THREE DOORS (The THREE DOORS Series Book 1)

After allowing a couple of minutes for my heart to restart while the knocker walked away, I crept through the bedroom door and rushed directly to the bathroom without diverting my eyes. I needed another minute to compose myself before facing anyone, including my girlfriends. I flipped on the harsh light and glimpsed at my reflection in the big mirror before darting to the toilet. Hell, maybe I wasn’t even ready to face myself.

As warm pee trickled from my recovering cooch, I stared at the boring white shower curtain and finally let my brain lead the way. For starters, I couldn’t blame shame for tightening the nervous knots in my belly. I had a fuckin’ blast with the boys and, despite the brutal battering my discipline had endured, I wanted more. No doubt about that.

No, my hesitation blossomed from another level of uncertainty. After that incredible experience, I had no closure. Sure, we’d rehash the generals as a group, but what about my specific partner? Was he happy to find me waiting on the bed? Did he enjoy himself, or was he uncomfortable in any way?

I felt leftover guilt that he stroked himself in the corner rather than enjoying my mouth or my hands, but that was because of his silent insistence. He’d resisted all my advances, regardless of his rock-hard enthusiasm, and heaven knows that I tried all the tricks. Maybe he feared that once he unleashed his peen near my pussy, he’d cross every imaginable line and could never look at me the same again.

Which, of course, was the whole point of the game.

Fuck, I felt so many versions of dirty. I cleaned my downtown with extra toilet paper, giggling to myself that only therapy could wash this feeling away, then I stood before the bright mirror for the post-preview evaluation. Thank goodness that I’d passed on the heavy makeup since the bit I wore had smeared around my eyes. I found nothing in the manly bathroom gentle enough to scrub, so I did my best to polish my face and accepted that the smudges would have to stay. Rosy blotches stretched from my neck to my cheekbones with my trademark pattern of arousal. I fingered my smooth skin and traced remnant trails of his wet mouth and warm tongue, wondering just whose lips had left their mark. After swishing with the nearly empty bottle of blue mouthwash, I stared back at the short, messy blond chick in front of me.              

And ya know what? I liked her.

I would need to evaluate my role much more than that simple assessment, but I’d save that for another time. I didn’t want to keep my girls waiting even longer than they already had, but I especially didn’t want to keep him waiting, whoever he was.

I finally opened the door to face the proverbial music, finding my friends emitting safe, serene vibes as they chilled in the living room. Shay chugged a bottle of water and passed it to Judge. Deck lightly stroked Mia’s shoulder as she curled on his lap. Evan, the only solo soldier, jumped up from the sectional and smiled at my late entrance.

“Sorry I took so long,” I apologized with a cringe.

Mia grinned from across the room. “You’re fine, girl. No hurry.”

Judge pulled Shay closer against his chest, and my mind erupted with a rush of rambling thoughts. How did this cuddle pairing happen? Was it significant? Did the girls or guys choose? If the guys decided, was it based on who they’d just fucked with? Or did they intentionally mix it up?

Evan spoke up and unknowingly saved me from falling overboard. “You want some water? Or something else?”

“Water would be great. Thank you.” I parked in the empty spot he left and smoothed one of the gray blankets over my legs. All eyes landed on me.

“So?” Mia blinked with expectation.

“So…” I echoed.

“How are you feeling?” Judge asked.

Oh, so we’re breaking this down? Right now? Did I have to go first?

“Wait,” I hesitated, “how long have you girls been out here?”

“Not long at all. I was just sitting down when you ran in the bathroom.”

“And you were already in there when I came out,” Shay added.

I was a bit confused by the logistics. “You haven’t been out here waiting?”

“No, Callie,” Evan explained as he joined me on the cushions. I took a quick drink of the offered water as he continued. “The guys all came out at different times. Once we freshened up, we knocked on all three doors.” I guess that worked. Emerging one by one would put each of us face to face with the guy who just rocked our world. “After the knock, then we just waited in the kitchen until you all came out. We stepped away so we wouldn’t know who left each room.”

“Right.” I nodded over my refreshing bottle. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Does that make sense?” Deck popped in for the assist. “Everything is still a secret. I know what room the other guys went into, but not which girl was in there. Just like you don’t know what room we each covered.”

Thankfully, my patient peeps already knew that I sometimes required another round of explanation. “You didn’t see me come out?”

Judge shook his head. “Nope. We were already waiting in the kitchen. The girls told us you slipped into the bathroom, so we parked out here to wait.”

It finally clicked. Damn, I had some clever fuckin’ friends.

