Perfect Design_A Reverse Harem Romance Read online

  I massage the sudsy cloth over to her other shoulder and take a deep breath. “We weren’t sure, you know?” I say quietly.

  Emma turns her head to look at me over her shoulder as I lather between her shoulder blades. “Not sure? What do you mean?”

  I shrug quietly as I gather my thoughts, trying not to let my nervousness show, even now, after she’s already given us her answer and made us the happiest men on earth. A part of me worries that any minute, she’ll come to her senses and realize she’s crazy for agreeing to this life with us. Five guys — all of us focused intently on her. Each of us wanting her love and affection, her time and attention, her sweet kisses and sexy body. Forever.

  It’s a lot for one lady to handle. If the situation was reversed and I had to worry about the wellbeing of five women who were all vying for my heart, I don’t think I could do it. Not in a way that would ensure everyone was truly happy.

  I feel very lucky to be on this side of the situation, because I love being able to pour myself into Emma. I’ve always been a one-woman man. The fact that I’m sharing the one special lady in my life with my four closest friends is a reality I’ve become very comfortable with. The only alternative — that none of us would have Emma in our lives — is wholly unacceptable.

  “What is it, Daniel?” Emma is still glancing back at me, a worried look in her eyes.

  “Some guys — maybe most — they know their girl is going to say yes. We… we weren’t sure,” I admit. “Or, at least I wasn’t. But I think we were all holding our breath.”

  She begins to turn, but I put a firm hand on her shoulder and hold her in place as I scrub down to her lower back. “How could you not know?” she asks.

  “What we are, it’s so different. It’s one thing to live with us, to be in a relationship with us all. But taking this step? Telling our families and making a home together?” Moving to perhaps my favorite part, I take special care on Emma’s curvy hips and ass cheeks.

  “I don’t care if it’s different,” she says as I dip to one knee, working the cloth over and around Emma’s thighs and down her legs. “I fought it for so long. I fought my attraction to each of you, I resisted my feelings because I was scared you guys could never return them, and then I hesitated because I thought, this can’t actually happen. This can’t be a real thing. Not the six of us, together.”

  She twists her upper body and looks down, our eyes meeting. “But you know what? It is real. It’s more real and amazing than anything I’ve ever experienced. There’s nothing I want more than to spend my life with all of you.”

  Her words make my heart pound and once again, I’m reminded of how lucky I am. “I know we can’t give you a wedding, not yet, anyway, but this ceremony is every bit as meaningful to us. This is us becoming a family.”

  I rise to my feet behind her, reaching to the front of her hips. Emma leans her back against my chest, her head tilting onto my shoulder. I look down, beyond her breasts, where she spins the engagement band around her left ring finger. As she pulls it up to her knuckle, I can see a tan line already forming beneath. The small detail makes me smile as I dip the cloth between her legs.

  Emma lets out a breathy sigh and reaches over her shoulder, pulling me down for a kiss. “Daniel.” My name is sweet on her lips. “This is it for me, too. There is nothing half-hearted in the commitment I’m making. To all of you. Forever my five.”

  Emma takes the cloth from me, noticing perhaps it has become only a pretext to stroking her clit. She turns to me, rubbing her bar of soap against the luxurious cloth, lathering up more jasmine and mint scented suds. I crook an eyebrow at her as she applies the washcloth to my chest, spreading the creamy bubbles across my torso.

  “You want me to smell like a flower while I get fitted for my tux?” I ask.

  God, that sultry smile of hers is back. She pauses for just a second as she gives me a devilish look. “I want you to smell like me.”

  “That will drive the rest of the guys into a jealous fit, Emma.” It’s only partly true — there is very little actual jealousy amongst us. But now that we aren’t holding back and all our cards are out on the table, it doesn’t take much for us to get going like bucks during mating season… something as simple as her scent lingering in the air is enough to make us all want to cancel whatever we’re doing and go find her so we can make those delicious moans of pleasure escape from that beautiful mouth of hers.

