Page 3

Amber

A fter a short ride, we turn off the engines at the curb of their place. My eyes trail the medium-sized, creamy, brick building—a little different than the rest with arched windows and a dozen fire escapes. It looks a little old but classy.

A sense of peace settles within me and I take it as a good sign.

“It was renovated a while back—they went for a modern look but kept traces of its history. Luka’s parents owned it to my knowledge.” Bradley explains, signaling me to follow him. “They broke the wall between two apartments to expand it so Ronnie expanded the living room and the kitchen, kept one room, and turned the rest into a big bathroom with a bathtub. But you still have a shower on our side. His room is on the opposite side.”

Stepping inside the cozy lobby, I pass a few plants and a wide canvas painting on one of the walls. The elevator dings as it arrives and a family steps out with a teenage girl and a little brother in the mother’s arms, hurrying outside. It’s super late but it seems like an emergency.

Bradley stares at them, his features pinched tight. Seconds pass before he refocuses his attention on me. “After you.”

It’s a short ride to the third floor.

This is probably the best night I’ve ever had in New York. Thanks to them. Coming here a year ago was a big decision for a twenty-eight-year-old with no other set of skills other than doing hair. I guess I’m pretty damn good at it because it landed me a job at a salon but I’m not sure that this is what I want to do. I love seeing people smile when they walk out with a fresh haircut or fresh dye job, but when it comes to the long term, I’m still unsure.

But for now, I unplug that doubt, it’s a chore for another day.

Unlocking the door, he pushes it open and signals me to go in first. “Welcome home, Amber.”

It’s an open-concept apartment with a nice-sized kitchen on my left and a wide living room farther inside. But what catches my attention is the stunning view of the city outside, the endless buildings—it looks like a million stars peeking through their windows.

I gape at it until my eyes sharpen on a little head peeking from behind the backrest of their cozy couch. I close the distance between us to say hello to this little creature. He’s an adorable French bulldog with a beige fawn and a white trail along his belly. “Hey, you’re so adorable.” I pet his head, giving him a few good scratches behind his ears and he presses his head to my palm, asking for more.

“Teddy, meet...” Bradley calls, pauses, and mulls something in his head, “ Am… ber .“ I can tell his gears are turning. “Bear this is Teddy, he’s a certified couch potato.” His eyes dance from mine to the cute dog. “Your name sounds like the word bear, I couldn’t have planned it better. Maybe you’re kindred spirits.”

He is quite entertaining with his witty comments and endless confidence.

“We shall find if you are my kindred spirit.” I stare at Teddy and pet him one last time before I follow Bradley down the hall.

He asks for my number and I give it to him. His fingers fly on his phone screen, “I just opened a group chat for us called Roommates.”

“Awesome.”

“So, the last room in the hall is yours. It has a bed and a few other things. If you need anything let me know, but I bet you’re tired and want to sleep.”

“Yup! That’s a great idea.”

He mirrors me as I nod my head. “I need a shower but go first if you want to.”

I bare my teeth with a silly smile and my nose crinkle, “I’ll make it super quick.”

“Knock yourself out.” I skip to where he instructs me after he brings me one of his t-shirts and a towel I can use since I have nothing of my own here yet.

What a wild night with two exceptionally handsome men. I still think it’s a dream and I might wake from it soon. I pinch my forearm as warm water cascades down my body.

Nope!

Looks pretty real to me.

I finish quickly, dry myself, and put on the shirt Bradley gave me. Skipping to the living room, I’m about to tell Bradley I’m done but a knock on the door startles us and we move our heads in sync toward it.

“Give me a minute.” He strides to the door and peeks through the peephole. “No way.” The surprise in his voice makes me draw my brows together.

He returns with a bag of food that smells divine, “Only Ronnie’s grandma will send you chicken wings after two in the morning. God, I love her.” He tips his head back and growls in satisfaction.

I giggle. “It smells so good.”

“It tastes good too.” He places it on the coffee table. “I know we ate burgers a minute ago but if you’re still hungry, you need to try these.”

Tempted, I sigh, “Just one.”

“That’s a promise you can’t keep, Bear, after one you will need more to wash the one before it.” He warns with a smirk, digging for the box and opening it.

The potent scent floating in the air, sweet and spicy. I fill my lungs with it and reach for a wing. Sinking my teeth in it, it melts in my mouth. I can tell it was grilled, the traces send a jolt of pleasure down my body.

“Fuck, it’s so good.” I open my lids, realizing I closed them in the first place. Bradley’s gaze is fixed on me, burning hot. His silver-gray eyes drink up my pleasure with each bite I take.

“I told you,” he replies, shoving a wing between his lips and moaning as the flavors explode.

After a few more wings, I’m stuffed as I say goodnight to Bradley and go to my room. I toss myself on the bed, my hands clutching the fluffy sheets—Bradley must have put them on when I went to shower. Grinning, I rest my head on the pillow, letting my lids close peacefully.

I yawn, stretching my arms to the sides. Thinking I slept a millennia, I stare at the absurd number on my phone screen. Six-thirty-four in the morning. How?

I rub my eyes but the number doesn’t change.

A couple of notifications on the screen capture my attention and I tap on them.

Ronnie

I got your things from your apartment and left them in the living room.

You can get to it in the morning.

Welcome home, Bear.

I mean Amber.

Sorry for the autocorrect and my exhaustion.

The next text is a bear emoji.

