Suz clicked her tongue as her head moved from side to side. “I’m glad you’re happy, and I know Jack’s probably got all the moves and then some, but there is nothing like two guys taking care of business for you at the same time.”
There was a flush on Lynn’s cheeks that hadn’t been there before. Pepper resisted asking why it was there, partly because if she found out Lynn had a threesome before Parker she’d wonder if he knew, and if she found out it was with Parker and someone else—
Nopeity, nope, nope. Awkward. Gross.
“Gee, look at the time,” Kendra tossed out. “And how’s the weather been lately?”
The women laughed as the spa workers returned to the room to continue with the next step of the pedicure. Conversation turned to more mundane things than sex.
She glanced over to discover Kendra staring off into space with a pensive expression.
Pepper wasn’t a matchmaker either, but she really hoped her friend would find someone who would rock her world. Lynn was obviously head over heels in love with Parker, and Suz more than content with her hummingbird ways.
Maybe there was something to the old adage of wanting everyone to be settled happily in their nests. Pepper was having such a good time with Jack she wanted that same thing for her friend.
She reached over and caught Kendra’s fingers in hers, giving them a momentary squeeze. Her friend blinked for a second before smiling back.
It was good to have a community of women around her that Pepper could lean on and trust. She never wanted to be without that ever again.
Jack thanked the waitress as she placed a delicious-looking steak dinner in front of him, then unrolled the napkin containing his silverware. He picked up his knife and fork, about to cut into the juicy T-bone when he noticed his friend’s bewildered eyes from the other side of the booth.
“What’s the matter?” Jack arched a brow at Dean. “Steak’s not big enough for you?”
“I need to ask you something.” Dean awkwardly rested both elbows on the tabletop and leaned forward. He lowered his voice to a barely audible pitch as he said, “Is this a date?”
Jack wrinkled his brow. “Um. What?”
“Look around us, man.” Dean swept a hand over their surroundings, gesturing to the expensive meals, the red linen tablecloth, the dim glow of the ornate light fixture above them. His gaze ended its tour on the single white candle at the edge of the booth before shifting back to Jack in dismay. “I think this might be a date, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I mean, I’m not averse to the idea—if I was gay, I’d absolutely sleep with you. I’d even pick you over Parker, if someone held a gun to my head. But this is…weird.”
Jack gaped at his friend. “What the hell are you babbling about? We’re not on a date, Colter.”
A groove appeared in Dean’s forehead. “Then why did you want to meet here? This restaurant is way fancier than the usual wings-and-burgers joints we go to. There’s a frickin’ candle on the table, Jack.”
“You said you were in the mood for steak. I Googled the closest place to the office that serves good steaks.” He shook his head, his reasons for inviting Dean to dinner sliding to the backburner of his mind as he registered what his buddy had said. “You’d fuck me over Parker? Really?”
Dean nodded fervently. “Hell yeah. Mofo’s too intense. I want someone who’ll smile and laugh when we’re getting it on. And I have it on good authority that you like to have fun in bed.”
“What authority? You know firsthand what I’m like in the sack.”
“Exactly. Speaking as the person who’s tag-teamed with both you and Parker, I’d much prefer going solo with you.”
“Thanks?” Jack gave another shake of the head, wondering how on earth they were even having this conversation. On the other hand, he couldn’t have asked for a better segue if he’d tried.
As Dean picked up his steak knife and sliced off a hefty piece of rib eye, Jack took a quick sip of beer before continuing. “I’m glad to hear you approve of my sex methods, because I actually wanted to talk to you about something.” He folded his hands together. “Do you want to have sex with me and Pepper?”
Dean froze mid-swallow, then broke out in a fit of coughs that attracted the curious eyes of the other patrons occupying the restaurant’s various booths and tables. The guy even pounded his own fist into his chest a couple of times to dislodge the piece of meat that had jammed in his windpipe, and the scene would have been comical if not for the utter seriousness of the request.
Jack didn’t say a word as he waited for Dean to recover. But when his buddy finally spoke, it wasn’t what he’d expected to hear.
“No.” Swift and emphatic, zero hesitation.
“What do you mean, no?” When it came to sex, Dean Colter belonged to the anything goes camp. His turning down an opportunity to get kinky was unheard of.
“I mean no. As in, I’m not gonna do it.”