  She shrugs nonchalantly, a coy smile playing across her lips as she wanders down my abdomen with the soapy washcloth. “Then they should have got their asses out of bed early this morning, like the two of us did.”

  I tilt my head one way and then the other, considering. “Valid point.”

  Emma’s ministrations are taking a rather direct route south, and I can’t hold back a low grunt as my cock twitches. “That’s a dangerous path you’re on,” I warn her.

  I’ve already exercised about as much resistance as I can manage this morning around Emma. If she continues, I won’t be able to stay focused on getting us showered and ready for our appointments.

  “It’s only dangerous if I don’t get what I want,” she says with a grin.

  Emma drops the washcloth and rubs one hand around the base of my cock and the other down to my balls. I straighten my spine as she plays with them, her finger brushing underneath. I cup her face in both hands then run my fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck. I seize her lips with mine. I will never get enough. I will never tire of those soft lips. Water runs through our hair and down to our mouths, mingling with the kiss. Emma begins stroking my shaft, and I am officially at the end of my restraint.

  I back her against the wall, pushing her firmly to the slick tile and using the leverage to hold her as I grab her ass and lift. Emma wraps her arms around me as I position myself at her entrance. She arches her spine in anticipation, and I let her sink down onto my cock, slowly filling her. She tips her head back, moaning as I run my length all the way in.

  Emma clenches her thighs to tighten her grip on me. Her fingers are buried in my hair, and I tip my chin up as she rises above me, moving with my cock as I thrust inside her. She lowers her mouth to mine, and our tongues meet, running against one another.

  I hold Emma’s ass in one hand, leaning my weight against her, squeezing my other hand between us and using my thumb to circle her clit. I press down on the sensitive bud and stroke in time with my cock. Emma’s breasts rub into my chest with every pump.

  She lets out one whimper and then two, never pulling away from my lips long enough to let out a full moan. Her hold on my hair never ceases, and our bodies cannot be pressed more closely. Her whimpers continue, intensifying into short little breathy pants until I feel her pussy constrict around my cock.

  Her lips tremble against mine, and she gasps. I deepen our kiss as her thighs quiver against my hips. The sounds and sensations of her coming send erotic tingles down the back of my legs and up my spine. My sensitivity heightens, the tight hug of her pussy around my cock and her soft lips on mine consuming all my senses.

  Soon, my groans fill the space around her sweet noises, and my abdomen and thighs flex. A slight tremor sets in before my muscles seize, and I come, grasping her tightly.

  We kiss until our breathes slow and the trembling stops, relaxing as the warm water running over us soothes our bodies. She never lets go, her lips moving over mine even as the euphoria of climax eases. Her arms only wrap around me tighter. Wanting me. Needing me.

  17

  Daniel

  A smirk turns up the corner of my lips as Pierce unravels another length of measuring tape around Gunner’s thick chest. Gunner’s been pretty amused by the whole affair. He’s worn some expensive tuxes in the past, but he’s always used the online fitting option, never wanting to set aside the hours it takes to be truly fitted for a high-end suit like this.

  But, Emma’s managed to get him to slow down some. To take time to tend to the little details. She’s even convinced him to set
aside Tuesday nights for a dramatic reading of the Tolkien series. We’re only halfway through The Hobbit, and I already have a few years’ worth of collector’s edition hardbacks bought for the big guy to keep the tradition going.

  All the guys are relaxed and amused as they listen to Pierce call out the latest measurement. Even Jude is kicked back in an easy chair, nursing a cold beer with a contented grin. “I think we’re going to need more fabric,” he says.

  Trigg pauses in refilling his Mimosa. “Wait. Are we going to have to overnight this stuff from Italy?”

  Pierce moves down Gunner’s arm, and he flexes, his bicep turning into a massive block. “Gotta make sure it won’t split for the gun show.”

