Leave it to her to assume the wrong thing. "Yet you two room together."
He stuffed some papers into a backpack. "Yeah."
"Or is that more for business, so you can keep an eye on your investment?"
"Alex doesn't need a babysitter. He's an adult and can manage his life just fine without me. We travel all the time together, and we've grown close over the years. We're friends. We often share a suite during competition."
Well, hell. She'd heard her own voice snapping at him and she didn't like it. "I didn't mean anything by that."
He tilted his head her way, his smile genuine. "No offense taken, Victoria."
She really did need a nap. She was reading things into her conversation with Ben that obviously weren't there. "I think I'll head out. If you see Alex, tell him I'll be back tonight for the party."
"Will do."
Several hours later, she had rested, showered, and had even treated herself to a massage at the spa. Now she felt immensely better. And also much worse about being so defensive with Ben earlier. He'd been generous and kind and she'd done nothing but accuse him of age discrimination and running roughshod over Alex.
She owed him an apology.
She put on a sundress, slipped on her sandals and walked down toward the beach. It was dark, so the tiki torches were lit and a bonfire was going strong. The competition area was crowded with people, some she recognized as the surfing competitors, some as the advertisers and promoters, and some she didn't know at all. There were a lot more people there tonight than had been around the day before.
Once she got past security with her badge, she wended her way through the crowd in search of either Alex or Ben.
She found Ben in the middle of a group of men. He smiled and waved her over, introduced her to several guys all in the business of promoting their own competitors in the contest.
He put his arm around her. "This is Victoria Baldwin."
One of them, a tall African American man wearing a white-and-red flowered shirt, narrowed his gaze. "Aren't you a sports agent?"
"I am. And you are . . ."
He held out his hand. "Sorry. Larry Banders."
The name sounded familiar. Why couldn't she place it? "Nice to meet you, Larry."
"You represent Malcolm King, the basketball player from San Antonio."
"Yes, I do."
"He's married to my sister, Cynthia."
Now she knew why the name had rung a bell. She smiled. "Of course. I love Cynthia. She's so supportive of Malcolm's career."
"Yeah, she loves basketball. Played some herself in high school and college."
"Yes. We've had several conversations about that. I tried to recruit her for the WNBA, but she refused to listen to my grand plans for her career."
Larry laughed. "Yeah, she wants to concentrate on my two nephews. I told her the same thing. I would have promoted the hell out of her if she'd let me. But she said babies first, career later. And now she wants to be a teacher."
Tori shrugged. "Not everyone wants the career of an athlete. What are you going to do?"
"Nothing. I love those kids, so if she's happy, then I'm happy. In the meantime, I put my label on everyone else. Like my kid here. In fact, I see him now, so excuse me. Nice meeting you, Victoria."
"You too, Larry."
Ben led her away from the crowd. "Do you always run into people you know?"
"It happens sometimes. Indirectly or directly, I usually find someone in the business." As they headed through the crowd, she tilted her gaze up to his. The firelight highlighted the stunning features of his face and the utter sexiness of his eyes, something she tried not to notice. She was failing miserably. "Surely you have the same problem, since you're in the athlete business."
"True. I used to work with a lot of athletes, though I don't brand as many as I used to."
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "For one thing, I've made a lot of money over the years."
"There's always more money to make, you know."
"True. But I'm not looking to become richer than I need to be. I just want to live comfortably, and I do. Chasing money requires a lot of work and hustle and time, and I'm just not interested in putting that much time into it anymore. And second, I'm pretty selective about who wears my brand. Plus, I like surfing. It's still my passion, so limiting the chase for a higher income allows me to follow the waves. At least vicariously."
She smiled. "It's good that you still get to do what you love, even in this way."
"Having enough money has its benefits."
She wondered if she'd ever get to that point where it would be enough for her. She loved her career, adored her clients and it was still an adrenaline rush for her. "I don't think I've reached the slow-down phase of my career yet."
"You'll know it when you get there."
She turned to face him. "Before Alex gets here, I want to apologize for earlier today."
He frowned. "What about earlier today?"
"I was tired and cranky and bit your head off about some things."
He stepped in closer and swept his hand over her hair. "I didn't even notice. Don't worry about it."
She shivered at his touch. "Well, thanks for being kind about it, but I'm pretty good at knowing when I'm being a bitch."
He laughed. "It's a good trait to have, but honestly, it takes a lot to piss me off."
"Also a good trait to have, Ben."
"I think you live longer that way. How about we find you a drink and you can really relax?"
"That sounds like a great idea. Is Alex here?"
"I saw him around earlier with some of the other surfers. I'm sure we'll run into him."
He led her to the drink station--an entire bar set up under one of the tents.
"What would you like?"
"Something hard. I'm in the mood to drink tonight."
He cocked his head to the side and gave her a grin. "My kind of woman. Two Jack Daniels--neat. And make them doubles."
He handed her the glass.
She looked down at the amber liquid, then back at him. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"
"Maybe." He clinked his glass against hers and downed his drink in one swallow.
