Taking Turns (Turning #1)(57)

“No, really, Bric,” I say, looking down the stairs to see if any visitors—or God forbid, Michell—are listening. “Why are you here? It’s not your day.”

“Is that a rule?” he asks. “We’re not allowed to see you? On our days off?”

“I don’t know, but it seems logical to me.”

“Because it keeps things… simple?” Bric asks.

“Yes,” I say. “Exactly. Simple is far better than trying to explain my plural relationship with three men to my co-workers.” Three very hot, well-known men, I don’t add.

Bric just smiles.

“My assistant said one of her friends saw me at Turning Point Club with Matisse and Smith that night he took me there for dinner. Vanessa Sterling. ”

“Is this a problem?”

“It is when everyone knows that Turning Point Club is for well-to-do swingers, Bric!”

“She won’t say anything else, take my word on that. I will make a personal phone call after I leave here and make sure of it. She would never risk her husband’s membership. She’s having too much fun with her new toy, Jordan Wells.”

“Oh, great! Well, Jordan Wells is an old f*ck buddy of Michell’s, Bric. This is all getting very… very…” I can’t find the right word.

“Uncomfortable for you,” Bric finishes.

“Yes!” I say. “Exactly. Uncomfortable. I don’t want people talking about me again.”

“Again?” he asks.

“Ever,” I say, trying to hide my slip-up. “I don’t like it, Bric.” My hands start shaking and he leans across the desk to hold one.

“It’s OK, Chella. I promise. I’ll handle it. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you. We won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Bric has a thoughtful look on his face and I count my blessings that it was him and not Smith who just showed up during that conversation with Michell. But that reminds me. “Why are you here? Does Smith know?”

“Do you want him to know?”

“I don’t know. I guess not.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want him coming over and starting a scene. He comes across as the type who likes to make scenes.”

“He would never embarrass you that way, Chella. But I am here because of him.”

I wait for it. But Bric continues to smile as he keeps silent. “Well? What does he want?”

“Did everything go OK last night?”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about that stuff?”

“And I told you, I’m in charge of your wellbeing. As Number Three, it’s part of my job description to make sure you’re OK at all times.” He stops to wait for me to say something, but I don’t know what to say. “Are you OK, Chella? You’re looking a little tired this morning. Did you have a rough night?”

I smile at his smirk. “Well, I did go on a date that had a lot of dirty sex involved.”

“True. But it’s what happened after I dropped you off that concerns me. I’m fairly certain the dirty sex we had isn’t the problem.”

“He didn’t come over.”

“OK,” Bric says. “Anything else you’d like to tell me?”

Like… Smith practically demanding that I let him watch us f*ck next week?

No, I decide to leave that out. Who knows what will happen between now and then, right? The whole arrangement could fall apart and I’d never have to have that conversation at all.

“He made me watch us f*ck. On the TV. All night long.”

“Ah.” Bric laughs. “So that explains it. You spent the night masturbating to the little sex tape we made?”

The words ‘sex tape’ strike fear through my whole body. “He would never—”

“No, Chella. He would never show those to anyone. Ever. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Whew,” I say, making an exaggerated gesture of wiping my brow with my hand.

“Did you masturbate to the sex tape all night long?”

“Yes,” I say, blushing a little. But I leave out the best part. That it was my fantasy of Smith watching us f*ck that got me off.

“Well, he called me this morning and told me to let you know he won’t be around this weekend.”

“No?” I ask, wondering why that is. “Did he give a reason?”

“He said you’d know why. Which had my mind working overtime.” Bric leans forward, both my hands in his now. “I’m just here to make sure he’s not f*cking things up, that’s all. I like you. I want this to work. And Smith can be… challenging to manage at times. Don’t let him ruin what we could have. Like I said last night—you can cut him out completely. Keep him on the other end of the cameras. He’ll stay away from the apartment if you don’t let him watch in person.”

“How do you know that?” I ask.

“Because we’ve done this before. We’ve been One and Three before. It’s not an ideal situation. In fact, Smith is always a challenge. But we can manage him, Chella. If you refuse to let him watch, he will leave you alone. Just like he left Rochelle alone.”

I think about this for a moment. Do I want to cut him out completely? Do I want Smith Baldwin to leave me alone?