  I shake my head, only half paying attention. It’s been a task to remain attentive to the myriad of conversations which have been rolling around the fitting room at Benson and Beliso’s. We have the entire place to ourselves, but all I want to do is sneak a few blocks north to the bridal salon and watch Emma get fitted. I close my eyes, trying to picture what kind of dress she’ll choose. I’d bet money that it will be timelessly elegant in its simplicity. But I also know that Emma’s attention to detail will be drawn to the subtle yet exquisitely luxurious embellishments the dress shop is known for.

  With my head tilted back, I become lost in my own world — back in the shower this morning with Emma. The water running down her neck, over her breasts. How she arched and twisted as I thrust into her. Those moans. Good God, she knows how to keep a man hard. I sit forward, realizing that not only is she having that effect on me right now, but I’m once again missing a conversation.

  “…they’re shedding talent left and right.” Gunner gesticulates wildly, making Pierce back away, measuring tape held high like a lion tamer with a chair. “Shit, sorry,” he says to Pierce, lowering his arms.

  “It’s only so long before the company goes belly up,” Jax says. “I give them another three months, tops. Anyone with a resume worth looking at is trying to get out before the layoffs hit.”

  The Chief is scratching his chin. “Hey, Trigg. What was the final number on our stock buy-back when the prices tanked?”

  “We stopped buying about three days ago,” Trigg says. “The price had recovered sufficiently by then, and it’s on its way to rising above pre-crash levels. Sooo, with that last purchase, we’ve reclaimed all but six percent of outstanding stock.”

  Eyebrows lift all around the room, but it’s Gunner who makes Pierce jump again, clapping his hands in celebration. “I fucking told you to buy now. It wasn’t just a smart money move; the media loved it.” He spans his big hands out wide as though displaying the headline to us. “Pentabyte doubling down on the future. Board buys own stock in fistfuls.”

  It really was a good call. We all resisted at first, because the kind of buy-back Gunner was talking about was going to take practically every dime of our cash reserves. We’ve never leveraged that hard before. But now, the quarter is coming to an end in a few weeks, and we’re in a position to keep what would have been flowing out in generous dividends to our former stockholders.

  I’m pretty sure I know the direction Jude was taking with the question. “So, we’re in a good position to expand?”

  Trigg lets out a soft laugh as he nods. “Oh, yeah. With the entire board of BHC hammered with criminal charges, the majority stockholders are now facing a hard decision — trying to either draw talent from the remaining staff and electing them to the board, or trying to recruit from outside the company to find people willing to serve on the board for what is now a defunct company with zero social trust.”

  “Or just start selling off anything that isn’t bolted down,” Jax says. “Which is where I’m placing my bets. They might continue to put on a show for a while longer, but they’re going down in flames, and they know it. No one’s going to want to associate themselves with that company. Hell, even the corporate raiders who’d normally be salivating at the chance to do a takeover aren’t even sniffing around. BHC is toast. They’re going to be having a fire sale any minute now.”

  “Is that something we’re interested in?” Gunner asks. “Since they’re going belly-up, it’d be a chance to pick up some stuff for ourselves.”

  Jude sniffs, spreading his legs wide as he shifts back against the chair. “I’m not interested in equipment or office furniture, if that’s what you mean. I think we’re pretty set there. Besides, I’m sure as shit not buying so much as an external hard drive from them. You kidding me?”

  “We’d spend more money in labor than the stuff is worth, just trying to make sure the equipment’s clean,” Jax agrees.

  Gunner wrinkles his nose. “Oh yeah, fuck that.”

  “But…” I lift a finger for emphasis. “I believe our Internet Security Innovations department is in desperate need of expansion. Peterson has requested an additional team just to focus on Emma’s program. That’s a lot of positions that need filling. And, I’m talking about the kind of talent that can at least keep up with Emma. How many do you think?”

  I turn to Jax, and he leans forward in his chair. “No less than eight for a team like that. Twelve would be better. Maybe as many as twenty as long as some don’t mind being in more of a clerical role until we really get into the meat and potatoes of hitting the market with her code. When that happens, we’ll also need to add to our support teams for customer service and IT.”

