Faking with Benefits : A Friends to Lovers Romance(35)

Layla’s lip twitches. “What did you tell him?”

“To buy the balloons wholesale from party stores so they’re cheaper.”

She closes her eyes. “Fine,” she mutters, her face burning. “I… when you were talking about that girl you dated… Monica, or whatever.”

I glance across at Zack. I’m not sure where this is going. “Yes?”

She shrugs awkwardly. “I like the thought of that a lot. That’s… what I think of when I’m in bed.”

It takes a second for me to realise what she means. Then the penny drops. “That’s what you imagine to get yourself off? Having a three-way?”





TWENTY-ONE





LAYLA





I set my jaw, looking Josh straight in the face. “Yes,” I say.

I expect him to look shocked or awkward; instead, he just shoots back: “What configuration?”

“What?”

“You want all guys? A guy and a girl?” His eyes bore into mine. “How many partners? Two? Three? Four?”

I feel like I’m getting drilled at an interview. “Jesus, does it matter? It’s not like it’s ever going to happen. It’s just a fantasy.”

His brow furrows. “Of course it matters,” he insists. “What you want matters. Own it. It’s not embarrassing.”

Christ. “Just guys,” I say. “Two or… three, maybe? I think I might struggle with four. I’d probably end up getting tangled in all the limbs.”

“You want the guys to get off with each other?” Josh presses, all business. “Or just be focussed on you?”

“What?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Dude, this is the funniest shit,” Zack whispers. “You’ve done it now, L. He’s in full saviour mode. He doesn’t have an off-switch.”

“Do you want the guys to be together?” Josh repeats impatiently.

Well, now I just sound selfish. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind,” I say. “But it wouldn’t do anything for me.”

“You’d like to sleep with two or three men, who are all focussed on getting you off,” Josh repeats back to me. “You know there are dating apps that can help you find multiple partners, right? They’d probably be a better choice than random dating websites.”

I shake my head. “Josh, this isn’t something I’m actually looking for. I can barely find one man I trust, let alone two or three.” I look down at my hands. “It’s a fantasy. Not something I actually want to put into reality.”

There’s a pause. “But you can,” Josh says quietly. He shifts his weight, bringing his face closer to mine. His warm breath touches my cheek, and I feel a hot pulse between my legs. “You can.”

“Aye,” Zack agrees. “In fact, three-ways are our speciality. What an incredible coincidence.” He scoots in on my right. “What do you think? Wanna see if we can make you come? I love a challenge.”

I stare at him, my heart starting to pound. I can’t believe this is happening. The boys are offering me my fantasies on a silver platter, and I don’t know how to respond. “I… you? But…”

Josh’s expression softens. “You’re embarrassed.”

I open my mouth to argue — and then realise that I am. I’m more than embarrassed. I’m ashamed. “I don’t think I should be. But… you’ve seen the comments I get when I model my clothes online, right? I’ve dealt with more than my fair share of slut-shaming. It just seems…” Whorish. Easy. “Greedy,” I go with.

“It’s not greedy.” Josh uncurls my fingers from my palm. “If anything, it’s a Hell of a lot more work for the girl.”

A vision snaps up in my head. Me on my hands and knees, my mouth sliding over one thick dick as another pistons into me from behind. Moving between the men, listening to them groaning and panting as I get them both off at the same time.

Heat flushes through my whole body. “Oh.”

His mouth tips up. “Do you want to try it?” He strokes his thumb over my palm. “With us? It’s fair enough if you want to keep it as a fantasy. But if this is what gets you off, then there’s no reason to be ashamed of it. It gets us off, too. And you deserve a fulfilling sex life.” His dark eyes melt into mine. “We’d take care of you.”

His hand strokes over mine, lighting up my nerve endings. I lick my lips. I can barely breathe. Instead of answering, I just nod.

Josh smiles. “Right now?”

“Well. I shaved this morning. So may as well.” My voice sounds a lot more confident than I feel.

Josh’s grip on my hand tightens for a second, before he nods, business-like, and pulls away, leaving me breathing hard. “Zack? I’m assuming you’re okay with this?” He asks briskly.

Zack grins. “Am I ever. But, okay, full disclosure before we start, lass.” He puts his head on my shoulder, his warm affection relaxing me slightly after Josh’s cool intensity. “I think you’re hot as hell, and if I met you at, like, a bar or whatever, I’d absolutely try and take you home. So I do kind of have an agenda. But I also wanna help you.”