Three for Dinner Read online

  Grimacing, she tried to think what to do. Surely, there was something. She folded one leg under her butt and sat on the couch, leaning her back against the cushioned arm. It wasn’t only her business that was experiencing the black out. It was every business in the city apparently from the sight outside the window. Only the glare of car lights broke the midnight blackness and she could imagine the irate motorists trying to make their way along the streets. New Yorkers were vicious when it came to traffic snarls.

  Tesa soon found sitting idly on the couch to be a waste of time. She rose and went in search of candles. Finding a cluster in the bathroom, she carried them to the living room table. Within seconds, the dark room took on an amber glow.

  She took her cell phone from her purse. There were several business calls she needed to make. Removing a notebook from her briefcase, she carried the sheath of papers back to the couch and began making the calls. Usually she waited until the end of the week to check with her suppliers, but since she had idle time on her hands, she saw no reason to put the matter off.

  Waiting for a blackout to end never proved productive. By ten o’clock the situation hadn’t been rectified so she went to bed. Extra sleep couldn’t hurt, since there was little else she could accomplish without benefit of a computer or fax machine. As she stretched out atop the mattress, she thought of Carl and his wife.

  Surely there were backup measures at the hospital for emergency situations with a power outage. Pushing the thought aside, she turned on her side and closed her eyes. Carl’s situation wasn’t hers to worry about, thank God. The restaurant, however, was a different situation. In the back of her mind, she wondered how many days Carl would stay with Lily and not come to work. She gritted her teeth and rolled to her back. It would be just like him to call and ask for a week off.

  She combed her fingers through her hair. Finding good help was proving to be a chore. At this rate, she would never see Caleigh’s name on the society page, or garner a rating high enough to pull the elite of New York through the front door. She threw aside the sheet and sat on the side of the bed.

  “I wonder if other restaurant owners have this problem.” She laughed suddenly, realizing the trouble with employees wasn’t anything new. Whether they were cooks or utility workers, they were all given to streaks of lazy indulgences she couldn’t control. She rose and crossed the room to the window. Hoping that things had improved, she pulled aside the curtain.

  “Crap.”

  Three for Dinner

  Chapter 4

  Without the benefit of an alarm clock, daylight arrived in silence, and the moment Tesa opened her eyes, she threw back the sheet and rushed to the window. “Damn!” Even in the early morning haze, it was easy to see that nothing had improved. The city was still in the grips of the blackout.

  She turned to the nightstand and picked up her cell phone, quickly searching for the local news. The results only made her curse and toss the phone on the bed. Even if repair crews had been working all night, the blackout was so extensive that the top officials weren’t committing themselves to a time when it might be over.

  Tesa didn’t relish the notion of trying to drive to the restaurant. With the absence of traffic lights, it would be chaos. She checked her watch. If the city regained power before the expected time for the repairman to work on the air conditioner, she wanted to be there to let him in.

  Fearing she was clutching at straws, she ate a hurried breakfast and dressed, then grabbed her car keys and left the apartment. Without the benefit of electricity, she had to take the stairs to the parking garage. She arrived, panting, her clothes damp with perspiration, and her knees aching. Anger filtered through her insides as she slid behind the steering wheel and started the motor. A blast of humid air hit her face as the engine came to life and the fan on the air conditioning system started.

  It took almost an hour to get to the restaurant. Tesa pulled into the rear alley and shut off the car. Relieved to be out of the bedlam on the streets, she sat for a moment contemplating her next move. There was nothing she could do inside the restaurant, aside from waiting for the repairman to arrive. She checked the time. It was barely ten. Usually she would be up to her eyeballs in pastries by that time of day. And the kitchen crew would be busy prepping vegetables and sauces. She wrenched the door handle and pushed the door open. “This is just one more experience I can chalk up to owning a business.”

  Tesa entered the back entrance and strode through the kitchen into the dining room. Everything was as she had left it yesterday afternoon. “And still just as hot.” She fanned herself with one hand then loosened the neck of her blouse. Had she not believed in the abilities of the utility workers, she would have worn shorts and a halter top, but being the eternal optimist, she held on to the hope that things would change for the better.

  A knock sounded on the front door. Tesa halted her feet and listened, thinking she might have imagined the sound. The employees always entered through the rear and there was never a salesman who just showed up. They always phoned ahead, just to make certain the owner would be available. The knock sounded again, a little louder this time. Tesa’s brows rose as she walked toward the front of the room.

  Two shadows were visible through the opaque glass in the double front doors of the restaurant. She bit her lip, trying to think whether she was expecting anyone besides the repairman. As she hesitated, the knock sounded again. Her curiosity piqued, she reached the lock. More than likely, it was just a couple of salesmen trying to take advantage of the blackout, perhaps wanting to sell generators or some other foolproof tool against power outages. She drew the door back.

  Shock filtered through her insides. She raised one hand and clutched the collar of her blouse as she gaped wide-eyed at the two men standing on the sidewalk. “I’ll be damned!”

  “Surprise!” Erik Montgomery shouted and stepped through the doorway. He wrapped both arms around Tesa and hugged her against his chest.