She wouldn't dare do that, though she was good at holding her liquor. After countless years having cocktails with team owners and athletes who outweighed her by hundreds of pounds, she had learned to either pace herself or drink with them. She took a couple of sips, letting the liquid burn its way down her throat.
Mmm, smooth. She finished the rest in two swallows, then asked the bartender for water.
Ben motioned to the bartender, who handed over a bottle of water, and two more shots.
Victoria turned to Ben. "You are trying to get me drunk."
"Something tells me you can hold your own with a shot of whiskey."
She smiled over the rim of the shot glass. "Maybe."
She downed the drink. This one went down smoother than the first one. She handed the glass back to the bartender and opened her bottle of water to take a couple swallows, already feeling the warm mellowness of the whiskey making its way through her body.
It was getting crowded. The music had started up and everyone was headed toward the beach.
"Let's go find Alex," Ben said, sliding his hand into hers to guide her through the tight groups.
She liked his strong hand in hers, was still fascinated by the zing of attraction she felt for him. Her belly tumbled from the simple connection of their hands together. What was up with that? It certainly wasn't lack of sex, because Alex was taking good care of her in that department.
Maybe it was because they were closer in age, or maybe it was because they had similar types of careers. She'd felt a kindred spirit in Ben. But she had no idea what the reason was and wasn't about to take valuable vacation time dissecting it when this was her time to relax and enjoy herself.
He wound them through undulating bodies, where they found Alex talking to a couple girls
. He turned to her and grinned.
"Hey, there you are." He waved off the girls, then swept her into his arms and planted a hot kiss on her lips. "I've been wondering when you'd show up."
"I'm starving," Ben said. "Are you two up for some food?"
"I know I am," Victoria said, looking at Alex.
"Sure. Let's grab some grub and a table before all the food's gone."
They went to the tent where a feast of food had been set out. Victoria filled her plate and sat between Alex and Ben.
"You looked great out there today. Are you ready for tomorrow?" she asked Alex.
"Thanks. I'm stoked. I can't wait for the competition to start. All this prep shit just makes me crazy. I want to get out there and score some points."
"He always gets like this," Ben said. "Nervous energy. A lot of the surfers hate the preliminaries. It's the real competition that gets their juices flowing."
Alex filled his mouth with a bite of chicken, and nodded, washing it down with a drink. "Fun is always in competition. You remember what it's like, Ben."
"Like it was yesterday."
She loved listening to the two of them talk about surfing. They launched into a discussion about tomorrow's event. She ate and listened while they went over the parameters of the competition. By the time she had emptied her plate, Ben had gotten up to talk to one of the judges, and Alex had finished off two plates.
"How do you stay so lean when you eat so much?" she asked as he tossed their plates in the trash.
"Surfing burns off a lot of calories." He leaned in close. "So does sex."
She shook her head, but smiled. "I would think you'd need to focus on the competition, not on sex."
"Honey, I'm never too busy to think about sex. It relaxes me, and when I'm relaxed, I compete better."
"Is that a line you give to all the women?"
He stopped, looked at her. "No. But is it working?"
She laughed. "Maybe."
They made their way back down the beach. Alex stopped and talked to . . . everyone. He was extremely popular. He signed several autographs, visited with a few people he knew and was extremely gracious and friendly with everyone. She liked that about him. He didn't seem to have an ego and never brushed anyone off. By the time he extricated himself from the crowd, he took her hand.
"Sorry about that."
"Don't apologize for being nice to your fans. It's good that you take the opportunity to do that. I know a lot of professional athletes who don't. Once they have a little success, it goes to their heads and they forget the people who helped make them a success. They're total assholes."
"Hey, our sport struggles as it is. We have to give thanks to the people who love to watch us surf. That's the fans as well as the sponsors. Without them, we're just a bunch of penniless dicks sitting on surfboards."
"So true." She liked him more and more.
"Hey, the music's starting up," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her toward the crowd of people dancing.
After his busy day today, she thought he'd be exhausted. And yet here he was ready to party it up with everyone. "You want to dance?"
"Hell, yeah." They found Ben along the way and Alex signaled to him. Ben came over and Alex gave him a report about one of the guys he'd spoken with in the crowd earlier who wanted to interview Alex.
"I'll take care of it later," Ben said.
"I knew you would," Alex said. "Come on you two. Let's dance."
Victoria looked up at Ben, who shrugged, then grabbed her around the waist. Laughing, she joined in. The raucous beat was infectious, as was the crowd. And when Alex moved in behind her to grab her hips, she decided she was in heaven.
With Ben moving in front of her, and Alex behind her, it was the most delicious sandwich she'd ever been in, and gave her ridiculous, wickedly naughty ideas.
She locked gazes with Ben, who kept a respectable distance.
Until she held out her arms and pulled him in closer.
And the dance suddenly got a lot hotter.
Alex whispered into her ear. "You like Ben."
She flipped around to face Alex. "Of course I do."
Alex tugged her against him. "No, I mean you like Ben. You want him."
No reason not to be honest. "I find him attractive, yes."
