“Liam is a fucking moron,” Olivia seethed, fist clenched around the handle of her Fendi bag. We had just landed in the small airport outside Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, and Jake had cheerfully waved us off, promising that he’d see us soon. The sun shone brightly as a taxi took us to Leo’s apartment, one he assured me was a total secret from Liam. Once we arrived and settled in, I needed to call my husband, if for no other reason than to let him know I was alive and well. Despite everything, I knew that Liam did care about me; whatever had been running through his mind when he made the decision to cheat on me, I could see the heartbreak in his eyes when he confessed everything.
I smiled slightly at Olivia, glad to have such a fierce and wonderful friend. “He is,” I agreed as the cab pulled up to a worn, stone building. Leo passed some money to the driver, speaking in Italian, and stepped out of the car to grab the luggage while Olivia and I stood at the door, waiting.
“This is your secret apartment, Leo?” she wrinkled her nose, looking up at the seemingly-dilapidated structure. He chuckled, handing me my bag and pulling a set of keys from his pocket. “Just wait until you’re inside, Duchess.”
We trooped into the apartment’s small entryway, getting a first glance at our digs for the next few days. Shiny, dark wood floors gleamed under our feet, and the room opened up into a spacious sitting area, filled with warm, neutral, overstuffed furniture. Olivia slipped past me, nodding her head as she scoped out the apartment.
“I stand corrected, Rys, you actually do know what you’re doing.”
Leo rolled his eyes and set Olivia’s small suitcase at her feet. “Here’s your bag, Livvy. Bedrooms are upstairs, take your pick.” He smiled over at me. “You too, Charlotte.” He followed us up to the second floor and then continued on. “Master is on the third floor, so you girls have this one all to yourselves.” Leo winked and disappeared up the next set of stairs.
I poked my head into the first room I came to, Olivia looking into the one across the hall. “Oooh, this is nice!” she cried. If the room she was in was anything like this one, she was right. The dark wood floors continued into the bedrooms, but the walls were painted a calming, dusty blue. A large four-poster stood in the middle of the room, its dark wood contrasting against the fluffy, cream-colored duvet. A door across the room opened up to a small en suite, painted in the same color as the bedroom. It was lovely, and it was relaxing – just what I needed.
“Whatcha got in here?” Olivia stepped inside, taking a look around the room. “There’s no way Leo did this himself,” she mused, “he must have hired a decorator.” I flopped back onto the bed, some of the tension seeping out of my muscles; I felt like I could sleep for a week. “I need to call Liam,” I intoned, mostly to myself. Olivia sat on the bed next to me and looked down at me with concerned eyes. “Do you want me to go?” I shook my head, needing all the additional strength I could get. I quickly selected his number from my favorites, my heart beginning to hammer in my chest.
“Charlotte!” Liam’s panicked voice came through the phone. I took a deep breath to steady my voice before replying. “Liam, I just wanted to call to let you kn–”
“Where are you? Are you alright? My god, I’m so, so sorry,” he babbled, his voice breaking with emotion. Tears again filled my eyes, just hearing his voice was like a knife to my heart. “Please come home, Charlotte, baby, please, I love you so much,” Liam cried into the phone. I broke down, sobbing, curling into myself on the bed, unable to believe that we had somehow ended up in this situation.
Olivia gently took the phone from me, bringing it to her ear. “Liam, she’s fine, she’s with me” she said quietly, calmly. “No, we’re not in Lythikos … you don’t need to know where we are… . No, you can’t speak to her … I don’t know when she’ll be back. Tell the press she’s ill, cover for her.” Anger flooded her voice. “You owe her that much. I’ll speak to you in a few days. Goodbye, Liam.” She ended the call and gently pushed my hair out of my face.
“I’m going to let you rest, okay Sweetie?” I nodded, hiccuping through my tears. Olivia left my room, closing the door softly behind her. Thoroughly exhausted, I pushed today’s events out of my mind and let sleep take me.
I swirled the wine in my glass as the sun set over the rooftops of Sardinia. Olivia, Leo, and I sat on the top of Leo’s apartment building, ensconced in a private patio. A high wooden fence adorned with hanging planters of lush flowers blocked the neighbors’ view on either side, leaving the third side open to a view of the ocean. Olivia and I curled up on a cozy outdoor couch, with Leo relaxing in a matching chair to my right. Already through one bottle, with the second nearly drained, I was more relaxed now than I had been in weeks, thoughts of Liam and Drake far away.