  Tesa’s astonishment intensified as Erik tightened the embrace. Her breasts flattened against his chest and immediately she felt the muscles lying beneath his shirt. A fleeting surge of arousal zinged thought her insides before she managed to break the hug and push him to arm’s length.

  “I don’t believe my eyes!” she exclaimed, looking from Erik to Sean. Sean stepped around his brother and gathered her into his arms. She hugged him back, admitting that his body felt just as good as his brother’s pressing against her form.

  When Tesa finally managed to break the hug and step back, she found herself staring at the two. They hadn’t changed at all, aside from perhaps a bit more tan. They were still gorgeous to admire, and managed quite nicely to make her pulse jump in her wrist. “How did you find me?” Without thinking, she glanced past the men, glimpsing the sidewalk as though verifying that they were indeed standing inside her restaurant.

  “We just looked for Caleigh in the phone book and caught a taxi,” Erik explained, kicking the front door closed with one foot. “The traffic is hell. How much longer before the power is restored?”

  Tesa shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “How have you been, darling?” Sean asked, placing one arm around Tesa’s shoulders and turning her from the door. “We’ve missed you terribly.” He looked around the restaurant dining room and emitted a low whistle. “I’m impressed, sweetheart. Congratulations. You realized your dream.”

  Tesa smiled. If it wasn’t for the damn blackout, she would be overjoyed to see the twins. They always managed to buoy her mood and with everything that had happened lately, she was sorely in need of having her spirits lifted.

  “Yes, finally.” She released a long breath. “It seems every now and then, karma just works against me though. The air conditioning is on the fritz and now the blackout.” She raised both hands to her hips. “I suppose I’ll have to remain closed until further notice.”

  Erik’s brows rose. “You sound down, babe.” He glanced at his brother. “Odds are we can che
er you up.”

  Heat rose to Tesa’s face, pinking her cheeks. The lusty undertones in Erik’s voice were all too prevalent. And the flood of memories that cascaded through her insides was too hot to ignore.

  Three for Dinner

  Chapter 5

  Tesa poured wine and listened to Sean and Erik. Their time in Europe sounded exciting, at least from their point of view. They were adventurous by nature and all too proud of it. She cocked one eyebrow and turned toward the pair.

  “What made you decide to return to the States?”

  “We nearly pined ourselves sick over you,” Sean said, winking one incredibly green eye. He raised his glass and toasted her before taking a sip.

  “Seriously, Tesa, we only planned on spending a year or so trekking across Europe before we came back and found a location for our restaurant.” He smiled, displaying straight white teeth. “But the part is true about us missing you.” He stretched out one hand and skimmed his palm across Tesa’s thigh. “You haven’t changed one bit and I’m glad.” He cocked his head. “Tell me there isn’t a man in your bed.”

  “Or two?” Erik added with a short laugh.

  Tesa shook her head. Should she tell the twins that she had been unable to forget the time she spent with them? Or act as though she had numerous suitors? The temptation was great, given the overt confidence she saw in Sean’s eyes.

  “Tell the truth, darling. Is there someone in your life? Are you sleeping with someone?”

  She bit her lip and smiled. She could only imagine the twins leaving if she lied and said there was a man in her life. Truth was, she was so glad to see them that her panties had become wet almost immediately.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” she admitted, picking up her glass. “This restaurant is my life. It has been since the day I opened the doors.” She drew in a long breath and took a sip of wine, staring at the twins over the rim of the glass. “I’m learning the hard way what it means to be a business owner in New York.” She chuckled.

  “How is business, sweetheart, aside from having to manage around blackouts and equipment failures?” Erik asked, moving around the cook station to stand beside her.

  “Caleigh is building up a clientele.” She nodded. “I have regulars who come in weekly.” She gestured toward the front of the building. “The location is very good for business. It’s the building resources that I’m having difficulty with.” She clamped her mouth shut. She shouldn’t be sharing her problems with Sean and Erik. Turning her gaze on Erik, her insides shook when she briefly imagined him naked. Hurrying to dash the thought, she picked up her wine glass and took a hefty swallow.

  “We don’t mean to pry, Tesa, we’re extremely proud of you for having opened your own restaurant.” Erik smiled broadly and placed one arm around Tesa’s shoulders. “But wouldn’t it be better for business if you owned the property?”

  The warm arm circling her shoulders almost made her close her eyes for a moment. She had gone far too long without male companionship to ignore the heat the contact brought to her insides. She raised one hand and placed it atop Erik’s, savoring the smooth skin and the dappling of blond hair on its back.

  “Possibly. At least I’d replace the old utilities with new ones. But the debt would be staggering.” She shook her head. “I’m a solo act and scared off by the thought of a large mortgage.” As she raised her head, she glimpsed the twins exchanging glances. Curiosity rose inside her body. “You haven’t told me your plans yet. Have you just now returned from Europe?”

  Sean glanced at his watch. “Our plane landed about three hours. Thank God it was daylight, since there were no landing lights marking the runway.” He grimaced. “I thought about kissing the tarmac when we got off the plane.”

  “You’re such a coward,” Erik remarked, laughing.

  “Me? You had a death-grip on the seat arm.”

