

  Another girl, islander in appearance, shouted, “Doctor Doolittle’s Push me-pull you? You’re a lucky woman!”

  The allusion confused Michelle, but only for a moment. She gasped. “You mean they…”

  “Honey, they double-team all the way, if you get my drift. They do everything in tandem… and I mean everything! I hear they have synchronicity down to an art. But I’ve never heard of a lady walking away unsatisfied.”

  “You mean waddling away, don’t you?” the island woman chimed in. “No woman can walk by the time the twins finish with her!”

  She really didn’t need the visual that went along with those words. In fact, the th
ought of Jason and Jonathan being with other women left Chelle feeling sick at heart. Mental pain turned into physical and cramped her stomach.

  The clerk noticed and touched her arm in sympathy. “Don’t take on so, dear. All that behavior is in the past. They haven’t touched a woman in months. Everyone’s been talking about how the boys suddenly stopped looking at women let alone dating them. Now we know why.” She gave Chelle a sly wink. “You’re just their style, too. Those brothers love a little meat on the bone, don’t you know?”

  What have I gotten myself into? Chelle groaned, mulling over the implications of what she had learned. She couldn’t say Jonathan hadn’t been up-front with her from the beginning. She simply hadn’t caught on. He’d told her his brother wanted her and he hadn’t seemed worried over the competition. Now she knew he didn’t view his brother’s interest as such. The questions were… what should she do now? Could she handle the both of them? And did she want to?

  “Little sister, I think I’ve found the dress for you. Look at this!”

  Ten minutes later, Chelle waved goodbye to the three boutique clerks, her new dress carefully tied into a white garment bag along with the matching shoes.

  “Okay,” she murmured, “the dress situation is taken care of. Now I need pampering.” In search of a facial, manicure, pedicure… the works, she headed down the lane, humming the song “I Feel Pretty” under her breath.

  The employees in the formal boutique she’d just left had highly recommended the service at the Get Your Groove On Hair Salon. Apparently, the shop covered all the bases, offering all the treatments she could think of and more.

  IF YOU DON’T GET LAID, WE DON’T GET PAID!

  Michelle chuckled. What a neat slogan. The sign, prominently posted in the salon window, was the first thing she saw. The second thing wiped the smile right off her lips.

  Literally, hordes of little women were struggling with a tall woman -- about 5’9” -- who was fighting to get out of the chair the workers were just as determined to force her down on. She sported very short black hair done in a haircut that looked almost masculine, as did the island print Bermuda shorts and matching tank top she wore.