“Jesus, this is a good wine,” Olivia sighed into her glass. She drained the rest of the garnet liquid and stuck her arm out to me, motioning for a refill. Taking her glass I reached over to Leo, who wordlessly poured another drink. Passing the wine back to Olivia, I gave a contented sigh and swallowed a mouthful of my own drink, enjoying the peppery burn as it slid down my throat.
“Thanks, you guys, for doing this for me,” I murmured into the warm air. Leo reached over and squeezed my hand. “It’s not a big deal,” he countered, Olivia nodding in assent. I smiled gently at both of them and we continued to watch the sinking sun as night crept in.
Nearly two hours later, Olivia stood up, swaying slightly. “Well Leo, you got me drunk,” she giggled, stumbling past me to sit in Leo’s lap. He grinned, face flushed and hair tousled, wrapping his arms around her slim waist. “So I did, Livvy,” he nuzzled her neck, “all part of my master plan.”
“What kind of master plan? She invited herself along,” I snorted into my glass. “It was just supposed to be you and me, pal, remember?” Leo turned his blazing green eyes on me, nearly the same shade as Olivia’s, and smirked. “Who says you weren’t the original plan, Charlotte?”
My breath hitched in my throat as I looked at my brother-in-law and my best friend, their lips lifted in matching sensual smiles. A rush of heat burned through me, dampening my core. Olivia was gorgeous, and we’d already been together, but Leo … well. He was sexy, there was no doubt of that. Where Liam was all sharp angles and serious smolder, Leo was slightly more muscular, rounder, and playful. Yet, even with everything that had happened I didn’t know if I was willing to go that far, not with Liam’s half brother. Olivia sensed my hesitation and elbowed Leo lightly in the ribs. “Leave her alone, Lee, she doesn’t need you messing with her.”
I smiled gratefully at Olivia, who rose from Leo’s lap and dropped right next to me on the sofa, our legs pressed together. She brushed my hair behind my shoulder and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Can I take care of you tonight, Char?” Her warm breath gave me chills, hardening my nipples and soaking my panties. Maybe I did need some kind of release, something to take away the sting of Liam’s betrayal. I snuck a glance at Leo, whose eyes shone hungrily, locked on the two of us sitting together. He’d done me a solid today, sneaking me out of Cordonia; I hated to deprive him after all that.
Turning my head, I caught Olivia’s lips with my own, gently caressing her mouth. Leo audibly groaned beside me, and I reached out to lace my fingers with his, bringing my other hand up to tangle in Olivia’s hair. Her tongue licked at the seam of my lips and I gladly admitted her entrance, loving the heady taste of wine on her tongue. Our kiss lasted forever, tongues stroking, teeth nibbling. Leo stayed put, holding on to my hand, watching the two of us make out.
Olivia was the first to break away, smiling softly at me. “You’re amazing,” she whispered, then turned her attention to Leo.
“Well? You want in on this?”
He nodded, shifting slightly to adjust the telltale bulge in his pants. “You’re goddamn right I do.” Each of them stood, Leo pulling me up beside him while Olivia grabbed my other hand. Together, we made our way downstairs to the third floor and Leo’s bedroom. He swung the door shut behind us, then sat in an armchair while Olivia and I stood together near the foot of the bed, waiting breathlessly.
“Liv, take her clothes off,” Leo ordered, spreading his knees and palming himself through his jeans. “Gladly,” she muttered, slowly unbuttoning my casual green blouse, revealing inch by inch the lacy, navy blue bra I wore underneath. She stepped behind me and pulled the shirt from my shoulders, exposing me to Leo, whose eyes raked up and down my body. “You’re fucking beautiful,” he groaned. I felt myself flush under his gaze, still not sure if I should be doing this, but so turned on I didn’t know if I could stop.
Olivia reached around me to unbutton my dark skinny jeans, sliding them past my hips, down my legs, and to my feet. I stepped out of them, kicking them away, and turned to kiss her, loving the feeling of her dainty hands sweeping across my skin. She sighed into my mouth and I made quick work of removing her dress, throwing it in the direction of my jeans. Together, we tumbled into the bed, still clad in matching lingerie sets, legs tangled together.
“I want to make you feel good,” Olivia whispered against my skin, her lips blazing a path across my skin. She sucked lightly at my pulse point before kissing her way down my throat, stopping at the swells of my breasts. There, she nibbled and sucked at the soft skin, lavishing attention on the sensitive flesh. I moaned at the sensation and Olivia slid over me, kneeling between my legs as she buried her face between my mounds.