  Tesa laughed. All at once, she had the urge to hug them both and slid from the stool. Wrapping her arms around their necks, she pulled them against her body. “I’m so glad to see you both. Really, I am.”

  Three for Dinner

  Chapter 6

  Old memories surfaced to cloud her mind. The warm arms circling her body felt so inviting and familiar that she hesitated to break the hug. She drew their scent into her lungs, gave in to the barrage of sensations streaming through her body. It seemed so right that she should be with them again.

  “You feel good,” Erik whispered against her ear.

  His words broke the trance-like state she had slipped into. She forced a smile and stepped back, breaking the embrace.

  “Tesa,” Sean began, taking her hand. He tugged her against his chest and nestled his head in the crook formed by her collarbone and neck. “Oh, sweet Tesa, we have missed you so much.”

  Tesa pushed out of his arms and stood looking at the pair. It was so hard to tell them apart, except for when they made love. Sean seemed to be the most passionate one, indulging in a lot of foreplay and heated kisses, while Erik didn’t count too much on preliminary details. When his cock was hard, he wanted a hot body to thrust. Maybe I know them better than I think I do. Maybe, but the fact remains that they wanted to share me.

  “It’s almost six o’clock, babe. How much longer are you going to wait for the repairman?”

  Tesa had long ago given up on the blackout being over and the repairman showing up to fix the old cooling system. She had phoned the employees and related the news, then checked the backup generators keeping the refrigeration system going. Sean and Erik had been at the restaurant since ten o’clock. They had shared lunch and reminisced about their times in Paris to the extent that she wished she had accompanied them on their trek.

  “Where are you staying?” she asked, looking from Sean to Erik.

  Erik smiled. “Our only plan, babe, was finding you. Now, I’m looking at you and hoping you only have one bed and will invite us to move in.”

  Sean laughed and placed one hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I admire the way you get right to the point.”

  Tesa laughed. “Me, too.” The idea that Erik had voiced what was in the back of Tesa’s mind sent a wave of arousal streaking through her. It would be heavenly to wake up nestled between these two. Her thought jolted her into moving. She combed one hand through her hair and turned toward the back door of the restaurant. “I’m not sure that what we had in Paris—”

  “What we had in Paris was wonderful, hon,” Erik cut in.

  “Tesa,” Sean said, crossing the room to halt her at the door. “We need to make you understand how we feel about you, darling.” He placed one hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn.

  Tesa bit her lip. Now is not the time to get into this—especially since I’m so damn aroused I can hardly stand to look at either man. She raised one hand and placed her palm against Sean’s chest, stifling the urge to draw in a short breath when the muscles beneath his shirt flexed. “Yes. I need to know how two men can share one woman and believe its okay.” A shard of nervousness shot through her insides when she realized she had spoken aloud.

  “Sweetheart, we’ve always shared everything. It doesn’t mean we love you any less.”

  Tesa raised her gaze to Sean’s face. The look in his eyes was sincere and her heart surged against her ribs. “I’m not talking about a car or an apartment, I’m a human being and it isn’t natural for two men to be sharing the same woman.” She darted her gaze toward Erik. “What if I’d gotten pregnant while we were in Paris? It would be difficult to explain which one of you was the father.” Her brows drew together as a sob choked her throat.

  Sean clutched her upper arms and gave her a little shake. “Darling, it wouldn’t have mattered which one of us had fathered a child with you—you’re the woman we love and nothing in the world will ever change that.”

  “But—”

  Erik circled her waist with one arm and drew her body back against his. “Tesa, you confessed that you couldn’t tell us apart. I’m reasonably certain that whi
chever one of us that could father a child with you, would have little difference in the way the child looked.”

  “Please don’t try to talk logic to me, Erik.” Tesa pushed out of their hold. He’s probably right—regardless of how ridiculous it sounds. “How would I explain to my family that I’m having a baby with two men?”

  “In these economic times, two men are a good idea.”

  Erik chuckled and Tesa bristled.

  “I didn’t mean that the way it came out, hon, honest,” Sean clarified. “It’s just that Erik and I have always been inseparable and the thought of sharing all things just seems natural.”

  “Well, it doesn’t seem natural to me,” Tesa barked, her hands flying to her hips. “And I haven’t forgotten how you let me believe you were Erik that night—”

  “Oh, yes, that wonderful sensual night when we made love under the stars on the balcony of the dorm room. I’ll never forget it, Tesa,” Sean quickly cut in.

  “We did that to prove a point, sweetheart,” Erik explained.

  “And the point was?” Tesa frowned.

  “We can share you. We’re both in love with you and we both want you. Sean was aware that we were lovers before that night.”

  Tesa’s jaw dropped. “So you hatched that little scheme to see if I could tell one of you from the other?”

  Tesa watched the men exchange glances, then shook her head and picked up her purse from the workstation. If I wasn’t so damn turned on—

  “Can’t we discuss this over dinner?” Erik asked.

  “There’s a fucking blackout—remember?” Tesa yelled.

  “I meant at your apartment. I’ll cook,” Erik clarified.

  It was impossible to stay mad at either of them. Tesa felt her anger dissipating as she glanced at them.