A little laugh escapes me. It’s almost like they planned it but it’s probably just a funny coincidence.

Ronnie

I’m staying at Luka’s place tonight so I’ll see you when I return in the morning but feel free to sleep as long as you need to, no pressure.

Throwing my legs to the side of the bed, I jerk up and whine inwardly on my way out. I should’ve slept longer, maybe I’ll tire myself and go back to sleep.

Little footsteps follow me through the hall, my stuff is lying in the entrance, and I will get it all put away in a couple of hours. I round it carefully so nothing falls, the footsteps behind me stop when I fall short of the maple wooden table next to the window in the corner of the living room.

Teddy peers up at me with his big brown eyes. I lift him before I sit on the chair, placing him on my lap. “Let’s see what we have here.” Spotting the laptop resting on top of the table, I wonder if they would mind if I used it since I don’t have one. My fingers dance and tap on the wooden surface before I tilt up the screen, it turns on immediately, casting a delicate light on me and Teddy.

Maybe I should look for another occupation, something that will draw me in and excite me more. “What do you say?”

Teddy looks at me but averts his gaze to the cookie box on top of the table and a tiny jar that says Teddy—I assume those are his cookies.

“Okay, just one.” I uncap the jar and one cookie finds its way to him. His little crunching sounds are adorable and hilarious at the same time, “Fine, I will give you another one.”

I squeal silently. My ears tickle as those little sounds reach them again. I close the jar and put it away, snatching a chocolate chip cookie from the big box. “I deserve one too, right?”

My eyes glide from the stunning landscapes of the pictures on the wall to the window. It’s almost panoramic, the white vertical bars separate it into three sections—it still orchestrates the view of the city perfectly.

Focusing my attention back on the screen, a document captures it called Secret Project .

Secret as in no one can know about it or only the residents in this apartment are entitled to know.

“What are you doing?” A voice suddenly breaks the silence and I jump in place, wiggling Teddy as I bounce in my chair.

“Shit, you scared me.” My eyes land on Bradley’s shirtless form, the cuts and curves are so pronounced that they merge masterfully with his black sweats.

“What are you doing up?” Lowering onto the armrest, he scratches Teddy’s head.

“I conveniently woke up early.”

His sleepy little laugh bursts. “I thought you were Ronnie.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Not at all,” he removes his hand from Teddy to brush it over my hair. “Are you okay?”

The dim lights make it easy to hide the blush on my cheeks. “Yeah, better than okay. Are those Ronnie’s pictures?” I point to the wall.

“Yeah, he took them on his trips before the club opened, over five years ago. He has a pretty distinctive eye for the art of photography.”

“I agree.” Nodding in agreement, I shove the broken cookie in my hand into my mouth.

A grin slowly stretches across his face. “I’m glad you’re here.” His gaze slowly trails from me to the laptop screen. “So you found the secret.” His voice is soft.

“I didn’t look at it.” I clarify. “I was just going to browse the web a little until I got tired.”

“C’mon, open it.” He tries to persuade me. “It looks like you want to but… don’t share it with anyone—it’s Ronnie’s fantasy realm, and we are harboring his secret. It’s also his laptop.”

Curiosity tickles my toes and pours out of my lips, “Did you read it?”

“Yes. I can’t stop, it’s like a portal to his head, and God I wish I had one, so this came as the best gift I could ask for.“ He speaks a mile a minute yet his voice remains monotone and his features look tired. “I wrote some of those fantasies myself and he never deleted them so we continued to fantasize together.”

“For how long?” I brush Teddy’s fur back and forth, eyes still glued to Bradley.

“Three months now.”

“What if I put mine here too?” It sounds like so much fun. Liberating. Being able to express myself and open up about everything could be the answer I’m looking for. Maybe I’ll even find my true passion.

“Go for it.” Yawning, Bradley rises to his feet and turns halfway.

“You’re not going to ask me what I fantasize about.”

With a tiny smirk, he responds, “I’ll read it later,” and approaches the kitchen. Within minutes, he returns with a tea mug and places it on the table for me. “I’m going back to sleep. Have fun.” He winks and walks away. Something tells me he can’t sleep when Ronnie isn’t here that’s why he jumped out of bed when he heard me.

That’s so sweet.

I click on the document and scroll down. There are already dozens of chapters so I open a new one, call it Amber, and start to type.

I brush myself against their taut, sculpted bodies. They cocoon me perfectly with warmth and a cloud of desire. It radiates off them in waves of spicy colognes that wash over me and snake a shiver down my spine.

I want more of them but the timing couldn’t be worse, plus, we just met. This is just a side effect of being lonely and horny but I’m not into one-night stands. Not to mention the two of them interest me so I’m in over my head. Though, I am curious about what Bradley mentioned earlier.

Threesome.

I didn’t think I was into it until he got me thinking about it. Maybe I should scroll back up and read a few chapters.

Mulling it a moment longer, I decide against it for today. Maybe tomorrow if I choose to stay. It’s their private business anyway and I’m just a guest.

Spilling more words that turn into paragraphs, I get to the part where we hang out in McDonald’s parking lot.

“Text me when you get there.” Bradley requests. Eyes hover over Ronnie’s frame, drinking every inch of him.

It must feel nice to have someone waiting for your texts and calls, wanting to know where you are and if you’re okay.

I envy that.

Finishing the final word, I save and close the file before I depart to my room with Teddy.