Shay still looked like a rock star as she stood from Judge’s embrace and smoothed her yellow lingerie. “Speaking of the bathroom, I need a minute. Save the good stuff until I get back.”

Mia swatted Shay’s ass as she maneuvered around the cooler table. “Make it quick. I’m next.”

Evan snaked his long arm behind my waist, so I snuggled against his hard muscles in those navy pajamas. Despite the usual primal arousal that sparked inside whenever he was near, I longed for a different brand of comfort, and he provided it. My earlier uncertainty calmed as he kissed the top of my hair and softly stroked my hip.

“What a night,” Deck sighed.

“One of the best nights of my life,” Mia said as she shifted on his lap.

Judge laughed and shook his head. “Only one of the best? Damn, woman.”

“I think this is gonna be addictive,” Evan murmured against my ear.

It already fuckin’ is.

A comfortable silence settled as we waited for Shay to finish primping. As soon as she returned, Mia hopped up and shot me wild, wide eyes as she walked past. Evan rested his head on mine, and I glanced subtly around the room, wondering just what my mystery guy was thinking.

This chill vibe provided some sanity after the entire week of crossing lines. Separating sex from emotion had been easy in the past because I’d spent those few dirty nights with men I had no intention of vibing with long term. I’d dabbled in casual dating through college and couldn’t define any actual one-night stands, but I’d never bonded with any boys beyond the basics. Deck, Judge, and Evan were different somehow.

On the one hand, until I started hanging with this unique group, I’d never enjoyed a genuine friendship with the opposite sex. My high school boyfriend was a possessive prick, basically beating friendly “rivals” away with a mouthy stick. I had acquaintances in undergrad, of course, but I’d never clicked with them on that deeper level as I had with these guys.

On the other hand, I was hopelessly attracted to all three of our gorgeous hosts and felt no regrets about exploring this sexual realm with each of them. Three Doors filled the void between those friend and lover contradictions, allowing these men to work my body to a frenzy by night and still listen to me ramble over my school books the next day.

Decker was right. This did feel like a relationship….an unconventional, incredible relationship.

“And I’m back!” Mia cat-walked down the hallway with a beautiful smile, sashaying those hips in her green negligee. “You need more mouthwash, by the way.”

As soon as she relaxed into Decker’s arms again, Judge jumped in with both feet. “So, I’ll start. I know the guys were at an advantage tonight, but it was fuckin’ incredible.”

Aww.

“Same for me,” Evan added. “From the game to the movie, it was the perfect night. Hell, the perfect day, really.”

Mia flashed him a flirty smile. “Did we even watch the movie?”

Evan man-giggled against me. “Well, not much, but it sounded hot.” We all laughed. Hell, it was starting to feel like a standard study night.

“So much better than anything I imagined,” Deck admitted with a charming grin. “And when I think about next weekend? Fuck.” Much to my relief, the other guys mumbled agreement with not one hint of disappointment. Of course, my overthinking mind had tortured me without cause again.

“So, what was it like for you?” Evan asked with a slight nudge against my shoulder.

“Amazing,” Shay said. “Like the fulfillment of a fantasy I never knew I wanted.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Same here,” I added as my body settled back to baseline. “It was thrilling not knowing who was touching me.”

“Exactly,” Mia agreed. “But I could also relax knowing that it was one of you.” So true. This would never work with anyone else.

“Well, boys,” Judge laughed with a bicep flex, “I think we did a good job.”

Mia raised her brows. “My guy sure as fuck did. Like wow.”

I caught the boys slipping adorable, cocky grins over our heads and considered how the conversation may turn after we left them alone. “Will you be comparing notes?”

“Sure.” Our female half tossed an orchestra of bitchy moans in Deck’s direction. “Notes, not names,” he assured us with a grin. “Promise.”

“You, too?” Shay blinked up at Judge.

He scoffed at the implication. “Of course. We don’t wanna fuck this up.”

“Well, thank you.” I smiled with an appreciative blush.

Evan patted my hip until I joined our blue eyes. “We care about you, ya know,” he convinced me. “This isn’t just the average dip for any of us.”

Christ, these men.

Shay stretched into a yawn beside Judge. “We’ll all be in the dark next time. Let’s hope we can pull it off.”

I toyed with Evan’s stretchy waistband under the blanket, mesmerized by the memory of scruff buried between my legs. “I can’t wait. Seriously.”

“So, our other test results should come this week,” Mia reminded us of the busy agenda, “and I’ll schedule our waxes.”

Deck nodded. “And we’ll need to figure out the logistics in your rooms.”

“And go to class, study for patho, and take that fuckin’ exam,” Shay groaned.