He looked over her at Ben, then nodded. Ben came closer and wound his arms around her, the three of them swaying to a slow beat. "Tell us what you want."
Maybe it was the whiskey, or the heady, free environment. With men, she'd always taken exactly what she wanted, had always been free to explore her sexuality. "Let's get out of here," she said to Alex. "It's too crowded."
"Sure." Alex took her by the hand and started to lead her away from the people dancing.
She paused, and looked at Ben. "Aren't you coming with us?"
"Is that what you want?" Ben asked.
She had no hesitation when she answered. "Yes."
His lips curved. "Then, yeah. I'm coming with you."
Chapter Eight
Alex and Ben led Tori back to her hotel suite. They'd asked if she wanted to go to her place or theirs. She had an oversize king bed and they had no objection, so she led them back to her room.
She fished into the pocket of her sundress for the key and handed it off to Ben. He unlocked the suite and she walked in, feeling more anticipation and excitement than she'd ever felt before.
She was a worldly woman, had experienced sexual delights with a lot of men.
But she'd never had two men at once.
As she turned and faced Ben and Alex, she couldn't think of anything she wanted more than these two men tonight.
Alex, with his sun-lightened blond hair and his amazing physique, and Ben, with his dark good looks and incredible eyes. They both pulled at her for different reasons.
Ben came over to her and skimmed his hands up and down her arms.
"You sure about this."
She nodded. "Yes."
Alex came up behind her and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "Tori, we both know the meaning of the word no. You say it at any time tonight and this stops."
She turned to face Alex. "Thank you, but I know exactly what I'm getting into. I'm a grown woman and I know what I want. What I want is both of you."
She heard Ben's harsh intake of breath behind her, so she turned around.
Ben slid his hands around her waist and tugged her close.
"Been wanting to do this since that first night I saw you with Alex."
Ben's mouth fit to hers and where everything with Alex had been all about wild passion, with Ben it was a searingly slow exploration of lips and tongues, igniting her nonetheless like a wild bonfire. She moaned against his lips, and when he cupped her behind to draw her closer to his erection, she wanted everything she'd been fantasizing about with him.
Her breasts felt heavy, her nipples tingling with the need to have a hot, wet mouth sucking them.
And when Alex came up behind her, another hot, hard erection pressing against her, she felt like she had died and this must be what heaven was like--because all her dreams were coming true.
Alex kissed the back of her neck, and suddenly his hands were on her aching breasts, massaging them through the material of her dress.
She wanted to be naked, to feel all this delicious flesh pressed up against her.
With Ben's mouth on her and Alex's hands on her, she already knew how amazing this night was going to be. Her heart pounded and her sex throbbed, and when Alex unzipped her dress, she was more than ready to have it off.
So she could get off.
The dress puddled in a pool at her feet. Ben took her hands and led her forward. She stepped out of the dress, and Ben flicked the clasp at the front of her bra. She pulled the straps down and let the bra drop to the floor.
"You are damn beautiful," Ben said, cupping her breasts and leaning down to take a nipple in his mouth.
"Yes," she whispered. "Suck."
He did, hi
s movements so gentle it made her ache with need.
Alex, still behind her, reached for her underwear, drawing them over her hips and down her legs. She held on to Ben while she stepped out of them. Alex smoothed his hands up her legs, then came around the front of her.
She gasped when he put his mouth on her sex.
She'd never had both her nipples and her clit sucked at the same time. The sensations were overwhelming in the most delicious way. She wrapped her arm around Ben's shoulders while he played with her breasts and nipples, her legs widening to give Alex access to her pussy. All she could do was hold on and watch as these two amazing men worshipped her body, making her quake with a hunger that took her to new heights of sensual pleasure.
It was heady and wicked and she wanted it to go on forever, but Alex had an expert mouth and before she knew what was happening she was coming, hard, crying out and shuddering while Ben held tight to her as the spasms of pleasure wracked her entire body.
She panted through the quivering orgasm. Ben's mouth was on hers, his grip on her chin light but oh so sexy as he took her mouth in a much more demanding kiss this time.
She felt a mouth on her breasts--Alex. It was going to take her some time to adjust to the idea that two men had access to her body.
"Don't think," she heard Alex say. "Just feel."
He was right. She had to surrender to the sensations, to enjoy every second of this night.
When Ben pulled his mouth from hers, she lost herself in the blue depths of his gaze. He smiled down at her.
"Good start?" he asked.
"Very good start."
"You came hard," Alex said, taking her from Ben's arms and into his. He kissed her thoroughly until her pussy quivered in anticipation. "Taste yourself on me?"
"Yes. And now it's time for both of you to shed some clothes."
Alex pulled off his shirt and dropped his shorts. "That's what I like about you," Victoria said. "You're always down with getting naked."
She turned to Ben and smiled. "Next."
"My pleasure." He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, revealing the extremely well-toned arms and chest Victoria remembered from seeing him run on the beach. Once again she noted how in shape he was for a man in his mid-forties. He was tanned and muscled, with a dark sprinkling of hair at his chest. And when he slid out of his board shorts, her eyes widened.