  “We’ve never done this level of product release,” Trigg says. “We also need a team to oversee the beta programs — to run point on coordinating that. And we probably need to beef up the data analysis unit so they aren’t under strain to fit that in with all the other stuff they’re already doing.”

  “We’re talking a lot of people, here, aren’t we?” Gunner asks.

  I match Jax’s stance. “Just talking about around the clock customer service and IT support — Jesus. Yeah. I don’t even think we have enough office space for all the new hires we’ll need. Not once this really gets rolling.”

  Jude doesn’t look phased at all. “That’s a damn good problem to have. We’ll find secondary office space. Whatever it takes.”

  Gunner snaps and points at Jude. “Hey, I heard you on the phone with Roth this morning. What does he say? Are the charges sticking?”

  “Damn fucking right, they’re sticking.” The smug smile on Jude’s face is contagious. “The judge isn’t even letting the board members out on bail. Not after they found out how much money they have stashed in their off-shore accounts. Flight risk, you know?”

  Jax is looking very much the part of Jude’s identical twin as he leans back and relaxes in the only other chair in the room. “They aren’t the only ones. Jeremy, too. His ass will be rotting in jail for a loooong motherfucking time.”

  I wince. “Does the guy have any fingers left?”

  He grunts. “Such a fucking pussy. It was only a few fingers, and he’s howling like they cut his goddamn dick off — which is what I wanted them to do, but, he can thank Emma for talking me out of that plan.” He takes a swig of his Bloody Mary. “He still has seven fingers left. Which is seven too fucking many in my opinion — I was going to have them take one for each time he fucked with Emma’s life, but he got the luxury of a pass to the medical unit each time, and now they’ve put him in solitary protection, so whatever. At least I got three.”

  I incline my head, acknowledging to myself that even I felt a deep sense of satisfaction the first time I heard he had an accident. “Well, his jail sentence will likely do him in,” I say, trying to soothe Jax. The man has serious bloodlust, especially when it comes to anyone who messes with Emma.

  Gunner nods. “Turn state’s evidence against the kind of people BHC was in business with? Yeah, you’re probably not coming home.”

  Jude clears his throat, a pleased expression on his face. “Especially since his witness protection agreement just mysteriously up and vanished.”

  “It’s not like he’s going to have anything to come home to, anyway, even i
f he does survive prison,” I say. “After they seized his assets to compensate Emma for the IP theft, he has… what left? A pair of shit-stained underwear and an old toothbrush?”

  “If that,” Trigg concurs, crossing his arms.

  “I can’t believe how much information they had on their internal servers,” I say. “It was like breaking into J Edgar Hoover’s secret files. They had dirt on everyone. I know Jeremy wasn’t expecting them to have files on him, too — and definitely not proof that he committed theft with the drone program.”

  Jude shrugs. “It’s like the assholes who abuses dogs in order to train them to be mean. They’re always shocked when it eventually turns around and bites their hand off. But the rest of us could see that shit coming a mile away — and deservedly so.”

  Up on the fitting platform, Gunner lets out a sound somewhere between a snort and a hiccup, practically shaking with trying to hold back a fit of laughter as Pierce continues with measurements. “I can’t believe she torched the yacht,” Gunner says with a wide grin.

  That gets us all chuckling loudly. It’s a story we’ll reminisce fondly about as often as we can for the rest of our lives. I hold up a finger again between laughs. “Technically, she volunteered it as a Coast Guard training exercise.”

  Pierce dodges as Gunner flings his arms wide. “Yeah, okay, but she’s the one who threw the fucking lit match.”

  “Well, you’re the one who gave her the goddamn idea, carrying around that novel, The Arsonist,” Trigg says.

  Gunner gives us a shit-eating grin. “What can I say? It was genius. I mean, I can’t help it if I’m an inspiration for my foxy lady.”

  A collective groan rises from the room as we shake our heads and roll our eyes.