“We’re wearing the same perfume and deodorant on Three Doors nights,” I added. “You guys may want to, too.”

“We already took care of that,” Deck laughed. Come to think of it, I’d been within a breath of all three men and hadn’t noticed any alluring aromas, not even from the style king himself.

“Yeah, we skipped the heavy scents tonight,” Evan said. “We can match it up next time if you want. Who smells best?”

“Judge!” we answered in confident unison, followed by a round of ridiculous giggles as he boasted over the scoffs.

“So, we’ll study on Monday and Tuesday,” Shay rattled off our final schedule, “then exam and chill on Wednesday. Window treatments and wax on Thursday. Room check on Friday.”

“And finally fuck our brains out on Saturday!” Mia squealed with excitement.

Evan shook his head beside me. “You’re fuckin’ crazy.”

She shipped him an air kiss. “And you love every second of it.”

Our generous hosts tried to persuade us to spend the night, promising a clean group crash on the sectional and even hand-delivered breakfast, but we declined, citing the need for girl time and actual sleep. We did, however, accept the offered goodnight kisses. Knowing that I had been with one of them made me long for the other two in a jacked-up way, as if my secret someone already stacked some advantage and the others needed to catch up. Of course, I couldn’t pinpoint who had serviced my station, so my feelings made no fuckin’ sense.

Hell, none of this did, but it worked.

My chest rattled with a second rumble of anticipation. One of these men would approach me after having sucked on my wet pussy. He’d watched as I shamelessly begged him to fuck me. He’d kissed me like I’d never been kissed. Would I be able to tell which guy had made my heart hammer and my face flush? Would I know which of the three pleasured himself in the dark while I listened?

In another first, we inadvertently passed on the lineup style of departure and migrated to different corners of the living space to share our goodbyes. Maybe we all held private whispers on our tongues, feeling the deviant and delightful highlights of the night while also recognizing the connective and impactful result. I shrugged into my robe in the kitchen while Shay paused by the dining room table and Mia lingered near the sectional. It didn’t take long for our fellow medical students to catch on.

Judge strolled up to me with pocketed hands and sympathetic eyes. His fingers had sampled my wet agony after the naughty nurse movie, but considering the unforgettable indiscretions behind closed doors, I had no reason to complain now. Hell, maybe he had been the one to relieve me, after all.

“Am I forgiven?” he asked with a sheepish smile, changing gears from his cocky demeanor.

I fumbled with his buttons and met his warm gaze. “Oh, I was so mad at you,” I teased.

“I didn’t wanna stop, Callie.” He cupped my chin in both hands. “I never wanna stop with you.”

I fell victim to his endless charm and offered my pouty lips for his penance. His skilled tongue swept sensual waves over mine, leaving further confusion and arousal in its wake. Was that admission a nod to my begging behind closed doors? Had he tasted my dripping wetness with this sweet mouth?

Deck sauntered into the kitchen next to claim his round with my lips. His relaxed, rippled body exuded calmness and confidence, but that gaze reflected intensity and intention. The addictive combination sent my heart to a full fuckin’ skip.

“Callie.”

“Decker.”

Those dark bedroom eyes roamed over my curves as he cornered me against the cool counter. He tugged on the sides of my open robe, drawing me closer with sweltering authority, then a slight grin curled the corners of his lips. Was that an ache between my legs?

Jesus, girl. Lock it up down there.

“You’re not last,” I whispered my diversion, blinking up at him through my smeared makeup.

Deck slipped eager hands inside my cover and rubbed his wide palms over my satin-covered hips. “I couldn’t wait this time,” he rasped. “Not one more fuckin’ second.”

Hell, I couldn’t wait, either. I fingered his sexy stubble, then guided his parted lips to mine as I melted against his firm frame. Muffled moans escaped his throat as his aggressive tongue possessed my breaths. His urgency was so uncharacteristic, and my train wreck of a mind veered even farther off the tracks. Was this a continuation of our pitch-black passion from earlier? Or was he missing his share after barely touching me all evening?

By the time Evan stepped close for my finale, Judge and Deck had left me simmering inside my sleepwear. I swept my tongue over my top lip and prepared my weakened will for his demanding moves, but fate stole the last laugh. My futile attempts to piece together the night suffered another setback when Evan played the sweetheart role.

“You haven’t left yet, but I already miss you,” he confessed with a charming smile. Christ, he was simply mouthwatering.

“You’ll see me Monday when we study,” I reminded him, shifting my weight and edging deeper into the palpable spark between us.