Leo crossed to us, still fully clothed, grasping at Olivia’s ass swaying in the air. She gasped against me and pushed back into Leo’s hands as they caressed her rounded cheeks. “Tell me what you want, Livvy,” he said lowly, eyes trained on her slit, just peeking out around the lacy edges of her panties. Olivia raised her eyes to mine, looking into them for confirmation, before calling back to Leo.
“I want you to fuck me while I eat Charlotte’s pussy.”
Both of us moaned at Olivia’s words. Leo quickly tore her panties down her legs and she did the same to me, till our glistening pussies were both ready and waiting. Ducking her head, Olivia licked a trail up my crevice, ending at my clit, which she sucked lightly on. Unable to resist, I bucked my hips against her face, needing more. I felt her push forward slightly as Leo entered her from behind, her cries vibrating against my mound.
“Liv, you feel so good,” panted Leo, slowly thrusting in and out of her wet heat. She kept her mouth firmly on my sex, licking my juices as they dripped out of me. “I love the way you taste, Char,” she muttered against my labia, dipping her tongue inside my hot core and making me arch my back. “Leo, you have to taste this sweet pussy,” Olivia called back to him. He met my gaze with a hooded look of his own, an understanding passing between us. Neither of us was quite ready for that, not tonight. “Maybe another time, Baby,” he replied, gripping her ass cheeks and pounding into her. “Ahhh! Leo!,” Olivia shouted, the sound muffled against my wet, swollen lips.
She continued pleasuring me, tongue dipping and licking through my slick folds. I felt my orgasm start to build, and I brought my hands up to my nipples, plucking at the hardened buds as I closed my eyes in pleasure. As soon as my lids closed, an image of Drake popped up, his broad chest bare, his hands cradling my breasts. I moaned as I let the fantasy take me, picturing Drake between my legs, his mouth on my clit, nibbling it just the way I liked. “Mmmm,” I groaned, writhing against Olivia’s face. In my imagination, though, it was Drake that I was grinding on, his rough stubble scratching my sensitive skin.
“Fuck, Leo, I’m coming,” Olivia sighed, momentarily forgetting me as she succumbed to her climax. “Fuck! Fuck! Yes, baby, fuck that pussy!” She took her lower lip between her teeth, biting at the supple flesh as her orgasm rocked through her. I watched as Leo followed quickly, his thrusts becoming erratic before he spilled himself inside of her. Watching the two of them come together, both of them gorgeous and wild, thrilled me, and I pushed toward my own release.
Olivia plunged two fingers inside my waiting cunt, twisting and curling them to hit my g-spot just right. I continued playing with my tits, my nipples impossibly hard, and closed my eyes again.
There was Drake, hovering over me, his thick brown hair drenched with sweat as he pounded me. “I love you Charlie,” he whispered in my fantasy, bringing his delicious mouth down to mine, lovingly stroking my tongue with his. In my mind, I breathed promises of forever, gripping him tightly as I came undone.
“Ahhh, AHHHHH,” I screamed, my orgasm rocketing through me. Olivia stayed with me, her mouth locked on my clit, her fingers held tightly by my inner muscles. I rode the wave, thrashing my head against the pillow, my hips bucking against my imagined lover.
As I came down, I opened my eyes blearily to see Leo and Olivia staring down at me, matching looks of awe on their faces.
“I told you she was amazing, didn’t I, Lee?” she asked, lightly kissing the apex of my thighs before stretching out next to me. Leo followed suit, sandwiching Olivia between us, all three sated and headed for dreamland. “You sure did,” he said, running a hand through Olivia’s hair and kissing her temple. I decided to leave the two of them, needing some space. Rolling out of bed, Olivia cried softly. “Stay, Char, please?”
I smiled back at her, lovingly sweeping a strand of hair from her face. “I just need some time, Liv, okay? You understand?” She nodded and squeezed my hand. “Love you though.”
I made my way to the door, pausing to look back at my friend and lover.
“Love you, too. Sweet dreams.”
With that, I walked from Leo’s room and down the steps to my own quarters. Climbing between the cool sheets, I sighed in relief. I needed that tonight, a respite from the troubled thoughts of my crumbling marriage. Olivia was a fun and generous partner, and I felt safe with her. Yet tonight, as satisfied as I was, I laid in bed for another hour before I could fall asleep, my mind filled with thoughts of whiskey-laced kisses and warm brown eyes that haunted my dreams as I slept.