“True,” Evan whispered, “but you won’t be dressed like this.” His frisky fingers grazed my soft nipple, then his hands drifted lower to my ass. Electricity pulsed under his palms as he explored my slim curves, then he covered my needy mouth with his. I clutched at his chest and ripped at the cotton as his imposter of a tongue lapped delicate licks between my lips, this tantalizing kiss mimicking the same comfort that he’d provided when we cuddled on the sofa.

This game was starting to mind fuck me.

The guys were switching roles right before my eyes, leaving me a clueless clusterfuck as their initial methods faded. How foolish was I to think that I could solve this case by relying on the style of a simple kiss? And why did I want to solve anything? My heart had played fuckin’ hopscotch as the mystery man seduced me beyond the blindfold. Shouldn’t I just let it ride?

~ • ~

Shay, Mia, and I relaxed against the back wall of the elevator, sharing blissful sighs and bemused glances on the short trip to our crib. A swaying drunk who’d barged through behind us stole peeks at our matching bodies as he fished for a potential booty call. After passing the fourth floor, he gave up the individual chase and dangled bait for all three.

“You’re all so hot. Hell, I thought I was dreaming.” He grinned and balanced against the wall. “Single?”

We shook our heads with a confident, collective no, and my chest swelled with unexpected pride. Fuck, it felt unbelievable to be all in with our binge-worthy men.

Although part of me craved a decompression chat session when we finally shuffled through our door, my bewildered brain and body begged for some downtime after the long, remarkable day. My girls agreed over yawns to save the analysis for breakfast, then we hugged goodnight and closed our doors behind us.

~ • ~

After interruption-free snoozing and refreshing showers the next morning, we met in the kitchen to enjoy our caffeine fix with a side of girly gossip. Shay hoisted herself up on the kitchen counter as Mia danced around joyfully and waited for her toast to brown.

“Girls, we struck gold, didn’t we?” Mia gushed.

“It sure as fuck feels like it,” I laughed.

“Okay, let’s start with us,” she said, meeting both of our eyes. “Do either of you feel weird about our kisses?” After the boys delivered their stunning announcement, the preview had taken precedence over any prior feminine flirtations. I still found my best friends beautiful by the morning light, but my mind was hyper-focused on the three tempting dicks downstairs.

“It was fun,” I acknowledged, dumping an obscene amount of creamer in my coffee. “I don’t feel weird.”

“Neither do I,” Shay said, “and, if I may say, you’re both fantastic kissers.”

“Aww, thanks!” I grinned and raised my drink.

Mia giggled as she hot-handed her breakfast from the toaster. “I loved it, too, and you know the boys were salivating.”

“Hell, that was half the fun.”

“So, about the boys, what happened on your end?” Shay pried.

“I won’t lie,” I caved. “I tried to get my guy to fuck me, but he wasn’t having it.”

Mia waved me off. “I did, too, girl. It wasn’t just you.”

“Well, my so-called ‘nerves of steel’ buckled hard,” Shay laughed at herself. “I was fuckin’ begging for it.”

Mia slathered strawberry jelly on her toast. “We ended up having a sixty-nine session instead,” she offered nonchalantly.

Shay gasped. “Shut. Up.”

She took a giant bite, and a bit of fruit dribbled from the side of her mouth. “What?”

“I pawed at my guy’s cock like it was fuckin’ water in a desert!” I complained. “He shut me down every time!”

Shay piped up from her perch. “My guy did, too! He didn’t even take his pants off!”

Harsh.

Mia offered her a consolation knee pat. “Did you at least get oral?”

“Yeah,” Shay said, “but I rode him for a while before that. My hips are hella sore.”

Mia’s eyes widened with realization. “Wait, you’re telling me that neither of you even touched bare peen?”

Shay cringed. “I didn’t.”

“I mean, I was half-stroking Judge on the couch during the movie, but that’s about it.”

“You guys got fuckin’ robbed,” Mia laughed. “I was all up in there.”

Shay rolled her amused eyes at the flaunt and turned to me. “Did you get oral, too?”

“Yeah. It was perfect.”

Mia finished chewing and cut to the chase. “Okay. The moment of truth. Do either of you know who worked you up? Be real.”

“I really don’t,” I answered honestly as I rinsed my ocean mug. “Nothing to report here.”

“Me, neither. I tried to figure it out but gave up once we got deep.”

“Damn,” Mia bitched. “I was hoping one of you figured it out to narrow down my choices.”

I cocked my brow. “Did you want someone in particular?”

She shook her head before shoving in another messy bite. “Not at all.”

“I didn’t care, either.” Shay slid from her seat with a shrug. “I was on fire, and it wouldn’t have mattered.”

“Same here.” I gazed aimlessly into the living room. “I don’t have a favorite.”

Or did I?